The Dragon King's Heart

"Your magic? Luxaven, are you certain?" The Soul Keeper was surprised by her offer. 

While her magic was separate from her abilities as a Luxaven, which is the element of light, it was still quite crucial for her to maintain her current disguise as a human. For the untrained and regular mortals, they would not have been able to tell the difference. 

But Margaret has been using witchcraft magic and ancient spells to maintain her appearance as a regular human. Not to mention, the spells she had cast to ensure her identity remained hidden from those who might be out to look for her. 

Marius turned her around, "Moira, are you sure you want to do this? How will you protect Laina? How will you return to the Celestial Realm without the ability to cast the spells needed?

You need to think this through!" 

Margaret smiled gently, she was content to know that Marius cared enough to point it out to her. But this was something she had been contemplating for a long time. It was the only other option left. 

If she wanted to continue to remain by Laina's side, she did not have any other choice. 

"I'm not about to let you sacrifice your soul on my behalf," she said to Marius as she placed her palm on his chest, "If I want to continue to stay by Laina's side, this is the only option I have."

"But… but…" Marius was at a loss for words. 

He tried to think of a solution, but nothing came to mind. Knowing he would not be able to change her mind, Marius held on to her hand. 

"I will support whatever decision you make. No matter what happens, I will do everything in my power to help," he promised. 

Margaret could not help but smile. She was grateful to see how thoughtful he was. Although they had known one another for some time, she did not realize how much he cared for her. 

He had always been close by, usually just a short distance away from her. But Margaret never really noticed how caring he truly was until now. 

"Don't get all sappy, Marius. If not people might think you're in love with me or something," she teased with a grin. 

He pretended to be surprised while making a statement, "Well, I mean, I would be surprised if they did not realize that. Especially since I just declared my love for you moments ago."

They gazed into each others' eyes and shared a good laugh. Marius held on to her hand tightly, as they turned to face the Soul Keeper. 

"I have made my decision. I wish to trade my magic. Would that be a fair trade, Soul Keeper?" Margaret asked as she tightened her grip on Marius's hand. 

Her palms were sweating, her heart was palpitating. If he did not agree to it, what would she have to offer? The Soul Keeper took a look at both of them. He let out a sigh as he walked up to them. 

"There is no such thing as fair trade. You've given a generous offer. Very well, luxaven, you have yourself a deal," the Soul Keeper declared as he held out his hand. 

Both parties shook hands. The Soul Keeper held onto her hand. 

"Beware, you're going to feel discomfort," he warned. 

A soft white glow covered both of their hands. Margaret could feel her magic slipping away through her fingertips. White veins appeared on her arm as the magical energy within her flowed through her hands into the Soul Keeper's. 

When the ceremony was complete, the Soul Keeper released her hand. Margaret felt her head spinning. She stumbled a few steps back, falling into Marius's arms. 

"Don't worry, I got you," he said reassuringly as her eyelids grew a little heavy. 

It was as if a large part of her energy had been sapped away in an instant. 

"Are you able to stand?" Marius asked. 

She shook her head, "I… I don't think I can…"

"No worries," Marius whispered to her as he picked her up into his arms, "I got you."

The Soul Keeper sent them back to the Prism Sanctuary, where they had been before. Margaret had fallen asleep in Marius's arms. As time began to move forward once more, everything returned to normal. 

Yet at the same time, things were never the same again. Marius placed Margaret gently down on the picnic mat they had set up. He sat by her side, watching over her as he looked up into the sky. 

He looked back down at her. The wind had messed up her hair a little. Marius carefully tucked a loose lock of her hair behind her ear. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the tip of her nose. 

Sensing what he was trying to do, Margaret leaned forward and gave him a peck on the lips instead. Surprised, Marius gazed into her eyes as she grinned cheekily. 

"If it's a kiss you're after, milady, all you need to do is ask," Marius declared haughtily as he closed his eyes and leaned forward. 

Margaret pursed her lips playful as she gently pushed his face away. 

"Who said I wanted that," she replied with a grin as she sat back up. 

She did not move away from him. Instead, she leaned on his shoulder and looked up into the sky. Marius blushed a little as he felt Margaret leaning against him. He stole a few glances, noticing the subtle changes in her. 

When Margaret noticed what he was doing, she instinctively assumed something was wrong with her face. She touched her face, flustered. 

"Is… is something wrong with my face?" She asked worriedly. 

"What? No, nothing's wrong," he quickly assured her. 

She punched him on the arm, "Then why were you looking at me like that?!" 

"I just… how is that a bad thing? I was just admiring how adorable you look!" He exclaimed while rubbing his arm where she had punched. 

He did not expect her to be so strong. Marius pretended to wince in pain, guilt-tripping Margaret. Realizing she might have exerted too much strength, Margaret helped him to rub his arm too. 

"Does it really hurt that much?" She mumbled as she rubbed, "I thought dragon scales were tough, guess I was wrong."

Marius's eyebrow twitched a little at her remark. How dare she doubt the toughness of a dragon's scales! But seeing how caring she was, he was not about to let it end. 

"They are tough! But it still hurts," he pretended to pout.