I wouldn't stop sweating. There was no way to defeat that damn stone. I had kept my eyes closed for a long time, and things remained the same. I opened them again, giving up. The guards had their backs to me while the Tenebris kept stealing my energy. Although I feared dying, Sandro's betrayal bothered me the most. I felt like crying as I remembered our conversation. How could he try to convince me with those lousy excuses? If San didn't want to see me again, he should've just said so. People could be real cowards when they wanted to.

"Why didn't I try the forgetting spell again?" I whispered to myself. "I shouldn't have trusted Sandro!"

Let's hope the KHW leader is incompetent and thinks I'm not Shadow...

Even though I felt silly for it, the tears wouldn't stop running down my face. If the Knights killed people for ridiculous behavior, I'd die soon. I couldn't believe my heart was broken because of a man I barely knew. Someone I'd only shared a few laughs with... and two almost kisses, but let's forget that. We were worlds apart! What was I thinking? I let myself get too attached. I had to correct that mistake.

I shook my head in denial. "I deserve a punch in the face."

When I thought things couldn't get any crazier, two Knights entered the room with San. He glared at the guards, apparently annoyed. I gawked while they tied him to a chair in front of me. If the KHW said Mr. Montefiore had told them my secret, why was Sandro arrested? That didn't make sense.

"Keep an eye on them until our leader arrives," a guard took a step back. "I want these two ready for torture."

The guards who brought San left while the ones who'd been watching me stayed. Sandro bit his lower lip sharply, apparently affected by the Tenebris. His forehead was sweaty. I frowned. I thought that stone only affected wizards, so what was going on? After San showed up, my life kept becoming crazier.

I shot Sandro a defiant gaze. "Did the Knights get sick of your bribes? Is that why you're here?"

He blinked fast. "What are you talking about?"

"They told me Mr. Montefiore wrongly said I'm Shadow," I couldn't let the guards find out the truth. "It was right after you dismissed my friendship. What a coincidence!"

"This was my dad's doing," he decreased his tone of voice. "Isabella and I came to save you. They caught us."

My eyes bulged as I thought of my best friend. She was crazy for facing those men. Sandro could be telling the truth, but how would I know? The Knights were so determined to find the Unity that they could've arrested their ally. After so many people tried to harm me because of my Muslim origins and magical powers, nothing else would be a surprise. San was too good to be true, so there was a good chance he had given me to the KHW.

I huffed. "You're lying."

"The KHW arrested me, and I told you a million times my father is an idiot!" Sandro laughed nervously. "What other evidence do you need?"

"Tell me exactly what happened," I narrowed my eyes. "Then I'll consider believing you."

He gazed at the floor. "It started when my father forced me to say goodbye."

Sandro explained the entire story. How his father heard him talking to Roberto, the threat to my life, the powers he gained... All of it. He was careful not to say I was Shadow, making the guards remain uninterested. Everything in that story seemed absurd. If San wasn't a liar, his dad earned a special place in hell.

"So you gained powers..." I gawked. "How did that happen?"

"You tell me!" Sandro whispered. "I'm not the one who knows magic here."

I huffed. "I don't know the origin of my special skills!"

"Where's your crucifix?" he gazed at my chest while knitting his brows. "Have they hurt you?"

"They ripped it out from my neck. Nothing horrible happened," I scowled. "I'm still mad at you, so let's stop talking."

Although there was nothing to be confused about, San raised a brow while analyzing me. Perhaps he hadn't realized his colossal mistake. I probably wouldn't be in prison if it weren't for his wrong decision. Sandro hadn't betrayed me, but he had still played a part in my arrest.

"I tried to rescue you, and this is what I get?" he rolled his eyes. "Wonderful!"

"I deserved the truth!" I bared my teeth. "Why did you let me believe you didn't like me?"

"I thought my father would call the Knights if I did that," San glanced at the guards. "I apologize for making you upset, but I wanted to protect you."

I shook my head in denial. "You should've never trusted him!"

"I wouldn't forgive myself if I put you in danger!" he pressed his lips together. "That's why I didn't go against his guidelines."

I misjudged Sandro. How could I be such a fool?

Taking several deep breaths, I felt terrible. I should've never assumed Mr. Montefiore was Sandro, especially after he proved more than once to be a good man. If I weren't tied to a chair, I would've slapped myself in the face. I wish Isa were there to call me a bread-head. Was she alive? I wanted to cry just with the thought of my best friend being dead.

"I was an idiot for thinking you were a traitor," I sighed. "I'm sorry, San."

His lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "How will you make it up to me?"

"I... I could kiss you on the cheek again," I felt myself blushing. "Although that's not what I truly desire."

"You can be sincere with me, beautiful," he winked. "What do you really want?"

Why do I have to say everything I think?

Tenebris still made me sweat, but that stone was no longer the leading cause. Sometimes I wondered if something was wrong with me. How could my heart beat so quickly when Sandro was nearby? That made me wonder what was happening. Were San and I indeed just friends? What were we? I hated to admit it, but my mother was right. That couldn't continue. I had to stop my emotions before it was too late.

"I want to end this," I looked deep into his eyes. "If we escape this place, let's go our separate ways and keep our interactions to a minimum."

"That was a mean joke. I almost fell for it," he laughed softly. "Not funny, Tina!"

"I'm serious!" I recalled my mom's words. "You were right about the danger. This thing between us can't continue."

"Is this revenge because of my false goodbye?" San frowned. "I thought you'd forgiven me!"

"I did!" I closed my eyes for an instant. "I just don't want to take any chances."

Sandro tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

Because I can't allow myself to have feelings for you!

A horrible silence took over the room. Tenebris seemed insignificant as my heart was a complete mess. My thoughts shifted to Isa as two men brought her inside. She pursed her lips while glaring at them, apparently unharmed. I sighed in relief. If Isabella was alive, the KHW's leader had more power than I had thought. The men did nothing without his saying. If the leader arrived soon, I'd be doomed.

"I can't believe you declined my offer!" Isa shook her head in denial. "This problem would've been solved if you appreciated beautiful women!"

"Stop talking," the man holding Isabella by the arm turned to me. "You'll watch your friend's torture soon, witch."

A few seconds later, I felt my powers returning. The stone was still there, but my magic slowly returned. It ran inside me like blood in my veins. In addition, my headache vanished, and I was no longer exhausted. Sandro gazed at his arms and stopped sweating. He had most likely recovered his powers as well.

"On three, we levitate the ropes around us," I whispered to San. "One, two..."

"Three!" he finished my sentence.

I smiled widely as the rope flew away like a bird. Sandro ground his teeth and huffed, seemingly frustrated. The guards screamed as they floated. If San didn't learn to control his magic fast, we'd be in trouble. It took me years to master it, but he didn't have all that time. I used my mind to levitate all the guards, including those Sandro had accidentally used magic on. After throwing them in a distant hallway, I made them forget my face.

"Deep breaths," I levitated Sandro's rope while looking at him. "You must concentrate when you do magic."

He bit his lower lip. "I desperately need help with these new powers."

Isa chuckled softly. "Same with your emotions."

San's eyes bulged, and he made a signal for Isabella to stay quiet. She rolled her eyes. I wondered what they had talked about when I wasn't around. Could Sandro be feeling something for me? No, that'd be crazy. His flirting skills showed he had vast experience, so I was probably just another pretty woman for him. Besides, none of that mattered. Continuing our strange friendship would get me in trouble anyway.

"Are you done staring at each other?" Isa looked at Sandro and me. "Let's go!"

I couldn't see anything, but I knew I'd blushed. The same had happened to San. Sometimes Isabella was an expert in making people feel uncomfortable... or too comfortable if you know what I mean. The three of us left the room. The KHW men kept running after us. One of them carried the Tenebris, but it did nothing. I wondered why Isa's presence made that stone useless. As far as I knew, she didn't have powers.

I gulped as more men arrived. "Protect yourselves. I'll get us rid of them."

San stepped forward. "I'm going to help."

"Seriously?" I raised my brows. "You couldn't even levitate your rope!"

He rolled his eyes. "In my defense, it was too tight."

"Excuses, excuses..." I shook my head in denial. "Just like those you invented to end our friendship!"

"You're the one who ended it!" Sandro scowled. "At least I was pretending."

Isa pointed at the approaching enemies. "Don't we have other priorities, husband and wife?"

My heart pounded, and not in a good way. There was a dozen of Knights around us. Even if I defeated those men, my forgetting spell wouldn't reach them all. Unfortunately, I had no choice but to fight. They would come after me eventually, and I'd need to deal with that later. My biggest problem was defeating those men. I did my best to forget my strange feelings. If I stopped seeing San, everything would be fine.

I walked closer to Sandro. "If you wish to use magic, remember to concentrate all your powers on the appropriate targets. No distractions."

He nodded. An older enemy approached us, apparently furious. Isa took a step back. A light-blue glow surrounded San's hands while a purple one showed up on mine. I couldn't understand most things about that night, especially how he got those powers and why Isabella suppressed Tenebris.

"Time to stop fooling us. One of you is Unity," the old man pointed to my friends and me. "Will someone confess?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I confess you're ridiculous. How about that?"

"Besides, your beard is too big," Sandro gazed at the guy's chin. "You'll repel all women if you don't trim it."

I bit my cheeks so intensively that I tasted my blood. Despite that, a tiny smirk took form on my face. Why did San have to do that? I couldn't let him make me smile! I took a deep breath as the other men ran towards Sandro, Isabella, and I. Isa put both hands on her face as I used my powers. I dodged multiple blows, levitated three men, threw them into a room, and closed the large doors. San did the same with two others. When two guys approached, I turned invisible, making them confused. I walked behind them, stole their swords, and became visible again. They gaped.

I shot them an icy glare. "Run before I destroy you, pigs!"

I made them forget my face as they walked away. It seemed every institution had cowards, even the Knights. Sandro failed twice before doing the same trick as me. He then threw three men inside a dark room and shut the door with his mind. I didn't know he could get invisible as well.

I nodded. "Not bad for a beginner."

He shot me a provocative gaze. "Was that a compliment?"

I kept levitating enemies. "What part of minimal interactions did you not understand?"

"I'll need a better explanation. Maybe a punishment," Sandro smirked. "Pushing me against the wall would work..."

"I... That'd be enjoyable but inappropriate. It could be fun," I slapped my forehead. "I must stop talking!"

"We'll discuss this later, Val!" Isabella laughed loudly. "Things are about to get very interesting."

Shut up, Valentina! Come on!

My back was full of sweat as the men wouldn't stop coming. I had made some of them forget my face, but that spell couldn't reach all the soldiers. I needed them to be closer, so a few of them still remembered my appearance. I sighed in relief as Sandro and I got rid of all the men. We ran with Isa to another hallway. The rooms with huge doors never ended. That place seemed like a labyrinth, which made me want to sob.

"Don't these bread-heads have an exit?" Isa looked around. "I need to go back before the abbess wakes up!"

I raised a brow. "We're stuck in a dungeon full of killers, and that is what worries you?"

San pointed to the right. "I think there's a way out."

A circle surrounded by an orange light opened. On the other side, there was darkness. However, we had no choice. More KHW showed up, and they'd catch us soon. I couldn't take any chances.

I took Sandro and Isabella by the hand. "Jump!"

Together, we entered the magic portal. Luckily, it closed right before the Knights reached us. We landed in a dark blue room surrounded by mirrors with moving waves on them. The ceiling reflected a subtle rainbow light. I blinked fast as a floating man with a blurry face approached my friends and me. Ready to take him down, I activated my magic. Sandro did the same. Isa examined him as if trying to decide if the stranger was handsome or not. He had white skin and wore a white tunic.

I breathed quickly. "What do you want?"

"Don't worry, Ms. Valentina Trovato," he said. "I came here to guide you, Mr. Sandro Montefiore, and Ms. Isabella Castelli."

Isabella crossed her arms while glaring at the floating man. "You sound familiar."

Sandro's eyes widened. "Who gave you our names?"

"I'm the Master Source," his face became slightly blurrier. "I know everyone in this universe."

I gawked. Despite being killers and torturers, the KHW wasn't wrong. The Master Source was real. Why would such a powerful being care about San, Isa, and me? What made him choose us? Maybe that man was lying. Given everything that had happened, nothing was impossible. I kept staring at the Master Source, wondering how he had made his face unrecognizable. I hoped he could answer the many questions I had. 

****

Author's note: The Master Source is finally here! What does he want from Valentina, Sandro, and Isabella? Will Valentina be able to keep suppressing her emotions? Keep reading and you'll find out... ;-)