Written & Created By: Eddie Yagami

*Readers Discretion Is Advised*

Mac leaned against the edge of his desk, eyes glued to the cryptic message still glowing on his phone screen.

"You're not safe."

The words rattled in his mind, stirring both anxiety and curiosity. Alpha's voice buzzed quietly, almost amused.

"Well, that's not ominous at all, huh?"

Mac let out a frustrated sigh, shoving the phone into his pocket. "I don't have the patience to deal with this now," he muttered. His instincts told him not to dismiss the message, but the more he tried to figure out who sent it, the more questions surfaced.

"Who do you think it is?" Mac asked internally.

"Could be The Order... or just someone with terrible texting etiquette," Alpha quipped. Mac knew that Alpha was just joking, The Order already knowing who he is can't be true because they haven't shown any signs that they've found out about Alpha since the event.

The final bell of the school day rang, and as he made his way toward the exit, Stephanie Connors intercepted him. She stood in front of the student council room, her arms crossed, eyes narrowed.

"You're avoiding me again, Chandler," she said, leaning back against the door with a calm, unyielding expression. "We need to talk."

Mac braced himself. "Can this wait? I've got a lot going on right now."

Stephanie stepped forward, her gaze locking onto his. "No, it can't. You asked me to give you a day, and I did just that. Now, it's time that you told me everything."

"Sharp as ever," Alpha mused. "She could've been a detective."

Mac tried to shake off the snide remark. "Look, Steph, it's not what you think. I just—"

"Stop it," she interrupted, stepping closer. Her voice softened, but there was no mistaking the frustration in her eyes. "I care about you, but you're shutting me out. What are you so afraid of?"

Mac let out a heavy sigh, but struggled to meet her gaze. "It's not you, okay? It's just... complicated." Stephanie's brow furrowed. "What does that even mean?" He hesitated. "It means... if I tell you everything, I can't take it back. And I don't want to put you in danger because of me."

She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the student council room to talk more in private, her voice gentler now. "I don't need you to protect me from whatever you're dealing with. I want to be with you, no matter what it is that you're dealing with, because I want to help."

Mac sighed heavily, weighing his options. He knew Alpha wouldn't approve, but Stephanie wasn't someone to back down easily. "Just remember Chandler," Alpha began to say. "I trust your decision on what you're about to do, so don't flood her with all the information at once. Go slowly and hopefully she'll believe every word that you say, although something tells me that is not the thing you have to worry about."

"Come and sit with me," Mac guided her to the couch inside the student council room, they sat down.

"What I'm about to tell you may sound impossible and absurd, but I need you to trust me." Mac's voice was steady, but Stephanie could hear the tension underneath. He hesitated for just a moment, then began explaining everything: Alpha, The Order, The Darkness, the pillar of light, and his parents' secret involvement.

As Mac spoke, Stephanie's mind raced. Each new revelation felt like another layer being peeled away, exposing a reality she never imagined could exist. Magic? Secret organizations trying to destroy the world? And Mac, her Mac, caught in the center of it all?

"Is he messing with me?" she wondered for a fleeting second. But one look at his face—so serious, so weighed down—dispelled any doubts. This wasn't a joke.

Her hands felt clammy, and she clenched them in her lap, trying to ground herself. "How does someone even react to this?"

"This is... a lot," she murmured.

"I know," Mac said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I didn't want to dump all of this on you without being ready myself."

Stephanie exhaled slowly, leaning back into the couch. "So, you're saying... you're some kind of 'chosen one'?"

Mac gave a sheepish shrug. "Something like that."

"And you've got magical powers. And there are people—evil people—out there trying to kill you?"

Mac nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Stephanie stared at him, her thoughts swirling. Her voice came out softer than she expected, "But, why you, Chandler?"

Stephanie crossed her legs and put her hand to her chin and began to comprehend everything that she just learned. Mac sat there looking at her, wondering what she was thinking, "I hope that I didn't overload her brain," he thought sarcastically.

Then, Stephanie let out a sigh, "I'm not going to lie, if any normal person heard everything you just said, they'd call you crazy. Lucky for you, I'm not a normal person."

Mac chuckled a bit, "Glad to hear that my girlfriend is not a normal person." Mac waited a moment for Stephanie to comprehend what he just said, she didn't react right away, but once she did, "Wait, what did you just say?"

Stephanie had lost her train of thought after hearing what Mac said. "You heard me," as Mac continued to tease her, "But, what do you think about everything that I told you?"

Stephanie gathered her thoughts, "Uh, yeah... so, let me make sure I got this right. Magic is real, there are these 'evil' groups, The Order and The Darkness, who want to harm the world as it is, then there's this Alpha, who is the source of your power, and you're the one destined to save the world. Did I get everything?"

Mac shook his head in agreement, "That's the gist of it." Stephanie was still a bit confused about something and Mac noticed her expression, "Why are you the one to save the world from The Order and The Darkness?"

Mac explained a bit further, "So, you remember awhile back when that pillar of light was all over the news?", Stephanie nodded her head. "That pillar of light was me,", Stephanie paused and thought for a moment, then she pieced it together, "So, you weren't out sick for 3 weeks. It was because like you said, Alpha had awakened to save you from death," Mac nodded his head.

"Yep, and I was in a coma for about half of it while my parents' watched over me, although thanks to Alpha, he kept my body active while my mind recovered. And the other half I spent training with my sensei on the basics of controlling Alpha's power," Stephanie was both worried and relieved.

"Well, it's moments like that that I'm glad your parents' are both doctors," Mac wasn't surprised that she knew about that, since his parents' lives are mostly public knowledge.

"So, because of Alpha's awakening basically being announced to the world, now The Order and The Darkness are after him which by proxy, me too," said Mac.

Stephanie was amazed, but completely understood why Mac hesitated to tell her anything, "So, have you had anymore encounters with The Order or The Darkness since then?", she asked as she became curious about this mystical world she's now involved in.

"Not since that day, but it's only a matter of time until they do something. Although, I did receive this very weird, cryptic message yesterday," Mac responded as he showed Stephanie the text message, she agreed with him, it was very weird and cryptic.

After everything was said and done, Stephanie was glad to finally be involved in Mac's life, no matter how dangerous it would become, mainly because she still had a secret of her own.

Stephanie then stood up, casually walked over to Mac and sat on his lap. Mac was taken by surprise, "Thank you for letting me in and I promise that you don't have to worry about me, I can take care of myself," said Stephanie.

Mac smiled. She put her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes, noticing a hint of gold in them, "So, what's this about being your girlfriend?"

Mac chuckled nervously, "See, I knew you heard me," Stephanie couldn't hold back her excitement and just kissed him. After about a minute, she finally detached herself from Mac's lips, Mac was dazed, but happy, "Let's announce it to the whole school now!", she teased, knowing all too well how much Mac hated being in the spotlight.

Mac snapped out of his daze, "Absolutely not! That's the last thing I need right now," but Mac noticed how much Stephanie was laughing. "Oh, you think you're funny?!", she quickly replied, "Bitch, I'm hilarious!"

Mac just simply face palmed at her comment, "What did I get myself into?" Alpha couldn't help but laugh as well.

Shortly thereafter, Mac & Stephanie walked outside together, she was holding his hand, thankfully no one was around to see them, except for a certain comic relief. "Hey, Chandler... Connors, what are y'all still doing here?"

They both stopped walking and turned around, it was JR who was behind them, "Hey, James... I could ask you the same thing," JR noticed how they were holding hands and got curious.

"So, y'all are finally a thing, huh?", Mac let out a sigh, "Where's Lucille?", Mac asked. "Oh, don't worry, she's already gone home. I stayed behind waiting on you, but you never came out after school was out," said JR.

"Yeah, that's my fault. I kind of dragged him into spilling all of his secrets," JR looked at Mac with a wide-eyed expression, "Chandler... what is she talking about?", JR asked, slightly irritated.

"Hey, I thought really long and hard about this, and I talked with Mr. Lou and my parents," JR slowly placed his hand on his face.

"I trust Steph and if I'm wrong, then it'll be on me," Stephanie looked at him, she liked how serious he was becoming. "Steph, huh?" JR said, then he just started laughing hard, Mac was confused.

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"Why are you so serious all of a sudden? I'm just messing with you. Besides, I had a feeling you would end up telling her and getting together," said JR. Mac just responded with a blank, annoyed stare.

Before they could continue their fun conversation, Alpha started to sense some danger.

The temperature seemed to drop around them, Mac, Stephanie and JR all noticed this and started to look around the area, "What the fuck is going on?", JR asked nervously. "Your guess is as good as mine. Alpha, any ideas?" Mac asked as he started to become defensive.

Mac started to sense the same thing that Alpha noticed at first and took a fighting stance. "I can't be too sure, but this might be the work of The Darkness." Alpha said, concerned with how they found him, but it was bound to happen.

As they walked through the courtyard, Mac noticed something—or someone—out of the corner of his eye. A dark shape moved just beyond the reach of the light, then it slipped away in between two school buildings.

As Mac and the others turned the corner into the narrow alley, the temperature plummeted, the air thickening with a strange stillness. Shadows clung to the walls, writhing like smoke, and the faint sound of whispers filled the air—just beyond the edge of hearing.

Then, without warning, everything stopped. The sound of distant chatter, the hum of the streetlamps—gone. Time itself seemed to have been frozen. Stephanie and JR stood behind him, perfectly still, frozen mid-step like statues.

"This isn't normal." Mac's breath fogged in the icy air as he scanned the alley, heart pounding in his chest.

"Chandler McCullen..."

The voice drifted out of the shadows, smooth and deliberate. A cloaked figure emerged, its body swathed in a darkness that seemed to pulse, alive. The shadows twisted unnaturally around it, distorting the air as if reality itself bent in their presence.

"The light in you burns too brightly," the figure whispered, voice low and hypnotic. "And The Order knows. Soon, they will come for you."

A chill ran down Mac's spine. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The figure's smile flickered beneath the hood—barely there, and yet unmistakably cold. "Ask Alpha. He should recognize my voice."

Inside Mac's mind, Alpha's presence flickered with shock. "No... It can't be."

"Even the brightest light casts shadows," the figure murmured. "Trust only those closest to you. Shadows wait where you least expect them."

Before Mac could respond, the figure dissolved into mist, leaving the air heavy with a lingering chill.

"That's... impossible," Alpha muttered dryly. "I thought he was dead this whole time," Mac was wondering who Alpha was talking about, but before he could ask, time had resumed and JR and Stephanie were looking around, very confused.

Mac cracked a big smile and chuckled, "Welcome back!"

"Huh? What happened? Weren't we just following a shadow figure that you saw?", asked JR.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what to make of it. It seemed friendly, but was very cryptic as well, although Alpha might know more," Mac waited for a moment to see if Alpha would say something, "So, care to share who that shadowy figure was?" Mac asked mentally, but he sensed that Alpha was still in disbelief and deep in thought.

Mac shrugged his shoulders at Stephanie and JR, "This is odd, I've never seen Alpha this quiet before. It's like he saw a ghost, literally and figuratively."

Then Alpha finally spoke up, "Chandler, we need to go see Luis as soon as possible. I have to get to the bottom of this," Mac nodded his head, "Alright... this must have you worried if you need to talk to Mr. Lou."

Alpha disagreed, "I'm not worried, because if it is who I think it is, then it'll be more of a benefit to us. I'm just wondering why he waited until now to show himself to us."

Mac turned towards Stephanie and JR, "Looks like we're going to go see Mr. Lou, Alpha needs to talk to him for a bit. Y'all are more than welcome to tag along."

Stephanie, who's still new to all of this, just looks at Mac with a confused look, "What's up Steph? Still don't believe everything that you're seeing?", said Mac, she shook her head.

"No, I believe it. It's just going to take some getting used to," Mac nodded in agreement, "But, I definitely want to go meet this 'Mr. Lou' that you mentioned. You said that he was your teacher?" Mac smiled and nodded, "Yep. Well, more like a sensei, but same concept. He's been training me for the last five years in martial arts and more recently in magic as well." Stephanie was curious, "Magic, huh? What can you show me?"

But, before Mac could show her, the air around them thickened once again—this time with malice. A flicker of motion caught his eye as shadow-like creatures emerged from the darkness, their rocky forms rippling and shifting as they closed in on him. He recognized them very quickly, they were Creatures of The Darkness... and there were many of them.

Before Mac could summon any defense, a blur of motion shot past him. Danielle Nguyen lunged into the fray, delivering a bone-crunching kick to the nearest creature.

She moved like a whirlwind—calm, precise, and utterly relentless. Within moments, the creatures were either crushed or scattering into the shadows.

Mac didn't even get a chance to defend himself or to try and show off his skills to Stephanie. He was a bit disappointed, but stared in disbelief. "Where the hell did that come from?", he asked very vigorously. Mac felt slightly overshadowed by Danielle as she grinned, adjusting her stance.

Danielle grinned, "What, you thought I was just a babysitter?" Mac gave Danielle a blank annoyed stare, "You didn't exactly lead with the fact that you knew martial arts," Mac exclaimed, but was still glad to learn that about her.

Danielle shrugged and said, "I like to keep things interesting." Then Alpha chimed in, "I think I'm starting to like her."

Once the creatures had fled the area in fear for their lives, the air cleared up and everything was back to normal, but Mac was curious about something.

"Danielle, I get that you're skilled in martial arts, but how were you able to defeat them without ma---," before Mac could finish, Danielle lunged at him and covered his mouth with her hand. "Careful, there's a civilian here. You can't just blurt out the 'M' word like it's nothing."

Mac looked at her as she pointed at Stephanie, then he chuckled. Mac took Danielle's hand off of his mouth, "Relax Danielle, that's Stephanie. She's my girlfriend and I already told her everything," Danielle looked at Mac and blinked a couple of times, then a mischievous grin formed on her face.

Mac saw that grin and became instantly concerned, "Oh no, you better keep your quirky, unwanted comments to yourself," Danielle shrugged her shoulders. "Oh, don't worry, I'll leave them for later once we're back home," Mac sighed heavily after what Danielle said, "Fuck."

Stephanie arched an eyebrow, glancing between Mac and Danielle. "Chandler... who is she exactly?" Her voice was light, but Mac could hear the subtle edge beneath it—a quiet note of displeasure.

"Oh boy," Alpha muttered in Mac's mind. "Here we go..."

"This," Mac said with a sigh, "is Danielle Nguyen. My... uh, personal bodyguard. Courtesy of my parents."

Danielle gave a lazy wave. "Nice to meet you. I'll try not to cramp your style, lovebirds."

Stephanie's eyes narrowed slightly. "Bodyguard, huh? And you're... living with him?"

"Temporarily," Danielle answered with a grin. "Don't worry, I promise to stay out of way during your 'alone time'. Well... most of the time."

Mac groaned, sensing the storm brewing between them.

Stephanie crossed her arms, her smile tight. "I see. Well, as long as you know your place."

Danielle smirked, clearly enjoying the exchange. "Relax. I'm not here to steal your boyfriend, princess."

"Good," Stephanie replied sweetly. "Because I don't share."

JR coughed awkwardly into his hand, glancing between them. "Well... this is going to be fun."

She walked over to Mac, "Can we talk privately?", Stephanie asked with some concern in her voice, Mac nodded. They stepped away for a moment as Danielle and JR just watched from a distance.

"Ok, what's up?" Mac began the conversation with Stephanie, "Give it to me straight, is Danielle going to be an issue whenever we're hanging out or going out on dates?"

Mac, not fazed by the mention of going on dates replied, "No, we already set rules and boundaries when it comes to her duties. She knows that I can defend myself, so she'll keep her distance and only show herself whenever I'm in need of help."

Mac continued, "Furthermore, she's only allowed to show herself without permission if either The Order or The Darkness show themselves and my life is in danger."

Stephanie just nodded in silence. "Plus, Alpha will also be there to look out for me, so she's really just there because my folks are a little too overprotective," said Mac.

Stephanie put her hand up, "Alright, I get it, but now let's talk about Alpha. Can I talk to him?" Mac was a bit concerned, "Well?", Mac asked Alpha, but Alpha was a bit hesitant.

"I don't know, I have a lot on my mind right now and I need to clear things up with Luis first. Tell her that I'm sorry, but maybe another time," said Alpha.

Mac sighed, "Sorry, Steph... but he's not ready yet." Stephanie nodded, saddened that she'll have to wait a bit longer to meet Mac's other half.

Meanwhile, while Mac and Stephanie were having their conversation, Danielle took the opportunity to introduce herself to JR, "So, James is it? As Chandler mentioned, I'm Danielle, but it seems you've already heard about me." Danielle stuck out her hand, JR reciprocated as they shook hands. "Mark has told me a lot about you," JR smiled, "All good things, I hope?"

Danielle smiled and tilted her head, "He said that you can be stubborn sometimes," JR stopped shaking her hand and was visibly annoyed as a vein forms on his forehead.

"Did he now, well it seems like I need to have a word with my father whenever I get home," said JR. Elsewhere, Mark is going through some paperwork at work when he suddenly sneezes, "I hope I'm not catching a cold."

Later that evening, Danielle had returned to Mac's apartment and Mac walked JR back to his house and much to his surprise, Mac learned that Stephanie's house was on the way to Mr. Lou's studio.

As much as she wanted to tag along with Mac, Stephanie knew that what he had to discuss with Mr. Lou was private, so after Mac walked Stephanie home, he went straight to the studio.

As Mac arrived and walked inside, Mr. Lou was finishing up his last class of the day and noticed Mac by the door. Mac gestured to Mr. Lou that he needed to talk with him and will be waiting for him in his office, Mr. Lou understood and Mac walked up to his office and sat down in a chair.

As Mac waited on Mr. Lou to finish his class, Alpha chimed in to make a request, "Chandler, may I please take over when Luis arrives so that I can talk to him?" Mac didn't see any issue with it, but he had a request himself, "Can I listen in or is this something that's truly private?"

Alpha thought for a moment, will telling Mac about someone from his and Mr. Lou's past be a wise thing to do. But, before Alpha could give a response, Mr. Lou walked in, "Hello Chandler, Alpha... how are the two of you doing?"

"We're doing alright Mr. Lou, but we're not here for a friendly visit," Mr. Lou became intrigued, "Oh? Did something happen?" Mac simply nodded his head, "You could say that, but I'm going to let Alpha do all the talking. He's the one that insisted in coming to talk with you about something important," Mr. Lou showed some concern, but reluctantly agreed.

As Mac sat in the chair, he closed his eyes and focused on Alpha's aura and within seconds, Mac and Alpha had swapped places, Mr. Lou was impressed at how much better Mac has gotten at switching places with Alpha.

"Alpha? Are you there?", Mr. Lou asked, Alpha opened his eyes and looked at Mr. Lou who noticed the golden color hue in his eyes, for those who know, this is what distinguishes who's in control.

"Hello, Luis... how have you been?", Alpha asked as Mr. Lou began to speak, "I'm alright, just living life day by day. Something tells me that we're about to discuss something from our past, right?" said Mr. Lou with a serious expression on his face.

Alpha simply nodded, so Mr. Lou placed his hand on Alpha's shoulder and looked into his eyes, "I know that you can hear me Chandler, so I'm sorry to have to do this, but you're not ready to learn about our past just yet," Mr. Lou said with an apologetic tone.

Mentally, Mac wondered why Mr. Lou was still being so secretive about his past, but the next thing he heard was Mr. Lou say, "Somnum!" and just like that, Mac's consciousness fell into a deep slumber. "Was that really necessary Luis? You're going to have to open up to him sooner rather than later." Said Alpha with some disappointment in his voice.

Mr. Lou's expression darkened, the usual warmth in his eyes replaced by something harder. "Chandler isn't ready for the whole truth yet," he said quietly. "We agreed—his parents and I—that the past stays buried until the right time."

Alpha bristled. "He deserves to know. You can't keep him in the dark forever, Luis."

"I'm not keeping him in the dark," Mr. Lou replied, his voice sharp. "I'm protecting him. There are things about Mt. Everest—things about us—that Chandler isn't ready to understand."

Alpha's golden eyes narrowed. "You mean he isn't ready... or you aren't ready to tell him?"

Mr. Lou's jaw tightened, but he didn't respond. For a moment, the silence between them was heavy with unspoken truths.

Then Alpha remembered the other night at Santera Medical, "Well, if it's any constellation, he already knows a little bit about Mt. Everest," Mr. Lou was stunned by Alpha's comment, "What do you mean Alpha?", Mr. Lou asked.

Alpha explained to Mr. Lou what took place yesterday evening at Santera Medical and let's just say that Mr. Lou wasn't too happy about it. "Cazzo! Why didn't Crispin warn me that Chandler found out about Mt. Everest?!" Mr. Lou exclaimed, Alpha tried to calm him down and remind him about what he told Mac prior to his visit to Santera Medical.

Mr. Lou felt a bit guilty as he had forgotten that he told Mac to look into Santera Medical's secrets, "So, Chandler has only seen a photo of myself and his parents from back then and he knows The Alchemist by that name only," Mr. Lou said as he paced around the office.

"Which brings us to why I'm here today because I need to ask... How sure are you that Bartolo is dead?", Alpha asked. That caught Mr. Lou off guard, made him stop pacing and looked at Alpha. "Why are you asking about him all of the sudden?", Mr. Lou asked with a wide-eyed look on his face, then Alpha dropped the biggest bomb on Mr. Lou...

"Because... I think he's still alive!"

To Be Continued….