Everyone sat around the dining room table, eating and talking. I sat on the far end of the table, excluding myself from the group. My eyes trailed to the girl sitting next to Victor, brushing her arm against his as she laughed and talked. Victor didn't pay much attention as he stabbed his pasta and ate silently. 

"Why don't you talk to him?" Ethan appeared beside me. I turned my attention to him and saw a sad look. I was going to lie and ask what he was talking about, but now we're just waiting for words in useless conversation. 

I shrugged, "It's complicated, and we don't have time for this." I spoke in a hushed tone so no one could hear us. 

Ethan's eyes settle on me with a glare, "My dear sister, I love you with all my heart, but you are losing sight of who you are." His words struck me hard, causing my heart to ache with pain.

"You know nothing," I found myself mumbling. 

Ethan rolled his eyes. "You are stubborn as always. You will be the own cause of your death, and until then, you won't be satisfied."

"You don't know shit!" I shouted as I stood up from my chair, looking at him. "You're fucking dead. I don't need you to fucking shit-talk me and analyze me every damn second," I growled in anger.

The room became silent, and I turned to see everyone across the table staring at me. I let out a scoff and walked out of the room. I headed to the backyard and walked past Liam's incubated body. I headed straight down to the backyard and sat on the grass.

My whole body felt numb, but my heart felt pain. Ethan was right, ever since I merged myself with Earth, I've begun to loose control of myself. It wasn't the merge fault as to why, but rather mine. I chose to be this way. I was the one to shut everything and everyone out. 

"Self-reflecting?" Ethan's voice came in front of me. I looked up to see a smile on his face before he sat down. 

"I'm s-"

"No. I'm going to talk, and you'll listen," he softly cut me off. I silenced myself and waited for him to continue. 

"I didn't say what I said to be discourteous. I meant it in a way that makes you self-aware of what's happening to you. I respect you, Freya, but you are tearing yourself up in the process. You are losing control of yourself, and you aren't going to win this fight by yourself. When was the last time you ate?" He questioned in a concerned tone.

"In the realm where Liam took me for lunch," I confidently replied 

"Freya, I could feel your energy. You didn't actually eat. The place Liam took you played on your emotions and imagination. You couldn't see through it because you are weak," Ethan's eyes softened with pity, "You need to eat. For this to work, you need to take care of yourself. You also can't fight Liam by yourself. You need the rest of the guys to help you, including Victor. I suggest you put everything side and talk to him. Please don't blame him for my death, and stop being so angry," he glanced behind me. I turned to see Victor heading my way with a bowl in his hand and a soda in the other.

I turned my attention back to Ethan, who was standing up. "I'll give you time with him. Just talk to him for one. Since he came back, you haven't bothered to speak to him. It hurt him just as much as it hurt you. He didn't have it easy either, you know. Remember what I said: stop being angry. I know you lost everything because of Liam, but I did, too. Maybe even more," his voice came out with grief and sadness. 

My eyebrow rose, "Maybe even more?" I questioned his choice of words. 

He let out a sigh before bending down to kiss my forehead. "Maybe even more because I'm losing my sister in the process," he whispered before disappearing. I felt my heart sank. Ethan was right yet again. I hated how smart this kid was.

"I brought you food," Victor's voice came beside me. I looked up to see him passing me a bowl of pasta. 

"I'm not..." I paused as I recalled what Ethan had just spoken to me about. I sighed in defeat and took the bowl from him that was filled with pasta and had a fork. 

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. "I don't mind," I mumbled, staring at the pasta before me. It was shrimp alfredo pasta, and the smell was amazing.

"I can make you something else if you want," he offered. I shook my head, "No. It's just I don't remember the last time I ate, and I don't remember food looking so good," I acknowledge, causing him to chuckle. 

I swirled a massive portion of pasta onto my fork and shoved it into my mouth. As I chewed, I moaned at how pleasant the flavors were, causing Victor to chuckle again. I looked to see he was sitting beside me but across.

"That good, huh?"

I nodded my head with my mouth stuffed as I continued to eat. I ate silently as Victor watched me with amusement while offering me to drink my soda now and then. Once finished, I thanked him, and he nodded. 

"Freya," he called, causing my eyes to settle on him. His body remained relaxed, but his eyes and energy weighed heavily on him. "I'm sorry I lied about my death. I'm also sorry about Ethan. I should've just done things your way, and I'm sorry," his voice was filled with remorse. 

I studied him for a moment. He placed his hand beside me, getting ready to stand up, but I quickly stopped him. "Wait," I softly spoke, grabbing his hand and causing him to settle back down. A massive burst of energy washed over me with warmth.

"Lying about your death wasn't your most brilliant plan, but I understand why you did it. It's also not your fault about Ethan. We both know he wouldn't listen if you told him otherwise. I guess part of me blamed you because I was already mad at you, and it was easier to pass the blame. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault. You have nothing to be sorry about. I should be the one apologizing," I admitted. 

Victor took my hand in his, "You have nothing to apologize for," he reassured me. 

I shook my head, "I do. I mistreated you since you came back. I do miss you, and I'm aware of how much of a bitch I've been towards you, and for that, I'm sorry." My heart grew heavy at the pain I felt in my chest. I realized I still loved Victor this whole time but just hadn't let myself think that love. How could anyone still love me after everything things? I had become an emotionless monster that only felt anger for the longest time. Everything about me started to seem evil.

"I understand if you would like to move on after everything is over. I respect your decision," I choked out, looking down at our hands.

 Victor's free hand held the side of my face, causing me to look up at him. "After this is all over, I still want to be with you. I never stopped loving you, Freya," he spoke sternly, causing my vision to blur as I became teary-eyed. 

He leaned in and pulled my face towards his. I leaned into him, and our lips merged perfectly together in a slow, passionate motion. My heart felt relieved and at peace at that moment, as I forgot all my problems. 

Victor released my hand, and now his hands were cupping my face as he passionately kissed me. 

"God, I miss you," he mumbled between kisses. I love you," I admitted, causing him to pull away.

A smile grew on his lips, "I love you too. Now, shall we go back inside and get you another bowl of pasta?" he gestured to my empty bowl.

I nodded my head with an excited smile at the thought of food. He chuckled and stood up before pulling me off the ground. I went to walk, but he quickly grabbed my hand and threw me over his shoulder. I let out a giggle, as I hadn't felt this sense of happiness in a while. 

Victor carried me back inside before seating me down in a chair. I watched as he walked towards the kitchen before disappearing around the corner. I looked towards the guys, who were smirking as they stared at me. It was clear they all knew something was up with me and Victor.

"So," Leo wiggled his eyes. 

"No," I bluntly replied, trying to shut their curiosity down.

Chase snickered like a child, "Yup. They kissed."

My mouth dropped in shock, "You do know I could just make you disappear within a blink," I threatened, my cheeks turning red in embarrassment.  

"Definitely kissed," Alex confirmed from my reaction. 

Victor walked back into the room with a glass of water and another bowl of pasta. Everyone quickly talked amongst themselves as if nothing happened.

He placed everything down in front of me on the table and sat beside me as we sat away from the group. I thanked him before eating. 

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he softly said, causing me to look up at him. My eyes then trailed to the side of his head, where the guys made kissy faces, teasing me. I honestly wish I could slap them. The red-headed girl, whose name I still didn't know, seemed to have the same idea since she tried to stop them, but they didn't listen.

"Yes," I mumbled, looking back at him. He quickly looked behind him, and before he could see, all the guys turned to look at each other and pretended to talk to one another. Victor then turned his attention back to me. As he turned back, they all went back to teasing me.

"I know I should have told you a while ago since you were on the run last year, but I didn't know if it was safe for you or the situation," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. The topic seemed touchy since he tensed up a bit and became hesitant to talk. 

I tried to focus, but my eyes glanced beyond him towards the guys who were still teasing me. Kyle had made a puppet figure with his hand, and Oscar did the same. As they sat opposite each other, they pretended to walk towards each other with their fingers before stopping in front of each other. They then made a face with their hand before leaning their hands in and having a makeout section with their hands. 

Victor quickly grabbed an orange from the bowl centerpiece and stood up before throwing it with force behind him. I watched the orange hit Leo in the forehead, causing him to tumble back into his chair and fall to the floor. The guys' eyes widened as they all looked down at Leo. I quickly covered my mouth to suffocate my laughter.

Leo quickly peeked over the table with an angry look. "The fuck was that for?" he shrieked. 

"For not stopping it. Don't pretend you're not guilty," Victor warned as he grabbed another orange from the table. They all quickly held their hands up in surrender. I had forgotten how intimidating Victor was to them. 

"Boys," the girl rolled her eyes in annoyance. 

"Get out," he ordered them. They quickly got up and headed out of the room. Victor turned back to me and sat down with a smile as if nothing happened. 

"Where were we?" He tried to recall where he left off. 

"You were telling me you should've told me this last year but couldn't," I reminded him.

 He nodded as he took my hand, causing energy to flow through me again. I wanted to talk about this burst of energy I felt every time I came into contact with him, but I knew whatever he wanted to talk about was more important. 

He sighed deeply, "So, since I was young, after a certain age, I was able to self-heal. That's how I survived getting shot by Kia. He shot me in the chest, and I died, but Leo pulled it out, which brought me back," he explained. 

I stared at him, trying to process this information. It made sense why there was no viewing for his funeral and why he didn't want me to use my powers to save him. He was going to save himself, as he knew from the start not to trust Kai.

"Okay," I found myself saying as I really didn't know how to respond. 

He paused for a moment, "There's more."

There's more?

He stared at me briefly, contemplating whether he wanted to fully commit to what he was about to tell me. It's weird to think I could use my powers to get inside his head, but I don't. Instead, I patiently wait for him to continue. 

"I also have another power," he mumbled, raising my eyebrow. "Another?" I questioned. 

"Yeah," he paused before pulling his hand away from mine. He held up his index finger in front of me. I stared at him in confusion. 

His index finger then held a flicker of flame over it. My eyes widened in shock. He then grabbed the flame with his other hand and closed it before opening it, revealing a fireball. I stared in shock and excitement as I realized why I always felt a burst of energy from him. 

I watched as his other hand started to shape the fireball, which amazed me even more. His eyes focused on the fire as he messed around with it. After a minute, I realized what he was turning the fireball into—a rose. After crafting each petal, he finished it with a stem and some leaves before handing it to me with a smile. 

"Woah," I managed to choke out as I gently took it from him, trying not to alter the rose. I cupped my hand as the rose flame burned brighter before slowly fading. I frowned before looking up at Victor, who chuckled as he kissed my forehead. 

"I'll make you more whenever you'd like," he offered, causing me to smile.

I couldn't believe it! I knew something was different about him this entire time, but I always shoved the feeling away. I frowned once I realized how disassociated I was with everyone around me. My only consideration was Liam this entire time. I was to focus on appreciating how much Victor and his friends had done for Ethan and me. They put themselves in harm's way for us without a second thought, but why? Did they do it because they cared or because Victor told them to? Were these their order? I sunk back into my chair, saddened at the thought.

"What's wrong?" Victor lifted his hand to move to the strand of hair in front of my face before tucking it behind my ear.

I stared at him, conflicted by my desire to know the truth, the truth that may hurt. "Did Leo and the guys tried to protect Ethan and I because you told them to or because they wanted to?" I questioned, meeting his eyes. 

He stared back for a moment in quiet, causing guilt to wash over me. At any moment, I knew the truth. To say this upset me was an understatement. 

"No," Victor firmly said as he took my hand. "Don't do that to yourself. I could see it in your face, Freya," he softly spoke as he stroked my cheek. "Yes, I did tell them to protect you and Ethan, but they didn't just do it because I said so. They did it because they cared. Do not start to overthink, my Love. They would've done it regardless, even if I hadn't asked," he assured me. 

I wanted to believe him but couldn't. Victor then stood up, gently pulling me off the chair so I could stand. Confused about what he was doing, I stayed silent as he led us into the living room, where everyone lounged around on the couch, talking amongst one another. Their heads all looked up toward Victor as we walked further into the room. My eyes surveyed the room, and I realized the girl was no longer here.

Victor stood before them as I was standing off to the side. "Freya here doesn't believe you guys would've involved yourselves if I hadn't said to protect her and Ethan," he gestured to me, causing their heads to turn in my direction.

I watched as they all studied me for a moment. Their looks suggested they were contemplating what to say. Within the next second, they all started talking at once. Despite it sounding like total chaos, I was able to understand some of what they said in between. 

"How could we not protect you?" Leo shrieked. 

"Okay, yeah, we were ordered to, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't have done it regardless," Kyle added.

"Honestly, this has been the most adventurous thing I've done. Victor never takes us anywhere," Chase chimed in.

Alex scoffed, "For real! I would take lightning bolts and mystical creatures over being shot any day."

"The best part about this is the food. I'm so tired of the food in our town. Not to mention, it's boring. I actually considered shooting Kyle for fun," Richard admitted, causing Kyle to glare at him.

"Why? Why couldn't I have normal best friends? Why did you have to pick the dumbest ones in the litter?!" Oscar screeched at Victor as he gestured to the guys. And with that question, they all started arguing with each other.

I couldn't help but laugh at how the whole situation had transformed from something sappy to a bunch of guys being goofy. 

"See," Victor made his way in front of me, "They're stupid. They'd do anything for you and Ethan. Anything except shutting the fuck up," he sighed in defeat, looking towards them.

After a few more minutes of arguing, we gathered around the dining room table. We sat down, trying to come up with ideas on how to kill Liam. Ethan was now also without. Since he was still in spirit form and knowing it would be impossible for everyone to hear him, I manipulated one of their phones to work like a spirit voicebox for Ethan. 

"Okay. So we know Liam is unkillable, but how?" Chase questioned as we all started to think.

"We broke the staff, and Freya was able to kill Kai, but that's because he didn't absorb any power like Liam," Alex added. We stayed silent as we started to think more. 

"It feels like a piece is missing," Leo admitted, to which we all silently agreed.

"Destroying the staff was a challenge. Something about this was offputting," Ethan's voice came through the phone.

"If I had the staff, I would be invincible if I wanted to rule the world. Nothing could change my mind. But if the staff got taken away or, in this case, broke, I would start questioning my capabilities in winning this war," Oscar mumbled.

"But Liam never questioned himself. He was still confident regardless. He never hesitated and didn't even seem upset about it as much. It was like he was expecting it to happen. Which means -," I was then briefly cut off by Kyle. 

"There has to be another power source," he said, to which I nodded. "But what?" Ethan questioned as we all drifted off into silence again. It felt like my brain would explode trying to figure this out.  

My eyes glanced over to Victor, who was staring at me with an uneasy look. "What's wrong?" I asked, causing everyone to look at him.

"Fuck," he muttered under his breath as he continued to stare at me. "What?" I asked again, becoming irritated as he wouldn't tell me what was wrong. 

His eyes filled with anger and sadness all at once. I looked around the table to see everyone staring at me, and they, too, wore the same expression as Victor. I opened my mouth to talk, but nothing came out as I finally read the room.

"Well fuck," I sighed, sinking back in my chair as my heart felt like it skipped a beat at the thought of it. 

I was the other power source.