Hayden placed his cloudy gaze on him, and after having spent several seconds in silence with his lips pursed, he ran his hand over his face and took a deep breath, once again penetrating his eyes into him, now determined. He closed his eyes momentarily before turning and facing Madelyn, who was still on the ground and who didn't understand what had just happened. As soon as her gaze found Hayden's, she rose gracefully and clenched his fists.

"That's not going to happen," said Madelyn when she saw Hayden, whose face Theo couldn't see since he was behind him.

"It would be better if he came with me," Hayden said in a serious tone.

Madelyn looked at him with a wrinkled frown and hardened her voice.

"What are you saying?" She was shocked, "You know the procedure. He will be safer with us."

Hayden approached her and lowered his head slightly.

"They saw him. They know he's with me."

Madelyn loosened her fists, intensity in her gaze.

"Did they recognize him?"

"They wouldn't have chased us if they hadn't," answered Hayden without raising his head. "We can't risk it."

Madelyn walked away to the desk and rested her hands on it as she cursed. Theo was still watching the scene; he wasn't sure what they were talking about so he preferred not to intervene for the moment, most of all because he was too intimidated by Madelyn's attitude to do so. And even more so after having confronted her minutes ago. He didn't feel as brave as he did before.

"You have to warn the others," Hayden said, regaining his posture. "We'll have to speed up the plans, go with them and tell them that an inconvenience has arisen."

Madelyn flickered her gaze between him and Theo, stunned.

"An inconvenience?" she repeated incredulously and pressed the bridge of her nose nervously. "Fuck. We don't have that many informants left," she said that more to herself.

"That's why you have to let them know as soon as possible." Hayden moved to face Madelyn, but not too far from Theo. "Before they notice and increase the security."

"Wait, wait," said Madelyn, circling the table. "Are we just going to pretend that this," she pointed to Theo from head to toe, "didn't just happen? From what you told us, he's human."

Theo arched an eyebrow and folded his arms.

"Huh? Of course, I am."

Madelyn glanced at him and looked back to Hayden, who was not impressed by his sudden intervention.

"Is he like his brother?"

"If he is, he didn't mention anything about it."

Madelyn stared at him with her eyes narrowed.

"Is this the first time you've done that, Theo?" she took a step towards him.

He shook his head.

"Can you control it?"

"I don't think so." He looked away at Hayden, who had folded his arms and still hadn't move from his place. "The times I did it were unconsciously, why?"

Madelyn examined him and walked to where Hayden was standing, without taking her eyes off him.

"He seems fine," she said, waiting for Hayden's reply. "I mean, too fine for his kind," she paused, "I have to report it."

Hayden looked at her sideways.

"Do what you have to do," he turned his back, "but he's coming with me."

"They're not going to like it," Madelyn doubted. "They wouldn't want to get in trouble with those of his world."

"I know."

Theo waited impatiently for one of them to speak as he shifted the weight from one leg to the other, watching Madelyn, who had one hand on her waist and the other on her forehead, meditate on her answer.

"I'll try explaining to them," she surrendered, "just make sure nothing happens to him. Okay?" Madelyn said.

"You know I will," said Hayden with a half-smile, easing the atmosphere.

"I'm serious," she continued, "if..."

"I am as well," he replied firmly, having already erased the carefree expression that he had shown seconds ago. "He'll be fine."

Madelyn averted her gaze self-consciously and looked at Theo.

"And you," she said with a completely different attitude. "Don't do anything stupid."

Theo just looked at her in confusion and with a bit of indignation. By the time he had thought of answering her, Madelyn had moved on from him to Hayden.

"The gun room is at the end of the corridor."

"Thank you," he turned to look at him and bowed his head to the door, pointing at it. "Let's go."

Theo followed him without a word as he sidelong watched Madelyn ran her hand through her hair, exasperated. They walked down the corridor with immaculate white walls, listening in the background to the echo of the heels of boots against the floor, until they reached a large gate, similar to the one they had crossed to enter. Unlike the other, the doors opened after Hayden pressed something on the touch screen that was in one of its edges. Once inside, Theo admired the room mesmerized. He had never seen so many weapons together in his life. In fact, he had never seen a real gun.

In the center of the room was an island on which a large gun was displayed in a glass case. On the ceiling, several chandeliers made of transparent crystals and other decorations were hung in a row. Looking around, he noticed that the collection continued in another room with the same fashion as that one, just separated by a few steps.

Theo stared at one of the walls of the room, which was covered with different weapons. Shotguns? Machine guns? Theo couldn't tell. While he knew how most weapons looked, based on films and action series he had seen in his time, the ones in front of his eyes were peculiarly different. Some even lit up.

Theo continued to inspect his surroundings and turned his gaze engrossed in the vast back of Hayden, who was looking for something in one of the black closets.

It was difficult for Theo to understand the subject of the discussion that had taken place in front of him minutes earlier. However, it was enough for him to know that at least he had managed to get Hayden to take him with him. Now, the reasons why they had agreed to it were completely unknown to him. The fact that he was going to be able to find out more about his mother was the only thing on his mind at the time. He could not wait to meet his brother.

"Hey, wait," Theo said in an anxious voice, causing Hayden to turn his head towards him. "You haven't told me where Ethan is."

"Ah," began the wizard, "your brother is well. Just..." He turned around to keep on looking for something on the furniture shelves. "Madelyn will take care of that."

Theo was baffled.

"That? What do you mean?"

Hayden separated several things and put on a garment, which seemed iridescent, on his shoulder.

"We don't have time for this," he said, handing him the shirt he had seen before and some black trousers. "Put it on. These should be your size."

"Hey, I'm fine," he waved his hand.

"Are you sure? You were pulling up your pants all the way up to here." Theo hesitated. "Come on, I won't look this time." Hayden smiled mischievously as he waited for his answer.

"This time?" he said flustered, earning a little laugh from the other.

"I'm joking." After several seconds, and seeing Theo's shy look of skepticism, he softened his smile and turned his back on him, surrendered, arms raised. "Seriously."

Theo grabbed the clothes and got ready to get dressed. The boy stretched his iridescent shirt with some admiration.

"Is this, like, magical?"

Without turning around, Hayden had gone back to the wardrobe from which he had taken several things and had begun to equip himself.

"I assume you're talking about the shirt," he said, putting on his torso a kind of harness with pockets, in which he kept one of the strange pistols. "Let's say it's like a kind of bulletproof shirt? Something like that?"

Hayden's statement only caused Theo to look at the garment confused.

"Is that a question?" Theo said, putting it on anyway, under the sweatshirt.

"Jesus Christ, just get dressed," he smiled.

The jacket he had put on was largely covering the weapons he was carrying near his chest. Hayden was accommodating a dagger, which had shone when he touched it, on the harness around his thigh.

On the other side of the door, Madelyn waited for them with her arms folded. She took a quick look at Theo and walked past him.

"Here it is," she handed Hayden a small folded piece of paper and smiled worriedly. Then she turned to Theo. "Sorry for what happened before, I wasn't thinking straight."

The apology caught him off guard.

"No, no, it's all right, sorry I reacted, well," he thought for several seconds, without finding any explanations, at least coherent ones, "like that."

Madelyn comforted him with her gaze. 

The woman looked at Hayden again and hugged him in silence. "Take care."

Hayden nodded and took a deep breath.

"You too."