To tamper with nature was to tamper with balance, and for everything there were consequences.
Ever since Kestra's ritual had started, the whole of Ignas had been thrown into total darkness.
A never-ending night.
It was as if the sun had told them all a final goodbye.
It wasn't just that the moon stayed constant in the night sky, but it was slowly turning crimson.
The people were petrified.
It was something that they had never seen before. Even the people of the Capital who had their minds altered not to worry about things that were out of order, started to... worry.
The effect of the Alterer on them was glitching, for many reasons.
The Village Heads wrote to their King about what was going on, and blamed it on the presence of the witches.
They pleaded for their King to make an order for all the witches to be killed, blaming their presence for the abrupt imbalance.
The distance from the villages to the Capital didn't allow for quick and easy communication, still, the King tried his best to communicate to the villages to, please be patient with him, not kill any witch, and that he was looking into it.
Also, with the promise that he would find a solution soon.
The existence of a never ending night however wasn't the only problem, many people were troubled with different terrible nightmares.
It was a slow descent into madness for many and violence erupted across the land. It was like a certain darkness was consuming their minds and polluting them.
The crime rate increased drastically, the shadows acting as a shield for evil.
People stayed in their homes in fear, while the Village Heads did their best to mobilize their soldiers and maintain order.
However, just like the people, some of the Village Heads and soldiers also succumbed to the darkness and turned to the evil they were trying to curtail.
As for the witches, they could feel the shift, many knew what was going on.
They knew it was the Soul Witch and they were afraid that the Nahiri was dead.
This was death upon them all.
Some of the older witches could push against the force of the draining magic of the Moon being pulled, and hang on to survival, while many of the new witches couldn't attain that strength, leading them to death.
Amongst the dying ones, was Taria.
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Anok pulled his sword from the stomach of their last attacker, blood spluttering on the floor as the man fell to the ground lifelessly, along with the rest that were now dead.
They were five and they had attacked them out of nowhere. Nowhere, being the trees around them.
Their attack had also been mindless and violent. It was a good thing that Anok was a very well-trained and highly skilled warrior.
They had also encountered some wild beasts in the forest some days ago. Taria had been shocked to even know that those kinds of beasts existed and Kenji had raced to his book to document it.
Anok bent to inspect the corpse, but Kenji was already on one knee, taking notes and muttering about how Taria wasn't holding the torch right, while she gave him the stink eye in return.
Both of them just didn't get along.
"Black eyes, no white," Kenji announced. "Black lines stretching from the lower eyelids. Short black lines." He paused and hummed, then he looked up at his brother, grimacing a little when he noticed the blood stains across his brother's loose blue shirt.
"They look possessed," he concluded, taking notes.
"I think it is the moon," Taria said, her voice a little frail, her gaze set on Anok's, taking note of the blood on his shirt, the stain of it on his face and the one dripping down his sword.
It was an impressive sight. Just as impressive as when he had ripped those beasts apart. He sustained some injuries though, if she could help, she would have but her magic couldn't help with healing a person's body.
Anok's attention was on the moon. It made him really worried, it was turning redder and redder by the hour. Anok was sure the nighttime was long gone.
Maybe it was two nights already?
He wondered how long this would continue.
They have to get to a village soon, they were running out of food supplies.
"Can you just hold the torch straight?!" Kenji snapped, tearing off one of the dead attacker's shirt with his knife. "Is there anything you can do except fall around and wait for somehow to carry you?"
Taria's eyes lit with anger and she didn't hesitate to smack him at the back of his head.
Kenji turned to her with annoyance and her eyes dared him to speak, he turned away and glared at Anok.
"Where did you get this mad woman? Did you see that? Did you see what she just did to me?"
Anok tilted his head to the side, his expression blank and slightly thoughtful.
"Yes, I did."
Kenji nodded. Finally, his brother was on his side against this annoying witch.
"She saved your life by helping you smack a dangerous insect away." Then he turned to Taria with a hint of a smile. "Thank you so much, Milady. I am grateful on his behalf."
"I am not grateful, stop feeling my feelings that I do not feel." Kenji snapped. "I am not grateful at all."
Taria giggled, flicking her hair and totally ignoring his outburst. "Always a pleasure."
Kenji's lips parted in bewilderment.
These people must think he was stupid!
Argh, by Ignas, this was so annoying.
She still wasn't even holding the torch properly but he wasn't going to complain this time, he was too angry to. Besides, his head was still throbbing a little from the hit.
When he started to rip off one of the corpse's pants with his knife, Anok questioned what he was doing.
"Inspecting, obviously. I need to fill my book with my research."
"Well, I am sure the Lady isn't comfortable with that." He was already taking the torch from Taria and stationing it somewhere else.
When Taria said she had no objections to the research and was eager to learn what he would find out, Anok pushed that they had to leave and prepare food, he also reminded her of her recent on-and-off weakness. Telling her she needed rest.
Convinced, Taria went with Anok, leaving Kenji alone.
After a while, Kenji was done with his research and they had all eaten. It was time to rest, but Taria was hot with a fever, and her breathing was too shallow to be promising.
Kenji had dashed into the forest in search of herbs and Anok had stayed behind, taking care of Taria, rubbing wet cloth on her arms and legs, and putting it on her forehead to regulate her temperature.
It was a good thing they were close to a river.
Kenji was taking too long and Anok was starting to get worried that he had been attacked. He was contemplating leaving Taria to go and check on him when suddenly, everything went dark.
Taria stared in horror at her friend standing above her, as his eyes went from the annoying green she was starting to like to a black that left behind no white.
"A---nok?" his name slipped out through her trembling lips, but there was no response.
Could he even hear her?
He moved mechanically, taking his sword from his scabbard and sending it down her stomach.
Straight for a kill.