The Heir Of Dreams And Curses

Where I am invited to a party last-minute

The first thing Edgar said was, "This is why the sword hasn't recognized you as its owner."

And then, "We can fix this."

I looked at him, starstruck. I was expecting a lot of things from Edgar. The only thing I was not expecting was for him to take the news so well.

Of course, he was probably panicking on the inside. I mean, I didn't blame him. If anything, I admired him. He'd always been so much better than I was at handling the bad news.

"Do you remember what I told you?" he asked.

"Oh well, you told me quite a lot of things..." I started fidgeting. 

"The part about running away," he said. "When you told me you wished you had the guts to run away, and I told you it takes a lot of courage to stay."

"So... you want to stay?" my voice cracked. I was more relieved than words could say.

"Yes, but not only that," he replied. "You have to stay too. Find the courage you had back home. Stay. Whatever it takes to break the curse, we'll do it together."

"Even if the worst happens?" I suddenly felt awkward. "I can't believe until a minute ago I was about to steal the Enemy Mirror. Thank you for making me snap out of it."

I started chuckling uncomfortably.

"Well, I don't like to see you laughing at such a time, but you can be sure of one thing," Edgar said soberly. "You and your uncle are taking the fact of being cursed in very different ways."

I bowed my head. "I consider it a compliment."

"I have a question to ask you," he added then, carefully. "You saw the present, and the past. Why don't you have a vision of the future?"

While I never saw the future, I already had a vision of blood, pain, and the nightmarish landscape of the part of the Aether Realm that was made of black magic.

I didn't need to dream about it to see what would happen if we didn't find another way.

"Thankfully visions only come when I tell them to," I replied. "And to be honest? I'm scared of what I'd see."

Edgar nodded. It didn't take a genius to understand what I meant, and Edgar was undoubtedly clever.

"Do me a favour, now that you know," I added hastily. "Please, tell Raegan and Jeff if I cannot. The virus inside of me is Set's magic. There's his will, somewhere in my veins. He makes me do things. He... he doesn't want me to say it."

Edgar's eyes opened in wonder.

"I like this idea," he whispered. "Taking it one step at a time, together. No more secrets." I could feel his aloofness coming undone.

We heard a coughing sound behind us, and we turned around to see Luna.

"Not to interrupt the moment, but if you stay here you have to know there's a price on your head."

"But Selina Cooper and Alice are back, and Selina had already said she considered me innocent..." I tried to reason.

"Not everyone agrees, it doesn't mean Johnston isn't the one in charge. If Thomas Johnston say something, people at the very least listen to his words. There are wanted posters with your pictures on them."

"What do they say?" I asked. I was curious despite myself.

Luna looked vaguely bored but she replied, "Raegan McIntosh, former cult leader, Jeff Tanaka, son of a murderer, Edgar Wollstonecraft, hybrid with shady powers and Ryan Barnes, dark magic Enchanter, probably Typhon."