The Massacre - Alabaster weald

‘The early bird catches the worm’ is how the saying goes! Gurudza wakes up early and heads straight to Takada’s home. After yesterday, the need to learn how to control his magic and learn more magic feel greater inside him.  

Knocks on the door and Takada rushes to see who it is through the window. Being chary after the everything that occurred the day before.

She opens the door after, “Good morning!”

“Good morning, I see the baleful decoration here! I am wondering why you closed the door with such an opening on your walls!” 

“Ohh that! I was married to a magic maestro for a long time! I picked up a few spells along the way including simple magic barriers.”

“That is good! Now let us get down to business!” he slides into the house, “Where are the books!”

“In the storage room let me take you there and show you the books.”

“That would be great, thank you!” he follows her to the storage room. 

“If I may ask, how powerful was your husband? I mean …….” 

“I know what you mean, do not worry. My husband was if not as powerful, he was almost on an equal footing with your father. There was a very slight margin between them.”

“Sounds like he was a great man.”

“That he was, and a great father too!” she breathes audibly, “We are here now!”

She opens the door, enters into the room and starts searching for the books. 

“You can sit over there on the table while I search for the books!” 

Gurudza takes a sit on the chair waiting. After a while searching she bring to him six books with different hard covers. 

“This grey one has gravity magic!” she puts it on the table, “the brown one has infusion techniques, since you are a better fighter with weapons it will be a great guide and it can also teach you on how to create weapons using magic.” 

Takes the infusion book from her hand before she put it down on the table and starts flipping the pages and she watches for a little bit and continues. 

“This is the Black book which contains all the elemental magic there is, it is quite heavy too, I think this is the one you should start reading before you read any other book personal because this one starts from how to use every magic attribute there is! And it has been passed down for centuries longer than the other.”

The book grasps his attention and he reaches over for it, but rather Takada sets it down on the table and presses on it. 

“You can look inside them after I have told you what each of them contain!” she raises her voice quite a bit at him, “Like this one here, it contains light magic (She puts down a white book), this one has lightning magic (she puts down another book, a silver one), and this one contains magic that will help you free anyone from demon and spirit possession and be able to contain them or send them back to hell!”

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, now would you like anything to eat or drink as you read the books?”

“Some tea please! Three spoons and 4 slices of bread with butter!”

“Alright good, now start with the big black one, it will be easier for you to understand the rest after!”

“Okay, let me get down to it!”

She leaves the room and Gurudza starts to read the books.

The Gwanhoya Cave

“Get any sleep?” Mukura shouts asking from within the cave after seeing that Gwanhoya is still in the same pose at the same spot she left her perceiving her as a shadow.

“No, not really, I need not sleep nor drink to survive like a normal human being anymore! And now that my body merger is complete! I nothing in this world will be able to stop me!”

Escaping the darkness of the cave and coming into the light, Mukura comes face to face with a monster of a variety she has never seen before. What has she consorted with? The skin now scarlet with black stripes, with nails like an eagle’s talons, at her back two openings like wounds but with no blood or insides showing, wearing an ancient armour and a stuff in her hand. 

She mooches forward to scan gaze some more upon this creature she is looking at. And the face looks as if it has been scarred in a striped fashion with two big black horns on her head. 

“Hmmmm, I finally feel free! Now I can unleash chaos upon this world!” she breathes hot steam out of her nose, “I have waited for this moment for so long!”

Mukura is terrified by what she is seeing by keeps her composure either way. Gwanhoya turns to look at her. 

“You need a costume makeover young one! What you are wearing is not really appealing! Try this one!” She waves her hand and changes Mukura’s clothing.

Giving her a mask like a green snake face, with a whole-body costume that goes with it. Gwanhoya looks delighted by how her descendant looks and she smiles.

“Come here, Mukura!” she calls her over to her side, “I do not have the time to teach you how to use your magic since there is a lot to be done, but I can inculcate the knowledge you need to be able to use your magical abilities to their fullest extend!”

Mukura, speechless and terrified with no option gathers all her courage and goes to her side!

“I do not have to eat something again now do I?”

“No! I will just need to breathe it into you!”

“That does not sound any better but even so, does not seem like I have a choice now does it?”

“No, you do not have a choice what so ever.” Softly she blows out darkness from her mouth into Mukura’s mouth. 

Mukura smiles, as if she was relieved or delighted over everything with her eyes pitch black. Mukura modifies her outfit turning it into a lioness skin outfit covering all over.

“A lioness!” Gwanhoya smiles looking at Mukura, “You are an interesting one!”

“Thank you! Now where do we start from!?”

“We are going to start the mission now, but this one you will go alone and exercise your power gain more experience and make the knowledge your own! Choose any area of choice, I will remain behind for a while and make preparations for his coming.”

“Alright then! Let me go and have some fun!” Mukura disappears.

“Well that just leaves me then! Let me prepare for the sacrifices!” she goes into the cave.

Inside Takada’s Home

At Takada’s home, Gurudza is still reading the books he has been given by Takada. 

Takada walks in, “Are you almost done yet?”

Gurudza looks around the table, “I still have five more to go and I am still halfway this one!” he sighs and looks at Takada, “Actually it has been hours since I got here and I got here slightly after 07:00 am, now I bet it is around…...”

“It is now 09:46 am,” she says looking at her watch, “Its almost two hours now and I was wondering if you are hungry!”

“Ohhh, yes thank you! I am feeling a bit hungry.”

“Okay, continue reading I will go and prepare the food and then after we go and practice!”

“Alright then!” he returns his focus to the book, while Takada leaves. 

For the moment while he reads in preparation for his training, the pain and anger has subsided. But the bellicose feeling in him seems to have not lifted off. 

Two more hours thereon, Gurudza had finished reading and eating, the two close up the house leaving the little ones inside, Takada instructed them not to give off any sign of being present to anyone outside.

They get to a beautiful place with beautiful grass and trees circling around the open centre. 

“The first time we ever got together, my husband took me to this place! He called it a magical anchorage!” she begins to smile looking around.

Gurudza is mesmerised by the beauty of the place but is still wondering why she brought him to such a beautiful sight to train instead of going to an already destroyed place that has little to no home of recovering. 

“This is the place where all his ancestors came to train and since you have the abilities……”

“I should be able to feel this peaceful magic here!” he completes the statement for her walking around.

“I was hoping none of the magic things get to my family ever again and that I will be able to bring them here just for picnics but with everything that is going on! I doubt that will be a possibility.” Her face quickly goes from smiley to sad.

“Do not worry! I will definitely help you get your daughters back! It might take a while but I will get them back, but what I am worried about is that witch though!”

“You mean Gwanhoya? You are right to be concerned because from what my husband told me back then, the level of cruelty a witch has when he/she is alive will ensue her being elevated into a demon. Well at least when he told me that, the fact had not yet been proven!”

“During that confrontation I could feel her inhuman nature, the reprobate feeling that left me numb that I had to continuously master courage so I cannot shiver.”

“You do not really have to do this if you can’t.”

“No, I would like to do this and save Mukura and vengeance for my father!”

“Okay, let us begin with your specialty and if I recall correctly it is lightning?” 

She begins teaching him the basics of using lightning. 

Meanwhile, Mukura is arrives at her destination, at the White Witch Enchanted Forest, also known as the Alabaster Weald. 

“Well this is a bummer! I was hoping there was nothing that would try to hinder, but either way this is going to be fun!” she lays her hand on the barrier and opens up a part where she only can fit in.

Children all over playing with appearances of delight, a peaceful tenderness that she has not felt much from childhood. 

“You are not Welcome here!”

“Nxcoww, is that anyway to treat a guest?” she contorts her face making puppy eyes.

“Only if it is an uninvited one!” 

“Unfortunately for you! I am not looking for any hospitality either!” she turns her eyes pitch black with smoke starting to build up on her hands.

“What do you want?” dreaded by the look in Mukura’s eyes she moves backward.

“I just want to hear everyone in this land scream, love!” she pushes the air in her hands as if she is pushing a movable heavy wall, “I will call this little trick, Miasma! I don’t know if the poison air and the name miasma go hand in hand but I am going to call it that either way!”

Mukura advances forward with the witch that had given her an unpleasant welcome choking after breathing the poisoned air. She steps on her advancing deeper into the village of the white witches.

“Magic here is so peaceful!”

The air they breathe, betrays them. The children that were in delight, inhale to sleep for eternity. The young witch dances, manslaughter is what the demon’s servant has come to deliver. The demon in her cave smells the souls being delivered to her and the preparations to open the gates to the demon realm complete and only the soul sacrifices are left. 

The satisfaction of success for the first success in taking vengeance upon her enemy’s descendants with the smile that tells tales of evil. Mukura her instrument savouring the moment eliminating those she finds alive grabbing on to life through the pain. 

The souls of the people dying rushing straight to the location where Gwanhoya is. 

“Well, this seems to be easier than I thought!”

“Is that what you thought? Child of a demon!” a voice comes from behind her.

She does not startle, turning to scan this person who just uttered words behind her, wearing a glamorous white dress wearing golden bangles, neckless and holding a golden stuff with wings on it. 

“First of all, I would like to say that I am loving the outfit, its beautiful!”

“Ohh, thank you! But I am afraid I can’t say the same for you.”

“How rude!”

“Now that I can say to you little witch,” she points her stuff on Mukura, “Your magic feels familiar, who are you!?” she raises her voice causing the wind to answer and push Mukura back.

“Does it matter who I am?” she smiles and tries to attack and fails, “What did you do to me you witch!?” she bursts in anger. 

“I simply locked your magic! Do not worry, I will return it to you after!” she looks around at the dead bodies, “Even though you killed almost half of my people! I guess looking at you now your father would be proud of how much your magic has grown but not so much about how you are using it!”

“I am afraid I do not know what you are talking about.”

“Of course, you do.” She moves closer to Mukura, “You were his pride and joy, his happiness, his favourite daughter, Divine!” 

Memories of the argument between Monalisa and their mother instantly hit the front of her thoughts, thinking how she knows the name. And why her sister said she was named Divine and then her name changed. 

“Like I said before, I have no idea what you are talking about! My name is Mukura………”

“The name your mother gave you after your father’s death! And at the time I confronted her and told her she was wrong but looking at you now, I guess she was right.”

“Who are you!” 

“I am the leader of the White Witches of the Enchanted Forest, known as ‘Alabaster Weald’ and my name is Genteel.” 

“Well that explains the look and peaceful character, now unlock my magic so I can kill you all and go home!”

“How far you have fallen from grace, child and I have already seen the magic that is controlling you! And I owe your father many favours this is where I begin repaying!”

Genteel places her hand on Mukura’s stomach and pushes it forcibly inside and Mukura gushes out clotted blood from her mouth. 

“Hmmm, I see, the darkness controlling has actually bonded with you on a deeper level,” Mukura falls to the ground in agonising pain holding her stomach, “No worries, I will reverse and return you back to normal!”

Genteel hits the ground hard with her stuff and the poisonous air ceases from killing everyone. 

“Now I can concentrate on healing your body!” she places her hand on her head to calm her.

Carries her to her home and treats her there. 

Gwanhoya at her cave sense that the connection has been severed and the darkness in her and also her control has been removed, she quickly heads out to Alabaster Weald. 

She gets there but all she can perceive is a green forest, with no inhabitants. It does not make sense to her that there is nothing after all Mukura laid waste to everyone and everything in this area, unless she headed the wrong direction but nothing is making sense to her at the moment. She leaves the place back to her cave to wait for Mukura. 

Genteel with her hands on her back, watch her till she leaves with two of her other top witches with her on the barrier. Buoyant and Catherine are terrified at what they just saw but most importantly surprised at how calm Genteel is after witnessing such a sight. 

“Is there anything troubling you two? I can feel every emotion you are giving off!” she turns to look at them, “Feel free to ask.”

“What was that?” Catherine asks with sweat drooling from her head, “That thing does not look human at all!”

“You are right, it is not a human being or a witch or a creature of this world and it is also not a god but it is a demon!”

Buoyant gets closer to Genteel, “But what would a demon want here and how did it know where to find us.”

“Because of Divine, the demon is here to find Divine!” Genteel answers turning to leave.

“Wait! The Divine? That little bright girl that used to come here with Tofireyi? Is she here?” his face lights up, “Where is she and why would a demon be looking for her!” Buoyant throws another question. 

“Because, I severed the connection between them, probably came to see if she is alright and if she finished the job she was sent here to do!” 

“What type of job is that!?”

“No more questions Buoyant!”

“So, she is the one that killed everyone here?”

“I said, no more questions!” she shouts at him and leaves back for her home.

Genteel enters the room where she laid Mukura and sits beside her and start rubbing her head, looking at her lioness skin clothing. Thinking to herself why she entangled herself with such.

She orders one of the servants to come and clean and dress her in new set of clothing and heads out only to find the witches gathered waiting for her and in the lead is Buoyant. 

“What is the meaning of this?” 

“We have come to seek justice for our fallen brethren who the devil’s pawn has murdered!” one of those in the crown shouts.

“And who might that be? If I may ask!” 

“We have heard that Divine has been branded by the devil and is now corrupt!”

“That is true, but the devil no longer holds her hostage anymore, for I have cleansed her!” 

The crowd keeps on rambling demanding for the execution of the one that killed their brethren. The noise even increases shaking the whole place. And her bursts into anger throwing the villagers into terror. For the first time in a long time she has been made angry by her people the ones she has protected. 

“You doubt my word to you? After all I have done and endured for you? I have protected you and nurtured you all this time and today I delivered you from death although many had died but I delivered you from death and I released the little girl whose father has protected you more times than I myself from a demon’s grip and I allay that knowledge to you and you still doubt me!”

The crown goes silent after seeing the coldness in her disappointment that her eyes are reflecting and step back from the house in fear.

“Have you lost the mouths that you used to defy me just now?”

Buoyant steps forward, “How can we be so sure that the devil no longer owns her!?” 

“Would you like to confirm for yourself?”

“Yes, that would be better.”

“Then you will have to wait until she is awake, right now we need to bury our dead! Once that is done, I will address your fears and I pity anyone who tries to harm that young girl!”

One of her servants calls her in, Mukura has awakened and she rushes to see her.  Her clothing has been changed now wearing a white robe with silver bangles on her wrists. 

“I see now that you are awake, Divine!”

“You know, my sister said I was once called Divine before father died when she was shouting at mother for mistreating me.”

“Monalisa, always standing up for you. How is she by the way?”

“She was fine until a witch possessed her!” she bursts into tears, “And it is all my fault, if only I had not tried to discover more about that woman.”

“What woman? And what do you mean a witch possessed Monalisa and what did you do?”

“The woman in my visions, the witch who got burned on a stake, Gwanhoya!” 

Her face gradually changes with eyes filled with terror, for she is one of those who knows the story of Gwanhoya.

“It can’t be! Maybe you just hit your head or ……...,” she pauses diving into her mind, “But that thing I saw outside was not human at all! It looked like ……”

“A demon!” Mukura interjects.