Chapter Twelve

Forgiveness

"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward."

-Steve Marshall

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Hey guys. Thank for the reviews. To Nancy67 and Sailor Moon Serenity: it has to do with Darien's ability to heal and as the story progresses, I will go into more detail about Darien's gift and his possible connection to Endyimon.

Darien leaned against the counter as Serena sat on the sofa with a bow down head and her hands between her legs looking down at the oak wood floor. Darien sighed. They had not spoken in an hour. She went into the bathroom earlier for half an hour and placed her hair in her traditional pigtails.

Serena got up then said standing up, "I'm going to go get Sammy."

Darien asked, "Do you need a lift?"

Serena said, "I'll take the bus."

Darien interjected, "That's nonsense. I can give you a ride."

Serena looked up. She looked at him directly in the eyes. "Darien, I can't be around you right now." Darien looked stunned. "I need time to process all of this away from you."

Darien asked hurt, "And how long will it take you to process all of this?"

Serena said indifferently, "I do not know."

Darien asked a little persistent, "Can I at least give you a ride? You don't even know how to get there."

Serena snapped, "No! I need to be alone."

Darien was taken aback.

Serena took a deep sigh then said, "Darien, I am not homophobic even if my religious beliefs are against homosexuality. In the Bible, it states in Leviticus 18:22 that 'thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind. It is abomination.'"

Darien said, "First John verse ten states that if we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. Is His word in you, Serena?"

Serena frowned then said, "And what about the lies, Darien? How am I supposed to forgive you for sleeping with my aunt?

Darien said with emotional eyes, "And to be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. C.S. Lewis."

Serena sighed then said, "This is just too much to digest right now. I just need a breather."

Darien said with a fake smile, "Sounds like something I would say."

Serena stood up and said, "I'll see you later." Darien nodded.

As she was about to walk out, Darien said, "You know I am always here when you need me."

Serena said looking down, "I know. Good-bye Darien…"

Darien said, "Good-bye Serenity." She closed the door behind her.

Thirty minutes later, Darien sat a table outside a local bistro reading the Times-Picayune newspaper with his legs crossed American style with his dark sunglasses on blocking out the sun's ray. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was two minutes to eleven. He smiled when the waitress placed his order of a black coffee in front of him and another coffee in the empty seat across from him. She blushed as she smiled slowly walking away.

Darien looked up and smiled when he saw Detective Saint-Martin approaching him wearing a dull suit and tie and an old grey trench coat. He placed the newspaper down and stood up to greet the detective and shake his hand.

Detective Saint-Martin said as they sat down, "I was surprised when you slipped me that note at the police station about meeting you here, Darien."

Darien smiled and glanced at the coffee in front of Detective Saint-Martin and said as he watched the detective reluctantly sipped the coffee, "I took the initiative of ordering for you since our meeting will not be that long."

Detective Saint-Martin was shocked as he asked stunned, "How did you know how I like my coffee?"

Darien said, "Because for the last eight months, I have been observing you detective also."

Detective Saint-Martin sat back in his seat in a relaxed manner and sipped his coffee. He smiled then said, "Why don't you tell me about myself then, Darien?"

Darien said, "I know that you are punctual and never late for an appointment. I know that you like your coffee black with one cream and no sugar. I know that you hate Starbucks and love Community Coffee. I know that ten years ago your eldest son Eric was kidnapped by the Magician right under your nose and it has been eating at you ever since. I know that it has affected your marriage and even your relationship with your other two children. Eric was your heart because you keep him center on your desk in a bigger frame than you keep your other two children. You wanted to be a lawyer but you have an overbearing father who wanted you to become a police officer like the rest of the men in you family has done for generations. So you gave up on your dream and became what your father wanted you to be. Eric was your salvation and you wanted him to grow up and achieve your dream of being a lawyer. You lived voraciously through him and when the Magician took him away from you, it was like he took away your dream again."

Detective Saint-Martin was now on the edge of his seat then injected, "How do you…"

Darien said, "I also know that you have not been intimate with your wife Helen since Eric's disappearance. She only stays married to you for the children. When you get extremely lonely, you pick up a prostitute every blue moon to feel something in your pathetic and self-loathing existence. The guilt eats you up inside since your parents instilled high morals in you as a child. I also know that you have a ten-year-old son named Hunter and a fifteen-year-old daughter named Evelyn that you hardly spend time with except in the mornings at breakfast and a few minutes at dinner when you show up even though no one speaks to one another. Your life revolves around your job because it is the only part of your life that has not fallen apart even though you could have at least been a major by now if half the city did not think you were cuckoo for your obsession with The Magician that has not made an appearance in over ten years. In the back of your mind, you feel like if you solve this case and bring The Magician to justice it will fix every other part of your life but it will not and it is not going to bring your son back."

Detective Saint-Martin stared at Darien in disbelief. He then said, "Wow! So I guess we have been studying each other then."

Darien smiled then said, "Yes…"

Detective Saint-Martin said leaning back in his chair, "And off the record, are you Tuxedo Mask?"

Darien nodded then said, "And I did save your son's life and help you capture the criminal who shot your son…"

Detective Saint-Marti said, "And why did you decide to become Tuxedo Mask?"

Darien took a sip of his coffee before answering. He said as he placed his cup back on the small plate, "I became Tuxedo Mask for two reasons. One, I wanted to get your attention and two, I wanted to get The Magician's attention."

Detective Saint-Martin gasped then asked, "Do you think he is still alive?"

Darien's expression turned stern then said, "Yes, I know he is…"

Serena got off the bus looking depressed as she walked down the sidewalk in a nice suburban area with beautiful home and nicely cut lawns. She heard the kids' laughter as they placed outside and rode their bicycles. She heard the sounds of cars driving slowly passed her going the speed limit. Even though it was a beautiful clear day, Serena was out of spirits and could not enjoy the beauty around her.

She slowly walked up the neatly trim lawn towards the beautiful two storied brick home with a beautiful landscape decorated with flowers surrounding a small stone fountain. Serena rung the doorbell and took a deep sigh.

She heard the sound of footsteps running around. The door slowly opened. Serena looked up and she was stunned at who answered the door.

Detective Saint-Martin looked at Darien curiously and asked, "Darien, how do you know about The Magician…"

Darien said, "Because I was one of his victims…I was one of the five who escaped from San Francisco…"

Detective Saint-Martin then said confused, "Five?"

Darien nodded as Detective Saint-Martin's expression changed back to a blank stare. Darien continued, "Yes, I was his victim for three years. He kidnapped me when I was six even though I do not remember anything before six-years-old. I guess I have amnesia. But I came back here to New Orleans because I wanted closure and I wanted to stop The Magician for once and for all."

Detective Saint-Martin slid his chair back and said in disbelief, "Kid, you had me spook for a moment with the whole Tuxedo Mask stunt but this is unreal. The Magician is dead. He was killed in a fire seven years ago in San Francisco. There were no survivors and all his victims were killed by him because they found them hacked to death in a cellar. Unless you are a ghost kid, it is impossible for you to have been one of the victims." Detective Saint-Martin stood up then said, "Thanks for the coffee kid but I have real police work to attend to…"

Detective Saint-Martin began to walk away then said, "If I am lying then how did I know that Eric's favorite toy was a toy Tyrannous Rex?" Detective Saint-Martin froze then slowly turned around to Darien with a bewildered expression. "How do I know that it was your daughter Evelyn at the time that opened the door? None of those things were in the police report detective."

Detective Saint-Martin sat back down then said, "How do you know all this?"

Darien said, "Because I was there. I was the one who placed the red rose on your door that night and I was in the van when The Magician delivered the plastic garbage bag with Eric's remains in it. He got a kick out of seeing the pain in the children's parents' eyes when they saw that their children were dead."

Detective Saint-Martin said angrily, "Are you telling me that bastard was right there under my nose?"

Darien nodded then said, "I am here because I want to make things right. Charisma, the girl who came to the police station she was also one of his victims."

Detective Saint-Martin asked, "Did you know my son?"

Darien said, "I met him once. He was so afraid of disappointing you that he thought that if he did everything the 'bad man'-that's what the kids called him- said that he would bring him home to you and that the 'bad man' would not tell you about what happened. He thought it was his fault for getting kidnapped because he was a bad child."

Detective Saint-Martin became emotional as he covered his mouth then said, "He thought it was his fault that that sick bastard kidnapped him…"

Darien nodded.

Detective Saint-Martin asked, "The body was too… but did he…?"

Darien nodded then said, "Yes, with all of the little boys and some of the little girls…"

Detective Saint-Martin's eyes turned red then asked, "Were you there when he died?"

Darien said, "The Magician wanted him to touch him again and he said no…so The Magician took him into a back room and we heard his screams until he stopped making any noise. The Magician walked back out hours later with blood all over him and a bloody cane knife in his hands."

Saint-Martin became nauseous and covered his mouth feeling the need to vomit. Darien sat up when he saw the detective's face turning green. He quickly left the table and ran inside the restaurant.

Serena was stunned when she saw that it was Detective Saint-Martin's wife. Helena smiled at Serena. Her long brown hair was tied up on a messy ponytail that she had hanging on her shoulders. She looked like she was in her late thirties, early forties and did not have a wrinkle on her. She was wearing a long sleeve cashmere pink sweater and blue jeans with white sneakers. Serena noticed a basket of laundry cradled in one arm.

Serena asked confused, "I'm sorry. I must have the wrong address."

Helen simply smiled then said, "Are you Sammy's big sister Serena?"

Serena nodded.

Helen said looking at Serena's hair, "Yup, you're definitely her. Hi, I am Helen Saint-Martin, Hunter's mom. Come on it. I'm making hot chocolate."

Before Serena could utter a word, Helen was dragging her inside.

Serena looked freaked out as she sat in the living room across from Helen as Helen continued to fold clothes and watched a talk show on television. Serena held the hot chocolate in her hand. Serena's eyes widen when she saw Sammy running around with Hunter, the boy that Darien healed, as if they were best friends.

The living room was small and cozy with a giant size flat screen television on a glass entertainment stand, There were chocolate colored sofa set with a dark blue granite coffee table with a blue, white, and chocolate striped rug underneath. Serena looked around and noticed the watercolor artwork of the artist Walter Anderson that matching the furniture.

"Usagi, tell me about yourself." Serena turned to Helen who spoke to her in Japanese.

Serena said in Japanese, "I am fifteen-years old. I am sophomore at De La Salle high school."

Helen said, "That's awesome. My daughter is your age. She goes to Benjamin Franklin High School. She is playing basketball with her friends right now. She's an all American girl with cheerleading, soccer, BETA club, advanced placement classes, tennis, and swimming. She is into everything. I'll love for you to meet her. I am sure you too will be great friends."

Serena said, "That's amazing. So how do know how to speak Japanese?"

Helen nodded then said, "I studied aboard there years ago. I loved it there. The culture, the food, and the energy there. I guess you can say I fell in love in Japan. I also speak and write several other languages fluently. I love learning languages."

Serena said in Japanese, "That is amazing. I wish I could learn more languages."

Helen said, "Your English is great. I hardly hear a hint of your native accent."

Serena sighed, "Tell that to my classmates."

Helen said, "Your classmates do not understand how hard it is to master the English language from someone who is a foreigner. English is one of the hardest languages to master so you should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Saint-Martin…"

"Nonsense, call me Helen. Mrs. Saint-Martin makes me feel so old."

Helen got up to put the laundry up. She said, "I'll be back. Make yourself at home."

Serena heard the front door opened and slammed shut. She heard a loud female voice yelled causing her to jump, "Mom! I'm home."

The girl walked into the living room and looked stunned when she saw Serena. She was a pretty girl with striking blue eyes and long black hair that she wore in two French braids down her back. She was wearing a tank top that showed off her toned flat stomach and baggy basketball shorts with black Jordans. Her toned body was glistening with sweat. Then, she gave her a warm smile that reminded her of Helen and said taking her earplugs out of her ears, "Hey, I'm Evelyn. You must be Sammy's big sister Serena."

Serena smiled then said, "Yeah, and you must be Hunter's big sister Evelyn."

Evelyn said with a laugh, "Excellente…" Serena joined her laughter.

Evelyn laughed then said, "Sorry, I am going on a two week trip to Spain with my soccer's team and I have to learn Spanish by next spring and I am horrible at it."

Serena said, "Well, you mom probably knows how to speak it."

Evelyn said, "Yes, that woman knows how to speak dozen of languages. I just hate the mother daughter bonding thing sometimes."

Serena became sad as she thought about her own mother and how she felt the same about her mother sometimes when she was alive. Now, she wished she would have spent more time with her.

Helen came in and smiled when she saw Evelyn and Serena together. Helen said to Serena, "Serena, this is my beautiful daughter Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Sammy's sister Serena. She moved to New Orleans from Tokyo a few months ago."

Evelyn said excited, "That is so awesome. Why would you ever leave Tokyo? I always wanted to go there." Serena became quiet as she started to feel like she was about to choke up. Evelyn looked confused like she did something wrong.

Helen excused them and led Evelyn upstairs. Serena could hear them whispered as Helen explained to Evelyn what happened to her mother. Evelyn felt horrible when her mother explained to her about Serena and Sammy's parents' death.

Back at the bistro, Detective Saint-Martin returned a few minutes later. Darien asked concern, "Are you okay?"

Detective Saint-Martin nodded the said, "Yeah, so what do you have?"

Darien produced a manila folder. He held it where Detective Saint-Martin can see it. He said, "I wanted to meet with you to show you this. This man has been kidnapping and murdering children since the nineteen eighties. He disappears and reappears every ten years. Ten years it was your son and I. Now, he is back with a new batch of innocent children." Saint-Martin looked down and looked as Darien flipped through photo after photo of children ten years and younger from different backgrounds like African, Latino, Asian, Native American, and Indian. "All these children have gone missing over the last eight months."

Detective Saint –Martin said flabbergasted, "Why did I not know about these children?"

Darien said bluntly, "But they are not white kids. They are not that poster child like you made Eric out to be. These children came from poor working class families, but no one talks about them because they were minorities. When Eric disappeared, his story was covered all over the national media in prime time news media and newspapers for months because he was that rich, white suburban kid. It was because of your wife and your search for your son that saved my life and that of the other children. These kids do not have those resources and they have become forgotten. I am here so that they are not forgotten. I am here to get rid of the magician for once and for all, so another ten years do not pass again and he does this to any more children. It's time to end it now."

Detective Saint-Martin asked looking up at Darien after going through the photographs of the thirteen innocent minority children kidnapped from only a few miles from their homes, "What do you want me to do?"

Darien said, "I want you to use your position and draw him out. I vaguely remembered things but I remembered that he watched the news a lot and when he felt the FBI getting too close to finding him, he jetted off to Texas then San Francisco now he is back here."

Detective Saint-Martin said, "Give me time to process all of this. If you are wrong, I could lose my career over this."

Darien said, "But if I am right, this could be the highlight of your career."

Detective Saint-Martin heard his phone ringing. He glanced at it then said, "Excuse me, it's the wife."

Darien smiled as Detective Saint-Martin excused himself.

Serena looked up and saw a large portrait on Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper in the hallway in the opening the led out of the room. Serena looked admiringly at it even though she knew it was not the original. She saw from the praying candles with the Holy Trinity on it on a table beneath the portrait that they were Catholics.

Sammy and Hunter happily played the Wii in Hunter's room.

Helen walked out of the kitchen startling Serena. Helen laughed, "There's another way to the kitchen from the back stairs. Hey, I am cooking a green bean casserole for lunch. I wanted to know if you wanted to stick around for a little while. My husband is inviting a guest over also so you will not be alone."

Serena said with a smile, "That would be great, but Sammy and I should really be getting home now. I wouldn't want to intrude."

Helen looked confused and said, "But Sammy said that no one is at home, right?"

Serena said reluctantly, "I guess you can say that."

Helen quickly smiled then said, "Great, lunch is at two." She then walked off.

Serena mumbled to herself, "She reminds me of my mom."

Serena heard the doorbell ring. She heard it ring a second time. No one came to answer it. Helen was off somewhere probably the kitchen. Evelyn was in the bathroom showering, and the boys were playing the Wii loudly in Hunter's room.

Serena sighed then said, "I guess I'll get it."

Serena went to open the door and stood shocked then asked, "It's you."

Darien smiled next to the detective and said, "It's me…"

As they walked passed her, Detective Saint-Martin said, "The misses wanted him to come." Detective Saint-Martin took off his coat and hat and hung it on a coat hanger near the door while Serena closed and locked the door back.

Darien smirked at her as he then changed his expression to happily greet Helen who had just walked in the room thanking him for saving her son. Darien and Helen laughed and joked with one another becoming fast friends.

Serena looked at the scene from a distance then asked telepathically as Darien engaged in a conversation with the Saint-Martins, "Did you plan this?"

Darien asked telepathically as he continued his conversation with the Saint-Martins then answered cynically, "If you are suggesting that I purposely enrolled your little brother in the same school that Hunter Saint-Martin attended as a way to eventually infiltrate myself into the family, you are totally mistaken."

Serena mentally rolled her eyes and said telepathically, "And how long have I been mistaken?"

Darien said telepathically as Helen touched his arms laughing at what he said while the detective went to the bar to pour himself a glass of Scotch, "For months, I may have enrolled Sammy in Hunter's class and encouraged him to make friends with him. They have been hanging out for over two months now and are now inseparable."

An hour later, everyone was sitting at the table enjoying Helen's delicious green bean casserole. Helen and Scott sat at the end of the tables. Hunter, Sammy, and Darien sat on one side while Serena and Evelyn sat on the other side. Darien sat next to Helen while Evelyn sat next to her father.

Darien said with a smile, "Mrs. Saint-Martin, this was delicious."

Helen blushed and said, "Thank you, Darien. And please call me Helen. You can call Mrs. Saint-Martin, Scott also…"

Scott frowned but back down once Helen gave them a stern look. Darien smiled at the interaction then locked eyes across the table with Serena, who quickly diverted her eyes from him. He knew she saw it too.

Helen said after she finished chewing a bite of her casserole, "So Darien, my husband said that you are going to Harvard next fall?"

Scott smirked at him as Darien smiled then turned to Helen and answered, "Yes, ma'am."

Helen asked, "Have you decided on what you are going to major in?"

Darien smiled then said, "No ma'am. I am debating between medical and law school."

Helen looked pleased as Scott silently laughed to himself before taking a sip of his wine.

Helen said excited, "That was my husband's dream for my son Eric before he disappeared."

Scott stopped smiling and looking stern at his wife and asked angrily, "Don't you mean our son, dear."

Helen said becoming upset as stared across the table at her husband with an icy stare, "Was he our son when you lost him?"

Scott yelled back, "It was a mistake."

Helen yelled back angrily, "What type of father loses his own child?"

Every one remained quiet as the married couple started getting into a back and forth shouting match. Hunter and Evelyn dropped their forks. Evelyn looked irritated as she sat back in her chair and folded her arms while Hunter looked depressed as Sammy stared at him. They looked as if they were used to it.

Hunter said sadly, "This happens every time we are all together."

Sammy asked, "What happened? Who's Eric? Is he your brother?"

Hunter nodded. "He was kidnapped at the mall when he was our age. It was a couple of months before I was born. I never knew him."

Evelyn said angrily throwing downing her napkin, "I am so tired of this. They might as well get a divorce already. They hate each other, and I hate this."

Serena stared at her.

Darien said very loudly, "Eric loved you all!" The table became quiet.

Helen asked stunned, "How do know my son?"

Darien asked, "Because we were kidnapped by the same person."

Helen quickly covered her mouth getting emotional and asked, "Did you get a chance to talk to him?"

Darien smiled and nodded. He said in a sincere voice, "He loved you all. He talked about how pretty his mom was, how annoying his sister was." He looked at Evelyn looked stunned. "He said you were a huge Sailor Moon fan and you hogged the television when he wanted to watch Digimon."

Evelyn laughed then said, "That's true." Serena smiled at her.

He looked at Scott and said, "He talked about how cool his dad was and how he wanted to be just like you when he grew up. He knew that you wanted him to be a lawyer one day, but he wanted to be a police officer to put bad people away like The Magician."

He then looked at Hunter and said, "And he talked about you too, Hunter."

Hunter looked up excited. His blue eyes were wide with excitement. He asked happily, "He did, but he never met me."

Darien smiled then said, "Yeah, but he was so excited to be having a little brother. He wanted to do so much with you like work on his race car so that he could go racing in the derby."

Helen and Scott laughed. Helen said happily, "That was true. Remember when we told him we were having another baby. He was so excited and said now he could have someone to build cars with. He even cleaned up his room so that Hunter could sleep in there once he was born."

Scott smiled at his wife and laughed, "Yes, he wanted the baby to sleep with him in his race car bed."

Helen interjected, "He was so upset when we told him the baby was going to sleep somewhere else."

Scott laughed, "Yeah, he would not talk for days." Scott turned to Hunter and said, "Yeah, if it was up to your big brother, everyone would call you Vegeta since that was his favorite Digimon character."

Darien corrected, "I think Vegeta was with Dragon Ball Z, which was a pretty epic anime if I should say so myself."

Serena smiled as everyone as the family began to engage in a funny conversation with Darien. Hunter looking confused at the name Vegeta and Evelyn teasing him telling him about it. Scott and Helen were laughing and smiling with a quite charismatic Darien.

Serena looked around at the family. She saw the pale blue eyes of Scott. She saw the vivid dark blue eyes and beautiful dark locks of Evelyn and Hunter. Hunter looked like a childlike version of the center of attention.

Yet, if her theory was correct? How could Darien have met Eric? Why was he so similar to the real Darien Shields? Helen had brown hair and green eyes? Scott had grey hair and blue eyes? So how did Eric look? Why was no one suspecting what she was thinking?

Helen left out and brought out her famous homemade lemon meringue pie. Everyone looked happy as she grabbed everyone's plates and cut them a slice.

Helen sat back down and listened with fake modesty as everyone complimented her on her delicious pie saying things like it was not her best or it was too rich in taste but she relished the compliments.

After lunch, everyone went off into their own groups. Scott went in his study for privacy that was located at the end of the hallway. Sammy and Hunter ran upstairs to play a quick game of Dead or Alive. Evelyn and Serena went to Evelyn's room where the gossip about high school and boys.

Helen and Darien sat in the den and had a cup of tea and cucumber sandwiches.

Darien laughed as he enjoyed the cucumber sandwiches. Helen smiled then asked, "What's so funny?"

Darien smiled then said, "No, it's like you are an imitation of Martha Stewart. Lunch was delicious. I think this was my first normal family experience that I can recall."

Helen crossed her legs as she sipped her tea. She said sitting her tea down and said, "I know Scott was telling me that you cannot remember anything before age six, right?"

Darien nodded then said, "Yet, it's a blank to me. My earliest memory is being in the Magician's captivity."

Helen sighed then said remorseful, "Yes, my husband informed me that you are extremely smart but you lived a tough life. It is amazing that you survived so intact."

Darien said, "I'm not intact. It's just a façade I have to put on for the world. I learnt that we lived in a dog eat dog world and everyone is out for themselves. It is not a place for the weakest so I learn to hide those flaws that make me weak."

Helen said, "Thank you for today."

Darien asked confused, "Why?"

Helen said feeling emotional, "Because that lunch was also the first time we had a normal family meal without screaming at one another in a very long time." She took a deep sighed then gave him a lukewarm smile.

Darien said grabbing another sandwich, "You have to forgive your husband, Helen. It was not his fault that The Magician kidnapped him. It was no one's fault. The Magician hunts children and he picks the ones that he wants. Eric's kidnapping was already premeditated. He looked for a moment and one moment when your husband turned his back was when he took his opportunity to lure him away. You cannot let one moment last a lifetime. "

Helen remained quiet. Darien continued, "The Magician takes children when we are alone in our front yards playing, in comfort of our own homes, when we are on our way to school, and even when we were at church. He preys on us when we feel the safest. That is when we are the most vulnerable because we let our guards down." Darien leaned forward and took Helen's hands with his as they stared into each other's eyes. "The Magicians loves to create fear but to live in fear is to not to live at all. You have two beautiful children up in there that need their parents' love instead of forever living in the shadow of their brother's ghost."

Helen released her hands from Darien's grasp and wiped her eyes that were becoming misty then sniffed her nose and said, "I don't know how to forgive him."

Darien said grabbing a napkin off the table and handed it to Helen who took it, "Just do it. Believe in your faith but you have to let go of the past and move on. If not for your own stake, do it for the stake of your children."

Helen asked, "Why are you here, Darien?"

Darien said, "I came back here as a promise to a friend and to kill my demons. My childhood ended in the city because of him and even though I cannot reclaim that, I want to claim my future and I cannot do that until I know that that sick bastard is burning in hell. That's why I need your help."

Helen asked confused, "What?"

Darien said, "Because of your search for your son, the Magician was almost captured. I need your family help one last time to draw him out, and then I will take care of the bastard for good."

Helen asked, "Would killing him bring you peace, Darien?"

Darien looked at her and said candidly, "Yes, Mrs. Saint-Martin, it will."

Helen said in a determined resolve, "Then we shall help you."

Darien smiled.