Memories of the Deep

The Empire

As Mara watched the man and the boy desperately try to get close to her mother, she decided to stop with the teasing and get down to buisness.

"Mom, why are they following us?"

Her mother turned around and decided to settle this matter. She already knew who that man was, Mara didn't know who that man was back then... but now, she knew not to trust this man.

"Duke Arman, may I ask why you keep following me and my daughter? Our accidental encounter was nothing important, so please leave us enjoy the festival." She replied in a mild tone, earning a dissaproving look from both the father and the son.

"Certainely not, I can't just ingore my rude behavior from earlier."

Mara wanted to scoff, it was just like him to pretend to be kind and just. That's how he managed to fool both of them, how he got to marry her mother... and how he got rid of her, once she was no longer usefull. It was also how he managed to impress her when she in this exact age... and how she fell for his lies, over and over again.

"Mom, I'm tired. Can we go back home,please?"

"I can escort you back." Duke Arman suggested but Mara's mother shook her head, their house was protected with various spells and that made sure no one but them could enter.

"It won't be necessary, thank you my lord." Mara's mother said, in the past, Mara would have insisted on going with the carriage of a noble because it was shiny, big and the horses were pretty... but now, the only thing she wanted was for this man to be kicked by a horse, or better yet, a donkey.

The duke gritted his teeth as he saw Mara and her mother leave, he needed the power of that witch, his territory on the south border of this kingdom was in bad shape, the land wasn't able to produce anything... and wealth meant a lot to the nobility of the Garmat Empire.

Mara thought back to the state of the empire throughout the years. There were a lot of things going on regarding the empire.

The Garmat Empire was a land surrounded by mountains from the north and expanded all the way to the ocean. Though big, the land on the north couldn't be used to grow anything and with the exception of a few wild goats, and wild animals, no one could stay there if they hadn't been born there, however the north was filled with minerals and gems such as amethyst, iron and coal.

The south was in a slightly better condition, the crops there weren't the best but they weren't the worst either. However the south had been known for it's military strength, being one of the largest assets in maintaining the empire.

The east part of the empire was known for being gem of the empire, with farmers producing the best vegetables and fruits, with the best perfumes made there along with the best silk and leather fabrics. Commoners were also raising animals such as cows, sheep, goats and chickens.

And lastly, the west. It was the closest to the sea, where pearls, fish and at times gold could be found. The west was known for it's closed off society and intellectuals that were the brightest minds of the empire and some of the best tacticians in battle and scholars that became advisors of the emperor.

The Garmat empire seemed perfect but there was one big flaw in all that. The four parts of the empire, never really worked together for the benefit of the empire. They usually were at war with each other, only maintaining some sort of unity because of the capital in the center of the empire.

The current emperor had a harem with over fourty concubines but no empress. And as such, noble families were flocking the palace, trying to convince the emperor to take one of their daughter as the empress.

And this is where Duke Arman came in. He had no daughters to send, he only had two sons whom he treasured a lot. His wife had died due to her weak heart and he now needed a new one, however his family was one of the weakest in the whole empire... but with the help of a witch, he could become more powerfull and rise as an influencial man among the nobles.

Mara knew that the Duke wouldn't give up, in the past he also kept trying until eventually her mother agreed to help him. 

As for the boy, he was his second son, Derek Arman. An arrogant, selfish brat that bullied his servants and their families... but he wasn't the worst out of the two sons. The first son was a true monster, his manipulation and ability to keep up a facade, was remarkable and Mara never suspected a thing.

As a matter of fact, she had done something that went against the laws of nature because he managed to fool her, ensuring that he would always get his way in the end.

She made him immortal.

It was during her twenty third birthday that ha managed to fool her and proclaimed that since she was a witch, she could live for centuries and that it'll be sad that they won't be able to continue being a family for more than a few decades. Mara, who had grown quite fond of her step brother had made that mistake after hearing that.

"Mom, can we eat some pie once we go home?"

"Sure, after all we left pretty early. We can watch the fireworks from our home while eating some pie."

Mara smiled, not only was she going to learn magic earlier but she'd make sure that her mother wouldn't end up as the toy of a noble. And since she would once again grow up to be an extremely powerfull sea witch, she would also do something unheard of.

Once her revenge was complete or even before then, she would take her mother and go to a different world, she had heard of a realm known as the "Witches Garden", where witches lived freely and did everything without the need to worry about nobles or someone else interefering.

However, the gate to that world could only be opened from an extremely powerfull witch... and Mara was going to become the powerfull witch she had been before.

"Mom, you also promised to teach me magic once we go home." 

"I know and I promise that I will do it. After we enjoy the fireworks, we'll begin."

"Yay!!!"

Just as the two reached home, Mara managed to see someone hide behind a large oak tree. She smiled, it seems that the third person she wanted to take revenge on, couldn't wait and came to see them sooner than expected. No matter, this time she knew who they really were and she would ensure that they wouldn't get away with their crimes and rotten hearts.

"Mara? What's wrong?"

"Mom, how do we know what kind of a witch I'll become? I mean, how did you become a flower witch?"

"You'll feel a connection between  you and something related to the element that will choose you."

"I see."

Mara already knew that but she wondered, why did the elements originally chose someone to connect to?

The empire viewed witches as supreme beings and they all searched around to get one to join their house, faction or area of living. And that didn't always end well, wars would occur over them and some would kill those witches in order to make sure that their enemies did not get them.

As far as Mara was concerned, going to the "Witches Garden" was the best choice, the empire was too dangerous for them. But first, she had to settle her matters from the past.

"I'm excited, this is going to be fun."