Hey y'all! How's everyone doing? We are now entering part 2 of Seth's unexpected magical vacation aka year 2 at Hogwarts aka the Chamber of Secrets but with Fablehaven. We are also entering more AU territory as I will be doing some hand-wavey stuff in regards to Fablehaven canon in order to better fit the story that I want to tell here. It's not going to be super AU, just some adjustments here and there regarding canon Fablehaven lore. Reminder that this fanfiction series is occurring post-canon and I still have not read Dragon watch so Fablehaven characters may act somewhat OOC as they are aged up physically and mentally (though only mentally in Seth's case since he was de-aged.) Anyways, please read on ahead and I hope you all enjoy!

I enjoy any comments, except for those that are just full of negativity and not constructive at all. Just give me something to work with instead of just "It's bad." I also appreciate any positive constructive criticism since I'm always looking to improve my writing and storytelling capabilities. Thanks for reading this story! Virtual hugs and cuddles to y'all.

Disclaimer: I still do not own anything except any OC's that may come up, any world building that has not yet been officially stated by the books or movies, and any plot points/structures that have not been used in the books or movies.

Warning: No beta, we die like Stingbulbs.

Prologue: Worst Summer Ever

XXXXXX

In all of Seth's twenty-one plus one years of living, summer was the best time of the year.

In fact, it was commonly known by all who knew him that Seth's favorite season of the year was summer. This was partially because the season happened to coincide with school holidays so he always had three blissful months away from academic torture to do whatever the hell he wanted. The other reason was because summer was the time when he returned to Fablehaven, to the sanctuary of fantastical creatures and mythical adventures galore.

So to reiterate: The grass was green. The sky was blue. Kendra was an annoying older sister.

And Seth loved summer.

So why, oh why, should this summer be any different?

Well, it was different because for the first time in all of Seth's twenty-one plus one years of living, summer was not the best time of the year.

Why you ask?

Well it started like this…

The moment Seth stepped off the plane in Bradley International Airport, his parents ambushed him with concerns over his well-being and nagged him about taking better care of his safety considering he was over 3,000 miles away from his family and any form of magical support. The whole experience felt babying to him but at least his parents still spoke to him like he was 22-years-old despite being in a 12-year-old's body.

However, the same could not be said about his grandparents. While Grandma Sorenson was willing to play devil's advocate, Grandpa Sorenson had many, many things to say about his grandson's behavior. The lecture Seth had been given about his reckless behavior and casual use of abilities endangering his safety and the existence of the preserves was scathing and borderline condescending.

It made him feel like he was actually 12-years-old, like he was still the dumb kid who did want he wanted damn the consequences, and it was humiliating, especially when he was grounded like a little kid again.

He glared at Kendra for ratting him out when he explicitly asked her not too and she only shrugged unapologetically in return. She did leave an apology donut by his door later that night because even she could admit Grandpa might have gone a bit too far with his scolding.

In regards to the terms of his grounding, he was given a list of chores he had to do every day to remind him to be responsible with his abilities as if he hadn't learned anything from the adventuring he'd done since he turned 18. He also needed to have someone, it didn't matter who, always supervising (but actually it was babysitting) him and no, Newel and Doren didn't count as viable supervision.

The only time he'd have a moment to himself was when he was in the bathroom or in his room and even then, there was a charm on his windows to prevent him from sneaking away. He was also forbidden from going to certain parts of the sanctuary and would get more chores tacked on if he got caught where he shouldn't be.

All these rules would be in place until his grandparents decided he was off the hook and ungrounded which was completely unfair on so many levels. Even the others were surprised by how Spartan the rules were though it wasn't like they objected to any of them. Seth was genuinely surprised they didn't just throw him into the Quiet Box and be done with it cause he honestly preferred that to the unfair, under the microscope treatment he was getting.

And thus, here were the reasons why Seth was having the worst summer of his life (considering they faced the demon realm before and he attended his sister's clone's (not that they knew that then) funeral, that was really saying something) and they hadn't even made it halfway through June yet.

However, he could live with all of that because he knew that his family and friends were only concerned. He knew that they cared.

He saw how his friends made an extra effort to indulge him in pulling pranks around the preserve and helping him in his alchemy and potion experiments. He noticed how Grandma Sorenson always gave him an extra serving of dinner and desert. He knew it when Grandpa Sorenson would invite him to the roof at night and tell him stories from his youth.

He knew they were worried about him because he was spending the academic year in another country in a place of unpredictable magic after being de-aged by ancient magic from a legendary Arthurian myth. Who wouldn't be worried?

At least, that was what he believed until the first official day of the summer season arrived.

It was the morning of June 21st. The sun was up, so was the temperature, and Seth's list of chores was mercifully light for the day.

However, that should've been the glaring red flag about what was to come.

He'd just come back from mucking the stables and was about to hit the showers after hugging Kendra when she made a joke about how he smelled.

That was when it all came to a head, the straw that finally broke the camel's back. And it was all thanks to a sleep-deprived Vanessa.

XXXXXX

Seth walked into the kitchen with a jaw-cracking yawn as he stretched his arms and shook out any remaining soreness from the early morning's chores. His hair was still damp from the hot shower he had to take to get the smell of the stables off of him.

Kendra and Bracken were cheerfully conversing in a way that only exes who were better off as friends could. Grandma was humming to herself as she set about preparing to bake one of her specialty pies. And Vanessa…Vanessa looked like death warmed over, then frozen, then warmed over again.

"Hey Vanessa," Seth greeted, "How-"

"Don't talk to me," she growled before draining half of the extra large cup of coffee she had in her hand.

Seth dutifully backed away so he couldn't get stabbed by whatever knife she happened to have on her person that morning. He shuffled over to Grandma who wordlessly handed him a plate of bacon, sausage, and toast with blackberry jam.

He took it gratefully and couldn't help but ask, "What cup is she on?"

"Her sixth," Grandma said, sighing in disapproval, "You really need to either sleep better or find a healthier alternative for your outrageous caffeine intake."

"You can pry this coffee out of my cold, dead hands," Vanessa muttered threateningly before chugging down the rest of the cup, "Besides, I was only up so late cause Agad decided to be an asshat and start preparations for the Eternal ceremony three months in advance."

Seth immediately froze the moment her words registered in his mind. He slowly turned to her and carefully asked, "Eternal ceremony? For who?"

Everyone else in the room froze and snapped their heads towards Vanessa in unison, collectively hoping that the coffee would catch up to her brain and stop her from saying anything incriminating. Unfortunately, their hopes would be in vain.

Vanessa looked at him as if he were stupid and poured herself more coffee. "For Kendra, who else?"

Then she froze as her mind finally caught up to her words. "Oops," she said, though she didn't look very apologetic or concerned about it as she took a sip from her seventh cup of coffee.

Seth slowly turned to view the reactions of those in the kitchen. Kendra looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a ten ton truck, Bracken wouldn't even look at him, and Grandma focused more attention than necessary on the bowl of pie mix in her hands. His expression hardened.

"So I see you were still planning to go through with becoming an Eternal on your 25th," he said to his sister.

"Of course I was, I didn't say I wasn't going to," Kendra said, laughing nervously.

"But you were going to do the ceremony without telling me," he said matter of fact.

She nodded guiltily. "Look Seth, it's not like we didn't want to include you but you'll be in another country during my birthday."

"And when has that ever stopped us from getting anything done. I literally handed over a baby dragon to Santiago in Italy while I was still in Scotland," he stated flatly, causing Kendra to duck her head with a grimace, "But ignoring that for second, you were still planning to prepare for the ceremony for the next three months without cluing me in at all."

She sighed and nodded, knowing there was no point in denying it. "Yeah, we were."

"Well I guess that explains why I've been made to do so many chores and put under supervision so often. Can't go snooping if I'm too busy or never alone," he said more than asked.

Her silence was enough of a confirmation for him.

"Why weren't you going to tell me?" He asked, still managing to control his tumultuous emotions.

"You know why," she said like the answer was obvious even though it really wasn't.

"No, I really don't."

"It's because you want to be an Eternal."

He raised a brow in confusion. "So? Is that suddenly a crime? Am I never supposed to want to become one? Am I banned from even trying?"

"Well, no. But-"

"Then please tell me, oh great and powerful fairy kind, mistress of all that is rainbows and unicorns," he sarcastically and bitterly drawled.

She scowled, ticked off by his attitude. If he wasn't going to drop the issue, then she was going to make him drop the issue. "It's because you're not good enough to be an Eternal, Seth."

Everyone gasped at her in surprise. Seth stiffened and was deadly silent as she continued to go off.

"You're reckless. You're immature. You use underhanded tactics and-" she cut herself off when she realized she was about to venture into dangerous territory.

"And? What else were you going to say?" He asked, so void of emotion that it was frightening to see the usually energetic and chaotic boy act as if he were made of stone.

But Kendra kept silent because even though she desperately wanted her brother to forget about becoming an Eternal, she wasn't going to say the one thing that everyone knew he was prideful and sensitive about.

However, Seth wasn't having it and egged her on. "And what else? What else am I that makes it oh so hard for me to become an Eternal?"

"...a shadow charmer," she quietly said and immediately looked like she regretted it.

"And there it is!" He exclaimed, hands gesticulating wildly now from his growing anger and agitation, "I thought we've been over this Kendra. That just because I'm a shadow charmer, doesn't mean I've got the bad rep that comes with it. I've spent the past six years proving to you and everyone in the community that I'm not a bad person, that I can be trusted!"

"But that was before we saw the effects the position had on the Sphinx," she patiently said, hoping that would be the end of it but it was a vain hope as she could practically see the fires of indignation in his eyes.

"Well I'm not the Sphinx," he viciously spat out, "I don't manipulate others to fulfill my own selfish goals without regard for the consequences or the belief that the ends justify the means. I don't play with the lives of people by siding with demons. Are you really going to toss me in the same box as the Sphinx of all people? The Sphinx? I'm your brother for crying out loud!"

Kendra wanted to pull her hair out and scream because that was the whole crux of the issue. The main reason why she was so against him becoming an Eternal in the first place.

"And that's why I'm telling you that you can't become an Eternal. You saw what happened to the Sphinx and why we need another Eternal as soon as possible. His constitution has weakened and because of that, he's become more prone to the dangers of being a shadow charmer. The only reason he's still fine is because he's been involved in the magical community for so long and knows how to use the magic of the artifacts to mitigate the effects."

"Who knows what the ritual could do to you, someone who's only been a shadow charmer for not even 10 years. You could become more susceptible to dark beings! You could lose the strength necessary to protect yourself or worse! We're just trying to look out for you, Seth," she desperately pleaded.

"And how the hell does all of that translate to not telling me about your ceremony?" He asked, refusing to let up until he was satisfied she wasn't trying to get him to drop it by drowning him in rambling jargon.

"We just didn't want you getting any ideas or thinking you could find a way to persuade us in the coming months," she said, now toeing the line she swore never to cross when Seth finally managed to shed the stigma of being a shadow charmer and was respected for his abilities as an adventurer, "You know what you're like when you really want something Seth. You'd do anything regardless of the methods and damn the consequences. Why do you think someone's always watching over you since you came back from school? It certainly wasn't just to make sure you never knew about the ceremony preparations."

Seth flinched at her accusations and Kendra immediately knew she'd finally crossed the line.

"So that's really what you think of me?" He quietly asked.

"No, no! That wasn't what I meant," she vehemently denied, "I mean, I know you've matured and all but-"

"The fact that you said 'but' speaks volumes you know," he bitterly cut her off, "Even after 10 years, I'm still just your immature kid brother who only cares about getting his way or the highway? And you really think I'd sink so low as to use my abilities against you. Glad to know you have such faith in me."

"Well, I mean, umm…" she stammered.

He scoffed. "Whatever. Message received, loud and clear." Then he turned away and stormed up to his room, leaving his breakfast to grow cold on the table.

Kendra fell heavily into her seat with a groan. "Why did I say all of that?"

Bracken winced and patted her empathetically on the shoulder. "While I will admit I could hear your concern for him, your delivery was a little…how should I put this…"

"It was hella harsh. I didn't think you'd actually rip him a new one," Vanessa bluntly remarked.

"Excuse me! And who's fault was it that he found out in the first place?" Kendra pointed accusatory.

Vanessa shrugged, completely unbothered. "I'm not gonna apologize for telling him."

"Ha! I knew you did that on purpose," Kendra said like it was the greatest discovery of the century, "Even when you're sleep deprived, you only need five cups before you're awake and functional, not six. And by the way, we really need to find you a better alternative to coffee. It can't be good for your body."

Vanessa sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Stop trying to change the subject. You shouldn't have tried to hide this from him in the first place."

"I have to agree with Vanessa" Bracken chimed in, holding steadfast when Kendra shot him a look for his unexpected betrayal, "Seth is your brother, the other side of your sibling coin. The only reason why you two managed to survive all that you did when you were young was because you both had each other's backs and have a bond that's rarer than the most legendary artifacts out there. To not tell him something as important as this and to ban him from doing something simply because you're afraid for him, is such a deep act of betrayal that I'm not surprised that he's so angry."

"You don't need to sugar coat it, Bracken. She's not afraid. She just doesn't trust him," Vanessa said with all the subtle grace of a bull in a china shop.

"I do trust him!" Kendra vehemently protested.

Vanessa looked at her like she didn't believe her at all. "Then why didn't you tell him about the ceremony, hmm? Why don't you want him to become an Eternal? Most of us know that the Sphinx is only like that cause of whatever bullshit Agad pulled on him."

"And that's exactly why Seth shouldn't become an Eternal," Kendra stated with no room for argument, "We all know what the reputation of shadow charmers was like before Seth became one and proved them wrong. And we all know how prejudiced those like Agad are towards those inclined towards the darkness. If Seth became an Eternal, who knows what Agad could do to him to ensure that another shadow charmer is kept under wraps and who knows what leftover effects the waters of the lake could have on him in the future. There's just too much unpredictability that I'm not willing to risk my brother's life on."

Vanessa whistled, impressed by her passionate rant. "Wow. Little Miss Goodie Two Shoes actually thinking with her brain and not blindly trusting Agad just because he's helped us out so much in the past so that must mean he won't hate Seth? I didn't think you had it in you."

Kendra scowled. "I may be naive and light inclined but I'm not stupid. Agad was a dragon before he became a wizard and we all know to never fully trust dragons because they can never really understand or empathize with humans and always have their own agendas."

"Then why don't you tell Seth everything you just said instead of lecturing him for faults he's all too aware of and has done his best to grow from?" Bracken asked.

"Or stop acting like you know better cause you're light inclined and he's not?" Vanessa added.

Kendra groaned miserably as she ran a hand through her hair in frustration, ruining the put together look she always had and physically showing how much this was bothering her. "I don't know," she glumly and truthfully responded. "It's just…I know he's capable, probably more than me in many ways. I know he would make a great Eternal and I would love to have him by my side but…ever since he got de-aged by that lake water, I can't help but keep seeing him as my immature 11-year-old brother who's going to get himself killed just because he wants to go on an adventure."

Bracken nodded empathetically in understanding. "I suppose you have a point. Even I can't help but feel a little overprotective and concerned for his safety with how young he looks now."

"It is pretty disconcerting to see him so vulnerable considering how much he's grown these past few years so I can't blame you for that," Vanessa reluctantly agreed.

"Regardless," Grandma suddenly said, startling everyone since she hadn't said anything the entire time, "You should still tell him your true feelings, Kendra, before the summer ends and he's out of your reach until he returns for the holidays. After all, we wouldn't want a repeat of what happened when your stingbulb passed away now, do we?"

Kendra grimaced at the reminder of how her family thought she'd died before discovering the existence of stingbulbs. "You're right. I'll go talk to him and hopefully we can clear the air before the month's over."

But before she could get up, Seth came stomping back down from upstairs, this time with a stuffed duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

"Where are you going with that?" Kendra asked in confusion.

"My secret base," Seth responded as he went to raid the cupboard, "I'd rather not spend the rest of my summer in the same house as a lying sister with trust issues."

"Seth!" Grandma cried out in admonishment when she saw him trying to remove a whole tin of homemade cookies and he reluctantly put it back.

"I'll be sure to set up the necessary protections and come back to the house during the solstice but I really can't stay here, Grandma. I need space," he pleaded with his signature puppy eyes.

Grandma sighed and gestured for him to take the tin of cookies that he gleefully complied with. "Oh very well. As long as you take care and make sure to have meals with the family every day. We'll send Dale and Warren to make sure you'll be fine in the tree house and I suppose I can get Stan to unground you now."

"Thanks Grandma," Seth said gratefully and turned to leave the house.

"Seth, wait," Kendra called out.

He paused and turned to her with barely contained anger. "I don't want to hear anything else from you, Kendra. I'm your brother, your partner. We've been through so much together that I would've expected a little more trust than what you showed me."

"But I do trust you, Seth," she said, genuinely meaning it but he shook his head, not wanting to hear anything more from her.

"Apparently not enough to trust that I would be fine as an Eternal and should get my fair shot at trying to become one," he retorted bitterly.

"That's not fair. You know I'm just worried about you, we all are," she tried to appeal to him.

He looked at her in disbelief. "Yeah? Well this family sure has a funny way of showing it."

Then he stormed out of the house leaving her speechless.

"Well I think that went well," Vanessa sarcastically remarked.

Kendra grimaced. "Shut up, Vanessa."

Vanessa conceded by drinking another mug of coffee.

And we bring this prologue to a close! Nothing much for me to say other than the conflict between Kendra and Seth will be very important to how the events of Chamber of Secrets will play out. I changed some bits of lore regarding Agad and the Sphinx as an Eternal. Shadow charmers are made out to be fairy tale villains in lore plus dragons are still magical creatures with their own way of thinking and agendas even if they have a human form so I just leaned into these elements a little more.

Plus, I wanted to explore a bit how Kendra ends up getting a lot of recognition and praise just because she's light inclined as opposed to Seth who sometimes gets ostracized because he's dark inclined. I wanted to explore how that would've affected his mental state and growth as well as their sibling relationship with each other. After all, Seth has had a few years to prove he's not like the other shadow charmers but there will always be a bias against those who dwell and thrive in the dark.

Also, we are still ignoring what's happening in Dragonwatch for the most part because I have not read the series and don't want to mess with what I've got planned so far cause I know I would change so much if I did read those books. Though I may probably borrow an element or two from that series to be used in the future. Also, also, if anyone's curious, I decided Seth's birthday would be April 13th and Kendra's on September 6th so take that however you will. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and the start of part 2. Until next time!