Mahala's answered with silence. I could see she cringed like she was remembering being witness of dark, horrifying events.
“So, you are saying that the witch who lives inside the theatre is imprisoned there for abusing magic… or more accurately… for killing people?!” I needed to hear a straight answer.
“She has been here for centuries! The entrance is protected by very powerful spell, so that only a witch as powerful as the evil one could ever walk inside,” she explained.
“Centuries?!” I called suspiciously, “But the theatre building is less than a hundred years old!”
“She used to be locked in the crypt, which is now underneath the theatre building. When the treater was built she somehow broke the protective spell around it and almost broke free. Then eldest decided to create another barrier, around the whole theatre this time,” she claimed.
“I see… so she used to have a tiny prison. She got loose, and you considerably granted her a bigger one
I came back home continuously processing Sister's words, Mahala's appearing and everything that led to Sister's imprisonment. Perhaps, there must have been something seriously wrong with me because I couldn't treat Sister simply as an evil witch. Her vengeance was completely out of proportion, yet she wasn't the one who began the bloodshed. On the other hand, there was Mahala and the group of witches that supposed to dispense justice… but justice for whom?In Mahala's words those witches supposed to be honorable and upright, but were they really? If they only decided to act after Sister attacked the nobles, it would have meant that they merely did something to protect themselves instead of doing what was right. Furthermore, wouldn't it more accurate for the witches to try saving the one witch that was brought to the court? Since they didn't act then, I would rather assume that Sister told the truth about their collaboration with the nobles. Maybe, it was some kind of p
My mind was full of hectic unreasonable thoughts, I kept breathing faster and faster being seconds away from panic attack. Jason stood right behind me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Kass…” he whispered leaning over my ear, “I believe in you.” His words worked better than the best sedative drug ever. His single touch took away my anxieties, miraculously clearing my head allowing me to think straight. Suddenly, I felt Samil's glare. I turned my head slightly to his side and noticed that his eyes weren't pointed at me, they were pointed at Jason. I guessed, he noticed Jason's reaction, and somehow had a problem with it… That obviously made me feel much better. I couldn't help but to smirk. Charlotte gazed at me pleadingly, she needed something, a starting point for a conversation, or an entertaining motive. I had to stall for time. I grabbed the microphone from the control post. “Ask him to show you his works,” I whispered to Charlotte's earpi
Jason was staring deeply in my eyes. I wished I could find an ounce of hesitation within his gaze, but everything about him seemed to be saying that he mean every word he just whispered to my ear. An awkward smile appeared on my face. “Um… but there are people here…” I mumbled hectically not realizing that I actually agreed on kissing him. He laughed faintly then flopped his head on my arm letting me go from embrace. I instantly felt him leaning the weight of his body on me. Something wasn't right… “Jason…?” I called softly patting his hanging loose arm, “Jason!” I called louder. There was no response. It looked like he lost consciousness. I gently pushed him a little away from me allowing him to lean on my stretched arms. Only then I realized there was blood on my hand, it wasn't my blood… “Oh, God…” I muttered terrified. I looked at him cautiously and suddenly noticed a red stain on the right side around Jason's ribs. I froze.
After fifteen minutes of wandering around the hospital I finally found where Jason was. They said he didn't need a blood transfusion, he received a drip with antibiotic. No one could comprehend why he became unconscious since his wound was less severe than anyone expected. I was the only one who understood his condition completely. He was that way because of me, because I didn't finish healing his injury. I bet that if I did, he would have woken up right away. Jason was put in a nice looking single room, I bet that his family had something to do with it. No one would dare to place a member of prestigious Donell family somewhere he might have felt uncomfortable. Much to my surprise, I was alone when I walked inside. I expected there would be at least some other person worried about him, yet he was alone. Nonetheless, I thought that explaining this situation to the member of his family would be troublesome, I wished I could avoid it if possible… I leaned out onto the h
A normal human being probably should go home and rest after experiencing what I did, but I headed straight to the office. Preparing the first episode for emission was my responsibility. Besides, there were already editors working on the footage, precutting single takes so that we could make the final decision together. My job wasn't too complicated, yet if there was anything wrong with the final version of the episode, I would be the one who'd take the blame for it. Additionally, the fact that the CEO acted all hostile towards me, left me no room for error, although I kept wondering if he would actually fire me, if I messed things up… Certainly, I was not eager to find that out.It was 7 PM when I walked back to TVM's headquarters. I just received a message that the editing team still needed an extra hour to prepare the recorded material. On the way to my office, I kept swaying on my feet. In other's eyes I must have resembled a zombie mumbling softly “Coffee&hel
There were five specially prepared showrooms in the TVM's headquarters. Every showroom had a theatrical audience seat and a big screen to view the shows before final approval. Our “TVM goes naked” was about to be presented in the smallest, least luxurious one. That decision was made due to the fact there weren't any special VIP guests that we needed to show the episode to. It was a completely internal matter, and it was supposed to be less problematic as well. We didn't need anyone's permission to air the episode on a specific schedule since it was meant to be presented only on online platforms. Each one of the directors should approve the program without any ounce of hesitation. Yet I felt it wouldn't be that easy…My only hope was that Samil's prerogative was to lead TVM to bring greater income and our show was mainly for the sake of gaining viewers. I prayed that he wouldn't go against what was in favor of the station merely to prove I wasn't receiving a
Another stressful day was finally over. Moreover, it was Friday! I had never been so happy to go home after work. I felt like somebody took a heavy weight off my shoulders, it was amazingly relieving. Even though, I had to plan the next episodes, but there wouldn't be anyone breathing down my neck from now on. At the same time, it all had a bitter-sweet taste. From this point, there would be no reason for the CEO to check up on me, and this meant I wouldn't get to see him, probably at all.“You already made the decision! You just need to stick to it!” I tried convincing myself, but it was easier to say it than to genuinely let it go.On my way back, I kept trying to set my mind directly on my goal. I needed to concentrate solely on preventing myself from dying on the day of my birthday. I was looking forward to the possibility of taking my mind off of work and being able to read Immara's diary. I hoped I would have at least a clue to how I should release my
Grandma gazed at me in a state of shock for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. I wasn't sure if she was mocking me, or if she was this happy that I decided to seek her help. If I had to make a bet, I would choose the first option…“Seriously?!” she squeezed out while chuckling, “You want ME to teach you control?!”“Well… I figured that you are the one constantly babbling about searching inside your own soul to find the right path, or something. Now… I really need your help, and I promise not to laugh or ignore you whenever you try to sound like a monk or centuries old sage. So, would you please become my personal Yoda?” I grinned stupidly, hoping it would suffice for sucking up to her.Grandma glanced at me suspiciously, “What's the catch? I have to know what exactly you need this “super control” for?”“Well…” I laughed hesitantly, “I found a rit
Samil had never left my side on our way home, whether it was while we were on the ship or flying in the Bordas private jet. He kept asking me if I was ok. He did it so often that I started to find his concern over my health annoying. He wasn't the one that had been bothersome during our trip. Chris, Elijah and all the other men from Samil's army were coming one by one to apologize for trying to burn me at the stake. Although, I kept repeating that it wasn't their fault since they were controlled by magic, but recalling everything they had done while being compelled wasn't exactly helpful in recovery from their moral hangover… Despite the fact that I knew that it was all over and that I and everyone was safe, those horrifying moments were coming back each time I closed my eyes. Once I tried to get some sleep, I woke up screaming, but then Samil would hold me in his arms and tell me that there was nothing that could ever threaten us anymore. The warmth of his body was soothing
Suddenly, I heard nothing but crackling fire from the light of the torch. I hesitantly opened my eyes. Samil threw his torch at the bottom of the pile, yet it barely touched the wooden branches. The pile didn't start to burn. All it caused was a bit of smoke that was coming from one side of the pile. My heart was pounding frantically while my tears kept falling down my cheeks."Samil…" I mumbled, looking into his eyes.He raised his head and gazed at me. His expression was slightly different from before. It wasn't as blank as if his consciousness started to resurface again…"I love you…" I called softly, praying that it would be different this time, that my calling would finally reach him.He stared at me in silence, then slowly turned his head to look around. At that moment, he stopped resembling a mere puppet. It was like one of his strings had been cut. I could see him clenching his teeth. I gasped, desperately hoping that his reac
Ezzura had cast a spell that filled the entire island, including the irresilient to her magic Samil. She compelled everyone. Now, they were all her own army that obeyed her unconditionally…I guessed, she clearly wanted to torture my heart before she would burn my body, doing everything she could to break me. She picked a beach as a place where I should be burned at the stake, and she told Samil to take me there. I didn't have any strength left to resist. He tossed me over one shoulder like a bag of sand, and then he carried me out of the witches' castle. I tried calling his name, but he didn't react at all, as if he had become an empty shell that once had been someone who loved me…"I have to admit that your magic is extraordinary," Ezzura chuckled while walking to the beach. "Can you see how easily I had changed everyone into my puppets? Your magic in this life is even stronger than the one you had as Immara."She kept glancing cheerfully, admiri
For a few seconds, I was unable to open my eyes. I heard a continuous, high-pitched sound in my ears. It covered all the other sounds I could hear, and disturbed my focus. Finally, I forced my eyelids to open. My vision was slowly coming back… I was lying on the floor in the middle of the witches' courtroom, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I nervously lifted my upped body to sit and look around. When I did, I gulped. All the witches from the group of the eldest were dead. Their bodies were lying motionless on the ground. Some were covered in blood, some looked like they were electrocuted. It was a massacre, and I was sitting in the middle of it… Suddenly, I saw Ezzura nonchalantly walking around the hall, gloating over the victory. I flinched, then I clenched my teeth. My previous visions, Immara's memories, the feeling of betrayal, they all came back and filled every inch of my body. I instantly raised my hands in order to attack her, but… nothi
"W-what?" I murmured nervously, gazing at Sister.She avoided my stare. She must have known from the beginning that I was the incarnation of her younger sister, the one she told me about. Now, the fact that she claimed that she didn't remember her name and told me to call her "Sister" made me grit my teeth. Why couldn't she tell me?! Even if she wasn't certain if I remember my past life, couldn't she tell me that I look exactly like her late sister?! I felt confused and betrayed, and the most disturbing fact was that I had never recalled having an older sister in the memories of my past life…"Oh… I can see that she didn't tell you, did she?" Shelta chuckled coldly. "She had been told to gain your trust and kill you, but once she had learnt that you were sisters, she disobeyed the orders. She even decided to trick us to save your life, but you had to die even after you had lost your powers…"My head started to spin. I glanced at Sister. I co
There was a road outside the forest. It led straight to the witches' castle. It looked like a fortress. It had high stone walls around it, and an enormous iron gate at the front. Samil walked at the front. Sister and I were right behind him, and the rest of the soldiers marched in formation, moving towards the gate while constantly fighting off the witches. Finally, we forced the witches to run back to their castle. They ran to the gates, banging on them and desperately crying to those in charge to open the entrance. Yet Mahala and the rest of the witches in charge were deaf to their pleading voices. They would rather let them die at those gates than open them. I gave Sister a signal, nodding my head, and we hit those witches with our magic, making them fall into a coma."Chris, get the explosive to blast those gates," Samil ordered."Understood," Chris replied, then abruptly turned around to get the bombs ready."Wait!" I called out, "There's no need for that.
It was dawning when Sister finished her story. We managed to drink three bottles of wine, but certainly we didn't have to worry about getting drunk or having a hangover. Lack of sleep couldn't bother us either. That was the upper side of being a witch.After the whole night of talking, we used a few spells to improve our looks. Then I made us breakfast, and we were ready to work on making the cor inane for Samil's men. Chris showed up after 10 AM and brought the clothes and other things for Sister. Then his men delivered thousands of crystals, some for the amulets and some to make a powder that can be used on bullets. There was a lot of work ahead of me and Sister.For the first time, I was glad that Samil wasn't around. I felt more at ease then. I didn't have to worry about my boyfriend's peculiar behavior. I wasn't sure if he'd act the same way the next time he and Sister met, but I'd rather not think about it at the time...Sister was friendly towards everyon
I was exhausted from too much thinking. I was anxious, but I had to pretend that everything was all right in front of Sister. I didn't want her to jeopardize our alliance right before that big fight. It was something I couldn't afford. I wished Sister goodnight while wearing a perfect smile. I saw her casually lying in bed and closing her eyes. I wished I could fall asleep as peaceful as she did.I tossed and turned in bed, hearing my pounding heart. I was terrified. If Sister's magic wasn't effected by the power of the seal, it could mean that her abilities were far beyond mine. It could mean that Sister's magic was great enough to defeat the demonic power within the seal, and as far as I was concerned, no witch had ever done it. How could I consider myself as a witch from the prophecy then?I wasn't that arrogant to think of myself as the most powerful witch in the world. I had never craved for power. I just wanted to feel confident about winning, and now I was becom
Samil took Sister and me to my apartment. While driving, he turned out to be surprisingly considerate towards Sister and even sent someone to get clothes, shoes, and other basic stuff for her to accommodate comfortably in her new environment. Perhaps I should be glad that he was helpful, but I couldn't help it. It just bothered me more and more. I tried not to show it, yet keeping a smile on my face was no longer possible. Unlike me, Samil was… smiling. He was smiling towards Sister. I had noticed it a few times, and it instantly brought chills to my spine. He'd never been so submissive to me, and now, Sister said a single word, and he immediately made a phone call to get her what she wanted!I felt completely left out in a conversation while we were in the car. If I had been an outsider, I would have thought that she was Samil's girlfriend, not me. I didn't like it in the slightest. I kept telling myself that there were more important things to handle, things concerni