I mention all this because Emeth Auctor, based solely on this one future vision, managed to convince the Sorcerers' Council of Arxia to listen to his plan.

❂❂❂

Micah saw red.

Not the red of a blow in the head, or of eyes shut in sleep. Not the red of his wife's delicate, rosy cheeks.

Red, the combination of pain and anger shining through every cell of his body – turning off his mind, channeling all his energy to destroy. That was how he stopped the pain.

He was deep in the Whispering Woods before he even knew what he was doing, the world a blur of dark blues and teals in the night. I'm going to KILL HER! he thought in his fury, forging onward despite his fatigue.

Shadow Weaver's form flashed before him in the night; Micah barely registered the shock on her mask before he hurled a truth spell at her. The disc of magic soared like a frisbee into her side, and she let out an intense howl of pain, dropping to her knees and cradling the wound.

Micah lifted her up by the collar and slammed her into a tree, hard – the rush of magic throughout his system felt good. "Is it true?" he bellowed. "Light Spinner?"

Shadow Weaver coughed, and he pressed her harder against the tree. He stole a glance at her side. The fabric of her uniform was torn, leaving scarred skin exposed along the side of her stomach. Blood pooled on the lower edge of the fabric.

Micah gritted his teeth, tears streaming down his cheeks. Don't look at the wound. "Answer me," he begged. He readied another truth spell at her, but Shadow Weaver looked up at him, her masked expression unreadable.

Then she laughed. It was the same soft chuckle he'd heard when he had been her student. Her voice shook, likely from pain. Micah pressed her even harder against the tree, though he had his answer already.

Micah cried out in anguish and tossed her, strengthening himself with magic. She landed several yards away with a grunt. Just as she stood, Micah – unable to process his grief – hurled a blast of evocation magic toward her.

✧✧✧

His power struck Shadow Weaver's wound. An ugly scream escaped her lips as the burn cauterized around her gash, as black spots speckled through her vision.

Breathily, she laughed, although tears kept falling. Of course he would have found out. Of course. "It feels good, doesn't it? Taking out your pain on the person who hurt you? Who betrayed their promise...who abandoned you to die?"

Micah gasped. Shadow Weaver felt a smile stretch her scars, though she continued to cry, and blood flowed beneath her fingers. Would Micah take her to Bright Moon Palace? It was a short trip from here...

He gazed at her for a long while. "I...I'm..."

Micah covered his mouth and rushed in the opposite direction, teleporting once he was a distance away.

So much blood...so much shock...

Shadow Weaver was shaking. Her mouth was dry; she didn't have much time. She couldn't heal this wound...

Focus! she snapped at herself. She couldn't take Illuras in her condition. Micah was out for her life now. Why, when he knew who she was?

Deep down, Shadow Weaver knew the truth. She took out gauze from her pocket and pressed it to her gash, laying flat on her back and closing her eyes. She had lied to him, and paid the price.

But after seeing his reaction, she decided she didn't regret a thing.

✧✧✧

Nell found Micah with a location spell; he was in the Whispering Woods, near the glistening pond. Though Nell had never been there, Angella was kind enough to draw him a sketch of what the area looked like. So it was that Nell found his friend huddled beneath a shelter of stone, facing the wall and sobbing.

Nell bit his lip. Then wordlessly, he walked up and embraced Micah. He would not lose another friend...he couldn't.

Micah leaned against him. No explanation; only grief. The men sat there in the night, the only sound being the cadence of wildlife.

Micah held him back, after a time – that little piece of his Alura. "It's her," he whispered.

Nell averted his gaze; he didn't need to ask for clarification. "What happened?"

"I hurt her," Micah said, still quiet. "I gashed her in the side. It could have killed her..." Nell said nothing, letting the younger man continue. "She lied, Nell. The worst part was that I liked it. I liked making her hurt, just as she's hurt me all these years."

"Where is she now?"

"She's gone. Please, don't chase her. She'll kill you – she's not the same as before."

"I won't," Nell replied. "I'm sorry, Micah..." He apologized not just for the revelation, but what he himself kept from the younger man. "I'm staying here with you – I won't go until you're ready to return to the palace."

"But...Angella –"

"– is under the care of my assistants. She will be fine. I won't leave anyone. Not again."

They continued holding one another in silence; Micah's tears eventually subsided. Nell supposed that in the midst of grief, of monstrosity, it was helpful to at least not be alone in your guilt.

❂❂❂

Did you know...

- I debated for a bit about whether Micah would respond this violently to Shadow Weaver at first. However, I eventually decided that despite his good heart, he's too hot-tempered not to. I hope this scene doesn't come across as out-of-character.

Tell me what you think...

- How will Micah and Shadow Weaver's dynamic change, now that he knows the truth?

- How might this revelation force Nell to grow as a person?