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

- - -

​​

I didn't want Aldus to meet Vesper. Why did they meet in the evening, without me present? And the time limit of forty-eight hours sounded ominous.

However, I knew that I was powerless to prevent Aldus from doing what he wanted, so at most I could get more information.

"You will be with her for two days?"

"I hope that it will not take that long, but… yes."

"Will you be in her apartment?"

Aldus was not sure. "I will meet with her there, but I don't know if we will stay there or move to another place."

"What deal you made with Vesper?"

"I can't tell you that.", he responded with finality.

"Can you tell me what is the effect of me killing this thing?", I asked while keeping the vial back on the table.

Aldus paused for a moment before responding with a small nod. "The creature is called twin angler. Its blood can resist changes to the internal chemistry caused by external factors, or in layman's terms, it's resistant to alcohol, drugs, and magic. As the name 'twin angler' suggests, they come in pairs. The pair has a bond of sharing senses to the point that if one dies, the other one will die as well. That is why when you want to harvest their blood, you need to kill them at the same time, or you risk that the blood of the second one will be wasted as it seeps out of the body in a self-defense reflex, and it coagulates quickly after death if not stored properly."

"I suspect that you don't want me to kill it in order to harvest its blood.", I said.

"Correct. I only need you to ensure that it's dead."

I understood that I need to kill this one, and its twin will die as a result.

"Where is the second one?", I asked, and when Aldus didn't respond, it didn't take me long to guess. "It's inside you. Vesper will cast a spell on you or give you a potion, and you need the twin angler's anti-magical properties to snap out of it. You can't go there. What if she poisons you?"

Aldus was obviously pleased with my deduction or maybe he was pleased by the concern I showed for his wellbeing. Probably both.

He did his best to assure me that he has the situation under control. "I don't know what she will do, but she won't dare to go as far as killing me. However, she can't be trusted, and I prepared several things to deal with her. This is just the last resort in case other things fail."

Involuntarily, my eyes scanned Aldus's body over his sharp suit, while I tried to guess where the centipede-like creature is. "Won't it hurt you?"

Aldus chuckled. "Did you forget what I am? Don't worry too much. I will return when I'm done. Maybe Vesper wants to extort from me more ingredients that are for her hard to get, and I will be back tonight. Focus on your practice. If I'm not back in two days…", he ended by gesturing toward the vial.

Suddenly, I was nervous. Aldus said that Vesper won't kill him, but he didn't sound very confident. Two days is an awfully long time, and Vesper might end up chopping Aldus into pieces and making potions out of his body parts. His liver and eyeballs definitely sound like ingredients that are hard to get and considering what he is, taking those out won't kill him.

However, this was the first time Aldus entrusted me with something, and I couldn't doubt his judgment or show that I'm unreliable.

"You can count on me.", I responded seriously.

"Alright…", he patted my head and left the terrace.

"Make sure you practice while I'm out…", I heard his voice trail as the distance between us increased.

"Well, it's just the two of us, buddy…", I spoke to the twin angler that coiled inside the vial filled with bluish liquid.

…

Two days passed…

Aldus told me to wait forty-eight hours and as the dinnertime approached, I was glancing at the time on every few minutes.

I don't want to kill the twin angler before the time limit expires, but the vial is already in the bathtub with a mallet next to it, and I'm ready to smash things. Of course, I plugged the drain of the tub, to prevent the twin angler from escaping down the drain before I assassinate it.

The little guy was giving me company for the last two days, and I got attached to it. I named him Bob.

With a heavy heart, I will kill Bob in order to ensure Aldus's safety.

The maids were setting up the dinner table for one, and I had no appetite because Aldus's absence weighed on me.

First, I didn't know if Aldus was safe, and second, I knew that he was in the current situation because of me. If anything happens to him, I will not forgive myself and I will make sure to rip Vesper into pieces and use her organs for… something.

Aldus told me to practice until he returns, but I was so anxious that there was no way I could calm my mind enough to do anything useful. Most of the time I was talking to Bob. I think he likes the view from the terrace.

It's more than two hours until the end of the deadline, but with every passing minute, the time was passing slower.

My mind swelled with worry. What was Aldus doing? Was he OK? What if it's too late?

- - -

Author's note: this is from Aldus's point of view

- - -

I felt a bit guilty for lying to Serina when I saw how concerned she was about my wellbeing, but I knew that it was for her own good.

Actually, I only concealed a portion of information, about the effects of killing one of the two twin anglers. The other one will die, but I'm not after the anti-magic properties. The part I concealed from Serina is that their blood attacks the nervous system and it causes muscle spasms that are strong enough to cancel any effect that Vesper might have on me.

I was fairly confident that Vesper will ask me to drop my defenses against her emotional manipulation, and if everything else I prepared fails, I will need to rely on the shock from the twin angler which I carefully placed under the skin at the back of my neck. I hoped that within those two days Vesper won't damage my body too much and that I will be able to contain enough sanity to act against her.

I planned this for a long time, and soon Vesper will feel the desperation of being controlled.

A low groan pulled me out of my thoughts and reminded me that I am in Vesper's bedroom and that I should continue buttoning up my shirt.

I looked at the naked witch on the floor who was waking up and I was pleased that she was out long enough for me to shower and wash away her scent from my body. I didn't want to miss the moment of her coming around and realizing that something is off. That's the best part.

"What did you do to me?", she asked weakly while reaching for her neck where I bit her about one hour ago.

I chuckled in response.

"I will kill you…", she squeezed through her teeth. "And I will kill your precious daughter as well."

"You will do no such thing.", I said smugly.

Vesper narrowed her eyes, and I lifted my index finger. A second later, she curled up on the floor and screamed while pressing her temples.

I counted silently to three and lowered my finger.

Stupid witch. I have zero pity for her.

Where are my pants? Oh, in the living room…

If not for Vesper's fortune to meet a witch when she was a teen and learn how to preserve her youth and prolong her life, Vesper would die just like any other insignificant human hundreds of years ago. But this is better, because she is now one of my minions. I smiled maliciously while imagining her face when she realizes what I did to her.

By the time I buttoned up my pants, the noise from the bedroom stopped and her breathing stabilized.

I returned to the bedroom and saw Vesper pushing herself up into a seated position.

"How did you…?", she didn't finish her question, so I did it for her.

"How did I break out of your control?" She nodded and I was inclined to answer, just how the villain reveals his plan when he is victorious. "Simple, really. I was not in your control fully from the beginning. I felt the attraction and the need to copulate, but I was aware of how that is only due to your manipulations. However, I played along because I wanted you to lower your guard so that I can execute my plan."

"I countered your resistance potions, and your defense was down.", Vesper said more to herself than to me.

"Those were decoys.", I said victoriously while enjoying her defeated expression. "Did you really think I would rely only on those two?"

"Is that why you waited for nearly two days?", she asked dejectedly.

"I was waiting for the right moment. I knew that you were planning for this and that you would be wary of me. I had one chance, and I had to make sure it's perfect. Besides, a release or two is a good exercise, to ensure my piping is working well.", I ended with a smug wink.

She narrowed her eyes at me and squirmed uncomfortably. The friction of her thighs rubbed my juices that were drying by now.

"It was much more than just one or two releases."

I stifled a laugh. Ah, seeing Vesper down and confused felt good. "Really? Did you count?"

Vesper exhaled in frustration. She stood up and went to the bathroom.

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