4 Six out of Seven

It was an exhausting night for the magic bearers. At least for six of them.

The moment Doki opened a huge portal to summon some Gaurjans, the Chancellor's office became crowded. Dozens of Gaurjans flew around the room in their tiny maid outfits, carrying brooms and dustpans. Another bunch assisted Max and Olivia as they tended to the Chancellor's wounds.

"Passing through! Passing through!" They chanted on repeat while Snow and the twins worked together for a very important task.

"Careful..." Snow said while assisting Clover on Doki's back. "If you drop her, you're dead."

"Gotchu."

Toki stood right behind them with his fingers crossed.

"What in this Palace of Lullender are you doing? Extend your arms like this—" Snow demonstrated—"So you can catch Clover if she suddenly jolts back."

"Uh-uh. I have something better than that," he snapped his fingers, "The moment she leans backward, it's Tick-Tock time."

Snow rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

They stepped inside Clover's bedroom to tuck her into bed. Snow made sure she was comfortable, even placing Clover's favorite plushie in her arms.

"Good night, Clover," they said in unison before stepping out.

Doki sealed the portal to Clover's room at once. The nosy portraits were still wailing outside the office, and they wanted her to sleep in peace.

"What are we gonna do about those crazy Horduls?" Toki asked, "We can't leave them wailing all night. Clover's room is just above this floor."

They looked at one another while having the same idea in mind. "This calls for a..."

"Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

Snow shrieked, "Oh, garments! I'm never playing this game with you two again!"

She bolted out of the room, and the twins raised their fists to celebrate. No one can win against them on rock-paper-scissors, except Clover. No one wins against Clover.

"Now we can rest." The twins slumped on the floor next to Olivia and Max. "Just tell us if you need anything."

"It's okay, you can rest for now," Olivia said. "You've been summoning portals all day, save your energy for the last one."

"Okay."

The treatment lasted for a few minutes. While Max supported the Chancellor with his magic, Olivia sealed the wound with hers. Once finished, Doki raised his hands to summon the last portal to the Chancellor's bedroom. Overcome by exhaustion, they let the Gaurjans carry him to bed while they sat on the floor.

"This is the most eventful night I've had in years," Olivia wiped the beads of sweat on her forehead. "We better get used to it now."

"I'm prepared to face everything." Snow entered the room with a disgruntled expression. She slumped beside Olivia. "Everything but those Horduls. I can't believe I had to listen to all their stories. Urgh! Screw Thelma and her tragic love stories."

This was indeed the most eventful night they'd had in years, and something inside them knew this won't be the last. Even more eventful nights are up coming right up, and they needed those dull seconds to mentally prepare themselves.

As they sat in silence, their eyes were pinned onto the broken window. Unlike earlier, only a small hole was visible. The Gaurjans were using their magic to put everything back to its former glory. Only in times like this do they stand by their title as guardians.

"It's that thing, right?" Toki asked, trying not to call the monster by its name. "How did it escape from the dungeons? If something as dangerous as that roams around the city, shouldn't the citizens know?"

Their heads turned towards Max. He had been silent the entire time. "Someone helped that beast escape."

"What?!" His friends said in chorus. "Who in Maja would do that?"

Max shook his head. "I don't know. It can be anyone. Even someone from the council. As for the news, the council thinks they can handle the situation. They don't want to cause panic."

"And how are they gonna fight off that bloodthirsty monster?" Snow rolled her eyes. The council of Maja never earned her respect for every decision they've ever made. She sees them as a bunch of wealthy people trying to meddle with their nation's affairs. "Even the Chancellor struggled to fend it off. If Max came a little bit later... who knows what could've happened."

"I guess we can worry about it later," Olivia said, "The Chancellor's still in a critical condition. That plant slowed the poison from spreading, but it's still inside his system, and we need to find an antidote for it."

"What antidote?" Doki asked. "And where?"

Olivia looked at Minmin, and the brown mink shook his head. She sighed. "We haven't read much about this poison. Maybe we can ask around school tomorrow? Some of our professors might know something."

"That sounds like a plan." Toki yawned before dusting himself up. "But your timekeeper wants to remind you it's time to sleep."

In the middle of dusting themselves up, an ear-breaking squeal made them all flinch.

"Ahh! What are you guys doing?!" Kid finally showed up in his robe. He was obviously fresh from the shower. "D-don't look!"

"You've been in the shower all this time?!" Toki asked him. "Wow, Kid. Thank you for nothing!"

"Well it's not my fault that you—wait what? What do you mean? Did I miss something?"

His friends gave him a smug look. They ALWAYS give him this look whenever he cracks his jokes. But this time, it hit different. Like they were using all their depleted energy just to let him know how much of a disappointment he was. Without answering his question, they stepped inside their rooms while shaking their heads.

"What happened? Why are there Gaurjans everywhere? Is that the Chancellor's office? Hey!"

The portal closed in front of his face.

"Great. How am I supposed to sleep with all these questions? I never knew taking a long bath could be such a crime. Tsk."

It was an exhausting night for the magic bearers. But when morning came, only one of them looked tired and sleepless.