Chris approached Kendal's small ranch style house and knocked lightly on the front door. She used to live in a large manor much like his old house, but they had all been forced to move to this safe-haven. He heard footsteps against the hardwood floor inside the home and watched as Kendal opened the door and stepped out onto the porch next to him.

"Ready?" he asked her with his hands stuck in his pockets as they normally were.

"Yeah, let's go find us an assassin." Kendal replied with a smile on her kind face. She was always smiling, despite the state that the city was in. It was good that she could because it sometimes made other people smile also.

Chris smiled lopsidedly and started walking down the path that led to the oak tree. "I can't figure out how he knew that we had bribed that demon."

"Well, Wyatt tends to know a lot of things that we aren't aware of." She said.

Chris just shrugged and kept on walking down the beaten trail. They couldn't orb out of the neighborhood because Wyatt would be able to trace the magic back to the hidden areas. So, he had to use the portal then they could orb wherever they wanted.

"What's the matter?" asked Kendal, using her best friend wits to see that something was bothering him.

"Nothing's the matter." Answered Chris untruthfully.

Kendal stopped and put her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips tightly before speaking. "Chris, remember in first grade when you were all excited because your mom made you cookies to bring to school? Then you fell when you got off the bus and dumped the cookies on the ground. I went and asked you what was wrong and you said that I wasn't your friend so you couldn't tell me. Then I gave you my cookies and we went and played on the playground. I know when something's bothering you."

Chris smiled at the memory. At the time it hadn't been pleasant, but now he would give anything to relive the days when life had been carefree and fun. It was usually depressing to think back to when his mother and aunts had been alive, but now it gave him warmth. It was nice to remember that at one point in his life Chris had been happy, extremely happy. Though Chris and Leo hadn't always seen eye to eye, now that his father was gone Chris wished he would've put aside their differences much earlier than he had.

"I had another nightmare last night." He told her.

Kendal tilted her head. "Don't you have them almost every night?" she asked confused.

"Yeah, but this one was different. There was a ghost and she told me to look past appearances. She sounded familiar, but I couldn't put the voice to a face." Chris explained uneasily.

They finally came up to the oak tree where the portal was hidden. Chris walked through first, followed directly by Kendal.

"Do you think it was relevant?" she asked as they immerged on the other side of the mystical transporter.

Chris contemplated this in his mind for a moment. He had experienced a dream like the previous nights before, but this one had seemed oddly different. There was a chance that it could be significant, but most likely he was just a little freaked out because he recognized the ghost from somewhere. It was probably all just a big coincidence.

"Nah, I doubt it." He said trying to brush it off.

"Has Kyle found anything out about away to stop your nightmares yet?" she asked.

"Not yet, but he's still trying." Replied Chris.

"Okay, to the Mantecore's lair we go." Said Kendal.

Chris grabbed her hand and they disappeared in a swirl of orbs.

(Scene changes to Manticore's lair)

Chris and Kendal appeared inside the Mantecore's lair as the orbs dissipated. Chris had told Kyle that he could stay behind before he had picked up Kendal. He had no doubt in her ability to defend herself, she had proved well able to do so a long time ago.

Kendal was a shapeshifter, and the power allowed her to mold her shape into whatever person, object, or animal she pleased. She also had the ability to manipulate solar energy from the sun into bright blasts of light. She was a powerful witch, and a good person to have next to him in battle.

Chris walked further into the lair and looked around investigating the scene. Spotting a scorch mark on the floor, he kneeled down and examined the area where the demon had once stood. Kendal kneeled down next to him and the two of them looked at it questionly. Chris sighed autibly. Bribing the demon had been a big mistake. They had used a lot of precious money and had gotten no information out of the deal. He should've known better then to put trust into the hands of a demon. Not that it was the Mantecore's fault, it didn't vanquish itself after all, but it was still wrong to think that anything good could from the bargain they had made two weeks earlier.

"How do you think it was killed?" asked Kendal as she looked at him with a questioning look on her face.

"Looks like it was either an energy ball or a fireball, its hard to differentiate the two." answered Chris, he had gotten very talented at all aspects of magic.

Just then a demon appeared and jumped on Chris' back. Kendal jumped up, surprised, and opened her palms. A blast of dazzling bright light shot out of them at the demon and it was sent to the ground, stunned. Chris stood up, not sure was going on. He hadn't expected a demon to attack him, but he knew better than to not expect to unexpected.

As the demon stood up Chris flung out his hands, slowing down its molecules, and suspending it in time. He had inherited the power from his mother, and could also blast them like she had. But, he was still having trouble controlling that power.

"Where did he come from?" asked Kendal as she gazed at the demon who was at a stand-still.

"I don't know, but he's not one of Wyatt's. He resembles a Mantecore and they mate with humans to make more of their kind. Its probably the spawn of the one that was vanquished." explained Chris as he looked over the half mantecore. "If that's true then he's half human and that means he has good inside him somewhere."

"Okay, unfreeze his head and maybe we can talk to him." suggested Kendal figuring it was worth a shot.

Chris made a small gesture and the demon's head unfroze. It looked at them both, confused, as it realized that it was frozen from the neck down.

"What did you do to me?" the man asked furiously.

"We'll be asking the questions." said Kendal.

"Why'd you attack us?" asked Chris as he folded his arms across his chest questioningly.

"I thought you were demons." he answered.

"And.." Chris prodded.

"And my father was kidnapped by demons. I thought my mother might be behind it, but when I got here I saw you two looking over the spot where she was vanquished." explained the man.

"But, you're a demon." said Kendal.

"Yeah, but I'm not evil. I use my powers for good."

Kendal looked to Chris, wondering if the demon/human was telling the truth or not.

Chris made another gesture with his hands and unfroze him. "What's your name?"

"Aiden Peterson." he answered as the demon brow that resembled a Manticore's faded away.

"Your mother was vanquished by one of the Source's assassins." Chris told him.

"So, that means whoever killed her knows where my father is." concluded Aiden showing a sign of hope on his face.

"Yes, what's his name?" asked Kendal, finding herself oddly attracted to the man who had almost killed them.

"Derek, but he's magically know as the Beast." replied Aiden to her.

"I thought Manticores only mated with humans." said Chris unsure of why a human would be called the Beast.

"My dad is human, but he took potions and had spells performed on his so that he could be strong enough to protect me from my mother." Aiden said.

"Well, I think if we work together we can save him. Why don't you come with us so we can figure out how to do this right." said Chris.

"Okay." agreed Aiden.

They orbed to the oak tree.