Ethan knew something bad had happened from the moment the soldiers started to arrive to school and they were called for a student assembly . It was normal for students to stay late for extracurricular activities , but as the day progressed and they weren 't allowed to get out , most people started to get worried . He wasn 't worried like the others , he could recognize that some of the soldiers were loyal to his mother , and that made him feel safe , unlike his friends or the rest of the students . The announcement that they would have to stay there the night was received with surprise , but mostly with fear , so much that Ethan had to block his empathy because he was starting to feel sick by all that fear . It only got worse when the rumor that both Faakhir and Emily were dead and that his mother was to blame for that . Like it usually happened , most people started to get mad at him , blaming him for his mother 's actions . Luckily for him , his friends stayed with him , acting as human shields against the rest of the school . " Probably take over , which I guess she is already doing , after that , I 'm really not sure , " Ethan said . He wanted to say more , to explain that they were going to be safe , but he couldn 't do that and betray his mother 's secrets . " I wouldn 't worry so much , I 'm sure things are going to be better with her in charge , she is not a fan of killing indiscriminately like Emily , she is tough , but just . Most of the horrible things she did , were because she was following orders , not because she enjoyed doing them . " " How are you ? How was the Empire ? " Ethan asked . " Did you know my grandfather is awake ? Dad found a way to make him better , grandma said that dad saved his life . " " Greca is in good hands , and I guess by now she is out of danger . And my last stop went well , my visit to the Empire had a small problem , but overall it was ok . I got what I needed out of it , I hadn 't realized how much it bothered me to be away from my family , and having the chance to talk to them , no matter how briefly , was nice . How about you ? How are things here ? I hope everything is ok , I need to go back to Capital City as soon as possible , Faakhir is getting angry because I haven 't gone back to him . " It was late by the time we arrived to the house , and still , I spent some more time talking to Ethan and telling him about my time in the Empire . By the time Ethan finally fell asleep , I was exhausted , but I still needed to talk to Kimball . As soon as we were alone , I noticed Kimball 's demeanor changing , and I knew that whatever we needed to discuss was serious . " What happened to my father was no accident , he was infected on purpose . If it wasn 't for the stroke , we wouldn 't have noticed the virus until it was too late and his body was beyond help . After we found out that my father had been infected , they started an investigation and found out that he wasn 't the first mutant to get admitted to the hospital in suspicious conditions , the only difference was that the other mutants were dead . From the investigation we found out that the virus is only contagious in very specific conditions , but we are worried about the existence of the virus . Most think that it 's part of biological attack with very specific targets , but we don 't know who is behind the attacks . " " Our biology is very particular . Our people come from various genetic backgrounds , but still most of our people share some very specific traits that you don 't find in other people . My theory is that they are using us to perfect the virus because they want to be able to target specific traits and we are the best candidates for that . The other theory is that is someone that is angry at our people and what they perceive as unfair advantages that are given to us by the Dominion . It could be revenge or experimentation , I 'm not sure which one is better or worse . " " Yes , but not now . First , you need to rest , then talk to Faakhir . We can 't risk to make him angry at you right now . You said it yourself , you are close to finding the last pieces of information you need to set your take over in motion . " I knew Kimball was right , and I needed to recognize that I needed some rest after everything I had to face the previous days . First , Greca 's rescue , the fight with Kozlak , the talk with my cousins and friends , all of that had left me exhausted , physically and emotionally . Besides , I needed some time with Kimball so I could find my balance again , my center . As it happened every time I was near Kimball , I had no trouble sleeping , and even overslept in the morning , taking advantage of the calm and security that Kimball gave me , with him my defenses dropped , making me relax and calm down . But my rest was interrupted in the morning by a vision that left me tense and afraid . I had seen Ethan in a hospital room , and he looked sick . As soon as I woke up and went looking for him , but as I ran towards his room , I realized I couldn 't feel him anywhere near me , and that could only mean that he wasn 't there . We arrived at the hospital and I immediately used my powers to locate Ethan . He wasn 't near Makgatho and Victoria , and that only made more afraid . Without waiting for Kimball , I started heading in the direction I was sure Ethan was , it didn 't take long to realize that I was heading to the cafeteria , and that made me feel better , if he had gone to buy something to eat , then he was safe , there wasn 't a reason to fear he was in trouble . When I arrived at the cafeteria , I saw Ethan walking out of it from the other side , and I went after him , but at a more relaxed pace , since I could see him and make sure he was safe . He was just a few yards ahead of me when a nurse approached him . The woman looked out of place , and not because she was light skinned when most mzansiers had dark skin , there was a small percentage of light skinned mzansiers , but there was something else about her that made me unease . When she tried to grab Ethan , I put a psychic barrier between them . I saw her surprise and anger at being unable to grab him . It was then that Ethan noticed I was there , because of my powers . " Do you know her ? I have a feeling that that woman doesn 't belong here , " as soon as I spoke the woman tried to escape , but I grabbed her using my powers before she had a chance to get away . If I was suspicious before , her escape attempt only made it worse . " I 'm telling you , there 's something wrong with her , you need to see if she is really an employee here and who she is , " I told Kimball , starting to get angry at his lack of action . At least Ethan had moved away from her and closer to me . I put my arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer to me , I wasn 't going to let him out of my sight until I was sure what was going on . " Stop , don 't get closer to her . I think she has something to do with the virus attack , " I kept looking into her mind and discovered that she was a biokinetic , and that her power allowed her to transport and transmit the virus , after modifying it to target specific victims . I couldn 't let her near anyone . The worst part was that she wasn 't working alone , I could tell she was part of a bigger group that was using the virus to target and eliminate people they considered traitors to their people . " I will take her to a safe place , somewhere we can keep her isolated so she can 't hurt anyone else . " " Do it , " I said immediately . The woman was watching me with a mixture of fear and hate . I didn 't give her a chance to talk , I just went inside her mind again and started to look for more information on what her plans were . " I wasn 't able to see the whole plan , I knew her actions were part of a bigger plan , but she was just a small piece of the puzzle and didn 't have much information . From what I could see I knew that she felt incredible hate for the people ruling the country , especially people from my family , because she felt we were betraying her and her people and only caring about our interests . As I looked into her mind , I could see Kimball issuing orders and preparing everything so we could transport the woman to the isolation room , where they would be able to study her powers and the virus she was working with . It was then that I noticed that she was confident she had managed to infect Ethan , and maybe even me . " She is part of a bigger group , he has been taking orders from someone else , someone who gathered a bunch of biokinetics and taught them how to use and manipulate the virus to infect people . She was given the chance to go after the people she hated , and she took it , she has been attacking people in the government and people close to them , waiting for the chance to go after her main targets . But that 's not the worst part , " I said , staring at Kimball 's eyes , " she doesn 't need to actually touch people to infect them , just to be near them . She is pretty confident she managed to infect Ethan , and maybe even me . " " No … " Kimball whispered , trying to process my words , but despite the impact of my words , he never lost his control , he took a deep breath and started yelling orders , before turning his attention back to me . " Don 't worry , this time we have the advantage , I know the virus , and if I was able to save my father , I will be able to help you . Nothing will happen to you or Ethan . " It was dark inside the moving vehicle , I could barely see a few figures on the inside , but I couldn 't see their faces . Most of them looked small , I was sure most of them were kids , but I couldn 't be sure . I knew that the vehicle had been traveling for a while , but I couldn 't remember when it had started , I just had a feeling it had been a long time ago . And just as I was thinking about it , the vehicle stopped moving and the back door was opened , letting light in , showing me for the first time the faces of the people there . Most of them were kids , like I guessed , no older than twelve or thirteen . They started to climb down , all but a girl that was laying down in the corner . A soldier got into the vehicle and grabbed her by the arm , dragging her out , and letting her fall on top the fresh snow , as the kid was having a coughing fit . The girl turned to glare at the soldier and I saw her face , a face I had never laid my eyes on , but that I knew very well , the face of my daughter Greca . " Like an idiot . " Had I really fallen in my own room , I couldn 't believe I had been that clumsy , vision or no vision . But I couldn 't deny that the image of my sick daughter had affected me more than I was willing to admit . It was Ethan 's laugh that cut my wondering . " And where is your father ? Knowing him I expected him to be hovering over me , worried sick about me . " As soon as I questioned him , his laugh died and I could feel he was worried again . Something bad had happened , and that something had nothing to do with me . " He does , that 's why we are so worried about him , " Kimball said , entering the room . " How are you feeling ? Do you feel any pain ? " " He suffered a cerebral embolism . The doctors can 't explain why he hasn 't recovered yet , and my mother wants me to go and help them find what 's wrong with him . It 's not my area , but I 'm sure I can help . I have to go to Mzansi , and I would like for you to go with me . Do you think you can manage to go with me ? " " Wait ! Something happened , I had a vision , something I have to take care of . I will go with you to see your father , but I will probably have to go to the Empire to take care of this . " " Greca of course , " I was surprised , yet again , that he was claiming Malkia as his , even if they didn 't share the same blood . My own father had refused to acknowledge me because we didn 't have the same Family , even if we shared blood , but Kimball never doubted to claim my daughter as his . " Malkia is in good hands , but Greca is in danger . I don 't know the details , I will need to go into the Fog to find more . " " Any idea of the time frame we are talking about ? We need to go to Mzansi right now , but from there we can find what 's going on with Greca and make plans . I hope my father 's illness isn 't too bad and I will be free soon to go with you to the Empire . " " Of course , it 's been a while since I saw my daughter , " but I knew that he intended to bring her with us , if Greca was in trouble , just like I suspected , then it would give him the perfect excuse to bring her with us . I wasn 't sure I was strong enough to leave her again , so I wasn 't sure I could stop Kimball if he decided to bring her with us . It was one of the reasons I never accepted to go with him during his yearly visits to the Fortress . We were ready to go in no time , and by the time we arrived to the airport , our plane was ready to go . I knew that we would be in the air for a while , so I took the opportunity to go into the fog . I knew that my daughter would need my help , and the best way to do it was to get as much information as I could . I was still walking in the fog , trying to find my way when I felt someone calling me back to the present . We had already arrived to Mzansi and were getting out of the plane to go to the hospital . When we arrived , we found most of Kimball 's family there , his mother was there , obviously , but there were other people I didn 't expect , like Zola . After a brief talk with them , Kimball left the room and went to talk to the doctors and healers working on his father . Victoria was sad and worried , but having Ethan there was helping her , I wasn 't sure if it was because he was using his powers , or just because he was there . After a few minutes Kimball went back , and just by looking at his face I knew things were worse than he expected . There was not much I could do to help him , I was never good with biokinesis . Since there was nothing I could do there , I decided to head to the house and focus my powers on what I could do , search for more information on Greca 's problem . I had a bad feeling about her , but I trusted Kimball could handle the problem with his father . Ethan decided to stay with his grandmother , but Mbali agreed to go with me to the house . Kimball 's parent 's house was more like a mansion , and it wasn 't hard to find a comfortable space where I could go into the fog . I knew Mbali was around , and that made things easier for me , because I knew my body would be safe with her . As always , walking into the fog was easy , the hard part was to find what I needed . After walking different paths for a while I understood that I was looking at the wrong places . I had gone into the fog with the idea that the vision was showing me something that was going to happen , but it was more accurate to say I watched it as it was happening . What I saw was something that had happened hours before , not something that was about to happen . I couldn 't leave without enough information , so I went back to the beginning to find what had happened to my daughter . Greca had had trouble since her sister had left the Fortress , not only because she had lost her ability to use ferrokinesis , but because she had fought even some of her superiors while trying to find what had happened to her sister , even after they kept refusing to tell her . That had caused the people in charge to decide that she wasn 't cut to be a soldier and that would work better as a slave . They had sent her to one of the worse places in the Empire , the Northern Mines , where the outside temperature was way below zero , but the heat inside the mine was oppressive . Knowing that just made the fact that she was sick even worse , a respiratory disease could only get worse on those conditions , and Makgatho had already proven that even the strongest could succumb to sickness . I walked a while longer along Greca 's path , and I realized that my daughter was a fighter , and a worthy heiress of Kimball , she would try to escape the mine , even if everything , especially the weather , was against her . In most of her futures she managed to escape , but on those she did , she lost against the cold and snow , she only survived on the futures where I was right there by her side , so I had to make sure to be there . I had made a big mistake by not being there for her before , I should have been more alert , I should have paid more attention to her , make more time to watch her path , I should have known what was happening with her , I should have contacted Malkia or Dendro and ask for his help before it could get so bad for Greca , or at least I should have been there while she was being transported to the mines , so I could rescue her before she had the chance to go there . I had failed my daughter , and I needed to fix that . It wouldn 't be easy to travel to the Empire , especially not to that particular area . I had just a couple of days before Greca attempted her escape , and if I wanted to be there I needed to move fast . I took some time to travel Kimball 's path and confirmed that he needed to stay by his father 's side , I knew he would be mad if he couldn 't go with me , but he needed to save his father , I could take care of our daughter . " We are still not sure what happened , the embolism was just hiding the real reason he 's sick . It seems a virus infected him , a virus his body has no defenses for . It 's very weird that something like that happens , and I suspect it 's not a natural virus , but one bioengineered to attack people with regenerative powers . Now that we have a better idea of what the problem is the doctors could start him on a medicine that will help him , but he will have a better chance of getting better if we can create an antiviral serum targeted especially for him . " " It 's good . I really think he can beat this virus , but it won 't be easy and we will have a lot of work ahead of us . I 'm not an expert , I don 't normally deal with this kind of cases . The problem is that it 's so weird for us to get a virus that we no longer know how to fight them . There was a time we would suffer from viruses , but it 's been so long we forgot how deadly they can be . " " I 'm afraid I don 't have good news , " I knew he wouldn 't like what I had to tell him . " Please , sit down , " I took his hand took him to the sofa in our room . " Last night , what I saw , it wasn 't exactly a vision , because it wasn 't something that was going to happen , it was something that was happening at that moment . Greca was sent to the Northern Mines to work as a slave . " " After Malkia left the Fortress , Greca started having trouble . I 'm afraid that in her quest to find what had happened to her sister , she attracted the teacher 's animosity . I know Greca will attempt to escape the mines in a few days . She won 't be able to do it alone , but if I can get there in time , I can make sure she gets away and take her to a safe place , " I didn 't add that she was sick and needed medical attention , or that she would freeze to death if she managed to get out of the mines alone . " Do you trust me ? I will go for Greca and take her to a safe place , you don 't have to worry about anything , I will take care of her . I know I should have paid more attention to what was going on in her life , but I didn 't , and now I have to fix that mistake . I will do anything I need to do to keep her safe . " " I 'm sure this is the route he took , " Fatima said . She had been traveling to the past to reconstruct Jonas ' actions after taking Ethan . So far she had guided us outside the city , and I knew we were getting closer to the place he had taken Ethan . " I think it will be better to stop for a moment , I would like to take an astral walk and explore the place . If we are getting closer to where Jonas is hiding , I want to be prepared . We need to be ready to take him by surprise . " Do you have any experience in astral projecting ? Have you walked the fog of the future ? If you don 't know what you are talking about , then stay silent . These things take time , and I 'm sure Faakhir would prefer a job well done over a fast one . " Kulap didn 't talk back , but I could see she was angry at my answer . Our car stopped so I could go into the astral planes . That was something I could do even while moving , thanks to my double mind , but it was easier and safer if my body was immobile . I got out of my body and traveled the material plane . We were close to our destination , I recognized the place . I saw a group of helicopters moving closer , they were on route to the bodega . Kimball had told me he had called the kids ' parents , so I was confident that the Representatives were on those helicopters . " I think those were the Representatives , and that could affect our mission , we need to be careful , we can 't let them ruin this for us , but we can 't attack them either , we need to make things better between them and the King , it needs to look like we are on the same side . We need to move . Go ahead and drive a couple more miles , then take the road on your right , " I told the driver , " keep going for another three miles and stop in the first clearing you find . We will walk the rest of the way , I don 't want them knowing we are there until is too late . " No one spoke for the rest of the trip , but it was obvious everyone had questions , even as they prepared for the mission . We arrived at the clearing and got out of the car . Another car stopped behind us , and the rest of the team joined us . Without any questions , everyone started following me , with just one person staying behind to take care of the cars . " I think we deserve a better explanation , " Representative Burgos replied . " How did you find them ? What happened to the people who took them ? " What happened to our children ? " " Do I have to remind you that my son was also taken by them ? " Kimball 's voice hardened , and it was clear that the Representatives were on thin ice . " I was just as worried as you were , so I decided to look for my son , and I found him . " " And how did you do that ? " Representative Jeong asked . " None of our trackers were working , we couldn 't find them , I don 't get how someone like you could do what we couldn 't . " " Let 's be honest , what we think is that you and your wife are involved in this . It 's just too suspicious that you were able to find the kids so easily after we failed to find them , is even more suspicious that you refuse to let us see or speak with the people responsible for the kidnappings . As far as I know you and your corrupt family could be behind this , maybe ' saving ' them is just a way for you to try and look good in front of us , " Representative Kozak said . " That 's enough father ! " The voice sounded like Dmytro 's , but there was something weird about it . " You don 't know what you are talking about , this is Jonas ' fault , not Kaiserin 's . Jonas wanted to use Ethan to make Kasierin look bad , and we are safe only because the Mzansiers rescued us . None of them hurt us , but if they hadn 't arrived when they did , the others would have hurt us , badly . " " What are you doing here ? " His comment managed to cut the tension , but his words confused me , and even if I was grateful for helping ease the atmosphere , I don 't like not understanding . " I don 't think that it 's a coincidence that I find you here , in the place our investigation of Jonas ' actions has taken us . " " You are late , just like I thought you would be , " he said . " I knew that your priorities were different than mine , so I decided to put my energy on finding Ethan . And it was a good thing I did that , if I had waited for you to find you , you would have been too late , " as he said the last word , he moved to the side , giving me a clear view of the van behind him , next to which Ethan was standing . From the moment I realized that Jonas had Ethan , I had been worried about the things he could do to my son , but watching the damage I felt sick and angry , and I knew that I would have a hard time controlling my anger once I had my hands on Jonas . Ethan 's face was a collection of colors , from red to black and blue . He was full of bruises , one of his eyes was swollen shut , and a cut on his lips was still bleeding . By the way he was standing I could tell his torso was also full of bruises , maybe a few broken ribs by how hard it was for him to breathe . One of his arms and his wrists were bandaged , and from the blood that was showing in the bandages I could tell that his arm had a cut , and his wrists had been hurt , most likely rubbed raw by the rope used to bind him . I felt my anger boiling , I had hoped that Kimball could arrive before Ethan could suffer that much damage , and I was furious that I had been unable to save him from that pain , furious that I had failed him again , and furious that Jonas had dared to hurt my son . But despite the emotions burning inside me , I kept my face cold and detached , making sure no one could see how I really felt . " He 's alive , I don 't see what the problem is , " just as I spoke I could hear the surprise and disapproval coming from the Representatives and their guards , they were getting angry at me for not caring about my son like a mother should . I turned to where Ethan was standing , and I saw a tear falling from his good eye . For a moment I thought my words had affected him , but when I expanded my powers to explore his feelings I realized that it was just part of the act . But I could see his pain wasn 't fake , and I did my best to connect with him so I could ease his pain . " I don 't know why I 'm still surprised by your attitude , " Kimball said . " If you are unable to see the problem , then I don 't know what to say . You won could have died today , and you just don 't care . " " Is that all you can think about ? You know what ? I don 't care , Jonas and the others are inside the bodega , go and do your work . I will take Ethan to Mzansi so he can recover in peace . " Kulap turned to me , waiting for me to continue the discussion . All the attention was focused on me , so most people didn 't realize that Yoweri was moving towards Kimball . For a moment I thought that Kimball wasn 't aware of him and was trying to find a way to warn him , but then I saw Kimball 's hand move to his gun and I knew that I didn 't have to worry about him . " Kimball is right , I can defeat him , but it won 't be easy and won 't be fast . Our mission is to find Jonas and questions him , then take him to Faakhir . If he wants to go against the rules , then he will have to face the consequences . Think about your actions , because if you leave and Faakhir sends me to bring you back , you won 't like what I will do . " " Now you are in serious trouble , " I told Jonas . He was awake , but seemed confused . " The Representatives were furious because of your actions , and that caused trouble for Faakhir . You made him look like a liar , you made it seem like he didn 't have control over his own people , you made him look weak . As you can imagine , he is not happy with you at the moment . Now , tell me , why did you do something so stupid ? " " Kimball caught five of them , but we need to make sure there 's no more people involved , and we have to find out why they were involved , if they were willing participants or if Jonas somehow fooled them into helping him with his plans . We need to see who is a traitor and who is a fool . We can 't go to Faakhir without the whole story . " No one said anything else , they stayed in silence as I moved closer to the cage in which Jonas was trapped . I used one of my mind to get inside his mind and look for the information that I wanted . I needed to know who was on his side , who his allies were , who I needed to worry about . With my other mind I connected to his nervous system , attacking his nerves so they would get irritated and cause him to be in pain , in just a few seconds he was drowning in pain . With me inside his mind , there was nothing he could do , but feel , he experienced an agony like never before . Between the pain and the drugs , he couldn 't stop my search , and I was able to get the information that I needed in a short time . I knew that Faakhir would look into his mind , just like me , so I went even deeper and made sure that there was nothing there that could affect me . That exploration took me longer , about a couple of hours , and by the time I finished with him , he was barely conscious , he was exhausted by the pain . " Yes , it seems like besides Fidel and Carmina , the others had no idea what was going on , they were just following orders , they thought that Jonas was acting under Faakhir 's orders . The problem we have is that Faakhir tried to recruit a few others , so there is more people who knew about his plans , and even if they refused to help him , they failed to alert Faakhir of Jonas ' plans . Yoweri , I will give you a list with these people 's names so you can go pick them up and take them to Faakhir , I 'm sure he will want to question them . Kulap , take the two soldiers that helped Faakhir to the hospital so they can be checked , I 'm sure Faakhir will want to deal with them , even if they were acting in good faith , I 'm sure they will be punished for their involvement . The other three , I will take care of them personally . I arrived at the hall where Faakhir and Emily were holding court . It was lucky that I already had a meeting with them scheduled , I just needed to arrive a little early to make sure I was there when Jonas arrived to talk to them . I wasn 't sure how Ethan had managed to knock him out , I suspected that it had more to do with the fact that Jonas trusted his illusions blindly and couldn 't even consider that someone could get pass them . I was glad I had trained Ethan to fight against people with illusion powers , there were a few ways to do it , either using his other senses or if he was facing a multi - sensorial illusion , then by using his double mind . " You have been fooled ! " Were his first words . " Kaiserin 's son is a highly trained warrior . " At those words I forced myself to laugh , as if his words were the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard . " I found a couple of spies in the servants ' area , I was about to stop them when Kaiserin 's son arrived and fought me , before I could do anything to fight back he knocked me out , by the time I woke up they were already gone . We have to find them , I don 't know what they were planning on doing , but it can 't be anything good . I think she betrayed you . " " I have never heard anything more ridiculous in my life . I mean , I know that Jonas is a pathetic excuse for a warrior , but to be defeated by an eight year old ? I would die of embarrassment if I had to admit to something like that . " When I stopped talking I watched as Jonas realized what I was implying . " Are you saying that my son was defending the grandchild of the Kozak couple I killed last year and the sister of the boy I let fall out of the airplane a few months ago ? If that 's true , he is the only traitor here , not me . But I can 't understand how they would be with my son , usually the family of my victims tries to get away from me and my people . " " It is certainly a weird combination . All I can think of is that Kaiserin 's son hates her as much as the family of her victims . But I don 't think Kaiserin is involved in whatever happened here , and we still have to confirm that the guy you saw was her son , " Faakhir said , but I could see he was considering all the alternatives . " Kaiserin , where 's your son ? " " I tell you , he 's here , somewhere in the Palace , he couldn 't have gotten far , especially if I interrupted their plans . I 'm telling you , they were up to no good . I 'm sure they had some internal help , and I 'm sure that Kaiserin had something to do with it . " Faakhir asked for his phone and it took just a minute for Kimball to answer . I hoped that Mbali had had the chance to update Kimball on what was going on , I couldn 't risk to contact him directly , I had to be careful so they couldn 't trace anything to me and avoid suspicion . Faakhir made a few questions , but I couldn 't hear Kimball 's answers . " I 'm hundred percent sure it was her son . He managed to break free of my illusion , not many are capable of doing that , Kaiserin is one of the few . I 'm sure she somehow taught her son how to do it . " " What I don 't get is how he managed to knock you out , did you fight ? Did you manage to hurt him at least ? " Faakhir asked . " No , he took me by surprise . By the time I noticed what was going on and tried to fight him back it was too late . And he wasn 't fighting how you would expect a kid to fight , it was like fighting an adult . That 's why I suspect Kaiserin is somehow involved on this . " Jonas was just realizing that he had acted prematurely , by running to accuse me to Faakhir he had put himself in a difficult situation . Now he was looking like a wimp by openly saying he was defeated by a kid , or like a liar if what he claimed couldn 't be confirmed . Jonas ' hate was so strong that I had to block my empathy because his feelings were causing me actual physical pain . " Then I will go for him . You can go to the living room , I will be there in a moment . " Mbali didn 't wait for us to acknowledge her words , she turned and went for Ethan while I had to guide our guest to the living room . Faakhir took the biggest chair and Jonas and I took our places standing by his sides . Mbali was back in just a minute , carrying Ethan in her arms . I had to admit they were giving the perfect image , Ethan looked so small and vulnerable in her arms that I felt the need to go to him and protect him , but I needed to keep my role a little bit longer . Mbali took Ethan to the sofa and helped him to the seat . " Good evening , " Faakhir said in what he considered a non - threatening tone , " I heard you had some trouble at school . " Ethan looked at me really fast , and then moved his eyes to Mbali , then he just nodded to Faakhir , without making eye contact , as if he was scared or ashamed . " What happened ? " " Did you go to the Palace today ? " Ethan shook his head , his face showing surprise and curiosity . " I was told you were there , " Faakhir insisted , and I could see Jonas losing his patience . " Enough ! " Faakhir said . " Jonas , I don 't doubt you , but it 's becoming obvious that someone fooled you . Maybe we will have to consider the possibility of a morpher , there 's no way a kid could get inside the Palace undetected , even less that he could fight you . " Jonas was about to talk , but Faakhir interrupted him before he could speak . " I asked you myself if you had seen something wrong with the kid or if you had injured your opponent and you said that you didn 't , by seeing the kid and the broken leg , that was broken at school , I know that he wasn 't involved . " " You are one my most loyal guards , that 's why I even bothered to check your story , but we need to accept that you were wrong about him . I don 't doubt that you believe what you thought you saw , we need to consider the possibility that you were fooled by someone else in an effort to hide the real culprits . " Faakhir was trying to calm Jonas down , and I could see that he too was running out of patience . " I will get a group to investigate this , neither you nor Kaiserin will be involved , that way we will have an impartial result . Jonas , it would be best if you take a couple of days off , at least until we can see what really happened . Kaiserin , you too , I don 't want you in the Palace , that way nobody will say you were able to interfere with the investigation . " " If you think that 's for the best , that 's what I will do , but I think that 's unnecessary . I will be ready to go back to work as soon as you call me . " I had a bad feeling about it , I knew that Jonas wouldn 't let this go so easily . " Jonas , come with me back to the Palace . I will need you to talk to Fatima and explain what happened , I think she will be the right person to head the investigation , she will be able to see what really happened . " Having Fatima involved made me feel better . Jonas and Faakhir left me alone with Mbali and Ethan . Once I was sure they were gone , I went to where Ethan was and hugged him . I knew that I had done what needed to be done , but I still felt guilty about causing him pain . I connected myself to Ethan , I had perfected the art of blocking pain at a biological level , and I was going to do the same for Ethan , even if it was harder to accomplish . I found what I needed and blocked his pain , making sure he wouldn 't feel pain for the rest of the day . " You were right , in your place I would have done the same , but before you take any action , you need to think about the consequences of your actions . I don 't want anything like this to happen again , you need to be careful what you do and where you do it . If we are lucky , Faakhir will continue to think that someone fooled Jonas with the intention of making me look bad . At least you were right , there 's no evidence that you or the others were there , but I don 't understand how a little girl like Hye Ki managed to get inside the Palace undetected . " " Good thinking , " I was impressed that he had thought to take the gadgets away . " Now , even if you are feeling better , you need some rest . Once your father arrives , we will have a lot to explain . " I was at the Palace 's training facility , surrounded by Dominion warriors , most of them loyal to the King and Queen , a few loyal only to themselves . I was isolated , in a meditation posture , but I wasn 't paying attention to my surroundings , I was paying attention to the people around me . In the center , in the arena , some people were in a mini tournament that was supposed to help them train , but it was just a competition to prove who was better . On the other side of the gym , Carmina was practicing her knife throwing , hitting the wooden target in a rhythmic pattern . But my attention was on Thalia , she was talking to Ivan , something I was sure haven 't happened before . I haven 't had a chance to talk to her since Madelaine , and I wasn 't sure what she knew of what she thought she knew about what had happened that day . I was worried because I wasn 't sure if she was an enemy or a possible ally , and watching her with Ivan was making me worry . Then she moved , directly to Fatima , and I was even more worried , but Fatima received her with a smile and I decided to take that as a good sign . I moved my attention from Fatima and Thalia to the other groups in the place . After a while I felt a mind trying to enter mine . There were just a few telepaths in the place , and it was easy to identify the mind as Thalia 's . She was still with Fatima , and it was easy to see her in trance , and I knew she was focusing only on me , her full focus on communicating with me . I opened my mind to her , I was sure I would be able to fight her off if I needed , after all , my father had given me a powerful weapon that no one could resist . ' What 's going to happen ? ' Even if Fatima had declared herself my ally , the fact that it was Thalia talking to me made me suspicious . Was she trying to threaten me using my son ? ' Fatima says that if you walk the fog of the future , and move just a couple of hours ahead , you will see what you need to see . Or you can go inside her mind and see what she saw , but you may miss something if you limit yourself to what she saw . ' I wasn 't sure about her , was she trying to get me to go into trance so I would be vulnerable to an attack ? ' You don 't have much time , you need to decide if you are going to see the future first hand or trust in Fatima 's memories , but you have to do it now before it 's too late . ' I didn 't waste my time answering , I just cut the connection between us . I needed to find a quiet , safe place , so I could go into the fog . I was going through my alternatives when I noticed something changed , the background noise changed , the thump I was expecting never came and my instincts made me lift and strenghten my psychic wall , just in time . I felt Carmina 's knife hitting the wall in front of me . " I only have to be respectful to Faakhir and Emily . You are nothing , and if you don 't want me to prove to you just how insignificant you are , you will go away and leave me alone . Just your presence is offensive to me , go . " Carmina didn 't bother to respond with words , she moved faster that I could follow and grabbed one of the daggers in her belt and tried to stab me , but all she hit was my psychic wall . Over and over she tried to break the wall and hurt me , while I just stared at her , faking concentration as I made sure the wall didn 't crumble and let her in . I took advantage of a second of hesitation on Carmina 's part to hit her in the stomach , making her bend over , gasping for air . She fell to her knees and tried to get her breath back as I walked away , leaving her behind . During Carmina 's tantrum , people had stopped their training to watch us , so I could feel everyone 's eyes on me as I walked out of the place , but no one followed me . I wasn 't sure where I should go for my trip into the fog , but before I realized it , I was walking towards Sofia 's garden , and I thought it would be the perfect spot . It didn 't take long before I found what Fatima wanted me to see , and I understood why I had to go there myself , because there were many decisions that could be made , and it was best if I could be there making them and watching how it affected the flow of time . I had no idea how a couple of kids had managed to get inside the Palace undetected , but I had to do something to stop them before it was too late . I went inside the Palace , and moved to the area where the help had their living space . There were just a few ways to get access to the area where the King and Queen lived , one of them was from the guards quarters where I had been training earlier , the other was from the help 's quarters , where I needed to go . The area was like a labyrinth , with long corridors with doors that looked all the same . I was lucky I had my powers to guide me , I just needed to focus on who I wanted to find and let my power guide my feet . " Do you think this is a game ? " Ethan had gone against my orders , and especially his father 's orders , he had endangered not only himself , but all of us . But the real guilt laid with the kids behind him . Ethan had been at the wrong place at the wrong time , he had been there when the two kids had been discovered by Jonas while trying to get into the Palace , he had been eager to torture and kill them , just for fun , to set an example . The problem was that Ethan had been there , he had stopped him , somehow he had managed to knock him out and rescue the other two , but Jonas would wake up any moment and go directly to Faakhir , he would expose Ethan and then Faakhir would suspect me . " Do you have any idea of what you did ? " Without giving it time for second thoughts , without giving it time for regrets , I used my anger and fears and lashed out to Ethan , cleanly breaking his leg . The sound of bone breaking echoed in the empty hall , and the scream that followed , as Ethan fell to the ground , was even worse . " Do you have any idea of the size of the trouble you caused ? Did you stop to think how this would affect me ? What will Faakhir think that my own son attacked one of his men ? " I did nothing to hide my anger from him . ' Ethan , our cover could be blown , you could be in danger , and I don 't know how much I can do to protect you . ' " Jonas is going to the King , he will tell him what you and those kids did , and Faakhir don 't care about age , the punishment for attacking his people is the same for kids or adults . And what do you think will happen to your father ? With their parents ? It 's not only you who could lose their lives , this could affect your whole families . I don 't care what your reasons for being here are , I 'm sure that Jonas will have some interesting theories that will paint you worse than you can imagine . " Jonas had been looking for an excuse to make me look bad in front of Faakhir since I arrived , Ethan 's actions had given him the perfect weapon for that . He would go after my credibility , and then after my son 's life , he would find a way to force me to act . " Jonas was going to kill Dmytro , I had to do something ! " Ethan said , desperately trying to make me understand him . " I couldn 't let Jonas kill him . " Ethan opened his mind , he let me see what had happened from his point of view . It had been an accident that Ethan was there , but it was Jonas ' dark thoughts that had called to him . Jonas wanted to kill Dmytro , he wanted to make him suffer , and Ethan knew that , but he had gone to battle without taking precautions , he had exposed himself and his powers , not only to Jonas , but to Dmytro and Hye Ki , the children of my enemies . " Maybe they deserved to die . They came here with ill intentions . If not Jonas , then somebody else would have to stop them . " They had been naïve , they thought they could do what others couldn 't . They intended to install some gadgets that would have allowed them to spy on the King , they wanted to find something that could help their parents stop him . Maybe even a way to kill the King and Queen . " It wasn 't your place to interfere , but it 's my place to take care of them . " " No ! " Ethan tried to get up , forgetting his broken leg , but the pain was a good reminder , and he folded as he tried to put weight on it . " Please mother , don 't do it ! Just let them go . " He said . ' They are innocent , you can 't kill them or let them in Faakhir 's hands . Let them go . ' ' Do you have any idea of what you did ? ' I asked Ethan again . ' Jonas has been looking for a way to stop me from the beginning , you have him what he needs to do it . You know how much it cost me to keep Faakhir 's attention off of you , you just put a target back on your back . What do you want me to do when Jonas asks for your head ? I will have to throw years of work to protect you ! ' I needed him to understand . " Give me one good reason not to kill them right now . " I could feel their fear , even Ethan was taking me seriously , and that was a good thing , they needed to fear me , they needed to have me even . " I know that you are worried that Jonas will make you look bad in front of Faakhir , but what if you could make Jonas look bad ? " Ethan asked . He didn 't have a plan , but he was brainstorming , looking for alternatives , for solutions . " Hye Ki hacked the cameras , there is no footage of us being inside the Palace . Just let us go and make it look as if Jonas is lying about us . " I didn 't say anything , but I was surprised by the fact that it was Hye Ki had hacked the cameras , it was something I had to confirm . ' C ' mon mother , you know you don 't want to hurt them , there 's got to be other options , you must already have a plan or something . ' From anyone else I would have suspected flattery , but from Ethan I knew it was blind trust , he really expected me to save him . ' You can 't expect me to solve all your problems . You made a big mistake this time , ' I scolded him . Both of us knew that there was no way I would leave him in Jonas ' or Faakhir 's hands , but I needed him to understand the problem he was in . We couldn 't let it happen again . " Alright , " I could feel the relief on the kids and Ethan 's sense of victory . " I will give you a chance , but you will have to earn it . I have a meeting with Faakhir in 10 minutes , I 'm sure Jonas will go to him as soon as he wakes up , in about 15 to 20 minutes . So that 's the time you have to get out of here , if you manage to get out by that time , I think I will be able to convince Faakhir that you were never here . " Ethan 's mind immediately started to search for possibilities , his brain going so fast that I couldn 't follow him without risking a headache . ' I already talked to your aunt Mbali , she will be waiting for you at the service exit in the basement . Can you get there in time ? ' ' I think I can , I will do my best . ' " What about them ? " Ethan asked out loud , looking back at the other two that had not been included in our chat . " That 's also not my problem , if you could stay out of trouble , then I wouldn 't be forced to do stuff like this , " I hoped he understood that the broken leg wasn 't punishment , but part of the plan . I needed something to guarantee that Faakhir would buy my lies , I needed something that would help my words have more weight than Jonas ' . " The clock is ticking , I wouldn 't keep wasting time , you have to move , now . " Without another word I turned around and walked away . I needed to get to Faakhir before Jonas could reach him , I couldn 't give him the advantage and let him talk to him first . Just as promised , Faakhir took me on a mission just a few days after Kimball and Ethan joined me in Capital City . Even if Ethan hadn 't said anything about it , I knew that his first day at school was as bad as I feared it would be . He wasn 't complaining , and even if I was able to see his memories and he knew it , he wasn 't talking about it . I suggested him to stay at home his second day , and Ethan happily took my advice , and even if Kimball wasn 't happy about it , there was nothing he could do about it , not while he kept denying what was in front of him . I wasn 't happy about leaving him when he was having trouble at school , but I had no choice but to follow Faakhir and get on the airplane . The mission was supposed to be an easy one , Faakhir was just visiting some religious chiefs to remind them who was the boss and ask them to stop trying to get the people to rebel against the government , but as soon as we arrived everything went to hell . While we were getting out of the airplane , a little girl , no older than five , came at us with a flower bouquet , she was supposed to be giving us a gift , but something was telling me that something was not right , and the bad feeling only grew worse the closer she got . I noticed that the rest of the people were keeping their distance , so I used my powers to try and get an idea of what was going on . Even if we were in one of the places where I wasn 't familiar with the language , I could still get into their minds and try to understand what they were thinking based on the images there . By the time I finally put together a picture of what was about to happen , my options were very limited . I didn 't stop to think about what I had to do , I couldn 't afford to wait , so I just put my hands on the tarmac and used my powers to rip it off while opening a hole under the child , once she fell , I covered the hole with the tarmac . But I knew it wasn 't enough , so I put a psychic wall between her and our group . I did in just in time , before the bomb that the rebel groups in the area had strapped to the girl , exploded . Even with my efforts to contain it , it still caused damage to some of the people that weren 't protected , but none of Faakhir 's group was seriously hurt . What happened after that could only be described as a massacre . Faakhir was furious that someone had tried to kill him , and decided to kill every person that had been there to witness the attempt on his life . I pretended I had a headache after stoping the girl from blowing us and didn 't participate in the killing , but I was a witness , and I hated it . I felt bad enough about what I 've done , and watching the blood running was making me feel even worse . The picture of the little girl refused to go away . I had been trained to kill , in the Empire , killing was something we did without a second thought , but it was something done on the battlefield , with enemies capable of defending themselves , of fighting back , but the girl wasn 't a fighter , she was an innocent . She was someone that had been used by others to stop a fight that wasn 't hers . Or maybe it was her battle , but her place wasn 't at the front . It took us longer to return than originally planned because Faakhir insisted on hunting down everyone involved in the attack . He hadn 't stopped until he was sure that there was no one left to oppose him , killing every rebellion that existed . By the end of the mission I was exhausted , physically and mentally , and I needed to be with Kimball , I needed his strength to keep me going . We arrived in Capital City at noon , so I wasn 't able to see neither my son nor husband , and they were still occupied . Kimball was working and Ethan at school , and even if there were a few servants working in the apartment , I was alone . I sat on one of the couches in the living room facing the wall to wall windows , where I had a clear view of the pyramid where the Palace sat on . While I watched the landscape and tried to relax after a few difficult days , I felt something pulling me away , and before I could react , I found myself on the astral planes . From the day I had struck the deal with the lower plane 's spirit I had done my best to stay away from the lower planes . I knew that the lower spirits were hungry for energy and that they were never going to be satisfied . For years they had fed on the pain and despair that I had suffered while being under Agmong 's power , and when I opened the doors for the spirit to take my life energy I had only made them even more vicious . At first I feared that the spirits were the ones that had dragged me , but soon I realized that I wasn 't alone , and the spirits had a different prey on their claws . All the time , people walked through the astral planes , but we rarely crossed each other , even if I was aware that more people was there , the presence I was feeling was different . The essence felt familiar , like I knew it . The closer I moved , the clearer I felt the terror and despair that the lower spirits were feeding off . Little by little the projection was being dragged further away from escape , and it wouldn 't be long until escape would be impossible . That 's when I saw the evil spirit , the darkness with eyes like fire , opening a gap between planes . I moved closer , and the main spirit focused it 's attention on me , I wasn 't sure if it was the same I had made the deal with , but it felt the same , it was evil and strong . I started to feel scared , and I knew that I had to get out as soon as possible , but I couldn 't , not alone . All I knew was that whomever it was , I needed to help , it was the only thing I was sure off , I couldn 't run away . I started to move between the spirits , but it was hard , every spirit I passed by grabbed me , stealing my energy and making me despair . The evil spirit started moving too , and I knew I was running out of time . I was cold , so cold , I wanted to stop moving , but I knew I couldn 't . I finally reached the other essence , so like my own that I hadn 't realized until that moment who it was , but it was Malkia . I understood then why I had been dragged to that place , why I couldn 't leave it behind , why I needed to save her . ' Not everyone can astral project , so it 's not something that is discussed during training . And you are still too young to be able to do this , people is usually older on their first trip . Once someone shows the ability to do this , someone takes over training and shows you what you need to survive here . It 's even more important in your case . I 'm afraid that your essence is too attractive to the being that inhabit the lower planes . ' I had moved Malkia higher while we were talking , and while warming in the light of the superior planes I felt her essence growing calmer , the energy that had been stolen being replenished . ' It would be my honor to help you and teach the basics . I want to teach you how to protect yourself from the threats and dangers you can find here . ' ' Who are you ? Why are you helping me ? Why do you look like me ? ' I haven 't noticed that when I had entered the astral planes my projection had taken a younger image of myself , I looked the same way as the first time I had walked the planes . ' I 'm someone that would do anything to help you and keep you safe . We are part of the same heritage , you are part of me just like I 'm part of you . What just happened , it was my fault . I 'm at war with the beings of the lower planes , and they felt your essence and mistaken it for mine . The least I can do is help you , be your guide in this place . ' ' I don 't think it was your fault . It was me who stumbled into this place not knowing what I was doing , and let myself be dragged by those things . And I know I owe you for your help and everything , but I 'm not sure if it 's a good idea to let you help me further . How can I be sure that is safe to trust you ? ' I was proud of her . Not trusting me showed me that she was smart and knew how to protect herself . ' Let me give you your first lesson : you cannot lie in this place . There 's no way I could hide my intentions . Once you spend more time here and learn to control your environment you will realize that there many things you can do , like change the way your projection looks and how to move between planes and places with ease . You will even learn to walk the material plane and reach places you cannot reach with your physical body . What you won 't be able to do is lie or hide . In this place only the most pure representation of yourself can enter . If you don 't believe me , try and lie to me , and you will see you can 't . In this place we don 't communicate using words , we use feelings , we use our essence . ' ' I 'm happy to hear that . First of all , you need to learn what this place is and how to move in it , then I will teach you how to get in and out of it . The astral planes are dangerous because you can get lost here and the bond between your body and your spirit can break , leaving you here forever . You 're lucky that you come from a strong lineage , our people have walked through the planes for generations , and we have a powerful anchor that makes it easier for us to find our way home . I will do my best to pass to you the knowledge my grandmother passed to me . ' For a long time I was with Malkia , explaining her how the astral planes divided , about the dangers that she could find in the lower planes , the usefulness of walking the material plane , the peace she could find in the superior planes . I told her how to enter the astral planes and what it would do to her body , I pointed out the danger her body would be in , if she let it alone and vulnerable . And finally , I showed her how to follow the connection back to her body . " No , I was taking a walk through the astral planes , " I answered with a smile . I was happy that I finally had to chance to be with my daughter , that after all those years I had been able to help her and teach her . I had helped her , I had protected her , and I couldn 't be happier about it . " Malkia . She walked the planes for the first time today , " I answered with an even bigger smile . I was sure that they could see how glad and how proud I was just looking at me . " I 'm sorry , but astral projection is not something easy to do , and not everyone is able to do that . It 's going to be a few years before we can test you and see if you are one of them . " I didn 't add that as a hybrid it was unlikely he would be able to walk the astral planes . That Malkia , the daughter of a hybrid was able to do it was a feat , but I doubted it was one that Ethan could replicate .