Unnamed Memory

 1. The Call of the Soul
Five witches lived in these lands.
The immense power these abnormal beings possessed granted them endless life spans.
Pushing beyond the limits of any known mage, this quintet of women came with unthinkable might.
For all those who lived in this world, the witches lurking in the shadows of history came to symbolize fear and calamity.
You should never meet a witch.
You should never listen to a witch.
You should never try to understand a witch.
The old fairy tales were true.
Witches disturbed the flow of fate. They were even said to have destroyed entire countries overnight.
It is for that reason that people dubbed the era that followed the Dark Age…the Age of Witches.

“The Age of Witches, huh? People throw that phrase around a lot, but I’m not so sure about it. It’s scarier than it needs to be.”
Farsas was a kingdom situated at the center of the continent.
In its castle, a young man took a moment to look up from the work that had been laid out on his desk.
He had brown hair, nearly black, and eyes the color of a lightening night sky. His fine features exuded the nobility of his bloodline, though they were tinged with childishness at times. The crown prince, twenty years of age that year, received an appalled look in response.
“Oscar… You should be a little more wary. What do you think witches even are?” a woman with a breathtakingly beautiful face retorted coolly. She had long, inky-black hair and eyes of the same color. Her snow-white skin set off her striking features and gave her the appearance of a painted doll. She appeared to be younger than the man, but there was a certain sense of eternity in her gaze.
She was a witch, one of only five in all the land.
The Witch of the Azure Moon, Tinasha, was said to be the strongest of the five. She presented Oscar—the man who’d formed a contract with her—a cup of tea she’d brewed herself. He thanked her as he took it.
“Why is the current era known as the Age of Witches in the first place? Did you do something?” he asked.
“There are five witches. Why are you pinning all the blame on me? You’re wrong, regardless. Although I suppose I can’t say I had nothing to do with it in the beginning,” Tinasha said, waving her hand dismissively. “About three hundred years ago, a country to the northwest called Helginis locked up the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned. Helginis mages tried to weave a huge destruction spell using her as the catalyst.”
“What? I’ve never heard of that,” Oscar said. As part of his statesman’s education, he had learned the basics of regional history, but this was his first time hearing of destruction magic using a witch as a catalyst.
Tinasha made a face, still holding the tea things. “That’s because everyone involved at the time died, except the witches of course. It’s not something that was spoken of openly. And any sort of large-scale destruction magic, whether it uses humans as catalysts or not, is classified as a forbidden curse. However, the one they attempted back then was on a whole different scale. If they’d managed to pull off the spell, it would’ve no doubt irreparably altered the entire continent. Naturally, with something so dire at stake, the other four witches—myself included—refused to stand by and let the Helginis mages do as they pleased.
“So what happened?”
“We had no choice but to intervene in the situation in Helginis and release the Witch Who Cannot Be Summoned. Once we did, she destroyed the entire country in a single night.”
“………”
“From then on, the term Age of Witches started cropping up…,” Tinasha concluded.
“What a mess…,” Oscar remarked. Just listening to it was enough to give him a headache. He rubbed his temples.
Compared with the gruesome era colored by war and betrayal that was the Dark Age, the Age of Witches was largely peaceful, with only a few currents of discord. Perhaps that was the natural result of people cowering in fear of the supremely powerful witches.
Oscar eyed Tinasha, a witch capable of taking on an entire army alone. “Destroyed a country in one night, huh? That’s more than just an old story?”
“The Dark Age was rife with tales like that,” Tinasha said with a smile, but her dark eyes revealed none of what she was thinking. She realized Oscar was staring at her and arched one shapely brow. “If you’ve learned your history, then you should behave more responsibly. Keep acting recklessly, and you’ll end up dead someday without understanding why.”
“You can talk about my death all you want, but I have your protective barrier on me as long as you’re alive, don’t I? Doesn’t that mean we’ll die at the same time? Shouldn’t we just get married?” Oscar grinned.
“Don’t lump us together! I’m not marrying you!” Tinasha spat.
The barrier she had cast on Oscar was an extraordinary one that could protect him from all magical and physical attacks. While it had a few limitations and blind spots, it afforded every defense that magic could provide. So long as Tinasha was alive, the barrier on Oscar would remain intact, making it practically a cheat.
The witch rolled her eyes at the prince. “You need to learn your place. Here I am trying to break your curse, but it’ll all be pointless if you get yourself killed doing something else.”
As heir to his country, Oscar had a heavy burden on his shoulders. When he was but a child, he’d been cursed to be the end of his line by the Witch of Silence. The wicked spell cloaked any unborn child of his blood in such a powerful protective charm that no mother’s body could bear it. Overcoming such a mighty enchantment was quite the high hurdle, but Oscar had to if his lineage was to survive.
In pursuit of a way to do so, Oscar had completed the trials set by another witch so that she would break the curse for him. He’d braved the tower where it was said a witch granted a wish to all who climbed to the top, and he’d come back with Tinasha as his protector.
Oscar looked up at said mouthy protector. “Even if you don’t break the curse, you’re not affected by the Witch of Silence’s power, right? Just marry me and that’ll solve everything. When should we hold the wedding?”
“We have a contract for one year! You don’t have the right to extend it! And I’m almost done analyzing the curse!” Tinasha retorted.
“Weren’t you the one who went on and on about how difficult it’ll be to undo the spell? You’re so studious…,” Oscar commented.
“Of course I am. There’s no one else around who can do it. If you understood that, you’d know not to act so rashly. Now behave or I’ll curse you to never leave your desk.”
“It’d be too funny if I was cursed by two separate witches,” Oscar remarked before giving up and returning his attention to the stack of documents before him. Talking to Tinasha was entertaining, but he’d incur her resentment if he took it too far.
Contrary to the typical idea of what a witch was, Tinasha was so overly serious that it was adorable. It was no doubt due to that demeanor of hers that she was helping to break his curse, even though that wasn’t specified in their contract.
Tinasha had lived for so many years that she viewed solitude as natural, however, and didn’t form attachments to people. She was both incredibly kind and incredibly heartless.
At times, a terrible loneliness filled her eyes…and it made Oscar wish that she’d just stay with him forever. He wanted no more shadows to cast a pall over her smiles. Over the past half a year, he had completely fallen for her.
“There’s no need to push yourself to finish the analysis so fast. After coming down from your tower for the first time in so long, you should enjoy things for a time,” Oscar urged. He wanted Tinasha to think of living peacefully with humans as something normal for her, and he wished she’d just while her days away like ordinary people did.
After tidying up the tea things, Tinasha turned back to him. “I want to do what I can while I can,” she stated, as if anticipating the end of the contract. She smiled, a faraway look in her eyes.

Farsas Castle employed close to fifty court mages. They spent their days researching and attending to magic-related task requests that came from all over the castle.
They were all generally excellent mages, even in comparison to mages from other countries, and reliably took care of most issues even if it required some time. There were the occasional requests that were beyond their capabilities, however. Ever since Tinasha had arrived at the castle, she’d been the one who handled such cases.
“So we’ve been asked to give our expert opinion on this magic implement but can’t identify exactly what it is…,” explained Kav the mage as he handed a dagger to Tinasha.
At present, there was no one else in the castle’s laboratory. A great number of reagents Kav was using for his own research had been left out on the lab table. Looking stumped, he awaited the witch’s assessment.
The old-looking dagger was encased in a copper sheath. Tinasha pulled it out and frowned. “You were told this is a magic implement?”
“Yes. Apparently, it was purchased as an antique at a secondhand shop in town, but it moves on its own and gets hot. That’s why we were asked to look into whether it’s ensorcelled… But while I do sense some sort of power from it, there’s no spell laid into the thing and it bears no carved sigils, either. I’m not sure what to make of it,” Kav said.
Tinasha turned the blade over, and sure enough, the dagger’s surface was bereft of etchings.
In order for a mage to imbue an object with a specific magical effect, the item in question must be given a carved sigil denoting a spell. Looking at that mark was the usual way of discerning what sort of power the enchanted object possessed.
This dagger had no such engraving, however, which was why Kav needed help.
Tinasha’s face was pinched as she said, “This isn’t a magic implement. It’s the result of a forbidden curse.”
“What? A forbidden curse? Wh-what part of it is?” Kav asked nervously.
“The effect itself isn’t particularly potent, but its origin is problematic. A human soul is sealed inside.”
“What?!”
Forbidden curses included things with problematic effects and tricky spell-casting processes. Anything involving a human sacrifice typically fell into the latter type.
Tinasha’s beautiful features twisted in disgust. “Souls are masses of power that naturally dissolve if they lose their frames—the body. This soul has been affixed to the dagger to prevent it from dispersing. But it wasn’t done by a very good mage. And just because a soul is sealed inside doesn’t mean the weapon is imbued with some sort of power. Most likely the soul will escape in time.”
“If that’s true, then that means this is…” Kav trailed off as he accepted the dagger back from the witch. Its time of creation was now clear.
Tinasha picked up on what Kav had left unspoken. “Not much time has passed since this object was made. We should find and catch whoever did this. Where is that secondhand shop?” she asked, her dark eyes flashing.
Her gaze was sharp and shone with a cold fury. Kav gulped.
Immediately, Tinasha frowned as she suddenly addressed someone standing behind Kav in the laboratory doorway. “Absolutely not. I’m not taking you.”
“No, I’m definitely going. I can’t just leave this alone after hearing all that,” came a deep, most definitely not childish voice. Kav whirled around and bowed to the man, who was standing in the doorway with an irritated look on his face.
When Tinasha caught sight of that expression, she merely threw her hands up in exasperation.
Kav led Tinasha and Oscar to a secondhand shop situated in a back alley of the town that encircled the castle.
Light entered through a small window and shone on various curiosities set out within the dim store. A motley assortment of goods including rusty bells, ancient horseshoes, keys and locks, kitchen utensils, and decorations were crammed onto shelves and stuffed into wooden boxes for display.
Oscar gawked with great interest at nearly everything around him, but Tinasha leaned against the wall with her arms crossed soon after entering. Seeing that the other two were loath to take the initiative, Kav had no choice but to address the shop owner. “Excuse me. We’ve come from the castle. We’re looking for the person who sold this.”
The owner was a man in the prime of life. He took one look at the questionable dagger’s scabbard and answered right away. “Oh, that? Someone traded that to pay off their loans. I’ve known the guy for about a decade, but it sounds like he’s gotten himself deep in debt this year. He borrowed money from a bunch of places and brought me this dagger to get the funds to pay it off. This isn’t anything special, but I did him a favor since I’ve known him so long.”
“What kind of man was this?” Oscar asked, a bronze key in hand. His voice carried well, and the shop owner glanced over at him but thankfully didn’t seem to suspect he was truly the crown prince.
“Just a regular guy. He’s got a wife and two little girls. Several times a year, he goes around the city selling wares. Oh, I recently found out he had a younger brother, though.”
“A brother?” Oscar inquired.
“Indeed. His brother was the one who came in to sell the daggers. Said he was holding on to the little things and an IOU.”
Tinasha, leaning against the wall, suddenly straightened up. She walked over to a box of items and pulled out two other daggers from it.
The owner’s eyes widened. “You’ve got a good eye, ma’am. He brought in those two along with a third—the one you’ve got. Apparently, it should’ve been a set of four, but…”
“…A twenty-five-year-old woman.”
“What?”
After unsheathing one of the short blades, Tinasha said something as though observing what others could not. The owner and Kav gaped at her. Pulling the other dagger from its sleeve, she said, “A thirty-one-year-old man.”
“Miss Tinasha, what are you…?”
Kav didn’t understand, but the shop owner seemed to have realized something. Stunned, he asked, “How do you know the ages of my friend and his wife? Can you tell the daggers’ former owners just from looking at them?”
“What? Former owner…?” Kav muttered as he quickly went pale.
What did her words indicate? The first of the three daggers had been discovered to house a human soul. It was easy to deduce why Tinasha looked at the daggers sold with it and stated the ages of a couple she shouldn’t have known.
Inside the first dagger was…
Kav stared at the blade in his hand.
Tinasha pointed to it with one pale finger. “A seven-year-old girl.”
Realizing that had to be one of the couple’s daughters, Kav fought down a scream with everything he had.
“Our suspect has to be the brother who sold the daggers. When he came here with the three blades, he must have already killed the mother, father, and daughter,” Oscar reasoned.
He and Tinasha were walking along an alley clustered with small houses on the outskirts of the Farsas castle city. They’d departed from the castle rather early in the day, so the sun was still high in the sky.
Oscar and Tinasha had sent Kav—still shell-shocked—back to the castle and headed to the house of the man who owed money. Consulting the map the shop owner drew for them, Oscar turned a corner.
“A set of four, huh? Which means the youngest daughter probably got involved, too,” he remarked.
Both of them were enraged at the idea of a three-year-old girl being made a sacrifice for a forbidden curse.
Tinasha tucked her long black hair behind one ear. “Experiments with forbidden curses like this one were quite common during the Dark Age. During that time, lives were treated with even less care than they are now. Unlike magical ability, which is determined at birth, all souls have a kind of power to them. It’s entirely natural that some stupid people started to think it could be harnessed and utilized.”
“Madness…,” Oscar said.
“This sort of thing happened a lot back then. The only thing that came from those horrible experiments was the conclusion that souls couldn’t really be used for anything. History has proven time and again that those who use forbidden curses will eventually fall prey to one themselves. There was nothing to gain by forcing souls into the daggers. Any amount of research would’ve made that apparent… That this man would still do something so depraved suggests he is not of sound mind.”
“Someone sane wouldn’t have sacrificed people to begin with,” said Oscar, patting Tinasha on the head.
Mages utterly despised forbidden curses, and it seemed this witch was no exception. In fact, perhaps because Tinasha was such a preeminent mage, she was even more upset than Kav about this situation.
As Oscar attempted to soothe the displeased witch at his side, he turned another corner. No sooner had he done so than he came upon the man’s home. It was a rather washed-out little place crammed tightly between its neighbors.
Oscar stared at the structure. “Those daggers were brought to the antique shop three days ago, right? Won’t that mean there’s no one here?”
“Even if their souls were sealed away, their bodies should’ve remained,” Tinasha explained.
“I was trying not to put it so bluntly…,” Oscar muttered.
“There’s no need for you to worry about upsetting me. I lived through the Dark Age, after all,” Tinasha insisted.
Judging from the exterior, the man’s house didn’t look lived in at all. They could see a simple kitchen through the glassless windows. Empty dishes sat atop a wooden table.
“Let’s start by taking a look around inside,” Oscar decided.
Just as he was about to go in, a man carrying a child popped out from the yard of a house two doors down. He must have been watching.
“Hey, the people in that house moved out three days ago,” he said.
“Oh yeah? Did you see if they had any kids with them?” Oscar asked. He didn’t bother speaking formally to a stranger, which did nothing to hide his high social status. Tinasha frowned slightly.
The man nodded, rocking the sleeping child against his shoulder. “They did. Two of them, in fact. The younger one’s close with my son, so he wanted to know where they were going so early in the morning.” The young man patted his child’s back.
Oscar and Tinasha exchanged glances. “That must mean something happened after they left the house,” deduced the former.
“In that case, we need to gather more eyewitness reports…,” Tinasha answered, snapping her fingers and pointing inside the house. “Oscar, have a look around inside the place.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll wait out here. When we get yelled at for this later, someone will have to provide an excuse for your recklessness.”
“That’s true. Lazar’s probably dying of a stomachache right about now,” Oscar remarked.
“And yet you snuck out anyway. Have you no compassion?” chided Tinasha. She frequently scolded Oscar herself and thus sympathized deeply with Lazar, Oscar’s childhood friend. Before she’d met Oscar, Lazar was the one who’d had to chase after him whenever he snuck from the safety of the castle. These days, that job fell to Tinasha. Lazar probably still got just as many stomachaches, but at least he enjoyed some reduction in hardship. If Oscar dared to point out such a thing, however, both Tinasha and Lazar would undoubtedly scold him.
“Well, I’m off, then. Don’t follow any strangers,” Oscar warned his beautiful protector.
“If you really think I’d do that, then finish up your tasks quickly…,” Tinasha replied, waving him off tiredly.
The prince turned toward the seemingly abandoned house. The man with the child appeared shocked to know that Oscar was about to intrude on someone else’s home. He beat a hasty withdrawal indoors, clearly thinking this wasn’t something he ought to get involved in.
Before the man with the child could retreat out of sight, however, a little girl poked her face out from the house across the way. She looked at the child in the man’s arms and called in an innocent voice…
“Ayla? Did you cut your hair? Who’s that?”
There was a moment of silence.
It was Oscar who responded the swiftest. He rolled to the side and grabbed the child before the man could escape. A fraction of a moment later, Tinasha seized the man by his neck with her ivory fingers.
Her nails very nearly cut into the man’s flesh. She looked up at him with dull, coal-black eyes. “It was you.”
“Don’t kill him, Tinasha,” Oscar demanded, the child in his arms limiting his movements. He’d have to put the child down to stop her, but the little girl was fast asleep. Upon closer inspection, it was obvious the child’s hair had been crudely cut to make her appear to be a boy.
The man struggled against Tinasha’s hold on his throat. With a voice like the chill hand of death, the witch asked, “What were you doing with those daggers? Were you experimenting with different spells depending on the soul?”
“N-no…”
“Then were you practicing? The daughter’s soul stuck to the weapon better than the mother’s and the mother’s more than the father’s. Did you think the next one would go even better?”
“…Ngh, ah…”
The man’s breathing grew faint, and he began thrashing around like a drowning man. The witch had silently lifted him off the ground, her jet-black hair swaying all around her.
The primal urge to kill was pouring off her in waves, dominating the surrounding atmosphere. Its ominous presence left not only the man but the girl who’d exposed him frozen in fear. The only one unaffected was Oscar, who said, “Are you listening, Tinasha? Don’t kill him yet. I want to hear what he has to say.”
“There’s no point in letting him live. This man has magic.”
“Did you decide to remain outside when you realized that?” Oscar posed. It’d struck him as strange that Tinasha had been so willing to let him out of her sight. It was hard to think she’d do that under normal circumstances. Evidently, she’d suspected the man of being the culprit from the very beginning.
Tinasha saw that the man was about to pass out and released her grip. He fell to the ground, coughing violently as he gasped for air. In a hoarse voice, he admitted, “I—I was trying to make a magic sword…for the future…”
“Save the cryptic remarks. What do you think you are, some lunatic from the Dark Age?” Tinasha’s mocking retort seemed casual enough, but her eyes betrayed something darker than the desire to kill. Peering into them was to stare into an abyss that ran deeper than Tinasha herself.
Sensing a moment of opportunity, Oscar said, “Tinasha, trade places with me. I don’t know how to hold a kid.”
“You seem to be managing. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
“Trade with me. I’ll take over for you,” insisted the prince, patting the witch’s head with his free hand.
The warmth from his hand slowly spread through Tinasha, and she reluctantly received the young girl from him. She cradled the child against her shoulder.
As she held the sleeping kid, the witch suddenly appeared very kind, not unlike a regular person.

Resolving the case turned out to be an exercise in frustration.
Oscar frowned as he listened to a report of the culprit’s testimony.
“A call for mages? Cuscull… Isn’t that the same new country that sent an envoy to invite Tinasha?”
“It is. It doesn’t look like they’re doing it openly, but they’ve proclaimed themselves open to all capable mages. This man resorted to murder trying to heed that call,” Kav explained, reading out the report and glancing to one side. His gaze fell to the crown prince’s protector. She was sitting on a couch with her legs crossed.
Despite having been furious and nearly killing the man, Tinasha now seemed a portrait of placid calm—on the surface anyway. Crossing her arms, she took over the report. “Though the invitation is for ‘capable mages,’ that can mean a great many things. It looks like Cuscull is trying to collect those who excel at warfare. I don’t know what they’re planning, but it doesn’t bode well that they’re inciting people to commit terrible acts.”
“A magic sword, huh? Mass production of such a weapon would not be good for us,” Oscar commented.
“Normal mages cannot produce magic swords. Almost all of them are fakes, with the exception of Akashia. A considerable amount of magic and a very complicated spell are both needed to fix a soul to an object. That’s why most cases have historically come about by accident,” Tinasha detailed.
“You’re saying it’s difficult to intentionally re-create such a process. Now that the challenge is out there, though, it’s likely to cause further trouble.”
While Oscar and Tinasha happened to uncover this one case, that didn’t mean they’d be able to bring in everyone who’d taken up the same offer.
“Idiots are out there doing things like this because they don’t know any better. Not knowing what they’re getting themselves into convinces them it’s worth pursuing… This is why, with time, people will repeat the same cycle of despair,” Tinasha snapped back coldly.
A sorrowful shadow fell over her dark eyes. Her words spoke to countless instances of lost hope witnessed over the many years of her life. Her gaze grew distant, as if she were reliving far-off memories. When she noticed Oscar and Kav’s eyes on her, she rose to her feet.
Clapping her hands to change the conversation, Tinasha said, “In any case, keep an eye out for any strange magical incidents and be sure to tell me about them. I’ll deal with any and all occurrences as best I can.”
“Yep. Kav, don’t go to her directly. Report to me first,” Oscar ordered.
“Why do you treat me like some bomb that could go off at any minute?!” Tinasha cried.
“Well, at least you’re aware of how dangerous you are,” Oscar quipped.
“You’re one to talk!” the witch protested, floating along the ceiling.
Kav was relieved to see her acting like her old self again.
He had to wonder how things would play out, however. What changes were lurking just beyond the veil of darkness?
Come what may, Kav had a feeling that true despair would be averted, so long as Oscar had Tinasha by his side.


Unnamed Memory

 2. Thinking of You
“Mages are dangerous, so don’t get close to them.”
This was a phrase mothers often said to their children. It was something kids heard from most adults.
Luly asked, “Aren’t they human, too?” only to get told, “They look human, but they’re filthy creatures who defy the gods.”
She was left to wonder what “filthy” meant… The young girl always had trouble with tough words. She knew enough to grasp that people would be angry if they found out her secret, so she visited the cabin discreetly.
Deep in the mountain was a small cottage where a wonderful magician lived. He could make flowers appear, and he healed Luly’s scrapes… When Luly first met him after getting lost one day, he gave her candy and led her back to the village where she lived.
Luly wanted to tell everyone about how nice the magician was, but she kept her mouth shut. This was her secret.
Her hands full of gathered berries, she was running off to the mountain cabin yet again.
Just before the little building came into view, Luly saw the magician himself barreling toward her on the path. As soon as he caught sight of her, he ran over and scooped the young girl up in his arms. “Thank goodness. I was so worried. I didn’t think I’d make it!”
“What’s wrong? Make what?” Luly asked, thinking that her friend was acting strange. He was very pale and completely flustered. She didn’t understand why. The magician merely offered the girl a weak smile.
“It’s nothing. Come, let’s get you inside.”
“But I have to go right back today. It’s my mom’s birthday,” Luly said.
“No! You can’t go back to the village!” he cried.
“…Why?”
The magician didn’t answer. Normally, he was always smiling. This was the first time Luly had ever seen the man so close to tears. “Hide out here for a while, then flee to another country. Run as far away as you can… All the way to Farsas if need be.”
“What…? I can’t do that. I have my mom and my dad.”
Why was he saying this to her?
Suddenly, Luly felt very worried. Shaking off the magician’s grip on her, she ran back the way she had come.
“No, Luly! You can’t go back there!” he shouted, scrambling after her. However, she kept running.
Luly ran and ran, until she arrived at a spot that overlooked the village below…
…and saw her hometown engulfed in flames.
“That really takes me back,” said a young man watching the white smoke rise from verdant hills and drift beyond the distant forest.
His snow-white hair was tied up in a long queue. The young man’s delicate, doll-like features gave him an odd countenance—as though something was missing.
He watched the smoke dissolve into the sky.
“I was born in the Dark Age, you see. Only once did my father ever take me outside the country. That’s where I saw people and towns on fire, just like this. It really was a terrible era.” Despite describing great tragedy, the man’s voice was indifferent and bereft of emotion. Even the words a terrible era were as plain and ordinary as if he’d been describing what he had for dinner last night. The mages accompanying him, however, all looked upon their lord with eyes full of admiration.
“Lord Lanak, you should return to the castle.”
“Ah, I suppose it’s about that time. Yes, I still have many things to do,” replied the white-haired man apparently named Lanak. He tore his eyes from the billowing smoke and turned his gaze to the contingent of mages before him. As calm as one could ever be, he continued, “Since we’ve gone through the trouble of setting fire to the village, we’ll need to send a proper declaration of war. Not doing so would be an insult to those who lost their lives today.”
There was no sarcasm in his words acknowledging the people he’d killed himself. He appeared to feel true pity for the dead but quickly broke into a bright smile. “This is the dawn of a new era for this land. To that end, we’ve got to reset everything for a fresh start. First up is the Four Great Nations, I believe? If they’re destroyed, all the others will fall obediently into line from there.”
Lanak held out his abnormally pale hands. A transportation array appeared, though he had said no incantation. With a final smile, he vanished. The burning village was left behind, unaware of the one responsible for its fate.
All that remained was ash and a lingering smell of burnt human flesh that drifted on the lukewarm breeze.

The sky above the castle was clear and sunny. However, thick ash-gray clouds hung low in the distance to the north.
Standing atop the castle walls, Tinasha held out a hand to her familiar who’d come from the direction of the approaching gloom. The gray, cat-shaped familiar leaped onto her shoulder and rubbed its head against her cheek.
This familiar had been making the rounds all across the continent for hundreds of years. Recently, its excursions had been limited to the newly minted nation of Cuscull.
“I see. So it’s true… Why now, after four hundred years…?” Tinasha murmured, distress crossing her lovely face as she received her familiar’s report.
Truthfully, she wanted to leave and make for Cuscull immediately.
The very thing that had driven her to become a witch had at last come to pass. It was nearly within Tinasha’s grasp, and she wanted to reach out and put an end to everything as soon as possible. It clawed at her so ceaselessly that Tinasha felt liable to go mad.
Based on what she’d learned, however, things were still too complicated and dangerous for her to act on emotion now. If she made a wrong move, countless other countries would get involved and the death toll would be astronomical. Even if one quick move could bring an end to the troubles she had endured for so long, Tinasha couldn’t ignore the potential mass loss of life.
“What should I do…?” she wondered aloud, putting a hand to her chin and falling into thought. The cat on her shoulder perked its ears up.
“…What is that? Your pet?” came a voice.
“Oscar…”
The prince was approaching along a castle rampart walkway. He gingerly picked up the cat. Its black eyes went round and wide at the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar man.
Paying no mind to the animal’s reaction, Oscar scratched under its chin as he looked at Tinasha.
If it were him in my position, what choice would he make given the situation?
After half a year of observing Oscar at work, Tinasha knew he was an exceptionally clever statesman. She knew that he cared for the safety of others and that he’d undoubtedly answer the call if asked to help.
More than anything, Tinasha knew he was fond of her.
He’d once told her that as everything around her changed, he alone would not.
If she was allowed to take his hand and make a request…
“Tinasha? What is it?” Oscar frowned, the cat now resting on top of his head. Concerned, the prince’s blue eyes were trained on the witch. Tinasha held her breath for a moment as an impulse to tell him everything swept over her…
She knew she could never tell anyone about her past transgressions, however.
Tinasha stuffed down the emotions churning inside her like warm mud and smiled at the young man.
“…It’s nothing. And that isn’t a real cat; it’s my familiar.”
“It is? Wow, it feels exactly like a real one,” Oscar remarked.
“It’s made with magic, just like Litola. And don’t put the cat on your head; you might startle someone. You’re supposed to be a prince,” Tinasha scolded, snapping her fingers lightly. In response, the cat jumped over to her shoulders, and she whispered in its ear.
“You go rest now. Thanks for all your hard work.”
Those words released the familiar from hundreds of years of service. The gray cat stared at her, then its head slowly lolled.
Abruptly, it dissolved into gray powder and blew away.
Oscar boggled at the sudden turn of events. “Was that really okay? Did it just cease to exist?”
“Yes, it did, but it’s all right. It’s done its duty for me many times over by now,” Tinasha replied. In many ways, the cat was a representation of Tinasha’s own illusions, but she didn’t need it anymore. Tinasha didn’t need to involve anyone besides herself. That’s why she chose not to draw Oscar into any of this, either.
Her relationship with him was nothing more than what the contract dictated. She was his protector and would keep him safe. The agreement said nothing of the reverse.
Tinasha closed her eyes to conceal the shadowy look in them. She took a few seconds to get her emotions in order. Once the worst of her tumultuous feelings had passed, she put a pretty smile back on her face. “Besides, I’m busy right now cracking your curse,” she said.
Her analysis of the curse was nearing a conclusion.
After that, all she had to do was compose a spell to break the curse. It was likely to be extremely complex, so she’d sent away for crystals to make magic implements infused with spells ahead of time. Upon reflection, Tinasha realized she’d kept Oscar waiting quite a while, but at last the goal was in sight. She was certain she’d end his curse and positive he’d be pleased.
Tinasha grinned up at Oscar, and he smiled back. “About that, don’t forget you also have the option of marrying me. That’s what I’d personally recommend.”
“You’re about the only one who would.” Tinasha snorted.
“Isn’t my recommendation all that matters? What other opinion do you need?”
“Mine for one! Listen to what I want here!” Tinasha cried.
The two had a way of getting off track and going on and on like this forever.
Tinasha started to leave him behind, but he grabbed her hand and turned her back around. She could feel in his grip his strong desire not to let her get away, and she looked back at him.
“…What is it? Don’t even think about sneaking out like you did before. You’ve got too much to do.”
“No, not that. The dress I ordered for you is ready for a first fitting, so I came to find you.”
“What…?”
The dress Oscar was referring to was one he’d ordered on his own when a cloth merchant had visited the castle three months ago.
The ones Tinasha ordered herself had been of a simple design, so they’d been completed much earlier. The fact that Oscar’s had taken so long gave Tinasha an uneasy sense of foreboding.
“I—I suppose refusing won’t do me any good.”
“You’ve got that right. Would you rather walk there on your own or be dragged? Up to you,” Oscar offered.
“I’ll go…”
The longer Tinasha lived in the castle, the more things she had to do seemed to naturally accumulate.
Hanging her head in resignation, Tinasha let Oscar lead her along by the hand.
“It’s sooooo gorgeous, Miss Tinasha!” Sylvia cried out, though it sounded more like a shriek of glee. She was the first person to see Tinasha come out wearing the dress.
Oscar looked Tinasha over from head to toe. Rather candidly, he complimented her. “Looks pretty damn good.”
“Thank you…,” Tinasha said.
The dress was finely crafted of smooth black silk woven with abundant silver threads. It was open at her arms and back, hugging her curves close from the high collar to down below her waist. From the knee, the hem flared out in a beautiful arc. Flowers embroidered in silver thread bloomed all over the fabric. Against the witch’s porcelain skin and jet-black hair, it looked perfect. All who beheld Tinasha were utterly entranced, unconsciously sighing in admiration.
Sylvia gazed at the witch, spellbound. “Miss Tinasha, let me do your hair and makeup on the big day.”
“The big day? What big day?”
“It’s almost His Majesty the King’s birthday celebration, of course,” Sylvia reminded her.
“I know that’s coming up, but why should I go? Isn’t it just a ball being held for diplomatic purposes?” asked Tinasha.
As the two women discussed this, Oscar circled Tinasha to inspect the dress’s craftsmanship. Once talk turned to the ball, an evil smile spread over his face. “You’re the one who’s gotta go. Jump right into the lion’s den and get some experience socializing with humans.”
“Why?!” Tinasha asked, indignant.
Rather timidly, the dressmaker spoke up for the first time, asking, “Um…how is the fit?”
Instead of Tinasha answering, Oscar piped up happily from behind her. “It’s a little loose in the waist. Did you lose weight? You should make sure you get proper sleep.”
“I am. When I feel like it,” Tinasha informed him.
“And could you make a hair ornament in the same shape as the flowers on the dress but a little bigger?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” answered the dressmaker, quickly marking the waist measurements on the fabric and retiring from the room. Oscar dropped a fond kiss on Tinasha’s shoulder. Sylvia blushed as she observed it, but Tinasha bore it calmly, a look of clear mental exhaustion on her face.
Oscar noticed her expression and lifted his head with a look of displeasure. “You’re really not affected the littlest bit.”
“I can’t react when you touch me so brazenly.”
“Is that the problem?” Oscar asked.
“Is that not what it is?” Tinasha shot back, failing to understand and staring at him with some confusion.
The prince rolled his eyes. “You don’t see me as a man at all, do you?”
“Of course I don’t. Though it’s more like I don’t see anyone in such a way,” Tinasha clarified.
Silently, Oscar balled his hands into fists and ground them against the sides of the witch’s head.
“Ow, ow, ow! What do you think you’re doing? Honestly now!” Tinasha cried.
“Sorry, I just got annoyed,” Oscar explained.
Tinasha glared at the man while rubbing her temples. He seemed entirely unaffected, however, even grinning. Once more, he inquired of his romantically apathetic protector, “Why are you like this? Is it because purity is so important to spirit sorcerers?”
“I think that’s part of it, but I also don’t want to get too close to humans. Lucrezia is much calmer nowadays, but in the past, she used to take revenge for getting dumped by magically moving all the water in a village’s lake to a different location. Observing things like that always made me feel reluctant to get involved with anyone… Oh, and I put the water back, of course.”
Sylvia was frozen stiff, and Oscar had fallen silent, too.
Getting involved with a witch certainly did risk angry outbursts on an entirely different scale. Suddenly, the most powerful witch’s aversion to love affairs seemed a very wise decision indeed.
Even then, one couldn’t deny that Tinasha was exceedingly awkward with humans. She appeared aloof as long as she kept people at a certain distance, but once anyone got to know her, they quickly realized how unaccustomed she was with socializing.
That was likely why Tinasha was so apathetic, even to herself. Shaking his head, Oscar patted Tinasha’s hair. She looked up at him, perplexed.
“Well, let’s put a pin in that. I’m an exception, so think of me as something different.”
“Really?” Tinasha asked.
“Really. We’ve got half a year left, so I’ll wait until then.”
“Hold on. I don’t think this is something that just needs a little more time…,” Tinasha protested frankly, but Oscar paid the remark no mind and merely grinned. The hand on her head slid down to caress her cheek.
“I’m pretty confident that you’ll change your mind. I suit you.”
“…I really don’t understand,” Tinasha said, shaking her head. Her dark eyes seemed to search the air for something invisible.

“So shall it be defined by me.”
At those words, crystal balls no larger than one’s fingernail began to float in the air. A dozen spheres glided slowly as if guided on wires. Each lazily came to rest in place on the red lines that delineated the spell.
Tinasha made sure they were all in their proper spots before beginning her incantation.
“I pray that these words will turn to poison. Let them sow seeds of thorns.”
Her voice sang out the words. As the infinitely complex spell took shape, her mind wandered.
If love could kill someone, then was that feeling in and of itself a contradiction?
Whether a person killed out of love or out of hate, it brought on death all the same.
Why then did humans treat them as totally different things?
Only the one who killed could know the truth of their motive, and even they couldn’t be absolutely sure.
Sweat beaded on her ivory forehead.
Cautious and precise, Tinasha wove together her power and her intention.
“Fate goes round in a loop, impossible to escape.”
Each line made the air vibrate, and the crystal balls rotated accordingly.
“No one shall touch it nor change it. Let my words turn to poison.”
People kill people.
That’s what emotions do.
That’s what power does.
If strong feelings could push Tinasha toward such vile actions, then she would avoid love and hate. She didn’t want to ever remember.
At the same time, Tinasha didn’t want to push herself to insanity. From the very start, she was already caught in the midst of an inescapable madness, after all.
“Blessings born of hatred, love born of a curse…”
Partway through a lengthy incantation, Tinasha let out a little sigh.
She tipped her head up to stare at the dark ceiling…then closed her eyes.
Failure wasn’t an option. The witch was already running low on time.
She was sure there was nothing else someone who dwelled in the past—someone like her—could leave behind.
That was why she was so determined to at least accomplish this one task.
Honing her thoughts down to a single thread, Tinasha launched back into chanting the spell.

Oscar felt like he’d been dreaming.
It was a very fuzzy sort of vision. He didn’t know whether he felt happy or sad, but he awoke with the distinct feeling that his dream had been very emotional. The room was still dark, and only the earliest hints of morning were visible through the window.
Rubbing his forehead, he moved to sit up in bed and noticed something strange. He wasn’t wearing a shirt.
“Did I not wear one to bed…?” Oscar murmured, scrolling through his memories even though his thoughts were still muddled… Then he noticed someone next to him.
His witch was asleep, seated on the floor, with her torso slumped over his bed. Several crystal balls were scattered all around her.
Something had clearly happened, but Oscar didn’t have the foggiest idea what it was.
Sitting up, he reached out and tugged gently on the witch’s hair. “Tinasha,” he called.
No reaction. He tugged again, and she finally stirred. She gazed at him with bleary eyes. “I’m sleepy…”
“You can sleep after you’ve explained what happened,” Oscar insisted. Tinasha shook her head like a petulant child. As she gradually came back to her senses, however, the light came back to her eyes. She let out a little yawn and sat on the bed.
Looking up at Oscar with her dark eyes, Tinasha declared, “I broke your curse.”
“…What?”
Oscar stared at his protector. Dumbfounded, he found himself questioning his own ears.
Tinasha rubbed at her watery eyes. “Technically speaking, I didn’t break it so much as I set up another curse in the same location to offset it. There’s a part of the spell with a name attached to it… It’s like a password. Only the spell caster designated by that name can do anything about it, so I left it in there. But if that’s all it is, then it’s just part of the blessing and protection charm, so there shouldn’t be any ill effects.”
“…You broke the curse already?” Oscar was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
He knew that Tinasha had been nearly done with analyzing the curse, but now it was seemingly gone altogether. Oscar had borne the burden for fifteen years. That it was neutralized with so little fanfare left him at a loss for words.
Blinking her sleep-heavy eyelids, Tinasha pointed at Oscar’s chest. “You can wash that off now. Go take a bath or something.”
Now that she mentioned it, Oscar realized there were intricate sigils drawn in blood on his body. They looked magical and were still a vibrant red.
“Is that your blood?” Oscar asked.
“It is. I used it as a catalyst,” answered Tinasha.
“Why did you do it while I was asleep?”
“Because it was easier with you unconscious. You kicked up a fuss when I waited for you to fall asleep the last time,” Tinasha reminded him, floating up into the air. “Okay, I’m going to head back to my room for some sleep…”
She was about to teleport away when Oscar suddenly grabbed her hand. Frowning a little, she looked down at him. “What?”
“Ah, just… Thank you.”
At that, a bewitching smile reached Tinasha’s sleepy eyes. She squeezed his hand in return, placing a kiss on the back of it. Then she faded away like a ghost, leaving only the crystal balls scattered about the floor.
Oscar gazed down for a better look at the blood sigils painted on his body.
He was certain that for the rest of his days he’d never forget this morning.

The entire castle was abuzz with excitement.
Today was the king’s birthday, though the festivities were more of an opportunity for state diplomacy than anything else. People from neighboring countries gathered to sound out one another’s intentions. As the celebration was about to begin in earnest, a group of court ladies were getting ready in a room of the castle.
“How’s everything look?” Oscar, dressed in full court regalia himself, knocked on the open door before entering.
The witch looked up at the sound of his voice. “Oscar… I’m exhausted…”
She’d been held fast for two hours while her hair and makeup were done. She longed to get free, but Sylvia and the other court ladies were having too much fun and wouldn’t let her go. Whether Oscar actually heard the witch’s plea for help was unknown, as he was staring at her in awe.
“You look…stunning.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Tinasha grumbled.
“I put my whole heart and soul into it! She was already beautiful, so it made the perfect base for makeup,” Sylvia piped up. Upon hearing that, Tinasha judged the makeup session to be over and stood at last.
Her long hair was bound up, though a few wispy locks trailed down in front. The floral hair ornament that matched the embroidery on the dress sat perched above her ear. Silk gauze around the flower trailed down over her alabaster shoulders.
Makeup in hues of blue had been applied to accentuate her already prominent nose bridge and big dark eyes. As a result, her normally cool and clear features took on the proud, intimidating air of a queen. Coupled with her youthful face, this rendered her entirely unapproachable.
“You did a great job. Completely exceeded my expectations,” Oscar said, very pleased. He reached out to brush Tinasha’s cheek.
Suddenly, Lazar’s voice came echoing down the hall. “Your Highness! Where are you?”
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Oscar asked. Lazar heard him and rushed into the room. He looked appropriately gobsmacked when he caught sight of Tinasha. Oscar didn’t turn to look at his old friend, as he was entirely preoccupied with the witch. Instead, the prince merely asked again, “What’s wrong?”
“Ah yes. Well, the prince from Tayiri won’t be able to attend, it seems. There was an attack on a town close to the border with Cuscull about a week ago. In his place, he’s sent his royal younger sister.”
“Cuscull?”
“Attack…?”
Oscar and Tinasha’s faces hardened at Lazar’s words.
With a grave tone, the man continued his explanation. “Without warning, Cuscull mages burned a village to the ground. By the time help had arrived, no survivors could be found.”
“No survivors… They killed everyone?” Oscar inquired.
Not in the past one hundred years had there been something so vile. Mass killings of innocent citizens had been commonplace during the Dark Age, but it was the Age of Witches now. Most thought such a tragedy impossible unless one of the witches was involved.
Bile rose in Oscar’s throat. “I have no idea what Cuscull is thinking. I’ve also got to wonder if Tayiri plans to publicize the attack and ask other countries for assistance.”
“They might. If Tayiri could handle this on its own, a nation of mages who oppose Tayiri’s state religion would never have declared independence in the first place. I’m sure those in charge want to do something about Cuscull, whether that means incurring debts to other nations or not,” Tinasha replied.
“True. Fighting mages when your nation shuns the practice of magic sounds difficult,” Oscar observed.
Mages have great power in war but are actually quite difficult to utilize efficiently.
The stronger the spell, the more likely it is to affect soldiers on the mage’s side, too, and the longer the incantation as well.
It was hard to control large-scale magic at all, and few mages mastered the delicate practice. What’s more, the farther away a spell was loosed, the more time an enemy mage had to counter it. Mages needed to be able to get fairly close to their opponents if they wanted to have any hope of outsmarting them by being the first to cast a spell. As a result, spell casters were placed in the rear guard behind soldiers and typically lobbed small- to midrange magic attacks. Opposing magic users would attempt to guard while hurling back spells of their own. Such a task was exceedingly difficult and was the exact reason so many mages devoted themselves entirely to defense and support magic.
Tayiri was an exception, as they had no mages and therefore no way of defending themselves against a volley of spells.
One had to wonder what Cuscull’s aim was in all this. Whether it was revenge against Tayiri for so many years of oppression or something else entirely, none could say for sure.
Oscar frowned, then noticed that something seemed off about the witch. The blood had drained from her face. Her eyes were glinting with a mixture of grief and rage.
“Tinasha? What is it?” Oscar asked, and she snapped back to herself.
Her eyes wavered as she looked up at him. “…Oh, no… It’s nothing,” she said, smiling. Then, after some hesitation, she tugged on his sleeve. “Um, do you have some time? There’s something I’d like to talk to you about…”
“Oh? This is unusual. Sure, I don’t mind,” Oscar agreed.
Knowing her, this wasn’t going to be anything romantic. Instead of making everyone clear the room, Oscar led Tinasha out onto the balcony. Beyond the railing sprawled the castle courtyard. Oscar glanced idly at the plants and flowers shadowed in the dusk. Tinasha followed him out, shutting the door behind her.
“Oscar, do you like Nark?” she asked.
“Huh? Nark… You mean that dragon of yours? I mean, I guess I don’t hate it. Why?”
“Then could I ask you to look after it? I’m its current owner, but I’d like to transfer that over to you. It’s fond of you, too…”
“Why?” Oscar pressed.
Tinasha didn’t answer. She just looked up at him with a pained expression. The dissonance between the look and Tinasha’s fanciful hair and makeup lent her an air of instability. It was unusual for the witch to appear so helpless, and Oscar scratched his head. “All right. I don’t mind.”
“Really?! I’ll transfer it over now, then,” Tinasha decided, breaking into a broad smile. Without a sound, she floated into the air and placed her palm to Oscar’s forehead and hummed an incantation. He caught her in his arms, and she settled into them.
“Now, you’re its owner. It’ll come when you call its name. You don’t have to worry about food; it’ll find some on its own.”
“Got it.” Oscar nodded.
She was radiant when she smiled. The moonlight tinted her ivory skin a pale-blue shade. Her gaze appeared to be on him, but her attention was far away—perhaps linked with the night itself. With the distinct feeling that he’d get utterly swept away if he looked at her for too long, Oscar bit back a sigh.
He stroked Tinasha’s cheek with his other hand, and her eyes narrowed. He slid his hand over to the back of her head, drawing her close.
She didn’t resist. She placed her hands on his shoulders and then kissed him quite naturally.
When her soft lips drew back, Oscar huffed out a laugh. “That was not what I was expecting.”
“You have to change things up every so often,” Tinasha replied with a smile, reaching out a finger to wipe off the lipstick that had stuck to Oscar’s lips.
When Oscar entered the ballroom accompanied by the witch, the pair looking as beautiful as a painting; all eyes turned to stare at them. Aware of the wave of murmurs sweeping across the room, Tinasha sighed to herself. Her arm looped through Oscar’s, and she whispered to him, “It’s unheard of for me to make an appearance in a place like this…”
“No one knows who you are,” Oscar assured her.
“If you refer to me as your fiancée, I will send you flying.”
“I’ll remember that,” he acknowledged dryly.
They made their way to the king and bowed. Tinasha took a step back, and Oscar offered his official well wishes. The king eyed the two of them with some amusement, and when Oscar finished his address, the king beckoned Tinasha closer. She came to the king’s side, and he lowered his voice so that only she could hear him.
“You’re going along with this well,” he said.
“It’s only because I signed a contract with someone very pushy… Is your family known for such things?”
“Since you’ve graced us with your presence, shall I introduce you to the guests?”
“Please, no. I believe the noble young ladies of the neighboring countries have been awaiting a meeting with the crown prince.”
Upon hearing that, the king swept his gaze over the ballroom and picked out the ladies in gorgeous gowns who studded the hall. Each was staring at Oscar with anticipation and at the witch with hostility.
The king chuckled. “That does look tricky. My sympathies.”
“I see writing things off as someone else’s problem runs in the family… I wish you’d do something about him.”
“At his age, he isn’t going to listen to his father. You should just go ahead and get together with him.”
“You’re really going to say that, too?” Tinasha cried out without thinking; then her hand flew to cover her mouth. She hurriedly curtsied and returned to Oscar’s side.
“What were you talking about?” he asked her, suspicious.
“The troubles of life…”
Oscar looked like he wanted to hear more, but Tinasha refused to speak further. She spent an hour with Oscar at the ball; then when the timing was right, she escaped out into the gardens.
“I’m so tired…and so glad this dress isn’t for dancing…” Tinasha sighed, savoring her freedom as she glanced back at the ball with everyone in their finery. The witch could dance, of course, but she had a feeling that doing so would invite unwanted trouble. She was about to slip away when someone called out to her from behind.
“Are you all alone, beautiful?”
“Gah…”
The disgusting catcall made Tinasha screw her face up, but she schooled her features into a smile before turning around. Standing before her was a well-groomed young man. He must have been a guest at the ball.
She replied blandly, “Just out for some night air…”
“That’s perfect. I just came out to do the same myself,” he said, striding up to her and taking her hand rather naturally. “If it’s all the same, I’d like to accompany you.”
“Mmm…” Tinasha sighed. She’d missed her chance to escape. Now she had to render this person unconscious without leaving any proof behind.
As he caressed her hand and Tinasha began to wonder if she could just bury him in the gardens, someone appeared from one of the side paths. This man noticed the two of them and gave a little snort. He said to her, “Miss Tinasha, are you about ready?”
“Ah yes. I’m coming,” she said, shaking off the man’s hand as fast as she could and scurrying away after excusing herself. The man looked reluctant to let her go, but she didn’t spare one glance back at him as she hurried to Als.
“Thanks. I was about to knock him into next week.”
“I have to admit, that was funny to see. But, well, I suppose it’s part of my guard duties to protect you from unsavory men like that,” young General Als declared, laughing loud and long.
Annoyed, Tinasha wiped off her poor abused hand. “It was really awful. I don’t want people groping at me like they have permission to do so. He was much too familiar.”
“True, although you don’t seem to mind when it’s the prince.”
“…Huh?” Tinasha paused in confusion when Als pointed that out; she’d never noticed it herself.
When Oscar touched her like it was the most natural thing in the world, she’d often thought his hands felt warm or comfortable—but never unpleasant. At most, she’d found Oscar’s caress distracting.
She wondered what the difference meant but gave up on it halfway through her thoughts. Even if she got an answer, it didn’t matter anymore.
She shook it off only to suddenly feel uneasy all over. Her skin prickled.
“Someone’s watching.”
“Huh? Miss Tinasha, did you say something?”
“…No.”
The disquieting sensation disappeared in an instant. There was no one else around but Als and Tinasha.
The witch tipped her head up. She gazed at the moon, as if searching for something she’d been longing for.
Back in his chambers, Oscar was lounging in a chair, feeling entirely fed up. What in the world do I do now? he thought.
Sitting in front of him was one very prideful princess in a brilliant gown.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?” inquired Princess Cecelia of Tayiri, who was attending in place of her elder brother. She looked at Oscar with eyes plainly filled with hope.
Oscar had struck up a conversation with her in order to ask about the Cuscull situation, but Cecelia had said, “It’s very complicated, so I can’t discuss it here” and invited herself to his private chambers.
Now that she had gotten Oscar alone, however, Cecelia refused to discuss any matters related to Cuscull. From the look of things, she knew nothing of politics, though perhaps she was tasked with making an ally of the power behind the throne of an influential country—or just seducing Oscar.
“…Time to kick her out,” Oscar muttered under his breath and got to his feet. Just then, there was a light rap at the window. On reflex, Oscar called, “What is it, Tinasha?”
The witch opened the window and entered, then looked shocked to see Cecelia there. Oscar was prepared for Tinasha to react in a dramatic fashion, but instead she turned calmly to face the princess.
“I am so very sorry, but I need to borrow him for some important business. I hope that’s all right with you,” Tinasha said very politely but in a manner that brooked no objections.
Cecelia did not take the imposition well. “I never… How very rude to come in from a place like that! Your Highness, just who is this woman?”
“My wi—mage,” Oscar replied, correcting himself just before the word witch could escape from his mouth. When Cecelia, the princess of a country that hated magic, heard that, her eyebrows flew up. She leaped to her feet and brazenly stepped right in front of Tinasha, glaring into her deep, dark eyes.
“A mage, was it? A mere mage who doesn’t know her place… How filthy. Begone!” she haughtily decreed.
Before Oscar could reply, Tinasha coolly spat, “A mere mage? You should watch your mouth, you imbecile.”
“What did you call me?!”
“Leave. Do I have to repeat myself before you understand?”
The witch’s eyes were like two pools of bottomless black—a silent gravity that dominated the entire room.
Cecelia shrank back, cowed by the intensity of her gaze. Oscar gaped at the witch in numb shock.
He had seen Tinasha look fearsome and intimidating before, but never had he seen her with eyes that could force others to submit so completely.
Oscar himself possessed that same ability. His eyes were that of someone who stood above the rest—a ruler.
Cecelia looked at Oscar imploringly, but once she realized no help would be coming from him, she all but fled the room. Only the witch and Oscar were left.
It seemed to Oscar that Tinasha in formal wear was an entirely different person—someone he didn’t know.
Tinasha slowly turned around and approached Oscar. There was an irrepressible self-deprecating look in her eyes.
“Tinasha?”
With a smile, she placed a finger to his lips, indicating that he shouldn’t speak. She lifted off into the air and gave a light wave of her right hand. Blood started to ooze from her pointer finger.
Then she wrapped both arms around Oscar’s neck and began to write something in blood behind his left ear. As she concentrated on her work, she whispered something in the prince’s ear.
“Oscar… I am someone who should have died four hundred years ago… At present, I am only a witch. I am nothing more than the remains of a child who should be dead. You should not fall for a dead woman.”
She finished writing and cradled Oscar’s face in her hands. From very close, she gazed into his eyes the color of a clear twilight sky.
“You should do what you need to do. The future of this country is riding on your shoulders. Don’t forget that.”
The darkness within Tinasha’s gaze was akin to stepping into the abyss.
A baseless anxiety seized Oscar.
“Tinasha? What’s going on?” he pressed.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. Then she looked at him again and parted her red lips. “Do you remember what I said…when I undid Lucrezia’s spell?”
Oscar’s eyes widened.
She didn’t wait for his reply. Her face came closer, pale and twisted in sorrow. She kissed him softly on the lips.
Then she landed soundlessly on the ground and turned her back to him. The air in front of her—where her dark gaze now focused—warped.
In the next moment, an unfamiliar man materialized from the twisted space.
The man’s long white hair was the shade of melting snow, and his skin was similarly pale.
The light blue mage’s costume that clung to his lithe body looked remarkably similar to the one Tinasha often wore. This man with an air of androgyny to him gazed at Tinasha and smiled. “Aeti, I’ve come for you. You’ve grown so much bigger…ah, lovelier.”


Unnamed Memory

At that, Oscar wanted to shout out. But when he tried, he found that his voice had been silenced. No matter how he tried, his body refused to move, too. That kiss just now had bound him with magic.
Tinasha suddenly leaped off the floor and launched herself at the man. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. “Lanak! You really are alive!”
Oscar had never heard Tinasha’s voice sound so full of pure joy.
The man she’d called Lanak stroked her hair fondly. “I knew you were looking for me. But I couldn’t do anything for so long…”
“It’s all right. It’s enough just to know you’re okay.”
Tinasha took the man’s hand and cradled it against her face. Seeing the witch act so unusually shook Oscar to the core. Tears were glistening in her eyes, and her happiness was palpable. He was well aware that this wasn’t the smile she used as a mask. Who was this man who inspired such feelings in her?
Lanak smiled at Tinasha, apparently taking no notice at all of Oscar. “You won’t have to feel lonely anymore. I’ve built you a country, too. It’s called Cuscull. It’s small, but it’s going to grow quickly. I’m certain you’ll like it. You’re going to be its queen.”
That left Oscar reeling.
Cuscull, the newly formed country of mages.
This dangerous-looking man before him was the king of that country?
Tinasha answered him with a tone of rapture, not sounding the littlest bit perturbed. “If it’s my country, I’m going to make lots of requests.”
“Request away. It’s your right,” Lanak replied, wrapping his left arm around her. Noticing Oscar for what seemed to be the first time, he asked, “Who’s he?”
“The man I signed a contract with,” Tinasha explained.
“The bearer of Akashia, hmm? Sounds dangerous,” Lanak said, facing Oscar and making a motion with his right hand.
Tinasha saw it, and for a second, her expression twisted. The spell binding Oscar broke.
Wasting no time, Oscar tried to unsheathe Akashia, but Tinasha leaped in front of Lanak and gave the man a smile. “Let him go. Even if the sword has power, it’s just a sword in the end. It means nothing if the bearer has no strength of their own.”
“Tinasha!”
Oscar felt like he was trapped in some awful dream.
His witch, the person he should’ve known better than anyone, now felt terribly far away from him.
Where had her heart gone?
Slowly, Tinasha turned around. An unmistakable belligerence blazed in her dark eyes.
“My contract with you ends tonight. The curse is broken. You don’t need anything more from me, I believe.”
“There’s still time left on it,” he said.
“Not anymore,” she said, a cruel smile flickering across her face.
Oscar finally drew Akashia. He pointed the tip of it just past Tinasha. “I’m not letting you leave with him.”
“If you intend to hurt Lanak, you’ll have to go through me.”
Tinasha spread her arms wide, and a longsword materialized between them. She grabbed hold of it.
In an instant, there was a terrible pressure about the room.
Oscar did his best to stay calm. His mind was reeling from a chaotic mess of questions.
At this distance, he was confident he could kill Tinasha.
While she was touted as the most powerful witch, that met its match against Akashia.
Tinasha was the one who’d trained Oscar so that he could kill her, after all. However, even knowing that, the prince found it difficult to take a single step forward.
He was of two minds—the desire to focus on battle and the desire to reject it.
Time froze where it was, and there was a horrible silence that seemed to go on forever. Then Lanak embraced Tinasha from behind. “It’s all right. Let’s go.”
She gave a tight-lipped smile and nodded. Magic enveloped the two of them.
“Tinasha!” Oscar shouted, but she had already winked out of sight.