Prologue

Editted by Aria Red

XX October 1631

On that day, a woman was chained on a stake, crowds of people were pushing forward with rocks in their hands. Bruises and blood covered the entirety of her fair white skin, her black hair covered her face while she kept looking at the furious masses. Their glares hurt and sent shivers to her as one thing was conveyed from them. ‘Hatred!’

            She felt only bitterness as she gritted her teeth at the biased treatment of her kin. If she could she would have used all the spells at her disposal, letting them writhe in pain as they taste full agony before they meet their end. If possible, she wanted to engulf this town in a sea of flames, leaving nothing but ashes.  

            Even at her wits end, she couldn’t help but secretly struggled to conjure mana. Alas the same thing happened, nothing. With silver chains tying her down, a witch could do nothing but bit her lips in grievance until she meets her end. A soldier armed with a full silver armor came up to the stage next to her pitiful state, uncurling a piece of paper and announced her death decree in it.

            “Claudia Oriente, for the crime of performing witchcraft inside the town’s border, for the crime of using witchcraft on the residents of the town, for the crime of conducting experiment related to witchcraft, for the crime….” The soldier went on with all the crimes related to witchcraft. After all she is a witch. The list went on and on that the villagers were starting to get impatient on punishing the creature they recognized as a heretic.

            Finally, “The government has decreed that you are guilty of all charges and is to be burned at the stake!” The crowd started to scream boisterously. For the first time in a while, Claudia lifted her head and met the eyes of a certain noble. Among the other nobles and government officials, he was the only one wearing formal black attire. He stood by the balcony, watching her intently with his unique pale blue eyes, so pale that they almost looked colorless, yet anyone who looked at it would be captivated.

            “Any last words?” said the soldier. She kept staring at the noble with burning rage inside of her, and being asked of her last words she started to laugh. The crowds of course went silent at her peculiar act just when she was about to be burnt to death. She laughed so ecstatically that the people felt nothing but ominous.

            “CURSE YOU ALL!” she said at the end of her laughter. Her smile was gone, and her eyes showed nothing but wickedness. They cursed my loved ones, they cursed my power, and they cursed my existence, FINE THEN, I”LL CURSE THEM ALL!

            “You ignorant people, burn me if you wish, even if I die in this place, my hatred will stay and wreck upon this accursed land, even when a 100 or a 1000 years pass, I’ll curse every single one of you even in the next life!”

            Her words escalated the villagers’ fury and it took a few soldiers to calm the masses down. “LIGHT THE FIRE!” the hay beneath her stake was lit and almost instantly covered her surrounding with blazing red flames. Oddly enough, the coiling flame was warm and set her heart at ease. She then remembered the charm she had that her master had given her before.

            “May this necklace protect you from the flames of fate of our kin; I just hope that time will never come to you.” She never understood what he had meant, but now she does. “Thank you Master,” she silently said, “at least I can die a painless death.”

            She turned her gaze to the sky that reflected the same color of the flame, as if the heaven was mocking her as well. The sky then reflected her memories of the past, the time when she used to follow her master like a baby chick while studying from him, the time when she had dinners with her parents, laughing together as they talked about their day. The time when she went inside the forest with her two best friends, the time when she fought back for her life and went into hiding, the time she spent with her first love.

            She didn’t dare to let a single tear break from her eyes. She held back her sadness to fuel her anger. Her skin smelled like burnt ashes and started to turn pitch black. Her blood was rapidly boiling inside, her lungs screamed for air, and her white bones started to reveal itself.  She closed her eyes, bracing herself for death and in the midst of despair she smiled for she would be separated from this cruel world.

            When she tried opening her eyes, the world was dark, am I dead? She thought. However, she questioned her lingering consciousness. She felt her struggle to breathe, and in that dark place, one light shone above her. She felt her body was being pushed toward it, and couldn’t help but closed her eyes when the light was blindingly shining on her.

            She gasped for air, her sight was mostly blurry, and the most surprising to her, against her will, she started crying. As if she had let go of her regrets and relieved washed over her, she cried over her lost and joy.

            Why am I crying as if I had lost something, and yet why at the same time I feel so happy? Her vision was blurry but she could still make out the shadow of people looming over her. She tried reaching for them but—that’s strange she thought again. Her body felt light yet it was hard to move, she tried getting up but something or someone was holding her tightly and when she tried talking, other than ‘uuhh’ and ‘aahhh’ she could barely say anything.

            She started panicking, but then warm water washed over the blood, then afterward she was covered with a soft warm blanket. What is this? I’ve never felt anything so soft and comfy! A larger shadow then loomed closer to her, she tried concentrating hard and found out that she was a woman. She was probably in her mid 30s, she had a tanned skin and obsidian eyes, and her hair was cut short. She felt the beating of the woman’s heart that gave a different kind of warmth, a warmth so familiar yet so different. The woman put her in her arms, her soft smile and teary eyes made her feel safe and content.

            Before long, her eyes felt heavy and she was about to fall into a deep sleep, but she was bewildered over one fact when she focused her sight on the face of the woman.  

            Princess Rosemare!