Soul-eating Witch (2)

"Heehee... " a burst of eerie laughter filled the cold night air. Blue eyes stared back mockingly at a pair of blood-red ones. Mira smirked and touched the wound on her neck. "You really think that eating maidens' souls only give me beauty? Think again."

Yllana jumped back a few steps as she watches Mira's wound enclose. The drops of blood is still evident but the wound brought about by the dagger is already healed. How could it be? Yllana frowned.

"She's using the souls to live again, appear younger, and heal her wounds, tch." Lucien stood beside Yllana and sneered at Mira. This village witch should have been a pain in the neck in their village. It was obvious how poor the village was that even the leader had to sell whatever they hunted along with herbs. She must have been keeping them within her control.

"Despicable mages only know how to wander around. You wouldn't know the glory and beauty of having everything at the palm of your hands. What a shame, you only do measly jobs and have to take orders from random people. If you promise to be with me however, you can be more blessed than this village leader." she displayed a charmingly evil smile to Lucien.

"How can you speak like that when you are in fact more lowly than mages who serve the kingdom? Depending on other people rather than depending on your own strengths, wouldn't that be eating from other people's hard work? If that isn't called dependence, I don't know what is." Yllana hit her soft spot and looked at her coldly.

"You... " angered to the point of her blood boiling, Mira stared at the two in front of her and pointed her finger to Yllana, "Curse you! I will curse you until you beg for death instead!"

Black smoke started to appear on the tip of Mira's finger until it reached Yllana but the three people were stunned. The smoke just turned to curl around Yllana and not attacked her. There was like an invisible barrier on Yllana and the black smoke couldn't penetrate through. Mira's furious glare disappeared. "You are already cursed? Ha! Who would have thought someone has already given you a darker and gloomier curse than I?" Before Lucien and Yllana could make any further actions, Mira was already gone from her original spot.

"Lucien... " Yllana spoke absent-mindedly. She was staring at the spot where Mira was standing. Those last words were ringing in her ears.

'Someone has already given you a darker and gloomier curse than I!'

'Darker and gloomier curse'

She sighed helplessly and bit her lip.

Thunk!

"Hey! Aww!" Yllana massaged her head where the blood staff hit. Then she glared at her side.

"Don't be an idiot. Wounds first, then rest." Lucien started to treat her wounds then Morx'. He did not bother to even look at Valkin who was lying on the ground unconscious. He didn't give any potion to Yllana due to Morx' presence. After bidding Morx goodbye, the two left to look for another place to rest. They just didn't feel safe with them anymore. Morx apologized for troubling them so much and didn't try to persuade them to stay any longer.

"I know I am in no place to apologize for the crime these two committed but I still want to sincerely apologize because you have helped us from before. We couldn't even pay you for the debt of gratitude and yet we have ruined your trust and harmed you both. Please do as you wish, I hope you have safe travels." Morx was bowing to them and never raised his head even once while talking. He was completely embarrassed.

Yllana and Lucien never bothered to reply and just left him in that cold and silent camp.

'Accursed One,'

'Darker and gloomier curse,'

Yllana couldn't help but think deeply of the words left by the oracle and Mira. Witches and mages have always been at loggerheads due to having the same magical powers. But there is also a difference in their purposes and spells. Witches use dark spells and magic, mages don't. Dark spells will require you to sacrifice something horrid in return but are more powerful than regular ones. Thus, it can be said that only greed and envy can feed the witches' dark spells. Who could give her such curse that even a regular witch like Mira can't give her another one? She doesn't know whether to laugh or cry at her situation. It can be said that the first curse on her had saved her from having another curse from Mira. But who would be happy to be saved if that curse was more powerful?

"Hey, idiot." Lucien brought her back to reality. She didn't notice that she was already staring at Lucien's dark eyes and they are already standing in front of a door inside a small inn on the roadside. "Your room," he dangled the keys in front of her and turned his back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon arriving at the Roaring Winds City, Yllana asked around for news about the seer. Fortunately, the seer was still in the City Lord's Palace and has been residing there for more than a month now. It seems that he was enjoying life there. What troubles Yllana now was how to get to see the seer. She clenched her fist as she looked at the direction of the palace.