Sara Nero: Aww, thank you so much! ^.^

Amelia: Donut worry my friend, the team is alright! But, i don't guarantee Zhalia will get Gareon back. Zhalia is not Sophie. There is a reason Sophie was able to get Sabriel back and in this book, it's not because they are power-bonded. You'll find out on the second book why. As always, thank you for your review! :D

You are all awesome!

Den woke up, Den and Daniel woke up as well.

They fought someone, a stranger, an anonymous attacker.

Daniel was wounded, Den and Lok left him behind and rushed for the lab.

They saw Dark Zhalia on the way…

Good…

They got to the lab.

They were attacked by Makita.

Makita brutally plucked out Lok's heart…

No, that shouldn't have happened! Why did it happen? This cannot be right…

Den managed to make the potion.

They went to the others.

They woke them up and partially healed Daniel.

Brooklyn's heart was missing as well…

Shit… why is this happening? It wasn't meant to happen?... Or was it?... Fuck!

Brooklyn and Lok snapped and left.

The team was left alone.

Well, not entirely.

Gareon was there, but he was in pain, in unbearable pain.

Den took him in his arms and placed him on the table.

The others joined him.

Daniel brought the potion.

There wasn't enough.

There wasn't meant to be… God, if only it was.

Den desperately poured some drops in the vanishing Titan.

Sophie burst into tears.

Gareon faded away more by the second.

As he did, he gave everyone one last glance.

He gave her the number, a confirmation.

Den sobbed on top of Gareon's body, covered on the remnants of its own flesh.

And through his eyes, she was watching.

She was watching the entire time. She counted them, observed them, made sure the plan was going accordingly.

So much for that!

Oh yes, she watched the entire time.

But she didn't just watch.

She felt… she felt how Makita tore Lok's flesh apart, she felt the loss striking her body as Lok was robbed of his treasure and as Brooklyn was waking up to that loss. She felt every stab and hit Daniel took, she jolted and shivered at Den's agony and doubts. She was pinned down and beaten with an ugly twisted truth as Brooklyn surrendered into the arms of her Dark side….

She felt her soul crumble into pieces, any skin left on her neck being peeled again, the blood pumping in her ears.

Oh, the irony… the sorrow.

'Did I do well?' the smoky, drowned voice she had grown up listening to her entire life echoed in her head, and in her head only. She bit her lip and shut her eyes, nodding.

'Yes, you did. Your lady is proud of you'

The voice grew hoarse and released a blood-curdling gargle. She flinched and clenched her fist.

So, this is how Sophie felt at the battle with the professor, huh? The agony, this slow, torment digging in her core, clawing at their bond and cutting the strings one after one, making sure she feels every inch, every fiber of the Titan's vanishing into the void, taking a part of hers with it.

No one deserved to experience that, not even the worst scums of the earth. Not even Airdan Cole.

'Baby?' she mumbled in her head, no one but her and her child could hear the shaking in her voice. Only he was allowed to.

At the cold nights of Rotterdam, when all circulation was cut from her limps and the small Yama-Titan cuddled and warmed them up, at the rainy days, where she would climb in a roof and strip herself to clean the mud and dirt and he kept watch, at every hit and punch and humiliation, where he pounded at the amulet and growled in her head, wanting to defend his lady… he was looking after her. Protecting her with every little way he could.

And in a way, she was also looking after him. Nourishing their bond, sharing the chunk of bread she found in the trash, wrapping a piece of cloth around him even though he was unable of feeling the cold, looking at the stars and aligning the constellations in their future home. Their home.

She was giving him a kind of love he had never experienced before, the love only the heart of a child, able to love a thousand times more, could. She as treating him like family.

He was her guardian and she was his, the two giving each other a piece of their heart to complete the other's broken one. Broken because of the abuse and cold and harsh treatments… broken because of all the evil owners who treated him like a mere weapon.

'Yes… my lady…' the voice was weakening, fading away from her head as the ashes piled up where his tummy used to be. Den's tears mixed with them and Zhalia couldn't contain her own.

When Magdalena had told her that she would have to sacrifice someone dear to her, she feared who it might be… Gareon never crossed her mind.

No, in her mind, Gareon was always there, there when she would crash through these castle walls to freedom, there to snarl at Dante when he would dare as much as go lower than her waist, there to steal the kids' treats and frighten Lok to death… There when she would be in doubt, in that dark place in her mind again… there when she grows old and retires, but smirk at him over her shoulder as they would hack together to the Foundation databases as their daily gossip news.

He would be there, and that's how their final goodbye was meant to be.

Together, at a very old age, when she would give him away to a worthy companion and kiss him goodbye.

But instead, Gareon was writhing away, far away from her embrace and in a pain, Zhalia would never want her baby to go through.

Her lip quivered, and she gathered all of her strength to speak, to not come out broken to her beloved family.

Not that it mattered, Gareon could feel every piece and bit of Zhalia's pain, even more than his own.

'I love you'

It came out in a muffled whisper yet was so clear in Gareon's head. For a sweet moment, the pain melted away and was replaced with blissful, small memories, fragments of smiles and little treats and praises, of snuggles and comforting pats on the shoulder, of battles and successful hits and victories; of all of the good times.

Gareon had done well. Zhalia had done well. They were a team to be envied for their bond.

Gareon felt proud for the way his lady has grown, for how strong and open to her feelings she has become, and how he grew with her. Zhalia felt it too. They were in perfect sync.

The titan chocked on ash that was rising in its windpipe.

'Thank you, my lady,' Zhalia knew his eyes were wet and that, in its own way, the small lizard was mourning, 'I loved my life with you'

Zhalia bit her lip hard, but her sob was still audible. Her head had turned red from the pressure of restraining all of the sadness.

No, this is their last moment, she won't end it so pitifully…

But she couldn't help herself.

'Goodbye my baby', she barely made a sound. Gareon closed its eyes and smiled.

'Goodbye my lady,' his voice was a mere breeze mixed the air, fading more and more, Zhalia had to use all of her focus to pick up that weak, sweet farewell.

And, just like that, her baby was gone.

Gareon was gone.

Zhalia broke down completely, hugging her knees and crying at her hearts will. She let everything out for the cold, lifeless walls to witness to take with them as one of the stories of the prisoners they hosted in the hostile cell they enclosed, maybe even keep a trace of that event; a droplet of bloody saltier than usual dried out in the moss, a vibration to linger and spread the pain to whoever would dare to cross its path.

Maybe… just maybe.

The closest one can get to describing the severe of a bond between a titan and a seeker would be a mother losing her child.

You see the small, fragile figure with tiny limps and pale skin, heart rate slowing down by the minute and innocent big eyes giving the mother all the love they can before all signs of life vanishes from them. You see the mother, desperately clutching the child's small and soft hand, feeling its warmth flowing off the skin as she watches every passing second of that small miracle she carried, nurtured and loved with all of her heart, a part of her she brought to the world with the sole purpose of making it happy, leave her behind.

The child sacrificed itself for the mother.

The Titan for its seeker.

Gareon for his lady.

Zhalia clutched the amulet in her fist. The absence of its glow and the reassuring rush of energy she would always get as a reaction was raw food for her broken soul. More tears welled up. Soon enough, the amulet turned to dust as well, trapped at the little cracks of the stone floor, never to be seen again.

She barely noticed the intruder that had just slammed the doors open and shut with loud screeching sounds.

Or maybe she did… she just didn't care about whatever fate awaited her at that moment.

She was mourning, her body needed to cry and scream and be vulnerable. Zhalia needed a moment with herself to let it all out for the last time before she leaves this God forsaken place once and for all.

She didn't care about anything else.

But she soon would.

"You…. How dare you!" a voice spat full of hatred. Zhalia did not bother to even acknowledge it. She didn't hear its owner scoff.

"I knew you had become some sickening goody-two-shoes but this! That's crossing the line, you slut!"

When they did not get an answer, the person stormed at her and grabbed a fistful of Zhalia's hair, forcing her head up to look at them.

Zhalia did not even flinch, her body had grown so used to pain and she was so engrossed in her sorrow, she couldn't care less about being beaten. After seeing their faces, however, she knew they had other intentions.

Zhalia looked at her Dark side dead in the eye blankly, still drenched in tears and with bloodshot eyes while the other woman was fueled with spite, black orbs craving to suck the life out of her like black holes. Dark Zhalia yanked her light's sides hair upwards roughly.

She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, pursing her lips and wolfing Light Zhalia down with her pinning glare. She only stood there for a few minutes, trying to assemble the words and cusses under her tongue but only wound up clenching her teeth, the veins in her face popping.

Light Zhalia tilted her head.

It wasn't hard for her to realize what she was being scolded for.

Despite her supposed dark and carefree nature, the heartless woman mentally shooting knives at her could feel it as well.

For a moment, Zhalia's eyes softened and she eyed her Dark side with sympathy.

Dark Zhalia gave out a huff and tossed the light one out of her grip. She paced around the room and crossed her arms.

Like hell, she would get pity from that weak twat!

That didn't seem to stop Zhalia from groggily lifting her tired body up and clearing her dry throat.

"You would do the same if it were for Daniel," she said, her voice empty at first. Dark Zhalia spun around, arms still crossed, only now seemingly forcibly.

"Oh, you think you know me that well, how cute!"

"Of course, I do, I am you after all"

Her Dark side snickered and took slow steps towards her, "Oh sweetheart, we are nothing alike"

"I am well aware of that," Light Zhalia held such a calm composure, it almost angered her Dark side, "You wanted to stay with Klaus and do his bidding, you wanted to stay with Daniel, and I took that from you"

Dark Zhalia arched a brow. Where the hell was she going with this?

"And even though I am not sorry for the decision I made and cannot make you like or accept it, you can come to terms with it".

Both of her brow now raised, Dark Zhalia wanted to throw a sarcastic remark full of venom but restrained herself. At that moment, she couldn't place why she did so. Light Zhalia went on.

"Ever since Klaus took us in, all we did is live with lies. Promises about power and respect, what we both wanted when all we were getting is fear and at the end, we were still someone else's puppet," Dark Zhalia shushed her with a finger.

"Like how you are now Vale's slut? Does that make any difference? I don't care if they feared us, we were high up at the Organization. We had a reputation, a place with the elites, we had the chance to take over the world if we wanted to. Yes, Klaus was a dick and merely used us, but all we did thanks to your stupid hormones is change puppet master! In the Organization, we could cut the strings off and take over. Let me see you doing that now- oh wait! Big guy D wouldn't approve of that, would he?"

Dark Zhalia raised her hands in questioning and also sloppy manner. She was fed up of her light side's softness and how she had to put up with it for so long.

Still… why wasn't she lashing at her? That's what she came here for, right? To now ruin her outside of her head!

Why was she wasting her oxygen to get her point across to that airhead? What in the world is she hoping to achieve?

And just what is this stupid feeling poking at her ribcage? Fucking hell, she resented it with all of her emptiness!

Zhalia didn't waver at all. Is she seriously using reverse-psychology on her now? Dark Zhalia wanted to laugh menacingly and simply stomp on her face, she how calm she would be then.

But she still did not do it.

Something inside her wanted to hear what she has to say… even though she felt her ears bleeding with all of this pointlessness, she still wanted to listen for whatever reason.

Light Zhalia knew that reason and was grasping onto the chance to take advantage of it.

"No, with the Huntik team we had independence, our voice mattered and even though we couldn't move up much in the hierarchy, we could be our own master. Has anyone in the Organization treated us like our own person? Has Airdan treated you like anything more than a tool or a slut?"

The heartless entity dug her nails into her skin. Is she playing dumb or deliberately toying with her patience? And Dark Zhalia has shown surprisingly an immense amount of patience in this case.

I should break her spinal cords one by one and use them as guitar pins! After all, they had been through, she should have known more about survival under a strong enemy works. Dark Zhalia would suck all of his knowledge and use it against him.

At least, that was the plan until he kicked her out of his schemes. Dammit!

No, she is speaking baloney, only trying to mess with her brain. Oh, the irony!

"You know my answers already, you are as much in my head as I am in yours," she released her hands and pierced her with her pitch-black eyes, "But our motives are polar opposites. Which is why I can't find jack in your baseless logic"

Light Zhalia tilted her head, her lips curved in a small smile. What the fuck?

"You know, up until we were separated I had this voice in my had, this inner turmoil as Tantras had put it. One that called out to me, stirring my cravings to pursue power, settling in me the belief that I still wanted it, that I hadn't gotten rid of my old ways; and frankly, with or without that voice, I don't plan on stop being an assassin, a spy, a stealthy thief, an invisible hacker. I didn't need that voice to remind me that I still want power. I didn't need you to know that I still want power"

Dark Zhalia placed a hand on her hips and shifted her weight, listening eagerly. The intro was music to her ears, but she knew damn well it the closing won't be of her liking.

'You're telling me you are still the same badass, then why are you succumbing to this… softness? Oh, who am I kidding, it's Vale, isn't it? This is going to be one long, pointless bucketload of bullshit and I am sentencing my ears to bleed!'

However, what followed was quite different than what Dark Zhalia was expecting.

"I realize now that I see the whole picture without you, that I still want power, but I neither need nor want to rise in the hierarchy. I simply want to grow strong. For the same reasons, we both have always wanted. To not be beaten up again, to not used and discarded, to not be disposable and more importantly, to be our own master, to be independent and protect ourselves."

Dark Zhalia bit her lip and nodded. She didn't like this build up at all. She was capturing her attention with what she wanted to hear and then she was going to crush it with something utterly stupid and anticlimactic. She was certain of this, and the procrastination angered her to the core.

"Just get to the juice already! Dolling it up won't win my vote, Juliet," she said, evidently impatient. Light Zhalia didn't seem bothered by that at all.

"I am not dolling anything up. I am only stating facts. Which would be that while you are seeking to grow strong by clinging onto others, hoping that one day you will overthrow them, I have found a way to become stronger without the need to be on my toes all the time," she paused for a moment and smiled.

"My team," she said, "I am stronger than I have ever been with my team"

Oh, for Christ's sake! Dark Zhalia had it coming, the nausea that bubbled in her stomach was nothing of the unexpected.

"And you are saying that you are not dependent? Please, Vale has you wrapped around his pinky! While I go to potential threats you went to people that can 'have your back' and 'be there for you'! Don't make me laugh! You are not getting anywhere like this!"

"Oh, and I suppose you have a great pile of progress to showcase as a counterargument"

For the first time since she stepped onto that cell, Dark Zhalia was actually taken aback, not by the infamous sarcastic tone that they both possessed -but was now more her trait that he Light one's- but because, she was striking back with something neither stupid nor soft.

She was right.

Light Zhalia sensed her unsettlement and wasted no time to pursue another verbal attack. She did not intend for it to be a clash, but if we are honest, that's the only way for the two to communicate -or how one would talk to Zhalia as a whole if she was mad. It's a matter of their nature how they interact like so.

"You claim you want independence, but all you have been doing is crawling at people's shadows. You just stand there like a scarecrow and do nothing more. The steadiness of the ground others provide is too safe for you to step out. That's another one of our differences. I am not afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I don't seek something certain and steady that will keep me high and spread fear. There is no position like that."

"Oh, you think so? If you hadn't left the Organization- "

"We would have moved up from Klaus' puppet to the Professor's, cause that's how far we would be able to reach. Try to move a step further and the professor would catch a whiff of our treason and execute us on the spot."

Dark Zhalia grimaced but had nothing to spit back. No matter the circumstances, Zhalia was known to not abandon her pride, and with her dark side, the stubbornness was squared.

She hissed and clenched her fist, doing exactly what Light Zhalia had said; simply standing there.

"And with Airdan, you don't get higher than that. Taking him out is a utopia, whatever powers he has granted you with. You know that all too well. And from what I can tell," she scanned her from top to bottom, "You already gave it a shot".

With Zhalia's eyes examining her, the Darker entity became increasingly aware of her wounds -not as bad as the light one's, but a real nasty piece to look at. Her neck was traced with bluish purple fingerprints, her body had a good number of bruises and dried blood made her hair sticky and gave them a dark glimmer.

Fucking hell she was right! They both knew it and the light one could tell the realization had dawned into the dark one as well.

Memories flashed in Dark Zhalia's head as if having a near death experience. In a way, she did. Her pride was violated. She remembered the abuse and the hardships of the streets, how she was taken advantage of by Klaus, Airdan… everyone she has relied on. Klaus might have a soft spot for her, but that was not of her interest. What did matter to her was the freedom she possessed when working for Huntik.

Yes, she didn't fancy all of the emotional roller coasters and the softness that overwhelmed them as the light in her only grew, but at least, she did have what she wanted, at least for the most part. In a way, it was a life she could come to terms with -for the downsides weren't as dangerous, besides being humiliating for the dark one. It was a settlement that offered Zhalia her biggest desire while also enforcing her to limit her old ways and dark desire.

It was a balanced life.

Dark Zhalia never saw it that way, but after everything was served on the plate, she had no other choice but to admit it. After relapsing back into evil, she managed to truly see why the life she despised was far better than the one she wished for.

It was a settlement she could put up with… maybe even enjoy.

She shook her head before her mind could fully accept it. 'You are not buttering up today, Zhalia! But maybe… maybe I do have something to go back to…'

But what about Daniel?

Dark Zhalia pondered for a moment.

Really… what about him? All he did was remind her of her past in the Organization, he had the charm of superiority and darkness she craved to have back. But he was with the good guys after all… that changes everything.

And their bond? To be fair, that's a hazy mess in Zhalia's head. In Zhalia as a whole. She recalled their training, missions, how they got along, but there are some blanks after that.

It irks her how her memory is deteriorating, most likely an effect of the continuous torment of God knows how many months. Yet, that didn't alter anything.

Daniel was just an adventure of the past, as far as she can remember and as far as she can feel now.

Dark Zhalia arched her back and took a deep breath. She had a hard time believing what she was about to do, but she wasn't going to back down.

Pride annihilated.

"Alright," she said, averting her gaze, "Better be a slut than a slave. I was getting sick of that bastard anyway, AND he did throw me out of the plan. So… truce, I guess…"

Light Zhalia smiled and extended her hand, waiting patiently as the darker one stared at it for a few moments, before heaving a sigh and gripping it with her own calloused hands into a shake.

"Just so you know," she frowned, slightly irritated by the victorious smile of the light one, "I'm still hacking on secret bases. Oh, and don't you dare dumb new powerful spells! We are not going rusty because of that bag of hormones of yours!"

Light Zhalia smirked, "I wouldn't dream of it. I do find moonlight in this thrill"

Dark Zhalia returned the gesture, "Than you have yourself a deal"

Time stood still as the two females were embracing their truce, allowing the differences to disperse and let the common benefits hold the reins.

This was it… Dark and Light are back to being one. At least figuratively.

As their debate came to a closure, Dark Zhalia remembered why she was there in the first place. Before she felt Gareon slipping out of her mind and before they faced each other head-on. The emptiness echoing to her now silent head, without Gareon's voice, was almost deafening. It rendered her isolated from any other sound. She was that caught up in a futile quest to find his voice. But in no avail.

The light one had sacrificed him for the team and her motives are something she shall not question. She can mourn later.

There is a more pressing matter at the pit of her thoughts at the moment.

"Nice illusion you pulled off there, by the way. Don't know why you ever expected it could work on me of all people," she paused and took a good look of the woman's figure, which looked distinctively healthier than what the dark one recalled, "Or how you pulled it off. Weren't you supposed to be a dead man walking?"

"It would appear that you are not the only one who's fed up with Airdan's charade"

Dark Zhalia portrayed curiosity on her face, but with the assistance of the elimination rule, it wasn't that difficult to pinpoint the identity of the mysterious ally. Airdan wasn't exactly a social butterfly, his circle of associates consisted of people numbered with one hand; and if we distinguish the friends known to Dark Zhalia, one finger.

"That Black Panther?" she questioned, not due to uncertainty, but surprise. A titan rebelling against their owner. Now that's a new one in her book.

Her light side nodded in agreement, "Magdalena has given me a boost of energy and confided in me just enough to help the team but not arouse suspicion."

"Well it sure worked for a while," she replied, referring to how she saw through her illusion, "I'd say the only suspicious element in your plan is the weaver itself," she crossed her arms above her chest. Light Zhalia might be a way softer version of the whole one, but the dark one had expected her to at least have some doubts in trusting an enemies' titan; one of the most loyal creatures to serve seekers.

"Don't make a face so fast, I did have my doubts, but I also had no other choice. I had to do something, or our team would be six feet under".

"And now Gareon is six feet above in Titan Heaven," Dark Zhalia scoffed. She did understand the limited options of her new ally, but she was still holding a grudge against that painful decision of hers. Gareon was their flesh and blood, so to speak. The light one responded.

"I hope there was another way and trust me I thought of everything I could, but each case scenario winds up worse and worse. Let's say I simply sent Gareon there and waited for Lok and Daniel to wake up. I had no way of knowing how long it would take them to rise from the comma, and if Daniel even could wake up. In the best-case scenario, they both wake up in time and Lok gets seized right there on the spot. Makita was lurking in the shadows, but I used an illusion to call out for her in the lab and told her to wait there. Even so, Lok would have seen Brooklyn's heart missing, which Makita wasted no time in plucking out, and snap before Gareon would arrive. And Daniel… I didn't know how long he could make it, and that boy who attacked him was only proof that I made the right choice not to leave it all in their hands. I needed someone who still had their minds and heart in place and was healthier than the others. I needed someone like Den and to save Den, I needed to make a sacrifice"

Dark Zhalia gave her reasoning some thought and she had t agree that was she in her shoes, she would have resorted to a similar concoction. The idea that Daniel's time was limited delivered a small, but noticeable pang in her core.

That's right, his heart is writhing away.

But she dispersed off it as soon as it appeared. Going through the smallest of details again, the dark one concluded that this was indeed the light one's best bet… but only under specific circumstances. Circumstances that made her suspicion elevate.

It's true, Lok and Daniel couldn't have done much after waking up, but what if they had known they were bound to wake up in the body dumpster after solving the riddles. The outcome of their adventure points out that Light Zhalia never told them and the Dark one would bet all of her money on the reason. She dug her nails into her skin.

That fucking black bitch!

"She didn't want you to tell them, did she? She didn't want you to give them all of the details of Airdan's plan. Hell, I doubt you even know every bit of it!"

Light Zhalia was quick to catch on whatever was unraveling n the dark one's head, "No, we needed their reactions to be genuine. Had they known what they would face, Airdan would grow suspicious. The first one he would cast his shadow would be Makita, but he would quickly shift his focus on either you or Magdalena. Considering I never knew you were on bad terms, I assumed you'd both be on the list, but since you were kicked out, Magdalena would be the only one left".

True, Airdan would soon connect the dots and hasten their vulgar, gory death plans, but still. Something didn't add up. Magdalena's eagerness to help did not sit right on the dark one's stomach.

What was her motive?

"How much did she tell you?" The dark one inquired the light one proceeded on covering up most of Airdan's plan. Everything up to Dante's and Eathon's arrival in the library and the final battle, which didn't require many details for a picture to form. Dark Zhalia was slightly impressed, not by the depth in which the Titan went on about the plan, but about how she managed with that, to mask every tiny loose ends that would stir suspicion towards her.

Nice try, Pussycat!

"I've got two questions for you my dear softie. Numero Uno, why didn't she tell you about mine and Airdan's bad blood beforehand for you to seize the opportunity and bring me on your side? Numero Dos, why didn't she tell you about that mysterious attacker from the body dumpster; that cloaked boy who stabbed Daniel?"

The light entity weighed down those question in her brain. She was curious as to who that boy was and what his role was in the grand scheme of things, and also why didn't she know she had the chance to sign peace with the dark one.

But then again, how could the dark one had helped. Airdan had her in close proximity and as Zhalia was certain, under strict surveillance. The only reason she managed to pull that illusion without Airdan noticing was the perfect timing, for he was busy observing the team and after they had all solved their riddles, he resided to the library where he counted entirely on Magdalena for the surveillance of the rest.

So far, Magdalena hadn't let Zhalia down. Had she betrayed her, Airdan would have known about the team being rescued from poisoning.

No, an earlier alliance would have been a fruitless one. But that boy… who was he, really?

She explained her logic to the dark one and while she strongly disapproved of it, there was no way to turn back time and change things. She huffed and rolled her eyes and protested that she could have finished off Makita, taken her job and speed up the process of saving the team. Yes, she would still deliver the hearts and would not give off her identity, not until the battle had begun at least. Dark Zhalia claimed she could even remove the boy out of the picture. Still, what's done is done, no eye rolling, or groans of disappointment can take that back.

"Fine, I'll bite that," she threw her hands in the air, surrendering, "But I still don't trust her. One wrong move and we chew her off... Well, before she does"

The light one raised a brow at the last remark. Of course, she didn't fully trust her either, her motives sketchy and unknown, and the uneasiness in the dark one's voice was only adding to that suspicion.

Was she… afraid of Magdalena?

No, that's impossible! Even if she was, she wouldn't display it like that.

Come to think of it, what was the capacity of Magdalena's abilities? She had healed Zhalia, provided her with a plan, betrayed her owner and turned the tables on him and Airdan didn't as much as catch a whiff. To surpass the connection between a Titan and a Seeker, it was a scary kind of independence and one that Zhalia considered Magdalena to possess.

Furthermore, Light Zhalia had never seen her in action. She hadn't witnessed all of her abilities flourishing in the battlefield and therefore was only given a hint of her powers.

Questions and doubts boiled in her head and she had to ask.

"Are you afraid of her?"

Dark Zhalia seemed to be taken aback by her question, not because it came as a surprise that she would ask. She just did not want to admit it held some truth.

Magdalena is the stepping stone that holds Airdan's plan together, after all. But Light Zhalia doesn't know that, and she doesn't have to; for the moment.

Their cooperation is already a doubtful subject and if Dark Zhalia stirs the waters any more, the doubts will overflow and with every step they take, they will fear for the worst. Being on high alert is one thing, going paranoid is another and there is a fine line between those to that Zhalia would cross if she were to overthink further.

For now, let's go with the flow and let the benefits of this alliance suffice. But they would still keep their eyes open.

Seeing her dark side lost in her musings, the light one concluded that she had stepped in hostile territory.

Oh, she was scared alright, but she wouldn't admit it and Light Zhalia wouldn't press her any further. After all, she inwardly agreed with her train of thought. For the moment, the best course of action is to take advantage of their newly acquired leverage.

Light Zhalia decided to change the subject.

"Where is Makita now If she hasn't joined Airdan yet then you still have time to impersonate her".

The dark one snapped out of her musings and completely changed the aura around her; more focused and determined.

"If we are lucky, she's taking the boy back to his cell. I should be able to trap them both there. Not enough time to shed blood," Light Zhalia nodded in approval. That was another ace up the Huntik Team's sleeve.

The Dark one needn't hear more to retreat and head for her new task at hand. Although the light one had questions about the said boy, she didn't pursue them. Time was of the essence. Any second that ticks by is a second with Dante and the others in grave danger.

Should they fail… should Airdan get his hands on the other half of the Glass heart… The future of the world lies in the abyss of the unknown… A worse fate than lying at the depths of hell is not knowing where you will wind up next.

Eirini coughed out some blood and clutched her stomach. Nailah had delivered a nasty punch, with the assistance of Elemental magic boosting the blow.

She glanced up and spotted Tanaka limping towards Metz who was lying unconscious under a leaning library which was barely supported by a stool cemented to the ground. Tanaka lugged him away and laid him on the couch. Eirini held her breath as her friend examined the head of the Foundation.

Tanaka turned to her, still huffing in attempts to regain his breath. Their ragged breathing and the wind invading the room through the broken windows were the only sounds to make up for the silence until Tanaka spoke.

"He'll be okay. He only suffered a concussion," Eirini let out the breath she was holding.

Oh, Thank God! Mr. Vale would be torn if anything happened to him. And he's an innocent man… and I let him get injured. Oh Lord, however, will I make up for that.

"Stop making that face," Tanaka's voice was heard closer this time and when Eirini landed in reality, she confronted his face really close to hers, his slender fingers tracing a bump on her forehead and muttering healing charms. She only blinked at his remark.

"What? I'm not," she said weakly, only now noticing her sore throat. Tanaka raised a brow and lightly poked the still healing bump, earning a wince in return.

"Yes, you are! You are making that face when you blame yourself for every tiny shenanigan. If I leave you to it, you might even manage to accuse yourself of the Green House Phenomenon, somehow!"

She chuckled, her vocal cords stinging at the act. The instant she entered the room Nailah went on a rampage and tried her hardest to destroy this place. Metz had received the first hit, a Wind spell that send the library he was trapped under falling on top of him, only for the stool to stop it midway and have dozens of heavy tomes topple over his head.

Tanaka engaged her in compact while Eirini notified Guggenheim and called an ambulance while also keeping an eye on the Holographic map projected in the table. Until Tanaka's body was knocked over, trashing said table and Eirini was attacked from behind. Nailah locked her in her grip and delivered punch after punch at her stomach, with the force of the wind increasing the impact. She felt her insides mashed to puree and when she attempted to cast her own representative spell, a small explosion of energy that if done from close proximity it could deliver great damage, Nailah had switched her target from Eirini's stomach to her neck.

Luckily, Tanaka came to and took Nailah head-on, giving Eirini a chance to deliver one of her energy bombs at her face. The annihilating the flesh on Nailah's cheek, right eye bag and nostril. Nailah, now furious, summoned a bundle of spears and was ready to skewer them when she suddenly let them flop to the ground and clutched her head.

Was she only feeling the pain of the bomb now? Eirini wanted to seize the opportunity, but to her surprise, Nailah fled, muttering some gibberish and shooting daggers with her eye towards Tanaka, who was preparing a transparent hue in his hand.

They couldn't put their finger on why she retreated, but Eirini and Tanaka were thankful she did. Metz was ok, their injuries weren't that serious and as far as they knew, the team was ok.

Or so Eirini hoped.

The ambulance and back up team arrived, taking their statements and barricading the area, as Eirini and Tanaka were taken to a conference room to contact Guggenheim again.

"Are you certain they will agree to help?" Guggenheim inquired.

"They have to!" Tanaka smashed his hands on the table, "They cannot turn a blind eye forever! They know Airdan is a threat and if they stay idle, they are as much goners as we are!"

Eirini agreed and after acquiring his permission, they proceeded to contact The Council of the Elders.

The true reason behind their refusal to provide assistance was a mystery, but it did not matter. They couldn't wait for the result of the voting to come out. They couldn't stall because they Magicians did not want to believe the Sunkens have returned.

They are joining the battle, whether they like it or not.

A/N: Hey yall! Before you get excited about the new chapter coming so soon, let me apologize. I wanted to jump straight to the final battle but felt like I had to include those two scenes. I had a free week and just the perfect amount of time to write this one... but next week there follow three exams and then I bet my dollars that the uni won't give us a break so... I cannot put a deadline for the next chapter.

But the good news is, by the time of this book's 3 year anniversary, the final chapter will be posted!

Boy, time flies so fast, I feel old already! Oh wait, the hunch is just my awful posture.

As promised, no questions will be asked, even though there were some question marks here and there that i will allow to spike your imagination and the reason I am not answering them is because they are one of those mysteries left for the second book.

Sooooo, take care of yourselves my sexy, beautiful Odysseys.
We'll meet again in the next chapter!

Stay happy and healthy!

Lots of L-O-V-E!
Irene Rays