1. Liam

I stoodat the top of the grand staircase, my fingers clumsily fidgeting with the silk necktie that threatened to strangle me.

Below, a sea of faces buzzed with excitement, their expectant murmurs filling the air.

Mages from all corners of the country, summoned by my own family to celebrate... what? My false heroics?

The very thought sent a shiver down my spine, a bitter taste flooding my mouth.

The necktie began to feel like a noose, tightening with every passing second, constricting my breath and choking the life out of me.

With trembling hands, I reached up and yanked at the offending necktie. The cool rush of air against my skin felt great.

This wasn"t right. None of it was. The called me as a hero for saving my grandfather, Fergus McGowan, from the clutches of a rogue mage, but the truth was far from heroic.

My exiled cousin Ollie and his fox shifter mate were the ones who did all the heavy lifting, while I stood there, feeling useless as my magic failed me.

It was like watching a movie where the sidekick got all the credit while the hero faded into the background.

We needed to salvage our reputation, to prove to the other mage families in the country that the McGowans weren"t weak.

That despite our recent struggles, we could still clean up our own messes. And somehow, I had been thrust into the spotlight as the face of the family.

It was a daunting responsibility, one I wasn"t sure I was ready to shoulder.

I must've been lost in my thoughts for a long time, because my mother, Eliza, soon approached me, frowning.

With a swift motion, she snatched the tie from my grasp and expertly fixed it back around my neck. I gasped.

"Don"t keep the guests waiting, Liam," she admonished. "You"re the star of the show, remember?"

I couldn"t help but shake my head.

"This doesn"t feel right, Mom," I murmured.

Her face tightened, a flash of frustration crossing her features before she composed herself.

Leaning in close, she whispered in my ear. "Buckle up, Liam," she said, voice firm. "Do this for me. This is an honor, not a hateful task."

Her words struck a chord within me. Despite my misgivings, I couldn"t ignore the pride in her eyes, the unwavering belief that I was capable of rising to the occasion.

"I won't leave your side," she said.

With a reluctant nod, I straightened my shoulders and forced a smile onto my lips.

If this was what my mother needed from me, then I would do it. For her. For our family. It was just one afternoon after all.

Then I could go back to being regular old Liam.

As my mother and I circled among the guests, I noticed my cousin Luca, smirking mockingly at me across the room.

I flushed, aware of how I looked—a mage in his late twenties, needing his mother to put out the fires.

I decided to ignore him. Luca was just salty, and wanted my place. He didn't know that I would've given it to him in a heartbeat.

My mother gave my arm an insistent tug and led me to the next group of guests.

Whenever I faltered, unsure of what to say or how to act with a guest, my mom nudged me or whispered an answer in my ear.

Only a little while longer, I told myself, already feeling exhausted.

Our rhythm was disrupted when a dark-haired man in his thirties, wearing glasses and a frumpy beige sports jacket, eyed us.

He popped two white pills in his mouth before approaching us. He held a notepad and pen in his hand, a telltale sign of a journalist.

My stomach twisted with apprehension for some reason at the sight of him, although I couldn't explain why.

"Tom Pierce, Mage Daily," he said, tone deceivingly friendly.

I fought the urge to cringe, plastering on a neutral expression instead. As a McGowan mage, I had been trained from a young age to be polite to the press, no matter how distasteful they might be.

But Mage Daily was tabloid journalism, and they were notorious for twisting truths and fabricating scandal.

Forcing a polite smile, I nodded in greeting, my mother mirroring my gesture with practiced grace.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Pierce," she said, her tone polite but guarded.

"I understand you helped shield your grandfather using the McGowan"s signature barrier spell from a group of rogue mages," Pierce began.

Pierce"s question hit me like a bucket of icy water, jolting me out of my composure.

If Pierce was a practitioner of the mystic arts, he would know one mage didn't have enough power to face down an entire group of magic users on his own.

His frank question left me momentarily speechless, and my mind scrambled to formulate a response.

He gave me an oily smile, which told me he knew I wasn't fooling anyone, least of all, him.

Pierce scribbled something on his notepad. Before I could gather my thoughts, Pierce pressed on, probably taking my silence as a confirmation.

"That"s impressive," he remarked, tone sarcastic. "Tell me the details of that hair-raising fight. Does that mean Fergus McGowan has decided to make you his heir?"

Indignation rose within me. My cheeks flushed with heat as I struggled to contain my rising temper.

"Firstly, it wasn"t a group we faced, just one," I retorted, my words sharp with frustration. "And?—"

But before I could continue, my mother intervened.

"Reserve your questions for the QA later, Mr. Pierce," she said. "I"m afraid Fergus is about to make his speech and needs Liam on the stage with him."

I shot Pierce a pointed glare. Pierce merely nodded in acquiescence.

"I'm looking forward to getting the real story from you, Liam," he said.

I joined my grandfather on the freshly erected stage, the hum of the crowd washing over me like a distant echo.

Fergus McGowan"s words melded into a blur of sound. I wasn't really paying much attention to his speech, I knew it by heart anyway.

"The family is fortunate to have such a talented mage in our ranks," my grandfather was saying.

I forced myself to calm down, to plaster on a smile and nod in acknowledgment, just as my mother had instructed me.

I didn"t need to say anything. All I needed to do was make an appearance.

My mind wandered back to the countless rehearsals my mother had put me through.

She hammered home the importance of order and repetition, saying it calmed me down. And she was right. When things got crazy, I found comfort in routine.

I wasn"t like my amazing cousin Ollie, who I secretly admired for striking out on his own, or super talented and confident Luca, who strutted around like he owned the place.

Nope, I was just... me. An exceedingly ordinary mage who happened to be caught in the wrong place and time.

I wasn"t exactly the bravest or most daring person around, but I did my best to roll with the punches.

A security guard approached, and a wave of unease washed over me. This wasn"t part of the script.

My palms grew clammy, and I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my spine.

My grandfather quickly covered the microphone as the guard leaned in to whisper something in his ear. I strained to hear, my heart pounding in my chest.

"...potential bomb threat," I caught the guard saying, and a cold shiver ran down my spine.

Panic seized me, and I glanced around frantically. Even my grandfather looked taken aback, his usually composed demeanor faltering for the briefest of moments.

Bomb threat? The words echoed in my mind, sending waves of fear crashing over me. This was supposed to be a celebration, not a potential disaster.

My thoughts raced as I tried to make sense of the situation, but all I could focus on was the gnawing sense of dread that had settled in the pit of my stomach.

"S-Sir, we need to leave the stage right this instant," the guard insisted urgently

My grandfather"s response was unexpected. "It"s not necessary," he said firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "Liam is here. He"ll handle it if anything happens."

The weight of those words crashed down on me like a ton of bricks, and I struggled to keep my composure.

The added pressure threatened to send me spiraling into a full-blown panic attack. I turned to my grandfather.

"We need to go," I pleaded, desperation creeping into my tone.

But he wouldn"t budge. "Stop being such a weakling," he snapped, his words like a slap in the face.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. I could feel their eyes on us, their curiosity piqued by the sudden tension onstage.

My heart raced, pounding against my ribcage like a drumbeat of impending doom. This wasn"t supposed to happen.

I wasn"t briefed for something like this. Panic surged through me, threatening to overwhelm my senses.

Certainty filled me that the situation would soon spiral out of control.

My grandfather"s attempt to diffuse the tension with a joke fell flat in the face of the sudden burst of flames engulfing the tree behind us.

Instinct kicked in, and before I could even process what was happening, I found myself yelling out his name, lunging forward to tackle him to the ground.

We hit the stage with a resounding thud, the impact jolting through my body as a bevy of guards swarmed around us.

My grandfather"s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding. "Liam, barrier. Now."

I scrambled to comply, my mind racing as I tried to conjure the image of a protective barrier around us.

But as I reached for my magic, panic seized me in its icy grip. I did my best, but the familiar rush of power evaded me, slipping through my fingers like grains of sand.

Frantic, I closed my eyes and focused, willing the magic to come to my aid. But all I felt was the cold emptiness inside of me.

The flames licked closer, casting ominous shadows across the stage, and for the second time in my life, I felt utterly powerless.

After the rogue mage incident, I tried to convince myself that failing to summon that one spell was just a fluke, a temporary setback.

Now, as I knelt on the stage, I couldn"t deny the truth any longer. I had lost my magic.

The realization hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs and leaving me gasping for air.

For as long as I could remember, magic had been an integral part of who I was.

It flowed through my veins like a living, breathing entity, a source of power and strength that I had come to rely on in times of need.

But now, it was gone, leaving behind nothing but a hollow emptiness in its wake.

The implications of my newfound vulnerability were staggering. Without my magic, I was defenseless, a mere mortal in a world filed with dangerous supernaturals.

Was this what Ollie felt like all the time?

"Liam!" Fergus"s voice sliced through the chaos like a blade, sharp with disappointment and anger.

His disapproval threatened to drown me. My heart sank as I looked into his eyes, seeing not just his frustration, but the shattered remnants of his faith in me.

"Protect Fergus!" My mother"s desperate plea echoed in the distance.

As if in slow motion, I watched as a sudden flash of light illuminated the stage, blinding me with its brilliance.

Another attack? The bomb going off?

The world spun around me, a dizzying whirlwind of sound and sensation, before everything faded to black.

When I regained consciousness, the world seemed to blur together in a haze of confusion and pain.

My head throbbed mercilessly, each pulse sending waves of agony coursing through my battered body.

And as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings, I remembered my failure.

I had let down my family, my grandfather, and everyone who had ever placed their trust in me.

The shame and guilt washed over me in relentless waves. How could I face them after this?

How could I ever make amends for the irreversible damage I had caused?

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I lay in my own bed, feeling completely defeated.

In that moment, I felt utterly alone, adrift in a sea of remorse and regret.

There was a knock on my door and my mother entered with a tray of food. She was alive! Immeasurable relief washed over me.

"Good, you're awake. Eat, drink some water," she said.

After downing the entire glass of water, my parched throat felt better. I had no appetite and left the sandwich untouched.

"How's grandfather?" I asked, concerned.

She smiled, but it was tight, forced, and my heart clenched in response. Something was wrong, I could feel it in the air.

"He"s fine, Liam," she reassured me. "A few members of the family managed to erect a group-barrier spell just in time. Fergus is safe."

I let out a sigh of gratitude, but the feeling was replaced by a gnawing sense of unease. There was more to her words than she was letting on, I could tell.

"Then what's wrong?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"Maybe it would be better for you and the family if you stayed away for a while," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

My heart stuttered in my chest, my mind reeling from the suddenness of her statement. Stay away? From my own family? The notion was unthinkable.

I searched her eyes for some sign of explanation, some hint of understanding, but all I found was a blankness staring back at me.

Questions tumbled through my mind, a jumble of confusion and fear. Was this grandfather's doing? Where would I go?

"I don"t understand," I began, my voice trembling with confusion and apprehension.

Before she could respond, a sharp knock echoed through the room, interrupting our conversation.

"Eliza, Fergus wants to see you," a voice called from outside the door.

My mother glanced at me, her expression unreadable, before ruffling my hair. She hadn't done that since I was a child, I realised.

"You"ll figure something out, I"m sure," she said softly, her words offering little solace.

"Wait," I called out as she turned to leave.

She paused, gripping my arm with a reassuring squeeze.

"Liam, this isn"t forever," she murmured. "You"ll just need to be out of the spotlight for a little while."

As she disappeared through the doorway, the truth finally dawned on me.

My family wasn"t just disappointed in me—they were ashamed. And why wouldn"t they be?

By failing to protect my grandfather, the other mages finally saw me for who i really was—a fraud.

Fidelitas in Sanguine.Loyalty in blood. That was our family motto.

I had done permanent damage to my family"s reputation and in our world, power and reputation was all that mattered.

I lay in bed for a long time. Finally, I reached for my phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed Luca"s number. But there was no answer.

I tried again. Frustration boiled within me as I resorted to texting, but still, there was no response.

Only one other person in this family had experienced what I was going through, I realized. I searched for Ollie"s number and dialed it.

Ollie owed me no favours but over the years, I wished I had reached out to him and gotten to know him better.

He answered after just one ring. "Liam? Are you alright? I heard the news..." Ollie began.

"Ollie," I whispered. "I need to ask you a favor. I need a place to crash for a few days."