Dylan

Heck yeah! Exam week is finally over and we survived it. I know that we'll pass because, we studied hard and prepared for it. Well, I heard Keith that the preparation process for the diner is still not completely going smoothly. I can see the stress in his eyes like, it haven't made him sleep. I tap his shoulder and rub it a gesture to say that it's gonna be okay and I'm here. He just move closer and hug me. "Usually, these things go smoothly but, winter's just keeps getting on the way. It's Los Angeles Dyl, how come winter become this annoying on this part of the country?" I just pat his head and delicately ruffle his hair. We are getting a lot of stares now but, I don't mind it, I don't care about what they think all I care about is to make Keith feel okay.

We've been standing here on the same spot for several minutes now. I saw Kyle coming, he bought us food from the cafeteria so that we can eat it on our secret place. Kyle's expression immediately changed when he sees Keith in my arms. "What happened Dyl?" He asked right away. "Stress just got to him, Kyle. This winter's really weird you know, usually we don't experience this kind of weather during winter season." I knew better, this is somehow unnatural, I know that this is insane but, it seems that nature planned to make things harder for the diner's renovation. "Well, weather's suppose to change, things will be okay, how about we head up and eat all the stress away." Kyle said and Keith's head shot up forming smiles on all of our faces.

We sat on our usual spot, so glad that half of this rooftop is roofed so we'll survive the cold during lunch. "So Keith, how's your talk with the student council, how did it go?" Kyle asked me and I snapped from my thoughts. "Uhm, yeah I talked to Vi, seems that the band that suppose to play for the dance suddenly backed out so she said that we're in." I told them Kyle nodded and continue biting on his sandwich and, I saw Keith's smile grow bigger. Well some things are still rough but, it's nice that Keith's getting okay. "So we need to figure out the songs that we'll be playing for the dance, we need to start rehearsing too." I told them and they nodded at me. This sudden extreme change of whether though still bothers me, I need to investigate this, right now. I feel a familiar feeling surge through my veins, this will be easy, got it. I feel a hand touched my shoulder and I snap my head to see it was Keith, he gave me a look and shook his head. I got carried away, I turn to check on Kyle just for me to see that he's in shock. "Kyle, what happened, are you okay?" I asked him as if nothing happened. "Nothing, I just thought you eyes glowed, maybe I'm just seeing things. Forget about it." He said and we continue eating and talking forgetting what happened, what I did.

After school, we headed to Keith's place to rehearse for our first gig. Keith, Darius and I is already in the music room, Kyle's in the kitchen preparing food as we wait for Aven and Tim. "About your stunt earlier, you know that Kyle can't know until he's awakened right?" Keith started. "You used magic in front of Kyle?" Darius questioned in shock. "Well I think about this extreme weather is kinda unnatural like you said earlier so, I kinda got trace of someone's tampering with nature." I stated. "And?" Both Keith and Darius asked in unison. "And I found out that it's unnatural, someone's messing with the weather but, I can't trace where the magic is coming from." I confessed. "I'm going to try-" I tried to speak but, Darius interrupt. "Shush, I will do it I'm the best tracer and you know it." He said and, he's right. "Keep an eye on the door, you're a seer from some reason." Darius instructed me as I do what he commanded. Darius whispered some spell well I guess to amplify his tracing talent and, his whole body glowed as he levitate. He's using strong magic just to have the most precise details about this anomaly, a few minutes later he descended and the light fades away. "You will never find the person, I traced it and I can't feel any life force from the source. It can be an artifact or a pre setted spell, mom taught you better idiot." He explained while he mocked me. "I can't perform a whole spell cause Kyle was in front of me earlier, he almost knew." I corrected him and he just rolled his eyes while muttering 'fine'. "I'm an elementalist, maybe I can do something about it?" Keith said getting into the conversation and Darius shook his head at him. "No matter how powerful you are to command the elements, as long as there's a continuous source of magic to change the weather you won't stop it." He plainly said. "So what are we supposed to do?" Keith asked him. "We need to trace the source and destroy it." He informed us. "I will make preparations to locate the source, we need to do it at night it requires quite a long process so I'm staying over." He further explained and Keith nodded at him. "Okay, I will put a sleep spell on Kyle later on so he won't notice anything." Keith said and we nodded at each other. "While I trace it there's a chance that the caster will know, Dylan I need you to do a hundred meter surveillance for us to know if we're going to be attacked." He told me and I nodded. "I will also inform all of our helpers so are mom and dad." Keith said and we look at him confused. "What do the helpers have to do with this?" Darius asked more like complaining. "All of our employees are wizards, I will ask them to form a protective barrier around the estate." Keith informed us before leaving the room. "Tim and Aven are on their way to the house." I informed Darius. "And why do you think I want to know?" He sassed at me. "Oh brother, we both know that you want to." I teased him as he started doing protective spells to cover the whole house.

The whole afternoon we spent on practicing and eating Kyle's amazing food. After we are done rehearsing Tim and Aven said their goodbyes for the day. "Darius, aren't you coming with us?" Tim asked my brother. "As much as I want to, I already said yes to these guys that I will stay over for the night you know, slumber party?" Darius replied and Tim nodded as he leave with Aven. "We're having a slumber party?" Kyle ask innocently. "Yes dear, it will be fun." Darius smiled at him. "Oh! we will be needing food! Wait, I need to get myself cooking right now." And with that Kyle run to the kitchen. "So Darius you also set a barrier around the house." Keith said to my brother. "Just to be safe, we don't know who we're dealing with so being careful is not bad." Darius replied. "Dear brother how's the estate going." He asked me. "Tim and Aven made it out safely." I stated but, I twitched when I realized someone's presence watching us. "Someone's watching us from the east side of the fences." I informed them. "Don't worry the defenses that I set blocks hearing amplification and mind reading spells so we're good." Darius told us, gosh my brother's really handy on these type of situations. "Let me handle it." Keith stated. "It's time for them to have a taste of their own cold medicine." He said as his eyes glow and a few magic circles appear around him, I hear the sudden wind blow around the area, it grows strong with every second. As it get stronger and stronger Keith shifted his hand towards east and, the strong gale blow westward knocking the observer down. At that moment he knew that we are aware of his existence so, he made a smart move to retreat. "How's it going Dyl." my brother asked me. "He's gone, he might've received some injuries from your attacked Keith it was so strong, you should've take it easier." I told Keith. "I could've killed him if I want to but, I didn't why? Because, we need him." He answered and I snickered, Keith is quite scary when he's mad. "Darius, I know you have sensed his mana, trace him and his friends for me please." He asked Darius and he obliged with the request, as he trace the culprit, I sense someone entering the estate. "Someone's coming, a woman driving a Mercedes, she looks suspicious and I sense strong magic around her as well." I informed them. "How can someone just pass through the barrier as if it was nothing and without destroying it as well?" I asked. "Ah that's my cousin Elise, she can help us with this little problem." Keith stated with an assuring yet intimidating smile.

Within a few minutes of waiting Elise entered the music room. "What's happening idiot, why is there two protective barriers surrounding your place?" She ask Keith and I can't help but to chuckle a little and Keith rolled his eyes. "This weather is caused by a magical disturbance, it's either an artifact or a pre set spell." Keith explained. "Wow, so you're a tracer now too huh?" She blurted. "No, I am." Darius informed her. "Oh, hi there sorry I didn't notice you I'm Elise Keith's cousin." She introduced herself. "Yeah, the spider queen Elise one of the high ranks, I'm Darius and this is my brother, Dylan." He introduced us, wow never have I imagined that I'll be working with a high rank. "Eh, it's nothing, you should be afraid of this guy right here." She pointed to Keith. "He may look like an idiot but, he's an arcane grandmaster. He already mastered at least twenty types of magic." She shrugged at us, Keith an arcane master at a young age? "Ugh if you already told me that you are an arcane master, we should've destroyed the disturbance earlier!" Darius said in frustration. "Told you he's an idiot." Darius went closer to Keith and hold his hands. "I will show you the mana signature of the spell and and it's user I will use you as my medium to amplify my tracing to it's fullest." He said. "By using you we can trace both the source of disturbance and the user itself." Darius chanted a couple of spells and magic circles started to surround them. "Got yah!" Darius said. "Bro come here so we can see them clearer." He ask me I started to walk over when Keith interrupted me. "No, they will feel Dylan's mana when we amplify his seer, Elise is our best choice to catch them." With that Elise joined us. "Ooh I know where they are, how many they are and who they are, Let me handle them and don't worry cuz, I know you want them alive." She said and with that she started to disappear into a black magic circle, we waited as Elise worked after a wait of about twenty minutes Darius told us that she captured them all. "Okay now that they are suppressed, you can now focus on the source and destroy it." He instructed Keith, it's just a matter of seconds when Keith glowed up and form a big magic circle beneath him. It only took a few seconds when he returned to normal. "It's the weather vane on the school roof, meaning it's someone from our school." He stated, Darius and I look at each other. "Glad that we finished the job earlier than, anticipated. Prepare yourselves we're gonna meet them tonight."

We start to prepare to go out at night after we put Kyle on his sleep. Darius pace back and forth, I can tell that something's bothering him. "Call Elise." He plainly stated, Keith nodded and dialed her number up and put her in speaker phone. "So what time are lads coming?" She asked. "Maybe we won't, well, to thinks of it a bunch of teenage wizards can't plan something this big by themselves, maybe they are just mere puppets by someone bigger." He started to explain. "We can't reveal ourselves yet if that's the case it will be a big disadvantage for us." He explained further. "The kid's right Keith, don't worry about me, I cloaked myself so they won't know who I am I will just connect myself to you so you will be able to see them and interrogate them, it's smarter and more convenient." She stated. "Guys! Foods ready, let's eat!" Kyle suddenly popped into the room. "Okay cuz, he's here, I will call you later." Keith told her and he drop the call. "Was that Elise? No fair you didn't even let me say hi." Kyle protested to him. "Awe she's busy, she will come tomorrow though so don't worry about it, can we eat now cause we're really hungry." He told him and Keith smile and nodded. "Okay." Keith and Kyle walk together and Darius and I walk behind them. "I thought I told you to guard the door." He angrily scold me whispering. "I didn't see him, well to think back on the events my spell didn't even detected him like he's not even here or anywhere I wasn't able to track him." I said, and his eyes widened. I never imagined that Kyle's seal will be this strong that even magic from the outside can't penetrate in. With that thought, my mind continuously floated for the whole dinner.

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Photo of Dylan on top.