The Emerald Mist and the Second Master

“Ugh… hngh…”

A throbbing pain echoed at the back of her head, and the young woman let out a low moan, barely managing to pry her eyelids open into thin slits. Her ice-blue eyes shifted, a bewildered expression clouding her features.

“It feels awful…”

The surroundings were exceptionally dim, and she lay on something soft, her hair disheveled. Her vision remained blurry, though she vaguely heard a man and a woman speaking nearby, seemingly arguing about something. However, a severe ringing in her ears prevented her from discerning the specifics of their conversation.

‘I… I need to do something quickly… it feels like… like something important…’

Despite the urgency of the matter, she could not recall a single detail. She attempted to struggle upright, yet even with all her might, she could only manage to slightly curl her fingers, pressing several indentations into the soft fabric beneath her.

Weakly, she turned her head, and her vision spun wildly before finally settling on a round table.

An incense burner sat upon the table, a sight somewhat familiar to her. She remembered the burner was supposed to be a hazy blue, but now, inexplicably, it glowed an eerie green, unsettling her.

“Ugh…”

Her thoughts were sluggish, taking a long time to grasp the meaning of the incense burner’s change.

It was the incense itself; the blue stick that had been there was replaced by a green one, positioned almost directly beneath her nose. Billowing green mist rose from the burner’s mouth, most of it drawn into her body with each breath.

Those green fumes undoubtedly possessed hallucinogenic properties. She felt as though she were floating in the sky, everything around her twisting and swaying, mirroring the haze within her own muddled mind.

“Hoo… hoo… ha… haaah…”

To be honest, the sensation was incredibly pleasant. For a good while, she simply allowed herself to lie there, indulging in the ethereal feeling.

“So comfortable…”

“Comfortable?”

A soft female voice responded to her.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and she exhaled a faint wisp of green breath, a purring sound rumbling in her throat as she lazily hummed in affirmation.

“If it’s comfortable, then just keep lying there. You have no pain… no worries… nothing to care about… You are beautiful… such a lovely girl… you must be a good child… you are my good child…”

The woman’s voice paused, then resumed with an utterly definitive tone, sounding even closer to her ear.

“Always have been… always will be…”

“I… I am… yours…?”

Her expression softened slightly as she lifted her gaze to the woman’s emerald, unblemished cheek, scrutinizing her appearance.

The woman possessed a beautiful face, her eyes as lustrous as jade, with delicate, veil-like lines at their corners, lending her an air of gentle elegance. She was smiling at Saranya, her lips curved, and Saranya noticed a faint mole nestled in one of her dimples, adding a touch of allure to her mature beauty.

Though not exquisitely stunning, her demeanor exuded such charisma that, in her dazed state, Saranya felt an uncontrollable urge to lean into her.

Yet, at that very moment, the powerful, conflicting thought resurfaced.

“No… that’s not right… there’s something… I think I… forgot…”

She shook her head gently, a flicker of pain crossing her eyes.

It was no use; her mind was blank, and she simply could not recall. She only knew it was something incredibly important—an object, or perhaps… a person?

Hearing her murmur, the woman sighed softly and blew a fragrant breath towards her. Saranya’s body instantly convulsed, her eyes rolling back as she lost consciousness.

****

Her consciousness returned once more, roused by a man’s voice brimming with fury.

“Stop it! How is this any different from brainwashing her?!”

Responding to him was the same captivating female voice, tinged with annoyance.

“Brainwashing? Heh heh… Dump, it seems you have no idea what that witch did to her. In comparison, what I’m doing is mere child’s play!”

“What you’re doing is exactly the same as what that witch did! You took on her case at the Assembly of Truth, claiming you’d free her from control and restore her liberty. I suspect you’re just making excuses! You merely want her to exchange one master for another, with you becoming the second Black Witch!”

“Yes… you’re right, that’s exactly what I’m thinking now!”

“You! Lenix! I truly regret ever helping you!”

The air fell silent for a few seconds before the woman’s voice spoke again, much softer this time.

“Wolsen, you don’t understand…”

“Don’t say my name!”

The man’s anger had not yet subsided, while the woman unexpectedly let out a soft chuckle.

“…Are you jealous of me? You human, you truly are amusing…”

“I… I’m not flirting with you, Lenix!”

The young woman watched silently, her blue eyes somewhat unfocused. The green mist continued to flow into her nostrils, and she felt her mind deteriorating further.

It seemed she could not even remember her own name… this was becoming truly dire…

“Mm?”

The woman walked directly to the sofa, reaching out to cup the back of Saranya’s head, turning her vacant face towards the man.

“Wolsen, I told you that you don’t understand. Look at her… look at her like this. Do you think I’m entirely responsible for her condition? My incense wouldn’t make her progressively dumber with each breath…”

“Are you saying—”

“The Black Witch’s influence on her has been long-term and consistently intense. It’s far more severe than we anticipated; that wretch’s methods are highly sophisticated… No matter how many twisted notions were subtly instilled in this child, they have already become a part of her psyche!”

“So, she’ll remain abnormal indefinitely…”

“Quite the contrary, she is ‘normal’ now! We, who seek an instant cure for her, are the ‘abnormal’ ones!”

The man, feeling defeated, lost his conviction.

“Then what should be done?”

“Guide her to forget, seal her memories, replace the ‘master’ in her mind, and fulfill her desire to be disciplined… Everything the Black Witch did, I must redo with her. You’re right, I truly must become her second master. After that, we’ll consider other methods, so…”

Saranya’s body suddenly trembled. She felt the woman’s gaze linger on her neck, and the woman’s figure drew closer. Accompanied by the rustle of fabric, a chill spread across her, and her heavy cloak was unfastened, slipping to the floor beside her.

“No, please don’t…”

She shivered in terror, unsure of what the woman intended to do to her, and could only sob out pleas for mercy.

“Please… don’t touch me… don’t touch…”

“Shhh—don’t be afraid, these are all necessary steps…”

The woman crouched beside her, her slender fingers curving to brush away the sweat-dampened strands from Saranya’s forehead. Then, she pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and gently wiped a red mark on Saranya’s neck.

“Let me first erase her mark from you…”

Even though the woman’s tone conveyed concern, and her actions seemed to be for Saranya’s benefit, Saranya still detected other emotions in her eyes—just a hint, like a single strand of hair in a fragrant, simmering soup.

It was greed, a hypocritical pretense, a yearning for her body.

“From now on, you will become mine…”

The forgotten thought in her mind grew unprecedentedly strong. Saranya desperately thrashed her body, pushing away the woman’s arm.

“No… I can’t remember… why can’t I remember… Waaah—”

Her struggles were futile. Her gaze accidentally fell upon a smudge on the woman’s handkerchief, and she froze.

It was a faint trace of lip gloss, a color she recognized well. She pressed her hand to the side of her neck, feeling a slightly swollen hickey.

“!”

Tears suddenly streamed from her eyes like broken pearls. She covered her face with her arm, a powerful surge of nausea rising from her stomach, and her body convulsed in agony.

“Dump, you should leave.”

“Lenix…”

“Out! You are no longer needed here!”

After much hesitation, the man dejectedly turned and walked towards a crystal wall.

“No… no, please… please… Ugh… Ma… mas… ter… save… blargh—”

Saranya was engulfed by a profound sense of despair. Under the woman’s forceful actions, she rolled off the sofa, her cheek striking the side of the round table before she collapsed onto the hard, cold floor. She spat out a mixture of food remnants and stomach acid, then was lifted by the woman and forcibly pressed onto the tabletop, her mouth still smeared with flecks of her own vomit.

She had forgotten many things and did not know what had befallen her. Facing this woman who was coercing her, and contemplating what was to come, her eyes began to lose their sparkle, and her arms fell limply.

“If you must blame someone, blame that witch… she’s the one who made you this way… Hmm?”

Lenix leaned in, her eyes narrowing in intoxicated pleasure as she inhaled the scent of Saranya’s hair, then reached out and tore open the collar of her soft armor.

“Hmph~ Seeing you like this, I’m starting to understand her a little…”

“Go to… hell…”

An ice spear condensed in the air and shot straight towards their overlapping figures. Lenix instinctively dodged.

“Wait! Lenix, she’s trying to—”

Dump’s voice froze in the air.

With a muffled thud of a sharp object piercing flesh, Saranya pushed the ice spear deeper into her own abdomen. She gasped in pain, her body trembling uncontrollably, and she coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood.

Lenix’s pupils contracted. Realizing the ice spear had not struck a vital spot, she then relaxed into a smile.

“Suicide? That won’t do… You can’t die… You won’t die, I’ll heal you with the best nature magic, and then—”

Lenix’s words were cut short by a booming crash. She exchanged a glance with Dump and immediately raised her arm, emerald magical light shimmering at her side.

The sound came from outside, causing the chandelier above their heads to creak and rattle.

“Little Ya… Little Ya… are you there… *cough*… *cough cough*… Master is here… Master will save you… Little Ya is Master’s… so Master will save you!!!”

“That mad witch… A whole team of casters from the Assembly of Truth couldn’t take her down?!”SNI_REMOVED_FOR_MAX_TOKEN_LIMIT