Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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I entered the dining room and found Lazarus, Graike, Vesper, and Aldus in the room and all eyes were on me.

The scene in front of me looked like a beginning of a fantastic story that goes something like this: "Once upon a time, a werewolf, a dragon, a witch, and a vampire sat at the table to share a meal…"

Or maybe it was one of those bar-jokes with a cheesy ending.

"I'm glad to see you looking better, princess.", Lazarus greeted me first to what I nodded in response with a stiff smile on my face.

There was a lump in my throat, and I feared that if I force words out, they will be accompanied by more crying. It's better if I stay quiet as I don't want to embarrass myself more than I already have.

My energy levels were unusually low even though I slept for the last six days. Well, kind of slept as my mind was in my personal hell, so I assumed that my fatigue is mental.

Aldus stood up, pulling a chair for me to sit on his right, as always.

I like that no matter the situation, Aldus is consistent. It told me that he will always be my support, my father.

"How are you doing?", Aldus asked as I took my seat.

"I've been better.", I responded in a whisper. There was no point in sugarcoating things, but I didn't want to say that I have a gaping hole where my heart used to be and that I'm struggling not to cry.

I glanced around the table and I saw that Vesper's eyes were full of concern, Lazarus was happy, and Graike was observing my every move curiously.

I understood that those three people are staying here since I passed out and that Vesper was mostly by my side and using her ability to check on my emotions, which they used as the only indicator of why I'm not waking up.

Vesper was looking at me like I'm a terminally ill patient, probably because she felt the same things I did.

Luckily, I didn't need to talk as no one spoke to me; the four of them maintained light chat.

I rushed through the meal with the hope that I will not break down in sobs in front of them. Part of me wanted to stay in the company because I knew that all the unpleasant things will resurface the moment I'm alone. But then, I wouldn't be alone, as Aldus said that we will go to the lab later… and we did.

After bidding goodnight to our three guests, Aldus and I used the portal to go into the main lab.

In the lab…

Under Krob's curious gaze, Aldus performed additional checkups on me, to verify that my physical condition was fine, and then he gave me access to the promised files.

I read through the information Aldus documented while reviving me.

Apparently, I was human specimen 257, a healthy female (if you ignore the dead part) with intact organs and the only real damage was my crushed larynx.

With a quick surgery, he repaired my larynx and started pumping into me various concoctions to keep my blood from coagulating and to get it moving. It was fascinating to read, and I was surprised to see the variety of ingredients used.

I didn't recognize some, but among the creatures listed, I saw harpies, succubi, and phoenix.

"Is this the reason why you called me Seraphina?", I asked while pointing at the word that signified the ancient bird made out of fire and capable of rebirth from its ashes.

Aldus smiled a little, confirming my guess.

"And why did you say that this was the first thing you introduced into my body that manifested?", I continued asking. "Aren't succubi capable of manipulating dreams?"

"True", Aldus confirmed. "However, succubi attack while their victim is sleeping and they infiltrate their dreams, they don't manipulate their own."

I thought about it for a second. "But, this could be a slight mutation, right? They can access other people's subconsciousness, while I can access mine." I saw Aldus nod in agreement, and I realized how I could use this while practicing. What if I can enter other people's subconsciousness and read their secrets or maybe plant fake ones?

"Anything is possible.", Aldus said. "I didn't share this previously because I didn't want you to be limited to what is in here."

I looked at the long list and laughed weakly. "There are so many things in here that I would rather call it chaotic than limiting. Succubi also have a way to make their victims see them as attractive. That sounds like my pheromone control."

"It's not just succubi.", Aldus corrected me. "All creatures that prey on humans have ways to make themselves appear attractive. Hunting is easier when your food comes to you. As for the succubi, it was never confirmed they use pheromones. Since they can access subconsciousness, the assumption is that they are directly impacting the brain…", Aldus paused while rubbing his chin. "But pheromones also impact the brain in some way…" His voice trailed and he sat at his computer. It seems that he figured out something.

I gave him a few minutes before asking, "What's next?"

Aldus raised his head from the computer and gave me a questioning look, so I explained, "It seems that I have another troublesome power that needs taming. I don't want to end up creating a tornado in…" I paused. A tornado in the sunroom must have caused big damage.

"How is the sunroom? Did I destroy it?"

Aldus turned back to the computer. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

"What are you hiding?", I voiced my thoughts.

"It's better that you see for yourself. You can do it in the morning. Nothing will change until then."

I was confused, but I got a hint that Aldus is not going to talk about it now.

"I will arrange for us to go to Greece."

I was surprised by this sudden change of topic. "Greece?"

Aldus hummed in confirmation. "Graike said that you have a strong affinity for air element and based on what I saw, you manipulated air. Vesper can control elements with spells, but what you did is different and she is not good at it. We need help from someone else."

"Isn't that why you called the dragon?", I guessed.

"Yes, but Graike's element is lightning, and we need someone who can manipulate air."

This was getting fantastic. "Are there air dragons in Greece?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have ties with any air dragons. We are going to seek help from harpies."

Harpies. Right.

I remembered that Graike is someone important. He introduced himself as a lord of something. "How do you know Graike?"

"There was a time when he needed help which I provided, so he owed me one."

I felt guilt swell inside me. It's not that Aldus is helping me, but he is getting others to help me as well. A favor from a dragon must carry a lot of weight. "I'm sorry that you used a favor from a dragon for me."

"Don't worry about it. He refused to use it, in exchange for staying here until you wake up."

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