The aura surrounding the periphery was heavy, but cleared upon his entrance to the witch's territory. Sapphire grinned beneath her mask. She lowered it to her chest, making the reindeer skull swing above her chest. The woman had growing bright eyes. Her skin was smooth and her dentures were strung together with golden wire. The shine in her smile beamed onto Lucius.

"My beautiful son..." She limped as she stepped forward. Regaining her footing from walking over the padded rocks she laid out around the cauldron. As she tumbled forward she came Lucius raised an arm to stop her from hugging him, "I'm not coming to stay, ma. I need help. Alkhemistry help."

The woman frowned. The tensity in her cheeks scowled at him. Despite looking unnaturally young, cracks in her wrinkling skin showed whenever she wasn't smiling. Sapphire stroked her cold bleached white hair, "looking to terrify nobles again? How petty of you."

"Makes me feel pretty damn powerful when I get away with it," Lucius' tone was plain. "I'm not actually here for any noble thought, the king himself asked me for assistance."

Sapphire scowled, "people politics. So useless...."

"True that. But this one's a bit different. If I can accomplish t his one task for Isaac, he'll give me his daughter's hand in marriage."

Sapphire perked up. "You'd become king?" Lucius nodded with a grin. She prickled her fingers against her chin, "but Isaac breaks every promise he makes. You know this. He'll toss you aside the moment you've accomplished his task."

"I'm awares of this," Lucius said playfully. "But its not about the empty promises, its about a show of force. If I can make this one task for Isaac, I'll become untouchable for the rest of his lifetime."

"Success is a two sided blade. If they see how capable you truly are, he may cut you down out of fear for your power."

"Like what he did to you, old wicked witch of the sky?"

Sapphire cusped at her wrists. "When I served Isaac as consultant, I trusted him to keep his promises. The more I aided him, the more he needed me. Once he saw that I became vital to his success, he casted me aside out of fear of betraying him. He will do the same to you, but you might not be so lucky to escape."

She raised up to show the glow in her eyes. While her left eye was a natural amber color, her right eyes was completely green. From pupil to sclera. She'd lost her sight ages ago, and was forced to self-operate with an artificial eye.

"I know that," Lucius said looking away. "That's why I do this. Unlike you, when he casts me aside, I won't forgive and forget."

"If this is your form of justice for me, then I refuse it."

"No, this is for my justice. When he casts me aside and sends his killers towards me, the justice will be for my own sake, not yours."

"That's fabricated justice. Forcing a man's sword unto you just for an excuse to kill him."

"Yup. Because the best ways to have something to fight for, is to find the fight in the first place."

Sapphire walked towards him and pinched his cheek. "Lucius, my little baby. I love you, I love with all of my heart. But if you fucking send trouble in my direction, I will personally have to rip your heart out and devour it myself."

She squeezed tight before letting go. "If he manages to kill you, he'll hunt the rest of the family as well. A witch purge would occur, with me and your sisters at the center of it."

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Lucius stayed quiet.

Sapphire asked, "just how far are you willing to escalate? Are you willing to watch the whole island burn for your personal vendetta against him?"

Again, no answer.

"Oh," Sapphire grinned. "This isn't about pride. This isn't about hate nor the king. This is about something else... You want to destroy Cyprus, don't you?"

Lucius' eyes turned cold.

Sapphire chuckled, "Just what is it about this island that makes you hate it so much? You could easily leave, but instead you'd rather burn it to ashes. I never understood that about you, my son."

"I wouldn't expect you to. You loved your mother, I can't say I loved mine."

"I gave you everything you insolent brat."

"Sure you did. And what you gave was hollow."

She slapped him across the face. "Well, you wouldn't be in the king's graces if it weren't for me. So it served some purpose."

"Indeed," Lucius said rubbing his cheek.

"Now, my child, what do you need?"

"Anything that can kill an army of crusaders."

Sapphire took a step back. "Is that what's coming? Was that Isaac's request?"

"I thought you didn't want to be involved in 'human affairs'." Lucius gestured his fingers sarcastically at her.

"An invasion," she said in a deep breathe. "Its happening... Everything can finally end.."

Sapphire turned around to pull out a book. "Right here... Yes, yes, no one will survive." A thick smile spread across her face. "I'll help you, but I need a wish. A costly price after you succeed."

"Sure," Lucius said half paying attention.

"One of your children."

Lucius cocked his head back. "What?"

"Any of them. I just need a child handpicked from you."

Lucius crossed his arms, "when I left the tribe, you said what I do with my life is my own. Not yours."

Sapphire grinned, "this has nothing to do with your tutelage. This is a promise for a promise. If you survive this ordeal, I demand one child from you."

"No," Lucius shouted, "not just no, hell no. You've failed as a mother in countless ways, I wouldn't damn anyone to the likes of you."

"But," Sapphire said, "I only want a child, I didn't say which child. It needn't be from your wife or even your own blood. As long as you pick the next child for me raise, I'll help you."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "any? Then a child left on the hill to die would suffice?"

Sapphire nodded, "it just needs to be hand picked by you."

"Jesus Christ. If I'd known sooner I could've brought you a orphan baby today."

Sapphire shook her head, "it has to be after you save Cyprus. Any child before won't do."

Lucius stared off at the book she carried. It was such an ominous piece of text. Lucius had once opened it without her knowing. The pages were blank. Yet Sapphire somehow treated the scripture like it was gospel. "Very well, I'll do your dirty task after the invasion is over." He raised his palm out for her, "and only after Isaac is satisfied with my services."

Sapphire pulled out a needle from her tied up hair and pricked Lucius' palm. She collected his blood at the end of it and carried it back to her tent. "The pact is sealed. I trust you to be a man of your word."

"Yes yes, words words." Lucius covered his palm to wipe off the blood.

Sapphire turned around and reached for her tent. She crawled into her deer skin hut and began rummaging through her belongings. "Lucius, my son, tell me; what do you think about the sun?"

"Its too ugly to look at."

"No, tell me what you truly think of the sun."

Lucius rolled his eyes. His mother had filled his head with stories of the sun his whole life. Unlike most others in the kingdom, she wasn't Christian. She was a pagan who revolved her life around the sun's worship. Lucius answered, "its the bringer of all life. It touches everything that is living, and the world dies without it."

It was a standard answer. One that was taught to him and all of her children. Sapphire hissed. "No... Tell me what you really think of the sun."

Looking away he answered, "the sun is carbon dioxide and hydrogen. And its stupid to imagine it as anything other than the alkhemical elements which make it up."

Sapphire smiled, "good, you've finally spoken with your soul." She crawled out of her hut and handed him a dish sized egg. "Put it in water and it will hatch immediately. It'll last for one hour before its life expires, destroying everything within range in the meantime."

Lucius nodded. He looked down at the egg, examining it carefully. She said, "would you like to learn how to make one? You could always come back as my student."

"Nah," Lucius answered. "I'd rather die than come back to you."

"We'll see, my son. The pain you've felt from me, will pale compared to what's to come."

It was something she's told all of her children countless times. Lucius was the only one who didn't believe it. "If you say so, witch."

And with that, he walked off.

Sapphire looked up to the sky, "sun God, thank you for blessing me with such a reckless child. May the world feel the chaos he's about to unleash."