dark witch

Chapter5

At 8 o'clock in the morning, a four-wheeled carriage, draped in the morning light, slowly made its way towards the edge of the forest under the watchful gaze of Mr. Mond and his two sons. Haiyin leaned out of the carriage's rear window to bid farewell to her father and brothers: "Go back inside, we'll be back soon."

"Safe travels," Mond thought, his heart filled with reluctance and worry, yet he dared not show too much emotion on his face, for fear of upsetting their mother inside the house.

Seated on opposite sides of the carriage, both dressed in their finest, Merlin and Xiya were not in the best of spirits either. They both watched with barely concealed tolerance the ugly crow that sat stupidly on a low, long-legged table, looking disapprovingly at it. Despite their disdainful looks, the crow remained foolishly still.

The two old horses pulled the carriage to the edge of the forest, where there was no road, but they did not stop their hooves. Instead, they continued straight on, crashing into the thick trees. Haiyin, who had been looking out the carriage window, suddenly found her view darkened, no longer seeing the castle, as the carriage now traveled on a small path through the forest.

She glanced at the grass and trees on both sides of the path, closed the window, turned around, and sat down, her mood somber at the thought of leaving home.

Merlin shifted his gaze from the black crow, turning to look at the dispirited little one: "Bringing this thing along is one thing, but why keep it inside the carriage?" Now, the entire carriage seemed filled with a nauseating bird droppings odor.

"It came out with me, so naturally, it stays wherever I am," Haiyin responded, petting the black crow and then taking out a cob of corn from the treasure chest beside her. "I've never seen you before; are you new here?" she asked, offering a kernel of corn to the crow's beak.

The black crow looked at the kernel for a long time before reluctantly opening its mouth.

Xiya, looking at the crow, felt it seemed as if it had just woken up: "Haiyin, did you pull it out of a nest?"

"Of course not," was the indignant reply, a serious insult to her character: "Do I look like the type to coerce birds? It managed to secure this opportunity to come out with me all on its own," Haiyin said, giving the black crow a closer look. Aside from being dull, it really had no distinguishing features, "WuHeiHei managed to break through and seize the chance."

"WuHeiHei?" Xiya chuckled, gently prodding the crow's wing with her finger. The previously dull and stupid black crow instantly moved aside, its feathers bristling, and it stared intently at Xiya, making a threatening cooing sound.

"You've offended it; it has its dignity," Haiyin warned.

Merlin frowned, a trace of doubt flashing through her brown eyes, while Xiya found it amusing: "Haiyin, how about you let Aunt play with it for a few days?"

"That... might not be a good idea," Haiyin grabbed the crow, which was acting like a bantam chicken, to her side, and sheepishly smiled at her aunt before threatening in a low voice, "You better behave, or I'll make you fly behind the carriage."

Interestingly, this crow was peculiar; until yesterday, all the crows she had summoned had sleek, shiny feathers. The Western Sea Forest, after all, was vast and lacked nothing, be it insects, berries, etc. Yet, a "refugee" crow had appeared yesterday.

She hadn't paid much attention to this crow initially, even though its feathers lacked gloss and seemed as if it had been chewed on by a dog. At most, she thought it had flown in from outside the Western Sea Forest.

But this morning, as soon as she opened the window, in the blink of an eye, it had landed on her windowsill as if it had been waiting for her. Indeed, it had been waiting, which was quite surprising to her.

The black crow's ruffled feathers slowly settled back down against its body, and it stopped making cooing sounds, returning to its previous foolish state.

Xiya found it even more interesting and pulled out a gold coin: "Haiyin, would you exchange it for a gold coin?" For some reason, this crow gave her a different feeling, especially at the moment her finger touched it, intensifying that peculiar sensation.

Haiyin's grip on the crow loosened slightly, her gaze uncontrollably drawn to the gold coin, her inner struggle evident: "Aunt, do you only want one crow? I tell you, there are countlessAt 8 a.m., a four-wheeled carriage, bathed in the morning glow, slowly made its way towards the forest edge under the watchful eyes of Mr. Mond and his two sons. Haiyin leaned on the carriage's rear window to bid farewell to her father and brothers: "Go back inside, we'll be back soon."

"Have a safe journey," Mond thought, filled with reluctance and worry, but he dared not show too much emotion, lest it upset his wife inside the house.

Seated on opposite sides of the carriage, both Merlin and Xiya, dressed in their finest, were not in the best of spirits. They looked on with tolerance at the ugly crow standing stupidly on the low, long table, clearly disdainful. Despite their contemptuous gaze, the crow remained foolishly still.

The two old horses pulled the carriage to the forest's edge, where there was no path, but instead of stopping, they continued straight ahead, crashing into the thick trees. The view from the carriage window darkened for Haiyin, no longer revealing the castle; the carriage was now on a small path within the forest.

She glanced at the grass and trees on either side of the path, closed the window, and sat down, feeling a sense of defeat about leaving home.

Merlin shifted his gaze from the crow and turned to the dispirited youngster: "It's one thing to bring it along, but why keep it inside the carriage?" The entire carriage seemed to be filled with a nauseating smell of bird droppings.

"It came out with me, so naturally, it stays wherever I go," Haiyin replied, petting the crow before pulling out an ear of corn from her treasure box next to her. "I've never seen you before; are you new here?" she asked, offering a corn kernel to the crow.

The crow stared at the kernel for a long time before reluctantly opening its mouth.

Xiya, looking at the crow, couldn't help but feel as if it had just woken up: "Haiyin, did you pluck it from a nest?"

"Of course not," she replied, seeing it as a grave insult to her character: "Do I look like someone who would force birds? It earned its chance to come with me by breaking through on its own," Haiyin said, seriously observing the crow, which, apart from being stupid, really had no other distinguishing features.

"WuHeiHei?" Xiya chuckled, poking the crow's wing lightly with her finger. The previously dull and dazed crow instantly moved to the side, its feathers bristling as it stared intently at Xiya, making a threatening cooing sound.

"You've offended it; it has its dignity," Haiyin cautioned.

Merlin frowned, a trace of doubt flashing in her brown eyes, while Xiya found the situation amusing: "Haiyin, would you let your aunt play with it for a few days?"

"That's... not a good idea," Haiyin replied, grabbing the crow like a fighting c**k to her side and sheepishly smiling at her aunt before sternly warning, "You better behave, or I'll make you fly behind the carriage."

Interestingly, this crow was peculiar. Until yesterday, all the crows she summoned were sleek and shiny, given the abundance of insects, berries, and such in the vast Western Sea Forest. Yet, a "refugee" crow appeared yesterday.

At first, Haiyin didn't pay much attention to it, even though its feathers lacked luster and appeared as if gnawed by a dog, but it seemed to have come from outside the Western Sea Forest.

However, this morning, as she opened her window, the crow landed on her windowsill as if waiting for her, making her quite surprised.

The crow's bristling feathers slowly settled back against its body, and it stopped making any sounds, returning to its previous foolish state.

Xiya found the situation even more interesting, offering a gold coin: "Haiyin, would you trade it for a gold coin?" For some reason, this crow felt different to her, especially at the moment her finger touched it, intensifying that peculiar feeling.

Haiyin's grip on the crow loosened slightly, her eyes uncontrollably drawn to the coin, torn: "Aunt, you only want a crow? I can bring you a whole flock from the Western Sea Forest, smarter and more agile than WuHeiHei," she offered.

Before she could finish, Haiyin gasped as the crow pecked her hand fiercely, causing a small piece of skin to peel away. She now truly wished to be rid of it.

"I don't want others, just..."

"Let this crow stay by your side," Merlin suddenly spoke, interrupting Xiya after a long silence: "If it decides to leave one day, don't stop it."

"Big sister..."

Mer

lin turned to Xiya, asking coldly, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Xiya couldn't possibly object, facing her sister's cold demeanor, she shrugged: "No."

Without her aunt's objection, but with her own, Haiyin watched as the opportunity for money flew away, quickly dropping her dignity to say, "Keep this one; I'll find you a plump one for the same price, just one gold coin."

The carriage fell silent, Merlin disengaged from the transaction to rest, while Xiya quietly pocketed the gold coin, pretending to look around, murmuring, "Where are we now? I wonder if we can get out of the forest before it gets dark."

Hope faded, and Haiyin, heartbroken, looked down at the dazed crow, solemnly stating, "WuHeiHei, you owe me a gold coin."

As the sun rose in the east and they entered the forest, by the time they left, the sun was setting in the west. The two old horses leisurely munched on tender grass while moving eastward. The three passengers inside the carriage did not urge them on. After about an hour, presumably full, the horses finally picked up the pace, trotting along.

Outside the Western Sea Forest was a green plain. As night approached, smoke from distant chimneys could be seen, and the people of Luo Zong were finishing their work, preparing to head home for safety.

"Polina," a young blonde woman, carrying a freshly baked loaf of black coarse bread from the kitchen, announced, "It's time to eat."

"Mom, look," a girl with two braided pigtails, dressed in a grey linen dress, pointed at the rapidly moving carriage from the forest edge: "That's coming out of the Western Sea Forest."

The blonde woman's expression tightened, and she quickly pulled the girl inside: "It's getting dark; we should eat and rest," placing the bread on the table and handing a small piece to the girl, "Eat this first, I'll go lock the kitchen door."

The girl, cherishing the black coarse bread, obediently replied, "Okay," as the scent of wheat filled her nostrils, making her mouth water. Watching the young woman leave, a hint of regret flashed in her blue-grey eyes.

She shouldn't have mentioned the Western Sea Forest, as it reminded her mother of past events, all of which she had fabricated to convince her mother to move, claiming she could communicate with Apollo, the sun god. Why would she need such powers if they lived near the Western Sea Forest?

Biting into the black bread, Polina sighed, resigned to the misunderstanding. It was, after all, for their survival, especially with the upcoming revival of the Androsi ancestor, Austin Correll, near Anastasia City, threatening their former village.

In the book, her mother didn't survive.

Indeed, she was living in a world from a book about the deadly love between humans and vampires, fortunately not as the protagonist. Her choice to live outside the Western Sea Forest with her mother was due to Haiyin DeXi.

Haiyin DeXi, the most powerful dark witch in the history of the Mar continent, or rather, the most formidable witch. Unlike the protagonist, Roxie Peony Mullin, of Luo Zong descent, Haiyin DeXi identified more with humanity and was one of the few who treated the Luo Zong people as equals, likely due to her father's influence.