There was no way he would stay there and do nothing about it. It had not been more than 24 hours since he had traveled to that new world and his questions only kept piling up. Questions that no one was willing to answer. Only hours ago he had gone from being a part-time worker to being part of a plan to destroy what was supposed to be a powerful relic. He didn't even want to think about college.

Theo rubbed his eyes. Now he was supposed to deal with the fact it could be possible that his brother was not the only one who could do magic between the two of them. He glanced at the door of Oswin's study. He wasn't even allowed to be part of the conversation, the main topic of which was most likely to be nothing more than himself and his peculiar abilities. Theo had sat down on one of the kitchen chairs to try to relax and to avoid storming into that room to find out what was so confidential about what they were talking about. He couldn't help but think the worst.

A soft, gentle breeze came in through the small kitchen window, moving the colorful floral curtains, and for an instant, all Theo could see on the other side was the bright, vivid, not-so-usual green of the flora drawing him in. A radiant, soothing light flooded into the kitchen. As tense as he was, it seemed to him that a distraction would be the best way to stop tormenting himself any further by staying in that room with nothing but his restless thoughts.

Theo walked to the door next to the window and out into what he assumed was the backyard of the house. He went down a couple of stone steps leading to the garden and found himself surrounded by all kinds of flowers and plants that reached up to his chest. Although he would have preferred not to be drenched from head to toe in the cold morning air as he strolled through the garden, the breathtaking and bewitching beauty of the place made his suffering utterly worth it. Following the path, he walked among the lush, exotic plants and crossed a circular stone archway. On his way down, he came across a stream that bordered the house, and he decided to sit down in the grass next to it. He found calmness in the silence.

The thought of Ethan crossed his mind. He hugged his legs as he stared at the bottom of the stream. This whole time... Since when did his brother know about all of this? What had drove him to keep it a secret? Theo began to look into his own memories for something that would shed light on the matter, analyzing his brother's attitudes, and seeing through the neglected secretiveness. Their parents. Ethan's sporadic night walks. Had Theo cared so little about him that he hadn't realized what his brother had in mind? Since when? Theo interrupted his endless train of thought and sighed closing his eyes.

He pulled the necklace out from under his shirt and observed the pendant. For him, it was still a memory of his mother. Hardly a memory at all, in fact. A shadow.

He was not going to let this whole mess widen the distance that his brother had quietly put between the two of them. He could worry about the reasons why Ethan had kept all this from him afterward. After all, it wasn't anger what Theo was feeling toward him. He wanted clarification. And to have Ethan by his side.

Surprised, Theo opened his eyes after feeling a warm sensation spreading through his fingertips, not expecting to see the light of the necklace shining in his hand.

"Theo!" a familiar voice called him from afar.

Not quite sure why, but rather out of instinct, the boy hid the necklace back under his shirt and put on his soaked sweatshirt before looking at Hayden, who approached him careful not to step on the flowers in his way.

"Can we talk?" he said when he got to where Theo was.

Theo nodded his head in agreement and moved back to the position he was in before, hugging his legs, without turning to see him even after Hayden sat next to him.

"Uhm, just— What I said in there..." Hayden began to say, and Theo turned his head to him. "I'm sorry. I should have told you." Their eyes met. "You see, none of this was in my plans initially."

"Neither was it in mine." He looked back at the water. "Go on. I'll forgive you after you tell me what it is you know. This time, everything, please." Theo tilted his head to one side.

Hayden pondered for a moment. “Your brother was the one that told me about the necklace. It appears to be that,” he pointed to Theo’s chest, “is not quite what we thought it was. Theo, it seems that you and that necklace are connected in some sort of way. You are the only person who can use its power.”

Theo straightened up and turned to look at him, definitely not expecting that turn of events.

"Though that's all we could find out so far," Hayden added.

"Wait, what? Is that what he told you?” Theo fidgeted with his sweatshirt sleeve. “Did he say anything else?"

"No," Hayden shook his head. “I'm sorry.”

Theo was about to stand up, but he was held back by Hayden's hand on his arm.

"Where are you going?" Hayden said in confusion.

"If you don't know what this necklace is, we have to find Ethan and ask him," Theo said, glancing at Hayden's grip.

"We can't do that."

"Why not?” Theo asked impatiently.

"If it was dangerous before, it'd be even more so now," Hayden gave him a serious look. "Do you understand that they're coming for you? The necklace isn't the only thing that's on the line at this point.”

As he looked into Hayden's eyes, Theo could sense the gravity of the situation.

"Why do they want me?" Theo said and his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer this time.

"Just because you're the only one who holds the necklace's power doesn't mean you're any less useful to them, at worst, they must have widened the search," Hayden sighed.

Theo crossed his arms as he began to feel the cold stiffening his body. He swallowed saliva in an attempt to relieve the sharp pain in his throat.

"If we are going to destroy this necklace," said Theo in a weak voice. "I'll need to talk to my brother first."

Hayden took a mouthful of air and breathed it out, rubbing his neck before speaking to him.

"It was him who initially told me to destroy it, Theo."

His face fell and he blinked several times as he tried to sort out his thoughts, without actually succeeding in doing so. There seemed to be much more that had been kept from him than he had anticipated. Several seconds passed before either of them spoke again.

"I know we're in a tight spot, but I still agree with you. I think we should take a look into the matter before we make a decision," Hayden spoke in a reassuring tone. "Whether it be destroying the necklace or not, we ought to get things straight before there's another misunderstanding."

Theo, deep in thought, stopped picking his lips and looked at Hayden. The boy's eyes sparkled with interest.

"For now, we may need to stay away from crowded places. I'm going to use the little time we have to see if I can get some information about your brother. But it won't be easy." Hayden pressed his lips. "I can't promise you anything."

The tension in Theo's shoulders eased as soon as he heard those words. Nonetheless, he knew it wouldn't be as easy to put his mind at rest.

"Still, thank you," Theo said. He needed to pull himself together. There were probably many things he didn't know, but there was no point in getting worked up about it. He needed to wait for his brother. That was what he had promised himself. "Can I ask you for a favor?" he looked up at Hayden, who raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Sure," he replied without hesitation. "What is it?"

Theo would wait for his brother. But he simply couldn't allow himself to stand idly by. Not this time.

“I need you to teach me how to do magic,” he said, unaware that he had just taken one of the decisions that would ultimately determine much more than just his fate.