The Devil's Cursed Witch

"Thala!" Glinda said in admonishment. "Get back to your senses. I know you are hurt and so are we, but you can't be like this."

"Yes, Thala, please don't talk like this." Maria could not stop her tears as well. "I am not saying your hatred is wrong, or that destiny has been fair to us, but you must live on. The pain you feel, which of us has not felt that before? You forget that when the City of Lvenor was lost, when our sisters betrayed us and sided with the humans, we too were forced to kill the people we once trusted. How many of us who survived did not have blood in our hands? Did we not question whether we were in the right? Whether their intentions for betraying were justified?

"You must be in pain, but please, think of us. Think of me. Sister, you are the only blood kin I have left. Glinda and I, what will become of us if we lose you? Maybe my wish is selfish, but I want you to know we are with you and will always be with you. We three will continue to live on till the end of our lifespan or we are called for a greater cause.

"If you feel guilt for the Commander's death, then let us all three equally carry that burden. I have no wish to see you waste away like this.

"For a warrior, it is their greatest honor to die for their homeland. Commander Morpheus died a heroic death, and so must we. We shall keep living so one day, when this kingdom needs us once more, we can die a death protecting the younger generation."

"Maria has spoken the truth," Glinda agreed. "We might be mere shadows of our peak's strength, but as long as we live, we can still help this kingdom and our people. You cannot give up just like this.

"You forget. Changing fate heeds a price greater than what should have been lost--it is never an equivalent exchange. If the original vision determined that we will lose King Draven, then the future is bound to be more grim. A tragedy far worse awaits Agartha. Commander's death is just the beginning. With the way things are going, the kingdom will face a catastrophic future."

Maria gently dried the tears of her twin sister. "After the short peace we enjoyed for a century, blood might be shed once more and a river of blood might engulf our people. It might be worse than the downfall of Lvenor and the High Elves."

Thala listened to them without a word. She had felt the same when Morpheus came to her for the first time to seek her help.

However, the Divine Eagle had persuaded Thala, saying that as long as Draven Aramis survived, there would be a fighting chance-- Agartha would never fall as long as its guardian, the Almighty Black Dragon, existed. That burden, Morpheus, Logan and the other warriors would not be able to carry if the original future happened.

Thala could only sigh. Glinda used that chance to give her a cup of soothing tea.

Maria continued to caress her free hand. "We cannot afford to act weak. Pull yourself together, sister. We have to be prepared for what is to come."

Thala nodded as the two heard Glinda say, as if as an afterthought, "I wonder how Cornelia is. That child, she and the Commander..."

"Cornelia will have no one but me to blame," Thala commented after she finished the cup of tea. "I robbed her of her future."

"Don't think like that, Thala. Though she must be grieving, she will be able to understand the Commander's intentions. She would have respected his will. That child is strong, otherwise, she would not have become the Head Witch of the coven. Her priority has always been our clan, and that is why she never--"

"--and now she will never get the chance to tell the Commander what she felt,'' Thala cut her off.  "Pitiful, oh just truly pitiful. How come we have damned that kind child to a life like ours? She will always be lonely, fulfilling her duties towards our coven and this kingdom. How could we ever face her master, Sister Gala, in the afterlife? We had been terrible seniors to that child."

"That's the price of peace," Glinda said. "She knows well what she needs to do."

"Still, we have to look out for her. The aftermath will bring unrest to the people. If she is unstable, perhaps we can take over part of her duties," Maria said to which Glinda agreed.

"Commander, he..." Thala could not come up to say it.

"His body is with his family. The Divine Eagle Clan will soon conduct memorial rites and allow visitors to come," Glinda answered  her unspoken question.

Thala silently nodded as if to say she understood and asked, "The King and his mate?"

"That child is in the care of the King's aides. I heard Cornelia and the High Elder of the Wood Elves are keeping her company as well, but no one knows where the King has gone," she answered.

Before coming to the Spirit Circle, the two witches received an overview of the general situation through their familiars in the form of birds.

Thala could only sigh once more, her thoughts unknown.

-----

On the other side of the continent, in an underground stone chamber hidden by a high-ranking spell, a thin, frail figure  was crying in the darkness. Her soft sobs echoed within her prison, but there was no one but her who could hear the pain in those cries.

Myra, who had long lost sense of day or night, had been restless for the past few days.

Today, she understood the reason.

"Morph...my brother...how can you die...?"

Although her magic was almost non-existent at this point, as the golden eagle of her generation, the power of her bloodline remained strong, ensuring not only her survival, but also allowing her to have brief dreams of her older brother.

Myra never had a good dream since she had been held captive. Beings like her would only dream for one reason--a vision. It might be a warning of dangers in the immediate future, or a phenomena of losing someone dear to her.

She tried to pull those chains locked around her wrists, but she could only struggle pathetically. There was no escape from her captor. She wanted to at least go to her brother and see him one last time but...she simply could not.

How could her powerful brother be killed? Was there war outside?

Was it the black magic practitioners?

The demons?

She didn't understand. She didn't want to understand.

"Morph..."

She was left to cry alone in that darkness. Only her sobs could be heard as she continued to call out for her brother's name, longing to go to his side.