The scene after Lettie came into the room was a mess.

There was complete and utter chaos after they saw not only the blood over my hands and the floor, but also my red eyes. One of the maids rushed in and panicked. She seemed to be of some bestial descent because she had a tail and feline eyes. Although initially she had looked human to me, the more I had been practising my mana, the more the people around me began to change.

Her tail shot in the air in shock as Lettie rushed towards me.

The chaos didn't let up for the rest of the day. While Lettie immediately went to clean me up and assess where the damage was, the other maids were left to clean the blood off the tiles. After Lettie had discovered the cut, she seemed paranoid about inspecting every other part of my body as well, determined that a cut that fine should not have bled to the extent that it did.

It really had looked kind of like a massacre by the time they came in. I hadn't even realised that the blood had soaked into my dress.

Then I remembered the blood separating in two and wondered if that had anything to do with it.

I shook my head. No way. I was positive that the blood had either separated due to changes in the surface tension, or that the opposite sides of the droplet had formed stronger bonds with the tiles on either side, causing it to separate.

Whereas the explanation for all the blood... I must have been lacking clotting factors. Simple. I just needed to ingest more vitamin K into my diet, which meant eating more leafy greens.

Either way, when Lettie had picked me up off the floor in a hurry, I'd happened to see everything from their perspective.

And it was a bloody mess.

There was even a bloody handprint on the tiles which I hadn't noticed I'd made.

After I was cleaned up, I wasn't allowed in my room until the maids had finished 'cleaning'. It was only after I had been cleaned up, when I finally stood up after sitting for so long, all the blood drained from my head and I momentarily lost balance. Lettie then scooped me up with her quick reflexes.

"It seems you need to eat miss, especially if you want to replenish all that blood you lost."

Honestly. It was so exasperating being a child again and being so weak.

Outside, they made a small picnic for me. Of course, instead of being a simple picnic, everyone appeared worried whenever they glanced at me, and all ended up teaming together to set up a massive bell tent. The design was a simple structure, supported by a single central pole, covered with an exquisite cotton canvas. There was a slight breeze which brushed around the tent, making it billow softly in the sunlight. The stability of the tent was reinforced with tension by guy ropes connected around the top of the walls and was held down by ivory pegs around the circumference to the ground. Inside, there were numerous pillows of all assorted colours strewn about atop a stunning floral rug with various gods (which I did not know the names of) incorporated into the design. The canvas seemed to be made of a natural breathable material and there was sunlight filtering down from the open ceiling where the central pole came down. There were also flaps in the walls that acted as windows to allow in more natural light. It felt as if I had been spirited away to some Persian fantasy land.

Lettie allowed me to slowly walk around and take it all in. It was incredible.

Gingerly, I walked up to a pillow and touched it. It practically absorbed my hand. It was so soft!

While I wandered around, gazing in absolute awe, Lettie and the others set out an assortment of sweets and snacks on the rug. When they finally made me sit down to eat, I kept staring around in wonder. After sampling some of the food, my mind quickly fast tracked to what was in front of me. Whoever the chef was here, he had amazing taste. Everything was exquisite.

Pastries, cake, muffins...there was no end.

I guess my leafy greens would have to wait till later.

Everyone must have felt bad for me after the scene they had seen in there, because they were absolutely spoiling me right now.

Still...I looked at the hand which had been covered in blood only hours before. I could no longer see the cut after Lettie had held it in her hands and chanted some words softly as warmth spread throughout my body like a shot of whiskey.

Now, there was no trace that anything had happened at all.

When it became time for my free time, everyone left me to hang out in the tent by myself. Initially they had been hesitant to leave, but after I put on the sweetest smile I could and said I wanted to "explore", they finally relented.

Walking up to the edge of the pillow pile, I flopped forward and collapsed onto the feathery mass, allowing it to swallow my body whole.

Silence.

All I could hear was my own breathing and the sound of the wind blowing outside amongst the trees and against the cotton canvas.

It was peaceful.

I would have almost felt content, if not for the unpleasant swirl in my gut about not knowing what my source of magic was. My lack of options was making me haggard. Everything was pointing to the only option I had left. There was only one person I could ask.

Kael.

A shiver ran down my spine. No, definitely not!

"Really? But I hadn't even asked you yet."

A knee jerk reaction.

In a panic, I struggled to emerge from the mountain of pillows as quick as I could. When my head finally surfaced, I made eye contact with the stranger whose voice I was now beginning to recognise. "Castiel!"

He held a hand to his lips.

Oops. I may have been a bit loud. Still, it had been ages since I'd seen him last. The last time had been when he'd given me the book.

Yet judging by how no one had popped their head in to see what was going on, I must have not been loud enough.

His silver hair gleamed, giving off an almost bioluminescent glow. "We meet again, little rose."

I raised an eyebrow. "And what were you going to ask me?"

He came towards me and casually sat down, with an arm propped up on his knee. His more casual looking clothes made him appear more easy going today. He wore more simple silky garments, with silver embroidery around the hems. Simple yet still screaming wealth.

My past life would have cried in poor.

Castiel chuckled.

Ah. Yet again, the mind reading threw me off.

He shrugged. "Your thoughts are hard to ignore. There is no telling in which direction they shall turn."

I narrowed my eyes. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Another shrug. "If you wish."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

The conversation felt so normal, despite it being so long since I had last seen him when he'd given me the book.

I started. "The book!"

My heart beat quickened.

Castiel tilted his head and smiled. "Enjoy the literary conquest?"

My mind was in pieces.

There was still another person I could ask. Why hadn't I thought of it before?!

"Ask what?" He seemed curious.

"The book." I repeated, while moving forward to sit closer—but not too close. I still didn't fully trust him yet.

"A wise decision."

Ugh. "Some privacy please."

He lifted his hands. "It is the same with speaking. If you don't want me to hear, don't talk so loud."

Well. Because I could totally brain whisper. That was totally a thing.

He smirked. "Although brain whisper isn't quite how I would put it, the concept behind it is the same."

I hadn't really thought about trying to make my thoughts less...audible before. Then again, there had never really been a need to. I glanced at Castiel and was going to try, before I suddenly remembered I had been side-tracked yet again.

"The book," I repeated, for the third time. "Says that I need to connect with my source of magic."

He nodded as if this was obvious.

I frowned. "What is my source of magic?"

He leaned back. "Ah."

I waited.

He gave me a knowing smile. "I think it's best that you don't learn this from me."

I was flabbergasted. "But who else am I meant to learn this from? If I don't find out, I won't be able to get stronger."

"What I know is limited." Castiel twirled a piece of grass between his fingers. "There are always two sides to a story. And there is only one person who will be able to tell you both sides."

A sense of dread overcame me. "You can't be serious. I'll die."

He let go of the piece of grass and looked me directly in the eyes, making me suck in a breath. "I am very serious."

I could feel my palms become sweaty and the dark memory of blood red eyes glaring at me as if I were no more than an insect. There was no emotion behind those eyes. Only an empty void.

I swallowed.

Castiel remained still, a slight wind rustling his hair. "There is only one demon who would know about the possible sources of your power."

I was right. Sources.

My mother.

But she was dead.

And that left only one person to talk to.

"That's right." Castiel said, voicing my thoughts aloud. "You're going to have to speak with your father."

Another sense of foreboding overwhelmed me. I had to talk to Kael, again. I had barely survived the first time. And talking to him yet again when I wasn't meant to for years meant that I would be messing with the timeline even further.

How was I even meant to start this?

Overhead, there was a distinct peel of thunder, and with that came a buzz of static energy—as if a storm were brewing.

"Well," Castiel said, looking upwards as if he could see the sky through this bell tent. "That is my cue to leave." He glanced back down at me.

"Until next time, little rose."

I panicked and reached out. "Wait-"

He disappeared.

One moment he was there, then I blinked and he was gone.

My hands grasped thin air and I fell forward.

Another rumble. The wind began to pick up and beat on the canvas as the sunlight was cut off by clouds. From what I could see through one of the windows, the clouds looked dark and angry. The energy in the air also felt as if it were getting stronger.

Why had Castiel shown up anyway?

Then I remembered the first words he had spoken to me.

Ugh, and I didn't even ask him what his question was.

I would have been more annoyed at forgetting to ask why he was here, if I wasn't so preoccupied by the dark events before me. The very thought of it repulsed me. Even my body worked up a cold sweat.

There was no other way around it.

I was going to have to talk to Kael.