"Enough with the unimportant stuff."
Serenity said as she walked forward toward the cliff, standing on its edge, the strong waves kept clashing with the rocks underneath her, scratching water everywhere; in the end her clothes ended up soaked.
Under the strong wind and the water that kept hitting her time and time again, Serenity seemed totally unbothered, receiving everything with wide arms.
Serenity closed her eyes, raising her head high.
"When two opposite powers clash with each other, it won't end till one of them exhausts the other to death, just like this hard rock and the solid water, an endless battle till one of them crashes."
She lowered both her head and hands and turned to look behind. While the violent waves kept hitting from behind her, she looked at them emotionless.
"The eternal flame in your hand turned into a stone because it reached a point of harmony where the magic just froze in place."
Daniel swallowed his breath upon hearing her. Words started coming out on their own.
"Just like a sleeping monster, waiting to be awakened."
A thick, uniform dryness covered up the sky above, creating a dark, gloomy, and silent atmosphere. All you can hear is the sky thundering, and serenity unbothered talking as if nothing is happening.
-Rumble-
"Thanks to the fact that both of them are flame attributes to begin with, the sleeping state was possible, but it also resulted in another more powerful and domineering species [mundi eversor]."
Serenity started walking slowly towards Daniel while saying,
"One of the reasons why your founder wasn't able to use the eternal flame was that he wasn't qualified and he didn't meet the conditions to use its powers."
Daniel asked in confusion, "Does that mean I meet the conditions?!"
"Half of it, yes." She stood right in front of him, speaking in a strict voice. "Having the powers that match the attributes is one thing, but having enough powers to summon it is another story; you're still way too weak."
Daniel clenched his fist till blood came out; he looked straight into Serenity's eyes with determined eyes and asked,
"Tell me, what do I need to do?"
"Hmph, daydreaming."
She walked away from him and held onto Ash's hand, sitting on the rock beside him, then explained,
"If you want to use it, first all your attributes must reach the fifth circle; the purity of the dark bloodline must reach at least 50%, or you will end up swallowed by your own shadow; and last, making a replica of the ring of eternal flames, you're still way too far."
"Replica!?" Ash said.
Serenity turned at him and smiled sweetly, nothing like the cold expression she had earlier.
"That's right, a replica of the current shape of the ring ... you see, the only way to give him control of the ring is by [sanguis maledictum] to awaken the soul connection, and that ring will turn into something else as a result, or worst case, it will vanish. Either way, we will need a replacement."
Daniel's eyes widened hearing her words; he was in a state of disbelief.
"Fuck me...a blood curse my ass...this is no longer a contract."
Serenity gave him a side eye and then turned to ash and kept explaining.
"A blood curse is the only way due to the nature of the monster; a normal blood contract will have the opposite effect. Instead of you controlling, the monster will be the one in control. In short, he is on top of the food chain, so for the weakling Daniel, he is just an ant."
"But why is a blood curse any different?" Ash asked.
"Easy, a curse will directly attack the soul, ensuring the rule of control is fully established."
Daniel felt enraged, hardly holding it in. "What about the later backlash?! ...It's a curse, missy."
Serenity answered bluntly, "So what?"
"Eh!?!"
His face turned silly, and Serenity had enough of his remarks, so she decided to shut him up.
"One thing at a time we will talk again when you finally reach the state of the fifth circle; with every progress, I will enclose one thing. Today was a newbie package; it won't happen a second time."
"Wait, what?...but why?"
"In your state of mind, knowing a lot is anything but a blessing; don't press too much since, unless I want to say it, nobody can force me to do otherwise."
The way she glared at him made him shiver. 'What the fuck is wrong with that woman?...Just now I could feel it...If I asked another question, she wouldn't hesitate to kill me...scary...That woman is scary.'
Ash suddenly stood up, saying all while never letting go of her hand, "I think it's time to head back."
Daniel snapped back by Ash's words, "R...right, we've been here for a long time; the others must be frightened by our sudden disappearance."
Serenity coldly said, directing her words at Daniel, strictly forbidding him from doing anything.
"No one is allowed to mention anything that happened in here, not even in the slightest. What happened here died here. Got it?"
"Okay," Daniel said while looking around him for the last time before they leave.
Serenity grabbed Daniel's hair and was ready to leave.
[AVIS]
The three of them were instantly teleported back to the cafe. Ash tightened his grip on Serenity's hand; she pulled his cloth, so Ash pined over to see what she wanted, and all she did was whisper a single word in his ear.
[purgatio]
Ash could feel it; the headache from the teleportation weakened a little. Ash sincerely said, "Thank you."
Serenity smiled slightly, "You're welcome. The relief will be temporarily just enough for you to head back and take a proper rest then."
"Umm," Ash said and let go of her hand walking out.
Syrous noticed him walking without a word, so he quickly ran after him, but Serenity grabbed his hand.
"Wait for me."
-grab-
"Eh…what do you want?"
"You forgot the plate; give it to him when you arrive."
"O...okay, I guess."
Syrous took the plate and ran after Ash with all he got, leaving the others speechless.
"What the hell just happened here?!" Baial asked.
"We were watching a horror movie...maybe?!" Sylvia said and stood from her seat, walking towards Serenity deep in thought.
'Who in the world is Serenity?...chanting spells on two royal figures and coming back without a word, as if some kind of a secret deal was made, leaving us in the dark about everything.'
When she was a few steps away from Serenity, Seeing ignored her and walked towards the table she was sitting on previously, holding the rose bouquet in both hands and smelling it.
"The same familiar scent."
Serenity smiled softly and put on her red glasses; taking her bouquet of roses, she left the cafe without sparing them a single glance.
Sylvia, feeling lost, turned to Dan, asking, "You came back just like that…no scolding, no raising your voice, letting her go just like that?"
Daniel raised the sleeves of his black jacket and said coldly, glaring at Sylvia,
"It's not your place to be asking such personal things; stay put or face the consequences."
Sylvia stared in disbelief; the cheerful Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Instead a cruel stranger took his place talking with her. 'What in the world happened in the half hour they disappeared in?'
Daniel walked towards Belladonna and whispered something in her ears, then left them, but the confused look in Bella's eyes clearly showed that it wasn't a simple goodbye.
Sylvia curiously asked Bella, "What did he tell you?"
Belladonna gritted her teeth and ran outside, ignoring Sylvia's calls.
"Bella...hey...wait a second...I am still talking with you...what the hell just happened?!"
"Maybe she needs the bathroom?" Baial said.
Sylvia looked at the bathroom banner, then looked at Baial strangely.
"Really?!"
"Just being sarcastic," she said.
Sylvia rubbed her eyes from exhaustion. 'Looks like this new serenity might change ewhat I know to something I am clueless about'
"Let's leave as well;about time, I still want to go shopping."
"Okay."
Sylvia left. Baial and Mariana followed her, trying to distract their thoughts about all the shocks they took in one day.
...
Belladonna, on the other hand, followed running behind Serenity, grabbing her hand.
"Wait...huff...huff...huff...I need to talk with you. Can I?"
She was out of breath, but all she could think about were the three words Daniel whispered in her ears.
"She can help."
Serenity glared at her hand holding hers, then back at Bella.
"Something?!"
"Y…yes...can we talk for a bit?"
"Haah...first, I don't like being touched by others."
"Wh…" Bella realized she was grabbing her hands tightly, so she let go of her and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry."
"Or not."
Serenity stayed unfazed, but Bella was still distracted, so Serenity turned around to leave.
"W...wait, we haven't talked yet," Bella said, trying to follow behind her.
Serenity stopped moving suddenly, which caused Belladonna to crash into her.
"Ugh...why did you suddenly stop?"
Serenity coldly asked,
"What do you want from me?"
"Oh...uh...actually, it's about what you said in the villa before."
"So you want my help."
"I do, can you help me?" Bella asked with a face beaming with expectations, but Serenity had to crash them.
"Why should I help you?...What's in it for me?"
Bella's smile froze at her question.
"What?!"
"Get this straight: I'm not doing any charity. If you're of no use to me, I wouldn't bother saying a single word, so...." All of this was while she gave Bella her back, but for that single question, she turned around, asking her, "What's your worth?"
That question shocked Bella to her core; from childhood to adulthood, no one has ever questioned her worth.
Bella smugly said, "I am a natural-born mariposa; isn't this my advantage?"
Showing no emotions serenity said ,"So what's special about being a Mariposa, and even if it's special, you were never a Mariposa and you will never be; stop running from the truth, it's no use."
Bella stood there frozen, processing the words that just came out of Serenity's mouth, 'Daniel was right; that woman is a disaster, but how does she even know such things?...the secrets, including my origin...'
Bella's whole body was shaking; her words came out trembling, "W...what...exactly...do you want from me?!?"
Serenity tilted her head expressionless. "Me!...I want nothing; it's you who wants from me, but...I am never helping someone who is still denying what he is."
She turned around, saying, "You want my help? Fine ...but you must tell me clearly what you are and what I gain from helping you. Come to me when you realize the answer."
Saying that she walked away not waiting for an answer or to hear anything,
Belladonna stood in a daze with depressed eyes till Sylvia called from behind her.
"Bella, why are you still here?"
Sylvia was holding so many bags from shopping; she tried extending her hand to her, but Bella shook them away, covering her face using her hoodie and walking on her way, not giving a shit about anything.
"What happened to her?"
"Who knows, maybe ask Dan later."
"Good point."
Belladonna kept walking aimlessly, her mind full of the two demands serenity asked from her.
'The way she talked to me...the confidence in her speech...she knows everything for sure, but how? And who told her?...I can't even mention those things, yet she talks about them as if they were nothing. How am I supposed to answer her questions?'
The sky suddenly started raining heavily, and Bella started running with it. The heavier it got, the faster she ran. At that point, it didn't really matter where she was going; she just wanted to run over her complicated thoughts.
Not long after her aimless running, she found herself right in front of Astrum's villa.
"Why am I back here?"
A calm male voice suddenly came from behind holding an umbrella above her head ,shielding her from the rain saying,
"Why are you here?"
Bella turned at him expressionless, all soaked in water. "What are you doing here, Astrum?"
"No!...Wait, this is my home. Why are you the one asking?"
"Oh...I am leaving then."
Bella turned and was seriously leaving; if Astrum didn't grab her hand, her actions felt wrong in his eyes, and his worried instincts as an older brother kicked in.
"You don't look good; come inside first."
Astrum dragged Bella inside, and she didn't resist in the slightest, which made him suspicious.
After they entered Astrum, throw her a towel.
"You're soaking wet; dry yourself and change into some clean clothes."
Bella, who was seemingly unconscious, removed her hoodie right in front of him and was about to undress, but Astrum quickly grabbed her hands.
"Are you crazy? What are you doing?"
"You told me to undress, so I did."
"That…"
The way she responded was so unlike her. Astrum saw the amount of despair in her eyes; his eyes softened, and he patted her head. "The guest room is on the left. Change your clothing, and let's talk if you want."
Bella nodded her head and went into the room while Astrum leaned on the wall patiently waiting for her to call for him.
Time passed till it was a complete 30 minutes that Bella had passed before she opened the door slightly, taking a peek outside.
-crack-
"Why are you still standing here?"
Astrum gently smiled at her. "Are you ready to talk now?"
Bella moved from behind the door, allowing Astrum to push it open.
She sat on the bed in her panda pajamas, looking at the ground with a troubled expression. Astrum sat beside her and started talking with her.
"What's taking your mind?...Did someone say anything to trouble you, or are you still holding a grudge because of what Syrous said the other day?"
Bella shook her hands in denial, flustered. "It's not because of him...and he wasn't even lying, so why should I be upset?"
"Then what happened?...Tell me, maybe I can help."
After staying silent for a while, Bella finally spoke.
"Do you know the answer when someone asks what you are?"
"What?"
"When asked what I am...I was honestly lost for words; I didn't know what to say. Feeling cornered by a simple question felt really bad."
"Simple question...wait a second…" Astrum scratched his chin, thinking hardly of an answer, then turned at Bella in disbelief, making a silly face. "It was Serenity, right?"
"How did you know?" Bella's eyes widened. 'Is this what we call a sibling bond?'
Astrum rubbed his hair frantically till it became a total mess.
"I knew it...only my sister could make a simple question such as 'What are you?', an unsolved riddle?"
Stunned, she asked, "Does she do this a lot?"
"More than you can imagine." Astrum crashed backward on the bed. "The one thing Serenity hates the most is people who deny who they are; even a demon better come clean about himself or that stubborn girl won't hesitate to give the cold shoulder to whoever."
Bella stared at him in disbelief. "Is it that serious?"
"More than you can imagine. Why else do you think my parents divorced?" Astrum felt helpless recalling the events of the year his parents divorced in.
"Serenity hates it when people deceive themselves more than when they deceive others. My family members all, without fail, experienced it firsthand; it was a terrible memory."
Seeing how Astrum's eyes turned dark, she was very curious. "Isn't she your sister?...Why is there such a big difference?"
"Huh?…now that you mentioned it , I've never truely thought about it ...." Astrum thought about it for a while before giving her an answer. "I guess it's due to the first three years she spent away from us; they formed a version of her under circumstances we know nothing about, but one thing is for sure: she is strong."
Dumbfounded Bella asked, "You trust your sister too much?"
"Of course I do; that's my little sister, and I am always proud of her for how long she lives; that's just how siblings are."
"Siblings, you say..." Bella gritted her teeth. "I guess 'siblings' meaning difference depends on people. Mine are just too bad to call my siblings, but not for each other, only me...."
Bella raised her head to the sky, feeling helpless. "I think that means it's really my fault."
Seeing her state of mind, Astrum sympathized with her, looking up front, he said,
"A child being unloved was never the child's fault but the parents... giving birth but not raising is an absolute sin."
The words Astrum said seemed to have awakened something in her. She collected her courage to ask Astrum for a favor.
"Can you do something for me?"
"Depends on what you want; say it either way."
Bella took a deep breath, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Can you be a brother to me just like you are with Serenity just for an hour? Can you do that?"
Astrum was stunned by the sudden request. 'Just how much of a miserable life did she have previously to ask me such a thing? What can I say...poor her.'
Astrum closed his eyes, feeling sorry. "Being like Serenity is impossible; no one is like Serenity ,she's a category on her own ."
"Oh," Bella tightened her grip on her cloth. 'As expected, who would want to be a sibling with me?...I should have expected that.'
In the middle of her despair, Astrum's next words hit her like a beam of light in the dark night.
"Although not like Serenity, I can try my best to be a good brother, not to mention for an hour." Astrum placed his big hand over her head, comforting her. "For as long as you need a brother, you can call for me, and I will be right there for you , Except for my work of course. "
Astrum's words made Bella burst into tears, so he silently hugged her in his arms, leading her to release all her sorrow.