Enough

The village was warm.

Not only because of the gentle sun falling over the tiled rooftops, but because of the people. The voices. The life that went on, unaware of the end of a world.

The witch walked calmly between the market stalls, like just another visitor. Around her, fruits were carefully arranged, bread still warm, vividly colored fabrics fluttering in the wind. The air smelled of homemade food and damp earth.

No one looked at her twice.
No one suspected a thing.

An old man argued over the price of apples.
A girl laughed as she ran between the adults.
A woman greeted another with familiarity.

The witch observed everything attentively, but without nostalgia.

“I hope you’re living a peaceful life,” she said softly, speaking to herself. “Just as you longed for in that world.”

She kept walking.

“My deranged martyrs…”

There was no mockery in her tone. Nor complete compassion. Only recognition.

“I didn’t think you would survive,” she admitted. “Helping you wasn’t part of my plans either.”

She stopped in front of a fabric stall and ran her hand over one of the cloths, as if confirming that it was real.

“But this is how things turned out.”

She resumed her steps.

“Thanks to my help, no entity noticed you. Zick sent you to other worlds… and I made sure no one followed that trail.”

The market continued on. People kept living.

The witch closed her eyes for a moment.

“The energy you emanated was extremely intense…” she murmured. “Perhaps the result of everything you repressed. Of everything you were never able to say.”

She opened her eyes.

“It intensified through trauma, through the psychological issues you developed… and even so, you remained faithful to your most authentic beliefs.”

She smiled with genuine interest.

“That’s what allowed you to transcend.”

She lifted her gaze toward the clear sky.

“I admit that the entity killer residing within Zick surprised me,” she confessed. “I never imagined someone like him would know a place as beautiful as this.”

The wind stirred the market’s fabrics.

“Perhaps that’s why he was able to send you here.”

She let out a low, almost playful laugh.

“I hope to witness new feats from you,” she said. “Enjoy your new homes.”

The witch disappeared into the crowd, blending into the everyday life of that warm village.

The story had ended.
But not the lives.

“So I’ll be eagerly awaiting your next adventures,” she whispered from afar.
“Don’t disappoint me.”

A soft, uneven, sincere laugh mixed with the noise of the market.

“Ha… ha… ha…”