Milo's POV

I've never told anyone about the things I've said to Amon before today. Not even Sophia and Philo know about it. That was a big step for me.

I'm glad I told him. Even though it hurt, it was also very relieving to get it off my chest, and I'm happy that he was so understanding about it.

I wipe away a few tears as we walk back to the kitchen table where Mike and Elena are waiting. I nervously pick at my lip. We sit down at the table.

"Okay," Amon starts, "so... there's a lot we have to explain. And... It might sound absolutely insane at the beginning, but you need to hear us out, okay?"

His friends look back at him with their eyebrows raised.

"Okay...?" Elena responds.

Amon throws a glance at me, and I give him an encouraging smile.

"To put it short, magic is real. Not card tricks and rabbits, but, like... actual magic."

His friends look incredibly skeptical. "Amon, come on...," Mike says.

Amon frowns. "I know it's hard to believe something like that. Sometimes it's easier to see it."

I smile softly when I realize that he's saying the same kind of things I said to him two months ago when I told him about everything.

I can tell that he's nervous. He raises his hand and lets a glass float in the air.

"Holy fucking shit," Mike mumbles, and the two stare at the glass.

Amon snaps his finger and turns the glass to glowing, purple glitter particles floating in the air. I turn my hand a bit to turn the lights down, so it looks prettier. Amon throws a quick smile at me.

He snaps his fingers again, and the glass puts itself back together. Meanwhile, I turn the lights back on.

Both Elena and Mike stare at us in disbelief, and I chuckle. Amon goes on to explain the whole story of how I 'recruited' him and how we fought side by side.

When he's done, they just stare at us with their mouths open.

"Believe me, I know it's a lot. But I need you to know the truth."

"I... What?" Elena asks, "You... you were in a war? Why didn't you tell us earlier?"

He sighs. "Well, I'm technically not allowed to tell you. So... we need you to make a vow now so we can make sure it doesn't get out to the world."

"A vow?", Mike asks, confused, "a normal vow or like... a magical one?"

"Magical," Amon replies and looks over at me. "Milo, do you wanna...?"

I nod. "Right. Well, uh... Okay, which one of you wants to go first?"

They look at each other. "Ladies first," Mike says, and Elena sighs.

"Fine," she mutters and turns to me.

"Alright. May I take your hands?" I ask softly, and she nods and reaches them out to me.

"Thank you." I take a deep breath. I need to focus a lot to do this. It's a demanding spell, but I know I can do it. I feel electricity pulse through my arms all the way to my fingertips.

"Say your full name out loud," I say.

"Elena Federica Douglas," she replies, sounding a bit nervous.

"Do you vow never to tell anyone about the secret of the existence of sorcery?"

She takes a deep breath. "I vow."

A blue glow courses through the veins of my arms and crosses over to Elena's. Her eyes follow it fascinatedly.

"Est effectus voti in hoc," I say. Everyone looks at me. "That means the vow is now in effect." I let go of Elena's hands. "Thank you," I say, and she smiles softly and nods.

I turn to Mike, and we repeat the whole process.

Amon and I go on to explain to them why we're on the run and what we eventually plan on doing.

"Do you think we could stay here for a while?" Amon asks Mike, "It's too risky to stay at my apartment. And we put up protections here."

"Of course." He smiles. "Not gonna lie, I'm a bit overwhelmed and scared, but it's still you, Amon, so..."

Amon smiles back. "Thanks. I promise we'll make it up to you sometime when we figured everything out."

"How about you just don't die?" Mike asks, "That's enough for me."

Aw, that's actually really sweet. Mike seems genuinely concerned.

I haven't really had any friends in a while. I used to have friends when I was a kid, but then we started getting trained separately, and everyone kinda lived apart. I guess I'm friends with a few people like Sophia and Philomena, but they're older and are more like sisters to me, so we're not exactly on the same level.

"I promise we'll try our best," Amon says, chuckling.

"He's the best sorcerer I've ever seen, so I'm positive we can do this", I add, smiling.

"Damn," Elena mutters, "You guys... This... This is fucking insane."

We chuckle. "We know, we know," Amon says.

"Hey, are you guys hungry?" Mike asks after a while of silence.

"Yeah, actually," Amon replies, and I just nod, not wanting them to worry too much about me. I feel like I'm bothering them like I don't belong in their friend group. I'm an outsider.

"Do you want us to help?", Amon asks and I get a bit nervous because I never learned how to cook. There was so much other stuff we learned, but cooking wasn't one of them.

And I suddenly realize how useless I am here, outside of the coven. I know nothing about the real world. God, no, I... I am no use at all. I can't help with anything. I never learned how to be a normal person. Latin won't get me far.

"No, it's fine, El and I got it," Mike replies smiling, and they walk into the kitchen.

I turn to Amon. "I'm sorry, I feel like I'm just intruding into your friend group."

He looks confused. "Babe, what are you talking about?"

"I'm just here, and I'm probably annoying them and-"

"Hey, wow, easy," Amon says gently.

I just look at him.

"I promise you, they're not annoyed. They're probably just a bit overwhelmed because it's a lot to learn and to deal with. But you are not a problem, believe me. They like you."

I keep looking at him for a few seconds, not convinced.

"Why wouldn't they like you?" he asks me.

"Because I just tore you away from them into the coven, and you couldn't spend time with you anymore. And I'm really not the greatest person."

He raises his eyebrows. "Stop saying things like that, they're not true. First of all, the whole coven thing isn't your fault. It's fine, I promise. Second of all, you are an incredible person, and you're also very sweet and caring." He takes my hand. "I promise you they like you. Everything is fine, babe, okay?"

I just nod. He strokes my cheek. "I'm serious. We'll be fine, don't worry. There are no reasons to dislike you, you're wonderful."

I smile softly. "Thanks. You're so sweet."

He smiles and kisses me softly.

"Hey, lovebirds, do you wanna lay the table?"

Elena stepped up to the table, and she's smiling at us, plates and cutlery in her hands. I blush a little.

"Sure," Amon replies, and she hands him everything.

We start setting the table together. "At least that I know how to do", I mumble to myself.

"Huh?" my boyfriend asks, confused.

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking out loud," I reply quickly.

"You know how to do a lot of things, Milo."

I chuckle. "Maybe when it comes to magic, yeah, Otherwise I have no idea. I can't even cook."

Amon chuckles. "Babe, do you know how many non-sorcerer adults can't cook? It's really not that uncommon. And it doesn't make you a bad person."

I look at him, surprised. "Really? Don't you learn that in school?"

He smiles softly. "No, we learned other... more useless stuff."

I look at him, confused. "Why?"

He laughs softly. "I have no idea. It's okay, really. Everyone has different skills. That's totally fine."

I smile at him. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're just as valuable as everyone else. To me, you're even more valuable. I know you've probably been told you're... worthless, but that's not true. I need you to know that, okay?"

I smile softly and nod. "Okay. Thank you, really."