My Long Lost Mate

Hearing my decision, Maggie smiled—probably because she'd successfully secured an income out of this. She inhaled the rest of her tea and took her cup to the sink, preparing herself for the upcoming events. 

"Good decision," she said as she stood up, fixing her dress. "Having magic would be a lot better than staying as a useless human."

I cast a glance at Luke, curious to see how he would respond to my decision. When he realized I was looking at him, he merely smiled and ruffled my hair. He didn't appear to have any objections, as he had previously stated that he would follow my wish. 

In some ways, I wanted to learn magic so that I could help Luke, but I was also afraid of what this magic would bring me. I was afraid of what people would think of me when they learn about me being a witch. Will those warm smiles that people used to give me turn into a scowl?

If that was the case, I was grateful that the most important person in my life didn't abandon me the instant he discovered the truth. He embraced me despite the fact that having a witch as his mate would cause him more harm than good. 

I didn't mind if the rest of the world hated me—as long as I had him. Having him alone would be more than enough for me. 

Maggie returned to her seat, resting her elbow on the table and propping her head with her palm. "I can certainly help you, but the process will be a little painful." 

"What do you mean with painful?" I frowned. "What will we do to break the seal?" 

"We'll force break it by exposing you to magic, which could be quite painful as your own magic will collide with mine." Seeing the confusion on my face, she added more explanations with a sigh. "You see, magic is supposed to circle towards the witch's body to protect them. But as yours is sealed, your magic leaked out through the crack on the seal and going outwards from your body. In this case, it's quite easy for your magic to collide with other's magic and hurt you.

As you are exposed to more magic, your magic will react to it and force its way out of the seal. When your leaked magic collides with other's magic, the rest of your magic inside will interpret it as a threat and attempts to protect you by encircling you. You got it?"

"So, to put it more simply, magic is similar to an eggshell? It surrounds the egg—the witch—protecting it from harm. But right now, I'm like an egg with an incomplete shell—with the shell sticking out from the egg. So when my shell touched other's shells, it will pierce deeper into me and hurt me." 

"Exactly," she nodded. 

"Is there no other way?" Luke intervened after hearing about the pain, seemingly to be worried about me. "Can't you break the seal with a spell or something?" 

"Oh, our sweet Alpha," Maggie rolled her eyes. "Putting a seal on someone is not an easy task. You need a great amount of magic to be able to do that, which means it's high-level magic. Not just anyone can do that. Do you think such high-level magic can be dispelled with a simple spell?"

Hearing it, he frowned, still trying to find another way that didn't need me to be in pain. "Still—"

"I understand your concern for your mate, but no. There's no other way to break the seal," said Maggie as she cut him off. She then gestured her eyes towards Luke, asking me to do something about the man's concern. 

"Luke, I'll be fine," I ȧssured him as I reached out to take his hand in mine, which he accepted with a gentle squeeze. "I can endure pain well." 

His frown deepened upon hearing me, as though my words of ȧssurance were not ȧssuring at all. "I don't want you to suffer any more pain than what you've suffered. If it's going to be painful, I think it would be better if we wait for it to—"

"But don't you think it's better for me to learn how to control my magic sooner?" I glanced up at him, a frown forming on my own face. I was scared that his persuasion would sway my decision to live as a witch now that I'd made up my mind.

Luke was about to reply to my remark, but Maggie quickly beats him to it. 

"Do you both believe I have nothing better to do than wait for you to make your decision?" She asked, a very unamused expression on her face. 

I gave Luke one more look, smiled at him, and then returned my attention to Maggie. Luke only sighed, his frown still lingering on his face, but he didn't say anything else.

"Let's begin," I said to Maggie, who immediately rolled her eyes and said, "Finally."

I'd expected her to use a magic item, but all she did was extend her hand and ask me to hold it. I heed her words and reached out my hand towards hers, but as soon as I touched her hand, I felt a burn—the very same one as the one that I'd felt a few times before.

So it was magic.

"Ow! I'm sorry," I pulled away out of reflex, then smiled sheepishly at her. "Didn't you touch me when we were looking at the crystal ball? But why didn't it hurt before?"

"Because when you've become an excellent witch, you can control the flow of your magic without any difficulties," she bragged. "Now, quick. Give me your hand." 

I swallowed the lump in my throat, preparing myself for the pain that was about to come. I took a few deep breaths before touching her again. I flinched at the burn but stayed, not again pulling my hand away.

The burn was manageable at first, but it became increasingly severe as time went on. It began with the hand that was touching Maggie's hand, then spread to the other hand, my stomach, and then my whole body.

Maggie had said that it would be a little painful, but it wasn't just a little painful—it was excruciatingly painful. It was as if I was on fire, but from the inside—especially my ċhėst.

I placed a palm on my ċhėst, hoping to ease the excruciating pain, but it was in vain. "My ċhėst... it hurts so much." I was gradually losing my strength, even sweating in the cold weather. Luke quickly supported me before I fell from the chair, holding my shoulders with his strong arms.

"Maggie, let go of her! Now!" He shouted, but Maggie didn't heed his words. I, too, shook my head to tell them that I could still bear the pain, even though I was close to my limit. It hurts too terribly. 

"Remove her coat," Maggie ordered Luke while staring intensely at my ċhėst. 

He couldn't help but questioned her request, as he didn't understand why she wanted me to take off my coat. "What?" 

As Maggie urged him to follow her words, he had no other choice but to do as she said. I'd lose my strength from the pain, so I leaned on his body while he took my coat off, letting him do whatever that was needed. 

"Over there," Maggie said, pointing to my ċhėst, "The seal—it's in her heart." 

With much difficulty, I peered into my ċhėst, noticing a glowing light from beneath my garments. My vision grew blurry as I continued to bear the pain, my head dizzy. I could feel how I was starting to lose my consciousness, also feeling the tears in my eyes.

"It... it hurts."

Despite the fact that I've been through a lot, the pain I'm experiencing right now was way worse than anything I've ever experienced. It was the most agonizing of them all.

Luke, noticing how much pain I was in, drew me closer to his embrace with his trembling hands. Even though I couldn't see his face, I could tell that he was worried. His voice was shaky, his breathing erratic.

It was as though he was going through the same misery by seeing me in such a state. 

"I know, I'm sorry—I'm so sorry." He placed his palm on the back of my neck, planting a soft kiss on top of my head. "It's going to be over soon."

Even though I wanted to pull my hand away from Maggie's hold, I didn't have enough strength to do so. I had no choice but to cling to Luke for support, burying my head in his ċhėst while enduring the pain. I didn't bother to hide my screams but let them out freely as the pain in my ċhėst grew even worse. 

While the light in my ċhėst shone brighter, my consciousness grew dimmer. I held out against the tremendous pain, feeling it all over my body until I couldn't stand them any longer—before everything went black.