December 4th, 2019

Dimension 1435. The Savot dimension, its name being an ancient magical word for "purple." And did it live up to its name. Purple skies stretched out as far as the eye could see, blending into a far-off horizon in the distance. The sun was inching closer and closer to the horizon – a brilliant white ball, slowly turning red. It would be night soon.

The grass was green – the familiarity that chlorophyll brought to Stephen was surprising to say the least. But knowing that other dimensions worked like his soothed a part of him – like the universe wasn't so lawless.

June took a swig from her water bottle, the sound of the water sloshing around pulling Stephen out of his daydream. They were sitting on a rock, which wasn't the most comfortable thing to sit on, but hey, it worked in a pinch.

"This place is awesome." June commented, and Stephen smiled. Off in the distance, one could see a small heard of Uzza – cow-like beasts with spikes and long, scaled tails. "We need to come back here all the time." She said.

Stephen nodded. "For sure. It's a nice escape from the usual routine." He said. Although he had to admit, that with June by his side, his routine had certainly gotten a lot more interesting – especially with the addition of sex in their lives.

"So, what now?" June asked, looking at him. Her hair was in it's usual loose ponytail, and it swayed in the breeze with the tall, green grass.

"Question game? Or would you rather watch the sunset in silence, like we're in a Clint Eastwood movie?" Stephen asked.

"Now see, if this were a Clint Eastwood western, we'd be walking into the sunset, not staring at it." June said with a grin.

"Fair. And we would have just finished some sort of shoot-out duel." Stephen said. "Which I would have won."

June scoffed. "Uh-huh. Your hands would have made you a terrible marksman. I'd have shot your hat off by the time you could have lined up a shot!" June said.

"Not if I used magic to aim." Stephen rebutted.

"That's cheating, and you know it, you little shit." June laughed, and Stephen joined her in her laughter.

"Hey, mind if I get a drink from that?" Stephen asked after he wiped one of his eyes. June nodded and handed him the bottle wordlessly, and Stephen took it with a small "Thank you." He took a quick swig of the lukewarm water and handed back to June.

A creature roared in the forest behind the pair, causing them both to look over their shoulders at the tall trees. Some birds cawed and flew out of the forest, and another roar sounded.

"Huh. Wonder what's making all of that noise?" June asked.

"If I had to guess, something big, ugly, and unfriendly." Stephen said. "We should probably head out." He said, standing up and stretching. June followed suit, resting her hands on her back as she arched her torso, leaning backwards a bit.

"Alrighty. God, that rock made my ass numb." She said, causing Stephen to chuckle.

"Same here, if it's worth anything." He said as he rolled his shoulders.

"Hey, you mind if we swing by my house, real quick? I've got to grab some book I borrowed from the sanctum." June asked.

Stephen raised a brow. "I don't remember checking you out any books. Are you taking them without my permission now, you little thief?" Stephen teased.

June smiled sheepishly. "You caught me red-handed. But I'm not going to wait on your ass to check out books." She said as she pulled her sling ring out of the pocket of her jeans.

Stephen scoffed. "Are you saying I'm slow?" He said with an expression of mock hurt.

June laughed. "No, I'm saying you're busy all of the time, so I figured I wouldn't bother you with something so menial like book check-out." She said as she slid the ring onto her fingers, and quickly created a portal. Through it, one could see a slightly messy room – June's room. They both stepped through it quickly.

The room was dark, illuminated by the portal, which gave off a flickering orange light. Posters covered almost every inch of available wall space – most of them representing bands and movies. The bed wasn't made, and dirty laundry sparsely littered the floor.

"Sorry about the mess." June said sheepishly as they entered the room. She made her way over to the night stand next to her bed and opened the drawer. She pulled out three books, each one decorated with magical runes and symbols.

"So, what did you end up borrowing?" Stephen asked, arms crossed as he kept his back to the portal.

"Maxim's Catalogue, The Book of Serriah, and…" June checked the spine of the third book, translating the mystic runes. "… Kelgath's Study." She said. Stephen nodded.

"Combat training, I see. Looking to outmatch me in sparring one day?" He asked, a brow raised.

June chuckled. "I can only-" A deafening roar cut off June mid-sentence, making her drop the books as Stephen whipped around, ready to close the portal.

Then the room exploded.

Stephen opened his eyes slowly, his vision blurry. His everything hurt, and he was disoriented. What happened…? He rested his palms on the ground and pushed himself upwards, his body groaning in protest as he struggled to stand up. Trying to make sense of things, he examined his surroundings.

There was rubble everywhere. Where June's house once was, there was just a large pile of rubble that vaguely resembled the lower level of the house. The house next door was similarly ruined. Stephen put a hand on his forehead as he staggered a bit, trying to get his bearings.

A question burned in his mind: Where is June? His heart pounded in his chest with anxiety as he whipped his head around to look for her. Bad idea, Stephen thought as dizziness overcame him for a moment, and a throbbing headache exploded to life in his head. He scanned the area again for her, this time with slower movements of his head, and found a pair of red converse sticking out from behind a large pile of rubble.

"June!" Stephen cried out as he rushed to her, praying that she wasn't crushed. He went behind the rubble and let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't crushed, merely unconscious. "June…" Stephen said as he bent down next to her. Her face was cut a bit, with a small amount of blood dripping from each cut, but she was otherwise unharmed. "Oh thank god." He breathed. She wasn't out of the woods yet thought – there was no telling what kind of head trauma she had endured, and he wouldn't be able to tell until he got her to a hospital.

A deafening roar pulled Stephen out of his thoughts, making him look up, eyes wide with shock. "What the hell?" He said as he looked at the sight before him.

The monster was big, white, and looked like a leech, one that was fat with blood. It had about 30 eyes, each one being yellowed and having no pupil. Its mouth was gaping open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth. From its back sprouted 10 long tentacles, each one flailing and destroying any building unfortunate enough to be in the beast's way.

Stephen just now realized the damage and destruction around him. Buildings smashed to ruins, people running and screaming – how could he have had such tunnel vision?! He mentally kicked himself, and then looked back down. He knew why he didn't notice any of it – it was because he was so caught up in June. A sour feeling filled his stomach, but there was no time to feel bad. He needed to attack this beast, and now.

Stephen got up and ran towards the beast on shaking legs. It roared at him and swung a massive tendril towards him. He rolled to the right, dodging its swipe. When he stood up on his feet again, he staggered once more. Fuck, he mentally cursed. I need backup! June was down for the count, and there were no other sorcerers stationed at New York, so that meant he would have to reach out to Kamar-Taj for help.

Creating a magical whip out of orange sparks, Stephen swung at the beast, slashing at it, hitting it directly in a few eyes. The monster roared and slashed at Stephen again – but this time, he was too slow to dodge. A tentacle caught his leg and easily broke it with its speed and force, causing Stephen to yell in pain and fall to his knees.

Oh god, think Stephen! Think! He mentally coached himself as he threw up a spellshield to block another attack from the beast. At least this way, it's occupied, Stephen thought. But there has to be a way I can send it back…

I have to get a hold of Araav. There was no time for a sling portal, leaving one option left. Stephen made a few motions with his hands, and connected his and Araav's minds with a telepathy spell.

Araav woke with a start, and Stephen could feel his shock and confusion. No time, Stephen said in Araav's mind. Just help me. He sent pictures to Araav, of his location, and of the monster he was fighting, and what his pan was. They flashed in Araav's mind for an instant, and understanding filled their mental bond.

We will be there shortly, Strange. Just hold on, Araav told Stephen.

Hurry every chance you get, Stephen mentally hissed before closing the mental link. The monster attack Stephen once more, roaring in frustration that it couldn't smash Stephen. But his shield was growing weaker by the second and was starting to crack.

His broken leg burned and begged for attention, but Stephen couldn't heal it without putting down his shield and making himself vulnerable once more. The monster lashed out again, its tentacles bouncing off the shield for a third time. The crack in the shield grew larger, making Stephen's heart hammer in his chest.

Suddenly, a few sling portals opened up, and several sorcerers poured out of them. What took them so long, did they stop for Starbucks? Stephen mentally hissed but was glad to see them all the same. The monster roared in confusion as the new challengers, and took a swing at them, which was easily blocked by one of the sorcerers. Araav stepped through the sling portal and closed it behind him. Thank god, Stephen thought as relief flooded him.

"Araav!" Stephen cried, getting his attention. The tall man quickly walked over to Stephen, as he dispelled his spellshield.

"Strange. Are you hurt?" He asked, his arms crossed. The monster roared in fury as the other sorcerers kept it distracted by attacking it.

Stephen nodded. "Leg's broken." He said, and Araav nodded.

"Heal yourself, then let's finish this." He said as he walked over to the others and conjured a bow, which he used to fire magical arrows into the mouth of the beast.

Stephen hissed as he began the healing spell. His bone burned and ached, and Stephen found his breathed labored as he healed himself. With a snap, the bone went back into place, causing Stephen to cry out in pain. Red filled his vision as he slowly healed his leg, then suddenly, relief took the place of pain as he finished. He let out a sigh as he stood up, his leg healed and ready to go. Quickly, he made his way over to Araav, who was still fighting the monster.

"Alright Araav, let's do this." He said, clenching his hands into fists and letting magic spark up his forearms. The councilor looked to him and nodded, before turning to the sorcerers. There were about 20 of them, all letting loose on the monster.

"Listen up! Circle it, and we'll begin the banishment spell!" Araav barked, making the other sorcerers immediately take notice. The monster yelled and took another swipe at some of the sorcerers, making them have to jump out of the way or conjure a shield to protect themselves. They did what they were ordered to, however, and quickly circled the beast. Stephen took his place in the circle, next to Araav.

"Sorcerers!" Araav yelled, the noise booming and filling the air with dominance. "Prepare the spell of banishment!"

All the sorcerers took a wide stance and lowered their bodies, Stephen included. In tandem, they began to chant and move their hands and arms to make magic appear in the air.

"Altos! Vann!" They called as mandalas appeared before every sorcerer. In order to cast magic, one had to recite the mantra in their mind – a simple enough task. But to cast a spell in tandem, sorcerers had to verbally chant their spell in order to get the timing right with one another.

"Riktos! Alkeith son mar!" The mandalas grew with the second verse of the spell, and Stephen could feel the effects of such a powerful spell on his body – he could feel the strain, the pull on his energy. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he made the hand motion and swept his arm outward.

"Nomas kith fir son banis tann!" The final verse of the spell was accompanied with everyone shoving their hands outward, and the sparking, orange mandalas grew to be massive in size. They connected, merged, and created a bubble around the beast.

The monster roared again and slammed its tentacles against the spell, but to no avail. It was too strong for the monster to break. The bubble began to vibrate and glow brightly, causing Stephen to shield his eyes from the light. There was a flash, and Stephen blinked.

Suddenly, the monster was gone. Some of the sorcerers let out an exclamation of joy, others applauded. Stephen stood in silence, before turning his attention back to June. He completely ignored Araav and the other sorcerers, and rushed over to where she was.

Panic filled him – she was gone. Did she wake up? Where did she-

"Mom! April!" June screamed, making Stephen jerk his head up. She was awake all right, and was using magic to tear piles of rubble from where her house stood. "Can you hear me?" She screamed, and Stephen's heart filled with dread.

He hadn't considered that April and May could have been home. Oh, god… Dark thoughts filled his mind. What if they're hurt, or worse? Stephen wasn't a religious man, in fact, part of him detested it, but he found a part of himself literally praying to any god that would listen – make sure they're okay.

"June!" Stephen called as he ran towards her.

"Stephen! Help!" Juniper yelled back, not taking her eyes off of her work as she continued to clear the rubble. He took his place by June's side and began to help her, pulling up chunks of the house like she was.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in the rubble. It was limp and bloody, and June let out a scream of pain. June ripped up the house with a ferocity Stephen had never seen before, and threw the rubble behind her, where it landed with a thud. June screamed again and fell to her knees as she looked upon the crumpled forms of May and April, who were curled around each other.

Oh no. Stephen's blood ran cold, and he immediately ran to June and held her back, from running to them. He snaked an arm around her torso, pinning her arms to her side.

"Let me go!" She snarled, kicking and flailing her body.

"Don't look at them!" Stephen yelled back, using his other hand to turn her head away from the scene. June fought and screamed, but she was drowned out by the wail of an approaching ambulance. He pulled her head into his chest and June's body relaxed a bit, as her yells dissolved into sobbing.

"Over here!" A paramedic called as he exited the ambulance, signaling to his coworkers where to bring the stretcher. Another ambulance pulled up behind the first one.

Stephen felt June's legs give out, and he dropped to the ground with her, still holding her as she sobbed.

"Just don't look…" He breathed. He had no idea if her family was alive or not, but he couldn't leave June to check. She shuddered and sobbed again, burying her face in his shirt. Stephen ran his hand through her hair, his own heart breaking with hers.

"Shhh…" He tried to soothe her, but to no avail. The world seemed to blur into lights and sound as the paramedics pulled the limp bodies fully out of the rubble. The damage was bad, and Stephen's heart sank in his chest. Unable to watch, he leaned his head down against June's and closed his eyes, and gently rocked back and forth, trying to soothe his love.

"I'm so sorry." He breathed.