CHAPTER ONE

354 B.C

A long time ago, a rumor was being spread through the immense lands of Winbastor, all the creatures of its land were aware. But not as many believed in it, only the bravest of them would go to see it by themselfs and tell the story of The Midnight Witch from the Dark Lake.

No one knows how or why, but 78 years ago. Lucy, a witch was cursed by the Head-Mother witch, the mother and leader of all the witches, some people say that she was cursed because of her immense beauty, making all her sisters and even her mother jealous, others on other hands, believed that the reason was because she was too powerful and needed to be contained, to this night, her origin is still unknown.

The curse imprisonment her inside the lake, who was located in the middle of a dangerous forest, in addition, the curse also made that she could not use her magic without water, she could only come to her physical form after the moon position itself in the middle of the sky, and as the sun rises, she would go back as being one with the lake.

But there was a bright side, anyone could summon her no matter the moon position. By throwing a gold coin into the lake, she would manifest and cast spells, create poisons, and much more for those who summoned her. The only thing she would not accept at any cost was any kind of love acts with her, that became her life, alone,serving others, for the rest of her eternal life.

Or it was…until this day

The darkness of the night consumed the forest full of pine trees, only the shining stars bright in the sky, it is a full moon tonight, you can feel the freezing air throw your skin. It may be quite hard to see, but there is a man walking in the middle of the forest, he was wearing a cracked armor covered in blood with some kind of symbol resembling a dragon in its chest, he had a sword by his left side, he was a Knight of some kingdom. He was limping and his face was full of wounds.

Successfully, he reached the middle of the forest it was a bit hard to see but he figured out what he was looking at:A plain area, surrounded by the forest's trees with a huge lake with the most crystalline water in all land, he felt on his knees, tired and breathing heavily, he started to take off his armor to relieve himself from the weight and tries to walk to the lake. He reached it, got next to the borders, put his head inside it and started drinking the water, the blood of his face was spilling into the lake’s crystal water, after stop drinking, he proceeded to throw a single gold coin that was loose on his pocket into the lake.

The ground started to shake furiously, waves started forming in the lake, who’s water started to glow in a blue light, the winds got stronger, the sky changed its color from a dark blue to a light indigo. Huge pillars made of water start emerging from the lake, the knight looked up, still breathing heavily, he could see something on top of the pillar, a figure that started to get in a shape, a shape of a woman, long hair, curve and slim torso, legs that got covered by an almost black dress, a hat of the same color as the dress covering the top of her head, and a beautiful face,her whole body and clothes were see through, she looked like she was in her twenties. 

“I AM LUCY, THE WITCH OF THIS LAKE, HOW SHALL I BE AT YO- Oh my” she said as she bent the pillar to get close to the knight

“Are you alright man?” 

The knight got on his knees with all the strength he had and tried to talk  

“I…Am Robert, the knight…of-“ he tries to say, coughing blood 

“Knight of… Pysema… and…. I… need-“ he then falls on the ground, unconscious

 “C’mon, not in my lake” a pillar with a water bucket emerges next to her, she throws the water inside of it on the knight’s body, suddenly his wounds start to heal.

“Wake up and tell me already what you need, the sooner the better, I don’t have all night”

She got no response, the knight was still unconscious

“Sigh... WAKE UP!” She said as she slaps the knight's face multiple times, he finally wakes up. 

“OUCH” he screamed as she kept slapping him awake

“Are you awake yet?” she asked before slapping him one last time “Just to make sure,but now tell me, how may I be at your services?”

The Knight cleans his throat “I am Robert, Knight of Pysema, and sadly, only survivor”

“Ooo, backstories, love those!” she sits on the pillar she was standing on, a second pillar with a popcorn bucket emerges on the witch's side “C'mon spill it all out,I am all ears” she says, getting a handful of popcorn,who was wet

“A week ago, the kingdom was attacked by a Wizard,but not an ordinary wizard, his magic was too powerful and neither the sorceress of our own kingdom could make a scratch on him, everybody there died, my king, my friends…my family…all gone because of that son of a b-“

“Hey don’t get off track.” she said, eating more of the wet popcorn

“Somewhy, he spared me and left, leaving me with the place I once called home burned to the ground. I now seek revenge, and I need your help!”

“…hmmm, so, look” she said, munching a bit more popcorn “I could try to help kill that guy,but I am not so good at throwing punches,besides I am also…Y'know,cursed to this stupid lake,all i can give to you is a potion or some weird mystic thing ”

“Well,I believe the contrary,witch,” he said, smirking. “I have a map that can lead us to an ancient Papyrus with a spell older than the land itself,that can free someone from even the most powerful curse in the world, the twist is that it transfers it to another person! I believe you might have connected the dots already.”

“Wait… it will really free me from my curse?” said Lucy,surprised by the news

“Both sides will win,what do you say?”

She could not believe it, “Am I dreaming? Is this really happening?” she thought to herself. After long years of people coming for her spells, she would finally stop doing request and live her life like a normal witch

“Yes!! I will accept your request!!!” She said loudly and excited

“Well pack your things because the path is long.” Robert said

The witch dives into the lake, making a big splash and wetting Robert more than he was before, she comes back with two buckets filled with water, the knight look weird at her, she then stop before even stepping out of the lake,looking down to that path of grass.

“Oh yeah,this…I got a bit too excited…” she said with a disappointed tone “Look,it was a nice idea…but you will need to find someone else for this job,I have contact with a river goddess if you want! do you know japanese?”

“No no no! I need YOU! nobody wanted to come with me,and i almost died coming here,so I'll get you ou of this lake one way or another!” Robert said,determined,he started wandering in circles

“uhhh...What are you doing-“ Lucy said confused by Roberts actions

“I’m trying to think! It works better when I walk!” Robert suddenly stops

“Lucy,is it true that you can only go back to the lake after finishing a request? and no matter the request,you will only be able to go back to the lake after the request is done?”

“Uhh yes? I guess so” Lucy said,not understanding Robert's line of thought.

“Well then I,Robert  the…uhhh…first,request that you go alongside me on an advanture!” he said “can you try now?

Lucy was with mixed feelings,she had no idea if the request Robert gave would work,and if it did,it would change her life forever, she took a deep breath,closed her eyes, and stepped on the grass

“C-c-can I look d-down now?” she said,sweating and still with her eyes closed,she slowly opened her eyes and looked down…

her other foot step out,she was standing,she was out of the lake,her legs were trembling,she would’ve fall back to the lake if Robert didn’t hold her hand

“Oh my god! Holy shit! I’m free!! I can walk!!! I'M FREE!!” she released her hand from Robert’s,walking 2 steps fowards but falling head first in the ground, the water from her buckets fell all over.

“I’ve been stuck there so long that I even forgot how to walk!” she said giggling “I missed this so much” she said almost hugging the ground

Robert gave her a hand to get up, she stands and her legs start to tremble again

“I think it will be hard to learn how to walk again with that.” He said pointing to Lucy’s heels “Why you put sticks in your shoes?” he said mocking her

“It’s fashion, you wouldn’t understand, it’s a woman’s thing” she proceeds to turn her heels into normal shoes 

“I don’t understand half of the words you say, now let’s move on!” 

Robert wears his armor that was on the ground dirty of blood and hold Lucy's hands,slowly walking with her so she dont trip, the two head out of the woods, starting their adventure

“Wait Robert,your armor is all dirty” Lucy said pointing to his chest

“Uh? oh yeah,I will give it a clean it when we get to-“ Robert is interrupted by a huge splash of water on him, again

“Your welcome” she said after throwing the leftover water on her bucket all over robert,she walks leading the way in front of him, almost falling each step

Lucy and Robert are walking through the forest, Robert taking the lead and chopping everything in his way, while Lucy is 6 foot behind him, looking at her feet and making progress on her walking, but still falling each step 

“You look very excited behind there.” He said looking to the witch

“How could I not be?” she replies “It’s the first time in ages that I left that horrible lake, everything changed so much! There’s even a trail of blood here!

”Oh that's mine,I almost got robbed by some goblins the way here” he said,before getting hit by a branch “Ouch…I should've bought torches”

“I can try to light the way!” Lucy then makes a small bubble of water in her hand,the bubble glows and it become fire,some bats start to fly away from the sudden light

“Huh,thanks,i had no idea you could use fire magic”

“Just because im made of water doesnt mean I'm not hot as fuck~” Lucy said,striking a pose and almost falling

“Ok be careful for not lighting anything on fire,these leaves are drier than my mothers bread,and the trees are deader than…” he said stopping, reflecting on what he was about to say "ANYWAY” he takes the map out of his pocket 

“Ooo paper!” Lucy said,getting the flame a bit closer to the map

“HEY! watch out where you put that thing!” he said moving the map out of Lucy's reach.

“I was just… putting it closer so you could see better!” she said, lying and panicking a little.

“I don't need your light to see the map!” he said angrily “Ok so…if we take this path…and rest in the nearest inn…and THEN go to the ‘Statue Mountain’ we might find a key and the map for the next one!”

“Why do we need keys? can't we just open it the brute way? I mean I can make some sick explosions,like this!” Lucy said as she poses to throw a bubble she made onto the ground

“NOT HERE PLEASE LUCY!!!” Robert screamed scared,covering himself.

“RELAX I wasn't going to do it…but damn this fire is hot,mind holding it for me please?” Lucy then handles the fire to Robert

“Fine.” Robert said,without thinking,

They both keep walking ahead,Robert this time handling the flame,it takes him a bit to realize that he was holding literal fire,and as he looks to his hand,it was covered in flames.

He screams in pain as he tries to extinguish the fire,trying to blow,shaking it in the air,anything,Lucy then proceeds to extinguished it by putting his whole hand THROW her chest,as he recovers,he looks at Lucy and blushes

“Don't worry it went through my boobs so it's not weird at all,do you want to take that out now?”

Robert looked at his hand,inside Lucy's transparent chest and then looks at her

“It weirdly feels nice…” he said “huh…do you smell this?”

Lucy blushes,stepping behind a little “I swear it wasnt me!”

“No not- ughhh NOW I smell it,but no it's not that…its like something is…” he looked down to his other hand,the map was entirely consumed by flames,in a act of reflection,he let the map falls,making it burning the leafs in the ground,Lucy and Robert tries to distinguish the fire by stepping on it but the fire spread so fast at the leaf’s that were on the ground and went all the way to the trees and in a blink of an eye, the entire wood was on fire, Lucy and Robert looked at each other and screamed at the same time

“RUN!”

The two started running as fast as they could,Lucy was still tripping so Robert held her and put in his shoulders piggy ride style, trees fell down, animals and magic creatures started running for their life. It was chaotic, after exiting the woods Robert put Lucy down and take deep breath, they almost got ran over by the creatures of the wood, they turn around and look at the burning trees

“FUCK” Robert said, falling on his knees

“That’s pretty fucked up ” Lucy responds “I should’ve made a light spell instead of a fire one"

“YEAH that too but I dropped my sword!” he proceeds to punch the ground and release a angry grunt.

“Uhh…do you want to wait for the fire to go down to go get it?”

“What? fuck no! we need to go find that papyrus the quickest we can before that wizard finds out our plan! we don't have time! but how will I protect myself without a sword!”

Lucy looked at the forrest,and then to the sad man bowling about his sword,and THEN to Robert,she get on her knees to talk to talk to him

“Ok Robert stop being such a pussy! You have me to defend your ass for god sake! and if you are sooo worried about that wizard finding our plan,stop crying about them and start acting on them! we still know the location at least,we might even find a sword for sale in a village nearby! now eat those tears Sport and lets keep this adventure moving!” she said extending her hand to him,Robert then wipes his face and gets up

“You are right…let's keep this adventure moving! but…what is a ‘Sports’?

Lucy then put her hands in the knights shoulder

“You will never fuckin know” She said,looking at him and tripping as she walk away

•••