A black raven glided in the sky and landed on a tree in Battery Park where the battle had begun and where it had ended. The raven's blood red eyes stared at the barren park and cocked its head as it looked around. The bird's nasty talons gripped the branch as it took off and landed on the metal picked fence. The raven let out a few of it's shrieks and waited until footsteps echoed and finally stopped where the raven was standing.

"Is this it my pet?" the voice was slightly pitched and young.

The bird cawed and hopped onto the figure's shoulder and stood there swerving it's head from side to side to see if anyone was daring to advance towards them. The figure held out their hand and they could feel the past aura that still lingered around the deserted battlefield.

"Not much," the figure said.

They pulled down their hood to reveal a teenager of around 17 with snowy white hair, yellow eyes and smooth pale skin. He was cloaked in a black cloak, he wore black pants, a black tee and a black scarf wound around his neck.

"Not very much."

The raven cawed in agreement and the boy placed up his hood and vanished in tendrils of darkness.

Balthazar bolted up right in his bed and he looked around to see Veronica still sleeping. He looked around himself to see that he was still in Dave's hiding place and that Dave wasn't back yet with Becky. The older sorcerer sat up straight and rubbed his face, maybe he was just imagining it. He sighed and was ready to go back to sleep when a teenager suddenly appeared through the shadows of the room. He was young and sinister looking, the boy's hood was down revealing his snow white hair and a raven was perched upon his shoulder.

"Hello Balthazar Blake," the boy said.

"Who..."

"Do not worry about my appearance Balthazar Blake," the teenager said, "You will understand soon enough but I see that you are recovering from a serious battle. I will let you rest but after I will come for you and your apprentice."

Balthazar got up quickly but pain seared across his body and he looked at the teenager. The teenager was busy looking at the Merlinian Circle in the middle of the hideout.

"So you found him didn't you? The Prime Merlinian."

"What do you want?"

The teenager turned and then saw Veronica and smiled a sickly smile.

"My father took a liking to a woman once," the teenager said with controlled anger, "Do you know what she did to me after?"

Balthazar just stared at the boy who turned to Balthazar and the teen smiled.

"This is way over your head for now and you do not need to know my identity quite yet Balthazar Blake, but be warned you will see me again."

The boy turned and ran into the shadows and disappeared leaving Balthazar sitting in curiosity and pain.

The shadows bent and twisted in an abandoned building and the boy reappeared and the raven went from the teen's shoulder to it's wooden perch. The boy walked to a basin filled with still water and stared into it. He saw images of his younger self, then of his father and then his mother. He frowned and turned away from the images and slammed his fist against the stone basin. The basin exploded into pieces and the water poured onto the cold floor. The boy looked at him hand and saw that the skin was not bruised or cracked, he ran his hand over his knuckles and then sighed. The boy sank to the ground and allowed shaken sobs to take over him. He cried for a few minutes when he shuddered and stood.

"I didn't know that sorcerer's like you cried," a voice called behind him.

The boy quickly got to his feet and turned to see a man coming towards him. He had on expensive clothing, a new hat and a cane in his hand.

"What do you want?" the boy asked angrily.

"I can read your mind child," Horvath said.

"So? And I'm not a child!"

Horvath raised his cane and the boy was shot backwards into the wall and he painfully got up but Horvath pointed his cane and the boy was pinned to the ground. The raven cawed and went to attack Horvath who grabbed it by it's thin neck. The raven cawed in panicked fear.

"No don't!" the boy cried.

Horvath squeezed tighter on the bird's neck that it if Horvath moved his fingers the bird's neck would snap like a twig.

"You are naive," Horvath said.

Horvath let the bird go and it flew as far away from Horvath as it could and gently pecked it's master.

"I expected more from you," Horvath said.

The boy got to his feet and glared at Horvath with pure hatred and clenched his fists. He watched Horvath turn on his heal and leave and once making sure that Horvath was gone the boy turned to the broken basin.

"Mark my words Balthazar Blake," the boy hissed viciously, "Your time will come for you to see my true power."

A/N: What do you think? spitfire47