As soon as Garnet's classes ended, he rushed to pick his little sister from school, and from there they walked home together, hand in hand.

"How was school?" he asked. "Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah, I did," she smiled.

He turned to her in surprise. "You did?!"

She nodded, and Garnet grinned, patting her head. As they walked, Ash told him about the obsession of students with dresses and perfume. Garnet told her about his day too, and how he was glad to have the same friends in his class this year.

Unlike Ash, Garnet was much more social. Although he was well aware of the fact that those who approached him weren't always with good intentions, he eventually won everyone over with his personality. His easygoing attitude was something Ash admired and envied from her older brother.

They reached home, but before they could even knock on the door, Celeste pushed them open as if she had been waiting for them this entire time. She embraced them with hugs and kisses and even started crying. They laughed, while Garnet wiped his mother's tears.

Their mother had always been like that. Every time she hugged them, told them how much she loved them, and in all of their most joyous moments, she would cry. It's tears of joy, she would say.

Her mother then told them their father would come home tonight. Father was always busy as the Guardian Knight of Firebend and barely had time to come home. Ash and Garnet enjoyed every precious moment they had with their father, and their father showered them with affection as well, despite being worn out.

Allie and Celeste made dinner while Ash watched them cook nearby. She wanted to help, but her grandmother wouldn't let her come near the fireplace.

"You'll burn your little hands!" she warned.

As the aroma of roast beef spread in every corner of their house, the doorbell rang, and Ash was the first the answer it. Her hands on the doorknob, she laughed victoriously, and Garnet, who was just a second away from the door, slumped his shoulders in defeat. She opened the door and saw her father, looking thoroughly exhausted. His black hair was lined with sweat and a fresh scar was visible on his collarbone. But despite being so tired, he didn't hesitate to hug them. Since Ash had won, she was the first to receive one.

But now they were covered in their father's sweat, and they laughed while Celeste quickly ushered him to take a shower. He groaned, but when she said she wouldn't give him any food if he didn't, so he no choice but to oblige.

Within ten minutes, the family sat together at the table, eating roast beef, fruits and apple pie, chatting about school, Violet, and the recent scar John had gotten. Celeste was laughing more than usual. The day couldn't have possibly gone better.

But it grew a lot worse.

Celeste dropped her spoon and trembled. She was turning paler every second. Everyone was too stunned to do anything, but John quickly got out of his chair to help her, but she pushed him away.

"Take them!" she screamed, desperation in her eyes. "Take them and go!"

John grabbed Ash and Garnet and pulled them towards the 'white room'. It was the invisible room their parents had created in case of danger.

"What happened to mother?!" Garnet cried. Their father didn't answer. He pulled them quickly, and they had to sprint in order to catch up to him.

He left them in the room and closed the door without a word. They had never seen their father with such fear and urgency in his face. Something was wrong. 

The room was completely white with nothing in it. Ash feared this room. She moved closer to her brother.

"What... What happened?" Ash stammered, clutching Garnet's arm "Mother never screams like that. What's happening?"

"I don't know," he said, looking as if he was on the verge of tears.

"Dad told us we must come to this room if there's danger. There's something bad happening to them, brother. We need to help!" 

"How?!" he snapped, frustrated. "We haven't even awakened our powers yet. And we don't even know what's the problem!"

"We can't sit here and do nothing! Maybe we can run outside and call for help!" she pleaded.

He gritted his teeth. The room was chilly, and they shivered, desperately thinking of anything they could do.

"Then I'll go check what happened," he sighed. "You will stay here. I'll come back in a second."

 He went out and Ash stayed put for a few seconds until she lost her patience and followed him.

She reached the dining room where her parents last were. Garnet crouched behind a chair, hiding, and she hid beside him. He was too shocked at what he was seeing to be angry at her. She turned to see what he was looking at.

Ash set her eyes upon the most disgusting woman she had ever seen. Her chalky skin looked as if it were made of leather, and on her distorted head was a greasy mop of thinning, grey hair. The woman was gaunt and ghostly, and Ash could feel a chill run down her spine as she looked into her eyes. The front door looked as if it had suffered a minor explosion, it now barely hung on at its hinge. The dark aura the woman was radiating made her tremble. The woman's very own shadow writhed, crawled, and crept on her legs.

A sense of danger and impending doom overwhelmed her. Who is she? She was certainly not normal.

It could only be... a Descendant of Adelard.

They need to get out of here. They need to get help. She turned to Garnet — 

John pointed his sword at the woman's face, but the woman didn't even flinch. 

"Fidelia Raven," Allie snarled. The menacing tone of her usually soft grandmother surprised Ash.

"How nice of you to know my name, Descendant of Evelyn!" the woman cackled. Her voice was piercing, like nails on a chalkboard. "You've been expecting me for a long time, I take it? Mind if I join you for dinner?"

They didn't answer.

The woman laughed again. That horrid laugh made Ash tremble.

"I guess that's a no. How disappointing," Fidelia sighed dramatically.

"You will not touch them!" John shouted, the tip of his sword digging deeper into her chest.

The freakish smile didn't leave her face as she raised her hands in surrender. "Come on, I haven't even done anything yet! Why don't we talk this out?"

The room was tense. John glared at her. His sword was unwavering. Celeste and Allie stood nearby, holding balls of white fire, ready to hit her if she even moved an inch.

Why aren't they attacking?

Ash didn't understand. If the woman was truly a Descendant of Adelard, she was dangerous. They needed to get rid of her as soon as possible. So why haven't they attacked yet? She stood still behind the chair, not even daring to breathe. 

Her parents could handle it. Ash and Garnet would only cause a hindrance. They need to get out of here.

"Brother —"

He wasn't beside her anymore.

She frantically looked for him, and then saw him walking towards Fidelia, entranced. His parents' backs were towards him, so they didn't notice. Fidelia smiled at him.

Before Ash could even utter a word of warning, Fidelia's eyes glowed green, and he collapsed.

Ash and Celeste ran towards him with a scream. His body was limp. They tried to wake him, but he wouldn't wake up. Celeste tried to use spells, but nothing worked. 

A wave of fear overcame Ash, and she screamed, but he wouldn't wake up. Her body trembled as she tried to feel his hand, but they were cold and weak. Her mother was shrieking beside her as she realized none of her spells was working. John, fueled by anger and desperation, swung his sword, but it was met with nothing but air. He yelled in frustration and despair.

It's my fault.

The thought clawed at Ash's heart and a deep, sickening feeling consumed her. She was too shocked to even cry. Cold, cruel darkness was all that was left inside of her.

She clenched her head. It felt like it was going to fall off. Her head felt like it was going to split in two. She screamed and coughed and cried and thumped her chest, but nothing could get rid of the boulder that was stuck in her throat. Her screams felt like it was scraping the insides of her throat, and soon her voice was too hoarse to let out anything except for groans. She felt the warm, trembling hands of her grandmother on her shoulders, but she couldn't stop.

Pain blinded her eyes. She couldn't see anyone. All she could see was freezing darkness. She covered her ears to stop the ringing in her ears, but it wouldn't stop.

It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop. It wouldn't stop.

He wouldn't wake up.

If only I didn't suggest we leave the room. If only I didn't argue with him. If only I stopped him. If only —

A hand clasped her forehead, and suddenly the world turned black, and she was unconscious.