Suddenly, her hair begins to... glow. Not just glow, but it turns white slowly, from her roots, going all the way down to the curls on her shoulders and below. I gasp. This is... amazing. It's not just the new hair color, but the way her aura moves with it. It's like a river of light around her, an aura so calm and peaceful, I can barely believe it. It feels so smooth, pretty and cooling, just like snow.
"That's... impressive," I whisper.
"It’s a Royal power," she smiles. "I used to only be able to use it from time to time, mostly at night... I've been practicing, and now, I can use it during the day too if I channel my energy. It's a bit hard to explain, but you should be able to understand."
I nod. I'm probably some sort of aura expert, I know most werewolves can't see it like I do. I'm absolutely impressed with Nora's, though. I almost feel like I can touch it, but I wouldn't dare lift a finger. There's definitely something that feels... sacred, or holy, about it. I feel like I'm drinking a cup of hot cocoa with a half-deity right now. I think I finally grasp why all the werewolves react like they do around Nora. It's not just because she's their Luna, or a mother figure. It has nothing to do with her mate either, she's just... like the moon herself. A power so pure and innocent.
"That's amazing," I insist. "This... It's magic, but it's also different. As if you were nothing but... Light Magic, as opposed to the dark one harnessed by the curse. And you can control that?"
"Not fully," she tilts her head. "To be honest, I only began working on it because my baby would cry when he saw my hair white... I think he couldn't recognize me. I dyed it at first, but it made me wonder if I couldn't control it somehow, and once I did, I decided to just keep my hair black all the time. It came just like that, but basically, if I try to control my healing and purifying power, my hair turns white, and I'm much more efficient..."
I nod. I finally understand why Nora thought she could help me. With her like this, I don't see how the darkness could be able to control me... But then again, I've never tried. She takes my hand gently, her pale skin making a nice contrast with mine.
"So, do you want to try?" she asks.
"Definitely," I nod.
"I said I'd help, but you're the witch," she says. "I can lend you my power but this curse is still inside you, right? You'll have to do the hardest part."
"Don't worry, I think I know what to do now," I smile confidently.
I hold her hand a bit tighter, and Nora just nods assuredly.
"I'm going to... try and dig it out," I say. "If anything happens, don't react. I'll just hold your hand and try to rely on it. If Liam wakes up, tell him I'm sorry too."
"Roger that. Anything else?"
"No... Please, just don't let go of my hand, alright?"
"I promise," she smiles gently.
Well, now... It's a bit embarrassing, but I lay my head on my other arm, like a student about to take a nap at her desk. It's a bit hard to try to take a nap in Nora's kitchen, with her holding my hand, but this isn't just about me falling asleep this time. I have learned enough to actually know how to dive in my subconscious state...
It's much faster than trying to fall asleep. I find myself jumping and crossing an invisible barrier, like I'm floating. I'm in that strange state again...
This time, I am back in the strange, dark room. However, I feel a pinch of sadness, as little Mara isn't there anymore... It feels so big and empty without her. I feel like it was ages ago since she taught me all about my magic, the runes, and magic circles. So many things happened in such a short time. I wonder when I'll be able to take a break and feel all of this. At least my wolf appears. She slowly comes up to me, staring with her blue and gold eyes. I smile and caress her fur... What's on my hand? There's a strange white glow coming from my left hand... Oh, is that Nora's power? It's... nice. I didn't realize before that this white glow was still following me. It's covering the hand she's probably still holding, giving me that gentle, cool effect. I feel so incredibly calm thanks to it.
I look around. Now... How do I do this? Before, the curse always came to me. Through the voices, through those hallucinations, it always tried to get to me first. Now, this place is just so... quiet. I know the curse isn't gone. It's just biding its time, isn't it? Just like Ravena said. It will stay in the shadows, look for a way to drive me mad, very slowly. I won't let it do that.
“Are you that sure?”
There you are. I turn around, and facing me, the curse took my appearance once again... with a few different details, though. It isn't an exact copy, the curse won't mimic some of my features. On this version of me, my skin is perfect, all the little defects are gone, even the thinnest wrinkles. This Mara's hair is perfectly combed too, not a frizzy mess like usual. The one thing that bothers me most though are the eyes. The eyes are blue, once again. Why always blue? Was the first witch a Water Witch?
“Yeah,” I respond. “I decided it was either time you pay rent, or get out of my body.”
“I like it here,” she chuckles, “in your head. Your little head, always so full of thoughts. Of doubt…”
I don't give a damn how small my head actually is, but I hate her preying on my thoughts like that. She smirks, and starts walking in circles around me. She's really trying to mess with my head. She's wearing a very sexy black dress for some reason, heels, and she is confident like a queen. I keep my fist closed, trying to stay calm. I know she's going to try and mess with me again. I've been here before. I have Liam's words with me, Nora's words too. It won't be as easy as the last time.
“What is it?” she giggles.“Mara has decided to get rid of me?”
“If you already know, time to take the way out,” I growl.
My wolf growls in unison with me, but she ignores her.
“There you go again... Fighting me... Fighting the darkness inside you. Because that's what you're afraid of the most, Mara, aren't you? You're not afraid of me. Of course, you wouldn't be. What really scares you is what you so desperately want to ignore…”
“Liam loves me,” I retort. “Don't you even bother to hint at anything regarding my mate. He knows exactly who I am, and he loves that part of me. Not Sylviana. Not Clarissa. Me, the me who is broken.”
