The Virtuous Dark Witch

Umma… Umma… As the ancient, awkward chant faded, sparks ignited on the wicks of the copper lamps placed at the four corners of the attic. The flames burned slowly, chasing away the darkness. The girl curled up in bed fell silent. Her plump, fair little hands rubbed her eyes, her eyelids fluttering open in struggle, her silver-gray pupils clouded with daze. Glancing around, she mumbled, "Did I pass out again after working late in the attic?" She touched the woolen blanket draped over her. It seemed her father had waited until she was sound asleep before retiring last night. Throwing off the blanket, Elara Dessey grabbed the purple cloak hanging by her bed and wrapped it around herself. She turned toward the delicate wooden carved small bed and let out a deep sigh far too mature for her age. "This bed really has to go." It had been handmade for her by her father and two elder brothers, David Dessey and Townsend Dessey, and she loved it dearly. But keeping it in the attic was nothing short of a huge stumbling block on her path to success. She walked to the glazed bronze mirror at the foot of the bed and sat down. Elara pulled faces at her reflection, then frowned and smiled bitterly. As someone raised under the red flag, dual-majored in medicine and law, and unshakably devoted to science, even now she could not believe everything she had experienced was real. Could reincarnation truly exist in the vast universe? In her past life, she had been an orphan, taking Director Mama's surname—Elara. By some strange coincidence, she was still called Elara in this life, though her surname was Dessey. According to Director Mama, one summer morning, after cleaning the yard and preparing to water the vegetables the children had planted, she suddenly heard an extremely weak infant's cry. She rushed to open the gate. There lay a baby girl, wrapped in a cotton shirt, her umbilical cord still uncut, wailing as if starved or begging for help. A few greenbottles buzzed around her. Unlike many other children in the orphanage, she had all four limbs, was healthy, and clever. Under normal circumstances, she would have been easy to raise. Yet she had still been abandoned. But Director Mama had always told her that her parents loved her, and the place where she was left proved it—Fuyin Orphanage was the best-resourced and most well-funded orphanage in all of China. She had nodded along on the surface, but deep down she had believed she was nothing more than a small victim of a messy, casual relationship. Supported by the orphanage, she had fought her way into China's top university, double-majoring in clinical medicine and law. Though she studied clinical medicine, her true love was traditional Chinese medicine. Later, at Director Mama's request, she went to Oxford for further study. After four long years, she finally returned home and worked at Love and Peace Hospital, the family enterprise run by Director Mama's clan. Yet less than a month into her job, she was caught up in a medical disturbance. What was worse, it had nothing to do with her. She had only stepped forward to explain some basic legal knowledge to the agitated family member. "Sigh…" Elara Dessey let out a soft, mournful breath. The man had already calmed down under her persuasion. Unfortunately, just as he was about to lower the fruit knife in his hand, Hayden—the chief physician treating his son—arrived. Hayden did not announce the outcome, but his expression said everything. The patient's family snapped. He wildly waved the knife, scaring off the crowd, then lunged straight for Hayden. Seeing him approaching, Elara immediately pushed Hayden aside. She lost her balance, and a knife plunged straight into her aortic heart. At that moment, she had only one regret: twenty-four years of studying had all been for nothing. Did she regret it? The answer was no—she did not regret saving Hayden. Director Mama had worked so hard, loved her so dearly. She could not let her suffer the pain of losing a son in old age. But what Elara never expected was that she would open her eyes again. Only this time, everything was different. She was no longer the twenty-nine-year-old Elara, but a newborn infant, her physical body beyond her conscious control, yet all memories of her past life remained intact. She thought as she grew and gained better control over her body, those memories would slowly fade. But reality proved her wrong. Not only did the memories remain, but her development matched that of any ordinary infant: rolling over at three months, sitting at six, crawling at seven, standing at eight… The language here was not Chinese. It resembled Ancient Roman, yet differed from Latin. After ten years of learning and observation, Elara had finally gained some understanding of this world. In this life, she lived on Mal Continent—a true world of the law of the jungle. Its civilization was nothing like Earth's. Humans were not at the top of the food chain. Instead, a group of self-proclaimed Andros nobles—vampires—ruled over all. The Andros nobles, otherwise known as vampires, looked identical to humans, except every one of them, male or female, was born with breathtaking beauty. This only applied to natural-born vampires, who could turn ordinary humans into their kind. Those turned later would gradually drift away from humanity, becoming just like vampires, craving human blood and raw flesh. But even the Andros were bound by nature. Though their lifespans were measured in centuries, those with less pure blood lived shorter lives, feared sunlight more intensely, and had weaker control over their bloodlust. Turned vampires, in particular, were inferior to natural-born ones in lifespan, combat power, and healing ability. Sunlight could even kill them outright. Fear of sunlight was almost inherent to vampires. According to Dessey Clan records, only one vampire progenitor in Mal Continent's history was completely immune to sunlight, able to live in the scorching sun just like humans. He was also the only one among the eight Andros noble progenitors who opposed and restrained his kind from hunting humans excessively. But that progenitor had vanished nearly two thousand years ago. No one knew where he had gone. The Andros had an extremely strict hierarchy. Turned vampires—regardless of whether they were converted by a progenitor or an ordinary natural-born vampire—were at the very bottom. The only way to change this status was to bear offspring. The purer the Andros blood, the harder it was to conceive. Turned vampires were far more fertile than natural-born ones, either carrying children themselves or making natural-born vampires pregnant. Yet even if they had offspring, their lowly status rarely changed—unless their children were extraordinarily powerful. Faced with the mighty Andros, humans were little more than fish on the chopping board, meat to be devoured, with no room to resist. Among humans, there were extraordinary beings: the Witch Clan and the Werewolves. Werewolves were classified as human, but their habits were far more wolf-like. They lived in packs and possessed physical strength unmatched by any other humans, strong enough to rival the Andros. Yet they worshipped strength, and so had always regarded ordinary humans as inferior. Werewolf ranks were divided by the color of their true-form fur. The purer the fur, the stronger the warrior, and the more handsome their human shape. Among pure-furred alphas, the Silver Wolf King—whose coat shimmered like silver moonlight—stood supreme. Their hierarchy was as rigid as the Andros'. In terms of fertility, werewolves were similar to the Andros: the purer the fur, the harder to conceive. Yet werewolves and ordinary humans could reproduce relatively easily, though only half their offspring would be werewolves, and most would have muddled fur. Still, something was better than nothing. The other powerful force among humans was the Witch Clan. Witches had different meridians from ordinary humans—meridians that could gather natural power and turn it into offensive or defensive witchcraft. Depending on their cultivation method, Witches were split into two groups: Light Witches and Dark Witches. Those who drew strength from Sunlight Power to grow powerful and extend their lives were Light Witches. Dark Witches cultivated using Moonlight Power. In both paths, female witches were more gifted and stronger than males. Though both were witches, Light and Dark had long been enemies. Dark Witches were not only hostile to Light Witches, but also to werewolves and ordinary humans. Yet they were strangely fond of the Andros nobles. The Andros, however, disliked Dark Witches and favored Light Witches. To make things even more infuriating for the Dark Witches, Light Witches had always opposed killing and held little respect for the bloodthirsty Andros. Of course, there were outliers among Witches. The Dessey Dark Witches of the West Sea Forest kept to themselves, loyal to no one but gold. Elara in this life had been reborn into the most infamous Dessey Dark Witch family. The Desseys were notorious because they would do anything for a paying employer—good or evil. That alone was tolerable. But the catch was: the Desseys demanded payment whether the mission succeeded or not. If an employer refused, Dessey Witches would haunt them like ghosts. Her father had told her that while her mother, Merlyn Dessey, was pregnant with her, she had taken a job to break the Protective Witchcraft Barrier outside Mullin Manor. But just before she struck, she suddenly felt hungry and went inside the manor to look for food. There, she found the young lady of the Mullin family giving birth to a baby girl. Her mother could not bring herself to leave. Looking at the soft, tiny infant, she felt pity. After eating her fill, she simply left Mullin Manor—then went straight to her employer to demand payment. Not a single gold coin less than one thousand. The employer was an Andros noblewoman, a turned vampire who had borne children. Naturally, she refused. She offered a thousand silver coins—just one gold coin—thinking that would suffice. Her mother would not back down. She cast a Dark Barrier around the woman's manor, blocking all entry and exit, then returned to the West Sea Forest to await childbirth. Only when Elara turned one year old, and the woman's son delivered the full thousand gold coins, did her mother lift the barrier. It was utterly shameless. But the Dessey Dark Witches were terrifyingly powerful, skilled at forging Dark Weapons and setting barriers, and viciously vengeful. Yet because of their unreasonable ways, the Dessey family's business had declined year after year. How bad was it? In the ten years since Elara's birth, her grandmother, Kelly Dessey, mother, Merlyn, and aunt Thea Dessey had not received a single commission. Fortunately, their family fortune was substantial. But living off old savings could not last forever. Tousling her glossy black curls, Elara sighed softly. "I wonder if the family's grain stores are running low. David and Townsend haven't been eating their fill lately." Ordinary humans in this world have truly pitiful status. They worked hard, ate little, served the Andros and werewolves, endured exploitation, and lived in constant fear of being hunted. Some saved their entire lives and still could not afford even a single Protective Barrier Stone from the Witches to protect their homes. Of course, among ordinary humans, there were both poor and wealthy. The aforementioned Mullin family, for example. All the women in the family were breathtakingly beautiful, favored by Andros nobles and werewolf men alike. Many Mullin women became concubines of Andros and werewolves. Similar clans included the Casey Clan and the Hambury Tribe. The most famous of all was the Saha Clan. For generations, the Saha patriarchs had been werewolf descendants. Though not werewolves themselves, they carried werewolf blood, granting them relatively strong physiques. With training and weapons, they could fight ordinary Andros. But the Saha Clan's greatest advantage was that the women were born with exceptional bone structures, making them extremely fertile. Since ancient times, they had married into the powerful Leeds Tribe (Werewolves). The Saha Clan thus became the werewolves' voice among ordinary humans. Although ordinary humans were weak, they were numerous. After years of quiet adaptation, they had long found ways to survive. She glanced at the water clock on her desk. It was exactly seven in the morning. Strangely enough, time in this world was divided the same way as in her past life. The currency in circulation was copper coins, silver coins, and gold coins. One silver coin equaled one thousand copper coins; one gold coin equaled one thousand silver coins. Creak… creak… “Sister? Are you awake?" "I am." Elara stood and opened the door. Her elder brother, David Dessey, stood outside. Like their father, Mond, and second brother, Townsend, he was an ordinary mortal, so he held no status in the family. Fortunately, her mother, Merlyn Dessey, felt guilty for having taken their father by force and treated them all equally. The blond, blue-eyed young man was strikingly handsome. He held a copper lamp in his right hand, his eyes filled with doting affection as he looked at his young sister. "Hurry and wash up. Breakfast is ready." "Okay." Elara broke into a bright smile, a little embarrassed. "I'm late again, I think." "You just work too hard." David lowered his thick lashes, guilt flashing in his eyes. The Dessey Dark Witches had always been powerful, but their numbers kept dwindling. Apart from their elderly grandmother Kelly, only Merlyn and her sister Thea remained in the family. Her aunt Thea still had no marriage prospects. And Merlyn only had Elara—a daughter capable of cultivating Witch Power. Though Elara's talent was extraordinary, she was still alone. Elara scratched the hair by her ear. "You go ahead and eat." I'll be down in a quarter of an hour." With that, she turned back into the room and took the elaborate silk dress hanging on the rack by her bed. Although the language of this world resembled Ancient Roman, the clothing was much like that of Ancient Europe. Women mainly wore dresses with wide skirts, tight waists, and cuffs. Silk was noble; linen, common. "Take your time. No rush." David smiled gently. Not wanting to hurry his sister, he turned and descended the attic stairs without waiting. After dressing, Elara stood before the glazed bronze mirror and studied her reflection. If there was one thing she disliked about her appearance, it was her silver-gray eyes. But according to clan records, as her Witch Power grew, her eye color would gradually darken, growing closer to black. The most powerful Dark Witch in Mal Continent's history was the Dessey ancestor, Selah Dessey. When she reached the peak of cultivation, her sky-blue eyes turned pure, deep black. Ancestor Selah Dessey was the goal Elara intended to surpass.