A/N: The book and author referenced in this chapter are fictitious and any similarities to actual books and anyone with that name living or deceased is purely coincidental.

Beauty had a hard time sleeping after telling her father about Obsidian, even though she felt like she'd done the right thing. Naga's words lingered even now in the dead of night like a soft hiss: Those who would dare to harm us will find us no matter how well hidden we are. That left Beauty with questions like: When the last time someone with malintent had gone into Obsidian's forest? Did more people actually know what was really going on in there while pretending not to or could they only see what they wished like Naga had stated? Did this have anything to do with the curse Obsidian said had been cast on him by an enchantress? Was it the type Obsidian could talk about the details of in depth or had his answer been as much as he was able to say?

She had no answers to any of those things swirling around inside her brain, so eventually she gave up on trying to sleep and looked through her book hoarde to see if she had anything that might contain clues. She had a lot of fantasy and science-fiction novels and had always believed they had some form of truth inside them even before she met Obsidian. Maybe it was because she'd wanted those worlds to exist when times were difficult and she needed an escape, yet now faced with actual magic she didn't know what to think. She'd always felt pride in being well-educated because her father had taught her to study out everything for herself instead of taking his word as truth, but this wasn't something that had been even considered real by most.

The title Magic: Reality Or Myth? caught her eye and she curiously opened it and the first line in the forward felt like it pierced through into her soul:

If you think I am going to tell you that you picked my book on a whim, I am here to contradict you by saying you got this because when you finally read it you will have encountered magic.

A shiver ran down her spine as she continued to read:

I may not know how or when, but now you are faced with two choices: Will you accept what you have encountered or will you reason it away? Chances are if you haven't set down this book or think it is merely a fantasy story as many have, you might chose to believe. I encourage you to go to my chapter directory and find the situation that best describes your encounter, otherwise you're welcome to go through every scenario if you wish. You are free to decide if I am lying or not on your own, I am merely presenting you with what I know as reality. May you find your path as I have found mine.

Seiko Wendell.

Beauty flipped to the table of contents and looked through the list till she saw a chapter on cursed beings and turned to the page it was on.

There are many types of curses mentioned throughout what we call fairy tales today. The first type usually mentioned are the ones cast by Otherkin and human spellcasters of varying magical abilities onto those weaker or lesser talented than themselves. All of these curses were cast with specific ways they can be broken and usually those they're placed on don't know how or their tongues are bound against speaking of it. The most common way was to counter a dark spell is true love, but those who didn't want their curses broken had to come up with more creative requirements. The second type of curse is the kind that some are born, passed down through bloodlines directly or awoken inside someone after coming in contact with the curse. I am sure a few of you are thinking werewolves when you read that, but not all curses entail taking the form of what has been deemed a "monster".

Dangerous powers passed down through family lines are often viewed as curses by those who possess them, though if they don't learn how to properly use their powers it can become exactly what they perceive. This one is a little less common in the modern age since most familial abilities have been bred out thanks to widening the gene pool, though that doesn't mean the ability has been lost entirely. There have been many stories of powers or shadows thereof manifesting themselves in bloodlines where they were strongest once upon a time, but this happens so rarely and sporadically it's hard to predict when or where it will occur. Those that come from those types of families are also often more prone to becoming cursed because without magic of their own they're more vulnerable.

Beauty couldn't help but think of what Obsidian had said about being the only man left in his family and wondered if such things were also affected by gender, though that did seem rather sexist to even think.

"Beauty?"

She jumped and whirled around to see a familiar face outside her open window. "Obsidian?"

"I heard you stopped by and was coming to check on you. What are you doing still awake?"

"I couldn't sleep." She closed her book and slipped out the window to hug his muzzle. "I missed you."

He made his purr-like sound she'd come to love. "I missed you too, Beauty. I was glad Naga made sure you knew I was fine. If I had known you could visit, I would have returned from hunting sooner."

She ran a hand through his mane. "Well it wasn't like I knew I'd be finished early. After talking with Naga I came home and told my father about you. He promised to suspend disbelief till he met you."

"I am honored you consider us close enough to tell your father about me." Obsidian leaned into her touch. "Do you think he can be trusted with the path into my domain?"

She sighed. "He has never given me cause not to trust him about everything else, yet I am hesitant to share that with him. I don't know why. Maybe I am just being silly thinking it will only belong to us."

Obsidian tilted his head to one side thoughtfully. "I don't know about being silly, however I think keeping secrets from your father will only end badly."

"You're right." She admitted with a blush, embarrassed she'd even considered it. "Especially since I already made the effort to tell him about you."

"Indeed. Bring him with you when you visit next. I must go now before Naga's magic wears off."

She gave him one last lingering hug. "I will visit as soon as I can." She felt like crying as he darted off into the darkness, though she hoped they wouldn't be parted long this time.