“It’s been a millennium since I played. The Guardian witch didn’t even give me a proper hobby. Didn’t give me any hobbies at all actually.”
“Hmm. We’ll fix that.”
I collect the pieces and upturn the board. The pieces look very different from the ones we used before. These seem to be much lighter. The ones from my memories were made of rosewood. These new pieces appear to be made from some sort of fine maple wood.
Unlike us, the things around us wither to their end. Time works as usual for them and holds them accountable for the years that have passed.
The sight of the new pieces pulls a sudden thought.
“By the way, where is Zoren?”
I remember how he once asked me about chess when we first met. Back then, I had no clue who he is and who he was serving. All I knew was that he was a butler of some wealthy family.
He answered with a solemn look in his eyes that deeply unsettled me.
“He’s alive. But you have to see him for yourself.”
The sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach foreshadowed the fears of my heart.
***
He takes me to a room with a jade-coloured door. In a silent motion, he twisted the knob open and revealed a body lying still in bed with lots of tubes and medical equipment on both sides.
My heart sank to the floor.
Sensitive to what goes on inside me, the blonde man turns and silently left me to deal with my emotions.
I haven’t known Zoren for as long as I’ve known the others.
Zoren is human. He’s only an ordinary human, unlike us.
Still, he put his life on the line for a person who wouldn’t die in normal conditions.
He still protected me even with this knowledge.
Others may call him foolish, but not to me.
The cost of my ignorance was almost someone else’s life.
I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself for that.
His heart rate seemed to be stable according to the monitor, but the fact that there was a need to connect him to all these machines meant his body was severely wounded in the battle he had against the ruthless witch. My greatest fear is that he’ll never recover.
No White Witch can easily reverse what was done to him. It’ll be up to his will to live if he will heal from this.
While I was busy feeling responsible for the outcome lying in front of me, a gentle hand suddenly pat my head. I don’t need to turn around to know who he is.
There’s only one person who has the audacity to treat me like a child.
“Don’t blame yourself for this, Lili.”
Lili
It slipped my mind that he actually made a nickname out of this fake name. Another faux given to me by Ryia herself.
I stayed silent as I contemplate how I should respond to him.
He’ll only worry more if I tell him the truth, but at the same time, I know I won’t be able to easily cover up what I truly feel about this, especially when it comes to the master of this mansion.
“He’s going to be alright,” he reassures me once again.
“I know.”
***
We spent the next morning together in the dining hall.
The centre seat, however, is still empty. I’d like to ask about his whereabouts, but I just set the question aside for another chance.
There is a hollow feeling inside my chest when I look over at the space by the door where Zoren usually stands. I secretly wish he’d suddenly appear and ask like he always does if I would like some tea.
I recalled how awful my last memory of this room was before I watched it burn from the outside.
I am quite grateful that Allyn was able to restore the mansion back to its original state. I heard she had been away from the country when she was summoned by the master to return.
Despite the darkness brewing in my mind, the boisterous laughter coming from Bran who has pulled another prank on Dain brings me back to the present. And I smile as I look over at Dain whose piercing glare promises a hostility, natural to his bloodline but against his nature.
Allyn used the opportunity to fill her plate with food as much as she can get while they remain distracted by each other. She might’ve forgotten that she didn’t have to worry as the two never ate the food laid on the table anyway.
Bran like the vampire he is, drinks blood. He keeps the blood in wine bottles and stores them in the wine cellar. I didn’t want to know where they came from, but he assures it was not from humans.
Dain, on the other hand, still hunts during the night for his own food. Even if there is meat on the table, he likes to feel the pulse faint from his prey as he rips it to pieces and feasts on their remains.
According to him, Bran instructed Zoren never to serve raw meat at the dining table because it would come off as being ‘rude’ to the rest of us. Unfortunately for Dain, the butler heeded the vampire’s cunning words.
I stared at Bran as he enjoys his drink from his goblet. The shimmering garnet red stone on his finger catches my attention. I remember him wearing that the last time I was here, but not before that.
“You’re curious about this?” Bran asks as he twirls it around his finger, all the time holding her gaze.
“Let no one accuse you of being slow,” I smile at him, and he grins, “I’ve never seen it before.”
“That’s a ring with a portal stone,” Allyn answers for Bran, neatly cutting up a piece of meat on her plate.
“Portal Stone? I thought that referred to places such as Stonehenge, where you can use to set up portals?”
Since the young mage already stuffed her mouth with so much food, Bran responded instead.
“No. That’s a different Portal Stone. This one has a limited range. It can only open and connect portals within a kilometre radius. The one you’re talking about can do so much more and is far more powerful.”
“What Bran has is kind of like a portable version. That’s why it’s so limited.”
I glance over at my junior, amazed by her ability to stuff her face full and still manage to carry out a conversation. It’s a miracle she hasn’t choked.
“So that’s what you used to open those portals?”
“Yep,” he nodded.
“This is the first time I’ve encountered one. Where did you get it?” It would be nice if I have one as well. It will be handy for escaping dangerous situations.
There’s that ambiguous grin again, “A certain demon lent it to me after it was given to him as an exchange for a deal he made.”
Pacts, deals, and soul gambling. He really is an expert in those fields.
It makes me wonder. How many deals was he able to make in the duration that I had a messed up mind?
If I didn’t know him better, I might even think he’s a Witch of Wishes. They do have the same nature of governance in some way.
***
In the several days of my stay in the restored Penrhyn Mansion, I had made myself at home. I had gotten so comfortable; I made myself forget the severity of Zoren’s condition, despite my daily visits. I remained hopeful and trusted in the power of the magic flowing through the walls. Still… death like a mist crept in through the cracks and now rest on the chair by his bed, waiting for any weakness on his behalf to present itself.
A few hours after I completed my afternoon visit, Allyn made a mad dash to the butler’s room. There was panic in each of her steps, and worried thoughts raced through my mind as I followed quickly behind her.
The mage reported that the man is nearing his death as his vital signs continue to drop. The summoned doctor had less to say, but his expression mirrored hers, confirming all our fears.
The butler’s body had become weak. The medicines, spells and support machines were no longer working.
Soon enough, I will have to bid him goodbye in this life and pray to the gods that there is a way for our kinds to find each other in the afterlife.
There’s nothing Allyn can do, and
the doctor is useless, but I know there’s someone in this mansion who can do something about it.
Knowing time wasn’t on my side, I run through the corridors of the mansion. My trail instinctively leads me down an armour lined aisle ending with a large carved double door. I momentarily think to myself that these carvings can tell a thousand tales, there is a story unfolding within the wood and space for more to be revealed. If only I had the time presently to study it.
I burst through the door, but the man sitting by his table did not even flinch.
He continues scribbling with his fountain pen, immersed in his work. I wonder if he is creating the remainder of the story for his carvings? I really wish my mind wouldn’t wander so much!!!
“Zoren’s life is in danger,” I know that he already knows that even by just catching my wordless thoughts.
But I felt the announcement would at least shake him a bit to be concerned.
He calmly put down his pen and looks up at me, “I know that.”
“I know you know. But there’s something else.”
I intentionally veil my thoughts to ensure that I held his attention.
Even though he’s puzzled, his jaws are relaxed, and his brows do no crease as he asks, “What is it?”
“Faust, I’m making another deal with you in exchange for Zoren’s life.”
He only chuckles, fidgeting with his tie before his black eyes look up at me.
“I’m not joking, Faust.”
“Liliwen my love, first of all, welcome back.”
“Faust-” he cut me off with the flick of a wrist.
“As you well know my darling, you can only make a deal with a demon once. You’ve used your chance one thousand years ago,” he says as if it’s something I’m not aware of.
“Yes, I know that. That’s why I’m making another deal.”
This time, he doesn’t grin.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’m planning to save his life.”
“He will die anyway.”
I know that.
I know that humans die with the natural flow of time.
But, as a being who can’t be killed with time, I don’t want to go through life bearing the guilt of this man’s life due to a side effect of the plan I set in motion.
I know there would be consequences, but this was not part of it.
“You’re blaming yourself.”
“Of course, I am!” I won’t be able to hide this from him anyway, so why not just let it out?
He sighs before he stands from his seat and saunters to me, pulling me into his strong arms.
He plants a small kiss on my forehead as he holds me gently against his chest.
It has been so long since I’ve felt his caress. It’s another thing I was deprived of when I was being made into a puppet by the coven.
His touch is as gentle as an angel’s.
“I told you, didn’t I?” I pout, “Without you, I’m a mess at all this.”
He only let out another chuckle.
Whatever happens, I know in his arms, I can put aside my burdens just rest.
“What are you going to do?” I ask finally, breaking the embrace.
“What the master of the mansion should do, my love.”
He leaves another peck on my raven hair and goes out the door to heal a human without a deal being struck.
He might be a demon to everyone else, but I know in his heart there are drops of angel blood pulsing through his veins.
He’s a powerful and dangerous demon to the world, but in my heart, he’s still my angel.
Whatever he does, whoever he is, I need him.
Without him, I can’t completely stand on my own.
In this one-thousand-year-old game we’re playing, one thing is for sure.
To win, I need him, the determining factor of this whole game...
My King.
Chapter 3
The Knights
“Come away with me.”
Her emerald eyes shine bright as they burn with anticipation. She can’t hide the excitement sitting in her chest as she stretches her hand to me.
Her blonde hair falls perfectly past her shoulders, onto her white dress embroidered with petals.
The girl in white seemed like an angel who came to grace this run-down house with her presence.
“So? What do you think? Will you come with me?” she urges for an immediate answer as if there’s no time left as if midnight was chasing her to take her back to her old life.
Maybe she is being chased?
Not by time, but the hands of people who want her back in her cage they call home.
And so, her impatience and anxiety are warranted. Only her desire to venture the world away from here covers the surface of her fears.
But why?
Why is she asking me?
“Why do you want to take me with you?”
I can see no reason to bring along a child as hopeless as I am. The torn down walls, the holes in the roof, the dust and dirt that rules the floor, and the pieces of broken glasses lying around everywhere perfectly paint the summary of my life.
I am left with nothing.
I am nothing.
So, what would a girl like her, who has the sky to soar to and the horizon to pursue, gain from my presence?
Her response, “Because you are my friend.”
It brought light to the dark corners of my heart. The fog that has been staying in my mind begins to clear.
A feeling of warmth blossoms in my chest.
Her sweet smile gives me a reason to believe that maybe, just maybe I am not as hopeless as I think I am.
But it’s too late.
Midnight has caught on. It taunts me, as the gong of the clock resounds through the desolate rooms, announcing the arrival of the peak of night and the depth of the darkness.
Every grain of sand in the hourglass has fallen.
The light aura she emitted was suddenly smothered with a veil of shadow and claws from the darkness wrap around her.
She reaches out to me, her eyes desperately begging for help, her lips shout words that only pass my ear.
I can only stay rooted on this spot, unable to do anything as I watch her get taken away.
I can’t seem to look away from the dark space she left. The gaping void is intensifying as I silently will her to return, and she refuses.
A rotten chunk of wood from the ceiling falls to the ground causing dust to dance in the air.
The house is again empty.
Much like this heart.
But whose fault is it?
Looking around, I realise...
All the fingers are pointing at me.
***
A sudden jolt shakes me awake from yet another dream.
I’m still on the couch by the bedroom window. This has always been my favourite spot ever since the mansion was erected.
I must’ve drifted off to sleep while enjoying the view, which has now faded into the blackness of the night.
My eyes search around the room to look for signs of entry. There seems to be none.
Well, considering how all the people in this mansion possess feathers for feet, I wouldn’t be surprised if they somehow managed to all strut through here.
I’ve been dreaming too much of the past lately.
This must be is the side effect of the Undoing Ritual Allyn had mentioned before.
With Ryia’s spell broken, pieces of the past keep coming back to me in the form of dreams. I suppose dreams are a much better alternative to sudden visions in the hallway or like what happened this morning while I was “cooking”. I had reached for a glass of wine and somehow landed on my stomach as I stared off into the distance, almost catching the house on fire. I’ll take the dreams, creepy though they may be.
The girl in white, huh?
It’s been a while since I saw that face.
Two soft knocks on the door bother the quiet of the room.
&n
bsp; “Come in.”
At my door, appears the prim and stoic butler. His familiar smooth gestures convince me to believe that the frail tubed man on the bed surrounded by life support was nothing but a figment of my imagination. His grey hair is combed perfectly into even sections. His gloved hand resting on his chest as he slightly bows tells nothing of the tale that happened at the lake. His face shows no sign of scar or wound, only the subtle wrinkles, and creases that speak for his age.
I smile as I cross the room and pull him into a hug. I’m relieved he’s alive. When I look at his face, I can tell he’s flushed, so I step away. Zoren has always held us in such high regard, and I know he adores me.
In his quiet manner, he announces, “Ms. Alwyn, the Guardian Witch has come.”
The visit is something I already expected, but now that it happened, the traces of Liliwen that were left in my system seem anxious, and it’s annoying that I can’t seem to shake it off.
“Where is she right now?”
“In the master’s study.”
I see. Faust already took it upon himself to welcome her.
I thank Zoren for his notice.
He gives another curt bow and leaves without a sound.
I’m sure she came here to retrieve me, and I’m sure Faust has done everything he can to delay her arrival.
And now, she’s here.
The door suddenly burst open, making my heart leap.
“You have to stay here while the master talks to the wicked witch,” I can’t believe he’s still talking to me like I’m the ignorant Liliwen.
Trying to make him change his attitude towards me, I raise a brow at him, “I know that.”
But it seems it didn’t change him at all. He casually lifts the other couch and places it beside me so that he can settle down on it.
The last time he did that in front of me, I was awed with his strength.
Now that I’m fully aware of his capabilities, nothing he does will shock me anymore.
“So, you know I could never leave you here to be bored to death, right?”
I stare at him and search for signs in his eyes that will give me a clue what he’s up to. I can’t get caught with his crazy antics without knowing how I’ll deal with the result later.
He takes something from the pocket of his trousers. When he opened his palm, a gold mechanical orb appears, something I’ve never seen before.
Witch's Cursed Circle Complete Collection Page 12