The Supreme Alpha

Author's note: This is from Seraphina's point of view

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I didn't think that Vesper would be this shocked by the news that Treva is a harpy, but then… harpies rarely come out of their realm, and it's been more than a hundred years since the last confirmed sighting of a harpy among humans.

Harpies are becoming mythical creatures because even other creatures are slowly forgetting about them.

"Treva, when Vesper snaps out of it, you can tell her what Lumiona did to seal your powers."

Treva nodded in understanding and looked at Vesper with an innocent expression that can't be faked.

Vesper's eyes snapped at me. "Lumiona?"

I confirmed. "That's the name of their oracle, or Manteio, how they call her."

Vesper realized something. "You know her personally. You were there, in the realm of harpies."

I stifled a laugh at her robotic way of talking. I never saw Vesper that excited.

"Of course." I didn't deny it.

"Tell me about it. How did you get in?"

I waved my index finger at Vesper. "That's not part of the contract. Help us deal with Treva's issue, and then we can negotiate our next deal."

In my mind, I did an air fist pump, happy that I have something Vesper wants.

Father told me that Vesper is researching other magic, but her behavior looked more like an obsession. I wondered what would Vesper say if she knew that not only I spent quite some time at Lost Isles, but I also learned how to manipulate air from harpies. But this was no time for bragging.

As a backup, in case Vesper needed more, I had several precious plants ready to offer as well as a number of pills I personally created with Alchemy, but if I could get what I want with only information exchange, that would be perfect.

It was obvious that Vesper was attracted to the idea of going to Lost Isles herself, and there was no way I would tell her that I barely escaped from there and I had no intention of stepping through that portal again. Those harpies are crazy!

…

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Vesper listened to Treva's story and asked questions.

I was pleased that Treva was composed. I told her that she should give as much as possible information to Vesper and that the only thing she should conceal was why she got punished.

Vesper already knew I was there, but not why, and I would love to keep that part a secret. If she got a hint that Treva helped me escape, Vesper would definitely wonder why I had a need to run, and that would open the pandora's box I would rather keep closed.

Vesper took notes on how the potion smelled and tasted, and I admired this crazed scientific side of her.

Eventually, Vesper ran out of questions for Treva, and she turned to me.

"So, how am I going to see the magic of harpies?", Vesper asked. "The contract says I will get to witness the ritual regardless if I can help her remove the seal or not and unless I remove the seal, Treva can't show me."

This is why I was glad we signed the soul contract first.

"You have the ability to see the past of the person who is in your vicinity.", I said, and Vesper nodded cautiously. "The ritual you will see is the one where they sealed her powers."

Vesper's face fell. "You are kidding. Just that?"

I would laugh if I didn't fear she will turn me into a toad. "You need to see the ritual in order to come up with a way to reverse it. You will get to see the harpies in their realm. Treva's powers were stripped in front of an audience by their Oracle, in the presence of the Archousa. If that's not a first-row seat to observe harpies who are using their powers, nothing is. In addition, if you are successful in removing the seal from Treva, she can give you a demonstration, but that will be up to her. Make the process as painless as possible if you want her to cooperate after she regains her abilities."

Vesper relaxed a bit, but she was not completely pacified.

Well, anyway, we signed a contract, and she was bound to it, just as I was. I promised her a peek into the world of harpies, and she will get to see one, so my part was done.

We barely started, but I was satisfied that things went well so far. Father would be proud of me.

Once the chit-chat was over, Vesper wanted to confirm with Treva, "I need to look into your past. You will be focusing on the event, and I will see and experience what you did. Is that alright with you?"

Treva glanced at me and after I gave a nod, she agreed.

Vesper rolled her eyes and gestured toward the door on our right. "This way, please…"

The air in the small dark room was heavy, filled with the scent of burning candles that illuminated the space. Drawers and shelves holding various containers lined the walls, and in the middle of the room was a round table that was covered with dark red cloth.

Really, nothing changed.

Vesper gestured toward two stools for us to sit.

"I will stand.", I said, and I smiled at the memory of my father who said the same thing more than three years ago when I was here to seek help from Vesper for my pheromone control.

Vesper put on the table paper and handed Treva a pen with instructions, "Write down the location and time of the event, as close as possible. After that, I need you to focus on the event we will be revisiting. Don't force it. Relax. Your mind will open up to show us…"

While Treva was busy jotting things down, I watched as Vesper got a crystal ball and placed it in the middle of the table. It was about the size of a volleyball, and it had white clouds floating in it.

Next, Vesper got from drawers a variety of other items such as colorful stones, dried leaves, a golden nugget, and a black rock that released a thin wisp of smoke.

I glanced at the paper that had clumsy letters like a five years-old wrote them. I took a mental note to get Treva to practice neat handwriting. If she is going to stay with me, she needs to learn necessities and appear human.

Treva is a harpy who spent her life in the volcanic caves of Lost Isles, and she probably learned how to write only after coming to the human realm, from Kosta probably.

That reminded me of Zeiroi who is only a few months ahead with studying compared to Treva. He can take the role of a teacher and help her catch up, and then they can study together. I am aware that Zeiroi is skimming on studying, and Treva will have the role of his accountability buddy. Perfect!

Once everything was on the table, we were ready to start.

Treva cut her palm with a curved blade and her blood dripped into the chalice.

Vesper took the chalice in front of herself and started muttering under her breath. A few seconds later, clouds in the crystal ball started moving faster until they dispersed to reveal an image of a massive cave filled with white humanoid creatures, harpies.

Vesper's eyes were completely white, like the clouds from the sphere moved there, and she reached for the chalice.

'PSHHHH…'

A hissing sound was emitted as Treva's blood dripped above the crystal ball, evaporating into red smoke before touching the glass sphere.

With her nail, Vesper cut her free palm and her blood dripped on the sphere, to make another hissing sound.

That was the step that connected Vesper's and Treva's senses.

Treva jolted and I realized that now she and Vesper can hear sounds. I was the only one who didn't have audio in this theatre.

My insides stirred at the sight of two harpy soldiers who dragged Treva with much more force than necessary. They were humiliating her on purpose. In front of the massive audience of harpies, they cut Treva's hair and then Lumiona forced her to drink something before making complex hand seals.

I hoped that all this meant something to Vesper, and she can come up with a solution because even after watching the scene in the crystal ball, I had no idea what they did, or how to reverse it.

I assumed that the secret was in the potion and those hand seals.

On second thought, those hand seals reminded me of runes.

Is it possible that Lumiona channeled elemental energies by using runes? That's quite possible.

However, I would need to write everything down and do some research. My photographic memory will come in handy.

But what about the potion? Now that's something Vesper will need to figure out. Or maybe by figuring out those hand seals, I might get a clue what was in that potion.

Suddenly, I didn't feel so ignorant anymore.

The scenes from the crystal ball faded and were replaced with white clouds as Vesper's eyes returned to normal.

"I need to think about what I saw.", Vesper said. "I will give you a call tomorrow. By then, I should have some suggestions."

That worked for me. I needed to check if those hand seals were runes or something else.

Treva got up first and Vesper was right behind her to show her the way out.

My eyes fell on the chalice that still had a bit of Treva's blood in it.

I gulped a mouthful of air as saliva pulled in my mouth.

After making sure that Vesper was out of sight, I swiftly took the chalice and tipped it so that the thick crimson liquid goes into my mouth. With a slight use of air manipulation, I scooped the chalice clean and smacked my lips.

It was tasty but not enough.

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