I LAUGHED.
The instant I heard the elder’s words about my origin, I couldn’t help but laugh. I ignored the curiosity and disbelief that the others were throwing at me. Instead, I went near Lila--- at least a metre away--- to ascertain my safety.
Who knows what the elder would suddenly do? He might be amiable now, but he might also change his attitude later. If that happened, I might just as well kidnap or kill the poor good-for-nothing shrew.
“Elder must jest,” I said, smiling, “How could you say such words? I don’t belong to this world? Dear me! You’re hurting my feelings!”
I touched my chest dramatically, showing how sad I was for them not to include me as one of them.
However, as he exposed me, the elder didn’t even butt an eye. “You have nothing to worry about,” he said, assuring me, “If I want you dead, you’re already lying down covered in blood.”
Quite offended, I raised my eyebrow. This elder’s ego was starting to irritate me. “That is, of course, if you can kill me,” I said. And not waiting for him to retort, I added, “Shall we start talking about the matter on hand? You wanted my help, didn’t you? Then, spill it.”
“Wait!” the blond guy shouted, cutting off whatever the elder wanted to say, “The girl’s not from this world? What do you mean by that?” Then, he looked at me from head to toe while frowning, assessing my whole being as he tried to contemplate how different I was from them. Seconds later, however, his eyes twinkled. “Are you a vampire? A mermaid? No, no. Mermaids can enter every realm. Though, I still haven’t seen one. Then, are you an elf? A dwarf? Dwarves have small heights, though, based on the elders. A dragon, perhaps?”
He started murmuring.
“I am only an ordinary witch,” I answered, shattering his imagination. I don’t remember having fangs, tails, and lacking in height, nor do I remember shifting into a scaly dragon.
“Impossible!” he said while shaking his head. “No ordinary witch could bypass the gate and enter the other realms.”
“Then, I am an out-of-ordinary witch.”
“That, I could somehow believe. However, you haven’t---”
“Enough!” said Luke, glaring at the blond guy. The latter immediately shut his mouth. “We still haven’t heard the whole story about the plague in this realm. Save your questions for later,” he added.
The blond guy sighed before shrugging his shoulders. Then, he gestured, zippering his mouth.
“Nothing is permanent,” the elder began when he noticed that our focus was on him, “The world wasn’t divided into realms in the beginning. We co-exist with the other bloodlines, breathe the same air as them, trade goods with them, and sometimes declare wars with those who don’t meet our eyes. But as centuries passed, a catastrophe suddenly came, and the bloodlines were divided into realms. At first, the most powerful entities in each bloodline could enter and exit the realm. We, the elders, could do it. But later on, the gate closed permanently.”
“Have you found out the cause of the bloodlines’ division?” Luke asked.
I nodded. I was also intrigued. The world wouldn’t just divide itself, could it? Unless this world has its intellect.
Unfortunately, the elder knows nothing. He shook his head in disappointment. And I could only sigh in disappointment.
“And then?” said I, pushing the elder to continue our storytime.
“And then, the plague came exactly 500 centuries later. Little by little, werewolves were dying. The cause was unknown, and we tried to solve it without panicking anyone. But now, the plague is apparent. We could no longer hide it from the packs, especially since four of the elders were experiencing the same symptoms.”
He paused.
“How about Severino’s investigation? You told us a while ago that he found something,” I asked. This elder knew not to tell the main point. Should we ask everything before we could finally go down to business?
“He found out that the plague originated from a curse.”
He paused again. Then, I waited for him to continue the tale, but there was nothing.
I couldn’t help but blink. “Elder,” I said while looking at him with disbelief, “Please don’t tell me that your investigation only led to that conclusion?”
When he nodded, I almost raised my hand to slap him. Good thing my parents raised me to love and respect the elderly. So, I somehow managed to stop myself.
“We think the world is killing the bloodlines--- to start anew,” he said when he noticed my dreadedness. “Hence, we are suddenly plagued by this curse, and---”
I raised my hand to stop him from talking.
“I thought you already knew the cause. And only you wanted my help to resolve it.”
“That’s exactly my plan.”
I cracked a smile. “I never thought you, elders, were so stupid. Not until now.” He opened his mouth, most likely to reason. But I didn’t let him say another stupid thing as I began explaining, “The world has nothing to do with the curse afflicting the realm. A curse is not something that is conjured up out of thin air. It is created by an entity--- a witch, to be precise.”
I went near Elder Tyro. And the closer I got, the more apparent the curse became. The elder’s body oozed out black auras that only I could probably see. One look and an expert could already tell that the curse was made through thousands of sacrifices. No one was an exception when creating this curse. Both innocent and evil lives were sacrificed.
How the curse was made, I could tell. The only remaining questions were why the perpetrator created this and how the curse managed to enter the werewolves’ bodies. It was clear that only certain werewolves fell prey to this curse.
“How long had the elders been in a coma?” I asked.
“Seven months. Right after the summit at the time.”
“Have you not had any conversations with them before that happened? Anyone they talked to? Anyone they met?”
Elder Kirin shook his head. “Nothing,” he replied, “The elders and I were having our usual conversation, talking about the packs, reminiscing, and then, all of a sudden, they all fell to the ground.” He sighed after saying the last words.
“I can’t feel Elder Tyro’s power anymore,” Luke said, his brow furrowed.
I clicked my tongue. I was not sure what kind of expression I should make. But after a second, I thought of showing a concerned look as I told them, “He is dying. It won’t be long before the curse consumes all of his strength. And then he dies.”
---
ALL OF THEM GASPED, especially Lila. She looked like she was about to have a heart attack. As for Elder Kirin, he almost stumbled down, but thanks to his staff, he was able to remain standing.
“Impossible,” Lila muttered. Then, she looked at me. Gone were her haughtiness and arrogance. “You’re powerful, right?” she asked, her voice trembling, “Do something about this. Please. Please, don’t let my father die!”
“I’m maybe powerful as the elder claimed I was, but I’m not omnipotent,” I stated, “Besides, I needed a lot of ingredients and materials to dissolve the curse from his body. Those ingredients are not easy to find. I don’t even know if those things are available in this realm.”
“Name it!” Lila remarked, almost hysterically, “Name it, and I’ll get it for you!”
My eyes twinkled. I almost felt amused towards this old lady. “Very well, then. I’ll have the list for you later. Remember, none of those ingredients and materials should be missing. Otherwise, my ritual would have no effect.”
She nodded.
Tsk. How obedient.
“Are you sure the elders would be saved?” Elder Kirin asked.
I smiled. “Who knows,” I answered with a shrug.
“You mean you’re not even certain?!” Lila shrieked. She looked at me as if I betrayed her.
“At least we have a solution, don’t we?” I looked at Lila directly through her eyes as I continued, “The ritual I am about to make will counter a curse made through resentment from evil spirits. However, I am not confident whether it is effective or not. By the way, I’m not even sure why I’m helping you out. How about telling me my rewards? If you did, I might feel motivated and solve your issue in no time.”
“You are a person in this realm. Can you not do it to save the people living here?” suggested Elder Kirin.
“Elder must be jesting,” I laughed, “Didn’t you say I am not from this realm? Then, let me tell you this. You are right. I came from a faraway land. And this curse you’re showing me has nothing to do with me. Whether this realm dies, I know my safety will never be jeopardized. So, tell me, why should I solve your problem?”
None of them talked. So, I added, “I never aspired to become a hero. At least, not in this place. You are not people from my kingdom. Hence, I have no obligation to you.”
“We believe you came here for a reason,” said the elder. He was adamant about making me work for free. Too bad, that didn’t sound well to me.
“You’re wrong again, elder. I came here by mistake.” A mistake made by my sister and me, I thought. “I entered this realm because of a mistake I made in my hometown. And why can’t you offer something good? Is it hard to reward someone who was working hard for your safety? I haven’t even had anything good since I came here. Yet, you expect me to work for you freely?” I shook my head, “Not a fat chance.”
The blond guy whistled. “I think the girl has a point,” he said, “I won’t work like a cow for you if you won’t even give me a satisfying reward.”
Luke remained silent. Though his eyes showed his stance, agreeing with the blond guy.
Surprisingly, though. Lila was on my side. “It’s just a reward. It was such a trivial matter. Yet you couldn’t do it for your people,” Lila said, giving the elder a disgusted look.
After Lila said her piece, I looked at Elder Kirin, spread my arms, and tilted my head, awaiting his decision.
I must have pissed off the poor old guy as he started gritting his teeth. Then, he let out a frustrated sigh.
“What do you want? Tell me!” he asked.
My smile immediately widened. “Is that a blank imperial edict?”
“What?”
I shrugged. “Give me your oath,” I remarked, “An oath that you will not renege on your words. Otherwise, this realm, and your loved one, would vanish and be eaten by the eternal fire.”
Elder Kirin’s eyes constricted. I assumed he was starting to back out.
“Elder, your oath,” I reminded him when I had not heard a word for a minute now, “You’re not the kind of person who wouldn’t keep his word, right?”
Elder Kirin closed his eyes for a moment. Then, upon opening them, he said, “I promise. You have my oath. If I did not keep my word, this realm and my--- my loved one would vanish and be eaten by the eternal fire.”
I grinned. “Then, I will solve your problem with all my might.”
“What is it that you want first?”
I giggled. “You will know once I thought of something good,” I said with a wink.
“Are you making fun of me?! I gave you my oath! You have to, at least, assure me that you won’t get something valuable from us!”
“Then, rest assured, elder. I won’t take your life since I have no use for it,” I promised. The only valuable thing that these werewolves had was their lives. That was my thought.
Anyway, it was time to go down to business. I raised my hand, and within just a second, a scroll sprang out of nowhere. I tossed it to Lila, on which the latter caught smoothly.
“This is?” she asked while trying to open it.
“The list of the ingredients and materials I needed for the ritual,” I answered, snapping my fingers to let the scroll loose. “There are at least 30 ingredients and materials. All of which have images in case you have no idea what one of those looked like.”
“How long will my father and the others live?” asked Lila.
“Approximately ten to fifteen days,” I answered. I took Elder Tyro’s hand and put a bit of magic inside his body.
“I don’t think fifteen days are enough to find all these ingredients,” said Lila, concern filling her voice.
“We will dispatch some of our warriors to look for the ingredients as well,” Luke suggested.
“I don’t mind doing the same,” said the blond guy.
“There are also a few members of the Moon Pack who could help,” said Elder Kirin.
I raised a brow when I heard their conversation. These werewolves were surprisingly united. I couldn’t help but admire them, especially Lila, who, in the beginning, was acting like a shrew.
“I’ll give you a month and a half,” I remarked. I stood up straight after giving a small amount of my magic to Elder Tyro.
“I thought you said the elders have ten to fifteen days to live?” Lila asked. She was showing impatience.
“That’s how it was supposed to be at first, but I just gave Elder Tyro my magic, which would help him fight the spread of the curse. However, the effect would only last a month and a half, so I want all the ingredients and material in my hand before the deadline.”
To my satisfaction, they all nodded.
“Elder Kirin, please show me the other elders’ rooms.”