"Can you communicate with the others?" Caleb already knew the answer as she pulled out the Heart of Kandrakar and stared at it helplessly. This wasn't meant to be happening. They weren't ready. He doubted that she needed the girls with powers like that, but she wasn't going to listen to him; flinching back when he reached to touch her shoulder.. What was wrong? He'd been.. "Will?"

"They wont hear me! It's a mystic jewel, not a phone!" Caleb frowned as she scowled at him; fear encased within, hiding beneath her anger.. And Caleb stepped back, because that was why she didn't want him near her. "Don't be an idiot."

"Will.." He bit his lip, because he didn't want her to know.. He pushed everything down so hard so that she wouldn't.. "Will, I didn't plan this, but.."

How was he meant to say it? What was he meant to say? To make her understand that he was terrified and angry and sad and he didn't want to die, and he didn't want to fight anymore, but he didn't want to go into her to think him a disgrace.. And part of him was lying anyway.. And then part of him kept reminding him that this wasn't his war. What was he meant to say? That he was glad, that the girls weren't there, because he'd never really thought it'd be coming. He didn't want them there.. Seeing.. That.. And in all his months they'd never actually seen him kill anyone.. And Hay Lin.. How could she- "Can't you- Can't we get them! I need them Caleb! I need-"

"Éna akóma vrády touláchiston.." Caleb squeezed his eyes closed and made the wish to whatever might be out there. Aldarn believed there was a God. And Caleb found himself swearing - with all his very heart and soul. He promised he would fight. He would win. He would do everything he needed to do, but he needed more time. One more night at least. That was his silent prayer. He might never see them again. "Please. Éna akóma vrády touláchiston.."

But nothing happened. He didn't know what ever would. He just opened his eyes to find brilliant cocoa staring at him, and he hated what it would do to her. "C-Caleb.. You okay..?"

"Ye-ah.. I'm fine." Caleb tried not to look at her, but the shouting was getting louder; that distant shuffle that only he ever seemed to hear. That's what it seemed to be; he had better hearing than most people. And reflexes and vision and taste and touch and.. He really didn't want to die. He really didn't deserve what Will he'd got. "Will, your powers are wonderful.. You'll be fine."

"Caleb, I need them.." Caleb found himself staring at her, until a roar echoed out; a battle cry followed by arrows flitting and yells.. It was starting. They were fighting. And his entire mind went blank. He didn't care if she felt it anymore. He couldn't hide it anyway; emotion was uncontrollable to him in most extents and how he'd pushed things down until now was a long gone fact in his brain as it swam with adrenaline, fear and his heart began pounding; all at once so forcefully that he threatened to collapse. And all that was left was to stare at Will, who seemed far too calm.. Hadn't he done that? Calmed her? Who cared, he wish she'd calm him as his legs ached, wobbly as he thought of all those people.. All that screaming.. He'd lost that instinct; Will probably did it; that primal disconcern of blood that he'd been born with. But just the thought of it , he could smell it; iron.. "I need them.."

And then he ran, and hoped that she would follow. He hoped maybe that she wouldn't. To the battle.. To the war.. To his designated death: no one had given him an expiration date exactly..

No.

He'd ran in the opposing direction.

Spoken something to her before he did too; something about retrieving those girls.

His mind screamed for him to stop, but his eyes stung and he found that he couldn't tell his legs to stop running; nor to turn around and run to her. She hadn't followed him. She had the power. She could fight now.. Now it was his turn to only curse thanks for her making him so damned wretched and afraid.

...

Taranee scowled; each of the guardians throwing everything they had at the water embodiment, which was basically the entirety of the lake. And she didn't like to point it out, in case they'd been lucky enough to miss it.. Bodies. In the water. There were bodies; most of them were barely that, just rotting there; corpses.. But.. She wondered how Caleb could just live here. Will didn't understand; she couldn't understand. He was broken. He wouldn't be like a normal person, not living here.. And the time difference didn't even matter; the Medieval to modern thing.. "WHY ARE WE STILL DOING THIS? IT'S NOT THE FREAKING WATER! I'D BE DONE BY NOW IF IT WAS!"

"Oh.." Taranee looked at Irma and found the science wrapping itself around her brain.. It was energy. Foreign energy, taking over the water.. "We have to fight the energy!"

"How are we meant to kill energy?" Taranee frowned; she didn't blame Hay Lin for a stupid question, if anything it pointed out the flaw. Gods might manage to kill energy, she supposed, but nothing logical ever pointed to it's possibility. Energy didn't 'die'. It changed.

"Conduct it somewhere else!" Taranee grinned. In technicality it was as easy as heating up the water, but she supposed this seemed to be a living force.. They'd need something bigger.. "How can we make a massive static charge?"

"Uh.." Tarnee frowned, her mind swimming, and it didn't help that Will was still there in the back of her mind. Not quite seeing that Caleb wasn't a kid. He wasn't an adult. He'd seen.. He'd probably killed.. People in the wars just de-humanized. They were disconnected from normality and the world. They were.. Desensitized. A strong stomach was not the way to put it. "Comb our hair alot?"

Taranee's eyes widened. It was the balloon and hair trick.. The feet across the carpet.. "LIGHTNING! Ice crystals in rain clouds get negatively charged.."

"So..?" Taranee frowned, as Irma rolled her eyes. Didn't the girl see the giant watery snakes that seemed to be gaining more control of themselves by the second.. It shouldn't be possible.. It didn't have the structure.. Sometimes she hated magic..

"IRMA, HAY LIN! FIRE UP!" Taranee pushed her own element up, as Cornelia broke off her force, and icy water and air mixed with fire and travelled to the clouds through the Kaithim. She just hoped they'd make a storm: Will would've probably been better for this.. If she could do combos at all; Taranee wasn't really sure what Will had.