9 — A Witch's Murder During The Festival

"It's kinda cold here, eh?"

Lily opened the conversation. I only nodded.

I myself never enjoyed small talk. I believe it's unproductive to talk about things that actually happened, let alone things that would never happen. Even That One Great Sage questioned whether farewell was a necessary thing to do, given the implication that saying "See you later" would plant the hope that they would see each other again.

"The ceremony will start in fifteen minutes."

I said while looking at the clock—the one I always kept inside my pocket. It was a round piece of silver with unique engravings. The only gift I had ever received from my father.

"Don't be so serious. You literally did everything yesterday."

"Let me get you some drinks, okay?"

Aren't you being too nice here? It almost sounds suspicious.

Once more, I nodded. No elaborations were given, nor were any needed.

It could be that I'm allergic to pleasantries, or rather that something inside my heart was stirring the way my stomach churned. Either way, none of these were good signs.

Or perhaps, it might just be my feelings.

Lily then walked away with a smile she rarely showed. Awkward to see her expressing herself when she was deadpan most of the time.

I sighed immediately.

Finally, a peaceful evening for myself.

A bell rang loudly. The "ding" sound repeated five times, signaling that the ceremony would start at five o'clock in the afternoon. A sacred time when everyone must stop their activities. Why? The bell was ringing, so the ceremony needed to be witnessed.

Discipline is part of this Kingdom's culture. As crowded as it might seem, such a sight became quiet by the time the bell rang. Many other merchants were prepared. Some were running to the borderline—the place where everything began.

Wessexgard Town's central border, or that's what they said.

A magical incantation that had lasted for more than five hundred years.

Conducted by the so-called Four Witches of Apocalypse.

I walked a bit quicker toward the crowd. No one wanted to miss this event, after all.

"Clara!"

I looked in the direction where the voice was coming from.

It was Lily, running over and handing me a porcelain cup of brewed tea.

Licorice? How perfect.

As she handed it to me, I received it with both hands.

"Thank you."

And right before the moment began, the lights went off.

Everything and everyone fell silent without any order.

Even Lily was captivated.

Ouch!

Myra's body suddenly slammed into my back.

Oh wait, how did I know it was her? I felt her fox ears rubbing against my neck.

"Hey, watch it!"

I looked at her, and she couldn't help but make a silly face as an apology.

Or that's just my imagination.

"Yip! Sorry!"

I definitely couldn't see her clearly. Even these glasses wouldn't help me see in the dark. Darkness was something these people were capable of creating. Anyone but me and the few others who wore glasses.

I ignored her immediately because the magic had just started.

The one everyone wished to come true, no matter what.

Right in front of me, along with everyone else, stood a massive wooden stage. Fireworks sparked from the approaching parade, racing toward the center of the stage like missiles.

Lily then leaned closer to my ear.

"Do you know who they are? Four Witches of Apocalypse?"

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I let my thoughts speak.

I put my index finger on her forehead before casting the spell.

"Wait, what the—hmppphhh!"

Can you shut up?

I covered her mouth before actually invoking it.

At this point, I probably looked like a wanted criminal.

Lebensform.

Ad Intelligentia.

Aperi.

Communica.

It stood for understanding the mind to communicate what was opened. "Lebensform" is also one of those spells that requires the comprehension of the mind to see what's beneath.

Anyway…

The Witch of Sleepwalker. Night, darkness, sleeping time.

The Peacemaker Mage. Nature, liveliness, healing for recovery.

The Seer of Dimensionality. Time, continuity, human potential.

The Priestess of Necromancy. Death, terminality, the inevitable fate.

These four.

Yet, not even a single soul had ever witnessed the Four Witches of Apocalypse.

That communication only lasted for a few moments. Then she responded:

"Wait, are you saying that…?"

She whispered her thoughts back.

I only replied with a nod.

Four people who were now walking to the center of the stage, receiving applause from all directions. None of them could match the witches' true power.

They were all hiding beneath cloaks, with no one able to witness their appearance.

Let alone their faces. Even their true magical capacity was hidden.

"Impossible…"

Lily covered her mouth, which had fallen open in shock. To me, it was understandable.

This shouldn't have been revealed. Anyone who did was rumored to be executed, mostly because the Kingdom would never speak the truth.

They were used as symbols. The kind used to gather magic energy from the crowd, to channel it into the border wards, to keep the old hatred between Æthelwynn and Wessexgard from boiling over again. That was the official purpose. That was what the Kingdom told its people.

But there was something else. Something I had noticed the moment I recited the names in my head.

Dream was missing.

The original Four Witches of Apocalypse were Death, Sleep, Peace, and Dream. That was what the old texts said. That was what the Sage had supposedly created. But the four on stage tonight were Sleep, Peace, Time, and Death.

Dream had been replaced.

And Time—Time was never supposed to be a witch at all. Time was the catalyst. The thing that made the other four possible. The first law. The first word. The first silence.

So why was Time standing on that stage as if it were one of them?

I didn't have an answer. But I filed the question away, next to all the others.

"What was that?!"

"Look, up there!"

"Who are they?"

Many people were screaming and whispering out of fear.

Or perhaps, worry.

Thunder clapped immediately.

A mysterious silhouetted figure was coming from the sky, flying during this peaceful evening.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen…"

The figure revealed herself to be a woman, possibly in the middle of her thirties, wearing a black uniform with purple accents.

Complete with her brimmed witch hat.

Most people were humming, wondering if it was part of the show.

"Hey, don't panic! I have a present for all of you…"

Why aren't people running from the stage?

My thoughts immediately caught up to the situation. I was holding onto Lily's shoulder, while still holding a cup of tea. And the licorice tea had already gone cold.

"Who are you?!"

A brave male voice shouted, followed by others whose voices were getting louder and louder. Thousands of people started echoing him.

They all questioned who she really was.

But then, the so-called Four Witches of Apocalypse stirred.

They couldn't resist. They threw off their cloaks, but kept their masks on.

"We are not afraid of you!"

The crowd cheered, as if they had already celebrated an ultimate victory.

Yet those witches did nothing. Not yet.

They stood their ground, preparing whatever massive attack might convince the crowd. And maybe my conspiracy theory would get disproved again.

"They will beat your ass, woman!"

Some others booed the woman who was still floating above the stage.

"You are not invited!"

"Get off!"

These people tried to shout her down, yet she remained silent.

Some people were trying to throw things at her.

Wait, no… y'all are mistaken.

Something was really off, and just when I wanted to warn them…

It happened. She raised her staff up into the air.

A staff swung through the air. Along with it, a powerful thunder spell landed upon the man who had screamed first. The damage was lethal. He died on the spot.

Suddenly, the porcelain cup I was holding fell, making a loud, clanking sound.

Then, a scream broke out.

Along with it, panic was everywhere.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11…

People were too busy trying to save themselves, pushing each other.

Including me, who fell onto the ground after being pushed.

And all I could do was recite meaningless numbers in my head.

13, 17, 19, 23…

The woman in the sky did not move.

She simply hovered there, her staff still raised, her brimmed hat casting a shadow over her face. The body of the man she had killed lay crumpled at the edge of the stage. No one went to help him. No one could.

The Four Witches had not moved either.

They stood in a line, masked and cloaked, their hands at their sides. They had thrown off their outer cloaks as if preparing to fight, but they had not cast a single spell. They had not even taken a step forward. They just stood there, watching.

That was when I understood.

They weren't going to fight her.

They were waiting for her.

The crowd didn't see it yet. They were too busy screaming, too busy running, too busy trampling each other in the dark. But I saw it. I saw the way the Four Witches held their ground. I saw the way they didn't react when the woman killed an innocent man in front of them. I saw the way they stood, patient and still, like soldiers awaiting orders.

They were not guardians. They were not symbols.

They were puppets.

"Clara!"

Lily's voice cut through the chaos. She was on the ground beside me, her hand gripping my arm, her face pale in the darkness. Myra was somewhere behind her, her ears flat, her tail wrapped around her legs.

"We have to move!" Lily shouted.

I nodded. But my legs wouldn't listen.

The woman in the sky raised her staff again.

And this time, she pointed it directly at the stage.

At the Four Witches.

At the ceremony.

At everything.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11…

I kept counting.

13, 17, 19, 23…

I kept counting.

Because if I stopped counting, I would have to think about what was happening.

And I wasn't ready for that yet.

...