The Source of All Evil

Chapter Eight

Michaela Walker.

The mermaids kept repeating this song, over and over again, and Michaela processed each word separately, analyzing the lyrics, frowning at the thoughts that crossed her mind.

Rafe said that the book they found was cursed, and this song was about a queen that traveled to some cursed lands and stole a spiritual book.

Was it the same book? And was it the book that the mermaids referred to as the source of all evil?

The queen they have sung about was seeking a man’s love, which drove her to kill his lover in hopes of winning his heart. The mermaids said that she lost her vigor and beauty, but didn’t Rafe mention that all divine practitioners were immortal? If Rafe was able to retain his youthful looks for the past twenty years he spent here, as he claimed, wouldn’t this powerful queen be able to do the same?

Michaela was certain that this wasn’t just a song, and the story it entailed wasn’t just an imaginative story. This must’ve happened, and it was wise to start investigating. Maybe by finding out who this queen was, she would know where were the cursed lands the mermaids mentioned and from where she got the book.

This got her to wonder about how someone who was called weak managed to harness powers. Rafe’s situation was different. He said that he got transmigrated as a ruthless character with a major role in developing the plot, which would explain why he still had the General’s powers.

Michaela frowned, as this was too bewildering for her. The general Rafe talked about, Michaela did remember that he was from the Blood Wyvern powerhouse, and he was well-known across the lands. Today, no one seemed to recognize Rafe, but they all showed their fear and respect towards him, which could be just the result of his domineering aura.

She concluded that Rafe must be lying about his standing in this world, which made her wonder why he would hide his identity.

The mermaids soon stopped singing, disappearing before her eyes. The sight startled her, but not as much as the sound reverberating from behind her.

“So, you found a job yet?”

She rolled her eyes, heaving a hefty breath, focusing on remaining calm as she faced Rafe. “Not yet. . . Why are you here?”

Rafe chuckled, reaching inside his sleeves as he pulled out a figurine candy, the one she wanted. “For you.”

Michaela stared at him for a solid thirty seconds before reaching for the candy. She studied it up close, frowning that the face wasn’t as distinctive as she presumed for her to imagine what the Evil Master looked like. She swiftly licked the head, smiling happily, loving the sweet taste.

Candy was her weakness. Anything sweet, in general, was her weakness. The drawer of her small desk, back in her world, was full of candy and chocolate. Kirsten hated sweet things and would always try to deprive her of this heavenly taste that she called unhealthily, but to no avail.

Rafe cleared his throat, and Michaela stared at him, feeling puzzled that the tip of his ears has gotten red. She stared at what he was holding in his hand towards her, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“For me?!” She asked bashfully.

“Yes,” he let out a huff, reluctantly adding. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

She didn’t want to embarrass him, so she took the white rose, smiling. “Thanks,”

Rafe nodded, smiling that she accepted his apology. “Let’s go. I found an inn nearby for us to spend the night.”

Kirby let out a sound, rubbing its head on her cheek, making her let out a giggle. It was like her new pet wanted her to leave with Rafe.

“You seem to attract mythical creatures.” Rafe said with a deep furrow creasing on his forehead.

She found it weird too, but she just thought that the mythical creatures she has met so far were just friendly.

Rafe went on, elaborating when she frowned in thought. “The fairy mermaids only reveal themselves once a year, on the celestial moon event. However, they appeared today, and I think it has something to do with you.”

Michaela glanced at the fountain, then back at him. “I didn’t add any special powers or anything for this character. I thought it’d be ironic for the key to the Divine cave to be someone without spiritual powers, a human.”

Rafe hummed, taking a seat next to her. She noticed his weird glare on her face, the way he’d narrow his eyes whenever she licked the candy. She got flustered, looking away in fear that Rafe would think she was seducing him or something.

“For this character. . . the key to the Divine cave,” he mumbled, and he didn’t sound the same, as his tone voice was softer than usual.

She figured that he must be bipolar, so she decided to ignore his weird behavior, finally saying. “Do you think there is something wrong with me?”

“Not at all,” he said dreamily, gulping as she bit the head of the figurine, crunching it. She froze as his face was getting closer to hers, her eyes widening as she quickly turned around for him to place a kiss on her right cheek.

The kiss felt soft, and his lips were cold to her flushed cheek. Michaela was having an inner turmoil as the worst thing that could happen to her right now was if Rafe got infatuated with her. But Rafe wasn’t like this. He was an indifferent, rude, and obnoxious man. He would only act charming in front of others, acting like a nobleman, while he was his usual, rude self with her, always teasing her and treating her coldly.

Is he sick? She thought. Is he. . .? Is he just. . .?

Her head started spinning, and the spot where Rafe kissed her was tingling. She started drooling as she lost control over her face, then her hands, and her legs, falling into his arms when he softly pulled her towards him. She then noticed what was different about Rafe. His eyes. Those gray eyes that she slightly adored and hated at the same time were glowing yellow, looking like those of a beast.

This wasn’t Rafe. Rafe wouldn’t act this way.

Michaela, when she opened her eyes, she met a starry night. The midnight blue sky looked so serene and beautiful, as purple rays formed exquisite lines, like soft brush strokes on a finished painting. The stars looked brighter than in her world, moving past her vision, making her frown as she didn’t remember witnessing this phenomenon since she got here.

She then realized that it wasn’t some space wonder and that the stars weren’t moving. She was moving. Rather, she was being carried by someone who was walking at a slow pace. She tried to move her head slightly to the right to see who was holding her but couldn’t. Michaela didn’t have control over her body, as if she were paralyzed.

She knew it must be whoever that person she met by the fountain, and a sense of panic, fear, and regret clouded her mind.

A somewhat familiar voice resounded in her ears, languidly saying with a light chuckle. “Don’t be alarmed. I mean you no harm.”

This cliché phrase had her only worry more about her safety. Every time someone would say they mean no harm in that lazy tone of voice, something bad would happen. Michaela went on a frenzy of panic, filled with self-loathing for dropping her guard in this strange world and hatred towards that awful man who didn’t chase after her.

“The effect of the charm will soon fade. Just stay calm. We’ll soon arrive at my palace.”

As this stranger said that, he soon flew in the air, jumping from tree to tree, pulling her body close to his chest. Michaela now had a good look at him, but she still couldn’t make out his face, as if some dark cloud was covering it. All she could see was his black, long hair that rested on his shoulders, his thin pale lips complemented by a tiny mole on the left side of his lower lip. As weird as this might sound, she felt a sense of nostalgia by staring at them. As if she’s seen those lips before, and that peculiar mole was ingrained in her mind.

Her eyes widened when she remembered the conversation she had with this stranger. She had recalled how he weirdly repeated what she said when she mentioned her character as the key to the Divine cave.

You and your big mouth, Michaela! She scolded herself. I should’ve known. I should’ve noticed that this person isn't Rafe. This guy must have been stalking us for a while to know about the fight. He must’ve been there when we stopped by the candy stand.

But why did he look like Rafe? She asked herself, staring at those lips that made her feel as if she's fantasized about them before.

Think, Michaela. Think about the story for answers. She closed her eyes, contemplating the events that took place in the story of that magical book. She focused on the shifter clan, and as mentioned in the book, they were able to shift and harbor the powers of certain beings, such as wolves, bats, tigers, bears, snakes, and spiders.

Those who could shift into a wolf form were described in a similar fashion to the fantasized werewolves from her world. For bats, the people bore the features and characteristics of Vampires. Tigers and bears were the same as the people who shifted to wolves, keeping the form of the original animal.

Those who morphed into snakes were really disturbing for her, a description closer to that of the legendary basilisk. And for someone who found snakes gross-looking, she hoped she wouldn’t ever meet this fraction of shifters in this world.

The basilisk was a legendary reptile reputed to be a serpent king who could cause death with a single glance.

The story mentioned that only female shifters could turn into spiders, and boy, Michaela wished it was similar to spiderman-in this case, spiderwoman, the fictional superhero from her world. But no, they had to be creepy sounding, as the book described them as Arachne from Greek mythology. She was a weaver who occasionally morphed into a half-human half-spider creature.

However, the book didn’t mention anything about a character who had the ability to change its features, to deceptively resemble others.

When she recalled one tiny piece of information from the book, Michaela lifted her eyes and stared at the stranger, feeling both intrigued and scared at this unprecedented development. The story didn’t focus on this character as the female lead only had to visit his palace to get the elixir of virtue. This elixir had helped for her spiritual powers to merge sinuously with the dark arts she sought to unleash her wrath on the divine masters.

Nirvana, the princess, has ventured to the palace of the once most prominent Celestial Master, the hybrid of a fire dragon and a blood qilin. The qilin got depicted as a dragon shaped like a unicorn, the one-horned beast from the Lin mythological family in Chinese mythology.

This master was described as a benevolent beast. It was able to shift to any form and appear as anyone for as long as it wanted. It often chose to appear as human, and its powers were akin to that of the Evil Master.

In the book, there was a brief description of this beast and his role in this world. It mentioned that this beast got infatuated with an amulet and got desperate when it lost it. The benevolent beast drowned in chagrin and despair felt heartbroken to the point of turning into a statue. Those who dared to enter its palace were never seen again, which made it a challenging step for Nirvana to persevere in order to get the elixir.

Now that Michaela recited all of this in her head, her heart trembled, clenching in irritation towards herself, thinking again that she fell into a predicament of her own doing. She forgot this part of the story, changing the amulet to a human character, creating a major plot hole without even realizing it. If this man was the celestial master, and she was his treasured amulet, was he taking her back to his palace to display his infatuation?

They landed next to a big gate, and a man walked out, bowing his head to them. The stranger shifted Michaela's weight to the right, forcing her head to lean on his chest as he went inside.

“Is Celine back?” He asked the man dressed in a typical black suit consisting of a jacket, dress pants, a white shirt, and a bowtie, looking like a butler.

The latter curtly nodded. “Yes, your excellency. She and her son are back already. She’s preparing a night snack for you and the young lady.”

Michaela, who was losing her nerves and musing in his arms, got intrigued. She perked up her ears at hearing that snacks were waiting for her. Her lips felt dry, craving something spicy and fulfilling with a cold drink. The more she thought about food, the more her tummy rumbled, making the stranger chuckle.

“Silas, ask Celine to prepare a full meal for us.”

A smile tugged on Michaela’s lips, and it quickly disappeared when the stranger grinned. She was sure that she had seen this grin before, as it enticed her as much as it irritated her at the same time. It took her a while to realize that she actually smiled, which meant that she was getting back control slowly over her body.

Though she still couldn’t move her hands nor her legs yet, she could move her head, open her jaw, her tongue felt untied.

Michaela wasn’t the only one who noticed. The stranger did too. “The charm is wearing down, I see. That’s great. . . In a few minutes or so, you should be able to move your body too.”

She was angry, feeling humiliated that she got tricked by this beast, but felt drained out of energy, sounding depressed as she said. “You didn’t have to place me under a charm or whatever. You could’ve just forced me to come here with you. There is no way I could defend myself against a Master like yourself.”

The stranger laughed as if her misery was amusing to him. “You say that, but I know you’re a fighter. You would’ve managed to escape.”

A fighter? She wondered, then remembered the embarrassing fight she had with Rafe in public. She concluded that this was what he was referring to. For a moment there, she thought this person was from her world and knew her well enough to say that she was a fighter.

“You know, that’s what I like about you.”

“L-Like about me?!” She exclaimed, glancing at him in utter confusion. “Sir. . . I mean, Celestial Master, you must be mistaken. I haven’t met you before.”

The beast’s chest shook as he laughed, holding her close as he climbed a few steps towards a large garden. The path was illuminated with lanterns, leading to a lake. Michaela could see a palace in the distance, and it looked like it was a mile away from the main gate.

The path had some fruit trees on each side, overlooking a field of flowers. These flowers were barely visible under the white light coming from the lanterns. Her eyes darted at the veiled face of the Celestial Master when he hummed.

“So, you do know who I am, too?”

Too? What do you mean by ‘too’? She wondered as a thick silence engulfed them while she was thinking of the many possibilities that crossed her mind.

“I had a hunch,” she stammered, sounding a bit proud of her sense of deduction. “This is a mistake. I think you got the wrong person.”

The butler, who was following them, stepped forward and opened the palace's door for them. He again bowed his head as the Celestial Master carried her inside.

Michaela got awestruck by how magical and fancy the inside looked; a symbol illuminated from the ceiling, resembling that of a demonic sigil, illumining a bright yellow light over the place. She could see lamps that looked like mason jars with fairy-looking creatures inside them in each corner. They each glowed in different colors, giving the atmosphere a hippy vibe.

A large, long mahogany table that looked like a style from the Victorian era settled in the middle, surrounded by fancy-looking chairs. The chair by the head of the table looked fancier than the rest, rimmed in shining blue crystals.

The room was neatly organized, with a large chimney, a Persian-looking rug, a large bookcase filled with books, similar to that of a ski lodge Michaela has once visited on a school trip back in her world.

Michaela moved her head, studying the several paintings that covered the walls in the foyer, looking puzzled and terrified as the person in the portraits resembled her. No, it was her! Michaela exclaimed in certainty in her head. Her certitude was in the right place as the paintings looked like pictures she took during some trips back in her world.

There was one of her skiing down a hill as light snow covered her beanie, grinning happily. Michaela spotted another of her standing in what looked like a classroom as if she were giving a speech. And another, and another, all of her doing some sort of activity, similar to pictures Kirsten took of her while she wasn’t paying attention, sharing them on their high school social media webpage. Kirsten, of course, took her permission to do this as a member of the photography club in their school. She used her friend as her muse.

One, in particular, was jarring for Michaela, as she hadn’t seen it before this day. She had glasses on and was reading a book in what looked like her living room. Her medium short hair was wet, dripping as the painter indicated by droplets of water falling towards her pillow.

It got overwhelming for Michaela to see paintings of pictures she had in her world displayed on the walls of this palace. And she got terrified by the last painting for it being so accurate, as Michaela rarely dried her hair after taking a shower, and the painter knew about this.

“This. . . This is impossible!” Was all she could say, staring with horror-filled eyes at the stranger. Her eyes felt like they’d pop out of their sockets from shock, and her heart was beating faster against her chest. The other just smiled, not saying anything as he climbed a set of stairs.

Michaela wanted to struggle and escape, but if only her body would listen to her command. She couldn’t think of anything else but those creepy paintings, her heart thumping loudly, her mind unable to comprehend what was going on.

The story in that book was just an imaginative story, or so she thought. The book, though it held magic, was still just a book. Michaela, ever since she transmigrated to this world, didn’t think she’d face something like this.

The Celestial Master carried her down a hallway of several white doors, that creepy smile still lingering there as he stopped in front of a golden-looking door. The stranger opened the door to a large, luxury royal bedroom.

“Blue-gray is your favorite color, isn’t it? I had the help redecorate the room to your liking.”