The Siren was smart as she pretended to be asleep. She would have gotten away with it as well, had it not been for Nao and her paranoia of checking up on her prisoners.

The Siren decided to go on the attack once she realized that her cover had been busted. She looked angry and her tail tried to make splashing sounds on the ground. And fortunately for her, the ropes binding the Siren were normal and gave way under her force.

“My territory. I won’t hand it over to you” the Siren hissed out as she tried to crawl toward the river.

No one tried to stop her either. They wanted to show their goodwill, not fight. Not that they had been doing a good job of it.

“As I said, this territory is all yours. Suna, get me out of the water” Maria asked as the Siren hissed at them in a warning. Things were getting out of control for them.

The Siren looked calmer once Maria was out of the water and it reached the safety of the wet element. There was suspicion in her eyes but curiosity as well. After all, the intruders had left her site without extra fuss.

“If you don’t want my territory, then what do you want? I won’t allow you to do as you please” the Siren hissed with anger. She was riding high on instincts currently and Maria knew how dangerous that could be. Her mind asked her to attack back and claim victory but she held it all back.

Maria had her system as well as her demonic part to protect her. Also, she had never been possessed by the curse. The person in front of her had no such protection or advantage.

“We just want information. I was cursed recently and wanted to know how to break it. Can you tell us about it?” Maria asked. The other Siren was calmer now. Their distance had helped the Siren feel secure.

Maria could see the other thinking over her response. The Siren knew that she held the advantage there and likely wanted to ensure that she would not be disturbed.

“Sure. I’ll help you out if you promise to keep away from my territory in the future” the Siren agreed and the trio agreed. There was no need for them to loiter around here anyway.

“Well, there are only two ways to get out of this curse. Either find the Gem of Requiem which was inactive till yesterday. The other way is to transfer it to another human who enters this forest willingly” The Siren explained.

It hit right on Maria’s theory about herself and the golden glow then. If it did come from the Gem of Requiem, then one of them had to have been the reason it went active.

And who else could it be but Maria? It almost felt like fate.

“Good luck in doing both though since you’ll need it. Mist of the other Sirens has been trying to get to the gem’s glow since yesterday through the available opening” the Siren in front of them did not sound worried about the others or happenings.

Hearing her, it was clear that the trio was on the right path toward their end goal. They could not drag a human here and risk leaving Maria alone, nor could they wait for a human to walk in here.

There was no other choice but to go after the cure themselves. Anyone could be left behind as long as it was not Maria. The Oracle was needed.

“What about the tour troop that left us here? How are they mixed up in all this?” Nao asked as she remembered the uneasy smile of the checker and his weird question about the VIP package.

That fucker had to have known what he was signing the trio up for but had decided not to say anything about it. He must have been in on the know.

The Siren in front of them cracked a laugh so loud that it scared the trio. She looked genuinely amused and scared for the trio.

“Y-You people fell for that scam? Have you not heard the rumors about their cursed VIP section? Or were you the brave type who thought they could solve this mystery?” The Siren asked with an amused voice.

However, Maria could faintly hear the faint bitterness in her voice. Maybe this person was as much a victim of circumstances as the trio had been.

“So, what’s the deal with them?” Maria asked, wanting to know more. Perhaps they could use the traveling company to their advantage and get out of this forest.

“They come around once every two to three months to drop humans. The oldest ones get to exchange their curse with the humans and get out free but I’ve given up having my turn and you should as well for a long time. You’ll likely have to wait 100 years before it gets to your turn” the Siren explained.

This was really bad news for them. They did not even have a single year with them, much less 10. Maria could not even feel. Most of her regular magic in this form and her chains were useless in combat without mobility as well.

“We don’t have that much time with us. The demonic war will start far before that time. We need to get to the first node” Suna spoke and instantly had her mouth covered by Nao.

But the damage had been done and caused the Siren’s eyes to widen. Despite all odds, she seemed to have recognized the threat of the demonic war.

But she did not comment on it. Instead, she pointed toward the center of the forest.

“Head deeper inside. There is a fairy in there that would be able to help you out. But be warned, it doesn’t like people. You’ll need to fight to get yourself to be heard. Also, stay away from my territory” the siren informed before she disappeared back into the water.

That was at least one mystery solved for them but it raised ten more questions. The siren had given them a possible way out which the trio decided to take.

“That’s the only possible option we’ve been left with. Let’s at least check it out” Maria called as she signaled Suna to put her back in the water. The river led straight inside the forest and the trio followed it till they reached a field full of flower buds.

The plants covered the ground till their knees and it made Maria lose sight of her companions. And then the grass rustled on her side and Maria instantly became alert.