“Burden of Shriver, you say?” responds a male voice with curiosity and amusement. “So you have the power to heal people who are hurt…?”
Answering the question with pride, Punkin chimes in. “My daddy can shrivel demons and beat up darkness. Daddy eats darkness for lunch!”
Clapping their hands slowly and rhythmically with sarcastic amusement, the voice responds. “A father-daughter duo traveling the mist, one rumored to be a shriver. You must be The Demon Shriver of Ku, Yakobe Metta Boon.”
Chuckling with mutual amusement, Cer grips Fang tightly and prepares to strike. “Not many know that name to say it, even less have survived darkness to repeat it. That person you speak of was consumed and can no longer be called upon. Prepare for the taste of mercy.”
Stepping forward into visibility with his hands up, Aaric, a tall warrior-built young man with a clean shaven face with oozing mahogany eyes surrenders with a smile on his face and bolstering chuckles of warmth and welcome. “Hey, it’s just your favorite hedgling. No need to get violent brother, Jeks! Why so threatening? And you know you can’t hurt me as a Shriver.”
With confusion, Punkin dashes between the two and inquires directly with Cer with her back facing Aaric, “Who is that daddy? Why is he calling you names? Your name is daddy!”
Turning around quickly to face Aaric, Punkin furrows her eyebrows and clenches her fists and stomps her foot, causing an emanating wind that pushes the mist within 30 feet of her to clear away. “Why are you calling him names he doesn’t like? DON’T BE MEAN! NO NAME CALLING!”
Stepping back with surprise and continued amusement, Aaric kneels down on one knee and bows his head. “Sorry, young Master Punkin. I just miss teasing your father. I am the ‘long lost brother,’ Aaric.”
Punkin feeling excited that she just found what they are searching for, jumps up and down and claps in celebration. “We found him, the banshee one! WE WIN! Now can we go home?”
Picking up Punking from behind, Cer approaches Aaric and pulls Aaric up from the ground by his arm. “Long time, Aaric. Pupu, this is Aaric the Banished One.”
Ahem coughs Aaric as to interrupt Cer’s introduction. “I liked the banshee title she gave me better. Besides, II was not banished, I chose to leave. I am banned from coming back. That is until now. Pupu, thank you for coming to find me. Your mother told me you would come get me when it was time for me to come back home. You are the Grand Witch we have all waited for.”
Taken aback with surprise and confusion, Cer responds. “Grand Witch? You must be delusional. Does this mist make you crazy?”
Smiling as he puts his hand on Punkin’s head Aaric mutters some words and the mist clears more space as a surging energy emanates from Punkin. “I may be foolish, but I am not crazy. Claire would never lie to me and she was always 5 steps ahead. If she told me so, I would believe her.”
Is Punkin a Grand Witch and how do we even know that? Wait, when was the last time he saw Claire? Was he hiding out here or was he sent here by her? Why wait here? What does he expect of Pupu? With so many questions welling inside, Cer opts to ask only one. “How long ago did Claire send you out here?”
Chuckling, Aaric responds. “I know you, Jeks. For the one question you asked, you must have had ten on your mind. We will answer them all, after we break bread.” Clapping his hands once, Aaric calls out. “The mist is lifting, come, we can finally eat eye-to-eye. Get our friends here comfort and food.”
Looking around, Punkin and Cer finally realize they did not notice dozens of people, seemingly refugees and survivors of war and destruction, gathered around in the clearing of the mist.
“Why can’t I see their auras? Asks Cer.
Placing a hand on Cer’s shoulder, Aaric answers. “Because we are still in the mist- a clearing in the mist, yes, but still in the midst of the mist. Here, in the Dormand Plains, all magic sleeps, unless called upon to awaken by a Grand Witch or by Claire.. Come, let’s eat! I will answer the five questions you did not ask me aloud.”
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-Break-
Slowly finishing his bread after a laughter-filled-yet-serious conversation with Aaric, all while Punkin continued to interrupt with misinterpretations and assumptions, Cer finally confirms Aaric’s clarifications.
“So you were never banished, you left because Claire told you to. When you deserted, your powers were sealed by Nethmaya to not practice magic out of a coven’s haven and were banned from the Grand Isle. Claire sent you here to wait because she had visions of Pupu before Pupu was even born- visions that you used to have as well before you deserted the Grand Isle to hide away in this Mist that acted like a coven’s haven for a covenless hedgling as yourself; all to protect the knowledge of Claire and Pupu.
While in the mist, you collected people. The mist provides you and all these people a protective barrier stronger than Haeven’s bubble and The Mecca’s hex shield and is actually tiny bubbles and not water droplets. The mist was created by Claire’s tears feeding the Machanineel tree before it became toxic and poisoned the water. The mist shrouds our mystic which is why I can’t see auras because without clear mystic, no mana can be manipulated, and materia is drained of any mana within this mist.
So how can you still read mystic thoughts and seer-see again?”
Giggling, Aaric rubs his head with exasperation. “I used the port to and from the Porter’s Closet to get out of the mist, and convened with the Methi Gamvheers to practice my seer’s sight in their coven’s haven for a short time. Then the day came when all the witches were cursed. The Mehti Gamvheers no longer came to the Porter’s Closet- I don’t think they ever left their tower after that day. The Closet ports began to close and not reopen. And there was no more coven to provide me haven inside Haeven. So I could no longer seer-see and I remained in hiding. There is a massive force building since the day of the curse and dork-face Doryl has been hunting down witches and hiding them. Word is he is the start of the dark mass and demon surge. Probably conjuring some anxiety forbidden art.”
Interrupting, Punkin pulls on Aaric’s sleeve to confirm her suspensions. “ You were playing hide and seek before I was born? SO YOU ARE THE BEST HIDER?!?! AND I FOUND YOU?!?! I AM THE BEST FINDER!”
Standing up with her hands on her hips, Punkin announces, “I will find Mr. Dork-face Door and the witches he hides. I am the best finder!”
Chuckling, Cer tugs on Punkin’s skirt. “Sit down, we can find them later. We have more story to hear.”
Turning back to Aaric, Cer inquires. “So being stuck here, you have just been waiting alone with all these people. And how come you can seer-see now?”
Rubbing his head with embarrassment, Aaric offers an abashed chuckle. “ The moment Punkin pushed the mist, it must’ve recognized her and re-activated our mystic connections allowing us to tap back into magic. The only person that could have controlled the mist was Claire or a Grand Witch. Now that the tree is toxic, not even Claire can control the mist. It would require a Grand Witch like Nethmaya whom nobody has seen or heard of after the cursed day. So that leaves Pupu. This proves Pupu is a Grand Witch.
That’s how I know she is a Grand Witch. Claire said ‘I will have a child that holds the blood of Metta Boon and Wonders and will be of both the mystic house of enlightenment and the dark eclipse, and she will be the house of all covens of the grand isle. She will reopen the gate to the Coven of Covens. Nethmaya was Grand Witch of the Grand Isle. But she never housed the coven of all Covens, the ancient Grand Apiary. It never reasoned with her will. This is the mist of the Grand Apiary. It only responds to its caster…Claire…or…”
Looking at Punkin, Aaric bows his head and genuflects while remaining seated. “It will also only respond to a Grand Witch of the Grand Apiary, you, young master Punkin Metta Boon Wonders, daughter of the daughter of the enlightened moon and the son of the eclipsed sun. Born with blood of the Grand Isle and the blood from practitioners in the ancient arts of the Eastern Apiary. You are Home. Therefore, you are my coven’s haven.”
Scratching their heads, Punkin and Cer look at each other puzzled. “Huh? Nah, I still don’t get it.”
Suddenly the people in the surrounding area disappear and three remaining figures approach, transforming into three females, seemingly warrior- like beings with wings. One donning golden armor with silk robes, and long wavy locks of hair; one in a red and gold form-fitting silken long dress (Ao Dai) with black-pearl hair in a series of mini braids with two hair buns similar to Punkin’s; and one in blue-steel armor as blue as a sapphire moon with long straight hair and two thin mini braids, one on each side of her temple.
The being with the gold armor chimes in, “Ahh. But in the Grand Apiary, the Coven of all Covens, it is said that all practitioners of magic belong, and are home. So thank you for breaking his curse- Aaric is no longer covenless.”
Standing up to genuflect, Cer smiles. “It has been so long!!! Pupu, this is the elusive Gyldan Galara- mystic enchantresses of the highest order. Protectors of Scribes and Shapeshifters. Illusionists- which is why I could not see auras even as the mist moves. Those people were illusions.”
Running to the side of the enchantress in the red dress, Punkin begins rubbing her dress to feel its textures with her mouth gawking in amazement. “So pretty!!! Will you stay with me and keep us safe like you did with super hider Aaric?”
Smiling down, Lady Rayne responds. “That’s ironic, we were hoping you would save the rest of us like you did Aaric not the other way around.”
Puzzled Cer looks up “Saved? We just got here. She didn’t do anything yet.”
Handing Cer a hot cup of honey-sweetened herbal tea, Aaric whispers. “I was cursed with no home, sent to seek out a haven in the homes of others- the covens’ havens. She is Home, Cer. She is the Home for us all. My curse is lifted and I can seer-see again, even in this mist. The day of the curses we were ALL cursed- all magic dwellers. Her coming to find me breaks mine. Doomed to be the unheard, unseen, unreachable, lost Stewart of the Land Dwellers- unable to fulfill my promise. She changes fate, Cer. She can lift the mist and bring us all back together- all witches.”
Looking back and whispering to Aaric, “You mean the In Convenience. That’s why we went looking for you. The akashic bowls told us to find you since you’d have answers for the demons and know how to get to The Mecca to start the In Convience.”
Chuckling, Aaric beckons the Gyldan Galara over to join them while responding so only Cer can hear. “You don’t get it. Pupu is the In Convenience. She will bring all magic wielders together. That’s why the Gyldan Galara are here with me. We mapped out where all the magic users are. They had to stay hidden so nobody else would find the map and use it to continue to hunt down and harvest witches.
We also know the reason and sense behind our curses now and how we can begin to break them.”
Looking up to Aaric, Cer sheds a tear with relief and hope. “You know why I was cursed with blindness? You know how to help me see Pupu’s face again?”
Breaking free from Cer’s grip as the Gyldan Galara and Punkin approach them, Aaric responds with a stern sadness. “Yes, Cer, and it is all your fault.”