Silence

Chapter 16

"I've shared memories with humans before and this has never happened."

"Those humans were not pure of heart like she is."

The more Sebastian thought about that, the more it made sense. He had only shared memories with people he was contracted to, and anyone who was willing to sell their soul to a demon certainly did not qualify as pure of heart.

He had begun to have feelings for Adalina immediately after sharing her memories, and he distinctly remembered having a strange feeling the moment they disconnected and the feeling only growing as time went on.

The Oracle put her hands behind her back and walked a bit of a distance away from him before saying coyly, "If it helps, she returns your affections."

Sebastian's brow furrowed in confusion. "How can she be pure of heart if she is attracted to a demon?"

She turned back around to face him and slowly walked back over to him. "Purity doesn't mean perfection. And in any case, she is drawn to you. Not that which makes you a demon. She is drawn to your willingness to protect her. She is drawn to the part of you that is gentle with her. She is drawn to the part of you that truly does care for Ciel, and we both know it's there. She is drawn to the way you make her feel safe. She is drawn to you because you are the only one who understands her even though she does not speak."

The Oracle spryly hopped up onto the couch and sat on the back of it. Sebastian flinched at the sight of her bare feet on the furniture.

"And this is just me talking here, but I think if she knew how much control you exhibit around her in order to not upset her or make her uncomfortable, she'd be drawn to you even more. I'm serious, you really have the most control I have ever seen from a demon. A good majority of demons would've killed Adalina the moment they saw her because she is a pure of heart being. You must've trained yourself to not be affected by pure beings. It's the only way you could've lasted this long."

"If all of that is true, is it even possible for a being like me to be with someone like her?"

"It is possible, but it will require great sacrifice."

"What do you mean? What must I do?"

"In order to be with Adalina, you will have to give up your life as a demon...and become like her."

"You mean...I have to become human?"

"Yes."

The mere thought of becoming something as low as a human was disgusting to him. How could he possibly become part of the species he despised? He found humans rather interesting as he studied their desires and actions, but actually becoming one was another matter altogether.

"You said she is drawn to me because I understand her," he clarified. "I understand her because I can sense her emotions which helps me guess what she is thinking."

"You can do that as a human to some degree. You can do all of the things she is drawn to you for even as a human to some degree. Especially with the right persuasion." When Sebastian didn't answer, she added, "I know what you're thinking. Because you're a demon, you could just do something to darken her heart so she won't be pure anymore and then you won't have to become human. Sorry, but it doesn't work like that. She would have to do something herself to darken her own heart, but if she does end up doing whatever that may be, it will break her completely. She'll never be the same. I would keep that in mind."

"How...how would I even go about becoming a human?" he asked.

"Adalina must kiss you of her own free will, and you must be willing and ready to accept the change. You must know that you only get one chance. If the transformation does not occur on the first kiss, the both of you will be forever doomed to live apart as separate beings for eternity."