It was a rather cold night, and I had just added a few logs to the church fireplace to warm the place up when, suddenly and without warning, my attention was drawn to the large door creaking open.

"Ah, Lady-"

"Nuh-uh," she quipped, making her long pure-white dress sway along with the motion of her head and finger. "How have I told you to address me when it's just the two of us?"

I sighed; she always had to insist on this... "Milady..."

She chuckled, her lips curling up into a warm smile as she brought her fingertips together. "Correct."

I invited her to take a seat and prepared a warm cup of tea so we could enjoy a conversation.

"It's rare to see you here," I remarked as I poured some tea into her cup. "What brings you by?"

"The stars are so bright tonight, I couldn't bring myself to sleep," she softly replied. "So... I came here to confess."

"Confess?"

"This is what you usually do, isn't it? Hear people's confessions."

"Yes, yes," I replied, frowning in confusion. "I just never expected you'd be one of them."

She remained silent, and I settled into my chair as well, taking the first sip while she stared at her steaming cup, her hands resting elegantly in her lap.

"What do you wish to talk about?" I asked. "What do you have to confess?"

"I'm a terrible mother, priest..."

"Hm? What are you saying?" I tilted my head; a little chuckle escaped me after hearing such an absurdity. "Argenta is a very healthy kid, and she's happy, as well."

She faintly shook her head. "I've never been truly honest with her," she murmured. "I'm nothing but a liar. I hid the truth from her several times... I led her to believe I'm a human being, but that's also a lie... I'm nothing more than a daemon; I have no other truth to offer her... I don't deserve to be a mother."

"You're exaggerating," I said, shaking my head. "Casting aside your usual weird terms you refer to yourself with... Yes, you may be hiding something from her, but this doesn't change the fact that Argenta has had a wonderful upbringing. And that's all thanks to you. Raising a child on your own is no easy feat. Don't you realize how hard that is?"

She sighed. "They do say it's the hardest job in the world..."

I gently offered her a smile. "Don't you agree with that statement?"

She smiled in return, softly shaking her head. "No... not really. She's brought me nothing but immense joy. I'm just sad I... won't be able to accompany her until the end."

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

She looked away, settling her gaze on the flickering flames in the fireplace. For a long moment, the crackling of the fire was the only sound between us.

"Milady," I began cautiously, "what are you trying to say?"

"My time is running out, priest," she replied, her voice rising with a touch of drama. "My end is nigh. For too long, I have walked the path forbidden by The Ones Above. And for too long, I've ignored their warnings..." Dropping her voice to a pained murmur, she continued. "They had to send their wolves knocking at my door in order to make me listen. And even then, I chose not to... But now, it seems like the time I have gathered has come to an end... Because they are afraid... Oh, and they are right to be so."

I looked down at my tea as I realized what her words implied, and I could do nothing but grit my teeth while my fingers gripped the cup tighter. "So... you're telling me just now, after all this time, that there were consequences?! That you were dealing with them alone?! After all this time... you're confessing it now?!"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

She chuckled heartily, drawing my eyes back to her unexpected reaction. "But of course there were consequences, priest," she repeated with a wry smile. "There always have been, indeed."

I couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, blinking. "Milady, why are you... smiling?"

"Hmm, was I?" she said, faintly but quickly shaking her head, regaining her nonchalant expression. "Oh, something amusing just crossed my mind. After all, what can one do, if not laugh in the face of misery?"

"Milady..."

"Do not misunderstand my words, priest," she calmly reassured. "Yes, my days are numbered, but do not think even for a single moment that I'm just following the path fate has laid before me," she said, shaking her head as she clicked her tongue. "I shall leave you all... spellbound."

"Your words have always been elusive, Milady... It's hard to understand what you mean."

She softly laughed at that before falling silent for a moment, her soft smile never leaving her face as the fire warmed up her cheek. She stared at it, as if basking in its warmth. "Are you sad I won't be here anymore, priest?" she gently asked, turning to me slowly. "Or should I call you Markus, in such an intimate moment?"

"You have no idea how hard it is to keep these tears at bay," I admitted, forcing a weak smile. "And you may call me however you desire, though... it's been so long since anyone called me that, I have a hard time even recalling it. But... Milady, aren't you afraid of death? Of the consequences...? This world needs the Silver Witch..."

"You may be right about the last part, but you need not worry, at all. And, me? Afraid of death...?" She shook her head. "No... I grow weary of this charade, priest, and there is nothing worse than a performer who prolongs the scene merely to fulfill their ego," she said, letting out a little sigh as her eyes dropped to her cup of tea. "You know, I remember Bianca once told me... 'It is not the thought of death that scares me, but the possibility that you might shed tears because of me.'"

My shoulders slumped, and little tears welled up in my eyes. "She was too kind for this world..."

"Yes, she truly was," she replied with a fond and wistful smile. "And now, I feel the same towards my daughter... History does nothing but repeat itself."

"But that is precisely why this world needs you... Argenta needs you..."

"Oh, like I said, you have nothing to worry about, priest," she gently reassured. "In fact, I am a little relieved... I shall finally rejoin my lover, and if Argenta wishes, both she and I will be there to guide her, never leaving her side."

"If Argenta wishes?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

She nodded, reaching behind her dress, drawing out a small envelope. "One day... Argenta shall reach the truth..." she murmured, her eyes sadly falling onto the letter in her hands before urging me to take it. "I wish it wouldn't come to that, but for reasons out of my control... she shall reach the truth; nothing stays buried forever. However, I do not wish for her to blindly take the same path I chose. I want her to make her decision. I want her to be free; though It may sound hypocritical of me..."

I took the envelope.

"When she'll be able to see her," she continued. "When she'll recognize her name... That is when you'll handle her the letter."

"What do you have in mind, Milady? Is this another one of your schemes no one can understand until it's already too late?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She chuckled, bringing her fingertips together. "My daughter... she will follow my words. She will; I know her well... she will. And whether that'll be a good or bad thing... even I can't know that!" she chuckled, waving her hands playfully before becoming serious again. "A blessing, or a curse? Who knows... But you can sit comfortably and enjoy the show, priest, and you shall see... my beloved child. Right now, she's still discovering herself. She likes to experiment; to live in the moment, trying to surpass matters far greater than her little height," she giggled, covering her mouth as a blush colored her cheeks. "At the moment she has but a spell, and that might be my fault, I could've done something... oopsie," she concluded, knocking on her head.

"Milady..." I sighed, a smile forming on my lips as I lowered my head in resignation. "What trouble have you stirred up this time?"

"Well, well. You shall see. But one day... when she'll get the hang of her own magic, she'll be much more troublesome than I've ever been. She'll surpass me, and become far more powerful than I am."

"Someone more powerful than you?!" I couldn't control myself, a laugh escaped me, echoing through the whole church. "Someone like that... could never exist!"

She, however, remained completely calm and composed, displaying a faint yet serene smile. "Oh, but she will..."

An odd sense of unease swept over me as I watched her smile grow faintly crooked, while her arms slowly wrapped around herself. "I've gazed into her soul, you know?" she whispered, her lips trembling as goosebumps spread across her skin. "I nearly lost myself... Such a blizzard... it kept sucking me in, relentlessly, never ceasing, with no intention of letting me go..."

"Milady...?" I stammered.

A shaky, unnerving giggle slipped her lips. "When that time comes... you shall witness the dawn of a new Silver Witch. Until then... please watch over her to the best of your capabilities."