( 17 )

She was dreaming of the past when of her mother had still been alive.

Jul Orben could never forget her gentle embrace and her warmth. The way the corners of her eyes crinkled when she smiled at her. The soft tone she used whenever she called out her name. The wonderful tricks of magic she used to show by her bedside before she slept, making her believe that her powers were a source of laughter and fun. She had been a witch, and Jul had gotten the same gift. Although her mother wasn't powerful enough to become a Titled, she took great pride in her daughter's abilities.

'You were born with The Blessing of the Wind, Jul', she used to tell her all the time. 'You will grow up more powerful than any witch in this kingdom. You are my pride and joy.'

Her mother had raised her to be carefree and happy, to not be bound by anything just like the wind itself. She showered Jul with love and affection, caring for her like any mother would to a child they loved. Her husband, Jul's father, had left them before their child was even born. It was the two of them together against everything else.

Until the day when she was killed.

Jul's dream shifted like sand in water, taking her away from those young memories of happiness. It was the third day after her mother had sacrificed her life to protect her. It was a lonely funeral where only few attended, fearful of the rumors that surrounded her mysterious death. She was twelve years old then, standing before her grave marker all alone and weeping in grief.

A hand grasped her own and Jul looked up to see a girl with a golden chaplet above her red hair. It was no one other than the princess of Ginsell and her closest friend, Yoko. Younger, but still her. A pained expression was on her face. The young witch looked away, but the princess pulled her forcefully into a tight hug. Jul couldn't free herself. She could feel her trembling body as she held back her unshed tears. They had both lost people who were important to them on the same day.

"I'm so sorry. It's... It's all my fault," Yoko whispered in her ear, trembling. "I'm so sorry Jul."

Jul closed her eyes slowly, failing to find the words to say anything.

"You can live in the palace from now on. I will protect you from anyone who wants to hurt you again. I'm so sorry. It's okay."

She opened her eyes, the scene dissipating. Yoko faded before her eyes. Jul had rewound back in time to the day where her mother had died. The frightening scene that greeted her was vividly real, as though she really had gone back. She was inside of her old house, hiding in a closet, trying not to cry out. The muffled sound of the rain outside helped to disguise her. From the gaps in the wood, she saw her mother on the floor, a knife protruding from her heart, her eyes glassy and unfocused. The woman who had killed her was still inside the room, face shadowed by the darkness. It was nighttime. She was looking for Jul, a brown cloak covering her shoulders, her ornate dress splattered with flecks of her mother's blood.

"Come out, little girl... You dare disobey me? I just want your heart now. Aren't you guilty of what happened to your poor mother?"

Jul whimpered silently, covering her mouth with both hands. She closed her eyes and prayed for everything to have been just a bad dream, a nightmare. She would wake up and see her mother beside her still alive. She would comfort her, tell her that everything was okay.

"Ah, here you are."

The cabinet door opened and a hand grabbed her hair, pulling her out. Jul cried out in pain, trembling from head to toe. She tried to pull herself away, but couldn't. The woman dragged her to the kitchen while ignoring her shrieks. She took out a knife from a wooden tray. The young witch struggled, begging for mercy, screaming for help to anyone who could hear. But it was in the middle of the night, and a heavy rain was over the kingdom. No one could hear her.

A slender hand clamped over her mouth and quieted her desperate cries. The woman leaned close to her face, the lower side of her face illuminated by a flash of lightning, showing then, red lips in a sinister smile. She brushed the knife against Jul's cheek, making a small cut.

"Stop, foolish girl, I don't want you to suffer any more than necessary. Think of this as an honorable sacrifice."

The woman raised the blade over her head, ready to pierce through Jul's small body, aiming for her heart. Just like what she did to her mother. Jul closed her eyes and screamed. Fear and panic overtook her. She felt a tug inside her body, a semblance of her power. She called out to it in desperation, her mind going blank, raising her arms to shield herself.

A garbled scream. A thud. And then... there was only the sound of the rain.

When Jul opened her eyes, the woman was on the wooden floor, unmoving. The knife she was holding had flown to Jul's grasp, whisked away by a wind that also pushed her toward its pointed edge. Her throat had been slit, blood pooling freely in the same red as her hair. Another lightning strike illuminated her broken figure from the windows. It was the face of someone who was once beautiful but was worn by age, a face famed and known by everyone in the kingdom.

Arys Agnis rex Castagne. It was the queen, Yoko's mother. And she had killed her.

Jul stood there blankly, unable to believe what had happened. The knife was still in her hand. She raised it before her, her body still trembling. She looked down at the face of the dead queen, horrified about what she had done.

She knew what happened next after that. How in the morning, she would still be standing there on the same spot, staring at the rotting body of the woman she had just killed. Yoko had been the one who had found her first, seeing what had happened as she burst into her house, tearful and running out of breath. How, after then, the rumors of the details regarding the queen's death would have spread and then hushed. She was given a grand funeral while Jul's mother was buried quietly among the rows of the dead. No one except the king and Yoko knew what really happened. She had been ordered to keep quiet if she valued her own life. Three days would pass, and Yoko would arrive at her mother's grave to offer her a place in the palace. They would live together. Jul would heal after months. She would start smiling like before, like what she knew her mother would have wanted. Only this time, she didn't limit herself in anything. Even though she knew she was the reason why Yoko was hated and scorned, Jul couldn't stop herself.

'You are a free wind. Don't let anyone restrain you', she had told her, once.

But that was not what happened in the vivid dream.

Instead of simply standing there until morning, Jul found herself walking forward, the knife clutched so tightly that her palm had turned white. A voice at the back of her mind was urging her every action, and she couldn't stop herself.

Do it. She deserves it. She killed your mother. She ruined your life. And she's already dead. She can't feel anymore. This is merely to assuage the pain you have. Do it. Do it.

Jul knelt beside the queen and raised the knife over the her heart.

It's okay. She's already dead. You're angry, right? You and your mother were innocent. She deserves it.

Her hand was trembling, but fear overpowered her, fueled on by the voice of hate that was speaking.

Jul Orben brought the knife down.

A pained scream tore through her dream, jolting her into reality. She blinked, moving backwards from where she had been standing. She was inside a large, familiar-looking room, the sky still dark outside the ornate windows. There was no rain. She looked around in confusion, realizing that she was not dreaming anymore.

She breathed out, her thoughts muddy and unsure. Her memories were in disorder. She couldn't remember how and when the dream had mirrored into reality. She blinked again, realizing that someone was on the bed in front on her.

"... J-Jul?"

Yoko's pained croak surprised her. Jul looked up to see her friend bleeding from a large cut on her shoulder, drenching her clothes and the sheets in the same crimson as her hair. As the queen's hair. Jul's eyes widened as she realized what she had done. She looked down at her hands and saw the bloody knife in her grip.

"No... No... I wasn't... It was the dream... I..." Jul moved back, trembling in fear and crashing into a desk. She was shaking her head at the thought that she had almost killed her. "I'm so sorry, Yoko, I didn't... I..."

"—Princess!" The door burst open, an armored guard rushing inside, eyes alert, sword at the ready. He saw the scene in a single swift glance and brandished his weapon at her. "You!"

"No, I—"

"Silence, traitor!"

Jul flinched. She looked at Yoko, bleeding and slowly dying, an expression of disbelief on her face. She had done this to her. She had cut her with the knife in her hands. Just like what she did in the dream.

"Yoko...," Jul whispered. "I'm sorry."

The princess' eyes widened as she understood the meaning behind her words. She managed to scream despite the wound that clearly pained her.

"Jul, no...!"

But it was too late. The Falcon Witch ran to the other side of the room and jumped out of the window, disappearing into the night.

----> thank you for reading!

Q:

We've finally arrived at the darker parts of the arc.

What do you think happened to Jul?

What are your theories about Jul and Yoko's past?