A short while after Anna and I rejoined the others, we finished touring the Vanguard of Vengeance. Maybe it was because of Kiki's advice, but I found myself able to appreciate the carrier's beauty and majesty this time around. It truly was a marvel of artificing.
Of course, my enthusiasm paled in comparison to Lord Dominic's. One of the crew members guiding us was also the Vanguard of Vengeance's lead artificer, who was in charge of maintaining the carrier. On Earth, I think he would be the equivalent of a chief engineer. Lord Dominic plied the man with countless questions, which he answered with equal enthusiasm. The two made for quite the pair.
When our group finished with the tour, we ate lunch in the Vanguard of Vengeance's dining room. Like the rest of the ship, it looked beautiful and majestic. I suspected that this dining room was reserved for important guests and high ranking members of the crew, since we were the only ones eating. The crew must've eaten somewhere else.
The food was delicious. In fact, it tasted familiar. When I asked about it, I learned that one of the chefs from Sturm Manor had joined the crew. This buoyed my mood even further.
In the beginning a few of my companions gave me worried looks, no doubt due to my low spirits from before. However, I reassured them as best I could. It worked, and they soon ate with great enthusiasm.
Well, except for Lord Dominic. He and the lead artificer continued to chat with one another, ignoring their food. It took some prodding on my part to get them to eat.
"Well then," Father said after the meal. "Shall we head back now?"
Everyone nodded and murmured words of agreement. However, Anna and I shook our heads.
"Everyone else go ahead," I said. "I want to have a private conversation with Captain Aleah." I glanced at the woman in question. "It's best if we clear the air between us, to avoid any unnecessary conflict."
My parents frowned at me.
"Is that necessary right now?" Mother asked. "We're leaving the area soon. Why don't you wait until then?"
"The sooner we do this, the better." I looked at Aleah Jeffers. "Do you have any objections, Captain Aleah?"
She gave me a warm smile in return.
"Of course not, Lord Gabriel," she said. "I am always at your service."
"In that case, why don't we wait until you are finished with your conversation?" Father said. "We don't have to return right away."
I opened my mouth to respond, but then I felt someone tug on my arm. I looked over to find Lord Dominic standing right next to me, a pleading expression on his face.
"Please can we stay longer, Lord Gabriel?" he asked. "There's so much left to explore."
My lips twitched as I felt a mixture of exasperation and fondness towards Lord Dominic.
"As much as I would love to say yes," I said. "We still have some preparations to make. You can explore the Vanguard of Vengeance to your heart's content in a few days' time."
Lord Dominic's shoulders slumped.
"The same applies to you too, you know," Cally said in a pointed tone. "Why not wait until later?"
"My situation is different."
"How?"
"Because I said so."
Cally rolled her eyes at me. I ignored her and focused on Father.
"Don't worry about me," I said. "I'll return to Templeton by evening at the latest."
My parents glanced at one another, before nodding. With that, everyone other than Anna and I started to leave. Aleah Jeffers looked between us.
"Both of you?" she asked.
Anna and I nodded. Aleah Jeffers smiled at that. For some reason, that smile sent chills down my spine. I believed that this was my first glimpse at the Wandering Witch, not the mask she wore. Despite this, I held firm.
"Excellent," Aleah Jeffers said. "Follow me. I know the perfect place for our conversation."
With that, she led us away from the dining room. The other members looked uncertain and conflicted, but made no move to interfere.
Aleah Jeffers led Anna and I through the depths of the carrier.
"Where are you bringing us, Captain Aleah?" I asked.
"A special place," she said. "I'm sure you'll love it." She glanced back, that same chill-inducing smile still on her lips. "It's the perfect place for our conversation."
I narrowed my eyes at her. For some reason, it felt as if she already knew what Anna and I had planned. Not that it mattered. Neither of us expected to succeed. That wasn't the point. The point was that I had a grudge against Aleah Jeffers, and this was the perfect opportunity to do something about it.
After walking for several minutes, we came to an unremarkable looking door. Nothing about it seemed special or stood out. I opened my mouth to say as such, but then Aleah Jeffers did something. I wasn't sure what. She didn't cast a spell or use a martial arts technique. However, it felt as if Aleah Jeffers made some great change in the world.
I looked at Anna, who looked at me in return. From the expression on her face, she had felt it too, whatever it was.
Aleah Jeffers opened the door and walked through. Anna and I, however, remained rooted in place when we saw the other side. Instead of a cabin or compartment within the Vanguard of Vengeance, the two of us saw a vast, windswept plain filled with short amber grass.
I knew pocket dimensions existed, but this was beyond anything I had ever witnessed before. It was as if there was an entire world beyond that door, somehow contained with the confines of this carrier.
Aleah Jeffers glanced back at us.
"Well?" she asked in an amused tone. "What are you waiting for?"
That pulled Anna and I out of our dazes. We stepped through the door and closed it behind us. On this side, the door stood in the middle of nowhere. It wasn't attached to any wall.
I ignored it, despite my many questions, and examined the plain. It seemed endless, stretching on into infinity. While there were rises and dips, it was otherwise flat. There were no hills or mountains or forests. Nothing to break up the monotony. Just an endless sea of amber.
There wasn't a sun in this place. Instead, the sky seemed like an infinite blue void. Despite this, the lighting made it seem like noon. A cool breeze swept through, rustling the amber grass.
"What is this place?" Anna asked. "How can something like this even exist?"
Aleah Jeffers spread her arms out wide.
"Many things are possible with the power of the soul," she said. "With luck, maybe you'll be able to accomplish this one day."
I narrowed my eyes at her. While she looked the same, her entire demeanor had changed. It was as if she had become a different person. I found the shift a little jarring.
"You're no longer bothering to pretend to be Aleah Jeffers?" I asked.
She shrugged, still wearing that chill-inducing smile of hers.
"Well, there's no point now, is there?" she asked. "You already know who I am." She looked me up and down. "You've met with that disobedient brat of mine. I sense traces of his power on you. He would've told you the truth, if only to spite me. Not that it matters. I planned on you finding out the truth eventually."
I clenched my fists. The rage inside me threatened to boil over.
"In that case, there's no reason for us to hold back anymore," I said.
Aleah Jeffers-No. The Wandering Witch held up a single finger.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"I'll give you one free attack," she said. "Make it count. Hit me with everything you have. I want to see how far you've come along."
As much as I hated her arrogance, everything I knew about her suggested she earned it. Still, that didn't make her attitude any less grating.
'Shall we become one, Gabriel?' Aurora asked, through our bond.
'No,' I said. 'We haven't mastered partial unity, let alone full unity. Sit this one out.'
I felt my familiar's disappointment.
'Next time,' I promised her.
'I'll hold you to that,' Aurora said.
Spirit magic was powerful in its own way. However, it didn't add much to my raw strength. Maybe later on, when I mastered it, but not right now.
Next to me, fire exploded out of Anna as she summoned her Aura, which resembled armor made of fiery thorned vines. However, it felt different from how it used to. It was now imbued with Brand's divinity, giving it greater power and depth.
I summoned my own Aura, though in a much less dramatic manner. A dragon made of lightning and frost coalesced around me, encasing my entire body. I wouldn't be able to hold it for long, but this would be enough for a single, powerful strike.
The Wandering Witch let out a delighted laugh.
"Excellent! I knew you two caught my interest for a reason. I made the right choice in picking you."
Neither Anna nor I responded. Instead, we both attacked at the same time, moving in complete harmony with each other. Anna charged right ahead, launching herself towards the Wandering Witch like a meteor. Immense heat rolled off of her, almost setting the very air ablaze.
Meanwhile, I used [Lightning Dash] twice in succession to attack from behind, catching the Wandering Witch in a pincer. Rather than summoning any mist, I went right for my most powerful offensive technique: [Storm Dragon's Claw]. At my current level, I could swing my sword up to four times without issue. This was powerful enough to deal with Tier Two monsters, and many Tier Three ones.
However, it wasn't enough.
So, I did something I hadn't done in a while and pushed myself beyond my current limits. Deep inside my being, I felt my mana core crack from the strain. Pain wracked my body, but I pushed through it. I swung my blade five times, each one more powerful than the last, putting all of my strength into each one.
The Wandering Witch made no move to defend herself from our attack.
An explosion rang out as Anna's attack landed. A roaring fire engulfed the Wandering Witch and set the surrounding amber grass ablaze. At the same time, my sword bit into the Wandering Witch's burning flesh, slicing her to pieces.
The charred pieces fell to the ground, unrecognizable. My Aura faded away as I stood there, staring at the Wandering Witch's remains in disbelief. No. That wasn't right. The Wandering Witch couldn't have died so easily, could she?
The next moment, all thoughts of her fled from my mind as I hunched over and vomited blood onto the ground. The pain from my cracked mana core grew and I realized that in my anger, I had pushed myself more than I had realized. I swayed on my feet and stabbed my sword into the ground to help keep me upright.
"Gabriel!"
Anna rushed over to my side. Her Aura dissipated as well. She must've pushed herself as well, since she also looked rough.
"Don't worry," I said, before spitting out a mouthful of blood. "It's not as bad as it looks."
"What the hell are you on about? You're vomiting blood! How is that not bad?"
Anna picked me up and carried me towards the door, away from the Wandering Witch's burning remains. However, as soon as we drew near to the door, it vanished into thin air.
"Where do you two think you're going?" the Wandering Witch asked, her voice coming from all directions. "We're not done here."
I let out a resigned sigh. Of course she wasn't dead. I knew it wouldn't be that easy. However, a part of me had hoped for it.
"Bring back the door!" Anna snarled. "Gabriel needs to see a healer."
The Wandering Witch snorted.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Here, let me tend to him."
A force ripped me out of Anna's arms. She tried to grab onto me, but I moved too fast. I flew to a spot not too far away, before coming to a stop. The air before me rippled, before the Wandering Witch coalesced into existence right in front of me. It was as if she had never been burned and hacked to pieces.
The Wandering Witch reached a hand out towards me.
"Don't touch me!"
I struggled to break free, but the force holding me in place remained firm and unyielding.
"Oh don't be such a baby," the Wandering Witch said. "Unless you want to cripple yourself a second time."
She touched my chest. The pain inside me flared, causing me to cry out, before it disappeared altogether. To my shock, I realized that I was completely healed, as if the damage I caused to myself no longer existed.
Anna reached us by this point. She pulled me behind her, shielding me, while glaring at the Wandering Witch. The latter rolled her eyes.
"Oh, please," she said. "I'm not going to hurt Gabriel. Stop acting like I'm some kind of monster."
"You are a monster!" I said, stepping out from behind Anna. "You manipulated my entire life and destroyed my childhood." I made a slashing gesture with my arm. "Even if we ignore that, you've committed countless other sins."
The Wandering Witch mulled it over before nodding.
"Fine," she said. "Call me a monster if you wish. However, rest assured that I am a monster on your side."
Her words tore through me like an ignited detonation cord. All the pain and suffering and fury I felt as a result of her actions exploded out of me. I marched up to her until I was right in her face.
"Go fuck yourself!" I shouted. "Do you have any idea of what I went through because of you? Any idea at all? You isolated me from my family! Turned all the retainers and vassals in House Sturm against me! I hated myself for years because of what you did! I still do! Thanks to you, I became a pathetic wretch desperate for affection and approval!" I paused and took a deep breath to regain a measure of composure. "Or are you going to claim that you had nothing to do with any of that?"
The Wandering Witch gave me a baffled look.
"Why would I deny it?" she asked. "You're completely right. I did all that and more."
Hearing her admit it outright just infuriated me further.
"Why?! Why would you do that to me?! I was just a child!"
The Wandering Witch raised an eyebrow at me.
"I did all that because you were a child," she said. "Humans are greatly influenced by their surroundings as they grow up. Shape the environment, shape the child. Simple as that."
"To what end? Hmm? What did you possibly hope to accomplish by doing all of that to me? Turn me into your pawn? Your puppet? Is that it?"
The Wandering Witch scoffed.
"Nothing so vulgar," she said. "Give me that much credit at least."
"Then why?!"
The Wandering Witch tilted her head and gave me that chill-inducing smile of hers.
"You said it yourself," she said. "Desperation. Hunger. Craving. I needed to foster those feelings inside you in order to accomplish my goals." She tapped my chest. I tried to avoid her touch, but we were too close. "I wanted to create that gnawing void inside you, the one you so desperately try to fill."
A thread of dread wrapped itself around my heart. I stepped back, to put some distance between myself and the Wandering Witch. Not that it mattered. Her eyes seemed to pierce my soul. It was as if everything I was, everything about me, was laid bare before her. I felt vulnerable in a way I never experienced before.
"Why?" I asked, my voice just above a whisper. "Just what are your goals?"
The Wandering Witch smirked.
"I'm not going to tell you," she said.
I clenched my fists so hard, it felt as if my knuckles would pop.
"Why not? After everything you put me through, I at least deserve to know why."
The Wandering Witch let out a mocking laugh.
"'Deserve?'" she sneered. "No, you don't deserve to know. Not yet. You haven't earned it." She gestured to me. "I mean, look at you. A Second Star whelp demanding answers as if he's entitled to them? How ridiculous."
All of a sudden she was right in front of me, her face less than an inch from mine. I tried to step back, but I found that I couldn't move a muscle. The Wandering Witch leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
"You want to know the truth?" she said, her voice echoing in my mind. "Earn it. Show me you deserve it. Prove your worth."
An icy hand squeezed my heart and I found it difficult to breathe. For a moment, I felt as if I had gone back to my first life.
The Wandering Witch stepped back, putting some distance between us.
"There we go," she said, giving me another chill-inducing smile. "That should do it. I look forward to your progress." She paused. "However, I'll be nice. I'll give you a specific goal. Do well in Mirkvale Forest, and I'll give you what you want."
With that, she walked right past me. The force holding me in place disappeared. However, I remained standing there, staring off into the distance.
"How about you?" I heard the Wandering Witch ask. "Do you have any questions for me? Any grievances to air? Now is the time to voice them."
"Just one," Anna responded. "Did you manipulate Gabriel and I into falling in love? Into being together?"
"Hmm, yes and no. You two ended up together because of me, but falling in love was entirely on you two. Anything else?"
"No, that's it."
"In that case, I'll shall take my leave."
I heard the Wandering Witch walk away, until the sound of her footsteps disappeared. Moments later, I felt warmth engulf me as Anna hugged me from behind, offering comfort and love without saying a word.
"Nothing's changed," I said in a bleak tone. "I'm still the same as I was in my first life. I'm still desperately scrambling to become something I'm not. I thought I had escaped that, but I hadn't. Instead, I've just been struggling in place this entire time."
Darkness threatened to engulf me. Aurora tried to comfort me through our bond, but it felt as if there was something in the way.
"No, you are not," Anna said in a firm tone. "You are not the pathetic wretch from your first life. You never were. You were a child hurting from a wound someone else inflicted upon you. You overcame it then, and you'll overcome it now."
I let out a bitter laugh.
"I don't know about that," I said. "Do you know why I'm sometimes reckless to the point of suicide?"
"Grand Priestess Marcella told me, yes," Anna said.
"It's because it's better for me to get hurt than others," I said as if she hadn't said anything. "If I don't risk my life, if I don't save others, then I have no purpose or meaning in life. I have no worth." I hung my head. "My entire life has been one long struggle to prove myself. Not to others, but to myself. At least, that's what I thought. However, it turned out that I had been wrong the entire time. I was proving myself to the Wandering Witch."
Anna hugged me harder.
"How can I help you, Gabriel?" she asked. "What do you need? Tell me, and I'll do everything in my power to get it for you."
I sighed.
"Just be there for me. That's enough. Just… Don't abandon me."
"Okay."
Neither of us said anything for a long while after that.