Chapter 81 Please Choose Wisely
One week later.
Landorr Ferqen, the 60 year old shaman, finally arrives at the mansion, accompanied by the Alpha King’s guards.
He was brought to the guest room on the first floor and given a few hours to rest before he began his divination.
Meanwhile…
In the couple’s bedroom on the second floor, Luna Rosie was getting restless, pacing back and forth in the middle of the room after learning that the shaman had already arrived at the mansion.
She couldn't contain her excitement. She wanted the soul swap to happen this very minute!
She can’t wait any longer.
The door opened and Alpha Gideon stepped into the room, looking at his wife. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking anxious?” he asked, noticing her flustered face.
“I dunno. I’m excited and at the same time scared. I can’t understand the mixed emotions I’m feeling right now. It’s making me crazy,” Luna Rosie replied, sighing heavily.
“Relax, my love. You will get your body back tonight. You should feel happy and excited,” he said, hugging her to comfort her.
She melts into her husband’s loving embrace, appreciating his warmth. “I don't know why I’m feeling this way right now. Yesterday I was feeling so happy and excited. But right now, I’m feeling nervous,” she said, grateful for his comforting hug.
“Stop overthinking yourself too much. After you get your body back, everything will be alright,” he assured her.
A few moments later, he disengaged from their embrace. “I’m going…” he said.
“Where? Where are you going?” she asked, alarmed. She didn't want to be alone anymore. She needed him by her side.
“I’m going to the bungalow house to bring Mira here because the shaman told me he needed to see you and Mira for divination before he performed the soul swap tonight,” Alpha Gideon explained.
“Ah, okay. Come back quickly,” she replied as anxiety started attacking her again.
“I will,” Alpha Gideon replied. He left the room, went downstairs and exited the house. He got into his car parked in the driveway and proceeded to the bungalow house to fetch Mira. When he arrived there, she was already waiting on the verandah, sporting a tense expression on her face.
“Babe, I’m here to bring you to the mansion. It’s now time for you to see the shaman for divination,” he said, holding her hands. “Why did your hands feel cold? Are you okay?” he asked, inspecting her face.
“Honestly, I’m a little bit nervous,” she responded, smiling a bit, masking the anxiety raging like a storm in her heart.
“Why are you nervous? Are you scared of the shaman? I will be there during the actual soul swap process. The three of us will be together in the same room along with the shaman so there is nothing to worry about,” he said reassuringly, kissing her head tenderly. “Just stop worrying about the soul swap tonight, okay?”
“OK, thanks for making me feel better,” she replied, loving his soothing voice, giving comfort to her restless heart.
“Alright, if you are ready, we can go now,” he said.
“Um, can we take Lena with us? Please?” she requested.
“OK, no problem." He granted her request.
Lena stepped onto the verandah, bowing her head towards Alpha Gideon in greetings. He nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“Alright, let’s go,” he said, leading the ladies to his vehicle.
They all got in the car for a short trip to the mansion.
When they arrived at the mansion, Alpha Gideon said, “Girls, stay here in the living room. I will go upstairs to get my wife so we can see the shaman together.”
“OK.” Mira nodded her head.
The women settled down on the sofa and made themselves comfortable.
“Are you nervous?” Lena asked.
“Yes, very much,” Mira responded nervously.
Lena patted her arms gently. “Relax, going back to your body is not the end of the world. It’s a new beginning, a new adventure,” she joked, trying to cheer her up.
Mira smiled. “Yes, you are right. Getting back into my original body will be the beginning of a new chapter in my life.”
“Correct!” Lena beams.
Mira took a deep breath and began relaxing. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw Alpha Gideon and Luna Rosie descending down the stairs and entering a room near the staircase. Ah, that must be where the shaman is currently staying.
A few minutes later, Alpha Gideon came out of the room.
Lena whispered into Mira’s ears. “I’m going to the kitchen to say hello to my friend,” she said and walked away, heading for the kitchen.
Alpha Gideon said, “Let’s go, babe. The shaman is already waiting for you.”
“OK.” Mira stood up and walked beside him.
While heading towards the shaman’s room, he squeezed her right hand, trying to cheer her up. “Everything will be alright, don’t worry,” he said in a gentle tone.
She looked at him adoringly. “Thank you for always making me feel better,” she said gratefully.
They come to the room and Alpha Gideon pushes open the door.
The moment Mira locked eyes with the shaman, something inside her stirred, but she couldn't understand what it was. The shaman had white hair and a white beard. It looked like he had aged a lot but his age had stopped advancing and he was preserved at his current age. He had a mysterious aura around him like that of an ancient person born thousands of years ago. He exudes power beyond comprehension. She could feel it. She got a feeling that this shaman did not belong in this world. He lived in a faraway place beyond the human realm.
The shaman smiled at her. “Luna Rosie has already told me everything. You must be Mira the maid, am I right?” he asked.
Mira smiled. “Yup, that’s me.”
Then the shaman turned his attention to Alpha Gideon. “You must be the husband of Luna Rosie, right?”
Alpha Gideon answered, “Yeah, that's right.”
“It’s time to introduce myself properly. My name is Landorr Ferqen, a shaman born a thousand years ago. I roamed the earth looking for glitches in the matrix and correcting them to the best of my abilities,” he said, smiling brightly while introducing himself to the poor souls before him.
“Nice to meet you,” Mira responded, locking her eyes on the shaman that was giving her a strange vibe. She felt like she has already met him before but she is also 100% sure that they have never crossed paths before. Such a contradictory feeling.
The shaman’s eyes gleamed brightly while staring at Mira, then he spoke, “Good, now that the three axis are here, I will begin my divination,” he said. He looked at Alpha Gideon. “You stay in the corner near the door. And make sure no one comes in while I’m performing my divination. I hate being disturbed. Do you understand?"
“Copy.” Alpha Gideon nodded his head and moved to the door, standing there in alert mode.
“Before the soul swap takes place, divination comes first,” the shaman began. Then he continued, “So get ready, girls. The soul swap will take place tonight at midnight when the moon is shining brightly in the sky and the window to heaven will open to allow the deserving souls to be reborn and reincarnated into their new bodies. It only takes a few minutes every midnight, so we will take advantage of that,” he said in a serious manner like he knew exactly what he was saying and doing.
Luna Rosie observed the shaman closely. He doesn’t sound like a scammer though. His white hair and white beard look real not fake, and they look genuine to her. Hmm, she will know tonight if he is indeed a real shaman or a scammer during the soul swap.
“Alright ladies listen up, I want you to sit beside each other on the edge of the bed while I make my divination. Close your eyes and do nothing. No speaking and no movement,” he ordered in a commanding tone.
Luna Rosie glared at Mira when their eyes met.
Mira ignored her hostility and sat beside her.
“Alright let’s begin ladies. Close your eyes and relax your bodies,” the shaman ordered.
The ladies obeyed, closing their eyes and trying their best not to make any movements.
The shaman placed his hands on the ladies' heads, closed his eyes and began to chant a spell. His mouth moved rapidly as his spirit soared into heaven, entering a mysterious chamber of the universe where the books of life were stored. Then he started reading the book, reading the destiny of the two women, first Luna Rosie’s life and then Mira's.
Alpha Gideon watched in awe and fascination as the spectacular scenario unfolded before him. The ladies' heads were enveloped in light blue colors coming out of the shaman’s hands. The shaman’s body was radiating a white soft light that came out of nowhere.
The mind-blowing spectacle only lasted for almost twenty minutes. But for Alpha Gideon it lasted like forever. He dared not blink his eyes. He didn't want to miss a thing during the divination process.
The lights faded when the shaman finally finished his divination and removed his hands from the ladies' heads. “Ladies, I’m done with my definition, please open your eyes,” he ordered.
The women opened their eyes and looked at the shaman expectantly.
“What did you see in my future?” Luna Rosie asked the shaman excitedly.
The shaman’s face turned serious as if he was hesitating to answer the question.
Alpha Gideon comes forward, eager to hear the results of the shaman's divination.
“I also wanted to know my destiny. What do you see in my future?” Mira asked.
The shaman cleared his throat. “Ladies, after my divination, I already know what your future will be like and it’s not good at all,” he said sadly.
Mira’s heart skipped a beat, it sounded like bad news to her. Anxiety began to attack her inside and out.
Luna Rosie also experienced what Mira felt. She feared that the shaman might say something terrible and couldn't accept it. But she wanted to know the truth no matter how painful it was. She waited for a long time for the shaman to come so she could claim back her life. She couldn't let this golden opportunity pass by. “Please say it! I want to know the truth. I’m ready,” she told him in a pleading tone.
“Please go ahead, tell us,” Alpha Gideon urged the shaman. He wanted to know the truth as well.
The shaman sighed. “Alright, the truth is… both ladies will die if I perform the soul swap tonight, the baby included,” he revealed.
His revelation, specifically the mention of death, shocked the trio to the core, exploding in the ladies' heads like bombs, making them gasp in shock and horror.
“No way! I can’t die again! I’m still too young to die!” Luna Rosie protested, crying in despair as she began sobbing hysterically.
Mira wept silently, tears rolling down her face. The thought of not seeing Alpha Gideon anymore broke her heart to pieces.
The shaman shook his head in sheer astonishment. “Ladies, why are you crying? I still have good news for you. If I don’t perform a soul swap tonight, no one will die. Death will only come if a soul swap takes place. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Mira feels relieved after hearing the shaman’s explanation. She still has a choice. She wants to continue living as long as she can.
But Luna Rosie can’t accept it. “But I want my body back. I want the soul swap to happen tonight!” she insists in her loud voice.
She looks at her husband pleadingly, begging for his support. “My love, I want my body back. Why is it so hard to get my life back?” she lamented as desolation and desperation gripped her body hard, punishing her.
Alpha Gideon hugged his wife because he understood how hard it is for her to accept the bitter truth that if she insists on soul swapping they will die together with his unborn child. “If you insist on soul-swapping Mira, you and our baby will die. What is the use of the soul swap if you all die at the same time?” he asked, wanting his wife to abandon the soul swap because he would never allow it to happen.
The shaman cleared his throat and looked at Mira. “Dear, do you want the soul swap to happen tonight?” he asked.
“No!” Mira quickly shook her head. “I still want to continue living. I choose life over death. That’s my final answer.”
“OK,” the shaman murmured, his eyes gleaming, then he looked at Alpha Gideon. “How about you? Do you want the soul swap to happen tonight?” he asked.
Alpha Gideon shook his head vigorously. “My answer is no. I don’t want to lose any of them,” he answered firmly, ready to defend his decision.
“Great, nice decision, as I expected of you,” the shaman said and looked at Luna Rosie, crying helplessly in her husband's arms. “How about you dear, do you still want to continue with the soul swap even if you already know what is going to happen afterward?”
Luna Rosie raised her tear-stricken face and looked the shaman in the eye. “Is there no other way I can get my body back? Please? Please help me,” she said in desperation.
The shaman fell silent for a few moments, thinking about something, then he finally said, “Of course there is a way…” His voice trailed off.
Luna Rosie inhaled sharply. There is hope? Her heart beat rapidly, feeling hopeful and excited. “What is the other way? Tell me now. I’m willing to do anything just to get my life back! Please tell me now!” she demanded.
“Are you sure you are willing to do anything to get your life back no matter what the price?" the shaman studied her face closely and saw how desperate she was.
“Yes! No matter what the price, as long as I can get my body back I’m willing to do anything,” she said in a pleading tone, tears cascading on her cheeks.
“OK. I understand your desperation. I can give you another way to get your life back,” the shaman said, moved by her desperate pleas.
“Bring it on, I’m ready to do everything,” Luna Rosie said in a determined tone.
The shaman seemed to be hesitating to speak for a moment because he was about to drop another bomb on the poor souls' heads.
The trio waited in agony for like a century for the shaman to speak again.
Then finally, the shaman broke his silence. “Alright since you insisted, I will tell you the other way…” He paused for a minute then took a deep breath and said, “You will get your body back but Mira and the baby will die. Please choose wisely.”