Mia had finally left Arry and her boyfriend about twenty minutes later, deciding to give them some privacy. The young man seemed very friendly, and his interest in the redhead appeared genuine.

At least he doesn't look down on me just because I'm human. Sad to say, but that's enough for me to offer him my friendship.

The faces of her friends Eva, Lydie, and Maxime came to her mind again. She allowed herself a pang of heartache and melancholy as she made her way to her destination.

What are they doing right now? How have they been coping with my disappearance?

It hadn't even been a month since she arrived here. If time flowed the same way in her world and the one she was in, they must still be in mourning, gradually realizing that she wouldn't come back alive.

Or they're in some sort of delusion. It's not like they found my body down there. They might have all been put in a psychiatric hospital for mass hysteria...

A girl falling from a building with no trace of her body was certainly sounding like a crazy story. Or a lie. Given that they were intoxicated that night, Mia could easily bet that no one believed them. Nevertheless, her disappearance was real, and it must have caused them some issues with the authorities. Especially with such an unbelievable story.

Well, it wasn't them who had ended up in a world inhabited by mythical creatures as the only human. They would recover from her disappearance and eventually come to terms with it, she knew that. But as for her...

I'll probably end up spending my life here, let's not kid ourselves. That is, if I'm not killed before that. Maybe I should seriously consider searching for a way back...

Passing by the notice board in the grand hall, her eyes stopped at a piece of paper pinned to the center of the bulletin board. About ten students had gathered around the board, discussing the contents of the note. A few hateful or annoyed glances were directed her way as she squeezed through the group to inquire about the message, but she ignored them as usual. She wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of showing fear just after being attacked. She had just narrowly escaped death; a few unpleasant glares weren't going to give her goosebumps.

It was a message from the headmaster announcing that a meeting would take place at the arena (the only place big enough to accommodate all the students) tomorrow morning at ten a.m. Mia repeated the time several times in her head to remember it before stepping away from the group.

Before she could move further, a hand grabbed her arm. The young woman startled and tried to control her racing heart as a female face with black hair approached her ear.

"Let me give you a piece of advice: be careful and be wary of everyone. You became a target the moment your vila protected you; you'd better keep him close by," she whispered.

Frozen, Mia didn't respond to the stranger. The woman released her and vanished into the crowd after delivering her message. Mia couldn't quite tell if it was a threat or a warning, although she leaned towards the latter. Her grip was firm but devoid of aggression, and her tone wasn't menacing.

Still, this isn't very reassuring.

Was her new life going to be defined by receiving threats and narrowly escaping death?

Don't talk to me about a second chance; it's starting to look more like hell. Maybe I'm still dead after all.

Dead or not, it didn't change much about the situation. She needed to pull herself together quickly before attracting other creatures that might have similar unsettling words to whisper.

Navigating the corridors to the library was a relatively easy task. Most students didn't have classes, and few roamed the interior hallways of the castle. She hoped the library would be similarly deserted. She had some research to do about this vila and soulmate thing. Books held knowledge, and perhaps even the secret to getting out of this mess.

The room was relatively empty, as expected. No one would come to study or educate themselves after such an event. On this point, the creatures seemed very human. It was much more appealing to take advantage of the disaster to excuse oneself from tasks deemed tedious for a day or two. And to discuss it. All day long. As if repeating the same phrases and facts would suddenly lead to a different conclusion.

Of course, she had often acted similarly with her friends, soaking up rumors and participating in their dispersion, like everyone else. Not this time. She wasn't out of the woods yet; she needed to move forward.

In the end, I don't feel like I have much of a choice. Apparently, the vila and I have something in common.

It took her a good two or three minutes to find the section she was interested in within the vast library: ethnology. In this category were all the biological and sociological books about the different species of Istarea. Finding a book about vilas was a piece of cake.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Mia settled comfortably in one of the armchairs at the back of the library, betting that no one would disturb her when she was so well hidden.

The book was an old work of a few dozen pages. Good, it seemed to get straight to the point. She reviewed the table of contents to find what she was looking for and quickly skimmed through the descriptive pages about the biology of vilas. She would eventually read it, but that wasn't her immediate interest.

Finally, she reached the section she had been waiting for: this story of a soulmate that promised to make her life miserable.

« The Bond or Curse

Vilas are bound for life with their partner chosen by their inner vila. The nature of this bond is somewhat similar to the connection between a spirit animal and its individual. It's also referred to as a curse since there's no known way to escape the choice of this soulmate, except through death.

The inner vila reveals itself during adolescence and begins seeking its partner early in its adult life. Once this partner is found, fulfilling the bond becomes the top priority of the vila. The longer the process, the harder its host will struggle to control the vila.

For example, the vila might increase the production of pheromones to attract its partner, but it cannot force the bond. The vila is entirely dependent on the will of its soulmate. It cannot physically harm them.

If the vila fails to complete the bond, it will slowly perish. If the partner, bonded or not, dies, the vila will let itself die. If the vila dies, its partner will also wither, provided they have already undergone their transformation.

Once bonded, the nature of the bond can vary from couple to couple, depending on the intensity of the mutual affection of the partners. The partner gradually becomes a vila, abandoning the characteristics of their original specie. However, it's important to note that, while they become stronger, they still don't match an individual born a vila.

This transformation doesn't apply to humans. The inner vila is similar to a magical parasite. Since humans lack magical energy, the transformation isn't applicable. Humans only gain in physical abilities. »

OK, that's enough information for now.

Mia abruptly closed the book, annoyed by what she had just read. If she didn't give in, it would complicate things. If she resisted further, he would eventually die. But if she gave in, she'd be sacrificing her free will.

What's worse: throwing my freedom out the window or having someone's death on my conscience?

A small voice whispered to her that the second option was logically the worse, but she was stubborn and not ready to give in. Even if it was her own conscience trying to lecture her.

After all, he hates the fact that I'm human; it's pretty clear now, and I potentially even know why now. Maybe he's looking for a way to die.

She didn't admit it to herself, but her supposed unwavering resolve had taken a hit with this new information. Her little voice repeated to her (even as she tried to silence it) that it was a losing battle, and she'd be better off focusing her energy on something else.

"What are you reading?" inquired a male voice that startled her.

When Mia looked up, she wasn't surprised to see who had asked the question after reading the book about vilas. Ethan. Even so, she observed him for a few seconds before responding. The young woman had never taken the time to really look at him.

He had blond hair, a few inches long, carelessly falling on either side of his eyes and ears, and dark lapis lazuli eyes contrasting with his porcelain skin. His sharp features and freshly shaved square jaw gave him a particularly severe and jaded look. He was taller than her, and Mia could sense that his muscles were sculpted beneath his clothing.

He's handsome, but a pretty face won't change my mind. Especially not after seeing his crappy attitude.

However, this time, no hostility showed on his features. He even seemed to be trying to be friendly. Unfortunately, Mia wasn't in the mood to become buddies with him. Plus, she now knew that he couldn't hurt her. She responded sarcastically:

"Oh, suddenly my being human doesn't bother you?"

He bristled, clearly annoyed by her retort.

"I wouldn't have saved your life if it bothered me that much," he replied with a stern tone.

Mia shook her head, clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth three times. She could be particularly arrogant herself. She stood up, placing the book back on the chair, positioning herself in front of the vila. The young woman was smaller, but she knew she had control of the situation.

"You saved my life to save your own because you had no choice. I'll thank you as a matter of principle, but that's where it ends. I did some research after they explained the situation to me, you see. You might not have a choice, but I do. Let's be clear, I don't care that your parasite chose me, and I don't care that it pushed you to protect me. It changes nothing. You've made it clear enough that you hate me because I'm human. You've condemned yourself by acting like an ass."

If smoke could have come out of her nostrils and ears like an enraged dragon in the cartoons she watched as a child, the room would have turned into a smoke-filled chamber.

"Yes, it royally pisses me off that you're human; it complicates everything. But it doesn't matter anymore."

"Maybe for you, not for me," she retorted brazenly.

"You have no idea what it implies."

"And I don't care. It's your problem, not mine."

"It became your problem when I saved your life. Everyone understands that my vila chose you. Your list of enemies has significantly grown, and these new enemies won't be satisfied with just a few hateful glances."

"Why? Why should I care when I want nothing to do with this bond?"

"Because I also have a long list of people who'd like to see my family's heads on spikes. Now they have leverage over me. If you don't want to die, you should be concerned."

Great. I didn't do anything, and now I'm in the middle of a war between monsters.

Mia's sarcastic mood was replaced by dismay. She sighed, retrieved the book on vilas, and sat back down on the chair, then massaged her forehead and temples to organize her thoughts. Her interaction with the black-haired woman in front of the bulletin board now made complete sense.

"So, basically, they're going to want to harm me," she replied, unable to hide her annoyance. "And you're going to stick around to protect me."

"That's right."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

Mia sighed once more, a lengthy one. She didn't know if she wanted to retreat to her bed and sleep to forget this entire situation or burst into laughter because this new development seemed so ridiculous. Nevertheless, she didn't really want to die. She didn't like having things forced upon her, but she couldn't deny that she was up against a wall in this situation. She was stubborn, but she wasn't suicidal. And besides... she still had at least one choice in the situation.

"It doesn't change the fact that I don't like you and I won't bond with you," she concluded.

"As you wish," he sighed.

Well, look at that, he's suddenly quite obedient.