Chapter 9 — Cursed Witch and Pure Hatred

I wasn't angry but maybe it was the puzzlement that made me stomp my feet as I entered her…empty room. My pace slowed when I didn't see her.

"Princess Yohan?" I called, a bit tensed. I felt Yulen's presence behind me. He walked deeper inside, his head moving side to side, as if looking too.

"Princess—"

Giggles.

I stopped when I heard her, the slight fear vanished. In the blink of an eye, I saw a red smoke in front of me starting to expand. Then, the floating tiny creature slowly materialized from the smoke. Her red glowing eyes were smiling at me.

Yulen growled and left. The elevator sounded as it descend.

"How are you, Princess Ciara? You look disturbed." She went to me and pulled my hands so I can sit in the edge of the bed. My other hand tightened on the book. "Let me guess, you aren't satisfied with the answers from it, are you?"

I sighed. "You're right. And I came here to seek answers from you…"

"Of course, princess," she said. She took the book away from my hand and stared at me straight in the eyes.

The red eyes are very open for me now to see. It is dark, almost the color of blood. I don't know what to feel. Be intimidated? Be amazed? But fearing it is out of the options because I know that a pair of bloody red eyes is less scary than a pair of green one and a colorful other.

"I have another way to tell you everything that I know, Princess Ciara. But that requires some of my strength."

"What do you mean?"

She smiled and stayed silent for a while. I cleared my throat, snapping her out of trance.

"Never mind that! So…" she held my two hands and stared at me possibly deeper. "Are you ready, Princess Ciara?"

I nodded eagerly. "I want to know the answers to my questions…"

"Not all of them… but," she smiled, "I will show you."

My mouth opened to speak but no words came out of it when in the blink of Princess Yohan's eyes, everything turned black.

I can see nothing aside from complete darkness. No direction for me to see, nor light to lead me out of this place. I can hear nothing aside from the deafening silence wrapping my ears. I can't move nor say anything and weirdly as it is, I can't even feel my own body!

I waited and after a momentary confusion, I heard an indistinct chatter. It was chanting something that I cannot comprehend. Something I haven't heard before.

At first, her voice was low and hissing, but it started to grow louder. The words became fast, strong, and scary! Venomous and menacing as if spoken words are used to inflict something evil.

I want to cover my ear but I couldn't so I endured it. And after a loud boom, the chatter disappeared, replaced with a woman's soft voice.

"Ciaorus, I have to tell you something important…"

"What is it, Handrea?"

"I am not what you think I am. I am…"

"You're… a w-witch?!"

"I told you because I love you. And I trust that no matter what you learned about me, your love for me won't change!"

"I c-can't love someone like you, Handrea! I was wrong! I'm sorry..."

There are loud screams filling my ears. And the dark vision turned into something. People are running hysterically at different directions, frenzied and yelling as they ran away.

There was a woman wearing a black cloak, walking ignorantly among the crowd. Her face is a beauty, but her eyes are so black, I can't see any glisten in it.  Maybe just the fire reflected somewhere in the burning houses as she lifted her hand and snapped her finger.

The whole place became silent, the people stopped in their tracks. Their movements were cut and it doesn't looked real but it is! They aren't moving!

"Handrea…" she said and turned. There were two other women. The same as her, hidden in the black hoods of their cloaks. One took off her cover and her eyes revealed. Two golden eyes, glowed against the lit houses. Her pupils are home for the colors that never stopped swirling and spinning inside. She moved it to stare at the woman who called her.

"It's your turn…"

"I know…"

Then, her eyes started to change shades. The pupils unleashed the caged colors and they started to cloud her whole eyes. The gold was gone, the rainbows took over which danced restlessly in their freedom. It was enchanting, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. The eyes, the colors… It definitely took my breath away!

"Splendid!" The other woman said that pulled me out of fascination. Then, the three of them started to walk away while I was left hanging.

What was that?!

But then, I saw what it was. The people who was all alive and stopped by time a while ago, are already in the ground! Flesh after flesh, burnt and cracked. Coaled without the hint of fire nor cinders that engulfed them but I know better why! That Castherra woman killed them all!

So that was how a Castherra kills? That's what my eyes look like in the midst of killing someone? It clouds my eyes so all I can see are beautiful things?

It was real fascinating and magical and I hate that I enjoyed watching it despite what it does to everyone.

"That's the woman who was rejected by the King…" said the voice of Princess Yohan. That eased me a bit knowing that she's with me here in this horrifying place.

"She was the one who started the chaos… The witch behind my people's suffering and yours."

I see the chaos in the lands and the departure the three witches made after killing so many people. Yet, Yohan's voice continued.

"They jumped from cities to cities, especially in Anestherra where they live first. But the Hymea witch, the witch that can stop time and manipulate space, she had an affair with the king of Anestherra. With my father.

It happened during their stop-over in the city to rest and hide. But the witch and my father saw each other and the sinful night happened. She made my father choose between her and the queen. My father chose my mother, his real love. That he was just tempted and he was wrong. But the witch, didn't took his sincere apology, and the chaos started again.

With the Castherra and the Tanathia, they tried to destroy Anestherra but they failed. They cannot put a single spell in it, nor a curse. An unknown barrier was there to protect the whole nation. So they went away and found out about Haldorre. Where the only daughter of the king and queen lives. That was how the Hymea witch cursed me and this city…"

There was a long pause of silence and everything was back to darkness. I thought she's gone. But I was wrong.

She emerged from the dark. Her red physique glowed wonderfully around her. But I saw a constant rainbow smoke coming off from her eyes. What is that? But I cannot speak.

The glow highlighted even more, giving me the ability to see what's around her. People… lots of them. Walking, chatting, and having fun. Kids were playing around and their tiny giggles echoed in my ear. There's a group of women, standing in front of a rich woman, presenting some beautifully designed gowns. The Raven sisters?!

That made me realize what I am seeing. They are the people of Haldorre!

"Now you know how and why this city is cursed, Princess. It is time that you also learn what you really are."

What am I? I wanted to ask. As if hearing it, Princess Yohan smiled and answered.

"You are a Castherra. The strongest and rarest kind of witch. You bring life and death to anyone. But you have all the same weaknesses…"

What is it? Tell me!

"You are a cursed witch, Princess Ciara…"

*

"Castherra are cursed since they were born. Every one of them are feared by other witches because they can simply take their lives away. But it changed one day which took a single lucky discovery and overflowing hatread."

Yohan's voice was replaced by Handrea's soft yet menacing one.

"Now is the time to invade Praia Uretah." Her voice became different compared to the way she talked to King Ciaorus before. It was soft and soothing. But maybe the misery had turned her tone into pretty much the opposite. It became cold, lifeless, and most of all, it is always laced with restrained anger.

I saw a scene where the three of them are riding a horse and raced it until they are starting the familiar borders of Uretah, our kingdom. The Tanathia comes first and laughed evilly when she beat the other two witches. They seemed real friends, having a normal fun.

When they reached the border, their horses halted. They will have to face the guards soon.

"I'll take this one," said the Tanathia, with obvious confidence. She dismounted the horse and walked nearer the gates. There were two guards who approached her midway, both have their swords aimed at her, their shields on display.

"Stop this instant, woman!" shouted the guard. There was fear and tremble on his voice but he obviously disregarded it.

"Didn't you know that no one are allowed to visit neighboring kingdoms these days?!"

The Tanathia stopped walking.

"We're sorry, gentlemen. You don't know but we have a rendezvous with the king..."

The witch pulled down her hood and the two guards were shocked to see her eyes but with one finger snapped, they were immobilized. The witches smirked and advanced more towards the gate. Guards who saw what happened from afar started to attack them but every man who went near the Tanathia was stopped in their paths and never had the ability to move a single muscle afterwards.

The other guards went running back because they know that they have no power against these witches. The Hymea and Castherra witch maneuvered their horse to catch up to those guards. The Tanathia rode on her own horse and followed. She raced it to the two and came first. She was nearing the gates, the guards already went inside and started to close it. But because it was so big, it was closing painfully slow and they were terrified. The Tanathia is very near and when she passed the gate, a loud force struck her and she was strongly thrown backwards. Farther than the two stunned witches. She hit the ground rolling, earning a devastated cry from her lips.

On the other hand, the guard in the closing gate was both relieved and shocked, too. Until the two large wooden gates are closed and they were safe from the three sorceresses.

"They cannot enter Uretah..." Priness Yohan stated the obvious. "Like how they cannot enter Anestherra..."

The Tanathia was angry and stood in front of the gate, casting her arms and chanting some incomprehensible words, curse. Nothing was happening, she couldn't do it. But she did not stop. Until there were blood that fell from her nose, maybe used up all her energy and magic. Until they have no choice but to fall back.

"What is wrong with that place?!" The Tanathia's spiteful voice came in.

"It's not the place, Irien. There's someone who is going against us..." said the new voice. Must be the Hymea. "Someone, as strong as us. Or maybe stronger."

"Another witch? Are there any who's stronger than a Castherra?"

There was silence after Irien's voice.

"What are you being quiet for, Handrea? Care to share to us why this happened?"

"How would she know, Irien?"

"I don't know, Olivia. But maybe she knows something why we cannot destroy anything now?!"

The three witches started to have an argument. The Tanathia was upset that their plan didn't go well. Destroying minor lands was just a prelude to their bigger scheme. But now that they are doing it, they failed. One thing for sure, another witch is protecting these kingdoms. Anestherra and Uretah.

"They tried to invade other kingdoms, too, and they succeeded. They reached the land of Solitia and Ellinboe and both kingdoms tasted their even fired up wrath."

The three sisters, after killing and leaving bloodsheds in the two kingdoms, went back to Praia Uretah and tried to enter it again. But they once again failed and gave up.

"No one knew where they were off to. Maybe back in their homes, in the forest. Are they alive or dead, no one knows exactly. The lands went back to its prosperous state and they rose up from the devastation brought by the witches. They forgot about them and went back to living their peaceful lives..."

I saw another scene. The three witches are surrounded with a stormy weather. It is familiar to me because every year, this happens to the whole nation. The stormy season where the wind is raging and could blow off anything with fragile foundations. They carrry along with them the flowers, the animals, the trees if not attended to properly. No one goes outside when the storm comes because it is capable of killing anyone in its way. Yet, the three witches, they stood still amidst the storm. They are unaffected by it. A force field enclosing them and the wild winds neglecting them.

But same with the fuming environment, is their conversation. They were quarelling over something. The Tanathia and Hymea directed their angry eyes to the Castherra.

"You are a traitor, Handrea! You made us believe that you were just all out for revenge! You took advantage of our powers so you can do what you want!" shouted Irien. She slashed something on the air, yet with one look of Castherra's eyes, the attack of pointed air vanished. That made her hiss.

"Let's just leave, Irien. We don't have anything to do now." Olivia started to pull Irien away from there. The force field adjusting to their paths. Irien pushed her hands away and even attacked Handrea more. She kept on slashing on the air but Handrea will just repel it.

"Irien, stop it!"

"No, Olivia! We're not leaving until this traitor gets what she deserves! You lied to us, Handrea! We exposed ourselves just to help you get even to that man but it was you all along, using us to get to him!"

"I'm sorry..." It was all that Handrea can say to them. Irien glared at her and stopped slashing in the air. But it wasn't her final attempt to hurt her. She clasped her hands together and focused her eyes to Handrea who was now troubled of what she's going to do. Even Olivia.

"Irien, whatever you're trying to do. Stop it!"

"She needs to pay what she had done to us, Olivia."

"It's not worth it! You cannot hurt her, she's a Castherra! Just let her be, Irien!"

The latter didn't listen to the Hymea. The storm around them worsened when Irien's pair of black eyes started to turn into a shade of gray, slowly becoming light. Threathening to become a pair of white. Handrea backed away, trembled a bit, and held her tummy. Her eyes started to color, too, as they watered. I don't know what she's feeling with all of these. I can't name her tears. I don't know if she is afraid or angry. But what Irien is doing is surely scaring her. The colors started to escape her pupils. She wants to fight back.

"You're going to kill me?" Irien muttered, her eyes starting to pale in lightness. Her hairs growing white, too. "Kill me, Handrea. After you fool us, kill us... That's what you were planning to do from the beginning, right?"

Handrea's eyes went back to its normal golden color. Her tears fell in her cheeks as she sobbed. The Hymea cried, too, but obviously couldn't do anything.

Irien laughed, unclasped her hands and lifted it to the sides. There were gray air and force visible, encircling rapidly her arms.

"My life will bind the curse that I shall cast upon you and your descendants, Handrea... You will be cursed by other witches who you scared for thousands of years with your petty abilities... You may take our lives or give it to us... but from this day, you cannot do something upon the curse that I gave you. Witches will curse you, like I did... They will make everyone of you suffer! One life, one curse..."

After her loud and menacing laugh, there was lightning from the sky. It struck the Tanathia witch and she was aflamed. Yet, she remained laughing. The Hymea was stunned and the Castherra was engulfed by the gray air coming from Irien's body. Handrea started screaming painfully and they both floated in the air.

Irien stopped laughing and finally felt the flames burning her flesh. She was screaming painfully until she stared up at the sky with agonizing white, lifeless eyes. The lightning struck her again and all that's left was her white ashes, falling down the ground. Handrea fell unconsciously on the ground and I can't see anything anymore.

I gasped loudly when everything went back to normal. The illusionary scenarios were gone. I am back to Princess Yohan's quiet and dim-litted room. Still catching my breath, I looked around. My mouth dropped when I saw her lying on the bed beside me, her breaths shallower than mine. And most of all, she was crying blood!