The Devil's Cursed Witch

4 chapters today

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Ember woke up with her head feeling heavy and sporting a dull throbbing ache. She opened her eyes to see a familiar ceiling, but she closed her eyes again as she groaned. Her body was urging her to keep still, but her throat was feeling dry.

After a while, her thirst won and she rolled to her side. She blinked in surprise upon shaking off her disoriented state. She knew she should be somewhere else, but she found herself on her bed, inside her chamber lit with the lamps. It was already evening.

‘Am I dreaming or am I really back in my chamber?’

She closed her eyes and opened them again to make sure she wasn’t seeing things, but as she clutched the soft blanket to herself, she could no longer ignore how real the fabric felt against her skin.

‘When did I return? The last I remember… I was eating those fruits that Morph peeled inside the cave. Did he bring me back because I fell asleep?’

She sat up in bed but the sudden move brought about a dizzy spell, making her fall back to her pillow.

“Ugh! What the–My head feels heavy.” This time, she tried to raise her body slowly until she was sitting upright. “Is it because of those fruits? I even had a weird dream. I can’t believe I even dared to dream about His Majesty.”

The image of his handsome face briefly passed through her eyes, causing her body to shiver.

“It was surely a dream or there was no way he wouldn’t look scary at all. He even…” She touched her chapped lips. “It can’t be…My brain is playing games with me. I shall avoid eating those fruits from now on.”

With a sigh, Ember decided to look for the glass of water to relieve her thirst, only for her to let out another groan. Her abrupt movement was too fast for her body’s liking. She held her head in her hand and tried to press it to relieve the throbbing headache.

—–

The next day, Ember was comforted to find her headache gone. After eating a hefty morning meal, she was ready for her magic lesson with the Fire Fae.

The red-haired Helia was waiting for her pupil as usual in the training grounds at the rear of the palace.

“Good morning, Miss Ember.”

Ember greeted the lovely fairy with a small shy smile. “Good morning, Lady Helia.”

“Are you feeling better today, Miss?”

Ember felt her cheeks turn hot at the memory of rudely running away in the middle of their previous lesson. She shouldn’t have reacted like that in front of her teacher and could not help but feel disappointed with herself.

“Yes, thank you for asking.” She fiddled with her fingers before bowing. “Apologies for what happened yesterday. Today, I will try to focus well.”

“There is no need to apologize, Miss,” the red-haired woman said and guided her way towards the centre of their training place. “Shall we begin?”

Ember nodded with a determined face, relieved that the fairy did not show any disappointment towards her behaviour. Helia then held Ember’s hands in hers.

“Close your eyes, Miss,” her teacher started, speaking in a soft calming voice. “We will repeat the same meditation process like the previous days. Focus within you to find your energy core. Remember, there is no need to rush. The calmer you are, the easier it will be for you.”

Ember let out a shaky breath to begin following her teacher’s instructions. Under that calm voice, she kept her eyes closed and she listened to Helia’s guidance, focusing on the energy spread within her body, and from there, tracing where the bundle of energy was at its strongest.

The human girl was determined to find her energy core today.

Just like on her first attempt, she only saw endless darkness within her, and it was difficult to get past that darkness. It was as if she was blindly swimming underwater without knowing where the surface nor the bottom was.

Along with the passing time, the number of frown lines on her forehead grew. She was trying hard to trace where her energy was coming from, but the fruitless search was turning her anxious. She had a strange sensation that no matter how hard she tried, she would never cross that darkness.

“Be calm, Miss Ember. There is no need to be anxious. You can be slow, you can be fast–in the end, it does not matter. You will reach the end regardless of speed,” she heard her teacher say in order to appease her growing anxiety. “Focus on my voice. Take a long deep breath…Yes, like that…”

Ember continued to try. She didn’t know how long it took, but she felt as if the darkness she was trying to cross was starting to fade. She could see something sparkling in that darkness.

‘Is it what Lady Helia calls the energy core?’

She wanted to move faster, trying to get a clearer look of what lies at the end of the darkness.

‘Beautiful.’

That was the first thing Ember thought upon seeing the orb of light where the energy was at its strongest. No, rather than an orb, it looked more like a flame floating midair. It shone alone within that seemingly infinite darkness, and though it was small, it gave off a feeling as if it was enough to diminish the existence of that darkness.

‘It’s really beautiful.’

The energy core didn’t feel dangerous. It gave off a feeling of warmth and comfort in a way that made her feel like it had always been a part of her. It was calling out to her and she needed to reach it, but–

Suddenly, she felt as if she was drowning. The more she reached out, the more it was becoming difficult for her to breathe. It was as if the air was suddenly cut off from her, and unless she took a step back, then she would continue to suffocate.