The Devil's Cursed Witch

"I remember that," Maria said, to which Thala added, "and we lost  Gala. She laughed it off back then, saying something along the lines of 'how can such a thing happen' when she was the most powerful witch among us, the Head Witch of the coven, second only in strength and knowledge after Her Eminence."

Cornelia let out a bitter smile. "Even I did not take my own vision seriously back then. Only Her Eminence believed in what I saw."

"At that time, you were closest to Gala. Not only are you two master and disciple, she raised you like her own daughter." Glinda mindlessly stroke the back of her hand, where a vicious scar could be seen. She then changed the subject. "If you say that the vision you had tonight is similar to then, that means this is about the death of someone really important to you. We witches often get such more accurate visions of the future when it's related to people we cherish or tragedies that would immensely affect our lives or the people around us."

Cornelia agreed and thought about it. "Someone I cherish? There are many I do care for, but I cannot point out the identity of the person this time, unlike back then with Master."

"Every vision has clues. Try to look through them," Maria suggested. "Those clues may not be related to the identity of the person in your dream, but they can lead to details that may help us predict that person or the circumstances about their death."

Thala grumbled, "But then? Even if she finds out who is dying, we all know that person's death is bound to happen anyway. We can't even stop it. What's the use of learning that person's identity? To let that person know that they are going to die? Give them a heads up so they can bid their loved ones farewell? Isn't it better to simply let nature take its course?"

"Thala, can you be a bit sympathetic?" Maria gave her displeased look.

"Did I say something wrong? Last time, we found out that Gala was going to die. Could we have stopped it?" Thala asked as she gave Maria a flat stare. "No, we could not stop it. Even Her Eminence, whose powers we don't know the limit of, could not keep her from dying.

"Like what Her Eminence said, Cornelia caught a glimpse of the future, and the future she saw was set in stone. Witches are seekers of truth--we could not change the events that destiny had set. It only made all of us feel guilty and pathetic. Didn't we all feel useless, blaming ourselves for letting her die when we could have stopped it? But could we have really stopped it?

"If we had tried to change the future back then, do you think Gala would have lived? Be honest. You know she would have still died, albeit in a different manner. This time it won't be any different, and Cornelia will simply end up feeling guilty once more.

"Do you want her to suffer what we all have suffered since then? Have any of us ever forgotten Gala and her cruel death? Once is enough. We old bones should learn from our mistakes and not let our juniors repeat them. No one deserves that kind of pain. Destiny cannot be changed."

There was a sudden silence in the drawing room. No one dared deny what Thala said. Though her words were bitter, what she said was the absolute truth.

Being an optimist, Glinda finally broke the silence. "We know we cannot change the future, but do not forget, Thala, knowledge is something we seek to better the lives of others. Understanding Cornelia's vision might help us in other ways, letting us determine what would come next and prepare in advance so that the repercussions would harm less people. Though we cannot change the vision itself and cannot save that person from dying, we can try to avoid the consequences of their death from worsening."

While the old witches were conversing, Cornelia found herself growing anxious at the thought that she was soon going to lose someone she cherished but...who was that person? Who was so important to her?

"Cornelia," Glinda called her, seeing her dazed.

She immediately looked at the old witch. "Y-Yes, senior?"

"Are you fine? You look..." Maria stopped. "What are you thinking about?"

"Is there really no way to change it? I...I feel like my heart is being torn even though I don't know who it is yet and even though it didn't even happen yet. I...I don't want it to happen." Her eyes turned teary as that feeling made her feel worse, like she was getting her heart broken.

"Get ahold of yourself, Cornelia," Glinda instructed with a cold voice. "You are the Head Witch of our coven and you cannot be so weak because of such a vision. Emotions should not blind you from reality. You are blessed to be able to see the future but that doesn't mean you should let yourself be affected like this. You know you cannot change it. It is useless and irresponsible to waste time thinking of things you cannot control. Instead, focus on the present. Try to find the positive in the future--think of how your vision can help people avoid any disaster related to it."

Cornelis wiped the tears she didn't know when she began shedding and nodded as she heard Maria's soft voice try to soothe her, "Now, now, we understand how you feel. Glinda might sound harsh, but she means you well."

"I understand. I apologize for showing such a weak side of me, seniors."

"It's fine, it's fine," the old woman smiled as she gestured in the air with her only arm. "Now, why don't you tell us more about the vision you saw? Maybe we can help interpret the clues."

"I saw camelia flowers, and there was a graveyard, and also someone bleeding after being stabbed. There were more things, but I could not see them clearly..."

"Someone being stabbed. What was the weapon? Any clues about who got stabbed? A male body? Female body? Which body part? And the offender, anything you can recall? Does the hand holding the weapon show any marks?"

"I could not see either of them but the one who was stabbed and the one who will die...I feel... that's a man...and someone really powerful, " she sounded unsure.

"And the one who stabbed him?" Maria asked.

"I didn't see the person but I saw the weapon. It was not an ordinary dagger...I think, I think it emitted divine powers. The hand that was holding it was slim and delicate, so I think it belonged to a woman. That means the assaulter is a woman."

"Woman?" Thala mumbled. "It's always a woman. Back then, it was that Zaria wench, and now, who is this female murderer?"

Glinda patted her hand to calm her down as Thala's hate towards Zaria was like a poison.