"This spell requires a huge sacrifice to be made," The leader of the elves said. "The castor's body starts to weaken as soon as it's put, and within a week, they die. A painful, horrible death, but in return, the spell would not be broken by anyone outside of their race and only be broken by someone more powerful than them."
The room was engulfed in uncomfortable silence. They didn't know what to say to the girl or the sleeping shifter after he woke up. The girl had the responsibility for telling the boy what he had and the boy's life was about to be changed completely.
In that chilly room, a sound of a notification from someone's phone chimed.
Alek snapped out of her daze and removed her phone from her pocket with shaky hands. It was from her other best friend, Alex. He texted her to tell her that he was in front of the supposed building.
"The other one's here. I'm going to go bring him." The girl put away her phone and took a deep breath to calm herself.
Tinka nodded and looked back at the sleeping boy, still connected with her magic. "I'll deal with his situation together with people of my own. Is that okay, Alek?"
"Sure." Alek smiled but it didn't look heartily.
The pixie nodded and looked at one of the twins. "Can you take us to another unused room? I think Alex is going to freak out if he sees this."
Rin nodded and led the pixie queen and the shielded pixie out of the room to another room Alek didn't know.
"I'll be right back with him." Alek told the magic users and turned her back to them to walk out but her knees gave up before she even took a step.
Jin came beside her in a flash and let her lean instead of falling. "Alek, with that face and expression you have right now, I don't think it's the best idea for you to go and welcome. He'll definitely feel something happened and worry."
"I do?" Alek questioned and saw the reflection of herself in the window in front of her. Her face was pale, especially her face. She looked like she had no blood circulating. Just like a doll. And the expression of horror was stuck on her face as if she was born with it. "Oh no."
Castor, who was also watching the reflection agreed. "Yep. So you stay here and I bring him. We've met before so I think it'll be fine."
The girl in the reflection shook her head. "No, no. I'll go to him. I'm not escaping from this and I'm the one who suggested we do this. I'm not running away and keep myself in the safe place."
The cousins stared into each other's eyes for a second before the older nodded his head. "We go together then."
"Okay." With that, the two went out of the room and walked straight to the entrance with stern faces. The girl kept on pinching her cheeks to bring more colour and the boy was clenching and unclenching his hand numerous times until they got out of the building and found Alec waiting.
As soon as Alexander saw his best friend and her cousin, he jogged towards them with worry and joy.
"Hey. Is Mel already here?" That was the first thing he asked.
"Yeah, he is," Alek answered as she was given a side hug. She plastered on a smile and hoped that it looked normal.
Alex and Jin exchanged a nod and a hey and both looked at the girl.
"So what is this place?" the best friend asked with a frown and squinted eyes. He didn't have a good feeling about that.
Jin and Alek did a quick swap with their eyes before the older answered, "This is our grandparents' place. It's kind of like a hotel."
"Uhhh." Alex nodded. Seemingly he believed it.
"Let's go inside. There is someone we want you to meet." Because Alek couldn't say anything, Jin took the lead and began leading them back to that room.
Alex was more open, and understanding than Mel, and the conversation in between was normal and casual too.
When they got to that room, Alex tilted his head. "Is this part of the hotel room? It's... umm... unique."
Jin laughed it off as he mind-linked his twin inside to let them know that they were at the door.
Just as Jin was doing that, Alex whispered in Alek's ear. "Is this a concept hotel or something? It seems maniac to me."
Alek could only let out a dry, short chuckle in reply.
Castor eyed his cousin one more time before opening the door inside and letting the two follow in.
The non-supernatural's face was painted with shock and it somehow eased Alek's mind seeing that but that didn't last for long.
"It feels funny in here." Alec then sniffed the air. "Am I the only one getting tingles smelling this?" He was walking backwards when he felt something bump into him, and when he looked down, he saw a small person. A tiny granny with a stick looking up at him, unsmiling.
Before the boy could scream, Mago came and knocked the boy out the same way he did with the previous one. Just as with Mel, the boy floated from the floor as if he was a cloud in the sky.
"He is definitely a supernatural." The warlock commented before once again the magic users gathered in a circle to do the ritual.
"He seems like an elf material." Paleine came out of the shadows and got into her position.
Terance nodded as he examined the boy a little up close and got back to the circle, "I thought so too."
That was when Alek realised that instead of the pixie queen performing part in the circle, it was her husband.
Seeing that the girl noticed his presence, Jesper made eye contact with her before resuming his magic. He came when he was called his dear wife in need and found out about this just before the trio entered the room.
The king of pixie's magic appeared almost like Tinka's but sharp and eye-catching compared to hers. His magic was the same colour as his eyes, electric blue, and circled around him like gas. But that gas wasn't gentle. It was like a tornado but slowed tornado.
The seven magic users chanted the mesmorising spell again and each of their magic reached for the floating boy in the middle like strings were attached to them.
Unlike the last time, Alexander's body didn't reject the magics reaching out to him, meaning he wasn't shielded or hiding his powers. But, one by one, the strings of magic loosened and disappeared into the air.
"Guess he isn't an elf." The leader of elves murmured when his dark green light was let go from the body. "I wanted him."
One remained while the others were gone. That string of magic was connected to the body and managed to appear weak and strong somehow at the same time. It was the string of water.
"Welcome newbie." Pari told the sleeping boy as she released her magic.
Because Mago had said beforehand, Alek wasn't that surprised to find out that her other friend was a fae. "So he is one of you."
Pari massaged her wrist that used to control magic and replied, "Seems like it but..."
"But what?"
"He, he..." Pari stopped what she was doing with her hands and frowned as she looked for the right words.
Alek stepped closer to the faes. "Is there anything wrong with him?"
The fae shook her head. "Not exactly wrong," She stayed with that expression for a minute before giving an answer to the eagerly waiting girl. "I can't feel any magic from him although it's there in his blood and bones. As if... they are tucked away for a long time, like water trapped in a cave.
"That makes sense." Mago chimed in. "Even if his supernatural self is deeply buried somewhere in him, he can still feel and see the things we see. It's like fossils buried in the earth."
Rin, who was listening to the conversation, questioned, "Is it the same case with Alek? Mental or physical trauma occurred, causing him to hide it?"
Pari considered it for a moment and said, "Although I can't be too sure, I believe that is not the case." The twin nodded and she continued, "His powers have never been used or have surfaced ever in his life. I bet he doesn't even know about this. It's much more than trapped, it's like DNA in our blood. It flows in him."
Alek just nodded absent-mindedly and looked at her friend. This was happening too fast and a lot of things were discovered. She didn't know how to handle that information. She didn't know how she was going to face her best friends and tell this life-altering truth when they woke up. Or worse, what was she going to tell their parents? Both pixies and faieries had a long span and she was going to tell their family that their sons were supernaturals and outlive them?
Sensing that something wasn't okay with their cousin, the twins came to her sides.
Jin softly caressed the girl's shoulder like Aether did when they were young. "For now, why don't you inform their parents that they would be staying over at your house today? I think this process is going to take long."
Rin nodded on the other side. "I agree. And I'll also tell our family what is going on, if it's okay."
Alek nodded to both suggestions and looked at Pari. "Take care of him."
"Of course." The fae replied and eyed Rin to take the two into another room.
With their job done, the remaining six supernaturals began saying their goodbyes to the shifters. Each one of them either opened a portal, went back to their work or helped the pixie queen with the spell.
The first one to come after Jin contacted the family was Bia. Followed by Kai, Panacea and Robin, Iris, Astraea and Lake, and Johan the papa Mutsuki.
With the twins by the sides of the future head, the family members didn't say anything. They didn't know how to comfort her since they had never been in a situation like that.
But before Bia broke the silence in the old training room, Alek spoke. "I don't want them to awaken Alex and Mel's supernatural side."