A few months after these events, my friends and I were at the Brighton Vault.

It was basically a rip-off of the Brighton Dome, but it was built in the above ground part of the Aether Realm. We had gathered permits from the humans to build more infrastructures above ground, though many citizens wouldn't stand for it. So far, the coexistence between our species has been friendlier than it had been in years, though. In Brighton, the humans were more lenient compared to other cities, because it was the city where the Magic Senate was located — basically a capital for the English Enchanters. Architects started working on new roads and buildings. And they were incredibly fast — they started working on the new theatre early on, and with magic to help their work, it was done in a matter of months.

At the Brighton Vault we were watching Silver McQueen doing one of his shows. Ever since people found out he was still alive, Brady had started doing shows that sold out immediately.

Seeing Brady on the stage made me see him in a different light. Seeing him with silver hair and make up, and how good he looked in those even at his age, made me realise his face was more androgynous and handsome than I had given him credit for. Either way, since he started doing shows again he looked like a different person. Happier, I'd say.

After the show, we had to go to a party Mister Winter organised to show us his new house, because he thought he needed a real house, other than inhabiting the Academy, and so did Jeff. Which is something I'd never thought I'd say. And weirdly enough, I actually wanted to go to that party.

I felt way worse when I got there, saw the house was huge and that the people invited to the party were basically... all the Enchanters I knew. Lucretia seemed to have forgotten a little the pain Jake brought her, but she kept harassing me with countless questions about the quest. And I felt weird when Bill congratulated me for defeating Set, considering that it had been teamwork and that we only did what had to be done.

I realised many people still didn't know who I was. I decided to randomly tell the people who approached me to talk to me, if their questions verged too much in my private life.

When I went to grab another drink, I found myself in front of my grandfather. I was almost telling him the whole story, when he stopped me.

"I think we should discuss it... in private," he said.

I nodded. I didn't know what he was about to say to me, but I knew I had my share of things to say to him.

"You knew who my parents were," I told him as soon as we found another room. "You've never even pretended not to know, but still chose not to tell me anything."

It wasn't a question. I'd always known he knew. "Sorry, Ryan. I think I owe you an explanation."

"Well, you better hurry up," I bit back.

I couldn't feel pity towards him: he had always known that I was his grandson, that my mother was a relative of Vitaly, and maybe he had also known something about Samuel's doubts. And he had never told me anything.

I remembered that Samuel wanted to tell me other things about it before he died, but I hadn't let him. I had decided that letting him say goodbye to Jeff and Vitaly was more important. And it was. Still, I couldn't shake off the feeling that none of this was over if there were other verses that nobody knew.

"Jeff was born the year before you," my grandfather started explaining. "When he was born, our biggest problem was that Samuel was too young and busy to take care of him properly. And Vitaly didn't take it too well."

He smiled bitterly, like he had liked Vitaly a long time ago and he still had fond memories of him.

"When Samuel went crazy or, as we could say now, he inherited the family disease, he killed his wife. It was around the same time that he had killed your father. When he killed Nathan, we couldn't stop him because he was still on KI. When he killed Miyuki, we arrived too late. He also killed your mother, Brooke. She knew our family disapproved of her engagement with your father because it was illegal — she was a hybrid who did not inherit the powers. But she was a close friend of Miyuki, and Samuel killed her too. I decided to adopt Jeff. And then, Jeff's father simply disappeared. I noticed someone — I think it was one of the Awakened — had made it so that Jeff could remember everything even though he was only a child. But I actually took pity on him! I wanted him to have a life, so I had him cured and raised him."

I understood what he was about to say. I felt the blood in my veins freezing.

"Why did you abandon me?" I asked, becoming really pale. "You raised him. Why didn't you raise me?"

He shook his head.

"It's not how you think. But you don't understand — it was better this way," he said. "Jeff could have got his father's illness. It is a family curse, after all. The best way I had to protect him from himself was lying to him about his dad and making sure I had his powers under control. You, instead..."

He took a deep breath.

"I was afraid you could turn out like your uncle, I really was. But I couldn't take care of both of you, especially if you were both extremely gifted. I decided to control the powers of just one of you, and I decided it would have to be Jeff. Since you had human blood, if I had given you to a human care home you could have spent your whole life amongst humans with just a small chance of your powers getting you in trouble. You could have been powerless like your mother. And even if you weren't, everybody knows that those who have human blood can blend in amongst humans better than everybody else."

"What are you not telling me?" I asked through grit teeth. I could, by now, recognize my grandfather's face when he was hiding something.

"Samuel must have harboured doubts about you, on which premises, I don't know, because he tried to kill you. Your mother was registered as a human. Her family had enchanted her in a way she could go underground with the rest of us, but she also had easy access to the human infrastructures. She ran away, and started living in the human world when Samuel came back from his quest and she learnt your father had been killed. She knew Samuel was after you. So, one day, he got information that she was hiding in a building, one of those places with many offices, where her human friend Anna worked. So, your uncle blew up the building."

I was speechless. The event everyone referred to as the tragedy had only happened because of me. I remembered Risa's theories, that it was a twenty-year-something who'd blown up the building. And the insistence of the Magic Senate that we would wipe clean the memory of the humans, because they were starting to remember. Jeff's father might have been about twenty-nine then, if my calculations were correct, but he'd always looked youthful like his son.

"The human Parliament was enraged," my grandfather continued. "They wanted to kill us all. And they weren't wrong, you know. A Typhon loose in Brighton... I can only imagine the fear of those who'd seen him. But the Magic Senate and I bargained with them. I said I could do the memory spell and that we could live even more segregated than before. However, they wanted something else in exchange..."

"No," I said, my voice rough because I was beginning to understand.

"Have you ever asked yourself why you were a ward? Placed in the custody of the State? I couldn't take care of two children, Ryan. I gave you to them so they could have leverage on us. You have to understand. They wouldn't trust us in any other case. And I placed that protective spell on you so you wouldn't manifest your magic before our deal ended. The deal ended when you were sixteen, and I think this is why the Awakened told Vitaly he could proceed with his plan. I also think this is why the Reapers came back. Not that they'd known about you, but the Awakened must have known and they must have decided that, if something stirred in the magical community, then it was time to proceed. The protective spell also made you immune to magic, so none of us could find out about you, kidnap you and bring you below ground. Jordan Bates, maybe."

I was furious, but something he said made me realise something. In the meeting where we had discussed how my friends and I had saved the world, Selina Cooper had asked me if I wanted the Senate to grant me a favour to repay me for what I'd done. I politely declined. But she told me to think about it. And now I finally came up with something I could ask.

Mister Winter looked at me like he wanted to hear what I had to say to his confession. I decided to focus back on the conversation. I was still angry.

"You are a horrible person," I told him, "I went through a lot of traumatic things. I could have grown up to be just like Samuel, you know, illness or not. Enough had happened to turn me towards the wrong path. And what if my powers never manifested? Would I have to stay amongst the humans? Not to mention the vision he had of me!"

He became really pale.

"Back then I didn't know exactly that it was because of the vision that Samuel wanted to kill you," he said. I didn't know whether I should have believed him. "Then, I found out more about it, but I don't know what exactly he's seen."

"But he didn't know you were alive and in a care home," Mister Winter added then, his eyes shining. "If anything, I saved you. Imagine if he ever found out who you were!"

I felt a sudden rage that I had never felt before. I wanted him to acknowledge how wrong he was, how much damage he had done.

"It might be true," I admitted, "But this doesn't make your actions any better. And if he saw me in that vision, it was because it said I could defeat him. No, if anything went wrong you could have been the ruin of the whole Aether realm!"

When I walked away, I was still furious.

When I left, I met Edgar. He offered me a cup of ginger beer, and I realised that I'd never seen him drink booze. It was possible he didn't.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

"Do you remember what Selina Cooper told me? That I could ask her any favour I wanted?"

He nodded.

"There is a law I want to change. I want the Enchanters to be able to marry people who have human blood. I'm sure most families have human blood from the mixed marriages they did before the Middle Ages, so why discriminate against people whose human blood is more recent? Hybrids are born out of marriages all the time because of it, it's not like they stopped existing."

He looked at me, not too convinced. As if he didn't want to be a bother.

Oh no. I knew what he must have been thinking. He didn't know about my parents.

"It's just for Enchanters and hybrids for now, even though I might ask for humans as well when time passes," I explained, "it's just that I am a hybrid as well and I don't even know if I have basic rights, like getting married. They thought my mother hadn't inherited powers, but who knows if that was true. I know now who my parents are. They were from two of the Ancient Families of Hierophants, he was a Winter and she was a Summer."

Edgar couldn't help but snicker at that.

"The surnames might sound funny, but it's a sad story, actually. My parents couldn't get married and they had to keep my existence a secret."

He nodded again. He had a serious expression on his face. "I know what you were trying to say," he commented. "It's a nice idea."

"At first I was afraid... I mean, it's not like I care who you marry," I specified.

"Maybe I care who you marry," he replied.

I didn't know what to reply. I laughed, hoping to sound more amused than I really was.

"You should be able to get married. Anyone would be lucky to marry you," Edgar added earnestly. "Well, maybe if they had to use it as a last resort, but I could think of worse things."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," I joked. "Let me get you a drink. Next one's on me."

Just when I was about to walk away from the party, a girl approached me. The first thing I noticed was her hair — dark but mixed with orange streaks. But, as soon as I looked at her face, I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Ryan!" Risa exclaimed. She tried to hug me, but she knew I didn't like it, so she just patted my shoulder. "Well, rumours fly so fast... should I even still call you Ryan?"

I nodded. I felt more like Ryan Barnes than Patrick Winter, that much was true. I just had never thought about it before.

"I read about you in the newspapers," she went on. "Now that things are less chaotic, I can get the newspapers of the Enchanters. I got so bored this year of school after you left. I'm taking a course to become a detective, and, since there isn't a detective who works for the crimes of the Aether Realm, I asked your Magic

if I could get a residence here, above ground, to get closer to the magical world. I could have a magical ID and everything else."

"Do you think they'll do that for you?" I couldn't help but be sceptical. There had been Enchanters who worked amongst humans, but there had never been any human who worked here.

"They have to, because it's a great idea," she replied, seriously. "Besides, people used to go through enchantments to live here if they had a magical spouse, but I had a magical friend. I understand things between us aren't the same way anymore, but you are a hero here, Ryan. And I do remember how people used to treat you in our realm. I've never felt like I belonged, you know. And my mother wanted to go back to Peru, while I didn't want to lose you forever."

She lowered her eyes. "It is because of that that I never sent you a message. But when Enchanters and humans started collaborating, I saw it as a chance to stay, to stay here with you.

I don't want to steal your spotlight, or your rightful place in this world, but I want to learn as much as I can about a culture I used to dislike. Do you remember me talking about magic? I was almost spiteful. The truth is that I can see myself living surrounded by all of this. I could see myself working here."

"I've never thought about working before," I admitted. I smiled at a memory that felt very distant now. "Goes to show that I'm really lazy."

She laughed. "It's true that you're always on the television and in the newspapers, but I don't know if even someone like you could make a living out of it."

"Either way, what I wanted to tell you," she specified. "Is that we don't have to hang out if you don't want to. But if you or your friends ever need a detective, I'm willing to work for free for the three of you."

"Of course," I replied, flattered. "I hope everything will go smoothly from now on, but we'll let you know."

I finally met up with Jeff and Raegan, and told them everything while we were looking at the stars.

Raegan laughed, "Can you believe it? That we got this far? That we really made it?"

"We had no choice but to make it," I reminded her.

I liked saying that. It made me really understand how little our personal values or choices had to do with it. I might have done it either way, but the first and most important reason why I did it was that no one else would.

But Raegan was right. There were times where I thought we could never make it. And knowing I was alive after everything that had happened made me feel euphoric to say the least. My life, so far, had constantly been a roller-coaster of ups and downs. There were a lot of times where I felt bad followed by times where I felt good. But this was different.

I smiled back at her.

Jeff and Raegan were my family now. And it was probably the best thing I could have hoped to gain from this adventure. For the first time in my life, everything was alright.

But it was hard to accept who I really was. I still couldn't make sense of how some things had turned out in the end. Jake in prison. Sam being ill with a family curse. Vitaly who had been, after all, more of a good person than an evil one. But he'd still lied to us, and he had still been a member of the Reapers.

And while I could never say it out loud, the fact that Samuel had done all of those terrible things while being conscious of them still haunted me. He, all in all, had been ill, but he also hadn't been a very good person. And the fact that he was my uncle couldn't help but make me wonder things about me, about my family.

"Erm... guys," Jeff interrupted our conversation. He was looking at an envelope in his hands. He had just gotten a speed letter. "We have been summoned to meet the leader of the Circle. Apparently, she's a woman called Luna Torres. She said she wants to meet us tomorrow."

"That's great, isn't it?" I asked.

"Not really," Jeff replied. "The Circle never sends out invitations, we still don't know what it was they wanted from us, and their leader is top secret — I've never heard of this person before."

My heart sank into my chest. "What do we do then?"

"When the Circle asks," Raegan said. "We have no choice but to accept."