Marty says, 'Finally, some good news. I'll hold that tight while I cry at night.'

She was here. Demeter had caught us snooping around her home, pondering at the shrine in her basement, but at this instance, that was not my concern. Currently, I had other, more pressing worries. Only seconds ago, Demeter had confirmed she was a worshiper of Vrha. Didn't that make her a witch of the Vrhanian Coven? I was potentially in the midst of one of those who had so mercilessly massacred over a hundred people at the hotel. And I was terrified.

Even with my latest knowledge, the woman who had invited me to her office, sweetly served me tea, still did not seem like a bad person. There was nothing menacing or the least bit frightening about her countenance. In fact, her smile held its usual kindness.

"This is huge. This is crazy. You're the most decorated officer in the GC. We look up to you!" Although Kiki was near, her voice (which was shocked and shaky) sounded distant, for my concentration was pinned on someone else.

Demeter took a step forward and through the corner of my eye, I spied Claudine donning a defensive stance. The older woman caught on that she was treading on thin ice. She stayed put, clasping her hands at her front, as she'd done in the boardroom.

"Tell me... What do you all know of the Red Rebellion?" She questioned.

Claudine handled addressing her, which perhaps was for the best. She certainly was the most collected of us.

"Vrha, alongside her clan, instigated a holocaust of non-true blood sorcerers to protect the true way, but was stopped by an alliance of arcane sorcerers. After that, sorcerers around the world persecuted the true bloods for revenge until the mid-1900s, when the act was declared barbaric by the Guardian Corp. The war had been in vain, the true way ended up fazing out. " She dished out a summarized version of the family history Uncle Gerald had narrated to me at the dining table.

I watched Demeter's smile grow crooked, as though she was trying not to laugh. "For the most part, incorrect." She said. My pupils dilating, I could do nothing but listen on. "For one, the true way was lost long before the rebellion. That's why Vrha was so... mighty. At the time, she'd been the only one practicing it. She'd gone back to the spirits, learned the truest form of magic. It made her strong. Strong enough to constitute a one-man army. Strong enough to singlehandedly go against the world, and almost win."

"One man? Everyone says she had like- millions of her people to help." The absurdity of her tale had managed to get Stanley out of his shell. I glanced back at him, just like everyone else. Our combined gazes succeeded in making him recoil, regret flashing on his face.

"That's another misconception in history," Demeter answered him, anyway. "The true bloods did not assist Vrha in the rebellion, they did the opposite. They stopped her. If not for their betrayal, neither you nor I would be standing here today."

"That goes against every story in the book!" Claudine passionately objected. "Why would the authorities lie to us? The belief that the true bloods aided Vrha is the basis for the segregation of-"

She didn't finish her statement, but I already had a good idea of what she'd intended to say. On my arrival to Maile, it had taken the first day of school to realize I and my family weren't welcome in the mystic world. It'd felt unfair, bearing the hatred for things that had happened before I was even born. I had readily accepted it, though. The actions of men lived on with their descendants, right? Well, my ancestors had done plenty wrong. But as it turned out, that wasn't the case. I'd been bullied in school... over a lie.

The cloud that formed in my chest next managed to twinge my eyes, pushing a scream up my throat. The sensation was new, unfamiliar. I couldn't name it, nor did I want to, for it felt terrible. Biting down on my tongue, I willed myself to focus on the situation at hand.

"Fear," Demeter replied Claudine. "It's easier to believe those greater than you are evil. And believe me, the true bloods were greater. Vrha is proof."

Slowly, in a manner that didn't cause alarm, she walked. Halting at the photo on the wall, her back to us, she ran her fingers down the picture.

"She was a wonder, you know." Her words sounded dreamy, and ridden with awe. "The most powerful Earth had ever seen, yet she was defeated by those who had since abandoned her art. That was the true bloods' strength." She swerved back to us. "Their unity. Through their collective efforts, they created the Algorax Chain, embedding it with enough magic to seal even a power as immense as Vrha's. It weakened her enough for them to kill her, or so they thought?"

This time, Kiki was the one to voice the burning question. "She didn't die?"

Demeter smirked, appearing amused yet again. "Oh, she died. She just wasn't killed. Technically, she committed suicide, but if I'm to be accurate, she struck a bargain with the grim reaper. Her life in exchange for a chance to possess a living soul's body, when the time was right."

"Partial reincarnation. That's the most arcane of arcane spells. And she performed it on her deathbed. Unbelievable." Claudine muttered to herself, but I overheard. Suddenly, her eyes flashed with awareness. "Partial reincarnation needs a host with at least 80% similar life essence with the caster. That's why the Vrhanian Coven activities have grown earnest lately. They've found the host, haven't they?"

Despite Claudine's aggressive probing, Demeter remained calm. "That's true."

"Well, who is it?"

Right then, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. My mouth dried as I gave the answer I was certain of. "Laura."

It made sense now; the symbol on the Vrhanian Coven's cloaks, the sketches in Laura's book, the six-point star across me, etched in blood on the shrine's wall. Laura was doomed to give up her body to a homicidal fanatic. And she knew it. In the background, the conversation continued, but I pinched my eyelids tightly together, shutting them out. How long had Laura known? How long had she had to sleep with the terror of being Vrha's host, with the doubt that when she woke up, she would still be herself?

Iliara's words echoed in my mind, "That chain is the only thing that can save our daughter".

Gradually, I opened my eyes, right in the middle of a heated argument between Demeter and Claudine.

"You just said that they're speeding up Vrha's transmigration and plan to learn the true way from her. We had plenty of trouble with one sorceress, imagine a thousand! And you think the GC should not be involved?" Claudine looked to be on the brink of an explosion.

Demeter narrowed her eyes at her. "Remember cadet, you are speaking to your superior." Her tone softened as she explained. "Do not underestimate the Vrhanian Coven. Their humanity is nonexistent and they revere Vrha as a goddess. They would stop at no length to serve her purpose, and that makes them limitlessly dangerous. March was aware of this, and that's what motivated his next move."

My interest was immediately piqued by the mention of Fabian's father. Demeter settled down on an empty stool, crossing her legs and cocking her head.

"Ever the researcher, he discovered the real history of the Red Rebellion and suspected that the coven had as well. We needed an insider, a mole who would relay information on their operations, and he chose me for the task. Rather than arrest them, I was to request initiation into their coven. To make it seem genuine, I was to offer them my protection and strategic Intel on the Guardian Corp. Anything to get in."

"Huh. I was mistaken after all." Claudine interjected, folding her arms. "The Guardian Corp wasn't accepting bribes from the Vrhanian Coven. It's the other way around. And you were the prize."

Nodding, Demeter continued. "It was a risk worth taking. I soon uncovered their preparation for the transmigration ritual. They'd gone as far as to retrieve an artifact many had thought destroyed -the Pyramid Divino."

Briefly, I was confused, but then I recalled my time in the supernatural library with Claudine, where I'd wept bitterly over being forced to read. As my school grades proved, I wasn't a big fan of that. The period had been relentlessly brain-numbing, to the extent I'd failed to retain a single passage from any of the books, except the Pyramid Divino. Its story had captivated me, the tale of a pyramid that had been designed to summon spirits from their realm. And that power was about to be exploited by the Vrhanian Coven. They were going to use the Pyramid Divino to raise their patriarch.

"Everything is set. Now, they search for the Algorax chain, for it is the only thing that can hinder their plans."

"The board of directors didn't assassinate my father, did they?" I'd almost forgotten he was present. At the farthest end of the shrine, Fabian had opted for complete silence. As I'd been doing most of the day, I wondered how he was faring. I couldn't tell, though. His expression was as cold as ice.

Momentarily, Demeter appeared taken aback by Fabian's query. She pursed her lips, a stray emotion crossing her face. Guilt?

"Your father has forever been a collector." She composed herself at last. "He came in possession of the Algorax chain years ago. After he discovered its true purpose, however, he conceived a little experiment. I tried to warn him, but March was stubborn, even to his detriment. Behind my back, he contacted the leprechauns and paid them to organize an auction. The goal was to identify others who also seek the chain. But the Vrhanian Coven isn't easily deceived."

"So they killed him, took the chain, and ruined his auction." Claudine completed the narration for her.

Another emotion flitted across Demeter's features. This one I could easily name -it was sorrow. Demeter had cared for Mr. March Linton.

"Hold up!" Claudine's sudden exclamation lit up the air. "You knew the real culprits and you blamed the directors for the president's murder? You made up the allegations?"

In the wake of the moment, I'd forgotten our problems were not limited to witches and evil sorceresses, but very offended ambassadors as well. Their murmurs and infuriated gazes came back to me. I remembered Mini Lily's frail figure as she exited the room and Fabian's thoughtless attempt to hit her. In the light of their innocence, all those seemed... avoidable.

Demeter promptly came to her defense. "I had no choice. Following the auction, the Vrhanian Coven lost faith in me. I either followed their every instruction or suffer the same fate as the late president."

"Then you ask the guardians for help. That's literally what we're here for!" Claudine persisted.

Her adamant nature eventually got to the older woman. For the first time since I'd met her, Demeter glared. "You desire I throw everything away? Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed? Our president gave his life for this cause and you wish for it all to be in vain?" Her voice shook with anger.

"Considering the alternative is several realms crushing Earth to a pulp... Maybe!" Claudine was shrieking at this point. She sounded hysterical, but I sympathized with her. Who wouldn't go insane at the prospect of war?

Closing her eyes, Demeter took deep strangled breaths. When she opened them again, she was calm. "I've revealed these confidential details to you because I reasoned after coming upon this place, you deserved an explanation." She said gently. "The Guardian Corp will be let into the case in due time. This matter is sensitive, but I assure you everything is under control. As for the directors, I've prepared an elaborate apology that I will tender personally once this is over. I imagine my resignation would do well to pacify them. It is left for you to trust me. Let me do my job."

"And Marty," Demeter faced me squarely, her eyes boring into mine. "I promise you, nothing will happen to your cousin."

Tears stung my eyes, threatening to roll down. Perhaps it was the sheer relief that washed over me, or maybe it was because that was what I'd waited to hear all along -that everything would be alright. I didn't just pray for Laura to be "okay", I wanted her to be happy. That way, her smile wouldn't seem so sad anymore. If I got lucky, she would leave the house once in a while. Maybe even chase her dreams again. Regardless, this wasn't an occasion to cry, so I sucked my tears back in.

"I'm with her," Kiki remarked, breaking the lapse of silence, referring to Demeter. "We'd be next to useless, anyway. Our best shot is to let the professionals handle it."

I observed Claudine's physical response to Kiki. She had the look I'd come to realize meant that although she was reluctant to admit it, she agreed. "When is the transmigration ritual?" She asked after awhile. "You said everything was set."

"Exactly three weeks from now." Demeter readily replied. She then appeared to slide into a daze. "At the witching hour, when the clock strikes twelve and the moon is full, the-"

"-dead shall live again." Claudine finished her sentence.

Demeter smiled. "Correct."

A/N:
A long chapter. *Hehe*

Remember when I revealed Claudine was a war witch? Yah, I'm changing that title to battle mage. So, a sorcerer whose spells are modified to aid them in combat is not a war witch, but a battle mage.

Please do vote and comment.