The World in Dissonance (Volume 1)

Chapter 4 - Part 2

Part 2

The second group that was composed of Sonya, Mathers, Tabitha and Stella had separated from the main party.

Yet, unlike what one might expect, they were not actually hiding from the intended target of their trap. Operating under the assumption that more than one culprit was involved, they deduced that the perpetrators would not all appear from the same direction when they would show up. Thus, in order to avoid failure, they had taken all the necessary precautions to avoid being caught off guard.

Still, Sonya was not the kind of girl who would randomly choose to team up with someone she didn’t trust. She was nothing like Dedicatus who meticulously calculated every possibility beforehand, to make good use of whoever she would team up with.

Quite the opposite... Sonya had her reasons. There was a deliberate purpose behind her decisions to team up with the two witches, Tabitha and Stella, despite the fact that the pair were in a complete disagreement with her and Alyss all the times.

“Now that I think about it...”, suddenly asked the Christian girl as the witch boy Mathers was walking side by side with her. “Do Familiars vary in aspect according to the witches or is it all about crows?”

“Each Familiar possesses its own aspect!”, replied Mathers without hesitation. “They decide the form in which they will manifest—whatever shape proves to be of the most useful to the one with whom they are bound. Whether they take on a bestial or a humanoid form matters little; in either case, it is selected for the sake of assisting the practitioner in every possible regard!”

The witch boy didn’t even try to hide anything. He explained plainly—so plainly, in fact, that even someone like Sonya, who had never truly grasped what a familiar was meant to be, could follow his explanation. If Sonya was like that Dedicatus girl, her question would have been a test to see if the witch boy was worthy to be trusted; and since Mathers didn’t try to hide anything, for that Dedicatus girl, it was proof that he was trustworthy.

“It’s just that let’s imagine they have evidence that you and Eldritch made contact with a familiar. When we think about it, it’s not weird if the said familiar has the appearance of a black cat or a dog. People often talk to those animals, so it’s not suspicious at all—and you can just say that it was a stray cat or a stray dog that was wandering in the forest! But in case it’s something humanoid like a fairy or a gnome, or an avian species such as a crow, or chiropterans, finding an explanation for that would be difficult, especially if they have a visual record of the said interaction!”

As a matter of fact, during medieval and early modern periods, familiars were given credits for being supernatural entities, offering protection and magical support to their contractors. Depending solely on the nature of the bond between the two parties, a familiar and a witch might exist in a master and servant relationship, but might as well stand together as equals. But later on, modern literature introduced them as mere animal pets that would just wander around and keep company to the witches.

Eldritch and Mathers had their respective cat and raven familiars, observing everything that was happening in a certain perimeter around their actual positions. The cat represented Eldritch’s carefree spirit while Mathers’ raven was a symbolism of liminality. The raven was spying from the sky above, while the cat was hiding carefully on the ground. And thanks to the bond known as ‘Shared Sight’—which was achievable in Wiccan practice though the deepening of the telepathic and energetic link between the Witch and the Familiar—the said Familiar could consciously connect their sensory perceptions and share their vision with their contractor. Through this very bond, Eldritch and Mathers could perceive whatever lay within their respective familiars’ field of sight.

At that precise moment, only a single individual had ventured in the forest, slowly drawing nearer to the place where Alyss and the other group lay in wait.

“Karl has only detected one person so far! But we have yet to determine the identity of that individual!”, reported the young warlock while his eyes were showing signs of mysticism.

“The plan is actually working!!!”, exclaimed Tabitha as she couldn’t hide her excitement. “We should go and intercept that person without any delay!”

And as the Witch Girl Tabitha was going to dash towards the direction where Alyss and the others were positioned, Sonya swiftly intercepted her, seizing her hand as if to prevent the girl from taking another step.

“Where do you think you’re going in such a hurry?”, asked the Christian Girl, her tone matching that of an inquisitor.

“You’d better let go of my hand! I am not in the mood to play your games!”, retorted the Witch Girl.

“But We have all the time in the world!”, replied Sonya in a calm tone. “It’s only a single individual! They can handle it perfectly well on their own.”

“What’s the meaning of this, you stupid b***h!?”

“It is what it is!”, answered Sonya without flinching. “Tabitha, Stella, the two of you are not going anywhere until we are done here!”

“Do you truly believe you can handle the three of us on your own?”, intervened suddenly the witch named Stella. “Even with all the preparation time imaginable, you would never withstand our combined might!”

It was an undeniable truth that Sonya stood outnumbered, and it would take nothing short of a miracle for her to hold her ground against the three of them. And so, the young maiden directed her gaze towards the Witch Boy Mathers. It was the moment of truth, and what followed next would solely depend upon the boy’s standing.

Three Witches against a single Christian,

Was the confrontation truly unavoidable?

For what felt like an eternity, Sonya and Mathers held one another’s gaze in silence.

Five long seconds passed before the Witch Boy finally decided to speak.

“You have piqued my curiosity!”, he said at last. “You clearly have your reasons, and I am all ears to whatever it is!”

With those words, the boy made his position unmistakably clear: he would stand between them, neither ally nor enemy—perfectly neutral, just like the symbolism embodied by his Familiar.