dark witch

Chapter8

"Secrets?" The white-haired woman's lips trembled slightly as she whispered, "How could there still be secrets?" Their clan had been waiting for this day for nearly ten thousand years. Everything had been going so smoothly; why did they fail at the last step?

"Having already failed, dwelling on this is merely futile," the witch pinched her own elasticity-lacking cheek with a look of disdain, and then commanded the white-haired woman, "Bring me ten young Luo Zong men. I need to recover."

"Yes."

Two old horses galloped on the flat path, with the moonlight casting heavy shadows of the trees ahead, and the gleaming image of a castle faintly visible on the eastern horizon. That was Anastar City.

Inside the carriage, Haiyin observed the black crow for a while, and after ensuring everything was normal, she finally relaxed, pushed open the rear window of the carriage, rested her arm on the window sill, and scanned the surroundings. "Such a peaceful night must be related to Anastar City."

"The lord of Anastar City is hosting a banquet for three days," Merlin chuckled lightly, "The Androsi active in this area will surely go to congratulate him," but this would be tough on those Luo Zong people living in Anastar City. "Once we enter the city, we can get off and walk around."

"Okay," Haiyin looked forward with some anticipation. The cities here were different from those in her previous life; these cities belonged to the night, which was unfortunately very dangerous for ordinary people. However, she had never seen a vampire feed, mainly because she rarely left the West Sea Forest.

Ding-ling-ling… Ding-ling-ling…

Suddenly, the serene night was pierced by the faint sound of bells. Haiyin looked up towards the source of the sound, seeing several small lights rapidly approaching. She soon made out what those were.

Four sika deer emitting a shimmering white light were pulling a very delicate four-wheeled silver carriage, rushing through the air like shooting stars, boldly and freely heading towards Anastar City.

Haiyin blinked, watching the lingering glowing tracks of the silver carriage, unable to snap back to reality. If she guessed correctly, that was probably the vehicle of a member of the Bright Witch Clan, evident from its grandeur.

After taking a sniff, Haiyin couldn't hide her envy, "Running a witch doctor's clinic really does make one wealthy," she mused, not letting go of her dream.

"Pfft," Xiya, who was somewhat upset, couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing this, although Merlin didn't share her good mood, her face stern, her eyes unreadable.

Mentioning the Bright Witch Clan reminded Haiyin of something. She turned to look at her mother, "Will we encounter Boye in Anastar City?" Her mother had snatched her father from Boye's hands years ago, and Boye had sworn to be enemies with her mother.

"So what if we do?" Merlin scoffed coldly, "Do you think I, DeXi the witch, would be afraid of her…"

"Merlin…"

A gentle female voice suddenly approached, causing the two old horses to halt, forcing them to stop. Merlin.DeXi's brown eyes narrowed, and her red lips slightly curled, "Boye?" It was her, unmistakable even after many years, that insincere voice.

"Your daughter has grown up," a pair of feet glowing with a moon-white luminescence stepped on the low weeds, the woman wearing a wide white robe with her head wrapped in white gauze, only revealing a pair of light brown eyes. She approached the carriage, hesitation in her eyes, but after that, only determination remained: "I have been waiting here for you for a month."

Merlin threw Haiyin towards Xiya, "Protect her," then vanished within the carriage, suddenly appearing in front of the woman in the white robe. Her purple cloak fluttered slightly with the wind, and with a wave of her right hand, a purple jade staff about one meter long appeared in her hand.

Just as she was about to act, she noticed something odd about the other's aura, raising her eyebrows in surprise, her gaze finally resting on the woman's protruding belly, extremely annoyed, "You came seeking death?"

The woman sneered, her light brown eyes filled with tears, yet stubbornly refusing to let them fall, "If you don't leave the West Sea Forest, I will indeed be close to death."

She and Merlin were born in the same year, often compared by outsiders due to their family backgrounds and talents. Both were proud and refused to submit to each other, so their encounters always resulted in fierce battles.

Eighteen years ago, Merlin even snatched a Luo Zong servant boy she had set her sights on, causing her great humiliation. By all accounts, they were sworn enemies, yet in her current predicament, she found herself trusting only Merlin: "A thousand gold coins," her slender hand trembling as it covered her belly, "I need you to help me... kill him."

Merlin's eyes widened in shock, taking a moment before she exclaimed, "Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I haven't gone mad," Boye gestured outward with her right hand, creating a circle of light that enveloped her and Merlin. She clenched her belly with her left hand, as bright witch power continuously surged towards the fetus, taking a staggering step forward, "Merlin, do you know? I've waited too long for this child."

"The child is still alive," Merlin scrutinized the woman, doubting if the person in front of her was Boye at all, given Boye's pride would never allow her to bow down.

A tear rolled down Boye's cheek as she gave a sorrowful smile, "Feel it, is there one or two in my belly?" As her words fell, tears streamed down her face, and Merlin, shocked, seemed to understand, "You… you…"

"Yes," Boye didn't want to admit it, but the truth was evident, "It's twins. I had a sliver of hope, praying to the god Apollo every day to let me safely give birth to the twins. I didn't ask for their talents to be extraordinary; I only hoped they wouldn't consume each other. But... after I was pregnant for three months, the pulse of the other child started to weaken."

Hearing this, Merlin grabbed Boye's left hand, indeed feeling only one faint pulse left, "If you kill him, the old witch Boeyr won't let you off."

"Since when did DeXi the witch stop being interested in making money?" Boye held Merlin's hand in return, "I've tried, bright witch power can't kill him. It seems only the holy crow dagger of the West Sea witch ancestor could do it," she was in pain, but knew the flesh in her belly couldn't stay, "Merlin, think about your daughter, think about your DeXi family's ancestor, XIHai.DeXi, help me."

"She can't help you," Xiya, stepping out of the carriage with Haiyin, positioned herself in front of Merlin, separating her from Boye.

"You asked her to think about our DeXi family's ancestor, then you should know, once she helps you, she might suffer the Twin Spirits Curse, a curse not even the West Sea witch ancestor could withstand. What makes you think my sister could resist it?"

Haiyin released her aunt's hand, moving close to her mother and tightly hugging her waist, looking at Boye, "If you can't kill him, then let fate decide and give birth to him. I'm still young and can't be without a mother."

Boye's gaze swept over Haiyin before returning to Merlin. Merlin, holding her daughter's tender hand, sighed deeply and shook her head, "It's too late now, Boeyr is already on her way."

Before her words had even finished, the sound of golden bells came from the sky, followed by six majestic white deer breaking through the air. An old woman in a golden robe stood on the golden four-wheeled carriage, her ancient voice echoing through the night, "Boye, come back with me."

Boye collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way, then furiously shouted at Merlin, "You will regret this."

"Perhaps," Merlin glanced at the old witch who ignored their group, took Haiyin and Xiya back into the carriage, and no longer concerned herself with Boye. Some matters were beyond their control.

"You can't leave," Boye tried to rise and chase after them, but was unable to move, only watching helplessly as the carriage leisurely departed, laughter born of despair escaping her, "Ha ha… You will regret this… Ha ha…"

Silence filled the carriage; Xiya sat with her arms crossed, still fuming.

Merlin ignored her, holding Haiyin in a daze. Haiyin's thoughts were still on the recent events, "Mother, are twin witches really that powerful?"

Before Merlin could answer, Xiya sat up abruptly, questioning her sister sternly, "If it weren't for me stopping you, were you actually considering agreeing to her request? Have you forgotten how the West Sea witch ancestor died, or do you think you can kill the twin witch and the Larissa Family would let you off?"

Merlin sighed softly, shaking her head, "I never thought of agreeing to her," her hand gently caressing her daughter's soft cheek, "The twin witch is a curse the Larissa Family brought upon themselves. It's rare for the Larissa Family to have someone sane," acknowledging her years of struggle with Boye.

"Twin witch?" Haiyin looked up at her mother, curiosity in her eyes.

Merlin chuckled

, kissing her forehead, "The twin witch, born as twins but only one lives. The one that lives isn't because the other died, but because the stronger one consumed the weaker sibling to enhance their own talents."

"One plus one equals two," Haiyin began to understand, "The twin witch is powerful because they've combined the talents of two people," what a world where even unborn twins knew to prey upon each other.

"A long time ago, there were no twin witches," Xiya's mood had calmed, her gaze darkening, "This situation arose only because their ancestors, in pursuit of power, used witchcraft to merge healthy twins."

"They gained power," Merlin lowered her eyelashes, "but at the cost of sin. The twin witch ancestor of the Larissa Family was born with dual souls, one good and one evil. Though the 'good' soul was dominant, it harbored guilt for consuming its brother, allowing the 'evil' soul to often take control, leading to indiscriminate killing."

If it were just about killing, the twin witch wouldn't be so feared. He also invented a nefarious witchcraft technique—soul projection, using magic to project his will onto others' souls, thereby controlling them. It was for this reason the DeXi family's ancestor decided to kill him.

"However, the West Sea witch ancestor only managed to erase one soul of the twin witch before falling to the Holy Spirit's curse, using his last bit of witch power to seal the other soul."

"The curse," Xiya clenched her fists, her eyes filled with unresolved hatred, "The curse that afflicted the West Sea witch ancestor has always been a mystery. Everyone says it was cast by the twin witch ancestor, but who can be sure it was done by the evil soul?"

"The true nature of the Twin Spirits Curse will eventually come to light," Merlin held her daughter tightly, "Since the Larissa Family has once again produced a twin witch, let's wait and see."

The records of the West Sea witch ancestor mentioned that the body of a twin witch is the best vessel for a soul. Boye's request today, asking her to kill the fetus without considering using the light of the clan's bright witch ancestor to erase the split soul, made Merlin suspicious. After all, the other soul of that twin witch ancestor was only sealed, not destroyed.