Chapter 3: One Less Friend or One More Enemy

It has been seventeen years since the Monarch took me in. She has taught me a lot and despite having different gifts, pushing me to do better. While my gift started relatively useless except for extreme emotional conflict, after her having fallen gravely ill, I learned to harvest souls to help her live longer. This was very important, as unlike humans who have a soul that lives on forever, a witch dies within hours to days upon the body's death.

Even so, the queen looks young with her long, jet-black hair and porcelain skin, not a blemish to be found. It's hard to believe the woman is just over 200 years of age. But what is more surprising is the small lifespan she must begin with, as many witches live 500 – 800 years. The only time you would see a witch's lifespan diminish so quickly was the mass usage of their powers without rest. It just goes to show how hard she works to keep our kind safe.

Today I will be harvesting a stronger soul than I've ever challenged before. If I succeed, the queen will be set for years, unlike the average witch soul only lasting her a few months. But the problem isn't harvesting the soul itself, it's the type of user I will be up against and who it is: Mateo.

A few days ago, he was captured after conspiracy to kill the queen. Even if his physical body is weaker than it has ever been due to heavy amounts of poisoning after his capture, his soul is still strong. As a telepath, like myself, it will be much harder to control and harvest his soul like it would be of elemental witches. As such, I have requested to do it myself in complete silence with no distractions in the area.

The queen has a small aristocratic cottage in a heavily human area; with our luck, he was captured before the disclosure of our location and as such, we were able to lock him below. I make my way down to the cellar where the weak, boney body of Mateo sits on the cold, hard ground. He weakly looks up at me, his brunette scruff and messy hair like that of a peasant's.

"A splitting image of the queen herself." Mateo retorts, obviously not weak enough to talk back. "Why the queen chose you is beyond me. Your power easily outranks hers, but as a child, you could have easily been killed off."

I glare at the man, unsure of how to feel as he once was a mentor and a person to look up to. Despite the queen's push for me to be better, as a mind reading telepath, the basics of our gifts were almost parallel. As such, much of my honing of skills came from him. I sigh and focus, readying myself to take over his soul when suddenly there's a flash of light.

"What the heck is going on, Mateo," I yell.

"Before you kill me, I want you to see something."

I pause for a second then turn towards the sounds of a crying child. Lying on the ground is a small, frail looking witch and a large, grey, leather skinned orc. Both are covered in blood, but instead of fighting, they both are curled up as if protecting the crying child.

Suddenly, they disappear and behind me walks a large, muscular man with pitch black hair and a long, black, scaly tail. Obviously, a dragonborn. Behind him stands a small child, roughly 7 in age. He appears loving and kind, almost like that of a father. If it weren't for the missing tail, the child's porcelain skin and pitch-black hair would make me believe that to be her father.

Once again, they disappear and I find myself on a human battlefield with a younger queen, yet older child riding atop a horse. She is yelling orders at the humans as the enemy is slaughtered before her. Fae are easily conquered and it's as if she can read every one of their moves. Right as a fireball is coming towards them, everything disappears.

Finally, I am in a forest with the queen and a younger Mateo, a small white Bengal curled up in her lap followed by a campfire and a small group of witches. I was looking at the beginning of the witches' brigade. Then, everything disappeared and was white.

We stand in silence for a few moments before I speak up. "Why did you show me this, Mateo."

"There's more to the queen than she lets you know. You can follow her blindly if you choose, but I will not. Before I die, think carefully of whom you choose to alliance with."

I raise an eyebrow and finally ask. "If you don't trust her, the least you could tell me is why."

Mateo contemplates on answering my question and finally says. "I can read minds, and I've seen the Queen's. She's been betrayed by Fae and went to war with the humans to kill them. She's been betrayed by humans and went with witches to enslave them. She wants to trust, but can't and now that I've betrayed her, I fear she may kill anybody without hesitation. You will be at the top of that list."

"What?"

Mateo glares at me. "Don't feign ignorance. She needs you for her soul to live, with that reason alone, you will find yourself alive for now, but I can't guarantee that will always be that way. Now that she knows what your skills can do, she will find a way to copy it without your aid. Once that happens, you better run."

I sigh, "So, let's say what you are saying is true. What do you want me to do?"

Mateo contemplates for a while. "Well, either way, I will die. My body is unable to go on. I personally would suggest you let my soul die and rest in peace, but witches don't have a heaven or hell to fear. So, on the other hand, you could harvest the soul for yourself and become stronger or fight me for the queen. Just know, if you fight for the queen, I will fight for my kind."

"How do you know I'm any better."

"I don't, but I know you're my best chance at peace between nations when I only have you two as my decisions."

I frown at his statement then contemplate, deciding on the best option.

A. Harvest Mateo's Soul for Myself

B. Harvest Mateo's Soul for Her Majesty