Asher woke up and saw herself floating in a void. The creature with the head of a goat and tiger appeared before her - the Devil of Security. “Asher, you mustn’t use this information, you have to dispose of this now.”

“What do you mean? The book gave me everything that I need to know to strive in this world for my mother. I mean, I’m practically invincible now, right? If I know everything there is to know about whoever, no matter what enemy I encounter, I’m going to win and I’m going to avenge my father. Why are you trying to stop me?” Asher asked.

“Because you’re a child! Wielding this information is much too dangerous. Whatever it is that you want to do, just use the information from your reading for imprisonment,” the Devil of Security said.

“But what about the original sin? I finally know who they are and they will pose a threat to the world! That blood manipulation magic is more dangerous than any magic that we have in here. Why is that allowed?” Asher asked loudly.

“We have no authority over half-breeds. And if ever you want to stop the original sin, I’d like to tell you that even without that knowledge, and with the right allies, you are capable of taking them down.”

“But why does that book exist in the first place? Who wrote it? Why is there a ploy to kill the Guardian? There are too many questions I want answered. What is the purpose of its existence?”

“It is not a book written by anyone. It is a book that has a mind of its own. It records history the way it sees it. It finds out information through any means possible. The reason that it is blank is that it tries to have the cleanest canvas for it to paint its knowledge.”

“I don’t get it. So this is why Solthor is after this book?” Asher pondered. “But if I have it and she finds out that I do, wouldn’t it be wiser for me to retain my knowledge so I can fend her off? According to that book, she is capable of incredibly sinister things not even the original sin is capable of. And the original sin is her-”

“Asher! Listen to me. You are not allowed to know the contents of the book. Nobody is, not Solthor, not Isolfar, not the Guardian, and not even the Devils. I’ve had to forget the contents of the book using my own powers but I can never get rid of the dangers that it made me feel. You will be haunted everywhere you go if you carry this knowledge because you are a child. The time you cause chaos will be the most guilt-inducing incident of your life.”

Asher started shaking. “I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should give the book to Niacin.”

“Didn’t you just hear me? Not even the Guardian is allowed to see that book. Stop being a stubborn kid and listen to what I have to say. This is for your safety,” the Devil of Security pleaded.

How is this thing, a Devil, showing this much emotion towards something? Why does it care about my well-being so much when its colleagues are responsible for shortening the already-thin lifespan of Witches?

“I am capable of hearing what you think,” the Devil of Security said. “Once again, I will answer your question. You are a child. You deserve to know things that are more akin to your age. And protect yourself from the curse of your kind.”

“What do you mean curse?”

“You are destined to always cause mistakes in the world’s order. And knowing this information will lead you down that path. The Book of the Nether Gods is not a textbook for scholars, it is a cursed book of forbidden knowledge that disrupts this world’s rules. The moment it goes into the hands of someone, no matter how pure or how diabolical one may be, the end result will be that it’ll be used for something evil.”

“Can you give me a more concrete example?”

“The Meoon-Witch war was not only caused by the birth of the original sin. The reason that the original sin was born was because the powers of a half-breed Meoon and Witch is the key to killing the Meoon guardian. The couple who birthed the original sin were not in love. The man possessed the Book of the Nether Gods and decided to seduce a Meoon woman to bear his child. That is the purpose of the original sin, to eventually take away the Guardian. And the moment that the Guardian is killed, just as when one, if not, all of us Devils are killed, the balance of the world will be distorted and we don’t know what it will look like. The nightmare of an apocalypse is always looming with the presence of that book.”

Asher finally froze up. In the floating void, she may not be seen clearly but she looked down and thought deep. After some time passed, the Devil of Security was satisfied with his lecture.

“You may go now, Asher. I have no doubt that you will make the right decision.”

After going back to the real world, Asher saw the Book of the Nether Gods near beneath the couch. It was closed and felt more eerie than ever. Asher picked it up and unlike before, it did not forcefully make her read the contents. You are a dangerous piece of artifact. I shall do everything in my power to seal you away. Before you get into the wrong hands, I will now hide you. Asher closed her eyes and gathered imprisonment energy from the knowledge she gained within the Book of the Nether Gods. After a few seconds, furniture and accessories within her house levitated. Asher noticed immediately. Looks like I have to do this ritual in a different place.

Asher went inside the forest near their hut. In the depths of the large Narra, Rubber, and Laurel trees, Asher placed the Book of the Nether Gods on a medium-sized boulder. She channeled the information from the book and concentrated the imprisonment energy on the area the book occupied. The wind exponentially got stronger, the clouds were forming a storm over her area, the rocks and pebbles all over the area were levitating with much instability, and the body of Asher felt the heaviest it could have. Then, in one flash, the clouds scattered, the trees settled, the rocks fell, and the book disappeared. Asher fell to her knees.

Solthor swore that she heard a tiny storm within the forest. She walked towards its origin point once it settled. After reaching the area, she saw Asher’s collapsed body. This is the Witch girl I visited, right? What happened here? She went to check Asher’s pulse. She’s just unconscious. She looked around and saw the contrast between the small area Asher was in and the other parts of the forest that were unaffected. The destruction was concentrated into such a small area. I didn’t know this kid possessed this much power. What’s more is that she seems to be able to control it pretty well. Any amateur would accidentally have burned the entire forest. But what is the source? She saw Asher’s staff and looked curious. When she went to grab it, Asher’s unconscious body immediately got up and grabbed it faster than Solthor could.

“Oh my, you are attached to that thing, aren’t you?” Solthor asked. Asher looked at her with surprise. “Are you shocked to see me here, er- what’s your name again? Was it Asher?”

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“What are you doing here?” Asher asked.

“I should ask you that question, you know? I was just wandering around the forest as I do and then I heard such a noisy storm. I thought it was something important, like, somebody was in danger or something. But when I got here, it was only your collapsed body and whatever you turned this area into,” Solthor remarked. Asher took a deep breath and looked Solthor in the eyes.

“I don’t remember what happened here,” Asher replied. What could she mean by that? After making such a wreck, you couldn’t remember a single thing?

“Are you sure? Because the last time I checked, this area here was quite intact before you came along. Not even a single detail you could share with me? You know, Asher, I may not look like much but I am pretty dangerous,” Solthor said as if to intimidate Asher but the witch did not flinch. This is odd. She seems to show no signs of lying but I find it hard to believe.

“There are times where I am the one to cause something to happen but never remember exactly what I did. I think this is one of those instances. It’s a feedback on my powers,” Asher said.

Ah, now that makes sense. “So, you made a contract with the Devil of Security? That’s interesting. I didn’t know you were a warden.” This may be the perfect opportunity to hire a powerful asset to my team. She smiled at Asher and walked closer to her. “You really impressed me with this. Whatever it is that you did must have required so much mana. So, I’m here to make you an offer. What do you say, you’ll join my team and we find the artifact I have been looking for. I’ll make sure that your mother will be treated well under my guidance. What do you say?”

Asher shook her head immediately. “I’m sorry, Solthor, but I don’t think I’m ready to travel just yet. I’m currently enjoying my stay here with my Meoon friends. Plus, my trainer will not appreciate me suddenly going out. For now, I have to refuse your offer.”

“You’re a clever little girl, Asher. I understand your decision, it was worth the shot, anyways,” Solthor said. Looks like I’ll have to play the waiting game. “Shall I accompany you on your way home while we chat?”

“Sure thing,” Asher smiled.

As they both navigate through the thick forest together, they talk about their lives as Witches and their dynamics with the Meoon. Given that it was already past midnight, it was quite cold for the two of them but unusually more so for Solthor. I forgot just how sensitive I am to this cold. Must be a side effect of my abilities.

“So, why did you choose to become a Warden,” Solthor asked.

“It was the best option for me to protect my mom the longest. After my dad had pas- I mean, moved out of the province, I wanted to be mom’s protector instead. All the other contracts required me to give up a bit of my already low lifespan. Since I also want to meet my father again, I opted for the safest option. Forgetting a few memories here and there does not compare to the consequences of reducing your lifespan. At least, that’s my opinion.”

“You’re not wrong with your assessment, however, you do realize that it might feel incredibly lonely whenever you have to give up a memory that is connected to one of your loved ones, right? Don’t you think that it might be unfair for them to still remember you but you yourself cannot remember them? Doesn’t that make you feel bad?”

“All I ever care about is my mother. I will never use the memories I’ve had with my mother for any scenario. I don’t want to have to forget all the love that she has given me, especially during my birthdays. So, I make sure to study as best as I can so that I have throwaway information I can use for my abilities. They work effectively enough.”

If ever I were to cross paths in a combat setting with her, then I know her weakness. “That’s sweet. I can’t relate ‘cause my mother didn’t want me anymore after I had come back after being away. And yet, she has had multiple sons and daughters that she loved more than me, her actual daughter. Do you know how hard that was for me to accept?”

“It must have been really tough.”

Solthor nodded. They were near Asher’s house and about to diverge their ways. “Hey, Asher, before we say goodbye to each other, I would like to ask one last thing.” Asher looked and nodded.

“Were you attacked earlier this week?”

“Why’d you ask that?”

“I just heard that there’s been rampant attacks in this area by other witches recently. I’d hate for you to be one of the victims.”

“During one of our training sessions, we stumbled upon a Necromancer. Though it was easy work, especially with our trainer, Niacin.” Niacin? She’s here in Etherclipse? I knew there was crucial information I have yet to know. “So, I’m more than alright, plus I believe I can fend them off even on my own. Don’t underestimate the powers of a Warden, we’re willing to risk whatever for us to prevent the worst possible events.”

“That’s a relief to hear. Hopefully, you keep staying safe. I’ll visit your hut once in a while. I really had fun connecting with you tonight. Get some rest, Asher.” Solthor said before waving her hand. Before she was completely out of sight, Asher decided to follow. This kid thinks that I’m unable to sense her presence. “You know, Asher, I believe that your mother has taught you better manners.” A visible eep was heard from Asher’s direction. “If you want to know where I live, you should just ask,” Solthor turned around to see Asher looking down on the ground. She slowly reached her hand to Asher’s head and the witch almost flinched but she just patted her head. “There is a treehouse within this forest, that’s where I live, you can visit me anytime but for now, go back to you and your mother’s hut, it’s dangerous this late in the night.” Asher nodded and went back to her hut.

Once the hut was out of sight and no presence nearby was detected, she immediately dashed at an unreal speed to her hut. It was a treehouse on a Narra tree, located in the darkest place of the forest. Inside of the hut, there were witches who were seated on the floor, chatting. As soon as Solthor’s presence was made known, all of them stopped and looked up to her.

“Friends and family, I got some important news for you all. It looks like we’ll have to go away from Etherclipse for a while. There’s a big nuisance in this area that will give us a hard time,” Solthor said. Everybody nodded before one of the female witches stood up and asked.

“But Solthor, aren’t we already pretty much certain that the Book of the Nether Gods is possessed by the family of the witch hut you visited? What was her name again?”

“Asher. Her name was Asher. And yes, Jorenia, we already have her as our target but it’s not as easy as it seems now. I’m both starting to have doubts and certainty that Asher possessed that book. But I wouldn’t want to waste my powers and energy against Niacin just for the sake of this mission. I’d like to preserve a bit of sanity, too.” Solthor laughed alone before the other witches followed. “For now, let’s travel but we’ll come back once we’re sure that Niacin will be away from the village.” I don’t know what you know, Asher, but I can only hope that you will be on my side.

Asher wrote in her notebook, “That was a very tense interaction with Solthor. I think I managed to confirm a few things. She is the one who the Necromancer referred to, meaning, she’s behind all of this. Plus, she has a terrifying aura that makes me want to shiver. And she was after the Book of the Nether Gods, the one I sealed away.” Asher grabbed her head, trying to shrug off her headache. Should I tell Niacin about her? She thought. But if I do, what will the consequences for me be? I’m also a witch and I could also be blamed for Solthor and her minions’ actions. And that wouldn’t translate well to my mother’s safety. I’m still conflicted but I also don’t want to be involved with anything that Solthor is doing.

Asher went to her mother’s room and saw Sheryl fast asleep. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my dear mother. Maybe, all I need to do is get stronger on my own and whatever happens, I’ll handle it alone. She went to lay down in front of her mother’s body. She started tearing up. The weight of her chest has not felt this heavy since his father’s death. I’m scared, I’m scared of what might happen. I can’t remember anything but I’m scared, mother. Her mother’s hands instinctively put her hand on Asher’s and caressed it.