Vol 1.5 Those Who Tangle With the Witch of Despair pt 3

A glorious table sat in the middle of the council. Thick marble seats intertwined with leech veins. The chairs and the table both held the veins' intricate design. Leech Marble was the name of it. It held the ability to absorb mana and store it. Due to not having a traditional reservoir, it was absorbing mana and dispelling it. In other times they usually have the veins all leading to a core.

The Leech marble saw to it that anything touching the table would be sapped of their mana so long as they exerted any type of mana. This, along with various guards and weapon restrictions served as a secure place for a meeting ground.

Along the tables perimeter were various marble chairs. The two furthest ones were by far the tallest. Both on opposite ends, it was clear one held the arbiter, and the other held the king. This was to be the summit between the Chieftani and the high king. At the moment all of 14 seats were occupied. All but one.

The room was tense –ever since the Mourning Fowl had appeared and delivered a letter. In it, the contents were hardly believable.They sat silently, gathered at the tables, and racked with anxiety.

The morning fowl was a bird that usually flew to to the high castle to deliver messages from the chieftani. Among them, they each own two, a red and a blue one. The blue morning fowl was a much more docile creature that held much more discipline and intelligence. They would often be used to send word of aid or to send declarations of battle between chieftain. However, when a true war occurs, which is sent off by the high king, all wars were to stop.

Whenever battles often occurred between clans, these battles were settled the moment another gives up and paid in tithes to the other clan. Sometimes marriages would have been set and emburdened upon each other. However, all of that turns into a stalemate and immediate alliance when the high king would call a declaration of war.

The red morning fowl was the thing sent during these times. It held a vicious demeanor and a tenacity unlike any other bird. Over 5 feet in length, it would combat and destroy anything that came in it’s way, even creatures bigger than it. Normally, there were only 2 situations a red morning fowl was sent off.

One being when the high king declares war. In such cases, 14 different red fowls were sent off to each clan, ceasing all violence and accumulating all soldiers to the high capital and prepare for war. Then other scenario, the king would receive a red fowl from one of the chieftani. This was the most alarming of scenarios. The chieftani would then send a red and a blue fowl to every one of the clan heads, signifying immediate withdrawal to the capital. This situation, was of utmost importance and they were to immediately as fast as possible, and ensure the kingdom was in a presentable fashion.

This scenario was deemed the Red Arrival. And it was only to occur when one has made sighting with Resha, the Red Spirit. Lusha didn’t really care much for the name. In a way it did out beat being called the Witch of Despair.

As they sat in an anxiety ridden tenseness, one of them finally asked. “Has it been confirmed– has it been confirmed it’s really her?”

“Boltos. If it were not to be confirmed, would you rather take the chance of slighting her and find out in that manner?” An older white haired man had asked. He looked to be about in his 60’s eyes and hair showed marks of stress.

Boltos scratched his balding head and looked away to the side. His anxiety had lead him to look stupid in front of everyone. He quickly changed the subject. “So who was it? Who did she come in contact with?”

“Virald.” The high king responded. He took his crown off immediately after, signifying that at this moment he was not the ruler of the kingdom. “Virald is not one known to be ignorant or childish. If he were to call upon the accordance of Resha, it would most certainly have to stem from truth.” He was not the ruler of the kingdom. Not if Resha had arrived.

He had only heard tales from his father about accounts from his grandfather’s father. Since then, the stories have only been drilled into him that their kingdom holds a covenant with Resha, one of the witches that had slain the great dragons.

Had it not been for accounts of the Witch of Peace’s sightings and the disappearance phenomenons, he would not believe that such entities still existed. But, just like the disappearance phenomenon, he knew there was much more to this world than he could ever understand.

His father and grandfather did not have the opportunity to see this Red Witch. But he held a longing to see this grand existence in person. He wanted to confirm solidly that the truths of the world are as told, that mystical beings like her did exist beyond the scope of magic.

“As we stand now, Virald is making his way back to the capital city. He should arrive soon. Especially given the impatience that he described. She will want to come here forthright.”

Everyone at the table was silent. Word of her being impatient did drift through the tales even throughout the ages. But this just made the situation seem more and more daunting. The king could notice the look on everyone’s face and quickly recovered the mood before it fell too low. It would be a shameful sight for Resha to see.

“But it is better she came in this era than any other time. We have Eri.” There was a sudden look of brightness on various of the chieftani’s faces. Others seemed skeptical.

“Eri… how would she help in this case? We haven’t found a single clue on how to–” The chieftani stopped himself mid talk and realized why she was brought up. “Of course!” Boltos exclaimed with beaming bright energy. His fist pounding against the table was almost the jolt everyone else had needed. The most skeptical one in the room had unyielding belief now in the young lady.

“But your honor, the young lady is dying… would she truly be able to handle the situation?” Another man spoke, Garrish. His soft silver eyes stared calmly behind his bangs. His skin was almost like that of the southern continents, caressed by the sun’s embrace.

“As things stand now, there may also not be an answer to her immortality. If she were to see Eri, are you really prepared for her to shoulder all of the hatred of the Wretched Witch?”

The king immediately responded. “Aye.”

The older white haired man who spoke earlier chimed in. “It may be the only time there is something as close to her answer as possible. The likelihood she will ever have another chance like this, will not arrive again. I believe she will appreciate that sentiment alone.”

There was a tense pause as they weighed in the options. On the one hand, the promise that Eri had the answer to all her problems would bring about a great relief to the kingdom… but if Eri did not, Eri solely would be the one to suffer. All of the Witch’s rage and disappointment would be first and foremost on the one who let her down. Then of course, there would be the consequences towards them. They had heard that Resha was terrifyingly cruel and ruthless.

There’s no way she would let such a blunder come to pass. “I think it better that we—”

It was at that moment the doorways shot open and in the frame of the door a young girl. She looked about 5’4 barely of any remarkable stature. Her arms were thin and looked as if they had lacked any strength to them. Yet as the doors opened just now, everyone had held their breath.

She had one thing going for her, and that was the red hair and description matching exactly the stories they say about the witch. Yet, as she stood there was no pressure or energy that the stories had foretold. Perhaps Virald had indeed–

No. That was not the case. As Virald walked behind the woman, the look on his face was daunting.-- as if he had just seen terror unlike anything before. What could prompt Virald to have that face, the king could not know. Nor did he want to find out.

The girl walked inside with an air of regalness that- perhaps was imagined, but was felt nonetheless. Everyone immediately stood up in unison and bowed their heads. “Aisi, Resha!”

The king was the first to approach her, albeit hesitantly, and prostrate himself. His face touched the ground and he bowed to her deeply. “Resha… I haven’t the slightest idea that I would be blessed in my lifetime to see you. My fathers and his father would have celebrated this day. Please, allow me to express my gratitude.” A couple of the other chieftani watched in awe. They had not even ascertained if this was indeed Resha or not. For the king to go so far as to prostrate himself was too far, even for this situation.

Lusha knelt down besides him and lifted his head. As the king looked up, he could only be in awe as he was greeted by the most light-hearted smile.”Please… there’s no need. Rise King…”

“Vixail. I am called Vixail Haeri.”

“King Vixail. Your subjects had already given me a grand ceremony. There is no need to supplement even further.” In truth, she just rather hated these proceedings. They were a waste of time.

The king bowed with tears in his eyes. This would be a tale he would tell even his children. That’s how certain he was that this was indeed Resha.

However, several of the others were not too convinced. This display of kindness that she held conflicted the stories. She was much more laid back and calm. And she was younger than the stories had told. She seemed to be in her late teens or early 20s. The stories tell of a woman so fearsome that she could devour even dragons.

“Your highness… do you not think you’re acting too brashly.”

Lusha nodded in agreement. “It’s as they say. You need not be so woun–”

“After-all, we’re not even sure if this is Resha” Who else dared to speak than Boltos himself. Convinced that Virald had indeed jumped his assessment. Perhaps in the desert the delusions had gotten to him and he began to imagine this young girl as the red witch.

Lusha felt a tinge of annoyance arise. One at being interrupted. And two, at being spoken about as if she was not in the room.

“Virald…you–”

Virald quickly pleaded with Lusha and apologized on behalf of them all. “I’m Sorry! They know nothing. Fools the lot of them!” So frantic was his the way he turned around, everyone collectively leaned back. There was nothing but sheer terror in his eyes.

“She is Resha! It’s as I say. I saw her come back from the dead.” Yes it was true, when he initially brought her water, he realized that she was indeed dead and it was not her imagination.

“S-so you’re saying something had killed her?”

“Well… she had been dehydra-”

“Bah. You fool Virald. There’s no way that Resha would have died of dehydration.”

Lusha quietly walked over to the marble table and placed her hand on it.

“No! You have to understand!”

The king interjected. “I will not have this disrespect. Conduct yourselves accordingly. You disgrace us all in front of Resha.”

“Your highness… it could very well be your judgement is being clouded by the honor it would be to meet Resha in your lifetime. It has been well over 200 years since her first appea—”

DEATH.

That was the only way to describe what they had felt just now. It was as if the whole of the capital had just felt it. This split second feeling, almost like a pin prick lightly touching their consciousness.The feeling that came after was an instant cold shiver one that refused to subside and filled your body with goosebumps.They all instantly looked over to the woman who’s hand now laid upon a cracked leech vein marble table.

That one split exertion of energy had over-powered it’s entire capacity… which was nearly limitless. It was just too much energy coming in at once. Like a hose all of the sudden being propelled by the water of a monsoon.

The feeling of death still clutched their hearts, but their attention now lay solely on Lusha. There was the instant need to vocalize apologies, but they could not even speak. It was as if a hand had grasped their throats and squeezed the air from them whenever they tried to do anything aside from breath.

“That…was a shameful greeting. Be lucky Virald had already given me a sufficient one. But… do not waste my time with jokes like that again.”

Boltos was the first to laugh “ah–ah..ha..ha.. Y-yes. That’s what- what..that was. We m-merely wanted to lighten your mood.”

This only garnered a glare of unamusement from Lusha. He resignedly bowed his head. “Resha.”

They could no longer sit on their seats, as even the marble veins on those had splintered. The chairs fell apart and nothing but rubble lay beneath them. If one could see the outside city, one could be sure they’d find all activity stopped in panic and confusion. Some knew of the arrival of Resha– due to the unusual bird sightings. But others were left in complete darkness and confusion- unaware of what had just occurred to them.

“Now… let’s talk.”