Chapter 377: Finally Snaps
Theo takes a deep breath.
"Hawk, I have some concerns before I decide whether to help you or not." Theo finally says after a few seconds of silence.
"Go ahead." Hawk nods.
"As you know, magi are very rare in Altheon..." Theo starts.
"If you’re asking how me and my friends became magi, I’m positive you already know. I don’t want to insult the Monforts and the Montroses by telling you what you already know." Hawk cuts in.
He looks at Liam and Theo in turn. "I’m sure you’ve investigated us. The Hunters. But," he pauses. "If you want to hear it directly from me, I’ll say it. I’m a member of a dungeon clearing team called the Hunters. I co-founded it with Ethan Bartlett. He’s an Apprentice, like Ms. Collins. That’s how we learned magic." Hawk finishes, leaning back into his chair.
Theo smiles faintly. "Okay then. Thank you for being open about that. But aren’t you supposed to be under oath?"
Hawk blinks. "Isn’t that how you got your hands on magic as well? From Ms. Collins? Since she’s the only one with access to the knowledge."
Theo frowns. "Then why didn’t you ask Maeve? Why me?"
"Because I believe you’re more knowledgeable than her. You were the one in charge when we... fought... Arthur..." Hawk’s voice trails off. He looks surprised at himself.
That’s right, Hawk. Why didn’t you ask Maeve Collins? Isn’t she supposed to be the most knowledgeable one? Why ask Thea?
Hawk goes still. He looks genuinely confused, and Theo decides right then not to pursue it further.
"Hawk." He calls. No response. Theo calls his name again, and again, until Hawk’s attention slowly drifts back to him.
"Hawk, it doesn’t matter." Theo tells him gently. "It doesn’t matter. You’re here because you believe you and your friends are in danger. Yes?"
Hawk nods.
"Okay." Theo says. "I can’t really teach you anything, because I don’t have mana." He says it slowly, making sure Hawk is still with him. For some reason, he doesn’t want to tell Hawk it’s temporary.
"However, there are a few things I can tell you that might help you improve. One..." Theo raises his voice slightly. "Hawk, are you listening to me?"
Hawk is staring at him. Blank eyes.
"Why did I come to you and not Maeve Collins?" Hawk whispers. His eyes are on Theo, but not focused on Theo.
"Hawk." Theo reaches forward and holds Hawk’s face in both hands, shaking him lightly. "Hawk, talk to me."
Liam quickly scans the café. No one is paying attention to them. He exhales in relief and shifts his eyes back to Theo and Hawk.
Hawk grabs Theo’s wrists, both palms still pressed to his face.
"You’re not real." He whispers. His eyes are wide with disbelief. Theo is certain Hawk is no longer talking to him.
Theo turns to Liam, who leans in immediately. "What do you need?"
"Call Maeve. Right now."
Liam nods, pulls out his phone, and dials.
Theo turns back to Hawk, who is still holding his wrists.
"You’re not real. You’re dead." Hawk keeps whispering.
"You’re DEAD!"
The scream cuts through the café, startling Theo, Liam, and everyone around them. Liam’s phone slips from his hand and clatters to the floor. He leaves it and moves in to help Theo calm Hawk down.
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"Ooohh-ha-eemm." Maeve yawns, loud and long.
"Oh my god." She says, eyes watering. "Why am I still this tired?" She stretches. She’s alone in the guesthouse kitchen, attempting to cook something so she doesn’t die of boredom.
She knows Theo is meeting Hawk with Liam. It was decided she didn’t need to go, and she agreed because she was feeling a little tired. But now that she’s alone, she’s bored out of her mind.
She knows Alicia is at the DEU. And Claudia is wherever Claudia is. She can never keep track of her.
She checks the time, same as she did two minutes ago. 2.39pm.
"Oh, no wonder I’m this sleepy. It’s afternoon nap time." She grins. Given her current lack of concentration, she decides it’s best not to cook, unless she wants to burn the kitchen down.
She’s putting the utensils back in their places when her phone rings. She glances at the screen. LIAM.
She smiles. "Answer, on speaker."
"You’re DEAD!"
The voice blasts through the speaker and Maeve jumps. The utensils clatter to the floor as she snatches up her phone.
"Hello? Liam? Liam? Thea?" She yells into it, but gets no response. Instead she can hear clattering and shouting on the other end, and Theo’s voice calling Hawk’s name over and over, trying to calm him down.
"I’m on my way!" Maeve yells into the phone, puts it in her pocket, as she runs for her coat, and is pulling on her boots at the front door when it swings open.
"Good, you’re here! Let’s go!" Maeve says.
Alicia stands in the doorway, carrying a large box and two suitcases, completely unaware Maeve is even there.
She has no choice but to put everything down and turn back out the door.
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Liam is behind Hawk, struggling to pry Hawk’s grip from Theo’s wrists. Theo keeps calling Hawk’s name, trying to bring him back, but neither of them is making any headway.
The rest of the café is watching. No one approaches. They’ve recognized Theo and Liam as Rhaenas, and the general consensus seems to be that whatever is happening is Rhaenas business.
Which suits Liam and Theo perfectly. More people would only make things worse.
"Do you guys need help?" Someone in the crowd calls out.
"No, thank you. It’d be best if everyone keeps their distance and not filming us." Liam yells back, still struggling.
"Should we call someone?" Another voice calls out.
"No! Our people are already on the way!"
Then Hawk lets go.
He’s not there anymore. Whatever is left behind looks like someone unraveling in real time. He keeps muttering "you’re dead" over and over, shaking his head, both hands clutching at his own hair.
Theo looks down at his wrists. There’s a red palm print on each one. He ignores it and moves back toward Hawk.
"No, Thea. Stand back." Liam stops him and takes over, trying to reach Hawk himself. "It’s better if we wait for Maeve."
Theo nods and steps back.
"Can you find my phone? Check if Maeve picked up." Liam says without looking away from Hawk.
Theo scans the floor around the overturned chairs and finds the phone. Still connected. He puts it to his ear.
"Hello? Maeve?"
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"Thea! Thank God. Are you okay? What happened?" Maeve exhales in relief and glances at Alicia, who’s driving.
"Okay, we’re on our way. Yeah, Alicia’s coming with me. We have your location. Yeah, from Resya. Okay, hold on tight, Thea. We’ll be there in..." she looks at Alicia, who mouths five.
"Five minutes. Yes, five minutes." She hangs up and looks at the GPS on the screen. It clearly says twelve minutes.
She looks at Alicia without a word.
Alicia tightens her grip on the steering wheel. "Watch me."
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Exactly six minutes later, Maeve bursts into the café. She spots Theo immediately. It’s not hard. There’s a clear boundary formed by pushed-back chairs and tables, with the other patrons watching from the other side of it.
Alicia follows right behind her and they both make their way over without slowing down.
"You okay?" Maeve checks on Theo first.
Alicia is already looking past her, eyes on Hawk, who is still pacing in tight circles, both hands clutching his hair, muttering something under his breath.
Liam is standing nearby, watching, positioning himself between Hawk and Theo.
"Liam," Alicia calls.
"Yeah, I’m fine." He answers without looking.
Maeve approaches slowly.
"Careful," Theo says, lowering his voice. "He’s unstable. I think this has something to do with the corruption magic."
"I thought we purified all of it." Maeve says, taking one slow step at a time.
"We did. I think this is what it leaves behind in some people. It finally snaps." Theo explains.
"If that’s really the case, I need to warn the DEU. There might be more cases like this." Alicia adds.
"Agreed. And check whether there are already cases being reported." Theo suggests.
Maeve is close now, but not close enough. If she wants to examine or purify Hawk, she needs to be closer.
"Now what?" She looks at Theo, genuinely clueless. She’s not a field operator.
"I think we need to get Hawk out of here and treat him somewhere else. We can’t do magic in public." Liam says.
"How? What if he doesn’t come quietly?" Maeve asks.
Theo suddenly grins. "Okay, Kids. I think it’s time you all learned how to use magic discreetly in public."
He looks at each of them. "Listen to me carefully. You’ve got this."