Chapter 52: Witch of Corruption

Peace didn’t even have it in him to be repulsed by his corrupted-corpse-eating antics. In fact, he wished for just one more second back in his monster body, if only to escape the anxiety of his current situation.

Coming to, his gaze settled on a researcher in an odd-looking lab coat who immediately sprinted out upon noticing he was awake. A couple of minutes later, Ashren returned. This time, she had a clipboard, Ixion’s diary, and an Eye of Truth in her hands; she was also no longer wearing her usual military button-up, having traded it for a plain white lab coat.

’Man, what the hell?! I’m not even allowed that?!’

Ashren sat on a stool directly in front of the tightly restrained Peace, folded one leg over the other, then asked:

"What was that...?"

Woozily, Peace shook his head to get the blood flowing, then asked:

"What was what?"

Ashren steadied her glare.

"Why did you... hibernate? Ah, sorry, that term’s a bit outdated... Why did your body shut down completely and go comatose? No matter how many stimulants we gave you, you wouldn’t wake up. Not to mention, your presence, for lack of a better word, seemed to vanish."

Peace tried to scratch his cheek, only to remember his wrist was clamped down, though now flipped right side up — with an IV inserted into his arm.

"Uh... I’m not too sure what you mean."

"I see..." Ashren scribbled something down, then looked up, activated the Eye of Truth, and asked, "You still have not consumed a Wisp, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then it appears you may possess a Trait, one we’ve never seen before. It’s safe to say it’s hereditary. Tell me, have you ever felt like your mom or dad... vanished while they slept?"

"Can’t say..."

Ashren’s gaze narrowed.

"Something wrong?"

Peace froze for a moment, then shook his head.

"No. But... I can’t say she has."

Ashren flipped the clipboard, resting it on her lap, then said:

"She? What about your father?"

Peace vacantly stared straight into Ashren’s amber eyes.

"Father? I don’t have a father."

Ashren opened her mouth, but the green glow of the Eye of Truth stifled whatever she was about to say. After a few seconds, she nodded, then set down the clipboard and held up Ixion’s diary.

"Alright... what I want to know now is how you got ahold of this?"

Peace stared at the cover, ’Noble Path of a True King.’

’Do or die.’

"I got it... in the dungeon."

Ashren smiled politely.

"We know that already. But a drop like this is something nobody has reported since we started taking inventory of what could be acquired from the first floor."

Peace’s tense body eased slightly.

’Wait... that’s what she’s asking about? Has she not read it?’

Sadly, with the Eye of Truth involved, Peace had no choice but to reply, shivering a little as he did.

"Someone... someone gave it to me."

"Who?"

"I... don’t know. They were quite strange and didn’t introduce themselves."

Ashren flipped over the clipboard, then asked:

"Describe them to me."

Peace gulped, but did as asked:

"A woman. She was pale with flawlessly white hair, wearing a white dress. She had a weird feathered headdress covering her eyes. She— woah, what’s wrong?"

The utensil in Ashren’s hand suddenly snapped between her fingers. Her gaze remained fixed on the clipboard as she asked:

"D-did she say anything when she gave it to you?"

"Yeah... she told me not to lose it."

Ashren didn’t respond. Her blank stare persisted even after the Eye of Truth timed out. Her eyes slowly drifted to the diary.

’She knows Ghost Girl?’

"Hello?"

Judging by her pale face, though, it didn’t seem they were on the best of terms.

After another minute of silence, someone in the hazmat-suit-esque getup returned. They brought another Eye of Truth and took away the old one.

’Tch...’

But as they were switching them out, Ashren spoke.

"She’s back..."

The researcher froze, then turned and asked:

"Huh? Who?"

With a shaky voice, Ashren replied:

"T-the Witch of Corruption."

The researcher shuddered, dropping the exhausted Eye of Truth. They didn’t even care that it might have been damaged, even if the floor was padded.

"N-no... No! That’s an awful joke, Ren!"

Activating the new Eye of Truth, Ashren said:

"I’m not joking, unless he somehow found a way to lie."

’Did I shoot myself in the foot again...? Is Ghost Girl someone I should know?’

The two shared another moment of frantic, disbelieving realization before the researcher sprinted away.

Despite having activated the Eye of Truth, Ashren merely hung her head.

’How do I go about this...’

If the Witch of Corruption was a known figure, he had to somehow justify why he hadn’t recognized her.

Injecting his voice with a slight sense of unease, he repeated:

"The Witch of Corruption?"

Her gaze remained fixed on the floor.

"She..."

’Jackpot!’

"—is the heathen who caused the Night Parade."

’Oh...’

Ashren swallowed hard, then added:

"Protocol be damned. Since she’s laid claim to you, you have a right to know..."

’Laid claim to me? I don’t know if I like that wording.’

"—The story that the Night Elves of the Night Parade were experimented on in an attempt to control corruption was a fabrication... I’m sure you’re aware of that."

’I was not! Didn’t know that story to begin with! Thank you, Ren!’

Clenching her fist, Ashren continued:

"We don’t know why she did it, or why the Night Elves she corrupted acted so anomalously. All we know is that it was her fault. But... she’s been missing ever since. Her existence, known only to a few of us, had become something of a legend... a mythic nightmare."

Her gloves looked about ready to tear as she nearly screamed:

"B-but why? Why has she returned?! Why did she appear before you?! What is she plotting?! Dammit!"

Before her unease could spiral into accusations, Peace answered her rhetorical questions:

"I don’t know. That was the first time I’ve ever met her. I have no prior affiliation with her, I swear it. And... how can we even be sure that was the person I met?"

Ashren shot to her feet, her eyes snapping back to Peace.

"Because it is! It just is!"