The Black Witch’s Confession

When enemies invade your home, slaughter your kin, and set your houses ablaze, all you desire is vengeance…

Kaelan withdrew her hand from the stone table, her voice a soft murmur.

Saranya slammed her fist onto the tabletop, causing a shimmering curtain of ice-blue light to erupt.

“Of course, I would seek vengeance! If it were me, I would fight those wicked invaders to the very end!”

“Is that truly so? My elven kin… they possessed every virtue, yet in the face of war, they lacked even a shred of your courage. A deep-seated weakness seemed ingrained within them; each time they were harmed, their first instinct was to flee, never to resist. They…”

The young witch drew a trembling breath, her expression growing somber as she seemed to sink into the painful recesses of her memories.

“I… I merely sought revenge. I yearned to win the war, to make those beasts pay dearly…”

“Master, you are not mistaken… you were alone, outnumbered. Even if you were to lose the battle—”

Saranya was instantly overcome with profound regret, having dared to speak the word ‘lose’ in her master’s presence.

“No!!! I won! I won, I tell you! Ha… haha… I *did* win… those grey-robed demons, I slaughtered every single one of them…”

Kaelan’s eyes widened, her face abruptly contorting into a fanatical, grotesque mask. She let out a piercing shriek of laughter, a peculiar hiss catching in her throat, and took a step towards Saranya.

Startled by her master, Saranya recoiled in alarm, her boot heel striking the base of the stone table with a resonant thud.

Azure magical light delineated Kaelan’s petite silhouette, casting a twisted shadow beneath her. The witch continued to advance on Saranya, her pupils, brimming with unshed tears, constricting into fine slits within the mesmerizing, ethereal glow.

“When I extracted the magic from my first kin, she offered no struggle, not even uttering a single word throughout. She simply stared at me, tears silently streaming down her face from the agony, as I drained her into a living husk… She… she was so utterly weak. I disliked her then…”

Saranya swallowed hard, utterly helpless, as she watched her master draw ever nearer.

“Crying, pleading, screaming, soiling themselves, fainting, erupting into hysterical laughter, even achieving an abnormal, ecstatic climax… I have witnessed every conceivable reaction they exhibited under the terror of death. Even now, possessing their very magic, I can still see their desperate expressions, hear their voices, hear the curses they hurled at me in their dying moments… Every day… it is every single day…”

“Saranya, you believe you know me intimately, yet of the agony I’ve endured, the sins I’ve committed, the torments that plague me incessantly, and my own vile, selfish essence… you know absolutely nothing, do you?”

“Master, Master, please don’t—”

“Hush… I am precisely that kind of wretch. To attain my comfort, to secure victory, I would stoop to any means, exploit anything and anyone around me. I sacrificed my own kin, eradicated my enemies, and gained immense power through forbidden curses, though my body became a ruin in the process…”

At this point, Kaelan’s voice suddenly caught, and she let out a series of broken, desolate laughs.

“It’s over now… In truth, my mission concluded long ago. Having eradicated my enemies, I am but the ‘Black Witch,’ a solitary, wandering ghost with no future…”

A sharp pain lanced through Saranya’s abdomen, her gaze involuntarily rising as Kaelan pushed her down onto the stone table. Her master’s breath, chillingly cold, ghosted against her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

“Yet, little Saranya, when you, oblivious to peril, led your people to assault me, only to be crushed beneath my heel, pleading for your life… I suddenly discovered a fervent intensity within you, both in your flesh and your spirit. No matter how I tried, I could not truly extinguish your inner fire; instead, you managed to scorch me, again and again… This is truly… *hiss-slurp*~”

A moist touch grazed her neck, eliciting a soft whimper from Saranya as she felt her master’s tongue. She lay utterly motionless on the tabletop.

The spectral glow, a swirling confluence of ice-blue and black-grey, expanded into a vast ocean of light. These vibrant hues surged wildly across the tabletop, completely enveloping the two young women.

“You are the first living soul to declare such fervent hatred for me, a wild mare indeed, yet you display such utter submission, calling me ‘Master’ with every breath…”

“You are simply too perfect… Saranya Kerfen. You were born to be my most cherished plaything, the only one in this world who can still fill this void within me. Even my ambitions for Vero were ignited because of you…”

Saranya shivered.

The young witch tightened her embrace around the sword maiden beneath her, much like a small child clutching a beloved, oversized doll.

“Speak my name.”

“Master…”

“I mean, call me by my name.”

“Kae… Kaelan…”

“My name is Kaelan Novfloss.”

“Kaelan Novfloss…”

“Declare that you will forever pledge your fealty to me.”

“Saranya… will forever pledge fealty to you, Kaelan Novfloss… Master…”

Saranya closed her eyes, her lashes fluttering delicately, completely acquiescing to the young witch’s every demand.

She sensed the emotion radiating from her master: guilt. Or perhaps, a profound obsession with salvation. Her master harbored a fervent desire to transform Vero into a sanctuary city, sheltering as many people as possible before the demonic calamity descended, thereby seeking atonement for her past transgressions.

Whether her master’s actions could truly expiate her sins and bring her inner peace remained uncertain.

At the very least, her master was not as dreadful as she portrayed herself to be, and the task she was so determined to undertake was, in itself, a deed of considerable merit.

Saranya gently took Kaelan’s hand, a measure of relief softening her expression.

A profound happiness bloomed within her, for Kaelan had just personally confessed that all her machinations in Vero had been set in motion because of Saranya herself. Finally, Saranya could be certain that her ideals resonated perfectly with her master’s. She no longer needed to fret, no longer had to hold back, and could now dedicate herself wholeheartedly to her master’s grand endeavor.

She was, of course, well aware of her master’s precarious mental state, recognizing a pathological undercurrent. Yet, Saranya remained confident that by skillfully employing the precise methods she had painstakingly devised, she could effectively help Kaelan dissipate her malevolence, thereby preventing any significant issues from arising…

Perhaps. She could still manage the current intensity, but she fervently hoped her master’s more extreme inclinations would not deepen any further…

“Master, how may I be of service to you?”

“Hm?”

“Whatever assistance I can offer, simply command me!”

Saranya clenched her fists, her words brimming with fervent enthusiasm.

Kaelan’s gaze flickered, and her expression gradually softened.

“By forging an alliance with the Shadowscale Gang, you will gain control of Vero City. With their aid, this objective will undoubtedly be well within our grasp. However, what demands your attention is that, throughout this process, we must also gather as many spellcasters as possible—witches, or other exotic races.”

“I require a team of witches, who will wield ritual magic to erect a protective barrier over the entirety of Vero, thus repelling the demonic incursion. This very place will serve as their clandestine base, where they shall hone their magical prowess, in anticipation of future necessity.”

Saranya nodded, finally comprehending why her master had so actively cultivated relationships with spellcasters such as Paresha, Aivy, and Aquilis. It appeared her true intention was to nurture a cadre of companions.

“For those spellcasters who consent to cooperate with us, we shall share our grand design and strive together. However, for the recalcitrant and troublesome ones… our dungeons await them. We shall subject such rebels to a three-step process—”

Kaelan’s eyes narrowed, a flash of ruthless cunning glinting within them as she sequentially raised three fingers before Saranya.

“Forced capture, enforced obedience, and skill cultivation.”

“What?!”

“Aquilis was the first rebel. The second, I suspect, will likely be the chief of the Tidal Mirror Hall, that dryad sister who became a courtesan, Lenix…”