There is a struggle that happens once a being becomes aware of the fact that they are alive. Pain and pleasure help fill the senses of what can bring agony or happiness, the in-between where the flesh can know either peace and tranquility or the unhappiness that sometimes takes root in some. This can make life harder to figure out. It takes purpose to continue on, it can take drive to thrive and in most cases it all comes down to curiosity strong enough to believe that something better is around the corner. Pleasure and pain, the strongest incentives to arouse curiosity in some. Pleasure or pain, a choice a few think is the only one they have in life.

I was both within my mind and buried deep within the sense of my body. My mind, wide and wild with alertness that there was something terribly wrong with me in every way possible. Tobias was in me, searching, digging its claws into the raw flesh that made me who I was and tearing it apart to pry deeper than I cared to look even for myself. Everything shook as I trembled, what had felt like sand taking hold of me had turned me to sand itself and as my world shook at tremendous speeds, like grains, I came apart.

The cleaning had been an outside source, pulling from the surface anything that had touched me that did not belong to my print. This was an invasion and my body knew it. There was no collective mind or feeling behind the magic taking place but it was the sensation of wrongness that choked me, wrapped around each bone like barbed wire. Phantom sand seeped through my skin, into my blood and intertwined into my being, riding along the map of my body. I was no longer in control, so aware of the thing within me that the connection of mind and body had blurred. I traveled along with that phantom being inside of me, dragged along with it, but lost to where it was. My physical body was being shaken, but it felt as if it were my soul that was about to come from out of me at any moment, pulling away from the confinement of flesh and freed from the earth that tied me to all that was.

"He's in." The voice speaking was distorted in my ears, louder in one ear, like a ringing bell in the other. I jerked, my body trying to evade the echoes that bounced from wall to wall as I lost sense of my feet. They were leaving me. "At my mark raise the seepage."

There was a motion fairly close to me, up and down, an instinctive but rough motion that came with an animalistic sound, different from the shaking of the room. It was getting so warm, briefly my eyes focused on the ground, I squinted to try and force all four overlapping images to come together as the sides of my eyes sparked bright yellow. I tried to push the color away, to make sense of the movement below my feet but the longer I stared down the more it felt as if I would tip over.

"She looks like she's been drugged."

When had I gotten so close to the ground? My fingers spread on the floor, burning my hands in and that did not exist, but feeling it tumble and spill from my handfuls. I raised a fist and hit the ground softly. Once, twice, then again with more force as if it would halt the shaking that tried to make me lose my mind. Still, I fought against the urge to fight back, to lose all control and let it take reign. Tobias moved through my body as it wanted, but I was right there beside the sensation, unsure where it was exactly, but following the sensation closely as it traveled. It did as it wished because I allowed it to and this belief turned into a truth because I wanted to be. Because that was how I worked.

"She's taken to the first stage quickly, her body taking to this is a good thing." I was losing sensation in my knees and it was climbing higher. I looked down at the lower half of my body that looked foreign attached to me now that I could not feel it or control it. There was no euphoria or blissful sensations, just the growing sense that I was about to melt into the ground that had already eaten half of me.

"Then why are you frowning?"

Shutting my eyes did not return me to any darkness, instead I became lost in the maze of direction that did not exist within the room. I was traveling around my neck, swirling down my arms and wrapping around my fingers individually, burrowing into my organs and tentatively reaching out to my core. The remaining rational part of me, understood now why it had been asked of me to pull my magic in before entering the room. It would have been impossible to do that while all of this was happening, the instincts to fight would have been stronger than ever, but as I was now I was unable to unfurl my core, the magic paralyzed by my disoriented state. Guttural sounds came from me as those close creeping tendrils of sand seeped into my core like water, slipping through cracks and holes that had not existed before, a pinch to my chest everytime it found a new opening. My mind was full of steam, the air in my lungs bubbling, scorching my insides. Still, I persisted and burned from the inside out.

I knew I was on the ground but I could  not say what position I was in. How was I ever expected to make a run for a corner of the room if I had no feeling for my body? I could have been face down on the ground and would have had no clue to the matter if not for the fact that I knew my arms were bent, locked in place. At least that was the last sensation I knew of my arms before my back bone vanished from me, my gritted teeth and trembling lashes the last movement from me. Then I was but a swirl of hot air. There was no sound, or sight, nothing but the sensation of floating and twisting, no separation between me and Tobias. Oh, he was very thorough, such a blurred line was a dangerous thing. It was becoming difficult for me to differentiate where I ended and where he began and the longer we remained like such the more muddled it became. A new subdued, nearly quiet worry was beginning to eat at me.

After all of this discomfort, there had not been any overwhelming pain. Which meant that this was not the worst of it all. The pain was yet to arrive. This nothingness was a false sense of tranquility, waves pulling back, gathering before they crashed into their intended target and as I floated mindlessly, I knew there was nothing to hold onto, to ground myself with, when it all hit.

"Her core is stable and accepting of the probe Tobias is doing, a few more minutes and she'll be entering stage two. Raise the durability of the walls and reaction resistance-ah, this is just in case she has any explosive reaction and to minimize a bounce back."

Within the darkness something began to move, shadows of something that had no form, far away but closing in.

"Explosive?"

It came at me like a waterfall, dragging me down with it as we both went over an edge that had no existence but a plunge that frightened the soul. Into nothing we went.

"It's unlikely but it is better to be prepared for any such reaction. Master Tobias is almost ready, what's her projected range right now with her core engaged?"

Heat began to spread, slowly, like a petal falling, each layer that left, heat took its place. Where was his blistering sensation coming from when I had nobody?

"Thirty-eight point fifty-five. I'll just raise the collection to forty-eight just in case." Something was touching me. Which meant I could feel again. The sensations I was becoming aware of, however, were not welcoming. "Since she can be labeled as a defensive witch based on her gift and history, it's likely that even without her knowing her defensive instinct to protect herself will still activate so we'll make sure that if that happens she wont run the risk of tangling up with Tobias."

Rigid extremities, curled and locked into place for so long, felt glues in their position. As if any sudden movement of them would cause them to shatter. I went to curl at my fingers and froze from the shock of the pain. It was as if there was no blood in me.

"Yes, that will do. I must warn you two that stage two will be highly unpleasant and unless she makes it to a corner to halt the process, it will most likely be disturbing for you as her friends to watch so again, if you wish to-"

Awareness of my body returned, but a new fear of movement came with it. Any sudden movement, breathing, the rise and fall of my chest felt like sandpaper scrapped against my veins. My eyes moved in every direction despite being shut tightly, but the very thought of trying to open them left me exhausted. As if I knew doing so would cause me to take notice of the shaking that I had grown accustomed to ignore. When everything moves, and I along with it, eventually everything goes numb. So what brought me back?

"We aren't going anywhere."

The heat. The heat was coming from my core. The sensation of Tobias intertwining and clinging to me. I could tell us apart now, but by being able to do that, I was also disturbed at how easily he had blended into me. Like two drops of water in a cup. Only the other could tell the difference.

"Very well." The tips of my fingers dug into the ground. There was no sand. There had never been any sand. It had all been an illusion caused by Tobias to make it easier for the magic in the room to seep into me. "Mykela, if you can still understand me, you need to push through this next level to get to the most crucial part. Tobias will start the reading in five, four, three, two, one-"

Tobias came to life in the darkness that created me, molded me and everywhere he touched scorched me. Blood ran down my throat as my throat tore itself from the force of my scream. Frome being so tightly embedded into me to screezing me until I bled, my core, caught in a trap, tried to rupture forcefully, to drench me in magic to protect me from the inside, but Tobias would not let go. He was a part of that core that he had slipped into, a part of my blood that ran down my body. My chest lifted as if trying to get away from something that was behind me instead of within. My fingers and limbs curled and spasmed as sudden movement jerked them along, despite the blood loss to my veins. This pain forced me still for only a moment.

My heart pounded like a thunderous drum in my ears, my eyes were shut but it was as if thousands of little flashes had gone off simultaneously, each one blinding me in the dark so when my eyes flew open I was not surprised to see a world of white. It was as if I had gone blind. My head turned in every direction, my chest tight as I inhaled, choked gasps scraping me from the inside at every attempt. I fell back, twisted in my own limbs as another tightening grip at my core forced me to curl inward. I reached out to nothing, digging my nails into solid ground as if it were the sand I first thought it to be. It would have been much more comforting to be able to grab a fistful of sand. Unable to curl around anything on the ground my hands took fistfuls of the clothes I wore, almost attempting to tear them from my chest and I wheezed out. My eyes were wide open and yet sight was slow to return to me.

I stared ahead at nothing as this squeezing sensation continued. After the first scream, I did not allow another to escape as I halted my breaths when I felt such pain take hold and only released it when I thought it was right. Again and again I did this, only knowing I was not in an endless loop when my watery eyes, drying from refusing to blink, saw the world in gray spots and then solidifying. I stared at the red walls that were darkening into a depressive blue, the white writing glowing white with a single question in mind.

Why was I still holding on? Ah yes, the same question. The only question that mattered. I repeated it. Why was I still holding on? Again. Again and again until I found my shoulders relaxing into the ground. I stared at nothing as the corners of my lips turned upwards slowly. Then I felt my lips stretching, growing. I unfisted my clothes and brought both hands over my face. Peaking through the gaps of my fingers at a wall that looked nothing like it did, memory overlapping with reality. Inside me, something rattled, warning, wanting, pleading. So familiar to me, it was easy to ignore.

It didn't matter what was happening, I told myself as my body jerked back at the next attack, my ribs feeling as if they would bend backwards to stab myself if it meant ending the pain. It didn't matter where I was, I reminded myself of this as the white writing faded into nothing, there in my eyes but gone in my mind's eye.

"-can handle it, so can you."

Be still. I told myself this every time I flinched at the next onslaught until at some point, the room went still. Something warm and wet trailed down the side of my face, running over the bridge of my nose and hitting the floor. This made my lips move again before I forced them back into their proper place. I lowered my hands, wrapping my arms around my midsection and focused in another direction now that I had control over my mind. I could feel something I had never felt before, past the pain of Tobias, different from my power, different from the box I kept deep down. It was new but old and it wasn't alone.

It was behind my core, no, it was hiding in the creation of it, like a shadow beneath it all, it watched and acted as if it belonged but from the moment I became aware of it, I could see the truth of its existence. Within its lies, was a sickly, putrid feeling that came from it. Sticky and sickening, repulsive as it moved, contagious where it laid. I found Tobias to be an acceptable intruder, but this thing here? It was the enemy.

"Mykela, the final reading will commence soon."

I stared at the thing in a trance, the focus so sharp everything else was a bother and blended into the background as I studied it. I could not touch it, for I knew that even if it was within me, the reason I had any acknowledgement of its existence was because of this room. I didn't know what it was exactly, but I knew it was not to be underestimated or touched carelessly. It was hiding within the shadow of my shadow. That much I knew and there was no easy way for me to extract something from my own shadow, not when it was within the essence of my existence.

So entranced was I by this new disturbing discovery that I did not notice the warning signs of the pain at my chest easing until it all came at me at once. The pain was so intense, my mouth opened in a soundless screech. My spine felt as if it were to shoot out from my mouth. Tobias had relinquished his hold on my core to seep back into the very center of it before doing something so cruel tears sprung to my eyes but refused to spill over from shock alone.

I was ripping, being torn into two from the inside out. There was no physical proof of the instant, but it was as if something had exploded from within the room as the writing all began to shimmer like the first time I had entered the room as I stared at nothing. My core, my powers bleeding out from me as Tobias bled along with me before shredding what felt like every cell, split every bone and set every muscle aflame. There was nothing hidden as it tore me apart in a search so deep it would be impossible not to leave scars. Perhaps no physical ones, but certainly memorable mental ones. I wanted to crawl to the corner. I wanted to roll over and crawl, to dig my fingers into the floor so deeply I left indents and launched myself with all of the strength I had until I struck the wall.

But then I would have to do it all over again. Discomfort over death. I recalled my decision. If I ran now, it would be an incomplete process. I was being ripped apart and still chose to remain. I dropped to the floor again, my head smacking into the ground without care as I stared at the ceiling. The tears finally split from my eyes, but not from the grilling pain, open mouth twisting into a smile as I began to tremble and shake rapidly. This was not a reaction to the room shaking. It had long ago stopped doing so, if it had ever done so in the first place. This was me. I was the one shaking. I think I was dying. Again.

"Is that normal? Hey, answer me! Is that supposed to happen?"

From head to toe, every strand of hair, every inch of flesh. Nothing was spared as it was taken apart and put back together. I followed along as closely as I could as it happened, but even I could not split myself as profoundly and mercilessly as I was being done. None of the pain blended together, as none of it happened at once, or at the same levels. It was tortuous. It was familiar. Slowly, my lips came together as I refocused my efforts elsewhere. There was only one thing I knew to do in a situation like this.

"...no."

"Let me in."

"I can't do-"

"Let me in."

I didn't need to focus on the pain of my body, decades of experience and life had taught me that I was more than flesh, more than the prison of pain it was often subjected to face over and over for another's command. Pain was just the warning of all that was wrong, but I had more than that I had to pay attention to so with difficulty, I pulled myself out of the pain and just focused on the one thing I could control. My magic. My gift. My will. Right now, I wanted this done and over with.

"You'll kill her if you do." Silence. "She hasn't gone to the corner-"

"I don't think she's in a position to do so."

"Let me in or I will-" Someone gasped.

"Harold? What is it?"

It was like being separated at every level imaginable. A body of bone, muscle, blood, tissue, magic, essence, spirit. Tobias was after the curse, so if I found it before him then I could guide him to it. And I already had a clue for what to look for. I turned my focus inward and did as Tobias did and broke myself down, faster, quicker and much more mercilessly then he ever could because I knew I could handle it.

"...by the old earth, she's over heating Tobias. Look, not only is she over working him, her magic seems to be copying what he's doing. It's like she is providing assistance-no, she's speeding the breakdown all on her own. The room's temperature has risen."

It was as if it weren't my own body with how easy it was to make the choice, although I could hear the pained grunts and feel the bruises that would grow as I hit the ground as I spasmed violently, it was easier to continue than to halt it all. What was pain in comparison to death? A moment. Blood trailed down my mouth as my teeth tore into my lip, the smell an incentive. All I ever spilt was blood.

"Are you saying that she's reading...herself?"

"She is." Multiple sounds rang out, small thumping and shuffling. "Quick, readjust Tobias, reduce the room's impact, if she's focused on him reading her then she's least likely going to combust, if anything its most likely Tobias begins to fail if he's not adjusted to her challenge. Raise the reading to level five, if she can handle three at this degree then we can speed up the process and reduce her time inside. I've never seen anything like this, her magic is learning from him, she'll have her own insights, how is this possible?"

"But why is she shaking like that?" Someone called out harshly.

"I don't know." Came the soft answer.

Now that my core was spread back through all of my body, I knew the shadow would take the chance to return to its blended environment, taking home in my body. But not every shadow, nor cranny would give off the revolting and sickening sensation. Tobias had broken nearly all of me in trying to find something that had the sense to hide, as if it knew it was being hunted for. I was good at hunting. Very good. So I left Tobias to continue on with his path of destruction and agony. I went to where he had left ashes of fire and dug there.

"How do you not fucking know-"

"Her gift. Shift and adapt." A cold voice interrupted, frustration evident with their fast speech. "I thought it only worked on people. How is she mimicking a casted room?"

Silence answered back.

There. Sitting like a puddle beneath my pain, at the base of my skull, wrapped around my neck like an invisible scarf, the same dangerous sensation from before waited for Tobias to detach itself from me before slinking back to where it normally hid. I'd imagine it home to be the shadow of my heart, or the wound inflicted on me at my time of death. Regardless of where it originally came from or hid, now that I knew where it was I took hold of my power and like oil and water, separated myself from Tobias and took him hostage. The foreign invader in my clutch. I pulled, dragging him to the problem. There was no resistance, there was no will in such a being and so when he faced his purpose he wasted no time doing what I did not dare. He touched it.

"Harold, what does her chart read-"

"I'm sorry, I can't focus on that right now Master. Tobias has found a malignant trace..."

"You're right, I'm sorry, focus on that."

I watched behind Tobias as he seeped into the enemy, wrapping and intertwining into it like he had done to me in the beginning. It was satisfying to know that thing would go through the same process I had to endure. Of course that while all of that happened, I was still trapped within the cycle of pain, my body twitching from phantom pains even if they had stopped.

"What is that? What does this look like to you?"

"Hmmm, I don't. . . think I've ever seen a casting like this, but that almost looks like something ..." The voice trailed off into thought.

I had shut my eyes at some point, but I saw no need to open them as I waited as Tobias disappeared within me, reading the thing I refused to touch. I held perfectly still, not twitching so much as a finger tip, afraid doing so would cause a pang of pain that would echo throughout me. I laid there for a while, my mind alert to any new sensation that might come, growing accustomed to the pain that was my momentary prison as of now, even the conversations on the other side of the window could not store my attention enough to care to listen too deeply. It was the present, the now that contained my survival, so on that's what I poured my focus into. Deeply.

Which was why it took a few more tries for me to realize that someone had been calling my name for a few moments.

"Mykela, can you hear me? If you can hear me I need you to raise your hand off the ground for a moment. Mykela, can you do that? Mykela?"

I waited for new signs of Tobias, something that would let me know what or how it was doing. Only silence greeted me.

"Mykela?" A familiar voice called out, startling me out of my focus enough to get my brows to twitch. It was a whisper or a hiss, a plea and a warning for no one in particular but dangerous enough to rouse my protective instincts back to the surface. At that movement, I flinched, bracing for more pain but when nothing came an involuntary shaky breath slipped from my parched lips.

"She moved! Mykela? Can you lift your hand up for a moment?" Reluctant and tired, I did so while keeping my eyes out on the silence within me.

"Great, good. Ok, Tobias is nearly finished with the reading, a few more seconds and you will feel the room begin to lose power. This is going to be onerous to you since you have been attached and attuned to one another for so long, as soon as he is off it will feel something like withdrawal, so when I tell you to take a deep breath I need you to hold it until I say so. Do you think you can muster up the strength to do that? You've done extremely well so far. We just have to get over this last step and you can rest Mykela, I promise you." Harold called out encouragingly, sincerity and what sounded like sympathy.

Unsure if it was the right move or not, I just raised my hand again to let him know that I understood. Slowly he began a countdown, it was strangely relaxing, soothing and when he gave the word I took a deep breath and held it. The room began to cool until it turned chilly at an unnatural pace, the floor that had grown to be soothing beneath me turned grave stone cold, all the warmth in my overheated body seeping through the cold hard floor that seemed to push against the wounds I felt all over. It was more than onerous, I was cooling rapidly, energy and false comforts that I hadn't known I had taken refuge into leaving me. Alone. All alone broken and bruised on the floor.

The sensation was familiar, my eyes, still shut, could make out shadows moving on the other side as what must have been bright lights and colors returned as solids, but that made it feel all the worse. Like I was laying in an empty room with nothing, Like I was nothing but a ruined experiment. My chest tightened as it tried to expand and take a breath I had not been given the clear to take. My stomach tightened as I held it all in together. Like removing a boulder from a damn, I could feel Tobias leave me, rushing out of my body and into the air. I was beginning to get light headed, my chest burning, lips bleeding as they tried to stay together.

"Release." My gasp of air was loud, scaring and sounded more like a choked whimper to my ears, but the air that rushed into me was ecstasy. I brought my arms around me as I took in another.

There was a crumbling sound, something coming apart, but I was too chilled, tired and overwhelmed to open my eyes. I just needed a moment to catch my breath. Just a moment, that was all I needed and then I would be back on my feet. I would do that. I could do it. I had to.

There was something behind me suddenly, arms wrapping around me as they pulled me up and off of the ground and into a familiar embrace. The sensation of relief was immediate, even if he wasn't warm, the scent soothing and fresh, like that first gasp of air. Something brushed across my head. I didn't know what I held tightly in my hands, my clothes or his, it all felt the same.

"She can sleep now, in fact I recommend it. My familiar can guide you back to your room, if anything comes up ring the bell." Someone said matter of factly, before their tone lowered, softened, not warmth, but something close to it. "I'll come to check on her every two hours, if she needs assisted healing I'll take care of it, but by the look of her instinctive internal casting she should be fine with a day's rest."

I was swaying softly, but I did not fear falling. I was sinking again, but there was no pain or dread, I recognized the arms of exhaustion and let it take me as I began to go limp. Trust, there was a sense of trust that I could do it right now. I just needed a moment to rest. They could get me that moment, they would be alert for me while I took it.

"Mykela, good job, we'll have the results soon, you won't have to do this again. Thank you for your courage." A deep voice seemed to whisper from far away.

"I'll stay here to watch." There was a pause before the silken voice added "There wouldn't be a problem with that right?" I didn't get to hear the answer.

The swaying continued for a while, I curled in more as a steady beating sounded off close to my ear. There was little warmth coming from this hold but there was something all the more comforting, impossibly so from the nearness of this being. My shredded world, going peacefully numb as it knitted itself back together. My core spreads back into every nook and cranny within me, returning to sink into muscle, into my veins like slow dripping honey, checking the damage and looking for intruders. The tips of my fingers tingle.

"Mykela." Someone sighed softly before muttering something that was lost to me as I went to sleep.

"If I open my eyes and find you staring at me I'm going to be very displeased." I mumbled groggily. I didn't have to open my eyes to know the room was dimly lit. There were covers up to my chin over me, I was on my side, warm and comfortable. It had been a long time since I could say that.

"Then don't open your eyes. Sleep some more." Venom answered from in front of me, his voice was low, but it was softer than a whisper to my ears. He sounded amused, at least there was that. I never knew what reaction I would get from him at times.

Without opening my eyes or moving an inch I did an inventory check on how I was doing. My body ached as if I had been doing extremely difficult work the day before, but there was a sluggishness to me, almost a laziness I was unfamiliar with that was alarming enough for me to start to want to chase it away. Ease was unfamiliar to me, being at ease even more so. I tensed.

"That's not how this works." I argued, brows furrowing. I still didn't want to open my eyes. I felt like once I did that something would change. And it would, but I wasn't sure what.

"I've noticed people tend to sleep at night, that is in fact how it works." He started.  "You've been put on bed rest for the next twenty-four hours. You still have eighteen hours left and there are at least nine more hours left in the night before sunrise. You heard as well as I did that the people within the tower are night time creatures, so if you do not wish to run into anyone and keep a low profile-"

"Fine, fine, you win. I will not get up just yet." I sighed before bringing my hands up to hug the pillow below me. My elbow gave a satisfying pop. "Since when did your points become much more persuasive?"

"I've had time to play this conversation out." he answered sourly. My lips pinched together, regret at the question arising immediately as I opened my eyes. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the room before focusing on the dark honey like eyes that seemed to burn in the dark. He stared at me unhappily, not trying to hide anything at all. I squinted and then turned, burying my head into the pillow.

"Mykela," he called out. I pressed my face further in. I almost rather be back in the room with Tobias. I was good at reading moods and right now there was a different type of tension within Venom. None of this was familiar to me. "We have to talk."

"About?" I mumbled into the pillow. I waited for him to speak but when there came no answer I turned gingerly and peaked over at him. I didn't like the sad smile he was staring at me with. There was a twinge in my chest. I frowned. From earlier? No, I had been fine seconds before.

"What do you think?" My first thought was to apologize to get it over with but our previous conversation about that habit of mine removed that choice from my grasp.

"We knew this was going to be difficult and we don't have the time to be picky about the method." I said bluntly. Why was he upset? If anyone should be upset, I would think it to be me and yet here we were. "Why are you angry at me?"

"I am not angry at you." He started calmly, rolling over to his back and staring up. His hair parted, falling to the side. He always looked more...something to me when his hair was down. Relaxed, approachable and soft. I clutched the pillow tighter in my grasp, digging my fingers into the softness of it.

"Then what is it?"

"You are right, we knew this would be difficult, the choices slim and the timing tight. I knew there would be difficult moments. I knew it." He seemed to be saying that last part to himself. My heart appeared to be beating loudly in my ears again, even though my pulse was normal. "But I ask of you for one thing, if you are to ever put me through something like that ever again."

"What?" I held my breath, unsure why there was a sudden quaking to my voice. He paused, glancing over at me, his brows coming down slowly before he continued.

"Your forgive-" I sat up at once looking at him with wide, horrified eyes. He watched me, surprised and confused.

"Oh my god tell me you did not eat Harold!" I nearly cried out with a hoarse voice, my words cracking at the start. He stared at me for a moment, blink, looked off to the side and rolled his eyes before his arms came up to support his head.

"No, I did not eat the male." He stated sourly before adding with a murmur. "Even if he does deserve it."

"Why would he deserve it? He's helping us." I raised a skeptic brow at him. If Venom disliked Harold there was nothing I could really do to make him like him, but I didn't expect I'd have to fight for Harold's life. He was probably hard at work and had no clue there was a creature within his vicinity targeting him as a meal, specifically. My lips twitched into a small smile, I looked down for a moment and shook my head. I should not find that thought as amusing as I have.

I refocused on Venom to find him staring at me almost incredulous before a peculiar look came over his face. It was not nice but I had a feeling it wasn't directed at me, even if he was looking at me directly. I looked away before laying back down.

           "Well, if you did not eat Harold, then what were you going to say?" I questioned trying to get his mind off of the man in charge of saving my life, or at least giving me the best chance at survival.

"I was going to ask for unanimous forgiveness but now I think I want a specific forgiveness pass." He started seriously, turning to look at me as if I were insane enough to consider it.

       "Absolutely not." I started sitting up slightly to glare at him. He stared back challengingly. His chin came up, words as arrogant as any male of any species could be.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

         I scoffed at his audacity. As if there hadn't been a twinge of murder in his eyes moments before. "Yes I do. I know you."

He stilled and looked away from me.

"Hmm," A hand came over the lower half of his face, obscuring his full expression but for a moment, his eyes focused elsewhere, black pupil narrowing. "Perhaps not as well as you think you do."

A sliver of fear within me trembled at those words. I think it was not because there was always a truth to that, but because it had sounded more like a warning and in light of what he had been insinuating to ask of me, it sounded like my last.

"The Royal House of Sybil," I flinched at his murmuring, but he continued on. I held my breath for the onslaught of questions that were about to come. More than that, there was much he must have wanted to discuss with me. I braced for it all. "What is the difference between them and the Council?"

"What?"

"They used to be above the Council, but how are they any different?"

"Oh, um," well this was not where I thought his first line of questioning would go so it took me a moment to ready the answer. It was a somewhat easy answer. "I'm not entirely sure what the original purpose of the Council used to be, they were already firmly established and had set up all of the ground work to take over the fall of House Sybil, which even during my mothers childhood was a history lesson. From what I had been taught as a child they were the pinnacle of magic, the manipulators of existence and the physical shield standing between species conflicts. Everyone went to them with issues and somehow they always remained neutral, but fair, any dispute would be solved if one turned the case over to the Sybil sisters, but when issues grew out of control and became a threat they handled it by sending those of their close trusted covens, but when the sisters stepped in to handle it first hand there were stories about a shift of power occurring when one they expressed disappointment to whoever they were out of favor with.

Of course but the time I was under the Council's hand, when they sent me on the first hunt of a surviving member of the Sybil coven, reality was much different from what I had heard. I don't know if it was because they had been on the run or hiding but there was something just-" I cut myself off, lips pursed together as I shook my head, but the memory refused to leave me. Clear eyes with ink like swirls, the wrongness of my actions sure, but the chill of knowing there was more. I shook my head harder and leaned back against the headboard, crossing my arms over my chest as I glared at nothing in front of me.

"Why didn't they reach out for help if they were all that important, even the remaining members were important, were they not? I'm sure anyone would have jumped at the opportunity."

"I wondered about that for sometime as well," I confessed before continuing stiffly, my nails digging into the palms of my hands. "How could they strike them all so swiftly in one night? Why would the survivors not reach out? How had they even managed to survive for so long undetected with not even a whisper of their survival leaking out?"

"To take out so many in one night would have meant years of preparation, betrayal stemming from more than just the trusted few that claimed to have survived." He went silent as it dawned on him. "The survivors would have reached out to those they trusted, that lived from that night not knowing friend was actually foe. The few that realized that must have become paranoid and kept to themselves but the Council finding a few survivors began a hunt for any and the unlucky few they found..." he glanced my way with a pinched expression. I made a sound of agreement.

"There have been a few groups  the Council has vanquished since their reign in power, I suspect not all those first few protesters were in the wrong or entirely protesting at all." It was difficult to know for sure, the Council had made sure to cast those as enemies into the abyss of nothing. Erasing their history as swiftly as if they had never walked the earth at all. Records were nearly non-existent. I covered my face with my hand, rubbing my eyes and fought back a rising yawn.

When I refocused on him, I shut down momentarily in all aspects. I really hated when he did this. For the creature that he was, Venom was very nimble and silent when he wished to be. So, when I dropped my hand and turned his way, I was dazed to find him not laying beside me as he had previously been so but rather crouched at my side, but either sides of his arms had found way of me, his face dangerously close as he studied me carefully. It wasn't one of his usual looks, I found that as I took in the sight of him as well. His eyes flickered over my face too quickly, his lips slightly parted, but tense in their hold. Falling back over his forehead and obscuring what should have been most of his eyesight, his hair glowed a clear stormy shade of gray within the cocoon of the bed, the candle light not enough to bring forth his bright shading of color. For someone lacking so much color, he took it in exceptionally well. I noticed he was in a large baggy T-shirt, the first plain piece of clothing I had seen on him and the thought had me glancing down to wonder for the first time what I had been put into. To my relief it looked like tonight's choice of attire was actually mine. I recognized the long sleeve shirt I had packed.

"I'm fine." I informed him when he remained in position. I lowered my hand to my lap. He cocked his head to the side, eyeing me with such distrust I could not help but snicker at the sight. Through the bond he purposely pushed disbelief, suspicion and concern. It was odd to feel it now that we were how we were now. I did not cringe at it and in a sense it was another form of communication. Just for us two. "I promise, just a little tired."

"Florence has come to check on you through your rest. She says you heal fairly well, internally that is." I frowned. I was by no mean a light sleeper, so how had she come in so many times without me knowing? I couldn't have been that tired. Even so, me not waking up- "You almost choked her the first time she tried to touch you."

I sighed and smiled simultaneously at the news of it. Yes, that sounded far more like me. His brows went up as he leaned back a little, arms dropping to the sides.

"You are happy, about that?" he said slowly. Ah, my reaction to the news was taken the wrong way. I was about to correct the misunderstanding but watching him try to mask his weariness made me cave to the mischief.

"Of course." I said firmly, wiggling back down and copying the position he had been in earlier. I bit back the smile as he looked down, his bangs covering his eyes, but his mouth twisted to one side or the other as he tried to understand my reasoning. When he began to look up ever so slowly with a smile on his lips, I became the scared one.

"You were happy it was her you choked and not me?" he reasoned, somehow pleased. I was so stupified by his response my lips parted as I just stared at him. He nodded as if that were all the answer he needed from me. "I do not think there is a need for that concern, I know you would never try anything in your sleep of that caliber with the exception of a cuddling hold."

Huh? What? There was a misunderstanding here, clearly.

"Wa-ah ha, wait, um-" He reached out and with a finger under my chin shut my mouth. How had we gotten here? Someone had taken a turn and it sure as hell was not me.

"After all," he continued as if the shaking in my stare was not from refutation. "You are much more aggressive towards me when awake." His grin was proud and boyish. He winked a golden eye at me before he threw himself at my side, beneath the blankets and facing me, his head on the palm of his hand.

I gaped at him. "You-you,"

"Me what?"

I shut my mouth firmly and laid down. Pointedly ignoring him. He laughed softly. He was teasing me, the whole time. Of course he was, I was not one to cuddle. I wasn't a cuddler. I wasn't.

"Are you not going to ask me anything else?" I asked after a while, a tension I could not ignore still lingering within me. "Like what I spoke of with Harold?"

"If I asked, would you answer?"

"To some extent."

"Then I don't need to know." He sighed. "A half answer from you, usually means there is some second motive for withholding information. It's never personal so I won't push."

I was somewhat relieved and confused with his answer. His trust in me was hard to deny with the ease of which he simply accepted how I did things.

"Are you saying that if it was personal you would push?"

"Completely and annoyingly so." He confessed shamelessly. "If you had said no to my previous question then I would have known you were being secretive about yourself. Such a thought, to know you would have told a complete stranger something even I knew nothing about? Unacceptable." His put out, irked way of speaking shocked a laugh out of me. My hands came up to cover my mouth and stifle the sound. His eyes lit up at the sight of me. My own narrowed on him, but the force of it was weak when my shoulders continued to shake.

"Unacceptable." I repeated in his same outraged voice. His smile came freely, brows coming together in a mock glare.

"Yes, completely unacceptable." he added with sure conviction.

I wasn't sure what to make of this soft moment, but rather than over think it I decided to simply enjoy it for what it was. A moment.

When I woke up I wasn't surprised to find Viper in the room with me instead of her brother. She sat perched on an accent chair, long legs on the window still as she stared out the window from the slight parting of the curtain, a copper bowl of cherries on her lap she would pick from and eat silently. Her hair was braided all together into one long braid tossed over the back of the chair, a pink velvet string tied at the end. I couldn't see what she was wearing exactly, but all I caught were white ruffled long sleeves with baby pink silken wrist wraps and gleaming cuffs. Where the hell had she gotten diamond cufflinks?

"Did you leave Venom alone with Harold?" Was the first thing out of my mouth. She barely glanced over at me before plopping another fruit into her mouth.

"Nope, Florence is there." She snickered. "I don't think Venom likes Harold very much. The poor man trembles whenever Venom stares his way, but for such a well structured man seems to be all fluff on the inside."

"So I've noticed." I muttered, rolling over onto my back and tossing my arm over my face as I sighed. Something took hold of my wrist and threw my arm off my face. Viper loomed over me, I cringed into my pillow as she leaned down closer, putting her hands on either side. Viper was very beautiful in her human form, but as someone who knew the reality behind the human facade, her perfect features, the smoothness of her dark skin, the sharp edges of her brows and cheekbones, the almost never ending curve at the end of her lips, sharp white teeth, so close to me made it hard to forget something so dangerous was inches away from my face with an unhappy look to her. Not comforting at all. She narrowed her eyes on me, her right brow lowering slightly in concern, it was hard to find her pupils in the black ink of her eyes, but the slight movement of her pupils contracting gave me a clue that she was studying me closely.

"You've noticed? That Venom doesn't like him or that Harolds well formed behind that foolish slouching of his?" She shot off quickly, looking at me with trembling eyes. I don't think I've ever seen this look on her. My face scrunched up as I tried to put together what had distressed her so.

"Hey, hey, answer me. Which one?" she insisted, shaking the bed as she bounced her hands. Unsure of what the issue was I just decided to answer her since there was no real problem with the question.

"Both?" Her lips pursed unhappily before she pulled back sharply, the end of her braid swishing forward and then back roughly. She nodded reluctantly before walking over to the chair and plopping down. Her fingers intertwined as they went under her chin, she slouched forward with a pensive look.

"Yeah, I guess you would have to be dense to not acknowledge that build, but like hell," she began muttering under her breath quickly, speeding up. I only caught a few words. "-take...after...time...got you bro...team."

I watched her for approximately three more seconds before accepting that I wanted nothing to do with whatever scheme she was cooking so long as it blew no one up and made a smaller mess than usual. She wouldn't try to eat Harold. I paused, looking back over to her rumbling figure with only the slightest conviction that, yes, in comparison to her brother she was least likely to take a bite out of Harold.

I stretched when I got up, checking on my condition as I walked over to the bathroom. Despite everything that had taken place I was almost disappointed to see no change in the mirror. No wounds, no scarring, not even slight bruising. Someone had wiped the paint from my face and limbs. When I got out of the shower I was finishing up braiding my hair in a nearly identical style to Viper, breakfast was already served on the table, steam coming from the trays. I plopped the towel over the back of the chair, reached into the first pocket of my backpack and sat, immediately eating, famished. There was a slight shaking to my fingers. A weakness in my grip.

"How do you feel?" Viper asked casually, still staring at the window.

"Fine." She scoffed as if the answer was absurd.

"What happened after I fell asleep?" I reached for the first thing I laid my eyes on and took a vicious bite, chewing quickly before washing it down with cold water. It was gone from my hand quickly, some type of soft fresh bread, by the second slice I was a bit more calm now that there was something in my belly. 

"You passed out," she corrected sharply, turning to look at me over her shoulder, setting the bowl down as she turned to sit sideways. "Harold went straight to work on removing his glasses and since then I doubt he's taken more than three or four steps away from the symbols that started appearing on the window frame. There were also some weird looking charts but since neither he or Florence looked too alarmed we came to think of it as a good sign. They did look a bit too intrigued for comfort, but they haven't been too forth coming on whatever it is that has them excited."

"Hmm," I wasn't too surprised to hear that, but it wasn't fun to wait for results when we didn't know whatever it was that they could find- had found, I corrected myself. "Still, its progress."

Unfurling the newspaper I had taken out of my backpack I went to the front and scanned for the latest update, some entertainment scandals, couple spiffs and the usual denial of political motivation in regards to some big buy. I flipped over to the third page, world news and skimmed.

"How can you be so calm to sit there and just read the news with toast in your mouth after that whole ordeal? This is a big moment." I nodded absentmindedly to her raised voice.

"There isn't much for us to do while we wait for something to go off of." I answered, flipping the page as a small smirk came away.

"See, what you're saying and that expression do not match, what are you reading? Did someone drop a hot scandalous sex tape? Would that be put in the newspaper? Seems more like a tabloid thing." She walked around the table and leaned in, trying to find what had gained my attention. I motioned to the left page with my chin.

"Remember those drop offs we did after checking out from that In?" She was already reading out loud what I had motioned too.

"-closed and all assets put on hold as an investigation has taken place after disturbing information came into light about the N.K.Y Foundation of Rescue Missions. It is believed thousands if not hundreds of victims that had been declared lost souls by the company after unnatural disasters were found, kidnapped, trafficked and used as forced labor in shady company dealings. All those in alliance or that have used their services in the past are under internal investigation as well after Jaken Brothers Bank made the sudden publication from their headquarters about the money laundering of all victims in connection to missing people that had an account with them. If you or a loved one was reported missing or claimed to be a lost soul by N.KF, had an account open at the time of their disappearance please contact Kelly Answers & Co. information listed at the bottom of this article."

I then motioned to the smaller, no doubt less paid attention to paragraph across the page. The title read 'Now What? Now Where? Old Dispute Renewed'.

"Protests arise amid alarming discovery of the location of The Old Maidens Jewel of Prosperity, an enchanted jew of old time believed to have been worn by the leader of the Old Maiden tales and heroes. The relic, believed to give the power of such a thing a thousand years of good luck in exchange for the risk of losing fifteen years of fortune if the jew finds the person unworthy. The issue arose when it was made known publicly that the location of the jew was discovered in no other than the very back yard of trillionaire Madison Raveert, owner of all northern overwater transportation routes. There was a public outcry of robbery, since the artifact is originally from Artizia, the Raveert enemy territory of their well known competitors the Maritins who were known to have at one point in their family history to have been a part of the Old Maidens history. Territorial disputes, closing of the northern transport routes have taken place after the ships were attacked by bandits that set all property aflame. The Raveerts have accused the Maritins of being responsible for this attack, bringing a rising tension in all those involved with the two. Mean while a dispute over what should be done with the jewel, the location and how to retrieve it has been a hot subject since Raveerts have stated that the location of the jew make it theirs, regardless of the how it got there." The article continued with more back and forth with public displeasure on handing something over to someone who had more than they needed and the rising tensions of those who use the northern routes for transportation as they would have to risk using different methods if they wanted to avoid being pulled into the war that would undoubtedly arise after the first burning.

"The other stories have not come forward yet, but that fine, a few probably managed to get ahead and do damage control, but I wager two more are bound to come up in the coming days." I tsked before setting the paper down the table and reaching over to pick up thinly cut slices of meat.

"Why exactly did we release all this information?" Viper asked walking around the table to take a seat before grabbing a plate and piling food onto it.

"Distraction for the higher ups who might eventually catch wind of us. They alway have their fingers in profitable shady business designs as aid work for the public. When something like this comes out into the light, if they can't get in front of it, they usually try to minimize the connection and begin removing the loose ends that may trail their way. While they take care of their assets, the ones after us will have a bit more trouble following us if the travel routes become a mess." I explained offhandedly, pouring a bright blue color into my cup, sniffing at the fresh orange smell and taking a sip. Hmm, not orange. "If they try to find out where the leak of information came from, they're more likely to suspect an inside job if all the information was released anonymously."

"Fine, but why the information on the jew instead of the documents on the section of the Jungle map with the possible location to the three eyed rising phoenix?" Her finger drummed on the table.

"Someone will always be on the lookout for a phoenix, but a jew with fifty years of fortune within it? And the sole risk is misplacing fifteen years? That's a cash grab to the Council, they wont be able to resist stepping in to mediate, find a way to transfer the fortune to some other jew, create a fake or some convoluted scheme of it being stolen from them. Hah," I sighed, leaning back into my chair. "Of course, I don't think the Raveerts family will allow such luck to slip through their hands and although they might not have the manpower or the fight to stand against the Council for long, they can make things very inconvenient for them."

"But long enough for us to be minimal subjects of interest." She reasoned, nodding slowly, face scrunched up together as she stared at me. "If they're as big and bad as you say, there will probably be a separate division in charge of handling such interest. Their attention will probably not be easy to sway."

She was correct on that matter. For however corrupt and rotten they were on the inside, the way the Council ran was like a sturdy tree, with roots that reached out farther than people knew and the branches were troubles some on their own. This tactic of evasion would work for a while, but not forever. Most importantly, they were collectors, they would not be able to resist even attempting to take possession of an item being fought over. A moment of looking away was all I needed. I had to plan for when an inevitable confrontation came. I smiled and chose to remain silent as we ate. Quick to understand me she groaned before digging into her own meal, throwing me disapproving quizzical looks every now and then.

I had meant what I had said to Viper earlier, there really was nothing we could do but wait for whatever was to come our way. If the tower Master and Harold could not aid us, then we would look elsewhere for answers, and now would be the best time to start looking for those other possibilities. As well as the perfect location to get readjusted to more than just the surface of information. We had been...lucky, so far, but when that ran out, there would be a price to pay for such good fortune. It would be easier on my mind, if there were things in place for when those moments came. But for all of this I would have to speak to the tower Master first. If Harold did come through with being able to provide even the smallest of helpful hints, I would have to pay for his hard work. I suppose I had laid out some groundwork for future retrieval, but still. I looked over to the hanging rope, undecided. She would be helping Harold most likely but she would come soon, and if the unease I was getting at my chest the longer I stared was any warning, the conversation would be longer than I could wish.

Give and take. She would ask questions and I could not predict what those questions might be. Even guiding the conversation would be difficult, she was a shrewd woman. Which was why when the knock came at the door a few hours later and she walked in a moment, I was unsurprised at her wish to speak to me in private.

"Why exactly do I have to leave?"

"You wish to keep certain things to yourself, fine, I call upon the right to keep the business that pertains to what I want from her private as well. If she," the tower Master pointed a finger my way. "Wishes to tell you later on, you can ask, but for now this conversation stays between two."

Viper looked back and forth between the two of us for a moment before slinking out of the room but not before giving me a look over her shoulders that I knew was a warning at me not to do anything she would consider stupid. Knowing what she was referring to, I couldn't help but smile at the door after it had shut behind her.

The tower Master sat herself on the chair Viper had been seated at in the morning, waving her hands to open the curtains in the room, bright light brightened the room, jewel like colors splashing the room with vividness that had been denied since our arrival. I raised a brow at her as I sat in front of her. She shrugged with a pleased expression.

"We've much to discuss, you and ," she began with a small, distant smile that certainly did not reach her eyes. "Much more than I originally thought."

I said nothing and let her lead the conversation. She crossed a leg and sat back into the chair, arms coming up on the arm rest, fingers drumming softly. I held my body still, nothing but my breathing being my only constant motion, not even blinking as I watched her. Now was when I would see what would happen after she had gotten to scan me, read me. If Harold had not kept his end of the bargain then it would all go to hell if she was here to demand or threaten me with half hearted knowledge. However, if Harold was the one with half hearted knowledge on whatever he thought he might understand, then I could use that to my advantage if he came to me before speaking to her. For now, she had the upper hand. Now I would really get to see if she was the type of tower Master I was used to dealing with or one that could be trusted to keep her word to some extent.

"How were you able to learn from Tobias?" she demanded at once.

"Can you be more specific in your question?" I asked with indifferent aloofness. Her brows rose at my tone, eyes sharpening as her face hardened.

"The magic cast on that room is one of a kind. Only known to exist within my tower, I will not have it replicated or traded to any other tower. How did you replicate Tobias function when I thought your gift only worked on sentient beings? I will not drop this matter Ms.Debrouhs." she said with a silkily tone that did not match the sharp focus she was glaring at me with.

"Ah," I said with false understanding, nodding as I sat back into my chair, snapping my fingers and pointing at her. "That."

"Yes, that." She repeated through clenched teeth. I placed a false, joyous smile on my face.

"Don't worry about that," her eyes narrowed on me at that comment "that wasn't any type of replicating magic going on."

"Then what was it?" She snapped, clearly untrusting of what I was saying. I crossed my arms over my chest loosely as I gave her an arrogant look.

"Why exactly is it odd to you that I wouldn't take the opportunity to look inside of myself as well when Tobias offered an opening to do so?" It wasn't exactly a lie, but certainly not the full truth. Of course, I had tried searching for the curse in the past, but I couldn't find something that felt as much part of me as my flesh did. I was a people hunter, not a fully fledged casting witch. I had missed a few of those classes while in prison.

"Your gift allows you to shift and adapt, a physically consuming gift." She frowned, less tense as she pondered over what I was insinuating, but still skeptical. "I suppose it could be possible, but I know what Tobias does, the physical feeling of being destroyed from the inside out as he breaks down everything in search for the animalities. The pain the mind goes through, the strain on your core shouldn't have allowed you such fine control."

I looked off to the side, towards the door before looking back at her.

"Are there new regulations for what can be done to discover cures for magic related bodily failures in place in the Towers?" I asked suddenly.

Her face didn't so much as twitch but I could almost feel her trying to find the link between our conversation and my inquiry.

"Yes." She answered after a moment, unsure of where the question suddenly came from. My expression dropped as I looked her in the eyes, the ghoulish way I delivered my answer striking her stiff for a moment.

"There weren't any when I was around." I couldn't recognize the form my mouth had taken, but I knew there was little softness within my eyes, my face muscles twisting into an expression I hadn't made in company for a while. "Tobias certainly hurt, but nothing that would cause hesitation in ripping myself into a thousand pieces if it meant speeding up the process."

The silence in the room was nearly defining from her, I almost wished there was a fire in the background, it would have been something to distract myself as she gathered her thoughts. I waited patiently.

She eyed me wearily. "Your determination is commendable."

I shrugged. "There is no risk of me releasing Tobias process to anyone as even if I wished to do so I have no knowledge to how he functions nor the casting on the walls. I'm afraid I'm too old school to jump into the new ways just yet, I prefer my ways as well."

"I'm indecisive on whether or not to look forward to the moment you become an expert on all of the things you've come to miss." She made a sound at the back of her throat that sounded more like a disapproving grunt than a chuckle. "If that is so then we can move onto more pressing matters. Harold has been at work looking over your results, but since curse reading needs near perfect interpretation he has not been very vocal about what he's come to learn so far. That isn't all that odd, but since I have been looking over your sample results I've come to tell you a bit of what was discovered."

I sat up more at this. I didn't know somethin would come back so quickly, if important at all, but any new knowledge felt like a tremendous step forward. My throat went dry, my hands suddenly felt weak. I closed them into loose fists, because loose was as close as they were going to get.

"Physically you are nearly perfect in condition, but there is a slow decaying process that seems to be slow growing at your chest. Like a festering wound that is poisoning the rest of your body, but your magic is putting up an impressive resistance, slowing the spread of it." I couldn't help but glance down briefly at her correct assumption, a false phantom pang hitting me from the very wound as if it too was acknowledging her statement. "The biggest discovery we've found is that your body seems to be in some sort of animated state, you said you are reborn and die approximately at the same age and days as the first time you were killed, but upon a closer look at your cells it's almost as if your body is going backwards to keep you in the best state you can be, while the curse tries to go forward to worsen you. Kill you. Your body has definitely put up the biggest fight to keep you alive, but it's not what's kept you alive and it's certainly not what keeps bringing you back to life. You were right, the curse placed upon you is a death curse. So my question is, why do you keep coming back to life when the curse kills you at the end?"

I was looking at her but my mind was racing a mile a minute.

The curse was placed on me. It completed its purpose but still I returned. My body fought it off for as long as possible, but it was not enough. Still, I returned. A rattling sounded off in my mind. I flinched, startling out of my thoughts. She watched me, as if knowing I was keeping something. I looked away, quieting the rattling, pushing it back down. There was only one reason I would ever willingly ever confess to the existence of that box. Anything other than that and I would take it to my ever repeating grave.

"Is it possible for it to be a looped curse?" I asked offhandedly before turning back to her.

"Those would take a lot of power to cast, more than just one person would have and even then, to cast one would be for punishment-" I gave her a sardonic smile. "Ah, right, the Huntress was not very loved in the criminal world. Even so, whoever cast it would have had to have means and one hell of a grudge."

The list was far longer than I cared to look at or acknowledge at the moment. I had once upon a time thought back to where this could have originated from and had come to conclusion many, many, years ago. I simply did not care anymore. I was tired. I just wanted it all to stop.

"Yes, but is it a possibility?" I pushed. She clasped her hands together, foot bouncing in the air.

"It is, but Harold would know more if it were a certainty. He's never dealt with a looping curse, the rarity of those being extremely small in reality and the people more so secretive on who they share that knowledge with."

"But if it were to be true? I suppose my chances of breaking it would grow slimmer than the chances now?"

A polite smile arose on her face, all the answers I needed from her. I nodded before sitting back into my chair. It wasn't all that disheartening. The odds were often stacked against me.

"How long does a reading take Harold?" I need a time frame within the limited amount I already have. There were preparations that had to be done if everything went for the worst.

"He'll need at least another day or two." She confessed bluntly. I appreciated her upfront honesty in this regard. "You are carrying quite the amount of data on you. Nearly a century's worth, to be clear. I can not rush him if you want any worthwhile results." she clarified warningly.

"I know. In which case would it be a bother to have access to your library?" there were certainly other perks besides being studied at the tower. This was one of few advancing fields of wide ranges of magic. A fortress of knowledge old and new.

"I can lend you the books but if you wish to remain a secret then going to and from the library would be counterproductive since that is the busiest place after the open labs and training grounds. I'll bring you the library catalog list and bring the books to you." she agreed to after a pensive pause, a strand of blue hair twirling around one finger as she played with the end.

"Much appreciated."

"In return," I smiled at her quick pounce. "I would like to discuss further the matter on the Sisters of Sybil." My smile vanished, dread and guilt rising to the surface. My next breath came sharply.

"Yes, that unpleasant matter." a shark-like smile directed at me as all pretense friendliness vanished, her position remained relaxed but the air around her became charged, authoritative as she looked down from her nose at a purposeful angle.  "Although I am willing to take a chance on what you have sworn to be true before I can bring such a sensitive topic up to my allies I will require evidence. I am sure you comprehend why."

I could, but that did not make the issue about to arise easier to navigate for any of us. I wished to remain as inconspicuous as possible, while I was still dead to this world, I could move, which was a lot more freedom then when I was alive and known. She knew this which meant it was not my testimony, despite being so disturbingly intertwined in the actions I had committed, that she was asking for. Proof, solid proof which she could use to either inside the public with the truth or something to take the Council by the neck with.

"They could have gotten rid of all or any proof by now." I pointed out, dragging my feet a bit. It wasn't just reluctance to discuss the matter, but rather everything that came with the truth. My mind does not want to return to such dark memories so quickly, not yet.

"Don't give me a fool's potion, you wouldn't have dug such sinister secrets up unless there was something you had or knew you could use. If they have gotten rid of all evidence then there must be something you saved, something you took and hid away for such a moment like this.'' Each word that came forth from her was like a battering ram at the flimsy door I held between myself and the actions that would take place. I took in a deep breath, my shoulders lifting slightly and dropping as I exhaled. I placed my hands on my knees. Sometimes it was harder to begin something when you knew there would be no chance to stop because a beak meant certain doom. Once this started, there would be no halting what was to come. I don't know if I was ready to become that Mykela just yet. It was an upsetting thought.  She needed to come back in order for all of this to work.

"What do you plan to do after I hand it over?" I asked.

She arched her brow at me, eyes opening slightly in rough disbelief, her mouth curved upwards humorlessly. "Do you wish to negotiate the terms for which I can use-"

I raised a hand, palm out. "No, I care very little what you decide to do with it. Just out of curiosity."

"What I do with it will be decided once it is within my possession." she declared at once, no bend in her conviction. My eyes shut on their own accord for a moment, taking in the silence in the room, the peace of the word in this very moment before I discarded it all to hell. Oh well, good things never last for long. Time to let the world burn. This time, when I smiled, I could feel the shift in my mind as the cynicism took the driver's seat, I let the flood gate open. I opened my eyes and leaned forward, placing my chin on my hand.

"On the off chance that any one of them might have gotten rid of the evidence, they surely would have moved their pieces at least once within the last decade since they are always digging around one another in search of other secrets." I shrugged, but gave her an approving look. She didn't seem to appreciate that. "But you are correct, I did keep something."

When I said nothing more she exhaled slowly, mouth tight before she spoke again, her voice controlled. I watched the magic fluctuate around her for a moment. She seemed lively, but there was still a wall of control that was thinning as her interest seemed to win over her usual conduct. "I hope you are not keeping me like so for dramatic effect."

"That is not my intention, you will find that being secretive and eluding is simply who I am. I will have to leave to retrieve it." I looked up at the ceiling, my mind conducting a map that began to lay out multiple paths, problems shifting to one side as the list of things I would need went to the opposite side. There were also siblings. I don't suppose they would be alright with me going alone. The map shifted slightly, things removing themselves as the best routes came forward. I would need to check out if anything had changed in the rules and layouts.

"What is it Mykela Debrouhs?" She snapped, frustrated by the wait. I couldn't help the amusement, a small huff of air left me. Not a chuckle, but daringly close. Before she became infuriated at the sound of it, I delivered her answer. In a manner of speaking.

"At the height of the mind, the jewel of your eye, to rest in a nest, of a creature divine. Darkness is my cover, trading and trickery are my craft, the gleam and the shine, like to light up a match. The number predicts the future of time, fortune or woe, you might hide at the sight. What am I?"

"You could not have seriously just answered me with a riddle." she stared at me, there was no sound to it, but the hairs on my arms stood at once, my left shoulder flinching at an unspecified sign of hostility. Her air of authority stifling, her anger unhidden. I couldn't see if but I imagined her tendrils of magic were inching closer to me, reacting to her impatience.

"What am I?" I asked, staring unflinchingly at the tower master before me.

"Infuriatingly maddening. Aggravating beyond belief for the short amount of time we have come to spend together-'' there was a liveliness behind her blank mask, her lips curled in an undeniable sign of anger even if the top portion of her face remained stone still, her eyes swirling faster, strands of hair raising slowly like electricity was running over her.

"What am I?" I interrupted her, the corners of my eyes coming up as I held down a smile.

"...that is your answer? Really? You dare give the Master of this tower a riddle for an answer?" she snapped, hands curled around the ends of her chair until her knuckles popped.

"What. Am. I?"

Her jaw clenched before she gave one sharp nod wit the jerk of her heart, she tossed

her hair over a shoulder before sitting closer to me on the edge of her chair, tipping it forward.

"Fine, I will play along. Truly, you are of the old times. A wretched riddle of all atrocities,"she added with a snarl, lashing out once more before she narrowed her eyes on me.  "Repeat it once more."

I did as she asked, perhaps a bit too cheerfully at her glower. She was notably calmer, her aura snapping back into her so fast it left a slight chill in the room now that her tension wasn't heating the room anymore. This time she held back the commentary as she focused. It didn't take long for her spite to melt into confusion, her brows lowering before coming together as her face scrunched up, she looked off to the window before looking back at me. She was quick, which was great for her because I would have been saddened if I had to throw in another clue. It was a witch, no, something all casters were familiar with in one way or another.

"What am I?" I repeated once more for her benefit.

"A crow." she answered with a frown, unhappy with the answer.

My hands snapped together in a deafening clap. "Correct."

"Why a crow?"

"Your second hint remains in the riddle." The lines that appeared in her face would forever remain if she glowered any harder my way.

"At the height of the mind, the jewel-Hmm...the gleam and the shine. A jewel?" I remained silent as it appeared she was speaking out loud for her own benefit as she worked through the answer. It was on the tip of her tongue, just within her reach, the concentration made her look younger and it made me wonder if it had been a while since she had to work through a riddle. That thought left an intriguing idea in place.  "A crow and a jewel. Sybil. What do a crow, a jew and the house of Sybil have in common?"

"You have one." I added generously.

"I have one? Plenty of jewels, yes. I certainly do not have a crow. A cat maybe but," she gasped, sitting up straight. Her face took on the same expression as when I had first introduced the truth of this matter to her. A twisted denial of sort, a horrified wonder. "The royal familiar of House Sybil. The crow -"

"Which sat within her majesty's crown as the polished black diamond when not running an errand because she loved to watch from out of all the eyes of crows spread throughout the world. A crow that might have been forcibly put to sleep and maybe placed back into a gorgeous looking crown in it's inanimate morphing body that would have likely survived a near century well hidden away from the world and could be awoken by the right means to recount all that it witnessed the night of the Black Candle." I had brought my hand up to my mouth without noticing, my fingers hovering over my bottom lip as I spoke quickly, a near hysterical edge to my voice.

I ignored her stupefied stare as I looked around the room. My foot bouncing. It was bad, I knew it when I picked up the crown and the crow had come forth from out of nowhere, attacking me with a fierceness befitting a familiar that knew it was about to die without its caster, but protecting what little remained. I still wasn't sure how I had managed to trap it and put it back into the crown, but once I was left holding the thing, bloody and cut I knew I was in all types of trouble. I was a witch, a terrible one, but even I knew it would have been an unforgivable crime to hand over what I had found to Overlord Coptik. It wasn't just that the idea to trade it for my freedom, to bargain or blackmail came to mind, but once it had been in my hand, I genuinely just could not seem to part with it. A witch's loyalty to what once was the greatest witch I suppose. Instead of doing what I could to use it to my advantage the only dominating thought within me, the urge as strong as the instinct to breath, was for me to hide it. So I did.

"You stole the crown? You stole the crow!?" She choked out in disbelief.

I couldn't fault her reaction. House Sybil was like the mother of all Covens for witches, to take something from their ruins without bringing forward to be protected was unthinkable by all who cast. There had been a museum of magic with a few of their belongings closely guarded and watched, a place to see the tragedy of what once was the greatest bloodline for all magic. Witches, warlocks, wizards, whatever they cared to be called, if they cast, they were drawn to know and protect what once was.

Of course the Council who took part in the destruction of such a house of order were anomalies, seeped in a corruption so steep they were ruled by greed and I had been broken from all loyalists by that point, stripped of what little pride as a witch I had once had and rebuilt from pain and fear. It was difficult to stand up to a monster that held your leash, when they had bitten their own master's hand. 

"I was trained to follow very specific instructions. I learned early on that it was in my best interest to not disobey what I was ordered to do. I became so good at following instructions I was trusted enough to no longer need a watcher." I gave her a dark grin. "Which meant that anything outside of those instructions was up to my interpretation to deal with. When there's a very fine line to walk, sometimes you have to walk beneath it. There's more space in the shadows."

Yes, I had been broken and stripped of all loyalties by the Council, but that included them within those lessons. If they had bitten their masters hands, even accidentally, that was still a lesson taught to me. My silence was not submission, after all, the only loyalty impossible to break was the one that came with wanting to survive. I scoffed at the thought, I was very young. I wanted the pain to stop, both from me and at my hand. I wanted a chance to see my family even if it was from afar. I wanted to sit before the cliff edge and watch the waves of a violent ocean clash, wind warm against my skin as the sun set. I wanted a lot. I only wanted one thing now.

"I-I can't believe- do you have any idea how significant that-!" She was without words, or better stated, nearly wordless as she fell silent and looked through me with wide eyes trembling, hands clenched. Yes the revelation was, but it was not the only thing I had stumbled across, but this was a negotiation, I was going to hold my cards close to me, my intuition told me it was not the right moment to speak on some things.

"Where is it hidden away?" she asked running her hands through her hair, pushing it all back before her hands came together.

"I'll go get-"

"No! We can't risk you being caught before you retrieve it or even worse, after it is in your possession." She shook her head vigorously, leaning in with hardened seriousness. Now that she knew what the evidence was she was planning, the wheels turning as the possibilities of what this could all change came to her. "Tell me where it is and I will send someone to retrieve it, I will go myself if need be."

I grimaced and looked off to the side, I scratched at the back of my head with a false apologetic smile. "That won't be possible. It has to be me."

"Mykela," she started slowly, her lips quivering slightly before she continued, a nearly pained voice that spoke of dread as she took in my hesitance. "Where did you hide the familiar of house Sybil?"

"I'd like to argue that I hid it where no one was likely to search and that I didn't exactly have a lot of spots to choose from despite being a well traveled person in those dangerous times."

Her eyes read the lie and spoke only one word. Where. I sighed. This was, somehow, the tricky part of it all. I mean, I did place it where no one would ever think to look or find the crown.

"The bridge of Necropolis," I watched the life, no pun intended, drain from her face, lips nearly matching her hair. Feeling a tad sorry for her, I continued to add to the fascinating revelation. "On the other side, the umm...dead side."

There was a reason no one was going to look and find the crown. No one dead would be able to sense it.

"HOW DID YOU-"

"I might have found the smallest, tiniest, inconsequential, nearly bark, really, one could even call it a scraping, a twig... from the World Tree." And no one alive would be able to touch it because the world was its shield and that twig in my exclusive ownership. 

Honestly, I thought my heart would explode when the twig landed in my hands. Finding the tree was a shock enough, but having a piece of it? I shook my head at the obscurity of it all. At the end, it had been useful, almost as if the universe had known I had the crown and wished to help me hide it. That thought had been disturbing alone, but I had little choice in the matter when I had two of the most dangerous things in my hands. It wasn't all that odd for me to find things when I was out on missions, but it was hard to stash so many trinkets when the stakes of what it was that I was finding kept growing more and more dangerous for me to even know about. Seriously, how does one just find a detailed map of the city of death within the nest of a three eyed raven when looking for food? After the twig landed in my hand I stopped asking questions. I was afraid of the answers.

"Ha...ah ahhh, the world tree hahaha the world tree that is the very life of our planet and give us the very magic ha Ah ha that gives us life basically ha ahh yes ha ha that world tree." she slummed into her chair looking very much so exhausted in all the ways one could be, her forehead glistened in sweat, her complexion warm as blood rushed to her face. "I think I know why you're cursed now."

Yes, I expected a comment like this to come up once I had unraveled the smaller details of it all. I let the mask slip back into place as she stared at me with judgment and incredibility as if I were an omen of ill luck. It wasn't the worst look I had been given but it was unpleasant all the same.

"You've committed every taboo known to life in this world haven't you? What other insanity have you committed that- no. You know what? I do not wish to know. I do not wish to hear about whatever it is that happened that will no doubt come to bite me in the ass as the whispers of the wind report to the universe of this travesty. Toad's water, she put the familiar of house Sybil on the other side of the Necropolis bridge and used the world tree for it! No wonder death refuses to keep her! Oh the balance of it all, it wrong, it's all wrong!" I sat perfectly still as she continued to ramble on for a while, I tuned out after she began going on about the consequences of messing the unknown and damages of things.

"How could you have left it within Necropolis!" she snapped, signaling that it was time to refocus. I gave her an uninterested look. "I understand if you had little choice of where to leave it, but to leave it in such a place to be tainted-"

"I've noticed the apothecaries selling necromancer ingredients, how progressive." I threw in the comment fast, she bit her lip, straightening up to her full height within her chair, it was not much but the blaze within her eyes was indistinguishable.

"Another Council ruling, to their advantage no doubt." she spit out furiously "Progressiveness has come far from when you were around, but reviving the dead is still frowned upon in the casting comunity. Surly you know this, to leave both the crown and the crow when House Sybil forbade dealings with necromancers in their lifetime-" her words riled me up some, I gave her a snarky smile, my stomach twisting along with my lips, a small shimmering of anger bubbling. What hypocrisy.

"Frowned upon, but still used for your advantage and then to the streets to be spit on, right?" I bared my teeth as I laughed heavily, leaning in closely, hands on my knees as I pushed into her aura. My power buzzed, pushing up, my eyes fighting the urge to pull from her. "How often has the tower secretly called upon a necromancer for forbidden ingredients? To ask for a teaching, a Walker or the Hidden Sight? What, you passed the masters test without stepping foot into a graveyard? I forget, what is it you are stealing from ancient remains? Is it the favored hand to grind into powder for the first spell? Or was it the sixth rib for protection?"

Every question tore at her expression little by little, her jaw clenched tightly. It was not the methods that bothered me, but the denial of it having been done or used that tore at something. Why should their existence be treated like the scum of the world when their existence was out of their control? Called upon when something was needed and then shunned and ignored after they had fulfilled their purpose. It was not only the necromancers who had to experience that, there were more groups, but why was it always frowned upon when the gift or the power was something seen as dark and twisted? Why would something not simply be, even within the shadow or near it without it having to be some wild dangerous thing out to ruin all who laid eyes upon it? In that case, would it not be better to toss the blame to those who looked over with such judgemental eyes? Did a dark and twisted flower need to be set ablaze before the temptation to pluck it stirred in someone?

"I will not deny that we have dealings with them or that at times our fields of work cross over, but for a witch to disregard the cruelty of dragging the dead back to an unnatural state to do a bidding they have no choice but to follow? Out of the two of us in this room, I believe you would hate it the most.'' She was reluctant to agree with me, but firm in her conviction. Her tone grated on my nerves, she spoke as if I were a child that did not understand the simple concept. It was not the message she was trying to convey but the delivery that irked me.

"My opinion on the matter does not-" the words came freely from my chest.

"Do not disregard the truth in my presence Mykela, not when even as a witch you seem to have a closer tie to death than the craft. There is nothing more any and every witch comes to hate, despite the many paths there are in life then the disruption of order within their life when not by their own choice." she countered with an edge. I looked down for a moment, breathing heavily, even for my ears. When answered I was more composed.

"Unnatural. Unnatural was what you called it," The steadiness, calmness with which I spoke was not what I felt within, but it was easier to focus on and accept as the truth of my behavior. If I took upon this calmness and modeled it, I could become it. Then I would not have to look too deeply at the torment of emotions battling within me, nor would I have to trace their origin. "Then where did it stem from? Why does it continue to exist in a world that always shuns it? Why did a city rise in representation?"

I knew when I asked these questions that she would not have the adequate answer to them, it might have been unfair, but life was far from it. I had no obligation to ease any such realities to someone who ruled over more than what she thought was in her control. Everyone was so preoccupied with what they were and what they could do, they often failed to put themselves in another's position. Perhaps it was unfair of me to take such a stance as well. It was too easy for me, as well, to slip into another's life and take over, to understand.

"Magic is life, it thrives on that which accepts it, it grows in the places that should be impossible to live in. As far as I'm concerned, necromancy is but a twisted symptom of shadow magic. To wish with such arder to bring back a beloved that the universe responded and granted a way? If that is unnatural then what right do we have to judge it for coming into existence in a world where it is unique?"

She hid whatever it was that had flashed across her face, whatever understanding or stance she had decided to take. That was fine, I was not here to change the world by preaching. She sat back, crossing one leg over the other, calmly laying her hands flat on her lap. "You have made a fairly good point." 

I do not know what her words were supposed to make me feel, but whatever it was, was small in its existence, but deafening in its effect. We stared at one another in silence, but in a seemingly accepting new understanding of one another.

"That was not my intent, believe me." I sighed as all of the aggression from the both of us, in all forms left. "I have to be the one to retrieve the crown."

She motioned in understanding, but looking absolutely aggrieved to do so. Stress lines etched into her face as she placed her face into her hands and rubbed roughly at her temples. The ends of her light blue hair curled up slowly.

"Why did you take the crown? And why hide it in that horrid place of all the existences in this world? The forest of No Memories would have been preferable." Unlikely, that place was worse than a maze and whoever entered always came out with the wrong face. She peaked up at me, in a quizzical way, trying to figure me out. "But seriously, why there? You must have known the dangers of what might happen?" She was not asking to restart the tension, her horror although genuine, was more so bewildered in nature, the corners of her lips turned down. I tried to recall the emotions I had felt in those moments, but only the memory resurfaced fresh, the understanding of what I had to do and the wall of refusal whenever I wanted to abandon the thing, but the emotions, the sensations of those moments escaped me. Or mayhaps I was no longer at the capacity to understand them like I had once experienced them.

"It felt," I was not used to being confused about my answers, but the uncertainty was clear in my voice. "Like the right thing to do."

"The right thing to do? Really? That's debatable, you know that right? I could go on for hours on this." she eye balled me with such personal offense that I let the chuckles that arose in me leave freely as I lifted both hands up in surrender.

"I'll take your word for it."

"In case I haven't stated this enough, you are maddening which is exactly why you are going to go retrieve that crown. There is no way of knowing if the crow will be capable of awakening and even then for how long." She spoke perturbed, brows coming together as she realized all that could go wrong and all that she would have to do to prevent that from happening. I hoped she did not take note of the restlessness I had when she mentioned the crows awakening. I still had to figure that part out myself. Her voice took on a more subdued tone, which gave me a false sense of understanding of where her question was headed. "All this time, why did you not use this for your own personal freedom-"

"I'll remind you I haven't necessarily been around to be in the position to use it for anything." I didn't mean to answer as sharply as I did, her eyes took in my quick response with a knowing calmness that disturbed me.

"But even when you were here, there, in that time, why didn't you?" she continued in a softer manner. A maelstrom of replies, answers, questions of my own arose at that but all I responded with was all she was owed.

"I'll begin preparations for the trip."

Contrary to what we had agreed on, I would not simply just prepare and be off. There were was a lot more to handle for a simple 'retrieval' trip. For starters, I still had to re familiarize myself with the changes that had taken place over the years and the new rulings for certain areas, the current and old heads of the household and most importantly keep track of what was going on with the Council. Thankfully, the tower was the perfect place for the curious mind. Now that the tower Master knew what I had hidden away, she was swift in delivering everything I asked for, and even more of her own recommendations. I spent the majority of the day reading and relearning the geography. The room looked like Harold's office by the time dinner time had arrived. It was that very comparative thought that reminded me that there was another urgent matter that required my attention.

I did still have to check on Harold and his progress, although, the fact that Venom hadn't come back ever was a sign things must have been progressing enough to hold his attention. Rather than comforting, it was the opposite.

"Why does this feel more like a wellness check up than a progress report?" I muttered, opening the door and heading to the lab.

It would be impossible for me to run into anyone since the tower Master had rearranged the hallway layout so that the only places I could go were her office, Harold's office or the lab. A grand idea to prevent run in's but I couldn't imagine it being easy to maintain regardless of how much raw power she possessed. The halls were as plain as ever and although the walk was a dizzying loop of turns and twists, I was rather thankful there was only one way to go. The door was closed, I knocked and entered when the silence went on for far too long. I might have given a quick prayer to find two people within the room. Whole in all their original form.

The room was quiet, Harold stood at the window screen, his glasses atop of his head, perched on the clip holding his hair away from his face, a stubble covering his lower jaw as he stood there with his arms crossed, his legs shoulders width apart as he stared unblinkingly at the fast moving shapes and writing in front of him. Alright, he was very much so hard at work and from the looks of it, unmoving ever since I last saw him. Had he had a meal yet? It was hard to tell with the stubble on his face if his cheeks had thinned out some, but the way his forearms pushed against the sleeve of his coat, he still retained mass, so I suppose he was fine. I looked off to the corner of the room and flinched at the glowing golden glower that greeted me. There were no shadows in the illuminated room and yet there was one cast across Venom's face as he stared at me.

I walked into the room, shutting the door quietly behind me, not that anyone seemed to care and walked over to Venom, glancing at the symbols on the window for a moment. I could not make sense of their order or function so I turned away. Stopping a safe distance away from the looming terse man. Perhaps being in the room with Harold had ruined his overall look for the day.

"Has he been like this the whole time?" I asked thoughtfully. I suppose it might have been boring to watch over someone who was so preoccupied. Even now as I looked over my shoulder, I knew there was no point in watching our volume, I doubt he even knew I had entered the room as he mumbled something under his breath.

"Worried?" his voice sounded closer to my ears than I expected, I spun around but he remained where he was. Staring down at me. My hand came up to the back of my neck, rubbing at the chills there.

"Maybe I should switch with you and take the watch for now? Hmm." I volunteered. He obviously needed some time off. Ah, right, he had watched over me the whole night, of course he was on edge. I had to start paying more attention to these sort of things-

"Like hell." He hissed with a contradicting soft smile, his eyes turning into crescent moons. I leaned back at the sinister like air that surrounded him. I was about to ask him what exactly the issue here was when a surprised voice interrupted me.

"Mykela? When did you get here?" Harolds taken aback voice called out from behind me. I gave Venom a look when his face froze and began to harden before I lifted the corners of my mouth and whirled around with a softened expression in place.

"Hello." I greeted him mildly. He had bags under his eyes, charcoal eyes and bloodshot as they trembled, the veins at his neck and temple standing out. "Has there been any-"

I stopped, eyes narrowing as I took him in. He swallowed at the slight moment. Leaning back some as a hand landed on the wall beside him, like he was leaning on it for support. He wasn't just surprised to see me. He was scared of me. For a moment, the pleasant mask I wore slipped away as I stared at him. He knew. Then the corners of my lips rose, higher than before, surpassing a smile until I was nearly grinning at him. His darkened complexion paled as the blood drained from his face. I couldn't hear his heart but by the rapid rising of his chest I imagined it was beating quickly.

I took one step, then another and another in his direction until I was in front of him. To his credit he did not move from his spot. He stared down at me with a combination of dismay and reluctant curiosity. It was on the tip of his tongue, the questions he wanted to ask, but the fear was stronger in his eyes as he watched me. I placed my hands behind my back as I leaned in closer. He was bigger than I was just the way he reacted to me in fright, leaning back and looking away was almost cute.

"You'll keep your word, won't you Harold?" I breathed out softly, my voice a dark hum as I stared him dead in the eyes without blinking. A light sheen of perspiration began to gather at his forehead. I did not have to specify what I meant, it was clear to both of us what it was.

"Y-you mean no harm-"

"I just want your help in removing the curse, that is my singular goal, nothing more, nothing less. There should be no reason for conflict to arise." I continued in the same voice before dropping the act, my voice deepening in pitch. I felt Venom close in behind me. "Right?"

His eyes steadied on me for a moment before flickering behind me and then back. He gave a brisk nod, lips pinched.

"Right." he swallowed. I smiled and straightened up, switching my act to be more reassuring, as if we hadn't just had a possibly crucial moment of possible conflict.

"How grand, to remain on the same page as allies." Each word and action was carefully picked, my hands came together, the snap causing him to flinch. My words would remain with him now. "So, have you made any progress on the curse?"

I waited patiently, allowing him time to collect himself as he shook off the interaction. Venom watched me closely for a moment before turning to face the screen with a flat expression in place.

"Master said she informed you of the progress?" He began cautiously, peeking at me from the side as his hands came up to move things around the scree, his finger tips taking on a blue tint as they made contact.

"She did," I conceded. "But I was wondering what sort of insights the Master of Curses might have as this is your area of expertise."

He cleared his throat. "I understand. You were correct to assume your curse was high on the chart, a death hex was what was placed on you. Obviously that was easy to find, but for now I've tuned to trying to find if there is a specific death requirement that has to be met or if any type of death will do. This will help me narrow down where the curse could have originated from. While it seems highly unlikely that the origin that it came from might still be around now, any present markers will still be of aid to finding a weak point in this case."

He pointed to something on the screen that looked like complete gibberish to me, but I studied it either way. Three connected loops with a line across it.

"This part is fascinating- I mean interesting to the investigation, the only other place I've seen this in was for regenerative breakdowns of objects that have near indestructibility abilities to them."

"I am neither indestructible nor an object." I pointed out dryly. He took no notice of my tone as he continued engrossed, I wasn't sure if he was speaking to me any more or just out loud.

"Exactly, so it made me wonder if whoever cast this on you thought of you as such or if they merely knew that this was a powerful hex. I understand why they might have thought a simple slaying wouldn't have been enough to keep you down given the level of...power you possess in your grasp, but to go as far as a death hex? A specific one or an accidental choice? A personal vendetta would make the most sense but then why not be careful on their choice of hex? They knew of the power of the hex but not of the types or the full effect of the one they chose, someone inexperienced who had the means to find such a rare one..." I looked away from the screen and turned to study the rambling wall of muscle beside me blankly. He was intelligent and quick to grasp the situation. He was right on the mark, sounds like he suspected someone who had easy access to dangerous things without full knowledge of what they held in their hands. Like a collector. A grim smile formed on my face as my eyes stung for a moment. I blinked and turned back to the screen. Venom leaned against me softly, I turned to look at him in question but he stared straight ahead. I turned back too.

"Why does finding out if there is a specific death requirment help us?" I asked, looking away from where he had been focusing on and looking to the corner of the screen, on the far right in a outlined red box there were simple lines that intertwined every now and then but what had grabbed my attention was that they glowed like the rooms writing when I had been inside of it. Not only that, but it was slightly, but they seemed to pulse, like a heartbeat.

He stared at me in bewildering disbelief as if my words were incredulous to hear. Wherever his mind was, it was already far ahead of us. "By finding out what the curse was created for, we might find the layout and blueprint, that would be faster than going layer by layer myself like I usually do. If we can find the why and how, we might be able to input a guiding spell in place, like informing the curse that its purpose is correct but its location is wrong and possibly get it to remove itself or latch onto a new host." his hands waved around the place as excitement transformed his exhausted face back to his true age of youthfulness.

"If we get it to remove itself, are you talking about self destruction? While still in me?" he froze in place and then looked down at me as everything halted in his mind, his eyes refocusing on me blankly.

"...I haven't gotten that far into figuring out what would happen to you yet if that were to come true." he confessed slowly.

I had that part already figured out. "What's this section here?" I motioned to the red box.

"Ah!" he jumped suddenly spinning to me with a startled yet suspicious expression in place, he reached out as if he were about to reach out for me but his hands hoovered just before. "That reminds me, it's great that you're here actually. Your friends-" he pulled a face "-have been close lipped with any information regarding you, I understand the importance of privacy but that really just delays the time, I need to ask you as few questions so it's wonderful to have you here now."

He reached out right and his notebook flew into his hand. He flipped through it, eyeing it as he waved a hand again, rolling his wrist. I turned and watched as one of the tables against the wall split into two and then began to morph into a sturdy chair that walked over to me. It stopped beside me and Harold took two steps right, in front of them. Eyeing the chair I understood this was to be an interrogation- I mean an in depth questioning and an ominous feeling took root in my stomach, more nervous then fearful. There was something unnerving about having someone who had samples on you, had a more than likely thorough understanding of your powers, ask you to answer questions to something they did not know.

"Take a seat please," he asked looking up. " I think it's time we discuss something you failed to inform us of."

I sat down stiffly. He flipped through his notebook some more, looked up to the screen with serious eyes before facing me.

"Are you pregnant?" I wasn't sure who the choking sound came from.

I stood up so fast the chair flew back and cluttered to the ground before it righted itself and made itself back to me as I stared at Harold in bewildered shock.

"No! Not at all." I informed him in a deafening shout. His mouth parted before it shut, he nodded quickly, jotting something down.

"Ah, so that eliminates that possibility." I felt as if my heart was going to fall from out of my mouth as I shut my eyes and shook my head. I put my hand to my chest and sighed. I'd faced all type of danger with a steady heart and yet this was the only situation I think my heart ever tried to evacuate itself my body.

"Why the question?" I asked almost scared despite knowing there was no chance of me being wrong in my answer. Was that sweat trailing down my neck? When had the room grown to be so humid?

"Since you are not pregnant than that leaves me with the obvious question, are you bonded to someone outside of your species?" It clicked then, uncontrollably my eyes went to thes die to the silent man behind me. Astonishment crossed over his face before comprehension took root.  "Ah, oh. Alright, that explains it."

"Explain what?" I asked through clenched teeth as a nerve wrecking feeling began clawing at my insides. I didn't like this. I wasn't sure what it was, but I did not like where my mind was taking me. Or the focus Harold was taking on with Venom. I fought the urge to take a step to the side and block his line of sight. It would have been ridiculous since Venom towered over me.

"You see, that, within the box, is something Tobias found in your body. I had thought the bond might have been between mother and child at first there was too much of a discrepancy between the links. One so obviously your and the other, far from witchling or human. I had to ask just to be sure. So you two are bonded?"

"Yes." Venom answered clearly.

"...yes." I answered a second later, apprehensively. My body tingled, starting from my feet and climbing higher as a weightless sensation took root. I wanted to run. This was all wrong.  "What of it?"

"Have you been like this for all of the years you have died and come back? Since when?"

"I bit her moments before she was killed," I wanted to tell Venom to keep silent but it was like there was a hold around my throat, I bit my tongue as he continued. I glared at Harold who was far too preoccupied by what he was hearing to catch my warning. My hands balled up slowly. I should have come here alone. "When my sister and I jumped dimensions we brought her with us where she died and was reborn over and over."

"And through each rebirth, and death, the bond never dissipated or vanished?" There was nothing sinister in Harold tone but the chills that filled me made me tremble.

"Never." there was a hint of pride in Venom's answer. A pain to my chest. I took in a sharp breath.

"What of it Harold?" I asked. He finally seemed to take notice of my mood, his eyes fluttered everywhere before he continued, the grim expression a confirmation of my suspicion that hit a switch in me.

"I need Tobias to take a look at him." he informed us carefully.

"No."

He stared at me, not taken aback but not backing down.

"Mykela-" he tried.

"No." This time he flinched at the harshness of my tone. I stared at him blankly but we both knew I was anything but the calm I was portraying.

"What for?" Venom's question had me grinding my teeth. My palms stung as I dug deeper. Harold answered Venom hesitantly, constantly looking my way as I remained silent.

"I need to see how you've remained bonded after her death. A bond that transcends death? Nearly impossible, yet you remained linked throughout all this time and still managed to find each other? That should be improbable. Mates that lose their other half never bond again, usually follow the other quickly to a sudden death. None are reborn and still mated to the same person, at least not to the best of my knowledge."

"If I go in-"

"Like hell." I snapped, whirling on Venom. I glared at his calm mask, but by the slight narrowing of his keen eyes he had already made up his mind.

"Why can you go in but I can not if this will help you?" His voice was smooth but the hiss was all purposeful as his tongue slithered out.

"No." was all I spit out venomously. His mouth split into an incredulous smile that did not reach his eyes, flecks of green appearing at the edge.

"You would fight me on this?" he questioned softly, pupils contracting quickly.

"Find another way." I told Harold without looking away from Venom. He raised a brow at me, his head turning to the side slightly as a silver sheen of scales climbed up from his neck and below his jaw.

"Uhhh, you know what I think a simple questioning might be better-"

"Mykela." he called out with familiar irritation.

"Venom." I gave him a mirthless smile. He took a step forward.

"Really, no one has to go into Tobias." Harold was speaking quickly, an anxiety fueling his words. Perhaps a pinch of regret there as well. Yeah, well it was too late for that now, wasn't it?  "Why don't you take a seat and-"

"I indulge you, but you can not tell me what I am or am not at liberty to do." Venom stated roughly, staring at me coldly.

"I am not telling you what to do. I am informing him of what will not take place." I corrected it. It was hard to think correctly with so much rage and fear and panic running rampage but all I knew with certainty was that Venom was not going to be ripped apart for me. It wasn't going to happen. I don't care what it was for. Or who it saved. He wasn't going to pay for it.

We stared at one another in a growing tension that I could have sworn made the room vibrate with tension. There was a shuffling sound behind me, the banging of a door and we were left alone.

"Why?" he asked.

"No." I hated that it was the only word I could speak. My tongue burned, as the bubbling conviction of the rightness of my stance filled me. I was breathing heavily, body tense as if we were about to spar.

The green at the edge of his eyes slowly retracted as he observed me, from ire to confusion, worry and then a peculiar, almost restrained intense stare so bright it blurred his expression in my eyes. Shaking with my own restrained but surfacing emotions I watched him with uptight expectancy. I almost jumped when I felt a soothing tug at the bond, like cold hands landing on a heated surface. I tensed but was unable to retain the heat as the seconds passed.

"Why?" he repeated. I bit at the inside of my lip as the words escaped me. Following by his example, I pushed the jumble of emotions his way, unsure of what they were but knowing that if he felt the conviction of my decision he would know I would not bend on this matter.

Eyes going wide he stared at me for a moment. Fast as light, his hands came up over his face, one covering the lower half of his mouth for a moment before they both dropped, his expression torn between dismay and soft affection. I frowned, perturbed about the last one.

"I see." was his simple response. I was fretful in some parts, but the fight left me as soon as I recognized that it had left him as well. I suppose it didn't matter how, but I had won in this manner. Even though his soft melted golden gaze made me feel as if he had somehow won something. I turned around, Harold was gone but there was a rush of footsteps approaching us, one charge with too much power to be ignored.

"-not to get into a couple disputes."

"I didn't know they were a couple!" someone cried out tearfully.

"This is why I'm putting you in Solar's next campaign group."

"No, please not that-"

I sighed at that as a whirlwind of bodies flew into the room. Harold peaked from behind the charged and alarmed tower Master, her locks of blue hair swirling around her like live snakes, crackles sounding off every now and then as her eyes swirled as she watched us carefully. Viper appeared behind them, curious but not at all worried, she was used to our disputes. She took one look into the room, rolled her eyes and walked back out.  

"I'll take the questionnaire." Venom informed Harold who gaped at us. The tower Master raised a brow at us as she dragged her power back down to a non threatening level. She shook her head but said nothing on the matter.

I returned to my seat and watched Haorld drag himself closer, rubbing a hand down his face as he did so. The table created another chair, stopping inches next to my own, Venom took a seat much more gracefully than I did. I noted there was a small upwards tilt to the corners of his lips, and although he was perfectly still, there was an excited energy coming from him.

"You agree to this noninvasive form of answers?" the tower Master asked, leaning against the wall. Her nonchalant face went into contract with the surprise of her tone.

"Yes." I stated firmly.

"Very well," Harold accepted, lifting a hand as if asking for us to drop the matter of why. He took out a pen and flipped his note book open. "Let us begin then."

By the end of the day I had to explain to the siblings of the upcoming trip, it wasn't as if I could ask them to wait here for me to return when they both eyed me with wide suspicious pupils that reflected my own image back at me. I let them discuss among themselves how they wished to progress on the matter. By now, although I did not completely trust the tower Master or Harold, I did believe in the desire she had for wanting the crown back safe and out of the Council's hands. It would also sit better with me if both of them stayed within my sight, not that I doubted they could take care of themselves, but still, it was better to be safe than sorry. Safer for them of course, they were still new to everything here.

Reading seemed to be the only available option for us and although Viper often gave a lengthy hiss at the sight of the stack of books prepared for us, quite often I caught an enraptured expression in place when she was heavily focused on her reads. One such book caused her confusion. Or better put, the information within the book and the cause for our trip contradicted.

"It states here that Necropolis is the city of necromancers and the dead, which is why witches detest it because it stands against the forward naturalness of nature. They consider it a backwards city." She started flipping through it with pursed lips and furrowed brows. "No living being can enter the city, no dead soul leaves it. Necromancers must use a shell to enter."

"Correct." I said, shaking the back in my hand to get everything to go down. Although it was closer to a dimensional pouch, I was nearing the limit with everything I had stuffed inside of it.

"Considered an unnatural magic after countless years of misuse of their power, a necromancer is considered a casters foe due to their black magic usage and manipulation. There have been many theories that state that the real reason behind such animosity from the witches to necromancers is because a witch loses certain abilities when she performs black magic, whereas a necromancer grows stronger in similar learnings. There have also been events where a witch that works in close relation to a necromancer and learns from one, does not possess the inner strength to resist the tempting lullaby of such dark magic and is seduced to the possibility of power over death and aging. To this extent, it is often forbade for witches to come into frequent contact with necromancers." She read out of the book.

I check the blue pouch tied to the side of the bag once more before being satisfied. There were still a few more things I needed but for now it looked alright. "Mh hm." I answered off handedly. The sound of a book snapping shut had me looking over at her in question.

"And so you, a witch," she pointed at me. "Hid a royal witch treasure and familiar in foe territory, where it could literally be influenced by some dark magical lullaby of death for years?"

"Yes."

"How did you get into the city if you aren't a necromancer and certainly weren't dead yet?"

"I took the bridge."

"You took the bridge." She repeated robotically. "She took the bridge to the city of death. Yup, sounds about right. No wonder Florence is pissed. Haaah." She returned to her reading with no more inquiries.

They still took turns staying with Harold as the days went by, but this time I felt almost as if Venom was purposefully avoiding me. The times he would spend with me were mostly at night, but even then he was silent, pensive and preoccupied with something. When I asked Viper if she knew anything on tha matter her response was unexpected.

"Why didn't you want him to use Tobias when you did it?" I stared at her. Was he still angry about that?

"Because he had no need to go through that." I stated obviously, she looked up from her book with dark eyes.

"But you could?"

"The curse is on me, he need not torture himself for answers."

She snorted, throwing the book down. "Besides all of the wrong in that answer, I think you caught him off guard."

"Me? How so?"

"For someone constantly on offense, I think it surprised him how easily protective you became once it was him in potential danger."

"Me? Protective?" I choked out in denial. Her smile was large but missing her usual force.

"Yes, you, protective." She stared at me, almost pitying. "Of him."

I stared at her with my jaw dropped. My mouth snapped shut as I straightened up and looked away muttering under my breath at the absurdity of her accusation. I was not being protective, I was being rational. There was no need for him to step foot in a room I had already been examined by. I was the subject of this experimentation, he need not be cut open or any of that other stuff. I could handle that. We were bonded, but not physically, so the idea of him having to be looked into was out of question. I was not going out of my way for emotional reasons.

With Harolds research on the clock and my own existence ticking, I decided to take the trip sooner rather than risk a later never happening. By the time we came back, hopefully Harold would have a breakthrough. With preparations set and both siblings coming along we were all but out the back door at dawn when Harold came running our way looking like he was the one on death's door step rather than me.

He was nearly unrecognizable, his hair was voluminous and nesting, his scruff prickly but growing and he certainly smelled like someone who had failed to shower in nearly a week's time, but the urgency in his eyes was what halted our attention.

"I did it!" he breathed out roughly, catching his breath as his hands fell to his knees.

My breath halted. Or maybe I forgot what it felt like to breathe those words. Those ground shaking words. Hope I kept buried began to rise, but I refused to be so easily swayed. So easily shaken because I just could not bring myself to believe it. It could not be this easy. Nothing for me ever was. Why would this be any different?

"Let's not be too hasty to make declarations we can't take back." Viper said warningly. Venom came up from behind me, his hands landing on my shoulders. At the feel of his steady hands, I came to the realization that I had begun trembling.

"I know how to break the curse, I mean it." he said quickly, standing and looking around us. His eyes landed on me as he nodded in conviction. My palms began to sweat, I took hold of my back pack straps tightly, but even that grip felt frightfully weak.

"Are you sure Harold, you said you were having trouble last night. What changed?" The tower Master asked. Out of all of us she did not seem to doubt his declaration, but was more concerned on the process of it. My lips felt dry, glued together. I wanted to ask my own questions but my voice felt buried deep within me.

"After you informed me of their trip to Necropolis the thought of death was, obviously important to this case, but not my biggest concern-"

"I hope you mean that metaphorically." Venom hissed behind m,  livid.

"Of course, of course, uh but what I meant was that it was obvious the hex was about death but none of you seemed overly curious about why she kept coming back after dying. I mean I'm sure you were more than glad she kept coming back but it made no sense for the curse to come back with her if she did as the curse wanted her too. Unless it wasn't just her that was being brought back and revived that is." he began explaining glancing around before his eyes landed on me with exhaustion, he  pointed at me "Excuse the rudeness of my phrasing, but you have a knack for picking things up that do not belong to you."

He gave me a meaningful look I understood at once as I stiffened, my head jerking back somewhat in shock of his original declaration but now horrified at the possibility of what he was implying. The box rattled within me, sounding mocking in my imaginative ears rather than suggestive or pleading as it usually did.

"Why does it sound like you're blaming her for being cursed?" Someone's distorted voice asked, but I was already retracting into myself to notice who. I did have a problem. I was a thief. I was the worst kind of thief. Hell, we were on our way to collect something I had stashed away. Not one of my worst finds, but certainly something that did not belong to me. I stared blankly at the ground as they discussed around me.

"Because in a sense, it-"

"Let me stop you there before you phrase that in a way that will make it difficult for me to defend you." The tower Master interrupted with a terse voice. "What is the way to break the curse?"

Venom squeezed my shoulders, rousing me from out of my thoughts. Harold fidgeted.

"First, I think it's important you know why she keeps coming back before I tell you how to break the curse or at least the two possibilities to break it. Him." He pointed a finger behind me. "He's the reason she keeps returning."

I began turning instantly, but his hands held me in place, like he didn't want me to.

"How?" he asked calmly, no indication of strong emotion. My heart thumped in my ears. There was so much to say. So much to think and feel.

How was that possible? Venom...Venom... Venom was the reason...why- why I was still alive? Or why I couldn't die? The end of that question, my true question, was something I didn't want to know just yet.

"Every time she dies, you fed in order to strengthen the bond and find her, or at least get an inkling to where she was, but since you fed on life force itself, that transferred through the bond and kept her in that animated state until it was enough to pull her from a true death. Her body gone, yes, but her essence remaining in its bond to you and by some miracle the world responding to that phenomenon in her rebirth. That's why you never felt full before or afterwards, you're keeping her grounded." the more he spoke, the more the ground under me continued to tremble but the hold behind me was firm, the hold unbreakable even if it felt as if my heart was overflowing with something that was almost too painful to feel.  "He's the reason she keeps returning and the reason it's not a true death, but she is part of the reason why the curse does not fade."

"How do we break the curse?" Viper's voice was thin, almost disbelieving but stronger than mine would have been. Silence.

"Harold?" The tower Master pushed at his silence. He took in a sharp breath before continuing fast, but the shaking in his choral eyes almost made me want to cry. There was always something. I knew it. His eyes were already filled with hesitation and torn sympathy.

"The first option is rather drastic and might seem better to you than the second.'' He was purposefully avoiding eye contact with me and Venom. "She has tremendous power, more so than I can speak of and is capable of coming back from the brink if she so wishes, but the first way to break the curse is a true death. Mykela has to die."

The wind swayed the tree's, the rustling of leaves and creaking of the earth continued in the silence of us all. I was relieved, this wasn't all that terrible. Better I die than anyone else, especially when it was something I was so good at doing. Even if accidental.

"What's the second opinion?" I asked calmly. He seemed startled to see me so nonplussed at the declaration.

"If you say my brother has to die, those will be your last words." Viper stated blankly, looking quite lifeless in my eyes.

"No, he doesn't have to die." Harold clarified immediately, softly he continued. "But their bond does."

N/A:

Me: yesss gurl give them everything and take it all away *cackles maniacally*

I had way too much fun writing this chapter and I feel the next ones are going to be just as enjoyable for me. Ahh to finally get to this point, it's nice, yes, very nice.

Welp, my vicious work here is done *cackles again*

Until next time, don't forget to: Comment. Vote. Share. Fan