The Devil's Cursed Witch

Morpheus originally thought it would be better to separate from Aureus. 

Though his nephew was young, he was no fool, and certain actions of his would certainly raise suspicion. However, he realized his line of thinking was funny. So what if he was suspicious? The truth would be revealed after his death.

With that kind of mindset, Morpheus introduced the significance of Spirit Circle to the young eagle. Spirit Circle was one of the sacred places within Agartha, a place no one could enter easily. 

Morpheus thought this was a good opportunity to let his nephew meet the most senior witches in the kingdom.

‘With them acquainted, Aureus will have the best teachers supplying his lack of basic magic knowledge.’

Upon entering the Spirit Circle, Morpheus immediately put his plan to action, separating Thala Grimsbane from her sisters.

Similar to how his talk proceeded with Zelda, Thala rejected Morpheus, her unkind tone not even with a tinge of courtesy. 

“Heh, have you gone mad?” she let out a grunt. “You want me to help you save him? Let him die! Why meddle with his fate? I cannot wait for his time of reckoning to come. That Dragon has lived for so long, he must be miserable. You’d do him a favor letting him end his sinful life.”

Morpheus had long expected this kind of response and prepared a counter. Unlike with Zelda who cared about the King, Thala would not bat an eyelid had Draven dropped dead this very moment.

“Are you that merciful?” he asked.

“What?”

“If you hate him that much, why give him eternal peace? You said it yourself—death  is a favor, letting him end his miserable life. Why don’t you use this chance to give him a living hell?” Morpheus remarked. 

“Oh, no. I know what you are doing—”

Morpheus continued, “If we succeed, you are damning the King to suffer the same way you suffered. Do you not hate him for the death of your closest sisters? Isn’t your rage for the bitter struggle your people suffered, as well as the guilt of being lucky to survive? 

“Admit it. You feel shame that many of the senior witches who were stronger than you died. Your title as the Witch of Destruction, rather than honor, you feel humiliation to be given such a grand title when the sisters you cherish have nothing to show but a few words of bravery on their gravestones—-“

“Commander Morpheus, you are overstepping your boundaries!” Thala cut him off, her eyes icy cold. “If you came here to provoke me, you succeeded. I ask that you leave this instant!”

However, the winged man did not back down. A lopsided grin hung on his face, but his eyes remained dead serious. 

“Listen to me, Thala Grimsbane. I know how you feel. No one knows better than me, the Commander of Warriors, the hatred and the anger you feel for being the one who survived. The feeling of wanting to die, but your life was paid for by countless sacrifices—how could you have the heart to end it?” 

A flicker of unknown emotion appeared in his gray eyes. 

“Make the King live with the curse of knowing it came at the cost of his dear friend’s life. Give him just retribution.”

The senior witch silently studied his face, trying to gauge how serious he was. Morpheus gave her time to think over his words.

Seeing that she was hesitating, he further urged, “Be honest with yourself. The main reason why you never acted on your grudge against Draven, because you know how important his existence is to this kingdom. With him gone, what will happen to the Honeyharbor Coven? 

“A hundred years ago, the witch race was at its peak. You used to have a hundred senior mages, and the Queen of Witches was present to preside over the coven. As of now, aside from you three disabled war veterans, there are less than twenty senior witches. The current Head, Cornelia Grimm, is so young. The younger generation are yet to grow strong enough for the battlefield. How many of your kind will survive another chaos?”

Thala could only swallow the rest of her words. 

She raised her hand, waving it at Morpheus when he was about to open his mouth again. “That’s enough. Why are you a warrior? With your tongue, you should have been a bard.”

Morpheus grinned. “Is that a ‘yes’?”

“I will help you, but only for the sake of my kind.”

“And you get to stab the King you hated as well,” he added with a smirk.

“You don’t have to tell me what I need to do,” she countered as she narrowed her eyes on him. 

Despite her grouchiness, he smiled pleasantly at the old witch. The most difficult phase of convincing her was over. “I will bring the design of the weapon prepared by Zelda. Let me know what ingredients you need to create a replica.”

“Divine blood of the highest purity,” she said and glanced at the direction of the door where Aureus had gone. “Commander, you sure are ruthless. Not only do you involve innocent people to orchestrate your death, you even plan to use your own little nephew.”

“Don’t worry about it, he will understand. I only ask you say not a word to anyone until we successfully execute our plan.”

“When you bring the design, give me a vial of his blood as well.”

“You can take it yourself.”

With the help of both Black Witch Zelda and Thala Grimsbane, the Witch of Destruction, Morpheus felt more confident that he would succeed in changing Draven’s destiny.

‘Everything has been set in motion. My last regret is not having the chance to bid my sister farewell.’

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Draven would surely seek for his younger sister, but he alone was not enough. If he alone could do it, Draven would have already brought his sister back. After the day of mourning, Draven would have his hands full with the affairs of the kingdom. 

Morpheus would have to seek more people to help searching for Myra.

He could not help but ask his nephew, “How strong is the King of Megaris?”

“Stronger than me, at the very least.”

“Is the King of Megaris strong enough to beat that Black Witch Zaria Lynx?”

Aureus had once mentioned before about Zaria Lynx’s attempt to capture him. Since they had met, Aureus should be able to tell her strength.

The golden eagle assured him that the King of Megaris was really powerful, maybe even more powerful than Draven. Though Morpheus dared not believe his claim, his words made him relieved. 

‘Aureus is friends with the King of Megaris. I am sure that king would help save his friend’s mother.’

Just then, the sharp sound of a whistle caught his attention. It was precisely the whistle he had given to Ember. 

His body stiffened. Could she be in danger?

“Someone called for me. I have to go.” 

He parted ways with Aureus.