Chapter 5: Witch Hierarchy

"Good. Then tonight I shall rest in your home."

"Okay…" Ashe said.

She looked at the angelic face of Siderius and couldn't help but to imagine that things may escalate. She was even hoping that it would happen.

Siderius' new face was a woman-killer. He saw those hidden desires behind Ashe's gaze.

This face was the core of Snow's downfall. And it would keep bringing more trouble to Siderius.

"Come, tell me more about you."

Siderius went to Ashe's bedroom. It was not as luxurious as his old castle but he didn't feel any discomfort. He got used to sleeping on the dirt with the sky as his roof in his youth.

"Are we going to share the bed?" Ashe asked, her voice shook a bit with excitement.

"Calm your imagination, child. I will sleep on the floor."

Siderius kneeled down before the fireplace, feeling its warmth.

"What do you actually want to know?" Ashe said.

"Everything. I need to know my apprentice. Let's start with your clan."

"Okay. Let me get you something to eat first. I can hear your stomach from all the way here."

Ashe still had some leftover stew from the evening. She put the pot onto the fireplace, heating up for Siderius.

Then she sat down beside him.

"My clan… It's a long story."

"We have all night." Siderius said.

"Alright. My clan inhabits the North West of Eldoria. They own many lands and are one of the most powerful families in the entire kingdom. You may have heard of them before, the Costeau."

"I'm afraid not. Words do not spread far in this kingdom."

"You're right. The Costeau is a very 'influential' family. I was the second child of Raphe Costeau, the third elder of the clan.

The clan has plans and hopes for us. And when I did not meet those expectations, I was casted out like a dog."

"Let me guess. You didn't awaken your magic." Siderius smiled gently.

Ashe shook a little bit. "How did you know?"

Siderius didn't answer her. It was a simple deduction. A Noble clan wouldn't just abandon its people without a good reason. But a High Noble clan had every reason to do it if you weren't their kind.

"Well… I guess there is no point in hiding it. The Costeau was a High Noble clan. A clan of witches." Ashe continued. "When the other young witches awakened their power one by one, mine never showed up. 

So at the age of ten, my father casted me out of the house.

Forever banished and never to return unless I become a witch."

As the stew pot was boiling, Ashe took it off the fireplace and scooped out a bowl for Siderius.

"Thank you for the meal." Siderius' said. "You're a very good cook. This stew tastes great, despite the few ingredients you have."

"Thank you."

"Now tell me more about the witches."

"Witches gained their power at birth. The sign of their power may be hidden until a certain age. The earlier you awaken, the more powerful you will become.

A young awakened witch is more in tune with magic and they have more time to train their skill.

Witches, from what I know, have only three ranks. 

A witchling, those that have completed their coming-of-age ritual and have actual control over their magic.

A lesser witch, one that has mastered their Mana Core and is able to manipulate magic perfectly.

A major witch, the highest rank, one that is able to achieve wonder with their power. I heard that major witches are able to raise the dead, control the very essence of life and many more unimaginable things.

I can never be a major witch."

Ashe sighed at the end, letting out her regret and desire. She jerked back a bit when she noticed Siderius looking directly at her.

His gaze was piercing cold. An aura that made her skin crawl.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. But you failed to understand the subject. A witch can never raise the dead. What they can do is use the corpses for disgusted ritual and dark magic.

As you are my apprentice, remember this.

There is no good witch. The only good witch is a dead witch."

Siderius talked slowly, drilling these new ideas into Ashe's head.

"That can't be. The High Ladies and Lords are… Heroes. Warriors. They keep us from the harm of the Chaos Beast."

Siderius smirked.

"I guess your father never showed you how a witch advanced their power?"

"How did you know?" Ashe nodded.

"Witch's magic is corruption. They gain their power by giving in to their desire. The more horrible and terrified the desire, the stronger they become.

What was the desire of your clan, hmmm? I bet there is one."

"You don't know anything. My clan has a virtue, yes? But…"

And the memory came back to Ashe. How her brothers and sisters became more obsessed with their look the older they became. They didn't just want to be better, they wanted to be perfect.

But perfect was unknownable, unachievable. And the more they fixed, the uglier they became. Even though they didn't know it.

Ashe suddenly remembered her mother. A witch that was quite beautiful in her young age. But now, she looked like a doll made by a woodcarver. Inhuman and unsettling. Even Ashe was afraid to look into her mother's face when she was still home.

Siderius read her like a book. He could see the trouble brewing inside Ashe.

"I guess you have your answer. What is the virtue of your clan?" Siderius said.

"Beauty…" Ashe said.

"Vanity." Siderius cut in. "An obsession over one's appearance to the point of unrecognizable. I bet there are a lot of monsters in your house."

"It can't be… No. It isn't…"

Sometimes, you could live with a lie your whole life. Convincing yourself of the reality that was never true. But with a simple nudge, that lie could be broken like a thin piece of paper.

"Rest, child. Rest and in the morning, everything will be cleared."

Ashe didn't say anything and just nodded. She crawled into her bed and kept thinking about her clan. The unnatural and even disgusted appearance of her family. She never noticed it before, even though she had always found them a bit bizarre.

But after staying in the real world, where the normal human lived, she finally learned of normal appearance. Appearances that she did not find… repulsive.

She thought her way into her sleep.

And when she woke up. Siderius was no longer there. He had disappeared silently. The same way he had come into her house.

If she hadn't had to ease her needs, Ashe would've never been able to meet him. 

It was a coincidence or maybe fate had something to do with it. Either way, he was gone.

And Ashe thought she was too dumb to listen to an actor. It was what they did after all, pretending to be someone they were not.

But he didn't leave without a goodbye. On the kitchen table was a piece of paper.

The strokes were strong, mechanical with a soft curve at the end. It was Siderius' message.

"I'll be back."