Daren raises an eyebrow at my arrival. “I thought it was urgent?”

“The kids just encountered a Watcher for the first time,” I explain.

“Ah. Wait, I thought they didn’t like showing themselves to people. Did something else happen?”

I shake my head. “You remember Ian? The kid who joined us a few years ago? One of the Watchers got attracted by his potential.”

“It wants to bond?”

“Probably. Come on, let’s focus on what we came here to do.”

Darren nods and we turn to face the building in front of us. We had received a tip that Liam was back in the country. After escaping Drew’s team around a month ago, we had thought he would stay away from the country for some time. We thought wrong.

We walk into the building, making sure to take note of our surroundings. Surprisingly there are no traps or protection of any sort. It seems Liam is a bit cocky this time. Does he think because we mistakenly sent the kids last time that we’re nothing much? Well, he’ll find out how wrong he is this time. I rouse my Uua and quickly scan the building. I soon pinpoint his position and begin moving toward him. Daren follows confidently behind me.

I place my hand on the door handle of the room I had sensed him, and after a brief pause, I push open the door. I make way for Daren to enter the room first, then I shut the door behind me, sealing the room. There would be no escape for Liam now.

The room is bare, except for a table in the center. There are chairs on both sides of the table and Liam sits on one, making sure to keep the table between us. He cocks his head. “Sealing the room? Tsk tsk tsk. Why must things always be hostile between us?”

“It wouldn’t have been like this, if you hadn’t been involved in the death of what, eight people?” Daren counters.

Liam raises his hands defensively. “Believe it or not, it was the Majin and his new host that committed the murders not me. Sure, he asked me for some help and I gave him, but that’s just business. I never involved myself in killing anyone.”

“And why should we believe you?” I ask. “You haven’t exactly presented yourself as a trustworthy person to us.”

“And that’s why I’m here. To build trust. Or at least to give you guys some help. The Majin seems to be running mad and he needs to be stopped.”

I frown. “I thought he was a valuable ‘business partner’ of yours. Why would you want to take him down?”

“Because you guys aren’t the only ones who don’t want a repeat of four years ago. It didn’t just affect you Laen, quite a lot of us Erhaz also suffered as a result. The Majin seems to want to restart it, and that is not ideal.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes. So, do you want the information I have or not?”

Daren shoots me a look, wanting to know what happens next. In reply, I activate my third eye. As long as we can capture Liam, we can get all the information he has, and more importantly, get him to answer for his previous crimes. Still, I have no doubt he is going to be a tough opponent. He wouldn’t have evaded capture for so long if he weren’t.

Liam notices my actions and smiles. A moment later his body transforms into something else. In his place is a random Fasuru who looks sweetly at me. I understand what Liam is trying to tell me almost immediately. He isn’t actually here.

I close my third eye.

“So,” the Fasuru who has regained Liam’s appearance asks. “Do you want the information or not?”

Daren shoots me another glance before answering in my stead. “Okay. Tell us what you know.”

Liam smiles widely.

* * * * * *

Not too long after I get home from classes, while studying some new noers in hopes of perfecting one of mine, my phone begins to ring. I check the caller id and I’m a bit surprised to see it is Cassandra.

“Hey, Cassandra. How are you?”

“Hey, Ian. I’m good. Are you ready for the concert tomorrow?”

All of a sudden I am alert. I remember her inviting me to come with her to a Rolling Hills concert. Have two weeks gone by already? “Yeah,” I lie, “I’ve been looking forward to the concert for weeks now.” My mind spins frantically as I to figure out which clothes I’ll wear tomorrow.

“Okay. I just wanted to tell you that we’ll be coming to your house by eleven.”

“No problem.”

“Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

As soon as she hangs up I get busy searching for a suitable pair of clothes to wear. Thankfully, I had done my laundry recently so it doesn’t take long for me to find one. With that settled, I relax a bit before going back to my studies.

A few months ago, I would have spent the rest of the night fantasizing about how tomorrow would go, but right now there are more important things on my mind. I check the notes open on my bed and after making sure everything is correct, I decided to experiment one last time. I pick up two of my heaviest textbooks and draw the noer on both of them. As soon as I am finished drawing the second noer, the books jump and stick together. Success. But I am not satisfied.

I disperse the noers put both textbooks on opposite ends of the room, then once again I draw the noers on them. Like before they quickly close the distance separating them and stick together once again. Smiling, I try to pry them apart. I fail miserably. So far everything has been going well. For my last test, I leave the textbooks as they are and open a timer app on my phone. I want to see how long the noers can last before running out of power, so I sit on my bed and begin to wait. When they finally fall apart I take a look at my phone. Three minutes and forty-seven seconds. Not bad, not bad at all. Satisfied, I decided to end all my experiments for today and go to sleep.

The next day I make extra sure to get up early. With the use of magic I make short work of my chores and soon after I go and take a bath. Once I am done, I head to the kitchen to have some breakfast. In the kitchen, I meet my mom making her usual morning tea. She raises an eyebrow at me as I walk in. “You’re up early today,” she notes.

“Good morning, mom.”

She doesn’t reply, continuing to stare at me. A moment later she lets out a small ah. “Today is the day of your… concert, yes, your concert. No wonder you’re up so early. What time are you going?”

“Around eleven,” I reply as I take my breakfast.

“Okay. Just be careful and don’t stay out late. The police still haven’t caught those murderers yet.”

I nod, before focusing my attention on my breakfast. After breakfast, I head back up to my room to wait.

Around ten forty-nine, I hear the sound of a car stopping in front of the house. I look out the window and spot Cassandra walking out of the car. Without wasting time, I get my wallet and my phone, and head to the front door. Cassandra has her hand raised, about to ring the doorbell when I open the door. She pauses for a moment as she stares at me, then she lowers her hand and gives me a smile.