(This Chapter is from Azar's Point of View)

I had just finished my part in the protection spell, my body still awash with red-orange flames. It felt good to have my talisman off. Everything was so much clearer, less muted. I hated to admit that I had grown used to the feeling of not having it on after Calliope destroyed it. Utilizing one didn't fill me with the same sense of relief as it usually did. I glanced down at my new watch, trying to push the memories of her to the back of my mind. I had always hoped we would meet again but finding out she was in league with the Dark King was inexcusable.

We can't allow evil like that to flourish, that is why we fight.

I gritted my teeth as I remembered Calliope's words to me. I was so moved by them at the time, but now... Disbelief and anger still coursed through my body and I could feel my energy change the shape of my flames, making them grow larger, flickering higher into the sky.

Calm down.

The weird small bearded man statue began glowing as the offering bowl in front of it burned brightly. There was a small rush of power and I could tell the spell was complete. The protection shield rose up from the ground creating an iridescent rainbow web that stretched outward and then spread high into the sky. The strands began to connect, growing larger the more they touched until they spread over the farmhouse. I was glad this whole thing was over because maybe we could all finally get a decent night's sleep. Strangely the shield began to glow silver, causing me to squint. All at once, the glow vanished, like the power had been cut off. My brow furrowed as I stared at it because this type of coloring meant our spell was off balance. Too much lunar power... Diana!

I snuffed out my flames, everything around me plummeting into darkness. My eyes adjusted easily to the night, thanks to my partial lunar alignment. I began running towards Diana's part of the circle, assured that she had gotten in over her head.

She should have just let me do the lunar spell, I cursed. I could see Casimir standing by Diana's talisman off in the distance, his head turning slowly as he scanned the treeline. Diana was gone.

"Casimir!" I called, coming to a stop beside him. He spared me a glance before returning to his search. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure, something was wrong with the shield and I came out here to check on Diana and..."

"She's missing, damn that girl," I muttered, rubbing at the side of my head.

"I thought I saw..." Casimir whispered, trailing off as he stared down at the ground. The look on his face was one of confusion and mild panic.

I placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm him. "Let me look with my night vision." I closed my eyes, letting the lunar essence flow through me. When my eyes re-opened, everything was enhanced yet I couldn't see anyone for miles. I bit my lip slightly, not wanting to be the bearer of bad news.

"Casimir, Azar, where is Diana?" Enki shouted. I turned to see the old man striding quickly towards us. His pace quickened when he saw our worried faces.

I opened my mouth to explain but was cut off. "We're-"

"Master Enki, where is Maya?" Casimir asked, growing frantic.

"Right here!" Maayan called out, floating delicately from the sky above. I opened my arms to catch Maayan since they had aimed themself directly at my head. I wanted to chastise them for using their wind powers so blatantly out in the open, but I couldn't talk, especially since I was standing there without my talisman, silver hair visible to the world.

"Can you check for any portal activity?" Casimir said, pointing down to the ground in front of him.

"Sure can!" Maayan responded happily. They slipped from my grasp, kneeling on the ground to feel out the magical energy connected to portals. The elemental began patting the dirt, sniffing the air every so often. We were all tense while they searched and I reached for an okashi without thinking. Using that much magical energy in one night had left me starving. That was the one thing I hated about Earth. Sometimes I felt like I could eat all day and never be satisfied. I pushed back the craving, looking over at Enki instead. He was focused on Maayan, his chin planted firmly in his hand.

Maayan's face changed, they had found something.

"Shadow portal! Right here!" They shouted, slamming their hands into the dirt. "It's heading in that direction!"