Chapter 1 Return of the Witch

In the island of Muxue…

Cold and large eyes, a striking figure and an even icier demeanour, Muxue Xiyu was not like any of the other women in Muxue. Calling her a witch was an understatement because she was a powerful enchantress by definition. But her powers came at a cost.

It was just another night where she was feeling hot. Not just hot, it was scorchingly hot, like a desert!

When the elders foretold that a female child would be born under the Blood Moon and harness the power of the eclipse, they obviously hadn't warned of the side effects of the resulting sensuality that encompassed her every time she used her magic or just practised.

Many feared her for her power, and even the young man of Han descent, Xu Hanshan, who she had grown up with, had forsaken her. First, her parents had left her, and now, Xu Hanshan was also gone, claiming that he had fallen for another. Though she hadn't experienced many feelings other than friendship with the man, it was upsetting enough to her to be deprived of his companionship. She had known him for seven years, and to lose the only friend she had, devastated her.

She fumbled with the bows of her long flowing dress, peeling off layer after layer of her clothing as she cooled off under the moonlight. The island of Muxue, founded by her forefathers, had eight moons, and under the bright moonlight, her soft snow-white skin was breathtaking. Forget the classic Chinese beauties in mythology, Xiyu was not like them at all. She stood out from them in terms of her beauty, though she was more like a snow queen rather than a classical beauty.

Fortunately, she lived deep in the wilderness, so nobody would be able to catch a glimpse of her naked body as she lay on the soft patch of grass. The night breeze swept through her, tickling her and arousing her sensitively.

"Hanshan, if not for my curse, perhaps we would still be the best of friends," she whispered as she rolled on the grass patch. "Was my curse so scary to you? Do you fear me, after what we went through all these years?"

It didn't need to be love for it to be painful. Losing a friend already hurt her. On the outside, she was cold and cruel, ruthless and powerful. In the inside, she was just like any other woman, having a heart, and filled with emotion. If merely losing a companion was so painful, loving someone would be even more shattering. She had long heard of those tragic romance stories, and how the star-crossed lovers would be united with death.

Witches like her were not capable of love because of the brutality of their destiny. Living life to the end, all alone and destitute. The fate of her aunt and grandaunt was not unknown to her. They had lived a life of celibacy. And she strongly believed she was about to undergo the same.

She lay back and relaxed under the moons. It was marvellous how she seemed to feel mightier during a full moon, and besides, eight moons were better than one. She figured that the presence of the moons greatly enhanced their power and also, her sensuality.

All of a sudden, the ground under her tremored, causing her to bolt as far as she could. In her eighteen years, she had never felt an earthquake like that before, and this instilled fear in her.

"What could have happened?" she gasped, looking around her as her vision went fuzzy for a few seconds. She struggled to scramble to a safe spot below an oak, hugging its trunk as hard as she could and disregarding the pain from its sharp barks cutting deep into her soft skin. Being an enchantress did not equate to being able to escape danger.

While she was powerful in terms of enchantment and offensive magics dealing with obscuring reality with the manipulation of energy, her power did not grant her any defence from natural disasters, unless it was caused by magic which she had some degree of resistance to.

Muxue was an island that was not on a regular world map, and was like a planet existing on its own, having an individual sun and eight moons. She firmly believed that this earthquake was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. Someone or something must have upset the natural balance of the island, and though she had disappeared into the depths of the forests, she, as a Muxue, had the role of protecting the island from any possible threats.

Xiyu had to restore the balance of the island and guard it against any possible harm, at the liability of her own life. She was fearless and dauntless. Cowardly behaviour and fear of death were not in her dictionary.

Finally, the shaking came to a stop, and she released her grip on the tree trunk. Her surroundings returned to their former state, and nothing seemed to have changed. Yet, she was overcome by curiosity to find out what had happened.

Sauntering towards the scattered clothing on the ground, she picked up her garments casually and rolled them under her arm, slowly dressing under the serenity of the woods. Once she was clothed completely, she removed her sash and unfolded it to use it as a veil. It had been almost two years that she had lived secluded from others, and she wasn't keen on being recognised. Because people would just be frightened of her again and distance themselves from her. Hanshan had been an exception, but his beloved poisoned him to leave her. It was best she went unrecognised.

The long skirts of her pale pink flowing dress swished as she slipped through the depths of the forest, her eyes shimmering like pearls. She resolved to discover the source of this unnatural phenomenon and to eliminate it for once and for all. After then, she realised, the island would forever be safe from any possible menace. She would be able to rest in the calmness that the island was secured. Although she had no duty upon her as a guardian, she was unwilling to see any harm befall the very island her ancestors had founded.