"Can you get yourself to the general hospital?"
"As long as I don't get bit on the way..." she mutters, looking down at the wolves.
“I promise no one will touch her,” Selena nods.
"Yeah, you'll be fine."
"Nice. Also... I hope the wolves remember, when this is all over. That I helped..."
I nod, a bit thankful indeed. Looking back, Ayesha was certainly a huge help in all that mess. Perhaps she will ask for some sort of payback once this is all over, but I'm not too worried. I know now that Dark Witches aren't all bad, and some also stand in between with more complicated motivations... She quickly leaves the area, limping a bit, but at least she should be able to get out of here.
“Let me guess... The other one isn't going to be as easy to convince?”
"I don't want to force Naptera," I say, "but I think I can convince her, at least. After all, she may hate me for being a Cursed One, but she probably hates the curse more. She helped me earlier too, it must mean something."
All the wolves remain silent, but I know this isn't going to be as easy as I make it sound... Still, I ought to try. I start running again, in the direction I felt Naptera. Now charged up with flames and that Light Magic, Selena flies ahead like a lightning bolt, visibly enjoying her new powers. She was already strong before, but now she's scary powerful. The White Luna already figured out how to keep her flames brimming despite the rain, and she jumps on two golems on the way, frying them effortlessly like a thunder witch more than a fire one... At least I don't have to worry about Selena for now, she's obviously doing great without my guidance.
Meanwhile, Nora runs by my side, her snow white fur like a shooting star in the darkness, her blue eyes looking right ahead.
“Mara, I keep thinking... If we get rid of the curse, will you be alright? As a Cursed One…”
“I hope so. Perhaps something will change, I'm not sure. It's not really important for now, though, don't worry about me…”
“Stop saying things like that, we already told you a thousand times. You're family to us... you're like our little sister. Of course we worry.”
I can't help but smile, her words warming my heart more than worrying me. I know. I know I found a new family here in Silver City, a real one.
The warm feelings are quickly cooled down by the never-ending pouring rain, though, and the sight of Naptera. As I suspected, she didn't leave the area, only watching the fight from the sidelines. She makes a sour expression as we approach, already glaring at the wolves. Only Nora and I dare approach at a distance, but the Black Brothers stay back, all growling as a warning.
"...So you did come out," she says.
"Naptera, I'm almost there. I found out the secret behind the curse, and I can end it. But we need your help."
"We?" she repeats, her eyes still defying the wolves.
"The curse is strong, and it was created by the first Royal," I quickly explain. "Not just a witch, but a werewolf witch, who had access to a very powerful magic, and carried very dark feelings inside. I can't get rid of all that darkness by myself. If I go inside again, she may consume me just like she did with Ravena. I know you felt it too."
There's no way she didn't feel the Earth Witch's passing. The curse used her, emptying her magic before it killed her. It was much more aggressive and reckless than the spell I used on Ayesha. Crossing her arms, Naptera glances toward the large tower of darkness on the side.
"...That arrogant Earth Witch brought her own demise."
"Are you going to stand there as more of us die, then?"
She stays silent. Oh, Moon Goddess, she's not making it easy, and it's not like I have a lot of time to argue with her, either... I take a deep breath, and try to remember everything she said earlier. Wait, there's something...
"...How old are you, Naptera?"
She glares at me, and although it could seem legitimate, I know it actually means I aimed just right.
"You're... much older than you look, aren’t you? I didn't realize before, but... Nephera wasn't Sadia's daughter, she was her grand-daughter or something like that. Sadia gave birth to a human child first, didn't she? She had a son, a human son that didn't appear in the Witches' Ancestral Tree."
"There you go again, talking as if you know anything," hisses Naptera.
"You're the one playing charades. I've studied our family's ancestry, and Sadia was the daughter of a witch named Beatrice Jones, but Nephera couldn't have been her daughter."
"...There are still many things you need to learn about witches, little one. Nephera was Sadia's daughter, but to preserve her child, she tried to... delay her birth."
I frown, trying to understand. Wait, could it be a... reincarnation? That's the only thing that would make sense. Just like little Mara and I... Sadia tried to protect her child by waiting?
