Addict (SetoSolace)

BONUS

"Thanks, Seto," Payten breathes, glowing slightly in the magical sense.

"Dani, Dani, Dani!" Louis screams, barreling through the double doors, and I grab onto his torso as he passes by to prevent him from running into a desk. "Ahh, Seto, let go, I have to talk to Danielle!"

"Right beside you, Lou."

"Dani!" Louis shrieks, hugging Danielle tightly. "You won't believe this!"

"What?" Danielle asks, looking equally excited despite not knowing the reason.

"That guy is here! The guy guy!"

"What..?" Payten mumbles, furrowing their eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh my gosh, the guy guy!?" Danielle screeches.

"Yeah, him! But he's being super nice and he says he wants to see Brice! Should we let him in?"

"We let everyone in," I but in, but I'm frowning. "But I'd like to meet this man. Why is he asking for Brice?"

"He says he's Brice's brother!" Louis shouts, biting his lip in excitement afterwards.

My eyes go wide. "Hold up. Brice's brother – the head Light Mage? How do you know him?"

"He's the guy guy!" Louis laughs. "He comes once a year with a letter in his hand but he never drops it off, he just kind of watches Our City gates for a while and then leaves."

"How do you know about him?"

"We go up to meet him each year, 'cause he always comes on the anniversary of you and Brice's exile thingy!" Danielle tells me. "He's really nice but he's also really shy. But this year he isn't leaving! He wants to see Brice!"

"All right, class is off for today. What say we all go meet this man?"

Payten shrugs. "Okay. Wait, let me go spread the word that class is out for the day. I'll meet you by the gates..?"

"Sounds lovely. The front gates, Louis?"

Louis nods eagerly and leads Danielle and I out the door, and then we all weave around buildings and trees to get to the front gates. With all the tiny detours we have in our effort to find Brice, we end up arriving at the gates around the same time as Payten, and still without a Brice.

"Hello, sir," I say sharply but politely as I step up to the decorative bars of the gates. "Can I help you?"

"Seto... Hi," Brice's brother says quietly, seeming ashamed. "I... have come to apologize to my brother."

"Oh?"

He looks up at me with desperate eyes. "Please. I just want to say sorry. I never stood up for him around the other Light Mages like I should have, and then I went and exiled you both, and... Please. I need to see him."

"It's been three years," I reply dryly. "Perhaps you should have apologized sooner?" I ask, and Payten elbows me gently but I send them a mental message to just go along with it.

"I know," the head Light Mage replies. "I should have, but I couldn't... couldn't find the strength to face him after what I did."

"He is under my protection," I warn him, "along with the rest of Our City. And we both know who would win in a fight between you and me."

"I just want to say sorry," he promises.

I sign the word "Open," and my light purple magic does just that to Our City gates. "I'm trusting you with the presence of my people, who, at this point, I think of entirely as my family. Any hostile moves toward anyone here will not be taken lightly."