Seph stepped inside, and Aunt Susan quickly closed the door behind her, bringing out a beautiful bone china plate filled with macarons. Instead of immediately discussing the farm, Aunt Susan chatted casually, sipping her coffee.
Seph hadn't tasted sweets in ages and had almost forgotten their delightful flavor. The first bite of macaron overwhelmed her with sweet nostalgia—the crunchy outer shell and soft filling nearly bringing tears to her eyes.
Eventually, Aunt Susan brought up the farm. She agreed to pay six hundred thousand dollars but could currently only afford four hundred thousand, promising to pay the remaining amount within one or two years.
Seph wasn't surprised; she'd anticipated this and wanted the deal done quickly. She frequently glanced at the clock, then offered a compromise: Aunt Susan could pay four hundred thousand dollars immediately, and Seph would discount the remaining amount from two hundred thousand to one hundred eighty-five thousand, payable in three months.
Aunt Susan went upstairs to discuss it with Uncle Richard. Shortly after, she returned and agreed. They quickly set a date to meet their lawyer.
By the time arrangements were complete, it was nearly lunchtime. Aunt Susan insisted Seph stay for lunch.
As Aunt Susan cooked in the kitchen, Uncle Richard prepared a barbecue in the backyard. Ricky ran out from his room, greeted Seph briefly, and turned on the TV to play a video game.
Seph glanced at Ricky, who was engrossed in a flight simulation game, complete with dramatic engine noises. Seph rarely visited Aunt Susan's home and wasn't close to Ricky, but remembering the unsettling scent of blood from earlier, she decided to chat with him.
She smiled warmly, initiating a conversation about Ricky's game. Initially distant, Ricky soon warmed up when he realized Seph knew something about gaming.
Taking her chance, Seph casually asked why he didn't play at Charlie's house across the street. Ricky frowned irritably and said, "They've got a wolf. It bites, and you'd have to get shots if it bit you."
"But wasn't it in a cage?" Seph asked curiously.
Ricky leaned in and whispered dramatically, "It was fierce! It bit right through the cage wires…"
"Did it escape?" Seph asked, startled.
"No," Ricky hesitated briefly before continuing, "They caught it again, but Charlie's dad said it was too dangerous and shot it."
Seph frowned deeply, about to ask more, when Uncle Richard came inside and scolded Ricky for playing too many video games, sending him back to his room.
After lunch, Seph left Aunt Susan's home. As she passed Charlie's house, her eyes caught sight of the unlocked kitchen waste bin.
Seeing no one around, she swiftly opened it. Among discarded wrappers and paper towels lay a partially open black plastic bag stained with fresh blood.
Instinctively, Seph opened it and froze in horror. Inside lay the mutilated body of the half-year-old grey wolf. Its limbs were severed, its abdomen torn open by a bullet, entrails exposed gruesomely. Even in death, its piercing green eyes stared accusingly at her.
Shaken, Seph quickly closed the bag, recalling vividly the forbidden magic from the parchment she'd read days ago.
The wolf matched perfectly the ritual's requirements: a wolf, extraordinary vitality, and violent death filled with rage.
Such an ally would greatly aid her survival in the coming apocalypse, but the ritual carried immense and unpredictable risks.
As Seph hesitated, she heard a car approaching. Realizing she had no more time to deliberate, she hastily tied the bag shut, suppressing its odor, and quickly walked away.