Even after knowing the danger of giving M the Jasus, I was still willing to give it. Anything to save Gran.

I just needed a way to get it back afterward. Wait, I thought as I massage my head, I'm double-crossing Dodobi and everyone else for someone else I'm planning on also double-crossing? It hurts to think.

We had already returned to our dorms after a mad dash to reach in time. The last 24-hours have been intense, and I can feel the day catching up with me as I yawn for the millionth time. So much has changed.

Even now, I was living in the aftermath of the day's events.

Ever since we arrived at our room, me and Hana have been talking nonstop. Granted, it's been about the mystery of everything we've learned in the day, but it was definitely an improvement from our initial interactions.

"It's so weird to think the Jasus's are still around. It's like finding out your favorite childhood myth is real. Ahhhhh, do you think there's a chance the Magiks may still be around?" -(Hana).

"Which teachers do you think are trying to help with the feud? I'm betting on anyone except Grim." -(Me).

"Don't you think it's weird that the Jasus's are around yet not found? I mean, it doesn't make sense that the world's most sought-after books aren't that sought after." -(Hana).

I even learned a bit about Hana, like how she and Danial have known each other since they were in diapers, which explains how close they are. "He's like a brother to me", she explained after telling me about her older twin sisters and younger twin brothers. "I'm basically an only child." Her favorite animal is undecided as she doesn't want to hurt M.O.M or D.A.D's feelings, and apparently, back at her home in British Columbia, her family has a bunch more animals she doesn't want to choose from. We talked about our favorite songs,(Hana's- anything Taylor Sift. Mine- Disney), favorite colours (Hanas- Black. Mine-Blue), and other trivial facts that I could totally beat Cedrick in a game of "Who knows Hana better." I'll probably never be able to beat Danial, but isn't one better than none?

Out of everything we talked about though, I learned that she's reluctant to talk about her family or her home life, and when I made the mistake of asking her, I recognized the look she gave me. It was the same one Logan would get. The one that said that there was more to say, but words would fail to convey the feelings as they were for others to understand. I stopped probing.

By 3 AM, I'm laughing tears and despite tomorrow being a school day, I have no regrets.

By 4 AM, we facetime with the guys and learned that they stayed awake as well. Talking with them on the phone, I noticed that there was a fast change in their behaviors with each other. They were both still slinking back, but that was in their normal ways. You could tell they are comfortable with each other, as Cedrick no longer shrank away under Danial's stare and Danial stopped rolling his eyes whenever Cedrick spoke. I realized something about us. We were all so ready to accept our unusual friendship because we were sick of the usual. And unusual worked for us.

By the time we were falling asleep, it was as we were talking. The facetime call was still going on, and we were still talking like we had the stars flowing out of our mouths. It was that exhilarating feeling when you know you have something to say and you say it as fast as you can so you won't forget it. Knowing that you have people listening makes that feeling so much better.

I cuddle into my blanket as I watch Hana and Danial hold a conversation, no longer hearing any words as I drove further into sleep. The smile on my face dimms as I watch the shadows dance, and I pull up my covers as I watch them all night, too afraid to close my eyes. Long after the call had ended, I was still jumping at the slightest noise, terrified at the possibility of M showing up.

☆☆☆

In my dream, I see Gran

She's in the forest, doing her job at the site.

I run to her, almost falling at the relief of seeing her safe. I put a hand on her shoulder to reassure myself, and I close my eyes as I smell the familiar scent of her cinnamon perfume.

I open my eyes as she turns to face me, but I scream as her face morphs into the creature I saw in my first vision. The one that changed the course of my life. Snarling at me, it flashes its teeth before running away from me, sending me backward glances as it runs awkwardly, almost uncomfortable in its body.

Behind me, I hear voices, soon followed by two men as they walk briskly through the trees as the setting changes to that of a small office corridor. I recognize one man— I wouldn't forget that mustache anywhere.

"Finding the Jasus's could be revolutionary! Life-changing! Groundbreaking!" the smaller man says, waving his hands excitedly as he suddenly slumps, "And you want to leave it?"

"No", Alex says. "I want to protect it. If we can find it, or lead the way for it to be found, then history repeats itself." He slams his hand against the wall. "It gets stolen. Falls into the wrong hands. Death and destruction follow. You know the rest. We need it, but we don't need it bad enough to risk the whole world."

"Yeah yeah", the other man says, "I get it. Doesn't mean I have to like it, but I get it. What do you plan to make with Dodobi then? He's adamant about finding it and fixing the Parax."

Alex sighs. "Dodobi is a dreamer. He believes that simply finding the books and revealing the truth will help. I don't think it's enough, but it's not like he'll listen. He's just doing what he wants to, just like always. I'm tired of living this reality again. He and his family can be stuck in the past, but I want to move on with my life." He takes a deep breath, calming himself with visible effort as it looked like this was something that really got him worked up. "Dodobi doesn't know I'm working against him, and it's better that way. He'll find the Jasus, and I'll dispose of it in some way. We don't need the sort of help that puts the world at risk."

The other man thoughtfully stares at Alex. "I would like to know though, about who betrayed who. Wouldn't it be amazing, the answer to such a reserved mystery?"

Alex rolls his eyes. "Sometimes, ignorance is bliss." He walks away with me throwing imaginary daggers at his back.

I don't know what to think about a lot of the stuff he just said, because I realized that while I had been trusting the information my visions provide and people's words, I haven't been doing my own research to form my own opinion. I need to decide for myself what the best thing to do is when it comes to the jasus's because while my heart goes with Gran— and I know that my ultimate decision will be in her favour— I need to know what the discovery of the Jasus's will do to the Parax world, and whether or not I can risk M getting his hands on it, no matter for how long.

One thing was for sure, I disagreed with his statement that Dodobi was a dreamer. He was one, I guess, but Alex made it sound like that was a horrible thing. Dodobi wasn't just that. He was optimistic, but more than that, he was hopeful. And that has to be worth something.

The scene turns to dust and withers at my feet when I am suddenly standing in front of a huge tent. Looking around, I notice many similar tents surrounding this one by the cluster, though much smaller and more simple.

Someone exists in the tent and runs off to my right when I become aware of the screaming. I run alongside the stranger, knowing full well he can't see me, but still trying to stay behind him. I didn't want to get in the way of him and whatever he was after. I could see glimpses of his face, and the worry and panic in his features would have scared me if not for the determination and authority leaking from his person.

We turn a corner to find a raging fire. I'm attacked by the smell and the sudden difficulty to breathe.

The man next to me runs up to a woman and grips onto her, talking to her in rushed, hurried tones. He nods his head and sends her off, yelling in that reappearing language again. The one that keeps following me in my vision and haunting me in my waking hours.

At his voice, hundreds of men and women come running with buckets and try to stop the fire from spreading. I watch as they dump splashes of water on flames, diminishing their ashes as the light fades.

I have no idea what to do, how to help them. I just keep running behind them as they dash back and forth, holding my fist to my mouth, running on the spot. I've never felt this useless before.

After what feels like days, but what must have been mere hours, I can see the embers die down. When it looks like the fire has been controlled— not stopped, but not expanding— the man puts his bucket down and shouts something before running off.

Not knowing what to do, I follow him.

We both stop at the sight in front of us.

The fire has spread, and it looks like to almost every tent. While we were worried about one area, there was a fire raging the majority of the camp.

Like it was a planned distraction.

He suddenly turns and dashes through the trees and flames, and I follow in my meager attempt to keep him safe. He goes to the big tent. The one he emerged from.

It was completely destroyed.

It was all burnt to crisps.

All that remained was ash.

He went up and picked up the ash. He pulled it up to his face and let out a strangled cry, before pocketing it in his coat. I watch from the side, feeling like I was invading a private moment.

He turns around and falls to his knees, and I rush forward to cushion his fall but realize last minute that I'm just a mere ghost in this memory.

It must be from the fire, I thought, the fumes must be harming him.

I look up to see the rows of burnt trees. Outlines of bodies on the ground were visible past the fog, and cries can be heard.

I strain my ears at the sound of stomping and perk up when I see several figures emerge through. They had clothes covering their faces, and dint faces the issue of breathing that even I was falling victim to.

Oh, thank goodness. I look at the man at my feet. Help had arrived.

I look up, relief flooding through me as more and more of these rescuers appear. All wearing masks and carrying other equipment.

My relief dies as I see them snatch women, earning a shriek from her, as they pull her roughly from a corpse.

The guy who grabbed her throws her towards one of the other men. "Make a pile of the dead and burn them. Get the alive ones. Injured ones can be taken to the healers, if they look too far gone to you, put 'em with the dead. Look for the book."

He spoke English, I thought bitterly, the evil ones spoke English.

His men turned and began to tear apart the remains of the camp. They formed a group of survivors, all whimpering and huddling close as they cried. They wailed in their language and tried to fight back. A weak effort.

I add to their screams as I watch them pull the man away from my feat, adding him to a pile of corpses.

I continue screaming as I watch them set the corpses on fire.

☆☆☆

I'm sitting in front of the dying embers, watching the last of the fire dwindle away.

He died, whoever he was.

They threw him— and hundreds of more bodies— and burned them like they were never humans. Like they were dirt.

He was alive when they burnt him. So were many others.

The masked man had burned people alive with no remorse.

After burning the bodies, they took the survivors away. All of their faces held pure terror. Rightfully so, as they had just watched their friends, family, leaders, thrown away like trash. If they treated the dead like that, what respect would they have for life?

What would happen to them?

I held my knees tightly as I rocked myself back and forth, attempting to soothe myself. I don't want to be here. I don't want to see this.

A masked guy walks past me, and I stick out my leg as a form of petty revenge, not expecting him to even notice when he hits and stumbles on my leg.

He looked back and walks away, looking confused.

He felt my leg.

I felt the bump of his.

I watched him walk away as I worried about it. How could he have felt my leg? This is a vision.

A group of men begins to have a hushed conversation with their leader, and I walk over to them in an attempt to ignore the beating of one of the survivors refusing to let go of his child.

"We'll be killed if we come back without the books," one guy says, making more questions appear in my mind.

Is the book they speak of the Jasus? Why do they speak English?

"The book isn't here. It's not our fault if we return without it." He turns abruptly and signals for everyone to start leaving. "Well take our chances."

My eye catches on movement behind a burnt tent after watching everyone else leave, the survivors being treated like cattle.

I walk over to it, carefully stepping over the fallen trees and the fire debris, freezing.

In from of me was a man.

Not just any man though— the man.

I ran to him but came up short as I realize it wasn't him, just someone who looks oddly similar to him. They had the same fiery red hair and freckles, and from a distance looked the same. There are unmistakable differences though. Like how this guy is alive.

He hurriedly walks past the burning tents into the forest and throws himself to the base of a tree. He desperately digs at its roots with his hands, and I leaned forward to see him pick out the two bundles.

I suck in a breathe.

The Jasus's. Both of them.

He covers them quickly under a blanket and bounds them, looking around every couple of seconds.

He hoists the package over his shoulder and jogs further into the trees. I run alongside him, casting glances every couple of seconds. Can this tell me what happened to the Jasus?

"Mena!"

We both come to a screeching stop as we turn around to see a man.

This was the man.

This one was definitely the one who got burned. He had charred skin and a burnt smell radiating from him. The weirdest thing, his falling flesh, and burnt skin were patching themselves up. Fixing his wounds.

He's a healer.

"Mena!' he repeats again, limping forward with a murderous glint in his eyes. He begins screaming at him, but there was nothing I understood.

The guy I stood beside said some loathing words and quickly turns around and waves his hand creating a Gyer. He flung the bundle in first and then jumped in, leaving two very confused people behind.

What the hell just happened?