It was like a nightmare. Because it never broke up as it does now.
Magic. Magic is back! It's just like before, it's even better!
But Porrie gave it to her. Who was standing by the window looking at Pervers' yard?
The first wave of joy was long gone, all the spells were tried again, all the ghosts we met were spelt. It became empty and for some reason embarrassing. Sen, feeling it exactly, tried to ask what was wrong with her, but met with such a look that he only corrected his glasses, swallowed nervously and mumbled something about "I'm going to find Professor Luzhzha" and left the room.
Mergie was sitting on the bed and looking at Gutter. Dozens of words were torn from the tongue, but Pager was throwing them away one by one. No, she didn't know what to say. She never had to talk about it. And ask for forgiveness for...
"I'm sorry I stole your magic."
Sounds silly. No. And Chiingiiha was wrong: the demon of Repentance visited Mergi not ten years later, but much earlier. Right now he was standing between her and Gutter, but he was not shrieking, but keeping silent, crossing his arms at his chest. There was no one to catch him.
- Forgive me, Porrie, there was a strangled voice.
Porrie turned around.
- Come on. We'll figure something out. That's right. I have one invention in my plans...
And he smiled. But he didn't. He still stood, hiding his hands in his pockets and leaning against the window sill. A pager bit his lip and clenched his fists firmly.
Suddenly, Butter spoke again:
- You can cast a spell again. I want you to be happy. Because it sucked.
I was happy for the rest of my life. And how can I think that I will have to return it if we do not come up with anything, so completely happy? I'm just... ugly.
Thinking about it, Mergie didn't say a word. Gutter, too, didn't seem to have anything to talk about... And suddenly Pager heard his voice again:
- If we don't invent a new pipe, let it stay with you. Magic, I mean.
His heart went down, and at the same time, there was a joy in his soul that made Mergie feel uncomfortable. It was ugly. Ugly. Ugly. She was bobbing her head:
- Here's more. It's yours, and I'm fine with it.
- No. - The words were obviously hard for him, despite the smile. - I was born a wise man. And if you choose who you give what I got by mistake to, I'll choose you, Mergie. And only you.
She jumped silently. I was just a few steps away and hugged Gutter, almost knocking her down. She hadn't cried like she did now for a long time. Although... if you look into it, not so long ago. She's only a couple of months, like a ninja and a thunderstorm of all and everything. Quite a short period of time.
Butter smacked her on the top and whispered:
- Do not argue. I'll definitely invent something.
And Porrie can also hug like this for a short time. Knowing she'd be hugged back. And I don't want anything else. Even witchcraft.
***
- He exploded,- said Gutter sadly.
He was looking at the fragments of the magutor hanging in the air: they were smoking and sparkling, and the improvised "monitor" went cracked. The lines of the genius machine's posthumous will ran along it - to bury it next to Bill Gates. Bill Gates hadn't died yet, and the dying magician had probably forgotten.
Mergie, standing next to him, was silent. She lowered her hand with a magic wand and the wreckage collapsed on the grass, continuing to burn.
- Will it go boom? - She asked.
- Hell knows him... but we'd better back off,- Gutter pulled her aside.
They stopped by the big tree, looking at what had been predicting their future until recently. Happy. Or relatively happy.
- I'll get a new one,- he swallowed and said. - He showed that philosophers...
- I don't know. - Mergion spoke quietly and was lying down from the icy wind. - I... it took too long. And you and Sen were still without magic. And Dad. And Phantom. And…
Gutter just nodded. He, too, was still not fully aware of what the magician had shown them. All they wanted was to save the degreased. Help them get back to normal life. Happiness for everyone, for nothing. And it turned out that the usual pipe wasn't enough for that. Damn Mordevolt. The wreckage was smouldering, and the wind brought the smell of burnt plastic and smoke to Porrie and Mergion, which pinched the eyes.
- Better than not,- said Porrie. And made a different decision in his mind...