Once the shattered remains of Kira's tea cup were swept away, her auntie returned to the room with an amused expression. Nothing seemed to phase the older woman, but Kira was apparently alarmed by the idea of any sort of curse. Hercules didn't seem particularly confident either, but he also seemed reluctant to take the older woman for her word.
“You were always such a clumsy little thing, baby,” Kira’s Auntie smiled, and Kira’s cheeks grew warm from embarrassment. “With that incident out of the way, and…,” the older woman paused, considering her niece. “With no breakables in Kira’s hand, let’s continue our little conversation, shall we? Hercules, dear, what do you know about curses? Specifically, the Orlando family curse?” She hummed, stirring her tea for a long moment before taking a sip. Hercules and Kira exchanged glances, and the ghost man cleared his throat before speaking.
“I’m sorry miss, ah…,” he paused, and the older woman smirked.
"Just call me Auntie, child," she crooned. His face twisted in uncertainty, but Kira gave him a slight nudge. It was evident he was in no place to argue.
“Alright… Auntie. I must apologize, but I’ve never heard of such a curse. I’ve always been told curses were old folk stories,” Hercules murmured. Kira’s Auntie nodded, resuming stirring her tea.
“Of course, dear. That’s what people would have you believe. After all, if people thought curses were real, don’t you think they’d spend a lot more effort trying to resolve them?” She retorted. Hercules seemed at a loss for words, so Kira stepped in to take over.
“So… you think Hercules is cursed? Is that why he’s a ghost?” Kira inquired softly. She set the diary on the table, and it began to quake violently as Kira’s Auntie drew it towards herself. She tapped the cover, once, twice, then the diary fell open to the very page Kira had marked. Auntie hummed to herself as she read over the pages, speaking in tongues that neither Kira nor Hercules could understand. After a long moment, Auntie fell silent and the words on the pages began to fade.
“Oh, honey. The curse is why he’s dead. Being a ghost just means there’s still a chance,” the older woman said with a smile. Kira watched in confusion as the red ink from the pages disappeared entirely, turning her attention to her Auntie once more.
“Why are the words disappearing? Has something gone wrong?” Kira said haltingly, and Hercules rested a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“What do you mean when you say there’s still a chance?” He asked for his part, and it seemed that something akin to hope was blooming in his chest.
"One at a time, children, Lord. Didn't your mommas teach you any manners?" Auntie sighed, closing the book and pushing it towards Kira. "The words are disappearing because I broke the blood seal. Tricky things, blood seals. It should cease all that screaming it's been doing, in any case," she murmured. She turned her attention to Hercules, quirking her lips in an excited smile. "As for your question… if you had not remained on this earth in some form, there would have been no breaking the curse. However, as you have stayed on the spectral plane, that means you can break it. You could potentially be returned to the mortal plane if things were to go just so," she said eagerly. Hercules tilted his head curiously, seeming to not understand. Kira, however, brightened immediately when she realized what her Auntie meant.
“He can be brought back to life?” Kira blurted, and Hercules turned wide eyes towards the both of them.
“Bingo,” the older woman grinned. “Now, it’s just a matter of laying this curse to rest,” she continued softly, meeting Kira’s gaze.
“H-how do we do that?” Hercules asked incredulously.
“Well, I can’t spoil all the fun, can I? That’s for you and Kira to find out. However, I would be quick about it. After so long, your spirit will lose all ties to this world. After that… well, I’m sure you get the idea,” Auntie said with some finality. Kira’s eyes widened in shock, and she began to sputter out protests. Her Auntie was quick to silence her, however, guiding Kira and Hercules to the door and all but shoving them outside. “It was so very nice to see you two. Good luck, now. Come see Auntie again once you get everything figured out,” the older woman grinned. Then, the door was slammed shut in their faces. Kira shouted out angrily, banging on the door only to receive the sound of laughter in reply. Hercules made an attempt to phase through the door, but could not make it through. Defeated, they stepped away from the door and turned to face one another.
"So… we're back to square one, basically," Hercules said drolly. Kira sighed, realizing the diary was on the ground between them. She quirked a brow, leaning down to pick it up.
“At least we have this... and the knowledge that you’re cursed…,” she trailed off. He frowned, the intense sadness of his stare sending unpleasant chills down Kira’s spine.
"The knowledge that we have a time limit as well," he babbled. Kira inhaled shakily, drawing him close into her arms.
"We'll figure this out. Either way, we simply have to enjoy what time we have together," Kira murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. "Let's go home, maybe we'll find something more in the diary," she said, trying to remain confident. Hercules cast a final lingering glance at her Auntie's door, breathing a resigned sigh.
“I simply wish she could have told us more,” he muttered.
She couldn’t agree more.