Curse of The Witch

The Witch Madness

One year ago, Latina went to the capital. Walking through the slum, searching for something that can she hold onto to become her hope, her aspiration, her reason to live in this world of madness.

The sky was dark and drizzling. Clinging to hope, she's walking, witnessing a dozen of corpses on the side of the road. A common sight to behold in the darkest part of a glorious city. A corpse of kids, adults, even a mother hugging her child. It's stink, a cold and unmoved body that can't hold a conversation.

'....Its stinks,'

The truth that she sees, taught her that there were people who once lived in this world. Helped her to keep her loneliness at bay.

The deeper she went, the deeper she realized that her wish was just a mere wish. But, by the time Latina began to lock her hope inside her heart again. She found a boy, lying down, looking at the sky with empty eyes. A boy that seems fragile, like he was ready to disappear at any moment.

Latina approached, reaching out to the boy's face.

"Hey,"

"Are you alive...?"

'Warm,'

Warm, a feeling of life force radiating from the boy. A feeling that hundred of years she's longing for, a feeling of hope. Slowly, tears began to build up in her eyes. At that moment, she knows, that she's saved from a hundred of years of long suffering.

The boy was Orion, he slept for half a year without a sign to wake up. With her magic, she nurse him, and then the moment of happiness came. Orion woke up, and then the day continue as it had. Her longing dream began, and the day she spent together with him become her treasure. She won't let him go, even in her sleep. She cherished him, her reason to live. Until that happens.

At the hill near the village, a girl stood, eyeing a village in front. Her eyes already lost their light, as if she's already lost her reason.

'I should've gotten rid of everything that could've made me lose him,'

'Tied him up, or destroying all obstacle-'

"AH!"

She gasps, realizing the thing that she was thinking. She hold her face with both of her hand and shouted.

"NO!"

"NOO!!"

Inside her head was in mess, for a moment, she lost her sanity.

'No, I should still hold onto my sanity,'

'For him, and myself,'

After a while, she began walking. She holds onto the little sanity that she has, encouraging her to went to the village. Took a step at the entrance, going to the village with her timid step. Looking around, as if searching for someone that can help her.

But the truth, what she saw was different. A normal village that the other days she went with Orion, the image of a bustling village was torn apart. A bird that flies, turns into an unknown creature, its cry slowly makes Latina crumble. Lucky for her that the way that she took was empty. But, one of the villagers that passed notice her and began approaching. Asking her if she was okay, but what Latina gave her was a look of wary.

'Stop, don't come any closer,....'

Fear can be seen inside her eyes. Her neck became wet, she was sweating. In her eyes, the person in front of her looked like a monster. Nothing like a human anymore, holding a basket full of unknown creatures.

"Haha,..."

Her voice shivered, and she chuckled.

'Or rather,....'

'I should kill it,....'

Her thought becomes wild, again, and for a moment she's lost. But her thought crumbled by the time the monster in front of her saying.

"A#K%#S#%MU##?"

Unrecognized, that's the only thing that she understands.

'What,...did I-'

Realizing that she can't handle it anymore, she started to run. She keeps running until she reaches deep inside the forest. With teary eyes, she's running deep into the woods.

'I will not,...'

'Turn to madness,....'

Without a single clue, she's walking. After a while, she began to lose her footing.

"!!"

Tripped upon a root. She stumbled and grazed her knees. Again, her eyes began tearing up. A droplet poured, wetting the ground before it. In her cry, she mumbled.

"...Orion,..."

"Where are you,....."

On the other side, Orion sitting on a giant bed with the girl. She holds Orion's hand with both of her hands, sound asleep facing Orion.

'Come to think of it, I still didn't know her name yet,' thought Orion.

All this time, the two of them had been playing. Orion, who woke up inside this castle, accompanied her playing to her heart's content until she asked him to accompany her to sleep.

'Please! I beg you, accompany me to sleep!'

With innocent eyes, she asked Orion, a man that just met not long ago with her to accompany her to sleep.

Remembering that, Orion can't help to be worried. She reminds him of Latina, the slim figure that frightened before entering the forest. Even though he ridicules her and makes a joke about it. That moment's still engraved into his brain. She said it was trauma, but what trauma can cause a long-lived witch like her to have trauma like that.

Her breathing can be heard clearly. A steady breath, with a smile on her face. Looking at that, a smile was carved on Orion's face.

'What a happy face,'

Gradually, the smile disappears. Tears began showing, wetting her closed eyes, and slowly poured onto the sheet.

'It seems she also has a lot of problems,....'

He closed his eyes, rubbing his hand as if to calm her down, and then let it go. Slowly, he stand up, turned his body toward the door, and get out of the room.

He walked, going through the corridor, exploring the big castle. In the middle of that, he found a human-sized doll, standing still in front of a certain room. There are no eyes and hair, with a tuxedo on its body.

He tried to get close to it when Orion inspected it, its head moved. Staring into Orion's eyes with its nonexistent eyes. As if asking what can he help Orion.

"Ex-Excuse me,...."

"Can you tell me where's the kitchen?"

With fluent movement, the doll turns around. Without further ado, Orion followed it. Along the way, a silent corridor that Orion knows is full of crackling noise.

'This castle is really big,'

With how big the castle is, Orion wonders how many workers at this place. But, his question didn't get the answer. The doll that leads him can't talk, and along the way, Orion only found more dolls in a variety sizes. He began to think that there was none besides that girl that can be called a living being in this castle.

'Ah, that's impossible,...'

He tried to think that it was impossible but, he know a certain girl that lived alone for hundred years. When he pondered about it, the doll in front of him halted. Noticing that, Orion also stopped, staring at the back of the doll and waiting.

Slowly, the body of the doll turned around, and then bend down with its hand pointing toward a room beside it.

'Is it pointing to the kitchen, I wonder,'

Orion opened the door and sees a big kitchen inside of it. A soft smile was carved on his face, and after a while, he turn around. Saying thank you to the doll, as if the doll was a person.

"Well, let's start then,"

He walked in and started to do his business there.