In an awkward situation, Mr. Valdez was facing Switch, the dark witch. It was their first meeting, and we were in their magic shop.
"So, this handsome guy already knows your secret?" Switch glanced in my direction where I stood next to Ervine, helping him arrange the merchandise.
Today, we were in our normal bodies, and we brought Mr. Valdez here because he wanted to meet Switch.
"So, you're the infamous witch. Why don't you just remove the curse you placed on them?" Mr. Valdez asked, his tone serious.
Even though they had just met, it seemed like they had known each other for a long time from the way he spoke to Switch.
"Ugh! Did you really spill everything to Mr. Handsome here?" Switch rolled her eyes and shifted her gaze towards me and my sister.
"How much do you want? I'll pay!" Mr. Valdez reached for his wallet, but Switch interrupted him.
"It seems like you don't understand, Mr. Rich Boy. Love cannot be bought with money! Do you get it?"
"So, I just have to love Carmen, and she has to love me back, for the curse to be lifted, and for her to return to her original body?" Mr. Valdez asked, hopeful.
"Hey, hey! Are you dreaming, Alejandro?" my sister chimed in while petting Misha, Ervine's beloved cat, who surprisingly seemed to like her.
"Is Mr. Rich Boy here really your forever, Bouncy Boobs?" Switch teased my sister.
She always enjoyed teasing Ate. In the midst of their banter, I noticed Ervine was silent. He leaned against a wall, appearing short of breath. I immediately approached him, concerned, as I saw him weaken and clutch his chest as if something was hurting inside him.
"E-Ervine? Are you okay? W-what's happening to you?" I hurriedly went to his side, supporting him with my arms. I called everyone's attention to help Ervine.
"What happened to the little rat? Is he okay?" Ate Carmen asked, worriedly.
Switch approached and waved her hand in the air, uttering the words, "Orea, ilaih, majika, nepetrum, portalum!!"
Switch conjured magic in the air, creating a portal. She instructed us to carry Ervine into the portal. Mr. Valdez helped me, as he carried the weakened Ervine. I was afraid, hoping that nothing bad would happen to him.
We all entered the portal, and Switch closed her magic shop to focus on the ailing Ervine. When we arrived inside their home, Switch immediately ordered us to take Ervine to his room, and we followed her. Mr. Valdez laid Ervine gently on the bed, holding his chest as if in pain. I felt a mix of fear and worry, and I sat beside him, trying to calm him down.
"Ervine," I whispered,
I held his hand, feeling its coldness. Switch approached, carrying a potion. I couldn't help but ask.
"What is that potion for?"
She opened the potion's lid. It was red and had a sweet candy-like smell. Switch held Ervine's head and poured the contents of the potion into his mouth, then pressed her lips to his, as if transferring the potion through a kiss. After emptying the potion, Ervine seemed at ease.
The warmth returned to his palm, and he no longer looked distressed. Ervine fell into a peaceful sleep, free from the pain he had been experiencing earlier.
"How is the little rat? Is he okay now?" my sister anxiously asked Switch.
"Yes, don't worry. This happens to him from time to time." Switch stood up, her face showing concern for her ward.
"I gave him the 'Calm Potion.' It's a magic potion that soothes the body, especially when someone is experiencing intense pain—not just physical, but spiritual pain."
"W-What do you mean?" I asked in confusion.
"The pain he feels is not physical. It's a pain caused by his past."
"I've sensed something about him for a long time. What's wrong with him?"
My voice rose out of extreme worry. I couldn't understand what was happening to Ervine. I wanted to know about him!
Switch stood in front of the door, gesturing for us to follow her. I nodded in response, and we all stepped out of Ervine's room. Before completely leaving the room, I noticed a photograph. I picked it up and examined it closely. There is a picture of an elderly man and woman, separate pictures that have been put together. The woman bears a resemblance to Ervine, doesn't she?
"Those are his parents. He secretly took a photo of his mom and dad and merged the pictures in a frame."
I was startled when Switch suddenly spoke. She took the picture and returned it to where it was placed earlier. I felt saddened upon hearing about the picture. Surely, Ervine also longed for his real parents. It meant that they were still alive, and Ervine knew who his true parents were.
"W-Why doesn't he introduce himself to his parents? Maybe they are also looking for him?"
"I told him before, but Ervine himself doesn't want to reveal himself to them. For him, his parents are already dead. It's normal for him to be angry at the people who abandoned him on the sidewalk, right?" Switch replied with a disappointed tone.
I couldn't blame him. Being abandoned by his real parents on a sidewalk must have been a painful experience for Ervine.
I felt saddened by what I heard from Switch. We left the room and headed to a long table where Switch revealed Ervine's true identity. Switch served us tea and cookies while we quietly listened to her story.
After Switch narrated Ervine's story, tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't help but cry at the sad truth about Ervine's identity. Ervine Morales, using the name given by Switch, was cursed by Switch herself! When she found the baby on the sidewalk, the baby was on the brink of death due to cold and hunger.
In order to provide the baby with the proper remedy, Switch used her magic to save the baby, Ervine. Switch had no choice but to use powerful magic, or the baby would have died.
However, there was a corresponding punishment for her actions. She extended the baby's life when it should have already been gone from this world.
She placed a curse on the baby, a curse that he would live and grow up to be brave and resilient. In exchange for the life given by Switch, Ervine's heart was unable to love. If he were to fall in love, his chest would tighten, and his heart would writhe until he lost his life.
This is the reason why Ervine hides his presence from people and doesn't want to get close to anyone. Ervine uses a 'Presence Potion,' which, when consumed, makes your presence vanish, and people around you won't notice you.
That's why my classmates in school don't see him, and even inside the magic shop, his presence is concealed. Switch often interacts with people, while Ervine only cleans and organizes the magic shop. That's also why he's not known by people at school.
Now I understand. Is this why he said I couldn't fall in love with him? If that's the case, why does his heart ache?
"So the little rat is in love?" Ate Carmen suddenly interrupted. She stood up and leaned against the wall while looking at Switch.
"I think ever since he met both of you, he started feeling the presence around him, his locked-up heart started to feel! Especially when he met Charlotte, your arrival had a significant impact on Ervine's life."
"Is there still hope to break the curse on Ervine's heart?" I asked shyly. I sat there, hunched over, consumed by nervousness. I was curious about what Switch would say, I wanted to know if--
"Oi! Lottie, don't tell me you have feelings for that rat?" Ate raised an eyebrow when she noticed me.
My heart started beating faster now. Besides worrying about Ervine, there was something heavy inside me that wanted to break free.
"The curse will be lifted if his heart willingly opens up to true love, a change of hearts, as they say. It requires an internal change and forgiveness. Once he forgives the person he hates, the curse will immediately be lifted!"
"That's heavy! Forgiving is not that easy, especially when someone has done a great wrong to you!" I firmly stated.
"I know! That's why, until now... Ervine still lives with anger and resentment! He can't forgive his parents who abandoned him on the sidewalk!"
"All this talk about love! Change of hearts, act of true love, true love's kiss? We're not in fairy tale books! True love isn't real! It doesn't exist!" Ate emphasized.
"You're so bitter, are you a bitter gourd?" Switch replied with a philosophical tone to my sassy sister.
"Love is important, what would the world be without it? Only evil would prevail in people's hearts." We all fell silent after Switch's statement.
I stayed behind at Switch's house while my sister and Mr. Valdez went home. I wanted to keep an eye on Ervine for a little longer. As they left, Switch bid me farewell.
"I'll just check on the magic shop. You take care of Ervine for now. Let me know where I am when he wakes up, I'll come back immediately."
"O-Okay, I'll take care of him for now."