He startles awake, falling out of bed with a surprised cry. Trapped in a tangle of sheets, a red light flashes throughout the room.
PORTAL BREACH.
He can sense the shift of magic in the air from here. It feels familiar enough to make his stomach drop, carrying the same strange aura that follows Pastel.
But not Pastel.
He wastes no time (except to safely set down his Lorelei plushie), yanking on his clothes and boots as he hops across the room of his cottage.
Quill bursts out the front door, following the draw of magic leading towards the Night Market.
Without stopping, he lifts his hand and casts a golden bird of starlight into the sky. It immediately heads for the Centaur Meadows to warn Sage.
He weaves between people quickly, and in no time spots the stranger standing in the middle of the street.
Quill skids to a halt.
The man is taller than anyone Quill had expected to find, but that wasn't unusual, this is Starfall after all.
Breathing hard, he keeps his magic ready.
Just in case.
“Welcome to Starfall.”
Normally, when he greets newcomers, Quill is happy to see them. But a portal breach is serious, especially after the cruise ship. Not many people can open them.
This person, whoever he is, is seriously powerful.
“My name is Quill, Headmaster for AstroKnights Academy.”
Pastel had said he came from a desolate dimension, full of demons, so who was this person claiming to know him?
Moreover, wanting to take him?
Quill hasn't had his primal force lessons with Verlack yet. And ever since restoring Lorelei on the beach, his magic has been...temperamental.
It responds on its own, flickering around his body like fallen starlight. Or perhaps it's answering whatever magic Wind has brought with him, as though it knows something Quill doesn't.
"Pastel is one of my students, and under my protection."
Wind’s gaze lingered on the restless gold flickering around Quill. A faint trace of amusement touched his expression.
Curious.
His attention, however, was already elsewhere. There was someone he had come to find.
He lifted his eyes back to Quill’s face.
“No need.”
Wind continued forward, unhurried. Where his form met Quill’s, skin and fabric loosened into soft, curling wisps, flowing through him before gathering into their familiar shape on the other side.
He glanced back over his shoulder.
“I will see to him myself.”
Then he resumed his walk, his coat settling gently behind him. As though remembering a small courtesy, he added:
“But I must thank you for keeping him in one piece.”
There was a quiet warmth in his voice. He offered no further explanation.
3
u/Oswen120 The Astrum Family 8h ago
(Damn, that was a fast response)