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

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​​

At my words that her transformation will go beyond skin-deep, Mona's eyes lit up.

"That's more of a reason for me to accept whatever you are selling. You said that in exchange I need to continue working for you and I'm fine with that."

"It will be a lifelong commitment.", I said in a grave tone, hoping that she will understand. "I promise not to ask anything unreasonable, but I will expect that you do what I ask and in return, I will take care of you. You will be dependent on me…"

"Alright, alright.", Mona interrupted me while waving her hand impatiently. "Enough with introductions and warnings. You remind me like those commercials for medicines that list one hundred side effects no one ever has."

"I need to give you warnings as this will not change only your body. Your mind will be exposed to different things as well."

Mona scrutinized me. "Different things?"

I wracked my brain to come up with an appropriate analogy. "You remember when we were kids, and we thought that Earth is flat and that if you keep on going straight, you will fall off?"

Mona tilted her head and looked at me like I said something silly. "No. I always knew it's a sphere."

I exhaled dejectedly. "Fine. Not you, but in ancient times, people thought that Earth is flat."

"Go on...", Mona urged me to get to the point.

"One day, they realized that it's a sphere and it was like a mind-opening discovery. Right?"

"Yes?", she said suspiciously.

"If we proceed with this, it will be comparable to me telling you that Earth is not a sphere, but there is much more. There are other dimensions, not visible by the naked eye, and aliens live among us."

"Are we talking about time travel or actual dimensions? Because the more you talk, the more I am convinced that this is the right thing to do. I mean, if there are such things as aliens and parallel dimensions, I want to know about it."

I laughed weakly. Mona is adventurous and the more she finds out, the more she is interested. I realized that there is no point in warning her anymore.

I reached for the drawer in the side table and pulled a palm-sized glass bottle that had pink liquid inside.

"Is that it?", Mona asked while scrutinizing the bottle in my hand. "I drink that, and I become beautiful and can see other dimensions?"

"This will not impact your sight, Mona. And you are already beautiful. This potion will clear up any imperfections you might have on your body. You will stop aging and won't get sick. You will need to take it once every year in order to maintain effects."

"When you say, stop aging, you mean skin-wise. Right?"

"No. I mean completely. I know that it's difficult to grasp but…"

"You are saying that Notte Pharmaceuticals created a potion of youth?"

I exhaled heavily. Well, that's one way to explain it, but I had to clarify one thing... "I am the only one who can make this for you."

Mona nodded fervently like a chicken pecking rice, and I continued, "No one can know about this. Do you understand? If you leak this information, the punishment will be severe, and you will lose access to the potion."

Mona took the bottle and observed it carefully. "And in exchange for staying young and healthy, I need to serve you?"

I confirmed. "It works both ways. I will take care of you, and you take care of me. You will be what my kind calls a familiar."

"Your kind?"

We discussed the concept of a familiar, but I didn't talk about other creatures.

"I can't tell you more than that unless you drink the potion."

Mona put her hand on the cap, and I put my hand over hers, preventing her from opening the bottle.

"This is a one-way street, Mona. If you take it, there is no going back.", I emphasized every word.

Mona looked me straight into the eyes with an unwavering gaze. "I understand and I accept to be your familiar, Serina."

"Are you sure?"

Mona's expression softened. "Eight years ago, you played with me when everyone else avoided me. Three years ago, my business hit a dead end, and no one wanted to help me except you. In both cases, you could have left and pretended that you didn't see anything, but you didn't. Now we are in the most luxurious apartment I've ever seen, and you are offering me something fantastic in exchange for being at your service."

She moved her hand that was holding onto the cap of the bottle and put it over my hand.

"I would serve you even without this potion, because you extended me help when I needed it the most. Without you, I would not be the confident and successful Monique Belmondo everyone knows. I owe you my life in more ways than you know. I don't know what secrets you are keeping, and I'm not quite clear on what this familiar is, but I know that every time our paths crossed, you refused to abandon me. This is my chance to show you that I appreciate everything you did for me so far, and I will not betray your trust…"

And just like that, Mona drank the potion.

Mona grimaced and closed her eyes in anticipation. After some time, she sheepishly observed herself before turning to me. "Now what?"

"How do you feel?"

"I don't feel anything different."

I released the breath I was holding. It's not that I was expecting a dramatic reaction, but I was glad that there were no side effects. "It's done."

"I don't feel different other than my skin being slightly tingly…", Mona explained. "Shouldn't you be able to speak directly into my mind or something?"

I stifled a laugh. She probably picked this from movies, and she is not completely wrong, but talking into her head is not an ability I have. Since the potion is made with my blood, she could inherit a portion of my powers, and maybe in time, she develops her own.

Aldus explained that this potion can be made because my blood has peculiar characteristics, and the same recipe with different blood will not have these effects.

I saw Mona frowning while trying to figure out if anything is different. Her skepticism reminded me of the time when I woke up in Aldus's lab and he told me that I'm immortal. That gave me an idea.

"The fact that you are not aging is not something you can see, but there is something..."

I took her hand into mine and held her tightly while getting a decorative knife from the stand behind the sofa. "Watch this…"

Mona's eyes bulged out in panic when she saw me stabbing a knife in her forearm, but my movements were too fast for her to react.

"AHHH!!!", Mona shrieked as the color drained from her face. "What the hell, Serina?!"

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