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Before I could even process what was going on, my hands were on Henry’s collar and I had him pinned to the wall with his feet dangling a few inches from the ground. 

“Explain.” I growled at him. I could feel power well up inside me and I knew that if I do not try to control it, I’d end up creating a small hurricane in the room. “Who the hell are you and how do you know so much about this? And while you’re at it, explain why Marii was just taken!”

“Okay! Okay! I’m an assistant of one of the sages as well! I can see people’s aura and their aptitude for magic, as well as spiritual power! Marii, your cousin, has one of the most powerful spiritual energy I’d ever encountered! The spirit’s servants probably took her so she can become its vessel!”

“Damn it! Why do we have to get entangled with stuff like this all the time?!”

“It runs in our blood apparently.” I heard Aunt Helen mumble from behind me.

“Where is the spirit sealed?” I asked Henry, still not letting go of him.

“The underwater cave! But it’s submerged at the moment because of the high tide! We can only wait until the spirit comes up to land with her vessel!”

I dropped him unceremoniously to the ground and started walking towards the door.

“Mira, where are you going?” called out Uncle Neru.

“I’m going to save my cousin.”

I marched out of the building and headed straight for the beach. I could hear my relatives call out to me, asking me to return, but I did not mind it and continued moving forward. However, I suddenly felt an outburst of power which made me stop on my tracks. My eyes landed on the sea and saw that it had become restless. Harsh waves crashed into the shores and the wind picked up speed.

*‘This feeling. It’s too late now.’*

I watched as smoke rose out of the water, slowly forming into many humanoid figures. At the very center of the forming smoky army was my cousin, Marii, with an ominous aura surrounding her. She looked very different from the ball of sunshine cousin that I knew. She wore a black dress with black smoke like tendrils as if it was a cape. The end of her dress was flowing like water but instead of transparent, it was inky black.

*‘Father mentioned the sea being ominous the other night. Is this because of her? Is the spirit somehow connected to the sea?’*

With that in my mind, I steeled myself and made my way to the incoming army. I realized I was a demigod, I had the blood of a god running through my veins. I am both mortal and divine. Apart from slaying monsters that pose dangers to people like me and perhaps even to the mortals by extension, I was also a bridge of the gods. No, perhaps a pawn? Someone who could do their bidding in the mortal realm since they cannon because of the ancient laws. And since we were dealing with a spirit, maybe I could settle it peacefully.

“Mira! Come back immediately!” yelled Aunt Helen, sounding rather authoritative.

“No Aunt Helen, I will do my duty.” 

At that moment, I was no longer Mira Castillo that was her niece. I was Mira Castillo the demigod.

I stood at the beach, my weapons drawn and shrouded in a calm aura. Marii, no, the spirit came closer and stopped only a couple of meters away from me.

“A child of the sea. You are a half-breed.” she sneered. “But nevertheless, you have the blood of a god running through your veins. Why are you associating with such lowly mortals?”

“You kidnapped my cousin and used her body to walk around the mortal realm, I don’t think you have the rights to ask questions.” I growled in return.

Fun fact. Whether they’re mortals or immortals, even those in between, I don’t do ‘being nice’ to them.

“Touché, is that how you humans say it? Anyway, my problem is not with you demigod. Now stand aside. I will not dare incur the wrath of Poseidon just for harming his daughter.”

It sounded like a threat.

I stood my ground. I kept looking at her eyes. “Beings like you, especially those that did not come from the same realm, are not meant to meddle with mortals. And yet…”

“And yet, they dared summon me, order me and bind me to this land!” she yelled. I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at her words. “I just wanted to return to my home. Peaceful, beautiful and clean. Not in this realm where the sea is dirty, and humans are many!”

“What do you mean *bind* you?” I asked.

“Those humans that summoned me! They asked me to bless their land for bountiful harvests! I agreed! But a blessing from a spirit with the nature of the sea is not much. At most my blessing can only be effective for a year, maybe less. I told them of that but they did not like that. They asked me to become their land god.” she looked away for a moment, then her gaze returned to me. “Of course I refused. I can’t stand humans and I am a spirit of the sea, not a guardian spirit nor a spirit of the land. But they do not have the power or the resources to summon a real god and can only settle with spirits. Those despicable humans sealed me and forcefully bound me to this land! I was forced to sleep, my power continuously flowing out of me, giving it to the land.”

“I heard a different story.”

“Mortals are liars demigod, remember that. Spirits cannot lie, especially not to a child of the gods.”

“My people looked for me.” she motioned to the black figures by the beach. “But those mortals just sealed them to the cave where I slept. Once a year, I get enough power to awaken and send my people to look for a suitable vessel so I could escape and punish the mortals that bound me.”

I turned to Henry who looked as shocked as I was.

All of a sudden, three people in robes arrived. Each had a weapon with them; a staff, a sword and a spear.

“Spirit! Return to your slumber! Get out of the mortal child!”

Now I did say was never a nice person. I was even worse to people who break the ancient laws. I could feel my anger rise within me. My cousin got possessed, and people who called themselves sages broke the taboo and forcefully bound a spirit for continuous bountiful harvests. The sages might’ve thought they were helping the land they were guarding, but what they did was borderline closer to greed.

I could hear them chant, making energy buzz in the air. The spirit possessing my cousin suddenly had this look of pain on her face and I felt something heading to our direction. Before it could even get near, a geyser shot out from the sand just behind me. I willed the water to swat away whatever was coming our way. I could hear gasps from the people behind me but I kept my eye contact with the spirit.

I could hear some shouting behind me, something about the spirit retaliating or something, but I shut them up by having the water sweep them off of their feet, and have them dangling and restrained.

“On behalf of humanity and a resident of this realm, I apologize for what they did.” I said in a sorrowful voice. “As a bridge between the divine, the mortals and those in between, I will make this right. I will punish them in your stead.”

“Really?” she questioned; her eyes wide. “This island is near the domain of my father. It has no land god, nor are there any spirits around. Only ghosts and low-level monsters reside here. Therefore, it will come under my father’s rule. The sages will be punished according to my father’s will. As well as those who had a hand in summoning and sealing you. I promise you that.”

“And in return?”

“Return my cousin, safe.”

“Ah, I suppose this child I am inhabiting is your kin. At least on the mortal side.” I nodded my head. She sighed and had this expression of longing on her face. “Very well. I only wanted to return to my home, to my realm. I will be watching demigod whether or not you do your side of the bargain. If not, I shall return and carry out my plan.”

“In my name as demigod, I promise you that.” I said with my head bowed.

“Little demigod.” she called, making me look up. “This child, she is powerful. And her power is very pure that it keeps the darkness at bay. Nurture her well, she will bring luck to any god she decides to serve.”

She started glowing, and so did her followers.

“What’s your name?” I called out for the last time.

She smiled, a genuine one at that. “Ariadna.”

The glow died down and my cousin fell, unconscious. The spirit’s presence was gone.

The next few days became busy. My father tasked me in overseeing the punishment of the sages and the people connected to them, including the manager we had an argument with, Gracelyn. The sages were stripped off of their powers while the rest was erased in existence. Their punishment was cleaning my father’s stable which was filled with a horde of pegasi and flesh-eating horses. 

My mortal family tried asking me to explain what happened and about who and what I am, but I never really gave them an answer. I stayed away from them for a few days, hoping their interest would fade over time. I mean, if it didn’t it was a problem for the future.

As for Marii, I asked a local god for a protection charm for her. I made her promise she’d never take it off.

I decided to stay away from family hang outs too. My family is complicated, both mortals and not.


*~End~*

***

Not expecting the ending? Me either. Anyway, this is not the end of Mira's adventures! Stay tuned for her next one!!!