Curse of The Witch

I'm Home

He finished his needs and began back home with a cart full of necessities such as food and others. Passing a sea of forest before reaching a deserted village. Orion keeps walking at a steady pace until reaching a lone house at the peak of the hill. In front of it, there's a single girl standing alone wearing an uncertain expression. Standing still and staring straight as if she were daydreaming.

When Orion is inside her sight, she begins walking slowly. Seeing that, he thought, 'Is she welcoming me back?'

He let go of the cart that he pulled, and when the two of them were close enough she said, "Welcome back," with a smile on her face.

At the moment, the smile that she gave seemed like a fleeting smile. But, Orion senses something different from it. It feels almost like a glad smile when she sees him up close. As if her worries had been washed but not entirely.

"What's wrong?"

"Did you miss me?" Said him, trying to tease her.

She's ignoring him, walking slowly and trying to get as close as possible. Seeing this, Orion has been wondering inside his heart. But before coming to a conclusion about it, when Latina is close enough to him. She's suddenly circling her arms towards Orion's body and burying her face in his chest. Orion was baffled and faced with that situation, but before he expressed his voice, a low voice that he heard made him decide to shut his mouth.

"....Un,"

She's nodding a little, his expression changed from baffled into a smile. Slowly directed his hand towards her head and patted her.

"...Is that so?"

She's not budging, she's still silent while hugging him. Burying her face in Orion's chest. After a while, he stopped his hand and said, "I'm back,"

Hearing that, she only nods a little and makes a little voice.

"....un"

It took a while for her to calm down, but in the end, they made it back to the house.

'I thought it would take longer than that before I finally could rest,'

'My waist killing me,'

He thought while rubbing his waist.

Most of all things happen, but the one that really concerns him was the time when Latina suddenly hugged him out of nowhere. When he asked her about it, she seemed to change the subject immediately. So he decided to not bother her anymore than this until she told him herself.

The day was going as usual without any issues, a normal day with the sun going up and then down beyond the horizon. Using that spare time to read a book and sometimes study witchcraft. Strangely enough, her determination to teach him witchcraft seems to be genuine even though he says all the time that he's not interested to become Latina's disciple.

"... Say, Orion,"

"Hm?"

"Did you, by any chance, ever been studying witchcraft before?" Said her.

Orion makes a confused face, he's wondering why she has that wild assumption.

"What are you talking about?"

"Of course not, you know the fact that witches are scarce and even being called urban legend right?" Said him.

"Of course I know, I am even one of them,"

With a wry smile, she followed by, "But the part that we become an urban legend is new to me,....."

"Is that so?"

"Then why'd you assume that I ever been studying it before?"

"Well, Ummm,..... You're just too good for first-timer,... that's all,....."

"Hmm, I see, so you're just jealous because of my brilliantly, that's all?"

Hearing that, she snapped, "Wha-!"

"No!"

"Even I the full-fledged witch took more than a week when I first learned witchcraft!"

"And I'm not calling you brilliant, just good!"

She barraged for a while, and the exchange didn't stop. When she seems to calm down he puts fuel to the fire by teasing her more and more until he's satisfied.

After that, Orion and Latina ate lunch and then headed towards another room. In that room, there are many books more than in the room before that he uses for studying witchcraft.

As always, he picks a book and sits on the sofa while Latina follows him and leans her head on Orion's lap, reading her book.

The two of them fell silent as they read their book thoroughly. Being a witch, Latina already read all the books inside the house, but for some reason, she re-reading them one-by-one with Orion. When Orion steals a glance at her, he can see a bright smile on Latina's face. Sometimes humming, and sometimes he caught her stealing a glance at him too.

"Say, Latina,...."

"....hmm?"

He called her, wanting to ask something that has been bothered him. Even if he decided to ask her, Orion still can't bring his lip to say it properly. He didn't want to ask something that she didn't want to bring it up herself.

He steeled himself and began to open his lip.

"Why you've been living in these ruins?"

From her position, Latina just needs to look up for her to see Orion's face. From her perspective, Orion didn't seem like changed that much. He just locked his eyes on the book in his hand. Seeing that, she lowered her sight again and continue reading her own book.

"....Why you asked that?"

"I'm thinking to repair one of the houses and live there,...."

"....Eh?"

"You know, I can't keep bothering you,"

"You're a witch, one of a few people that bearing the title of witch, If someone sees you living with a stranger then your reputation will drop significantly," added him

He keeps barraging with reason followed by other reasons one-sidedly. Making Latina can't even take her time to process her thought. She turn around and changed her position that facing up to prone. She brought her head up, looking at Orion's face. A smile can be seen, a concerned smile.

In her mind, what he was saying are true. His reason is solid enough to make her let him go but. Inside her heart, she didn't want to let him. Knowing that she couches her head.

With a small voice, she said,"....no,"

"Hm?"

Hearing that, Orion stop his barrage. He turns around and faced Latina.

"Latina?"

When he tried to call her name, Latina shouted, "NO!"

Orion was startled, he didn't know the response he got will be like this. When he was about to regain his composure, Latina charged forward and buried her head in his chest.

The room turn silent, Orion tried to put his hand on her head like the first time she do this but, he retracted his hand.

"....No,"

"....I don't want to be alone anymore,"

Hearing that, Orion can't do anything. The only thing that he can do is hear out this girl.

"Latina,...."

".....two hundred years, for two hundred years I was alone,"

"....There's no one that I can call family again," added her.

"Living in this house, alone, I'm tired of it all,"

"When finally I found someone, I've overjoyed, my day that turned monochrome began to regain its colour day by day."

Tears began to pour from her eyes, even without her lifting her head. Orion knows that she's crying. Wetting his clothes, for a moment, Orion wants to pat Latina and calm her down but, he gives up on doing that.

"I know it's selfish,....."

"....I know it's selfish to keep you here but,....."

"It's just my selfish wish, but, I don't want you to leave,...."

".....It's not a bother, you're not bothering me, so stay as long as you can here,....."

Slowly, Orion lifts his hand. Bringing his hand close to her head and brave himself to begin to pat it.

"...Is that so?"

"Then,.... let me bother you for the time being,...." added him.

Latina nodded his head and added a small,"...un," voice as her answer.

The room falls silent again, a small sob reverberating inside the room. For a while, a small gust of wind blew, making the branch and leaf of the tree that was outside the windows rub each other. Flourishing the whole room with its melody while Latina still buried her head.

The two of them stayed in that position until Latina calmed down. By the time Latina calmed down, the whole room was already dark, and then they decided to eat together as always.