Chapter 7

Age of Solstice, 16:71

Tulasquss, Drazul's Plane

When they returned, Whisper helped Drazul put everything away except for the items she was instructed not to touch. Whisper took off her eye patch, placing it in her pocket. Now that she's home, she had forgotten she no longer needed it. Her face felt lighter now and her face won't have any more weird indentations from wear. She smiled to herself, happy about her sight. Her day overall felt nice as it has been quite awhile since she'd gone out. After they finished putting things away, Whisper glanced at Drazul, whose brows were furrowed. She was in deep thought about today's events, although Whisper couldn't understand what most people were saying. Something must have caught her attention, like the priest earlier.

Whisper followed Drazul into the dining room, taking a seat near her as Drazul took her place in view of the setting sun. Whisper watched her a moment before breaking the silence, nudging Drazul for attention,

"Did somethin' happen? Was it that religious quack before?"

Drazul stared at Whisper for a time, wondering if something was happening. The church of Tulasquss was united under one God, Tuldar, father of the skies. He is described to be the one true God of Tulasquss. To bring up word of worship toward any other God is blasphemous. Hearing Whisper call the priest a quack seems to tell her their God of Tulasquss is the same despite coming from a different plane. Moreover, what should Drazul make of this? Drazul knows this is a scheme but for what purpose? They will have to look into the matter once they set out.

More importantly, Drazul has yet to inform Whisper of their quest. Drazul shift's in her seat, her body facing Whisper,

"I have yet to tell you of our journey we will be undertaking." Drazul turned to look out the window, "You recall my ascension, yes? I believe it is the machinations of a God. I've wandered for the last 500 centuries for answers or a way to meet my mysterious holy benefactor but my search had come up empty," Drazul paused, staring at Whisper, "that is, until you summoned me."

Whisper stared back at Drazul, confused,

"You ain't fibbin' are you? I was feelin' hinky about how you was able to be immortal and all, but for it to come from somethin' more impossible? Who, then?"

Whisper, feeling winded by the notion, sighed and looked out the window. She leaned on her elbow in wonder. Drazul shook her head,

"There are many Gods, though I am having a hard time believing they exist. I'm the closest person to divinity and have yet to meet any other. I once believed it was a gift from the Mother Goddess but even I am starting to doubt her."

Whisper raised a brow,

"Some witch God?"

Drazul nodded,

"Indeed. Though at this time, I will welcome any God to appear before me. I have never come across any writings tell of a God do anything remotely like this. That's why I was listening intently to the gospel earlier but it was nonsense. I wonder why a wizard was acting as a priest."

Whisper's eyes widened,

"No way, a wizard? You mean a witch or a magician?"

Drazul nodded,

"Yes, like a witch." Drazul crossed her arms and legs, scowling. If there were any witches who dared to do such blasphemous acts, it would be her coven. The Dark coven of the Mire is now dead but there are others who remain in the other provinces of Tulasquss.

There are five provinces in the country of Tulasquss, those being Eden, Mire, Calcette, Kadess and Lycua. Each witch faction splits and resides in each province for convenience, however, she removed the Dark coven from the Mire. This must mean that what remains of the Dark coven is making a move for the Mire. The other witch factions wouldn't care to do something like this, as they both do not care for other mortals but their own.

The witch factions consist of the Dark, the Green and the White. The White Ring is a coven who represents the Sun and the Moon, specializing in healing and alchemy. They are the most religious of the covens and take pride in their worship of the Mother Goddess, allowing them to be the most revered and accepted healers that maintain a public presence in Tulasquss. The Green Circle is an ancient coven, having been the first of the three factions. They follow ancient traditions, practicing the oldest form of witchcraft, worshiping the Earth Mother. They mend the Earth and draw power from her. Their focus is to live and walk as part of the earth, which in turn allows them to shapeshift into beasts. They keep to themselves, being the most secretive of the three factions.

The Dark Fellowship, however, follows no teachings and no God. In truth, they are no longer a real coven. The White and Green no longer recognize them as witches as they are only harboring dark wizards and rogue witches now. They are an evil smear on the Earth disguised as a witch faction. The Dark represent power and force, commandeering monsters and mastering brutality. They practice evil and forbidden forms of witchcraft, which include sacrificial rituals and illusions.

It is because of them that witches have such a poor reputation which triggered the witch hunts. Many witches and innocents were lost because of them.

Drazul sighed, going over this in deep thought.

'Why would the Dark Fellowship suddenly make a move for the Mire? All these centuries they never dared come since the massacre but now they show no fear.

Why?' Drazul questions.

Whisper put her hand on Drazul's shoulder, then signed,

"Don't worry, everythin' will be jake."

Drazul sighed,

"We shall see. Meanwhile, we will have to investigate."

Drazul is considering seeking out the other factions in the Mire. Perhaps they will have some insight on the movements of the Dark fellows. It's been a few centuries since she last met with either of them. The mother's of Green and White are the only souls who know of Drazul and her history. They were the first to call her Dream Maiden, welcoming her as a single witch deity until others appear. However, every time she visits, there is a new Mother. At least the previous keep their new Mother's informed of her existence so that she avoids dealing with their distrust. It has proved convenient.

Drazul stood up,

"Let us pack. We will leave come dawn."

Whisper nodded, skipping out of the dining room and through the cottage to her room. Drazul rubbed her face, sighing heavily. She doesn't enjoy going out of her way to perform her duty as a Dream Maiden, albeit by her own initiative. She doesn't like knowing that the Dark fellows are attempting to move into her territory. She will slaughter any she comes across, after she interrogates them of course. If she is able, she will remove them completely if the opportunity presents itself.

She stood up and made her way to a different room only she had access to. The room was her potion room, her personal lab to dabble in alchemy. The walls were completely covered from floor to ceiling in shelving that contained ingredients on one end and potions on the other, while the rear presented empty vials and bottles. In the center of the room was her witches cauldron. The cauldron was a large skull in the grasp of a hand reaching out from the floor at angle so that she may walk up upon the wrist, the skull being the large basin. The room was dark and the only light was the glow from the surrounding potions, making the room a shrouded rainbow. She sauntered over to a collection of bottles, meaning to 'pack' them.

She needed only the essentials such as poisons, truth serums, sleep potions, perhaps antidotes, in case Whisper gets too curious, and invisibility potions. She lined them up neatly on a raised dais, so that when she opens a tear, she can quickly grab what she needs. She doesn't have to pack things to physically bring them with her, as she can move freely using her abilities. Drazul paused, then exited her lab, heading towards Whisper's room.

As she got closer, she could hear Whisper moving around in her room. Once she pushed her door open, she found Whisper's room was a mess. Drawers were left open, clothing strewn around the room, leading her eyes to Whisper attempting to stuff her things into a bag.

Drazul forgot to tell her how to 'pack.'

Drazul knocked on her door, getting Whisper's attention,

"My dear, you don't have to pack like that."

Whisper raised a brow and shook her head, as if to say, 'nonsense!'

Drazul rolled her eyes, opening a tear,

"You only need to neatly prepare your things so that you can reach for them easily."

Drazul reached into the tear, pulling on Whisper's bag, startling her so suddenly, she fell backwards. The tear closed as Drazul pulled Whisper's bag to her side, the bag emptying itself as she held it at her side,

"You understand my meaning now, yes?"