Part 15:

Betty didn't bat an eye when she saw jay, her face was calm as ever betraying no emotion at all, tight smile formed on her lips.

"Jay, didn't know I would meet you here." She said in a sweet voice. "seems, we can't blame fate for having a twisted sense of humor."

Then walked slowly past coming to stop in front of them, there were a total of eight people in dark blue cloaks with half of their faces covered, leaving lower half open.

Jay was totally confused he didn't know what was going on, his mother died in car accident along with his brother at least that was what he believed, another person came out from the shadows of the pillars he wore a cloak but his face was uncovered jay was in for another shock it was his brother Otto.

Otto went and stood beside his mother, Betty pulled him closer by the shoulder, all this time ava and Irina stood quietly.

"I wish we could have met under different circumstances or not meet at all." Betty told jay flatly.

"We thought you were...dea...dead." Jay stammered adding in low voice. "both of you."

"That was the way i planned for it to go." Betty told him then gave out a sigh. "i wanted to leave silently."

"What do you mean leave?" He asked in a strained voice.

"They are berserkers." Irina told him, Jay looked quizzically at her.

"Berserks was one of the clans in Skyler nation whom later were exiled to outlands." Irina explained watching Betty intensively. "Their reputation precedes them, they are hell bent on fights and revenge, any dispute or disagreement to them is cleared by a fight, that's why were chased out of the nation. Having a clan like theirs under your rule is calling for trouble. Last time rumors had it they entered to war with themselves wiping each other out, don't know how your mom or whomever she is ended up here with her merry band."

"Looks like even our little traveler got a scope on us." A man closest to them spoke in amusement, he had a blade in his right hand and a tattoo across his cheek, his voice was hoarse and half of his face was under cloak cape. "There had been power struggle among our clans, we were the unlucky side it went badly for us. Before the last straw our chief gave us an easy out by throwing us here, that was twenty seven years ago but now things have changed."

"What makes you to think that? you have already been beaten before." Irina questioned looking back at Betty.

It was jay's turn to remain silent and let Irina do the talking, he already had enough information to process to make any sense, top of that his mother being a Skyler and undead jay didn't think he could handle much more.

"You are so dense. It's because of my son here, Otto." Betty said proudly, this statement made jay to look Otto, his mother was holding him closer to her as if it's her most precious gift, he felt a pang of jealously.

"What about us?" Jay demanded his voice sounding broken. "Give me at least an understandable explanation of why you had to come into our lives if you knew at the end you would just leave."

Betty looked back at him as if it was her first time seeing him, ava knew that look anywhere before she could tell jay to back off with the question to save him from more pain betty let out low humorless laughter.

"You want an explanation well here it is. After we were thrown out we had to find way back in. Physician in Skyler had already told me that I had certain traits in my DNA which would've made it possible for me to have a child with gifted capabilities, all I had to do was to find a perfect man to help me having the child, there is where Derek your father come along that was twenty years ago, he was young and active back then." She then paused and had a far way look in her eyes as if recalling the memory. "I knew right away he was the perfect choice, two years later we were married on our second year of marriage I had you. You were completely human nothing more, I had to wait for another child. Then came your brother Otto in the following year now him was no normal human, like your traveler there with capabilities, Otto here can control people. My time in marriage was over I had to leave your father my group were waiting for me, to save you the pain I decided to fake our death a little bribe here and there sleeping on mortuary bed pretending to be dead and my last wish of asking to be cremated so as to remove evidence was all I had to do. Now we have power to take back our position in the clan it would be swift no one would even notice what hit them with Otto by my side. That is the reason of why I did what I did."

Jay felt his legs weighting a tone, all of his body felt weak before he knew it, he was on his knees. So that's it? they were just a means to an end? a collateral damage in the act of his mother's revenge, this were the thoughts in his head.

Ava just watched jay on his knees, she couldn't blame him. For eight years you thought that your mother was dead then bam! It was a big lie, she was alive and kicking butts as if everything is fine.

"You are horrible." Ava said indifferently.

"You ain't the first one I heard it from." Betty replied flatly. "i had enough of catch up, why don't we get down to business?"

"What do you want?" Irina asked through clenched teeth, she had seen enough from her and wished to see no more of it, they were outnumbered and if Otto had abilities as she said the odds were off the charts against them. Bright smile formed on betty's lips.

"You are truly a business person, we want you to help us open the gate of course." She told her showing clearly it was obvious to miss.

"And take you back to the capital? ain't happening." Irina told her sternly.

"Gee Relax, we ain't going to the capital" She assured her, "we are going back to our homeland believe me we won't fall near your city even by a thousand yards."

"There is only onetime portal how do you expect not to land in capital." Irina reasoned.

"No, there is more than one portal but the one that function perfectly is in your capital, others eeeh...fifty fifty chance." She explained as she gestured with her hands, then went on. "On the bright side if we fail to cross by, we will end in another dimension possibly even die, so this deal generally isn't mutual you are the one benefiting the most."

Irina knew that was just sells talk, betty had waited for over twenty years on earth for her chance to go back home, she passed through the mansion and entered into the secret bunker without the help of any crystal blood family, she found for herself a weapon to go and take out her enemies and now to just fail to go back to Skyler due to some portal miscalculation, that surely wasn't in the picture and by the look in her eyes she knew that it was her turn being offered the last end of the straw.

Jay remembered all that happened after his mother and Otto's death, how his father succumbed to destruction. He remembered how he himself felt all that grieve and pain, how his father sought help from one group to another, how he became workaholic till he fell victim to alcohol, and all those for what? Just being used as a mat for a person whom didn't give a thought about him more than just a specimen to get a capable baby?

Jay felt anger boiling up inside him, he was not supposed to be on his knees, he was supposed to do anything but not feeling pity for himself and his father just for having a woman who didn't give a thought about them, he clenched his hand so tight till his knuckles turned white, that woman whom she used to call mother was the one supposed to be feeling sorry at that thought jay stood up on his feet.

Irina and ava were destructed when they saw jay standing up before they could guess what was gonna happen, jay started running toward her mother as he screamed. Irina knew that was a bad idea before her eyes she saw a man whom was holding a blade turning it on the end side, jay as he nearly passed him the man hit him hard with a blade handle on the side of his jaw. Jay was thrown back to the ground hard.

Jay was down before he knew what hit him, he tasted salty and steel taste on his mouth it was blood. He had been stupid enough to think those men were going to let him reach his mother without a fight, he wanted to stand up but the blow shook his head so hard that he lost sense of coordination. He saw ava running towards him and he saw Irina standing rigid looking at him with surprised face, yep that was dumb alright.

"Hey you okay." Ava asked as she touched the side of his head looking concerned.

"Yeah, I am fine." Jay grumbled.

"Be such a darling and open for us the gate." Betty told irina then waved her hand to jay, "and there won't be further casualties."

Irina knew that the only way to ensure her friends safety was by agreeing to Betty's agenda.

"Will you stay true to your word?" Irina questioned.

"Cross my heart." Betty answered as she made a sign of cross at her chest.

"You can't be serious." Ava told Irina, jay was still on the floor checking his jaw.

"It's the only way out or things will get really ugly." Irina explained to ava. "thanks for everything though."

Ava bit back so as to prevent any slipping of irrational comments, irina smiled at her to assure that everything would be fine. Irina started walking slowly towards the gate, she didn't trust Betty at all her hand was holding the sceptre tightly under the coat for protection that if anything funny rises. She eyed Betty and her men warily while she passed them.

"You'll have to leave the gem after you have crossed over." Betty told Irina when she neared the gate.

This made irina come to halt, she turned to look at betty.

"You never said anything about leaving the gem." She argued.

"Must have forgotten there is lot in my mind." Betty answered casually. "if you want to invite us over to capital leave with the gem and we would feel welcomed."

Irina knew just how much the gem was important it could help in crossing over dimensions, that is if you locate time tower and she doubted if tower location would be hard for berserks, so this was the catch all along jay and ava were just bargaining chips. She blamed herself for being too clouded that she didn't saw it before, to fight them would be hard since she was on the dead end and couldn't back up to the mansion.

"Don't think of any funny thoughts." Betty warned. "you have the sceptre to worry about."

Irina didn't know how Betty knew about the sceptre but she knew even if questioned her it would be futile. Her shoulders slumped in defeat they had nothing betty had soldiers down here, beside herself Jay and ava couldn't throw much rampage. Irina turned her back again towards the gate, she removed the stone from her pocket then placed it at the gap of the position where the spears in the carving met.

The wall started rumbling and few pieces of stones and sand dropped off the ceiling then the wall opened slowly outward from the middle as a gate, blue light from within the gate filled the room when the gate fully opened they saw that blue light was coming from the portal.

"Beautiful." Otto said in mesmerized voice.

No one seemed to have heard him, everyone was captivated by the portal even jay and ava. Irina turned to look at ava and jay she wished to have left them at better condition but now that was impossible, Ava gave her a nod.

"Guess this is goodbye then." Irina told them.

"Don't worry about us we'll be fine." Ava replied putting on a brave face.

Jay didn't say anything the pain and his mind were processing too much, that he didn't even note that irina was leaving.

Irina slowly walked toward the portal, this one was different from the first one she took. The wind didn't blow as the one in time tower, this was just swirling silently with its blue light and the light weren't blinding as the other one. When she reached in front of the portal she looked directly at Betty, message could be read clearly that she better hold her side of the bargain. Betty just shrugged her shoulders, then Irina went into the portal.