The Devil's Cursed Witch

"Ember, you can return with Draven. If there is anything, we will inform you," Evanthe suggested, glancing at Draven. "You should head back with her."

Draven turned to Ember to see what she wanted. Ember stood up, looked at Morpheus, and said, "I will visit you soon." She then turned to Draven. "My presence here might disturb Lady Evanthe from treating him. Let's go."

Draven nodded, and they stepped out of the healing chamber. Erlos and Aureus were waiting outside.

"Sire, how is he?" Erlos asked, while Aureus listened intently.

"He woke up, but not entirely yet," Draven replied, then turned to Aureus. "You can go inside."

Aureus offered a polite bow and headed inside, while the other three returned to the palace. When Aureus entered the main hall of the healing chamber, a witch standing inside signaled him toward a particular door that led to Morpheus.

As he reached the door and was about to ask for permission to enter, he heard something.

"It's happening again," came Cornelia's panicked voice, accompanied by the painful groans of a man.

Aureus froze in his place as he recognized the groans as his uncle's.

"I will try to infuse more of my divine powers," Evanthe's voice could be heard.

"It won't work for long. It's the darkness of hell, and our divine powers cannot deal with it. Only Ember..."

"Stay quiet," Evanthe's voice was angry. The chamber went silent, and soon Morpheus's painful groans stopped. After a while, Evanthe's voice was heard again, "He will regain his concourses soon. Only he has a right to take the decision for himself."

Aureus, still in shock, didn't know what to do. A witch outside asked, "Aren't you going inside, Lord Aureus?"

He snapped back to his senses, knocked on the door with the metal ring hanging on it, and then entered. He saw his uncle lying on the bed, unconscious, his entire body covered in sweat.

He looked at Evanthe. "What happened?"

"He hasn't recovered entirely yet, so we're facing some issues. But I'm sure we'll find a solution soon."

Trusting Evanthe, Aureus walked towards Morpheus and settled at the edge of the bed. He held his uncle's hand and could feel his divine power was unstable and weak.

"Can I offer him the essence of my powers?" Aureus asked.

"I was about to ask you," Evanthe approved. "You share blood, so both of your powers resonate more."

Aureus transferred a part of his divine powers to Morpheus. As he did, he could see through Morpheus's unstable and damaged core, surrounded by hellfire that both protected and overwhelmed it.

His gaze lingered on Morpheus's pale face, and his heart ached for him. Even after fighting his way back to life, he was being tormented. Was he better off dead?

"Is there anything else I can help with?" Aureus asked.

Evanthe shook her head. "Just once a day, you need to provide him with your divine powers."

"I will," Aureus said, and turned to leave. His eyes met Cornelia's, who looked at him expectantly, as if he could do more.

Once he stepped out of the door, his heart felt unsettled. 'Why did Lady Cornelia mention Ember? What is it that Mother does not wish her to say?'

With conflicted thoughts in mind, he flew away.

-----

While Ember was busy training to control her powers under the guidance of Fire Fae, Draven and Evanthe met.

"Is he any better?" Draven asked.

She shook her head helplessly. "The darkness will engulf his soul slowly if we don't do something soon. He is suffering the consequences of changing destiny. If not for the hellfire protecting him, his soul would have been left to torment in hell. It would have been better if his core was not protected and his soul had vanished entirely from the universe. Saving him brought him harm rather than good."

"There must be a way," Draven said, looking into her eyes.

"You want me to say it?" she asked, feeling trapped and helpless.

Draven kept quiet, waiting for her to continue. "The elders from all the clans will come to see him and check his condition. They will all know what is happening and will demand a council meeting. What do you plan on doing then?"

"We will see."

"You know what it means for Ember to save him with her own powers," she commented.

"I know," Draven said before disappearing. "Take care of him."

Evanthe helplessly looked at the empty spot in front of her. Just then, Sierra arrived. "What did he say?"

"Nothing," Evanthe replied. "You were going to tell me something?"

"Something we have both been waiting for desperately, something that concerns our kids."

Evanthe's eyes lit up. "Is it about the Curse?"

Sierra nodded, her voice cheerful. "Finally, the curses on Seren were broken. I felt it clearly. My daughter finally did it."

Evanthe's face brightened as well. "She is just like you—so stubborn and determined. Just like you couldn't give up on Armen."

"Which caused me to be punished and my daughter to be cursed," Sierra sighed. "Unlike me, I hope my daughter's stubbornness will only lead her to happiness."

"It will. My son would never let her regret anything," Evanthe assured. "We could see how much they love each other, but we could only deny it in front of them," she looked at Sierra, "It was painful to see Seren heartbroken when, despite knowing, we told her what she felt for Drayce might not be love."

"It was necessary at that time. Instead of seeking assurance of her feelings towards Drayce from others, she should be assured on her own," Sierra added. "Only her strong determination, a will to defy the consequences, lack of fear, and devotion to Drayce and her to her own feelings would help her break the curse. I wonder what happened that led her to be so determined and break the curse."

"Drayce was hurt," Evanthe answered. "That must have triggered her."

"Hurt?" Sierra was shocked. "What happened?"

"I did not tell you this, thinking you would worry about Seren," Evanthe explained how Zaria Lynx had hurt Drayce and Seren. "...both of them are alright now. After what you told me about the curse being broken, I am sure we can expect our grandkids soon."

Sierra chuckled softly. "You don't look like someone to be called a grandmother."

Evanthe smiled playfully. "It seems, being a Queen of Witches comes with the benefit of eternal beauty and youth."

'Or maybe being a deity of Water,' Sierra thought.

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