"Elisa! How many times do I tell you no floating allowed when there's a visitor!" Atis said with an upset tone.
"But he's not a visitor. He's going to live here with us from now, isn't that what you said?" Elisa asked with eyes that spoke of unfair treatment.
Atis sighed. "Look, this boy - this boy may not-"
"May not what, Mother?" Elisa stared at her mother, the hopeful beams slowly cracking, almost breaking Atis' heart.
In the end, Atis could only say, "This boy may not like your soup..."
Elisa let out a huff and glanced at the boy who was still staring at her with wide eyes. "Stop staring at me." Stopping her magic, she landed on the ground and moved to the boy. Holding his hand and with eyes round and big as she said, "I heard your name is Gavin. My name is Elisa and I made soup for you! You should finish it or we will not be friends!"
Gavin's eyes trembled as he felt his heart start beating fast. "O-Okay..."
The soup was tasteless and sometimes it left a taste in the tongue as if it burnt and cooled at the same time. Nevertheless, the warmth emanating from it was enough to make Gavin smile. His heart was full and there was a certain flavor in the tasteless soup that almost brought him autumn, his favorite of all seasons.
Even the great cooks of their kingdom couldn't compare to this soup.
It was the warmest soup he had ever tasted in his life.
Yet, it was also the biggest sin he had ever tasted...
"My daughter... Please spare my daughter..." Atis had called him then, her face painted by blood as numerous fresh cuts and wounds covered her entire body.
Screams of different kinds echoed all over the land. Everywhere Gavin looked, there was blood. And it was all done by his own countrymen to the people where Atis lived.
They called them witches, a group of witches that emitted too much power and evilness. The general whom his father always called in to the palace was there too and before he left Gavin in some place he called 'safe', Gavin turned around and there he saw how Atis was surrounded by soldiers and where she fought to the death. But they were too many, she couldn't possibly defeat them all. In the end, Atis was pushed back to the center, staggering and falling to the ground miserably as she tried to use her magic one more time. But the heavens didn't intervene and the clouds remained stagnant as humans continued to level up with their knowledge and skills―used sparingly at this very moment, at this one person who had fought with the rest of them all.
The general stood before Atis and mercilessly stepped on her hand, crashing, removing, forbidding her ability to cast more spells. And in one final blow, the general stabbed Atis' heart.
"Why are they doing this? What did Atis and the rest do to be killed mercilessly like this?" Gavin asked then, his ten year old heart too weak and powerless to even stop anyone. After desperately trying to push the soldiers who were holding him but to no avail, he stood there, unmoving, realizing he was unable to do anything.
A soldier beside him answered, "They are evil, Your Highness. Prince Gavin should not take pity on these people."
"Because they use magic?" Gavin asked.
And once more, the soldier answered, "Yes, Your Highness. It is certainly because they use magic and on top of that, they are too beautiful. Anything that is too powerful and too beautiful are considered evil."
"Was it proven?" Gavin asked.
The soldier looked up, "Your Highness?"
Gavin let himself watch how the soldiers started burning the house of Atis and Elisa. Elisa had gone missing, thankfully, but Gavin's heart was cold, too cold he wondered if his blood would freeze anytime soon too. "Was it proven that too powerful and too beautiful are evil?"
"That..." the soldier looked everywhere but Gavin.
"Say, have you ever tasted a soup with tasteless herbs that left your mouth feeling like it was burning and cooling at the same time? It's tasteless but its warmth radiates your entire body you feel instantly healed, have you tasted one?" Gavin asked. Then he looked down, hand fisted as a tear fell down his cheek. "Because those people you said are evil... They made me drink that kind of soup. It's warm... It's really warm..."