"Nonono, why did she make me...?"
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That's when I see bright colors break the bright orange sky. The dot that ended that flare got bigger...and bigger, and that's when I realized it wasn't enlarging, but getting closer.
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I run back as fast as I can. When I felt the shock wave of the impact, I'd wish I'd never left my mother up in those mountains in the first place. Her aura was slightly weaker than before, quietly raging on as she painfully stood up.
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"Finally...I have you in a vulnerable position..." Nocturne taunts.
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Mom spits up a bit of blood. It was the first time I saw her...bleed...
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"Mom..."
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"I'll make her death quick..." she creates a sword out of her darkness. She swings it...
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I hear the clank of two blades hitting one another.
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"Not this time..." I couldn't be happier to see Aunt Delmira protecting her best friend.
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"You..."
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"Didn't think I'd see your ugly mug again, Nocturne."
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"HA. It was my lovely son who brought me back.."
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"Iris, take Irene somewhere, preferably safe."
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"But I want to help!"
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Mom stops me. "I know you want to stop Nocturne just as much as I do...but we're not in a position to fight."
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"How am I not in a position to fight, Mom?"
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"Your magic was removed, and you're still recovering that magic..."
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"It's like Espero said. My magic is her complete opposite and-"
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"And if she manages to land an attack on you, you could-"
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"I am more than willing to die if it means I can save everyone else,"
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"...You're too naïve. If she does kill you, she'll just use your body as she did with Ciaran..."
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"You dare accuse me of such a disgusting thing?"
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"You'd do anything for your benefit. Even experimenting your dark magic on innocent children,"
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"My child was born civilly. Not in the most humane, but Ciaran was not and is not a guinea pig."
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I saw right through Mom's trick. She was stalling for time, waiting for something or someone to save the day. Mom wouldn't be arguing with Nocturne like a child for nothing.
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"I have no time for this, Irene. I have a lot to do," she quickly throws an orb of her magic towards our direction.
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The word 'protect' swirled around in my head, and without thinking, I turned my thoughts into actions.
Just before impact, I created a shield out of the little bit of magic I did have. The orb was absorbed by the shield, but the shock wave was too much for me to handle alone. Although I did protect myself from the attack, the shock threw me backward. I tumble far back, dirt and light scrapes covering my hands.
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"You and your mother always have something in that brain of yours," she chuckled. "If only you were a bit stronger..."
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She holds up a little bit of...my magic, as if to taunt me. I angrily stand up, dusting myself off.
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"I'll give you one last chance. Surrender to me, and I'll return this magic to its rightful owner."
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Ciaran takes a glare at me with glassy eyes.
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"...Fine. But leave me and my people alone. They have nothing to do with this. Give my daughter back her magic, and then leave."
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Nocturne smirks but quietly hands Ciaran back the magic he stole from me. He strolls behind me, wraps his cold hands around my neck, and I slowly feel my aura strengthen.
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"Now let me go..."
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"Whatever you say...Araginee..."
At the time, I couldn't see it at first. But now, I realized...he had set up a trap. And I walked right into it. It was too late before I'd realized something was up.
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Him placing his hands around my neck wasn't just so he could give me my magic back. As he walked back, I could faintly see thin lines of dark in-between me and him. Then, he clenched his fists, and dark magic zapped across it and straight into my neck. It was too fast for me to react, the pain too unbearable to handle. I could only get a glimpse at everyone's faces before I pass out. After I hit the ground, I hear Mom screaming my name. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't get up.
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The screams of my distraught mother faded away as I lost consciousness.
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***
This part, along with the some of the next chapter, is in Arelin's point of view.
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I had to keep Alena in a safe place while Nocturne was here. I refuse to let this...corruption...torment her further. Alena was sitting in the corner while I paced back and forth through the room. Iris, even though her magic was still recovering, still went out to aid her mother in battle. I admit...I was a bit worried.
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The door swings open, the knob hitting the wall behind it.
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In Irene's trembling arms was...Iris's lifeless body. She quickly removed my work from the bed and laid Iris in it, briskly checking for breathing or a pulse.
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As she did, I could see the marking, stained a purplish-black on her neck. I draw it quickly and look at the images in the book splayed out on the table. I flip back and forth through pages...when I find it.
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The Emblem of Evil. It's meant to curse those who have it somewhere on their body, making them into mindless animals in a human host.
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"Arelin, have you figured anything out yet?" Irene asked, holding back tears.
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I painfully put the page of the book next to the engraving on Iris's neck. "If we can stop this early...we might have a chance to save her. However, with her magic, it could be more difficult..."
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"Do something..."
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"If I carelessly try to remove her magic and stripping the darkness, I might hurt her more than actually help. We need someone at a balanced level to attempt to remove it..."
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"I failed to save my only child... she's in this position because of me..."
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"Don't blame yourself Irene..." Mother places a gentle, caring hand on her shoulder. "We'll fix this, you can go home for now.."
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"I can't leave her..."
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"Arelin is trying his best at the moment. We'll call you if anything changes, I swear."
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She looks at me, then at Iris.
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"If she wakes up...please...tell me."
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"We will, I promise."
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Irene leaves for the day, and I'm stuck with both Alena and an unconscious Iris in the same room.
It was hours until my sister was lightly... shaking Iris awake. As I turned around...I swear I heard her voice, croaking out her name...
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"Alena...Iris is unconscious, she's not waking up.."
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"F...rie...nd...?" Alena weakly whispered.
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I was surprised and elated that Alena, who had been mute for months, was finally speaking, if only a small word. I snatched her away from Iris's side and faced her towards me.
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"Are...lin?"
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"Alena, you have to tell me how you're feeling now. If you're recovering, we might have a chance to fix all of this. You can become... normal, and I can prevent this from happening to Iris,"
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Alena uses her magic to rub my head.
"Feel...ing...better...less...pain..."
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"Good..."
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I write the idea of recovery down. If I can get this to Espero, he could figure it out.
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...A knock at the door. And speak of the devil...
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"Hey Lin.." Espero says in a tired voice. "I heard Aunt Irene left Iris here..."
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"You haven't slept.." I notified.
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"...How could I?" He looked at Iris. "...Did you find a cure?"
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"Not exactly.." I responded. "Alena...she's recovering... It's slow, but surely enough, she's beginning to recover.."
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"How do you know?"
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"She's speaking. She was completely mute at first. This was the first time I've ever heard her voice since that day..."
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"So you're saying that we just wait?"
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"For now," I answered. "Tomorrow, bring Ecluna. We'll need her magic to finally go through with our plan.."
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"Of course."
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He walks over to Iris, promptly giving her a light head rub and then leaving...
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Hours pass after that. I was just drifting off to sleep, when I hear someone move.
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"Alena?"
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"She's...ok...ay..." Alena speaks in a whisper.
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I slowly get up...turn towards the bed, and surely enough, Iris was confusingly looking around.
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"Arelin?" she asked. "What happened?"
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"What do you remember?"
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"Me and Mom were fighting...someone, and they knocked me out... that's all I know.."
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As soon as she finished that sentence, some of her hair turned nearly white...
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"What? What's wrong?"
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"Your hair...it just changed colors.."
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She looks at thin streaks with a concerned look on her face, before running off.
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"Iris, where are you going?"
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"I have to see if this is getting worse.."
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Alena slowly followed behind her.
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While she looked at herself in the mirror, I knock on the ceiling. Mother was usually in her own room, which was right above that one. A minute or two later, and she's in the doorway.
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"Yes Arelin?"
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Alena immediately runs into her with a large hug. "Mo...ther..."
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"Could you call Mrs. Araginee, and tell her that Iris is awake?"
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Iris comes in with her hair no longer in the small tie that she had it in before.
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"Don't worry, I'll just go back and-"
She suddenly stumbles, as if a sudden wash of pain struck her by surprise. Another part of her hair bleached white..
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"...On second thought...maybe I should stay..."
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"I'll send Arelin to get Mrs. Araginee, so in the meantime, why not get a nice warm cup of tea?"
Mother pats Alena's head. "I'm sure you want some too, my child."
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I grab my notebook and leave for the Araginee household. When I do eventually make it to the front door, I knock on it with slight hesitation.
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"...Come in," Arin Araginee says after opening the door. It wasn't someone's aura I felt when I entered the house, but...there was a hint of gloominess roaming around..
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"I'm assuming you came by to give us an update.."
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"Uh, yes...fortunately, she's awake now, but she seems to have a bit of amnesia...other than that, she's seems to be completely normal,"
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"And the bad news?"
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"The curse has progressed. Her hair's turning...white, which is a terrible sign of progression. If we don't stop it soon, she won't be...human..."
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"What's going to happen to her?"
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"If we allow it to... she'll be something like Alena...an angry, empty, remorseless husk who's being controlled by the one who gave it to her..."
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Mr. Araginee cringed at the thought.
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"Me and Espero have been working something out. If this works, we can save her and anyone else who's been inflicted the same way."
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"Good..." he says, in a sigh of relief. "Now, I know coming here was probably a chore by itself but...do you mind taking this to her?"
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He hands me a bag. I could smell cinnamon from it.
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"She loves cinnamon raisin bread, and I think she'll enjoy it."
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I nod my head.
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"And.. try not to eat it before you get it to her.." he half-jokes.
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"Well, I should be heading back. Bread is better warm."
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"Be safe." he says as I walk out.
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I return home as quickly as possible. When I entered the room, Iris was enjoying a warm cup of tea with Mother and Alena.
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"I'm back.." I announce.
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"What's that?" Mother asked, pointing at the bag Mr. Araginee had given me.
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Iris smells the air before almost ripping the bag from my hands. "Raisin bread!"
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"Your parents wanted to give it to you."
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Using her magic, she creates a small knife, cuts her slice of bread, and bites into it. "The best kind of bread, no doubt."
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She cuts three more slices for the rest of us. "Go ahead. I'm sure you guys haven't eaten all day because of me.."
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I take the piece she gave me. It was still warm when I bit into. "Amazing," I let the word escape my mouth.
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"I know right? Mom makes the best raisin bread."
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"It is really nice with tea.." Mother adds.
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"Anyways, I'm gonna go to bed. I need to recover, and fast."
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"Good...night.." Alena says quietly. I even see...a smile from her.
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"Night!" she says, excitedly hopping to bed.
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I sigh. What was I to do with the both of them?
Nevertheless, I follow Iris back to the room, taking out a book.
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***
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Somebody knocks on the window. I jolted from my desk and look in the direction of the noise.
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"Lemme in, Arelin!" Ecluna says, muffled by the glass pane in between us. I sleepily walk over to the window and unlock it. She climbs through and dusts herself off.
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"Sorry for coming over so late. I can't be out in the sun too long, so I thought twelve o'clock in the morning would work.."
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"Understandable. Both Iris and Alena are asleep now, so if you want to stay until everyone else wakes up, that's fine.."
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"Yeah, I brought my blanket, I can sleep for...maybe another hour." she wraps her blanket around her and lays on the floor next to the bed. I decide to get out of my seat and sleep somewhere more comfortable for the night.
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***
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Later in the day, we completed our first dose of Light magic energy with the both of them. Both of them jolted when Ecluna zapped them with it. I did, however, see great improvements for both. Alena's speech was improving, and Iris was having less of those pain shocks.
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"I feel so much better!"
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"Much better.."
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"Very good, you two. Now I'm... gonna take a nap.. it's waaaay past my bedtime.." Ecluna rewrapped herself into her blanket and fell asleep on the floor.
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"Arelin, I wanna go see Mom and Dad,"
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"...How good do you feel at the moment?"
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"Really good! I swear!"
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I could see her... sweating a little..
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"Are you sure?"
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"Mhm! D-definitely!"
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"...You seem in pain.."
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She rubs her eyes, getting more vigorous every second..
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"Ah...I think something got in my eye,"
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When she looks back up at me...her face was inked black..
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"Ecluna!"
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I hear her bump into something.. "Ow..."
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She runs into the room. "Whatwhatwhat? What h-"
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"Yeah, that's what I wanna-" Iris gets another shock wave of pain.
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"Wait, I think I accidentally made it worse!" she runs back and forth around the room. "I forgot my magic was also part Dark! I'm so stupid!"
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I held her by the shoulders. "Ecluna, it was an honest mistake. You were only trying to help."
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"Y-yeah... I-It was a mistake. I'll be-" Iris curled up in pain.
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"Iris..." Alena walks next to and comforts her. I felt as if...she knew what she was going through.
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...I had to make a desperate decision. Find Ciaran and convince him. Convince him to remove this...or...let Iris continue to suffer..
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"It...hurts...it HURTS.."
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"... I've got to go.."
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"Where...are you...go...ing?" Alena murmurs.
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"I just...have to go. I'll be back. Ecluna, you try to comfort her.."
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"Okay..." she quietly repeats that to herself.
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I leave once again to find Ciaran and stop Iris and Alena's suffering..
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I didn't know where I was going. I just... wondered around. I'm sure I'll find him eventually..
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When I get to the small town of Emburaria, I call Jake over to my side. He jumps over the wall and strolls over with a slight limp..
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"Hey Arelin. Everything okay?"
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"I need you to be on the lookout for Ciaran. I have a feeling that I can convince him to return both Iris and Alena back to their original state..."
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"Yeah, me and the others are actually doing that right now. Felt sharp aura around here earlier.."
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"Jake, will you hurry up?" Aluise rushes.
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"Gimme a sec, Lulu."
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"Again with the stupid nickname...My name is Aluise Alaxzi, Jake. How many times do I have to tell you?"
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"Alright, I get it.." he chuckled. "Anyways, yeah, we'll let you know if we get any new sightings of him."
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"It's very important to make sure he's captured. If we have to wait any longer..Iris might snap.."
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"Espero actually might snap too, by the looks of it. He's really upset about what happened to her. I don't blame him either.."
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I look over to where Espero was sitting. Visible bags sat underneath his eyes, his hair was a mess, and he had a somber expression on his face.
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"Esp, you alright?" Jake yells over in his direction.
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"...Yeah. I'm fine.."
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"You sure?"
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"Never better." Espero goes back to reading the book in his hand.
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"He hasn't slept very well the last couple of days. Couldn't convince him to go either,"
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So her parents nor her cousin was taking her cursed state very well. If I wanted to repair their family, I needed to fix this..
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"Well, I must be off. I have some errands to run.."
I walk off.
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I exited the area. If I was going to find Ciaran, I had to scout him out. I searched, high and low for any clues on where he could be.
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"Finally. Another innocent soul has arrived.."
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...It was my next best option. The one with control over Dark Magic.
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"Nocturne. I'm not here to fight. I just need something from you," I say, barely turned around.
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"A demand from me has costs, child,"
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"Give me all of your knowledge of Dark Magic,"
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"Ah, you want me to be your teacher?" she laughs evilly. "If that's what you want. It's almost like having a grandchild,"
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"..What do you mean by that?"
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"A long time ago...when your mother was about your age...I possessed her body. It was only to protect her from the dangers. She even considered me her...mother,"
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I couldn't believe what I heard. My mother originally accepted this...thing. I couldn't even consider her human at that point...
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She scoops me up and holds me close. "Now do you want to learn from me, or do you want all knowledge instantaneously?"
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"...The quicker I learn the better. I have things to do.."
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"Understood. Now stand very still..."
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I feel her cold palm touch the crown of my head. Then, I could feel... all the knowledge rush into my head at once.
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"You're welcome..."
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"Now...what do you want from me?"
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"Ah, think of it as a little gift from me, my child. Don't let it go to waste..."
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I...silently thanked her. As I walked away, questions whispered in my head.
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Was I making a deal with the devil? Had I made the wrong mistake? Those questions didn't matter now. I...had already completed the process. As I trembled home with those questions, I let a flame of dark flicker and spiral around my hand. I stare intensely at it's movements and felt it's deep purple glow.
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"Arelin, thank the stars you're okay!" Mother also holds me close.
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"I'm okay. I just...had to take a walk.."
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"Iris seems to have calmed down, a little..."
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"Did something happen?"
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I see her expression from relief turn a bit sad..
"I think it's best..if you saw for yourself...'
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I bolted past her and ran up to the room Alena and Iris had been staying in.
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"Arelin...Don't...come in.." I hear Alena's whispers creep...through the door. "I don't...want you to get hurt.."
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"Alena, you have to let me in..."
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I hear her slowly move out of the way. I hesitated to open the door..and...
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When I finally built up the courage to, I saw something that I promised I wouldn't.
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