For the freezing Blood Brew that even Shade found unbearable, the witch still drank it in one gulp, her face turning blue as she shivered. The two little girls hugged each other, sipping the Blood Brew bit by bit and warming one another.
After they finished their drinks, the blood the witch had brought was distributed among everyone.
Though the blood she had brought carried a fishy smell, it was surprisingly not red, but blue. Looking closely at the liquid in the glass, one could even see faint lights glimmering within it like stars in the Star Sea.
"This is the blood of a Star Sea Whale. Each Star Whale passes through the Material World only once every three hundred years or so. They are creatures somewhere between physical beings and astral bodies. I waited from the age of fifty-six until seventy-eight before one finally appeared in the skies of the Material World. My wish was to break through to the Ninth Order of Witches. I knew I had no chance of taking another step forward, but I truly could not accept it. I could not accept it."
The Blood Brew made from Star Sea Whale blood had no bloody taste at all. Drinking it caused no discomfort either. Shade even felt as though he had vaguely touched upon the Power of the Stars.
After drinking an entire cup of the blue liquid, faint, almost imperceptible specks of starlight appeared in the eyes of all the mortals present. By asking the old man beside him, Shade learned that his own eyes showed similar signs.
Even the witch did not know why this was happening. After all, no one had ever drunk such a thing before. Shade could only hope this was not a permanent change.
"At last, some blood of