Zarias sat on a branch in the hills near Olympia, watching the city before him. It all gleamed with night lights and flashes of cars driving through, the sky gold and purple as night began to fall. Most people thought that was pretty. He didn't care in the slightest, still reeling from his last encounter with Andie. His electric blue eyes scanned the horizon thoughtfully, his fists clenched in frustration as the wind brushed through his dark hair. How had those children eluded him yet again? Could that possibly have had a power he had no knowledge of? An abandoned paper lay on the bench below him. He hoped down, meaning to look at it to see what new idiocy the human world had thought of, when he paused. October 26th. It was his birthday. He had never celebrated so his only clue was a bracelet he'd kept from when he was an infant. He wasn't even sure how old he was exactly.

From his calculations, no older than twenty or so. He wasn't surprised his father had never cared to make the occasion memorable. He was immortal, he could celebrate birthdays when he wanted. He'd chosen to focus his attention on Zarias's training. And Zarias would always be grateful that he had. He was strong, powerful... unstoppable. Like his father had wanted. He didn't need to know exactly how old he was. He would soon be immortal like his father. And then, age would no longer matter. Zorak had never spoken of his mother, he knew very little of her, just her name. Marie Galloway. But since he knew nothing about her, he didn't miss her.

He'd once found a picture, but it hadn't aroused any interest in him to know that she had long dark hair and blue eyes, not unlike himself. But then, it was only natural for children to inherit certain physical traits from their parents. For example, her mother had a soft olive skin, whereas his father didn,'t and neither did Zarias. He had no reason to know more about his weak, plain, human mother who had left when he was barely a year old. The fact that it was his birthday had Zarias thinking back to all the time he'd spent with his father in the Demon Realm. He wasn't nostalgic. No, that was for the weak. Merely reminiscing. That was all... Reminiscing... nothing more.

A six year old boy was jogging around a circular dungeon, his shirt flapping against his skin, his feet cold on the bare stone.

"Come on, faster!"clipped a sharp voice.

Zarias hesitated only a second. He was already going just about as fast as he could, but his father would be furious if he didn't push himself even harder.

"Yes, father," he gasped.

"Be quiet, concentrate on your running." Zorak snapped.

So Zarias ran faster, trying hard to ignore his small lungs' protests. He didn't much like these long running sessions, but his father insisted upon them, that strength was the key to success. And no son of his would be anything less than the strongest of all.

"Good, Zarias," said his father. "Now, the obstacle course."

Zarias, still gasping for breath, wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea. So little, in fact, that he found the courage to speak his mind for once.

"Oh, father, must I? I've been running for an hour..." he pined.

"Are you arguing with me?" Zorak asked warningly.

"No, no, father, but..."

"You will do this exercise for another hour and then, you may rest." Zorak interrupted.

An hour seemed like an eternity to the poor boy, who was already exhausted, but he preferred it to his father's wrath.

"If it is your wish, father..." he said, trying to keep the resignation out of his voice.

So he got in position to start again. And he did. But this time, different obstacles appeared randomly along the walls, some even from the ceiling or the floor. He jumped, dodged and overcame every obstacle, even when they changed each time he circled the room. His father had been a good instructor. At six, he was already almost as good as an adult. He was confident his father would be proud of him. He wasn't sure he was, yet. Zorak wasn't exactly the type to express his feelings or get sentimental.

As he made his way to his room, Zarias was thoughtful. Not a single day had passed without Zorak pushing him through hours of intense, difficult physical training. At times, he had wanted to rebel himself, but Zorak had quickly put a stop to that. And even if it had been in a firm, sometimes brutal way, he had always taken the time to explain that it was to make him stronger, that he wouldn't get anywhere if he gave up at the first struggle. So, gradually, he'd gotten stronger, and yet not had a single power. His father had been keeping his strength until the time was right. Zarias sat in his room, tired and bruised from the training. He wondered what his father was planning. He had never told him anything about it. He'd sometimes asked him, but Zorak had always answered "you'll learn in time, Zarias", and either sent him to his room or to train. But, like most boys, Zarias trusted his father, and wanted him to be proud of his son, so he did what he was told. And he enjoyed the training. He imagined himself being as strong and powerful as his father. Then, he would definitely praise him. So he kept training hard and grew up to be even stronger than even Zorak had planned. He was as handsome as he was dangerous. His aim was perfect, his senses were more acute than any mortals', and he could fight any and all opponents that would challenge him. For whoever challenged him, challenged his father. And no one ever survived to that kind of mistake twice.

"You know, I don't think I ever thanked you for everything you did for me."

Andie was sitting yet again on her window seat, staring outside at the falling snow.

"Don't mention it. We were happy to do it."

"I hope you don't regret your choice?" Andie asked with a small smile.

"No, not at all. I'm sure that my power was meant for you. And in time, I think you'll see it too."

Andie sighed, but her eyes told Ardente she wasn't quite convinced.

"Maybe. D'you think our lives will always be this chaotic?"

"Yes, probably, I'm afraid. Why do you ask?"

"Well... It's about at our age that we start thinking about the future, and... in our situation, that becomes more complicated."

"Why? You all still have a future," Ardente said.

"... Like you guys did?"

Ardente paused.

"... I suppose I see what you mean."

She looked outside too.

"But you know what? I don't think that's a reason to just give up. In fact, I think making plans for the future is maybe a good thing. It'll give us something to fight for."

"You think so?"

"Yes," Andie said. "I mean, look at Jessica. She knows exactly what she wants, where she's going. I'd like to feel that too."

Ardente took her in a moment.

"You and I are more similar than I'd expected at first," she told her.

"Yeah, it's not like Jessica and Terra, who's the exact opposite of her!" Andie chuckled.

Ardente laughed too.

"Yes, I do admit I wonder how those two ended up together."

"Maybe it was to help Jessica be less impulsive," Andie mused. "I'm pretty sure we all found each other to teach one another something we need to know."

Ardente pondered that, her eyes lost in the moonlit sky. It was dark outside, and almost dinner time. She and Andie could see the neighbors' children playing outside in the falling snow. The door opened and the mother called them inside. They ran to her and hugged her before disappearing inside.

"Yes," was Ardente's eventual answer. "Maybe we did."

Underneath Andie's bedroom, in the living room, Hank and Lauren were watching the news before they headed out for dinner with their daughters to celebrate their victory on their latest case. It had been a long and difficult one, so they wanted to put it behind them with a night out. And it was a good chance to spend a little time with their daughters, which they were too often kept from by work.

"Hank, honey, have you noticed Andie's been a little strange, lately?" Lauren said.

Hannah was playing in her room, so they were alone.

"Well, I imagine it's because of Bane. It's only been a few weeks, so I suppose it will take some time for her to come to terms with it.

"Yes, but she seems to have... mood swings, don't you agree? For example earlier, she came back looking troubled, and yesterday, she was almost as cheerful as usual... and a few days ago, she looked on the verge of tears but wouldn't tell me about it."

"She's eighteen, Lauren, she's old enough to keep her secrets. What she especially needs is space."

"I give her space!" Lauren replied, slightly stung.

"No, honey, you don't. You love her, I'm not questioning that. But you want to control everything she does. She's not one of our cases."

"I know that," Lauren said. "I ju-"

"You know it with Hannah," Hank insisted. "With Andie, not quite."

Lauren paused.

"You think I've been putting too much pressure on her?"

"Yes. She's a great girl, but you have to let her breathe. She knows she has to be a big sister for Hannah, but that doesn't mean she can't be a little crazy once in a while. That won't make her any less good as a sister."

They heard footsteps coming down the steps. Andie came down, wearing a white jacker over a black shirt and trousers, her long hair (which she had straightened thanks to a hand from Ardente) hanging loosely down her shoulders.

"Andie, you look beautiful," Lauren said.

"Thanks," Andie smiled. "Hannah? You ready?"

"Yes!"

She was wearing a pretty purple dress Hank had bought her on a trip to Seattle because he knew he'd be late for her birthday.

"Okay. Let's go."

Zarias, tired of remaining still, decided to look around. He wasn't searching for anything in particular, merely observing these humans that were nothing like anything he'd ever known. The Demon Realm held little knowledge of them, aside from describing them as simple-minded, weak creatures that knew nothing of the different creatures and worlds around them. The moon was high, the sky was dark, and yet the city was ablaze with lights and movement. The civilization seemed far more evolved than the books he'd read described... perhaps no one in the Demon Realm had bothered to take a look at the human world and see how it was changing. He sensed the energy of the fire Guardian. Adrianna, he recalled. He followed it until he found her in a brightly lit place with tables and chairs, with people sitting around them but only interacting with the people next to them. He read the large sigh above it and discovered called a restaurant. What were they for? The humans in it appeared to be eating and conversing... was this some place meant for a kind of social interaction? He moved closer, peering in the large window. Adrianna was sitting closest to the window, a smaller human Zarias assumed to be her sister sitting next to her. Adrianna laughed. She seemed happy. That confused Zarias. He didn't think he'd ever even... laughed. He'd heard his father laugh, but he didn't think he ever had. He wondered what it felt like. He tried, but it felt strange. Just then, Adrianna's eyes met his. Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of shock. They eyed each other for some time. When she turned away and smiled again, though it seemed less natural that the first time, and only glanced briefly at him. Then he realized he was the reason she didn't laugh when he was there. Which made sense. They were enemies. He straightened up and disappeared into the night.

"Andie?" Hank's voice called uncertainly. "Is everything okay?"

She'd been laughing at her father's joke, when she'd spotted Zarias watching her from a building across the street.

"Oh, uh... yeah, I just... thought I saw something..." Andie said, forcing a smile but flashing a glance outside. "But it's nothing. It must have been the light."

She turned back to her steak, though her heart was hammering. What had Zarias been doing here. She didn't understand. He hadn't come close enough to attack... what did he want to watch her for? Surely... she shuddered slightly at the thought. Surely he hadn't developed... an attraction to her? Because it was anything but mutual. She could never forget that he had been the one to injure Bane. She excused herself to the bathroom and leaned over the sink, looking at herself in the mirror.

It's okay. If he does come after you, you will know how to defend yourself. You don't fear him anymore.

But if she was entirely honest, she did a little. He had put Bane into a coma with a single attack...

Andie met up with the girls at the school. They immediately demanded to know what had happened the day before. They'd heard about her encounter with Zarias.

"What were you thinking, going up against him all alone!" Emily reprimanded her.

"I'm tired of letting him scare us out of fighting," Andie said.

"What if you'd been hurt or killed?" Isabelle demanded.

"I'm fine, don't worry. I'm not sure how but we sort of had a draw." she told them.

"How's that possible, he floored us last time!" Jessica commented.

Andie had to admit she wasn't sure herself.

"I'm not positive, but I stand by my theory. We couldn't fight him because we were afraid of him. But when we trust our powers, they become stronger."

"What... so you mean if we just tell ourselves we can do it, we'll be stronger?" Jessica asked dubiously.

"No, silly, you have to believe it." Isabelle said, rolling her eyes.

"That's what I think," Andie agreed. "And I'm sure Bane..."

She paused.

"... would think so too..."she finished quietly.

There was a silence.

"Still no sign of Bane waking up?" Jessica asked.

Andie shook her head. She sighed.

"Well, he wouldn't want us to be upset. He always wanted us to make the most of life. So... even if he doesn't wake up... we can't just stop living..."

The girls agreed. After a moment, Isabelle held out her hand.

"For Bane."

Andie glanced at her, slightly surprised, but nodded.

"For Bane," she said, placing her hand on Isabelle's.

They glanced at Jessica and Emily, who looked at each other, then said:

"For Bane."

And their hands joined Andie's and Isabelle's.

**********************************

Hmm, we have a bit more of an insight into Zarias's past. Intriguing!

What's your opinion about him? Good? Bad? Don't know? Let's hear it in the comments!

What will happen next? Let's find out in the next chapter!