Hans stirred in his armchair, listening to Ellen's heavy breathing as she continued to sleep close by. His nap was dreamless, much to his satisfaction. He twisted his neck to ward off the stiffness, and tried to get a sense of the time. It was nearing lunchtime meaning that he was asleep for longer than he thought. He rubbed his eyes and shifted in his armchair so he was now upright. He quickly came to realise that Ellen's parents were unaware of what had happened the previous night. They were probably worried, sick with fright, as to what happened with their daughter; their daughter whom was now missing from the family household. Deciding it best to scout the home before letting Ellen return and to determine the state of it, he refreshed himself in the side bathroom and prepared himself for the departure. Giving the girl a parting glance, he left through the door and alerted the young Guardian assigned to her that he will be away for a short stint of time. The young man nodded and wished him good luck on his travels.

Arriving in the main foyer, he closed his eyes and painted the destination in his mind. The white painted, double-storey home with flower beds framing the sweeping, gravel driveway. Having this planted firmly in his imagination, he took a purposeful step in front of him and felt himself suddenly weightless. Within a split second, his feet landed on the hard earth underneath him and he opened his eyes to the home from his visualisation towering over him. Hans concentrated, trying to detect any unusual movement or sounds coming from within the walls. Nothing.

He took long, sweeping strides to the doorway and let himself into the immaculately kept entrance hallway. It was as silent as a crypt; no noise, no footsteps or anything apart from the giant grandfather clock the family owned that was ticking away. He found this awkward. If someone's child had suddenly disappeared at the dead of night without your knowledge and disappeared the following morning, surely you'd call the police.

Right?

He craned his head around the doorway that led to the kitchen. Empty. The stainless steel appliances glimmered in the lunchtime sunshine that shone through the windows. It looked like it hadn't had breakfast cooked in it. The dish drying rack was empty, the tea towels hanging neatly from the handle of the oven. A lump got caught in his throat as his alertness began to rise. He fled the entrance hall and leaped up the stairway, two stairs at a time. His heart was heavy, and his blood pumping fast. He was familiar which was Ellen's bedroom and headed in the opposite direction, breaking into a run. The door was ajar to what he suspect was her parents' bedroom. Pushing it open with the lightest push from the tip of his fingers, his gut instincts were confirmed although he wished they were wrong.

He lost control of his body and fell to his knees in a ragdoll-like heap. It was yet another blow to him. Lucien had struck once again, beating the once-great Hans Grey and turning Ellen into an orphan. He robbed her of the mere couple of years of innocent childhood she had left with her parents before turning eighteen. Hans already knew that Lucien had undertaken this deed himself, his traditional hallmarks all present. The mess of the execution and the appearance of struggling. Both of their bodies lay side by side and were barely distinguishable.

Hans stared onwards at the scene, feeling hollow, something small and white catching his eye. A folded piece of paper stood on a nightstand, appearing like it was purposefully placed there. He picked it up and opened it, only being met by a few words written in a flowy, cursive font: You can't protect everyone. He scrunched it up in his palm, the piece of paper now just a small, jagged ball. The note - those few words - seemed to act like a warning to Hans; an unspoken warning telling him to watch his steps. Those that knew Lucien were very familiar that he was a ruthless killer and wasn't an aficionado for taking prisoners.

With nothing else to keep him there and unknowing if he was being watched, Hans rushed out of the bedroom and down the staircase into the entrance hallway. He surged through the front door without a second glance and erupted onto the veranda of the large house. In a blink of an eye, he was gone.

- - -

"This has escalated much further than we initially forecasted."

A murmur of voices broke out and quickly died down, silence filled with anticipation descending on the room. There was a ruffle, scraping sound as uncomfortable bodies were being shifted in chairs. The entire Grand Committee, a coalition of twenty prominent Tempusmancers, had scrambled to meet within the large boardroom on the learning of Hans' findings. The room itself was expansive, lit only by candles. A large, antiquated table lined the middle of the room, surrounded by a number of equally as old chairs. Timeless gold treasures decorated the middle of the table, and commissioned portraits of influential leaders hung from the walls. At times, one almost felt as if these portraits stared at them, taking in their every move. This room was now filled with what was regarded as the most important and influential people of their time.

Hans was seated directly to the left of Claudia whom was at the head of the long table and next to him was the Guardian that was put in charge to look after Ellen. Both of them looked composed however the others were in various states of anger, shock and to some extent, panic. Claudia rapped her knuckles on the table, commanding attention from those around her that had started worrying with the people they sat next to.

"May I remind you," she said, threateningly and in the stern voice that a mother uses with their young, "that what Master Hans Grey has seen isn't necessarily the declaration of attack on our kind. They are after Miss Ellen who, may I add, we knew possessed incredible attributes which would be beneficial to us."

Further murmur arose in the room, quenched when another had started speaking, this time an elderly man. He was clearly one of the ones in the room that was wrought with panic.

"We weren't aware that converting her would be so dangerous! If we persist with protecting this girl, what would that spell for our respective clans? Why should we put our clans in danger for this girl?" There was a thunderous applause as those that agreed with him showed their support.

"I say Claudia, that this be put to a vote! She either remains protected at the risk of sacrificing members of our clans in wars or she be released and left to fight for her oneself! That way, we are in no danger. They are not after us after-all!" More applause followed. The man had a smile on his face, a smug one at that.

"This is not a vote that will happen under my steering, Master. Ellen is important to us, and we ­- yes, WE - as a collective will keep her safe. And I strongly urge you reconsider your allegiances for even suggesting we put one of own on the streets and forget about them. I expect more from you. Another utter like that, and your clan may find themselves needing a new leading Master," Claudia shot icily in the direction of the previous speaker. "Maybe you would be better aligned to Lucien's agenda, rather than our own?"

The effect the last question had on the room was close to earthshattering. Many of those on the committee gasped, a few had shrieked, and the belittled Master had spat in Claudia's direction. Han's had felt himself flinch and he noticed the Guardians hands turn white in his lap as he squeezed his own hands so tightly it was preventing blood circulation. A glass broke in the person that sat directly opposite him, the shards spraying across the table top.

"How dare you accuse me of such nonsense!" wailed the accused, who was on his feet now, finger pointing threateningly at Claudia's chest. His face was violently crimson; his eyes wide open.

"Sit down before you embarrass and make an idiot out of yourself in front of everyone." Her voice was calm, commanding. This was just part of the reason why she was admired by many.

Without being able to illicit the response he wanted, the man sat down and sunk deep into his chair, shrinking away from the others around him that were now suppressing giggles at how easily he was diffused.

"Shut up," he snarled to those that were within earshot.

"Master Hans Grey." Claudia turned to face him, her tone gentle and diplomatic. "Doctor Casey advised me that Ellen has been administered the incantation and has been fully converted and awakened, I understand. Is this correct?"

"Yes. This is correct." Hans bowed his head a sign of respect. Smiling, Claudia pressed onwards.

"As the administering Master, would you be willing to accept her into your clan, to tutor and to nurture her? To protect her to the best of your ability, knowing that we will be of aid if we are so required?" Her eyes darted to the man, squinted, and then back at Hans. "I believe this would be right up your alley."

"It would be an absolute honour."

"Guardian Roland, are you able to keep assisting?"

The Guardian next to Hans nodded curtly. "Of course, with pleasure."

The Grand Master clapped her hands together, joyfully. "Well, that's settled. I need to reiterate that if any of you see anything that constitutes an act of attack on your clans, that you advise me immediately so that action can be carried out promptly. Without a doubt, your people have heard rumours," another glance in the man's direction, "of what has happened. Remember to promote unity, calmness and cohesiveness to the greatest extent you can whilst being alert. We are all the same. Anyone leading their clans back in their respective locations otherwise will be dealt with according to protocol, as will those that act as double agents if we come under siege."

There was commotion in the room as Claudia was first to exit, followed by the rest in single file. Whilst all of them were happy with the outcome of the meeting, only one of them felt the need to vent outside of the boardroom walls: the Master that had ruefully suggested that they put Ellen on the street. His face was a lighter shade of crimson now - a light red - but his voice was still filled with bitterness and contempt. He was a short man in comparison to Hans, and he was well-rounded in the middle. A sausage-like arm was now outstretched to the side, supporting him against a wall. He was in an intense conversation with a female Master however, her face portrayed that she would rather be elsewhere and she made no effort at structuring conversational sentences.

"I don't see why everyone else has to be put at risk just because of one girl. Quite frankly, my clan will be outraged once I return. We don't stand for this sort of tosh! And the way she was drivelling, you'd think that this was the Hans Grey show! Scum couldn't even take top honours without derailing everything," he screeched, his hands flailing everywhere. As Hans walked past him, he had to dodge one of the man's escaped arms. They locked eye contact for a brief moment in passing; Hans sweeping away, his long robe bellowing behind him, and Rolland at his heels. The woman caught by the man's tirade gave him a small wave which he returned.

- - -

Over the months that had ensued, Hans started teaching and mentoring a fully-strengthened Ellen, much the same as his Master had once taught him as a child. But prior to being able to do this, he had had to have the inevitable, heart-wrenching discussion with Ellen about her parents. It had resulted in a very tearful evening and Hans stayed by her until dawn, both as a teacher and as a new-found friend; their shared experience consolidating a very special, unspoken bond. Darkness shadowed them both, like an old friend, but the darkness also gave her strength to push on. The following morning, Ellen had come to terms with the path her life and submitted herself to Hans' instruction.

Without haste, he began to teach her the charters and protocols they were bound by. This was followed by elementary time and fate control which started on a very basic level. When Hans was content that she could control her own powers without his constant vigilance, he escorted her to countless cafes and bars in various cities for what he liked to termed fun. Both of them took turns manipulating each patrons drink order and, at one point, Ellen influenced a squirm-ish young boy to buy a drink for the lady that he had been checking out from the corners of his eyes. Amused by her manipulations and fascinated at her ability to rapidly master the skill, Hans took her back to the manor and intensified his lessons.

As she progressed through his teachings and became more powerfully able, her variety of skills in her repertoire began to grow. Ellen was able to diffuse large, hostile situations; achieve acute hearing to the point she could hear blood flowing in peoples veins, and able to disguise her own appearance. She was reaching the stage that Claudia had started amassing interest in her, sitting in on several of Hans' lessons when she had the free time. In their initial meeting, Ellen had the impression that she was a formidable, strict woman and so she was. But she was also genuine and intelligent beyond comprehension.

During a particular wet morning, Ellen was already waiting in the practising room when Hans had entered and was followed closely by Claudia. She wasn't wearing her usual garments but rather donned a padded, high necked jacket, long legged tights and trainers.

"Claudia's taking you this morning," Hans informed Ellen with boredom, pulling a chair and sitting down. Ellen snapped her head to both of them, her mouth hanging wide open like a flytrap.

"What?" she gasped, shocked. She quickly apologised but saw that Claudia wasn't fazed by her reaction and was busy pushing tables and chairs against the wall. When she finished stacking the last chair, she turned to face them, obviously ready to start.

"I'm impressed by your ability to grasp our skills. I want to really put you to the test and let you attempt at things that are a bit more advanced," she said to Ellen, her eyes gleaming. "Some of the advanced things that even aged Tempusmancers have trouble doing."

"Oh?" Ellen's interest prickled up, like a dogs ears stand straight when listening to sound.

"Three things," she held up three gloved fingers. "Vanishing."

One finger was folded.

"Reading memories."

Another finger.

"Combat."

The last finger fell down like a toy soldier.

The tall woman stood over Ellen, almost threateningly. "Vanishing can have great consequences if done recklessly. Isn't that right Hans?" she shot at the man, who had busied himself reading a newspaper.

"Grapevine says that you have had a few... isolated incidents yourself," he chuckled to himself, poking his tongue out like a child so only Ellen saw. Claudia rolled her eyes, lost for words. The two of them bantered on for a few sentences more, leaving Ellen with the feeling that she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what Hans had spliced during his training.

"Now, Ellen. I want you to close your eyes and concentrate hard, the hardest you have ever done, on the other side of the room. Imagine it, imagine how it looks, how it smells even. In your mind, put yourself into that space." Ellen closed her eyes, trying with all her might to visualise the space. The panelled walls, the red carpeted floor, the smell of wood.

"Is it burned into your mind?" Claudia asked, her voice coming from somewhere behind her. Ellen nodded. "Good, good; let that flow through you for a second longer. Now, I want you to continue imagining that room and take a rushed step in front of you. As if you are preparing to take part in a sprinting competition. You're running for your life." Ellen did what was told, taking a brief moment to paint that room into her mind, and then took the step. For a moment she felt weightless, her feet leaving the floor. The following moment, only one of her feet had hit ground again and she opened her eyes. Yes, she was on the other side where she was supposed to be. But one of her legs wasn't. She looked down at her body in horror, one foot staring back at her.

Claudia's eyes furrowed a finger was on her lips. "We'll have to fix that."

By the end of that session, Ellen was able to vanish successfully without splicing her body though, vanishing with a companion was significantly harder and would come later. She had also witnessed a small number of memories from Claudia's Grand Master ceremony. Although they had attempted light combat - forcing Claudia to become paralysed - Ellen was unsuccessful, but was, nevertheless, congratulated on her solid efforts and achievements for the day. The trio were due to the servery for lunch but as they were leaving, Claudia requested Ellen to meet them there as she wanted a quick word with Hans in private.

Happily obliging, Ellen left the room, making her way down the hallway. As she was about to turn a corner, she heard a soft sobbing - begging - in one of the rooms; the sound floating from underneath the doorway.

"...please, no. Now is not the time...but Sire. You don't understand..." It was a man's voice, and it was petrified. It was also unlike anything that she had heard before nor recognised; alien-like, high-pitched wrought with fear, and weak. Feeling as if it was not her conversation to overhear, she pushed it to the back of her thoughts and went on her way without a second thought.