Night fell over Forks with the same gentle quiet it always did—slow, damp, wrapping the town in a mist that carried the scent of pine, salt, and wet earth. In the house-hotel, silence reigned, almost sacred. Draco and Hermione slept deeply after another exhausting day of training. Carrie lay in her bed, gazing out the window, watching raindrops slide down the glass like silent tears. In her room, Kate reread a book Celestia had recommended days earlier to better understand the magical world, a soft smile playing on her lips.
Nathael and Celestia sat together in the living room, beside the unlit fireplace. He mentally reviewed the day's events: the ambush, the battle, the alliance with the Quileute. She, curled up in his lap, groomed a paw with her usual elegance, though her sapphire-blue eyes remained alert, scanning the darkness beyond the windows.
Then it came.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Three soft but firm raps at the front door.
Nathael frowned. They weren't expecting visitors. Celestia sprang upright instantly, ears perked and tail rigid.
"Who could it be at this hour?" he murmured.
He rose and walked to the door. Opening it, he found a tall young man with a sturdy build, long black hair, and penetrating dark eyes. He wore a thick, rain-soaked jacket and bore a serious—but not hostile—expression.
"Sorry for the late hour," the young man said, his voice deep yet respectful. "My name is Jacob Black. I'm Billy Black's son."
Nathael nodded, recognizing the name immediately.
"Come in," he said, swinging the door wide. "Celestia, this is Jacob Black."
The cat approached with light, graceful steps and sat beside him, studying the young man with eyes that seemed to see beyond his flesh.
"Jacob Black," Celestia said clearly. "Son of the tribal chief. To what do we owe the honor?"
Jacob offered a shy smile.
"My father sent me. He wants you to come to La Push at dawn tomorrow. There's something he wishes to tell you."
Nathael and Celestia exchanged a glance. There was no threat in Jacob's words—only a formal invitation, heavy with significance.
"Tell your father we'll be there," Nathael said.
"Thank you," Jacob replied, then turned and vanished into the mist as if he'd never been there at all.
Nathael closed the door and turned to Celestia.
"Tomorrow will be an important day."
"It will," she said. "The elders have deliberated."
And with that, they sat again by the fireplace, each lost in their own thoughts.
At dawn, the sky hung low with clouds, and the rain had stopped, leaving behind crisp, clean air that seemed to purify the soul. Nathael and Celestia set out early, driving in silence along the road to La Push. The forest felt unusually still, as if even the trees sensed something momentous was about to unfold.
Upon arriving at the reservation, they were met with no hostility. The young men who had attacked them days before now watched them with respect—even something resembling admiration. Sam, the leader of the wolf pack, gave them a curt nod as they passed.
They reached Billy Black's house. He was already waiting outside in his wheelchair by the door, a steaming cup of tea in his hands.
"Come inside," he said without ceremony. "We've got a lot to discuss."
They took their seats in the same intricately carved wooden chairs as before. A few seconds of silence passed.
"The elders have deliberated," Billy finally said, his voice steady. "They've considered who you are, what you've done… and who it is you're seeking."
He paused, looking Nathael squarely in the eyes.
"Albus Dumbledore isn't just any name. If he sends someone after a soul-tracking artifact, it's not out of ambition—it's out of necessity. And a man like him rarely acts from selfish need."
Nathael nodded, saying nothing.
"Moreover," Billy continued, "yesterday you eliminated the vampires who've been plaguing our people for weeks. That didn't go unnoticed. You've shown you're not a threat—but allies."
Celestia dipped her head slightly in a modest gesture.
"So," Billy concluded, "they've decided they will give you the information you seek."
Nathael and Celestia exhaled in unison, though neither showed overt surprise. Both knew this outcome was likely, but hearing it confirmed felt different.
"Thank you," Nathael said sincerely. "We deeply appreciate your trust."
Billy nodded.
"Now," he said, "let's step outside for a moment."
Nathael stood immediately and gently pushed the wheelchair toward the door. They walked silently down the path to the beach. Before them stretched the ocean—vast, eternal—with waves breaking softly against the shore. The wind carried the scent of salt and freedom.
They stopped facing the sea. Billy took a deep breath, as if gathering strength for what came next.
"The name of that blond man," he finally said, "was Bjorn Andersen."
Nathael blinked, surprised. Celestia narrowed her eyes.
"Bjorn Andersen?" Nathael repeated.
Billy nodded.
"Yes. And he was a druid."
"But… druids are extinct," Nathael said almost involuntarily. "They were wiped out in the Great Purge five hundred years ago. None survived."
"That's true," Celestia added. "The Grauheim archives record their complete disappearance. There's been no trace of their bloodline since then."
Billy looked at them with a sad smile.
"There are always variables," he said. "Never take what books say as absolute truth—not until you confirm it yourselves."
He paused, gazing out at the horizon.
"Bjorn came to Forks thirty-five years ago. He was sixteen—wounded, not just in body, but in soul. My father took him in because he saw kindness in him… and pain. Great pain."
"The druids," Billy continued, "were powerful mages. Their bond with nature is unmatched by almost anyone—even you Grauheims, though superior in some ways, are slightly lesser in this regard."
Nathael nodded. It was true. Druids were considered the first mages to walk the earth with full awareness of their power.
"Unlike us, who can only shift into wolves," Billy went on, "druids can take the form of any animal. And the most advanced among them… even mythical creatures."
"Bjorn stayed here five years," he said. "He learned from my father, from the elders, from the land itself. He grew strong. Wise. But also… restless."
He paused longer this time.
"At twenty-one, he revealed his purpose to us. He was searching for his brother's soul. And for that, he possessed a specific artifact."
A chill ran down Nathael's spine.
"The soul-tracking artifact?"
"Yes," Billy said. "Around that time, Samuel Tze Wing came to La Push. He's traded our crafts with us for decades—he's a friend of the tribe. He saw Bjorn struggling with the artifact and helped him understand it."
"And what happened to Bjorn's brother?" Celestia asked, her voice soft but firm.
Billy sighed.
"Bjorn told us that, years before arriving here, he and his brother fought something… something terrible. His brother sacrificed himself so Bjorn could escape. His brother was so powerful that, though he lost his body, his soul survived—though wounded, fragmented."
"So Bjorn sought the artifact," Nathael said.
"Yes," Billy confirmed. "He found it in the Amazon. Then came to America—to us—to grow stronger. And when he used the artifact… it showed him traces of his brother's soul in China. First in Yunnan, then on Mount Kunlun."
Nathael and Celestia exchanged a look. Yunnan—the very place where Anneliese and Lysander had found the bracelets.
"He left a few days later," Billy finished. "We haven't seen him since."
The silence that followed was profound, broken only by waves crashing against rocks and wind rustling through the pines.
Then Billy added something more, his voice even lower—nearly a whisper.
"But there's one thing important. Something only my father and I know."
Nathael tensed.
"What is it?"
"What fought Bjorn's brother… wasn't of this world," Billy said. "In Bjorn's words, his brother didn't just save him—he saved our world from something far worse."
Without thinking, Nathael's gaze dropped to his right wrist.
There it was—the silver bracelet, partially sealed by the ancestral tree, one of the three found in the Chinese sanctuary in Yunnan.
And in that moment, he understood.
It was all far deeper than they'd imagined.
The bracelets weren't mere keys.
They were seals.
And something—something not of this world—lay on the other side.
Billy looked at him, as if sensing his thoughts.
"Be careful," he said. "What you're seeking isn't just an artifact. It's a warning."
Nathael nodded, jaw clenched.
"Thank you," he said. "For everything."
They returned to the house. Billy gave them leave to go, but just before they left, he stopped them one last time.
"If you find Bjorn… tell him La Push will always be his home."
Nathael smiled warmly.
"I will."
And with that, they got into the car and headed back to Forks.
No words passed between them on the drive home. But in their minds, the puzzle pieces were beginning to fall into place.
Williams. Guillermo. Anneliese. Lysander. The Chinese sanctuary. The bracelets. The soul-tracking artifact. Bjorn Andersen. His brother. Something not of this world.
And the message was clear:
The true danger wasn't in this world.
It was in the other.
And it was about to cross over.