Chapter 8: The Witch Princess
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It was a lone tower that seemed to connect the sky and land. At the top was a platform that seemed incongruent to the thin pillar that supported it, yet stood unbent against the raging winds. But now the walls separating the pillar from the outside world were in shambles and the demons were assaulting the pillar in waves, yet for some reason the stone bricks laid unblemished.

“How did they build this thing? It should not be staying upright like this.” A kilometer away, Myrddin said as he observed the situation with a telescope. The quartet was gathered upon a small hill that rose above the surrounding land, allowing a clear line of sight to the tower located within the forest. 

“I heard that the tower was built by the devil itself and has stood there since the beginning of time.” Olivia said, her eyes focusing on the telescope in Myrddin’s hand, her own eyes incapable of making out the situation of the tower.

“The structure doesn’t seem to be made from any special materials.” Silver commented, her eyes gazing at the distant scene.

Black held her staff as her eyes focused in on the tower. “The materials seem to have been strengthened by mana and the structure itself is anchored to the land through brute force. I’m surprised that the structure is still standing, if the creator were to have studied magic, he could easily become a sage.”

“That’s high praise.” Myrddin said.

“Mana is harder to utilize here, you need a greater focus and larger amount of mana to accomplish the same task. Most people at least, I’m sure you noticed that your spells have been harder to control and weaker in power ever since we arrived in the Fractured Lands.” Black said. 

“How are we going to save the princess?” Olivia interjected. “The monsters keep attacking, the legends say that the tower is indestructible but…” Her eyes lingered on the numerous demons that dotted the land like black sand.

Although her sight wasn’t as great as Silver or Black nor did she have a tool of far sight like Myrddin, the uneasy feeling welling in her chest was enough for her.

“I can sense that there is a sort of fortification spell on the tower preventing damage. However the spell is wavering under the continuous onslaught of the demons.” Black said.

“O-onslaught!?” Olivia nearly shrieked. “We have to help her right now!” 

Silver caught Olivia’s arm, preventing her from charging forward. Olivia looked in shock at the arm that easily held her back, her abnormal strength incapable of breaking out of the steel grip.

“Do not panic, blindly rushing forward will do no one any good.” Silver said.

“But!” Olivia said.

“I guess I’ll start now.” Black said as she stepped forward with her staff. She took a look at Myrddin. “You start first with your most powerful spell. Having so many target practice is actually quite a good experience for you.”

“Should we really use this rescue as something to gain experience for me though?” Myrddin said, nevertheless he raised his white staff horizontally in one hand, while his other hand hovered in front of the jewel floating at the head. 

“It’s fine, I’m still confident in my magic skills even like this you know.” Black said, a slight but confident smile on her doll-like face.

A red magic circle began to materialize in front of Myrddin’s staff before growing larger and larger. With each passing moment the magic circle began to shine with greater intensity until it just disappeared into thin air. Olivia released a held breath once the strange circle, in her eyes, disappeared. Yet seeing nothing happened she began to panic because although the apparent failure appeased her fearful heart, it also represented a failed action to save her princess.

Then the cries of the demons brought her sight away from the mage in white and towards the distance. Although her eyes couldn’t discern clearly it, a miniature sun seemed to have materialized on the ground and the whole area surrounding it began to catch on fire.

Unlike Olivia, Black could clearly make out the ruckus from Myrddin’s spell. “Descending Sun, not bad. Although the area of effect is only mid sized, the lasting flame damage is good and can act as a deterrent.” 

The spell was aimed at the highest density of demons causing them to cry in pain at the sudden magic. The demons’ bodies were ignited from the close proximity and those that didn’t spontaneously combust had their flesh partially melt under the intense heat.

“My turn.” The crystal core of her staff shone even brighter than Myrddin’s magic circle as numerous smaller magic circles of various colors began to revolve around Black. Unlike Myrddin’s magic circle that began to shine with greater intensity, the colors of Black’s magic circles began to deepen. 

Then the land began to tremble. Even the demons halted their attack as they felt their body trembling upon the quaking land. The ground split in half, causing numerous demons to plummet into the fissure. The quaking did not stop as a stone hand emerged from the ground and pulverized the demons under it into pulpy flesh. Then another hand emerged on the other side of the fissure with the same results.

Olivia watched with awe and fear as a giant of stone pulled itself out of the land, like an ancient monster awoken from its thousand years of slumber. Or a land god rising from its slumber to deliver divine punishment for those who disturbed the land. 

Once fully risen, the giant of stone stood fifty meters tall with angular proportions and a large stone claymore in hand. Then it attacked, swinging it’s claymore at the ground, creating gashes memorializing its existence. Rocks splattered in the air, the soil uprooted creating mists made of dirt. 

“Did you create a golem?” Myrddin asked in half awe.

“Don’t be an idiot.” Black said, the magic circles still revolving around her. “It’s more like a puppet, even I would need to prepare some materials to create a golem.”

“So why are you making a puppet then? The drain on your mana is going to be astronomical in comparison to those spells of yours. Not accounting for the creation of the body, the mana needed to move the puppet shouldn’t be minuscule especially if it was created from only stone.” Myrddin said in disbelief. 

The nature of the mage was to make intellectual decisions in all actions. When a mage can accomplish a task with the least possible force, he will do so unless there is a specific reason where using more force would be acceptable.

“If I had to guess,” Silver added by the side. “It would because it looks cool?”

Black smiled in response. Myrddin could only rub his temples once more. Time and time again, his understanding of the Lord of Magic, the Black God, was being challenged. Is this the mentality of a god that mortals like me can’t comprehend? Does the Silver God perhaps have a similar personality. Looking at the calm and collected Silver, Myrddin shook his head.

Silver didn’t smile much and oftentimes only spoke to Black unless something was occurring. Black was far more approachable in her mannerism, oftentimes a slight smile would be on her face. Rare it was that Black would be expressionless. 

Olivia was in complete disconnect with the reality around her. She who had been with abnormal strength was shunned by those around, even her parents. Although it was a source of all her misery in her life, she still had pride in her strength. It was what allowed her to survive all these years when the village she was born in perished.

But the scene in front of her completely shattered her confidence. A god like being...no it was a mere puppet for the divine controlling it. The monsters that had slaughtered her compatriots so easily were now being squashed like bugs, even her own struggles seemed so trivial in front of that brutal power.

The miniature sun could not even compare to the savage indifference the giant exuded as it unleashed hell upon the demons. 

Olivia continued to engrave the scene before her eyes. Perhaps it would not be recorded in the history books, but for Olivia it was a life changing moment.

When the demon horde had dwindled to a scant few, giant spears of ice rained down from the sky, each one of them striking true and impaling the demons upon the ground. Then the stone giant began to make its way towards them.

With each step heavier than the last, yet still unnaturally light in comparison to it’s huge body. Then the quaking suddenly increased as a snake like demon over thirty meters tall erupted out the land and coiled around the stone giant. It made its way up to the neck and began to tighten it’s hold, even as the stone giant dropped it’s weapon, the claymore shattering into thousands of pieces once it landed onto ground having lost the mana supporting its structure from the giant.

“Did, did it just ambush your puppet?” Myrddin said.

“It seems like the demon did ambush my puppet when its back was turned. Although I don’t think it was a very calculated move, rather more like an instinct from before it was a demon. Many serpents are ambush predators after all.” Black said, her tone undisturbed. In fact there seemed to be a growing smile upon her face.

The stone giant was unable to break out of the coiling demon, but it’s stone hands did manage to grasp the demon’s neck and bring it before its face.

Then two glowing points where it’s eyes would have existed began to shine and the red circle around Black darken to the point that it was almost black. Not to mention Olivia, even Myrddin watched slack jawed as two beams erupted from its eyes and decapitated the demon with a turn of the giants head.

However the beam did not stop as it sliced the demon’s head off and strike the distant forest, creating an explosion of fire that started to consume the forest. 

“What the hell was that?” Myrddin shouted.

“It’s an eye beam.” Black said matter of factly.

“I remember when you suddenly shot beams out of your body like that. It was quite a huge shock to us.” Silver said as she recalled that specific event.

“You can shoot beams out of your eyes as well!? I mean, not just that. Why would you use such an attack from the puppet? It’s made of pure stone so the mana it would take for it to use that attack is wasted when you could have just used it from your own body!” Myrddin questioned. 

“I can use the eye beams in my true body, if I used it in this body I would burn my retina out.” Black paused as she caught on the confused look of Myrddin. “I would become blind.” Black elaborated.

“Anyways as for why I didn’t just make another magic circle to launch the attack, it’s too troublesome when I could just use an existing spell to do the exact same purpose.” Black said. “Besides I was testing the battle capabilities for golems.”

“Testing the battle capabilities for golems?” Myrddin asked.

“Yes, as we venture deeper into the Fractured Lands the appearance of large sized demons will increase in frequency. Skilled mages and knights will be able to defeat them, but for the common soldiers and knights they will be impossible hurdles. So I was thinking of making semi automatic golems that are able to be controlled inside to combat these beasts.” Black said.

“Golems controllable by knights and soldiers?” Myrddin said to himself. “Would you be able to create such a thing?”

“I would, I can even create a process for other people to create them too. The largest hurdle has now been solved with the appearance of the magic gems after all.” Black said, excitement in her eyes. “Although I would have to make something to make people realize the importance of magic gems so that I can lure a large number of mercenaries to risk their lives for them.”

By now the stone giant had thrown off the demon’s body and reached a few meters away where Black and the others stood. Kneeling it placed its palm open in front of the quartet.

“Well, come on.” Black said as she jumped onto the outstretched palm with Silver following. 

“Hey, hold on why are we getting on?” Myrddin said as he eyed the giant stone hand warily.

“I don’t feel like walking.” Black simply said. “If you don’t want to get on, you can just walk yourself then.”

Myrddin sighed as he climbed onto the stone giant’s palm without any sort of grace, dirtying his white robes in the process.

“Are you getting on?” Black smiled at Olvia.

“Ah! Yes! Hold on a second milord.” There was something different in Olivia’s attitude towards Black as if she finally understood something as leapt onto the stone palm with a starting run.

“Well, now that we are all on here. Let’s go.” With those words, the palm rose into the air, causing Myrddin and Olivia to sway unsteadily until they landed onto the palm beneath them.

Myrddin chose not to stand up and anymore as he was sure to fall again with how the hand trembled with every step the stone giant made. Olivia on the other hand crawled curiously onto the edge. However with one look down and the paling of her skin she quickly returned to the center where the others stood, only glancing warily at the edge of the hand.

The “walk” wasn’t long with no more sudden ambushes and soon after the palm was brought to the ground once more. The sensation of being brought down, however, was something Myrddin did not want to experience a second time.

Once Black reached the floor, the magic circle revolving around her all merged into a ball of rainbow colors in her hand. And with a wave of her staff the magic crystals in all the demons were all gathered before Black who placed them inside her spatial pouch. 

“So many, all the demons in at least a thousand kilometers must have died here.” Myrddin said, his skin still slightly pale from the experience.

“Well, let’s meet this princess of yours.” Black said to Olivia as they opened the door to inside the tower. The base tower was about fifteen meters in diameters, but the inside was actually hollow. With no stares or even a supporting pillar, all it consisted of was the wall and that was it. The inside was filled with darkness that made it resembled the night.

“Yep, there’s no way this would have stood without magic.” Black idly commented while Myrddin studied the walls, now that he was able to feel the mana inside the structure with the short distance between them.

Olivia walked to the center of the tower and looked up. “PRINCESS I’M BACK!!! ARE YOU OKAY!?” She shouted at the top of her lungs as she stared into the ceiling where a glowing circle was. 

“I’m fine. Thank you Olivia, I don’t think I would have survived if it was for you and the saviors who saved me.” The voice was light, almost breathless but it did not seem to have come from above but rather all around from the tower itself.

“So what are you going to do, now that all the demons are all gone?” Black asked.

“I thank you with all the gratitude available to me, however I am not able to leave. By order of the king, I am to forever imprison here.” The voice responded, much to Olivia’s disappointment.

“If you stay here, you will surely perish in the next assault. Unless you expect another group such as ours to save you once more?” Silver said, her voice too was not loud but was able to resound every inside the tower like Black.

“I would gladly leave if possible, however I am unable to.” The princess said. “However it may be ungrateful of me to request a favor after you have saved me. But could you take Olivia as your follower?”

“Oh? For what reason?” Black asked, interested.

“You are powerful, able to combat these demons as you called them. You are able to create a doll of unimaginable power with nary a sweat. For Olivia to follow me would simply be awaiting for her death, I do not wish her to follow me into the dark unknown once I perish. However she will be able to escape the hard life here with me gone.” The voice was calm even as she spoke about her own inevitable demise.

“PRINCESS, I VOWED THAT I WOULD FOLLOW YOU FOREVER, IF YOU DIE I WILL FOLLOW YOU!!!” Olivia said, unwilling.

“I don’t care too much about this girl, however I’ll consider you if you become my subordinate.” Black said.

There was a pause before the sound of sweet laughter rang. “If you could free me from this maddening place, I would even gladly become your servant.”

“Then it is a deal.” Black said as she began to float upwards towards the glowing circle the rainbow ball and her staff levitating behind her. “I imagine that it’s not the lack of stairs that keeps you locked here.” 

As she floated higher and higher, the circle was revealed to be an opening that Black flew through where a small room was revealed to Black.

The room itself was circular, about twenty meters in diameter. There was no rug or any flooring at all, just the stone floor all around. Off to the side haphazardly made furniture as well as windowless openings all around. And there on the ground was a girl, that seemed only slightly older than Black in appearance. The dress she wore would better be described as a faded grey cloth with an opening for the head.

Still the delicate features were evident with an inborn grace that was hampered by the malnutrition creating the image of a sickly beauty removed from the world. What drew Blacks’ attention the most was the black hair that was even longer than she was tall and black eyes so distinct from the whites of the eyes that the girl possessed, a rare feature for the residents of this world.

There may be some people who possessed extremely dark colored hair and eyes, but none of them were to the point of black the girl possessed like the scales of Black’s true body. 

But the most eye catching article on Alice’s body were the chains that came from under her dress that lead to the walls. Although Black couldn’t see it, she was sure her legs had been chained for a long time.

“So you must be Princess Alice.” Black said. “How long have you been here?”

“All my life, from the moment I was aware. Although you can drop the princess part, I’m hardly anything like my sisters.” Alice said in a sad smile. “I must say that I’ve been blessed to have such a beautiful person like you to be my first visitor.”

“You’re pretty well mannered for someone who has lived here all her life.” Black said as she sat down next to Alice. 

“I have nothing better to do. From when I can remember I liked to crawl to the windows to watch the lives of the people. I used to watch the royal family, but I stopped a long time ago.” Alice said, her smile containing a hidden bitterness.

“So you can see far into the distance beyond what your eyes can perceive. I can also sense the surrounding mana around you bend under your will.” Black said.

“You can tell? You’re very powerful, ever since you came here the mana here has been agitated.” Alice said. “Since young I’ve learned that I was different from other people, able to accomplish feats that no others would be able to, except breaking this.” Alice said as she pointed to the chains attached to her.

“Since young, no matter how I tried to talk to others that were down there with me they would not respond. They might even call me a filthy devil spawn, but often times they just called me a witch. If they were feeling generous they might even add a princess afterwards.” There was no trace of emotions as Alice recollected her days spent in the tower. “But Olivia was different, she didn’t scorn my existence and so we became friends. Two injured animals licking each other’s wounds.”

“Do you want to leave the tower? Do you want to experience the outside world?” Black asked, no expression on her face as she gazed into Alice’s eyes.

There was a pause as Alice avoided Black’s gaze. “I’m scared. I have watched others all my but...but…”

Black watched on as Alice turned her sight outside into the horizon, the sun having already begun to disappear. Her sight was not in the scene in front of her but a faraway land unreachable by distance. 

“I’m a coward who is afraid of death. If I have a chance I do want to escape it even more so please unchain me.” 

Alice didn’t resist as she began to float, her legs fully revealed. The iron shackles, far too small for Alice’s legs, dug into the flesh and caused the iron to attain a rust like color.

Strange runic symbols began to shine as Alice continued to float, however as time passed the iron began to clack as it began to crumble under the immense magical might of Black. With iron shackles and chains crushed, Alice’s ankles were able to breathe with the air after years.

An eternal scab had now formed around her ankles, far too small in proportion to the rest of her body. Alice smiled gently, unfazed by her crippled feet. “Thank you.”

Alice levitated into Black’s arm in a princess carry, she stiffened slightly at the warmth that radiated off of Black despite her expressionless face. Black then brought Alice towards the before levitating down to the ground where the others were waiting.

“Princess!” Olivia said, joy evident in her eyes. But later her eyes widened even further as she stared at Black and Alice and their similar features. “You’re more beautiful than I have ever imagined.” She finally said.

A small appeared on Alice’s face as she looked at Olivia for the first time with her own eyes. “Thank you, Olivia.”

“What,” Myrddin never finished as he nearly flinched as Silver put her hand on his shoulders. Myrddin looked questioningly at Silver for a second before looking at Black, he nearly flinched at the expressionless face on Black’s face.

Even Olivia became silent as she felt the invisible pressure from Black, staying silent no matter how much she wanted to talk to Alice. Only Alice seemed to be unaffected as she held her hands close to her chest and observed her surroundings with great interest.

“Let’s go.” Black said as she walked out the door, the group followed her. Myrddin looked at the still kneeling stone giant that Black had ignored. He heaved a sigh of relief as he followed Black.

The group followed Black who seemed intent on continuing to carry Alice before she suddenly stopped a fair distance away from the tower. The group also turned to look at the tower in confusion as they gave questioning glances at Black.

With the sun dipping into the horizon, the tower became a black silhouette amidst the red sky. There was a tremble as the stone giant began to move to stand at it’s full height, its head only reaching halfway up the tower. The giant then embraced the tower with its arms causing winds to form from its forceful movement. With Alice still in one of her arms and partially supported by magic, Black’s other hand reached out and grasped the rainbow ball that had levitated in front of her.

“Whoops, my hand slipped.” Saying so the rainbow was crushed in Black’s hand. Myrddin didn’t have the chance to roll his eyes and Olivia didn’t have time to respond to the blatant lie because the stone giant began to glow a brilliant white in the distance. With a thunderous bang, the stone giant cracked and a mighty explosion rang.

The group watched as cracks began to appear on the tower from the ground up, releasing the setting sun’s light behind it. Like falling dominoes, chunks of rocks began to peel off and fall to the ground before it all crumbled onto the ground.

Black looked at her clothes, droplets wetting it. She looked higher and saw tears silently sliding down Alice’s sickly white skin.


Author's Note

Well I changed the original chapter 4, 5, and 6 to side story 1 part 1,2, and 3. I feel much happier now. 

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