Chapter 32 The Wish Fulfilling Lamp

Chapter 32 The Wish Fulfilling Lamp
🌟 Seraphina 🌟

I understand him, he's a king and it's most certainly embarrassing to be caught up in events like this. But fate wasn't handwritten by me, so we just have to go with whatever flow.

A woman emerged, middle-aged and strong, her eyes bright with warmth. She wiped her hands on a flour-dusted apron, smiling in a way that seemed to promise safety. “Welcome,” she called, her voice carrying a comforting familiarity that clashed oddly with the wildness of our journey. “I am Liora.”

Garin interfered again, “Hehehe,meet the lady of the house.” He said to us before turning to Liora, as introduced. “They need firewood lights to prepare their meat. But before that, they can't be left hungry.”

Lady Liora smiled sweetly at us, “Come inside, and I’ll get the firewood ready for you both.”

I looked to Elias, whose eyes were scanning the surroundings, as always, ever cautious. My stomach gave an impatient rumble at the mention of food, a gentle but persistent reminder that we had ridden too far on empty. I pressed my hand lightly against my abdomen.

At Elias's click of tongue, I took a step forwards, the warmth the inside exude was home calling as it brushed against my cheek. I could already perceive the strong scent of herbs. I had never been this impatient to eat. The home was calling as if it was ready to welcome me… a stranger.

All I knew was to settle down quickly.

But before we could step fully inside, a second sound cut through the calm — deliberate, heavy steps. The gate swung open wider, and a man walked in.

We all turned at once.

“Robert!” Garin laughed, clapping his hands in delight. “My friend!”

I blinked. Robert. The man that everyone else saw. But my eyes, my perception, betrayed me.

To me, he shimmered, twisting, a shadow coalescing into the familiar, unnerving outline of the Curse Bearer. My pulse stuttered, my stomach tightening with a mix of fear and fascination. The storm of presence he carried filled the air, curling around me like smoke, invisible to anyone else.

He exuded magic. He's not Robert, he's the Curse Bearer.

He then turned to look at the flabbergasted me, smirking, it was sharp and it was almost seemingly mocking. “Welcome to Garin’s family,” he said smoothly, his voice however carried fire that burned me alive from within.

It was two encounters with him in a day, what could he be planning?

Are Garin and Liora part of his scheme? Is this why this home is home calling?

I froze, caught between Elias's hard stare that seemed to rip my soul off from its body and the impossibility before me. Then, impossibly, he leaned slightly, his tone teasing, and asked, “And the man beside you… is he your husband?”

My eyes darted to Elias, and I found myself holding my breath. He was staring at the same impossible figure, his gaze intense, calculating. His jaw tightened slightly, and I realized the truth: we were the only two who could see him. The others around us — Liora, Garin, the children running about — had no inkling that a storm had walked through their doorway.

The man they saw as their friendly Robert was the Curse Bearer. That brings me to ask myself if The Curse Bearer had possessed the man's soul taking over his physical appearance to us or the man and this family was part of the game.

I swallowed, forcing my heart to slow its frantic rhythm. Liora clapped her hands, drawing me back to the immediate world. “Come inside, everyone!” she said warmly.

I exhaled, shrugging off my unease with a small, polite smile. If the world around me could not see him, then I would keep my fear, my awareness, to myself — for now. I followed Liora and Elias into the house, the wooden floorboard suddenly cold beneath my feet.

The air that was once thick with comfort had mercilessly been replaced with nothing but cold air which I think is only felt by three of us.

The scent of food still lingered in the house, the hunger that had been threatening to tear open my stomach barely resurfaced. It had been replaced by the fear of The Curse Bearer.

I fear him because he cursed me, and he has my Sunstone with him. He could put me in danger.

The corners of the house had one or two things placed there, it was either dried herbs, clay pots or neatly stacked firewood. Each object showed the everyday life of this family

We settled at a wide wooden chair, covered with soft fabrics, and Liora handed us water first. I lifted the cup, letting the cool liquid slide down my throat, and immediately my stomach rumbled again — louder this time, insistent, undeniable.

Heads turned. Laughter erupted around the table. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Elias’s eyes flicked to mine, and I could tell he was equally mortified, though he tried to hide it behind a composed exhale. I couldn’t help but press a hand lightly to my mouth and stifle a laugh of my own.

“Well,” Liora said, smiling, “at least it’s honest. But I think you’ll want something more substantial soon enough.”

And indeed, soon after, food arrived — steaming bowls of root vegetables, roasted meat, and fresh bread. The scent made my stomach twist with urgency, yet I fought to maintain composure. I reached for a piece of bread, warm and fragrant, and took a small bite. It was more than sustenance; it was a reminder of humanity, of safety, of a fleeting normalcy that we had almost forgotten.

I had for once thought The Curse Bearer's appearance would make me lose my reasoning…in fact that was it when I first set my eyes on him in this compound, but my desperation for good supersedes everything.

Liora and Garin moved about the room efficiently, preparing firewood for the hearth. She turned to him with a nod. “Garin, let's go prepare the firewood for the couple.”

With a nod and a quick smile, the couple left, closing the door behind them. And suddenly, the warmth of the room seemed to constrict, charged with tension. Elias, the steady presence beside me, and the Curse Bearer — looming, smirking, impossible — were now the only occupants of the room. With the guard that was standing behind his eyes fixed ahead acting as no one important in the room.

I allowed myself a few bites, letting the flavors wash over me, a fleeting indulgence. But the voice of the Curse Bearer cut through the quiet like a scalpel.

“This,” he said, low, deliberate, “is the first game of ‘Who Is Watching Who.’”

I froze, chopsticks midway to my mouth. The warmth of the room seemed to retreat, the cozy light of the hearth now insufficient against the storm of his presence.

Elias’s gaze sharpened, focused on the figure opposite us. He leaned slightly forward, unblinking, as if measuring the distance between us and reality. My heart pounded, but I refused to let it show.

I dropped the food I had been holding, letting it thud against the wooden table. The Curse Bearer leaned closer to the center of the table, producing an object from within his cloak.

A lamp?

Isn't it?

It didn't seem so. This was not the kind of lamp I've seen here. I wracked my brain, staring at the lamp consistently. Until it came back to me, the lamp was small and golden, its brass surface etched with swirling, delicate patterns. A thin spout curved outward, a smooth handle looping behind it. From its seams, a soft, golden glow pulsed, and a faint hum vibrated through the air, as if the lamp itself breathed with hidden power.

Oh oh oh! I know it, it's the wish lamp.

But, what is it doing with The Curse Bearer? What is going on?

Elias’s gaze did not waver for long,he recovered quicker. Of course he was seeing this as child play. He didn't know what that object placed on the table was.

This kind of lamp had only been seen in a magical history book. I recognized this lamp because I read the book that had the drawing in it.

He tilted the lamp slightly, and the golden carvings cast strange symbols onto the table. They shifted, rearranging themselves in patterns that suggested movement, life, and perhaps intent. My stomach, momentarily forgotten, quivered nervously at the sight.

“Curious, isn’t it?” His voice was low, almost amused. “A lamp to begin a game of observation. Tell me, Princess, can you see what is hidden… without being told?”

I swallowed, letting my hands fall to the table’s edge.

He then continued, “You know what this is right? You have two choices.”