A.N Thanks to anyone who reviewed previous chapters. Also i am sorry for long pause between chapters, but real life matters are sometimes too pressing. So here I give you next chapter.
p.s If your Cassidy fan you might want to skip chapter, i know i didnt showed her in best light :P

Chapter 3 :

Tears are shed over unfair rules.

Hallinors apparition slowly faded, leaving Will alone in the cave. Will started to rethink about what she just heard and did, but she was certain in her intention to uncover what happened with her – she had to meet with former water guardian to know the truth.

Will walked several laps around the cave seeking for anything interesting before turning her attention back to Nerissas cache. She turned every page of the heavy book that was stationed on the table, but she could only make few words out of it. It appeared it contained various incantations, instructions, and spells, but even if she knew that language it would take her months, if not years to study them and learn to use them properly and guardian knew that she doesn't poses neither means nor time to study them.

She opened chest and dug through items stashed in there. Amongst various orbs, amulets and other items her attention was drawn by twin daggers that were apparently made of some golden material. Not only because those were only items that appeared to be weapons, but she also felt some connection with them, she could feel familiar energy flowing through them. Will picked them out and reopened book. She found page were similar daggers were drawn, but she only understood few words of it, Will could only loosely translate them as "blades of quintessence" or "blades of life". Will knew that they are somehow associated with hers and Nerissas element to amplify or enhance her powers, but she had neither means nor knowledge how to use them. She placed them on the table near the book and walked away from secret room. She felt exhausted from everything she just experienced and she had to get some rest. She slowly walked to chair, sat on it and placed her head on the table.

When Will opened her eyes she realized that she had fallen asleep. She knew that she dreamed, but could not remember what she saw. Will concentrated to remember, but nothing more than short flashes didn't come to mind, she could only remember that she saw her friends – Cornelia, Matt, Caleb and others, but nothing more came to her mind. Will stood up from the table and thought about getting some food, but realized that she's not hungry. Caves mystical energy not only somehow sustained warmth and light, but also sustained residents need for food. Will now understood how Nerissa could survive those years imprisoned inside the cave.

Will took look outside of the cave. It was already dark and she understood that she had slept at least for several hours. She walked to the pool to wash her face, in pools reflection she saw her own maimed face again and Will slightly shrugged, and touched her left cheek. She felt that her once smooth skin was scarred by her own energy and she covered it with her palm. Will started to wonder if those scars will ever heal or is she damned to bear those scars forever and be forced to live under glamour.

Of course Will knew how to use glamour, but in reality she almost never used it. Ironically when Will was a kid, before becoming guardian, she always wanted to poses ability to mask herself, so her parents or teachers couldn't recognize her when she wanted to be alone, but when she finally acquired means to use such ability, her perception on using her powers changed dramatically. After fateful encounter with her own altermere she promised herself not to ever use her powers without drastic need, and thus after learning to channel her energy skillfully enough to change her appearance, she never actually used ability she so wanted to acquire.

Will slowly charged energy in her hand and slid her palm over her face, changing her appearance back to way it was several days ago. Scars that covered her cheek were apparently gone, and streak of her silver hair were turned back to the original crimson color, but with invoking energy to mask scars she felt tiny portion of her energy to burn out. Will knew that she could keep glamour up for long time, but it will make time when she will need to replenish her energy come faster.

Without wanting to waste anymore time she quickly washed her face in the pool and prepared to go and meet Cassidy She concentrated and focused stream of energy on her fingertips and slashed her hand across the air leaving gloving rift. She felt that portion of energy that was coursing through her veins left her body and she dropped her look to two remaining energy crystals, realizing that with careless use of her powers, she will quickly burn her remaining energy and she will have to resort to less ethical means to acquire energy in order to keep fighting and surviving. She despised idea of stealing energy from other living beings, but Will was morally prepared to go to wider range of actions than she was when she was a guardian of the Veil, and still Will hoped she will be able to avoid going that far. Will took deep breath and walked through the rift.

Flash of light passes behind her eyes and she finds herself standing on the grass few yards away from the house where Casssidy lives. Will walked few laps around house watching it, but she couldn't force herself to ring at the doors. She looks upon windows of the house; Will could see that light in the first floor windows were lit, while second floor was completely dark. She concentrated her thoughts upon room in the second floor and teleported herself inside it.

Room was completely dark without anybody except Will inside it. She quickly summoned couple wisps to illuminate the room. Cassidies room was designed in ascetic way, without any unnecessary decoration. Table contained couple old photos of previous guardians in their youth and photo of Nerissa and Cassidy together, with letters N&C on it. Will turned her attention away from photos and noticed that several books and notepads filled with various topics about medicine. Apparently she was studying to become a doctor. She sat back on the bed and picked up fashion magazine that was dropped on the chair nearby. Soon she heard footsteps behind doors coming towards them. Will clenched her fist and absorbed wisps back into her body.

Cassidy slowly walked to the doors of her room. She had long day in the university and she wanted to get some sleep. Former water guardian opened her doors and reached for light switch, but before she did she noticed that there is someone in the room. Cassidy turned on light and became startled.

"Will? What…. Why are you here? What's happening?" Surprised Cassidy asked when she noticed Will sitting on her bed.

"Cassidy." Will paused for a second" I presume you already know why I am here"

"I don't understand you Will, ten days ago your friend died and you went missing. What's going on Will?" Cassidy seemed beyond confused.

"I came here for answers"

"What answers" Cassidy closed doors and slowly walked to her table and sat on nearby chair.

"I need to know what happened that night between you and Nerissa. What exactly happened there?"

Cassidies face turned noticeably pale and she slightly sweated: "You already know it all. Council wanted me to become new keeper, she refused and she killed me, that's all. I really don't want to talk about it."

"We both know its not so Cassidy. I need to know truth, or I will end up just like her." Will said that and slid her palm over her left cheek revealing her true face.

After seeing Wills true face, Cassidie became even more startled. She felt as if current would run through her body and her fingers started to shake uncontrollably" What happened to you will?"

"I believe you already know. I need to know what happened back there or I will end up just like her"

Several tears appeared in Cassidies eyes. She opened her drawer and picked out some pills and took two of them to calm her nerves. "Ok, so be it. I will tell you what you want to know. "

When Cassidy partially calmed herself she started: "Everything started few months before my death. One day that was just like every other, Nerissa came to us. Her face was pale as death that day and you could even see fear behind her eyes. It was something I never saw before. It was not like her to show fear or any emotions that would make her appear weak. She never told what she found out, but she started to speak in the way that even closest of her friends, even me, started to doubt in her sanity. She told us that hearts power is insufficient for us. That we should seek more power and that way we could save everyone. We didn't know what to think. We tried to calm her down, but it seemed that she only apparently calmed. She said that we don't understand. After that day her methods of fighting forces of our enemies became more brutal and ruthless. She somehow stopped to trust us, if before that she often relied on our help during the battle, then now she tried to distance herself from us. She was changed."

Cassidy took Nerissas photo in her hand and watched. Tears appeared in her eyes again and she too deep breath and continued." Soon afterwards it happened. First I was summoned to stand before council. Back then I didn't know why they summoned me alone…

"Young guardian, we are glad you could make it today" Oracle greeted Cassidy as she stepped out of the portal into the council's room. Althor silently stood behind Oracle and watched water guardian.

"Oracle, Althor. Did you summoned me?" Cassidy replied as she approached them.

"Yes young guardian. We need to discuss some important matter with you"

Cassidy looked around, but couldn't see any of her friends nearby: "Where are my friends, was I summoned alone?"

"That's correct young guardian, there is something we need to talk with you alone"

"I don't understand? Why such secrecy" Cassidy was slightly confused and scared.

"As no doubt you have noticed, Nerissa, due to hearts powers influence have slowly, how should I better put it, changed. And as such it may no longer be safe to trust with such power."

Cassidy noticeably shrugged. She had good guess where this conversation is going: "Yes Rissy is quite strange lately, but I am sure she will calm down, she just upset now. I don't think she is capable of doing something ill with her powers."

"You don't seem to understand. The powers that we bestowed upon her have opened side of her soul that you might have not seen before. In time it will slowly consume her making her very being into something she has sworn to destroy."

"I don't believe it. Nerissa is too strong to simply let her desires to rule over her."

"I know that she is your best friend and it is only natural that you try to protect your friends, but that is the reason we called you forth. We need you to become new keeper of the heart. The longer Nerissa keeps Heart as her own the more of your friend will pass away, leaving hatred, lust and void in its stead."

Cassidy sank in her thoughts. In truth she always deep down in her heart wanted that power, although she knew that guardians are not supposed to use hearts power outside of their direct duties, she believed that by possessing heart she would be able to save more people than they could now even if that would violate some rules. She wanted to just refuse anything she was just offered, but she felt strong temptation to accept powers she was offered. Deadly silence overtook room as Oracle waited for answer from the water guardian. Cassidy still hesitated

"Think about it guardian. Everything you hold dear, your friends, your relatives. They can be saved from any peril if you just accept this power as your own. It is so simple." Oracle continued and his eyes glowed with slight red glow.

"I accept" Cassidy reluctantly replied and she felt as sleep like sensation overtakes her body and she started to lose her conciseness.

"That right. You can't fight your intrinsic nature. No human can. Wish to save your closest allies and friends even if it means betraying one of them in the process to acquire power that can fuel even such noble cause, it is the flaw in the armor of your soul." Oracle said that and grinned slightly.

"That's right, they played on the weakness of my soul. Crushing my spirit was quite trivial for them. When you're enthralled, it is like a dream. You see everything that you do, but you can't resist it. You feel like you are a prisoner inside your own body." Cassidy continued to tell her tale to Will.

"Did they control you in the same way Nerissa controlled all previous guardians?" Will asked.

"That right. Somehow she acquired same means of controlling people as Oracle did with me. When I died, I promised myself to not be ever weak and to give into the temptation again, but when Nerissa summoned me back, she found new aspect of my soul that was vulnerable to her sorcery. Although I promised myself to never give into temptation with something trivial as power, but my death opened new desire into me. I so wanted to be with my mother that was waiting for me for more than thirty years, that I couldn't resist it, and I failed my vow." Several tears appeared into Cassidies eyes as she confessed.

"But how did you died?"

"They ordered me to go to Nerissa. As thrall I couldn't resist. When she saw me I think she instantly knew why did I came, but yet she somehow still believed in me. I think council chose me for this reason, that only I would be able to get that close to Nerissa. When time came to strike her down on mount Thanos…. It is similar as a dream. When you see something shocking you try to wake up. I managed to regain at least some control over my actions, and managed to miss her heart, but I wounded her and she retaliated by shocking me and dropping me off the cliff. I think she never understood that I missed her heart on purpose. When I died I was somehow even happy. I resisted it and was even somewhat triumphant that I gave Nerissa second chance. But in the end I understood that it did not mattered if I succeed. No matter what choice I took, the game was rigged for both of us."

"So they didn't really care if you will succeed in your task to kill Nerissa?"

"I think so, either way she was out of their way. I still don't know what she found out that day and what she was fighting against. But when she returned, she was somehow changed. Time she spent imprisoned somehow twisted her and I don't even know what she was fighting for or against when she managed to escape and acquire power. The day I died, part of her seemingly died with me. There, now you know the truth, I hope that you can elude same fate Nerissa suffered."

"Can you help me Cassidy? I am not sure how long I can fight alone"

"Will." Cassidy held pause for several seconds" I am sorry I can't help you. If I reveal myself…. When I died, Yan Lee and others decided not to tell my mother truth. They simply told her I went out and never returned. They thought she wont survive that. And as such she waited for me, always waited. For more than thirty years. Every day she hoped that I will open those doors and will come in. Every friend of her eventually told to let it go, but she still hold hope in her heart. If she loses me again she won't survive it."

"I understand" Will replied and stood up. She watched at clock that was hanging on the wall. It was already morning. They had spent talking all night. There was another place she had to visit before she will return back to her hideout.

"So what is the situation with the Keeper. Can you locate her?" Oracle asked to Althor.

"My lord, apparently she have severed her connection with aurameres. That makes it impossible for us to locate her."

"Impossible how could she have know. Do we have any ideas where is she hiding?"

"No, also aside of the guardians our resources on Earth are limited."

"We can't allow her to roam uncontrolled. She is becoming wildcard if we can't scry on her. How many vessels we can control on the Earth with forces that are still in Heatherfield?"

"Two maybe three, most of our brethren were purged long time ago, they made sure of it."

"Contact them and order them to bring guardian to us alive. Otherwise all the waiting and planning will be void."

"I don't think it is that bad, if she has forsaken her power she might bring us another source of power, also I believe as long as she feels that she is hunted, she will come to us one way or another."

"True, but still I think its dangerous to let her run loose."