Chapter 167: Chapter 167: The Brighter the Light, the Darker the Shadow (1)
Aria couldn''t sleep at night.
She had done everything she could to fall asleep quicker.
She moved all the furniture in her room with her mind, just to tire herself out. She also ate a man''s intestine because it was rich in fat, which would make her drowsy after eating so much.
But she was so worried that the Great Witch wouldn''te to her dream because she still didn''t understand the meaning of love, the ultimate sacrifice a witch needed to master the art of dark magic.
"Ugh, howe that bitch Swan can master dark magic so easily? Who did she sacrifice? Oh wait, did she perhaps sacrifice her own mother while she was in her womb? That''s why her mother died after giving birth to her. It must be because Swan has been evil since she was born, right?" Aria knew that she was just talking nonsense. Her train of thought was getting messier as she genuinely didn''t understand how Swan could get so powerful without sacrificing that many people.
Aria lived and bullied Swan for a long time, and she had never seen that cripple have a close rtionship with anyone.
Or to be more precise, nobody wanted to get close to her. If Aria ever found out that someone was trying to help Swan, that person wouldn''t be able to escape a grave punishment.
Thus, Swan had always been isted since she was very young.
"The only ''loved one'' she can sacrifice is her mother. There''s no mistaking it. She must''ve been a powerful dark witch since she was still a newborn, and she killed her mother when she had just been born in exchange for overwhelming dark magic!" Aria theorized, and then she got disappointed in herself for believing in her own theory. "Ugh, why am I not talented enough? If only I could manifest my power like Swan since I was just a newborn, I would''ve just sacrificed my mother too!"
Aria spent the whole nightining about being unable to kill her mother when she had just been born and fell asleep feeling bitter about everything.
In her dream, she felt like she was floating in a very hot ce, with a horrible scent of charred meat. So she opened her eyes slowly, as the disgusting scent was even worse than her room, which was already bad enough since she often allowed rotten corpses toy for days.
The moment Aria opened her eyes, she saw a woman wearing a ck dress, with arge, round hat that covered her eyes.
The woman was very tall andnky, as she held a cane in her left hand. Her lips which were smeared with dark purple lipstick grinned, making Aria feel inexplicable fear and respect in her presence.
"So, you are the holder of my Necronomicon. Why don''t you introduce yourself first? I already know your name, but don''t you think a proper introduction is due, Princess?"
The woman tapped the ground with her cane, and Aria lost her ability to levitate instantly. She fell butt first on the ground, but she had no time to grimace in pain.
Aria quickly kneeled in front of the Great Witch as she introduced herself, "M-My name is Aria of Holy Achate. Yes, I''ve been given the witch book called Necronomicon. I''ve been studying it every day, and even sacrificed fifty people just like what the book said! A-and, most of them are children, since the book also said that children are the best sacrifice!"
"Very good. It seems that I''ve given my book to someone worthy," the witch''s grin widened. "My name is Madam Harsetti, the Great Witch and indeed, I''vee to you because you''ve fulfilled the requirement."
Ove
Aria was d that she didn''t miss this dream because she didn''t want those sacrifices to be in vain.
"Also, it seems that Aria of Holy Achate is not your full name. Why don''t you be honest with me, little girl?"
Aria paused for a moment. She gritted her teeth and reluctantly replied, "Aria Asmara of Holy Achate. That''s my real name, Madam."
"Asmara..." the grin on the Great Witch disappeared. She raised Aria''s chin using her cane and asked, "Are you affiliated to Goddess Asmara?"
Aria could sense anger radiating from Madam Harsetti. She didn''t want to lose her only chance to be a Great Witch, so she
quicklyrified it, "M-Madam
my
kingdom is called Holy Achate, and we worship Goddess Asmara. B-but I don''t! I don''t believe in that fairytale at all. B-besides, if Goddess Asmara is real, then I don''t need her either, because you are the one I want to follow! I killed the people in my kingdom as a sacrifice for you, isn''t that enough proof of my loyalty?"
"And your name?"
"That''s because I''m a princess! In my kingdom, all princesses will have Asmara added to their name as a blessing. But it means nothing to me!"
Madam Harsetti paused for a second, and her smile reappeared, "It seems that
you are telling the truth. I''m d that you don''t worship her because she is exactly the reason why I''m here."
"W-what do you mean, Madam?"
"In every light, there is a shadow,
right? The brighter the light, the darker the shadow gets. I am that. shadow, Madam Harsetti replied "I''ve grown stronger because apparently, Goddess Asmara has given birth to a daughter who inherits all of her power on earth. She''s out there, somewhere, and it wouldn''t take long before she grows to be a demigoddess-or even worse, a real Goddess. Does anyone with holy power exist in your kingdom?"
Aria was thinking for a second.
The church kept on preaching about theing of the Saintess. However, no one
was able to manifest a holy power up until now.
Besides, a Saintess must''ve been a noble-born, or at least affiliated with the
church, right?
Aria was the biggest contender, and she is NOT that Saintess.
Thus, she shook her head, "There is no such person in the Holy Achate, Madam."
"Really? That''s quite strange," Madam Harsetti smiled. "For a kingdom that worships the Goddess herself, it should''ve been logical for her toe down and grace the earth as a human in Holy Achate."