"So, this is where it all began," I said, spinning around.

Lifeless, sterile, and surreal, the smooth gray stone extended in all directions beyond seeing. No bird warbled, no insect buzzed, not even a scented breeze blew. The air was cool and parched. The only thing remarkable was the ruins of an ancient castle, once belonging to Cephas Carne. But time had taken its toll and not much remained standing, only a few block walls and a half-crumbled tower. Hovering above, low gray clouds added to the dreary vibe.

"Cephas stood on the tower when he cast the Curse of Stone," Anara noted, pointing, "or so the legends say."

"Then that's where we go."

"Micah, wait," Mom said, placing a hand on my shoulder. I stiffened, expecting another stern lecture about being careful, but her yellow-streaked hazel eyes were more pensive and conciliatory. "I am sorry for doubting you earlier. You have grown into a good man of conviction, and I should trust your judgment, but it is hard to give up the little boy."

As Mom drew me into an embrace, I whispered, "You have always looked out for me."

"And Anara," my mother said, partially breaking the hug. "I also owe you an apology. I doubted your intentions and skills. For that, I am sorry."

"Thank you, Dawn," Anara replied, looking up into my mother's eyes. "If I may, I would request your permission to court Micah. I promise I shall treat him well."

Mom pressed her lips tightly together, holding back a string of chuckles. But we both knew that in this world of upside-down gender relations, Anara had asked this with all respect.

"That is Micah's decision to make," Mom finally replied. "But if you wish my blessing, you have it."

"Come on, group hug!" I exclaimed, opening an arm for Anara. She fell in with us, nuzzling her head against me. After a moment, I said, "Okay, how 'bout we go kick some curse arse."

Anara wrinkled her forehead. "I do not understand. How would that--"

"An Earth expression," my mother explained with a grin. "To kick arse means to win decisively."

"Oh, yes," Anara replied with her own grin. "Let us do that."

The walk across the smooth gray stone became more of a scramble over piles of fallen blocks as we came within the former castle walls. One side of the tower had collapsed, leaving a semi-circle shell rising from the debris. Targon leaped from Anara's shoulder and spread its wings, flying up to the tower top. The little wyvern perched on a jagged edge and let out a series of chirps, claiming the high ground.

As we approached the tower, the Symbio Magique flame within me sputtered to life without my call. Closing my eyes, I let the Symbio probe ahead. "There is something here," I said, opening my eyes. "Something magic and powerful."

"I sense it, too," Mom said. "With strong flavors of alchemy and geokinesis — Cephas' specialty."

"Where?" Anara asked.

"Under all this," I answered, pointing to the tower rubble pile. "But how do we get to it?"

"My dear, Micah," Anara purred with a smirk. "Two witches be with you."

A matching grin grew on my face. "Oh, yeah."

As if choreographed, Anara and my mother extended hands and allowed streamers of magic to emerge, purple from Anara and yellow from Mom. Alternating, they raised chunks of fallen stone block, some quite massive, and directed them away using hand motions with the deftness of a skilled track-hoe operator. Self-conscious guilt bubbled up as I watched two women do all the heavy lifting while I sat on a stone block, but I could not hope to match the force they exerted.

"Be careful now," I cautioned. "The magic source might carry the curse. Don't touch it."

A smirk rose on my mother's face as she glanced back at me, but she said nothing. A moment passed before I realized why. Perhaps I was just as protective towards those I loved as her.

Time was difficult to gauge here, but it seemed nearly an hour before they revealed a stone obelisk, surrounded by a faint brownish shimmer. The flame within flared. "That's it," I said.

It didn't look like much, made of plain gray stone with jagged dark veins and standing nearly as tall as me. But I had learned not to quickly judge magic. The women watched me as I circled the obelisk and studied it.

Easy now, I told the Symbio as it bucked and growled. Be patient. Let's see what we are dealing with.

The sheer power here vibrated my bones. But if this thing truly controlled the elemental transmutation done by the Stone Curse, the energy transfer to the Aether would be like channeling multiple nuclear explosions.

Perhaps I should not stand so close.

After taking a few steps back and glancing at Anara and Mom, I closed my eyes. Go, but gently, I commanded the Symbio Magique. The obelisk glowed with magic power in my mind, uncomfortably bright. But at its center, a small object shined like a miniature yellow star.

I flinched as loud cracks like breaking glass reached my ears. At the same time in my mind, bright jagged fractures crept through the obelisk in jerky motions. The center light grew in brightness.

This wasn't good.

My eyes shot open just as the obelisk shattered with an ear-piercing bang and a bright yellow flash. I stumbled backwards onto my butt.

Then nothing. Just stilled silence.

"Is it done?" Anara said after a moment in a voice laced with hope.

"No," I replied. "That wasn't me." The magic held near, but all-around, infusing the air like a faint dust cloud. Hairs stood on my arms and neck as the Symbio hissed within.

The magic swirled and coalesced into a turbulent, amorphous brown mass, becoming more opaque. Dust and bits of rock rose and came together, combining and taking shape within the magic. The form of a man emerged, but composed of gray rock. Once completed, his eyes glowed yellow and a sly, self-absorbed grin rose on his face.

"Cephas," my mother hissed, putting a name to my thought.

Dread walked down my spine. What had I done?

The rockman stretched his limbs, creating small popping and cracking noises, then turned his glowing eyes up. "How long has it been?" he said in a deep voice.

"Not long enough," I answered.

Cephas threw his head back and let out a cackling laugh with decidedly villain qualities. "Such delightful insolence. But no matter, you shall learn your place." He extended an arm. "I should thank you, though — you and the Symbio Magique — for my resurrection."

Seething, my narrowed eyes shot contempt.

Rounding his lips in mirth, Cephas shook his head. "Be not so glum, young man. This was inevitable."

As Cephas scanned my mother, a rocky eyebrow rose. "Granddaughter, is it? Of how many generations? You have my eyes, my dear. How fitting you witness my rise."

Mom bared her teeth. "And I shall witness your fall again." Snapping her hands up, she fired off a yellow kinetic pulse, knocking Cephas from his feet and sending him smashing into a rubble pile.

Cephas stood with jerking motion, cracking as he reset his head back into proper position. "So powerful are you," he said with a nod. "I should be proud." His eyes drifted to Anara. Swirls of glowing purple magic surrounded her outstretched hands as she prepared for battle. "Ah, the chaos witch. I should thank you as well, for it was I who placed the curse upon you and opened your eyes to the Symbio Magique. Do you not see? Everything progressed by my design."

Anara firmed her lips and turned to my mother. "Together?"

"Together," she answered.

Simultaneously, they fired lines of magic, and I felt them draw from the Symbio Magique. Anara's magic distorted Cephas' body, twisting and warping it as she stretched and deformed space-time. At the same time, my mother's alchemy magic transformed stone into fine sand. He collapsed into a dusty pile.

But I knew this was not over. The Symbio still detected his putrid aura.

In a similar manner to the first time, Cephas reformed his body from the surrounding rock. Even though I had expected this, my heart still sunk.

Standing on a partial block wall, Cephas sighed. "Tired of this, I am."

Lifting his hands skyward, swirling brown streamers shot out, arching upward then down into the rocky rubble. Where a streamer pierced, the rubble stirred and shook, lifting up. A dozen rocky giants formed, menacing monsters standing twice my height with thick limbs of rough stone. A faint brownish haze surrounded each one.

In crude formation, the rock giants charged, massive feet thundering across the rocky ground. They came like blitzing linebackers. But fortunately, I had two strong offensive line-women.

"Kinetic pulse, Anara," my mother shouted. "On my mark — three, two, one..."

I placed hands on the women's shoulders, lending the Symbio's enhancement. A shimmering shock wave blasted out from their extended hands and the giants tumbled over like bowling pins amid clouds of billowing dust. Those in front, taking the kinetic brunt, shattered back into rubble, but the eight giants behind stood back up to charge again. Another kinetic pulse produced a similar result, leaving only four.

The rock giants took a different strategy — two picked up stone blocks, remnants of the castle walls, and lobbed them like artillery, while the other two flanked to either side.

"Anara, take care of the thrown blocks," my mother said, "and I'll take on the giants directly."

With a swirl of hands, Anara created small portals in the air. The blocks passing through were transported well away behind us, smashing safely onto smooth gray stone. Sweat beaded on her brow from the effort.

Mom fired off glowing yellow threads, wrapping the giant approaching from my far right. The rock of its body transformed to fine grains, and the giant crumbled into a sand pile.

But unnoticed by Anara, another rock giant formed from the rubble, standing tall.

"Anara! Behind you!" I yelled in warning as I sprinted, my heart accelerating.

Diving, I yanked her out of the way just as a rock fist the size of a boulder slammed down where she once stood. Jagged rocks jabbed and scraped against my flesh as we tumbled down a rubble embankment.

Dazed, Anara rose slowly on wobbly legs, only to collapse again to her knees. Blood leaked from a gash on her forehead. The giant jumped down, landing with a thud and raised a fist. Without thinking, I charged toward the giant, keeping Anara behind me. Diving between its feet, I placed a hand on its rocky leg. Consume, I ordered the Symbio Magique. It did, stripping the animation away in ravenous frenzy. The giant fell backward, and the rocks returned to their natural form, collapsing into a rubble pile.

Before I could return to help Anara, a tempest of brown threads swirled beside me. Rock and dust rose and Cephas' solid form appeared beside me. "Join me," he said, extending a hand. "Together, shall we perfect this world."

"No, thanks," I replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "I have a scheduling conflict."

"So unwise," Cephas sighed, shaking his head.

I jerked as an orb of brown magic shot out from his hand, but I was not the target — Anara was. The orb struck her chest, but had very little kinetic energy. Rather it ruptured into fine brown dust, encasing her, then fading away as if by evaporation. What did he do? My narrowed eyes shot back to Cephas.

A smug grin grew on his face. "What the Stone Curse started, I finish. But gracious am I to allow you a few moments to say goodbye."

Rage boiled up inside me, only matched by the Symbio Magique. It burst out, swiping at Cephas in angry turbulence. Sparks erupted across his stone body as the Symbio rended the magic, tearing it apart. The rock that made up his body crumbled down into a dusty pile.

Anara laid on her side, drawing slow breaths. I rushed beside her, sitting down cross-legged, and gathered her up into my arms, head leaning back against my chest. The curse visibly crept across her body — already had it claimed her entire left arm and much of her face to veined stone. Targon curled up beside her, seemingly aware of her fate.

A single tear traced my cheek, and I struggled to speak. "Anara... Hang on. Okay?"

Because of the hardening stone, she struggled to smile and said with a graveled voice, "I'm sorry, Micah. I would have liked to court you."

Remove the Curse! I ordered the Symbio Magique. Heeding my command, the entity swirled out in a faint haze and attacked the Stone Curse, pushing it back across her face. But like before, the curse renewed when the Symbio withdrew. Again and again, this happened. Despite my efforts, I had not gained her one second more of life.

The curse crept across Anara's right eye, blinding her as the stone consumed it. Her body stiffened more and more with each moment. Breathing became difficult and air wheezed past hardening lips.

"Save our worlds," she whispered in a failing voice.

Then, with a slight flicker of purple, her breath stopped.