A Point of No Return.

David ran his hand along the cold stone wall, trying to focus on the senses.

"Are you sure we can come in here? I see the door, but I do not see a hint of a keyhole. How were you going to open it?" Daniel asked him after a thorough examination of the metal door, which looked more like a fake door, "Is it even real?"

"It is real," David replied, and felt something creak under his palm, "Great! Here it is!" The young man pressed the brick under his hand, the door vibrated and moved to the side.

"Damn me, I feel like Indiana Jones," Daniel exclaimed. "How did you know about it?"

"One person once showed me this secret passage," David went ahead and turned on the flashlight on the phone, "Watch your step. This passage, apparently, has not been used for a long time. So watch out. "

"Ugh, damn, there is so much spider webs... Can we better enter through the main gate? Can you imagine how surprised they will be?" Daniel suggested.

David looked at his older brother either with irony or sympathy, "I think you will be surprised more quickly when you are shot ahead of time."

"Um, no, this is not included in my plan," Daniel replied, shaking off the webs from his head and shoulders, "I always dreamed of wandering around the deserted dungeon of some ancient castle. Oh, romance..."

David waved his hand, signaling his brother to shut up. They stopped at the door leading to the main building. The young man opened the door and made sure that there was no one inside.

Daniel followed his younger brother through the long corridors, not losing the opportunity to look around. "Hmm, it's quite lovely here. Kinda eye-catching," he commented on the interior of the castle.

David cast a sidelong glance at him, "Can you behave a little more serious?"

"Oh, come on. Don't be such a stiff. It is enough that the situation is serious. Why complicate it with your attitude," Daniel spread his hands, imitating complete innocence. At that moment the door, in front of which he was standing, opened, and the unknown man stared at the elder Anderson with surprise.

Daniel looked back at him, and they both blinked several times before realizing what had happened. "Oh, hello, we're a bit lost here. Can you tell me where the exit is?" The young man gave the stranger his most charming smile.

Unfortunately, his spontaneity did not meet with a positive response from the guard. The man snatched the gun out of the boar and pointed it at Daniel, completely without noticing David standing next to him. "*Who are you and what are you doing here?*" the guard shouted in German and felt a strong punch from the side.

David, in a fraction of a second, defused the enemy and captured him, "Put him in a trance. Now!" he commanded his elder brother.

"What? He is German! Do you think he will understand me?! I don't speak German!" Daniel was taken aback by the unexpected request of his brother. He focused his eyes on the man's eyes, and the young man's deep and slow voice began to penetrate the head of the guard. A minute later, the latter stopped resisting and relaxed the body.

"Done?" David asked his brother. They were in an extremely delicate situation, and any delay could put the lives of the girls at risk.

"How should I know?! I have never worked with foreigners!"

"*What is your name?*" David asked the guard in German.

"*Hans*," the man immediately replied.

"*How many people are in the castle? A lot? Where are the others?*"

"*There are only six people in the castle, including me. And Herr Stein with two girls. They are all now in the inner garden, they are conducting the rite of awakening*," the man said without concealing anything.

"Wow, check out how cool I am. I do not understand what he says, but judging by the reaction, my hypnosis worked," Daniel was very pleased with the result.

David asked the guard a few more questions about what was going on in the castle and gave him a task that he had to complete as soon as they left the castle. After that, the guard obediently returned to his room and stayed there waiting for the appointed time.

Young people, having made sure that they would meet no one else in the castle, went towards the inner garden. They stopped opposite the exit from the west tower, and David's heart sank from the picture before his eyes.

Emotions took over, and he rushed out, as Daniel grabbed his arm and pulled him back until no one noticed him,

"What are you doing, you idiot?! Do you want to screw everything up with your reckless behavior? I told you that you shouldn't go there until everything is finished!" Daniel shouted at him.

David slammed his fist against the wall with all his might, rage and anger were boiling in him with each passing second, "Do you think it is so easy for me to stand here and silently watch what he is doing?"

"Listen to me carefully, David," Daniel's face was very serious, "This is a girl's choice. This is her life and her fate. If you interfere now, you will threaten not only her life but also the life of a child. Not even to mention your Elena. I understand perfectly well how you feel. But if the emotional connection between Corey and Rick is not broken in this way, she will not be able to let him go and forget. Strong feelings do not disappear just like that. There is a point of no return, and they must cross it. He himself is to blame. Let the girl gain her freedom so that she can be happy in the future."

Daniel sighed heavily. This situation was unpleasant for him too, but of many options, this was the safest in terms of consequences. At least for the moment. "As for your girlfriend, you yourself perfectly know everything. If Rick gets what he needs from her, he won't need her anymore. So you have to let him do what he wants. Otherwise, he will never let Elena go."

"I know. I'll let him be one step ahead this time, but that doesn't mean that I'll not catch up with him and kill him," David said through clenched teeth, "This will be the last time he feels his impunity. As soon as Elena is in my hands, I will start the next game."

. . .

"Rick, please don't!" Elena was begging with tears in her eyes, but the man seemed not to hear her. He aimed the gun at Corey and pulled the trigger.

Bam!

The sound of a shot pierced Elena's heart as if it were her at gunpoint. She looked at her friend. Corey lay on the ground and did not move, and scarlet stains of blood slowly began to appear on the sleeve of her dress.

Elena screamed in horror; her heart was pounding with furious speed. The girl began to choke, and it darkened in her eyes. After a few seconds, her mind went out.

At that moment the air around seemed to be heavier. The girl stopped twitching and stood, head down. The men holding her looked at each other and sent a questioning glance at Rick.

A satisfied smile slid across the young man's face. At this moment, like lightning strikes, invisible energy escaped from the body of the girl, filling everything around. The guards holding her screamed in wild pain, let go of the girl and began to shake on the ground in convulsions, clutching at their head. The shouts of the people who were there filled the garden, and after a few seconds, everything fell silent. People fainted from unbearable pain.

"Damn, did your girlfriend do this?" Daniel grabbed his head. This was the first time he experienced a psychological attack of a similar level. If it were not for his skills, he would also be lying unconscious on the ground, like other people in the garden.

And only David was standing as if nothing had happened. Not only he, to be exact.

Rick looked around in triumph, stretched out his hand and lifted Elena's head to look at her face. Devilish sparks of pleasure flickered in his eyes when he saw the lifeless gaze of a girl. Her pupils were completely black, and she didn't even blink.

"Well, hello there, my Eve. Long time no see," he stroked her cheek and wound a strand of hair behind her ear, "Be a good girl, give me the decoded scrolls."

The girl obediently raised her arm and put her hand to Rick's temple. The young man looked at her action with suspicion, but said nothing and continued to watch in silence. As she touched his skin with the tips of her fingers, a massive amount of information burst into his head at a breakneck pace.

Rick's eyes widened, and the more pictures he was observing in his head, the wider his smile was becoming, "Amazing...," he whispered.

"Elena!" The girl flinched, hearing an unexpected voice in her head. She pulled her hand away, and the data transfer process was interrupted.

"What the hell?" Rick complained, and at that moment a sharp stream of air lifted him upstairs and threw him back to the ground with force.

"Agggh," he clutched at his chest in pain. Rick lifted his head and saw David walking towards him in a quick step. The young man waved his hand, and the burning torch in front of him soared into the air and flew towards Rick. The latter barely managed to bounce before being pierced by its sharp base.

"Oh, look who is here with us. So the knight in shining armor showed up," Rick straightened and laughed out loud, "I did not expect to see you so soon, my friend. You surprised me, to be honest."

"You are no longer my friend," David shouted, and raised several more torches into the air. Rick glanced at one of his people lying nearby. A grin flashed across his face, and he disappeared from where he was standing.

David looked around and immediately felt the barrel of a pistol attached to his temple. "Surprise! You thought only you were so special. Hmm, telekinesis, as far as I see it. How do you like my abilities? Convenient, don't you think? Click, and you are in another place." Rick grabbed the young man by the neck and cocked the trigger.

"Don't overestimate yourself, you bastard," David hissed. Rick felt a sharp stab in the back. The young man fell to the ground, and as soon as he was about to get up, David pressed him back and put a gun on Rick's forehead. "Surprise. Convenient, don't you think?" He repeated Rick's words, which he said earlier.

"Huh? Come on?" Stein looked at his former friend with genuine surprise. "Wow, our boy turned out so capable. It's a pity, I didn't have time to check you last time," he grinned.

"I'm afraid you'll never get that opportunity again," David cocked the trigger.

"All right, I give up," Rick defiantly raised his hands, "Shoot."

David frowned his brow. Something was wrong here.

A grin flashed across Rick's face, "No, seriously, you can kill me right now. Only take into account one little snag. If I die, you will die too," the man looked at David with undisguised gloating.

"Hoo, I see that you don't believe me? It's your choice. You just forgot one important thing. I am your creator, and your souls belong to me. And you can't do anything with me, but I can do anything with you. So go ahead, kill me. But are you ready to take away the life of a girl along with my life, the life that you have so carefully tried to save all this time, huh, David?"

David looked at Elena, who was sitting nearby and holding Corey's motionless body in her hands. Rick looked the same way, and his face darkened. "Okay, I got what I wanted, so please excuse me," he answered and evaporated in the air.

"David! Do something, quickly! I can't come closer to Corey! Elena doesn't let me in," Daniel shouted to his brother. Each of his attempts to get closer to the girls gave a wild pain in the whole body as if Elena was defending her friend from the entire world and did not allow anybody to come closer to her.

David got up and went to her. "Elena," he called her out loud, but she showed no reaction.

The young man closed his eyes and mentally repeated, "Elena..."

The girl trembled and turned around. But her eyes were still lifeless. David sat down, took her hand and pressed it to his chest, "Look. Do you feel how the heart is beating?"

Elena released Corey and touched the cheek of the young man with her second hand. He raised his hand and pressed her palm to his face. "Warm...," she whispered, and tears flowed down her cheeks. The pupils gradually returned to their original appearance, and, in front of her, the girl saw a young man looking at her with a smile full of tenderness.

"David," she whispered with quivering lips.

"Hello, my love. I told you that I'd find you," he answered softly and smiled. The girl nodded her head and felt the forces abruptly leave her. Her body swayed, and Elena without feelings fell into David's arms.

"Damn, I'm going to turn gray with you ahead of time," Daniel swore and ran over to Corey. He quickly checked her pulse rate and began to bring the girl to consciousness.

"How is she?" David asked him.

"I think she is all right. Most likely she lost consciousness from stress and pain," Daniel examined the girl's wound. The bullet went tangentially and only slightly touched her arm.

"Mmm," Corey groaned as she came to her senses and began to open her eyes. And the first thing she saw was the happy and excited face of Daniel.

"Hey, Miss. You are a great person. You never stop to amaze me again and again," Daniel said with fondness and removed a strand of hair from her face. "Does it hurt so bad?"

"Yes," Cory whispered, unable to say a word more. Her heart was in more pain than her wound.

"OK, I got it. Listen carefully to my voice. I will now introduce you to light hypnosis that will ease the pain, and you will relax."

Corey nodded in agreement, and listening to Daniel's voice, she fell asleep. The young man picked her up, "I think we can get out through the main gate, can't we?" he asked David and smiled.

David smiled back and waved his head in the right direction. He pulled Elena to him, as if she was the most precious treasure in his life, and looked around. These walls kept many of their shared memories. These walls were part of their lives. But it was a past life. And it had to stay in the past forever.

The young man kissed the girl on the forehead with tenderness and headed towards the exit, to never come back here again.