As Mika's fingertips brushed across the box containing the stone, his master's words sprang unbidden to his mind.
"Black magic is dangerous because it disregards the will of everything around it. It is an act of force," Mika remembered his teacher saying. "Due to this, it is even more dangerous to use black magic to fight black magic. The two spells will not work together the way normal magic does. It is like throwing two rocks into a pond. You may be able to predict the nature of the ripples immediately around each pebble. However, when these ripples begin to intersect, chaos ensues, and the results are unforeseeable."
Just as Mika resolved to leave the stone where it was and find another method of protecting his companions, a large mass slammed into him from behind. Before he could react, Mika was left sprawled across the ground, and the box containing the stone went flying. As it hit the ground, the box popped open, revealing its contents. The last glimpse Mika caught was of Audrey making a desperate lunge for the stone.
"Don't use it, Audrey!" Mika cried out from underfoot. "It could kill all of us!"
"Better that than being torn to pieces!" Audrey hollered, grasping the stone tightly. "Fighting like this we're getting nowhere! It's like lopping the tails off damned LIZARDS!!"
As Audrey finished speaking, Mika noted a shift in the magic around him, and felt disoriented as all the undead around him began to waver and contort. Mika closed his eyes in discomfort, and felt something strange plop down on his face. Reaching up, he grabbed the critter, only to open his eyes to a squirming, scaly gecko. However, it was not any aspect of the lizard itself that drew Mika's attention, but the swirling sensation of dark arts surrounding it. Despite the painful twinge of the forbidden arts, Mika held on to the vermin as he turned to look at Audrey. However, what he saw next made him forget all about the lizard, which he dropped in disbelief. Where should have been a battered warrior woman lying across the ground, there was now a small, naked, rather familiar boy.
The blank look faded from the boy's eyes, and gave way for one of fear and panic.
"Where'm I?" Where's ma big bro?" Aubrey asked uneasily, looking about. "Big bro? BIG BRO?!" In a panic, the little boy scrambled to his feet, dropping the stone. At first, Mika was too shocked to react. However, when Aubrey took off running, Mika tried to scramble to his feet and give chase. Noticing that Darbie, who had descended from the tree, was closer to Aubrey, Mika shouted out, "GRAB HIM!"
Although confused, Darbie's cat-like reaction allowed him to pounce on the slightly larger Aubrey and wrestle him to the ground. After securing the stone in the sealed box and secreting it in his robes once more, Mika hurried over. Reaching for Aubrey, he tried to perform the same incantation he had used in the stable to return Aubrey to Audrey.