ADARMUS STARED at the golden patches of grass in front. He walked with a steady pace, his face hidden by the black cloak he was wearing. No one can guess what's his intention from afar. He had a small lilt at the end of his lips, suggesting his light mood. He's at Joaquin's place. It's normal to feel happy.

It has been weeks since he saw him last. Adarmus hate to accept it but he indeed wanted to see Joaquin's smile again. The kid had forgotten how to live his life. It's a rare and monumental shift.


Penelope Blacke's presence proved that there might be another future for his son except eternald eath. He wanted to trust the Fates. Even though it was them who put him in this dilemma.

Lance hopped off from a large tree. He crossed his arms with a defensive glint in his eyes. The kid snorted. "You're that desperate to hide your face? It's not like someone will see you here."

Adarmus sighed. He left a bad impression to the man. He's not entirely innocent from his annoyance. Adarmus rarely think before he speaks. "Let's start with the ritual then proceed at midnight."


"Creating a barrier requires such long hours?"

Adarmus clicked his tongue. "You have somewhere more important to go? Did you not tell Joaquin you're going to check his business?"


Lance shifted his gaze and said nothing. Adarmus placed his hand to his shoulder. The kid didn't flinch. He took it as a great sign. "I knew about your mate. No need to lie. I'll only resent you."

"Resent me?" he squawked. "You go resent me all you want! I won't talk about it."

Adarmus pursed his lips. "I'm so tired of hearing this 'fate mated' crap in front of me. It gets annoying at times."

"You easily get annoyed, Old Man." Lance sighed. "We'll start here. How do we do it?"

"I'm not an old man. I'm only five hundred and six years old." Adarmus recalled the times 'that' person calls him his pet. It was because he's too young and naive.

Lance choked. He nodded. "Okay, fine. So how?"

Adarmus stepped away and looked to the direction of Joaquin's cabin. He tilted his head. "We should start at the place where the door of the cabin faces and ends at the back of the house. That's how our family usually does it."

Every time he casted a barrier for his son, he put markings on the woods so he doesn't need to manually count the distance and space needed. He raised his hand. That's when Lance gasped. "Does that mean, we are going to do this within every yard surrounding the mountain?"

The kid looked scandalised. Adarmus know he's used to hard work but this time he thought that the kid was especially lazy today.

"Yes. Protective barriers, as intricate as this one, has to be set manually. Carefully. It's like knitting. You can't jump one space because it will miss the purpose of setting a ward."

"This is not how they set it in the movies!"

"Lazy people," he drawled, "they should quit. Hurry up or Joaquin will notice our presence here."

Lance looked pained. "Fine. How do we begin?"

"First," Adarmus mumbled, "we should do the greetings for the Fates. We need their blessing so that the ward will be safe against demons and ill-hearted creatures. Not everyone can call to the Fates."

A pale blue orb filled Adarmus' left hand. He raised it to the air and watch it start to shine with blue light. "Your call is answered every time. How do you do that?" Lance was filled with envy.

Adarmus closed his eyes and pushed the hate bubbling in his chest. He gritted his teeth. "The Fates owe me something."

LANCE THOUGHT he's the best dancer in the world. He supports himself in any field. He's multi-talented. He owns that. But watching Adarmus expertly swaying his hands above his head in a slow manner, hips steadily moving left and right before lifting his knees slightly, he knew he was not even half of the old man's capabilities.

'I'll hand him the crown this time.' He couldn't believe how difficult was it to build a ward.

Lance struggled to follow his steps but his movement were all shallow and trembling. He can never be a successful magus in the future. This is hard.

Adarmus halted his dance. He carefully arranged his robes before looking at Lance. "Are you a chicken? Dance properly. This is a tribute to the environment. May they warn Joaquin and his family whenever danger has come in the area."

"Does it look like I'm not trying?" Lance lifted his foot as best as he can. "Is this posture good? God, why do I feel like an utter idiot."

Adarmus pursed his lips. "It only needs one person to dance though. I thought you just wanted to learn that's why you're copying me."

Lance's face paled. Now he is surely stupid. "You should have told me. The steps were so difficult! Now the mother nature would think I'm mocking them."

Adarmus failed to stop his smile. He huffed. "You'll make the spirits laugh. That's great enough. The next time, you should practice more."

"How touching..." A sarcastic voice echoed in Lance's ears. Adarmus' eyes bulged with shock and incredulity. "After years of trying to make you smile, now you give it freely to those who doesn't deserve it. Adarmus, how was it? To fell rock bottom when you thought you had it all."

Lance stepped back. They are still missing the last part of the process. Which is mixing his blood with Adarmus to make a blood pact. No one can enter without his permission by then.

Cold air sloshed Lance's face. Adarmus stood silent with an angry expression. "Mathilda, I never knew you'd be this obsessed with me. You said you only like my status but then here you are, trying to force yourself back to the person you threw away. I already lost it all. I have nothing left to give."

A resounding wail made Lance's knees weak. His state of mind became muddy because of the powerful voice. It was a woman. And an angry one at that.

"The one who threw you away? Adarmus, have you lost a quarter of your brain? It was you! It was you who throw me away! On the day of our supposed to be wedding!" She cried, "Stupid, stupid, stupid and useless that you are!"

Adarmus' eyes became blank. "Are you done?"

"Not yet!" she yelled, "Wait 'til I satisfy myself!"

"Suit yourself." Adarmus sat on a large rock and pointed at Lance's forehead. The kid was finally able to breathe normally again. "Stop harassing my apprentice. He's no match for you."

The sound waves stopped. The air stagnated and a woman dressed in red came out from the darkness. She had a large fan hiding half of her face. Her skin glows under the moonlight but the coldness of her eyes resembled a frozen lake. She laughed. "Apprentice? Sorry. I thought it was... a random stray you picked up."

Adarmus removed his hood and greeted her. "You're still full of dramatic stunts after all these years."

"Ah, well." She closed her fan. Revealing a smile that wasn't quite friendly. "After you left me, this is how I cope. Being dramatic. How's life, my love?"

"Shut it." Adarmus shook his head. "You're making my head hurt. How did you find me?"

"Tala told me you have a big problem and that you wouldn't be able to handle it yourself." She insulted, "Still useless and unreliable after everything."

'Tala...' He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Still, you came. Which is inappropriate considering you're a clan's young miss."

"Says the man who disrespected me by leaving. Well, as you've always said, the past is gone. Why are you here?"

Lance gained his consciousness. He gulped. "Is she... is she Joaquin's mother, old man? She's your wife, right?"

Mathilda's brow creased. She said with scorn, "Apprentice? This kid! You accepted someone as stupid as him? What, Adarmus? No one wants to be near you other than this large piece of shit? He called me your pup's mom!"

"You're still rude with people." Adarmus decided to poke on her sore spot. "That has to change. Maybe that's why you're not mated 'til now. Tone down the snark."

"What?" She gasped. "The audacity of that mouth, Adarmus. That's why I used to like you so much that I cried!"

Lance knew he couldn't defend himself in front of someone who's potentially stronger than Adarmus. He listened to them with unyielding attention. If he happens to confirm that she's Joaquin's mother, then Joaquin will be extremely happy. It's time to make them meet each other.

"You're ruining our ritual here. We're going to set a ward, and you're distracting the peaceful order we've set."

Lance seconded, "How did you get inside? The old ward is still working!"

"But it's weaker." She looked at her nails. "I have a school for magic, young mister. So I'm quite adept if not an expert. I have a clear heart and I don't harbor ill intentions for anyone. Lastly, this guy here owes me something larger than life. Of course his barrier won't reject me!"

Adarmus warned Lance. "Stop talking to her. She has nothing to do with our task."

"Hmn..." She rolled her eyes. "Why make a ward this big? This is too much for you. You can make a simple ward for yourself."

"It's for my son." Adarmus cut her off. "He needs it."

"Why?" She laughed. "It's not like you're going to die or something. Except—"

She halted her words. Her eyes started to glow red and bright. "Adarmus, don't tell me..."

Adarmus nodded defensively. "He's back. He's back and he's out there to get my son."

Lance was surprised to hear this news. Adarmus glared at him. A light tap made his mind go blank. The old man wants him unconscious so he wouldn't hear their conversation.

When the light was about to go out, he heard the woman said viciously, "Oh, so he's back? It's about time that we meet. That demon."