Members ran in and out of the headquarters, some of them injured, others became victims of fear. Stefan put on his leader mask, no emotions could be identified on his face. He was the one the members look up to when the boat starts drowning, a big responsibility rested on his shoulders.

The ambush carried out by Mr. Peters' cult, or as they call themselves, the Bearers of Salvation, surprised them. Lorcan was the first one to realize that something happened, he warned Stefan who confirmed the bad news after sending the member closer to the market to investigate.

Their fight wasn't only against demons anymore, humans entered the equation, and with them came the doubts. Could they handle the pressure of hurting other human beings?

Stefan stood in the headquarters' lobby. His posture was firm, and his gaze focused on the members returning from the battle. He remembered every person he sent to fight, to see all of them coming back was his wish.

The last group came through the gate, most of them with their heads low, silence reigned between them as they dragged their feet through the black marble floor

Something was wrong, Stefan didn't need to be an expert on human behavior to see that, "where are Lorcan and Hannah?"

Not a single reply came, all he got as an answer was the trembling that spread through some of their bodies.

Sound of fast steps reverberated inside the room. Seconds later Lorcan ran into the lobby, carrying Agatha in his arms. The girl had her eyes closed, and the only movement coming from her was the rise and fall of her chest.

"I'll explain everything later," he said in a rush before disappearing into the hallway, in the direction of the infirmary.

A young man the leader had never seen before followed Lorcan, he maintained some distance between them, his speed slowing after he came into the headquarters.

"I'm with him," He clarified, signaling Lorcan's silhouette "she's my friend."

Stefan nodded in response, he'll wait for Lorcan to tell him the details, after all, he had another priority.

"Where's Hannah?" He repeated.

One of the members took a step forward, his gaze still on the floor.

"They have her," he whispered in a broken voice, tears already falling down his cheeks.

The man's stoic face got replaced by a slight frown, his right hand closed in a fist.

"Go to the infirmary," Stefan ordered them. They obeyed immediately.

The leader closed his eyes, he concentrated on the ink flowing through his arm. Hanna's presence could still be felt, which meant that she was alive. Stefan pinned her location and sent Momotaro a message.

"How was your check-up?" He asked once Momo joined him.

The young man lifted his arms and smiled. "I'm fine, I have some bruises and scratches. What's the real reason why you call me?"

A sigh came from Stefan, his eyes letting the tiredness show through them.

"They kidnapped Hannah, I believe it's a trap, but we can't let her stay there."

"Count me in." Momotaro didn't hesitate to offer himself for the mission. "Should I gather a small team?"

The oldest smiled at the question, he knew him enough to guess his plan of action. That's the reason why he called him, Momo was someone Stefan could trust to make the best decisions under pressure.

"No more than three members, I'm also going, and we're taking Gellert with us. I want to avoid unnecessary fights, take that into account when choosing the team."

Half an hour later the team met at the entrance. Stefan approved Momotaro's choice, he would have selected the same people.

Celina had the ability to put people to sleep and control their dreams, Noah and his enhanced speed would be helpful if they needed to carry Hannah fast, and Bertram's portals were essential to the mission.

"I got Genevieve permission to bring Celina," commented Momo, signaling the brown-haired girl. "The work in the infirmary was slowing down, so she and Clio can handle it. "

"Bertram, I'll show you Hanna's location and you'll open a portal for us to go there. We find her and we go back. Try to keep a low profile. Got it?" The leader explained, his voice was strong and slow.

The portal appeared, on the other side of the circle an illuminated hallway welcomed them. Bertram closed the passage as soon as they crossed it.

Not a single soul walked through the hallway, but the sound of taking came from the six doors present in the gray walls. Stefan pointed at the door in front of them, then he signaled Gellert to stay in position to guard the entrance.

Noah opened the door at a slow pace. Celina went through it first. Four men waited inside the room, next to Hannah who was tied to a chair, unconscious.

"Why don't you take a nap?" Asked the girl before lifting her hand, snapping her fingers.

The two men closest to Celina fell to the ground, "Shit, I was too far away," she cursed.

Electricity and rocks surrounded the ones still awake.

A fire extinguisher flew in the direction of the one controlling the rocks, taking him by surprise and hitting him right on his head. Using the distraction Noah ran at maximum speed against the only one left standing, crushing him against the wall.

"Seriously Momotaro? A fire extinguisher?" Complained Celina.

The young man approached Hannah, he began releasing her from the ropes tied to her wrists. "I can't use my knives, you know I'm deadly with them, besides, the fire extinguisher worked perfectly," he defended himself, signaling the unconscious man.

Stefan saw the entire scene from the doorway. He should have been relieved, the mission went better than they thought, but all he did was suspect that they made it easy for them for a reason.

"I don't like this," confessed Gellert, watching his son opening a portal to get back.

His friend nodded in agreement and, judging by Momo's wandering gaze, the young man shared their sentiment.

Hannah was being carried by Noah through the portal when a man's voice came from nowhere.

"Welcome our guest, can you hear me?" The sound came from a speaker hanging on the wall. "My name is Theodore Peters and I invited you here so we can reach some type of agreement. We won't stop you from returning to your headquarters, at least not this time. Could you please listen to what I have to say? We can hear you, by the way, I'm waiting for your answer."

"What do you want?" Asked Stefan, gesturing to the members, except for Gellert, to go to the other side of the portal.

"I want you to keep away from our business, we both want the best for the village. So, why don't you stay focused on your fight against the demons and we won't hunt you down."

"It sounds more like a threat than a deal," commented Gellert.

A burst of laughter came from the speaker. "I like the way you think. Anyways, do we have a deal?"

"We don't," sentenced the leader of the protectors. He and Gellert crossed the portal, not waiting for a response.

Before Bertram closed the passage Theodore screamed a declaration of war. "You had your choice, now we'll go after your people."

Mr. Peters is showing his intentions. What is your opinion about his group?