Selene was led to a large dinning by the Helpers. The purple creatures pushed open the door to reveal a grand hall. Selene felt like she had stepped into some old fancy movie where rich people lived.

The purple creatures tugged on her hand and pointed out a table where five other people –apart from Herbert– were seated. Three were women and two were men.

They all looked so beautiful that it was a bit intimidating. Some of them appeared quite young—in their early thirties while some were old.

It was a dark haired woman in red robes that caught Selene's attention. Her lips were painted red like her robes giving her a strangely sensual look. Selene didn't think she had ever seen a more beautiful woman in her entire life. The sole reason the woman caught Selene's attention was because Selene saw Herbert glance at the lady briefly.

Though she was across the room and had terrible eye sight, she was sure Herbert's lips parted slightly.

The sexy woman was sipping what looked like white wine when Selene entered. Her red lips looked strangely exotic and tempting. Her red robes seemed to heighten the desire.

While Selene stood admiring the hall, Edith appeared, looking uncomfortable in the black robes they provided for her. Edith didn't seem to like the fact that there was so much color in the room. Benjamin arrived next looking hot in his golden robes.

Herbert stood up when he saw them enter. He gently tapped his glass thrice to get everyone's attention. There were several other tables but the only Herbert's had three free seats.

"Brothers and Sisters, it is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the three youths who arrived at our castle today.  I present to you, Selene and her entourage—Benjamin, a Magi and Edith, a Necromancer." Herbert said.

"Welcome." Several voice said in unison. The power laced in their voices made the room shake.

Selene shivered when she felt several pairs of eyes looking in her direction. It wasn't just mere shyness. She felt like they were all scrutinizing her like Herbert had done earlier.

Herbert beckoned on them to join his table so they all went together.

Selene took a seat opposite the woman in red robes—feeling drawn to her aura. She saw the woman glance at her sharply before glancing away. Selene didn't catch the expression in her eyes.

Benjamin sat by her left and Edith by her right to offer some sort of moral support. They too had sensed the aura of doom hanging in the room.

"A Magi and a Necromancer within our castle. I must say that this has never happened in the history of time." A woman in green robes said. The woman was also exquisite in her robes and gems. Her sharp eyes radiated her power.

"Ah! We shall speak nothing of it for tonight. What will our guests say, Hilda?" Herbert smiled.

The woman returned his smile with one of hers. She lifted her glass to sip her wine. Her lush skin made Selene wonder what her skin care products were.

Food was placed in front of them. It looked and smelt delicious.

"Eat! Drink! For tonight, you are our guests." Herbert said happily.

For some reason, Selene felt threatened by what Herbert had said. Her heart rate accelerated. She knew she couldn't appear rude by refusing to eat.

"What are you, child?" A man across the table asked suddenly.

"A girl." Selene said in her most sugary sweet voice. She hated being asked that question, like she was some sort of freak on display in a circus.

Herbert chuckled like she had just said the funniest thing ever. His dark eyes were shinning brighter than any star Selene had ever seen.

"I can see you're also confused, Eider. She possesses our audacity but at the same time, it doesn't feel like she is one of us." Herbert smiled.

"Well, she has to be. It's impossible for anyone else to open the gates of the castle." The woman beside the man said. She was the last woman on the table and she wore robes the color of a coffee bean.

"Indeed. How were you able to find us, Selene?" Herbert asked.

"I guessed." Selene said.

Everyone else on the table froze which was how Selene knew she had said the worst thing ever.

"You. Guessed?" Someone said slowly.

"I saw a map of Rodia showing where all other magic users lived. I knew the Castle was by the outskirts but I wasn't sure where. That was until I saw several uninhabited spaces. Based on the scale of the map, there were only three places which could house a castle and this was the best location due to how close it is to another world." Selene said quickly.

"Indeed?" Herbert's smile became sharper.

"Indeed. Although I'm guessing if anyone else passes, there'd be some kind of magic that prevent them from seeing the Castle." Selene said.

"You are an intelligent child. Who are your parents?" Herbert asked.

"My mother was a Magi. I never knew my father but I'm told he was an Element Controller." Selene said.

"Your mother is no longer with us, I presume?" The woman in green robes asked in a sultry tone.

"I used the verb 'was' so no, she is not." Selene felt uncomfortable and strangely brave.

"She didn't say that because of the verb. She said so because she can see you're wearing the medallion of a Magi. Your mother's since it's impossible for you to be a Magi." Herbert corrected.

"Either way, she's dead." Selene said in a flat voice.

"That's sad. My condolences." Someone said.

They didn't sound very sad. They sounded amused.

"What about you, boy?" Herbert turned his eyes to Benjamin.

"My mother is earth born. My father was an Elemental." He said sipping his wine.

"Earth born? And you already have golden eyes at your age? That's quite rare for a Magi. Your powers would be ten times stronger now that you're in Rodia." Someone said.

"There's no point asking the Necromancer who her people are. They don't see human connections the way we do. Isn't that so, Edith?" Herbert asked.

"I do not attach myself to humans neither do I have human worries." Edith said in a dull voice.

"Which brings me to my question. I'm a curious man by nature. You'd oblige me wouldn't you?" Herbert asked.

"Yes." Benjamin and Selene said together.

It wasn't like they had a choice.

"What are a Necromancer and a Magi doing with a girl who seems to have no powers at first glance in our castle? Why have you come here?" Herbert asked.

"We seek knowledge." Benjamin said slowly.

"It wasn't knowledge which brought you here. You arrived wounded and battered." Herbert smiled menacingly.

"We were chased but that doesn't change the fact that Selene is a Telepather and has always been. Her place is with her people." Edith said.

"A Telepather, you say?" Herbert smiled at Selene.

Selene forced herself to meet his gaze. She blinked, which was why she didn't see the man across the table fling a sharp knife at her. Her skin went cold as she felt sharp pain.

The knife only grazed her exposed cheek causing her crimson blood to stain the table. Selene looked at the man who had a smile on ha lips. There was something about his gaze that made her skin crawl. It was like Selene was a lab rat an he was scientist carrying out experiments on her.

It was obvious he'd missed on purpose.

"What is this? I thought we were your guests!" Benjamin's hushed voice sounded outraged. His clenched fist shook angrily at the sight of Selene's blood.

"You are. Otherwise I would have killed the girl on the spot. You claim she is a Telepather yet she cannot heal herself." The man laughed.

Herbert seemed amused by what was happening. He smiled at everyone happily.

"Calm yourselves. There is no need for unpleasantness on your first night. I do hate unpleasantness. The girl is a Telepather, that is sure. Or better yet she possess the powers of Telepathy." He said cheerfully.

He snapped his hand and Selene's wound closed. She didn't like the invasive way the wound healed.

Herbert changed the topic at once. He spoke to Edith, Benjamin and occasionally Selene but never about why they were there or even about the knife that had been flung at Selene.

Selene said little. She preferred observing the table. Occasionally she saw Herbert look at the beautiful woman in red robes whose name appeared to be Anne. Anne said little and ate little.

On closer inspection, Selene saw that the woman was troubled. She looked at Selene from time to time but didn't speak to her.

"What a pleasant dinner. Sadly, I must retire to my quarters to work. Tomorrow, we shall meet again. The Helpers would show you to your quarters." He said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hospitality." Selene bowed her head. She felt threatened again.

The woman in red robes looked at Selene intensely. It looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't because there were others around.

"The true test begins tomorrow." The woman said quietly.

The Helpers appeared to lead them out of the hall, Selene and her friends left the hall.

"They're going to separate me from you two. Edith? Please keep her safe." Benjamin said before they dragged him away.

Before long, Edith and Selene were alone in a large room with a king sized bed. The Helpers showed them an adjoining door to the room where Edith was supposed to stay.

The door was locked behind them.

"That wasn't so bad." Selene said when they were alone.

Edith looked at her with sad eyes.

"We barely made it out of there alive. They don't know what to make of us yet. They're still trying to decide if you're worth keeping alive." Edith said.

"What do you mean?" Selene asked.

"You appear to be a Telepather yet you don't possess the powers you should. Tomorrow will be different. If you can't prove you're one of them, they'll kill us." Edith said.

"Benjamin...will he be safe tonight?" Selene asked.

"We're all safe for tonight but we're handicapped." Edith paced around the room.

"How?" Selene asked.

"We don't know where Benjamin is and he's the only one who can cast spells to help us. Although I doubt his magic would work well within this castle. They have wards that make most magic users powerless. I could have still tried using my magic but I can't enter into the spirit realm without Dusk. I might never return." Edith said sadly.

"In other words, I have to know how to use my powers tomorrow or we're toast." Selene groaned.

"Not just how to use your powers. You have to get your memories back. You need to remember who you are." Edith sighed.

"But how? Benjamin tried lifting the spell but it didn't work." Selene said.

"It didn't work because he assumed that the magic blocking your memories was casted by your mother." Edith said.

"If she didn't block my memories, then who did?" Selene asked.

"You did, Selene." Edith said.

"What?!"

"A Magi cannot cast spells on a Telepather's mind. Didn't you notice how the Telepathers seemed perplexed about what you were? They can see you have powers but it's been blocked. You're the one blocking your powers."  Edith said.

Selene furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
"Is that why my head hurts when I try to remember?" She asked.

"Yes. A part of you doesn't want to remember or accept who you are." Edith said.

Selene sighed.
"What do I do?"

"Try to see if you can remember anything. Now that you're in the castle, it might be easier." Edith offered.

Selene tried to make herself comfortable on the large bed. She decided to shut her eyes since it had helped her concentrate before. She began to reach far into her memories.

If you're curious about how that worked, imagine trying to remember what happened about five or six years ago.

Just as Selene was about to touch the memory, she felt the sharp pain in her head. She persisted despite how much it hurt until Edith shook her.

"Stop." Edith said.

Selene opened her eyes. Water seemed to coming out of her nose. She touched it.

Blood.

"I guess this method won't work." Selene sighed as Edith passed her some tissues to clog up her nose.

"You really don't want to remember." Edith said.

"What could be so terrible that I wouldn't want to remember? Why'd I prefer physical pain to remembering?" Selene sighed.

"You're ashamed of what happened and you blame yourself for everything. You're shielding your mind from the pain that comes with remembering. Are you really sure you want to remember?" Edith asked.

"I have to. If I can't..." Selene's voice tailed off.

"Then I have an idea. I had it ever since they mentioned your mother's necklace at the dinner table." Edith said.

"What? Why?" Selene asked.

"While we're alive, we get attached to worldly materials—like your favorite jeans or your favorite dress. It could even be your cell phone." Edith said.

"And?"

"When we die, those things hold some of our memories. In your mother's case, she wore that necklace until the day she died. It would contain the memories you need to remember but can't because it's too painful." Edith said.

"How does that help?"

"I'm a Necromancer. I can draw out the memories. A part of our entity will enter into the necklace and we'd be able to see what happened the day your mother died. I believe everything is connected to that day." Edith mumbled.

"But can you do it without Dusk?" Selene asked.

"Yes. I'm not entering into the spirit world. I'm merely seeing a memory trapped in a necklace. It's like watching a movie. I'm sure it'll work but are you willing to remember?" Edith asked.

Selene was silent for several seconds. A part of her wanted to remember her past and the power she was supposed to have but the other part was scared of what she'd see if she remembered.

Edith had said she was ashamed of what happened which was why she didn't want to remember.

What if she was never able to recover from what she'd seen? After all there was a valid reason she didn't want to remember.

But then Selene remembered her aunt who was probably dead and her mother who had been brutally murdered.

She couldn't allow anyone else get hurt because of her. She had to get her memories back no matter how painful it was.

"I want to remember. I have to remember." Selene said in a voice that sounded stronger than she felt.

"We'll sit so we can form a circle. You have to open the necklace for it to work." Edith said.

They sat facing each other, making a small circle between their legs. Edith held Selene's badly chewed finger-nailed hands in hers. The necklace was opened showing Selene's beautiful mother.

Edith said some words under her breath which Selene couldn't hear at first. Towards the end it became louder.

"....show us what we need to see;
Give us the truth we need to prevail.
Guide us into the realm of memories;
And bring us back at the end of it all."

At first, nothing happened but then Selene began to feel like a part of her body was lifted out. She was drawn to the necklace and its hidden memories.

In a few seconds, Edith and Selene had entered into the Realm of Memories to discover how Tabitha Feather really died.

#M.M💀🖤