A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

So many things had happened in the last two days, and he barely had time to let his mind catch up to it all.

Sometimes, it seemed like every moment here on Earth only created more questions while the answers seemed further and further out of reach.

While he could be considered happy about the chance to get revenge on Edda, his life had suddenly become a lot more complicated.

Things were much easier on Söl. All he and Elora had to worry about was the next job. Sure, Elora had many ambitions and plans, so tougher times were always on the horizon, but that was supposed to be only after they had significantly grown in strength.

Sensing his slight turmoil and knowing all the trash in the surroundings had already left the area, Elora appeared in her larger form and lay down on his chest in a comforting hug.

***

They were currently in the Ashcroft mansion living room, the same place where Emily and Emma had once seen their parents combust.

Emily was also there, or at least, her body was, as she stood next to the couches with the same doll-eyed stare she'd had since Elora locked her mind away.

The fourth person in the room was a black-haired, pasty-looking man, tied up in a hogtie with a gag in his mouth, having been dumped in the corner while squirming from left to right in outrage but going wholly ignored.

After Seraphina had left Erik on the grass, she had first gone to secure Liam by tying him up in the way he currently was, during the process of which he had woken up from the kick Seraphina had given him earlier.

Next, she organised the released slaves, ensuring Liam's subordinates took good care of them for potential council propaganda.

Lastly, she instructed the gathered men and women to leave, assuring them she would handle the rest and indicating that Liam likely wouldn't return. Though there was some grumbling, they ultimately followed her instructions.

Their loyalty to Liam wasn't strong enough to challenge the woman who was just before effortlessly shrugging off mighty hammer blows like they were nothing. Especially because she now appeared to be backed by both the man who defeated her and the Witch of London.

Instead, they decided it was wiser to focus on gaining support to become the region's next leader.

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Erik lounged on a couch across from the two women as he responded to Seraphina's question with a confident smirk, "We'll get to that. How about you tell me what your history with Emily is first?"

Seraphina's already red eyes were nearly spitting fire as she was about ready to get into another fight with this man, but instead, she felt something inside force an answer out of her, "I- I lived in London before the world went to shit. In fact, my family were neighbours to the Ashcrofts."

With annoyance and confusion in her eyes, the words kept flowing out of her, "Emily and I became quick friends because we both liked rock music and hung out with the same crowds. She never found out about what I was, of course."

Her strained expression worsened, "In fact, my family lived here under a false name, and I always wore wigs and lenses and a lot of makeup to hide my nature as a vampire from hunters. But we uh…"

Her face went red as she tried to keep this bit of information inside, but the covenant was ruthless, "We experimented a little with each other as well, though we never went very far."

In the corner, Liam went bug-eyed at that piece of information. When he was still secretly scheming to take Emily into his bed, he had kept any guys away from her with a combination of threats and money, but he never would have thought to do the same with women!

Meanwhile, Elora and Erik finally understood why they hadn't found any evidence of Seraphina's existence in Emily's memories. Because, in a sense, she didn't exist back then.

Erik snickered at Seraphina's red face as he waved his hand, "Alright, alright—no need to strain yourself. I get the picture. You two were close. So why leave her behind when the world went to shit?"

The back of Erik's hand had now lost one of the covenant marks, as he had fulfilled his part of the bargain by letting Seraphina meet Emily. How far he would take things from here was up to him, but Seraphina would continue to be bound by the covenant for a long time.

Seraphina stared at Erik for a moment longer, her eyes burning with fury. She deeply regretted her rash decision to accept Erik's deal without thinking some more about the wording.

Technically, she could still answer him while trying to stab his face. But she knew that would accomplish little, so she sighed in resignation and answered before the covenant would make her do it anyway.

"My father forced me," she explained. "When the awakening came, we fled to Eastern Europe, where our family's ancestral home was located, intending to find safety in numbers."

She frowned thoughtfully, "The whole thing went down as if he had a plan ready for when this moment came like he knew it would happen. But he never confirmed those thoughts."

Then she sighed helplessly, "I resented him for that for a long time, and still do a little, but I eventually just accepted that Emily and her adorable little sister were already dead. But then, the council formed, and I heard rumours about a Witch of London named Emily, living in the Ashcroft estate."

"So… here I am," she finally shrugged. "Now, before you ask anything else, will you please tell me what's wrong with her?"

Deciding to have a little mercy on Seraphina, Erik shrugged, "Surely you've heard about the things Emily got up to here? I mean, there's a reason the council sent you, right?"

Seraphina looked a little uncomfortable as she indeed had a hard time linking the enslavement of so many people to the determined and no-nonsense yet inherently kind girl she knew in the past. So she nodded, "Yeah, but… such is the price for safety, I get that."

Erik shook his head, "No, it went much deeper than that. Have you and your council never noticed behavioural changes in people with certain affinities?"

Seraphina furrowed her brows in thought before she nodded, "Yeah, there's been theories. Are you saying they're correct?"

Seeing Erik nod, Seraphina's face scrunched up and she looked back at Emily with pity and sadness, "Based on the information we have, it's always been assumed Emily has a darkness affinity. I'm guessing that's bad?"

Erik answered, "Worst of the worst. The Emily you knew is basically gone. I currently have her mind entirely locked down, but if I freed her right now, she would either try to kill or enslave us both without much thought."

Seraphina looked at Emily for a little longer, as if lost in memories, before she turned back to Erik with suspicion in her eyes, "Do you have any proof of that?"

With his lips curled into a smirk, Erik said, "Is there any proof you would believe? Since I can lock Emily's mind away, what's to say I can't make her do and say whatever I like? Regardless, I have no reason to prove myself to you anyway. You can believe my words or not. It makes no difference to me."

Seraphina realised he was right. She had no way to force him into giving her any kind of proof; she could either believe or disbelieve, but it was undeniable that the council had data on personality changes based on affinities.

Seeing her lost expression, Erik offered a compromise since his aim was still to make this woman look favourably upon him so that her dependence would increase,

"But perhaps talking to Emma will paint you a picture of Emily's changes over the past seven years. You should have seen the state I found her in when I arrived here yesterday."

Still lounging on the couch, he looked past Seraphina and to the door, "Would you like to come in, Emma?"

He had noticed her arrival soon after he sat down here. Seraphina probably would have as well if she hadn't been preoccupied with Emily.

In surprise, Seraphina looked at the doorway and found a pitiful-looking girl who resembled the young Emma she had once known.

Emma, meanwhile, looked into the room with trepidation. This was the first time she was so close to setting foot inside the living room once again since she had witnessed her parent's fate there.

She wasn't deterred, however. While the last seven years had severely eroded her mental resilience, her inherent personality was one of optimism and adaptability, which, combined with her rapidly growing trust in Erik, caused her mental resilience to rise at a fast pace.