Guilt!
That was the only feeling that consumed Sylvia's heart. She didn't know for how long she hid under a bridge, crying her heart out. But what felt like an eternity later, her tears dried up.
She was exhausted after running for hours. She found a safe place under this bridge which was barely in use. She spent a whole day and night hiding there, afraid that if she stepped out, the residents of Greenfield may find her and punish her for killing Regnar.
But she didn't want to kill him. Never!
He was her lifesaver, and yet she ended up taking his life. What a ruthless way of showing gratitude!
But the manuscript she had stolen from Regnar made it all worth it. Sylvia could never get rid of her guilt. She had become a murderer.
Yet, she couldn't deny the fact that a small part of her was extremely happy and excited after finding what every person living in Malvadogar was trying to search for.
She had it luck by chance as if fate wanted her to stumble at Regnar and get that manuscript.
'Path to please the God of Darkness'
Its title read. Every time Sylvia read that title, she felt the jitteriness in her heart. Something got excited deep inside her.
Was it the darkness she had within her? Was it the reason people liked to call them dark witches and dark wizards? Was she born with that darkness within her, or she nurtured it over the years?
She used to deal with these questions before but not anymore. Because she had no answers to those questions, and those answers didn't really matter anymore.
She was always aware of her hunger for power. She wanted to be the most powerful witch of Larnwick. The elders in her family had already picked on her desires when she was young.
They thought they were protecting her from succumbing to her dark desires by disciplining her more than anyone else. Little did they know, it was a great mistake on their part.
The more they tried to shield her from the darkness, the more it lured her. Sylvia began learning and practising dark magic- something forbidden and frowned upon in Larnwick- from a very young age.
She was angry with her family for treating her unfairly. They were teaching her younger sister, Selene Ibsen, everything that they should have taught her. But in their eyes, Selene was the angel, and Sylvia was a fallen angel.
Yet she didn't give up on her desire for more power and kept practising the dark magic without her family's knowledge. Years passed, and one day her secret came out.
She was presented in front of the Magic Council for a punishment. She had brought disgrace to her family name as no one from her family had ever been presented in front of the Magic Council for a punishment like that.
The day before she was going to be punished, Sylvia escaped Larnwick and found refuge at Malvadogar, where every witch and wizard who escaped from Larnwick got protection and freedom under Reznor's care.
No matter what happened, Sylvia had firmly believed in her goal, and now, she had achieved what even Reznor couldn't!
"Now I have to find a place to settle down. I am tired of running." She whispered, hugging her knees.
She closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing. There was so much going on in her mind, and she didn't know how to deal with it.
She wished her friend Oscar was with her. Whenever she felt stuck, she would run to him. He was not only wise and understanding but he also knew from where she came from and what she suffered.
She was lost in her thoughts when she heard the breaking of a twig. She was instantly alert. Her eyes snapped open, and she glanced around.
It was the early hour of dawn. Who could be there at such an odd hour? Was it any animal or something?
Sylvia's hand reached for her wand. Though she knew she couldn't use her magic in the open like that, not especially after what she did with Regnar, having her wand in her hand gave her a sense of protectiveness.
Sylvia was on her feet, hiding behind one of the pillars that held the weight of the bridge. She saw a group of men approaching the bridge with bags in their hands.
The strong smell of tobacco and alcohol burned the hair in her nose. Sylvia clamped her mouth shut when she felt like gagging.
She watched the men getting comfortable while they slurred something incoherently.
She sighed, knowing she had to leave her temporary shelter. They were there to spend their time before passing out then and there.
She didn't want to attract their attention. So she decided to leave. She couldn't waste her time sitting there anyways.
Sylvia began walking toward the nearest village to find a place to live. But there was another thought running through her head.
She knew for sure that there was a magical portal in that village. She didn't know where it would take her as Magic Council kept changing the locations of these portals periodically. It was a safety measure against any intrusion in Larnwick or anyone exploiting these portals which were created only for the convenience of the people of Larnwick and their allies.
The magical portal could take her to an entirely different place within seconds, no matter how far that place was.
But using a portal would only mean giving her location to Mr Devera by herself. He would immediately find her then.
It was a suicide move which Sylvia was not ready to make. She hadn't suffered through everything only to give away her location and invite her death.
Yet the idea felt tempting. Sylvia couldn't bring herself to decide. Her feet took her to that village. She reached there in the early morning. The first thing she did was to go to the local market.
She was hungry. The shock of killing Regnar kept her distracted from her body needs for two days. But now she couldn't hold up more.
She checked the money she had with her- the money Roma had given her. Her heart sank, looking at the few pennies she was left with.
How was she going to survive with that little money? She had to find a good place to live and also a job which would earn her little money to live her life.
But for now, she decided to have something to eat.
The shops were still opening slowly as she was too early in the market. Sylvia roamed around before lingering near a snack shop. The moment she saw the owner getting ready to welcome the customers, she rushed there and ordered a cup of coffee with a bun.
She couldn't spend lavishly with whatever little money she had. She had to be careful with her spending.
Sylvia's eyes lit up when her food arrived. She thanked the owner and found a quiet place to sit and enjoy her meal. She didn't know when she would get her next meal, so she decided to devour this one.
She took the first sip of the hot bitter liquid. It burned her throat as she gulped it down, feeling relieved. It felt like a blessing on a cold morning.
Sylvia prepared herself to take the first bite of her bread when her eyes fell on a little girl standing not far from her. Sylvia's hands paused midair as she observed the little girl.
She had a dirty and torn dress on her body and hair matted with dust. She stood there sucking on her thumb, but the look in her innocent eyes told Sylvia how hungry she was. The girl had her eyes on the bread in Sylvia's hand.
Sylvia thought of ignoring her and continuing with her meal, but her hand didn't move. She couldn't bring herself to do that, not after spending days and nights on an empty stomach.
She had experienced that feeling, and it wasn't a pleasant experience at all. Sighing, Sylvia beckoned the girl to come closer. The girl was hesitant at first, but when Sylvia offered her a friendly smile, the girl slowly made her way to Sylvia.
"Who are you?" Sylvia asked in a gentle tone.
The girl remained silent for a moment before answering. "I live there." She pointed to her left.
Sylvia followed the direction but found no house or hut. Instead, she saw a couple of clothes sprawled under a tree and a frail-looking woman sleeping, curling her body in a ball.
It was clear that the girl was a beggar. Sylvia felt pity for the little girl.
"Are you... hungry?"
The girl nodded her head, eyeing the bread again. Sylvia decided to share half of it with the girl.
"My mother is hungry too. She has a fever."
Sylvia bit her lower lip, feeling conflicted. Her mind told her that it wasn't her problem. But her heart didn't listen to it.
In the end, she ended up giving the whole bread to the little girl. She wished she could do more for her and her mother, but Sylvia herself needed help. She wasn't in a position to do more than give her food to the girl.
The smile that lit up the little one's face made Sylvia proud of her decision.
"Thank you!" The girl said before she ran to her mother.
Sylvia's smile faltered as reality hit her again. She now only had a cup of coffee to survive on.
"So be it."
She muttered before taking her coffee, but then she heard someone speaking from her left.
"You are a kind person!"
Her head snapped up, and her eyes widened.