We had gotten cleaned up, our clothes had been picked up by a person who didn't really want to talk to us, and we were given new clothes to borrow. We were offered several choices and I found a shirt with roses embroidered into the silk fabrics. Back at the college I would've never worn something like this, but now? This called my name, and I couldn't stop smoothing my hands over the fabric.

Astral came up behind me, putting his hands on my ribs. "You look lovely," he murmured.

He was always the lovely one. I turned my head and received a kiss.

"Let's go find that food," he said and let me go.

I grabbed him before he got too far away, pulled him to me and kissed him, pressing his body to me. "You look marvellous."

He smiled and grabbed my hand and together we left the room. Another not very talkative person met us outside and showed us to the dining room. I kept wondering why they didn't wanna talk to us. It was so weird. And both this person and the other one had worn shades to cover their eyes with black glasses. It was weird.

The dining room was just as ridiculously beautiful as the rest of what we had seen so far. An exceptionally long table big enough to room at least twenty people sat in the middle of the room. A large fireplace took up the centre of one wall, and like our bed, two massive windows flanked its sides. A ridiculous chandelier was hanging over the table, casting the whole room in a soft light. Like the rest of the castle, it was all in dark marble. I wanted to say it was black, but it wasn't really. It had shades of both white, green and blue in there.

Venus sat by the end of the table already, waiting for us. It was set so we'd sit opposite side of each other, leaving her in the centre.

I sat on her left, Astral on her right. She smiled at us both and then looked to one of the silent people, jerking her head ever so slightly at them. They came forward and put plates in front of us from a cart they had been pushing to the table. My stomach growled at the sight and smell of the food. I could taste the rosemary on the lambchops, and it made my mouth water.

"Please, eat. You must be famished." She grabbed her utensils and dug in.

Astral and I shared a glance before we followed suit. A silent person poured us wine and I looked up at them, smiling, giving them my thanks. They didn't reply and it didn't even look like they registered I was talking to them as they stepped back to the wall, just waiting until they were to pour wine again.

"I'm happy you found clothes that suited you," Venus said, putting her utensils down and wiping her mouth with a cloth.

"Yes, thank you. After being on the road all day it was quite refreshing to have something else to change into," Astral said. He was so polite. Usually, he wasn't this polite to strangers. I didn't know what to make of that.

"I'm glad to hear that. And your accommodations are satisfactory as well?"

"Yes, much more lavish than what we're used to."

"Ah, the college dormitories have not changed? Small dusty rooms, still?" She chuckled a little.

"Yeah," Astral laughed and took a sip of his wine.

I didn't feel comfortable here. The food was good and the wine too, but it felt like it turned to gravel in my stomach. I didn't like being there.

"What about you, Mars? You've been very quiet."

I shrugged a little, unsure of what to say. I was quiet because I didn't wanna talk to her. I wanted Astral to ask his questions and then we could leave. And never come back.

"You don't trust me." She tilted her head to the side, still smiling softly.

"I don't know you," I replied a little coolly. Alright it was ice-cold.

"What would you like to know?"

"Can you help us?"

She shrugged a shoulder and picked up her fork, slowly wrapping her full lips around a piece of steamed potato, slowly chewing.

"Astral has visions. We need help with the side-effects." I cut a piece off the lamb and shoved it in my mouth.

"Ah. And that's all?" She raised a neatly trimmed eyebrow.

"What else should there be?" I asked, mimicking her expression.

"I don't know, Mars. I don't know everything." She smirked at me and took a sip of her wine, carefully putting the intricate glass flute back on the table. "But I can tell you have questions as well. About your curse. Yes?"

"No, I'm perfectly content not knowing anything about it beyond me being immortal. I am not looking for answers. I just want to know how to make it easier for Astral to exist and then I'm content."

She nodded a bit. "I could tell you more about your curse. And I could tell you it's no curse at all."

I sighed and let my back dumb against the backrest of the posh chair, folding my arms across my chest. "Right, I'm blessed or whatever. I don't wanna hear that. I don't care."

"You're not blessed or cursed. No more than any other being walking on this earth." She took a deep breath and wiped her mouth with the napkin again.

"How would you know?"

"Because I made you. And every other being like you." She kept smiling that smile and I didn't find calm anymore. It was unsettling.

"Alright," I murmured and rolled my eyes.

"You don't believe me."

I sent her a dead glare. I was already over this person. She was bothersome and cryptic and honestly, I found her whole demeanour to be extremely annoying. She was overbearing and condescending.

"I wouldn't believe me either. But I can prove it. And I can offer Astral the same gift, I gave you. Eternal life."

Astral's eyes widened, and he dropped his fork. "Uh, what?"

"I could make all of your troubles disappear. And give you eternal life."

"No!" I growled and rose to my feet. "Don't you even dare consider it. This is complete and utter bullshit. I don't know what kind of game you're playing and what's up with your creepy silent people all listening in on this conversation, but I'm done."

"They're my servants. They've received eternal life as well. As payment they've taken a vow of silence to please me. I like my peace and quiet."

"I'm sure you do." I threw the napkin on the table. "Come on, Astral."

"Mars..." Astral said and rose too.

"I'm done with this." I whirled around on the heel of my boot and stormed out of the dining hall. Astral caught up with me fast and grabbed my arm.

"Please, don't leave."

"Why shouldn't I? I didn't come for this."

"Because this isn't about you. I'm doing this for me. Mars, I can't live like this anymore. I'm constantly in pain. I don't wanna be in pain anymore." His eyes were pleading with me. Begging me.

"And immortality? You'd actually go through with that?"

"Who gives a fuck about that? I just want her to heal whatever's wrong with me." He threw his arms out to the sides. "Please, Mars. Please don't leave me here to go through this alone."

I sighed and pulled him to me, hugging him close. "I don't feel safe here, Astral."

"I know. There's something off, but if this is what can cure me? We can endure, right?"

"Right."

"I'll always protect you. You know that, right?"

"I know."

He pulled back and softly kissed my forehead. "Thank you for staying with me."

"Always," I whispered.

Venus still sat by the table by the time we returned. The food had been cleared and only the wine had been left behind. None of the silent people remained either. There was only Venus.

"Have you figured out what you want?" she asked and looked at me.

"We only talk about Astral." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Fine." She gave me a single nod and then turned her gaze onto Astral. "Let's walk in the gardens, shall we?" She rose to her feet and Astral was quick to nod. She showed us to the gardens which were as ridiculously lavish as the rest of the castle. I didn't quite understand something. By what I could tell, we had come out the back of the castle, but when you were out front it looked like it was cut right out of the mountain.

"Is there an illusion cast on this place?" I asked.

Venus looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Yes. I like my privacy. Very perceptive of you to notice, Mars. A mage as strong as you-"

"I'm not a mage," I interrupted. "And we're not talking about me."

She laughed. "There's no prisoners taken with you, are there?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. Astral sent me a look and I took a deep breath, calming myself down and reminding myself to behave. For him.

I let them walk ahead, while Astral outlined the symptoms he was struggling with. Instead, I inspected the garden, the different herbs she had planted out here. It was all very standard for a mage garden. The usual remedies that were the most used were littered all over. Ginger, roses, mint, rosemary. It also made it smell nice out here.

I regretted not having brought my shades. The evening sun was quite sharp, and I was squinting all the time. I sat down on a wooden bench and rubbed my eyes.

"Mars," Astral's voice sounded, and I looked up to find him holding my specs. "I've got you."

I smiled and gratefully slipped them on. I didn't even know why he was carrying them around. Especially considering we had just been at dinner.

"You need to carry them around yourself at some point, you know. Otherwise, you'll get headaches. You know this."

"I know."

"Then remember, please." He kissed my temple and tapped the frame of the specs.

I shifted my gaze to Venus who was observing us with her hands clasped in front of her. I wasn't sure what she was looking so intently at, and I didn't like being on display like this.

"I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed."

"I'll come with you," Astral said immediately. "Thank you, Venus. Can we talk more tomorrow?"

"Of course, Astral. My knowledge is at your disposal." She smiled and bowed at us. Actually bowed.

I frowned and said nothing. Astral thanked her again.