Chapter 11: Sacrifice Something To Gain Something 

Agartha the sorceress had just told me that she was my mother Susanna's childhood friend. I sat there looking at her in confusion. I racked my brain up I had to let out a laugh

"Ha Ha Ha Ha"

"I'm not joking"

"Then you must be mad then"

She furrowed her brows at me, like a cute angry rabbit

"I'm not mad either!"

"Then.." I said, eyeing her up and down.

"We grew up together in a little village. However, one day our village was attacked by a kingdom that was against sorcery and magic, killing everyone. Susanna and I were together that night playing in the village temple. Out of fear of being killed and the whole village destroyed, susanna stole the heart of our village - a stone in the shape of a human heart"

As she spoke, she used her anemokinesis to sketch a small cloud of the image of the stone.

My attention was fixed on the story she was narrating

"But how are you still looking young and my mum…although still very much pretty..grew old" I asked, filled with so many questions in my head.

"Susanna started her transition to being a complete human. Once you do not use magic, it disappears, "she explained.

"So you need the stone?"

"yes"

"But you still have your magic. So why are you looking for the stone?" 

She hesitated. Looking away from my gaze. 

"Please tell me or I use my power to compel you to speak the truth" I tried threatening her but I felt bad immediately after i said that.

"I need the stone to locate other of my kind"

"Hmmm. How? Didn't you say your people were destroyed and killed?"

"Yes, but some of us, like Susanna and I, were able to escape. I can feel it in me, there are still some of us. In fact the sensation has been stronger like they are near me"

Wow, there is more than one sorceress, why then did I have to go all the way here to find this one.

"This stone," she said, her voice now firm and unyielding. "It's the only thing powerful enough to help me defeat the beast. If you want my help, I'll need that stone. It's tied to both our fates."

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around it all. 

"So this is your price?" I asked, my voice low. "I free you, and you get the stone"

She nodded. "Yes. We'll make a pact."

The words hung in the air like an unspoken challenge. 

I knew that without her, we had no chance of survival. Inside of me, I started to get a little excited. Imagine how happy my Father, King Gario, would be when we solved the beast that has been tearing the kingdom down.

Without thinking further. "Alright," I said, meeting her gaze. 

"We have a deal. I'll free you… and you'll get that stone. But you have to help us defeat the Beast."

Her eyes flickered with something—relief, or maybe satisfaction. "Deal" she agreed.

Taking a step forward, I reached out to the glowing mark still faintly visible on her neck. My hand hovered just above her skin, my heart thudding in my chest. 

This was it—the moment I would release her from the bond, let her be her own master once again.

"Are you ready?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

 Her eyes began to glow brightly, her expression yearning. 

"Yes."

I took my knife once more and, with a sharp motion, made a small cut on my palm. Blood welled up and dripped onto the glowing mark. The moment the drop touched her skin, the air seemed to crackle with energy. 

The mark flared brightly for an instant, and then… it was gone. The bond, the invisible chain that had tied her to me, dissolved into nothing.

Agartha opened her eyes and gasped, as if breathing freely for the first time. Her body relaxed, a weight visibly lifted from her shoulders. She looked at me, her expression softer now, grateful but still cautious.

"I'm free" she said, tears dropping from her eyes " I'm finally free!!!" 

As she cried, the clouds started to fall, rain wetting our bodies. 

She twirled in excitement.

Her expression changed from looking like an angry rabbit to looking so cute.

AHEM!

I cleared my throat, expecting her showers of praises. But none came up.

"Emmm… are we forgetting something?"

"What? We are both benefiting from this pact aren't we?" She said, snubbing me off, her nose raised to the sky.

"Aggghh" I slammed my face with my palm.

"Let's go defeat the beeeeeeassssstttt!" She said as she shot up herself with a ball of wind.

I watched her happily, being playfully free.

I had found the sorceress and was heading back to my Kingdom, Akrifous. However, the remaining thing is to find my crew that I was separated from.

"Agartha!" I called out, quickening my pace to catch up with her.

She did not hear me, her long strides cutting through the terrain effortlessly, while I struggled to keep up. 

I was finally able to keep up when I got to the river that I once fell into.

"What are we going to do now!?" I groaned dramatically, turning towards Agartha with wide, pleading eyes, putting on my best puppy-dog face.

She glanced at me, unimpressed, before looking me up and down with the kind of exasperation reserved for dealing with a particularly annoying child.

 "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, clearly tired of my theatrics.

"Maybe you could help us… you know, with your air bending… water… rain… thunder powers?"

 I waved my hands vaguely, unsure of what exactly her powers entailed, only knowing she could summon storms when she cried. 

"Do some magic thingy to get us across!"

Agartha glared. "No."

"Please? Pretty please? Pleeeeaaase?" I begged, throwing in a comical whine for good measure.

After a long moment, she sighed and walked to the riverbank, her arms raising gracefully. 

She swayed her hands in delicate motions, pulling the wind around her. Her eyes glowed a brilliant white, and soon, a swirling ball of clouds formed at her command, hovering just above the water.

"Climb on it," she instructed.

I hesitated, unsure of what to make of the floating mass of cloud. I, of course, volunteered first. Climbing onto the cloud, I nearly slipped, struggling to find my balance as my feet sank into the soft, wet mist.

"It's… it's like sitting on wet cotton,"

The journey across was swift, the cloud gliding over the river like a ghost. Before I knew it, we had reached the other side.

The wind, which had been so fierce the first time I passed, suddenly was stilled as we reached the cliff. 

Agartha dissolved the cloud beneath us, and we stepped onto solid ground. But as soon as her feet touched the earth, she staggered, her face drained of all color.

Without thinking, I rushed to her side, catching her before she collapsed.

"Agartha, are you alright?" My voice was tight with concern as I steadied her.

She shook her head weakly, trying to wave off my worry. "It's nothing," she whispered, her breath shallow.

But then I noticed a thin trail of blood trickling down from her nose. 

"Your nose… it's bleeding!" I exclaimed, alarmed.

Agartha quickly wiped it away, her hand trembling slightly. 

"It's nothing," she repeated, but this time her voice was fragile, like she was holding back the truth.

I frowned, searching her face. "Does this happen every time you use your powers?"**

Her eyes flicked to mine, and for a moment, I saw a deep weariness in them.

"In magic," she began, her voice growing weaker, "you have to sacrifice something... to gain something." 

As she spoke, I noticed something else—a single strand of her snow-white hair had turned jet black. It slipped down, brushing against her pale cheek. Before I could say anything, her body went limp in my arms.

"Agartha!" I called out, my heart racing, but she was unresponsive.I felt so guilty seeing her in this frail state. I had pushed herself too far—too far for me.

.