With chalk in hand Luz started on the three circles for the summoning spell. Each circle was three feet in diameter and had to overlap each circle like a Venn diagram. When she was done she examined the curved triangle in the center. Geiney placed three purple candles on the outside of the circle and placed one fat white candle in the middle. Sara placed three chunks of amethyst inside each circle.

It was advised that they perform the spell between dusk and midnight. Geiney didn't think the spell would be affected dramatically if they had performed it earlier.

Geiney walked back to the book and took a quick glance at their progress. His hands skimmed the title of the spell, 'To Conjure a Spirit'. The letters of the title were made in cursive writing but they had a thin trim of red around the black letters. There was no artwork on the page but the writing itself was a work of art. Someone had spent time dazzling the page. Not every page of their book was as pleasing to look at. Many of the other pages had a more simplistic print.

"It says here we have to call forth four elements to cast the circle. That's when we beckon fire, air, water and earth as we light the candles, right?" Geiney asked. He looked up and caught Luz's eyes.

"Yes. It's really simple to do." Luz grabbed the box of matches from a shelf and removed a match. She knelt down near one of the candles and mentally pulled up a map from the direction she was facing. She struck the match on the side of the box and with a hiss the match ignited.

"Spirits of air, we invite you into our circle." She placed the tip of the match to the wick of the candle and ignited it. She did the same to the other three candles traveling in a clockwise direction. She called the fire spirits to the south, the water spirits to the west and the earth spirits to the north.

"What else do we need, Geiney?" Luz asked.

"We need to light sandalwood and lavender incense. After that, we can cast the spell."

Luz placed a small cast iron cauldron and added a charcoal tablet to the bottom and lit the round tablet with a match. Once the tablet started glowing she added in a pinch of powdered sandalwood and a pinch of lavender incense. A small stream of smoke floated upwards and began engulfing the room with the smells of the powdered incense. The lavender smell was stronger but combined with the sandalwood it gave the room a more earthy, sweet scent.

"Alright, guys. Let's get this ritual started." Sara announced and took her position on the outside of the circle. Luz and Sara followed suit. They started by holding each other's hands. Sara began the chant.

"Spirit of Javier Cuentas we summon you.

We are protected by the Diamond and its coven we serve.
We beckon you to pass through the Outer Circle.
We beckon you to enter the Second Circle.
We call you to join the Inner Circle.
We call for your spirit. Javier Cuentas; reveal yourself!"

Sara nodded at her sister and Luz lit the white candle in the middle of the circle. Once that was complete they held hands and all three chanted in unison.

"Spirit of Javier Cuentas we summon you..."

The flames of the candles burned bigger and brighter. Gray smoke rose from the candles and began forming a sphere just above their heads.

"We are protected by the Diamond and its coven we serve..."

Light formed a familiar shape behind the siblings; a diamond that was etched into the wooden floor by a brilliant light. It formed a shield around the siblings. Geiney watched as dark spheres approached but were deflected by the shield around them.

"We beckon you to pass through the Outer Circle..."

An opaque orb passed through the shield and plopped inside the first circle. It danced and it shuddered and made whispering noises. The opaque orb began morphing itself and taking the shape of a cylinder; a cigar shaped orb. It bounced slowly within the first circle and changed color.

"We beckon you to enter the Second Circle..."

The cigar shape hopped to the next circle where it was getting closer to the large white candle. The whispers became louder, more coherent. Geiney heard mutterings of plans to continue the revolutions or commands to retreat. The shape became more humanoid and grew redder in color until it was peach. The shape grew legs and arms and hovered above the ground.

"We call you to join the Inner Circle..."

The humanoid shaped hovered to the last circle and looked down at the lit white candle in the middle of the circle. The whispers grew into pained cries. The spirit groaned and called out for names, its voice distorted and warped like a bad record playing. The being's shape became more defined until it became a fully transparent being. Colors change and the spirit began taking the form of a man. Before long the spirit wore clothes. Luz identified the clothes from the late 1800's, similar to the clothing cowboys would wear.

"We call for your spirit. Javier Cuentas reveal yourself!"

The large white candle in the middle of the circle began to visibly melt and the flame grew to human size. Wind caressed their faces as they looked at the bright candle flame standing over them.

The flame ceased and the candle wax pooled into a puddle where it had once stood. The flames from the candles were put out instantly from the completion of the spell. They looked down to see a man kneel in front of the candle. The man took a deep breath and blew the air out of his lungs. The man got up; Sara was the first to see the holster the man wore around his waist. The thump of his heavy leather boots on the wooden floor echoed throughout the roof.

The man turned around, displaying curious looks that settled on the three staring incredulously at the man in the room. The man's eyes were filled with an uneasy wariness of the siblings. The heavy bushy mustache had a curl upwards and moved from side to side as the man took in new information foreign to him.

"Where am I, children?" He asked the three.

"Children!?" Geiney scoffed.

"You are in a town called Valentine. Are you Javier Cuentas?" Luz answered.

The man raised his eyes and laughed, "At your service! I am Javier Cuentas, revolutionist extraordinaire!" He winked at the women.

Luz and Sara shivered.

"Yeah, okay. Let's not go down that route," Luz began, "We are witches from the Diamond Coven and-"

"The coven! It has survived? Maravilloso!" Javier gushed, his eyes brightening at the fact his coven had survived.

"My legacy has survived... but tell me child, what time is this? The last I knew of myself I was shot..." Javier placed his hands on his waist and glared at the floor, like he was trying to recall a dream from the night before. "I think I was shot? I know for sure I was, uh- how do you say it? Muerto. And I don't know what this place is. It looks different..." He looked around the attic his mind identifying objects he was used to seeing. A bookshelf, books, a chair, a table, a window, wooden floors, the walls... The light fixtures looked different, however...

"We are in the year 2010."

"You don't say..." He laughed, "Long time. This time is different, no? Now children, why did you summon me?"

"We need your help, Javier. Do you recognize this pendant?" Luz took out the pendant from her pocket and handed it to him.

"Yes, madam. That is the Serenus Pendant. My beautiful wife gave it to me many years ago. It was the reason I became such an effective leader. It kept me calm under pressure. But why do you have it?"

"Because we need to stop the Roseblood Gang and the curse that came with them."

Javier's more animated demeanor dropped. "The Roseblood Gang? They survived?"

"Survived?" Sara inquired.

"Si. The Roseblood Gang was created to tip the scales of the revolución." He spoke with a heavy accent, "but my blood pact with this Angel of Chaos brought only pain and destruction to my group, my family."

Javier glared at a spot on the floor, "...stupid...stupid..." He laughed again, but this time a more menacing one, "They teach you in church not to play with spirits or the other side. I was a fool to think that I could make a pact and upon completion my life would return to normal. I did not have a normal life even to the very end."

"So you made a pact with a demon to grant you power over the revolution?" Geiney confirmed.

"Yes, boy. The demon did not lie; we were granted magic power that we used to fight that damn oppressor. Can you imagine the shame of an army of thousands being taken down by a group of a nine men?" He paused to let that sink it.

"But it cost you your humanity. The Roseblood Gang is on the verge of destroying this town with the Roseblood curse. We were told you would be able to put an end to it." Sara said.

"Perhaps I can. But we must talk first. You mentioned you were from the Diamond Coven. Are you three members or a family?" Javier crossed his arms over his chest.

"The three of us are family, yes." Sara continued, not sure where he was heading with this. The topic changed rather instantly. She began to feel a bad feeling come from this.

"Then what of my school? Does the school still stand?" His smile grew big and bright.

Luz and Sara glanced at each other. Luz stepped forward, "The manor unfortunately was destroyed not too long ago by demons."

The smile fell from Javier's face and was replaced by anger.

"Of course! It had to be the damn demons! They had," he growled, "to pay me back for destroying their entire little hive a century ago. Call up the other members of the coven. Tonight we go to war! No mercy!" He turned around and raised his arms to the sky.

"My coven will show the world what they can do. You have been taught by the best." he turned around, an eager smile on his face. "Show me how you exterminate those demon vermin. We shall kill as many demon clans as we can tonight. My school was made to teach magic to the highest potential. I wish to see how advanced your learning has become."

"Exterminate? Demon clans? Absolutely not!" Luz stamped her foot.

"Eh? Why not?" Javier blinked.

"We are not rushing into god knows where to get revenge on demon clans. The Demon Fists destroyed the manor. We know that. But we are not risking ourselves so you can get revenge on your stupid school."

"Watch your language, Mi'ja. That school taught you how to use your powers to control the world; to make it a better place and stop tyranny. We shall use it to avenge our school."

"What?" Geiney stepped forward, "You never told me that's what they taught you at the magic school."

"That's because they never taught that." Sara stepped forward, "We were taught to kill demons, that's true. But we were taught to use our powers for good. Not to control the world. We were never taught to use our powers for personal gain."

"Personal gain! Don't make me laugh." Javier growled and began pacing, "If it wasn't for us the people would have never revolted. Farmers and other peasants were dying while scientificos were flourishing. They were rich! They didn't care about anyone but themselves. I witnessed the military commit horiffic crimes while my neighbors watched their families die. Young men, women and children died because of that bastardo! We sacrificed," He screamed, his voice shaking. His eyes had glossed over as his mind took him back in time and watched all the horrible events that had happened, "our humanity so you can have a more peaceful country. Don't talk to me about personal gain, child. You know nothing of personal gain..."

Javier glanced down at the pendant hanging loosely on Luz's hand. He was done talking to these children. He needed to get out of there, take revenge on his school and find out what happened with his revolution. No, first he needed to find the old members to his gang. They were probably not going to be very happy with him but if anything the pendant could calm them down. No matter how bad the situation was, he would lead his men to victory.

"Personal gain or not, we're not fighting demons for that school. And you're not either." Sara pointed at Javier.

Javier's smile grew more confident, "You'll have to stop me first, child."

Sara began walking forward to grab Javier. Javier stomped forward and an ice pole erupted from the floor and launched itself at Sara's chest. Sara was flown back hard enough to crash through the attic door.

"Sara!" Geiney and Luz cried.

Javier turned to the two siblings and waved his hands above him. Multiple ice spikes appeared from the air. With a point of his finger Javier launched the ice missiles at Geiney. Luz stepped in front and held her hands up. The ice spikes stopped a few inches from her body. The force was enough to push her arms back. Luz grunted and deflected the missiles back at Javier. Javier waved his hands and some of the icicles exploded in midair causing chunks of ice to fall to the floor and a mist of water lingered. The ones that didn't explode had either flown out of the windows or broken against the wall.

"Can you draw faster than me?" Javier held his hands to the side.

"What?" Luz muttered. In a flash he drew his fingers at Luz and made a firing motion with his finger. A flash of blue was all Geiney could see before Luz was shot by ice. She fell backwards to the floor holding her shoulder. Blood dripped down her arm.

"Luz!" Geiney cried.

Javier raised his arms up and pointed a closed fist at Geiney and opened it. Before Geiney could react, his entire body was covered in ice particles. In a flash of light they settled and Geiney was frozen in thick ice.

Sara ran back into the room, seeing Geiney frozen in ice. She growled as she charged at Javier. Javier coated his body in ice and absorbed the attacks Sara had assaulted him with. She unleashed a combination of kicks and punches but nothing seemed to affect Javier much.

Sara stepped back, "What the hell kind of magic is this?"

"It's a shame they didn't teach you this in school. Mastery of the eight elements has its perks. Coating myself in ice absorbs your attacks. I hardly feel a thing."

Javier coated his arms and fists in thick ice. Sara tried to break through the ice but instead felt a cold pain in her hand. She hissed but was quickly taken down by Javier. Sara recovered and crawled to Luz. They rushed over to where Geiney was. Luz and Sara placed their hands on the ice.

Javier watched with curiosity. Sara used her power of suggestion to help Geiney concentrate on using his magic to push away the ice. Luz used her telekinesis to vibrate the ice. With the help of his sisters Geiney broke free from the ice and fell to his knees. He grunted; his entire body felt cold. His body trembled and his breathing was shallow. It had felt like he had just taken a dip in ice cold water.

"Interesting... Maybe I was wrong about you children. But you are still children. Don't worry, I won't kill you. But I also can't have you interfering in my plans anymore."

Javier raised his hand and an icy mist shot the siblings back. Luz and Geiney hit the far wall and broke the drywall. Sara was thrown into a dresser which collapsed as she was cannon balled inside.

Javier chuckled at his victory but was rather disappointed at the battle his "followers" had given him. He picked up the pendant and fiddled with it. He felt the waves of calm wash over him. He smiled at the pendant, "Welcome back, old friend."

Javier noticed the broken window and walked towards it. He turned around and saluted, "Goodbye, Children," and jumped out of the window. Midair, Javier used the wind around him to gently place him to the ground. He fixed his clothes and began walking down the street. Everything looked different but he knew where to look. There is no escaping your pact. Javier could already sense the presence of the other members. This shouldn't take too long...

Geiney began breathing again and took long deep breaths, coughing and groaning as he tried to turn his body to a less painful position.

Orbs appeared and Ailyn stepped out. "There you guys are! What'd I miss?" She froze when three pairs of glares were shot towards her. A multitude of questions started lining up in her head but what she couldn't understand was why they were glaring up at her.

"What?"

The only thing Ailyn saw that made any sense to her was the dark energy leaking from the Roseblade on the floor in the middle of the defeated siblings.

Veketh shimmered in and slowly picked it up. "The wards on this house don't seem to work when you mess with spirits… I expected him to kill you, honestly."

"You… bastard!" Luz spat at Veketh with a pained expression.

"Considering I could kill you and that Whitelighter and finish my job, I'd hold your tongue." Shaking his head, Veketh calmed himself. "Javier is the leader of the Roseblood Gang. Did I forget to mention?"

Geiney managed to get to his feet, swaying back and forth. "So you did trick us!"

Veketh narrowed his eyes. "Only by summoning him could you end the curse, that is simply the truth. Kill him with the Roseblade and, once all seven of the Gang are slain with it, the curse will end."

"Is this about the Demon Fists?" Ailyn asked; she was lacking quite a bit of information of late.

"Heh. That's what my boss and her two compatriots are called." Veketh smiles widely. "Well, you best figure out how to kill Javier before he finds Miria and Varland and destroys this backwater. I mean, shit, the man intended to overthrow Mexico, you know? Didn't your parents warn you about that?"

Ailyn's eyes widened as it finally clicked for her. "I don't think Josh's mother said… Josh's mother was Javier's daughter. She was put in charge of the Cuentas manor to train a group of witches to use their power to overthrow the homeland. In the end, she rebuilt the school as a training center with the aid of a local warlock and those that saw fit to continue Javier's legacy vanished into the night."

Veketh frowned. "There's loyalists for him out there? Do we have any idea where they could be?"

"We're not friends, demon." Sara spat the word at him, her body quaking with anger.

"No, but we may be allies. Even if I didn't kill you, without this blade here the curse won't end. And… Considering this curse killed Luke's father…" Pausing and giving Geiney a very hard glare, he added. "Then again, my demons recruited a man who went and ended up indirectly killing his mother. Guess you might hate me."

Geiney's entire world froze. His mother… Luke's mother…was dead…? "Where the hell is he!?" Rising to his feet, Geiney smashed the entire side of the room with a gust of wind so powerful it nearly severed Veketh's entire arm, slicing down his right sleeve.

Veketh avoided shouting in pain but his body slumped slightly as his arm leaked blood onto the wreckage on the floor. "He might already be dead… But this town will die too if you don't stop Javier and now. Maybe call in that paranormal team… Javier must be planning big and you could use that help."

"Paranormal team…?" Sara raised an eyebrow. "They can't help us."

"Well, if I kill Javier… I'll raze this city to the ground for him and his goons. Defeat Miria, Varland, and Javier so I can absorb them. Once the curse is broken, I'll quit the job and leave. I swear on the honor and life of my fallen son." Veketh noticed the look in their eyes. "That friend of yours was the one who killed him. So excuse me for… Stressing his poor mother out. Hahahahahahaha!"

As he faded away, a powerful image played in Geiney's mind. He could see Veketh waving his hands before Luke's mother collapsed to the floor in Tom's arms. He couldn't tell where they were as the image was too grainy.

His blood felt ice cold as Veketh disappeared into the night. Torn by anger and despair, Geiney screamed as he realized he would have no recourse but to tell Luke the truth.

Before that though; great-grandfather Javier had to be stopped.

Giving both of his sisters a courageous and proud smile, they turned to Ailyn. Ailyn sighed and shook her head. "Look, I can track him down and heal you but you're going to have a plan. Facing him without one won't work, it seems."

"We just have to get… creative." Geiney thought to himself how to go about that.

Hopefully they could pull this off. Geiney couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone else. Luke wasn't the only one who had lost family because of a lack of planning.

"You promised you'd tell me who I was." Silas's tone was vicious as he faced marina in the cavern where he had once been sealed. "You said you knew!"

Marina waved a hand, noncommittally acknowledging his complaints. "I understand you're upset but don't blame me. The kid didn't take the bait. What a boring result…"

Silas felt his anger rise deep within. "You knew he wouldn't!?"

"I was hoping to tempt him and replace that fool Donavihk but… Well, they're both just clods. Besides, she's not gone… forever, you know. You just have to learn to undo the process."

"She wouldn't want to just come back a demon again!" Silas's scream and show of power; the cavern rumbling with the force he exuded; caused Marina pause. "How do I return her to normal!?"

She simply shook her head. "Undoing a demonic pact isn't so simple I could do it. Even if I could, that wasn't the deal. As for your past… I'm afraid that if I told you, the damage would outweigh the good. For the sake of you and those you love, I'd say drop it now."

What the hell was her problem!? Why would she betray him after ruining everything for him!? "I'll kill you if you don't talk!"

Without hesitation, her reply cut deep. "You can't. If my master had to involve herself, that kid would die. All of those kids would."

"You don't know that!"

"I know my sister far better than you ever will." With that final word, she began to shimmer out. "Those pesky Cuentas parents haven't quite learned to keep their noses clean. Once I'm done with them, we can talk."

Silas shouted for her to wait to no avail. Marina returned to the mansion where this all began and Silas cursed repeatedly as he found himself alone.

"Your… sister?" Silas couldn't believe a liar like her. He knew better than to fall for a princess of lies.

Sherry said nothing as Luke stepped out of the drab gray building that proclaimed itself a great place for a final rest. With a black box under his right arm, Sherry found the pangs of misery on his lips. "I got her."

Running a hand over the mostly blank box, Luke found it physically hard to read the name of his mother and the address underneath it. His name was written boldly as the recipient of the package.

"What now?"

Thinking for a moment, Luke sighed. "I suppose I have to finalize the papers for Silas to adopt me."

Sherry raised an eyebrow. "Who is he, anyways?"

"Well, a demon." Sherry's disapproving glare begged an explanation. "I met him through a soul I obtained. Apparently some of Geiney's enemies freed him from a dusty tomb but… He doesn't remember who or what he is. So instead, the guy he was with, Raviel, got him a job amongst people."

"Can you trust a guy like that?" Sherry was naturally worried about Geiney's friend. He meant something to Ruby too, though she refused to be clear how exactly. Lea himself took a liking to him though his time with Geiney made it hard to suss out what.

With one hard look, Luke answered succinctly. "Not at all. He's why… He's why Erin is gone."

Her left ear tilted slightly much like a dog's. "Erin?"

Running a hand across the box's name one last time, Luke wistfully answered. "I'll talk about that later… It's enough to do this right now."

Sherry nodded, deciding not to press the issue.

Josh and Mia silently observed the area that used to be their school grounds. The forest entry looked the same. The trees were green and moss started to grow on one side of the trunks. Flower patches began growing on the ground due to the change in seasons. The berry bushes began bearing fruit as well. Besides their quiet breathing, only the birds chirping and the bugs trilling in a band could be heard.

They cautiously moved forward only stopping to secure the surrounding area. Sometimes they would split up for a moment only to meet back together by a large tree trunk or crouch behind a fallen tree.

When they got close enough to the front area, Josh felt his throat dry up at the destruction of his school. While the structure of the building was mostly intact, it would take months to even fix the place up. The front door was shattered and there was glass littering the inside of the building. There were some holes in the walls of the building and the roof looked like cannon balls had been blasted out from the inside. The scorch marks never went past a few feet. Josh guessed the demons put out the fire.

He spent half his life taking care of the school only to have it ripped out of his hands and destroyed. Josh seeing his life's project broken and destroyed in front of him made him feel a flurry of emotions. He tried to push the harsh feeling away but no matter how hard he tried he still felt like throwing up.

"Let's go." Mia whispered.

They treaded carefully, listening for any sounds on their way to the ruins where the foyer would have been.

Obstacles and furniture littered the front area of the school. Discarded weapons and other shreds of cloth made the area look like a junkyard. Josh stood up straight. There was no sound of demons or chatter.

"I was expecting this place to be guarded heavily. Have they abandoned the school already?" Josh asked.

"Probably. I mean, the only thing valuable the demons could have taken was the diamond crafted by your ancestors and that got destroyed. And a few other things.." She trailed off.

"A few very powerful weapons…" Josh gulped.

They made their way inside. The inside of the school was just as abandoned and trashed as the outside. Things were thrown around at the entrance of the school from tables and chairs to papers and cloth.

"Hm…" Josh hummed.

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure yet. Let's secure the school before we can talk. Don't want to be ambushed in plain sight."

The duo split up and secured the entire school. They were checking every room and every closet. Mia's boots echoed in the emptiness of every room she entered. She reached classroom fourteen and opened the door. She was alert and studied every movement she could see. When she found it was safe she took a moment to stand in the corner of the classroom.

For a short time, she had taught a class on elemental magic. Surprisingly, she found the more rowdy students were the ones who wielded water magic. Countless times she found rougher students redirecting a "water balloon" flying towards her or other students. How she kept the students in line was beyond her.

She reminisced how in one class she taught each of the students to cover themselves in their element. That would act as armor for the individual. This of course was more effective on wind, ice, energy and darkness but the other elements had special effects added to them. A student coating themselves in fire could distance themselves from their opponents. Water would heal the individual, earth would absorb the shock of magical attacks and lessen the blow to weapon attacks, and light would blind the opponent and make it easier for the caster to defend themselves or stay on the offensive.

She blinked and realized she was standing to the front of the classroom with her hands folded neatly. A pang of sadness hit her body. She cleared her throat and shook her head. With nothing else to do there she exited the classroom.

Josh made a note of how every room was trashed. Things were thrown around, scorch marks, and bookshelves were knocked over. Mia had mentioned she thought that the demons knew what they were looking for. Based on what he was seeing he had to disagree. These demons had no idea what they were looking for if the giant mess was any indicator. Or perhaps they didn't know where to look. He didn't understand the demons. When he opened up a closet he found some of the powerful weapons just stashed there. They looked like they hadn't been used.

"Clear!" Mia called out.

Josh finished up securing his area and called out the clear status. They met up back at the entrance of the school.

"This place hasn't changed much since we were last here."

Josh gave her a look.

"You know what I meant. It hasn't been that long but it feels like we never left. Save for the destruction those demons accomplished. We'll get them back, Josh. Let's just find what we were looking for and get back to our children."

"The entire school is trashed. You said earlier that the demons wanted something from the school which is why they attacked. But I don't think the demons knew what they were looking for." Josh told her his thoughts, "I mean why trash the entire school looking for an object? They should probably know we keep most of the treasured artifacts in the library."

"So they risked the lives of a group of demons for nothing? That doesn't sound like their agenda."

Josh turned in the direction of the library, "I agree it doesn't make sense. They haven't even bothered to make this school one of their bases. You would think we would see an army stationed here."

Mia thought about it but could not imagine what they were after. "Let's head to the library. Maybe we can find something on Javier there."

The library was as much of a mess as they expected. Bookshelves were toppled over, books littered the floor and certain heirlooms were tossed carelessly. Part of the roof had been blown open. On one side of the room there was a mess of mud and moss beginning to grow. Magical tomes protected by powerful magic were discarded to the other side of the room. More than likely a demon tried to touch the book only for both it and the book to be thrown aside.

Glass cases were destroyed and everywhere they stepped there was the sound of glass or rubble crunching under their footwear. Josh noticed that one of the walls had been blown up as well. Certain walls had murals or images etched in the stone. One mural had been destroyed. Inside there was a small room with a pedestal that stood in the middle. Josh picked up one of the pieces of the stone debris and turned it around. There was the frowning face of a character. Josh couldn't remember what mural had been broken.

They fumbled through and scoured the entire library. A few hours had gone by in silence when Josh had collected all the protected books in one cart. It was a slow cleanup process and a check to see what was taken or destroyed. Josh kept glancing towards the broken wall. None of the murals were in any particular order. The first mural was of their first ancestors, Crone, Mother and Maiden. The others were tales or fables from other ancestors. Some were also lessons such as not using magic in public circa 1690. He just wished he could remember what mural that was…

"They didn't take any of the tomes. All of them are accounted for." Josh commented, wheeling the cart to the front desk of the library.

"Yeah, but those bastards stole the treasures we kept in the glass cases. Priceless jewels, crowns and enchanted jewelry. Things only a real thief would steal." Mia rolled her eyes, "I hope they have fun with that ring that turns you into an emotionless freak…" Mia cursed. She referred to a ring enchanted to make one feel no emotion. No happiness, no hatred, no joy or sadness. Originally in the hands of an elder tribe, the ring was used to judge criminals without an emotional point of view.

Josh's eyes caught a book that was half buried under the rubble of the broken wall. Curious, he walked over and picked it up, shaking the dirt off of it. Examining the object, the book had a lace wrapped around the edge that was covered in dust and grime. Opening it up, he saw it was a journal.

He began reading the journal. The very first page was a self-portrait made in perfect detail of a woman with beautiful features. Josh admired the woman's eyes. They were so full of life. The next few pages were journal entries. His eyes took in the information that was styled in cursive writing. He noticed the name that was on the bottom of the first journal entry. The woman signed her name as Dorothea and then added the date of the entry.

Josh scratched his temple trying to remember where he had heard that name before. Surprisingly, it wasn't a book he ever remembered reading. Considering he was such a bookworm when he was younger he couldn't recall ever finding out about this diary. This would have caught his eye in an instant.

Dear Diary,

It is true! Javier is the same man who was leading the revolution. I cannot believe I was housing the same man who fought for our peace! It is such a thrill to have him in my life. I feel like the protagonist of some famous literature where I can aid someone to better our future. I must remain cautious, however, because the enemy spies are everywhere.

Javier, much to his dismay, must remain hidden in my house. Every day that I must leave my house I fear that I will find the soldiers surrounding my home with Javier in chains. He writes letters to his companions and has me deliver them to the postal office. Each letter gives his comrades information about what their next plan is and instructions on what to do. My heart fluttered when he mentioned he told his other companions he trusts me completely and therefore they should trust me.

This feeling must be what it's like to fall in love and with a hero! I met Javier just a few months ago when I took a walk into a clearing near the river and found him beaten and in pain. He tested me with those dark eyes that were full of grief. I had asked him where he had come from but I didn't get much of an answer. He had told me he was roaming the earth in search of a change. How dramatic he sounded!

He asked me whom I served. He was very calm about it. I told him I did not know what he meant. He asked me which side of the revolution I was in. I told him my dislike for the dictator in office. He smiled and said that we could be friends. He told me his dislike of the same man.

He asked me to promise him that I would not tell any living soul where he was. I made sure to vow to God himself that I would not betray him. I asked him if I could continue seeing him to make sure he was healthy and safe. He hesitated, I saw, but he agreed. Every day I brought him food and water. Once a week I delivered medicine to the wounded man. Every day he only became stronger.

It was much later when he told me he was aiding the revolution. The man was so passionate with his speeches of freedom. But there was this aura around him that made me listen to him. He told me he had a mission to complete. He was very cryptic when he spoke like he wanted to see how I would react. I think I passed all of his tests and became really close to him.

He later explained what had happened. Their group was ambushed and Javier was separated. He was defeated and he ran away with what little he had on him. Javier has convinced me this was a minor setback to his plan. He has trusted me with his secrets and now he wants to show me one more. Could it be that he wants me to meet some of his gang?

He called them the Roseblood Gang. Strange name for sure, and even stranger the names of some of the members. One of them is called Jebediah, the others Miriam and Varran, Darren and Arial. The last one was Aardvark? Or something like that. Or perhaps he had said Arvin.

I promised Javier I was going to continue aiding him no matter what. The oppression has finally reached our humble home. I see wanted posters with Javier's face all over town. We have to be on the move soon. We are to comply with the Porfiriato or be struck down. We are no longer given a choice. I, for one, want to keep my freedom. The freedom Javier has promised we will all have.

-Dorothea

The next few pages were of drawings that Dorothea had made. One drawing was a beautiful clearing with a flower clearing, in the background was a small river. There was a rock on the left of the clearing and a small fire pit in front of that. The skies were mostly clear with only a puff of a cloud here and there. Josh studied the image and concluded it was where Dorothea met Javier for the first time.

The second image was a man who had a concentrated stare at sheet of paper in front of him. A quill in his right hand, his hard eyes etched his intent on the sheet of paper. Dorothea signed his name on the bottom right of the page with the dot of the letter "I" being a small heart.

Josh had come to the conclusion or rather that he had remembered who this woman was. "My great grandmother's name was Dorothea. She was the one who etched the guidelines to being a witch on the School's altar."

Mia knew what he was talking about. In the school's chapel, there was a wall with a row of candles always lit. The wall had the rules the Diamond coven always followed, like not to use magic for personal gain, and a few others. The students who wanted to be monks would be seen meditating on the Coven's rules.

"Did you know the diary was here?" Mia asked.

"No, I didn't. I think the diary was hidden in that wall," he pointed to a destroyed wall and small room. "Something was also kept there because of the pedestal that's in the middle. I didn't know this school had its own secrets."

"Everyone has their secrets, Josh."

Josh flipped the next page and on it was a portrait of Dorothea and Javier. Dorothea wore a simple dress and around her neck was the Serenus pendant.

"Look, hon." Mia pointed out the pendant.

Josh hummed; he examined Javier's appearance. The man had a thick mustache that curled upward at the corners of his lips. Javier had dark hard eyes that were a bit distant, making the revolutionist look like he was daydreaming or planning something in his mind.

They continued flipping pages reading the diary aloud to each other. Then with one entry, the book changed from its calm pace to something more frantic.

"Dear Diary,

Javier is a sorcerer! That was his secret! It all happened so fast. He wanted to show me how he plans to win the revolution. He had sold his soul to the devil!

His hands turned to fire. Then he waved his hand and the water from the river froze. In a panic I ran away. It was very frightening.

Javier must be a devil if he sold his soul to the underworld. What should I do? Should I run and hide or should someone know of Javier's supernatural powers? This is his weapon, dear diary. Black magic. He wanted to use it to win the revolution…

Why am I feeling conflicted? His method is wrong. He summons devils and performs sacrifices so he can win a revolution. This revolution is to go against the belief where we follow a dictator. Javier has shown me so much pain and sorrow. Just a few days ago I witnessed a mother hug her child as she was mercilessly shot trying to find her father. The mother's cries still ring in my ears. She cried and begged to the angels to bring her child back. Her wails hurt my very soul.

It took three men to pry the woman off her child's lifeless body. I'm remembering the promise I made to this young mother. I would help her avenge the death of her child… Javier's method is very wrong but why is it that I feel it is the only way to win this war?

Have I been taken over by the darkness that I have seen? I cannot believe I am considering asking Javier what I can do to help. This isn't like me. God may be very angry with me when I finally meet Saint Peter at the gates of heaven.

My dear Diary, I have calmed down enough to understand what I must do. I will take my place by Javier's side to aid in this revolution. I love Javier and I may be able to save him from the jaws of this devil. I need to be close to Javier to save his life. If we are to go to hell after this I would like to spend it at Javier's side.

-Dorothea"

"Javier sold his soul to the devil?" Josh repeated.

"Hon, our kids are in danger." Mia looked up, "The children don't know he sold his soul to demons. If that man could wield demonic powers then his soul would be corrupt. If that man has any vengeance still inside him our children may be a target."

"That's not all." Josh cleared his throat, "If the demon came to collect Javier during that time Javier would belong to the demon. They wouldn't summon Javier but the actual demon themselves. And if it's like any of the demons we faced, they are going to need help. The last demon we faced we had to ask another coven for help to vanquish them."

"Where does the pendant fit in all of this?" Mia wondered aloud.

"I don't know. We can worry about that later. If we can stop the ritual now we can read the rest of the diary." Josh waved the book and stuck it in his messenger bag.

"Let's go."

"You witches are so predictable. You never change!" Marina complained. She was laying on one of the branches of a tree. She had a fancy looking hat with one of the corners burnt off covering her face. Her hands were folded neatly on her stomach. She had sensed the two come out and was relieved she had someone to talk to now.

"I almost died of boredom here." She exaggerated.

"You!" Mia spat.

Marina peeked out from under the hat and laughed. She picked up the hat and pointed at Mia. "How was that beating I gave you? I'm surprised you two could get back up." Marina laughed. She pushed herself off the branch and levitated gently to the ground. She tossed the hat carelessly to the side.

"Get out of our way!" Josh raised his hand and sent out a shockwave of energy towards Marina. Marina easily dodged out of the way and the shockwave hit a tree causing enough damage to break the trunk and fall down with a loud crack.

Marina chuckled, "Round two, already? What did you find out about Javier, the revolutionist?"

"You knew we were researching him?"

"As I said, witches are really predictable. I had found Dorothea's diary when I blew up that mural. If you paid close enough attention you could have seen the Roseblood Gang on the top right corner. When witches don't know something you always go to the source of knowledge. That's why many of you lose your lives. We know how your kind thinks and acts; making you easy prey overall."

"You gave the children the keys to bring back Javier. If they bring him back they could summon a demon. That pedestal is what held the keys to his resurrection, right?" Mia asked.

"Bingo. Javier, or rather his soul, never returned to the source of power. Therefore, who knows what your pesky children will summon? Do you know what's interesting about the heart of a mortal man?" Marina went off on her tangent.

"Mortal men when they receive power will often become corrupt. Take your politicians for an example, how they talk about how great of a change they will make but hide their personal agendas in a floral language. Many people follow a man in a mask. But what's behind that mask?"

Josh glanced at Mia with a questioning look.

"Now take a man who receives a magical gift. What happens to a strong heart and a clear goal? Will their point of view change into something more corrupt or will they change their attitudes but keep their goals in mind? Take that boy your son's friends with. How is his body handling those demonic powers? The struggle he is going through is something one cannot imagine."

"Shut up with your riddles damn it! What do you want?" Josh exclaimed.

"What? Are you ready to get your ass kicked?" Marina rolled her eyes, "If you want to save yourselves you'll listen." She glared, "It's all topical, anyways. Javier was a revolutionist with a clean heart. When the revolution started going sour he found he needed more power. Selling his soul to the devil along with his companions was the only option he had to victory. The cost was higher than he had expected and soon his crew began corrupting along with his own beliefs."

"Why are you telling us this now?" Mia asked unsure of the situation.

"I like to give victims their last bit of knowledge before they take it to the grave. You are not going to make it out alive so you can die knowing who Javier really was; a man who sold his life and gained nothing in return."

Marina prepared an attack as she drew energies around her. Josh raised his hands and formed a ball in the air and slowly crushed it. Marina struggled to move and her attack was interrupted. Josh continued to increase the force of gravity until Marina was down on all fours. She struggled to get up but normal strength alone wasn't enough. Marina combined her magic with the absorption of the energies around her and was able to stay crouched on one knee.

Marina began muttering an incantation. The skies around her darkened and lightning flashed. Balls of fire began raining down from the skies. Mia flicked her hands, one hand covered in ice and the other in wind. She clapped her hands together and thrust forward creating a storm of Ice chunks as a shield over them.

Fire and ice struck each other creating black smoke. The clouds from the skies dissipated and the ice storm subsided. Marina struggled to get up but the force of gravity was stronger than her own powers. She began formulating a plan to reverse the effects in her mind. But she needed time. She began chanting another spell in Romanian and placed her hands on the ground as well. The earth vibrated and cracked and set out tendrils made of dark energy. The tendrils sparkled as if they had purple glitter stuck to them.

Josh took a stride back, staying next to Mia and raised a fist to the sky and unclenched his fingers. A shockwave was fired and the temperature quickly climbed to a hundred thirty degrees. Josh waved a hand in front of Mia so she would be shielded from the hot temperatures.

The tentacles began thrashing around wildly reaching out for the two witches responsible for the heat. Mia raised a hand out, twirling her fingers and bringing them down on a closed fist. Ice spears began raining down from the skies and impaling the tendrils. Once each tendril was pierced they disappeared in a black liquid down into the earth.

Marina wasn't nearly done with the chant. She needed more time. She snapped a bead from her necklace and crushed it in her palm. A man dressed in scruffy denim jeans and a blood stained collar shirt appeared next to Marina.

"My liege?" He bowed.

"I need time, take care of the witches!" She ordered through clenched teeth, the gravity wearing down her strength even more.

"With pleasure," He smirked and approached Josh and Mia.

The man was unaffected by the heat around them. Mia shot an ice spike from her hands but it only went through the man. The man's smile widened. Josh used his preferred abilities, lowering the temperature around the man and increasing gravity. The man walked through the barrier unaffected.

"What the hell is he, a spirit!?" Josh asked.

The man's smile turned wicked.

Mia shot a blast of ice towards the man but the attack went through him. Now within arm's reach the man lifted his arm and Josh tried for a grapple that sent him through the spirit and into the ground. Mia tried a combination of punches but all her attacks went through the man. The being snatched Mia by the throat and began choking her. Mia's swipes did nothing as they all went through the spirit. Josh cried out Mia's name as he rushed to take down the man but took down Mia, freeing her of the spirits' clutches.

"Get up! Head inside the school." He helped her up and both rushed inside their destroyed manor.

The spirit watched silently. When Josh and Mia were safely inside Marina angrily called to the spirit.

"Don't just stand there you idiot! Go after them!"

"I was trapped for thirty years inside your cursed necklace and you won't let me have my fun?" The spirit rolled his eyes, "Finish your spell. I'll take care of them."

Marina grunted and continued chanting her negation spell. The spell would free her from the clutches of force and give her immunity over Josh's powers in particular.

Josh led the way to an empty classroom. He shut the door and they moved to the farthest wall.

"That's a ghost for sure." Mia gasped for air.

Josh had an idea, "We have the right tools for this. In the classroom in front of us we have powerful weapons. In the library we have powerful spell books. We can use the weapons against Marina and banish the spirit in the library."

"Then let's go."

Josh opened the door and peeked out. There was no one to his left or his right. Everything was quiet. He beckoned to Mia and both tip toed to the next room. They carefully closed the door and rummaged through the closet as quiet as possible.

Josh picked up a sword and unsheathed it. The symbol that was etched into the blade was a circle with a line going across horizontally. An image of fire and a hammer were on the bottom half of the circle while an axe and pincers were on the top. Each symbol could be connected with a perfect square as they were equal distance from one another. The symbol was for Hephaestus, the Greek god of weaponry, the same god who made Zeus' thunderbolts.

Josh kissed the metal of the blade. The history was that the elders had gifted the sword to Josh's mother when the school reached its fifty year mark. It was supposed to be a gift of pride for keeping the school open as long as they did for the future children of magic wielders. Now, Josh was going to use it to defeat this demon and take back his school.

Mia had found a dusty necklace with a red jewel in the shape of a heart as the centerpiece. The necklace had a silver chain and bronze loops for clasps. Each clasp had a certain jewel attached. Originally a gift from a high priestess in Europe, the necklace was supposed to amplify the user's powers. Each jewel was blessed individually by a magical figure.

The jewel hummed and gave a soft glow indicating the user had a good heart.

"It's not nice to hide from me." The figure passed through the wall.

"Get back, spirit! I will cut you." Josh threatened.

"You're a bigger fool if you think a mere sword is going to hurt me." The spirit smirked. Josh swiped the blade upwards; the figure groaned and held its arm.

"What magic is this?" The figure stepped back.

"It's a sword made by Hephaestus" Josh smiled triumphantly.

The spirit blinked, its eyes lost.

Josh groaned, "Hephaestus, the god who crafted Zeus' thunderbolt?"

The spirit continued to look lost and confused.

Josh sighed, "Made weapons for all sorts of gods?"

The man looked wounded and trapped.

"Oh, well..." Josh stepped in and the figure raised his arms to block the attack. Josh cut through, then slashed horizontally, silencing the spirit forever.

Marina finished her chant and Josh's gravity hold on her dispelled. There was a crack like a whip in the air that echoed in the trees. She got up and shook her legs free of any discomfort. She felt like she was able to breathe again; a weird sensation for a demon. With the spell complete Josh's powers would have no effect on her. She could redirect Mia's powers easily so she was no longer concerned. She started for the house, fixing her clothes along the way. Josh and Mia were boxed in and it would be ironic that the headmasters of the school would die at the scene of their lives' work. It was said that the captain must go down with the ship. What better way to commemorate the headmasters than with a funeral?

Josh and Mia walked down the hallway to the library at a brisk pace. Josh's sword was held relaxed in his right hand and Mia's amulet was around her neck. Josh struggled to come up with a plan. Even with their new weapons they probably wouldn't stand a chance against Marina. They didn't have the proper items for a high level demon vanquish and enduring another fight wasn't the best idea.

"Marina is a powerful demon. What else can we try to kill her?"

Mia responded, "How about we just get her off our back? We won't be able to kill her without the kids. Their call to the diamond is much stronger than both of us put together. Their bond as siblings would make the spell stronger. The best we can do is hold her off."

"That's what I'm afraid of. If we can't kill her now our children will continue to be a target. Marina won't stop until she kills all of us."

"Then we better hope we can hold our ground until we can get to our kids."

"You don't think there's anything we can do against Marina?"

"I'm thinking I want to help our children kill this demon. And keep our children safe from Javier. Besides, she was casting a spell earlier, probably trying to dispel your gravity spell. She may try to reflect any spell we cast anyways. There's no point in trying a vanquishing spell. Unless your plan is to get us wiped out, let's just try to get away from her."

Marina burst into the library door, impatient and tired of the hide-and-seek game she was playing. She began looking around while already formulating her first attack at whoever she found first. Something moved around the corner of her eyes and she stopped. She turned to where she thought she saw movement. The entire library was completely empty and quiet. There was nothing there. One bookshelf had its contents all over the floor so she was able to see through the shelf. There was no one there.

Marina turned around and shot a stream of fire towards the front desk. Mia took cover behind the heavy circular desk.

"Marina!" Josh bellowed. Marina shot fire at Josh but Josh's sword acted like a shield. Marina frowned. Her attack had no effect on him.

Josh stepped forward and whipped his sword through the air. Marina's fire spell dissipated and she lost her balance. Josh swung the blade toward her and Marina dodged the attack. With the distance closed, Josh continued striking at Marina.

Marina felt a hot sting in her leg; Josh had cut her. Josh raised the sword in a right posture stance, watching his foe and keeping his defense up.

"Josh, shield up!" Mia cried.

Josh surrounded himself in a field of gravity while Mia powered up a water storm spell by combining a windball and a water blast together. Mia's body glowed with power and she pushed her arms forward. Water was shot at Marina at high speed and the wind pushed her to the furthest corner of the room. Marina hit the wall with enough force to cause a cloud of dust to erupt from the ground. Marina saw stars before everything turned black.

Using his own powers, Josh pulled two bookshelves together to topple over Marina.

With the library silent again, Josh checked to make sure he had the diary in his knapsack.

"Let's go!" Josh smiled triumphantly.

Mia picked up a spell book with the title "Elementals & Magic".

"We may need this later." Mia inserted the book in Josh's bag and they walked out of the library.

It was a while before Marina woke up from her unconscious state. She used a blast to escape her tomb and she got up with a groan. She was more upset with herself that she didn't kill them earlier. She would learn from that and not play with her victims next time. It didn't matter much. Javier would probably wipe them out anyways. But just in case, it was time to go to plan B. She shimmered out and returned to her own home base.