A Mermaid's Legacy- Sebastian Sallow x MC x Ominis Gaunt

Chapter 43- Masquerade

Sebastian POV

But she is not mine; she belongs to the sea, a breath-taking power yielding to no one, true to its nature.

I awoke with her nestled in my embrace, the fireplace having long relinquished its warmth, its fading embers barely shimmering. Her enchanting, wavy raven hair cascaded around her face and shoulders. Rosy cheeks and inviting lips called for tender caresses. She lay in my arms, deeply asleep, a testament to the burdens she had shouldered.

I yearned for us to linger in this moment, but Gabriel's impending arrival today marked the commencement of our mission to secure the Orb.She stirred within my grasp, prompting me to hold her closer and press a gentle kiss upon her forehead. Instantly, she relaxed once more.

A dream, perhaps. She deserves nothing less than heartfelt dreams and unbridled happiness.

After gently rousing ourselves, we readied ourselves to join the rest of the group for breakfast, where we would discuss the plan. Pretending to be in love with her and deflecting Ominis's advances felt almost too simple. Placing her in harm's way, however, was a burden I wished to avoid. But how could I shield her, a mere common wizard? If anything, our training with the Sirens highlighted how ordinary and vulnerable we could be, magically, mentally, and physically.

The Sirens had unveiled our myriad weaknesses, and while we had made significant improvements, I wondered if it would suffice to confront Morgana. Would it suffice to safeguard Yvaine and our friends?

I continued to ponder this as I spooned my porridge, so lost in thought that I failed to notice Ominis attempting to engage me in conversation.

"Sebastian," he asked impatiently.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" I replied.

Ominis rubbed his face in frustration.

"I mentioned that it'll be a masked ball, so you'll need to be more vigilant. We have no idea what my family has planned or what Morgana even looks like."

"Trying to combat an unpredictable foe," I mused.

"Exactly," he affirmed.

He then proceeded to brief the group about his family and their sinister abilities, particularly focusing on his sister Arabella. She possessed a dark affinity for torture and had developed a range of spells and techniques over the years that inflicted pain, torment, and nightmares upon her adversaries. Even after their defeat, many were left with lingering side effects. Arabella was determined to ensure that anyone who dared to challenge her or the family would think twice.

She had even once compelled a wizard to watch in horrific detail as she tormented and mercilessly murdered his wife and child. The room echoed with their agonized screams, the chilling wails of despair, and the gruesome sound of their lives being extinguished.

No curse was needed to drive him to madness; the visceral horror of that night had forever fractured his sanity. He remained in an asylum, trapped in delusions of conversing with his deceased family, the torment of his child's screaming etched into his shattered psyche.

Ambrose's skills leaned heavily toward pyromancy, harnessing fire and all its associated elements to fuel his magic. In one battle, for example, he channeled the flames from a burning building into his own magical powers, resulting in a devastating concentrated blast that left numerous Aurors either dead or recovering at St. Mungo's for months.

"Tobias... he possesses an extraordinary mastery of combat," Ominis confessed, his tone heavy with resignation. "Engaging him in close combat might be beyond our capabilities. He knows precisely where to strike on our bodies to disable or sever our magic."