Chapter 39: The Heavens Welcomed Her

A loud crashing noise banged from the wooden walls of their house. Every being close by a glance at it. Maurelle heard it loud and clear. The shock in her face was as clear as day. Her heart panicked, even more, no more tranquillity stored as her head flew off to the sky, overthinking of what it might be...

But as her eyes struck the house, their house that was once lively and joyous was devastated by an enormous creature that appeared before their eyes.

It growled and roared as it appears to be a serpent, a winged creature, with four sharp horns, pointy teeth, and black scales. Its wings spread wide as it kept roaring and the ground grumbled upon its clangour. It was loud and vast. It was a dragon, a dragon that they only have heard of in tales.

The villagers and even Gwydion's men were stunned and all of their eyes widened from its mere sight.

"It's a monster! Run!" A villager shouted and each one of them scattered while screaming their lives out. No one minded that they were in a war. All of their lives are at sake and staying there might just be the end of their lives.

Lucy was terrified of it, her family had the same reaction. This dragon was huge, in one munch and all of them are gone.

"M.. Mother, we should get out of here. Here, hold this for me," she handed them the saddle. "Head to the horses and get as far as you can from here." She instructed while still fixing her armour, she had a belt to place her knives and at her back was arrows and her bow. Lucy was in a rush.

"How about you, sister? Wouldn't you be coming with us?" Meryl asked with her worried face as she grabbed on Lucy's arm. Her mother and father were also waiting for her response.

Lucy heaved a sigh and hugged Meryl. She gazes at her parents. "I need to stay."

"No!" Meryl opposed.

"My dear daughter, you saw that monster. Why do so? Be sane, good lord!" Her mother exaggerated and head to her husband for an embrace. "Darling, do something!"

Her father licked his lower lip before talking to her. "Lucy, what are you thinking? Is there a need to stay?"

"Yes father, there is. I have trained for a day like this to come. I already know what happened to the past for this to retort and happen to us. I have sworn to my very own bow that I shall fight." She exclaimed and fixed her hair.

"Lucy, how?" Asked by her father.

"That's not important anymore. Father, make sure to go farther, escape from here. There are still a lot of people needing themselves to be saved. I have to go back." She instructed.

They all looked at her worriedly. Shocked as to why she wanted to risk herself for the people. Her father had nothing to do but to rush themselves to the horses. Her mother resisted but in the end, it was her choice to make.

She has dedicated herself to the people. She will do her best to save them even if it's the last thing she'll do. Lucy ran back to the village.

"W-what is that? A dragon who was born from our house?" Maurelle trembled as she asked that question.

Gwydion sneered loudly and wickedly. She was enjoying her ruthlessness to her daughter. As if it was just entertainment for her. Seeing her daughter shiver in despair. Serves her right!'

"That, my daughter, is your son. But not anymore, I have turned him like this for your land to torment and the people to go to the land of the death. He is now the legendary cursed were-dragon that has been granted by the greatest witch. It will be a great history!" She exclaimed and crumpled her fingers.

Maurelle panted, she stared at the dragon who was her son and she saw from his eyes. Instead of anger and hatred, it was filled with sadness. The teary eyes of that dragon docked her insides.

He's suffering and this is all because of me. I have brought this upon my family and the people. To the land that has gifted us, if she wakes up from her slumber will all of us begone?"— Maurelle thought. She groaned right after and hit Glinda's head with hers so she could escape.

"Ouch!" Glinda complained and rubbed her forehead.

"Get her!" Gwydion shouted, demanding her daughters to go chase after Maurelle.

Maurelle runs as fast as she can to her son, the dragon. He was the only one left of her. She can not afford for him to die. Not in a million years. Especially when they were not in terms before this has started. She halted in front of him and looked straight into his eyes.

Vermillion fury eyes, it was huge and it turned to look like a snake's. Her hands were trembling along with her weakened body, however, the thought was that it was her son. She was never afraid.

The dragon looked at her and lowered its head.

"My son, I know you're in there. No matter what happens you know mother has only ever loved you. Don't do this, please, I beg you, come back to me." She uttered with her shaky voice, closing her eyes.

The dragon did not recognise even a speck of her entirety. Ambroz was no longer in there, he was completely ravaged by the curse, before she knew it, the dragon took an air in it was about to blow flames out of her when Ravyn took her out with her broom and made her ride it with her.

"Are you out of your mind? Huh, if it weren't for mother insisting for you to be alive, I would have left you there to die." Ravyn said with her scrunched facial.

She was pissed off.

While Maurelle can not believe it, her son has completely forgotten about her.

"This was all your fault! How dare you!" Maurelle yelled and made herself fall. She would rather die here than regret the rest of her time living with these witches she abhors.

However, Glinda caught her, she was again riding a broom. "As much as you want yourself dead, we all will be caught up in meat if you commit it right now. Hold on your blabber, it's not like you have a choice." Said to her by Glinda, rolling her eyes and shaking her head off, pissed that she had to go through all of this, her beauty's damaging.

They gathered and Gwydion glared at her. "You scoundrel, let's go girls. This place will be covered with flames." She said and lead the way.

They all headed to the beach, planning to get out of the land as soon as possible. Maurelle was looking back, the dragon started to fly and it was breathing air already. Gwydion worsened the curse and filled the tension, even more, giving rise to the flames in its throat.

Before she lost sight of the dragon, it roared once more, louder and gave more impact to the air.

"Hurry now, go to the barn, grab your horses and go!" Lucy urged the villager she found inside the house. They all went to the back door as it was headed to the barn. Lucy headed back outside and peak where the dragon was off.

It was in the air, flapping its wings as the fire in each house started to spread vastly. It was deadly. She roamed her eyes around the village and listened carefully, someone was shouting for help.

"Help us! Someone, please help us!"

It was from a house where the fire was, Lucy was anxious, running towards that house and entering amidst the smokes and flames sticking on the walls.

"Where are you?" She shouted, calling for the villager's attention.

"We're here!" Heard from upstairs.

Without any warning, she run and covered her head as the house was starting to crumble. When she reached the top, there was a girl, kneeling while holding her father's body, its feet got stuck and one of his arms was burned. Her heart thumped, there was no choice but for them to leave him behind. She head to them and gripped the poor girl's shoulders. Lucy observed that the father was still breathing. He held Lucy's arm.

"Please, take good care of my daughter. I no longer serve the living, I can not proceed with this life." He said with his voice struggling. Panting and coughing.

"Father, what are you saying? You can just leave me!" The girl whined as she embrace his father.

Lucy nodded in secret to the poor old man.

"Promise me, Helene. You will follow this brave woman, she will lead you to somewhere safe. Never look back and go now." It was his last words before he died and turned his body cold, he smiled at Lucy.

It was the cue.

"No! Father!"

She struggled to make the girl go but the girl can't insist on her. Lucy used her strength for them to get out of there. Carrying the girl in her shoulders as if she was a man. They arrived outside, coughing and breathing for fresh air. Lucy did not further her stay as she run off to the barn, while she was on her way, villagers followed her track.

"Does any one of you know what truly happened here? I need to know where it started." She asked them. Sebastian and Pilvo were still alive, the rest had died and others manage to escape.

"We only heard explosions, growling from afar, the next thing we knew was obscure men after our lives. There was this witch who killed our parents and... and..." Pilvo couldn't proceed to his description, he started crying and bowling his eyes off.

"That's it, slow down..." Lucy said and let the girl walk while still holding her hands. "Does anyone else want to talk?"

Sebastian continued to talk on behalf of Pilvo. "There were three witches, one of them, I heard, claimed milady Maurelle as her daughter. Then, after making a huge fuss, we then saw the dragon barged out of the chief's house." He explained.

They arrived at the barn and there were still horses waiting for them. She placed the girl on her horse, she named the horse as 'Blistoe'.

"Then?" She looked back at Sebastian and Pilvo who was riding a horse, the rest already started to hit their horse and galloped away.

"It seems, sir Logan is dead, we saw his body in milady's room." Sebastian's eyes turned gloomy and he heaved a sigh.

"How about chief?"

Sebastian carved his brows and looked at Lucy as if more lachrymose mourners to someone's death. It was concerning and he was disheartened. "It's just a hunch, but I heard those witches' conversation. It seems they cursed the chief and is now the one killing us." He revealed his insight.

Lucy widened her eyes. She had no words to retort. Then, Sebastian already gallops away heading farther. Just to escape fast. Lucy rode the horse and she shouted, "H'ya!"

Before she could finally leave the place, she glance back and a tear escape her eye. She immediately wiped it off. It was unlike her. Thinking about it, the dragon did have the same eyes as chief. He was saddened by what the land came out to be. It still won't engulf to her what was happening, it all came to pass in a second.

A lot died and suffered from the dragon's wrath, spreading fire throughout the place. Fume and smokes started uprising and despair was lingering in the ashes of the dead.

Lucy remembered her last moment with the chief, she should have stayed with him if she knows that this would happen. She only added burden upon the man's phase, his life was now destroyed. She didn't have anything to do with it.

"I'm sorry," she apologised and continued to escape. Afraid that the dragon might still catch up to them.

Lucy can't help but get nervous and pessimistic at the same time. She saw how dedicated Ambroz was ever since he was in his youth, she taught him and the fellow was just a good man. Will Ambroz kill himself after all this? Will he still transform back to his normal body? What will he think after the things the monster that has emerged out of him did? After all this, what would be of Ambroz?

"Why are you crying, miss lady? Did your father die too?" The girl asked, she was seated in front of her.

Lucy then again wiped her tears off her face. She smiled at the girl and shook her head continuously. "Nothing, it's just... Our chief fell into the darkness. He has turned into something that I am sad for."

"Chief? Is chief alright?" The little girl forges a question upon hearing her response.

Lucy has gone quiet. Answering the little girl, subduing her emotions, it's not such a good idea at this point. She remembered this girl's father dying in a hopeless state, it gripped her heart.

"I apologize to you, kid. I promise I will find a home for us. A home where we could be happy again, I will take care of you and protect you for the rest of my life."

Lucy was not certain with her words, all she knows is that her life is now serving the life of others.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Maurelle struggled and strived to make her sister let go of her. She was thrown inside the cabin of the ship they were on.

"Don't you dare escape here or I will grant you another punishment." Gwydion exclaimed and closed the door.

Maurelle immediately stood up and head to the door. Using her fist to slam on the door. Trying her best to get out of it. Her knees give up on her and she whined, letting her tears get out the best of her. Sniffling she said, "Punishment? I already feel the death inside me. What's more painful?"

"Now that she's here. I can start my recreation and you two are now useless." Gwydion wickedly rejoices upon her evildoing.

Glinda immediately held her sister, Ravyn, back as it almost attack. "What do you mean useless? After all that, you call us useless? Granting your cacoëthes, granting what was called your idiosyncrasy in your inveterate swallowing of souls and creating new spells."

"Sister, stop..." Glinda whispered to her.

"No, Glinda. I have had enough." She head to the door and was about to get out of the room when her mother replied to her.

"You were worth my grasp for the past years, however, you are no longer the significance of my sorcery. You are still as weak as I remember." An insult to her daughter.

Gwydion scoffed and slammed the door close. She head inside her cabin and yelled. "Ah!!!!!" Panted afterwards. "Weak? Wait and see, I will truly show her who's the weak one of all of us. Significance of her sorcery? She does not know what she's saying. Maurelle will never do what she wants better than I will."

Inside her cabin was a tub of malodorous and rancid odor spreading across. But, Ravyn was used to the smell. Using a mixer, she added and cast spells to improve her plan. A plan that her mother would never have noticed. As she swivelled her mixer each time she speak gullible statements, the color changes and it lastly turned into the shade of black.

Her hand reached the little bottle of glass and open it, took a scoop of the spell and close it.

"Now that I have created this, it will surely come to a success. Mother, you should have never acquainted me as a useless witch." She sneered and wickedly burst into touches of laughter.

Gwydion glanced to the forest, it was trying to fall. The fire was spreading and the dragon was destroying each one of the wilderness. Devasting it until it was all flames to ashes. Smoke spread wide. She smirk thinking that her daughter was back. Not a single conscience track her. Truly evil.

She headed down and her steps were heard across the ship. Walking towards Maurelle's cabin, opened the door and was horrified to see her daughter slumped on the ground and was covered in blood.

She rush and kneeled. "No!!!!"

"What is it, mother?" Glinda appeared and she saw what was lying on the ground. She covered her mouth and gasped dramatically.

Soon after, Ravyn came with a blank expressing wore on his face. Gwydion growled and snapped in agitation. "Who did this to her? Who murdered my daughter?" Asked with a tremor in her voice.

"I-I don't know m-mother. I-I was inside my cabin, combing my hair when I heard you shout. Who would do such a thing? We struggle in finding her for years. But unless," she gazed at her elder sister standing behind her, Ravyn.

Gwydion harshly stared inside her core and stood. "Did you do this? You filthy brat! You slaughtered and expected that I will bestow you her reign as the next generation for the greatest witch of all?" She shouted and stump her way towards her.

Ravyn giggled and it made the two stun. Glinda looked at her with suspicion while Gwydion's temperament worsened. "How could you laugh?!"

Ravyn walks over Maurelle's corpse. "It's funny mother how you thought I was useless and yet you think I still want such place? If you ever had just aslight brain working up there, you'll notice this knife just a few inches away from her." She bent down and picked up the knife filled with blood. "What if I told you that you were the one who secretly killed her? Maurelle was the weak one here, not me. She thinks that she no longer will see true living if she stayed alive. That's why, killing herself was the only wa she could do." Ravyn said and gaze back at her mother.

"How could she kill herself?" Gwydion was starting to get angry even more.

"But there is one way to brought her back to life." Ravyn admittedly said.

Gwydion was thirsty to know. "What would that be? Cut the chase and reveal it."

Ravyn smirk. Suddenly, they felt the grumble of the ground and the strong current of the waves from below their ship. Gwydion furrowed her brows and all of them glance at the forest. The dragon was still in mid-air and what appeared before their eyes swallowed their whiffs and stole their breath away.

"What in the world is that?"

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ABYSSCESS