School dragged on, but none of us could focus on class.
We were too busy whispering about the Collision.
Olsen leaned in at lunch, his voice low. "I think I figured out part of what 'where our hearts align' means. It's not just poetic it's pointing to a key. Literally. We need one."
"A key?" I asked. "To what?"
"That's the problem," Olsen muttered. "We don't know. We don't even know what it opens."
"This is so annoying!" Aqua huffed, crossing her arms. "If only your parents had actually told you the truth, we wouldn't be stumbling around like this!"
Her words stung more than I wanted to admit.
"Aqua, stop," Olsen said sharply. "Apologize."
"Tch, whatever," she muttered, avoiding my eyes.
That's when she appeared.
"Hey," Calila said, walking up to our table. "Mind if I steal Eli for a bit?"
Before I could answer, Aqua was already grabbing my arm like a territorial wolf.
"No way. He's mine. I called dibs on him first!"
"Aqua…" Olsen sighed. "Stop being childish. Go on, Eli."
As Calila and I walked out of class together, I could still hear Aqua and Olsen arguing behind us.
We made it to the hallway, just out of earshot. She looked nervous fidgety, even.
"I like you," she blurted out. "I was wondering if... you wanted to go on a date tomorrow?"
I blinked.
It caught me completely off guard.
Calila, who just last week seemed like a background rumor and today… this?
"I'm sorry," I said gently. "I've got something going on tomorrow."
That wasn't a lie. Not entirely. I did have something: uncovering the secrets of a coming magical catastrophe. I just didn't want to say it like that.
"Oh," she said quietly. "Okay. Bye then…"
She turned quickly and walked away, head lowered. There was a sadness to her that tugged at something deep in me.
But I couldn't chase her. Not now.
I headed back into the classroom.
"Miss flaming red hair confessed, huh?" Aqua grinned, arms folded like a queen on her throne. "The next time I see her…"
She muttered something under her breath, but I only caught, "next time I see her…"
It probably wasn't kind.
Olsen stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder. "We'll meet again after school this time we won't be late."
Aqua gave Calila one last glare before following him out of the room.
School was finally over, and like clockwork, we headed back into the secret library beneath my house.
Aqua flopped onto a nearby couch with a groan, her voice muffled by a book resting on her face.
"If you want to find the date, look for the painting where our hearts align..." she repeated, quoting the line from the book we found.
"My brain hurts," she whined. "Why couldn't your parents have just written down 'The Collision happens on this exact day, you're welcome'?"
We'd been down there for hours, flipping through hundreds of ancient, dusty volumes when finally, Olsen pulled out something different.
"A book on magical artifacts!" he said, his voice lighting up like a spark in dry brush. He started flipping through the pages rapidly.
"Let's see... The Unbreakable Glass Cup drink from it and gain immortality," he read aloud.
Aqua rolled her eyes. "Great. One sip and I never die. Where's the one that makes homework optional?"
He flipped the page again. "The God's Glove wear it, and your strength increases one hundredfold."
"That's actually terrifying," I muttered, but I leaned closer with interest.
Then Olsen paused. "Wait... this one has a picture."
He pointed to an old sketch.
"Madison Heart. Said to open any door even the one in your own heart."
The drawing showed a necklace: heart-shaped, silver-laced, and gently glowing.
My heart nearly stopped. "That's… that's the necklace my mom gave me."
Olsen and Aqua snapped their heads toward me.
"You have this?!" Olsen asked, barely able to contain himself. "That's a Great Artifact! It's in the Book of Magic Relics!"
I nodded. "It's upstairs in my room. She gave it to a maid the day she left. Told her to make sure I kept it safe."
We didn't waste any time. As we crept back upstairs toward my room, we passed near the east hallway and that's when we heard her.
Ruby.
Yelling.
"I've told you to seduce the boy!" she snapped into the phone. "You think you have until tomorrow?! The Collision could happen any moment! If I don't get the out of here before then, it's over! The only way I can do that, it's width the pearl."
There was a pause.
"I should have tortured his parents while I had the chance."
Every word hit me like a hammer. My chest tightened. I'd wanted so badly to believe Ruby was just misunderstood strict, sure, but loyal.
But now?
Now I knew.
I turned to Olsen and Aqua, who looked equally stunned.
The call ended. Silence.
We quickly stepped away as she turned the corner and spotted us.
Her expression flipped like a switch smile wide, voice honey-sweet. "Ah, you brought your friends again! I'd love to learn their names this time."
She was fishing for information. Olsen stepped forward coolly, unfazed. "I'm Dan, and this is my sister, Jan. Our parents really liked rhyming."
Ruby blinked for half a second. The smile never left her lips, but the calculation in her eyes faltered.
"Oh… how charming," she said lightly. "Well, I'll leave you three to it. Enjoy your evening." She turned away, strolling off as if she hadn't just plotted to kill my family.
Once she was out of earshot, I looked at the twins. "Dan and Jan?"
Olsen smirked. "Our clan names come from ancestral lineages. Names like Aqua and Olsen trace back generations. We don't do rhymes. If she really was part of our old clan, she'd know immediately we were faking."
"Smart," I said, still shaken.
Olsen grew serious. "We need to keep playing along. If she really doesn't think we're Abarice, that gives us time."
I nodded slowly. "Yeah... and time's something we're running out of."
We slipped out of the hallway and went straight to my room. I opened the drawer and pulled out the heart-shaped necklace my mother had given me still warm from the soft velvet pouch it had rested in for years.
Olsen leaned in close, eyes wide. "It's the real deal," he whispered. "That marking on the back it's from the Garden Clan. They were one of Abarice's strongest allies... before their fall."
I blinked. "The Garden Clan?"
Aqua and I exchanged confused glances.
"You really do know a lot," I said, half-joking, half-impressed.
"You'd be surprised," Aqua muttered, rolling her eyes. "Even though he's failing school."
Olsen smirked. "School won't matter after the Collision. Why memorize facts when the world's about to change?"
Despite the humor, I could tell this moment meant a lot to them especially to Olsen. We'd found the key. But what did it open?
"Eli," he said gently, "do you remember any place your parents took you that had a heart-shaped lock? A door, a box, anything?"
I racked my brain. I hadn't remembered much about them in years... and then suddenly
A flash.
"The gallery!" I said aloud without meaning to.
They looked at me, surprised.
"There was this painting my dad always loved. A heart in a bubble, wrapped in black aura. He'd stare at it forever and say, 'Life is like this painting. You can't let the bad get to your heart.' He... almost cried once."
"The Miss Anne Gallery?" I added quickly. "It's just two blocks away. I haven't been there in five years."
Without another word, we grabbed the necklace and headed out the door.
---
We reached the gallery just before sunset. The streets shimmered with golden light, but my heart pounded too fast to appreciate the view.
"You sure it's still here?" Aqua asked skeptically. "Places like this don't usually keep the same paintings up forever."
"I don't know," I admitted. "But it's the only lead we've got."
As we stepped inside, the familiar scent of oil paints and old wood rushed over me. A woman with wild curly hair and paint-stained overalls practically bounced toward us.
"Eli!" she beamed. "You're finally back I was wondering when you'd return!"
Miss Anne.
She had taken over the gallery from her parents, and I remembered how much my father supported her. He loved the art here... and the people.
"Hey, Miss Anne," I said nervously. "Do you still have the heart painting? The one with the bubble?"
Her eyebrows rose. A smile tugged at her lips. "Still asking about that one, huh? Of course I kept it. Go on, it's still over there on the back wall. Right where your father liked it."
We rushed across the room. My breath caught as I saw it again: the same swirling black aura, the glowing heart suspended in its shimmering bubble.
I stared at it really stared. I remembered my dad's expression. That strange sadness in his eyes.
Then it clicked.
I stepped closer, pulled out the necklace, and slowly lined it up with the heart in the painting.
Click.
The painting shifted. Mechanical pieces rotated silently behind the canvas until it folded open revealing a hidden vault.
Inside, there was only one item: a single envelope.
Olsen took it out, opened it, and read aloud.
"Mr. Whitlock,
I've discovered when the Collision will occur. It's not immediate, but it's coming. You must leave, if you stay, they'll come for you and your family. They want your knowledge. Your ancient magic documents. But the only way we can use you... is if you know. So I'll tell you. But promise me, you won't lose yourself.
The Collision will happen on June 30, 2025.
Be safe.
-Madeline"
Silence fell over the room.
"Madeline?" I repeated. "Who... who is Madeline?"
The name didn't spark any memories—but the handwriting was delicate, the ink faded just enough to show age. Whoever she was... she knew my parents. She warned them.
June 30, 2025.
That's today!
"Guys… we're in trouble."
Aqua's voice was quiet shaky even. Her hands trembled at her sides.
"It's today."
"What?!" I turned toward her, heart pounding.
"We have no time to warn the elders!" Olsen snapped. "We have to get back to Eli's house. Now!"
We bolted out of the gallery, adrenaline kicking in. I barely registered the people around us, the cars, the blinding sun it was all noise.
"Why are you both panicking like this?" I finally asked, my voice barely steady as we peeled off in the car.
Olsen looked back at me, face pale. "Because when the Collision happens, everyone falls into a sleep some never wake up again. And worse…"
He swallowed hard.
"Beasts. From the spirit realm. They'll cross into our world and go after anyone with even a hint of magic in them. You do not want to be caught near a populated area when that happens."
"And magic energy?" Aqua added. "It's like ringing a dinner bell to them."
The air in the car felt colder suddenly. I clutched the necklace tightly in my fist.
We finally pulled into the driveway and froze.
The front door was wide open.
Blood streaked the tile.
And bodies… bodies lay limp across the living room floor.
"W-why are th-there dead bodies in the house?" Aqua whispered, hugging herself.
We crept inside, steps slow and silent. The smell of iron and something rotten filled the air. I had to swallow back the bile rising in my throat.
We rounded the corner into the kitchen
And Aqua screamed.
Her body lifted off the ground.
A hand no, a claw was wrapped around her neck.
"Would you look at that," a voice purred. "Ten years in hiding, and the second these little twins show up poof! I'm discovered. That's no coincidence."
Ruby.
But it wasn't the Ruby we knew. Her hair was now a deep, burning red. Her eyes glowed faintly violet. She wore a sleek black bodysuit, a twisted smirk carved across her face.
She tightened her grip on Aqua's throat.
"You told that wrinkled old chief, didn't you?" she hissed. "Don't act like he's some noble protector. He knew. He always knew. He helped me plan it, years ago."
"You're lying!" Olsen shouted but his voice cracked.
Ruby cackled. "Am I? Tell me then who do you think gave me the codes to the secret vault? Who turned a blind eye when I slipped into the archives?"
Olsen's hand shot to the kitchen counter. In a blur, he grabbed a knife and flung it slash.
It grazed Ruby's cheek, blood sliding down her skin like a teardrop.
"Ohhh, you're quick," she mused, licking her lip. "Only one set of twins ever showed that kind of nerve… and if I remember right"
She leaned close to Aqua, hissing in her ear.
"I killed your parents."
"AHHH!" Aqua screamed, rage taking over. Her fingers found the hidden knife strapped to her thigh. She drove it upward Ruby shrieked and flung her off with a growl.
"You brats think you can beat me?" she snarled. "The Collision is coming, and I just need one thing before it happens:
The date. Well and the pearl."
She stepped toward Olsen, blade gleaming in her hand. And for the first time Olsen froze.
The fearless, book-smart warrior… couldn't move.
His eyes locked with hers, paralyzed by fear.
Ruby raised the knife
"Say goodbye..."
Bang!
The sharp crack of a gunshot echoed through the house. Ruby staggered backward, clutching her arm as blood splattered across the floor.
"You again..." she hissed, eyes wide in disbelief.
From the smoke-filled hallway, a man stepped forward, calmly smoking a cigarette, wearing dark sunglasses and a tilted hat. His voice was deep, steady, and full of cold disdain.
"I told you... ten years ago, I'd let you live if you stayed out of trouble. But you never learn, do you, Ruby?"
Ruby's entire demeanor changed. The sharp edges of her cruelty dulled in an instant. Her blade clattered to the floor.
She fell to her knees, hands shaking, fear pouring off her in waves.
"P-please," she whimpered. "Please don't kill me, I'll do anything you want. Anything, just don't..."
The man took one last drag from his cigarette, then flicked it to the side.
"I'm not going to kill you…" he said, stepping aside.
"…She is."
A girl stepped forward through the smoke.
Red hair. School uniform. Fire in her eyes.
"Calila?" I breathed, stunned.
Ruby stared, eyes widening in disbelief.
"You?!" she spat. "You're just trash! My spy! You think you matter?!"
Calila stepped closer, her fists clenched, her voice breaking with rage and grief.
"I gave you everything. Every chance. I believed. hoped. you were a mother."
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but her stare never wavered.
"I told you I was old enough to choose my own life."
She turned to Jewel.
"And I chose him."
We froze.
"We're Engaged!"
Engaged?! Jewel looked maybe 24… Calila was our age. Was she really…?
Ruby's expression twisted into something monstrous. "You betrayed me… for him?! After everything I taught you?! I gave you my power!"
"You gave me pain," Calila said, voice cold. "You gave me fear. You used me."
Ruby screamed and suddenly lunged, pulling another knife from her boot and hurling it straight at her daughter.
CLANG!
Jewel stepped in, deflecting it effortlessly with the handle of his gun.
Calila didn't hesitate.
She drew her own knife from her belt and charged forward.The fight was brutal. Fast.
Blades clashing. Sparks flying. Blood spraying.
Ruby screamed again as Calila sliced across her back, the wound deep and gushing.
She dropped to one knee, gasping.
"If this is how I'm going out," Ruby snarled through clenched teeth, "then I'm taking you with me!"
She hurled her last blade...
But Calila was ready.
With one fluid motion, she blocked it, then stepped forward slowly, with finality in her steps.
"I used to wonder why you never said happy birthday," Calila whispered.
"I stopped caring."
Ruby's eyes widened.
"Wait..."
"Bye, Mother.
Hope you burn in hell."
And with a single strike, Calila's blade grew closer to Ruby's neck
And...
Boom!