A veil of fog ran through the barren landscape, the wind cold and icy and sharp. Horrifying and frightening noises were heard all around him, making him flinch every two seconds but he kept going. A disintegrating and crumbling castle towered in front of him, casting an ominous shadow over the land. Swallowing down his fear, he pushed open the heavy door, that was barely hanging in the door frame, and stepped inside.

As soon as he was inside, he heard that voice again and started running towards it. That female voice sounded so desperate and broken and pained and familiar. He longed to see her face again. As fast as he could, he ran through the castle and down some old crooked staircases until he had reached the dungeons. Fearfully, he put one foot in front of the other and listened closely, hoping to hear the voice again.

"Louis" someone croaked out from his right, startling him so much that he jumped into the air and let out a quiet scream, very manly.

On his right, a hand was reaching for him and Louis tentatively grabbed it, feeling goosebumps erupt everywhere and his throat closed up with too many emotions. There she was, lying on the cold ground of the castle's dungeon, looking up at him longingly.

"Mum" Louis brought out with tears streaming down his face.

"Louis".

.

.

.

"Louis" someone was shaking him carefully, waking Louis up from his dream and bringing him back into reality. "Louis".

Blinking his stinging eyes open, Louis was met with a worried-looking Zayn, who sat down next to him now and took his hand gently, rubbing patterns onto it calmingly. Louis felt his heartbeat slowing down and his breathing turned back to normal. Snivelling a bit to himself, Louis wiped away the dried tears on his face with his free hand and then looked at Zayn, who was smiling at him.

Before he could utter out a single word, his bedroom door was pushed open and the rest of his friends rushed inside, looking as if someone had died and had come back to life right after.

"Oh, thank god, you're fine" Maribel breathed out when she saw him with Zayn.

"I told you he was" Zayn retorted collected.

"What the hell is going on? Why are you all here? What happened?" Louis was so lost, feeling weird with his friends around when he was only in his PJs.

"Lew, I don't know how to tell you this but um ... you called for all of us. Through your mind" Àmbar let him know gently.

"I called for you? All of you?" Louis looked around the room, glancing at Harry, who was standing far in the back with his head down and shuffling his feet nervously, but he lightly nodded.

"Well, not me technically but I saw when ... um yeah" Niall scratched his neck uncomfortably, also glancing at Harry.

"Woah, okay. I didn't know I can do that" Louis had to digest that.

"Believe me, us neither" Maribel propped her hands up on her hips, looking tired as hell.

"Sorry for waking you all up in the middle of the night" Louis apologised ashamed. "It is the middle of the night, right?".

"It's 2 am in the morning, so yeah" Liam informed him.

"Fuck" Louis groaned and fell back onto his pillow.

"This whole situation is weird but we're all here now and you're good, right? Or why we're you calling for help?" Aria looked like she didn't know what to do.

"I called for help?" Louis peaked up at his friends.

"You did. I just don't see why" Aria confirmed sleepily.

"My Mum" Louis mumbled under his breath.

"Your Mum?" Harry knitted his eyebrows together in confusion, gaining everyone's attention. "Louis, what happened?".

Louis sat back up and immediately felt Zayn's hand on his back. "Maybe you should tell them everything".

"Everything? You're keeping something from us?" Maribel hooked.

"No, not really. It's just ..." Louis trailed off, looking at Zayn for support. "I've had some weird dreams about my mother for a week now. At first, I didn't know it was her I saw because I couldn't see a face or hear a voice clearly but with every new dream it become more clear and I knew it was her. These dreams are not memories. They show her in a castle, in a dungeon, and she is calling for me. Like tonight. Tonight's dream was the clearest out of all of them. I could see where she was. The entire place".

"Oh, Lew. Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Àmbar sat down on his other side. "We could've figured something out".

"I know but I wasn't sure if these dreams meant anything. Maybe I was just going crazy with longing for something I can't have. I didn't wanna bother any of you with dreams" Louis looked down at his hands, fiddling with them. It has always been his nervous tick.

"It wouldn't have been a bother" Àmbar smiled at him.

"She's right. We're your friends. Your family, if you want. We're always here for you, no matter what" Aria sided with Àmbar.

"And dreams like that can be visions" Liam piped in.

"Visions?" Louis didn't understand what he meant.

"You're a light fairy and your mother as well. Your powers connect you and make it easier to communicate in different ways. It looks like she was trying to reach out to you" Liam expounded further.

"You mean these dreams were messages or something? She is right there, trying to tell me and save her?" Louis' eyes grew big.

"There is a high chance" Liam nodded in confirmation.

"Shit, I can't ignore her call for help. I have to save her" Louis jumped up from his bed right towards his drawer.

"All alone? Definitely not. I'm coming with you" Zayn stood up as well, helping him pick out some clothes.

"I can't let you ... Thank you, Joey" Louis wanted to contradict him but he knew arguing would be in vain. Zayn was too loyal.

"You can count on me as well, Lew" Àmbar offered him a supportive smile and Louis just accepted her help.

"Does anyone else feel the need to kick some bad guy's ass?" Maribel looked expectantly at her friends.

"No, Belle. I can't let you do this. I can't put all of you in danger just to maybe save my mum. You can't risk your life for me" Louis tried to stop her. He couldn't let this happen.

"Louis, I would risk my life for you any day without question. We're a team, a family. We have each other's back, no matter what. And if there is just the tiniest chance to finally save your mother then we need to take it. We knew she is alive for a long time now and ... I never understood why we couldn't save her earlier but tonight might be the night of nights" Maribel approached him, resting her hands on his shoulders and Louis simply nodded. "Guys, who is with me?".

"Me, of course," Aria was definitely in.

"You need me" Liam grinned surely.

"Course" Maribel rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Good. Looks like all of us ...".

"I'm coming, too" Harry spoke over her, causing everyone to stare at him with their jaws dropped to the floor.

"What? No, Harry. You can't ..." Louis was so caught off guard that he didn't know what to say or to do.

"I can't what? Help you? Why not? I'm part of this team too, you know?" Harry countered tensely.

"I know but it will be dangerous and you're not ready for this yet. What if we get attacked and you get hurt again? I can't let you do that. Not for me" Louis desperately wanted Harry to stay home.

"Louis" Harry started, walking over to him with everyone watching them speechless. "I wanna do this. I wanna help you. I don't care if it's dangerous or not. Your mother is alive and we might be able to save her. All of us. Together. I won't let you down".

"You don't have a suit" Louis croaked out, definitely way too affected by Harry's intense stare and his words.

Harry tilted his head aside with a lopsided smile on his pretty face. "Is that your only argument?".

"I ..." Louis was lost for words. He didn't want him to get hurt.

"I promise I'll be careful but we need to take this chance. I'm right here with you, Louis" Harry lightly brushed their hands against each other before he quickly retreated his hand.

"And me, too" Niall popped their strange bubble. "I'm coming, too. Don't wanna miss out on the fun".

"Looks like we're all going".

Louis was still only staring up at Harry, who held his gaze just as intensely. He wasn't sure what he saw in Harry's eyes but it weirdly relaxed him and made him accept this situation. They've been staring at each other for so long now that Louis didn't know how to look away, how to break this moment between them.

"Well, we should go" Maribel cleared her throat exaggeratedly, giving Louis the perfect opportunity to look away.

"Too bad we don't have any weapons for Niall and Harry. I would feel better if they had something" Aria mused concerned.

"Say no more" Zayn walked out of the room, beckoning the others to follow him. Like this, Louis could finally get dressed into normal clothes. Now Harry has seen him in pyjamas. Great.

Quickly, he got ready and headed into the living room to his friends. As expected Zayn had brought out two smaller swords and daggers he kept hidden in the flat for emergencies. Louis knew he also had a bow and arrows somewhere. Seeing Niall and Harry weaponed up made him feel the tiniest bit better.

"Ready to go?" Zayn asked him gingerly.

"Yeah, as ready as I can be" Louis let out a long sigh.

At that, Àmbar stepped into action. The ring on her finger was glowing and with that energy paired up with her fire powers, she opened a blue portal to the dark dimension. She was the only one who was already able to create portals to other realms. Perks of being in training since she was sixteen and being a full fairy.

With his heart beating up his throat, Louis crossed the portal and stepped foot into the dark realm. His friends closely followed and the portal closed behind them. It was safer to close it. They couldn't risk dark creatures passing through and putting their world in danger. They just had to open a new portal later.

"Woah" one of his friends breathed out but Louis couldn't say who it was. He was frozen to his spot.

The view in front of him looked exactly like his dream. A destroyed landscape filled with dead trees, no water in sight, no sunlight, fog everywhere and a cold and icy wind was hitting their faces. It looked like a nightmare come to life. It was his nightmare coming to life and he didn't know how to feel but then he spotted the castle in the distance. That gave him a little bit of hope.

"That's the castle" Louis pointed at it.

"Great. Then let's go. No time to waste" Maribel obviously tried to come off as calm and collected but Louis could see right through her. She was scared shitless and for a good reason.

In sync, they all suited up and additionally, Àmbar and Louis let their wings appear while Zayn created a flickering aura around him, which would let him fly if needed without much effort. Niall and Harry had their swords ready in hand and like this, they marched towards the castle. It felt like they were walking for hours but at the same time, it felt like it had only been the blink of an eye.

Threateningly, the castle built up in front of them and Louis felt his pulse starting to race like crazy when they pushed the heavy door open, causing a squeaking sound to echo through the huge halls. Wincing at the sound, they looked around but saw nothing.

As quietly as possible, they sneaked through the halls of the castle, looking for the staircase and finding it suspiciously quick. But before they could follow the stairs they heard sounds they had wished to not hear any time soon. These shrill screams could only come from demons. Third-class demons but demons nonetheless.

"They're coming".

Getting ready to fight, they formed a circle, backs facing each other. Only a second later, the demons came out of the shadows, running right at them. This was exactly the situation Louis had wanted to avoid but now they had to face them down.

Overall, it looked to be around fifty demons against eight of them. They could take them easily. On cue, they fired their powers at them mercilessly and Louis only heard how Niall and Harry fought them off, killing some of them. He himself focused on turning them to dust and into ashes. One demon after the other fell and no new ones were coming, fortunately. But somehow that made Louis even more careful. This has been too easy, even for them.

"Come on" Maribel ushered them all down the stairs.

Soundlessly, they ran down the stairs after her and found themselves in the cold dungeons. Again, Louis was reminded of his dream and took the lead, trying to find the place where he had seen his mother. An icy chill ran down his spine when he took the corner and was met with nothing. Only emptiness.

"That's where I saw her but she isn't here" Louis looked around frantically, hoping to find some clues or anything really.

"Maybe it only looks similar. The dungeons are endless. She might be further down there" Aria pointed down the darkness of an endless hall.

"No, this is the place. I'm sure" Louis insisted panickily.

"Louis, maybe you're wrong and ...".

"No, he's right" a voice sounded from behind them dangerously.

In a flash, they all turned towards that voice and saw a man hovering in the air by the staircase leading upstairs. He was floating over to them, his posture entirely calm but threatening. He didn't need an introduction. Louis knew who that was.

"Josiah" he hissed out angrily.

"The one and only" Josiah boasted arrogantly.

"Where's my mother?" Louis felt himself starting to tremble.

"Not here" Josiah replied simply.

"But I saw her right ...".

"Illusions are fascinating powers, Louis" Josiah cut him off calmly. "They can make you see everything their keeper wants".

"It wasn't her. It was you" Louis realised shocked.

"Not entirely true. She did try to reach you but not from here. She has never been here. It would be way too predictable to keep her here, don't you think? And then have no guards anywhere? Only a few demons who love to kill?" Josiah grinned smugly.

"It was a trap. You wanted us to come here. You created those dreams and made sure we would ...".

"Clever girl" Josiah laughed evilly, cutting Maribel off. "But I can't create dreams. I have friends for that. Powerful friends".

"Are they here too and ready to kill us?" Zayn spoke up way too calm, shocking all of them.

"I'm not here to kill you and that's why I'm alone" Josiah let them know but no one believed him.

"Yeah? What do you want? Why would you go to this extreme just to get us here?" Zayn shot back strongly.

"I have an offer to make that could save your lives" Josiah was unimpressed by Zayn's behaviour, unlike his friends.

"I'm all ears" Zayn crossed his arms over his chest.

"I wanna form an alliance with you, guys" Josiah came to the point. "Join me and thrive. Join me and get Jasmine back".

The silence that followed was filled with tension and fear and doubts and anger. Louis could feel his friends' eyes on him, awaiting his answer or any kind of reaction but what kind of reaction did they expect to an offer like that? There really only was one answer to that. Only one thing Louis would do.

"I would never join you. None of us would" Louis declined the offer determined in a strong voice. "You took my mother from me and killed my father. You're at fault for my best friend and animella growing up without his parents. You killed hundreds and thousands of innocent people; humans who never did anything wrong and other beings who were completely unsuspecting and unknowing, having no idea they had powers, to begin with. You killed all of them and for what? Your egocentric and selfish desire for power".

"Louis!" Maribel, Aria, Niall and Liam gasped in shock.

"What? It's true and he knows it" Louis only glared at Josiah. "I'll find my mother without joining you. Trust me".

"Oh, I believe you will. Or at least, you'll die trying. Depending on your next choice" Josiah stared him down but Louis didn't budge.

"Come to the point" Louis growled at him.

"Other powerful people have fallen or yielded to join forces with me" Josiah looked directly at Harry, confirming what they all already knew. "More powerful than you, little guardians. Who are you to think you could defeat me? It's laughable and you know it. That's why I give you another chance, your last one. Choose wisely and end your fight. Don't get in my way or you and everyone you love will pay the price for it. They will pay with their lives".

"You can't threaten us, Josiah" Zayn stepped closer to him now. "We will protect our world and its inhabitants to our last breath".

Josiah's eyes darkened at that. "If you knew what I know about your parents and how they died you wouldn't say that".

"Don't be so sure" Zayn shot back but not as confident anymore.

"Think about my offer, guardians. All of you. Consider every aspect and if losing everything is worth this fight. I let you go now but the next time we meet I know no mercy. I will kill all of you" Josiah flew higher before he disappeared into thin air.

"He let us go" Maribel brought out shaken.

"Only to kill us next time" Niall reminded her terrified.

"Let's get out of here" Àmbar shook away her frozen state and opened a portal right there in the dungeon.

With one last look through the dungeon, they all crossed the portal and found themselves at the academy with the sun rising behind the building, throwing its glow over the world. It almost looked like a shimmer of hope but Louis felt none of it. This entire trip has been in vain. His mother was still trapped somewhere and he had no idea how to find her or ever break her out and save her.

Before anyone could address the situation, pity him, comfort him, cheer him up or scold him for leading them right into a trap, Louis portalized himself out of there and into his secure bedroom at home. Closing the portal behind him, Louis threw himself onto his bed face first and wanted to suffocate himself with his pillow. Only a few seconds later he could feel the stinging in his eyes becoming too much to handle and he couldn't stop the tears from flowing over, making him almost choke on them and hiccuping heavily. He felt like a huge failure right now. Instead of finding his mother, he had put his friends in danger selfishly. He was so stupid.

Deep down Louis knew his friends would contradict him in a heartbeat, Zayn first, but he didn't wanna hear it. He had fallen for the oldest trick in the textbook. Dreams and illusions. It was so pathetic of him to think his mother was actually calling out for him and showing him where she was through his dreams. And yeah, apparently she had actually tried to reach him but Josiah had presumably lied about that as well. He was pure evil.

As hard as he tried, Louis couldn't get Josiah out of his head. That raven-haired devil with dangerous green eyes and an always prominent smirk plastered on his threatening face. Louis just knew he would haunt his dreams from now on, mocking him every night.

A sudden knock on his door startled the living shit out of him and he jumped up in fear but relaxed the tiniest bit when he heard a familiar voice coming through the door. "Louis?".

And what in the world was Harry doing here? How did he get inside the flat? Was he here to mock him? To tell him how big of a fuck up he really was as if Louis didn't know that already?

Bracing himself for whatever was to come, Louis stood up from his bed and opened his room door, revealing a tousled-looking Harry biting his bottom lip violently. "What are you doing here?".

"I um ... I wanted to see how you're holding up" Harry wouldn't meet his eyes, which was so odd.

"How did you get inside?" Louis tried to catch his eyes.

"Zayn opened a portal for me" Harry answered quietly.

"What? Really? Why would Zayn willingly ...?".

"I told him I might be able to help you" Harry spoke over him with more determination than Louis had ever heard him talk with.

"Help me? In which way? I don't need pity or a lecture" Louis felt himself getting defensive for no reason at all.

"Can we talk in peace? Maybe sit down? I'll explain everything and then I'll leave you alone" Harry pleaded, finally looking at him with big eyes.

"Okay" Louis agreed against his better judgement.

Beckoning Harry to lead the way, Louis closed his door behind him and followed Harry to the living room couch. When he didn't sit down Louis only rolled his eyes and sat down, patting the spot next to him without thinking about it. Hesitantly, Harry sat down but with a bit of distance between them. Okay then, fine. Looked like he wasn't trying to force them together anymore. Good. Fine.

"So," Louis said for lack of a better idea.

"How are you holding up? Are you okay?" Harry blurted out.

Stealing a glance at Harry's pale face, Louis decided to just tell someone how he was feeling. "To be honest, not really. I feel horrible for dragging you all into this. I should have known it was a trick, a trap. But I didn't. I failed all of you".

"That's not true" Harry vigorously shook his head, eyes wild. "You did not fail us, Louis. We all fell for it. We chose to come with you and support you. Hell, Liam completely believed in his own theory about dreams and connected powers. We all did. It made sense. And Josiah said your mother was trying to reach you. He probably just used that to his advantage. Now we know his friend with mind powers is really dangerous and powerful. That's a good thing. And you stood up to Josiah. I've never seen someone be so strong and brave. You're very brave, Louis".

Astounded and totally speechless, Louis blinked at Harry. Did he really just say all of that? Louis has never heard him talk this fast. He almost didn't catch it. His words had made his heart feel warm and fuzzy and his mind was spinning. He could also feel his fingers twitching and tingling with the need to reach out and pull Harry into a hug but he restrained from doing so. They weren't that close and it was a spur-of-the-moment feeling. Nothing more.

"Thanks" Louis fleetingly smiled at him before turning his gaze onto his shoes. "But um ... you wanted to tell me something".

"Oh, yeah. Um ..." Harry looked disorientated for a second.

"Why did Zayn portalize you here? That doesn't sound like him. Why are you here and he isn't?" Louis repeated his question.

"He wanted to follow you immediately but I stopped him and begged him to let me go after you. At first, he didn't want to as you can imagine" Harry threw him a funny look, making Louis chuckle against his will. "But I told him I can help you. Maybe".

"What exactly are you talking about?" Louis hooked cluelessly.

"There might be a way to find out where your mother is" Harry revealed to him gently.

"What?" Louis gaped at him. "Why didn't you tell me that earlier?".

"We're not really that close and until tonight I wasn't even really aware of the fact that Josiah had kidnapped your mother. No one had told me" Harry's gaze dropped to the floor and made Louis feel bad. "And I'm not sure it will actually work".

"I'm sorry. I didn't ..." Louis trailed off, feeling ashamed of himself for assuming Harry knew about his mother when Louis obviously hasn't told him. "Can you tell me what you mean, H?".

Calling him that felt so strange and kind of wrong but Louis was really trying here. They didn't need to be enemies all the time and Louis could see that Harry really only wanted to help him.

Visibly caught off guard, Harry's head snapped up and he stared at him for a moment before shaking himself out of it. "There is someone who could locate your mother. His name is Sean".

"Should I know who that is?" Louis put his head aside in question.

"He's a seer who lives in between the pack's border and some woods downtown in Southley. He can see the past, the present and a possible future. The future is tricky. But um ... with his powers he might be able to go back in time and find out where Josiah has taken her. Through someone's memories" Harry revealed to him.

"That ... that could work. Wow," Louis was baffled. How did no one come up with that before? Their teachers and the magic council had to know about Sean. "How do you know him?".

"My mum brought me to him after ..." Harry abruptly stopped, turning bright red and stiffening in his spot. Louis understood.

"Ah, okay" was all he said because his mind was working.

Judging by the colour of Harry's face and his own memories, Bella probably had brought Harry to see Sean the day they had had that heated argument back at Luke's place. The day Abby had thrown them all out out of nowhere because Harry had gone into a heat-like headspace although he was a beta, which still didn't make any sense to Louis. And now that he thought about it he was even more confused. Sean was a seer. Why did Bella bring Harry to him after that incident? How could the past or future help with that?

"Wait, did you say through someone's memories?" Louis only now registered Harry's words. "I don't remember my mother. I wasn't there when she was taken. I can't know where she is".

"Maybe. Or maybe you were just too young to actively remember it. Sean will know. He knows a lot" Harry cleared his throat.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go and see Sean".

A few days ago, Louis would've never thought it was possible to go anywhere together with Harry without arguing over nothing. But here they were, heading to Sean's house and they weren't arguing. They also weren't talking but it wasn't that uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as before when they were kinda alone.

Not wanting to analyse that curiosity any further, Louis beckoned them to go faster. Like this, they reached Sean's place only a few minutes later and hesitantly went inside. Louis almost felt bad for bothering him this early in the morning but when he saw a guy already sitting at a table with candles everywhere and some other ominous-looking stuff he had the feeling Sean was expecting them.

"Welcome back, Harry. It's nice to see you again" Sean spoke up in a friendly voice.

"Pleasure is mine, Sean. I'm so sorry for bothering you this early and uninvited but we need your help" Harry sounded so stressed when his gaze fell on Louis. "Oh, this is Louis".

"Jasmine's son, I see. I knew you would come to me one day" Sean didn't sound surprised at all.

"You knew my mother?" Louis wrinkled his forehead.

"No, but my father did. I only saw her in people's memories and in some visions of a possible future" Sean had to disappoint him.

"Memories. That's why we're here. Harry said you might be able to help me find out where my mother is being held hostage at the moment" Louis was reminded of the reason they were here.

"Depends if you know who could possess that memory" Sean eyed them up and down.

"There might be a chance he knows it. Or his long-term memory. He was only two years old when she was taken and has no active memories of her, so ..." Harry cringed at his own words but Louis didn't see why. It was the truth and nothing triggering.

"I can try but if we do this now, we're gonna go down memory lane completely. That means all the way back until today. Everything that stands out as important and shaping for you, if you're aware of it or not. We'll be able to see everything" Sean warned him while explaining how this would work.

"Then I'm gonna wait outside" Harry's fingers were twitching.

"You don't have to. We might need you" Louis didn't want him to go and wasn't sure why. Letting Harry see all of his memories maybe wasn't a good idea or maybe it was. Who knew?!

"He's right. You might see something we don't" Sean agreed with him but had an odd edge to his voice, exchanging a look with Harry that Louis didn't understand.

"Okay, I stay" Harry's voice sounded strangled, strained.

"Give me your hand, Louis. And focus on opening your mind and your heart. Let me see your past and find out if there is anything hidden to help us find your mother" Sean held his hands out for him to take, so Louis did.

Mumbling something to himself, Sean let go of Louis' hands and created a sparkling cloud of smoke and fog between his hands. In this cloud, Louis could make out moving pictures. It was his memories, showing in the cloud like a movie, mostly muted but some moments could be heard, whatever that meant.

"Wait" Louis leaned closer when he saw himself as a baby next to another baby. "Is that Zayn?".

"Let's find out" Sean focused harder on the moment and managed to turn the voices louder. Now he could hear his mother and the other woman talking about them.

"Fuck, this is Zayn. Our mums knew each other before we were born. I knew Zayn from the day he was born" Louis realised in shock. A part of him was mourning the life he could've had.

"Moving on?" Sean asked tentatively.

"Moving on" Louis cleared his throat, remembering Harry was there with them. "Let's find more surprises".

Sean actually chuckled at that, making Louis aware of the fact that this magical guy was around their age and not more mature than he himself but held people's futures in his hands. That had to be a lot of pressure on a daily basis. Could you have friends like that?

Clearing his mind to help Sean as best as he could, Louis returned his focus to the cloud showing his memories. He saw himself as a baby with his mother and then it jumped to him with a man he didn't know. When he recognised the woods they were in Louis knew who that was. Travis. That asshole that wanted to get him killed by wolves. That's what Louis saw right now. Travis hoping for a rogue alpha to show up but instead Bella and Harrison showing up and Bella convincing Harrison to keep Louis. It was weird to see this happening when he couldn't really remember it. His brain could and that was pretty cool. But not when he saw himself meeting baby Harry for the first time. That was weird.

Ignoring the weird look Sean threw at Harry, Louis watched his past unfolding in front of him. He saw himself growing up in the pack the first few years. How everyone excluded him as a child and how much it was hurting him. He could feel that pain again but pushed it aside. It was in the past. But then he saw a scene he should have known would be important enough to show up. He and Harry with six and four years old playing by the woods, all happy and carefree until Harrison ruined it. The pain and rejection were clearly written on Louis' face and he had to look away but that was a mistake. Now he could see Harry's face and he looked like he was about to cry, scratching his wrist absent-mindedly.

From then on, the scenes rushed quickly past his eyes. More pain, more moments of him being excluded and bullied and harassed by Aidan and his friends. All the cat-calling and sexual comments and tries to get in his pants. He felt sick to the stomach seeing this again. Then it was time for his eighteenth birthday. A very dull and lonely day. Jessica, Colin and Luke had tried their best to make this day enjoyable but Aidan had ruined it by beating him up for being useless and denying and rejecting him.

A smile threatened to grow on his face when he saw himself starting his job at the nurse's office. Maria had been amazing and so kind to him but he had been broken beyond repair. Not broken enough to have sexual needs though. He didn't think making that deal with Luke was important enough to be shown but okay then. At least that was about it. Until it went back to him and Luke agreeing on sharing their first time together. Louis knew what would follow and wasn't keen on seeing it again. The beating he had gotten afterwards by Aidan and Harry's judging words. But there was no way to get out now. He had to do this and face it.

"So, you really fucked Luke? An omega? A wolf?" Harry clicked with his tongue, staring him down.

Louis stood up from the ground without facing him. "Just leave me alone. This is none of your business".

"Oh, but it is. This is my pack" Harry made himself appear taller than he already was. A poor act of non-existent dominance.

"It really isn't" Louis shot back unimpressed.

"They were right. You really don't know where your place is. You deserve all of this for going too far and crossing a line. You should be happy and grateful that we let you live with us but no. You only cause trouble and violate our rules. And now you had sex with an omega! You deserved every single punch and you should get more until you finally realise where your place is" Harry glared at him with dark eyes, so full of hate.

"I know my fucking place!" Louis snapped at him. His words really hurt him and hit straight home. "Don't you think I know I don't have a place in your stupid pack? I never asked you to take me in and I seriously wonder why your father did it in the first place. I know where I stand but it fucking hurts and is freaking lonely! Don't you understand how it feels to know you will be forever alone until the day you die? To know no one will ever want you?".

"You can always leave if you're this ungrateful. The human city is right outside these woods. Someone might want you there" Harry shrugged without any kind of sympathy or understanding.

"Seriously, fuck you. Fuck all of you".

Sean looked shocked while Harry had his gaze focused on the floor. Louis only watched because it would get worse. Him finding the dead body was next and Harrison dismissing him that day made it so much more obvious now that he had been involved from the start. But then Louis had to swallow. He recognised that party. He watched how Aidan approached him and yet again tried to get his way with him, encouraged by alcohol and his friends.

"You're pretty brave for a powerless human. Or pretty stupid to disobey an alpha, who could beat you up and kill you in less than a second" Aidan towered over him. "But pretty nonetheless".

"Oh, wow, thank you" Louis pretended to be flattered.

"You should thank me for giving you the time of day, bastard" Aidan growled darkly, his breath reeking of alcohol. "Why don't you spread your legs for me and I show you how good an alpha's cock can be, even for a human".

"First of all, no. Fuck off. And second, I couldn't even if I wanted to, which I don't. I'm not made for that. Human and all" Louis levelled him down as powerful as he could while being scared on the inside. He knew how strong Aidan really was.

"Don't worry. I'll make you adjust" Aidan stepped even closer to him, licking his lips. "Before I split you open and fill you up".

Bubbling with anger, Louis slapped him across the face, knowing this was a mistake. "Back off!".

He could see the shock and sheer horror on Sean's face.

With a terrifying low growl, Aidan pushed Louis back against a tree and held his arms in place, so he couldn't move. All his alpha friends behind him were ready to attack. "You fucking slut! Who do you think you are?! Don't deny me when I'm nice enough to even consider fucking you, a human being!".

"Not interested" Louis swallowed his fear to stare him down.

"But fucking Luke was interesting, huh? You prefer omegas, yeah? You think you're an alpha or what?! You're not, you little worthless piece of shit! Hands off of our omegas and now let me in!" Aidan tightened his grip on him, using his alpha voice shamelessly.

"That voice doesn't work on me, asshole" Louis reminded him strongly. "And you're not allowed to use that voice for sexual ...".

"Do I look like I care?" Aidan cut him off madly. "It just gets me what I want every time. It will get me in your pants. Inside your big ass, if you want to or not. Now open up for me and let me fuck you. Let me in, human!".

"No," Louis said darkly, kicking him in the balls with his knee.

Watching himself get attacked by several alphas was so weird. He dared to peak up at Harry when Harrison showed up in the picture. He was frozen to the spot and stared at the scene with big eyes and an emotion swimming in them that Louis couldn't place. It intensified when he himself was seen in Louis' memories. Together with Niall, putting him down even more. Breaking Louis' heart and soul with one single sentence.

"Maybe he should have let you die back then. End your suffering there".

And it was right there. For everyone to see and relive. The reason Louis didn't want Harry in his life. The expression on Sean's face was unreadable but he looked beyond horrified, always glancing at Harry, who looked ashamed of himself and wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. Louis felt the urge to comfort him for some stupid reason and he shouldn't feel that. Not after reliving everything. Not after being shown how horrible Harry has been to him. But he couldn't help it. Harry wasn't that bad anymore.

Looking back at the cloud, Louis saw himself running away with tears on his face, packing up his belongings. He saw Luke coming in to help and say goodbye. He saw how he left, met Àmbar and then Zayn, Dylan and the bookstore and finally Aurelio. He relived the moment he was told he was a guardian. It felt surreal.

Seeing the academy for the first time and meeting the other guardians was a moment he enjoyed seeing again. Just like the first eighteen months of training, bonding with his friends and learning how to transform into his natural cat form and then into other smaller animals. Seeing what he had learned in such a small amount of time made him feel proud of himself.

Then the bookstore incident with Harry was next. How he had watched him as a cat and then told him off and pushed him against a shelf, so angry and mad and full of hate. That moment also got a reaction from Sean and earned Harry a certain look but Louis didn't question it. Not when Harry joining their team and more arguments were next. The incident at Luke's place, their argument in front of the academy with everyone around, their argument by the portal where Harry got hurt. How Louis had disappeared after he had taken him to Àmbar and how he had talked to that unknown girl and later Zayn. The short argument at the beach and the fight against demons and how he had saved Harry that day. Luke showed up here and there just as Zayn and Àmbar and some of their training sessions. Up to him comforting Harry when there was the first chance of war against his former pack.

Then they finally reached his dreams about his mother and the dream from tonight. Everyone showing up and all of them going to the dark realm and fighting demons. Going down to the dungeons just to be met with Josiah and hearing his offer again. Watching himself stand up to the devil himself felt odd but he could see Harry watching him the entire time with an unreadable and weird expression on his face. Was that pride? No, it couldn't be.

And just like that, the cloud vanished and Sean exhaled loudly, bringing them back into the present. "I'm sorry but there was nothing about her whereabouts in your memories".

"It's fine. Thank you for trying, Sean" Louis had expected that.

"There is another chance, a possibility. Something else I could try" Sean looked unsure out of the sudden, glancing at Harry.

"Okay, and what is that?" Louis pressed for an explanation.

"It's a bit tricky but I could try to access Josiah's memories. It's possible, especially with you two having been in contact with him today but he is very powerful. He might sense it and block me out" Sean enlightened them hesitantly.

"Is it worth a try?" Louis bit the inside of his cheek.

"Yes, and I will do it. For you" Sean nodded confirmingly. "But I might need to hide after that".

"What do you mean?" Harry piped in now.

"I've already seen splits of my future. I'm gonna be in hiding after today, which means I probably will be able to get the memory we need. He won't like it and will try to find me" Sean confessed to them, sounding so scared.

"You can't risk your life for me, Sean. It's not worth it" Louis had to stop him. He couldn't let that happen.

"It's written in the stars. I'm gonna do it and it will be worth it, Louis. This is my decision" Sean reassured him calmly.

"Come to the academy with us" Louis blurted out before he could think this through but it was the best option.

"What?" Sean blinked at him bewildered.

"You can hide there. Live there. It's safe. Safer than out there somewhere. I can't let you put yourself in danger without ... Let me help you in exchange, Sean" Louis felt like begging.

"I ... " Sean was speechless. "Okay".

"Really? Thank you, Sean" Louis breathed out in relief.

"Thank you, Louis. Anyway, let's get that memory" Sean rubbed his hands together, creating another foggy cloud.

Louis could feel himself tensing up but immediately Harry's hand was on his shoulder, squeezing it softly. It made Louis relax a bit and he focused on the cloud and the fleeting images. The images stopped rushing and showed Josiah with Jasmine. They were in some kind of castle, in a destroyed bedroom and not a dungeon. They heard him say her powers were limited in here and a barrier of black magic was all around the castle. There was no escape. They watched him leave her to her destiny and exit the castle. Like this, they could see the realm they were in. It was the nature realm.

"That's fucked up" Sean blurted out, paling right on the spot. "Sorry but he is keeping her in the destroyed castle of the nature realm. The former home of her husband, your father. The place he got killed. By Josiah. That's cruel".

"This is a lot to take in. Thank you so much, Sean" Louis leaned back in his chair, trying to collect his thoughts.

Suddenly the cloud turned pitch black and Sean hissed out of nowhere, the cloud exploding. Immediately, Harry and Louis ran over to Sean to make sure he was alright.

"Does he know?" Louis dared to ask.

"No" Sean coughed breathlessly.

"But what was that black cloud all about?" Harry wondered confused, kneeling next to Louis in front of Sean.

"I can't explain it. Unintentionally, I went further back down his memories and came across a memory that I can't access. It's odd but ..." Sean had to cough again.

"What is it, Sean?" Louis exchanged a worried look with Harry.

Almost scared, Sean looked at both of them. "It's a locked up memory. Another seer blocked it so that no one can ever see it. That can only mean it's something really important. Something Josiah doesn't want us to see. Ever".  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

What is that memory he doesn't want us to see?

Is Sean in danger?

Was going down memory lane with Harry a wise idea?