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A puff of cloudy, white vapor drifted out of Steinar’s mouth as he slowly exhaled the warm air out of his lungs. His stance was firm, resolute; both feet planted firmly into the ground and hands wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword. The musculature of his immense body visibly contracted, veins bulging all over as they strained to feed warm blood into his expansive mass of rock-hard muscle-tissue. His upper body was naked, unprotected by neither clothing nor armor, fully exposing his perfectly chiseled physique to the whims of the elements.

A few moments of deafening silence had followed his previous declaration, stretching into what felt nothing short of an eternity for the twins. Young, inexperienced, and coming out of a sheltered life, the two of them were left astonished, not knowing exactly how to react at the situation that they had just found themselves in. Was that woman really a witch, as Steinar had just said? Could they really trust her words, that she wasn’t an enemy? In that kind of situation, even all the training and studies that they had recently undergone all but vanished from the surface of their minds.

As the silence and uncertainty had become unbearable, Alice’s gaze was drawn towards her sister’s, her lips parting halfway as she was about to ask her ‘now what?’

But before Alice could utter even a single word, it was the hooded woman who first broke the silence.

“A witch, you say…?” She asked, her head tilted sideways as she crossed both arms under her voluptuous bosom. “For you to mistake me as such…” She muttered those words while shaking her head in reproach, her expression not really visible from under her hood. “It seems that your understanding of this matter is misguided, likely clouded by the lies and machinations of those who dare not reveal the truth.”

“I know a witch when I see one.” Steinar rebutted, scowling as he directed his killing intent towards her. Sparks of dark-blue and black flew out from the blade of his sword, that was now infused with aura.

The twins couldn’t help but exchange glances again, worry evident on their expressions. They were in no position to fight, nor even to try and escape from that place. Iris was still spent from previously casting that high sorcery; though she did not lack for mana, her body had yet to recover from the after-effects of using more power than she was accustomed to. Alice was… well... she was even worse for wear. She hadn’t slept at all on the previous night, and instead, spent her time doing some very strenuous activities with Steinar. Her body was completely exhausted, her legs trembling and struggling to sustain even the light weight of her petite frame. ‘Truly… Just how hard did they go at it for her to be left in such a state?’ Iris couldn’t help but wonder, as she watched her sister.

“What is it that makes one a witch?” The hooded woman posed the question, pointing her glaive straight at Steinar, though her face was turned towards the twins.

Normally, one would’ve found it difficult to tell the exact direction of her gaze, since she was blindfolded and a hood covered most of her face, but somehow… the twins felt as if that question had been purposefully aimed at them.

“Uh… It hasn’t been that long since we found out about witches and all that...” Iris answered, taking a step forward and facing the hooded woman. “Up until very recently we didn’t even know that we were witches, so...” She averted her gaze for a second, her lips quivering as she wondered if her answer would be satisfactory enough. Normally, she wouldn’t ever act so meek towards someone, but for some reason that she couldn’t really explain, she felt highly intimidated by that woman. “I… I’m not completely sure, but I think that it’s the existence of the soul-brand that we inherit—”

“Huhuhu...” A slight giggle escaped from the hooded woman’s mouth, making Iris flinch back before she could even finish presenting her explanation. “No, no… It’s nothing that complicated, really.” She let go of her glaive, which just kept floating midair as if gravity were but a nonentity to it, then took a couple of steps back, lowering herself as if to sit into an invisible armchair. A hint of a smile showed from under her hood as she stretched her back comfortably against the empty air, seductively crossing the pair of pale, luscious legs that poked out from under the slit of her jet-black robes. She waved her right hand towards the twins, gesticulating for them to sit on the ground, much a like traveling minstrel would do, when about to share the tales of her many adventures with the local children.

“Fuck you.” Steinar swore at her, though his tone lacked for any significant emotion. He stood in-between her and the twins, sword at the ready as he blocked their way. “Stay away from them.”

“Steinar...” Iris gently touched the palm of her right hand against Steinar’s massive, muscular back. She offered him a nod, then a smile. Her small, rosy lips parted as her familiarly soft and soothing voice caressed his ears. “It’s alright,” she told him, while gently stroking his back. “I don’t think that she means us any harm.”

Understanding his lover’s intentions, Steinar lowered his sword and moved out of the way, allowing her passage— though he didn’t do so without scowling.

Iris then stepped forward, without showing even the smallest hint of hesitation. She sat on the ground, right in front of where the hooded woman was floating in the air. Alice, who was still fully naked, followed suit, turning back for only a brief second to glance at Steinar— offering him a wink, which he returned with a silent nod.

After the two girls had sat as she wanted, the hooded woman started talking.

“You see, the term ‘witch’ itself is just a modern variation of the archaic word ‘wichelen’, which means ‘to bewitch’.” As she explained, the index finger of her right hand traced in the air the graphical forms of the words that she spoke. By making use of magic, the words turned into glowing glyphs of a pinkish hue, which lasted for a few seconds before completely vanishing into nothingness. “It was a term used to refer to a very specific group of women, who were said to possess not only eternal youth but also transcendental, divine-like beauty and unimaginably powerful magic, capable of rivaling even that of the lesser gods.” She took a brief pause as her lips curved into a full smile, barely showing from beneath the darkness under her hood. “Initially, there were eight such women, each representing one of the eight evils of humanity; Gastrimargia, Porneia, Philargyria, Lypē, Orgē, Akēdia, Kenodoxia, and Hyperēphania. The first witches, the daughters of the ‘Sullied Whore’, the ancestors of every single witch in existence— including the two of you.”

“I’m familiar with the concept of the eight evils, but…” Iris grimaced, her voice but a humble, hesitant mewling before the overpowering presence of the hooded woman. “Everything else you just said is unknown to me, and quite honestly… hard to believe. Though… even if I do find you suspicious, I’m grateful that you are willing to share your knowledge with us.”

“Pay it no mind, child…” The hooded woman replied, her tone softening up a bit as she let out a sigh. “Time for chatter is certainly something that we do not lack— nor ever will.”

“Then...” Alice chimed in, glancing at her sister for a moment before continuing. “What is it that makes someone a witch, if not the brand?”

“Therein lies the catch...” The hooded woman responded, smiling at the twins. “To understand that, first you will have to understand what a soul-brand truly is, as well as its origin and its meaning… But it is not my place to give you such answers; that is something that the two of you will have to find out by yourselves.”

“You know…” Feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation, Alice had to take a deep breath before continuing. “The way that you use magic so naturally, as if for you it were an act as simple as breathing… It can only mean that you have a brand, right? Weaving magic like that… That... is something only witches can do.”

“Indeed...” The hooded woman stood up in a swift movement, though her feet were still floating a few centimeters above the ground. She stretched her right arm forward, gathering mana on the palm of her hand. Visible currents of air swirled around the center her palm, giving form to a spherical mass of compressed wind-attribute mana. “It’s true, every witch has a brand. In fact, the only way in which you could ever tell with absolute certainty that someone is a witch, is by detecting the very presence of a soul-brand.” She closed her hand, making the gathered mana dissipate into the environment. “Every witch has a soul-brand, but not every woman with a soul-brand is a witch.” As she continued, her voice seemed to shake slightly, a faint trace of longing barely making itself noticeable through her tone. “Or at the very least… They do not deserve to be called so.”

“Then… What are you?” Iris inquired, her bright blue eyes staring intently at the hooded woman. “Couldn't you at least tell us your name?”

“I am no one…” She answered, placing a hand upon Iris’s shoulder. “My name has long since been forgotten, and I intend to keep it that way. If you have to call me something, then call me… ‘The Wind Dancer’.”

“You better step back.” Steinar warned, thrusting his sword in the space between Iris and the woman who had just called herself ‘The Wind Dancer’. The edge of his sword’s blade was lightly touching against her arm, threatening to chop it off in case she didn’t immediately step back. “I don’t trust you. Stay away from my women.”

“My… Such brutish behavior…” The Wind Dancer muttered as she retracted her arm and took a step back. “Haven’t I already told you that I’m not your enemy?” She asked, though instead of being bothered by Steinar’s actions, she seemed somewhat amused by them. “Why persist with such hostilities? I may not be your ally, but… I can at least promise you that we shall never become enemies, nor will I ever come to harm you during this lifetime.”

“Bullshit.” Directing his usual cold, murderous gaze at the Wind Dancer, Steinar took a couple of steps forward, coming very close to her and pointing his sword straight at her neck— the tip of its blade only a millimeter away from kissing her silky skin. “They might believe you, but I don’t. I’ve seen what you did with to those women back in the swamp. I know what you’re capable of.”

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“Ah… That, huh?” Not retreating even a single more step, and seemingly not intimidated by Steinar’s actions, the wind dancer heaved a sigh. “That wasn’t our doing…” She told him, softly running the index and middle fingers of her right hand across the length of the blade that was about to pierce her neck. “The demons that you fought were my partner’s familiars, they were summoned with the power of her brand, not through human sacrifices.”

“Bullshit.” Steinar argued, not retracting his sword. “I don’t believe a word you say.”

“The choice of believing me or not is entirely yours, however…” The Wind Dancer completely disappeared for a fraction of a second, reappearing right beside the place where her glaive had been floating. She grabbed it with both hands, spinning it around graciously before assuming a combat-ready stance. “If you so wish to fight, I shall indulge you.”

“Steinar…!” Iris intervened, jumping up and placing herself in-between the two of them— her arms spread, as if to keep them apart. “Don’t fight!” She shouted, her gaze repeatedly cycling between Steinar and the Wind Dancer, checking for their reaction. “I sincerely believe that she’s telling us the truth when she says that she’s not our enemy.”

“Show me proof…” Steinar muttered, forcefully pulling Iris by the arm and moving her behind him. “Show me proof that you didn’t do it and I will believe that you’re not an enemy.”

“Proof, you say…?” The Wind Dancer lowered her glaive and relaxed her stance. “Would catching the real culprit red-handed be enough proof for you?”

“Talk.” Steinar scowled at her, still ready to attack at any given moment.

“You see…” The Wind Dancer sighed, though a slight smile once more showed from under her hooded visage. She seemed happy, perhaps even satisfied by Steinar’s reaction and about how keen he was on keeping the twins safe. “Buried underneath this swamp are the ruins of an ancient temple of demonic worship,” she explained, pointing back towards the center of the swamp. “The temple was destroyed by the Asterian forces during the third Holy War, but at that time, their troops couldn’t handle the powerful demonic being that hid in the depths of this place.” Her voice took a grave, serious tone as she continued explaining, making all the more evident the severity of the matter at hand. “Unable to defeat the demonic being, and after suffering a great number of casualties, the Asterians decided to seal it away, here, in this very swamp.” She spread her arms as if to emphasize what she had just said. “A priestess possessing a soul-brand of the death attribute made use of several ancient artifacts, as well as her own life, in order to create a seal powerful enough to trap the demonic being, intending for it to be sealed away for all of eternity.” The Wind Dancer shrugged, lightly shaking her head as she continued. “The thing is… the seal ended up having a few side-effects attached to it, to say the least. The death attribute, after being boosted by the power of the artifacts, went completely haywire, leveling the entire place and killing everyone and everything in the radius of what today is known as the Sunless Swamp. The priestess succeeded in sealing away the demonic being, but in the process she not only destroyed most of the place, but also filled it with a miasma of death so powerful that it still lingers to this day. That is the reason why so many undead used to call this place home, until very recently, that is.”

“I think I understand the logic behind the seal...” Alice declared, color quickly draining away from her face as she came to a sudden realization. “Death mana and demonic mana don’t go well together, so If you oversaturate the ambient with one, theoretically, the other would be suppressed, but… If there’s enough miasma and death mana, then by all means, this place should be literally crawling with undead…”

“Unless...” Iris’ eyes opened wide in shock, as she seemingly arrived at the same realization as her sister. “The fact we didn’t see a single undead here can only mean that—”

“Yes...” The Wind Dancer nodded. “The seal is damaged, likely even broken. Though miasma and death mana still linger around the swamp, right now, at this very moment, the predominant one is indubitably the demonic attribute mana.”

“B-But… I haven’t felt anything of the sort…! anything at all…!” Alice muttered, her face already fully pale as she dejectedly held both hands against her chest.

“Demonic mana is very hard to perceive if you haven’t been properly trained to do so.” The Wind Dancer explained, as she approached Steinar— her blindfolded eyes directed towards his. “But never mind that… You. If you want your proof then you should hurry back towards that small village at the edge of the swamp.” She told him, pointing her glaive at the exact direction of the village. “A woman has arrived there today, right at the crack of dawn. It seems like she came here looking for her missing apprentice, but she has already been captured by those boors from the village.” Lowering her glaive and stepping to the side, the Wind Dancer continued. “If you only wish to see the proof that you’ve requested, then you should have around two hours to reach the village, however... If you wish to save her, then you only have forty eight— no, forty seven minutes to reach her.”

“And how would you even know something like that?” Steinar inquired, reluctantly lowering his sword.

“I heard it from the wind.” The Wind Dancer answered, smiling at him.

In response to that Steinar just scowled again, his threatening glare practically piercing a hole through the Wind Dancer. “Very well, have it your way…” He told her, while turning around and reaching towards the twins. “Iris, Alice, let’s—”

“The girls are staying.” The Wind Dancer cut him off, quickly moving to block his path. “You’re probably already aware of this, but the two of them have ridiculously high amounts of mana. Just by moving around normally they could already end up causing slight disturbances to the flow of the leylines and the ambient mana, so I cannot allow them to go with you, not while my partner is trying to locate the core artifacts that make up the seal. Unless...” Her lips parted as if she were about to speak something else, but then she just shook her head, dismissing the notion entirely. “Nevermind… We can’t have any more delays, so I will just have them stay right here, within the designated area.”

“Not happening.” Steinar raised his sword, readying his stance for combat. The thought of leaving his precious wives-to-be alone with some unknown woman who could very well be a powerful, and dangerous, elder witch wasn’t something he was very keen on.

“Steinar...” With a warm smile on her face, Iris came closer, moving past the Wind Dancer, and hugged him him from behind. “Just go… We’ll be fine.” She told him, resting her cheek against his muscular back. “Call it women’s intuition, but I really feel like she means us no harm.”

Alice did the same, hugging Steinar from the front, tightly, or at least, as tightly as she could, given that her body was still sore from their intense lovemaking on the previous night—and that morning. “We trust you…” She whispered to him. “Go there, settle things and come back to us safely, ok?. Do it real fast, you hear? Else I might get lonely…”

At last, Steinar was released from the twins’ sandwich-hug, and with his usual cold glare, he directed a warning towards the Wind Dancer.

“If anything happens to them… I will kill you.” Those weren’t just empty words, they were an oath, a promise that he would definitely kill her if anything bad were to happen to those two girls.

“Yes…” The Wind Dancer nodded, trying not to let her smile show from beneath the darkness of her hooded visage. “I believe you… I really do.”

Glancing once more towards the twins, meeting their eyes and receiving the comfortable warmth of their smiles, Steinar turned his back and disappeared into the swamp with a burst of speed.

Both Iris and Alice sighed, for they too were a little nervous about being left alone with that unknown woman who called herself ‘The Wind Dancer’. Though truthfully… They were somewhat interested in the things that she had to say, or more specifically, the knowledge that they could gain from her.

It was only for the briefest of moments, but the pinkish lips of the Wind Dancer parted, letting out a few inaudible words… Whispers, completely muffled down by the sound of a passing gust of wind.

‘Ah… I’m really glad… After all this time… The three of you are finally together.’

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End of Chapter 22 — The Wind Dancer.