The room was cold and dank. A bright fire crackled between the logs and ominous-looking bubbles formed upon the surface of the murky concoction that was in the big cauldron. She carefully stirred it with a long ladle, taking great care not to spill a single drop.
The wind howled wildly outside, signalling an impending storm. In the distance, there was a faint roll of thunder. Okuda shivered slightly. Lately, she had felt that he was watching her; watching and following her every move. She had tried using search magic to reveal the owner of those eyes but to no avail, and the gaze she felt on her back had only increased in intensity as the nights passed. Thankfully, she had not felt anything so far tonight.
The temperature dropped further as the wind gained strength. A wolf's lonely howl echoed from the black forest that lay at the borders of the glade where her house stood. Her potion would brew overnight and be ready in the morning. Okuda slowly lowered her eyelids in the warm comfort of her fire.
She was getting a bit drowsy when images suddenly flashed and flitted quickly across her mind. She could see the faint outline of a man as her mind's eye gradually adjusted to the darkness that cloaked her vision of him. He was tall and had a slim build, yet her heart warned her that this man was anything but weak. His aura was more powerful than any human she had met—no, this man was anything but human. She couldn't move. This was all so real. Although this was not the first time, she still found herself pinned on the spot by his penetrating gaze.
Red, a dangerous fire threatening to consume her.
Amber, two alluring pools of molten gold.
"Patience, my love. I am coming to receive you." His pale white hand stretched out and lightly caressed her cheeks.
Okuda's eyes flickered open in shock and she inhaled a sharp gasp of air. There it was again! Along with the feeling of being watched, these visions were also becoming more frequent over time. Although it was a brief encounter through her mind, she knew that he meant her no harm. In fact, his voice was silky smooth and the tone he used with her was lightly teasing as usual, and she had found herself blushing uncontrollably every time they met through those visions. Whenever he grinned, he would flash his sharp canines at her and, for a brief second, the image of those canines on her neck flashed in her mind. Okuda blushed even harder in horror at the atrocity of her thoughts. She liked how he looked at her as if she was the only thing worth paying attention to in the world, and his touch had been tender like a lover's. She felt naturally secure with him. There was also something in the way he said those words that convinced her that it would come true.
The question was…would she want to resist him? Though she could not see his face in clear detail, his ability to penetrate the barriers of her mind and the wards she had set up in her territory with such ease made her very sure that this man was a supernatural being. And a very strong one at that, with his unnaturally coloured hair and eyes hinting that he possibly even belonged to the elite class of ancient demons that continued to terrorise the earth. On the other hand, she was a witch. Not one excelling in aggressive spells like most witches, but still a witch nonetheless. She belonged more to the logistical side as opposed to the frontline and specialised more in delayed-time spells and weapon spells, making her excellent in ambush, secrecy and traps. Witches and demons had always stood on different sides, with demons even striking deals with humans to hunt witches as they were a convenient tool for increasing their own powers. Although he had used an endearing tone with her, Okuda remained unsure of his true motives. Okuda knew that he would try his utmost to get his way, judging from his confident words. With her powers, she knew she would not be able to win him in direct combat should she decide to resist him. Her mind told her that demons were cruel sadistic creatures and she ought to fight back when he arrived to claim her, whereas her heart was urging her to trust that he was special and would not harm her. Okuda never felt so undecided.
Suddenly, a dark veil seemed to fall upon the whole room. Although the fire continued burning bright, the atmosphere had changed drastically. Twisted dark shadows silently crept from corners of the room, while Okuda remained oblivious to what was happening as she continued to be absorbed in her thoughts.
He glided silently upon the cold tiled floor, eyes flashing with amusement. She was in her own world again.
She shivered. The temperature seemed to have plunged even further and—she felt it. She felt his presence. Okuda whipped around and found herself staring at her reflection in his pale gold eyes, emitting a small gasp of shock in the process. He was dressed in all black with a sable cape adorned with red inscriptions that encased powerful magic. His facial features were fine and delicate, but mischief glinted in his gold-coloured eyes and a light confident smile played upon his lips, making him seem even more wild and raw. Okuda had never imagined that he would be a thousand times more attractive in person and she was at a loss for words for a few moments. He smiled indulgently at her, and leant forward, so that his breath blew upon her ear.
"So how long are you intending to stare at me for?"
Okuda felt tingling sparks travel from her ears, down her spine and right to her toes at this sensation. A scarlet blush dusted her cheeks and Karma couldn't help but lick his lips at the sight in front of him. Through their encounters via the visions and his secret observations of her, he grew to love how beautiful she was both physically and internally. He had lived through many ages, but this was the first time someone had captured his heart so thoroughly in this manner. He was extremely certain: he wanted her as his partner. From his observations, he knew that she had fallen equally deeply for him, but still wavered. Probably because of the feud between the demons and the witches, he mused. Well, he had always been sort of an outcast in demon society anyway, any rules forbidding association with witches could go to hell (ah, the irony). Now, all that was left was for her to answer the most crucial question:
"Will you be willing to leave this place with me?"
Okuda received another shock at this question. She lowered her head slowly. Right before he had appeared, she knew she felt undecided. Yet now that she had had heard it from his mouth, she knew even more clearly what those words meant and the weight of the message behind it, and instantly, any shred of doubt she ever felt before was swept away by the sincerity she felt. Okuda was ashamed that she even suspected his motives. She knew that at this moment, every thread of her being desired to be with him. Logic had always been her greatest friend, but it was clear that it was time to listen to her heart for once. Okuda raised her head and gave him a shy smile.
The next morning, the people from the village nearby surrounded Okuda's house.
"Open up, you evil woman!"
"Witch, my father was recovering well until his illness relapsed yesterday! What curse did you put on him?!"
"Come out else we'll set fire to your house!"
The mob grew angrier as minutes ticked by and there was no sign of the witch. The village elders motioned for the men to break down the door.
"Poenitentiam agite…Poenitentiam agite…" the village elders chanted together in a low monotonous drone. Strong men armed to the teeth cautiously inched towards the door of the lonely house and proceeded to try to bring the door down.
"Poenitentiam agite…"
Bang!
The crowd became wilder. The door shook but stayed.
"Poenitentiam agite…"
Bang!
The hinges creaked achingly. The villagers roared.
"Poenitentiam agite!"
Crash!
The mob gave a terrific yell and charged inwards—
—Only to find a purple piece of cloth with a bloodstain that laid forgotten on the floor.
Thank you for reading! The ending is open to interpretation. Did Karma take Okuda away because he liked her, or was it because at the same time, he knew the people were coming? Why was there a bloodstain? Where did the two of them disappear to? How did Karma even know of Okuda's existence in the first place? I didn't really go deeply into these details because I would prefer more imaginative space for the mind to play with. To be honest, depending on how I played with it, the fic could be romantic, dark, horror or mature. So have fun coming up with further scenarios on your own! :D
I apologise if the logic, flow and language are not of good standard.