Aida Montgomery peers out over a stone wall, eyes falling to the ground thousands of feet below. The city casts a great shadow over the fields and the houses seem more like ants from so far away. A breeze through the garden carries a faint whisper to their ears.

“Prepare yourselves.”

Vivian’s voice is barely audible above the chatter of the guests, but Aida has spent years listening to her. Slowly, they turn to eye the crowd. Most of them are holding drinks in their hands, idly chatting, but there are a few who shift and smile conspiratorially.

“Sana, down to the infectious areas. Elliot, ready to drop them with the release apparatus. The rest of you get to your places. This is what we’ve been waiting for.”

There is venom in Vivian’s words. All at once, Aida’s fears have been confirmed.

They’ve been waiting for this day since they joined the Advisors’ Circle and realized how power hungry the elite were. The only reason Aida has stayed, surrounded by greed and violence, is that deep down a part of them still believes this city can change.

Vivian has always been a schemer. Aida has heard whispers for months now of a magical disease she’s developing. If she’s going to loose it onto the lands below, Aida cannot just stand by and let it happen.

Of course this would be the day she puts her plan into action. While everyone gathers for the crowning of the prince, no one will be paying attention.

Across the way, sheltered next to a rosebush, a stocky woman looks up as Aida sighs. She raises her eyebrows in concern and Aida beckons her over. They won’t have any chance of thwarting Vivian alone.

“Good afternoon, Advisor Montgomery,” says Emilia, like they haven’t known each other for decades. She leans against the wall, the picture of nonchalance.

“Good afternoon, Miss Tonnover. Weather’s nice, isn’t it?”

Emilia smiles blandly and glances into the distance. “So far,” she says. “Looks like that might change.”

A cluster of storm clouds loom ever closer to the north. “Indeed,” says Aida, and leans in close enough that the scent of flowers on Emilia’s skin is overpowering. “Vivian is going to release an illness on the groundspeople. Today.”

Emilia pales. “The Diadem Ailment,” she whispers, “yes, I know. It’ll spread quickly, and the groundspeople won’t be able to stop it.”

“You know?!” Aida hisses. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Come on, Aida. Vivian keeps an eye on all of us. She would’ve had me off the city in a second if she suspected I knew. But if it’s today… there’s really no use hiding anymore, is there?”

Aida rubs their forehead and looks out at the garden party. “How do we fix this? The disease is in the city. I can’t just get rid of it.”

“In the city,” Emilia echoes. Her face is grave. “You’d… you’d have to crash it.”

Aida barely stops themself from laughing. “I can’t do that! Nobody can do that!”

“No one’s as powerful as you, Aida. They couldn’t stop you.” Emilia rests a hand on their shoulder and they shake it off. This can’t be what they’ve spent decades of their life building towards. Ending everything, just like that?

Then again. It’s been so long. If more lives will be lost by doing nothing, maybe… maybe it really is unsalvageable. Maybe it has to burn.

Aida squares their shoulders. They look at Emilia, whose eyes are sad but resolute. “Prepare to evacuate. Gather your informants, spread the word.”

Emilia squeezes their hand and nods. “Of course, Advisor,” she says, and disappears into the sea of people.

Aida takes a fortifying breath before setting off as well, their mind racing. The only way to crash the city is by disabling the power source that keeps it levitating. No one’s ever tried; it’s surrounded by guards and wards that would keep most people out.

Every step of the way, they bump against people, mumbling apologies. They keep their head down for fear of being seen--but also because if they look at the people around them, they can only see bodies trapped under houses. Killed on impact.

Aida halts for a second at the entrance to breathe shakily. Only then do they hear the low, self-assured laugh. They freeze in place, unable to stop from recalling the first time they’d heard it.

--

Her name was Vivian. That was the only thing Aida knew when they walked into the classroom. That, and that she was lauded by her peers, praised as the savior of the arcane arts.

Aida wasn’t sure whether they bought into all the excitement, but they hadn’t met her yet. It wasn’t fair to make judgements.

Aida knew as soon as they looked up at the students milling around which one was Vivian Lesforte. Tall, austere, with a glint in her eye. She found Aida’s gaze almost immediately and gestured them over.

“New in town?” Vivian asked, smiling at something only she knew. Aida hunched their shoulders and gave her a tense grimace.

“Yes, actually. I was--I’m a student of Archmage Wesyn. I’m here as a guest of his.”

“You’re from the ground?” Vivian raised an eyebrow and Aida prepared themself for the worst. “Funny. You know, I was born there.”

“Really!” Aida began to relax. “You have anyone down there?”

Vivian stared down at them for an uncomfortable moment before laughing, scornful and certain. She patted Aida’s shoulder. “The only thing those people ever did was hold me back.”

--

Aida jerks back to the present, looking around wildly, but there’s no sign of Vivian or her friends. Was it in their head?

They can’t stop to figure it out. The clock is ticking. They rush out of the gardens, through the palace into the cobblestone streets, aiming for the tower in the center of the city. The breeze grows stronger, battering their skin until it’s numb. Distantly they realize it’s from the incoming storm.

Nobody tries to stop them as they reach the tower. The wards bend to their will, and the few guards not at the coronation simply nod to Aida as they hurry down the stairs.

It’s too easy. By the time they reach the core of the city, they’re jumping at every shadow.

Magic is thrumming here. Sparks dance in the air. In the center of the room floats a large crystal, its facets undulating, and when Aida breathes in they instinctively know that they could fracture its power enough to break the connection to the city.

They step forward.

How many people has Emilia evacuated? How many will die if they do this?

How many will die if they don’t?

At the end of it all, Aida is... tired. So long fighting for a kinder world and nothing to show for it. At least here they can make a difference. At least they can do something.

They raise their hands, magic surging like lightning through their veins--

Crack.

The world goes black, and only after they open their eyes do they feel the pounding pain in their skull, and see the face of Vivian Lesforte glaring down at them. “What do you think you’re doing?!” she hisses, looking unnerved.

Aida winces as they sit up. I’m sorry, Emilia, they think as they glance around, taking in their limited options. Seems like they won’t be getting out in time. “Surely you expected this. You gave me no choice!”

“There is a choice!” says Vivian. “This is your city. These are your people. You would really choose the ground--”

The only thing those people ever did was hold me back. “I’m not going to let you do this,” Aida interrupts. “If there’s one thing I can do--”

Vivian grabs them, tries to throw them to the ground, but Aida drags her with them. They glare at each other. Vivian’s nails dig into the flesh of their cheek. “Should have known you would do it,” Vivian spits.

Aida grins, knowing that there’s only one way out. Together--that’s the way it has to be. “You should have.” They tighten their grip on her lapels. “Now you’re coming with me.”

They let the magic fill their veins, break through their skin like a dam bursting, and see a crack begin to spread in the crystal out of the corner of their eye. Aida has Vivian in a death grip as it expands, until there’s a great shattering; suddenly everything goes searing white. A shockwave rumbles through the floor, but Aida barely notices as they close their eyes.

All they can feel is themself and Vivian. Falling back down.

--

The city is nothing but rubble. Emilia watches the dust rising from the wreckage, and turns back to the crowds of people huddled on the only remaining piece of solid ground. She exhales shakily.

It’s time to rebuild.