After a few weeks, despite the numerous rescue missions, in which he had taken part, Nathan was still without his powers. This naturally made him quite nervous. He was really starting to doubt that was the right place for him, and to think Dawn must be wrong. He was just a burden in that group, and he couldn't fit in. Maybe he would have been better off crawling back to the convenience store and begging the boss to rehire him.

He was unable to integrate among the members of the Council. That's because he'd never been good at making friends, not that he'd ever tried. Especially after the death of his parents, and all the families who no longer adopted him. He was afraid to become attached to people, because if one day he lost them, it would hurt too much. He didn't want to feel like that again.

The fact that he hadn't yet discovered what he could do, made him feel even more out of place among the eight members of the Council. They were the best in that institute. Those who knew how to control their abilities perfectly, even in dangerous situations where it was necessary to think and act quickly. They were even good at speaking multiple languages, in case they had to intervene outside the country.

Nathan, on the other hand, was not as educated as them and, in action, could only admire their magnificent teamwork.

While the other Nerys attended actual classes, the Council members spent most of the day in their hall – the very one where Dawn had introduced them to Nathan. They didn't attend classes because they had to always be alert, ready to help their peers outside the protective barrier of the institute. The lessons at Nemlyth, after all, only served to make them feel like normal kids, they weren't even obliged to take them if they didn't want to.

The ones they absolutely had to attend were the courses to practice their powers. The older Nerys – who were not agile enough for rescue missions – used what they had learned over the years to help the younger ones master their skills.

Dawn and the other members of the Council no longer needed them, they were perfectly capable of controlling them. Nathan, on the other hand, didn't even know what he was capable of doing, so he couldn't take those classes, even if he wanted to. Dawn had practically forced him to participate in rescue missions, in the hope that the action would push his powers to manifest themselves.

So, like the other eight, Nathan waited until the time to intervene came.

Jeyson was playing with Richard at the console, but always remained focused on scouring the internet and social networks in search of news and photos of inexplicable events. Sam did the same with phone calls and texts, even while she was reading or playing cards with Meg and Chelsea. This made it much easier to find the other Nerys. And it was for this reason the protective shield, around the Nemlyth, could not be strengthened by an electromagnetic one, their powers had to be able to reach the outside of the institute, without any interference.

That morning, Jeyson suddenly interrupted the quiet in the room. He jumped up and dropped his joystick. «A descendant of Kihan, like me.» he began with a blank look. «They're chasing her. There are already about ten Hunters.»

They all approached Jeb, who had the task of getting them to the location as quickly as possible. Jeyson gave him the coordinates, so he could teleport them to a fairly spacious and isolated point.

They found themselves in a small town, in an alley not far from where Jeyson had seen the girl running away. It was he who guided them in the right direction. The cameras, installed along the streets, were like his eyes. «That way!» he shouted as he started to run.

The remaining members of the Council did not hesitate for a moment to follow him. From the concern on the boy's face, the situation must certainly have been pretty serious.

As they ran, people on the sidewalks were forced to avoid them when they found themselves in front of them. However, the Nerys were in too much of a hurry to reach the girl in danger, to be able to face the anger and insults of passers-by.

When they found the young woman, she was on the ground with her back against the wall, in a dead end. She was surrounded by individuals wearing a black suit, vaguely similar to the anti-contamination ones used for radiation or epidemics. Dawn glanced at the twins. Richard and Chelsea nodded and a few seconds later the Hunters were thrown towards the two side walls of the alley, by a force that seemed invisible.

The twins reappeared, ready to strike the Hunters again if they regained consciousness, while Ellen rushed to the frightened girl. «Don't worry, we've come to help you. You can trust me.» she said, holding out her hand. The blonde-haired girl, just like Jeyson, didn't hesitate to hold her and let her help.

«More are coming.» Megan shouted as she heard footsteps approaching.

Ellen let go of the hand of the young woman they had rescued and turned towards the entrance to the alley. She quickly put up a wall to block the other Hunters from entering and give Jeb time to get them out of there. «Let's leave now, before they break it.»

They gathered around the youngest of the group. Chelsea and Richard also hurried to join them.

«Everyone's ready?» Jeb asked.

«Yes.» the Council members said in unison and, a second later, they were already in their room, safe in the institute.

Jeyson asked the girl of his kind if she was okay. «Are you hurt?»

She shook her head. «No.» she replied shyly.

Chelsea approached Nemlyth's new signing. «Follow me and I will explain everything to you.» she said, walking her towards the door. Chelsea was in fact the one who took care of the new arrivals, finding them accommodation in the dormitories and obviously explaining the entire history of Nemlyth. Nathan had been treated differently only because his situation was special.

«I think it went pretty well.» Ellen said. «We almost beat our record response time.»

Jeyson pinched her cheek. «You had a really good idea.»

«Which saved me from activating the barrier.» Sam said.

«Now get your strength back, we've been running a lot, and we don't know when it will be time to go out again.» Dawn said, then she complimented them. «Excellent teamwork, this time too.»

Having heard those words, Nathan sat down on the sofa, aside. His face was completely expressionless, but he was probably angry that he hadn't been helpful, even on that occasion. Dawn noticed this and approached to talk to him. Unfortunately she didn't have the time. «A descendant of Caleigh!» Jeyson shouted. «In Belfast, Ireland, they filmed him while he transformed into an animal. I've already deleted the video, but it's best if we hurry. He has already exposed himself enough and the Hunters may have already discovered him. », that evil organization had men everywhere. Whenever the Nerys used their powers, they managed to track them down and identify them, through videos and online news, just like Jeyson did.

«Well, let's get moving.» Dawn said turning to Jeb.

Nathan got up from the couch but refused to go with them. «I'm staying, you're already managing perfectly without me.», he didn't want to stand by and watch while they acted in perfect harmony.

Dawn and the others didn't even have time to stop him before he left the room to head to his room.

Ellen noticed the conflicted expression on her best friend's face. She told her to follow him. «We can do it without you and Chelsea.»

Dawn hesitated but ultimately decided not to go with them. «Be careful.» she said.

«Don't worry, you should know how good we are.» Samantha assured her before Jeb made them disappear.

Without wasting any more time, Dawn left the Council room and quickly walked towards their dormitory area. By the time she reached Nathan, he was at the door. Dawn quickened her pace and blocked the door with her foot before he could close it.

Nathan let her in without protesting. He knew he had no chance of winning with her anyway. Dawn would knock on his door until he was exhausted and he would have to give in to make her stop.

«That's not how you're going to make progress.» Dawn scolded him, sitting on one of the two beds in the room. She crossed her arms and stared at him, while he stood and tried to avoid her gaze.

«You should have gone with the others, you are more useful to them than to me.» Nathan told her.

Dawn sighed and lay down on the bed looking at the ceiling. «Can you please at least try to have a little more confidence in yourself? You don't even commit, what's the point in complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. I get it's difficult with that gang of crazy people, but at least try to interact, take more initiative.»

Nathan sat on the floor at the foot of the bed, using the mattress as a backrest. «And what should I do? You're the ones with the powers, I have nothing, there's nothing I can do to help you.»

Dawn got up from bed. «We are not just our skills. There are other things you can do to help.» she told him, sitting on the ground next to him. «Next time, don't just stand on the sidelines. You've observed us enough, you know what each of us can do, think about how our powers can be useful and propose a strategy. You can do this, right? We will listen to you and evaluate whether it is the right choice.»

Nathan turned to look at her. «May I know, why do you care so much about helping me?» he asked her. «I'm not the only one you rescued and brought here… »

Dawn sighed. «When my parents died, I had Allen, who loved me and raised me like a daughter, and then I got friends who helped me understand and control my abilities.» she narrated. «Apparently you haven't had the same luck. Therefore, it seems right to give you a hand. You are also a member of this family, we can't leave you behind and abandon you.», she stood up and offered Nathan her help in lifting him up.

He stared at her for a few moments before shaking her hand and lifting himself off the ground. «What if they never show up?»

«Stop asking yourself. You have to deal with the block in your head first if you want that to happen.» she told him, letting go of his hand to point to her temples. «There is nothing wrong with you, it will happen sooner or later. Take it easy. Now let's go back there, so we'll be ready when the new guy arrives.», she headed for the door. Nathan didn't move. She turned and told him to follow her. «Come on, what are you waiting for?! Let's go.»

Nathan joined her. As they walked out into the hallway, he tried to make conversation. «Is he one of the descendants you were missing?» he asked her.

She nodded, not stopping walking. «Yeah... I wasn't hoping for it anymore. I thought none of them had survived, but I was wrong. If we also find Hyram's descendants, we will be complete when the planet Nerissa rises again.»

«I hope that by then I–»

«You're complaining again.» Dawn interrupted. «Just think about walking.»