A cool breeze blew past Eddie's body as he failed to find solid ground. He looked around. There was nothing surrounding him on his sides. He glanced below. A vast expanse of deep blue was laid out beneath him. He widened his eyes.

He was falling towards the ocean, and he was falling fast.

Eddie swung his body around and got into position. Head up, feet down, arms at the side. He recoiled his limbs and propelled them downward. Fwoosh. Whitish-yellow fire blazed from his soles and knuckles, slowing his descent until he stopped. He glanced downward. He halted just a few meters above the waves. Phew. As soon as he was stable in the air, his eyes darted around in search of his book.

Louis. He glared at it. When he told it to teleport them to the ocean, he was expecting to land on a sandy, tropical island—not be dropped into the ocean like a sugar cube into a cup of tea. He spotted some islands on Giorgino's map; surely, Louis could have dropped them off there instead. The book noticed his scowl and snickered. He only rolled his eyes.

Splash! Eddie glanced downward. Giorgino, Jon, and Stella were already in the water.

"Why are you still up there?" his mentor shouted. "Get down here!"

Eddie extinguished his flames. Splash! He waved his arms as he trod water, keeping his head above the waves.

A thin bubble of light purple materialized around his head before becoming transparent. The scuba shield. He took a deep breath and then exhaled; the air was less salty.

"Alright, let's go," Giorgino said. "Stella, you lead the way."

Stella nodded her head. She dove into the water, and they followed.

They were not even that far from the surface, yet they could perceive almost nothing that lingered within the waters. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the ocean. Stella opened her palm. A bright beam of white light shone from her hand. Eddie expected to see at least a school of fish, but instead, the waters were empty. Not a single creature swam near them. Not that he was complaining—at least there were no sharks.

The four of them swam towards the ocean floor. Eddie felt the pressure build on his body as they ventured deeper. From a distance, they could make out the entrance to an underwater cavern. Giorgino narrowed his eyes at it.

"The dragon's there," he confirmed. "I can see it."

So they swam towards the cave and stopped just outside its orifice. Its rocky surface wore a blanket of bioluminescent plants, while its interior remained dark and devoid of life. Eddie closed one eye. He sensed a long, wide tunnel that dug deep into the ground below. At the other end was a large chamber, and in it, a sleeping creature.

"Okay, so three of you, try to gather some tears from the dragon," Giorgino said. "If anything bad happens, I'll be right here."

"You're not coming along with us?" Eddie asked.

"Only until the cave entrance. After that, you'll be on your own. Don't worry"—he gave Eddie and Jon a hard pat on their shoulders—"I'll be right here if you need me."

Eddie gulped and looked at his teammates. They exchanged a few glances before they resumed their journey.

Eddie leaned forward and kicked the water as he followed Stella into the cave. He looked up. Jagged rocks jutted from the ceiling. He glanced downward. The floor was covered in stones. Some of them were sharp, others were smooth, and some were oddly shaped. He squinted.

Half of those were not stones. They were bones.

Eddie jerked his head back and looked straight ahead. The last thing he wanted to see was a trail of animal remains as he neared a magical predator. He hoped he did not end up like the poor souls he was passing over.

Stella dove into the tunnel, and the boys did likewise. There was ample space for them to swim around. There should be. How else would the dragon be able to reach its nest? Eddie slowed his breathing as they ventured through the tunnel. He could already see it. It was asleep, luckily. They should have an easier time extracting the tears. The three of them swam upward as they entered the chamber.

And there it was. Sleeping soundlessly in the center of the chamber was a water dragon, only its silhouette visible in the darkness. Stella shone light onto the creature, careful not to direct any to its eyes. The dragon's aquamarine scales glimmered like jewels under her light. Its serpentine figure was coiled around itself. A small, teal fin jutted from the end of its tail, two pairs of legs jutted from its body, and two pairs of narrow wings sprouted from its back. Its head rested on the cave's floor, facing the entrance to the tunnel.

The trio looked at the sleeping dragon and then looked at each other. They were all hesitant to make the first move.

"Guys, what's our plan?" Eddie whispered.

"I can collect the tears," Jon said. "I can use my hydrokinesis to extract them."

"But won't the tears mix with the water?"

"I can separate different liquids. It won't be a problem."

"Who'll hold back the dragon?" Stella murmured. "I can make a force field ring around the mouth so that it can't open."

"I can hold it back," Eddie said. "I'll use my telekinesis."

"Okay."

The three of them took a few steps closer. Bones, boulders, and jagged stones lined the cavern walls. The boulders would hide bodies perfectly. Eddie and Stella swam towards the large rocks and concealed themselves behind them. Meanwhile, Jon neared the dragon's head, waiting for their signal.

"Wait," Eddie mouthed. He showed his bottle. "Fill the other bottles too."

With a wave of his hand, Eddie gave his and Stella's bottles to Jon. Eddie then outstretched his arms. Where would be a good place to hold the dragon back? Perhaps the limbs. He visualized eight pairs of arms sprouting from his shoulders and grasping the creature's wings and legs. He shuddered—he could feel its slimy and slippery scales. Let's get this over with.

A ring-shaped force field materialized. Stella guided it towards the dragon's head and slid it over its snout. She shrunk it bit by bit, stopping briefly once it had touched the scales. Nothing. She shrunk it a little more. Nothing. She continued shrinking the shield until the creature's mouth was bound. It remained still. Without a word, Jon lowered himself till he was just above the dragon's head. He leaned towards its eyes.

Jon opened one bottle and placed its mouth next to the creature's closed eye. He then made a slight pulling motion with his other hand. At first, Eddie could not see the effect, but he later saw a clear liquid trickling into the bottle. Dragon tears. He had no clue on how Jon managed to extract the tears without opening the eyelids, but he did not care. What mattered was that the creature was undisturbed.

He waited, and waited, and waited, but it seemed to take Jon forever. Eddie glanced at his left wrist only to realize that he had left his watch behind. Eddie sighed and proceeded to play a song in his head. He counted the number of times he replayed it as he watched Jon extract the tears. Four times. It took Jon twenty minutes to fill one bottle. It appeared that they were going to spend at least an hour in the chamber. Eddie grimaced—he hoped that the dragon was not nearing its waking hours.

It did not appear to be so. Just as Eddie predicted, the third bottle was completely filled an hour after they had arrived. Jon screwed the cap onto the bottle and held it up high. He smiled, and Eddie did likewise. We're finally done.

"We're done!" Jon said.

Soon after he spoke, the dragon's eyelids opened.

Idiot.

Eddie felt a force dragging him forward as the dragon untangled itself. He slammed into the rock he was hiding behind. Aïe! Its serrated surface sliced his skin open, and he felt scales slipping from his palms. Eddie clenched his fists tighter. He looked back at the creature. The dragon's long neck was already stretching to its full length while the rest of its body writhed under his grip.

Jon zoomed away from the scene and escaped through the tunnel. Before they could ask him for help, he had disappeared.

Great.

Eddie eyed the dragon once more. Its limbs were still held in place by his telekinesis, though the rest of its body was wriggling in the water. Its eyes darted all over the place in search of its intruders. Its nostrils moved. Suddenly, the dragon's head turned until it faced Eddie's direction. Eddie's heart skipped a beat.

His wound was bleeding, and it knew.

He pushed his arms forward as he struggled to hold the creature in place. His soles scraped the cavern floor as he pushed against the creature. Its legs and wings unfurled as they slipped from his grip. Cracks formed in the shield that secured its mouth as it tried to force its jaws apart. Eddie extended two fingers from his hand.

No! his inner voice screamed. You can't use lightning underwater! Do you want to electrocute yourself?

Eddie widened his eyes upon realization. No, he couldn't use lightning. He couldn't use fire either. The only thing keeping him alive was his telekinesis, but even that was bound to fail. He was losing hold of the creature.

Soon, he felt himself clutching nothing but water.

The dragon spread its wings and legs. Eddie held his breath, helpless, as he witnessed the creature zoom towards him.

Fwssh!

A force field stretched from the ceiling to the floor and stopped the dragon before it could reach him. Eddie glanced to his right. Stella blocked it just in time.

"Come on!" she said.

The two of them swam towards the tunnel and dove. The cave quaked as the dragon pounded against the shield. Cracks crept up the stalactites and threatened to pierce them from above. Eddie stretched his arm and felt his way for the cave's opening. His telekinetic hand found a rock and wrapped its fingers around it.

He held out his left hand to Stella. "Hold on!"

She grasped his hand.

Boom. A soundwave echoed through the cave as the dragon broke her shield. Eddie contracted his right arm.

The two zoomed through the tunnel and flew out of its mouth. Jon and Giorgino were waiting for them outside.

Before Eddie could say anything, his mentor flung one hand towards the cave and cast a spell. A barrier of light sealed the cavern's opening.

"I saw it coming towards you," Giorgino said. "Let's go."

He raised both hands. Eddie felt a force grab him by the hem of his shirt and haul him towards the surface.

***

They were back in the practice room. Jon held his hand over Eddie's arm as he healed his wounds. Meanwhile, Giorgino paced around the room. His eyes were narrowed into slits, his hands were balled into fists, and his jaw was clenched as he marched. Eddie averted his mentor's gaze. He had never seen him so agitated.

"What were you thinking?" Giorgino yelled at last, scolding Jon. "First you woke the dragon up, and then you deserted your teammates just like that?"

Jon bowed his head. "Sorry..."

"Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to them!" He pointed at Eddie and Stella. "They were the ones you left, and you didn't even bother to go back. Be happy they're still alive."

Jon looked at Eddie and Stella, though he still avoided eye contact. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Stella said.

"It's fine," Eddie said in a monotone voice.

Eddie exhaled. He could not understand what Jon did. After being silent for nearly an hour, he still had the idea to loudly announce their accomplishment. Even worse, after rousing the dragon, he abandoned them. If Eddie were Jon, he would have frozen the water around the creature and trapped it in ice, or summoned a force field around it like what Stella did. Inwardly, he shook his head. What a fool. His mentor had every reason to be furious.

"Anyway," Giorgino said, "Stella, I'm glad you managed to find the clues. Do you mind if I ask you to find more?"

"I don't mind."

"Perfect. Here it is." He handed her the folder that held the parchment. "Can you please look for all the invisible text and write them down somewhere, like on a piece of paper?"

"Sure."

"Excellent. Thank you."

Jon's hand stopped glowing. Eddie's arm had completely healed. "Thank you," Eddie said.

"You're welcome," Jon said softly.

"Alright, we've spent more than an hour here," Giorgino said, glancing at his phone. "We'll meet two days from now, same time, same place. Stella, don't forget to return the original parchment during next class."

"I will."

"Good. I'll see you guys in two days. Goodbye."

The trio bade their mentor goodbye. They retrieved their belongings, exited the practice room, and headed back to Earth. They teleported back to the Louvre as soon as they crossed through the portal.

The Roman Antiquities collection. Ah, yes, the same exhibit where they teleported from on their way to Bibliothèque Mazarine. Stella reached into her bag and checked her phone. She held her breath.

"My mom called," she said. "She's been looking for—"

"Stella!"

Letizia's voice pierced the air. She stormed towards her daughter, grabbed her by the wrist, and began chastising her in Italian. Eddie felt a little pity as he watched Stella being scolded in public.

"She didn't pick up the calls because she was with me," Eddie said, stepping in. "Since we're inside a museum, I told them to mute their phones."

Letizia cocked her head and faced him. He could tell that she wanted to say something, but not a word escaped through her lips.

"Anyway, how was your guided tour?" he went on. "The three of us had an enjoyable walk around the museum while you were away."

"It was good, thank you."

"I'm pleased to hear that. Now, we still have more than an hour left to explore. You and your daughter can visit the other exhibits together. We'll reunite at the designated spot I showed you when we entered the museum."

"I will," she said.

And with that, she dragged Stella along as if she were still a young child.

Eddie and Jon exchanged glances. Eddie then checked his watch. "Oh, sorry, I have to go now," Eddie said. "Do you mind if I leave now or do you want me to help you find your dad?"

"You can go now," Jon said.

"Thanks."

Eddie tapped his bag lightly. As soon as other people turned their heads the other way, Louis whisked Eddie away to Bois de Boulogne.

***

Ah, Bois de Boulogne. One of the most expansive parks in the city, and his favorite stomping ground. It was where many memories were made; some happy, some sad, and others bittersweet. He shuffled his feet as he sauntered to his usual meeting spot. He sighed. The last time he had a one-on-one conversation with a girl in that same spot, she broke his heart.

Aurore. The name of his first love flashed in his mind. He remembered the first time they met when they were both members of a religious choir. Sure, she was pretty, but that was not what drew him to her. It was her voice. When she first sang solo in front of him, he was hypnotized by her angelic song. At that moment, she was a siren, and he was a sailor. He let her song lure him in. He waded towards her. He joined her in singing. He loved the way their melodies blended, and from the way she acted, he thought she enjoyed singing with him too. She invited him to come closer to her, and he accepted it wholeheartedly. The next thing he knew, he invited her to meet him in Bois de Boulogne and confessed his love for her there. Just as a siren would drown the baited to their deaths, she killed him with a stab to the heart. She never felt the same way about him. To make things worse, she ended up moving to Switzerland a week later, and he had never seen her since.

That did not stop him from looking. In fact, his hollow heart became desperate to fill its void. To his surprise, his next crush was a woman he met during his homestay in Japan. Kaori. She was beautiful, yes, but that was not why he was attracted to her. It was her intellect. Though his Japanese was intelligible at best, and her English barely proficient, the two more than managed to communicate with each other. Their friendship had grown deeper than either of them had anticipated. He found the courage to court her, but alas, he found himself rejected once more. She had a boyfriend. Though he was dejected, he admired her for remaining loyal.

After getting heartbroken for the second time, his heart decided to take a break from love. He was convinced that the next time he would fall in love would be when he was already a proper adult, not a young teenager as he was then.

That all changed when he visited Michelle at her house to work on a school project. She was wearing nothing fancy—just a plain t-shirt and pants, suitable for home use. They hung out in her room as they waited for the rest of their teammates to arrive. They lay on her bed as they chatted, laughed, and relaxed. Suddenly, he knew not what happened, but he began to look at her in a different light. A familiar feeling crept back into his heart the moment his eyes locked with hers. Love.

He was in denial at first. She's just a friend, he told himself. We've always been just friends. But as the days went by, his heart convinced him otherwise. She had everything he was looking for! He was looking for an intellectual with whom he could have deep discussions. He was looking for a loyal companion whom he knew would stick by him through thick and thin, just as he would for her. Most importantly, he was looking for an honest friend whom he knew would not be afraid to tell him the truth, regardless of how harsh it would sound. Michelle was all of those and much more, and that was why she had been close to him for so long. Sure, there are a billion girls in the world, but how sure are you that you'll meet another one like her?

And that was why he decided that she was the one for him. It was this love that caused him to acquire the glass ring. After being shattered twice, he did not have the courage to give it to her in person, instead electing to have Louis sneak it into her bag for him. He was overjoyed to find out that she loved his gift, but instead of revealing himself as the one behind the present, he remained silent. Scared. What would she do if she found out it was him? What if she did not like him back? Even if she did harbor feelings for him in the past, he was sure that she dumped them after discovering what he did.

Forget about romance! He would be lucky if she was even willing to remain friends with him! He gave her a cursed ring. He cursed her. He turned her into glass. All of that was his fault, his doing. Eddie wondered if she would even look him in the eye after what he did to her. If he were in her shoes, he would not be able to forgive.

He saw her. Michelle was resting on a bench a short walk from where he stood. Eddie trudged across the park as he approached her, placing one hand on his heart as if it were going to fall out of his chest. Dread weighed him down as his steps slowed, his feet brushing the grass instead of lifting and descending. He turned his head around. Nobody was within earshot. In fact, she was the only person he could see. Eddie took a deep breath, exhaled, and called out her name.

"Michelle?"

She was startled. She turned her torso around to face him. "Oh, Eddie." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Where did you come from? You shocked me."

"From somewhere over there." He pointed in a vague direction. "Anyway, let's talk."

He took a seat next to her, his body straight and stiff. He bit his lip.

"So you asked me to come here," she said.

"Yeah. Euh, I figured that you probably have many questions after I, you know," he said, touching the back of his neck. Awkwardness weighed down his shoulders. "Just ask me anything."

She looked him in the eyes and asked, "What are you?"

He blinked twice. Did he hear her right? "Sorry, what did you say?"

"What are you?" she enunciated. "I saw in a flashback about the ring, the one who created it is not human, but you know him. What are you?"

"Oh, that. I'm actually human, just like you. It's just that I have this necklace which gives me powers and he's my mentor."

"You wear a necklace?"

"Yeah, every day. You never noticed?"

"No."

Eddie unwound the silk scarf around his neck and placed it on his lap. He reached under the hem of his shirt, tucked out his necklace, and held its pendant a little higher so that it would be more visible.

"Ah." She leaned towards him and took a closer look. "Why not you tuck it out more? It matches your hair."

"I prefer to keep it hidden," he said, smiling. He tucked the necklace under his shirt and wrapped the scarf around his neck once more. "It's a long story."

He proceeded to tell her about the history behind the Realm Seekers and their jewelry, beginning with how they first fell into human hands. He told her everything he knew—from the Gatekeepers and their roles to his training sessions and trips to the other realms. Michelle did not interrupt him as she listened to him, not seeming confused in the slightest.

"So basically, this necklace was given to your family by accident, and because it has been with you for so long you can't give it back?" she said.

"Correct," he confirmed.

"And because you're stuck with the necklace, they have to train you how to use it."

"Correct."

"And that makes you one of the only non-Gatekeeper humans to have powers."

"Correct."

"Oh, so you really are human."

He gave her a curious look. "What did you think I was?"

"You'll roll your eyes hard if I tell you."

"I don't care. I want to know."

"Even before this whole thing happened, I wouldn't be surprised if you were a vampire."

Eddie gave Michelle the most deadpan expression. "Ah, yes, that's why I'm burning under the sun right now."

She giggled. "We call you Edmort for a reason."

The nickname was an amalgamation of Edmond, his first name, and mort, the French word for death. It was born out of a joke that Eddie's skin was so cold and pallid, that he resembled a corpse more than a living body. His general impassiveness did nothing to help. He never liked being called that name, but over the years he had grown accustomed to it.

"Anyway," he said, "do you have any more questions?"

Michelle tilted her head and touched its side. "I was going to ask more, but you answered most of them already," she said. "Euh, so what powers do you have?"

"I—actually, why not you guess?" He smirked. "What do you think I have?"

"Ice powers?"

He gave her a straight face.

"What? You told me to guess."

"I know, but why?"

"Because you're the only person I know who avoids the sun, loves the cold, and buries himself in snow," she said. He huffed. "And you're as white as snow too, and you're just cold in general."

"Fair enough," he said, "but I actually control fire."

"Fire?"

"And lightning," he added, "and I have telekinesis as well."

"I—You have three powers? That's cool! Can I see?"

"Uh"—Eddie scoped the surrounding area, both with his visual and telekinetic sight—"not here. Wait, do you have to go soon?"

"Uh, wait." She reached for her phone and checked the time. "I can stay for a few more minutes."

"Alright. So, you got any other questions?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were the one who gave the ring?"

At that moment, the world seemed to drop an anvil on him. It was the question he dreaded the most. He knew he was going to tell her the truth, but would she accept it?

"I-I was scared that you'll reject me," he admitted.

She tilted her head. "You're scared of getting rejected?"

"I've been rejected twice, okay?" He grimaced as he held back embarrassment. "Both times I asked a girl out and both times they rejected me and I thought you were going to do the same because you'd just see me as a friend and nothing more than that and I saw you were already happy with the ring anyway and—"

"Whoa, slow down." She placed one hand on his shoulder. "Just take a deep breath and tell me."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "Sorry. Anyway, I was worried that if I told you it was from me, you wouldn't see me in the same way. I was afraid that our friendship would be awkward forever. I don't want that to happen because I really value you, and besides, I know you don't love me back anyway—"

"But I do."

He paused. "Can you repeat that, please?"

"I love you back," she articulated.

Eddie only looked at her. Not a sound escaped through his mouth as it hung slightly open. His eyes dulled, his cheeks blushed, and his facial muscles contorted in different directions as a host of emotions tried to seize control of his face. She could not help but burst into boisterous laughter as she witnessed his reaction.

"I've never seen you like this!" Michelle chortled. "You look so adorable and stupid."

"Shut up!" Eddie hid part of his face with one hand and turned away. "You're making it worse."

He was right. The rosy red that tainted his cheeks was now spreading to the rest of his pale face, making her laugh further. At least it's just the two of us.

"Anyway, do you have more questions?"

"When did you start liking me?"

"It was when—"

Ping. Michelle checked her phone once more. "It's my parents. I have to go now," she informed. "Au revoir."

"Au revoir."

Michelle stood up from the bench. She gave a short wave before she turned around and strolled down the path. Once she was out of earshot, Eddie heard sniggering coming from within his bag.

Eddie opened it. The laughter became much more audible. Louis trembled as it struggled to contain itself, its pages opening and closing as it guffawed. Eddie looked down at it.

"What's so funny?"

"You!" Louis said.

Eddie rolled his eyes. "Anyway, take us back to the Louvre."

"Sure thing."

A flare of light flashed as Louis teleported them to the museum, just before anyone could catch them.

✧ ✧ ✧

Woohoo, the trio's managed to procure the first ingredient to the cure! 🥳 Do you have any guesses for what the other ingredients are?

Thank you for reading this chapter! If you liked it, please don't forget to drop a vote and leave a comment or more! 😃 I would really appreciate it.