The moment the kiss ended, the world began to tremble.
Jax and Emily pulled apart reluctantly as the artifact floated higher between them, humming like a smug beehive. A holographic display beamed out from its core, reading: "TRIAL TWO UNLOCKED: INITIATING COMPLIANCE OF THE HEART."
Rafe stood off to the side, arms crossed and unimpressed. "Does everything magical need a tutorial screen?"
Before anyone could respond, the ground rumbled. A swirling vortex of paperclips, pink forms, and glowing bureaucratic scrolls erupted beneath them. In the blink of an eye, they were sucked into the next phase of the artifact's enchantment.
Welcome to the Department of Magical Affairs
They landed hard on marble floors that smelled faintly of toner and disappointment. Above them, a blinking fluorescent sign buzzed: "Department of Magical Affairs – Emotional Trials Division."
A bored elf behind the welcome desk filed her nails with a tiny sword. "Name, emotional status, and unresolved tension level?"
"Uh, Jax. Mildly in love. High tension," Jax said, still dusting glitter off his shoulders.
"Emily. Conflicted. Also high tension."
"Rafe," he said, "Aloof. Constantly annoyed."
The elf clicked her tongue and handed each of them a glowing clipboard.
"Trial Two involves navigating the Labyrinth of Litigation: a deadly maze where your romantic issues manifest as legal threats. Please sign the waiver in triplicate."
Emily's eyes narrowed. "Can we just fight a dragon instead?"
"Dragons don't make you cry about your childhood. The Labyrinth does."
They signed.
Into the Labyrinth
Doors opened, and they stepped into what looked like a gigantic office space designed by someone who hated humanity. Cubicle walls reached up fifty feet. Fax machines moaned in the distance. Legal documents fell like rain. Filing cabinets rearranged themselves when they weren't looking.
"Is that a stapler golem?" Rafe asked, pointing.
It growled and clanked toward them.
"I think so," Emily muttered, drawing her dagger. "And I think it wants us to process our trauma."
Jax read from his clipboard. "We must resolve three interpersonal conflicts to pass. Each will take physical form."
Right on cue, a swirling shadow appeared in the next cubicle. It formed into a faceless version of Jax—cocky posture, but hollow-eyed.
Emily stepped back. "It's your emotional clone."
"I have so many issues," he whispered.
The clone attacked.
Conflict One: Trust
Fighting the clone wasn't about strength—it was about honesty. Every blow it landed corresponded to a lie Jax had told himself.
"I don't need anyone," it hissed.
Jax parried with a staple remover. "Yes, I do."
"I only flirt to stay in control."
He kicked it back. "No. I flirt because I'm terrified I actually care."
Emily stared, breathless.
One final strike: "I trust her."
The clone exploded in a puff of smug defeat.
"That was alarmingly therapeutic," Jax said, panting.
Rafe flicked lint off his sleeve. "You still owe me three years of emotional labor."
Conflict Two: Fear of Vulnerability
This one manifested as Emily's middle school guidance counselor holding a clipboard soaked in blood. Her voice was an exact mimic of Emily's internal doubt.
"You're not good enough," it whispered. "People only pretend to care until you inconvenience them."
Emily growled. "I fight demons. I carry magical artifacts. I kissed a disaster man and survived."
She tackled the specter through a cubicle wall, screaming, "I'm more than enough!"
Paperwork caught fire. Somewhere, a copier jammed. The counselor exploded into a rain of self-esteem pamphlets.
A Short Detour: The Copy Room of Compromises
A door swung open. Jax, curious, peeked inside. Rows of glowing printers lined the walls, each producing stacks of glowing compromise agreements.
"Choose three," a disembodied voice echoed.
The forms read:
'Agree to Let Her Pick the Movie Sometimes'
'Accept That Being Wrong Occasionally Is Healthy'
'Acknowledge That Expressing Feelings Is Not Weakness'
He stared for a long time, then signed them all.
Emily walked in, signed hers without reading, and muttered, "Probably safer that way."
Conflict Three: Emotional Clarity
This one was different. It wasn't a creature—it was a door. Behind it, they heard their own voices arguing in loops.
"What if this isn't real?"
"What if it is and we're too scared to try?"
Jax looked at Emily. "You first."
She grabbed his hand. "No. We go through together."
They pushed the door open.
Inside was a conference room with their names on the chairs. A magical mediator—half gremlin, half therapist—stood at the head of the table.
"Please express your feelings in alphabetical order."
Jax blinked. "What?"
"Affection, bitterness, confusion—go!"
"Okay!" he blurted. "Affection: I like her. Bitterness: I hate that I didn't say something sooner. Confusion: What does this even mean?!"
Emily took a deep breath.
"Affection: I like you back. Bitterness: You make everything complicated. Confusion: Why does this feel like falling and flying at the same time?"
The mediator nodded. "Trial passed."
Team-Building Icebreaker: Trust Falls Over Lava
"Wait, what?" Emily yelped.
The floor beneath them transformed into a bubbling pit of metaphorical lava.
"Welcome to the Trust-Fall Extension Round," the voice said cheerfully.
Jax stood on the edge. "This is ridiculous."
"Do it or your forms get shredded," the voice snapped.
Jax turned to Emily. "You trust me?"
"Not even slightly."
He sighed and fell backward into the lava.
Just before he touched it, the illusion vanished. He landed in a beanbag.
Emily swore, then jumped too. They both lay there, laughing.
Emotional Exit Interview
The walls fell away, revealing the Department again. The elf at the front desk clapped once, unenthusiastically.
"Congratulations. You've legally acknowledged your mutual attraction. Your next trial awaits: The Gauntlet of Shared Future Planning."
A new sign blinked behind her: "Trial Three: Can You Survive a Brunch With Each Other's Families?"
Jax groaned. "Can't we just fight another mimic?"
"You already did. That was Chapter 5."
Rafe clapped both of them on the back. "You know, for people caught in an emotional death maze, you two did okay."
Emily and Jax exchanged a glance.
"Okay's a start," she said softly.
He smiled. "Let's keep failing forward."
And with that, the next portal opened.
They stepped through hand in hand, unaware that Trial Three involved seating arrangements, dietary restrictions, and a cursed brunch mimosa that revealed secrets from your ancestors.
Chapter 10