Awkwardly standing between the door frame, Mr. Hale is staring at me while I am slightly nervous about talking to him again. If I want to stop releasing thoughts to my brother, I need to do this. I finally gather courage to speak up and explain the situation before Mr. Hale decides to ignore me again or make an excuse to not see me. Judging by the expression, I think the idea crossed his mind, but he can hardly say no to help me out if it comes to "student needs".

Mr. Hale clears his throat and calls me into his office. I take in the familiar lay out, the furniture, smell of the books mixed with Mr. Hale's cologne, and a wave of memories flash through me. I remember the feeling of peace and safety I have always felt being near the professor, and all of the jitters are suddenly gone.

Me: I see you have some unfinished work to do. I can wait.

Mr. Hale: Tell me more about this mind connection while I work.

Without revealing that the connection is in reality with a human being, I say tell the rest and what I am trying to do. Mr. Hale is surprised about the whole thing, but as a demigod, he cannot bond with a familiar and experience it, and I doubt any of the magicians came to him with the same problem.

Mr. Hale: I've heard about strong familiars that can communicate with their master through their bond, but it's an unsual occurrence. Most of the bonders are at Mithran Academy too. I can inquire the principal about some books or information.

While catching up with the magical knowledge, I came across the other academies but I never paid much attention to them, since I thought that I don't need to. Mithran has also magicians but they are special in some way or something I don't quiet remember but I know that I have it noted down.

Thanking to Mr. Hale for trying to help me, I then tell him about a shielding method. I lied about where I heard it from though. Another surprise jumps on his face but it quickly fades. Mr. Hale smiles softly, praises me for the work I put in and basically for finally accepting this new life. Not like I had any other choice in that matter though.

He confirms that there is a shielding method, but it takes a lot of time and it usually works for people with mental abilities. Since the main power I possess is to blast off with lightning, Mr. Hale told me I might not be able to do it. He sounded more sure about it too, his face playing with sadness all over. Must be because he is able to hear me after the block is gone.

Mr. Hale: I've wondered when my ability will be able to connect to your mind too. Unfortunately, it happened sooner than I had hoped.

Me: I am sorry.

Mr. Hale: No need to apologize. It's just how it is. If you want to train the shield, we can try but I don't want you to have your hopes up.

It's like his sadness shifts over to me. I was so stupid for thinking I could be the peace and silence he probably always wanted. If someone didn't decide to block away my source, there would have never been even possibility for me to be someone like that for Mr. Hale in the first place. And then it clicks. If I can find out who put the block on me, I can ask them to do it again.

Me: If it's not much trouble, I would like to try something else.

Mr. Hale: What do you have in mind?

Me: Can you guide me to the source? I want to talk to it.

Now that the block is gone, the source is not locked anymore, I might be able to learn something new. Mr. Hale concluded it's not connected to each other but since I have asked, he has to do it, even though there is a special form I should fill out next time.

Since there is nothing else blocking us or weird going on, I wasn't worried about the mind dive this time. Making myself comfortable on the couch, the leather squeezes under the weight as I press my back against it. I take a deep breath and let Mr. Hale guide me. This position makes me almost fall asleep. Mr. Hale needs to shake me a few times to wake me up. He expresses his concern with how much exhausted I seem to be, but I just blame it on the tough training I need to do to catch up with Trails. Of course he told not to overwork myself just for the sake of this competition. Based on everything about me, they won't expect anything crazy and winning it is apparently also not that important. So it's just some entertainment for the magical community crowd.

Disappointed with how much work I have to put in just to end up being a clown for some giggles, I am starting to reconsider the whole training. Unfortunately, I send this thought down the bond and Woreus expresses his concern immediately. Or more like he scolds me for wanting to slack off and explains how there is other meaning behind getting powerful. Well, in my case gaining control. I am quickly reminded of how I planned on being able to protect people I love, of how Saxa is still around and she considers me a threat she wants to eliminate, either out of spite, jealousy or to secure her position in the Zeus community. It makes me chuckle, because she is doing all of this to show off and be a better, stronger descendant, while I am not even from his line.

Getting lost in those thoughts, it makes it harder for Mr. Hale to start the mind dive. He lectures me about it, saying he expected me to remember how I need to calm the mind. There is no anger behind his words, more like a playful banter, but it's effective, putting me on the right track. Especially, when I just send a thought to Woreus again, reminding me why I am in his office in the first place.

There are more days to come when I can worry about all that stuff, so I let go of it for now and let the consciousness wander into the cloudy field. From there I get guided to the door where the source is hidden. I halt for a moment, thinking of how the source will look now after all that training.

Entering the dark room, I am not scared of getting lost because the source is shining so bright. In the middle of the nothingness, there is a light being, a woman, sitting on a chair, a throne of some sort. Her outlines, height, hair and face look similar to what I look like. Is this what people would call a soul? She or me, is sitting comfortably with legs crossed and leaning against the arm rest, head supported with right hand and the other one petting an animal. It is so much different from when I was here before. I can sense much more power flowing around the light being that is clean, no sharp edges or flickering like before. On the other hand, the animal is trying to hold its' shape of what I guessed must be a wolf obviously, given our family. It's flickering so much that it's making me dizzy, and looking at the static picture is not comfortable either.

The source: We meet again. You seem troubled. What is plaguing your mind?

Me: You look different and speak so... normal.

The source: A lot have happened and we have evolved, even though this one is taking its' time. Have you come to see us and how much you have progressed?

Me: I wanted to check if you might be able to tell us now some things.

The source: Ask, if we know the answer, you will receive it.

My first question was about the seal. Even though the source seems to speak like a normal person now and not in riddles, it still couldn't tell me who did it. Only thing I have learned is that it was done by the same person who tried to manipulate my memories and mind.

On the recommendation of the human source, I returned to the cloud field and searched for the remnants of the block. The blue glass wall is gone but based on what the source said, no magic leaves completely and there is always a trace of it left. I am not used to sensing magic from others, but Mr. Hale is and he is currently trying to connect it. He found a faint trail soon after and I only followed him.

This place is all the same at every spot and yet it seems like there is no end and every place is different. The only thing I see is pinkish sky and clouds around. Mr. Hale points at a spot where a presence of foreign magic is still hovering. I kneel to brush away the cloud floof and attempt to sense the magic myself. There is nothing for me too see and I wanted to give up, when I feel something strange. A power that is around but I can't touch it. I quickly look at Mr. Hale and he only nods head when he realized I tapped into the magic too. Closing eyes for better focus, I let the power touch my mental body. It tingles like electricity but the magic refuses to connect with me. If feels familiar, yet so unknown. The power reminds me of what I have, how the air feels when Woreus is near me, but it's neither of those two.

I stand up, letting Mr. Hale know I am ready to leave, when I feel something harden around my leg, restricting me. Fighting against the sensation that feels like I am stuck in a concrete, I manage to get free and run away, which was more like a dragged slow motion movement. The clouds around me turned into a heavy mush, turning the run into a fight against a swamp-like texture. Cracking noises reminding me of crystallization sounds filled my ears. The noise is unpleasant but as I push through the cloud further and further, it's getting weaker. Knowing that the direction I am taking is probably safe, I call Mr. Hale to follow me. He is also having troubles to walk, even more than me. I got too far away, so I only yell at him to try and go faster, also demanding to know what is going on. Mr. Hale is confused, same as me, and has no answer to this situation. Great! So it's me-specific.

I am getting tired of the never-ending list of questions that keep appearing every time I try to answer one of them. Annoyed with the situation, I start to imagine using the electricity and break whatever is holding us. No idea if it will work, but worth a try. Wanting to make a path for Mr. Hale, I focus on a line between me and him, when my attention is broken by the crystallization noises creeping up higher, above my heigh now. The pink air gets a blue hue and I see Mr. Hale halting. He is standing on a spot, pressing his hand against something. If I have to walk through these mud-like clouds, I won't make it in time and suddenly I aam reminded of the incident where he almost lost his life. Guilt, fear, whatever unpleasant emotion there is, it's flooding me, especially when I see Mr. Hale slowly turning transparent, disappearing in the distance. I wanted to say something, call his name, but the words won't come out.

Mr. Hale is gone with a shine of a bright light which engulfs also me. When I can finally focus my vision, I see the professor standing in front of me, blood pouring out of his nose. I get scared about his health so I quickly grab is face and want to ask if he is alright, but an immense stabbing pain shoots through my head and I can feel a liquid drop down from my nose as well. Brushing it off with the back of my hand, Mr. Hale snatches it, but he is too late. A smear of red paints the skin and Mr. Hale only ticks with tongue before he goes grab a tissue.

Mr. Hale: I apologize for this outcome, but I had to pull you out by force, hence the headache.

Me: I understand, mostly. But what even happened?

Mr. Hale: I have never encountered anything like this. Suddenly, I was being pushed out and I didn't want to risk having you locked inside your mind, so I got you out just in case.

I didn't feel anything weird but the blue hue I saw reminded me of the block. Maybe doing this wasn't useless at the end. If it was on purpose or on accident, the mind block seems to be repaired, which means I am protected. To test it out, I shoot a question down the connection to see if Woreus replies.

There was silence at first, which made me happy, but then I hear my brother call my name. I groan in frustration and it alarms Mr. Hale. He asks if I am alright and tells me to go to the infirmary to get something for the headache. The nurse will be so totally happy to see me. I roll my eyes and scoff, picking up things, but Mr. Hale stops me. He asks me to wait for a little bit, doesn't say why though, and just looks at me. I miss talking to him but at least he is not ignoring me anymore, so I take this weird stare. I watch him stand next to his desk and his crimson eyes glued to me. Wait, red? He is using powers and I am sure it is to read my mind, which is why I am trying so hard not to think of anything dumb.

Mr. Hale grunts and the green returns into his wide open eyes. He wipes the nose with a scrunched bloody tissue one more time before tossing it on the table and walking to me. Keeping his hands inside the pockets, Mr. Hale stands close to me and uses powers again. It still looks like he is disappointed with something. He reaches out for my face with his left hand and I don't even flinch at his sudden movement. Asking if he can touch me with a simple "can I", he halts before placing the hand on me, but I am too mesmerized by the crimson orbs to respond. When I gather the thoughts, best I can do is to nod. First to touch are his fingers. He lets them brush against my skin, leaving a hot trace at each spot they pass through, then a warm big palm is pressed against my cheek. It's only there for a few second before Mr. Hale retracts it and scoffs again. Not from frustration or malice like Saxa would, but instead he gives me a genuine smile. Mr. Hale's eyes are back to normal and shine with happiness as he whispers to me.

Mr. Hale: There is... nothing.

Me: I am sorry?

Mr. Hale: Your mind is quiet again.

It takes a while for me to process what I've just heard, especially since Woreus could still talk to me through the connection. I have to test it out again, so I call for my brother and he replies, asking if something is happening. Weird, but then again with magic, I guess there is always some exception. I don't know if I should be happy about this or not, since it doesn't fix the problem with my brother snooping around my thoughts, but at least it gives me an upper hand over mind-readers.

Before I fall asleep in Mr. Hale's office, I thank him for his assistance and return to my room. I planned on practicing the ball dance, but the moment I saw the bed, the pull of it was too strong and I gave in.

No matter how much I slept each day, the exhaustion is sticking to me like glue. If I am not fighting the dizziness, I am caught up with trying not to be sick to stomach. Loss of appetite would be fine with me, but the last few days I started to throw up every morning. Today is no difference. After barely finishing a half of a croissant for breakfast, which I didn't want to eat in the first place, I ran out of the cafeteria to the nearest bathroom to throw up. Leaning against the toilet bowl, I hear someone knock on the stall and then Reilly calls my name as she pushes the door to open.

Reilly asks me what's going on and I only bark back at her from anger and frustration. Yelling at her how I told them I am not hungry but they still insisted I eat, and I did because I didn't want her or Draco to be concerned about me. Reilly apologizes as she crouches next to me and pats my back.

When I am able to stand up without feeling nauseous, I make my way to the sink and gurgle water a few times to clean my mouth. The acidic taste still lingers and my stomach is doing backflips, so I lean against the cold marble sink with eyes close and I take deep breaths to push the nausea. When I look into the mirror, I see Reilly leaning against the wall in the corner with hear arms crossed in front of her chest and a very concerned expression written all over her face. She opens her mouth to speak up but hesitates. I use this opportunity to splash water and cool me down.

Reilly: This exhaustion, eating less, throwing up... and don't try to hide it, because I've heard you every morning. Something must be going on and you should go to the infirmary.

Me: All they can do is give me tea. I tried even an energy replenishment spell but it didn't work.

Reilly: Don't get angry, but I have to ask. Is there any chance you might be pregnant?

Me: Don't be ridiculous.

Reilly: I am not. You do have a boyfriend, and I am not going to pry into your private life, but if that's the case, you should take a better care of yourself.

Me: I am pretty sure that's not the case.

Reilly: You can tell me anything, Kaitlin, you know that.

I can only scoff and leave the bathroom without a reply. Reilly keeps yelling at me to stop but I ignore her. If she won't believe me, I won't talk to her at all. Trying to put a distance between us, I pick up the pace but my body is protesting. It feels like déjà vu, when I need to lean against the railing to be able to walk up the stairs. Reilly is still calling my name but she stayed under the staircase. I don't even have to ignore it because when it's hard for me to focus on anything. My vision is getting blurry. I am staggering with steps and I can barely hold myself standing up.

At the end, I have to stop completely and grab the railing hard to prevent the fall. My head droops over and when I look down, the height makes me feel sick again. Some other familiar voice, not belonging to Reilly, calls my name and speaks it gently with a hint of concern in his voice. Turning my head to the right, I am met with Mr. Hale's face before everything goes totally black and the last thing I see is Mr. Hale dropping his books in order to rush towards me and grab my weak body before it gets slammed against the floor.

Another sleep that won't do much and also I can't even enjoy it because the muttering of people is pulling me out of it. Reluctantly, I open my eyes to see what is going on and also yell at the people for being noisy. Thinking I will be greeted with Reilly talking with Nima or Gaia, I groan as I sit up and sarcastically ask them if they couldn't be any louder. The talking stops and I am ready to throw my annoyed face at them when I see shocked faces of every nurse on the call today, joined by Mr. Hale who is sitting next to the bed. A heat flushes through me and I am so embarrassed but I need to apologize. I was going to, but the moment I opened my mouth, the nausea is back. Pressing hand over the lips, I try to push it down. Luckily one of the nurses brings a bucket in front of me and I hurl my guts out again. Or at least whatever remained in it.

Some other nurse hands me a tea but I refuse to drink it, scared I will end up just throwing it up anyway. Mr. Hale pleads with me to drink it, but when I push it away again, he just nods at the nurse and she takes it away.

Mr. Hale: You looked pale the last time we saw each other and now it looks even worse. Anything bothering you or...?

Me: I am still trying to figure out my past but I am not necessary stressed out by it. One day I just started feeling tired and couldn't gather any energy since then.

Mr. Hale: Perhaps you are overworking yourself with the training?

It could be the reason but I also had multiple breaks from using the powers and I still felt drained. To reply to Mr. Hale, I only shake my head and exhale as I lean against the bed board. Staring at the ceiling, my mind is piecing together some thoughts about this but I am coming up empty.

Without noticing it at first, I am surprised by a sudden touch on my cheek. Mr. Hale brushes the strand of hair sticking to the slightly sweaty skin. Realizing how much I have actually missed talking to him and that I haven't thanked Mr. Hale yet, I start a conversation with him. I felt a little bit guilty for keeping him here and away from his work. Especially guilty for making him stay in a room that is not enchanted to protect him from the many voices and he has to channel in order to cancel them out. But I feel peaceful around him and all of my troubles and problems just disappear.

We couldn't talk more though, because the conversation got interrupted by a nurse who came to ask me about my health and symptoms. I turn to her and wait until she starts shooting many questions at me. I answer them as best as I can, explain what I feel and what, for how long keeps happening. In the middle of the questioning, I feel sudden warmth taking over my hand. I look down to see Mr. Hale holding it and caressing the back of the hand as he lets the nurse know that it feels unusually cold.

After the nurse gets whatever she needs, Mr. Hale is asked to leave us alone for some examination, but I tell the nurse that I don't mind his presence. Realizing I haven't asked him first if he wanted to stay, I quickly twist head to face him and add to my sentence that I agree with him staying if he is okay with it. Mr. Hale only replies with swift sure and the nurse calls over some stranger I haven't met before.

The woman dressed in a white coat is apparently a local doctor. They don't have much work around this school clinic, but if the patient is too much to handle for the nurses, the doctors are called in.

Multiple weird objects were used on me, scanning me, shining into my eyes or just crawl over my whole body. It was all painless, but the last one was a little bit uncomfortable. A little bit of discomfort is nothing though, compared to learning what is wrong with me this time.

Even though Mr. Hale is with me, I still need more moral support, so I call Woreus through the connection multiple times before he replies. He sounds scared and concerned, explaining how he couldn't feel the family bond for a few hours and tried to get back, but he couldn't find me. I quickly let him know that I am in the infirmary. My brother immediately replies he is on his way before I can even tell him not to worry much.

The doctor is ready to share the results but she gets interrupted by a scratching on the door. It can be only one thing, or person in this case, so I tell them and one of the nurses goes to let my brother inside. A big grey wolf sits down next to the bed and Mr. Hale. I talk to my brother and he replies to me, even though he keeps staring at the professor. I roll my eyes and then finally pay attention to the doctor.

I didn't understand anything at the beginning, so I kept asking questions. The doctor was very patient with me and she also apologized, because they found out what's happening to me, but not the cause. Apparently, the magic inside my body is unstable. Woreus agrees, mentioning he saw the shift in the source but he didn't give it much attention. He also adds that it got worse after I returned from visiting Mr. Hale, but since we didn't do the wolf-magic-sniffing, he doesn't know what's going on either.

Since there is nothing much to do, the doctor prescribes me bunch of tinctures and tea, telling me to take it easy, get a lot of rest and come the first moment something feels off, then I am discharged.

Thinking about everything the doctor said, I quickly put two and two together. I come up with a theory, but I can't reveal it to the people present. As I am putting on the shoes, I talk to Woreus in my mind, asking if he knows stuff about Morrigans, but he is busy staring down Mr. Hale.

I jump from the bed, ready to leave, but as fast as I stand up, I am back to sitting, pressing on the temples and trying to get rid of the dizziness. The doctor recommends staying for observation since I am still this weak, but I decline and say that I just stood up too fast. If I'd stayed here, I would just be ordered to sleep and I can do that in my room as well.

Mr. Hale offers to serve as a crutch for me. I don't want to bother him but I can feel that going back to the dorm will be a tough thing to do right now. Stealing the warmth from Mr. Hale, I lean against him and let him hug me around the waist. The smell of his cologne hits my nose and I can't get enough of the fruity, but also flower aroma.

Pressing my face closer to Mr. Hale, I let myself to be mesmerized by the smell of grapefruit, jasmine and sea. The thoughts pull me towards a beach I saw once during one of our high school trips. Despite being all stormy, I felt calm that week while sleeping in the hotel near the coastline. And I would be lost in those memories if a familiar voice didn't call for me.

Draco is standing in the door frame, panting and catching his breath while wiping away the build up sweat, probably from running here. I am still pressed against Mr. Hale, not realizing what the situation is right now. Quickly being reminded of Draco being my boyfriend while I am hugging another man, I push myself away from the professor, but I regret it, since I have not enough strength in the legs. Luckily, Mr. Hale prevents the fall and also Draco jumps to catch me from the side. He stares at the professor with a locked jaw before speaking up.

Draco: Thank you, Professor Hale. I got it from here.

Mr. Hale: I don't mind escorting Kaitlin back to her room. She can't walk on her own and you seem tired yourself to carry her.

Draco: Don't you think that's a little bit weird, Professor, or do you care this much for all the students at Umbras? She is my girlfriend, you know.

Me: Draco, don't be ridiculous. Mr. Hale was the one who found me and got me to the infirmary, nothing else.

Draco: Mr. Hale? Are you one of those groupies that fawn over him too? Well, even though you don't call him by his name... yet.

Me: He used to be my Help and we got closer because of that. Stop reaching.

Draco: Reaching? What would you think about this situation? When your girlfriend ignores you, doesn't tell you she is sick and having to find out about it from others, and... when you finally get to her, she is hugging tight another man!

We are not out of the infirmary and I don't want the nurses to witness this drama. Especially if they might misunderstand it and they end up complaining to the principal about a professor being in a romantical relationship with a student. We are both adults, but it would still stir up trouble.

Draco scoffs and raises his voice. I ask him to be quieter but that only irritates Draco more. I love him, with only my head or not, but I don't want Draco to jeopardize Mr. Hale's job. Still weak, I will some energy into my arm to lift it. I did it on a reflex and I even surprised myself after I realized what I have done. A print of my palm is decorating Draco's left cheek.