64 - Her Memories

"What... What do you mean eaten?!"

"Fufufu," Vivi's low laugh didn't sound like she was joking. "Most contractors want a step into the other realm or more power. Dealing with the other party is already troublesome. Why not take it all?"

Annie was still worried about being eaten. "What if I don't want the powers?"

Vivi stared at her intently. "Then you make sure the contract is fulfilled. You really don't know why you made a contract with me?" she asked.

Annie tried to remember. Pain radiated in a migraine that made her held her head. "I can't... I can't remember! If you said you healed me from death, why have my memories not come back?"

Vivi's face darkened. "My healing powers are only physical. I didn't have much power due to being asleep for years. I had explained I will need gold berries to replenish most of my powers back."

"What are gold berries?"

"Every contract requires sustenance, energy. Every creature in a contract comes with different forms of energy needed. Mine are in the form of gold berries. They are orbs of golden light that form after a purification."

Annie massaged her temples. "Purification?"

"You have my healing ability. The more you heal, the more you receive orbs. We need a lot of it," Vivi explained. "You will need to heal more people. Just lay your hands over someone and imagine them healed. That's all it takes. We won't get any if we heal ourselves."

Annie considered Vivi's words. She still couldn't shake off the idea Vivi would eat her. Did the king also had that with his dragon? Remembering the dragon made her think about the black dragon. "What happened with that black dragon and that person?

Vivi was surprised by her question. "The contract with them? We don't see how others form their energy with other contracts."

"No," she swallowed fearfully. "I meant... Did they achieve their goal? Or was the other..."

"Eaten?" Vivi laughed that low laugh Annie couldn't decipher the emotion. "Aryan the black dragon is Ethos. Ethos made too many demands and Aryan was able to deceive. With the contract not fulfilled, Aryan was able to eat him."

Annie stared at Vivi, her image staring back at her with red eyes. "When... When you eat the other, what form..." She trailed off, scared.

"Forms? I didn't explain properly? We take your form and you take ours in our realm. Of course, most beasts prefers human form and stays in that form in both realms," Vivi explained. She then mused out loud," We are not strong enough to go to the other realm right now."

"How... How do I know you are not deceiving me like Aryan?" Annie asked, fearfully. Vivi narrowed her eyes on her. Her smile turned into a scowl.

"You think I am deceiving you?"

"Ye-yes! How do I know? Maybe you did erase my memories and lied about everything? It's been two years! I should be able to remember something!"

Vivi was silent for a while, gazing at Annie. "I would never... Never do what Aryan had done. The reason I stated I want in the contract..." Fire enveloped over Vivi's form. "For you to even say such a thing..."

"Vivi?" Annie asked, her voice barely a whisper. She backed away from her. She hadn't seen her this angry before.

"Blaming me for your lack of memories... When I healed you, your head had taken lots of beatings. Not once have you thanked me for this," Vivi muttered in rage. "Have you not considered maybe it is you who doesn't want to remember? Yes, it has been two years but we haven't even progressed to the first step."

The first step? Annie tried to ask but Vivi cut her off. "Heal someone. If you want our contract ended, fulfill our goal. If you want your memories, stop playing house here and look. You already know you are of noble birth." Vivi started laughing while her form slowly disappeared.

"But be careful. The ones who killed your parents will find out you survive. Once you are dead, I won't need to eat you. I don't need to resurrect you to take over your form."