A Witch Had a Lilac

The morning and evening of that day shared some similarities.

There was a certain rule in life where the amount of despair could only reach a breaking point, or in other words, the limit. The limit would be the world outside of ours — not the afterlife, not heaven, but hell. Since nothing else could worsen, we perceive it as it is.

Enduring it is the tricky part, especially if you're alone. God forbid you not having any people around that care for you and your well-being.

Oh, wait. Isn't this just the perfect description of the Lord's lands?

Things worsen until they can't do it no more and they fall apart until there's nothing else that's left to divide. It's something they all got used to. It's under their tongues and in their bellies, set to never digest and to never disappear. Even with it there, crunching and munching inside their bodies, they still find comfort. If it's not in each other, it's in the nature surrounding them.

This is just where Kollie Schwimmer had found distraction that blurry night under the big, glowing moon. The night sky was simply beautiful.

Azura Mountain was best known for its tremendous scenes of nature. Most parts were swarmed by pine trees and seemingly, they would spread farther than the eye could see.

Since the climate was a lot colder than in comparison to the districts and meadows, Azura Mountain held small numbers of flowers in its botanical treasure.

Even with its insufficient harvest of green life, it was still a sight to see – the way the big shining moon would lay light onto the endless marches of pine trees and the stiff rocky cliffs was something that gathered Kollie's vast intrigue.

In fact, he was on lookout duty. He was keeping guard in front of the entrance of a cave that was a safe spot for the seven. They would travel across the majority of the enormous lands, but they would stay put at only four locations; one of them being this hidden cave.

But he didn't like being on lookout duty and there were two reasons to it.

The first one was that he was probably missing some important information that was going on inside of the safe spot. In addition to that, he was a target for bitter gossip since he wasn't there — oh, he knew what the girls were like.

The second one was that he was alone and it would often be boring. However this time it was different. The imagery surrounding him made him yearn for its beauty.

Kollie stared at the night sky's sore feet. The stars have been running on it like wild recently, and yes — stars were definitely a thing in Azura Mountain. Even though with the folk tale narrating about the stars and their disappearance from the districts, above Azura they were as clear as the ocean water.

He would get lost in all of the universe lights. His eyes would drift aloft and forget all about the silly lookout duty. Kollie would try to focus and retrace, but he often ended up like this nevertheless.

Rustling sounds appeared in the middle of his hazy daze. He returned back to life instantly with a sharp jump and posture following it. An observatory glare towards the bushes was handed in. Two female figures started appearing from them. To Kollie's great fortune, it was only Eivör and Abel.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Got startled there, hun?"

Kollie let out an exhale of relaxation after Abel spoke up to him. He looked towards her – she was as exalted as ever, but then he redirected his look over to Eivör. She was unusually quiet, so he decided to bring up the topic of ceremonials.

"So, how'd it go?"

"We attended burial ceremonies, how well do you think it can go?"

Eivör answered sharply.

"I think that it's all about the mindset, you know? Mind. Set. It's a matter of how you perceive things."

"That's one of the most foolish things I've heard in a while — actually, not quite."

"There's someone more foolish than him?"

"Hey, you're making fun of me, aren't you, Abel?"

Abel mockingly started pointing fingers while Kollie stood close to a revolt. Eivör stared dimly until she replied.

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess there is."

Abel smiled softly. She knew what the silky-blue haired girl was on about, unlike Kollie whom felt truculent and irritated. Eivör thought about it a bit more until she put a pause to the dreamland and decided to focus on serious work.

"Did you find out anything new?"

"For that you should check inside. Maurice is still working on it with the help of Ester. He... He was quite angry when he heard about Masuda."

Eivör looked down to the rocky ground and stared for a while until she spoke up again.

"What about Parch?"

"For all I know, she was supposed to go to Einstudht district and gather some information there, but Maurice canceled her visit within the last minute."

"Maurice canceled her visit?"

Abel checked to see if what she heard was right. Kollie confirmed with a slight nod of the head, which led Abel to think thoroughly even more.

"That's odd. I can't seem to understand why, that's not like him."

"Let's head in and find out, my lookout duty should be about done now. I think he has lots to say anyway, he was just waiting for you two to arrive back."

The three entered the cave. Eivör still held her chin in contact with her torso.

Drops of crystal clear mountain water were dripping from the cave's ceiling. Not a sound besides it was present, all until they started seeing candle lights which where lighting the cave's end in front of them. Inaudible chatter started becoming structured sentences.

Eivör would firstly hear the voice of Ester Álfný, the main escorting assistant next to the now deceased Masuda Honnin. The voice of the Vulture, Maurice Megwire, would follow shortly after.

Both of them were sitting across each other on two wooden chairs, resting their elbows on a wooden table. Four candles were lighting up their procedural thinking space, two on one side and two on the other.

They exchanged dirty looks across the candle lit wooden table. Their pupils were as sharp as an assassin's blade and it seemed much like they were arguing over something, but as soon as Ester saw Eivör and the rest he quickly stood up from his chair which instantly made a high-pitched shrieking sound. He approached her with fading words of kindness.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to Masuda."

Ester and Masuda served the seven as the two main escorting men — they would be in charge of arranging the horses and travel routes, as well as for the schedules and safety precautions. He was the second closest to Masuda besides Eivör, so he wanted to show his empathy as he could relate with her the most.

But she didn't say anything. Instead she kept her head low as she used to. Then she turned it back to Abel and Kollie. She immediately noticed Abel's grim expression that was meant for the man still sitting calmy on his wooden chair.

Silence overruled and the whole moment was rather unpleasant. Kollie couldn't take it anymore. "So… Before we sort things out, is anyone hungr" —

"Kollie. Have you finished your lookout duty?"

Maurice broke Kollie's sentence as sharply as he possibly could.

"Y-Yeah."

"Good. Ester, I think we're done here. It's your turn to guard the entrance now."

"Yes, sir."

Some hesitation in Ester's obedience truly was noticeable, at least in Eivör's eyes. It seemed like he thought something was not right. The uneasy look residing in Abel's grim eyes suggested the same.

She raised her head up and watched Ester leave the part of the cave they were in. His tall appearance would result in long footsteps — they started becoming quieter as soon as he picked up his blade from the other table.

The magically gifted four were acting as if time was frozen. Maurice was still sitting on his spot, but now curiosity started tickling him.

"I'm glad you returned safely. Did you put all the flowers in place?"

"Yeah, I did."

"That's good."

Another round of strange silence circled the part of the cave, but Eivör wouldn't let it continue its unpleasant tyranny.

"Maurice… Did you find out anything new?"

"I did, in fact."

They all raised their brows in excitement of getting an update about the surprise attack Eivör barely sustained and survived, but unfortunately, they were updated about something else.

It was something they would never expect to hear at all.

"Rö is dead."

...

"Hey, hey, hey… What do you mean he's dead?!"

Kollie was the first and only to say something. Eivör and Abel had plenty to say, be sure of it, but they just couldn't release a thing.

Eivör turned around and remembered Abel's fragile words. Often when you would ask someone about their feelings towards a certain thing or person, they would be hesitant and stray, but the words they exchanged were direct and honest. This caused her to remember what Abel felt for Rö and hearing something like this surely was the colliding of two worlds for her.

Her face painted the shock of tragic and unexpected news. Her eyebrows made a steep slide and her jaws started pressuring against each other.

"H-How did he die?"

"The insides of the Marshal Capital in Einstudht district were onto him. I think they hired a special unit to kill him off."

Abel clenched her fists and Eivör stared while a strange and unfamiliar feeling was flooding her entire body. Maurice decided to continue spreading what he knew.

"He arrived there this morning. He fought off a few officers on the way and sliced them down. However, as he approached the centre of the district and Marshal Capital itself, they were able to capture him. Due to Rö's severe aggression and signs of hesitation, he was barely tied up and was given various sedatives. After that, he was instantly taken to Stoth district to be questioned, and afterwards, killed. It is most likely that he told them everything about us and this safe" —

"He wouldn't do it…"

Eivör jumped in fiercely. She didn't want to hear it. Everyone stared at her until she continued what she had started.

"He would never tell them a thing! He may be rough sometimes, but he's a man of his word, isn't he, Abel?"

But Abel didn't say a thing. Instead, Kollie did.

"I-I agree! But… Besides the point, how did they manage to capture him? This is Rö we're talking about, he's a damn madman! If anything, he's the person I thought would last the longest out of all of us!"

"I don't know. I don't have all the details regarding his death. I wanted to send Parch over there, but considering the circumstances, it was too dangerous to send even her off."

"Damn it…"

"Using all available outcomes, we will have to retreat from here as soon as possible. We might be compromised and we simply cannot risk it."

At this moment, Abel made an aggressive step forward. Eivör and Kollie jumped over their shoulders, but Maurice still sat like he was tied up to his chair. His expression was blank and neutral. Abel decided to ask him something that seemed more like an attack rather than a question.

"And where do we retreat?"

"That's another issue I want to address. Since we don't have access to the methods of Rö's questioning, we can't say for sure what they know and what not, or in other words, what is compromised to the Lord's military and what is still in secret. Nonetheless, risk and uncertainty are thrown upon us all. Retrieving to any of the three other spots would certainly not be a smart idea."

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"I am suggesting a new location I have been looking into with Ester. The route is a bit unusual and it might be dangerous, but it's not that far away and if we do manage to reach it, we can stay there safely for as long as we like."

"And where is this new location?"

"Ester and I will explain all the details once we head off. Firstly, we need to pack" —

"You can stop now, Maurice."

Abel made one more step forward until she gave Maurice a dead eye. Eivör and Kollie still stared not knowing what was going on, but it was Abel's motive to try and bring everything to light.

"Just what are you planning?"

"What do you mean… Abel?"

"You're not going to take us to where you're saying you are, aren't you?"

"Abel, what in the world are you" —

Kollie jumped in trying to protect Maurice from crazy accusations, but he was quickly stopped by the soft voice of Eivör.

"Kollie. Let Maurice answer."

"Huh? You've got to be kidding me!!"

Kollie started rolling his eyes, but that wouldn't stop Abel from proceeding.

"Well?"

Maurice was still sat on his chair.

"Why would you think that?"

"You're the analytical type and you would always inform us about everything on the spot. Explaining the details along the way doesn't seem like something you would prefer."

"Come on now, that's ridiculous. Just because of that you" —

"But that's not my main concern. You're lying about Rö as well."

Kollie stood in between the Python and the Vulture with a goal of stopping their childish behaviors. As soon as he was about to shout out a couple of words, Abel began speaking once more.

"You said that he arrived to Einstudht district this morning. He killed off a couple of officers along the way which didn't surprise me — we all know him and his twisted ways. Then you said that he approached the centre of the district and that the Marshal Capital had captured him. They restrained him, tied him up and gave him sedatives. By all common measurement, all of that should have happened by, let's say noon. But then you said that they took him to Stoth district where he got questioned and killed, which is impossible."

Kollie decided to defend Maurice one last time.

"Come on, Abel… I mean, I know, I'm surprised that they managed to fight him off too, but there's no reason that Maurice would" —

"I'm not talking about Rö's physical strength and endurance."

"Eh?"

"I'm talking about how it would literally be impossible for them to take Rö to Stoth district. If we take account that it was noon or even the late morning, they would still be on the road to Stoth by now. Einstudht and Stoth district are far apart — the average travel time from Einstudht to Stoth is around fourteen hours by horse.

So let's say that they captured him this noon or even this morning. It would still be impossible that they got him there and questioned him by now, since the current time is nine pm. Even if they somehow managed to beat the clock and get there an hour or two earlier, which is highly unlikely, there still wouldn't be time left for them to take all the answers out of him, kill him, and for you to find everything out so you could inform us.

So, Maurice, what exactly are you planning?"

Kollie took a gasp and started looking at Maurice with eyelids spread far apart and mouth slightly open.

"S-She's wrong, right, Maurice? You… You would never" —

Maurice finally stood up from his indelibly comfortable chair. At first he looked at Abel and Kollie, but shortly after, he decided to stare into the light-brown eyes of Eivör.

She didn't know what to think anymore. All of this has been a series of deadly, unfortunate events – why would the painful despair still seem to grow? It was of no doubt that Abel was right, at least for her. Why would Maurice lie about such a thing and for what cause?

Maybe he was onto something that they could not grasp just yet. Maybe it was for their own good; a secret plan of some sort. At least, that's what she thought to herself.

But the unnerving look that was meant for her said otherwise. She could discern that it absolutely meant no good.

As Maurice stood up, he strangely started flailing his arms all over the place. He wrapped his tongue around his lips for a split second so he could wet them down and start speaking more fluidly than usual.

"Do all of you know… The story about the Witch and her precious lilac?"

They all stared in confusion. In fact, Kollie even took some distance.

"It's an ancient story, so you must know it, right?"

—

There was once a Witch. She was undeniably beautiful.

One day, she fell in love with a young farmer. She knew that it was wrong and that a love like that could never come true. She would have moved on, if it wasn't for the farmer that kept telling her how he felt the same and how he could never, not even in a million years, forget about her otherworldly beauty, of course.

They made love to each other. Something like that never should have happened, but they defined the impossible. Just like that, the Witch gave birth to five healthy boys.

But this is no happy ending. A Witch and a human were never meant for each other.

Through time, the farmer started becoming sick, very sick — his hair and skin were falling off, his vision was becoming more and more damaged, he would cough out blood and vomit most of the time.

The farmer had realized that Death was just at the doorstep.

Before he died and left his magical wife and five sons, he decided to make just one more child, but this time, a girl. He prayed to God to give him a little girl, but before he would get to see if God had truly fulfilled his request, Death came silently and cut him to pieces with its scythe. Just like that, Death took him away.

The mother mourned her husband for a while, but decided that it was better to invest hope into the newborn. Keep in mind that the husband was sick at the time they tried to make another child, so it was highly unlikely that the newborn would survive its birth.

But it did. After nine months, the mother had successfully delivered a newborn girl. However, there was a specific characteristic that came with her. Unlike her five brothers, she held magic within herself.

Time passed and the mother would take care of her children, but keeping up with the girl was hard. Not only did she develop extraordinary powers and start surpassing her mother, she aged ten times faster than usual. Even though she was immortal like any other Witch was, she grew bigger and just three years later, she had surpassed her mother both in physical appearance and magical powers. Nonetheless, her soul was still young. She was still a little girl on the inside, so she would often play with her brothers on the fields and next to the river.

At the end of one week, she found a lilac which turned out to be her most favorite flower. She picked it from the grassy ground and started carrying it everywhere with her.

But then a new week emerged.

Mother had gone for a distant travel and said that she will return at the very beginning of the next week, which was precisely in seven days time. The girl was put in charge to take care of her five older brothers.

Instead of doing that, she would stay in the house for five whole days and take care of her precious lilac. This is what she had regretted doing.

All five of her brothers drowned within the same week.

Monday came surprised.

Daruis was playing next to the river, until he fell in and drowned to his death.

Tuesday came shocked.

Eluis was mourning his brother's death on a branch, until the branch snapped and caused him to fall in the river and drown.

Wednesday came absurd.

Luis cussed God and cried his eyes out for killing his brothers until he couldn't bear the pain no more, so he committed suicide and drowned in the river.

Thursday came painful.

Ís came to the river and decided to fight God itself and seek vengeance. He waited the whole day, until he could not wait for God any longer and decided to jump in as well and drown.

Friday came devilish.

The fifth and youngest brother, that was never given a name, sat next to the river and kept throwing pebbles into it as gifts for his dead brothers. He repeated this action throughout the whole day. Do you know how the fifth brother died?

The truth is, the fifth brother never entered the river. He died next to it on the surface out of illness that had been with following him throughout the years. It was just a mere coincidence that he died then and there. His body was left to rot on the surface near the river.

Saturday came quiet.

The girl left her lilac on the sun's light by the window and decided to go out and play with her brothers. But she couldn't find them. She tried playing alone, but it just wasn't the same. Then she approached the river and found the body of the youngest of five.

Sunday came to an end.

A new week emerged. Their mother returned home and came to the river. She witnessed the corpse of her youngest child and realized that all of her children were gone, except for her little girl.

The mother sat next to the river and let her tears fall in it. She cried and mourned her dead children for a whole week, all while the girl held her lilac in her hand and watched her mother cry.

When the week finally came to an end, the mother died of sadness and grief after mourning for almost seven days straight. She lifelessly fell into the river while she was holding the decayed corpse of her youngest son.

This was the first time a Witch had died. The girl saw all of it.

As the girl grew older, she promised herself that she would have a family of her own and that she would take care of it so that something like that would never happen again.

—

"And just by chance, Eivör, it was that girl who had attacked you that stormy night."

Eivör started trembling in the moment. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. Curiosity and absurdity started attacking her and eating her up instantly. Her sentences were skipping and words were missing, colors around her were mixed and catching breath was harder than usual. She would process Maurice's words and start thinking out loud.

"S-So… A Witch… A Witch attacked me… A Witch killed those men and Masuda… I-It would only explain the explosions… B-But how did she know where we" —

"That's because I told her your exact coordinates."