A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I tried my best to update as fast as I could so please review this chapter as well, since I have put a lot of work into it. Enjoy!


CHAPTER 12

County Kerry, Ireland

The flight fortunately went by rather fast for the Huntik team. Lok and Den spent the hours chatting with each other while Sophie read one of her books and Zhalia explained Sara the basics of a Holotome.

By now the team was walking down the familiar road towards the Lambert's family house, chatting happily to each other.

Dante was in the front with Sophie, the Casterwill girl having started a conversation with him as soon as they have left the jet, followed by Den and Lok who were talking about how glad they were to meet their relatives. Sara and Zhalia were the last one's, and it was more than obvious that as for the moment, something was bothering Zhalia.

Her hazel eyes were fixed on Dante's back, brows furrowed in thought while she tried to think of what had happened in Sutos Island and why Dante wanted to go to Ireland all of sudden.

It just wasn't like him at all, and she assumed that it had something to do with what he has talked to Grier about in Sutos.

Zhalia knew that he didn't have to share everything with his team, but Zhalia knew that Dante tended to keep important things for himself whenever he feared that the team may get endangered.

She had come to realize that she didn't like it one bit.

"Is everything alright?" Came a voice from her right, ripping her out of her musings. Zhalia averted her eyes from Dante's back and turned to look at Sara, who was eyeing her with what seemed to be worry.

"Of course." Zhalia briefly returned, tightening her hold on the strap of the black backpack that she carried over her shoulder. "Why are you asking?"

Sara merely shook her head in return and gave her a small smile, her blue orbs looking upwards to look at the clear blue colored sky that was above them, no cloud to be seen.

"You don't seem to be as happy about coming to Ireland as the rest of them are." Sara calmly replied, careful to keep her voice low so that the others wouldn't overhear them.

Zhalia pursed her lips in return and put on her usual blank facade, wondering if her displeasure was as evident as Sara claimed it to be. She always tried to keep her emotions and feelings in check and to herself, but it seemed that this time it was more than visible that she wasn't particularly looking forward to their little trip.

"It's nothing." Zhalia curtly assured the brunette, a small sigh escaping her lips. Sara looked at Zhalia out of the corner of her eyes, and decided not to further comment on the matter. During the past two days she had spend with them she had learned that Zhalia was someone who liked her privacy, and wasn't a woman of many words or chit-chat. She always came straight to the point and didn't beat around the bush, but Sara didn't mind it one bit. In fact, she preferred someone being direct than someone who sugar coats everything, as she had always been more of a direct person herself.

Ten more minutes have passed until the team had finally reached their destination and as soon as the house was in sight, Lok couldn't contain his huge grin.

"Finally." He breathed in joy, a reminiscing look entering his blue eyes. It has been quite some time since Lok had seen his mother and sister, and ever since the fight against the betrayer they haven't been able to talk much either.

"Do they know that we're coming?" Den suddenly asked, turning his head to look at Dante who in return shook his head.

"They don't." Dante replied, and Lok's expression lighted up upon hearing his mentors reply.

"Great! I can't wait to see mom's expression when she sees us standing at the door with no warning!" He exclaimed gleefully, and Sophie shook her head at Lok, a small smile tainting her lips.

They made their way towards the wooden entrance door of the house and came to an halt right in front of it, Lok stepping forwards to knock at the door.

He raised his fists and knocked twice against the wooden door, his heart beating fast in his chest as he gulped down the lump that had formed itself in his throat.

"I'm coming!" Came a shout from inside, and that's when Lok couldn't suppress the grin that formed itself on his lips any further.

The door opened mere seconds later, revealing a blonde haired woman that was adjusting her glasses. She turned to look at the visitor and as soon as her eyes fell onto the group that was standing on her doorstep, her eyes widened considerably.

"Lok?" She gasped in surprise, obviously not having expected them the least bit. Lok gave her a toothy grin before he took a stride forward and engaged his mother into a broad and tight hug.

"Surprise mom!" He called with a chuckle as he felt her sigh in return before she wrapped her arms around her sons waist, returning the hug. The feeling of being able to hold his mother in his arms once more was indescribable, and as for the moment Lok couldn't be more glad and grateful to have received the opportunity to visit her again. He had missed her terribly, but he knew that with the mess the Foundation was currently in and all the meetings Sophie had to attend, it was impossible to visit them no matter how much he would have tried. Of course he called her once in a while, but he himself has been quite busy as for the past two months, so they had no opportunity to properly talk, especially since he would have liked to know how she had been after the battle against the Blood Spiral and the betrayer.

"Yeah, and what a surprise!" She returned joyously, pulling away from her son to take a proper look at him, before she turned to look at the remaining team with a large smile.

"It's so good to see you all again, come in!" Sandra swiftly ushered them inside, Dante giving her a grateful nod that was followed by a smile as they all made their way inside the house. The team exchanged a small greeting with Sandra before they all made their way towards the familiar living-room, Lok grinning from ear to ear.

Sara gave Lok's mother a small smile and uttered a soft "Hello." as she noticed the older woman's curious, yet friendly gaze on her.

"Evening, dear." Sandra softly returned as she gently closed the door behind Sara who was the last one to come in before she followed them into the living room.

Dante sat down on the couch next to Sophie and Lok, whereas Zhalia, Den and Sara took the one opposite of theirs, purposefully leaving the armchair free for Sandra.

Sandra was the last one to enter the room, and as soon as her eyes met the filled living-room she couldn't suppress the sigh of contentment that escaped her. She was always happy to see them, since they all have grown to her, and to see them all sitting in her living room together made her feel both grateful and happy at once.

"Oh dear, I didn't prepare anything." Sandra suddenly realized in dismay, earning an amused chuckle from Lok in return.

"Don't worry mom, it's fine." He swiftly assured her, knowing that for his mom, hospitality was more important than anything else when she was getting visitors.

Giving a relenting sigh, Sandra walked over to the armchair and sat down before she took a look at her guests, her lips turning upwards into a soft smile.

"To what do I own this pleasure?" Sandra softly inquired, the surprise of finding the Huntik team on her doorstep out of seemingly nowhere fading ever so slow.

"Well," Dante started, making the others heads turn to look at the auburn haired seeker who gave Sandra a polite smile. "I have some business to take care of in Ireland, so I thought that it would be a great opportunity for the team to take a small break, and for Lok and Den to see their families again." He briefly explained, and Sandra gave him a nod that indicated that she had understood. She folded her hands neatly on her lap and turned to look at first Lok and then Den, her blue eyes resting on the brown haired male.

"That's right, your brother has formed a team with Scarlet, hasn't he?" Sandra remembered, missing the way Sophie tensed upon hearing the ginger haired seeker getting mentioned that soon.

Den gave Lok's mother a curt nod, shooting her a smile. "Yeah, it's been some time since I have seen him." He told her, instantly earning a look of sympathy from Sandra.

"I can only imagine how happy you must be to see him after what had happened." She told him with a kind smile, pointedly avoiding to mention the battle against the betrayer. She knew best that it still was a touchy topic for most of them, especially after what had happened. Sandra was very well aware that every one sitting here in this room had made great sacrifices during the battle against the Blood Spiral and has gotten injured, whether it was emotional or physical. Her eyes then fell on the person that was seated next to Den at the far end of the couch, slightly looking out of place and if Sandra took a closer look at her, lightly uncomfortable as well.

"I don't think that we have met already." Sandra smiled kindly at Sara, her blue eyes softening as she took in the way Sara tried not to break eye contact with Sandra, not used to be the sudden center of attention.

"Oh right!" She heard Lok exclaim all of sudden, a sheepish grin on his face as he rubbed his neck with his hand. "Mom, this is Sara. She is, well-" Lok suddenly faltered, not quite knowing what her position in the team was, or if she was a part of the team in the first place. The blonde threw his mentor a look that practically screamed for help, and Dante instantly took the silent plea of help.

"She is a temporary member of our team." Dante offered, giving Sara a smile that she hesitantly returned. Sara herself had never actually thought of her position, all she knew that she would have to stay with them until they would find out why the organization attacked or she decided to become a seeker herself.

"Temporary?" Sandra echoed curiously, shooting her son a questioning look.

"Well it's kind of complicated." Lok started, shooting Sara a pointed look. The brunette female gave him a small nod, assuring him that it was alright to go on and Lok turned to look back at his mother.

"Well it all started with Sara being my and Sophie's new classmate. After school, the two of us saw how suits were trailing her so we followed them because it seemed suspicious. They attacked Sara, and we came just in time to save her. The suits attacked us but of course, we managed to knock them out." Zhalia couldn't refrain from rolling her hazel eyes at Lok's words at this part. "Sophie and I then took Sara to Sophie's mansion where we explained everything since she wasn't a seeker and yeah, you can imagine the rest."

Sandra's mouth formed the shape of an 'o' and a look of understanding crossed her expression, her eyes falling from Lok back to Sara who remained silent during the entire explanation.

"Oh my, this truly isn't a great way to become a seeker." Sandra spoke pitifully, knowing very well that it must have been hard for her to accept it all after having gotten attacked.

"Well, she isn't a seeker just yet." Sophie spoke up, earning a mildly confused look from Sandra in return.

"Pardon?"

"She decided against becoming a seeker, for now." This time it was Zhalia who spoke up, her calm velvet voice reaching their ears, much to their surprise. "Until we have found out why the organization attacked her or what it is that they want from her, she decided not to become one until there is no way around." She explained, silence following her words.

Sandra was surprised, to say at last. She, just like the others previously did, had expected her to become a seeker after the incident. It wasn't common for people who have just gotten introduced to the world of spells and titans to decide against becoming a seeker and she couldn't recall that something like this had happened before, since it was common for them to use Simple-mind on them if they refused to become one, for their own safety. Knowing of the world of titans or seekers was dangerous and if one didn't know how to use spells or titans to defend herself, it would prove to become dangerous.

The blonde female turned to look at Sara who was holding her gaze, earning a smile from Sandra. She seemed to be a brave and stubborn one, judging by her refusing to become a seeker unless it would be inevitable. It spoke of a strong will and Sandra had to say that she was impressed, since she herself would have not recommended others to become a seeker if it wasn't necessary. It may seem fun in the beginning, but she knew best that the sacrifices a seeker had to make were far bigger than one could imagine.

"Quite impressive." Sandra spoke, much to the surprise of the others. "In my opinion, I think that you have made the right decision young girl. It's not everyday that you find someone with a strong will such as yours." Sandra praised, earning a shy smile from Sara.

"I wouldn't confuse a strong will with plain stubbornness." Came Den's sudden comment, and Sara took a deep breath trying her best to remain composed. She should have expected a comment such as this one coming from him, but she didn't want to give a bad first impression in front of Loks mother so she pointedly decided against starting another pointless argument and instead, settled on remaining silent and ignoring the blow her pride and ego have gotten. She would make sure to get her payback later.

"So, the organization is causing trouble again?" Sandra questioned, swiftly changing the topic as she turned to look at Dante.

"Not quite." He replied, his smile dropping the slightest. "It's true that suits of the organization have attacked her, but before we came to Ireland we went to talk to Grier, the current leader of the organization." Dante explained, and Sandra gave him a brief nod.

"I have heard of him." Sandra told them after a moment, faintly remembering that his name fell in one of the meetings of the Foundation that she had taken part of. She knew that as for now, the organization was no threat, especially since she had also heard how Grier had helped Lok and Den to take out Wilder, the former head of the organization. Still, she knew that it didn't mean that the organization was going to be one of the Foundations allies. They have always liked to do things on their own, and rarely liked to ally with others if it wasn't necessary.

"Well, he told us that he has not commanded the attack and until we told him about it, wasn't even aware that there was an attack at all." Dante went on, and Sandra frowned lightly.

"Is his word to be trusted?" She inquired after a moment of silence, and Dante gave her a curt nod in return. Sandra inwardly calmed a bit and exhaled deeply, glad that there wasn't the risk of the organization falling back into their old schemes. They all needed a break, especially them, so she was glad that as for now, everything seemed to be alright.

"That's good to hear." Sandra commented relieved, shaking her head to get rid of the unpleasant thoughts and memories of their former battle.

"So, how have you all been?"She suddenly asked, smiling warmly at the team in front of her. "It's been quite some time since we have last seen each others and now that I think of it, aren't you supposed to be in New York?" Sandra inquired, addressing Dante. The rest of the team turned to look at Dante in curiosity, also not knowing the reason for his return. They haven't addressed it once and frankly said, didn't give it a second thought either as well since all that counted for them was that he was back as their team leader.

"Well, let's say that sitting in the office and arguing with the rest of the council is only half as entertaining as going on missions with the team." Dante replied, giving them a knowing look. Lok snorted at that and crossed his arms above his chest upon hearing his reply, not content with the reason his mentor gave them.

"Oh come on, why won't you just admit that you missed us?" Lok returned with a pout, and Den snorted at the puppy look Lok was giving him. The corner of Sara's lips lifted into a small, amused smile whereas Zhalia shook her head at the blonde boys antics.

"What about you dear, I can imagine that you have been quite busy with your family." Sandra spoke, giving Sophie a look out of sympathy.

"Well there have been have a series of meetings that I had to attend." Sophie replied with a sigh. "But well, it can't be helped."

Sandra gave a small nod, knowing that as the heiress of the Casterwill family she must have been quite busy for the past two months, especially after the fight against the betrayer. There were a lot of things that needed to be taken care of, and it could get really exhausting if one would not be careful and get proper sleep, especially since Sophie was still fairly young.

Her eyes then traveled to Zhalia, who caught her gaze evenly. "We haven't seen each other for quite some time now as well, you weren't with the others when they visited me the last time as well." Sandra spoke, and Zhalia faintly heard a hint of concern in the blondes voice. She knew that Sandra always managed to pick up the smallest of things and cared for all of them, regardless of how long they knew each other.

Zhalia was now the newest center of attention and out of the corner of her eye, she saw how Lok shifted in his seat. She knew that if Sandra were to know about her infiltrating the Blood Spiral, she would only worry even further and since Zhalia wasn't even sure if Lok has told her about her having been a spy for the organization in the beginning, she decided to keep that bit of information to herself.

"I have been on a mission." She briefly replied, a small yet polite smile on her lips. She wasn't going to bring up the topic again, especially since Sara was here, and judging by Lok's sigh of relief, she had done the right thing.

"Oh, that's understandable." Sandra returned softly. "I am glad that you are alright. I hope that you have been well after the last time we have seen each other."

Zhalia eyed Sandra carefully, something in the way Sandra's eyes softened the smallest of bits indicating that there was a bigger meaning behind her words. The last time they have seen each other was on the devastated battlefield when they have defeated the Blood Spiral and after Dante had returned and suddenly, the realization of what Sandra was implying overcame her.

She kept her surprise concealed behind her expressionless mask and yet, she knew that Sandra somehow managed to look through it. To the others, it seemed like a harmless question but Zhalia knew that Sandra knew very well what had happened.

Zhalia gave the blonde woman a small nod as a reply and watched how Sandra gave her a sad smile in return, her eyes shining with dim understanding.

Sandra knew that it must have been hard for Zhalia since in comparison to the others, she was not oblivious to the bond she and the auburn haired seeker shared. Zhalia and her have both gone through the pain of losing someone they cared deeply, and even though Dante managed to return, the pain was still there. Zhalia was a strong woman, she knew that much, but losing someone you love no matter for how long was something that could break even the coldest heart.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Sandra suddenly inquired, trying to change the topic to a more pleasant one and Lok turned to look expectantly at Dante. He hadn't mentioned how long their little break would last and now that he thought of it, he hadn't mentioned what he had to take care of either.

"Around two days, only if that is alright with you of course." The amber eyed seeker politely replied, and Sandra waved her hand at him.

"Of course dear, you are welcomed to stay as long as you want." She assured them, and Dante gave her a grateful nod. Lok visibly relaxed and leaned back in his seat, glad to hear that he would be able to spend some time with his family. Suddenly, he realized that he had forgotten something important or well, rather someone.

"Mom, where's Cathy?" He curiously asked, having completely forgotten about his sister for the past few minutes. He knew that she was busy with school and had heard that she also had a part time job now, but he had hoped to see her before they would leave for their rooms to rest.

"She is sleeping over at a friends and is going to return tomorrow morning." She informed them, and Lok gave her a nod in return.

"Oh, okay." He returned, mildly disappointed. Sandra immediately noticed the change in her sons mood and cleared her throat.

"Well, word has reached me that the infamous Huntik team has been out on a mission." She knowingly started, and within a matter of seconds the group fell into a comfortable chatter.

They all spend the rest of the evening talking happily to each other, telling Sandra about the mission they have been on and plenty of other things.

Soon, it was nighttime and the Huntik team retreated to their respective rooms. Whereas the girls shared the guest room, Lok, Den and Dante slept in Lok's old room.

They changed their clothes and as soon as their heads have hit the pillows, they all fell into a deep slumber, not knowing what would expect them tomorrow.

Well, everyone with the exception for a certain amber eyed seeker.

The next morning

County Kerry

8:37AM

It was Morning in Ireland and the sun was already high in the sky. Zhalia woke up by the sunbeams that fell through the window and gently caressed her creamy colored skin. She blinked awake and turned to look at the clock that was next to her, just to see that it was still rather early in the morning. She as well had miraculously fallen asleep as soon as her back had hit the mattress, the exhaustion that had build itself up over the past week having taken over her all at once. The bluenette rolled onto her back and turned her head aside to look at Sophie and Sara who were seemingly still sound asleep, tangled in the white blankets that Sandra provided them with.

Deciding that she has had enough rest for now, Zhalia stood up and grabbed her change of clothing out of her backpack before she silently made her way into the bathroom to change and clean herself.

Exactly twenty minutes later, the raven-haired female made her way out of the room, dressed in her usual attire, and closed the door softly after her in order not to wake the others.

Zhalia then made her way through the corridor and down the stairs, the smell of fresh coffee and pancakes immediately filling her nose.

The living room was empty, what wasn't much of a surprise to her since she already knew that the others were rather heavy sleepers and liked to sleep in, so she headed towards the kitchen where she was greeted by the sight of Sandra was flipping a pancake in the frying pan, the ease of the move clearly showing that she had years of experience.

Zhalia leaned against the doorway with her arms crossed and smiled slightly to herself as she looked at Sandra's back.
"Impressive." She complimented, and even though Sandra didn't turn around to look at her, Zhalia knew that Sandra was smiling.

"Thanks dear, I have had years of practice as you can already tell." Sandra replied with a light chuckle before she placed the pancake on an empty plate. She then turned around to look at Zhalia with a bright smile that eerily reminded her of Lok's before she grabbed the pot that was filled with coffee and poured some into an empty cup.

"Here you go." She then passed it to Zhalia who gratefully accepted it. She took the cup into her hands and raised it to her lips, taking a small sip of the black liquid.

"The others are still asleep, I assume." Zhalia conversationally started as she watched how Sandra leaned against the kitchen counter, a cup of coffee in her hands as well.

"Actually, Dante has already left. He asked me to tell you that he'll be back around noon." She informed the bluenette, and Zhalia hid the way the corner of her lips curled downwards by once more lifting the cup to her lips. She took a sip and felt how the hot, bitter liquid ran down her throat in contentment before she once more moved it away from her mouth.

"I see." Was all she offered in return, purposefully keeping her voice neutral. She watched how Sandra eyed her with a knowing smile for a moment and watched how she opened her mouth to say something, but just the sound of footsteps reach their ears.

A couple of seconds later, a rather sleepy looking Sophie was walking into the kitchen, giving the two females a polite smile.

"Good Morning." She greeted them politely, taking a seat at the already set table, lifting her hand to cover her mouth as a yawn dared to escape her lips.

"Good Morning Sophie, did you sleep well?" Sandra politely asked, already preparing a cup of tea for Sophie, remembering how the young girl had once told her about not liking coffee. Sandra then placed the cup on the table in front of her with a smile, which Sophie kindly returned.

"I slept perfectly fine, and thank you." Sophie replied, taking a sip of her tea before she turned to look at Zhalia.

"You seemed to be quite tired as well." Sophie commented with a smile, her eyes filled with small concern. Zhalia was usually the last one to fall asleep, no matter the circumstances and to see her being the first ones to fall asleep was quite concerning. It was true that she and Sophie sometimes had their arguments, but it still didn't mean that Sophie didn't care for her as a friend or teammate.

Zhalia gave her a small shrug in return, not quite knowing what to say in this kind of situation. She has been quite tired, so denying it wouldn't do any good, but admitting it was just as uncomfortable for her, even if she didn't show it.

"Sara is already awake, she should be here any moment now." Sophie continued, knowing that she wasn't going to get a reply other than the shrug from Zhalia. She didn't mind, knowing that Zhalia never liked to talk much, especially about her weak moments even though being tired was something completely normal.

Sandra gave Sophie a nod and turned to finish the last preparations for the breakfast and only a couple of minutes later, they all were sitting on the table and were having break-fast together. Lok and Den somehow managed to join them just in time, both still half-asleep and only awake thanks to Sophie barging into their room and throwing pillows at them, muttering something about being polite towards their host on her way outside.

After breakfast, each one of them occupied themselves with the most different things. Cathy had already returned, but didn't stay long because she still had to go to work, only returning home to change her clothes. Sophie was absorbed in one of her books and while Den and Lok were playing chess, Zhalia trained her spells in the backyard. Sara was watching Zhalia closely and had to admit that she was quite impressed. Zhalia seemed to be an experienced seeker, the way she moved and called spells leaving Sara wondering how long she was a seeker already.

Sandra came up to Sara from behind and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, also looking at Zhalia with a smile.

"Impressive, isn't it?" She spoke, earning a mute nod from Sara in return. Sara's icy blue eyes were still steadily fixed on Zhalia who was currently practicing her thought-specter, seemingly unbothered by them watching her.

"She seems so calm." Sara breathed, not finding the right word to describe the calm aura Zhalia currently gave off. To her, it seemed like Zhalia has had years of experience and that using spells was as easy and natural for her like breathing.

Zhalia seemed calm and focused at the task of hand, not allowing her surroundings to distract her, what made Sara watch her in pure admiration.

She heard Sandra who was standing next to her chuckle softly at her words. "Why of course. You know, everyone is able to use spells or to summon titans if they want to, but having control over your powers is something that is difficult to a lot of seekers. For some, it takes years until they are able to properly use spells and even then, it doesn't mean that they have mastered them."

Sara attentively listened to Sandra's words, and couldn't help but sigh. "Even if I were to become a seeker, I will never become as good as her." Sara spoke lowly, biting her lower lip.

Sandra hummed in return and gave her shoulder a squeeze, her eyes still fixed on Zhalia. "You can't know that. It doesn't necessarily depend on how long you are training. Some people train for years and still are weaker than others who have only trained for a short period of time. Zhalia and Dante both became a seeker at a very young age already and have spent most of their life training, and even though Lok for example isn't as strong as them, it is only partly because he has only recently became a seeker."

Sara frowned at Sandra words, obviously confused. "I don't quite get what you mean." She admitted with a sigh, and Sandra gave another small chuckle at her.

"Lok is a strong seeker, and he has by far less experience than Zhalia and Dante do. Then again, Sophie as well grew up being a seeker and has been raised with the knowledge of spells and titans just like Zhalia and Dante. The reason as to why Lok and Sophie won't be able to get as strong as them is quite simple actually." Sandra told Sara and a small, sad smile formed itself on her lips.

Sara instantly noticed the shift in Sandra's aura and saw how her expression saddened, much to her surprise and confusion. "And what would that reason be?" Sara inquired softly, turning to look at Sandra. The blonde woman faltered for a moment before she exhaled deeply, a reminiscing look entering her eyes as her eyes once more turned to look at Zhalia.

"They managed to gain power by making huge sacrifices and if it weren't for all the hardships they have overcome until now, individually or as a team, they wouldn't be as strong as they currently are. The roots of powers lay in emotions and memories. It takes time to gain control over them and to accept them. You have to learn how to control your emotions and powers no matter the circumstances, and many make the mistake to let their emotions control them and their powers. There is a difference that only few know of. " Sandra revealed softly, and Sara pursed her lips into a thin line in return. Her blue eyes fell back to look at Zhalia who either hadn't listened to their conversation, or pointedly decided not to comment on it. Zhalia seemed to be quite strong and now that Sara thought of it, she must have overcome a lot of hardships in her life. Maybe that was the reason as to why she was more of the silent type.

"So what you are saying is that the key to power is not only experience and training, but to also to learn how to control your emotions and powers?" Sara inquired, slowly starting to realise what Sandra was trying to tell her.

"Let me tell you a story." Sandra replied softly. "There once was a boy, he was a quite talented seeker. He was strong and many admired him for his skills since he, at a very young age, was far stronger than others older than him were. He had only one weakness, and that was that he allowed his emotions to control his powers. Whenever he was mad, he lost control over his powers and was unable to keep them in check. Whenever he was sad, it was harder for him to summon titans and spells and whenever he was happy, he was able to control them perfectly fine." Sandra told her, hoping to ease Sara'a confusion and that it would help her to understand.

Sara suddenly remembered when she had accidentally shot the spell at Sophie and inwardly cringed at the memory. It wasn't her intention and the more she thought of it, the more she understood Sandras words.

"Learn how to use the power your emotions provide and control them so that they will be of use for you. Don't let them affect you any more than necessary. " Sandra summarised and gave Sara one last squeeze on her shoulder before she turned to leave back into the house, leaving Sara alone with her thoughts.

She knew that Sandra was right but until now, she had never considered to look at it that way. She had always thought that the source of power laid in experience and training, but she would never have thought that emotions and memories were playing that much of a big part in it as well.

Sara knew that sooner or later, she would have to become a seeker if she didn't want to lose her memories of the past days and if she were to be honest, she didn't want to forget it all either. Of course at first, it was quite terrifying and she was scared, but as time had passed she had slowly come to accept it all.

She still wasn't quite sure if it was the right thing to do, but she wasn't going to sit there and do nothing while the others were endangering themselves for her sake. She hated being helpless, and maybe if she were to become a seeker she would actually be able to make a change, if only a small one.

She has made her decision.

Inhaling shakily, she took a series of steps forwards and turned to look at Zhalia who has put her practice to an halt to look at her.

"Zhalia, please teach me how to become a seeker." She spoke in a breath, her heart beating faster than it ever did. Sara knew that she had sealed her fate but strangely, now that she had spoken the words out loud it felt as if a heavy burden was lifted off of her shoulders.

Her blue eyes met Zhalia's hazel ones and Sara tried her best to bravely maintain her gaze. Silence engulfed the two of them and for a moment Sara regretted having asked Zhalia for help. She mentally concluded that she should have asked Dante or Lok for help and just as she was about to tell Zhalia that it was alright if she didn't want to help her, Zhalia spoke up.

"Are you sure?" Zhalia inquired gravely, wanting to make sure that Sara was aware of the consequences and responsibility that would follow her decision.

Sara gave her a curt nod and froze as she saw how Zhalia turned around, her back now facing Sara as she moved to the middle of the yard without as much as another word. She then turned to look at Sara over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow, a small smirk on her lips.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked, and watched in amusement how Sara slumped her shoulders in relief.

She threw Zhalia a broad smile and sprinted towards her, still not quite believing that she would learn how to use spells. It all seemed surreal, and she genuinely hoped that she wouldn't regret her decision anytime soon.

"Ready?" Zhalia inquired seriously as Sara reached her, the two of them now facing each other. If Sara really wanted to become a seeker there would be no turning back, so she had to make sure that Sara knew that there would be no turning back.

Sara put on the most serious expression she could muster up and gave Zhalia another determined nod in return, gulping down the lump that formed itself in her throat.

"Ready."