I Reincarnated as an NPC Witch

Unseen Mistake

“A black figure?” Abigail asked her, she was a bit frozen with the things she have heard right now. “What do you mean?” Yris looks at her, “I am not lying, it was a black humanoid figure. Some bits are jutting out of it, but overall his shape was like a human, well, a bald human.” The witch’s heart starts pumping, her hands start to get sweaty. She’s onto yet another rabbit hole that leads into the same underground chamber,  at least, that what she thinks. “What could you describe its voice,  is it rough, deep? Maybe a little be incoherent, airy, or… distorted?”

“Distorted? Like, some sort of a voice that’s cut by something sometimes and all over the place? If that’s so, I think that’s the perfect word to describe the horrifying voice of this creature. Sometimes, it has a high-pitched screech that made me cover my ears and make things horrifying. It was just some minute or two memory, but it’s packed full of traumatic events, traumatic sounds, and just horrifying imagery that I honestly don’t want to remember. But, it’s replaying in my mind all over and over again. It just doesn’t go away. And, the fact that no one believes me hurts me a lot.” Abigail scratches her chin, she was more interested in whom kidnapped Yris’ mother. It’s puzzling for her for the corrupted to kidnap her mother. “It’ll borrow your mother?” The poor girl nods, “It was a sentence that scarred me in my whole life. Borrow!? First of all, my mother isn’t a thing nor even a toy to just borrow her. She’s a person and she’s even the greatest person in the world. And, the term ‘borrow’ isn’t even right. If you are going to kidnap someone, make it clear!”

The last sentence made Abigail chuckle a bit and shake her head. “Do you have a paper here somewhere and a pencil? And, maybe also a hard, stable, and flat object to put that paper in.” Suddenly, the sadness that Yris is showing became an enthusiastic one. It was a fast pace of changing emotions. Abigail isn’t surprised by this anymore. Considering how dramatic she was in the game, it’ll be the same in the real life, but much worse. “On it!” She rushed out of the room and came back minutes later with a book, parchment paper, and a pencil. She puts it on the bed as Abigail grabs them. She leans on the headboard and placed the book with the paper on top of it on her lap. She starts sketching the corrupted on her medium of choice.

Yris watches her carefully as the monster of her very traumatic memory was slowly recreated on a piece of paper. Its upper figure was so familiar and she’s starting to panic at the sight of it. “Stop!” She said as Abigail decided to follow her. “It’s too close to reality, no. I can see its black figure in my head and even in this room, watching us.” The witch was a bit panicked as she said that it was in the room with them. She looks around, confirming if it's within the surrounding. She sighs in relief as she sees no evidence of it being here. “Don’t say that you can see it here in the room, Yris. Because there’s a possibility that it will be here.” Yris looks at her with terror in her face and massive shock in her eyes, “What!? How? Where? When!?” She said as she started to panic, so much so that she embraced the witch in her fear of being near her. Abigail carefully pushes her and looks at the young lady, “Not now, but it just spooks me out that you said it it's here. If it can appear just out of nowhere before, it can right now. Especially if it knows you are afraid of it. Something tells me a black figure takes advantage of those who are fearful and use that weakness to be able to get you.”

“You’re not helping at all!” Yris pouts as Abigail sighs, “Because, it’s the truth. Because I know it!” The young lady was frozen as she slowly turns her head to her. Abigail was a bit shook by the sudden increase in the volume of her voice as if she was shouting at her. She was also shock and regretful of what she just said. “I mean…  I—“ Before she can even explain herself, Yris freaked out, “You know that horrifying creature only to be seen in your darkest nightmares and even the traumatic parts of your reality!? You know it and you just said that to me right now?” Abigail sighs and calms her down, “Okay, I don’t really know it,” she lied, “But, I am fairly aware of the existence of such things, but not specifically about that thing that abducted your mother.  A lot of things that creature could be, and I am not aware at all with all of the species and unique creatures in this world.”

“But! At least, I have some evidence and someone that believes in me. You are really a hero, Miss Crocus! My mind is at peace now that I know that someone believes and even knows that these things are real. They are horrifying, terrifying, and destroys your mental state for so many, many years. It’s been years that I have been dreading and questioning myself with the memories I withhold myself. You don’t know how this helped me, Miss Crocus. As someone that’s been questioned on how I understand and remember things, this is a relieving moment. A moment to be known and remembered always.”

Abigail suddenly went quiet. She was speechless. Yris is just an AI developed through the people that were there before her. But, she seems peculiar to the rest. She holds something The Gemini should’ve deleted from her memory file or something. She has a memory of the corrupted k********g of her mother, which she questions as well. She also has one of the rarest abilities someone could have, according to Keeana, in this world. She’s starting to see a pattern that she never thought and she doesn’t know if she’s thankful for it.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you very, very much, Miss Crocus!” Yris said as she embraces her. It was a genuine and warm hug. Abigail’s lip curved slowly. The young lady withdraws and looks at her, “I am sorry if I ranted everything I have inside me this night. This night was supposed to be something special between the both of us, a fun special memory! It became a little bit dramatic, melancholy, and awkward, especially for you, Miss Crocus.” Abigail looks at her, “It’s fine. I am pleasured to be worthy to hear out what you are been dreading to tell everyone. I see myself as not worthy to be one, but I see that you are in greater need of help and listening ears that won’t tell you are insane.”

Yris smiles, it was a wide one with some tears that are just waiting to be released in their waiting sack. “I am so grateful that you didn’t think so otherwise.” Abigail smiles and comforts her, “Because, it’s a true memory, Yris. It’s a true one. People are just saying it isn’t because they aren’t aware that it’s possible. In this world where everything can be created in a blink of an eye, this is possible. This is a world where everything could be changed in a snap, a world that has some mystery lurking through its nooks and crannies. I am not even doubting that could happen. Any life form could just emerge in the darkness, light, flowers, or anything in just a moment and already have some sentience and goals in their newly found lives. Your mother is also a great mage and a ruler of a village before and a co-ruler of a whole city. It’s not far-fetch if someone is trying to get rid of her in some way for their own advantage and gain.” She looks at her, “I am saying this to you now, don’t let them say that it’s so surreal that it’s not real anymore. The most authentic and memorable memories are the surreal ones that we encounter.”

Yris wipes the tears on her eyes, “Thank you for believing in me, Miss Crocus.” Abigail smiles as she realizes one thing. She immediately holds her hand, “Promise me one thing.” The young lady was a bit shocked, but she goes along with it, “What is it?” The witch sighs, “Don’t tell anyone about all of this, this should be a secret.” Yris is getting confused, “I thought my memories are real, Miss Crocus? Why do I need to keep this a secret? I should be saying to everyone that I am right and they are wrong! Especially my dad who doubted me when I am the one who witnessed everything.”

Abigail sighs in frustration, “Just listen to me, okay? This information, especially the one about the black figure, is really a sensitive one. Knowing that it’s real will cause chaos, especially if many people are aware of it.” The young lady gets so stubborn at a strangely fast pace, she immediately crossed her arms. “No! This needs to be said to everyone. I deserve the attention and ears that I need to get all of them believe me. And, you are the one who did it first, why are you preventing me to tell it, everyone? It’s the reason why I am seeking these things. I need to let them know that’s how my mother died, that’s how the countess of this city died, that’s how my father’s beloved wife died. Not in some fake way that my father deduced himself without even any evidence. I need to knock it out of their minds. She didn’t die, she was taken away. There’s even a chance that she’s still alive and well. Forgot the well one, she’s not going to be well and fine with a monster like that black figure that took her away from me!”

Abigail is starting to regret and got scared of what she just did. “I thought you will be my team in this goal of mine. You already believed and even said with your own magical words and knowledge that this creature exists. Then, you are saying to keep this is a secret!? I refuse to, Miss Crocus. This is my time to be known that I am the truth and I hold the truth of my mother’s death. It’s the very time that I am waiting for, Miss Crocus.” She looks away from her and gets out of the bed. Her eyes are starting to get teary again. Her back was turned to her with her fist clenched. Abigail was confused why she’s angry with a simple request, but she might know what this is all about.

“I thought you are my friend in this. I thought you will support me. This is not the treatment that I am finding. I am scarred in my life and this is about my mother. I won’t keep this is a secret, let be this known for centuries and beyond that. Because that creature will be hunted in whole its life until it’s caught.” Yris walks out of the room and shutting the door rather quite harshly, making some loud noises. Abigail was frozen, she was utterly and visibly confused. She was nervous and afraid too, she doesn’t know where she got wrong and what aspect of her problems right now will this affect her. She was confused why she’s even nervous about this. But, as she looks at the window, she noticed something that made her gulp badly. She slowly approaches it with caution to confirm what it is. It was a crow’s feather sitting on the window. She looks up at the sky, “Did I screwed up somehow?”