"You're such a big mouth," says Naptera, with visibly no issue talking underwater. "Now you'll finally shut up!"
I growl. I can't talk, but I can certainly growl, although it would be more convincing if I didn't continuously feel like throwing up... I feel weird. This isn't just about this nausea, but my whole body is going nuts, making me feel like I'm going to pass out, yet feeling electrified at the same time. There's something completely weird going on with me, and I have no idea what it is, where it comes from, or how to handle it. It's driving me crazy.
Naptera moves her hand, and I'm suddenly blown away by a new wave. Is it bad if I throw up now? Because I sure feel like I’m about to, and I think it would help.
"You're right," she continues. "Sadia was my closest friend, and she chose to give her daughter a name close to mine... It was before she was betrayed by one of those bastard wolves though!"
Is she really going to tell her story now? Couldn't it have been done when I was above the surface and not when I am trying not to drown?!
"She was so in love, and when that man left, she was so broken... She knew of the curse, of course. So many of us have fallen to it, and we keep making those mistakes, over and over again like pitiful dolls. Yet, Sadia wanted to believe in love more. She thought she and her partner could break it once and for all. She had meant to find its origin, which she thought belonged with her ancestors."
She wasn't wrong. Nephera came from the line of the original witch that was the first one betrayed... I wonder how Sadia failed? She ought to know where her family was from, wouldn’t she? If she belonged to the Purple Moon Clan, to the Jones family, she should have belonged here in Silver City. How did she fail? Then again, we always meet a dead end. Even witches who knew of the location didn't succeed in breaking that wretched curse. So, how...?
"When she arrived at my door, she was exhausted and a wreck. Even worse, she was weeping at the thought of her daughter being cursed as well. Sadia wanted to try and save her baby at all costs, so she thought she ought to send her to another witch, to perhaps break that fate of hers."
So that's why Nephera was sent into Danica's care. Because her mother was cursed, and while looking for a way to break that curse, she had to keep her baby away... This is just too sad to think about. I feel bad for Sadia. Judging by how Naptera speaks and her expression, Sadia couldn't have been very old when she passed.
"She died before she could accomplish anything. Such a foolish girl... I tried to persuade her to give up, but she was obsessed with saving herself and her daughter. Sadia had always been a dreamer, and she believed too much, once again."
I can't blame her. I wouldn't be able to sit still, either, if I knew a curse was threatening my life and that of my child’s as well... I feel pity for Sadia, but now, at least, that part of the story is clearer. Naptera's links to Silver City, that curse, and myself too. She isn't here for Silver City itself, or the curse's Dark Magic like Ravena, she just wants to end it. She probably didn't expect me to be here too, someone born from Sadia's blood and even more of that damn curse... I wish I could reply to that monologue of hers, though! Thanks for the explanation, but can we get back to what really matters? Her issue isn't with me, it's with that curse, we should be on the same page, not taking a swim!
I growl again, and to my surprise, my wolf seems just fine. She's not feeling that hellish nausea? Is she a wolf or a freaking fish?! I try to focus on her instead and stop fighting. I can't come up with fire and I feel like the more I try to channel my inner fire, the sicker I'll get, so let's just think smart for once and stop. Damn, Selena was right, I'm so obnoxiously stubborn...
I'm running out of oxygen, though, and quickly. I struggled too much to fight off those waves. I'm surprised Naptera isn't attacking me more. I'm underwater, I should already be dead if she had any serious intention to kill me... Maybe she cooled down because she spoke, but I won't complain. It gives me a few seconds to think of a plan... or at least how I'm going to save my ass in this situation.
What's the deal with my inner wolf? I'm usually in witch mode, I didn't even think about her much. Okay, maybe I was leaning too much toward my firepower, but it's still pretty nice to have that much firepower in hand for fights! I decide to close my eyes and focus on her only. Strangely, I feel a bit relieved as soon as I reach inside... I manage to align with her calm, and the lack of oxygen isn't so pressing anymore. What are you trying to tell me?
“Mara, we have more humans attacking!”
I'm sorry, but I have to ignore the others for a while. Why have I never looked deeper into my own aura when I'm so good at reading others? I can't tell, but now, I notice, my wolf's aura is slowly shifting. How the heck are we doing that, I wouldn't be able to come up with the beginning of an explanation. It's like seeing two different colored inks mixing. From a bright orange, my aura is slowly getting tainted by a dim, quiet blue. Where is that blue aura coming from? Where was it all this time? I'd know if I had two different auras! However, the more I let it in and accept it, the more obvious it gets: my wolf is the one.
I try to look into my subconscious, where I met little Mara and my wolf... Of course now, my wolf is alone in there. She greets me with her blue and gold eyes, but once again, I feel like we're two separate entities. It's like right before I realized she was there, we're not in perfect sync. I may be a badass witch, but I'm obviously one poor excuse of a werewolf... Alright, girl, let's ponder on the why later and act now before we die.
I focus, and let that blue aura of hers come to me. Although I said I wouldn't look into it, it definitely has Clarissa's signature... I smile without thinking. Of course. Why didn't I realize sooner? This is the body of a Water Witch, to begin with! It went through a lot of shit to adapt to little Mara's soul as she was a Fire Witch, but this is still a body meant for a Water Witch! How did I not think of that?
I'm sorry, girl. My inner wolf growls a bit, but I don't think we have time for grudges anyway. I try to calm down. This is the body of a Water Witch. No matter how much it adapted to little Mara's fire, it can't have completely erased Clarissa's original body's capabilities, right? I may not be able to bend water, but I should at least...
Oh, Moon Goddess, it works! I stopped blocking my nose and mouth, and somehow, I can freaking breathe underwater. It's a bit... scary, but although I breathe water in and out, I'm not suffocating or anything. No need for gills, my lungs are just fine with getting a water influx, apparently. This is crazy... and I absolutely love it. I get an adrenaline rush as well as an awesome confidence boost. Compared to the I'm-about-to-die from earlier, this is fucking awesome. With my heat kept inside and my body doing what it knows on the outside, I'm feeling good. I'm feeling great, even. Knowing that I'm not about to die drowning is kind of awesome.
"How are you…?"
Naptera looks shocked, and I can't keep myself from grinning. Yeah, I know. Who would expect a newbie Fire Witch to be just fine underwater? I can't believe my nausea is gone as soon as I shut my inner Fire Witch down too. I wish I had listened to my inner wolf earlier. Sorry, Clarissa. I promise I'll do better from now on with what you left me. This is crazy, insane, and awesome. I may not be able to use Water Magic, if that's even possible, but I know what to do. I take a deep breath and move my legs around. I try going left, I try going right. I can swim, alright. Moon Goddess... The others are going to add this to my list of crazy stuff, right at the top of the pile.
"Surprise," I say. "Cursed Ones are full of surprises, don't you think?"
Okay, maybe I'm enjoying this a bit too much, but let's face it, I'm a total cheat in my own way.
"Now, want to hear what I think about your whole speech from earlier?" I resume, losing the grin. "Well, I'm really sorry about what happened to Sadia. I really am, Naptera. I'm sorry about what happened to Nephera, and I'm sorry for everyone else who got cursed, including the two amazing young witches who gave birth to me. Yes, I'm a Cursed One, but I didn't choose to be born from someone else's ashes. I don't have a childhood of my own because of that, and Nephera's baby didn't even get to see the light of day with her own body! I'm really, really sorry about all that, but guess what? As much as it sucks, killing me and the werewolves isn't going to solve anything or bring anyone back!"
"Enough!"
This time, I'm prepared. I tame my inner fire, having it be faint and quiet for once, and let Naptera throw me across the water. What else can she do now? I can swim and breathe just fine. I don't think she's got anything to slam me against either, or so I hope. It's pretty dark in here... Alright. She can have me spin a hundred times if she wants, she'll still have to listen to what I have to say to her!
As soon as she stops swinging me around, I right myself and growl with my inner wolf.
"You know what? Yes, I'm cursed, and you can suck it! I'm a Fire Witch in a Water Witch's body, so if anything, I may even be the craziest and yet most positive thing to have ever been born of that curse! I didn't sign up for any of this, but I'd freaking work to stop it if you'd calm down and listen!"
"You're nothing but a child, you know nothing!" she shouts back.
