The meeting place was held inside a white void with nothing in the surrounding, except for four black cloaked clad teens sitting on colourful cushion bean bags with low square table in the middle of a white fluffy carpet.

Each of the teenagers took their spots by the low square table, facing one another. They looked serious and focused, if not for Weiss who sprawled on the bean bag and Noir who practically lying on the fluffy carpeted floor with the bean bag holding up her back.

The Witch Council member as explained, consisted of four individuals who took the role of watcher to ‘observe’ the world behind closed curtain, while also act as a mediator and advisory in crucial matters. While having no affiliation and bias to any of the four domains that divided their world’s continents, each of these witches still represented those domains as silent onlookers.

Weiss, a boy with glowing blue eyes, is a watcher bound to Westdom.

Sol, a girl with glowing orange eyes, is a watcher bound to Southdom.

Eiz, a boy with glowing green eyes, is a watcher bound to Eastdom.

Noir, a girl with glowing pink eyes, is a watcher bound to Northdom.

Each of these witches possess different abilities that are unique to them. Their magic aptitudes were among the highest, and considered to be on equal footing in term of power and authority with the aforementioned Overlords.

Eventhough they adopted the appearance of a youth, they are much older than they look. The form of a human being they took was also not their true form, and was simply an allusion to their founder’s presumable race, or what she appeared to be.

As of now, they are discussing about the important matters surrounding the other middle point. Sol didn’t lie when she told the Overlord about that just now.

Their domains though divided by four, in actuality it was originally divided by six. Overtime, the term ‘domain’ was opted for the last two divisions and instead it were now referred to as, ‘middle points’. One of the middle point was taken by the Witch Council as their sanctuary, while the other was left with nothing.

That was because, nothing could live on it as the land is cursed with never ending darkness. Their unlit sky were always gloomy, ghastly mists engulfed the air, while the ground is gray and dead; nothing could grow nor live there.

If there were even tree and bushes, they all looked eerily dead. The leaves and foliage were dried-up, and the bark and branches are dark as charcoal. While the corpses and remnants of the fallen from the past final battle that took place in that land had turned to dust by now, it still reek of stench and muddy scent.

Its landmass were cut down to an island, and isolated for fear the rottenness of that land could spread out to ther places. Only the living isles around it was left out to guard it. Even to this day, a large amount of sentinels’ post were set up by each domains to keep an eye out of that area.

While commonly known as the ‘Voided Land’, the island is also called by many names; Land Of Despair, Island Of Mist, and also the now forgotten name, the Evil Wizard’s Lair.

A long long long time ago, the land used to be the empire of the evil Wizard who once caused great terror to Tierra and its inhabitants, before he was brought down. His darkness was so vile that the piece of land he used to reside were still infested by his dark energy till today.

And it had been centuries since then.

Recently, there had been news emerged regarding the Voided Land, where people who live far near the island had been attacked by unknown monsters. Upon further investigation, it was determined that those unknown monsters are actually normal monsters that had mutated from its original form into vile-looking beasts, as well as becoming more aggressive in nature.

There were also several confirm cases where gentle indoor and ranch monsters had mutated and attacked their owner and beings around. It turned the normally reserved monster to a rampaging beast.

This sudden mutation is believe to be an infection or sort, though the source are yet to be determine. However, many believe this infection could had come from the Voided Land because of its still shrouded in mist state. This serious ‘accusation’ could lead to global issue considering what happen to their world in the past. Regardless, the investigation still doesn’t confirm it.

Weiss and Sol were both involved in the expedition into the Voided Land to determine the source of the infection. This secret operation is known as, OPS Cyclops, where beings in expertise fields are gather to uncover the truth about the infection and prevent it from spreading any further, thus stopping it altogether.

The two witches led the expedition as they were the few that possess the knowledge on the nook and cranny of that island. Although, it had been a very long time since they ventured in there, and thing pretty much changed for the worse for that land. Surprisingly, the evil Wizard’s castle is still there, even if it’s just ruins now.

“That land is very much dead.” That was all Sol could commented about the current state of the Voided Land.

Nevertheless, they went on to investigate the island, although not every area are accessible as some part of the land had been laced with poisonous gas. The heavy misty air also made it hard to navigate around.

Regardless, OPS Cyclops’s investigation team had found no solid proof to support the theory regarding the source of the infection having ties with the Voided Land. So the investigation is still on-going.

Though, it couldn’t stop the public from speculating and spewing baseless theories correlating the infected monsters and the Voided Land. Every creatures and beings had become restless, and immediately with today advance social media technology, the news and stories had become the quotidian talk of the public. Everyone had been rallying for explanation.

“For the mean times, we had to wait until the investigation team found anything else. Until then, we had to evacuate the beings who live near that island into other area as a precaution,” Sol relayed to his peers.

“It will not be easy to persuade those beings. Most of them will certainly question our decision to relocate them as something to do with that voided island,” Eiz reasoned, “You know how sensitive everyone is about that ‘land’.”

Oh they know, alright. Even after that bastard Wizard been pretty much vanished from their world forever, his evil remnants and misdeeds were still fear on to this day. While most of the history books had exaggerated some part of the events in the Evil Wizard’s conquest, but the crucial detail of some of those parts were still remain true.

In the past, that atrociously cruel Wizard had released a deathly plague that caused communities of beings turned into his mindless undead soldiers. This was one of the method he used to enslaved beings from villagers to towners to tribesmen to the point of capturing empires to be his undead armies.

Many ancient kingdoms were wiped out, and their rich civilization histories had now been tainted and viewed merely as those that fell into darkness.

Aside from that, that bastard Wizard had also able to infect and manipulate other creatures and monsters to do his bidding; transforming them into horrible savages that only goal were to ravage everything in their path.

The heroes of that wicked time were used to be pitied against divine creatures who had been controlled by that Wizard, and were forced to fight them to the death. Some of those poor creatures were considered as symbol of worship, and some even were the guardian of certain places; but just like those ancient civilization, they were now merely viewed as those that succumbed to darkness.

So the public’s concern on seeing the infections and the mutation beasts as something related to the land that the Wizard used to operate from, is justified. But as of now, there’s nothing that indicate that the source of infections from those mutated beasts come from the Voided Land.

Weiss added with a shake of head, “Nothin’ much can do for now. We offered compensation until this case is solve.”

As her peers discussed, Noir just looked down to her lap. She had been silent since the start, and only joined when it required her remark. To say she was not concern about the matter was a lie, she could feel a budding dread that will grow into something bigger in the future.

“Let’s us adjourn this meeting for now. We’ll rest for five minutes, before continuing with our own personal matters,” Eiz ended their meeting with the agreement of others.

It is not appropriate to discuss personal things within official matter, so they leave it for the last. Though, every one of them was actually eager to start the ‘meeting’ right now.

“You guys are disgusting.”

They all looked at Noir, who sneered at them.

“Not you, sunshine.” She winked at Sol who return expressionless. “But this two bitches, who acted as if they did not care about the Witch, and spouting nonsense about looking up toward the future or shit.”

The two bitches retaliated.

“That was Eiz, ok! I only said we’re busy,” Weiss defended himself, ignoring the kick on his shin under the table, “It was true, right?”

“Well, I had to lie, you know. To escape my feelings~” Eiz was still smiling, though his foot didn’t stop kicking the other boy under the table.

“You only saying that to comfort that bastard!” accused Noir, “Telling him to forget about her and move on like- bah! So disgusting! Let ‘them’ drown in their regret! ‘They’ deserve it!”

“Now, now, Noir. It’s not good to let our Overlord act like that,” Eiz tried to pacify the smaller girl, “We may.. not be fond of ‘them’, but ‘they’ all are still the important figures that hold this world together.”

“I don’t care! I want ‘them’ to suffer in despair of the memories of her!”

“Now, now.” The green eyes boy attempts to pat her head, but got harshly swatted away.

“That is rude, Noir. Eiz only doing what she instructed us to do..” Weiss berated the girl, but then turned grim. “.. before she left.. forever.. Ha.”

No one spoke after that, as they each lost inside their own mind. It had been centuries since then.

Try as they may, but they will never forget the one who save them. Who offered them kindness. Who pushed them to survive. Who gave them a reason to live. Who open their heart to love again and again.

There were days when they thought that what if things could be different. What if ‘she’ is still here? Alive and well, continuing with her witchcraft and plants research while still fussing about the future of their world. Things could be different. But alas.. it is just a ‘what if’.

Such a heart breaking thought. And do they still have tears left to shed? After all, it’s indeed had been centuries since then.

“It’s five minutes already. Let us start the meeting,” Sol broke silence. Her discipline had managed to defeat her emotion, just as she had trained herself to.

Her peers started to sit upright again with serious expression.

“Firstly, I want to brief on what happened in yesterday meeting,” Eiz was the one who begun, looking at each of his peers with utmost seriousness, “The Witch.. After a very long time, we had finally able to sense her again.”

The Witch is referring to the most important person in their heart. The one who save them, who gave them what they had now, who gave them the purpose of life, who loves them unconditionally, who was a selfless person. The one who created their council, The Witch Council.

The Witch of Hope, the bearer of prophecy, and the one who led the united protectors in the journey that took down the evil Wizard, and dispelled his wicked chain on their beloved world.

Also, the one who the Overlords had been searching for these past centuries since her death, wherein her soul went into another realm.

Yes, they lied to the Overlord of the Westdom just now. Well, not exactly lie, more like they kept it a secret from him. From all of ‘them’.

They too, despite what they had said earlier, also painfully longed for the Witch.

“Because of our connection with her, it was highly possible that the reaction sign we felt was indeed her life force. It was also very likely that we can sense her so strongly now was because she..” Eiz could feel his throat tightened with the sob that come building up, but he held himself, “.. wanted to be found?”

No comment from his peers.

“However, it was not in this world,” continue the green eyes boy, “She had been reincarnated in another dimension, in another world.”

Again, no one add anything. Eiz understood their silent. He too was pondering about the Witch’s decision in the past.

“But then, immediately after that.. Noir got a premonition.”

The pink eyes girl turned to stare at the table with a hard expression. They all threw her a sympathetic look.

That girl, though trying to look tough, was actually breaking inside. If there was anything left of her heart to break.

After receiving the premonition, Noir immediately became deranged, gone stark raving mad. It was as if she had been consume by the things she saw and unable to back down from it. They had to hold off the meeting till then.

They knew the girl was still not fully recovered from her shaken trance yesterday, but they had to conduct the meeting now. They don’t have time to dillydallying, if what the insight she got was true.

With how they could sense the life sign of the surely reincarnated Witch and pinpoint her location, and for Noir to suddenly receive a premonition after that; the chain of events must have something to do with each other. Not to mention, the sudden rise of unknown darkness that infested other monsters, just as it were during the evil Wizard’s reign.

“I.. I saw something bad,” Noir uttered lowly, somewhat shakily, “It was.. It was the same calamity that happened during that time of The Witch and ‘them’.”

A hand came up to rub her soothingly. Noir doesn’t say anything to Eiz, but continue her story, “Everywhere are like a burning sea. Ashes and smoke filled the sky. I don’t know if it was night time, or the sun never come out. It’s very dark.. Too dark.. Illuminates only by the fire that burning around. There were so many fires. Beings were screaming. I-I.. Blood-“

“That’s enough,” Sol cut in before the pink eyes girl go into panic again.

Although what Noir sprouted was somewhat vague, they however got the gist of it. The premonition she saw was a possible future where the world felt into despair, just like how it was during the times of the evil Wizard.

They had been subtle on discussing whether the Wizard have also.. come back, but shut it down, as they were so sure that the evil wrench died along with his soul turned to ashes.

“Right now, we don’t know what event will act as a catalyst to that premonition. But we need to keep our eyes out, especially on that recent issue. We had to do everything in our power to prevent it,” Sol reminded them calmly.

“Hey, guys,” Weiss, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke out, “Why don’t we find The Witch, and bring her here? I mean, we at least know where to locate the sign of her life force now, right? I said, we bring her here-”

“-Are you crazy, Weiss?” cut Sol sternly.

“Yes, I am. But no, I’m not.” He turned to his orange eyes colleague with an unwavering face. “Look, the premonition might have something to do with her reincarnated soul.”

“It’s not confirm yet. But bringing her here will only cause matter worse,” The orange eyes girl who usually quiet as a mouse, began to rant, “What if bringing her here is the trigger to that premonition? Or what if the premonition happen after we bring her here? Only for it to take her away from us like-“

“-You don’t miss her?” Weiss asked.

Sol stopped in her sudden burst. Her dull eyes widen. “What the..” she faltered to continue.

Eiz decided to intervene, “Of course we do. But Weiss.. Sol has a point, you know. We can’t just bring her here, especially after getting that dark premonition. We should just be content in knowing that.. she’s alive, even in another world.”

“But what if a dark force we don’t know get to her first?”

All of the council’s member stared at Weiss in alarm, as if he had just stated the truth rather than a speculation. The blue eyes boy however still looked calm as an untouched lake water.

The Witch is a mysterious divine being, in which no one know where she come from as she suddenly appeared one day during the Evil Wizard’s conquest. Her mystifying power was what drawn everyone to greediness; how they want to possess it. Especially the Wizard and his acquisitiveness with power, who had constantly tried to steal the Witch’s power in the past, but to no avail.

 

“Listen, I’m not trying to say anything bad. But think about it! What if there exist other dark force that we don’t know of?”

“What dark force? Don’t throw any speculations around,” Sol rebuked what the boy had said. Her calm façade was ruffled by those outrageous claim.

“The Witch of Hope bore a great mysterious power. And it followed her soul to another dimension. Now what will happen to her vulnerable reincarnated self if someone able to sense her location like we do?”

“That.. But still..” That explanation caused Sol to falter in her words again. “We can’t..”

Eiz own calm demeanour also seems shaken by that statement, but instead of voicing it out, he had his mouth tight shut. He seems to contemplating something else. Noir also did the same.

“You don’t think that someone won’t try to harm and steal her power?”

Everyone was silent now, even Sol have her lips shut in thin line. Her brows knitted harshly together, mulling over what his blue eyes colleague had said.

Weiss sat up properly, staring at his peers directly in the eyes with his own gentle blue orbs. Then those eyes suddenly glow brightly like the light shine of a pearl under the sea. As if reacting to it, his peers’ eyes suddenly glow equally shine as his.

All they can see now is a fiercely lit indigo fire-like light dancing and flickering lively at the center of the low table. That indigo fire represented the visual of the Witch’s life sign, which indicated that she had been alive and well. Though, that indigo fire is just the last imprint they had of her life sign before it disappear suddenly like how it came alight.

The thing is, they had long knew that the Witch had been reincarnated, just like how the Overlord of the Westdom sense her life sign over the centuries. However as quickly as it appear, it disappear before they were able to make sense the location of her life sign. It will always flickered on and off for them over the years.

However, yesterday was the first time ever that her life sign had send a signal so strong that they were able to pinpoint which dimension she had been reincarnated to for all this time, before it disappeared again.

“Listen, I get what you all worry about.. But think about it!” Weiss was the first one to break the trance, as his glowing blue eyes went back to normal. “Her reincarnated self might have no recollection of her past.. She’s vulnerable! The right course of action right now is to protect her until the event of that dark premonition goes away!”

The boy fell back further on the beanbag with both hands now cushioned the back of his head, face contorted in concern as he stare up at the never ending white ceiling. “Okay, maybe bringing her to Tierra is not a wise decision.. But I can’t help but think that if we don’t at least oversee the Witch’s reincarnated self that another dark force will try to take her away.”

“If only to protect her from afar..” Sol finally relented, her shoulder slumped with a sigh. “Then I agree.”

Weiss turned his head toward the girl, face lightened up. “So you agree? We’re doing this?!”

Sol nodded with a small smile. “Hm.”

Noir looked away to hide a smile. The prospect of meeting her beloved again fluttered her heart. From the start, she too wanted to see the Witch, but held it down because of the implication.

“We knew how to find her now! So let’s go find her! Be it anything, we know that she will still be the same!” Weiss spoke with great earnest, as he sat up to faced them all again.

“I-I don’t want to agree with this idiot, but he make a good solid adamantine point,” Noir agreed with a little blush, still looking tough.

“I know, right?” Weiss grinned more at that. “Any possibility could happen, so why not follow our heart this time?”

Sol and Noir smile at each other. They had taken what Weiss said earlier to heart, and it’s true that any possibility could happen. So why not follow their heart this time?

They however cannot just follow their heart.

“You have a point.. But we’re bound to this place by duty,” Eiz suddenly said, catching his peers off guard. There is a hint of disappointment in his voice as he laid his reason, “We can’t suddenly leave. Especially with that recent issue..”

All of the witches’ attention immediately brought back to their earlier discussion. The infection issues were still ongoing. Who knows what happen if they went away?

Especially when they don’t know how many times it will take to find the Witch’s reincarnated self. Although they will able to pin her last location, it will take ages for them to detect her life sign again.

Regardless, they couldn’t just leave the world without notice. They were the successor of the Witch, and the members of the Witch Council. And most importantly, they are.. the gems that bound to Tierra.

“We can’t just suddenly leave,” Eiz with a heavy heart laid down the cold harsh truth, “We can’t.”

“’They’ can.” Weiss interjected. His face now turned uncharacteristically wary, as he holding his chin. “The question is.. whether or not, we let ‘them’.”

At this, the air around the white room became tense. The other members had their eyes widen in shock.

“You mean ‘them’?” Sol was in disbelieved.

Even Eiz looks disturbed, “Weiss, that’s-“

“-Think about it. There’s a reason I proposed this!” Weiss quick to explain.

 

♬•°♩°•♪*✦*♪•°♩°•♬

 

The discussion had turned chaos again.

Weiss went into full explanation, detailing his reasoning down to the core. He had a serious cold glint in his eyes as he did so. The tone he used forces Eiz and Sol to see it from his point of view.

They went back and forth just like earlier, before the other two finally relented.

Except Noir, who stood up with a snap. “I rather die than telling ‘them’!”

“Noir, calm down.” Eiz move to calm her, as with Sol.

“If that your propose method, then forget it! We just go find her ourselves! Fuck this position! Fuck this place! Fuck this world-!”

“-Noir!” Sol tries to hold the girl who step backward. “I think you should hear out Weiss-“

“-Even now I could feel it again! It’s as if she was calling for us.. But to let ‘them’..” The pink eyes girl was now glaring at her peers. Her eyes had morphed into an ugly tint of dark pink. “.. I.. I don’t want a repeat of that ‘incident’ again!”

“We also don’t want too!” Sol tried to placate, “But Weiss’s proposal are the only way-“

“-I don’t care!”

“Only ‘they’ can sense her to the fullest like us. After all, ‘they’ also shared a bond with her. One that is more powerful than us. After all, ‘they’ were her old companions,” Eiz explained, but receive a sharp glare from the pink eyes girl.

“How would you know that?! ‘They’ all have become relics at this point! They’re useless now!!”

“Decimus could sense her! That’s why I believe..” Eiz again, with heavy heart, admitted it, “.. they could find her.”

“I don’t care! I don’t care!! I don’t fucking care!!!” Noir started screaming like mad, “What if the same thing happen again?! I can’t take that heartbreak again..” With this, she warped herself out of the secret meeting room in rage.

“You’re not the only one-” was left hanged by Sol who have her hand forward to where the other girl was earlier. “You’re not the only one.. I also can’t bear the same heartbreak again.”

Eiz grabbed the orange eyes girl, who collapsed on his hold. She was conscious but was to disrupt by what had happened. Her green eyes colleague held her tightly.

Their meeting was supposed to go smoothly. Though, they already anticipate this type of reaction from their pink eyes colleague, it was still quite disastrous.

But as if the outburst never happened, Weiss casually asked the other two. “So.. when shall we ask ‘them’ for help?”

Eiz looked at him with a frown, before answering, “I fear that it will be quite hard to make ‘them’ cooperate..”

“But ‘they’ will.” The serious cold glint in the blue eyes returned. “I don’t want to say this infront of Noir, but I really really really can help, but feel that the sudden detect of the Witch’s life sign have something to do with that premonition. And that, if we didn’t find her quick, that something bad is going to happen.”