One day in the nursery, Ileus was with Seashell and had really troubled him. He was sitting next to him and pulling the lion's hair. Seashell had patiently sat there but even he had a limit. He gave a low growl, and walked away. Adrianna was sitting next to him. She chuckled and had chided her son affectionately, "If you will keep doing that to Seashell, he will leave you and go."

Ileus shook his head as he watched Seashell going out of the room. The toddler crawled after the lion. His knees wobbled and he sat down on his padded bottom. Suddenly he disappeared from there much to Adrianna's shock. She became panicky when she found herself traveling with him to the past. She saw that Ileus was again sitting in the same position as he was with the lion and pulling his hair again. Ileus had time-traveled in the past and brought the lion back. Her mouth fell when she saw two Ileus at one point of time. Her skin lined with goose bumps. "Ileus?" she said in a hoarse voice. "What did you just do?"

​​

Her eyes bulged thinking whether Ileus was a time-traveler or not. She didn't mention it to anyone for the fear that they might start disliking him. There was no wizard in the kingdom who was a time traveler.

Anxiety gripped her. She picked up Ileus and hugged him tight. She looked in his golden yellow eyes and said, "Ileus, don't ever tell anyone that you can jump across time." Adrianna shifted in her chair uncomfortably. She blew out short breaths. She could feel her stomach churning when she remembered what the Crown had warned her. How would she train little Ileus about not traveling in time? Her chest tightened and her insides quivered when she thought as to what could happen if Ileus did travel like that. She was thinking about the worst-case scenarios when she felt Ileus' warm hands on her cheeks. He was staring with his golden eyes in hers. Suddenly it felt as though the time had slowed down. Adrianna became restless. "What is it Ileus?" she crooned cradling him gently.

He seemed to convey something and unexpectedly she could feel a mental tug. He was forcing her softly to get in his brain. And Adrianna entered his cell. It was beautiful—like nature's canvas. When she came out she was pleased. She knew that he had understood what she wanted. All she did was to tell him a few rules until he grew up and the most important one was that he shouldn't tell anyone about his abilities. She could only hope that he would follow. That day she realized that Ileus was much ahead of his peer group and that he actually needed special training. But who would do that?

Ileus had not time traveled ever since but he couldn't help his other powers.

---

As Adrianna stroked Dmitri hair, she snapped her fingers for everything in Ileus nursery to go back in its place. A chuckle escaped her lips when Seashell growled.

"Well, this needs to be reset," she said.

Dmitri woke up when he heard the things rustling around him, going back to their place. He looked up at his wife. "Adri," he whispered and she kissed him on his lips.

"Isidorus is here. He wishes to meet Ileus," she purred softly.

Dmitri looked at his son. "Isidorus is back? That's great news!" Then he looked at Ileus. But he is asleep. I don't want him to wake up anytime soon. Did you see the mess he created?"

"Which baby doesn't create a mess, Dmitri? After all, he is a wizard's child. His mess has to match his capability," she replied laughing softly.

Dmitri lifted Ileus. He sat down and cuddled him. "I wonder how of a werewolf he is going to be." In fact on the inside he shuddered. "Let's go and meet him."

Adrianna took Ileus, wrapped him in a soft blue blanket and together they went out.

When Pierre saw them, he remarked, "That took you quite a while."

Isidorus' entire attention was focused on the baby. A smile came upon his lips. Adrianna walked to him and gave Ileus. Isidorus immediately nestled the baby in his arms. He lulled him as though he was his nanny. "He is beautiful," he whispered as a tear was forming in his eyes. He tried his best to fight it. All of a sudden Ileus opened his eyes. The toddler looked fixedly at the old man with white beard. Something inside Isidorus clicked—it was as if a bond had got in its place. It was as if he had become a slave to the child for the rest of his life. "I shall serve you till I die," he whispered. His whole existence suddenly found a goal to live.

Ileus' face was that of amusement. He took his hands to Isidorus' long beard, caught his hair and pulled them.

"Nooo!" Adrianna scolded Ileus. "He is not Seashell!"

And he cried.

"Why did you have to say that?" Isidorus rocked him. "I am fine with it." He was feeling so happy that this intrusion marred his joy.

Seashell had followed them behind. He grunted at Isidorus as though a competitor had arrived.

Pierre, Cora and Dmitri laughed. Adrianna shook her head and took Ileus from Isidorus. She rocked him back and forth.

Dmitri took him from her and walked out to the garden to show the water in the fountain. The lion followed them.

"Adrianna, you must give a grand party in honor of Isidorus' return," Pierre said. These days Pierre just needed an excuse for a 'grand party.' Every time there was something joyful, he would suggest Adrianna to host a party. Cora gritted her teeth but since this was Isidorus, she reserved her berating him.

"Of course, I will," she replied. Then after a pause she said, "Isidorus, thank you for taking care of Vikra. I hope he never returns."

"He won't Adrianna. He has been pushed into the portal of Seozia and escaping from there is almost impossible. Long time back a soul tried to escape. It was split into seven pieces and only one part was able to escape. So that is equivalent to being non-existent."

"Did that part escape the Land of Gaira?"

"I don't know much about that because this is what I heard from my seniors when I was in the Wizard Academy. So you can imagine how old that news is."

Adrianna bit her lip. Souls tended to wander around for thousands of years.

Isidorus understood her worries. "Don't worry, my Queen. This is surely not a problem because what can a piece of a soul do when Vikra couldn't do much?" He tilted his head. "And that too to our prince?" he shook his head. "Ileus is way too powerful. No one can harm him." He assured her.

Adrianna lowered her head and smiled. "Vikra and Ziu have left a lifetime of scars on my mind. I don't want Ileus to get affected by any of it."

"He won't, my Queen."

---

Outside the Wizard Kingdom, a shadow lifted its deformed head from beneath a boulder and sniffed the air. It looked as though it had come straight from hell. He could smell the child. The message given to him by others in Seozia some few hundred years back was right. The shadow flew to thick foliage and peered at the moors that were in front of him. Although it was extremely dark for anyone to see, for him the blackness was perfect. He had to find an entrance.