The Devil's Cursed Witch

"F-Fire?" Leeora mumbled, and now her heart squeezed as her thoughts went to a certain someone. "This fire, did this spread before the stabbing? After? Did that someone perhaps lose reason? Maybe she was instigated...or, or maybe it wasn't a fire caused by magic. Maybe the fire broke out due to an accident? Like, like a lamp breaking? Or maybe another person started the fire?"

"...that fire is of magic, demanding blood, intending to burn everything in its path..."

"Did you see the face of the cause of that fire?" Leeora asked with caution.

With another cough of blood, Zelda broke away from that crystal ball, causing the glass to dim back until it looked like a pure black orb. The room was plunged back into darkness, and only the sounds of the witch gasping and coughing could be heard. Leeora immediately reached out into her pockets and handed the witch the small bottle of elixir she made. "Have this."

Zelda accepted it without courtesy. Once she had considerably become stable, Leeora asked, "How do you feel? Should we head back outside? I think you need to rest. I will have Ursula make you calming tea--"

The witch, who had her eyes closed, opened them as she shook her head. "There is no need. My body just got rusty after not using that much power for a long time."

"Are you sure?"

"I know my body better than anyone else."

"If you say so," Leeora sighed. "About the vision you saw, is there a way to prevent it from happening in the first place?"

Zelda shook her head helplessly, using a clean cloth to wipe the blood from her face. "You said you consulted the Head of the Witches, did you not? She is right. It is impossible to stop things set in stone by fate."

"So we cannot...?"

"The future that we see...it is not that it cannot be changed, just that the consequences are oftentimes worse than if we simply let nature take its course. The price to pay to save a life is too high, considering a vision of this magnitude.

"If we let the future unfold as it is, a person will die and it will affect the entire kingdom, causing confusion and chaos, I believe the harm caused by the incident will still be reasonable. However, if we try to prevent his death, it is possible but the effect will be enormous--not only will more people may die, maybe clans will be wiped out once more. Perhaps a disastrous tragedy worse than what happened a century ago will occur.

"I apologize, Leeora, but we cannot stop it from happening."

Leeora's eyes turned teary as the last hope she had was now gone. Even the most senior of the Black Witches, Zelda, who has been long famous for her accurate divination was helpless to save this person's life. Leeora's entire body shook, fearing to think of a precious person she would be losing in the immediate future.

"So... I can only wait for the vision to pass and do nothing?" Leeora asked.

"Unfortunately," Zelda replied as she reached out to squeeze Leeora's trembling fists on the table. "Death is inevitable. No mortal can defy fate. Nothing in this world can stop it, not you, not me, not even the King. But we can try to change what happens after..."

"We can't stop a death, then what's there to change?" Leeora mumbled as tears rolled down her eyes. "I have lost my family, my husband, my children, my grandchildren. I have lost my friends. I have even lost my disciples. Those who remain now, they are the only ones left. I cannot bear to lose another person...I do not want to experience grief once more..."

"Seems like instead of giving you solutions, I added to your worries," Zelda commented as she sighed helplessly.

"The woman with divine powers," Leeora said, "even though you could not see her face, do you have any clue that can help us determine her identity or can lead us to her?"

Zelda shook her head. "There is nothing, and even if there is, it is not like you can figure out her identity and talk her out of killing this person. Like I said, the price of changing fate is too high and will lead to a worse outcome. We need to choose the lesser evil."

Leeora lowered her head in silence, and even in the darkness of the room, the suffering on her face could not be hidden.

The witch caved in. "All I can say is that the weapon she would be using was made by her sacrificing her own powers with the intention  to kill a person. Since it is the kind of weapon made with a purpose, then that weapon will fulfill the reason for its existence at all costs. I believe the people you cherish are those who you've known for a long time, people whose identities or capabilities are no lesser than you. If that is the case, you need to find out which lunatic with divine powers has enough motivation or magic to sacrifice in order to kill a person of such high status."

Leeora nodded. "That I will work to find out. The man who will die possesses divine powers as well so it will shorten the list, and if the one who will kill him has divine powers of the fire attribute..."

"Do you have someone in mind?" Zelda asked, seeing the elf lost in thought.

Leeora forced herself to put on a facade of a smile and looked at the old witch. "I am grateful for your help, Zelda. I know you think of me as a stubborn fool, but...I...I will take my leave. Maybe there is a way where no one dies and none of our people will need to suffer. I just need to try to search for more clues."

Zelda understood Leeora definitely had something in her mind, but as the elf was about to stand up, she called out, "Wait!"

The witch raised her hand and something from the side shelf in the room flew towards her hand. It was a tiny bottle barely the size of a fist. "Your hand."

Leeora put forward her hand and Zelda poured one dark round pill on her palm. "Have this. It  will help you feel better after being exposed for too long to my dark energy."

The elf swallowed it without hesitation. "Thank you, my friend." She then stood up to return to the drawing room.

She looked around the empty chair. "Did the King leave already?"

Zelda came out as well. "He doesn't waste time at all."

Since Draven was not there, Leeora reluctantly turned to Zelda to ask something, "Do you think the person who will get stabbed is His Majesty...?" She trailed off her words as it was something impossible to imagine. "If something happens to him, then nothing can stop this kingdom from ruin. He is also a dear friend I cannot bear to lose."

Zelda trudged towards the couch, the sound of her cane striking the wooden floorboards being unusually loud. "I cannot assure you but the possibility exists."

Leeora's gaze followed the old woman. "Have you...have you heard about His Majesty's mate?"

The old woman slowly sat down on the couch. "Though I do not step out of Millow Circle, my familiars do so I am somewhat aware of what is going around."

"Then do you know she is a human who possesses divine powers as well?"

The witch froze as she turned to study the face of the elf. "Are you suspicious that she can be the woman in your vision? A mate killing her own mate?"

"N-No, I dare not say that but... I...I was just--"

"We cannot deny nor confirm anything given what we currently know. Do not burden your heart with useless guessing," the witch chastised her.  "Keep the possibility in mind, but see what more you can find out but...in the end, what is meant to happen will happen."

Just then Zelda felt something and sighed, "Here he comes again."

"Who?" Leeora asked.

Zelda stood up slowly and walked towards the door of her cottage leading  outside. "You know him well. He had brought a young guest with him this time."

Leeora followed Zelda out, being curious that who was there who she knew.