The army marched on through the night as if possessed, and when the lights
of a village came into view, the procession halted. The settlement sat in
southwestern Tuldarr, close to the Magdalsian border. The general in
command of the vanguard battalion hissed to his troops. "Kill the villagers.
Watch out for any mages mixed in. Don't let a single person escape. Stack
up the food in the center of town."
The soldiers nodded. Despite the vast power difference, none showed
any fear over challenging a Great Nation. They were like expressionless
dolls.
"Let's go," the general ordered, and the soldiers kicked their horses into
a gallop.
A woman floating in the sky observed all this with delight. She had
curly light-brown hair and amber eyes. Her brilliant beauty contrasted with
the cruel smile on her lips. While she called herself Lucia, the soul
controlling her body was not hers.
Unable to suppress his glee, the king whispered in her voice, "So this is
how Tuldarr falls…"
Magdalsia's glorious and prosperous neighbor had flourished for many
years with its power and expertise, inciting jealousy all the while. The king
envied how Tuldarr could thrive so much compared to his own land, where
nothing ever changed. So when power fell in his lap, his first desire was to
stomp out that irksome thorn to the north. He had whipped all of this
together in a short time, because Tuldarr would notice if he delayed. Having
the country's ruler operate under the delusion that the king of Magdalsia
was comatose and that a mystery woman had usurped the nation was best.
There was no time like the present. Starting today, he would remake the
history of the entire mainland.
As the king surveyed the terrain below through Lucia's eyes, he realized
that he hadn't heard any screams or weapons clashing.
Immediately after, a mage in the ground battalion contacted him
telepathically.
"The village is empty! No one is here!"
"What…?"
Lucia's beautiful face twisted into a scowl. Then a white light flooded
the entire village; the king lifted his arms to cover his face. The light
persisted for half a minute, turning the landscape as bright as day. But when
it vanished, the king found that his connection to the mage on the ground
had been cut and that the troops there had vanished as well.
"How many did we catch?" asked Tinasha. The queen was in her command
center.
"A little over a thousand with all three villages combined," reported
Renart, and Tinasha nodded.
When she learned that Magdalsia's army was on the march, the first
thing she did was lay a trap close to the border. Once her sensors notified
her that the Magdalsian troops had crossed the border, she evacuated the
villagers and set up a spell in their place that would trigger once the enemy
troops broke in. The spell was one of Tinasha's devising and had two
primary effects—it would put all living beings in the vicinity to sleep, and
then it would forcibly teleport them away after a few seconds. The
Magdalsian soldiers had attempted to slaughter defenseless villagers, only
to fall into Tuldarr's ploy.
"What should we do with the soldiers we teleported?" inquired Renart.
"At the moment, they are being held within a barrier."
"Their mind control should wear off by the time they wake up. If they
fight back, kill them. I'm hoping to defeat the witch before that happens,
though." Tinasha leaned back in her chair as she observed the map hung in
her war tent.
Most of the soldiers in this war were victims, except the instigator of all
of it, the witch. Tinasha preferred to release the troops unharmed, but she
would kill them if necessary.
Her top priority was the people of Tuldarr, and she couldn't afford to
forget it.
The queen, clad in black mage's garb as her battle attire, issued her
orders with a dispassionate face.
Tuldarr's last war was the great one fought against Tayiri four centuries
ago. Magdalsia had no more experience in battle than Tuldarr. Farsas and
other countries situated in the center of the mainland were constantly
fighting off enemies, so their forces were battle-hardened and well-trained,
but Tuldarr and Magdalsia had enjoyed peace since the end of the Dark
Age.
And while that had made them very fortunate and blessed indeed, it also
meant they were unreliable in a crisis.
However, Tuldarr had Tinasha.
Even a witch would come to learn what it was like to square off against
a country focused on magic. This was what Tinasha had been preparing for
this whole time.
Initially, she had intended to go alone and wipe out the witch. But when
she thought about the future of her country, she decided to take a different
approach.
Oscar's objections hadn't swayed Tinasha's decision. This was her best
chance while she was still queen to let the world know what it meant to war
with Tuldarr. She would etch Tuldarr's singular power onto the pages of
history so that none would think of challenging it for at least another few
hundred years. She also wanted the soldiers and mages of Tuldarr that she
would be leaving behind to gain combat experience.
Tinasha chose to sacrifice a minor nation manipulated by a witch for the
benefit of her homeland.
"Now that they'll think twice before setting foot in another village, I
suppose it's time for the next stage of the plan. Please make ready," Tinasha
ordered, getting to her feet. Her advisers stared at her with fear and awe as
she strode out of the tent with a sheathed sword.
Once she was outside, she drew the thin rapier. The enchanted blade
glimmered a faint purple. It had originally belonged to the Farsas treasure
vault, but Oscar told her no one was using it and gave it to her. She would
wield it as a weapon that could function both as a blade and as a spell
catalyst.
With her naked blade in one hand, Tinasha surveyed her troops. They
had made camp on a grassy plain sloping gently south at the exact halfway
point between Tuldarr's capital and the southwestern border.
As commanded by Tinasha, the Tuldarr army in its arc formation
numbered close to forty thousand in order to match Magdalsia's thirty
thousand.
It would've been dangerous to have fewer troops than the enemy, while
too many would lead to others writing the victory off as one achieved by
numbers alone. Therefore, this was the safest course. This force was still
sizable enough to engage without needing to resort to deceptive tactics
anyhow.
"All that's left is to see how she teleports in."
There were three main types of magical teleportation: individual
teleportation, teleportation portals, and transportation arrays.
When a mage wished to warp away, they would use individual
teleportation magic to disappear and then reappear at a destination.
Teleporting other people required opening a portal. The spell to create a
portal was a grade of difficulty higher than that for individual teleportation,
but it could be used in many ways. However, the farther the distance to the
destination, the more magic and spell configuration power it took, and
multiple coordinates for the target location were required to make a larger
portal.
The final type was a transportation array, a spell seared into the ground
as a permanent installation. It allowed non-mages to warp away at any time
without the mage who wove the magic. However, such arrays needed
regular maintenance and had to be continuously charged with magical
power. This meant that locations connected by the spell had to authorize its
installation or it would be almost impossible to set up.
In wartime, transportation arrays were employed regularly, as they
allowed armies to warp from a fortress or castle to the national border and
deploy for battle without consuming a mage's power.
However, once out on the battlefield, there were no transportation
arrays. Mages who possessed other countries' large-scale teleportation
coordinates were scarce, and such information was necessary to make an
array. Similarly, almost no one had the required magic to open a massive
portal, making it impractical on all fronts.
After considering all this, Tinasha decided that a witch would probably
deploy her army using teleportation. The longer the march, the greater the
physical toll. It also increased the risk of being waylaid en route.
Teleporting solved those issues and allowed the enemy to sneak into
Tuldarr. Tinasha had set her trap assuming the witch would think the same
way.
Tinasha expanded the defensive wards of cities that were both close to
the capital and near locations that could accommodate an army of thirty
thousand. She did this with every settlement except for two. Then she laid
out a network of lightly cloaked patrol spells and sprinkled tiny pebbles all
around that would deter any mage from wanting to teleport into the terrain.
This ensured that there were only two places an army could appear—the
plains to the east or the ruins of the old castle city to the south.
Tinasha believed that there was a 60 percent chance that Magdalsia's
army would teleport in via a portal and an 80 percent chance that said portal
would lead to one of those two places.
"If they march in normally, we can use that time to change our
formation. But if they teleport—"
Before Tinasha could finish her sentence, the air in the middle of the
grassy plains warped.
The source of the disturbance was just beyond where her army was
stationed. A buzz and a frisson of tension ran through the troops.
Sweeping her sword to one side, Tinasha teleported to the center of the
vanguard.
Cast in the moonlight, the queen floated up into the air and drew all eyes
to her.
Before the distorting space, Tinasha turned back to face her forces.
"Soldiers of Tuldarr, do not be afraid. I promise you victory. No matter
who our enemy is, we will not allow them to invade our lands. Now show
me your strength!"
Her orders were as clear as crystal, seeping into every fighter present.
An exuberant roar erupted from the Tuldarr army. Here and there, soldiers
offered morale-boosting cheers and praise for the queen.
Tinasha gave a little smile and turned to face the warping in the air. It
spread rapidly, tearing a hole in the atmosphere with a high-pitched ringing.
After a moment, a large force appeared on the grassy field.
With the Tuldarr army deployed in a crescent shape, the Magdalsian
troops were surrounded on three sides. The invaders surveyed the situation
and then froze. Undoubtedly, they had expected to appear from the witch's
portal on the eastern plains. However, it was there that another portal had
brought them here.
Immediately, Magdalsia's soldiers found themselves fenced in.
Moreover, the grassland was a gentle slope, and the Tuldarr side was
positioned on the higher ground. Clearly, Magdalsia's forces had warped
into a trap. An ordinary army might have fallen into a panic.
The Magdalsian troops were still partially under the witch's control, so
the soldiers overcame their moment of stupefaction quickly and drew their
swords.
Innumerable white blades caught the moonlight and sparkled like an
ocean.
Tinasha frowned. "So they really are just puppets under her control. I
had heard she specialized in psychological magic, but controlling an entire
army is certainly no easy feat."
"What do we do, Your Majesty?"
"We follow the plan," Tinasha replied coolly.
The enemy soldiers attempted to gallop up the grassy field on
horseback. Eyeing them placidly, the queen lifted her sword. On that cue,
all the Tuldarr mages fed magic into a spell.
A net of lightning flashed across the meadow, scattering sparks into the
night.
Screams mingled with electrical crackles as soldiers and horses toppled
onto the ground in succession. The queen beheld the display with a blank
expression.
The spell was a large-scale one designed to knock out the troops who
had fallen into the trap. Tinasha had chosen this method partly because
killing mind-controlled warriors would affect her army's morale, and also
because it was safer to take on stunned opponents. Battles between mages
largely entailed setting lots of ploys in advance. If a mage had to have a
battle, it was preferable that it proceeded according to a plan. The war with
Tayiri four hundred years ago had been much the same—except for the part
where a witch showed up.
Rendered immobile, the capable number of Magdalsian troops dwindled
swiftly. Relief spread throughout the Tuldarr army as its soldiers watched it
happen.
And that was when a powerful rush of magic burst open overhead.
"Wha—?!"
Mages who had been concentrating on the large-scale spell yelped and
stood aghast, doubting their eyes.
"What in the world is that?!" someone exclaimed.
Out of the darkness emerged a gigantic red hand, large enough to grab
hold of a castle spire. It slammed down toward the Tuldarr troops as if
crushing a bug.
Soldiers screamed as the front lines fell apart.
The army was ready to flee the terrifying scene when their queen strode
forward and called out in a ringing, far-reaching voice, "It's an illusion. Do
not falter."
To verify her claim, Tinasha swung her sword, and the red hand
vanished without a trace. The night returned to normal.
However, the huge mass of magic in the air only emanated more
bloodlust.
Tinasha turned her head to look behind her. "All right, it looks like the
star of our show has finally arrived. Renart, please handle the rest."
"I wish you the utmost luck in battle, Your Majesty," Renart replied,
bowing deeply.
Scornful laughter rained down from the sky. "Will you ever tire of these
petty tricks? Do you really think a so-called Queen of Tuldarr can win
against a witch?"
"Of course I do. I'll make sure history remembers this," Tinasha replied,
launching up into the inky sky. Another woman floated there in waiting,
barely visible against the ebon darkness.
Moonlight glinted off the woman's light-brown hair, turning it silver.
She wore a belligerent smile. "If you'd only sit there and look pretty, you'd
make a lovely doll. I'll train that insolence out of you, make you my slave,
and keep you as a beloved pet."
"Which of us needs training, I wonder? If you want me, pay with your
life," Tinasha shot back. She wasted no time casting a spell with her left
hand. Once launched overhead, the straightforward yet powerful magic
manifested.
A fierce wave of power shook the atmosphere, so strong that Tris ducked.
While she was still young enough that other mages objected to her taking
part in the battle, she refused to back down. Ultimately, she had been
permitted to fight under the condition that she keep away from the front
lines.
The Tuldarr army's vanguard was beating a swift retreat. The majority of
the Magdalsian soldiers had been neutralized already. Tinasha's plan called
for everyone to fall back once the witch showed herself.
Tris stood at the very rear of Tuldarr's forces, closest to the castle city.
Wind whipped past, howling in her ears, and she peered into the sky. The
unmistakable hum of beating wings was growing louder. When she scanned
for the source, she spied a great black shadow approaching.
"What is that…?" Hastily, Tris began drawing a spell, but the spirit next
to her stopped her.
"Wait. That's Nark."
"What? Do you know that thing?" Tris asked, frowning at the unfamiliar
name. Still, she dismissed her magic, allowing the dragon to glide in close
and land in front of her. A man jumped off its gigantic back.
Pamyra came running from her position in the army, drawn by this latest
arrival. When the man caught sight of her, he asked, "Is Tinasha here?"
"Yes, but she's battling the witch…"
"Battling already, huh? Where?"
"In the sky above the front line."
"Why do they always love to go flying? I guess I can't talk to her, then,"
said Oscar.
"You can," corrected Eir, who was nearby.
Oscar threw him a look of surprise. "I see. Using a spirit…? I'd
appreciate that, but it might distract her from the fight."
"It's probably fine. She issued orders to the army while fighting a witch
four hundred years ago," Eir informed him.
After a sigh, Oscar responded, "She really doesn't know how to be
ordinary, does she? All right then, let me talk to her." Eir nodded and
opened up a spell around Oscar. The girl next to him was so nervous that
her knees were knocking together.
Overhead, a ray of red light shot through the heavens.
What made witches so terrifying wasn't their great power—it was the spells
and experience they had honed over their long lives. At least that was how
Tinasha saw it. The most frightening thing of all was the unknown.
However, the woman before her was different. She poured tremendous
magic into the simplest constructs.
Of course, the illusions and psychological contamination magic she
employed between regular attack spells were very high level, but they were
nothing that Tinasha couldn't fend off, prepared as she was to take on a
witch.
If this is all she's got, I can kill her.
This one was nowhere near the caliber of either the Witch Who Cannot
Be Summoned, Leonora, or the Witch of Silence, Lavinia.
Dodging a torrent of light that came racing her way, Tinasha taunted, "Is
that all you've got? Once you're out of steam, I'll kill you."
"Damn you," snarled the witch, an ugly look twisting her fine features.
Tinasha was very well acquainted with that look—the hatred and
loathing in a would-be assassin's eyes upon realizing they couldn't defeat
the queen. She had walked a long road paved with the blood of such people.
She felt no anguish about it, then or now. The weak perished on the
battlefield. That was how it was.
However, Tinasha did have something she wanted to know. Fixing her
dark eyes right on the other woman, she asked, "Do you know where Senn
went?"
She recalled what he'd said to her when she was a young girl.
"If you ever get tired of it all, you should go visit her. She's a
troublemaker, but…I know she'd make a good friend for you."
Senn's lover, the one he said was free-spirited, capricious, and
affectionate.
It was hard to link that description with the person Tinasha was battling.
However, this woman had come to see Senn every time he manifested,
which meant she had to be a long-lived witch.
And that suggested she could be responsible for Senn's disappearance.
Tinasha kept herself alert as she awaited a reply, on guard all the while.
Yet the woman only gave her a suspicious frown. "Senn? What's that?"
"My spirit. You are the Witch of the Forbidden Forest, aren't you?"
That question prompted an unnatural pause. Before Tinasha could repeat
her inquiry, Lucia's red lips curled. "Yes. I'm a witch."
She didn't offer her true name or her witch title. Lavinia had been that
way as well.
Tinasha pressed on. "Senn knew you, so you captured him to prevent
him from telling me who you really are, didn't you? What have you done
with Senn?"
The woman gave an overly affected shrug. "Who knows?" Her
disdainful response caused Tinasha to pause.
It was obvious that Lucia didn't intend to give an honest reply, and
hounding her anyway would only put Tinasha at a disadvantage. She was in
the middle of a battle, and her opponent commanded an enemy army. It was
better to prioritize her country, not her personal feelings.
Thus Tinasha declared, "Then I need nothing more from you. You will
die here."
In all honesty, it would have been infinitely better had things never
reached this point. Senn was like family to Tinasha, and the witch was
undoubtedly an important person in his life, just like how the younger
Tinasha had valued the Oscar who rescued her.
It broke Tinasha's heart to eliminate someone like that while Senn was
unaware. Perhaps if she and Lucrezia had met centuries ago, things
wouldn't have turned out like this.
There was little point in waxing sentimental about preferring not to kill
the witch, however.
Tinasha sucked in a sharp breath. Her vision grew crisp and clear.
The other woman attempted to cast a spell in the dark sky, but it was
only a simple attack spell. She would be crushed by a greater power, and
this would be the end.
"Wane, o ring. Let your circulation break off, and your fingertips
corrode away. Your remaining thoughts shall be eternal and bring you
awareness from beyond."
Suppressing her emotions, the queen cast a spell with her right hand,
intoning the words with a dispassionate tone.
"Tinasha."
"Eek!" she yelped, her half-formed magic dispersing. "Wh-what do you
want, Oscar?!"
Why had he interrupted her out of the blue, and why did she hear his
voice when he wasn't here?
Fortunately, Tinasha snapped out of her shock quickly and scrambled to
dispatch the spheres of light flying her way.
Infusing her voice with magic, Tinasha went on, "Why are you…? Why
are you using Eir to speak to me? Why are you here?"
"Just listen to me. That witch isn't who you think. It's the king of
Magdalsia."
"What?"
"The real witch's soul is locked inside the Mirror of Oblivion, and so is
that mystical spirit of yours. You need to go to Magdalsia, find the mirror,
and destroy it. That will return the witch to normal."
"What…? Where is all this coming from?" Tinasha responded. This was
so abrupt that she found it hard to believe. However, Oscar had proved
before that he bore a keen intuition for falsehoods. He would never offer
unverified information at such a critical juncture.
Once more, Tinasha sized up the enemy floating across from her in the
sky.
Why were the spells the witch used so simple? Why had she appeared
after the king fell into a coma? Why was her note written in the king's
handwriting? Why was she so desperate to seize authority over the country?
It all made sense if the king of Magdalsia was in control of the witch's
body.
Instead of the spell she'd been preparing when Oscar contacted her,
Tinasha cast a simple one with no incantation. As she released it as a feint,
she asked coldly, "Who told you all of this?"
"Valt."
"Whaaaaaaat?!"
"I know what you're thinking. Just go to Magdalsia and find that mirror.
If the spirit really is inside it, you can hear everything from him and decide
whether or not to break the mirror then. If it doesn't look like you can find
it, just teleport out of there immediately."
"...…"
Find Senn and learn the truth—she did want to do that if possible.
Unfortunately, the situation didn't allow for it.
"I'm in the middle of a battle… I can't just leave," Tinasha pointed out.
"I'll take over."
"Excuse me? This is Tuldarr's war. You can't just join in; this has
nothing to do with you! It's out of the question. I appreciate the
information, but you need to return to Farsas."
"No."
"I'm going to get very mad, you know," Tinasha warned. If Oscar was
speaking through Eir, that meant he was here on the battlefield. Had he even
considered his position before rushing in? Oscar could be as stubborn as he
liked in their private lives as Tinasha's husband, but being a king meant
drawing some firm lines. Quelling her desire to yell at him, Tinasha
snapped, "I am not your wife. I am the Queen of Tuldarr, and I won't permit
you to interfere."
"The battle is mostly won already, isn't it? All that's left is fighting the
witch and cleaning everything up. I'm only proposing that I help bring
things to an end in a way you'll agree with."
"I can't twist the situation and prioritize what I 'agree with.'"
That would be tantamount to letting her personal desire to find Senn and
learn the truth take over. Tinasha would only indulge in that after settling
things here. As the ruler of Tuldarr, she controlled this conflict and refused
to relinquish that.
No one could replace Tinasha. Four centuries ago, she had operated
alone. While her spirits were like family, they did not offer opinions to their
queen and master. They were demons in human territory, after all. Likewise,
Tinasha's mortal supporters obeyed their queen's orders to the letter.
Tuldarr leaned on its ruler as a pillar, and Tinasha had lived nineteen years
in that system, never straying from it.
"A ruler is the cog in the machine that keeps the country running
smoothly. That machine must not be weakened by any personal feelings."
Oscar had once called Tinasha spoiled for not understanding how to rely
on other people, and that may have been true. Yes, she trusted him. She
knew that he would always be there to help if he was able.
However, Tinasha rejected that assistance. This was her duty, and she
couldn't share it with anyone else. She was the only one left who knew just
how stifling the Dark Age had been.
While shooting down the witch's attacks, Tinasha closed her eyes. The
young queen in her memory was telling her to refuse.
Doubt led to weakness. There could be no faltering here. Tinasha had to
harden herself and be ruthless.
"Even what's most important—can be forgotten."
Tinasha crossed her arms, and red blades shot out from them, arcing
through the air toward the witch. Lucia released luminous bolts to intercept
them, but the red blades wove around the counterattack deftly and closed in.
"You little brat!" the witch spat, and she teleported away. She wasn't
swift enough to escape completely, though. One of Tinasha's blades cut
deep into her arm, reaching down to the bone. The sight of the deep gash
caused Tinasha's face to scrunch up.
If the soul inside her isn't really the witch…
Who was trying to kill her now? Who was the enemy and who wasn't?
Doubts snuck in, but Tinasha exhaled them, turning her mind away from
those ideas.
"I understand what you're saying. But we're in a different time period
now. You don't have to bear every burden all alone. Better to lean on me
than regret it later."
She had to shut down her mind.
"And I'll share those burdens with you for the rest of our lives."
Tinasha bit her lip.
She had never spurned solitude. It was her cradle, there with her from
her earliest memories—a membrane that covered her always. It was natural
to her, and she felt nothing about it.
But the only time she had cried from loneliness and let out all the
feelings she couldn't hold in any longer, there had been a man who
promised her it would all get better.
And so, she had traveled four centuries to reach him.
So why did she want to cry again now?
"The mirror is an outsiders' artifact. You are the only one who can break
it. You have to go."
Tinasha didn't answer, instead casting spell after spell dispiritedly.
"Trust me. I'll figure this out for you."
Four hundred years ago wasn't such a long time for Tinasha. She had
been asleep for it all, so it felt no longer than a year.
Every day since waking had been fun. She wasn't alone, and she got to
be happy. He really had kept his promise.
"But I…"
Tinasha's eyes grew hot, and she closed them. No matter how happy her
days were, she was the one outlier from another era who didn't belong.
She couldn't forget that, nor could she change it. When called, she had
to rise from her warm place and do what was necessary. She had to choose
a lifestyle befitting her position.
It should have been simple. It was all she knew.
Tears spilled from between Tinasha's long black eyelashes. She didn't
know why she was crying, but it seemed to her that everything she'd carried
with her this whole time was melting away bit by bit and turning into sobs.
Tinasha sucked in a hot breath. "No matter how crude her spells are,
normal people have no way of resisting psychological magic."
"I'm only going to be buying time, so I'll manage somehow. I just need
you to agree to it."
With a leap, Tinasha soared through the air. Razors came speeding for
her, and she deployed an array of glowing spheres to block each one.
What is the real witch like?
She knew that these objects of the world's fear and abhorrence were, in
fact, just human beings.
Yet could Tinasha allow herself to waver and to rely on him? Would it
not be equivalent to weighing her country and a single man against
everything else? The gamble was far too unbalanced. It was much safer to
kill the witch here and search for the mirror afterward.
Tinasha used her sword to hurl a spell and watched the woman offset it
with one of her own, a look of loathing on her face.
Pale moonlight flooded the grassy plains. With one eye on the beautiful
vista, Tinasha thought about her missing spirit.
Why was he sealed in the mirror with the witch? What did the witch
mean to him?
Tinasha had no answer at present.
Still, anyone could be someone else's salvation, just as one man had
saved her.
As long as they honored that relationship.
"Lean on me. I want to repay you for what you did during the Druza
situation."
His voice sank deep into her. She looked out over the rolling landscape
that stretched far into the distance. Out here, there was no division between
one time period and the next.
"What if…you hold out until I break the mirror and the real witch
returns to her body and tries to kill you? What would you do then?"
"I would kill her with Akashia. That's its purpose."
"..."
Just as Tuldarr was strong enough to handle forbidden curses, the
Akashia swordsman was a match for mages. And witches were no
exception to that. They were Oscar's natural enemies.
Similarly, Tinasha believed him the only one capable of defeating her.
There could be no finer substitute for her.
Tinasha wiped her tears.
He had given her an option she would not have normally had, and with
it, she would make a new decision.
Words infused with power held the night spellbound.
"I command all spirits who hear my voice. I give you two orders. One is
to avoid death. The other is to treat the Akashia swordsman as your
temporary master and aid him. Reply to me that you understand."
After a beat, eleven spirits voiced their acceptance of her orders.
Nodding, Tinasha sheathed her sword and eyed the ground below. The
Tuldarr army had withdrawn, leaving only the spirits and a man gazing up
at her.
He had eyes bluer than the evening sky.
Her one and only.
Oscar's hand was outstretched to Tinasha with that same warmth that
always gave her strength.
The witch hurled a magic attack aimed for Tinasha, who negated it with
a simple wave of her hand. Then she took a breath and teleported away.
When she reappeared, she was standing next to another ruler.
Oscar glanced down at Tinasha and smiled. With his off hand, he wiped
away the tears on her cheeks. "Crybaby."
"Shut up."
"Are you running from me, little girl?" the witch called from above.
Both Tinasha and Oscar looked up at her.
Evidently recognizing the man next to Tinasha, the witch blanched.
"The king of Farsas… The bearer of Akashia! Did you call him here
because you knew you couldn't defeat me?"
"No, but you're close," replied Tinasha.
The witch snorted and descended toward the ground. She eyed Oscar
judgmentally as she reached a level no higher than his head. "Stripling, are
you so besotted with this woman that you're willing to interfere in others'
business? She's too scrawny to whet my appetite, but I'll train her until that
body's got more worth showing."
The lascivious leer on the witch's beautiful features made Oscar and
Tinasha exchange a glance. The latter whispered, "How crass…"
"That's how men's minds work. And he's a pervert," replied the former.
"What are you mumbling about? Would you like to learn just how
powerful a witch is?"
Hubert, king of Magdalsia, lifted the witch's arms high. Acquiring this
body had also given him access to all the ways it could use its power. He
could make whatever he wanted into reality. And once he realized the extent
of his new strength…humans seemed so very weak and insignificant.
Nothing was beyond him. He could mold the world to be as he wished.
People often dubbed the current era the Age of Witches. Were that true, then
why didn't the witches take center stage if they possessed this much power?
They should've done whatever they pleased. If they had the capability, why
not dominate?
"Watch, because I'm going to gobble you up," Hubert declared with a
laugh.
Then the earsplitting din of thousands of wings flapping descended over
the plain. A swarm of insects whirled into a vortex with Oscar and Tinasha
at the eye.
While Oscar boggled at the sight, Tinasha took hold of his left hand.
"Listen to me. Psychological magic takes root by manipulating the senses.
It uses sight, sound, smell, and touch to hijack your sense of reality and
burrow into your psyche."
Her hand was small and warm. Despite the buzzing cacophony, her
voice was clear.
"Don't let your senses drift too far away. They will be your lifeline and
your weapon. Trust your intuition so you can identify the truth. You are
stronger than a witch."
"Got it," Oscar said, and as he did, the raging horde of insects vanished
soundlessly. It had all been a hallucination.
While Oscar blinked in mild surprise, Tinasha gave him a fond smile. "I
won't be liable if you get yourself killed."
"We're not even married yet. I can't die now. I'd have too many
regrets."
"Well, it sounds like you're feeling ready. I'm glad. In that case, get
going. Please help me."
"Of course. Your wish is my command."
Tinasha gave his hand one last squeeze. Then she released him and
leaped into the sky. Swift as a teleport, she shot up to Hubert and passed
right by him. "He'll be your opponent now. I'll see you again later."
"You little…"
Hubert whirled to fling a spell at her, but the queen was already gone.
Hubert faced Oscar, grinding his teeth in frustration over his lovely prey
having escaped. "It's no fun playing with a man. Well, no matter. I'll make
sure to leave your head intact so I can show that woman how insolent you
are."
"Big talk from someone on borrowed power. Your facade has already
cracked wide open."
"...…"
"Good thing you invaded her country. If it were mine, I would have
slaughtered all your toy soldiers without any mercy at all."
Hubert's face twisted; his false witch persona had crumbled. The witch's
creamy pale skin turned an ugly dark red. Her lips, which should've been
curved in an alluring smile, spasmed.
"Insolent little wretch… Let's see if you can still say that when you're
ripped into a thousand pieces."
Beneath the azure moon, a dragon circled the sky. As its huge black
shadow skimmed over the plains below, the two kings faced each other.
Magdalsia was an agricultural nation, and most of its citizens were farmers.
Almost none of the houses had their lights on this late.
The only light came from windows in the castle walls. As Tinasha
surveyed Magdalsia Castle from high in the air, she began a slow descent.
The magical probes she had sent out didn't detect anything. The mirror
was probably cloaked. If it were in the castle, it would be in the treasure
vault or the king's personal chambers. Catching someone and making them
show her the way was likely better than searching blindly.
Tinasha selected a window in the farthest back room she could find and
opened it with magic. The furnishings in the dark chamber were all lavish
but lacked any evidence of use. She exited into a hallway lit by a flickering
candelabra and broke into a run. A guard happened to be patrolling at the
opposite end of the corridor.
Naturally, the watchman was stunned to see Tinasha, but she teleported
to him before he could cry out. His body went rigid as the flat of her sword
pressed against his throat. "Show me to the king's rooms. I've muted your
voice, so you won't be able to call for help. You know what will happen if
you resist, don't you?"
The man could only gasp for air like a fish as this unbelievably beautiful
woman threatened him with truly unsettling words. He was powerless to
reply, only panting and exhaling.
Tinasha gave him a beatific smile. "Now that you understand, run. I'm
in a hurry."
She waved a hand, and a life-size statue in the hallway broke into pieces.
The soldier rushed to nod and repeatedly bow before setting off at a trot
for the king's rooms. Tinasha effortlessly knocked out any guards and
ladies-in-waiting they passed along the way. When they finally reached the
king's chambers, she knocked out that guard as well. Drawing her sword,
she entered the chamber.
At first glance, it was utterly ordinary. The space was more furnished
than Oscar's chambers, but that was due to the difference in personalities,
not wealth. Tinasha swept her gaze around the area before venturing in
deeper.
In the center of the bedroom sat a bed with a silk canopy. She walked
right up to it and tore through the curtains with her sword. On the bed lay
King Hubert's soulless body, sustained by magic. Close inspection revealed
that his chest was rising and falling.
"Ugh. What a conceited old fool," Tinasha muttered. While she felt like
lashing out, she didn't have time for that. She began the search for the
mirror; the only sound in the chamber the incapacitated man's breathing.
The door opened, and Tinasha quickly looked over her shoulder to find
Queen Gemma. Gasping, Tinasha began a spell instinctively but soon
stopped herself. The queen was rooted to the floor, staring at the intruder
with astonishment, and the light of reason in her eyes indicated that she was
herself and not a controlled puppet.
As Gemma stood frozen, Tinasha faced her properly. "Do you know
why I'm here?"
"I-I'm so sorry… The king…won't listen to me…"
"I understand. I'm going to bring him back, but I need you to tell me
where the mirror is. Do you know?"
Judging by the queen's behavior, Hubert had probably informed her of
everything after he'd chased Tinasha out under the guise of Lucia. Gemma
was undoubtedly feeling extremely confused over everything. Her husband
had taken over a witch's body and mobilized the troops to attack the Great
Nation next door. No wonder Queen Gemma looked like an exhausted shell
of herself. Tinasha hadn't known King Hubert prior to all of this, but Legis
had described him as a normal sort of ruler. He would go down in history as
a prime example of how too much power could change someone all too
easily.
Gemma hesitated to answer, but she could likely sense Tinasha's
cutthroat determination. As her eyes quivered with fear, she pointed to the
back of the chamber. "I-in that room…"
There was indeed a small door there, which Tinasha had dismissed as an
entrance to a closet or the like. Nodding to the queen, Tinasha headed for it
and broke the lock with magic. Sending some magic lights into the dark
room, Tinasha stepped in and immediately discovered a stone pedestal
draped with scarlet cashmere.
Atop the stand rested an ancient oval mirror that showed a dull
reflection of the magic lights in the air. Tinasha gazed at it with trepidation.
An outsiders' artifact, a thing that runs counter to all laws.
Knowing what she did now about these items, this looking glass seemed
dreadfully unfathomable and terrifying.
Still, she couldn't falter now. She drew a deep breath.
"Ah…"
Gemma breathed from behind Tinasha, voice trembling. Tinasha was
about to warn the other queen to stand back for fear of danger when a
burning heat seared her left flank. Tinasha was confused for a second before
a sharp pain kicked in.
"Aaaahh!"
Reflexively, she doubled over. Pressing a hand to her side, she
discovered a slender dagger, the sort concealed for self-defense, embedded
deep in her torso. Gemma had stabbed Tinasha from behind, and she stared
at the Queen of Tuldarr with eyes full of terror. Trembling, she managed to
say, "If you release the witch…the king will…"
But that was all she got out before fleeing.
Tinasha couldn't do a thing to stop Gemma. Her body was swiftly
growing cold, and she collapsed to her knees in a puddle of blood.
The Tuldarr mages, stationed some distance away, stared in horror at the
tornado that had abruptly formed on the grassy plain. Only a few knew that
the king of Farsas stood before it.
The wielder of the royal sword, who was battling the witch in place of
his fiancée, didn't seem fazed at all as he watched the oncoming tornado.
"That one's not a hallucination," Oscar remarked.
"Doesn't look like it," agreed Eir, who was next to him. The spirit
sounded just as emotionless and nonchalant as Oscar. Their conversation
made it hard to believe they were up against a witch.
Giving Akashia a light swing, Oscar asked, "Can you get rid of it?"
"Hmm. Three or four of us should be able to. Give the order."
"I don't know everyone's names, though. All right then, Mila, how about
you pick the team for me?"
Mila wasn't physically present, but her voice sounded in the air as she
gave compliance. A few seconds later, the tornado dispersed.
Nark flew back over. The dragon had been keeping a safe distance from
the tornado.
Across the field, now utterly still without so much as a breeze, Hubert's
eyes glinted with rage. "Queen's spirits! How dare you insolent little
monsters intervene! Show yourselves!"
"He seems pretty mad. You guys should retreat for now," Oscar said in a
blasé tone, and the spirits obeyed. Only Eir remained. Because Oscar was
protected by an anti-magic barrier, almost all direct spells bounced off him.
But he was still susceptible to psychological magic and the aftereffects of
anything conjured. By this point, he had endured several illusions, all of
which had been defeated by his unusually acute intuition.
"The hardest part is staying alive without killing him," Oscar muttered
as he held Akashia at the ready. When he glanced down at his beloved
sword, he frowned to find that its hilt had become a white snake. The
serpent raised its head to strike, but Oscar just gave it a careless shake.
When he looked back at Hubert, he found three burning spheres heading for
him.
Oscar leaped forward to evade the flames that singed the air as they sped
past and blocked his escape. He thrust out with the sword, its hilt still a
snake.
"Don't you realize how many years I've had this?"
The sword destroyed the first fire sphere. Oscar took a step back and
broke the other coming from the left as well. For the third, Oscar stabbed
the length of Akashia into the flames to pierce and shatter the spell's core.
Even if the entire sword looked like a snake, Oscar still knew the length,
width, and weight of it.
But after dispatching the attacks with almost disappointing swiftness,
Oscar felt his vision go dark, and he stopped where he was. The moonlight
and the distant lights all died, leaving the plain in total darkness. Oscar
cursed himself for having fallen into his enemy's trap.
Then he reasoned, "Well, it's kind of a fun challenge now that it's dark."
Closing his eyes for a moment, he recalled what Tinasha had told him—
to not let his senses get too distant. They were his lifeline and his weapon.
Mocking laughter filled the darkness. "Do you enjoy the little world I've
created?"
After heaving a disgusted sigh, Oscar readied Akashia—now back to
normal—and took a step forward. "It's pitch-black. But maybe it actually
isn't? Eir, are you there?"
Although the spirit had been beside Oscar moments earlier, there was no
reply.
Oscar gave a light tap to the ground in front of him. It seemed solid.
Then he sensed something and dodged a step to the left. Something sharp
whizzed by.
He scratched his head with his off hand. "I just need to focus on not
dying. That'll be easy enough."
"Easy? Have you lost your mind and deluded yourself into believing you
can win?"
"I haven't, so don't worry about it," Oscar retorted.
Taking it to be a bluff, Hubert let out a delighted laugh. "Allow me to
show you the most traumatic memory of your youth."
At the edge of the darkness, a light flared to life as though someone had
lit a lantern. Oscar frowned, squinting at the sight. Then he slowly moved
toward it.
In the light, a woman lay facedown in a pool of blood that oozed out
from her onto the floor. Oscar approached his mother's corpse and stared
down at it. He didn't know what expression his mother had worn when
she'd died; he hadn't seen it.
If he turned her over, he would learn. Oscar snorted at the deluded
notion. This hallucination came from his own memories. It couldn't include
something he didn't remember.
There was nothing to think about.
Oscar sharpened his vision to a fine point, then honed it even further.
Amid the darkness, the faintest outlines of interlocking spells revealed
themselves.
He took another step in, past his mother's body, and swept Akashia
through an empty spot in the air.
"Preposterous!" came an astonished shout. With a tinkling of shattering
glass, the darkness ruptured.
The plains returned. Oscar found that Hubert was right in front of him,
but high enough above to be out of Akashia's reach.
"You may have called up a traumatic memory, but it's part of the past
now. Showing it to me means nothing, although I guess I do feel a bit
disgusted. Once you're back in your original body, I'm going to kill you."
Hubert glanced down at the witch's belly, where the tip of Akashia had
grazed the skin. The moment Oscar had readied his blade, Hubert had fled
instinctively, yet the cut had been too quick to evade completely.
Hubert's arms were trembling. "Why, you little…horrid brat…"
"Go on, go on," Oscar teased as he checked his off hand to ensure the
ring Tinasha had given him was there.
Killing the witch wouldn't be too difficult. However, that wasn't Oscar's
intention, so he mulled over other possible actions as he looked to the sky.
The smell of her own blood filled her nostrils.
"Ugh…"
Tinasha held her breath and yanked the dagger from her side.
Suppressing a groan, she cast anesthetic and healing spells on herself.
While Gemma had probably done it without realizing, she'd twisted the
dagger as she thrust, causing an unexpected amount of hemorrhaging.
Tinasha's magic couldn't do anything about the blood loss, but she had to
carry on regardless.
Keeping a hand pressed to the freshly closed wound, Tinasha stood and
approached the Mirror of Oblivion. She picked it up, careful not to peer into
the artifact.
"Judging by how that queen reacted, this must be the real thing…"
All that remained was to take it or destroy it right here. Tinasha hoped to
verify something first, though.
While channeling some of her magic through the looking glass, she
asked, "Senn, can you hear me?"
The inside of the mirror felt like a bottomless pit. Tinasha's magic kept
sinking deeper and deeper with no end. That highly unusual sensation
proved that the mirror was certainly no ordinary tool.
Valt had said to destroy it, but was that the right thing to do? Even if he
wasn't lying to Oscar, Valt could be wrong.
It wouldn't do for Tinasha to delay; she had left the witch to Oscar and
had to decide quickly.
Then her sunken magic reacted to something.
"Senn!" she cried, joy coloring her voice.
He really was inside it. The reaction was very weak, suggesting he was
quite distant.
The mirror was a cage holding her spirit captive. Tinasha tried to apply
pressure to the mirror's exterior to see if it could be destroyed. But it didn't
yield, even when she increased the force. The artifact was abnormally
sturdy. She had no choice but to withdraw her magic.
"This is going to be tough…"
Tinasha wavered for only one moment over what to do next.
She cast a barrier around the vicinity before pouring her power and
consciousness into the mirror.
After closing her eyes, Tinasha expanded her magic to connect her own
darkness to the looking glass's depths. If this artifact was capable of
capturing parts of the human psyche, then it had to be possible to enter it.
Careful not to detach her mind from her body, she spread her
consciousness out further as she lowered a thread into the bottomless gloom
—a thread that was her very soul.
No sooner did she make the attempt than her magic bumped up against a
ward inside the mirror. The spell configuration, different from the one
placed on the looking glass itself, forbade outside entry. The spell was so
exquisitely crafted that Tinasha almost began to admire it.
"Can I break it? I suppose I have to."
Tinasha explored the configuration, which resembled a fine mesh net.
Conceptual entities like high-ranking demons could probably slip through it
easily, explaining how Senn had gotten by.
All that Tinasha, a human, could do was hurriedly search for the spell's
cores.
There were twelve of them arranged in a circle. After identifying the
cores, she focused her energy on them and exhaled all the breath in her
body.
Then she took a deep breath and held it.
"Disperse."
A short word was all it took to break the foundation of the spell
configuration to pieces.
Then Tinasha's consciousness descended into the darkness alone, a
darkness that was very long and seemingly unending.
But it was only a few moments before she reached the bottom, landing
in a place that was utter darkness. A familiar voice called out, "My queen!"
"Senn! Oh, I'm so glad." Tinasha let out a sigh of sheer relief, but she
couldn't lose focus here. Tersely, she demanded, "Tell me what's going on.
Outside, Magdalsia is attacking Tuldarr, and the Witch of the Forbidden
Forest seems to be behind it. She's battling Oscar now."
"The Witch of the Forbidden Forest? But she's right here."
"Ah, so the real one really is in the mirror. King Hubert of Magdalsia is
in control of her body at the moment," Tinasha informed him.
Although Senn was only a presence she could sense, she could feel him
scowling. "He's the one who used the mirror. It must have separated his
soul from his body, but then his soul bounced off the barrier and went into
Lucrezia's instead."
"Lucrezia?"
"The Witch of the Forbidden Forest."
That must have been her real name. Tinasha peered into the darkness.
"Is she here now? How did she end up here?"
"She's asleep. Judging from the barrier's spell configuration, she likely
put it up herself. She locked the mirror away with herself inside it. I sensed
her when the seal came undone and went to check on her. When I did, I
slipped through the barrier and got myself trapped inside the looking glass.
Sorry for disappearing," Senn explained.
"Travis did say that these artifacts don't get along too well with highranking demons," Tinasha remarked.
Senn fell silent at his lady's mention of the demon king. Undoubtedly,
he wore a look of disgust.
Now the problem lay with the witch Lucrezia. Was it right for Tinasha to
destroy the mirror with the witch sleeping inside it?
While Tinasha waffled over what to do, Senn said, "She's right over
there. If you can't see her, I'll let you look through my eyes."
At that statement, the darkness lifted. While Tinasha's surroundings
didn't grow brighter, she could see around her. Senn was standing nearby,
and the many other entities she detected had to be souls absorbed by the
mirror, already partially destroyed. Farther beyond was a gigantic pillar that
caught Tinasha's attention.
It was about as thick around as a dozen adults holding hands in a ring. It
stretched so high that the top of it wasn't visible, while its base plunged
through a hole in the darkness down into the depths.
The pillar itself emitted a faint white glow. Inside it floated a girl
hugging her knees to her chest with her eyes closed.
"Is that…the witch?"
Her light-brown curly hair and beautiful face were reminiscent of
Lucia's, but their ages were disparate. The sleeping girl in a pale-green
dress couldn't have been older than fifteen or sixteen.
As she was locked inside a translucent pillar, she clearly wasn't an
ordinary human. Tinasha felt a twinge of uneasiness to behold her.
Senn nodded. "When her soul separated from her body, it returned to the
shape closest to her true essence. That pillar isn't native to the artifact. It's
here to protect her."
"To protect her?" Tinasha repeated quietly, approaching the column
cautiously. She craned her head up and tilted it down to observe how it
stretched endlessly in both directions. A hole surrounded the edges of the
pillar. She couldn't tell how far she would drop if she fell into it.
Tinasha peered into the abyss and was assailed by an abrupt sense of
familiarity. "Is that…? Does that lead to the root of all negativity?"
During Cezar's attack on Farsas, a giant snake had emerged from a sea
of negativity located outside their plane of existence. The hole that the
snake's tail had been connected to and the opening around the pillar were
very similar. Tinasha craned her neck upward, staring at where the end of
the pillar faded out of sight.
"Is the top on a different plane of existence? Does the pillar go through
multiple realms?"
Inspecting the surroundings did seem to reveal that once the mirror
absorbed a human's soul, that soul gradually lost its shape. Remnants of
such eroded souls had accumulated all over. It was the natural result when
one considered how closely bound the human soul and physical body were.
The witch had endured because of her strong column that passed
through several planes.
"It's like she drove a wedge into the world and fastened herself to it. I've
never seen anything like it," Tinasha marveled. While it had been done for
self-preservation, creating such a thing within an outsiders' artifact was an
extraordinary feat. Coupled with the Witch of the Water and her unerring
fortunes, it was no wonder these long-lived women were considered
frightful witches. Their power went far beyond the realm of standard
mages.
Tinasha stepped to the very edge of the abyss and gazed up at Lucrezia.
"But since this pillar is here…"
After discovering that the mirror was too sturdy to break, Tinasha had
given up hope of resolving things that way. However, this pillar existed
within a hole that extended beyond the mirror's boundaries. When she
considered that, Tinasha felt that destroying the artifact was possible.
"I'll go back outside and try to break the mirror. She should be fine
because of this pillar, but can you protect yourself, Senn?" Tinasha asked.
"I'll be fine. I'll also protect the remnants of the other human souls as
best I can," he replied.
"Thank you." Tinasha smiled faintly, aware that he'd volunteered for
that task because he knew his master very well.
Even if he did manage to protect the trapped souls from the aftermath of
the mirror's destruction and released them, their bodies were long gone.
Like any other souls, the freed ones would dissolve slowly into the world.
Tinasha thought that better than being trapped in the looking glass like a
specimen, however. Senn must have discerned that his master would feel
that way.
The queen smiled at him. "She's the one you said would understand me,
right?"
"Yes…although she really is a troublemaker."
"Once we've all made it out of here, introduce her to me," Tinasha
replied. She turned to set about her task but caught sight of something.
Above, the girl within the pillar had opened her eyes.
Her face bore no expression, yet she stared at Tinasha with eyes of
glittering gold.
"Ah…"
Instinctively, Tinasha took a step back. The girl reached out both arms to
her. Her face emerged from the pillar as if she were rising from water. Red
lips parted as a voice made all of the darkness tremble.
"I wish for the rejection of any outsiders watching. I wish for the
refutation of any interference. I shall bestow a fitting transformation upon
the one who can accomplish that."
The pressure was crushing.
Tinasha's very soul shook, like she was rupturing into pieces.
The voice seemed to come from the holes above and below the column.
It could not have been a human sound.
If this girl was a witch, she was far too different from anyone else. This
went beyond strength—she was simply unfathomable.
While Tinasha was still too stunned to speak, the girl lowered her
eyelids. When she opened her eyes again, they were still locked on Tinasha.
There was emotion in that gaze now, where there hadn't been before. It
seemed closest to curiosity. The girl tilted her head inquisitively. "Why are
you here? Did you break the barrier to come?"
"Yes…I did. I wanted Senn to tell me what was going on," Tinasha
replied.
At that, the girl looked to the spirit. Her amber eyes narrowed
skeptically before she returned her gaze to Tinasha without saying anything
to him. "Which means you're the Queen of Tuldarr. You have so much
magic that it really surprised me. I thought you were a new witch."
"I'm just as surprised. What is that pillar that's passing through planes of
existence?"
"This? It's connected to the world itself, making it ironclad as far as
conceptual things go. All it can do is protect me, and I can't use my own
will to activate it. It's strong, but not that easy to use."
"How is such a thing even possible? I can't figure it out at all. And what
did you mean by what you said before? About wishing to reject outsiders
watching."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" The girl blinked, her tone so
unconcerned that it was hard to believe she was lying.
Thinking back on it, Tinasha did sense that the booming call sounded
more like something rising from the holes than like any sound this girl
could have produced. If anything, she was probably just a mouthpiece.
Tinasha muttered, "So that means it came from another realm, and if I
mess up, then the fabric of the world itself…"
"So? What do you think you're doing breaking that barrier I worked so
hard to put up?" demanded Lucrezia, bringing Tinasha back to herself.
Her train of thought had derailed, and she got herself back on track. "I
want to destroy this mirror. You're the Witch of the Forbidden Forest, aren't
you?"
"I am. My name's Lucrezia, but I suppose you wouldn't call me that
anyway."
"I will," replied Tinasha, and the girl in the pillar widened her eyes.
A strained smile quickly spread across her face. "Well, if you think you
can break the mirror, then be my guest. I've tried myself, and it was just too
sturdy. I couldn't do it, so I thought maybe it would be possible if I did it
from the inside. And here we are."
"So that's how you got yourself sealed in here?" Senn piped up sourly.
"Hey, you're trapped, too, so you have no room to talk," Lucrezia shot
back coldly.
Their exchange told Tinasha almost all she needed to know about their
relationship, although this was hardly the time to consider such things. She
pointed at the pillar that could break through realms. "Because this pillar is
running through it, that means there are already cracks in the mirror,
conceptually speaking. That means if we can make another hole from the
outside, we may be able to break it."
"Hmm. Normally, I'd say that's not possible, but you might just pull it
off," mused Lucrezia.
"If the queen doesn't break the mirror, the guy using your body is going
to invade Tuldarr," Senn informed her.
"The what? What in the world is going on?! How did this happen?"
cried Lucrezia.
"A lot is happening… My fiancé is holding him at bay for now. When
the mirror's destroyed, can you regain control of your body?"
"Of course I can. It's mine," she replied without any hesitation. It was
exactly what anyone would expect from a witch.
Tinasha nodded to Senn. "All right, I'm heading outside, then. Take care
of things in here."
Leaving things to these two would be fine, she thought.
Led by the thread of her consciousness, Tinasha moved up and out.
Once she was free of the mirror, she began to pour all of her power into the
artifact.
"Power must be defined. An ocean of life. A past melding of wills. A
water spray will spiral down from the sky and plunge into the earth."
She concentrated her magic while speaking a lengthy incantation. Every
strand of every intricately woven spell configuration wound around the
mirror and applied pressure to it. It was supposed to target the hole
Lucrezia's pillar had opened up. The mirror was already broken from the
inside, giving Tinasha a means to destroy it now that she knew about that
weakness.
"Six locked doors. A voice of premonition. My order shall come at the
end of twilight."
It was enough pressure to flatten a castle with ease. An ordinary magic
implement would have shattered in an instant.
Yet the stubbornly resilient artifact displayed no signs of budging, while
sweat beaded on Tinasha's forehead. It reminded her of the pressure that
bore down on her in those mysterious ruins. That place, too, must have been
an outsiders' artifact.
I'm in the opposite position than I was in then.
Her opponent was just as irregular, though. Tinasha gritted her teeth
against the sensation of her power being drained. Her fingers touching the
mirror turned discolored. Blood vessels burst, unable to endure the struggle
between the looking glass and the magical power Tinasha was forcing into
it.
Still, Tinasha did not retreat.
She had entrusted the battlefield to Oscar. He had believed she could do
this, and she wouldn't fail to live up to that confidence. His life and many
others all rode on her actions at this moment.
Tinasha absolutely would not lose. More power flowed from her, and
she planted her trembling legs firmly to keep steady.
The incantation had long since stopped as she focused all of her vast,
pure magic onto one single point.
It wasn't enough yet.
More. I want more power.
Suppressing the storm raging inside her, Tinasha pulled every bit of
strength from it.
"I will…overcome! I believe…I will!"
One faint crack appeared on the mirror's frame, which gradually
widened.
Unfortunately, that was when Tinasha's vision turned dark. She had lost
too much blood to wield such immense might.
She couldn't tell if she was standing anymore.
For a moment, her whole being and soul melted away.
Forcing all her remaining strength into her fingers, Tinasha struggled to
stay conscious as she collapsed.
Oscar was deftly fending off Hubert's erratic barrages, albeit with some
difficulty. Akashia could nullify any magic attacks, and any that slipped
past wouldn't pierce Tinasha's barrier. While Hubert was desperately
throwing all possible means of psychological magic at the other king, none
of it was proving lethal. Still, it meant Oscar had lost all sense of time.
"I'm starting to get pretty annoyed."
Oscar's mounting sense of irritation was considerable, yet Hubert had to
be even more irritated. The man inside the witch's body hurled random
spells down from the sky.
"You're just a brat who's nothing without his sword! Are you scared of a
witch?" Hubert taunted.
"Like you've got any room to talk. And besides, witches are worth being
scared of—you're not," Oscar said blandly, despite the provocation in what
he was saying.
"Just try and say that again!" Hubert roared, losing his temper and
preparing a gigantic spell. Before he could complete it, however, he paused.
The expression froze on his face. "No… No, it can't be…"
Oscar frowned up at the half-formed spell that fizzled out. Hubert was
writhing in midair, scrabbling and tearing at the witch's scalp with both
hands.
A maelstrom of magic swirled around the witch, creating powerful
gusts.
"No… No, no, no…"
Hubert's pleas floated down on gales from above, but there was no one
who could grant his request.
Instead, a devastating force emerged—a formidable wave of magical
power that swept across the entire plain.
The wind died, and in the moonlight stood a woman—a witch wearing a
beautiful smile.
"Oh, it's been so very long since I was last outside." She stretched her
arms above her head. When she glanced down to the ground and caught
sight of Oscar, she gave a little smirk and slowly descended to him.
"Good evening. Are you her fiancé? I suppose I owe you my gratitude. I
haven't been in my body for such a long time. Thank you," she said to him,
though Oscar remained on guard. The feel of the magic entwined around
her body was entirely different from how it had been moments earlier. She
inspired in people the same uneasy sensation as that of standing at the edge
of an endlessly deep forest.
Tightening his grip on Akashia, Oscar asked, "Are you Lucrezia?"
"I am. Oh, are you the Akashia swordsman? And yet you have so much
magic… But I don't suppose you're a mage."
"Yes, I'm the Akashia swordsman. I have magic because I'm Lavinia's
grandson," Oscar explained.
"What?! Lavinia's a grandma?! And to the king of Farsas? That's
crazy!"
"Unfortunately, it's true," Oscar assured her, feeling like he was
speaking with any ordinary woman, save for the fact that she knew Lavinia,
so she had to be a witch. She exuded no hostility, and though Oscar
remained cautious, he allowed himself a small degree of relief.
Lucrezia inspected the wounds all over her body and pursed her lips.
"Ugh, he couldn't even heal? How careless…"
As she spoke, her wounds disappeared, and a satisfied smile spread
across her face. Unable to hold back any longer, Oscar finally voiced his
true concern. "How's Tinasha?"
"Oh, that girl? Senn was watching her. She'll likely be back before
long."
"I see…"
That probably meant she was safe.
Lucrezia grinned in amusement at how visibly relieved he looked. "You
two are so funny. You're engaged, right? When's the wedding?"
"Next week."
"Next week?! Is Lavinia coming? Can I come, too?"
"Lavinia isn't coming. I don't mind if you attend, but you can't cause
any trouble."
"Oh, what? I wouldn't do that! I'd be glad just to watch," she insisted
with a friendly smile, though her eyes were dancing in clear delight.
A real witch truly was inscrutable. Oscar had the feeling he'd made a
troublesome acquaintance.
Lucrezia's amber eyes caught the moonlight, glittering gold as she
narrowed them at him. "So you two are to be married. With that much
power between you, you could probably change the world."
"I'm not trying to change the world. You witches don't get publicly
involved in anything, do you?"
"That stuff's no fun anyway. I'm more concerned about my longneglected herb garden at home. How do you think it's doing?"
"Probably all withered away? How many centuries ago are we talking?"
Oscar questioned, accustomed to speaking with people out of time, thanks
to Tinasha.
At that, Lucrezia let out a huge sigh and slumped over.
Somewhat less enthusiastically than before, she said, "I suppose that's to
be expected. Times have really changed while I was away. Well, I have
business to take care of, so I'll be off. We'll meet again if fate wills it."
She gave a little wave, her amber eyes glinting. In a flash, she had faded
into the night and was gone.
Lucrezia's abrupt departure marked the end of the one-night war.
After making sure that the witch had truly left, Oscar used a spirit to
contact Legis. From his position in the castle, Legis immediately ordered
the troops to return and began the process of sending back the Magdalsian
soldiers. There were a host of other little tasks to handle as well, which he
would surely carry out smoothly.
Soon after, Mila came to Oscar and whispered to him that Tinasha was
back at the castle. With his role complete, Oscar sheathed Akashia and
peered into the night. A bright azure moon glowed in the utterly cloudless,
starry sky. Its cool and clear brilliance reminded him of his beloved fiancée
somehow.
Overnight, word of Magdalsia's invasion of Tuldarr spread across the
mainland. While some criticized Tuldarr for being too naive, as it had only
neutralized the enemy soldiers without wounding many of them, more
people were simply frightened by the strange and devastating power behind
such a feat. As Tinasha had planned, the Magic Empire's name now
inspired even greater reverence and fear.
While the public story was that King Hubert of Magdalsia had died in
battle, the truth was that he was murdered in his bedchamber. Both
Magdalsia and Tuldarr kept silent about the fact that a witch and her power
had sealed the king's fate, however.
Magdalsia imposed a gag order on any talk of the inexplicable and
sudden troop deployment, as well as its ruler's demise.
Two days later, the childless King Hubert's very young nephew took the
throne, as if nothing of consequence had occurred.
"So Lucrezia really did kill Hubert?"
"Probably… I mean, it wouldn't surprise me."
Two rulers were having tea in a salon in Tuldarr Castle. One was the
master of the castle—the sovereign queen—and the other was the man who
would be her husband.
Tinasha blew on her steaming tea and sighed. "Sixty years ago, Lucrezia
went inside that mirror to destroy it. And upon realizing she couldn't, she
sealed it away instead… Her body was maintained by a spell, like a magic
sleep. She cast a barrier over a cave close to Magdalsia Castle and laid
herself and the mirror to rest there. Checking against what you were told,
we can extrapolate that Valt broke that barrier and gave the mirror to
Hubert."
"Yet another annoying mess. Still, I'm sure it's better for that witch to be
free than to stay asleep in a cave," Oscar commented. It was hard to call this
a win, as it had brought calamity upon Hubert and Magdalsia, but it had
freed Lucrezia from an otherwise endless sleep. Hubert's tale marked yet
another case in history of a king's corruption bringing ruin to his country.
Tinasha set down her cup. "Hubert's soul must have been drawn to the
witch's body because of its power. Lucrezia was so upset about her body
being taken."
"Naturally. So how did that spirit of yours end up trapped with her?"
"When the seal was broken, a wave of her magic leaked out. He found
that strange and went to inspect it, only to slip through the barrier she had
cast and end up stuck in the mirror along with her. She was really upset
about that."
"Gotcha. Well, it turned out all right for you," Oscar said, which made
Tinasha give him a quizzical look.
He smiled calmly at her. "She's someone important to one of your
spirits, so you hesitated a little over whether to kill her, didn't you?"
"Mrr…" Tinasha only mumbled. Oscar had guessed it in one try, and she
didn't know how to respond.
But in truth, anyone would feel that way.
Tinasha didn't want to kill anyone unless it was necessary, a desire that
was strong in her because she had taken so many lives. She had remained in
the castle during the war with Tayiri four hundred years ago not only to
keep the Traditionalists in check but also because she'd been conflicted
over wielding her devastating power to force people to yield.
Did using cunning and wit to kill have any place in a battle between
armies?
It shouldn't have, in theory, but Tinasha wondered if perhaps it did. In
fact, she hoped that was the case. She had reviewed what seemed right on
numerous occasions, though had been careful to conceal her doubts during
the Dark Age.
She kept eliminating any who sought to replace her by force so that they
would never catch a shred of weakness in her. And she ruled for five years
on a throne washed in blood.
"I'm a little tired," Tinasha admitted.
"That's because you're too stubborn about acting on your own. Rely on
others more. Things have changed in the past four centuries," Oscar chided
bluntly."
"Thank… Thank you."
"And don't you dare call off our wedding. Do you hate me or
something?"
"I—I never said anything about that!"
"You didn't have to. I could tell you were thinking it! I can't believe
how little you trusted me!"
"I just didn't want to make trouble for you," Tinasha mumbled, jerking
her head aside abashedly.
That left her cheek wide open for Oscar to reach out and pinch it. She
cried, "Ow, ow, ow!" and flailed around.
"Even if marrying me proves to be an obstacle, you can just use your
power as the Akashia swordsman to subdue me… Confine me to some wing
of the castle, and we can still be married that way, and it'll be the same…"
"How will it be the same?! Reexamine the way your mind works," he
retorted.
"It happened somewhat often in the Dark Age. Any given castle would
have one to two members of a foreign royal family locked up."
"How many times do I have to say that things have changed before you
get it through your head? Your sensibilities need to be rebuilt from the
ground up."
"You mean you want to call off our engagement?"
"No!"
Oscar's involvement in the recent battle was kept under wraps, even
within Farsas Castle. There was no way to publicize that fact if no one was
even supposed to know that a witch had led the Magdalsian troops. His
inner circle of advisers had looked like they wanted to say something, but in
the end, only Lazar dressed Oscar down.
"It was an emergency, but…you must not act so rashly in the future."
That said, there were very few people capable of battling a witch.
Tinasha cast her eyes up to the ceiling. "Anyway, what was Valt
thinking? The king of Magdalsia going into a coma wouldn't inconvenience
me that much, so it couldn't have been a diversion."
"Maybe he wanted you to touch an outsiders' artifact."
"What? So it could absorb my soul? But unlike regular humans, I can
resist its influence. I wouldn't have been sealed inside unless I chose to
enter, like Lucrezia did."
"I don't know the details. It just feels like he's feeding us little bits of
info and seeing what we'll do."
"Feeding us info? What else did he say?"
"Noth… Nothing," Oscar replied, unusually evasive.
Tinasha frowned at him. "What is it? Did he tell you something?"
"Nope, nothing. Don't worry about it."
"If you say so, then all right. Oh, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What?"
"Did you know Lucrezia before?"
The Oscar that saved Tinasha four hundred years ago had said, "If I
mess up and go too far back in time, I'll go and see Lucrezia instead, I
guess."
Only a witch could survive over centuries. Therefore, the previous Oscar
had known Lucrezia.
The current Oscar only stared at Tinasha, however. "Use your head,
silly. That doesn't add up. She got herself sealed away before I was born."
"Oh… You're right. Never mind," Tinasha replied, dismissing the topic
with a wave of her hand.
Vast swaths of history were changing little by little. That discrepancy
may or may not have been part of those changes. All Tinasha had was the
present, though. She smiled, savoring her happiness.
Oscar gazed intently at this young queen who would soon abdicate. He
suddenly recalled the look of sheer relief on her face the very first time they
met; there had been tears in her eyes.
Nearly a year had passed since then. Curiously, the time had passed
quickly, while it also felt like they had come a very long way. Oscar closed
his eyes, reflecting upon their journey. "I've suffered some real trials and
tribulations, in my own way."
"Where's that coming from? I don't disagree, but…"
"There's no one else for me."
"I certainly hope there isn't, considering our wedding is around the
corner… Why are you talking about this now? If you're having doubts,
should we just start over from the beginning?"
"Seriously, stop with that."
Even if Oscar did have other wives in different timelines, he'd chosen
Tinasha in this one. He wanted to spend his life with her and make her
smile until the day they both passed into the annals of history. He was here
because he wanted to give her that; there was no other option for him.
Oscar beckoned her closer like he was calling a cat over. "C'mere."
In a catlike reply, Tinasha cocked her head to one side before floating up
into the air and settling back down on his lap. Oscar caught up a lock of her
glossy hair. "Don't get too much in your own head and overthink
everything. I can handle your baggage. That's why I'm marrying you."
"But I'm clingy and don't know how to act in this time period."
"I know. It's what makes you who you are," he replied, pressing a kiss to
her long black hair. Tinasha blushed and threw her arms around Oscar's
neck.
He patted her on the back. "I'm the one who summoned you here, and I
promise I'll make you happy."
"Oscar…"
He thought he heard traces of shock in her voice.
Tinasha let him go and pulled back to gaze at his face. Tears had filled
her dark eyes. "I'm already so happy. You really did keep the promise you
made to me when I was a girl."
When she was thirteen years old, he had come to her rescue. That
memory had helped her through becoming queen and sitting upon a throne
of ice.
Living his life with her meant knowing and accepting the kind of queen
she was.
Oscar gave his beautiful fiancée a kiss. "If you ever consider doing
anything reckless again, tell me first. Depending on what it is, I'll knock
some sense into you."
"I look forward to that," Tinasha answered with a delighted, satisfied
grin.
The smile belonged to the girl she was and the queen she had become.