Arachna

Witches

A symbolism of error between the divine and the unholy. A cheat code to achieve things that were forbidden. An illusion that was real. Witches were a mirage to most people; many worked under the guise of the title, untouchable, but none would actually admit to being one. Like the strings of a puppet, destiny and fate worked under the watchful eyes of a witch. Until she allowed it, no one would ever be able to see her.

But tonight, the strings had been cut.

The rain continued to hammer against the stained-glass windows of the Headmaage’s office, casting long, weeping shadows across the room. Noah sat in the center of the room in a heavy oak chair, his hands gripping the armrests until his knuckles turned white, digging into the leather until his fingers made their way inside. 

His eyes darted towards a pen lying precariously on a table next to the chair. A raging grief surged within the disconsolate boy, causing him to swipe the pen and hurl it towards his right eye.

Before it could pierce his skull, Arachna’s shadow restrained his arm and whipped the pen out of his grasp. Or rather the shadow looked like Arachna, a magical construct she had left behind to assist the Headmage while she secured the grounds.

Noah was shaking. Not from cold, but from the uncontrollable wrath bubbling inside, mixing with the grief of the loss he had incurred.

"It is for the best, child." Chernobog said, his voice rumbling like deep earth. "To carry such a memory is to invite madness."

Arachna's clone stood behind the boy, unlike a teacher. She seemed to be a weaver of fate in the moment, her hands glowing with a soft, invasive blue light. 

As her fingers clamped down on to his temples, Noah’s mind fractured and his life flashed before his eyes, not as a film, but as a series of rejections.

I am the spare.. 

Noah thought, closing his eyes and giving into Arachna’s magic.

He saw his father’s face, sneering at him.

He saw his older brother, the Heir, receiving the praise, the gifts, the love.

Noah was the shadow. The backup plan.

The one born only to serve.

Why wasn't I strong enough?

The old rage, the fury of a child who wished he had died in the womb rather than live as a disappointment.

I hated them all. I hated myself.

And then, through the darkness of his childhood, a single light appeared.

Meline.

The only woman who had ever looked at him without checking his rank.

I want to be like him..

Noah’s mind drifted to Ezekiel.

I want to be strong. I want to protect people like he does. I want to build a world where Meline is safe.

"Sleep now" Arachna's shadow whispered.

Her magic pushed into his skull, pulsating through into his cranium until a white light emanated through Noah’s eyes and nostrils. It hunted the memory of the cellar, slithering through like a serpent until the image of Meline’s torn throat appeared and it began to scrub.

Noah opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. The light of his joy was being extinguished to save his sanity, leaving him in the dark once more and causing him to collapse.

“This is for the best.” Chernobog commented, standing near the window of the office, a sad expression painted across his face as he peered out at the courtyard, looking away from the procedure, down at the toolshed where the meeting had taken place.

The rain had reduced to a drizzle, but the tension in the air was thick enough to choke on. Under the weeping sky, Silver and Vanessa walked away from the toolshed, the mud sucking at their boots as the wind bit at their heels.

Vanessa hugged herself, shivering, causing Silver to drape her with his coat. She cast a glance up towards the office tower where she knew the memory wipe ritual was taking place, sickened by the thought of it .

"Who is she?" Vanessa asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Arachna. The way she looked at me... and the way she just took control."

“Don't cross her, Vanessa. If destiny is working under her watchful eye, you won't even know you're trapped until it's too late." Silver muttered

Vanessa absorbed this, but her mind drifted back to the shed.

"And him?" she asked, disdain dripping from her voice. "Aureli. He acted like a monster back there."

Silver walked in silence for a moment. He thought about the way Aureli had knelt before Noah. The way he had used the word avenge to twist a suicidal boy into a weapon, just to extract a few sentences of intel.

I have lived as a murderer my whole life

Silver thought, the taste of tobacco bitter on his tongue.

I have looked men in the eye and ended them. But Aureli... he didn't even blink.

"I may have blood on my hands" Silver said quietly, more to himself than her. "But that man has ice in his veins."

Silver exhaled, his eyes hardening as he watched Aureli inspect the ground where the body had been.

“Hey, asshole” Silver called out.

Meanwhile Arachna, who had taken a seat on a nearby boulder to detach herself from the testosterone, watched as Aureli’s frown eased upon hearing Silver’s voice. Immediately, the somber mask was replaced by a friendly, yet coy smile.

Aureli got back on his feet, twirling around and walking toward his friend. “Hey, that's not nice. What would the ladies think of me if you treated me like that?” He playfully winked in Vanessa's direction, startling her with the audacity of his move.

He had ignored her existence moments ago. And now, when a student was dead, he was flirting? It was incredibly odd. The elf struggled to rationalise the behaviour.

“Noah…” Silver interrupted, his voice low. “Why did you play with his head?”

Silver was not the kind of man to beat around the bush, causing Aureli’s smile to slowly fade, his golden eyes sharpening with a distant edge. A glint of genuine sadness, as brief as a spark of fire lifting from a pile of coals, flickered within the gaze.

“We have the results,” Aureli answered simply. “A little manipulation isn't bad in times like these now is it?”

Hot blood rose in Silver’s head, causing him to clench his fist. “He was grieving. There was absolutely no need for it.”

Aureli let out a low chuckle, holding his chin up. His eyes were suddenly devoid of any sympathy, as if Vanessa had hallucinated the somberness moments ago.

“Silver, don't lecture me. You kill people for money,” Aureli said softly. “Doesn't it sound a bit hypocritical coming from you?”

The bigger man’s jaw clenched. He couldn't agree, nor could he deny it.

Arachna sighed, sliding off the boulder. Dusting the dirt off her clothes, she approached them, the sword on her back clicking rhythmically as she walked.

“Stop playing with everyone’s head.”

She delivered a light whack to the back of Aureli’s head, glancing momentarily at Vanessa before speaking again. “You ask as if you don't know why he did that, Silver. Stop making him sound heartless. You’ve probably done the same considering your line of work.”

Her tone was authoritative, but there was a hint of friendliness in it. Arachna crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her bosom up. “Pray tell, what could be more important than comforting the young boy?”

Silver scoffed because, even though he was fully aware of Aureli’s intentions, it pissed him off anyway. Yet, he was curious to hear this response.

Aureli sighed, a hint of fatigue causing his shoulders to slump and his face to droop before he stood straight again. “Because that was the only way to save his soul.”

To save him from one hell, he pushed him into another, how vicious. Vanessa thought.

She couldn't help but think the man was a walking mystery, showing her a mirror of idealism one moment, and a somber reality the next.

“He is too young and hot blooded, all over the place in his misguided youth,” Aureli explained, his voice losing its theatrical lilt. “He would either drown himself in misery and grieve over her death, or plunge himself into the flames of revenge, all alone, finding ways to avenge her and that would not be safe. I'd rather be the one to show him there are people who will help him avenge her, instead of letting him destroy himself. Besides...”

Aureli looked at the dried blood on his own hands. “Wanting revenge for Meline is a better alibi than grieving. You can fake sadness, but you can never fake anger.”

Silver just stared down at him. Aureli wasn't a short man per se, but Silver was a tower of muscle, making the noble appear small in comparison. Silver rolled his eyes, sighing as the fatigue of all the days past finally showed on his face. He hadn't slept, and he was already dealing with another crisis.

Arachna clapped her hands together, breaking the tension and gaining the group's attention. She subtly glared at Aureli, whose hands were behind his back, fidgeting like a schoolboy.

“Now, I think you owe Lady..?” Arachna paused, waiting.

“Vanessa,” the elf supplied.

“Right. You owe Ms. Vanessa an apology for treating her poorly throughout the whole ordeal.”

Arachna was not asking. She was stating a fact.

Aureli laughed awkwardly. “Right. I apologize for ignoring you before. But do understand the situation called for my attention as a whole. Please forgive me, my lady.”

He gently took Vanessa's hand and placed a courtesy kiss of apology on her knuckles.

Ah. He is nobility after all, Vanessa realized.

Silver was obviously not a fan of the display. Just as Aureli let go of her hand, Arachna spoke again.

“Now that we are done with the lovers' quarrel, Sir Silver and Lord Valentino, let us head down to the Archives as the Headmage originally asked.”

“I don't think this is the appropriate time for it” Vanessa spoke up, a tinge of somberness in her voice. A girl had just died. Investigating old books felt wrong.

Arachna’s icy stare snapped to her, sending a shiver down Vanessa's spine. “I think you do not understand the position you are in, Lady Vanessa.”

“What do you mean?”

“From what I heard, the Queen is after you,” Arachna said, her voice dropping an octave. 

“You look strangely like the carvings of the woman on the Academy's walls. Headmage Chernobog treated you like someone important. And the moment you entered the Academy, one of our students mysteriously died.”

Vanessa gulped.

“Do you know what that entails?” Arachna continued, stepping closer. “Just like Noah, it makes you a prime suspect for the murder. We need clarity over your identity so Chernobog can protect you without tarnishing his own reputation. Ah, and also so that this dolt” she gestured to Silver “can get away without being harmed for disobeying a Royal Order.”

Silver flinched. Arachna was a beautifully terrifying woman. She did not yell, nor did she insult, yet the authority in her voice was absolute. Regardless of her feelings toward Vanessa, Arachna's first priority was the safety of her superior and her peers.

“Aww, Crimson, c'mon! You don't have to be so harsh on the poor lady,” Aureli cooed. He flung an arm over Arachna's shoulder, leaning in as if to whisper in her ear. “Are you perhaps jealous because Silver brought a woman with him? Ugh!”

Aureli stumbled back, clutching his ribs. Arachna had elbowed him. Hard.

But as she turned away, Vanessa caught it. A distinct tint of blush on the witch's cheeks.

I don't think it's Silver and I she is jealous of…

Both Vanessa and Silver realized at that moment that the close proximity affected her, but it was Aureli who caused the reaction. Both decided to keep quiet about it while Aureli moaned in pain.  The group then turned to venture towardsthe lower floors. 

It was finally time to gain clarity on Vanessa identity.