Surrounded

Celestia Ivone's Point of View

"M-mom, Dad... they'll be fine there, right?" I ask breathlessly while we're still running away from our house.

"They will be, Celestia. For now, we really have to go as far as possible," Dad responds.

We're already inside the woods. The house I've considered as a home for the past eighteen years can no longer be seen as we keep on running.

I'm tired. My legs are slowly getting numb from all the running but I can't stop, especially when I can hear someone following us from a distance.

"They're nearing us, fuck it," Dad mumbles. "Should I transform and carry the both of you?"

Mom shakes her head, "No, save your energy. We might come across some enemies on the way."

"But I can already hear them approaching. It's just a matter of time before they reach us," dad says.

"I can help with fighting, mom, dad. I'm not weak! I know how to defend myself!" I interject into their conversation.

"We know, sweetie, but those are witches. Evil witches. And they're wicked when it comes to this so it's dangerous if we come face to face with them."

"But how about you and dad? I won't just let you fight them!"

"Sweetie, we already faced a lot of witches before. We know how to handle them. You haven't encountered one, so it would be hard for you," dad says. "Just listen to us, okay? We'll be fine. Trust us."

All three of us stopped on our track when we noticed someone standing a few meters away from us, blocking the way we were supposed to head.

It's an old woman. She has platinum blonde hair that reaches her waist. Her brows were furrowed tightly as she stood straight in front of us. Even from a distance, I could already feel her intimidating presence. She's oozing with so much confidence and power.

"Madame Yen..." Mom mutters, lips parted in shock as she stares with wide eyes at the old woman.

"Sylvia. It's nice meeting you again," the old woman said in a cold voice that sent shivers down to my spine. It was delivered nonchalantly, yet the coldness of it was evident. "How have you been?"

"Leave us alone, Madame Yen. I already left years ago. My family and I are already living independently," Mom says through gritted teeth.

The old woman raises her eyebrow as she slowly takes a step forward, making us move backwards.

"D-dad..." I muttered when I noticed dozens of people standing a few meters away behind us. "Are they evil witches too?" I whisper.

Dad held me closer to them which was enough to answer my question.

If there's one common trait among all these evil witches I'm looking at, it's that they all seem to have natural platinum blonde hair and black lips which made them appear more intimidating.

"Don't come near us!" Mom yells when she notices the old woman keeps on advancing in our direction.

Almost immediately, the old woman stops.

"What do you want, Madame Yen? We're not doing anything to you!" Mom yells.

"You already know what I went here for," the old woman calmly yet coldly responds, glancing in my direction.

Dad immediately covers my line of sight so I wouldn't meet her eyes. He held me close to him, hugging both mom and me to his chest.

"Not our daughter, Yen. Not her," Dad says in a hard tone.

"I'm not talking to you, Ivan," the old woman says to him. "And I'm not asking for permission. I'm just simply informing you. I'm pretty sure you already know about the prophecy, that's why you decided to live far from the main city of the realm. Am I right?"

"I don't care about the prophecy. Witches be damned, but I won't give my daughter to you," Mom says through gritted teeth. "You'll have to pass by us before getting her."

The old woman rolls her eyes, "Just give her up and no one's going to get hurt, Sylvia. She's all that we need. And it's not like we'll kill her. She's too valuable to be killed."

I felt goosebumps all over my body when she flashes me a grin. Freaking scary.

"Not going to happen," dad says. Mom stood protectively in front of me while dad faced the back. I was just standing between them, protecting me from these evil witches.

I hear the old woman heave out a sigh, "Why must you make it complicated, Sylvia, Ivan?"

"I can sacrifice everyone in this realm just to keep my daughter safe, Madame Yen. I won't let anyone touch her, especially you and your kind."

"My kind? Are you forgetting we're the same kind? And we share the same blood?" Madame Yen, the old woman raises her eyebrows mockingly at my mother.

"No way. I only have half of the witch blood in me, and I'm not as evil and desperate as all of you," Mom replies in an equally mocking voice. "Why can't you just accept the fact that you'll go extinct when the time comes? You don't deserve to live here anyway. All that you've brought is chaos."

The old woman's eyes darkened at my mom's words. I immediately held the hem of her shirt to stop her from taunting the woman even more.

"Mom..." I whisper.

"Let's just end this quickly. We have no more time for your nonsense," the old woman snickers.

In a blink of an eye, mom and dad weren't behind me anymore. I roam my eyes around and my jaw drops as I see my parents fighting hand-in-hand with the witches. Their moves were so fast that if my eyes weren't clear enough, I wouldn't see them at all. The moves were blurry yet I managed to follow them.

I yell in surprise when a sudden gust of wind brushes past me, making me stumble a bit. I quickly turned to see who it was and my eyes widened when I saw dad fighting with two male witches.

"Stay away from my daughter, you fuckers!" Dad yells furiously.

They must've tried to get me but Dad protected me.

It made my heart drop and my stomach churns. I can't just stand here and watch my parents fight! I should help them. I'm not a damsel in distress!

But just as I was about to make a move, I felt a hand on my shoulder. My blood turned cold when I turned around and saw a male witch smirking down at me.

"Your parents can't save you this time, child. You're already outnumbered. They can't fight all of us," he grins.

I felt annoyed at what he said which made me snicker. His forehead creases upon hearing that.

With my newfound braveness and confidence, I reply, "My parents can't, but I can."

He seems taken aback at that so I take that as an opportunity to escape from his hold.

I didn't know what had gotten into me but when I saw him reaching into my arms, my insides started to burn. It starts from the bottom and it moves all the way up to my head. It was burning, but it didn't hurt. My hands suddenly tingle and as if it has its own mind, it blocks the witch's hand that was trying to grab me. He tries to pull it away but it wouldn't budge from what seems like a steel grip.

We were both shocked at what I did. Even I was shocked at myself.

"You..." He mutters.

"Celestia!"

I turn around to look at where Mom is when I hear her calling me. My heart pounded violently when I saw her bloody and bruised all over while fighting Madame Yen who was bruise-free and still calm like she was just fighting a cockroach.

"Mom!" I yell loudly. Without hesitation, I push the male witch in front of me away. He staggered backwards but he quickly regained his composure and launched at me.

But with my determination to help my mother, it seems like I unconsciously unleashed my suppressed power. With the strength of a vampire and werewolf, I held both of the male witch's arms and twisted it. He screamed so loudly that I think it made all of the people here stop on their track. But I didn't mind them. To end his misery, I twisted his neck too which ended his life right there and then.

Ignoring how he slowly reduces into ashes and disappears into thin air, I ran towards my mother's direction with the speed of a vampire.

Taking advantage of how everyone seems stupefied in their place while looking at me, I pull away my mother from the old woman. I kick the old witch, effectively making her fly away.

"Mom! Are you alright?" I asked my mother, checking on her bruises.

"C-celestia..." She mutters.

"I'm fine, mom! I'm asking you!"

"N-no, sweetie. I'm trying to say that... that..." She gulps. "Your eyes..."

"What about my eyes?" I look at her, confused.

"It's... It's gold..."

"Watch out!"

Instinctively, I pull my mom with me to the side upon hearing my dad's voice. A witch stumbles on the ground. Dad quickly runs in our direction, hiding us on his back.

"Huh, I should've expected that knowing how powerful you are. But I guess I underestimated you," the old woman says while dusting her hands. She stares coldly at me, no signs of any expression visible on her wrinkled face.

"Leave us alone!" I yelled, glaring at her. Mom quickly pulled me towards her.

"Feisty, I see," the old woman snorts, and then she glances at the witches surrounding us.

"Get her. I don't care if you kill the parents, just get her safely to me," she utters with so much coldness and authority.

I start to panic when they all launch an attack on us. My parents were too quick to defend us while I just stupidly watches them, unsure of what I can help.

The old woman was just standing where she landed earlier when I kicked her. She stands like the boss that she is, her face void of any expression. If any, she seems bored.

It annoys me to see her boredly watching the fight that ensues in front of us. This fight that kills and hurts a lot of people. How could she be so nonchalant about this? Is taking me all that she thinks of?

"Sylvia!"

I was pulled out of my reverie when I heard my father's voice. My jaw dropped upon seeing my mother get thrown at the tree.

"Mom!" I yelled, rushing in her direction to help her while dad continued to fight the witches.

"M-mom..." I mumble. "Can you hear me? Can you see me? Mom..."

"C-celestia..." She coughs. "My baby..."

My eyes turn blurry from the unshed tears that formed in my eyes, "Mom..."

She raises her head to look at me in the eyes, her hand weakly reaching out to hold my face, "Celestia... run..."

My heart drops at what I hear. I quickly shake my head, "No, mom. I won't leave you here."

"You should, sweetie. They're after y-you, and we won't let them get you. So please, run away and escape. Don't let them get you."

Tears continued to stream down from my eyes when she started coughing blood. I shake my head, "No! How can I leave you while you're like this? No! I can help fight them!"

"Y... you have to save yourself, Celestia. There are so many things stored for your future. Being taken by the evil witches isn't part of it, so escape and find the place I'll tell you..."

"No, mom. I won't leave. I'm going to stay here."

"She's right, Sylvia. She's staying, with us."

I was startled upon hearing the old woman's voice. As soon as I snapped my head towards the direction where I heard it, I felt a hand on my neck, slowly lifting me.

"C-celestia! Let go of her, you old witch!" Mom yells in between her coughs. She tried to reach for my hands but I was already getting lifted up by the old woman.

"CELESTIA!"

My feet continue to kick around as I desperately try to escape her hold on my neck. It's making it hard for me to breathe as she was blocking the airway.

"FIGHT BACK, CELESTIA! YOU CAN ESCAPE FROM HER HOLD!" I continue to hear my dad's voice yelling at me.

Even while struggling for my life, I could hear the witch snickering.

"This wouldn't happen if only they gave you up on me. Look at your mother. It seems like any minute by now, she'll be gone in this world permanently like how she should have been eighteen years ago," the old woman says. "And oh, your father's about to die of exhaustion. He's just getting played by my people. They'll die meaninglessly. Tsk."

I almost saw red from what I've heard. How could she talk like that about my parents when I'm just right in front of her? As if I'd let my parents die just like that!

I tried to get rid of her hands while kicking my feet, but it was all meaningless as she's way stronger than I am. She just laughs sarcastically at me.

"Don't worry, young one. I won't kill you. I can't just kill you. There's a right time for that," she says.

My vision starts to get dark. I could already see black spots from having not been able to properly breathe for almost a few minutes. Any seconds by now, I might pass out in front of this laughing old witch.

Despite that, I still sent her a glare.

'I can't pass out. I have to save my parents. I won't let them get me. I have to get away from this old witch. I need to save my parents.'

It's all that I could think of while my vision swam between closing and staying awake. I already stopped wriggling from her hold, seeing as I don't stand a choice.

"SYLVIA! STOP THAT! YOU'RE STRAINING YOURSELF!"

"STOP WATCHING ME, IDIOT! LOOK BEHIND YOU!"

My mind seems to recognize the voices that were screaming at each other. I was just about to let the darkness get me but upon hearing how my parents continued to fight for our lives, I suddenly regained my consciousness.

My parents are still fighting, so why should I succumb to the darkness brought by this old, evil witch?

'Anyone, please, get this witch's hand off me! Get her away from me! I have to save my parents! Get her away!'

"AAAAAH!"