“Don’t thank me. If you feel gratitude toward me then tell it to me by introducing yourself. And don’t you dare try and lie, because I will know” the guy had his back turned to Maria but she could not help but shiver at the threat.

Despite not being able to see the guy’s eyes, Maria could not help but feel exposed. It felt like the guy was seeing right through Maria without his eyes on her.

“Have you been here in this forest for long? How do you stand this creepy place?” Maroa asked, trying to stall the question. She wanted to answer the man but there was a feeling inside her that said no to say anything to him.

The man narrowed his eyes at Maria’s attempt and seemed to be insulted by her attempt at stalling. Maria felt chills run down her arm as he turned his piercing eyes toward her and she felt herself choking at the gaze.

“I’ve been here for as long as I wanted” he did not ask Maria to answer him. Maria did that on her own.

“My name is Maria Kishin, daughter of Silvya Kishin from the house of-” Maria started her introduction, the standard noble one when she felt her mouth stop talking.

The guy had his hand up in the air and his eyes narrowed. He looked at Maria like she was a puzzle to be solved and an interesting one at that.

“Silvya’s daughter? That witch had one with him after all and she dared not to tell us when we last visited? How dare she. I’ll make sure to rip her to pieces when I decide to visit next” the guy muttered as she stepped closer to Maria.

The touch on her face felt invasive and the fingers dug into Maria’s face as the man moved her head around. Maria felt like a specimen being observed under a lense by those piercing eyes.

It did not help that the man in front of her looked younger than Maria by a good few years. Maria had thought of him as a vertically challenged man before she had a good look on the young face.

Maria tried to struggle which only made her situation worse before she felt her face being let go by the man. He did not give any outward indication of what he had been thinking as he turned around to walk again.

“Let’s go and find your friends. I’ll help you break this curse just this once and then we shall never meet again” the guy sounded bored as he walked ahead and Maria struggled to get her breath in.

The man looked as calm as he had for the past few hours but his magic felt unsettled. It felt spooked and tried to poke at Maria’s magic again and again in curiosity. Had her existence shaken him up?

“If you’re Silvya’s daughter then you must also be the Oracle?” Maria nodded in agreement and saw the guy take a sharp breath in. She thought she heard him mutter ‘that madwoman did it.’

Maria wished she could know what that all was about but she felt hesitant to even ask. It would be too awkward at this point for Maria to pretend to befriend the guy.

“You knew my mother, and maybe father as well,” Maria asked hesitantly. That was a time of her mother’s life she knew nothing about. The lady had refused to tell her even when she had asked again and again.

“Knew would be an underestimation. But it’s not for you to know” The guy replied and Maria fell silent. She could not bring the man to reveal anything more about it when she had not come to terms with all of it herself.

“Trishula. That’s my name. Remember it well for you might need my help in the future. The fairy you are seeking is beyond this illusion. Break it and you shall find it as well” the guy replied as he stopped. Maria looked around and instantly spotted Nao and Suna.

She turned around to thank the man but he was no longer there. Neither he nor his magic could be felt by Maria and even the imprint of his footstep was no longer there.

He had disappeared in thin air leaving no trace behind. No rabbit or other creature had attacked them even and it all made no sense to Maria. Not to mention the name ‘Trishula’ felt familiar as well.

Hadn’t he been the one who had practiced the forbidden arts and a member of the last demonic race? Maria was sure she had heard that name before in regards to those vampire-rabbits.

“Trishula, there is no wag, right? Wasn’t he supposed to have disappeared?” Maria asked with a paler than normal face. Just what kind of situation had she landed herself in?

“Maria? Of God, I’ve begun to hallucinate due to the lack of magic. Nao, I think we finally died this time” Suna asked as she stared Maria directly in the eyes. She had a horrified look on her face and Maria immediately looked down to check herself out.

She found nothing out of the ordinary. She had a pair of legs, two arms, and the same breast size. What had the other two been so scared of?

“Maria, what happened to your tail? How are you walking on two legs now? Is the curse broken” Nao seemed a little calmer but even she looked freaked out? But her words did provide the much-needed clarity for Maria.

She had forgotten that she had a fishtail the last time she had seen the pair. It was a given that they would be surprised to see her walking around on two legs now. How had it not crossed her mind till now?

“I’m not cursed but someone temporarily helped me ward off the curse. Are you both alright” Maria asked the other two who looked far worse than Maria had in any situation. Suna especially looked exhausted and a little paler as well.

“We’re alright. Suna just strained herself while taking care of the vampire rabbit but she’ll recover. But we need to be careful out there. We still don’t know why these vampire rabbits are here” Nao replied as she kept a vigilant eye out.

Maria felt herself sweat at the claim she heard. She felt herself in a bind about what she should tell the group. The truth would be the best option but it was also worrisome for them.

In the end, Maria ended up telling a half-truth to the group. There was no point in increasing the tension at this point.