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 long-neglected 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.
Chapter 88
22 min read