"You're going to do this no matter what I say, aren't you?"

Alex didn't say anything. These people had to pay for their crimes, even if she had to kill them herself.

"God, you're so stubborn, Alex." Justin said, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I have no choice. Let's do this together."

"What?" Alex asked. "I can't ask that of you. Justin you might not make it out of this alive."

"That very well could be the case, but what older brother would allow their younger sibling to enter the jaws of death alone? We're in this together, Alex." Justin spoke.

"Justin."

The older brother flashed her a smile. "You aren't alone. Now let's see what our friend Dahak has been up to." Justin pulled out of his wand and immediately the tip glowed.

Justin pointed his wand at the table that Alex was sitting at. "Please please tell me now is there something I should know. Duranium Duranius."

The siblings watched as a scene played out before them on the table's surface. There were at least sixty men lined up in front of Dahak. Next to him was Allen and Adrian. Dahak seemed to be addressing his men, whatever he was saying was unknown to Alex and Justin though. The spell allowed them to see the whereabouts of the person they were thinking of at the time, but they couldn't hear any noise let alone voices.

"Justin. What do you think?"

He glanced at his sister. "I don't know what he's planning, but it's anything but good." He replied. "I'm also unsure of why Allen and Adrian were next to him instead of with the other men, I suspect it has something to do with how powerful they are."

Alex knew just how powerful those two were, especially when they worked as a team. They were nowhere on Dahak's level, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.

"It would be suicidal to try something now." Justin deactivated his spell which caused Alex to frown. Angry as she was, not even she would go to a place with so many enemies.

"All we can do is try again some other time."

Justin nods. "Let's try again. Later tonight."

Alex nodded.

"I-I can't do it." William's breath was ragged, he breathed in and out, attempting to catch his breath. "I don't get it. Why can't I summon it?"

Jace shook his head. He could see what was wrong, but it wouldn't do the boy any good if he just told him. "Summoning lightning from the sky is no small feat, William. Give it time. You can't learn this skill in one day."

William frowned but didn't say anything. Jace looked away from his student and noticed the sun setting.

"Let's call it a day. I suggest you reflect on your battle with Dahak and what it is you actually want to do."

William looked at his mentor with surprise. "You know what I want to do."

Jace raised a quizzical brow. "I'm not so sure that you know what you want."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Jace didn't say anything. Instead he walked into the house to prepare dinner. William frowned as he followed his mentor inside.

Dahak grinned as he took in the appearance of his men. He had allies in multiple places all over the world. The tyrant didn't have a use for them, not right now anyway. Sixty or so men was all he needed for right now.

He had granted Adrian and Allen men of their own to command. The two of them were nowhere on his level, but they were powerful. No doubt about that. They also made a formidable team. Dahak didn't trust many people, but he did respect their power. Granting them people to command would only benefit him in the long run.

'There isn't anyone who can stop us. William was the only one who was a danger to our plans. Now that he's gone, New York City will be mine.' Dahak glanced at Allen.

"I want you and Adrian to do something for me."

Adrian looked at his leader with curiosity.

"And what would that be sir?"

"Everyone associated with William. Kill them."

Adrian had a surprised look on his face. Was that really necessary? Taking out those that weren't a threat…he didn't know how he felt about that. It had nothing to do with their goal. Although he had his doubts he would follow his orders as usual. Allen wasn't all that surprised, knowing exactly the kind of man his leader was. He actually expected something like this.

"I'll look into it, Lord Dahak. You gave us men to command. I think it's time we used them." Adrian spoke after a minute or so.

"This will be a cake walk compared to the battle with William." Allen said

Adrian's lips curled upwards into a smile. "Indeed."

Justin stood beside Alex who had a framed photo in her left hand while in her right hand she held her wand.

"Please please tell me now if there is something I should know. Duranium Duranius."

Justin's eyes narrowed as he watched two men walk side by side. One of the men was Adrian. Neither Alex or Justin recognized the other guy though. "We shouldn't do anything just yet. The other guy is likely to be an Elemental. We need to wait until either Allen or Adrian is alone."

Alex nodded. This other Elemental was unknown. They didn't even know what he was capable of. "We should see if Allen is alone."

The teen waved her wand and chanted the same spell once more. Alex sighed.

Allen was talking with a woman with ginger hair and green eyes.

"Damn it!"

Justin placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Calm down. I know it's frustrating, but we'll get them alone eventually. We just need to be patient."

Alex didn't like it but her brother was right. She wasn't a patient girl but she'd try. If it meant that she could avenge William, the young wizard would do anything.

William was in a room that was neither small nor large. There was a bed pressed against a wall horizontally. Across the bed was a wooden dresser. On Top of which an alarm sat in the center. The time was 9:43 PM.

Above the dresser was a mounted tv. It was a 40-inch tv. To the left of the bed was a closed closet which was probably empty due to the fact he didn't have any of his belongings. The door was near the dresser, but it wasn't in the way.

The young Elemental had his eyes closed. His mentor's words echoed within his mind.

'I'm not so sure you know what you want.'

'What did he mean by that? I have to get stronger. To keep Alex safe. To protect the city. How is that not knowing what I want?' William thought, his face lined with irritation.

Alex had taught him what it meant to care for someone else. The wizard had warmed his heart. She had become precious to him. Of course he wanted to keep her safe. 'But why did he want to keep the city safe? It wasn't like there was anyone in the city he cared for besides Alex.

William closed his eyes. The answer came to him after several minutes.

'I…I love her. I…love Alex.'

The following day

Harper had a blank look on her face as she walked in the opposite direction of the school. A look of vexation making its way on her face. It was difficult staying away from Alex when she shared multiple classes with her.

Alex was like a sister to her. That's why it hurt so much. She had lied to her. This wasn't the first time either: she had lied about her being a wizard. She realized that something like that couldn't be helped. It would be disastrous if wizardry was exposed. She understood that.

What Harper couldn't understand was her reasoning for lying about her relationship with William. Since she was brought into the loop about the Russo family secret there had been next to no secrets between them. Until William came along.

Harper understood that William had changed, but that didn't mean it was okay for Alex to lie to her face. The teen balled her hands into fists as her vexation turned into anger.

'Alex.' She thought angrily, clenching her fists so tightly that her skin turned white. After a couple seconds she unclenched her fists, however the anger in her eyes still remained.

Unknown to her a dark figure slowly closed in on her.

Jace watched his pupil with a critical eye. William lifted his right hand in the air in an unhurried way. He concentrated for a few seconds and well and behold, lightning struck. Electricity crackling about his hand dangerously. The Master Elemental was at a loss for words. Just yesterday he was struggling with this technique. What changed between today and yesterday? Did he figure out what was holding him back?

"Impressive." Jace spoke. "I guess it's not an exaggeration. You are a prodigy."

William frowned at the praise, but he didn't say anything.

"So how did you master it? How late did you stay up?"

"I didn't stay up that late. I simply did some thinking and came to a realization."

Jace rose a brow. "Care to elaborate?"

"I realized that I want a future for me and Alex. I need to defeat Dahak in order for that to happen. Things are crazy right now, however I'm determined to do what needs to be done. No matter what."

Jace nods. "I feared that it would take far too long for you to realize that."

William looked at the man with a surprised look on his face. "So that's what you meant."

Jace folded his arms across his chest. "Indeed. I imagine that you were afraid of failing again. Admitting your love isn't a bad thing. It gives you a reason to fight, William."

William tore his gaze away from his mentor before pointing his palm to the sky at an angle and allowed the lightning to discharge.

"I need to ask you a favor."

William's eyes met Jace's, curiosity spreading across the teen's face.

"I need a few things for lunch. Do you mind getting it for me?"

"Yeah. I suppose I could use a break." William replied. Usually Jace woke him up at seven to begin his training and it was probably well past noon.

Jace unfolded his arms. "After lunch we'll continue training. I'll text you everything I need."

"Okay."

Harper could feel her heart slamming against her chest as she ran away from her pursuer. She didn't know for how long she was being followed or the reason why she was being targeted, but all she knew was she didn't want to die.

Harper passed what felt like a hundred buildings. With each step her breathing grew heavier. She didn't know how long she could keep this up. Eventually she came upon a narrow Alleyway. She was sandwiched between two brick walls. "O-out of energy…" She muttered, placing a hand on the wall to her right. It was so hard to breathe right now.

"Did you really think you could get away from me?" Harper heard a feminine voice whisper into her ear. Her eyes widened. The next thing the teen knew a hand was placed on her back which was followed by a wet sensation. There was no pain, but she was sent flying by a small stream of water which formed from her pursuer's palm.

Harper attempted to stand, but she slipped. There was water underneath her, after all. Laughter echoed throughout the alley followed by wet footsteps.

'A-Am I really going to die here? W-Why am I even being targeted? She's an Elemental, right? Why go after me? I'm just a regular teenage girl.' Harper thought before gasping as she was flipped over.

Her pursuer's identity was revealed to her, she was a woman with long and wavy ginger hair. Her eyes were a dark green which contrasted well with her hair color. The woman licked her lips and gave her a sadistic smile.

The woman grabbed a handful of her shirt. "Why don't you go ahead and scream? I want to enjoy this." She said with a smirk.

Harper opened her mouth, looking past the woman. Seeing this the woman glared at her. "What are you doing?! Shouldn't you be begging me to spare-"

The woman widened her eyes before jumping out of the way of a kick aimed at her head. She was soon forced to evade a series of punches which was finished off with a kick.

The woman glared at the newcomer. "Who are you?!"

Harper couldn't believe what she was seeing. How was he here? And why did he come to her rescue?

"William?"

To be continued