The woman passed her a scrutinizing look then tossed her to the other side of the room, her back crashed against the shelf—breaking it, it's contents came tumbling down, jars shattering, ingredients pouring to the floor.
Seraph, picked herself up weakly and faced the woman, her nose stained with blood. "I'm not going to waste your time, what we want is simple, get out of here and go to where you belong, you're not a witch and if you stay here any longer, we won't hesitate to kill you." She threatened. Her fingers wrapped around a staff.
Seraph stood up, her vision blurred with tears. She knew this would happen someday, that one day she'll be chased out of the coven, they hated her and her kind, they only kept her because of her mother and now that her mother is gone, she had nothing to do with them.
"I'll leave but please, let me bury my mother." She hiccuped. "She at least deserves that." The woman frowned. "You are not a witch, you have no affairs in the matters of the coven." She thundered, her figure towering over Seraph's.
"I may not be a witch but she is my mother—she birthed me and I have a right to bury her." Seraph snapped, hoping the woman would reason with her and luckily the woman agreed. "Do that quickly and leave." With that, the woman vanished, just as she came.
Seraph was now left alone, surrounded by her mother's remains, slowly she reached for a jar in the cupboard and swept the ashes into it.
As she fingers brushed against the burning ash, all she could feel was her mother's touch, every single time, it was as though she didn't die, like she was still right there with her, touching her cheek and kissing her forehead like she always did.
She almost cried but held the tears, she had to he strong, her mother didn't raise a weak daughter. She picked the jar and staggered up the stairs. Her ankle still hurt from earlier, when she was thrown at the wooden shelf.
She reached her room and packed her things, even though they had chased her away, she still would've left, she couldn't be here anymore. Every single room, every single piece of furniture, held memories and being there would be torment, she would forever be suffocated by the moments she had shared with her mother in that house.
She had to go meet her father.
She finished up packing and tucked the jar inside her backpack. She walked to the door and pulled it open, turning back her eyes moved around the living room, the dinner table where they both had dinner. If anyone had told her that morning that she would lose her mother today she would have laughed at their jokes. She was so full of life and now....she was gone.
She shut the door painfully, tears threatening to roll down her cheeks but she held it in. On reaching outside, she was hit with the cold breeze of the night.
The skys were dark, it seemed like it was about to rain. The eerie silence that followed the howling wind sent shivers down her spine.
She closed her eyes as she remembered her mother's words.
****
"If you ever want to meet your father, close your eyes and call the name, Kiaro three times and he will come to you."
***
She closed her eyes and did just that.
Kairo.
Kairo.
Kairo.
At first there was nothing, she was about to close her eye and do it again when a gust of wind flew her way, blowing her hair back. The wind was replaced with an immense circle of fire and a handsome man walked out.
She opened her eyes and when she saw her father, she was filled with anger. She marched to him and punched his hard chest.
"She's dead, mum is gone!"
The man's eyes widened in shock. His heart shattered with guilt as he threw his hands around her, stroking her hair. "It was all my fault." He rasped which made her look up. "What??"
"She didn't want to hurt a soul," he said, voice trembling. "Not even to save herself."
What did he mean by that?
"Demons were cursed centuries ago by a witch who was killed unjustly and once a demon reaches a certain age, they die."
It was then everything made sense. Her mother was partly a demon so the curse affected her and will probably affect her and her father too. "I tried to help, I begged her to take the human souls but she refused, she didn't want to harm a thing, talk more of a human. She said she would rather die than kill someone and now, she's gone.
Seraph could feel the weight of his words. She knew he tried, he tried to save her but she didn't want to kill anyone.
He held his tears. She too was a demon, his only daughter was a demon and will probably be affected by the curse. "I won't let the same thing happen to you, I won't let the curse take you too." He said rubbing her cheek.
She closed her eyes and rested on his palms. "I won't die, I won't leave you." She whispered.
Looking up, she said. "How do I end the curse?"
He sighed. "Don't worry I'll handle it. I promise." He assured her. "I can't just watch other demons die. I want to help, I want to find the cure to the curse." She said determined.
"How, it requires you to get the blood of a royal, a pure royal from the lineage of Vampires and they've gone into hiding, how do you intend to find one?" He asked, as he held her hands tightly.
He was right.
She didn't know where a vampire was but she has to try. "You're my daughter, my only daughter. You're all I have left. I can't let you do something so dangerous!"
Her eyes went moist as she abruptly broke the hug. "I know it's dangerous dad, I know I'm all you have left, I know I'm very important to you but please, let me do this, I want to do this, I need to do this. For mum, this is what mum would have wanted. So please for her sake let me do this."
He thought about it and sighed. "Promise me you'll be safe."
She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I promise I'll be careful."
"Okay then. Come with me." He said stretching his hands towards her. She took his hand and he waved the other in circular motion, wind circulating round his hand slowly turned to fire and opened a portal made of fire.
He pulled her into the portal. As the walked in, the portal closed behind them.