"What is going on in your mind?" Galen asked as he placed a coffee on top of the table, showing Verena his beautiful art on it of a cute little puppy that could easily be a blob of what seemed like a melted attempt of it. "Just by the look on your face, I know that you are trying very hard to come up with a decision. So, tell me; I think I can help. Maybe give you some guidance.""Galen, I am not in the mood to joke around this early in the morning." She sighed and sat back. "You made me two cups of coffee already; how much more do I need to drink before you are finally satisfied with your little melted dog?""That's a cute puppy, Rena; please don't hurt my feelings like this." He slumped over as he sat down. "I wish I could tell you how long I spent just to make this perfectly.""I guess after a very long time, you still need more, huh?" she teased. "Do you sometimes regret it?""Regret what? Staying in this world for too long? When I am literally cursed to stay young forever," he sc
Verena carefully sat up when she woke up. Perhaps it was because of a habit, but she tried to make no sound at all as she reached over to grab her phone and check the time. But when she realized that she did not have a reason to do so, she was able to let herself go. It was very strange waking up and not seeing Galen sleeping peacefully beside her, but she was aware that there might be some reason behind it. It's the third day that she's noticed. And if she were being completely honest, she really wanted to ask him when they ate lunch together yesterday, but what is she supposed to say? She is not someone who would randomly ask him why he's not sleeping in her bed when they haven't even figured out what relationship they have. And also, she was thinking that maybe this kind of space is needed. Maybe this could help her decide, as she was so clueless about what was to happen next.She followed her day-to-day morning routine. Verena washed up, changed her pajamas into a comfortable set
Mira hangs her white cloak on her cabinet, looking bored as ever right after a gathering. She just finished an hour or two of trying to convince a bunch of new members to give up all their past lives and their savings to Bulan in order to live a comfortable life free from all their wrong deeds. She sighed and sat down on her little couch, a bottle of cold water in her hand, as she pulled out her phone to check on her own bank account. Of course, all her tiredness and stress just flew out of her body as soon as she saw how her own money grew exponentially."Gosh, sometimes I still can't believe how good I am at my own work," she whispered to herself. "If only that Verena girl was in as well, this amount could have doubled in just a second. Ah, that man. How could he be so dumb at times? After being in this industry for so long, he's still this bad!"Mira loudly sighed and rolled her eyes, still thinking about the millions of dollars that could have rolled over into her account if she h
It was late at night when Verena was able to go back to the hidden palace. She did not think to check the kitchen or grab a bite; all she wanted was to go straight into her room and lock herself up. On her way home, all she could think of were Leonardo’s words. Why would he tell her something like that? What is a hunter, exactly? And why does she hate the fact that his words were a bit reasonable for her? Of course, she knows how kind and caring Zoren is to her, but why can't she look past that? It’s making her feel extremely terrible. No matter how hard she tried, there was nothing else she could do but cover her whole body with her weighted blanket and just sob.In his own room, Zoren tried his best not to do anything. When he finally heard the front door open, he immediately jumped out of bed, ready to go and see her, but he stopped himself. He hugged his pillow while waiting for her next move. Deep inside, he was wishing for her to call his name. He can only hope that she will sea
Verena's POVClouds move. Even if they move at a slow pace, they still do. I almost forgot about that. I can't believe that as I look at the morning sky, I would be mesmerized to see how they cruised through the blue sea. When did I last sit back and watch the sky like this? It must have been a while, since I can't remember how long ago it was when I last saw a fluffy-looking one with a tinge of orange as the sun went up. It is an amazing view. The cold wind, the warm rays of sunlight slowly appearing, the dewy grass, and the leaves swaying to their own tune—everything is perfect.This is a moment that I remember loving the most since I was a kid. It is peaceful and quiet. But as I grew up, it slowly turned into nothing but a normal sunrise. Was it because it got too repetitive, or was it caused by the problems that were slowly appearing in my life? I do not know what I miss—was it the peaceful environment, or was it my innocence? Sometimes I wish I could go back to the time when my o
Verena's POVI wish I could see him right now. I wish I could tell him everything I want to. I wish I could apologize to him for making him feel horrible with my words. I want to make sure that he's not going to take it wrong. I want him to understand why I am being this way. I want him to understand what is going on in my mind. But I would never say this wish out loud, because no matter how much I want to reason with him and explain to him, I just know that I can't do anything when I get the chance to look into his blue eyes.I've never been so sad looking at an uneaten omellete before. But after hanging out with Galen earlier, I checked the table, and I saw it for the very first time. I made sure to add a lot more cheese than usual to try to bait him a bit more, but he did not touch his favorite dish. I was thinking that he did not see it, because there is no way in hell that he did not even take a bite of that. However, I checked if he ate anything at all, and he had fruits. The tr
Verena's POVI want to run away, but I can't. Maybe it's because I want to actually stop him from running; it's too hot, and it's not going to be good for him. I should have prepared a line at least, but there are no words inside my head right now aside from uhms and hmms, and I don't think he would get anything from those. Should I just wish for the sun to hide? Smart idea; maybe I should wish for that. In the end, he can do his thing and run until the trees have all fallen down, and then I won't have a problem with it anymore. But will that be alright to do? Is that an abuse of power? A quick hour won't hurt, right?"I wish--""Go back upstairs."I was stopped in the middle of my sentence by his cold voice. It sounded different from his usual deep voice. This time, it felt like he really had some anger towards me, and I couldn't blame him. I just nodded, trying my best not to turn to him."If you are only going to stand there, you better leave since you are interfering with my worko
Verena's POVAs I entered the mansion, I already heard Galen's loud footsteps following behind me as I went to the kitchen. Right now, I know that the only thing that could help me is a cold glass of water. I guess that is the only thing that can cool me down after the very harsh and scalding conversation with Zoren. I did not expect him to act that way toward me. Maybe it was my fault. I really thought that I would see him smile at me again after everything that he heard from me."How was it? Rena? Did you talk to him?""He hates me now, Galen," I responded. He gasped and let his mouth widen as soon as he heard what I said. What's there to be shocked about? Of course he won't be friendly and all sweet and bubbly with me after hearing how I don't trust him."There is no way that he hates you; why would he hate you?"I rolled my eyes and sighed. I guess he figured out that I am very tired of it, and he snapped out of his sarcasm. He took his sweet time to recollect himself and gave me
The sun appeared again, shining brightly, proudly showing off the light that gave the dancing flowers in the breeze more life. They swayed and played together with the colorful butterflies that kept swirling around them. The birds chirped as they rested on tree branches. The leaves joining in the fun were beautiful. It was peaceful; it was another good morning."Miss Barbara, do they really have tall houses that reach the sky?" one kid named Justin asked as he pulled on Barbara's skirt a bit. He has a flushed face, and his eyes are glowing, big, and bright while listening to the tales of their teacher about the other realm."They have it," Barbara answered, tapping Justin's head. He turned around to his classmates and gasped with them. "They call them buildings, tall buildings, but most of those buildings are used as a place where they work, not their houses.""Do you think we would be able to see one?" One girl around the age of eight to ten asked Justin. She sighed and looked down.
"You already used your power too much to alter the world," Zoren whispered as he held onto Verena's wrist tightly. "You can't summon the moon; it might be your last wish.""I'll do it," she responded, not looking into his eyes. "Even if it is, I would still do it.""Verena, do you not care about yourself? We can fight; don't use your powers again!""One bullet directly to my heart and I'll be dead," Verena said coldly. "We are outnumbered; this won't work. We have to change it up a bit.""Dont go."Verena gave Zoren's hand a tight squeeze before making him let go. She walked out with her head held high. She knew that she was nearing the edge, but that did not matter. She wanted to protect Zoren, and she has one last thing to try. Luckily for her, they followed through with their side of the trade, and all the guns were on the floor. Nobody dared to move as she stood there, looking at Leo, waving the book as if he were teasing her to come closer. She hated him with all her heart, but s
Bulan was in total chaos when Zoren got in. He knew that it was bad when everyone was running out of the compound without even realizing that he was there. Because of the strong earthquake that only happened inside their compound, everyone wanted to leave and save themselves. He rushed to where Verena was. It was easy enough for him to track her since her scent was powerful, especially at that moment. It was too intense, like her aura was engulfing the entire land.His feet led him to the bottom of the tallest building they have, and as he looked up, he felt chills running down his spine. He could clearly see a commotion on top, and the only thing that was clear to him right now was that Verena was fully absorbed by her powers. She was glowing and levitating as her hands were extended, focusing on the two other people there, Mira and Leo.The werewolf prince used his speed to rush up and stop Verena from whatever she was doing. Just by the feeling that he is getting, he is a hundred p
"Father, don't you see? She is just pretending! She wanted to make you believe that she is someone that you can trust! Don't listen to what she is saying!""Mira, use your brain!" the old man said, while tapping his fingertips on the thick book in front of him. He sat down beside Mira as they were talking. "She gave us the cursed book. We have it; she gave it to us; do you understand that? She is using this book as her bargaining chip, and she only wanted to keep that stupid prince safe. Do you not realize how big of a deal this is?" the man laughed with his whole chest. "I did not think that she would be this weak, though. For a man, she is willing to risk everything, but for one guy, she gave up. How dumb.""It was a dumb decision; you are right," said Mira. "And that is what's making me think that she is only doing this for a different reason. I don't know, maybe this is all part of her plan to lure us into a trap or something!""She was able to go into the book, Mira; do you not u
Verena's POVI knew exactly what everyone's thoughts were the moment that I walked to the gates of Bulan. When the guards saw me, I could almost hear his brain register who I was. Crazy, it looks like I've become famous within their community since the last time we've all hung out. I am pretty sure that everyone knows who I am; perhaps they know a lot more than I do because I heard my name being said by a bunch of people who were coming out to catch a glimpse of me. There are at least two dozen girls and some guys who were watching, waiting for what I am up to, as some of the guards are still holding the gates closed before they get their leader's final decision. He ran inside, and I assume that he was asking someone higher up in the ranks to give him an order.In my vision earlier, I saw Leo and Mira rushing to us and getting to Zoren. I don't know when that was supposed to happen, but I am sure that I can change it. I was able to change the vision that I had when I dealt with Barbar
"I couldn't see him anywhere!" Zoren yelled as soon as he got inside the house. He brushed his hair up and stressed that no matter where he went, he would not be able to see Galen anywhere. "I swear, he was never here. If he was here, when I came back, I was sure that he would jump onto me as soon as he saw me. But ever since I came back, I never saw him. Are you sure that he is here?""I am a hundred percent positive," Verena said, wearing her thick, long black coat. "I was just with him while the eclipse showed up. I even accidentally gave him a fright when I connected with him while I was experiencing that surge of energy. I don't know where he went, but because I was not able to control my body earlier, I was not able to see him again." She bit her lower lip. Her palms felt a little hot and sweaty, and she tried to wipe them on her coat, but she knew that they'd still be damp. "I don't know if I was the one who did this to him, but do you think because of what was going on at that
"Thank goodness, you are finally awake. I was worried that you were too drained because of what happened," Said Zoren as he patted Verena's head. He was holding her hand while the woman looked up at him, slowly blinking as if she couldn't believe her own eyes. She lifted her arm and brushed his hair with his fingertips, making her smile a little."This is the best dream ever," she whispered to herself. "I think I might have used my brain power so much that it granted me this escape," she said. She bit her lower lips and sighed. "Still, I am very grateful.""What are you talking about?" Zoren asked. Based on what he is hearing, it does not seem that Verena was the one who summoned him back, and it does not make any sense to him. Who else would have done that if it was not her? He could literally not think of a single being that would have the ability to do so. "Darling, did you not summon me?"Verena shook her head, her eyes slowly growing big, realizing that this hallucination is not
Another day of watching the sun come out after witnessing the entire reign of the moon last night was added to Verena's list. At this rate, she won't be surprised if her body begins to cope and she suddenly turns nocturnal. Even though last night all she wanted was to sleep and get at least twelve hours of rest from her loud brain, she couldn't do it. There came a point where she wanted to use her own magic on herself, but she knew that if she started doing that, she wouldn't be able to stop herself when she wanted to escape for a much longer time. Everything that was revealed to her by Galen last night was too much for her to handle, and she won't lie; it caused a lot of doubts and worries in her heart. It was not easy for her to believe that Leo was her father. The thing is, her expectations and her dreams made it a lot more difficult.Because Verena grew up without any knowledge about her family, she was the one who filled her curiosity with her made-up stories, and although she kn
It's been three days since Verena stayed in a different home that Galen had prepared for her, but she was still unable to do anything. Aside from practicing what Old Fool had taught her before, there was really nothing else. She had made a few wishes here and there just to make sure that she'd be able to at least hinder Leo's movements. But aside from asking for him to stop harming innocent humans, there is nothing that she can do.Galen is not giving her anything. Whenever they meet, he always has so many reasons as to why he can't hang out with her. Even when she moved, he did not go with her. He followed later on and then left again when night came. Since she was back, all she wanted to do was sit and eat a warm meal with Galen to at least help her lessen the sadness and heaviness that she is feeling right now, but she still can't have that. Galen had told her a couple of times already that he had to be out, finding clues and figuring out another way to bring down the hunters. Some