I was unable to rise from the chair; my legs wouldn't respond. Lifting my hands proved futile. I couldn't even twist my neck! The only things under my control were my breath and my eyes. From what I could see, my classmates were in the same predicament. Claire was rolling her eyes in fury, attempting to take action, but her efforts were fruitless. Meanwhile, Christian's glance was jumping, with more confusion than pain, between his pierced palm and Mary.
The strangest part was that this paralysis had simultaneously struck all three of us, as if we were robots that had been immobilized by someone meddling with our control panel. If we had merely been drugged with some poison or a paralytic agent, such synchronicity would have been impossible. But this, this was as though we'd been deactivated at the push of a single button: Mary attacked, and it was as if a switch had been flicked, barring our bodies from obeying us. Instead of trying to fight off the paralysis, I attempted to relax my muscles, but to no avail. I tried to utter a word, but my tongue refused to cooperate.
In the meantime, Mary straightened up, her posture becoming almost regal. The usual peaceful smile vanished from the girl's face, her lips tightening into a thin line. Her eyes changed color from brown to a deep green. And there was something familiar in those eyes... Something I'd never want to encounter again in my life.
Only then did I fully grasp that this wasn't some childish prank. This was a genuine threat to our lives. So real that, casting aside all concerns about revealing my identity as a raig, I attempted to enter the Break.
I tried, and... I remained in the physical world.
Another attempt to shift yielded the same result. The Break seemed to have vanished for me.
I had experienced this feeling before - when Nicholas' handcuffs had snapped onto me. The look in Mary's eyes further echoed that situation. I was looking at an ostensibly young girl, but her gaze was identical to Annabelle's. The same Annabelle - the chief witch of Eshin and the world's most powerful Alchemist. Now, I could see a resemblance between these two women; there was something familial about them. This realization flashed through my mind, sending a chilling wave of fear from my head down to my toes. It seemed that this fear gave me strength, and I attempted once again to break free from my place, but my body still refused to obey and remained planted on the chair.
Mary allowed us about a minute to absorb the reality of our utter helplessness before she cleared her throat.
"Ahem!" She began, "You should see yourselves from the outside right now. You're quite amusing - like moths pinned down and displayed under glass."
She even turned towards the house, pausing as if contemplating something.
"Should I fetch a mirror? So you can see yourselves." She touched her index finger to her nose. "That would be amusing." With these words, Mary actually turned to leave the veranda. "I do enjoy a good laugh!" She declared before disappearing into the house, leaving us to ourselves.
I attempted to speak, to warn my classmates, to apologize for the predicament we found ourselves in because of my actions, to express my regret. I understood that even if I had been able to articulate these sentiments, it wouldn't have changed anything, but for some reason, it felt important. Regrettably, my efforts were in vain; I couldn't even muster a whisper or a wheeze.
Mary was gone for less than a minute, returning to the veranda with a large mirror, almost half her height, that had previously hung in the hallway. She approached each of us in turn, forcing us to confront our powerless reflections.
The most terrifying aspect of this situation, which sent chills down my spine, was that the young witch didn't comment on her actions at all. She merely studied the expressions in our eyes and smiled. Her smile wasn't malicious; instead, it was disturbingly understanding and slightly triumphant. After making her rounds, Mary, seemingly with a hint of regret, set the mirror aside, leaning it against the house wall.
"I didn't deceive you - you really do look amusing," she stated, affirming her own words. "So angry... So frightened... So helpless... Moths." She snapped her fingers and clicked her tongue. "Moths - what a fitting comparison!" The young witch leaned towards Claire, bringing their faces close. "You, just like a moth, yearn to spread your wings and fly into your Break, but you can't, can you?"
Why was she directing these words at the redhead and not me? What did Claire have to do with anything? Meanwhile, Mary circled the table and traced her fingers down Christian's cheek.
"And you are just like her..." The girl chuckled. "Only even more naive, thinking you held my interest as a man. Oh, how naive indeed. You did intrigue me, but not as a guy, but as a mere tool. Although... A pretty tool. Yes... I didn't find our little 'relationship' play particularly repugnant. So, moth, is your 'heaven' also rejecting you?" She straightened up and smiled triumphantly. "And it will continue to do so."
This time, the witch turned her attention towards me. She didn't approach, but looked at me as though I were the main course on a dinner plate.
"Oh!" The predatory grin on her face seemed surprisingly fitting and harmonious. "How tantalizing and pleasing is the energy flow from your most unusual Spark, Izao!"
Regrettably, my worst fears were confirmed. Mary was a Dark Adept and an Alchemist! And if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, she bore a relation to Annabelle. A fierce wave of resentment nearly consumed me. We all believed we had eradicated Eshin and wiped out the Dark Lily family. And now reality was rudely reminding me that we'd been mistaken all along. At least one member of the ancient Dark Branch had survived. She'd lived and had come after me for her revenge. I wanted to scream, to beg her to take me and spare Christian and Claire, but I couldn't - my lips and tongue were refusing to cooperate.
"Undoubtedly, the procedure scheduled for today will not only complete the ritual but will also be surprisingly delightful!" Closing her eyes, Mary took a deep, audible breath. "Izao, your Spark is even more nourishing and wonderful than I had imagined!"
The reference to some sort of ritual stirred up memories that I would have preferred to bury forever. The chill of the handcuffs, the chains preventing my escape, and the stone circle's center where I was meant to bleed.
If I could access the Break, all of this would end instantly. But I can't, and that's the problem. It's highly likely that, just like before, Alchemy is at play. It was handcuffs back then, but now, it seems like something was added to our food or drink. The peculiar taste of the champagne instantly came back to me.
"Relax." Sitting at the corner of the table, Mary spoke with a perverse mix of compassion and concern. "Your attempts to do or change anything, though amusing, won't be of any help to you. I've imprisoned you in your own body and blocked your ability to control it." She tilted her head skyward. "If my grandmother were still alive, she would have admired the beauty and simplicity of this solution! Even she hadn't considered such an elegant way to strip a Knight of the Break of their ability to cross into another dimension." Catching my glance directed towards the bottle perched on the porch railing, the witch continued. "Yes, Izao, you've got it, the potion was in the champagne." She then added, "But I also had backup plans." With a playful and somewhat superior click of her tongue, she said, "Plenty of backup plans."
The witch hopped down from the table, poured herself a glass of red wine, and took a leisurely sip before leaning towards me. She leaned in so close that I could feel her breath on my cheek.
"You are simply delectable," she purred, licking her lips. "And I'm not referring to your flesh or your physical form, but your emotions, amplified and altered by your rare Spark. Such a unique blend."
To be honest, the half a minute or so that she spent breathing in my face were not the most enjoyable moments of my life. This witch somehow made me feel like a dish on her table, a gourmet delicacy, not a human being. The sensation instilled a deep-seated fear in me. Combined with my utter helplessness, it nearly triggered a full-blown panic attack. "If people were made into nails - there would be no stronger nails in the world!" - I remembered my own words as relayed by Maya Grimm. Strangely, it was this memory that kept me from completely succumbing to despair and terror.
"But I digress," Mary suddenly said, straightening up and shifting her focus to my friends. "No matter how unique and intriguing Izao's energy tastes, I mustn't forget about my other guests."
She sauntered over to Claire and ran her fingers through her red hair.
"You're an odd one," the witch commented. "I still can't figure out who you are."
As she twirled a strand of Claire's hair around her finger, Mary gave it a sharp tug. It must have hurt, but Claire's paralysis prevented any visible reaction.
"You've been a thorn in my side this entire time," the witch grumbled, shaking her head. "A presumptuous upstart who thinks she's someone special! What are you thinking, when will all of this end, when will I finally kill you?" Mary burst into a laughter so warm, sincere, and youthful that it completely contradicted her words. "Don't hold onto any hope that this will be over quickly! I've spent far too long preparing this; I've exerted too much effort to simply kill you. Oh, no! I plan to savor the process, and only then..."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Abruptly halting her speech, the witch pulled away from the redhead and stretched, straightening her back.
"As some of you might have surmised," Mary began again, taking another sip of wine and moving towards Christian. "When everyone thought they had eradicated Eshin and its legacy, this 'everyone,' let's say, was somewhat mistaken." There was an air of undisguised superiority in her words. "They made a mistake, yes, and I am the living proof of it." She clicked her tongue. "But you have nothing to worry about; I have no interest in restoring the influence of the Eshin clan." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "To be frank, I never cared for those arrogant rats. I'm only interested in personal power." She let out a sharp breath. "You know, confessing this to you has somehow lightened my heart."
Her smile was remarkably pure and sincere. If you didn't hear her words, you might think she was chatting about her favorite ponies or unicorns. The contrast between her demeanor and her actions was astounding.
The young witch strolled over to Christian and perched on the table next to him.
"I remember you once asked to see the real me." She tilted her head to meet his gaze. "Well, now you have. As the ancients used to say, 'Be careful what you wish for, it might just come true!'" She gently traced the back of her hand along Christian's cheek. "I have to admit, you're amusing, at times even interesting." Her smile morphed into a genuine grin. "But not in the way you hoped, little crow. Crow? If I recall correctly, that's what your friends call you, right? I'm not mistaken... It suits you."
She gave Christian's cheek a playful pat before leaning in closer.
"You've been such a source of amusement for me. So love-struck. The most astonishing part is that you consider each of your loves to be the one and only. Yet, it's breathtaking how swiftly you forget those you so passionately loved."
What was she talking about? I didn't understand.
"And you, so sincere in your love, vowing to avenge the death of your beloved. But as soon as I showed up and flirted just a tad, you instantly forgot about the one you loved so fiercely."
She planted a kiss on Christian's cheek.
"Want to know the funniest part?" She leaned in to his ear and whispered loudly, "I was the one who prepared the poison that killed your sweetheart."
The witch took a deep breath.
"Yes! Yes! Such anger, such rage! All of it seasoned with a generous dose of shame and self-reproach... Perfect..."
What's she even talking about? Has she already poisoned and killed someone, someone linked to Christian? The more I hear her talk, the less sense she makes. So far, only one thing is crystal clear: Mary isn't killing us because she's not just relishing the moment, but she's "feeding" off us, our energy, our emotions. And judging by her face and words, she's deriving immense pleasure from it, seeming to extend this pleasure for as long as she can. However, this doesn't rule out that our end is still the same in her plans.
Because my body refuses to obey me, I can't even back my friends up verbally. It feels profoundly eerie, wrong, and anything but natural to feel like a captive in your own body. You want to scream and curse, but you can't even do that much.
"Keep getting angrier," Mary almost whispered into Christian's ear. "That's it, yes... Your anger towards me and your disappointment in yourself are so tasty... A unique, indescribable cocktail!"
With what seemed like a significant effort, the witch pulled away from the raven-haired guy. She then moved to the veranda railing and turned her back to us. If I were capable of moving, this would be the perfect time to strike, but my body was frozen, leaving me to only stare at the witch's back.
"Ha!" Mary chuckled, turning towards us. "How predictable you all are. No, I'm not reading your thoughts, but your emotions, oh, your emotions speak volumes." The girl moved towards Claire. "Did you think it would be nice to stick this knife," her finger brushed the meat knife resting on the corner of the table, "into my back? I see, I guessed it right. But you couldn't, could you... What a shame." The witch raised her head with an air of superiority that was impossible to describe and examined the redhead from head to toe. "Sadly, I still can't figure out who you exactly are, but that's a minor disappointment to me. Do you know why? Because it doesn't matter at all whether I know who you exactly are or not. That's utterly immaterial. What matters far more is who you, girl, are in general. And that, I do know. Yes! Now... Now you're truly terrified."
The young witch took four six-sided dice in her hand, rolled them around, and then cast them onto the table.
"Four sixes. You think it's a matter of luck? Let's try again... And again, four sixes. Yet again... A total of twenty-four. Do you know why I'm showing you this? Just so you comprehend: I don't leave anything to chance."
Collecting the dice from the table, she ambled over to the house wall, glanced at her reflection in the window, and nestled down on a bench that resembled a large chest with a backrest.
"In general, you're quite an intriguing group. And the amusing part is, this 'count' of yours, your benefactor, doesn't even suspect who he's taken under his wing as apprentices." She studied the die in her hand meticulously but didn't roll it. "Incredible, out of five apprentices in the entire group, only one is a regular individual, another is a distinct sensum, and three... Three are Break Knights!!!"
Hold on. What is she implying? What three Break Knights? Maya and I - that's not three at all. But this witch evidently knows how to count. Does this imply that...
"Wow, what a surge of surprise emanating from you." Mary was evidently delighted with the ongoing events; she derived genuine pleasure from the orchestrated spectacle. "You're so engrossed in your secrets that you fail to consider that those around you might also harbor their own secrets. Isn't that right, Christian..." The girl flung a die directly at the black-haired lad's forehead. "Or should I address you as Break Knight Rex?"
What?!! What did she just say?!
"Rex." The witch savored the word. "Rex... Do you even understand, lad, that this isn't a name, but a title? A title that, in ancient times, was on par with royalty. Rex. How can you be a king? No, I'll still address you as before - Christian."
Seriously?! Then it dawned on me: she doesn't need to fabricate a lie now. Besides, now her words about Chris' beloved being poisoned make sense. If I recall correctly, Rex was in love with Amanda, who perished during Eshin's gas assault on the BKDW headquarters. I can't even begin to fathom what he must be feeling right now, what emotional turmoil is brewing within him.
The second die, launched with an assured hand, sails towards Claire and lodges in her cleavage.
"The one who believes she's the cleverest. Yes, I'm referring to you. Shall we engage in a guessing game? Though, you really don't have a choice, because today I dictate the games. And don't presume it's because it's supposedly my birthday today!" The witch laughed heartily and without restraint. "Absurd, isn't it..." She dabbed at a tear in the corner of her eye. "I've decided - let's play. Even will signify Kael, odd - Thora." Mary tossed a die, and it landed at her feet. "Wow, it's odd." The witch scrutinized Claire's face. "What a deceitful die!" She booted the die, and it whizzed off into the grass. "It tried to trick me. But your emotions, you brazen lass, you couldn't feign. On the other hand, why should I be privy to your Knight's name, Kael? Indeed, there's no need."
If I had the ability to speak at the moment, I'd likely opt for silence, as my voice had seemingly abandoned me. How could this be real? Christian as Rex, and Claire as Kael? How did I not see that two more Knights had been at my side all this time? However, this could only imply that they were as cautious about their identities as I was about mine.
"Honestly, when I figured out who you both were, my initial thought was that Gabriel had surrounded himself solely with Break Knights," I would have said, if I could. "But a thorough examination through Alchemy revealed that Jan Larson is just an ordinary person. The 'count' himself is completely oblivious to the true identities within his group. I found that quite amusing!" The next die is tossed in my direction, landing onto the table before me, displaying the number one. "As for you, Izao... Given that you're a sensum, according to the one Gift rule, you can't possibly be a raig. But don't fret, you are indeed the guest of honor at this table today. The main course - the most delectable and nourishing."
The one Gift rule implies that a sensum cannot be a shapeshifter, and a shapeshifter cannot be Gifted. Somehow, everyone has extended this rule to raigs, as it's commonly believed that a person cannot possess more than one Gift. In general, this is accurate, but this rule overlooks the rewards of the Break, and that's precisely how I received my Spark - as a reward for eliminating a Breakthrough. However, my case is an exception that is almost unknown to all.
"But let's not get sidetracked, Izao, you are of secondary importance and my interest in you is purely 'gastronomic'," she continued.
This witch was mistaken. If only I could drive Purity right between her eyes as evidence of her error! But I couldn't - because like everyone else, I had consumed the poisoned champagne.
"My beloved grandmother, her name was Annabelle..." Mary's expression suddenly turned solemn. "She was killed by a raig. It doesn't matter to me that she was Eshin's main witch, what matters is that I loved her. And that she took the secrets of my lineage to her grave, leaving me without an inheritance! So, let's proceed to the main point." She placed the fourth die on the bench next to her. "By avenging her, I will reclaim the knowledge and power of the clan, and all of you will die today for this cause. But your death won't be swift. It would be too easy! I will kill you slowly... Not because I'm a sadist or mentally unstable. The reason is quite simple. Your slow death under Izao's watchful eyes, transfusing through his Spark, will generate so much energy that it will sustain me for years or even power the most potent Dark rituals. I'm not foolish enough to let that opportunity pass."
She laughed again, her gaze leisurely shifting from one person to another.
"I sense a faint spark of hope ignited within you after my words," Mary tutted. "Forget it. I am well-prepared. No one will come to your rescue. By a remarkable 'coincidence,' everyone who should ensure the safety of the Knights finds themselves preoccupied today. The abbot is still recovering from a heart attack. The duke's curators are on the hunt for the unexpectedly 'emerged' 'dormant' terrorist group, Eshin. Even the Inquisition has found a task for today - pursuing a Dark Sect they previously had no knowledge of. Of course, by morning, they will have dealt with all of this, but by then... as you can comprehend, by morning... By morning, everything here will have long since concluded."
She rose to her feet.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" The girl bent over, clicked the latch, and opened the bench's storage compartment she had just been sitting on. "As evidence that you shouldn't hold out hope for help from any quarter..."
With a surprisingly powerful gesture, the witch shattered the side of the storage box.
"Meet our final guest for today!"
A bound, unconscious, and gagged body tumbled out of the box, landing at Mary's feet.
"Oh! What a surge of emotions! Izao! I was right in 'inviting' your beloved to our little gathering!"
The witch leaned over and gave Maya Grimm, who had fallen out of the box, a slap.