Chapter 105 Seraphina

• “Here it is!” Drave bursts in like a storm, his voice brimming with triumph as he holds a small vial in his hands, raising it like a trophy. “Aria's blood, ready to be used. Now, do your part… now,” he demands, the urgency in his words echoing through the space. His green eyes gleam with a dangerous light, a mix of anxiety and determination that makes it clear that every second counts.
• Drave hands me the vial, and I'm tempted to ask how he managed to get Aria’s blood. Did he resort to force? Or maybe some skilled deception? But the urgency of the moment keeps my tongue still. However, time cannot be wasted, and I begin the forbidden magic to perform the shifter spell. The aura of the spell rises around me, thick and heavy like a fog charged with electricity. Drave positions himself beside me, watching every move I make with sharp eyes. It’s almost unsettling how he mixes fascination with veiled criticism. He’s absorbing every detail, not because he understands the depth of the magic, but because he wants to control every aspect of the plan. He’s a strategist, after all, always lurking, always judging.
• Soon, my ethereal beauty is replaced by the plain and dull appearance of the human Aria. The contrast is overwhelming. My skin, once radiant and flawless, now carries the mundane texture of a human. I glance at the mirror in front of me, the reflection an affront to my essence. Aria stares back at me. For a moment, I feel a sting of repulsion and… something I don’t want to name. I realize I could never perform the skin-shift spell on myself. I can sacrifice many things for the good of Syltirion, but not who I see in the mirror, my enchantress identity.