The day of Agatha's disappearance:

Crows, Lorcan kept seeing them everywhere. His grandmother used to say that they were a bad omen, if there's a crow then there's adversity. What happens when there's a flock? A tragedy? The mere thought terrified him, the town had barely survived the wrath of the demons, another blow could be fatal.

Squawks polluted the air, startling unsuspecting villagers. Some feathers flew toward the young man as he went about his task. His afternoon had been spent among the rubble of the gazebo that used to be one of the jewels of Liberty Park, he offered his service after Agatha expressed that she wanted to go to her first session with the therapist alone.

The accumulated fatigue in his body as a result of cleaning the debris began to slow down his movements. A glance at his surroundings confirmed that he wasn't the only one affected by fatigue. Most of the volunteers took a break, away from the rock piles, enjoying the refreshing shade provided by the nearest trees.

Lorcan added another brick piece to the pile. He felt a few drops of sweat accumulate on his forehead, he used his worn shirt to wipe himself. Summer was near, so the sunlight attacked without mercy. Out of nowhere cold spread through the back of his neck, making him jump. He turned around and found his younger brother laughing as he held a bottle of water.

The oldest of the siblings crossed his hands over his chest, waiting for the other to calm down. Lorcan's gaze expressed his lack of patience, while Miles's green eyes shone with mischief.

"Sorry," said the youngest between laughter. "It was so funny, the strong protector jumping like a small bunny. I brought you something to drink."

"Thanks," answered Lorcan after accepting the beverage and taking a big sip.

"You should take a break. I don't even know how you lasted that long, I got tired after the first half hour. Why did you bring me to this torture?"

"You were the one who said you wanted to come so don't blame me. How're you going to join the Protectors if you can handle half an hour moving some rocks?"

"It's not the same, I can use my power to fight. You know I helped dad to stop the demons when they tried to enter our house on the day of the eclipse. I have the skills to be a hero, not to pick up the trash."

"Do you know that you have to work hard in training? You're not going to overcome a demon with your power alone. They are bigger and stronger than us, I bet you look like a kid next to them." Lorcan gave a pat on his brother's shoulder.

"What do you mean you bet? I'll look exactly like you do next to a demon, we have the same type of body and height."

"No way! I have more muscle."

"Keep dreaming, dude," answered Miles, then he punched the oldest chest while a playful smile formed on his face. "Besides, soon you'll be in the grampa category. Let the young people take care of it."

Their eyes met. After so many years of living together, they were able to predict their sibling's next move without words appearing. Thanks to that Miles was able to escape before Lorcan triggered his revenge. He ran with his brother in close pursuit.

"God, sometimes I can't handle teenagers," the oldest complained.

"You're getting slower, gramps!"

The taunts ignited a new determination in Lorcan, it was time to get serious. His speed increased, his movements became precise; the air hit his face and messed up his hair, some strands came out of his bun. The persecution seemed to be about to finish, he extended his arm to grab his brother's shirt.

And then the announced tragedy struck.

Lorcan's chest was crushed, invisible needles pierced his heart. He couldn't take the suffering. He didn't notice when his knees hit the floor or when Miles sprinted to his side. His mind fell into a deep pit, inside it were displayed disturbing images of Agatha. The young man knew that the pain was not his but a reflection of what the person using one of his creations felt.

"Hey!" Miles screamed as he shook his brother by the shoulders. "What's going on? At least say something."

"Agatha," was all that Lorcan said. He tried to stand up, but his weak body didn't cooperate.

"What about her? I can't help if you don't give me any information." The distress in the teenager's voice was clear, his green eyes clouded with despair.

"Something happened to her, I can feel her pain. We need to find her." Once again he tried to move, failing in the process. "Help me get up. I need to get to the bike."

Miles put his brother's arm around his shoulder and held him around the waist. Their first steps lacked their usual firmness, Lorcan's legs resembled those of a child who had just learned to walk.

"Hurry up," the oldest complained.

"You can barely walk, it could be dangerous to pressure your body."

"I don't fucking care. Just hurry."

The youngest fastened his movements, dragging the other young man with him. Lorcan bit his lips to keep the groans from escaping, he didn't care about the warnings given by his legs, his only priority was to get to Agatha. On the short walk to the vehicle, they stumbled a couple of times, still, they didn't slow down.

The moment they reached the bike, the young member of the Protectors jumped on it. It took him a giant amount of inner strength and Mile's help to get on the motorcycle. He was about to grab the handlebars when he was interrupted by his brother who gently pushed him away and got on in front of him.

"What're you doing?" Asked Lorcan.

"Driving. You can't drive in this condition, are you trying to kill yourself? Just tell me where we have to go."

"To Benny's, I can feel her presence in that direction."

"Hold on tight," Miles commented before starting the engine.

At a fast speed, the motorcycle entered the streets of the village. The driver did not hold back when avoiding the cars that got in the way, It's not like he could ignore his brother's screams asking him to speed up.

The presence of pain terrified Lorcan, to feel the suffering of the one he loved always left him broken. How much he wished to never experience that familiar sensation, he would have erased it if he could. Nothing could be worse than that. Yet, he was wrong, a possibility he had never considered destroyed him.

"I can't feel her anymore," he cried.

"We're just around the corner. Maybe that means she's fine."

"No, you don't get it. I can always feel her energy, but now she's not there."

Agatha was gone. He had promised to take her on a date to celebrate her first therapy session, but she was gone. His whole being longed to see her again, to hear her talk about the last book she read, and to hold her hand as they walked along the beach that she loved so much.

Attracted by the signal sent by the bracelet, Lorcan got off his bike and headed for the alley next to Benny's grocery store. Miles chased after him, they pushed some passers-by on their way down the sidewalk.

They found the bracelet. They didn't find Agatha.

Lorcan fell to the ground. He took the piece of jewelry in his hands, he could still perceive a weak imprint of her energy. The young man brought the object to his chest and let the tears go down.

Not even ten minutes passed when the member of the Protectors wiped away his tears and stood up. Agatha was still out there, his heart told him that she wasn't completely gone. He had to be strong for her.

No matter how much it cost, he was going to bring her back home.