Eternal Undying Chronicles

The temple was quiet for a brief moment. Soon after, Alicarde heard the sound of footsteps echoing on the stone floor.

A woman emerged from the shadows of the temple. She had long brown hair adorned with three hairpins, her eyes deep pools of blue, and a thin smile that graced her lips. Her alluring figure was clad in a long white dress embellished with golden decorations.

Her gaze stopped on Malefica, her smile never faltering.

"To what do we owe the pleasure? It's not every day that the venerable Witch of the Night graces us with her presence."

Malefica frowned. She knew full well that this witch was not being as welcoming as her words suggested; venom was laced in every syllable. Discover more stories at empire

"Why is the witch who betrayed and abandoned us here today?"

Malefica smiled. At least Cassandra was being honest about her feelings.

"I came here to talk, and I would prefer not to do it out in the open. Surely, you have enough decency not to leave a guest outside."

Cassandra's smile widened slightly.

"Of course, I would never. However, you are not welcome here."

Malefica's expression remained unreadable.

"I hope you haven't forgotten, Cassandra, that I am still a member of the coven."

Cassandra casually pushed a few strands of her long brown hair behind her ear.

"Is that so? You certainly haven't been acting like it. You left the coven after betraying Lady Diana, the Witch of the Dawn. You soiled our sacred grounds by bringing humans to our lands, and worse, you sided with them when they tried to destroy the holy statue fifty years ago. You cast us out of our homes to accommodate them."

Cassandra's eyes blazed with indignation. The more she spoke, the angrier she became.

"Why should we accept that you are part of the coven when you've done nothing but try to destroy it?"

Malefica remained quiet as Cassandra ranted, her fists clenched tightly. She offered no retort.

Alicarde sighed. He didn't know all the details, but it didn't matter. He would side with Malefica even if she was in the wrong. He didn't care who suffered, as long as those he cared about were fine.

He took a step forward, not knowing what to say but deciding to project strength.

"Enough of your nonsense, witch. I didn't come here to discuss ancient history with you."

Cassandra paused, finally taking notice of him. He had been silent, his aura unremarkable—until now. His cold, sinister voice cut through the air, and his presence flared with magic. She recognized him as a Named One, someone who had awakened a part of their true name.

But it wasn't his power that made her hesitate. It was something far more shocking.

"Y-You're a man? How are you still alive around Malefica? How is a man...?"

Cassandra looked between Alicarde and Malefica, her thoughts racing.

"You... What is your position in the Order?"

Alicarde was confused. The Order? he wondered. Was she referring to one of the three great powers?

"Excuse me?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was all he could muster. His attire didn't exactly scream "holy knight." If anything, he looked like the opposite. Why would she think he was part of the Order, and what did it have to do with Malefica?

"You're part of the Order, aren't you?" Cassandra asked, her voice laced with tension.

"No, I'm not. I have absolutely no affiliation with the Order. If anything, they're potential enemies."

Malefica frowned, equally puzzled by Cassandra's strange questions.

Cassandra kept her eyes on Alicarde, her frown deepening.

"I see. No matter."

"Why would that matter?" Malefica interjected.

Cassandra scoffed, clearly hiding something.

"It doesn't, I suppose."

Malefica's glare turned icy.

"I came to talk. Enough of your games, Cassandra."

"Yes, yes... Don't mind me. What did you want to talk about?" Cassandra tilted her head playfully.

"I hope it can wait until tomorrow. It's already dark, and I'm awfully tired. Let's pick this up when the sun rises tomorrow."

"No. Now. I can't wait that long," Malefica replied sharply.

Cassandra smirked, clearly enjoying her attempts to rile Malefica. She spread her arms wide.

"In that case, you can always force me. Just like you forced us out fifty years ago."

Malefica bit her lip, the words stinging, but Alicarde had no such reservations. He drew his sword.

"Guess today's the day bitches die," he said coldly.

The hostility was palpable. Alicarde was not joking. His violet eyes glowed menacingly beneath his hood.

Cassandra took a step back, ready to cast a spell, and the other witches began preparing to defend her.

Malefica quickly intervened, placing her hand over Alicarde's.

"We came here to talk, not to fight."

"So no bloodbath?"

She nodded, exasperated.

"Yes, no bloodbath."

Malefica approached Cassandra, who was still on guard.

"Sorry about him. He gets like that sometimes. We can wait until tomorrow. There's no need for further hostilities."

Cassandra hesitated before relaxing her stance.

"Very well. I shall see you tomorrow. You may leave."

Malefica frowned.

"Evergreen is quite far from here. Shouldn't a proper host provide accommodations?"

Cassandra sneered.

"A proper guest is one who's invited, not one who invites themselves. But I suppose I can lend you a room. I hope you don't mind sharing. We're a bit short on space in our tiny village."

Malefica wasn't sure what Cassandra was getting at, but sleeping in a room was certainly better than being outside with the bugs. Not that she minded critters, but a roof was preferable.

She glanced at Alicarde. She would have to share a room with him. It made her uneasy, especially since he was her student and also be cause of the incident from earlier.

But more troubling was Cassandra's earlier reaction about the Order. Something didn't sit right with Malefica, and she intended to get to the bottom of it.

Alicarde, on the other hand, was in a great mood. He didn't care for Cassandra, but now that she had set him up to share a room with Malefica, he found her far more tolerable.

With that, Cassandra gestured to a young witch nearby.

"Take them to their accommodations."

The young witch nodded eagerly as Cassandra disappeared into the temple, leaving Malefica and Alicarde to follow their guide.