Thane was standing by the window, looking at Elisia, who had just run out of the castle. He was mad at her. She clearly had no regret for what she did, which made him furious.
He sighed, then went back to sit on the couch. He didn't know where she would go, but he knew she wouldn't go that far. He rested his head on the chair's backrest and stared at the ceiling.
Today was supposed to be his second death anniversary and the day he had been waiting for. It should be the natural order of what would happen to him after his death. But everything he planned was gone, and the years of preparation vanished in just one spin.
He glanced at the door when she heard footsteps coming from outside, followed by a continuous knock. He frowned and was annoyed when he stood up to see who it was.
"What is it?" He asked when he opened the door.
Mia was in front of him, panting. From her appearance, it looked like she ran to his bedroom to give him some news.
"Mia, what is it?" He asked again.
"Your Majesty! It's Lady Elisia! She went to the witches' lair!"
"What? How did she- Oh! Shit!"
Thane ran as fast as he could to take Elisia out of the witches' territory. How could she actually reach that place? You would not be able to go inside a witch's house or place uninvited. How did she do it?
Outside the castle, Thane's beta and second in command, Alex, came with some of their men.
"Your Majesty, you called?"
"Lady Elisia is in the witches' lair. We need to go there." He said.
Alex and the men were also surprised. He knew they wanted to know what happened, but they felt the rage inside him, so they didn't bother to ask.
Mia came running, holding his black fur coat, and handed it to him. Then the hostler approached him, giving him a white horse. He rode and, without a word, left the castle.
The witches who lived in Versipellis were the white witches. They have never harmed any creatures since the day they moved to their country. They lived with the others in peace and supported him for years. But a woman named Evelyn came into their country, claiming she was a white witch.
Evelyn was a beautiful woman. She had long black straight hair and eyes like crystals. She was a perfect example of an elegant woman, so the citizen of Versipellis was enchanted by her.
A few days passed since Evelyn arrived, and a series of unfortunate events kept happening to the citizens of Versipellis. Thane thought there was a pandemic because a whole town in the northern part of the country called Naporia started to have a flu. One by one, the townspeople died, including women and children.
Thane thought it was another curse from the Gods, but when they investigated further, it was black magic. Someone put a curse on the citizens of Versipellis, and it started in the northern towns.
The spread of the black magic went too fast, so he had no choice but to confront the witches. He met with their priestess and asked them if they knew about the black magic used against the citizens of Versipellis. But according to her, the white witches didn't have the ability to use magic that could kill thousands of creatures.
Thane believed her, but the citizens didn't. A growing number of protesters were shouting for justice, asking the werewolf king to burn down the witches' lair.
Alex's sister was the first to get sick in the castle. That was the signal that the black magic had already reached the city. He couldn't sit and do nothing anymore, so he made a decision and agreed to burn the homes of the witches.
They had prepared to take down the white witches, but everything was already on fire when they arrived. Thane saw that all the witches who first came into Versipellis were hanged and burned, including their priestess. His heart broke, seeing innocent women killed on that day.
"Your Majesty!" Alex called.
He went to where he was and saw Evelyn on the ground, alive. For some reason, no one could kill her. Thane frowned when he saw a man standing next to her. He approached him to ask what had happened.
"Mister, what happened here?"
The man looked at him with a mix of fear and shock. "Y-Your Majesty! I'm sorry!"
"What do you mean?" He asked again.
"I and the others decided to burn this place. We thought it was them who cursed us, but it was just Evelyn! We were hypnotized and used, Your Majesty!" The man explained while tears started flowing from his eyes.
Thane saw guilt in the man's eyes, but it was too late. The white witches were dead, and the place they called home was burned to the ground.
He turned to Evelyn, kneeled then tried to wake her up. He slapped her gently on the cheek to see if she was okay. Thane heard her heartbeat, but it was faint.
Then she slowly opened her eyes, but Thane was stunned when Evelyn suddenly grabbed his hand, staring at him. He tried to take his hand away, but she was too strong.
"My life is finally over. I had taken a thousand souls and brought them to him. I could finally rest." She whispered.
Thane thought she was saying her final words, but she suddenly stabbed him in the chest with her bare hand. He felt the pain when she grabbed his heart, squeezing it harder.
He screamed; his eyes were red, and all his veins were showing as he tried to fight the feeling of pain.
"Your Majesty. I cannot die without giving this curse to another. Now that I have fulfilled my duty, I will give you the curse of Desideres. This curse can only be broken when you complete your duty or find a way to end your life. Now, take the life of a thousand souls; then you will be free."
After saying those words, Evelyn died and turned into ashes.