The long awaited chapter. I'm so sorry it took so long but I had a major case of writers block. Still though, I expect reviews of your disapproval or approval, either way, tell me if where I'm going with this is okay. Thanks!

Chapter 7: No Turning Back

Dante stared at Lok as if the blonde haired teen had dropped from the sky. He'd been so distracted by what Metz had told him, that he hadn't noticed the kid approaching him. Lok mumbled something about being ready for training, though he seemed very wary of it.

Dante almost considered telling Lok to go away, that he had better stuff to do and that he wasn't in the mood for training, but he restrained himself, the guy didn't deserve it.

"So… you're going to school here now?" Dante said, actually managing to make his voice sound light enough to hide his grief.

"Yeah, Guggenheim offered me a scholarship. But I have to have an A average if I want to stay" Lok complained, seeming truly uncertain whether he could carry through with that agreement or not. "Or I have to be selected for a team, though I don't know what that means" Lok added as the two students started for the yard. Dante sighed but kept his gaze in front of him as he started talking.

"Lok, Huntik Academy isn't just a school –"

"I know it's to help seekers, right?" Lok interrupted as if only now remembering what Dante had called him while speaking to Guggenheim.

"Yeah, but it's not just that, we're here to learn to be the future Huntik Foundation agents" Dante told him absently. The words were so familiar on his tongue, that he hardly needed concentration to tell the story. "Seekers exist to retrieve amulets, bring them back to safety or bond with them. We're there to keep the amulets away from normal humans if the amulets were available for anyone to bond with them, well, we'd probably have a war on our hands. The Seekers and Titans' world needs to stay a secret for as long as possible" Dante explained in a stern voice.

"Right?" Lok said the word slowly, as if he wasn't sure where the story was going.

"We're here for about five years. By then you have to be part of a team, there's not much hope for you otherwise" Dante grimaced at the thought.

"What happens if you're part of a team?" Lok questioned.

"Well, you have to be in the top ten of your year to be the leader of a team, and then you get to choose two, or at the most three, teammates who'll be allowed to accompany you on your missions. Mostly, we have to find about five titans on school assigned missions before we're declared Foundation agents. Then we can leave school, even if we weren't in our last year at the Academy" Dante murmured.

"Mostly though, we just finish school since it's easier to get a normal job that way. Anyway, even if kids are part of a team, they usually still stay here for a while. It hard to find titans when you don't know what you're looking for and since its kinda like a test to allow you to 'graduate' not many people pass immediately. It's also very dangerous" Dante added.

"But, there must be people who don't make the team, what happens to them?" Lok seemed truly worried by it.

"You become a back-up agent, but there's no guarantee that you'll be called in for fieldwork" Dante stated with a sad shake of his head.

"Sounds rough" Lok observed. Dante couldn't help raising an eye at that. "So, um, how do you get into a team without doing all that hard work" Lok asked, clearly doubtful of being a straight A student. Dante's face morphed into a look of disbelief.

"Lok, you can't just be a Seeker without working for it, you have to earn your place in this world" Dante told him, sure that he must know this already. Lok's eyes hardened.

"I suppose…this is something I'd work hard for"

"Anyway, they don't usually pick first years for their teams, you're to inexperienced" Dante was cautious to add, not wanting the kid to get his hopes up but not really wanting to burst his bubble either.

"Oh" Lok's face fell and he seemed truly disappointed by this news. Dante managed a half-smile at that; Lok was the first Junior Seeker naïve enough to think that he could be part of a team.

"We still have training to do. Have you managed to conjure up a Boltflare yet?" Dante decided to change the subject. His trainee shook his head, looking even more miserable than before. Dante frowned in slight frustration. It didn't make sense; the guy had already summoned a titan, why couldn't he call up a Boltflare? Dante rolled his eyes when he looked back at Lok and had to correct his stance.

"Hey, you started without me!" a voice objected and the boys turned around to see Sophie rushing towards them, books piled high in her arms. Dante raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"Jeez Sophie, what'd you do, rob a library or something?" Lok asked as she slid the books onto a windowsill.

"Oh ha-ha, very funny" she said dryly as she placed a hand on her hips. Ignoring Lok, Sophie looked over to Dante instead. "I was doing some research on the legendary titans - though I seemed to have lost one of the books. I actually contribute something to this group, Lok" Sophie stated. Dante stiffened and looked away from the two younger teens.

"Um, you all right Dante?" Lok seemed uneasy. Dante bit back a curse, why did the kid have to choose right now to be observant.

"Fine" Dante mumbled eyeing the books Sophie had put down.

"Does this have something to do with Metz" Lok inquired. Great, now he had to be perceptive to. Sophie's eyes widened and her gaze shifted from Dante to Lok and back again.

"What's going on Dante?" Sophie seemed cautious to approach the subject.

"It's nothing" Dante's eyes flashed but he managed to contain his rage. "Now concentrate; Sophie, practice your Nimblefire and Touchram, I want you to be able to fight using only those abilities" Dante said but he could tell the younger teens knew he was avoiding the subject.

"Lok, you need to concentrate on creating a fire inside yourself, that's the first step to a Boltflare. Concentrate on it and let it out of your hands, if you master Boltflare the other spell should be easier to call up" Dante said, turning to the fifteen year old boy.

"So, until then I'm stuck doing nothing?" Lok questioned, his hands clenched into fists. Dante nodded.

"But sir, I have to go!" Dante protested hours later, throwing his hands into the air.

"You're not going anywhere Dante, you're not thinking straight and you need time" Guggenheim insisted.

"I don't have time, if I wait another month, Metz might die" Dante screamed, his voice breaking on the last word.

"You will show me respect Dante, you may be the top Seeker but you're still one of my students" Guggenheim's eyes flashed with anger and Dante forced himself to stay silent. "You're a student who still has exams and important decisions to make and worry about. I suggest you return to your dorm and do your homework, get some rest. The next few weeks are going to be hard on you. We can talk more when you're done with it all" Guggenheim continued, his back turned to Dante.

"We need to do something before it's too late" Dante muttered before leaving. Dante visited the library before heading back to his room. He felt a mixture of anger and sorrow rising in his chest as he went.

He didn't care what he was supposed to do; Guggenheim couldn't keep him from saving Metz, but, not knowing where the antidote was might. He grimaced as he sat down in front of the large pile of books that would certainly make Sophie proud.

The leather-bound books were the only hope he had of finding an antidote or at least a location for one.

"Glad to see you're studying" a cocky voice broke through Dante's dreadful thoughts. Dante looked up to see a smiling Sophie and Lok. Even Zhalia was standing to one side with a mischievous glint in her eyes and only a small smile on her lips. How did he not notice them coming in?

"What are you doing here" Dante's voice came out harsher than he meant it to. Lok flinched before his face returned to a somewhat neutral expression.

"Come on Dante, we're a team" Sophie said as if to remind him, though Dante couldn't remember ever agreeing to that term.

"Yeah, Metz helped me, now I want to help him" Lok's eyebrows furrowed as he slammed his fist into his palm. Dante looked over to Zhalia, waiting for her reason since she didn't seem like the type to work in a team.

"Hey, as long as I don't have to be in school, I don't care where we go" she shrugged. Dante gave her a small smile since he knew exactly what she meant.

"We're going to help you find a cure for Metz's curse" Sophie continued to explain.

"We can't, Guggenheim won't allow a mission" Dante sighed, lowering his gaze to the ground.

"Who said anything about the trip being legal" the mischievous looking had returned to Zhalia's face and her smile was now wide.

"Yeah" Lok grinned as well, eagerness bright in his eyes. Dante couldn't believe what he was hearing. He barely knew the other three teens, yet they were ready to go on a mission with him to help his mentor.

Lok seemed to notice the doubt on Dante's face since he decided to speak up. "Don't worry Dante we'll find a cure and then everything'll be fine" he tried to assure the redheaded teenager. Dante's eyes were sceptical as he stared at the three teens who now claimed to be his team.

Zhalia he could understand; she was fast, agile and one of the best trained Seekers in the school. She was cunning and smart and looked like she could take good care of herself. Sophie wasn't to bad herself; she was smart, resourceful and knew a good amount of spell that they didn't really teach at school. She was also from a powerful bloodline, but Lok didn't really have anything to offer. Lok was naïve, untrained and had only been exposed to the Seeker world for about a week, Dante wasn't even sure if he fully understood the concept of what Seekers were supposed to do, nor the seriousness of the consequences should they be unlucky enough to fail.

"Look, this is great and all, but how are we supposed to leave the school grounds" Sophie stated and Dante struggled for a moment before remembering what they were talking about. Dante smiled, suddenly eagerly anticipating the night of their escape, a plan already forming in the back of his mind.

"I might have an idea" the other three froze when they saw the glint in Dante's eyes

A shadow fell across the already dark grass and a redheaded teen with blazing golden brown eyes scanned the surrounding area for any sign of his temporary teammates.

"So glad you could make it" Dante stated, not even glancing over his shoulder to see if Zhalia was really behind him.

"Wouldn't want to miss our jail break out" she stated in a casual tone.

"'Jail break-out?'" Dante said, skeptical once again. Dante was almost certain Zhalia was smiling, even though he hadn't moved a muscle to check. "Did you disconnect the security cameras?" Dante questioned, forcing himself to stay calm as he continued to search the still courtyard they were in. He was sure he could hear Zhalia breathing softly behind him and couldn't help staring intently at his own breath that was fogging up the air as a chill of excitement crept up his spine.

"Something like that" Zhalia's agreed, her voice filled with humor. Dante suppressed a smile at the thought of the midnight-blue eyed girl putting sleeping drugs in the security guards' coffee, or simply approaching them and knocking them out with Kilthane.

Two quick flashes of light drew Dante's attention back to reality, followed by a "CLANG" sound, like dustbins falling over. Dante's muscles tensed as he shot from his hiding place activating the Nimblefire spell as he went.

As the two older teens neared the rendezvous point, the only blind spot in the entire school, they spotted Sophie. She seemed quite exhausted already as she created a small gap in the otherwise rock solid shield.

Dante grinned as he thought of what Metz had once told him. "No enemy is untouchable, every rock must crumble someday" the grin soon disappeared as he remembered why he was leaving school in the first place. The lean teen ducked through the gap before offering his hand to Zhalia who took it and slip gracefully through as if jumping through holes was second nature to her.

"Hurry up Lok" Sophie, who had spotted the blonde haired 15-year-old, hissed as a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face. Dante watched almost in slow-motion as Lok came towards them and crashed into Sophie. The two of them were sent flying through the gap and lay spiraled out on the dew covered grass.

Dante stared, shifting between amusement and shock as Lok struggled into a sitting position, his hands supporting him from behind.

"What was that for?" Sophie demanded, glaring at Lok accusingly.

"Sorry, I slipped" Lok rubbed the back of his neck, as if something like this happened often.

Huffing, Sophie got up and brushed off her skirt while Lok did the same with his grass covered jeans. Zhalia seemed almost disbelieving as she watched the two exchange insults.

"Enough. We better get moving" Dante stated as he glanced at Guggenheim's office windows. It was only quarter to eleven so it was highly likely that he could still be there. An angry Sophie pushed past him, storming into the night with her fists balled and her hair flying behind her. Lok followed after her, grumbling about girls being more annoying than his mother's baby stories.

"How is any of this going to work out with those two fighting all the time?" Zhalia questioned as they followed at a slower pace.

"We'll just have to make it work" he insisted even though he himself wasn't so sure of it.

"So, where to first?" Zhalia questioned in a resigned voice.

"That, we'll have to find out from Sophie, she's the one with the books on the Legendary Titans"

"Dante, what if the cure is to find the Amulet of Will" Dante ignored her question, having thought of the possibility himself and not liking the idea of having such a challenge on his hands.

It was a nauseating thought since, according to legend, there'd been hundreds of people who searched for the Amulet of Will and none of had the luck of finding it. He pushed the thought away as the reached the Casterwill Compound and were ushered inside by LeBlanche, who had a worried frown decorating his face.

"I booked your flight milady" LeBlanche informed the teens the moment everyone had reached the tearoom.

"Thank you LeBlanche" Sophie said as she grabbed a bag that seemed to be overloaded.

"Are you sure you'll be alright Miss Sophie? Do you have everything you need?" LeBlanche seemed uncertain to let her go and his voice was cracking with the concern he felt.

"I'll be fine LeBlanche" Sophie stated reassuringly, her argument with Lok already forgotten. "By the way, where's Santiago?" as she said this, the serious hippie stepped out of the shadows, glaring at Dante as if he'd kept the expression going all the way from their last visit till now.

"What's the matter Santiago?" Sophie frowned, only now seeming to notice the glare the redheaded teenager was receiving.

"I will not allow you to go anywhere with this boy, especially not on some crazy adventure to find none existing amulets while the Organization is searching high and low for him" Santiago exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at a stunned Dante.

Everybody else seemed just as shocked as Dante was, though he didn't really notice. The teen was too amazed to do much more than stare.

"They're after me?" he finally managed in a husky voice. Santiago just continued to glare, as if he actually expected Dante to know all this already.

"Hold up, why would they be after Dante?" Lok questioned since his mentor was still struggling to process the information.

"How should I know and why should I care, the point is, Sophie's not going anywhere with this scoundrel" Dante's brow furrowed at this. He didn't like being accused of things that were out of his control. He hadn't chosen to be on the Organization's hit list, it – for some crazy reason – had just happened.

"The Organization is probably on their way right now and you're here putting Miss Casterwill in danger" he continued to rant.

"That's not true! Dante would never do something like that on purpose" Lok suddenly exclaimed.

"Besides, I'd trust Dante with my life" Sophie added her brow furrowed in a challenging manner. Dante blinked, he barely knew these kids and still they were standing by his side, trying to defend him. His gaze flitted towards Zhalia and he couldn't help wondering whether she would do the same.

"But milady-" Santiago tried to objected, suddenly uncertain of his accusation.

"That's enough Santiago. Now, help me look for books on Alexander the Great" she said gesturing towards the door that led out of the tearoom. Dante and Zhalia exchanged looks before following.

"Wait, why do we need information on Alexander the Great?" Zhalia said, staring at Dante as if she expected him to have all the answers. Dante felt slightly frustrated, it was clear Lok and Zhalia, and maybe even Sophie too, saw him as the leader, but he didn't know where to start search or even what to search for.

"In all the recordings about Alexander's life, it's mentioned that he died of an unknown illness" Sophie explained while gesturing with her hands.

"And you think it's somehow connected to seekers and titans?" Zhalia questioned, folding her arms in an almost challenging manner.

"Not only that…I think Alexander had the curse of the Legendary Titans".

I considered putting in the fight between Dante and Santiago but decided against it since Dante doesn't have the experience he mentioned in the series and therefore it's not guaranteed that he would win. Oh, and sorry if I made Santiago a bit OC-ish but I really try to keep as close to everyone's original personalities as possible.