Salvation

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Chapter 24

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What greeted his eyes was a beautiful, pale-skinned woman with purple hair and a dress, with her hat resembling that of a witch along with a dark, silvered spear she is holding in her right hand as her smile is gentle and serene. "Isn't that right, boy?" She asked kindly, waiting patiently for his response.

His eyes weren't focused on her face; it was her massive breasts that caught his attention, as he didn't know how to describe her blushing red in embarrassment, unable to tell if this was the consequence of hitting puberty or her magical influence that's making him feel this way.

With a nervous gulp, he slowly nodded his head in agreement with her statement before she noticed his stare on her bosoms, laughing delightfully at this act. "May I have your name?" The mysterious woman approached him in a non-threatening manner that made her seem more friendly and less intimidating.

Blinking twice, it took him a few seconds to speak out his name. "I'm...I'm Seth, ma'am," he politely said while still on the ground with his injured leg. "What about—" His eyes widen a bit when she grabs him gently by the hand and lifts him with her own, placing his entire body behind her back.

"Hold on, okay?" She said in a comforting tone while her right arm held the boy below in her own back, if it was the seat itself, "We have to stop that bleeding," informing him about the dangerous situation his life is in if it continues for much longer, "You don't want to die from blood loss, do we?" Asked the lady.

Seth wanted to say something else, especially the part about finding his friends, but because of his anxiety about speaking with others, he kept his mouth shut to avoid making the situation any worse for them both, as it wouldn't do good for their health if they engaged in idle chatter.

In truth, he is just too shy about asking for help from strangers he has never met in his life; he doesn't know what she wants or what she thinks about him, which means it is also unknown territory that has high chances of getting him killed if she decides to leave him for dead in these woods alone.

At this moment, it is better to let someone else do the talking while he stays quiet from this dilemma; he would rather stay out of trouble than cause more problems for himself when things get dangerous around them, which they currently are.

But the only thing that bothered Seth the most was his unending desire to know what her motives were, along with this fear of the unknown. Perhaps this lady here might be a serial killer in close proximity, having a more attractive appearance than others, which leads to the most obvious conclusion of being a possible victim of her murderous intent.

If that's the case, then maybe he should make a run for it? Oh, he almost forgot that he has an injured leg, so that would be impossible to do unless he crawls out of here, but even then, she and the rest of the monsters in this woods will end up finding him with little effort if he tries that tactic.

In short, there is no point in running away from his own fate, especially from people who are willing to lend their assistance when he is in dire need. So it would be rude to simply turn their generosity away when offered for free with kind hearts, right?

But his only suspicion is of a stranger who seemingly lives in the woods; perhaps she is a hunter or someone who happens to travel around these parts, which makes things complicated for him to comprehend in terms of what her deal is: "Excuse me, ma'am, but would you mind telling me where you are taking me?" He finally asked in full sentence while successfully holding his anxiety, which almost crippled him to pieces.

Hearing the question, she giggled from his innocence, who was walking calmly with the boy on her back. "I'm Morgan, sweetie," the woman answered in a gentle manner with a sweet smile as she continued to explain the situation: "My cottage is near these woods where I live as a recluse witch," answering his inquiry while proceeding forward.

Witch?! She is a witch. Taking that information in his heart, it shocked him greatly how terrified he felt right now for what was to come. "A-a-a witch? "But why are you helping me?" He yelled at her in stutters, unable to contain the fear he felt in his heart from this realization.

Glancing behind her shoulder, she smiled mischievously at his terrified expression. "Oh? Why are you frightened by the idea of seeing a witch, dear boy?" Her innocent question sounded more like teasing that only caused him to shiver in place: "Does the title of a witch scare you that much, young Seth?"

Having the boy be more anxious in her presence, the witch found it cute and amusing to observe, "Haha, I was just kidding!" Laughing aloud from his reaction as the boy couldn't help himself of being on guard, "but yes, I'm witch," this statement only added more fuel to the flame, making him more paranoid, "so don't be scared," finishing with a sweet smile.

Silence between them while enveloped around them with the calm ambience of crickets chirping, but Seth is still having his doubts on whether or not to trust a complete stranger like her.Um, "Miss Morgan?" He decided to break the ice: "Are you...um, are you going to kill me?" Fearfully asking in hopes of getting some form of reassurance from her.

Upon hearing that, she chuckled humorously at this amusing conversation: "Why are you afraid of me, Seth?" Morgan asked him kindly, "I haven't done anything to harm you," saying calmly as if there isn't anything wrong with being alone with a complete stranger in the middle of nowhere.

Her voice brought some comfort to him, but he still had another reason to fear. "But...but your witch," he said, if it was cursed, "don't witches do evil things?" which caused her to frown at the misinformation that came out of his mouth.

"How can you make assumptions about those who you never knew?" Morgan responded with slight concern from this belief of witches being evil, "not all of us are bad people," sighing softly before continuing, "some of us like to keep to ourselves away from humanity," explaining how she enjoys her isolation from everyone else.

Seth felt embarrassed and ashamed of making false accusations against her, apologizing in earnest with a remorseful tone, "I didn't mean to offend you or anything, Miss Morgan," speaking in a clear voice while hanging his head low from shame, "I'm sorry for saying that you are evil," feeling guilty for acting so impolite.

"It's fine," the witch assured him, saying that he shouldn't worry too much about it since it's not his fault for not knowing that witches aren't all that evil. "But why would you think we are all evil?" She inquired for answers since it's an interesting inquiry to discuss with him.

After a few moments of thinking about what to say, he finally spoke what his belief is: "This is what my religion has told me about witches," answering the best he could to her question, "They taught me that they are dangerous, cruel, and untrustworthy individuals who worship the devil," describing the true nature of her kind.

Her face showed concern from hearing what the church had told him of the witches: "I see." The witch's voice was filled with sadness and frustration from this: "May I ask what god you believe in?" She asked politely while walking with her spear.

"God."

Confusion struck the woman from the answer, for she has no knowledge of the kind of deity he worships. "I'm sorry, but I don't recognize that particular god," she explained the situation to the boy. "Would you mind elaborating on who that god is?" I wish to gain more insight into the details of this god, Seth's god.

The boy frowned disappointingly, trying to find a way to explain it in simpler terms for her to understand the concept of his religion: "God is the creator of everything, including humans and the earth we walk upon." His words brought hope that she would know what he was talking about; "he is also the reason for our existence and lives in the first place," proudly speaking of what he knows.

Morgan was taken back from the explanation: "Hmm, really?" She questioned with interest, having not heard of such stories before, "Do tell me more," begging with enthusiasm about wanting to know what this god has to offer mankind.

He felt rather thrilled to know someone else beside his friends who is willing to listen about the topic he is interested in. "Well, God is benevolent and merciful," Seth said in genuine joy as he tried his best to explain what God is like: "His love extends to all creation, and he loves everyone regardless of race or ethnicity," stating his belief in God's everlasting mercy and forgiveness.

Hearing the concept of the God that Seth believes in, it is quite ironic that a witch like herself who practices the craft is having a deep conversation about this mysterious God and his teachings. "What are his teachings?" She asked the boy with genuine interest.

"Well, it varies from each culture and group who believes in the existence of God but has differing beliefs regarding His identity, purpose, and son," he informed her about the differences between people from different places and continents who worshiped Him, "although, in my group, it tells us that God has three core principles for living, which are love, mercy, and forgiveness," sharing what he knows.

"Sounds like a loving father to be with," Morgan jokingly commented before taking in this information carefully. "What about the object you're holding in your hand?" Glancing at the firmly gripped crucifix over her right shoulder, its golden hue glistened against her vision from the moon. "I've never seen anyone carrying something like that around," she said, curiously inquiring about this mystery.

Seth was hesitant to talk about it since this is his precious and beloved weapon that he takes everywhere, something he should always carry with him when things go downhill for others. It's the last line of defense he has to rely on for any danger that might show up unexpectedly during an unexpected event.

It is his last resort for survival should things become dangerous for not only himself but others around him as well. "I..." The boy paused for a moment, pondering what he should reveal to the witch or keep a secret until they meet again sometime later.

"Why do you ask?" He decided to reflect the topic on her instead of discussing more about himself. "Is there any reason?" He tried his best not to be rude or weird for being simply curious about the reason behind her question, which seemed innocent enough.

This caught the witch by surprise, not expecting to be the center of this conversation. "Because I can sense something powerful radiating from it, that's all," she revealed her reason for being interested in the boy's crucifix: "It's different from any type of magic I have experienced in all my life," explaining what she feels when Seth holds the crucifix.

"Magic...?" There is something strange about the way Morgan mentioned magic if it's a common occurrence in everyday life, which he finds unbelievable considering it is nothing more than a normal cross, right? "What kind of magic?" I wonder in his voice how magic could radiate from an ordinary crucifix that is considered a religious artifact.

Hearing the question from the child's curiosity, she found it cute to see that he doesn't know about magic and how it functions. "There are different types of magic in this world, Seth," the witch's eyes gleamed in excitement about teaching someone who doesn't have any knowledge on the subject, "but magic is a general term used for manipulating reality around them by speaking incantation or performing gestures. Everyone is capable of using people's magic to some degree, though it takes years upon years of training to become a master magician, depending on their willpower." Her tone sounded quite happy and lively while explaining.

"So magic isn't common at all?" The boy asked, feeling slightly dumb for not understanding the basics of what magic is or at least how it functions in this world, "Then how do you use it if it's not common?" I am intrigued by what this magic is capable of doing to objects or people, including myself.

"The more will a person has, the easier it becomes to learn a spell. Spells are learned through reading scrolls or books, understanding their intent, and using willpower. The stronger a spell is, the more it requires of the person's willpower. People who use spells are called magicians."

Morgan's face turned into surprise from forgetting to answer his question, "I apologize, Seth. I was so focused on explaining this that I forgot to answer your previous inquiry," the witch apologized to him on her back. "To answer your question, they—"

The lecture inevitably ended when multiple gunshots were fired, which alerted them both to their surroundings as the shots were coming closer by the second, causing the witch to narrow her eyes in preparation while Seth turned to horror and concern about who it might be.

"Billy?"

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by 3 Armored Kittens · Prodromos v.1.1 - World Anvil 0.9.15.042 © 2017-2024 [en] | Anvil Time: 00:49, Nov 13 2024