Seal part-2

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The night was beautiful; the moon appeared slightly fuller, and unlike last time, there were almost no clouds covering its beauty. The icy wind brushed my skin while I couldn't help but tremble. I wrapped my shawl around me even tighter, hoping the wind wouldn't pass through.

I kept staring at all the equipment around me, while there was no dead fish, its stench still remained.

"It smells so good," I turned behind to see Claude scrunching his nose and waving his hand back and forth around his face. He wore an old, worn-out but warm fur jacket with brownish pants.

"Don't you look fabulous?" I laughed. A handsome beggar was all I could describe this attire. After our oath, I was ready to be open with him, treating this deal like a temporary friendship.

I had seen thousands of deals and both parties would plaster a smug face, with their heart full of grudges and hands filled with spears that they would pierce at each other any day. Claude wasn't immoral. Though we have only had a few exchanges, I could feel like I could trust him.

He stared at me up and down, noticing that I was cold, "Thanks to the doctor's mercy, I can keep myself warm, at least." He walked a little back and twirled his fingers. His fingers glowed, creating ribbons around me. It was red like fire, warm and beautiful.

The ribbons spun around me, acting playful like any dog would, spinning here and there.

"Can I touch it?" I asked. I had never encountered magic like this. Magic wasn't allowed in the castle and I was mostly trapped inside the castle creating potions, trying to be useful and also taking part in Athena's politics, making sure she would have more power.

Claude smiled before nodding. I loosened my shawl and took one of my hands out, the ribbons spun around my fingers. I wasn't sure how to describe how I felt. The magic didn't just keep me physically warm but was helping my heart too which had numbed away.

I smiled. "This is so beautiful."

Claude scratched his hair, "aren't you going to ask why a siren has fire attributes?"

I stood silently. I was clueless. My studies didn't have much information about magic since I possessed none.

He sighed and leaned at a railing, "I just revealed my biggest secret," he chuckled, "And this is how you would be reacting. Do you know about the seven guardians?"

I stood in silence once again.

He chucked. "Why is my dealer so clueless?"

I shrugged, "Long story." Leaning on the railing I asked him, "How about you just tell me the potion you want me to make?"

He looked at the moon before looking at me. "aren't you using a magic suppressor?"

"I do not want people to know what I am," I replied.

"Yet, I found out what you are," he stepped a little closer looking down at me, "Why do you think that?"

I gulped and stepped a little back. This man was towering over me.

"I apologize if I scared you," he said. "I am one of those seven guardians." He sighed once again, "Looks like I have to explain everything."

I tightened my shawl once again. "How about just the potion's name?"

He leaned into the railing once again, looking up at the sky, his hair waving beautifully back and forth. "Before you do that, I want you to know what danger you might come across if you make it," he said before glancing at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Can your potion break immortality?" he asked.

I paused for a second. "There is no such thing as being immortal." The ribbons around me were getting dimmer and colder with each second.

He nodded, "Yes there isn't," he twirled his finger once again, and the ribbons glowed, "But there is a way to increase your lifespan continually."

I hesitated, "Do you mean eating faes hearts?" It was a very crude method. The faes were old and had a lifespan of around 5000 years, their population was already small since their fertility was low. To protect the remaining population, the vampires hid them secretly in the old forest filled with traps. "Aren't they protected?" I asked.

He nodded, "Well, they should be, but my father has been consuming it for years," he said. "We should have a lifespan of around 150 years, but my father is much older than that."

I shook my head. "So what do you want me to make?"

"I want you to break his core completely," he said.

I blinked once or twice to make sure what I heard was correct.

"Can't you?" he asked. His eyes looked cold and emotionless, filled with hatred for his father.

"I- I can, but that's one pain no one should ever experience," Breaking someone's core means you can't wield magic, no magic will work on you, no potion will heal you, the core was something as vital as someone's heart.

Claude sighed and looked at me, "Once you come to this world, the rule is you need to leave on your time. Playing with nature's law is what no one should be doing."

I nodded, "Snatching someone's life for your own survival is… is…"

The words I spit out stabbed me. I gulped, my stomach started sinking again, that's what I did too.

Did I even have any right to judge him? He probably feared death…like I did. He is doing everything he can to survive, when you put yourself in their shoes, you can't really hate anyone.

"Are you okay?" he touched my shoulder. It brought me back to reality.

"Y-Yeah," I said, pushing his hands back. I couldn't look him in the eye, I clenched my shawl even tighter. "Let's talk tomorrow. I need to think about this." I hurried to my room. Crying and sleeping would temporarily ease me.