( 11 )

    The awaited time was slowly nearing.

    Outside the view of the window where she was sitting close to, darkness had encapsulated over the continent of Terrall. The low hum of the night befell on the lands as creatures of the dark began to rouse and people began to retreat in the comfort of their homes, welcoming sleep after a tiring day. A listless expression passed over her face as her eyes flickered over to the dim-lit sky, searching past the drifting clouds. High above, a waning moon was visibly clear, blanketing the earth with a faint silver light, simultaneously illuminating her figure. She stared at it intently, frozen in her position. Her hand rested on her chin.

    A little more..., she mused. Just a little more...

    "Milady." A voice, soft and deliberate, called from the shadows and snapped her out of her thoughts. She did not respond immediately and instead continued to gaze outside. Then, a moment later, she turned to face the owner of the voice hidden in the shadows of the vast room.

    "Hmm..," she finally mused, tone light. "Yes, my Raven. What is it?"

    A slight pause ensued. Then, a person quietly stepped forth into the beams of the moonlight.

    A handsome young man with a thin build revealed himself before the woman. At a first glance, he looked of age well in his early adulthood. His midnight-colored hair was tied up in a short ponytail, revealing the rough outline of his face. A single scar trailed upward from his chin to his cheek. His sharp eyes were dyed in a deep hue of crimson that seemed to glow in the darkness, looking like the color of fresh blood. A slight tan accented his skin tone, hinting that he may have originated from the Eastern lands, even farther. The young man was also dressed in clothes of dark shades. He had on a black long-sleeved shirt, a pair of pants rolled at the knees, and thick leather boots.  Two swords were sheathed by the side of his hip. If it was not for the droplets of fresh blood dripping from his face, he could have easily been mistaken for an honest-looking mercenary.

    The bloodied young man—-The Raven, as he was called-—bowed respectfully to her before continuing to speak. "I've finished the task," he said. "The master of the house has his head hanging in front of the window. I've also taken care of the, ah... others."

    "I see. Excellent work as always," the woman praised halfheartedly, her sight trailing over to the pool of blood on the carpet a few feet away. Her eyes flickered at the lifeless and pale hand peeking from the rest of its mangled corpse hidden in the darkness. Then, she turned away to look out the window again, seemingly unaffected by the dead body before her.

    "Is there anything else?" she inquired after a while, noticing that the Raven was still there.

    He quieted for a moment. "... It is as you predicted, milady. Only two days have passed since the disturbance in the kingdom of Uldard, and yet the rumors have already reached as far as Aurden. The corpse of the hunter found in the alley has spiked fear and hatred among the Mortalfolk. They are agitated. It is... only a matter of time before the scale reaches its tipping point and looses its balance."

    "Hm..." She trained her eyes once more at the moon, the look in them brightening for a split second. "I see. What marvelous results, then. By this single event, people will start to be wary... And that wariness will turn into fear, and that fear into hatred, and then that hatred into chaos. Thanks to this, our plans have taken a step yet closer to our goal. How wonderful!" She looked at him. "Tell me, my Raven... who was it that caused this again?"

    The Raven didn't answer directly, his mouth slowly turning into a thin and dark smile. "It was," he finally said, "The Snow Witch."

   Her fingers twitched slightly at the mention of the witch's title. She crossed her legs.

    "Ah... that child. Of course. That pathetic one." She said amusedly. "But I must admit, if it were not for her, that incident would not have happened. Perhaps this what they call... 'a blessing in disguise'?"

    The Raven merely shrugged in return, his face expressing his disinterest in the matter. She gave a short, silent laugh.

    "Well, since this is the way it has turned out, we'll also have to make our move." she said firmly. A pressing silence passed over the room.

    "... At which place shall we go next to, milady?" The Raven asked in a low whisper.

    "Ah, yes..." She went deep into thought for a while, craning her neck to one side. "I've decided. The next place shall be... Gisnell."

    "Understood." He nodded and made a respectful bow. "Then, I shall make the preparations for the journey."

    The Raven turned around, ready to sink back into the shadows. Halfway through his first step, however, he froze. His hand moved to grab the hilt of his sword in a gesture of habit, rubbing it thoughtlessly.

    "... Milady... may I ask you a question?" He suddenly inquired, turning to look back at her. His eyes glinted once more in the shadows, looking like the bloodthirsty demons found in children's picture books. She raised her eyebrows at him, surprised. The Raven rarely chose to voice his thoughts out loud.

    "Of course you may, my Raven. Ask me anything."

    A subtle grin stretched on his face. In a small whisper, he asked, "Then... are you, perhaps, happy?"

    It took her more than a few seconds to answer, taken aback by his strange question.  "Happy? And why is that?" she asked.

    The Raven stared at her, a trace of faint humor in his eyes. "Well... you have been smiling this whole time," he finally said in a slightly amused tone. The moment she heard this, she froze and blinked in surprise. Then, as though to make sure, the woman slowly reached out and touched the outline of her mouth. Surely enough, her lips had been overturned in an involuntary expression. She had been smiling to herself the entire time without her knowing.

    She was silent for a moment.

    "Well... It seems I really am," she mused afterwards, sounding genuinely amused of herself. She turned outside once again. Beyond the window panes, the moon was still as bright as it had been. As she stared at it, she could feel her smile split wider and morph into an unsettling grin.

    She started humming a song. It had a peaceful, nostalgic tune, a song taught to her by a dear friend long ago. The Raven remained standing there, listening to the quiet melody.

    Just a little bit more... If only I had the last pieces...

    There were still a few things she needed to obtain and do before her grand plan would be able to take place after all. The most essential and difficult ones were still missing-—the complete power of the other Vittes, the four families whose source of mana were linked to the First Witch herself. It was not going to be an easy task. She had known this from experience, when her first attempt ended in a failure six years ago. However, it was something she absolutely needed to do in order for her vision to be realized. She would not hesitate to lay her life on the line or kill anyone in her way. After all, for years, she had trampled over countless lives without mercy, Witchfolk and Mortalfolk alike. The pile of dead bodies she had to walk over was already enough to grant her welcome to the gates of the dead told in stories to scare children out of evil deeds. To her, killing was merely a pastime now. What difference would it make if she piled up more corpses at her feet?

    She stopped humming. Another dark grin spread over her face, this time more sinister. Greedier.

    A little more...

    She had made a vow to herself and to another, years and years ago. She would do everything she could in order to attain her ultimate goal. For years, she had followed her own path, risking all that she had and all that she believed in. She was determined to find it, obsessed with the thought of succeeding. She would not accept any failure. No matter what came in her way, she would crush every obstacle with every bit of her power. And no one, not even the Snow Witch, the Idle Wizard or the Time Bearer, could stop her.

----> thank you for reading!

Q:
What are your thoughts about the new characters introduced?