"Never confuse magic with witchcraft and sorcery with spells. Charms with curses and diseases with magic. Don't confuse black magic with white magic, and don't even mention the ancient magic. Avoid black witches and respect white witches. Also try to distinguish between purebred witches and mixed ones. They are much more powerful than them. Don't underestimate the power of divination and the skill of the elves. Do not enter Lasmor, you will not come out alive. Honor all nymphs and fairies. Keep your ears closed to the sirens and show respect to the dragons. Train imps and chase wisps. Honor the kings of forests, skies, seas and mountains. And remember, magic is not miracles. " ~ Zethar, the first witch and the first queen. The First Book of the End, Volume 1.
This is the first magical law established by the Greatest Witch since the beginning of magic history. It's engraved with great care in all magical books and every magical creature knows it by heart.
It's a pity humans don't know that. It's easy to remember, but they don't even bother to understand us! If they saw the records from the times of Queen Zethar the Great, they could learn a lot! The world filled with magic is a mystery and a threat to them, so they would love to put us on piles, decorate and put us in front of the fireplace to enjoy the view. They fear us as if the only purpose of our existence is to make their lives miserable.
"Miss Asteria, are you listening to what I'm talking about?" The calm voice brought me out of my thoughts and I looked up. I wasn't listening.
"Of course. You're talking about Ash Week." They talked about it all the time. I heard it so much that I get the impression that they are doing everything here to discourage us from going outside the forest. If they stray from the subject it's only for this memorable week.
"Exactly. So get up, my dear, and tell me what you know about Ash Week." I got up from the bench and, straight as a string, with a bored look began to recite like some stupid poem.
"Ash Week is the period in history when the greatest and bloodiest hunts for magical beings took place. Burned at stake, piled on piles, poisoned, smashed, stuffed, dismembered, stabbed..."
"How can she talk about it with such a calm face? I feel like vomiting right away ... " I heard a whisper in the depths of the classroom which made me silent for a moment. My stomach isn't so weak if that person wants to know. After a while I moved on. They keep talking about the same stupid thing.
"It's no wonder. She's the only pureblood witch here. I heard somewhere that they have no feelings at all. And they're scary! Plus, she has white hair! She's pureblood but no magic has come to love her..." Some other said, and I looked at the class and it fell silent. I'm not scary at all. It's only them who are afraid of who knows what! Their parents told them some nonsense and now they think I'm some kind of monster. They are cowards and that's it.
"...many powerful creatures. The population of magical creatures has declined by nearly seventy percent, and the species of witches has suffered the most. Our population has decreased by as much as eighty-five percent." I finished my statement before they could comment on my eyes. They were even weirder than my hair.
"Exactly! Eighty-five percent! Can you imagine it children? The once powerful caste of magicians, witches and wizards living in harmony with nature and other creatures has almost been wiped off the face of the earth! And why was that so, Miss Asteria?" My teacher interrupted me with great excitement, as if she was telling the most interesting story in the world.
I felt my face turn strangely hot, but my arms and legs were icy cold. I had this strange feeling again. It went away as soon as it came.
"All of this happened because people saw us as a threat in need of immediate extermination. And since most of the magical creatures are good-natured, they didn't expect human betrayal and couldn't defend themselves. People used tricky tactics. They sneaked in while sleeping, attacked lonely individuals with entire armies, administered poisons, and dragged them into traps. They never fought face to face. They cheated the hearts of the fairies, they ripped off the wings of fairies and grinded them, drowned nymphs in the waters, drank unicorns' blood and stole their horns, skinned centaurs, imprisoned winged men by tearing their feathers one by one, looking at their suffering, how..."
"Yes... Good, thank you. You can sit down." My teacher broke my trance, and after a moment of confusion I did as she told me. I sank heavily into my chair and pondered again.
I didn't like the subject of Ash Week... Whenever it was talked about, I could see all the horrible things in front of my eyes, with details as if I was really there then. Then I smell the burning, rotten bodies, I hear the screams of fairies and the splash of blood. I hear their gurgling noise, and my throat feels dry with a mass of ashes from the pyres, which aren't here at all. Then I feel as if I'm looking at someone's memories. And those are really bad memories. They only show despair and death. A bottomless void.
"As you know, there are plenty of publications about Ash Week, but it isn't known exactly on whose order the army gathered people and went hunting. And why her main target was creatures of high bloodline. There are only speculations with no evidence." The teacher continued the lesson, snapping me out of the smell of the battlefield seen in my head.
"That's why in our time high-class people are very desirable, but also very rare. There aren't many of them left. In order not to repeat the hunt, the Peace in Siwad was concluded, under which magical creatures were to inhabit forests, sea and mountains, and people were not to stick their noses too far from cities. Miss Marie, can you remind who was at the conclusion of the peace?" The blonde beauty rose, twirling her curls, and with a pugnacious smile began to speak as if she herself was the author of this Peace in Siwad. A favorite of the crowd, the kids either hung out with her or had their heads melted in a frog potion.
"The creators of this Room are the five most powerful families of magical creatures and the three most powerful human noble families. From magical creatures they were in turn: the Tribe of Centaurs from the northern mountains called the Shōbaī Tribe, the Supreme Council of the Archangels - Lunox, the ruler of the light elves - Murfinn, the Guardian of all fairies - Esyld and the representative of the three great families of witches - Zethar." An echo of admiration echoed through the class and I rolled my eyes, bored. Yes, yes, Miss Marie is a treasure. She knows every name and how to pronounce them! Normal role model. Nobody knows that she enjoys pestering insects after school and planting my hats in her garden.
"Very good, Miss Marie. And on the side of the people?" The teacher clapped her hands pleased with her favorite student and she was staring at her like on a picture.
"I'm not interested in the people side! They are not worth any learning about them! They are real beasts! What they did cannot be forgiven!" She snorted and tossed her curls to the other side, and the rest of the class nodded to her. We have born leader here.
"We live in peace with people. They are no longer our enemies. We should understand each other, children... We're safe now." The teacher spoke a bit clumsily, seeing the dissatisfied glances of students who didn't agree with her.
"The fact that they signed a piece of paper a few hundred years ago doesn't mean that we have been approved by them, ma'am." I cut in, staring at her carefully, and the class suddenly looked at me. They were completely surprised because I never spoke in class and wasn't interested in them. I walked here because I had to.
"What are you talking about, child? The murder of magical creatures has long since ceased! People have accepted us long ago!" The teacher blurted out, and I sighed briefly, then rose from my chair. I looked at her arrogantly.
"With all due respect, ma'am, but you obviously don't know anything about the outside world. Haven't you been out of the house for a too long? Outside the forest, hatred is still in the air. People hate us as much as they hated us a thousand years ago. You cannot accept each other when neither side is doing anything to get it. We are sitting here and they are sitting there. How are we supposed to make up?" I spoke with a penetrating gaze, remembering my journeys beyond the Cyan Forest, in which we live. I wanted changes. I knew they had to come, and they just needed a stimulus. Something that will get both sides to act. Something to unite them. Something that isn't an isolated coexistence as it is now. Something has to be done about it. Something...
"How dare you talk like that ?! Out the door! Think about your bad behavior!" She just exclaimed, and I sighed.