It had been four days since Luna had her first nightmare, which was why she slept beside Ethan.
But to her surprise and anxiety, those nightmares recurred for four consecutive days. Each time it happened, she would wake up drenched in cold sweat, and she would hurriedly go to Ethan’s room to find solace from the monster that was haunting her in her sleep.
During the first two days, everything was still fine. But as the nightmare continued, Luna had started to become restless.
Her usual angelic smile disappeared and she often looked tired and lethargic.
Ethan was worried about her, so he accompanied her to the Terra Manor to purchase a Dreamless Potion that would allow her to sleep without dreaming.
After escorting her back to the Dud Manor, Ethan went to the library to look for books concerning nightmares.
He was hoping that he would be able to find any information that could help Luna with her Nightmares.
As he was walking along the courtyard, a familiar face appeared in his vision.
Emma, the Assistant Librarian, was leaning on a lamp post and looking in his direction.
Because he was in a hurry, he just gave her a brief nod.
Ethan was about to walk past her when she suddenly blocked his way.
“Good Afternoon, Emma,” he greeted. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry to go to the library. If you can plea—.”
He was unable to finish his words because he was cut off by the young lady in front of her.
“I have something very important to tell you,” Emma said in a solemn tone. “It is a matter of life and death, so can you please spare me some of your time?”
Ethan was surprised because, not expecting Emma would talk to him because of this reason.
Her usual deadpan expression was gone and there was a sense of urgency in her face, which influenced him to feel that what she was going to tell him was very important.
“Matter of life and death?” Ethan asked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Emma looked at their surroundings before shifting her gaze back to Ethan.
“Let’s talk somewhere private,” Emma replied. “This is a very delicate subject, so we can’t discuss this in the open. Also, I will tell you now that whatever you are looking for in the Library, it won’t help your friend, Luna.”
Ethan’s eyes widened in shock because he didn’t know how she was able to know his reason for going to the Library.
“Please, just come with me,” Emma pleaded. “There’s not much time.”
“… Okay.” Ethan nodded.
After receiving his approval, Emma led Ethan past the library and into a grove of trees behind it.
After walking for a while, she knocked her wand on a particular tree, and a wooden door appeared on its base.
“Come inside,” Emma said as she opened the door for his guest. “Relax. It’s perfectly safe here.” 𝐎𝗏𝐞𝓵xt.𝗇𝓔t
Ethan obeyed and entered the tree through the door. Emma glanced around the surroundings to make sure that no one had seen them before hurriedly closing the door behind her.
A second later, the door disappeared, making the tree look ordinary.
———————
Inside Emma’s Secret Tree House…
“Wow, such a big space existed inside that tree?” Ethan blinked in surprise because the moment he entered the tree, he was welcomed by a spacious room, which he believed to be the living room.
The funny thing was that there was also a fireplace with a cozy fire burning merrily.
“Please sit and have a drink first,” Emma said as she offered Ethan some fruit juice. “I’ll go change to a more comfortable attire first.”
After giving a mug of fruit juice to Ethan, she entered a door which the teenage boy deemed as the bedroom of her treehouse.
Truth be told, he was still unable to process what was happening, but he believed that all of his questions would be answered the moment Emma returned.
Since he had nothing else to do, Ethan drank the Fruit Juice that was offered to him.
“Delicious,” Ethan muttered after the first sip. “Not too sweet and not too sour.”
As Ethan drank more, he felt a warm feeling washing over his body and wondered if the drink Emma gave him had some alcohol content.
A minute later, the door of the bedroom opened and Emma came out of it.
The moment Ethan saw her, he felt as if his breath was taken away, making him drop the mug from his hand.
Fortunately, it was made of wood, so it simply tumbled harmlessly on the carpeted floor, earning him a sweet smile from the black-haired beauty in front of her.
“E-Emma?”
“Yes. It is me.”
Ethan stared blankly at the beautiful lady with long black hair and brown eyes that was walking towards him.
She was wearing a black, one-piece nightdress that failed to hide her alluring figure. A simple glance was enough to tell Ethan that she had grown at the right places, making her a striking beauty that was in no way inferior to Luna and Nicole, whom he considered the top beauties of the First Years.
Ethan couldn’t believe what he was seeing because, in his eyes, Emma always looked bored and didn’t seem to care about her appearance.
Due to the gap between her usual look and her current one, the teenage boy was completely speechless.
Seeing his reaction, the sweet smile on her face widened a bit as she approached Ethan.
Suddenly, and without warning, she sat on his lap, and looked at his eyes, making his breath turn ragged.
“I-I thought that we were going to talk about something important?” Ethan asked.
He could feel that his cheeks were burning, and the warm feeling that was washing over his body intensified, making him feel hot.
“Yes,” Emma replied as her soft, and delicate hands cupped the young man’s face. “What we are going to talk about is very important. I apologize for making you drink that aphrodisiac and wearing something like this.”
“E-excuse me? You made me drink an aphrodisiac?!”
“Yes. Because I need it to awaken your other half that is currently sleeping inside of you.”
Ethan was becoming more confused and his body was slowly reacting to the softness of Emma’s body, making his face turn beet-red.
“I-I’m sorry, but I didn’t come here for this.” Ethan was about to push Emma away, but he found himself unable to gather the strength in his arms to do what he intended. “W-What’s going on?”
“I forgot to mention that the aphrodisiac will also temporarily weaken you. This is something made for Wizards and Witches,” Emma explained. “But if ingested by Duds, or people without magic powers, they will find themselves losing strength for a short period of time.”
Ethan looked at the young lady who was sitting on his lap in disbelief. He had so many questions to ask her, but only one word came out of his mouth.
“Why?”
For the first time, an apologetic expression appeared on Emma’s face before she pressed her hands on Ethan’s chest, stroking it.
“Didn’t I tell you that I need to awaken your other half?” Emma answered. “What you are going to face isn’t something that you can defeat on your own. You will need the dormant power inside of you to stand a chance against that Monster.”
Ethan still didn’t understand what the young lady was talking about.
Just as he was about to ask another question, he felt his head spin for a brief moment before he blacked out and lost consciousness.
Emma gently supported Ethan’s head with her right hand, as she gazed at his face with anticipation.
A few seconds later, Ethan opened his eyes, and the aura of his body changed.
“You’re playing a very dangerous game, girl,” Ethan said in a cold, and even deadly tone as his purple eyes glowed faintly. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m sorry, My Liege,” Emma replied. “But there is no other way. I had to forcefully awaken you so that you can lend your power to him, or else, one of the most important people in his life and your life will die.”
Ethan narrowed his eyes. “Speak. I can’t stay for long.”
And with that, Emma told the handsome young man her reason for asking him to talk in private with her.