"Emily..." 

Crist called out her name but his voice quivered because of the emotions that had suddenly taken over him.

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He wasn't prepared for her questions and explanations and hearing her words was making him feel worse for treating her so coldly just because of the bet.

Just because they all were hurt and angry because of her actions, they completely forgot to think about her feelings.

They were just angry because she decided to leave but none of them ever tried to find out the actual reason for which she left. And now when it was time for the revelation, he felt like none of them was prepared for it. 

"What do you mean? Why would you even feel the need of protecting us? And from whom were you trying to protect us?" 

"ME! I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT YOU GUYS FROM ME!" 

Emily's sudden cry silenced Simon as he stared at his sister in surprise. Her words repeating in his brain as he tried to understand exactly what she meant.

He watched as Mark finally turned to look at her. His face was carrying the same shocked expression as the rest of his brothers had visible on their faces.

Only Kaiden, Rylan, and Shadow seemed to be aware of what she was talking about and probably even Domenic too.

"What do you mean, Em? Why are you talking like this? You are our sister. We don't need to be protected from you." Leo spoke up as he felt his eyes brimming with unshed tears as he saw the pain in his sister's eyes.

Emily started shaking her head as she laughed mockingly at Leo's words while crying at the same time.

"You are wrong, Leo. The person who's most dangerous for you guys is no one else but me, your own sister. Not the rogues that kept attacking the city and you all because they are unhappy about how they are unable to roam freely around the human societies doing exactly what they desired to do. Not your business and family rivals. Not those mysterious forces who are trying to capture me because of my special powers. No, none of them are powerful enough to hurt you guys but me... I'm the one who's the most dangerous here because none of you are guarded towards me." 

"It was true that one of the reasons why I left is because I thought that I was creating unnecessary troubles for you guys. But the main reason was that I knew by staying here, sooner or later I would have ended up giving into my darkness..." 

"And it's so scary. My darkness... it's so scary... It can hurt anyone and everyone... It can hurt you guys..." 

Emily didn't even realize that she was shaking. Her body was experiencing the same pain that her heart and brain were experiencing at the moment.

Unlike in the past, this time, the darkness did not come out to take over her as she was in a vulnerable state but she could feel it flowing under her skin, mixed with her energy of magic.

She had learned to control it for the time being but she still remembered what Professor Terrance had told her on the last day of her final term - 'it's bound to return.'

The train of her thoughts was disturbed when she felt strong arms pulling her against a warm chest, making her immediately relax a little bit.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked her softly while rubbing the crown of her head with pure tenderness.

Emily did not waste even a single second before hurriedly nodding her head in response. 

She felt him nodding his head in acknowledgment of her request before he turned his attention to those who were standing there like statues.

He could tell that none of her brothers had any idea about what to do or how to react. They were just too shocked and full of questions that they just kept standing there like statues. Even though they too wanted to hug their sister and tell her that they were there for her, none of them moved.

"Take care of her... please." Domenic's voice sounded like a plea as he looked at the man who was holding his sister with such tenderness and effectiveness in his arms.

"I promise. Let's go." He said with the man standing right beside him after giving his promise to Domenic.

The next second, Emily, Kaiden, and Shadow's silhouette disappeared from there, leaving the others behind.

Mark was the first to move but he just fell back on his knees as he burst out into sobs. His heart felt like it had been torn apart and then jammed back into his chest. Every single word that left Emily's mouth was now haunting him and he felt like he just wanted to curl into a ball and disappear.

Daniel crouched down beside his wailing brother and put his arm around him as he tried to comfort him, even though he himself was not in a state to handle his emotions.

As soon as Mark started sobbing, Leo too lost his hold over his tears, burying himself in Domenic's embrace who wrapped his arms tightly around his little brother and rubbed his head.

Rylan gave a last look to Leo but seeing Domenic taking care of him, he felt a little bit relieved. Also, he too was overwhelmed by Emily's words. After all, he was one of those few people who had witnessed her pain and struggles in the past four years.

Not wanting to stay at the site any longer, he too decided to leave, not caring about his clothes and the other stuff at the moment. He just wanted to go away.

Simon and Crist their brothers breaking down and it took everything in Simon to not let his emotions overpower him. He gave Crist a tight squeeze on his arms before he turned around to start packing up.

Their camping trip had finally come to an end... unfortunately... it wasn't a happy end.