Back when Faustina was at the age of nine, Eula trained her how to distinguish medicinal herbs from poisonous ones. It is nothing too complicated at first, but as time escalated, things were getting trickier. Determining which of the two identical mushrooms is the one containing poison and the one that can cure watery-bowels is one of the challenges Faustina had to face.Faustina studied for years how to identify these small details. One of the key factors is the scent of the plant, their appearance, and their cla.s.sification. What family does the plant belong to? What component does the plant possess? Faustina also learnt that when a strong extract—like the hypnosis medicine her master was experimenting with—when mixed with injury and travels by blood, it could be hazardous. It could even lead to a certain death. This is why Faustina carefully keeps all the medicines in the locked shelf.
Faustina honed her skills and studied with the guidance of her master, Eula, for seven years. Reaching the age of sixteen without being enslaved was already a blessing for Faustina. Having Eula and being her apprentice is more than enough for her—although from time to time, she could find herself thinking about her parents, the outside world, and the life she had before she became a Witch"s apprentice.
And for a while she remembered these details as she coughed several times. All those sleepless nights and fatigue were taking their toll, and perhaps also because of her carelessness she might have bled and let the extracts to reach her injury. The force of the table and the kick she received earlier were spasming her muscle like a hammer being smashed through the bones on her rib. She could not think of anything more than the name of her master and the pain she was experiencing.
Her own powerlessness and the inability to even stand made everything painful than it already is. A shard from the vials had pierced her back and maybe some trickle of various chemicals already found their ways to her bloodstream. It"s as if all the teachings that Eula pa.s.sed to her disappeared. Why didn"t she lock the shelf?
Two men came to help her. Faustina felt an overwhelming sense of confusion, as soldiers circled over Jonathan. Fire was all over the place. The thunderbolt—is this what it caused? She scanned the spectacle.
Then she remembered.
Jonathan is a warlock.
Her breath hitched as her thoughts suspended when her gaze found an unrivaled force, something that made her feel something she has never felt before; an undistinguishable feeling of relief and fascination.
A man with a platinum-blond hair; pale moonlight was lighting its every individual strand. He was wearing something closely different to the High Knight armor—appearance and air so different from the rest.
His eyes were the color of bright blue, like sapphire jewels. Their gazes met—and locked. Both of them stared at each other as if they have found something they have searched for a very, long time.
"Lady, can you stand up?" Asks a man with a brown, rust-colored hair. His locks were curled and tousled like a bird"s nest. Amidst the dark of the night, he looked like a warm, scorching flame. Faustina felt dizzy—nauseous, even. All these people were confusing her. She felt dizzy, which may be because of the trickle of chemical to her bloodstream.
And that man...
Who was the man with the platinum-blond hair? Why did she feel that way? Did she knock over the hypnosis potion? Questions flooded through Faustina"s mind—but quickly disappeared as Jonathan spoke.
"Goodness, Eula... what do we have here." Jonathan said through the mayhem as he turned to the man with the platinum-blond hair, "such a pleasant interruption, King Alexander!"
King Alexander? Faustina wanted to say aloud. She turned to the man Jonathan called "King."
"Jonathan." Says the man silently. It was so odd. Even in the silence of his voice, Faustina could hear him clearly—like a calm stream of a river flowing gently. Faustina never saw someone who seemed so translucent.
"Jonathan, one of the High Warlock of the Seven Seas." He says calmly. "Return to the Court and atone for your sins."
"Myyy. King Alexander," Jonathan said in a sing-song manner. "You still speak of monotonous words. It does not fit you, Your Majesty."
King Alexander drew his sword. The sword has a golden finial with intricate patterns that were embedded and glistening from the moonlight. Its hilt is a l.u.s.trous silver marked with ancient languages. The blade is a peculiar transparent diamond. A crystal-clear weapon. Faustina never seen anything like it before.
"Oh... the Sword of Feuersturm." Jonathan said, even he looked surprise. "I must congratulate you, My King. You acquired such treasure your ancestors have long desired. You—and you alone!" He laughed maniacally, like a lunatic. Jonathan embraced Eula, so tightly he was shaking.
"I can"t believe it. A Heilen blood, the king himself, the Sword of Feuersturm." He said as he cried, "oh! The prophecies, the prophecies... Eula, Eula... Eula!"
"Jonathan of the High Warlocks. Return to the court and atone." King Alexander says as he turned the point of his blade to Jonathan.
The smile of Jonathan slowly turned into a vicious scowl.
"Can you not see, Your Majesty, how grand this moment is?"
Alexander gave no reply. "I will spare you no mercy."
"I will not shed blood. For my dear Eula." He says, as his gaze drifted to Faustina. "For my dear Faustina as well."
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Faustina shivered with his words—and then suddenly, with the spark of a second, a loud thunderbolt seized the entirety of the ground. Rain poured heavily from the skies as the sound of water plummeting through the chest plates of the knights and soldiers echoed against the silence.
"On the count of three. I will permit you to run."
King Alexander tightened his grip to his sword, "Take the maiden away from here!" he commands. And the dutiful men that they were, cavalries and soldiers marched to carry Faustina away while the two High Knights and soldiers stood by the king"s side.
"My master—" Faustina cried as she screamed whilst the horses ran to take her away from the battlefield, "put me down! please!"
Her plea and sobs drowned along with the heavy rain. Faustina saw how by time she was farther away from home. From the blazing fire and the sound of the shaking ground in the distance where Eula is.
She screamed and struggled in terror like a butchered animal as she watched her home be inhabited with agonizing echoes of battle cry, screams and bloodshed.