TW// Mention of murder, return of disability, torture
She stared at the features of her young smooth face carved into stone. She hadn't aged in all this time, as didn't Cornelis, but she hadn't aged because of different reasons. Cornelis looked down at her arm where she scratched a symbol with her nail. The blood had already dried up. Usually, she would enchant the symbol into her skin to not weaken the spell. However, for this spell of warmth, she didn't need it to last. She brushed her nails across her sister's face.
"Soon sister. Soon you'll be free once again."
The voices slammed into her mind, crawling over each other. They were hungry. Hungry for power and revenge.
Behind her, lying on a stone table, laid Tivon. He moved, eyes slowly opening. Cornelis turned around with a smile. Sooner than you'll expect it, sister.
Tivon opened his eyes, realizing he couldn't move his body. He tried to pull himself away from the invisible force.
"There's no use." Tivon glanced up at Cornelis looking down on him. "Your body is paralyzed. There is no use in trying to escape."
"You lied to me."
He didn't sound angry, which took Cornelis by surprise. He sounded sad, almost perplexed.
"Most of my words were true Tivon."
"Then why not just tell me? I would've helped you get your sister back."
She chuckled. "Oh, Tivon if I told you everything you wouldn't be willing to go with me and you would never come, because of that fenity. He had ruined everything. I wanted to get rid of him-"
"So, you put a curse on him." Finished Tivon.
"Yes. Wiped away his and the crews memory of you. Unfortunately, something went wrong. He wasn't supposed to come back to Naydawin. I figured it was because of you. Everything would go as planned if it weren't for you. You kept wanting to find him, you just wouldn't give up on him. You kept slowing down the process, as if I hadn't been on this land for far too long."
Cornelis brushed a strain of hair off Tivon's forehead. He tried to flinch away, but wasn't able to. "Let me tell you the whole story. With no twist of words."
She sat up on the table beside him. "I hadn't aged in years. You had asked me once how? Well, this is how. I stayed young because of the curse or necessary sacrifices, as I call them. I had found a simple spell which allowed me to feed on souls, keeping me young and alive.
"And souls that were young, souls that hadn't yet tasted life, were the fittest. At first it wasn't a problem finding them, all I had to do was walk from town to town, from village to another village finding children and well, kill them. After all I am the witch of death."
She pointed at her sister. "And she is the witch of life."
Cornelis smiled and continued. "Through time they knew who I was and hiding from people became a problem. I went to the sea, and it took me to Bradfordshire, where I met Violet. She was still young then, oh and her voice was so gentle and soft. Such a beautiful voice she had. She didn't like me as much."
"Violet knew…" Said Tivon more to himself than her.
"Of course, she knew. I took her voice." She hissed. Cornelis just laughed at Tivon's worried eyes. "Bradfordshire was not for me, so I fled to an inhabited island, away from everyone, but quickly found out my skin became wrinkly in a matter of years.
"Then he came – a merchant ship harbouring on my island in need of a rest, it's Captain a handsome, young man. A man, quick to fool. He had fallen in love with me in an instant and I had to admit it to myself, I began to fall in love too. I though, I could forget about everything and just stay with Sabur forever."
She smiled to herself, but it quickly faded away. "But I had a promise to keep. I told Sabur I will bring him fortune and love, if he brought me antes, souls, I could feed on. He obeyed at first, but his curiosity gave in. He found out what I was, and he started selling boys into safe hands." She let out a laugh. "As if Luana's hands are safer than mine. It costed Sabur his whole crew, his face, his love, and his curse."
Cornelis leaped off the table and started circling around the table not letting her eyes off Tivon. "I returned to Krens, more exactly to Lucine. You see I had some unfinished business with The Queens sister. She knew of me and my doings, she was in fact the one who warned the people about me. And I still needed to avenge the witches her grandfather murdered. So, I got rid of her."
Cornelis smiled at Tivon's frightened look. "But Rea said- "
"It wasn't a suicide Tivon. I murdered her. Rea had seen me, so I had to wipe her memory of it. I was making their family a favour. They knew what she was, and they hated her for that. Soon after that the stars were beginning to align, and I had to go to The Awiergan Mountain. You know the story from here now."
Tivon opened his mouth to speak, but wasn't able to. His shivering lips had turned blue, his skin pale. Cornelis' spell was wearing off. She brushed her hand over his cold face. Tivon's eyes darted over her face, trying, hoping to find something to make him not believe her.
So naïve. Her lips curled up.
Hurry up!
He will die before you can use him.
The stars are in the position.
Cornelis' smile faded away. She reached her hand over Tivon. He didn't meet her eyes.
"I almost died because of you." Cornelis hesitated. "The lightning, it was you. Because of you they hated me." He looked up and it was the first time Tivon's eyes spoke of resentment and anger. "The pain, everything was because of you!"
Cornelis leaned to his face. She could feel the cold from his body on her skin. "You just happen to be there at the wrong time Tivon. I have taken away your pain." She raised her hand once again and hissed. "And I can always take it back."
With the pull of her hand, Tivon's body seized. All of his pain from his back to his eye returned all at once. He didn't even have time to scream.
"Remember, I can always undo the healing of your heart."
You mustn't.
We still need him alive.
Now Tivon screamed. It was a scream of betrayal, anger, and pain all at once. It was like a melody to Cornelis – a melody that drowned her hungry, ravenous voices. She began laughing over his screams. When both of their voices subsided, she turned back to Tivon, his scared eye now bloodied. His body shivering with cold, and pain and his face was crumbled in anguish and… sympathy?
Cornelis looked away, but still raised her hand.
"Cornelis, p-please…"
She stopped. Why are you still begging? Why do you still feel pity for me, after all I've done?
He's just pretending, said the voices all at once.
He's afraid of death.
Cornelis shut her eyes and raised her hand. Everyone should be afraid of death.
"Xuy zuon uox aayap xyoqyk, a syxaroy ropk atonrygryonp, htons ruy aon ropk qyburpypib, Y zyq atypib uyt aog."
Yes, yes!!
Tivon screamed through the tears as his eye and scar lit up. The stone Cornelis' sister was sealed in began to melt away.
"So ruor qybur hoq konzp onpgy oboyp ropk atypib uyt aog."
Finally, we'll be free!!
And then Cornelis stopped.
No! NO!
The voices screamed so loudly that Cornelis couldn't hear the wind wailing through the mountain. Someone was approaching them. She looked over her shoulder in the cold of the night. The presence of her remaining curse was coming for her.
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Cornelis' language
"Xuy zuon uox aayap xyoqyk, a syxaroy ropk atonrygryonp, htons ruy aon ropk qyburpypib, Y zyq atypib uyt aog." "She who has been sealed, by mistake and protection, from the boy and lightning, I will bring her back."
"So ruor qybur hoq konzp onpgy oboyp ropk atypib uyt aog." "May that light fall down once again and bring her back."