A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Was this really all due to Emily, then?

Before she could find the right words or person to blame, Emma suddenly stepped into the room and gave Seraphina a warm and cute hug, much like the ones she had given in the past, to drive away her big sister's sorrows.

Clearly, hearing Seraphina's story made Emma realise who she was, and the hug indicated it was good to see her again. She even called Seraphina by the fake name she had used in the past, "It's good to see you again, Olivia."

Yet, Erik realised he was right when he thought Emma might, inherently, not be much of a talker when she didn't say anything else before letting go of Seraphina and sitting down next to Erik.

Despite her bravery in entering this room, she couldn't help but let overflowing sadness seep into her eyes as she constantly glanced between her sister Emily and the space where her parent's funeral sofa had once stood.

Seraphina looked at the clearly exhausted and underfed Emily, who was glancing sadly around the room and starting to understand what Emily might have been like the last seven years.

When he saw Emma looking sad, Erik put an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her, as he still felt a little protective towards her. Emma seemed shocked at his actions but offered no resistance and even smiled a little.

At least for a moment, as her close proximity to Erik caused the scenes from this morning to suddenly spring into her mind, making her smile strain a little as her cheeks heated up.

Seeing Emma like this caused Seraphina quite a bit of surprise, as she was under the impression that Erik had only met her yesterday. She wondered if he had made such a good impression on the girl or if something else was happening.

Suspicions rose again as she wondered if he had done something to her mind since he obviously had the capability, considering Emily's state.

In fact, there really was something else going on, something that only Elora and Erik were currently aware of, but Emma would only find out when she awakened.

Having calmed down a little, Emma looked at Erik with a questioning gaze as she pointed at Emily. "Can we get started yet?"

But Erik shook his head, "My partner is currently laying the groundwork, but we can't get started in earnest yet. We need to get you to awaken first, but your body is still far too weak for that, and it's not getting any better by not sleeping. I don't know why you look even more exhausted than yesterday, but you must get enough sleep."

Although Erik had given Emma some aetherium-infused food yesterday, that was not enough to resolve the issue in a day. And combined with her fatigue, there was just no way they could awaken her today.

Emma looked confused at Erik, "W- why do I need to awaken first?"

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Erik's lips curled into a comforting smile, "Because your affinity is uniquely suited to help your sister. Hopefully, this will also help a little with your guilt."

Emma looked partly confused and partly happy but then seemed to fall into thought, likely thinking about her sleeping troubles, whatever they were.

Leaving her to her thoughts while petting her head, Erik turned his attention back to Seraphina, "You can have a reunion with Emma later if you like. For now, I need you to answer more of my questions."

So far, Seraphina had just been looking at Emma with pain in her heart as she could still remember the cheerful little girl from back before the awakening.

Yet, Erik's words pulled her out of her thoughts as he looked at him with somewhat kinder eyes, yet ignoring his words, "Can you… really help Emily?"

Erik shrugged, "Sort of. It will be more like me helping Emma to help Emily." He then pointed to Liam, "The pasty shit over there will help out too. Since he was the main source of Emilly's paranoia and isolationist attitude the last seven years, we'll let her work out some of her darkness on him."

Seraphina suddenly looked both confused and surprised, "That's why you wanted him? But why would he be the main source of her dark emotions? Sure, they ended up on opposite sides, but her parents were friends with him, weren't they?"

Erik raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "I see. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you didn't know." He looked to this side, "Emma, do you mind if I tell her?"

Emma, roused from her thoughts, looked a little uncomfortable but then nodded. So Erik told Seraphina everything that happened to the sisters from the day of the awakening, causing anger to quickly rise in Seraphina's eyes until she was seething with fury.

"Rat bastard!" she exclaimed, ready to stomp the cornered and tied-up squirming man into the floor, but Erik stopped her.

"Calm down," he soothed with a raised hand. "I understand your anger, but it is not your place to take revenge. Remember, he is important to Emily's recovery. Don't worry, though. I'm sure Emily will make him suffer when the time comes."

Still seething but seemingly calmed by Erik's promise of future suffering, she returned to her place next to Emily before taking a deep breath.

While some gratitude tried its best to shine through in Seraphina's eyes, it was still primarily suspicion as she eyed Erik, "Why are you helping them? You don't really seem like the good samaritan type."

Contrary to her expectations, Erik looked sad as he said, "It's hard not to be moved by the story of these two sisters."

Then his expression turned into a smirk, "But you're right. I do get something out of it, of course. But you don't need to worry about that. Emma is fully aware of the deal she made. Now… about those questions?"

Seraphina felt a little better upon seeing his genuine sadness over the sisters' story but still wished to know the details of their deal as she noticed the same mark she had on Emma's hand.

Yet, she knew she wouldn't get any further by asking Erik, so she determined to ask Emma later and instead just nodded at Erik, "Ask away."

Erik started looking serious as he leaned forward a little, "Good. First of all, assume I've been living under a rock for the past seven years and tell me everything that's happened in that time."

Seraphina was a little surprised at his request but decided not to think too much about it as she began talking.

It was currently the year 2030, and on the day of the awakening seven years ago, spontaneous combustion claimed 70% of humanity while leaving the survivors with newfound magical abilities.

This event coincided with the emergence of supernaturals, including shapeshifters and vampires, which added to the challenges faced by everyone as humans were suddenly faced with creatures from horror movies.

Even animals mutated, gaining strength, some intelligence, and, occasionally, elemental manipulation skills.

Amidst this turmoil, powerful individuals who, surprisingly, had already made some headway in the awakened powers rose to prominence, becoming rulers and instigating conflicts among themselves.

Naturally, chaos reigned supreme during this first year, as every race fought not only each other but also among themselves.

The initial reliance on guns dwindled over the years as bullets became scarce, pushing people towards harnessing and enhancing their magical capabilities.

Communication methods faced challenges due to aetherium interfering with specific communication frequencies, limiting effective ranges to a mere hundred kilometers.

Both laser and radio wave-based communication struggled, and even sea cables were eventually severed through unknown means. The chaos of the early years hampered attempts to restore communication infrastructure.

However, they were still able to gather some information from nearby continents.

In Africa, the land became a battleground ruled by various warlords engaged in constant conflict. Asia, on the other hand, had witnessed the rise of a human supremacist dictatorship, where supernaturals faced enslavement or death.

Meanwhile, the Americas and Australia's situations remained uncertain, prompting the council to plan expeditions to explore these continents.

In Europe, initial racial tensions led to territories dominated by a single race. However, efforts by the council aimed to reintegrate the races and restore a semblance of unity. Despite these attempts, Europe remained divided into factions, presenting a volatile mix of races waiting for resolution.

The council's exploration missions became crucial in unveiling the fates of other continents and determining the path forward for the awakened world.

After Seraphina was done talking, Erik remained silent for a while as he and Elora internalised all this new information, while Emma actually did the same, as she also had very little information about the world's current state.