Thomas shivered between fear and disbelief at Iris' treatment. How dare this disgusting undead kiss a prince?
Thomas felt his self-esteem had fallen.
"What are you doing?!"
Thomas's face was flushed between annoyance and embarrassment, still not accepting Iris's treatment.
Iris didn't answer, so she got up from her seat. Slowly, the light emitted from Thomas's body was absorbed by Iris's body.
"Finally!"
Iris spun around, and took off her cloak, revealing her body that was originally skin and bone slowly starting to fill up, forming the body of a young human.
As Thomas stared at that, Iris became a different figure. Her hair which was dull and unkempt became long and straight, her wrinkled skin became bright and full and her face became beautiful again, with ruby red lips and sparkling round eyes.
Does she change? Thomas thought confused.
"How can you turn out to be so beautiful?" said Thomas, voicing his surprise. He also stood looking at Iris in admiration.
After all, Thomas was a twenty-five-year-old man, and seeing Iris' figure become so beautiful he couldn't help but be mesmerized.
"Of course, I took half of your soul. But this only returns half of my body and half of my strength. I must find a human soon."
Iris explained then ran into the pool, staring at her reflection, giggling happily, and constantly touching her long hair.
"Ah! It's good to be young again!"
"What will happen to me?" Thomas asked anxiously, his soul had been taken in half.
Will he die?
"We are bound. As long as we are connected, you are mine."
"Am I yours? Me?"
"Yes, we bond as a partner."
Thomas with his small body still didn't fully understand, but by changing Iris he could conclude that this woman was a witch. What witch is she?
What's the power level?
Why just take his soul?
"Then you can help me."
"Of course, I'm your partner. Now, what do you want?"
Thomas was silent for a moment, doubtful. "I have a problem with my body..."
He was about to step closer to Iris, but his body suddenly fell, losing his balance. Thomas groaned, feeling his body being attacked by hundreds of ants, biting pain.
"What?" Iris turned around and saw Thomas, who had fallen. Half running, she came over.
"Thomas?"
Thomas held Iris' hand tightly. The pain was centered in his heart. He was writhing in pain.
"Relax, this is only the effect of the soul taking. You will not die," Iris reassured, she had seen other witches do this before with their partners, and the effect wouldn't kill them, but it would only hurt for a while because only half a soul was taken.
" I'm in pain ...."
Thomas grimaced, his chest felt like an invisible hand had gripped him. He snuggled close to Iris, feeling his whole body in pain.
'Damn witch,' Thomas thought helplessly, the pain in his chest slowly moving to his left eye.
"Arghh ... " He bent over, holding his eyes. It felt like he was being poked by a hot iron.
Hot ... Hot...
Pain ran through his veins, more painful than the whipping of a whip.
Iris immediately held Thomas' hand, preventing him from damaging his own eyes. She was surprised. Thomas' pain should only last a moment.
"What do you feel?" Iris asked, holding Thomas, let alone to answer Iris, the boy was already out of breath.
"Thomas?"
"Ah ... h ...."
Thomas's hair is getting whiter, his skin is getting paler, and one blue eye is also white, and Iris widens in surprise. She just realized this boy is under the curse of a White Wizard!
Thomas was confused, his eyes were blurry, one eye had lost sight, and Thomas slowly lost consciousness in Iris' lap.
Iris immediately embraced Thomas in her arms, her body shaking violently.
"Litzy, I not only took his soul, but I also hastened his death," Iris said with trembling hands.
Litzy who was in the form of a rat turned into a black cat and meowed softly.
"He was cursed by the White Wizard? How did this happen?" Iris picked up Thomas' small body and laid him down on the coffin. The body became cold and stiff.
The White Wizard was one of the strongest Wizard Iris had ever met. The White Wizards didn't usually curse someone carelessly, only people with serious crimes were cursed by them.
This curse is intended as a slow execution of death. First, the cursed person will lose their strength. Then, their body will turn white along with their loss of function, starting with their hair, eyes, voice, nose, and ears, causing painful torture until the person affected by the curse chooses suicide instead of going through it all.
Did Thomas commit such a grave crime that he is like this?
Iris was terrified, she just got the strength back into her young body. They were already tied up, she couldn't die so fast.
"Hold on Thomas, you have to stay alive."
Iris nimbly gathered firewood and lit the fire. The cloak that she had thrown on the ground now shifted to Thomas's body, enveloping the tiny body.
She had never run so fast to collect healing potions. Her hands quickly pounded the leaves on the rock, then stuck them to Thomas's body.
"Damn, his body is getting colder!"
Litzy, who was near Thomas, turned into a big dog and pressed down on the helpless Thomas, covering him with her black fur.
"Good Litzy, I hope he warms up."
Iris stroked Thomas' head. Her life depended on this boy. Thomas must not die.
They remained in that position until nightfall. Thomas jolted awake and found a large dog wrapped around him.
"You're awake!" Iris exclaimed happily, she threw a hug at Thomas, and Litzy licked his face happily.
"I'm still alive?"
"Of course, Thomas tells me why you were cursed by the White Wizard," Iris said matter-of-factly while handing Thomas the warm water in the coconut shell. She also collected the swamp flower seeds, hoping that Thomas would get better.
Thomas welcomed the water and drank it quickly, he was silent for a while, hesitating to tell Iris about himself, but he had no choice. He was cursed to death and his soul was only half full. He would soon die.
"I don't remember much," Thomas said, hugging his knees. Litzy lay down next to Thomas.
"My Mother was done by my Aunt with poison, my sister was thrown into a brothel, all that was done by my aunt, I wanted to help them but ended up like this."
"Your Aunt was a Witch? She did it?"
"No, but someone beside her, maybe his partner," Thomas said quietly.
"I was tortured in the dungeon, I knew I was going to die soon. So I tried various ways to escape. Every day I tried to remember the magic runes that my Grandmother taught me, but always failed. I didn't expect it to work and I got to this point, this place."
Iris listened carefully. As a Witch isolated from the outside world for hundreds of years, Iris left behind a lot of information. The Witch concluded that Thomas might be noble.
"Do you remember what the runes looked like? Can you draw some more? Please?"
"I think I can, but what for?"
"Listen," Iris said in a serious voice, "We have to get out of here, I have to find a human to refine my powers, and you have to stay alive, I know someone who was cursed by a White Wizard and he's still alive. We have to hurry before you do that, lost it all."
"Can I get my body back?"
"Yes, then let's do it."