“Summer is bad enough but now you want to bring in someone else?” Zeltis complained.

Alex was leaning against the wall as he waited, “Apparently she already knows about us. Isn’t it better to find out exactly what she knows and what her goals are?”

“That’s clever of you. You’re learning.”

“I’m not stupid, though I might have been a bit naive.”

“A bit?”

“Hey don’t laugh and tease me like that.” Alex grumbled and crossed his arms but straightened as the girls came toward them.

Veronica swooped in looking around them with a critical eye. Alex had seen Veronica serious, but her expression this time was on a different level. Veronica was lacking her usual ready smile and easygoing attitude. Even Summer was looking a little hesitant. He couldn’t blame her with the tense atmosphere.

“I have an ability that will allow us to talk telepathically,” Veronica said. She looked at Alex like she was looking right through him. It would allow the demon to join the conversation, but first I want to check if you’re corrupted.”

"His name is Zeltis," Alex corrected.

Veronica bowed her head briefly, "Zeltis it is then."

Zeltis scoffed in his mind, "looking down on people," he muttered.

Veronica walked closer and took Alex's hands in hers, closing her eyes. Summer moved out of the way and Alex closed his eyes, unsure of what was going to happen.

A warm tingling started from where their hands joined. The sensation moved slowly through Alex's body. Alex could sense Zeltis’ discomfort but Zeltis didn’t complain or seem to be in pain. After a few moments the sensation left and Veronica let go of his hands.

Alex opened his eyes. He saw Summer was waiting at the side with a worried look, but they both relaxed a bit when Veronica smiled.

“I’m amazed. Your soul is almost glowing with strength. You are much stronger and purer than I expected even as a normal human. I’ve never seen something like that before.”

“So Zeltis isn't corrupting him?” Summer asked.

Veronica shook her head, her long chestnut hair swaying, “Absolutely not. I could sense Zeltis, but you two seem to be in a completely symbiotic relationship. Helping each other get stronger rather than one feeding off the other like it is usually with demons.”

Summer sighed, “I am so relieved. I don’t know much about demons, but being possessed didn’t sound good.”

“It usually isn’t.” Veronica looked around again. “This courtyard is decently hidden, but I would like to find a place where we could sit and talk in comfort.”

“We could go to my house. Only my three servants are usually there. Though if my father shows up it might get uncomfortable,” Alex said running his hand through his hair. “Also, I could only carry one of you on my bike.”

“Actually I have an apartment within walking distance. My family lives in the countryside so they set me up so I would be close to my school,” Veronica said.

Alex was a little surprised she lived alone, but in this case it would be convenient, “that sounds great.”

“I’ll have to call and tell my sister not to come yet,” Summer said pulling out her phone as they walked. Veronica gave Summer her address so that Summer’s sister could pick her up later.

The apartment was simple and modern but Veronica’s room was homey and welcoming. They gathered in the living area while Veronica brought them some drinks and snacks.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions so let me set up the spell so we can talk privately and also hear Zeltis. Even though I have a shield in place to prevent spying and more, I still like to be careful.

Veronica placed some crystals on the coffee table in a star formation, and started speaking words in another language. Her hands moved, making different shapes. The crystals started to glow and the air vibrated as if there was a heat haze forming. Veronica's chanting stopped and the air cleared. Alex's skin tingled slightly but he didn't notice anything else that was odd.

Veronica relaxed back into her seat. And without opening her mouth she said, “Ok, now you can talk by thinking what you want to say. Alex is probably used to it right?”

“I'm used to Zeltis, but it’s different having a new voice echoing in my head.” Alex said smoothly as he took a drink with a small smile.

“Wow I can hear both of you in my head!” Summer’s mental voice made the others wince.

“Tone it down!” Zeltis ordered.

“Yes that was a bit too loud. You don’t have to try so hard. I’m sure you’ll get used to it.” Veronica said kindly so Zeltis’ comment wouldn’t make Summer feel bad.

“Oh wow I can hear Zeltis! He sounds so different in my head. He kind of has a sexy voice.” Summer said, blushing a bit.

Alex sputtered out his drink and Veronica giggled.

“I guess I didn’t have to worry about how blunt Zeltis was,” Veronica grinned ruefully.

“Enough with the chit chat kids. We came here for a reason not for a playdate.” Zeltis broke in.

“Hey, I’m not a kid.” Summer complained pouting and crossing her arms.

Veronica straightened ignoring Summers comment, “You’re right. I’m sure Alex and Summer might have wondered how the supernatural world has remained hidden for so long.”

“Well, most people can’t even see it though, right?” Summer said.

“I am sure there are others like Summer and Veronica out there who can see it,” Alex added.

“Alex is right. There are actually a lot of people who are sensitive enough to be able to see or at least sense such things.” Veronica looked at each of them. “My family all have the ability to some degree along with many of them having other powers and abilities. My family aren’t the only ones.”

“I could have told you that. It’s obvious people able to would monitor the supernatural and make sure it stays safe and hidden.” Zeltis said.

“We actually came across an exorcist recently so I’m not too surprised but is the government part of it too?” Alex wondered.

“As if the government wouldn’t stick it’s nose in,” Zeltis snorted.

“There are more groups than you think. The government has a section that deals with the supernatural. My family have often run into them when our missions intersect. They act like they are in charge and direct others like my family. But many groups refuse to be under the government's thumb. Some are mafia groups that fight the government. Many of those are actually run by demons so it’s not surprising they would oppose those in power.” Veronica explained.

“Run by demons? But if you know that how can they continue without being stopped?” Summer swallowed hard after taking a bite of her cookie.

“The weaker ones like to hide and are hard to weed out. But the stronger ones have so many demon’s under them that it’s almost impossible to get to them either. It’s a constant battle,” Veronica sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly.

“Why would the demon’s work together? Wouldn’t they want to fight each other to take their yoki?” Alex asked.

Zeltis laughed, “Because many are cowards who feed of the leavings of the more powerful.”

“What does he mean?” Summer’s brow rose and petite nose crinkled.

“They feel stronger having others helping them and less scared if they have a powerful leader. They band together to hunt rival groups instead of feeding on each other. Though I’m sure betrayal happens often.” Veronica explained.

“What I want to know is exactly what Veronica saw that made you talk to us rather than turn us in.” Zeltis said.

Veronica nodded, “Of course. It wasn’t long after Alex came back to school,, that I noticed he might be possessed. But when I brushed against him I had a vision. It was disjointed but I saw Alex in full demon form with Summer beside him. I was there along with another boy our age who I didn’t recognize. We were all fighting against a powerful demon.”

“What did the demon look like?” Zeltis demanded.

Veronica shook her head, “I’m sorry, all I could see was a large shadow with wings and horns.”

“Do all demons have wings and horns?” Summer butted in.

Zeltis groaned, “No. I don’t have wings. Though, I might get them if I reach archdemon. Many demons have one and not the other or don’t have either.”

“Yeah the snow woman we saw didn’t have horns, wings, or a tail.” Alex added.

“Ooh you saw a snow woman. I wish I could have seen her. Was she pretty?” Summer’s green eyes sparkled.

“I guess she was pretty.” Alex gave a lopsided smile and a shrug.

“We’re getting off topic again,“ Zeltis sighed. “So you saw us all working together in a vision, now what? You want us to play nice and work together? I don’t have time to babysit kids. I have my own goals. You would only get in the way.”

“I understand, and there is no guarantee my vision will even come true. It is just one of many possible futures. But it was enough to show me that Zeltis was not one of the bad guys. Today my main goal was to talk to Summer since her powers have awoken.” Veronica said with a small smile at Summer.

“Powers!?” Alex and Summer said almost at the same time, both bursting out loud. Summer slapped her hand over her mouth and Alex apologized as he blushed.

“I have powers?” Summer finally managed to say almost bouncing in her seat. She kept her hand over her mouth so she wouldn't talk out loud again.

“Did you know about this Zeltis?” Alex said a little accusingly.

“Don’t get snippy with me. She was already sensitive so when the spell hit her it enabled her to access the magic she already had. I would have said something if it was dangerous. She couldn’t do anything with it without training anyway.” Zeltis growled.

“That’s exactly why I contacted you. Summer’s magic is like what we learn in my family so I can teach her how to use it. It can actually cause problems now that she’s awoken if she doesn’t learn to control it,” Veronica stated.

“See, that sounds dangerous, “ Alex said.

Zeltis snorted.

“I can learn to use magic. That is totally awesome! When can we start?” Summer bounced so hard on the couch Veronica almost spilled her drink. “Sorry,” Summer blushed and stopped.

“It’s fine. I understand why you're excited, but learning the spells is hard work.” Veronica said with a stern gaze at Summer.

Summer saluted with a smile, “I’m ok with that.”

“Hey don’t get too happy. Won’t you need things from you family to teach her? If they get involved they might come after me despite any ‘visions’ you might have had.” Zeltis said.

“I’m sure I can introduce Summer without mentioning the two of you. I also have most of what I need to start teaching here, so introducing her could wait for a while.”

“She’s right Zeltis. Summer needs a teacher and as long as they’re careful Veronica’s family shouldn’t find out about you,” Alex said.

“You’re too trusting. I will let it go for now, but if either of you leak out about me and I find out about it, being friends with Alex won’t matter. I will kill you.”

Summer’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Veronica bowed her head towards Alex, “I swear I will do everything I can to make sure you stay hidden as long as I can.”

Summer looked at Veronica and also bowed her head, “Me too. I promise I won’t say a word about you.”

Alex could swear he could feel Zeltis roll his eyes, “You make sure you both keep your word. That was all, yes?”

“You don’t have to be in such a rush. I would love to know more.” Alex tried to persuade Zeltis.

“It’s ok. I can give you more information whenever you need it,” Veronica said. “The telepathy spell only works in here so we won’t be able to hear you once you leave.”

“Thanks so much Veronica. It’s a relief to know a bit more. I’ve been fumbling in the dark with what little Zeltis is willing to share. I don’t think he knows much about the families and organizations in the human world anyway. I’m glad you talked to us and agreed to keep my secret.” Alex smiled as he rose from the chair.

Summer was about to get up too, but Alex shook his head, “you should stay here and learn what you can until you get picked up.”

“Ok,” Summer smiled, “See you tomorrow.”

Alex bowed his head slightly and turned to leave.

“Be careful, ok. There are groups out there who will notice if you keep hunting in the area.” Veronica said.

Alex looked back over his shoulder, “Thanks.” Then left, shutting the door behind him.

***

Alex returned to the school and got his bike before riding toward home. Zeltis was quiet and it let Alex sink in his own thoughts. He passed the site where he had his accident before. It felt like such a long time ago despite it being only a little over a month now.

Lost in his thoughts as he rounded the curve he almost didn’t see the shadow that cut in front of him. Time seemed to slow down and with deft movements he was able to maneuver around the small animal in his way. Alex slowed and pulled over to the side, looking back with his heart still racing.

“I can’t believe I avoided it,” Alex blurted out.

“I can’t believe it either,” Zeltis said sounding strained.

Alex’s eyes narrowed in suspicion, “Are you hiding something again?”

“Oh crap I forgot about the dojo!” Alex yelled, smacking his head in frustration. He waited for the traffic to clear and turned back towards downtown. He rushed to find a parking spot and slid into the door to see everyone standing ready to start class. Alex shoved his shoes in the box. He gave a quick bow before speeding past into the locker room and changing in record time.

Mike gave him a stern look before starting the lesson.

“Why are you so late?” Chris whispered as they followed along.

“I had a meeting with someone and forgot about class,” Alex whispered back.

With another angry look from Mike they stopped talking, and concentrated on the lesson. Alex was moving smoothly and not making any mistakes. His body felt so light and easy to move.

“Wow, your doing great.” Chris commented with a smile.

They finished some more exercises, before moving toward the sparring side of the room. The students got in small groups to take turns using the punching bags hanging from the ceiling. There were three small ones and three of the longer ones hung near the wall.

Alex wiped his sweat as he stepped up to take his turn, one of the teachers standing holding the bag ready for him. Alex took his stance and took a deep breath before his body snapped forward and he punched the bag. The bag was not only ripped away from the teacher but the chain yanked out of the ceiling. It flew back, slamming into the wall with a thud. Dust flew as the bag ruptured. After coughing while the dust cleared, everyone was staring with wide eyes at either Alex or the downed bag.

Alex looked down at his fist, totally speechless.

The teacher who got knocked back by the impact brushed himself off and came forward. Mike joined him, both looking at the broken bit on the ceiling.

“Maybe it was old?” the teacher said.

Mike rubbed his chin with his hand, “It shouldn't be, but it could be faulty. Anyway we will need to get this cleaned up before we can do anything else.”

The teachers had the students help clear out the damaged bag and sweep up the mess. It took a while but with everyone helping it didn't take long to clean it up.

“I want to get the other bags checked before we use any of them again. So let's split into two groups and do something else. One group will go back to the main floor and practice the forms, while the other groups does some weightlifting. The groups will switch after fifteen minutes.”

Alex got separated from Chris, but was still so dazed he barely acknowledged it. Chris gave him a wave before moving to the weights. Despite his distraction Alex moved through the forms without problems.

As they switched places Chris gave him a worried look but Alex shook his head and took a seat with some weights. One of the other students was his spotter as they took turns. Usually he started feeling the pain after a few reps with even the lightest weights. But this time he wasn’t feeling any strain.

“You should move to the heavier ones. You probably got stronger, “ his spotter, a guy about college age, said.

“Yeah, maybe,” Alex said and went to grab a heavier weight. He grabbed one further down the row without thinking and walked back with it.

“Whoa man, are you sure you're ok with that one?” the spotter asked rushing up in case Alex might drop the weight.

“Why it seems fine,” Alex said. He hadn’t looked at it but it didn’t feel much different to the other one.

“That one’s fifty pounds!”

Alex looked at the weight he had in his hand in surprise. He lifted it up and looked, and it really was fifty pounds. “It seems fine, but I should go slow just in case?” He was a little unsure, but it didn't feel that heavy.

The spotter scratched his head, “Uh, yeah sure. I will keep a look out for you, go ahead.”

Alex did the sets, taking a rest when he spotted his partner. But he wasn't sweating much and he wasn’t even feeling tired. When they finished his partner smacked him on the back, his own shirt soaked in sweat.

“I don’t know how you’re doing it, but you must be doing something right man. First you break down the bag and now your lifting such a heavy weight and you don’t even look winded.” He shook his head with a grin and walked off as Chris came over.

“Class is over but I could see what you were doing from where I was. Your arms don’t look any more muscular. What the heck is up?” Chris said as they walked toward the locker room.

“I-I don’t know,” Alex sputtered. He actually had some ideas. But he couldn’t exactly tell Chris that he might be getting stronger because he was sharing his body with a demon.

“You better not. We have enough people who know about us already,” Zeltis broke into Alex’s thoughts.

“I know ok.” Alex said.

Alex started changing. Chris stared for a moment before he shrugged and also began changing.

The brisk wind gave him goosebumps as he walked toward his bike despite his leather jacket. Alex wished he had his helmet but also felt the cold could help clear his head.

“It’s too much trouble to go all the way back to your house so head to somewhere hidden so I can take over.”

Alex sighed, “I guess you haven’t gotten to hunt for the last few nights so you must be feeling a bit antsy. But we didn’t bring the mask again.”

“I have enough Yoki I can use a little to create a spell to disguise your face.”

“That sounds awesome, why didn’t you use something like that before?”

He drove the bike into a side street and passed through a row of apartments and stopped in the parking area behind. It was secluded and quiet, with only a few cars parked. There was even a handy bench next to a small park area meant for the residents. He turned off the bike and tried to get as comfortable as he could on the bench.

“I had never used a spell like that before. I never needed to. I’d been thinking about it after the restaurant and was able to create the spell. We haven’t had a chance to use it til now.”

“Oh yeah, won’t the restaurant try to contact Summer since they must have found her bags? But if anyone goes there the exorcists might find us.”

Zeltis sighed, “So much trouble, but lets concentrate on one thing at a time. I need to hunt since I have had to use too much yoki recently. Who knows how much more I will need to use if things keep happening.”

Alex didn’t say anything else and leaned back on the bench with his feet extended. He let his chin droop down on his chest as he crossed his arms. The bench was hard and the cold bit into his exposed skin. But he was able to force himself drift off enough that Zeltis could take control.