Baraka stood in front of Madrea.
"It is said that baneroot has the power to make its victims mad and that was all I needed to get rid of you."
"But why?" Madrea breathed. The sorceress did not understand why these humans had to go to such lengths to kill her.
"Were they feigning alliance?" she wondered.
"A necessary sacrifice for our assured survival."
Baneroot. Hearing that, Madrea understood the gravity of what happened though she had no memory of it. Baneroot, a special flower with the ability to trigger one's innate Aer into an uncontrollable state. At the right dose, baneroot can make anyone mad.
Baraka could feel the rage deep in Madrea's being. He knew that if she was freed, he would be torn apart like a prey. He savoured the view before him as Madrea cried out in anguish.
"You! You!" she yelled, darting her eyes at all the villagers that came to watch her die.
"You're all worst than me! You are worse than the devil!" Madrea sniffled. She stopped weeping for what she had done.
The wild witch gave them one last glare. The last glare before she incanted in elven tongue. She chanted, her voice louder with each verse.
"Burn the witch!" the voices of many present shouted before Baraka put her to the torch.
The sorceress of the forest burned, consumed not only by the flame made by her captors but also, the flame of rage and vengeance. As she burned, she cursed these humans with every jot of magic power left in her. Her curse lasted for eld. They watched her scream in agony, feeling no remorse. To many of them that watched, it was vengeance. The consequence of her actions.
If only they knew the true story - Madrea was betrayed.
-
"Your forebears betrayed her. Her curse was the consequence of their own act. For you to find rest, Madrea must find rest," Nyne narrated.
Gaia walked up to Nyne, "And how do we do that, child?" she asked.
The young man stood up and continued, "A sincere apology was all she yearned for but she was served death by fire."
Nyne led them through Gaia and Lanead to the forest. Before the forest, Nyne knelt and bowed his head that he kissed the earth upon which he stood. Gaia and Trys did the same and soon, the rest of the accursed villagers did also. Nyne pleaded on their behalf and for a long time, there was no answer from the forest. Tears were in the eyes of the villagers. Though they could not communicate with the young sorcerer, they heard him.
The leaves of the trees began to flutter. A strong wind blew against them. Nyne felt it but remained still.
"Remain as you are!" he shouted, the violent wind carrying his words.
Giant steps were heard approaching from afar, getting louder the closer it was to them. It was another tree creature different from the one he fought.
"Madrea!" Nyne shouted as he slowly got on his feet. The tree monster looked down at this human.
"Look into their eyes. Their souls. You'll see the sincerity in their hearts."
"What sincerity, accursed child!" the tree monster bawled, her voice thundering through the surrounding.
"All they offered me was betrayal!"
"You can't judge them for that..." Nyne argued. The tree creature growled and moved to strike down with branch from its main body.
"...because you killed their own first."
Nyne's statement forced the tree creature to stop. "To them, you drew the first blood."
Nyne moved closer to the creature, lifting his head to meet its gaze.
The memory flashed back to Madrea in her monster form. Truly, she killed their own first even if she was not in control of whatever she did.
"Yes, they betrayed you. But to them, you stabbed them in the back first. To them, you were the first to break the trust. Many of them did not know what truly happened."
Nyne continued to disarm Madrea with the truth that was sharper and pierced her deeper than Dainsleif. As Nyne spoke, a crack appeared on the face of the tree creature. A little crack that birthed many. It crumbled, dismantling into many broken branches.
The spirit of the sorceress was engulfed by a blinding light.
"S-Sister?" Madrea called. A female, in glowing white and golden garment appeared before Madrea. Many elves stood behind her. She stretched her hand out to Madrea, beckoning her to come.
"We've missed you, Madrea."
The tree monster crumbled completely and the true spirit of Madrea manifested in glowing white light. She was white, bright and beautiful. They could not hold their gaze on her because she shone so bright that it blinded. Madrea slowly disappeared as she muttered words in her racial tongue.
A pillar of light enshrouded every person except Nyne. Nyne stepped back and kept a distance.
"Thank you," a boy said, grabbing Nyne's hand as he dispersed into light. It was the elder Okubo's son.
The souls of the forebears were lifted in the light. Their time in the land of living was long past. Only Madrea's curse trapped them in this world to dwell among their scions. The souls of those from time past vanished with the light, leaving the ones born in the present behind as the pillars of light ceased.
The villagers started to return home, each person grabbing Nyne's hand and bowing. A sign of gratitude for what he did for them. Perhaps, a feast may even be thrown in his honour. It remained Nyne and the Laneads at the forest.
Gaia looked at her skin and screamed, "Look! I'm young again!" Her skin was soft and tender again. There was not even a wrinkle left on her body.
"Me too!" Trys shouted, rushing to hug his wife. Trys clenched his fist, "We're back!"
"Was he always this agile?" Nyne whispered to Gaia. A question to which she nodded.
Trys was all over the place in joy. Nothing could beat the joy of youthfulness.
"What's your plan now?" Gaia asked.
"To return to the Labronkath."
"You're a sorcerer of the Labronkath?" Trys asked, joining their little chat.
Nyne nodded. "Yes!"
"That's a prestigious guild. You're a lucky chap. Words have it that it's one of the toughest of guilds to get into."
"I guess," Nyne answered, avoiding Trys' eyes and scratching the back of his head. "What about you two?"
Gaia flushed when Trys started to speak, "We'd buy a small land back home, raise a family there and maybe, leave the sorcerer duty for good."
-
In that moment...
A murder of crows cawed and flew above and past them in the sky. A voice giggled behind Trys and blood splurted into thin air after that devilish laughter.
Nyne and Gaia jumped away. "Trys!" Gaia called, reaching out to her husband from Nyne's shoulder.
It was late. Trys spewed blood and his chin down to his chest were drenched in his blood, and on his torso was a blade that impaled him from behind.