Naya sat in a private room in one of Rozen's most luxurious restaurants. Next to her was Rula, who was staring at a single golden coin in her palm as if it were an ancient treasure.
Across from her sat a human woman with long golden hair that flowed down to her lower back and similarly golden eyes that seemed to shine with power. The woman was staring at Naya with a teasing smile that seemed to be constantly etched onto her face.
Sophia, a Sanctum Paragon, had immediately stopped her argument with the Hall Master when Naya stepped out of the guild. She tried to pull her off to the side, but Naya wouldn't allow the wanton contact Sophia seemed to try to force on her.
So they waited awkwardly at the entrance until Rula came out, bursting in excitement over the 200 gold from the Flameclaw quest. Rula hugged Sophia, and then the trio ventured to a location of Sophia's choosing.
Naya wanted to refuse, but a combination of both Lia's and Rula's insistence prevented her.
But deep down, she was not against the idea.
Her emotions toward Sophia were contradictory, and she didn't like the feelings it gave her. She was a human, even if she did have an incomprehensible power, but she was also as beautiful as even the prettiest of Elves Naya knew.
Naya always enjoyed speaking with the noble Elven children; she liked how they carried themselves, and she always admired beauty. Be it in the form of a natural environment or in people.
She was sure she'd enjoy speaking with Sophia on the virtue of appearance and voice alone had she not been annoyingly teasing.
--Elves are an all-female race, so of course, you'd be more inclined toward beauty.--
"What are you thinking about, Naya?" Sophia had her head in her palms as she leaned into the table.
Their room was soundproofed with magic and offered ample space for them to move around and a bell they could ring if they desired something.
"Why are you here?"
"Because I missed your adorable expressions!" She winked.
Naya's blank face twitched. "You're here because of the witch." She ignored Sophia's comment.
Rula was still playing with the golden coin beside Naya, wholly disconnected from the conversation.
"Incorrect!" Sophia leaned back in her seat with her arms spread over it and her legs crossed as if she were the master of the place. "But also correct, a bit of both."
Naya slightly curled her lips. "Why would you want to see me?"
"Because you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Who wouldn't want to keep in touch with you?" She winked.
Naya's ears twitched, and she averted her eyes. "Ridiculous. Human, stop with your nonsense!"
"Sorry, sorry. I've been told I'm a bit too honest." She chuckled. "I told no lies, though. I am here both for you and the supposed Witch."
Naya looked back and pointedly ignored her comments, even though they did make her feel odd. She realized something and slightly quirked her brow. "Supposed?"
"Hah!" Sophia snorted in annoyance. "All Sanctum told me was that there was a witch in Rozen, but Rilious purposefully left out the details."
--It seems Sanctum might not like her all that much.--
Naya smirked. "So you have no idea what you're facing here?"
"Aside from trying to get on the good side of a gorgeous woman?" Sophia instantly replied.
Naya's smirk turned into a frown, and her ears twitched slightly.
Sophia lightly chuckled. "You're a thousand years too early to try and get one up on me, Little Naya."
"You-"
Sophia's smile disappeared, and she lightly cleared her throat. "Sorry."
Naya looked up at her with her eyes widened slightly.
The apology, though sudden, seemed genuine, which only fueled Naya's embarrassment at feeling like she did because of a human.
"While I did intend to come here to meet back with you, the appearance of a Witch only accelerated my plans." Sophia was now serious and had a grave expression, starkly contrasting her earlier teasing attitude.
--She dedicated her life to hunting Witches, I can tell. There's a story there.--
[She knows when you speak to me.]
--I know.--
Sophia did lightly smile, but it quickly turned back to a frown. "You are correct; I don't know what the Witch is yet." She sighed dejectedly and shook her head. "Sanctum is too engrossed in politics; it seems there's no place for witch hunters anymore."
--Probably the greatest tragedy in the last two centuries. --Lia sounded more depressed about it than Sophia was.
"I do wonder if... Lia knows anything about Sanctum." Sophia suddenly asked, with her head tilted slightly.
"She does."
Lia knowing the past wasn't something Naya cared to keep hidden. She hated the idea that she needed to hide anything from mortals. Other than her power, which she begrudgingly agreed should be kept lowkey until it came time to kill a witch.
"Interesting. I'd love to discuss with her sometime." Sophia leaned forward again. "But anyway, I left the Hall without a fight because I figured you'd definitely have the information about the Witch when I saw you."
She was now staring at Naya intensely, not with a teasing light in her eyes or a smile in any form. It was clear how seriously Sophia took it, and Naya was pleased to move away from more personal talks.
"I met with Rilious, and he informed me of it."
"You met with the city lord?" Sophia's eyes widened. "Damn, I didn't expect that to happen."
"I am an Elf; it would have happened regardless." It felt odd for her to say it, given how she dislikes being referred to by her race.
"Regardless? What happened?"
"We met with the Princess, and she let us ride back on her flying carriage!" Rula said excitedly. Her coin was still in her hands.
Sophia's face turned sour, "She used you."
"No, we became friends!" Rula argued with a frown.
Sophia didn't retort and just slowly shook her head.
"Maybe. But she was only a child." Naya added.
Sophia breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, it won't mean much if it was only in Rozen and from the youngest to boot."
--It's clear how much she abhors politics.--
[That's a good thing.]
"We got off track; please tell me about the witch."
Naya didn't see a reason not to tell her, "It's the Necromantic Witch, and it's currently hiding somewhere in this city."
Sophia abruptly slammed her hands onto the table and launched up. "What?"
It nearly made Naya jump.
"The Necromantic Witch; it's been stealing corpses and sending its undead out at night."
Sophia's eyes were wide, and in them, Naya witnessed a profound rage.
"Necromantic Witch..." Sophia's face was twisted into a scowl, and her jaw was clenched tightly. Her hands were balled into fists so tight it seemed she'd start bleeding any moment.
"Do you know her?" Rula asked.
Sophia took a few deep breaths before she opened her mouth to speak. "Thrassa, the Necromancer." She spit.
She fell back into her seat and took a couple of minutes to collect herself.
[She knows who it is?]
Naya was curious about Sophia now, a curiosity she didn't think she would ever have toward a mortal.
"Thrassa was the Necromantic Witch about 14 years ago." She took another deep breath. "She... killed my Mother and older brother."
--Oh... but that's...--
"Oh no..." Rula looked down sadly. Her own mother was gone, so she could relate.
It made Naya realize for a moment how easy her life had been in Aleria. She couldn't even begin to imagine how she would react if something happened to her own mother. Even the thought of it filled her with a deep sadness.
"But I killed her myself. At only six years old, I killed my first Witch and watched helplessly as the Devil's essence simply dispersed." Sophia stared at Naya. "And now, you tell me it returns, but this time in a stronger position than it was 14 years ago... I hope you don't intend to leave me out."
The intensity in her gaze told Naya how serious she was about it.
--I imagine it stuck with her all those years. Knowing that the Devil would simply reappear endlessly and that she would never know true revenge. But now...--
[Now I am here.]
--It's almost like fate.--
Naya met Sophia's gaze. "You can join us on the hunt."
She wasn't sure how to comfort someone, nor did she have any other words come to her mind. All she had was the repulsive idea of how she would feel if a Witch had harmed her mother and how sympathetic it made her toward Sophia's desire.
Sophia broke into a beaming smile. "Naya, words cannot express how much this will mean to me."
Naya stared tongue-tied. That smile wasn't a teasing smirk nor a knowing smile; it was bliss.
It was beautiful, and Naya felt her heart speed up.
[What the hell is wrong with me?]
--I think it's the start of something extraordinary; I only hope it will blossom given enough time.--
"Apparently, there's also a bunch in the Cornelia capital," Rula abruptly added, likely eager to change the subject.
Naya pushed down the feeling in her heart that she couldn't understand and welcomed the change.
"And they didn't tell us?" Sophia regained her posture with her arms spread over the seat as if the earlier event hadn't occurred.
--You don't become a Paragon if you can't force some things down. Same as you, in a way.--
Naya ignored that comment. "I thought you said Witches weren't common," She looked at Sophia. It was weighing on her mind; on one hand, she welcomed easier access to kill them all, but she also worried about the deeper meaning behind it.
"They aren't, or at least they shouldn't be, but it seems the political ploys have seeped deeper than I thought." Her voice dripped in annoyance.
"What is wrong with the human lands?" Naya wasn't sure what the problem was, but based on Sophia's constant speaking of it, it seemed there was a severe issue in the mortal world.
Sophia's face was no longer happy, and she had a frown again, and Naya felt it a pity.
"First, I'll tell you a little about our cozy little continent," Sophia spoke sarcastically and leaned forward. "The so-called Era of Peace is fake nonsense; the only thing it has allowed is the organizations to gain more power and influence before another war starts."
"The humans will go to war?" Naya imagined how easy it would be for a Witch to gain power during a warring period.
--It's exactly as you imagined. It seems the world has forgotten the true terror of the Witches.--
"More than likely." Sophia sighed. "Our continent is one built on fragile glass."
"What are the countries here? I've only heard of Rella, Cornelia, and Thrarl." Rula asked curiously. Once again, Naya was grateful she was there to ask questions completely unashamedly.
"Cornelia and Thrarl are the largest two, but four other countries are in the Eastern Land."
"Eastern Land?" Rula asked.
Naya paid close attention but tried not to look just as curious as Rula, lest she get treated like a child.
Sophia smirked at Naya, realizing her intention. "You guys are lucky I'm here."
Naya's ears twitched, and she looked away.
Sophia drank her water before she started, "There's the Western Land and the Eastern Land. Humans pretty much dominate the Eastern Land, with only a few places for the other races. The Western Land is extremely fractured, and I don't know how many kingdoms have cropped up over there. Of course, a few island nations are scattered around them, but these are the big ones."
"There's more than one continent?" Rula was mesmerized by the information.
Naya already knew that, so she didn't feel like a bumpkin for once.
"Of course, but we only care about ours for now." Sophia chuckled. "The Eastern Continent is split between six powers: Cornelia, Thrarl, Zar, Eldari, Rella, and Liqualye. Thrarl is the biggest, but Cornelia isn't far behind. Zar is between them both, inching into both of their territories. It's an eyesore for both countries."
"Humans will always crave more," Naya said.
"Elves would crave it too had you not been with Aleria." Sophia retorted.
--She is correct.--
Naya didn't respond. She realized trying to defend an assumption would be a fruitless effort, and she wouldn't put it past people like Soranulam to seek more territory.
"But yes, the desire for more land is a silly one. Cornelia has to deal with Eldari up North, a land of barbarians that Cornelia wants nothing more than to make their own since it rips into their territory. Then there's Rella, which is also a thorn in Cornelia's side since it's on the continent's north-western side, eliminating Cornelia from owning quick routes across the ocean, forcing them to take the long way for trade unless they pay Rella and Liquayle fees."
"That's... a lot. I don't get it." Rula said.
Sophia smiled. "This brings us to Liqualye, something both Cornelia and Thrarl would love to own since it's a huge chunk of the western side."
"You describe it as if war should happen any day," Naya said.
Sophia sighed again. "Zar is the reason war hasn't happened. It's situated right between Cornelia and Thrarl and is a powerful nation despite its small size. If they sided with anyone, a full-scale war would break out. Luckily, their king is for peace."
--For now. Gods above, it sounds like this continent is just a melting pot. It's good that we found the Necromantic Witch before War broke out; she would easily reach higher circles, given the possible death toll.--
"That's enough of our little geography lesson. Now you know the rough state of the Eastern Land, though I doubt it will concern you anytime soon."
Sophia was correct; Naya was only curious about the names, and the war would allow many witches to rise to power.
"Now then, let me enjoy a meal with a beautiful lady." Sophia's tone changed back to her easygoing, teasing one, and she stared at Naya. "Before we have to begin our hunt."
"I'm beautiful too!" Rula shouted, but she turned around and rang the bell.
"Of course," Sophia said and smiled at her. "Today is my lucky day."