Medusa and I flew for a while, the darkened sky slightly haunting. The moon was hanging over us menacingly, shining it's grinning face down on us. I winced, never liking the grin it always had. I turned to Medusa, flying a bit forward to get at her side.
"So, what's this order like?" I asked, watching her smile.
"The Witch Order is an organization of witches lead by Maba. Eighty percent of the total witch population is under this order, the other twenty either neutral or against us and at the DWMA's side. We try to convince the neutral ones to join us, but turns out they don't want to get involved in the fight and risk losing their souls to a hungry weapon and meister." Medusa seemed to growl as she finished her sentence, my eyes widening.
"Weapon and meister? Like the ones that Lord Death trains?" I asked. Medusa nodded, making a right turn.
"Yes, the become Death Meisters and Death Scythes, they need ninety-nine Kishin souls and one Witch soul. Not many become Death Scythes, I'm not sure how many there are right now, but killing us is one of their main goals. They aren't allowed to hunt witches outside the realm, since they're either on their side or a potential ally. That's the short version, but we're trying to stay under radar until something happens."
She grinned at the end of her explanation, as if something came to mind. I could practically see the gears in her head turning, as if SHE was going to make that thing happen. It made me weary of her even more. But, I dismissed this feeling and nodded.
"I see. Now I see why you would want someone like me. My powers are…interesting." I looked down, gazing at my own hands. Medusa nodded, her smile side and sinister.
"Oh yes, your magic is like some I've never seen before. You don't need to say anything before you cast a spell; no incantations and specific body movements, nothing. You just, do it. It's exciting to think about the things you could do for the order. Hell, we could knock on the DWMA's door and watch you light it up."
I winced at her tone, seeing myself destroying the place. I shook the image from my mind, looking away and at the ground miles below me. There was silence after that, the conversation ending with Medusa's bloody fantasy.
"Hold on…" she called suddenly, making me jump and flap my wings frantically like some indignant chicken to stop myself. She watched me with amusement, smirking as I felt my face get hot with embarrassment. She pointed to the sky in front of us, flexing her fingers out.
"...We're here."
She cast some kind of spell, beams shooting from her palm and ripping a hole in the air. I watched in amazement as the air seemed to tear itself apart and reveal some kind of portal, another world on its other side. Medusa smiled, bowing to me.
"After you."
I hummed, still nervous about the whole thing. I sat still for a few moments, before hesitantly moving forward, entering the realm.
The air changed from cool to warm and muggy, the change making my skin ripple uncomfortably. The sky was dark, but twilight seemed to drift over its horizon. I saw a tall, misshapen castle rise from the center of the place, with houses and towns surrounding it. I guessed that Witches lived here if they didn't want the DWMA getting to them. Medusa entered behind me, closing the rift and smiling proudly.
"So, whaddaya think? Pretty impressive no?" she asked, letting me scan the area some more. I looked at her, then back at the city.
"Honestly, pretty grim. Looks like a place a reaper would live."
Apparently saying that was offensive to witches, because Medusa jumped back and scrunched her nose in disgust.
"Oh please, that reaper Death? His city is so happy looking it'll make you puke. Nothing like ours. Anyway, come along, there's gonna be a Witch Mass today, and I want you to be there."
I shrugged, letting the snake woman lead me towards the castle. I saw other witches fly in on broomsticks and some by their magic. I saw them all take glances at me, my presence new and a bit foreboding to some of them. I could already tell that a few of them saw my soul and recognized me as not a witch, because they gave me hard stares and whispered to each other quietly. I guess they were always wary of newcomers because of their current war with the DWMA. Medusa landed in the courtyard of the large castle, gesturing the long and tall stone arch what lead to the center.
I slowly walked in, the eyes on me making my skin crawl uncomfortably. I didn't like the gazes, but I thought that maybe I could get past them.
Suddenly, a witch stepped out in front of me. She had long, silvery hair and dark green eyes, a large orange hat sitting on her head with a face on it mimicking that of a frog. She glared at Medusa standing next to me.
"Medusa! What are you doing bringing a stranger into the Mass!? You know that's against the rules. Who is this woman anyway?" she looked at me, only to reel back slightly as I stared at her. I guess my eyes frightened her in a way.
Medusa chuckled, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Eruka, this is Elphaba. She's new around here, but quite the powerful witch. Elphaba, this Eruka Frog, a frog witch and a bumbling buffoon if you ask me." She sneered at Eruka, who in return made a noise of anger.
"Buffoon! Why you snake-"
"Elphaba."
I decided to break up the incoming fight by throwing my hand out towards Eruka, offering a handshake. She jumped in surprise, looking down at my hand. I saw her glance at me, a confused gaze in her eyes. It was as if she was expecting me to be rude to her in some way.
Hesitantly, she took my hand, shaking it.
"U-Um… Eruka… nice to meet, you…" she whimpered, looking around as she introduced herself personally. I smiled, finding her nervous, yet overall pleasant look refreshing from the gloom and doom castle. She smiled in return, placing her hands behind her back after we finished our introduction.
"So Elphaba, what's your representation?" she asked, looking me over as if trying to find something hinting to my animal. I was currently wearing a thick cloth around my shoulders, concealing my dragon tattoo so I would have to tell her. But Medusa interjected, placing a hand between us.
"Now, now, I think Miss Elphaba should announce her rare animal when she introduces herself at the Mass tonight. Now let's go, we don't wanna be late." she smiled, walking down the hall to the center of the castle. Eruka snorted, shaking her head before smiling and turning to me, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward. I couldn't help but smile, seeing the similarities between her and my younger sisters.
As we walked down the hall, we entered the large clearing where the witches were gathering. I felt odd and intimidated by the sheer amount of witches present, looking around as many began to look in my direction. Eruka seemed to have sense my discomfort and squeezed my hand.
"Don't worry, they're just a bit wary of you. Once you introduce yourself let them know you're no threat, I'm sure many of them will wanna become your friend. I mean, you look why to nice to be hanging with someone like that snake woman. I swear she's plotting something that's gonna get us in trouble with the DWMA one day…" she sighed, letting her head drop. I decided to test the waters of my potential friend and ask a question.
"What's your opinion on the war?" I watched Eruka shrug, looking at her nails.
"Honestly, I don't care. I mean, I love blowing things up and all but I really don't wanna get on their bad side. Between you and me, they're the reason the Kishin level is low all the time, so I mean… I guess they're fine. I just don't wanna get involved with an unnecessary fight. Besides, I love the Witch Order and my home, but I don't wanna get hunted so I stay here most of the time," She explained, leading my over to a stone bench and clearing a spot for me.
That answer intrigued me in a way. The fact that there were witches in the Order that didn't mind Death around was astounding to me. I sat down next to Eruka, Medusa flanking my right. Another witch was next to Medusa, her hair long and braided, and slightly resembling that of a scorpion tail. She had mixed red and blue eyes with red and purple hair, and a sinister smile on her face much like Medusa's. I nudged the snake witch.
"Do you know the witch on your left?" I asked. Medusa nodded, gesturing to her.
"This is my younger sister, Shaula. She's training in mental manipulation and is a Scorpion Witch. We have an older sister, Arachne the Spider Witch, but she's been dead for centuries. Not that we care, Arachne was a fool. Shaula, say hi to our new friend." Medusa nudged Shaula, making the smaller witch look up at me. Seeing her eyes look at me wasn't anything pleasant, but I dismissed this fear and nodded.
"Hi."
She rose a brow, looking me over curiously.
"What's your representation?" she asked, trying to find it on me. Before I could answer, Medusa interrupted me, placing her hand on Shaula's shoulder.
"She'll say when she introduces herself. Now everyone quiet down, it's starting."
Suddenly, the clearing went silent and everyone looked up at the large balcony in front of us. I saw an elder looking witch walk to the edge, a large hat and bandage concealing all of her face, save her right eye. A one-half was written on the bandage where her left eye would be, and she raised a long sleeve in the air. All the witches bowed their heads and placed a hand to the center of their chests. I slightly panicked, but let my head fall in respect. Suddenly, the elder witch began to speak.
"Joma, joma, wachi suchi. Let us begin the mass."
The witches all copied the saying, I remained silent since I was clueless as to what was going on. When all the other heads rose, I looked up as well, another coming to stand next to the elder one. Her hair was odd, styled like two, giant cones on either side of her head. She rose a hand up, speaking a loud voice.
"Today we mark another victory against the DWMA. One of our witches was hunted by a meister and weapon, but brought the two down in a brave fight. The DWMA believes they can hunt us like wild deer as they please, but I say against it! I refuse to let ourselves falter to those boot-kissing scumbags!"
The entire room cheered loudly, making me jump slightly and close my hands over my eyes. Yeah, looks like only a few of the witches here were like Eruka. The announcer spoke up once more.
"So, does anyone had news grand enough to announce here at our Mass, and in front of the Grand Witch Maba herself?"
Medusa raised her hand, I think the marrow in my bones froze up. She stood, justing her pants off and clearing her throat.
"I've brought with me today, a new witch. She's very powerful and capable of causing severe damage to our enemy. I mean, I saw that she had tamed a beast as mighty as a dragon when I first encountered her. I'll allow her to introduce herself." She turned to me and gestured to the center of the room.
Of course.
I stood up slowly, smiling nervously and stepping out to the center. I heard some witches hum in curiosity and others whisper about the dragon comment Medusa made. I stepped into the center, bowing to Maba.
"Hello, my name is Elphaba Screeting. It's an honor Your Grace." I called, standing up to face her. Maba nodded to me, accepting my introduction. The witch next to her seemed to look me over from her perch, humming.
"So Elphaba, what animal represents your power? You like you could have the cat as an animal because of your eyes…" she theorized, rubbing her chin. I couldn't help but chuckle, shaking my head.
"No ma'am. I may have cat-like eyes, but as Medusa said about the whole dragon thing," I took off my cover, revealing my tattoo, "My representation is a Dragon."
I audible gasp was something to behold; even Maba stood up and stared at me in awe. I shrunk down slightly, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the amount of eyes looking at me. I shook off the anxiety and looked up at Maba. The witch spoke up once more, her eyes wide and staring.
"Unbelievable. A Dragon Witch!? I've never heard of one like that? What kind of magic do you posses?" she asked, sitting back down in her seat.
I guess I could breathe fire for them.
I sucked in a breath, letting the heat in my lungs well up and my tattoo to alter in color before releasing a blast of fire from my lips. I heard many gasps and shouts around me, and a lot of people asking where my incantation was.
"You… performed magic without the use of words!? How!?" The witch snapped, leaning over the edge of the balcony. I smiled, deciding to play along to the whole 'witch' thing.
"Well, I was raised by dragons in a sense. I protect them and they give me power. I learned to stay silent when using my powers as to not alert any potential enemies nearby. I just comes naturally to me." I lied, watching the other witches around me ooh and ah in amazement. I looked over at Medusa and Eruka. Seeing Eruka's face full of wonder made me feel warm inside, and Medusa's savage grin was unnerving.
Maba was staring at me curiously, her single eye boring into my very soul curiously. I stood silently, waiting for Maba to judge me. She looked over the the witch next to her, and leaned towards her. Maba seemed to whisper something to her, the witch nodding with the words she spoke.
I watched Maba look down at me, her gaze kind.
"Miss Screeting, I'm rather impressed with your abilities. Someone like you would be very appreciated in the Order. Would you maybe like to join our cause and help fight against the DWMA?"
Now I can't saw I was all for what she asked me. While I wanted a greater ally to help me defend the dragons, it would put me at risk with the DWMA, one of the greatest forces in the world. While I didn't want to yes… I didn't want to say no either. I looked down, searching the ground for an answer.
"Hmm…if I may ask, may I have some time to spend here in the Realm? I want to see what kind of things I'd be getting into before I give a firm answer."
At first, the witch next to Maba was going to shout at me, because apparently not saying yes immediately was offensive, put Maba held out her arm before she could speak against me. The Grand Witch nodded.
"Of course. Take a day or two, get to know our society and it's people. When you feel ready to give me an answer, come and see me. Thank you," she bowed to me, the fear slowly lifting off my chest. I bowed back, smiling when she went back to addressing the other witches.
I quickly went back to me seat, plopping down next to Eruka once more.
It made me giggle to see Eruka slacked jawed and buggy eyes, staring at me like I had grown a second head. I smirked, letting some smoke roll off my nostrils as if to confirm to Eruka that I was, indeed, a Dragon representative.
As the mass went on, Eruka chittered in my ear excitedly, asking me question after question about my powers. I answered as many as I could, trying to keep the whole being a dragon myself thing a secret. Medusa made me wary the entire time, her eyes constantly on mine. She had this look about her that made me nervous, as if she was studying me.
Once the mass was over, the witches said their parting phrase and dispersed to the outer walls of the castle. I followed Eruka out of the castle and into the courtyard, listening to her give me the grand tour of the place.
Witches around us all looked at me in curiosity, some of them even coming up to me and introducing themselves. It was kinda nice.
Medusa walked up next to me at one point, a smirk on her face.
"So Miss Screeting, how are you liking our humble home?" she asked, looking at her nails casually.
I had to smile, looking around the gloomy place.
"While the overall look is a bit mood killing, I like it so far. The witches here are nice, at least the one's I've met. Except that one that stood next to Maba at the mass, what was her deal with me?" I asked. Eruka shrugged.
"The Witch Judge is always like that. She gets mad when witches don't jump on the bandwagon and join the Order immediately. She's also pretty angry with outsiders, and very quick to assume," she explained, fixing her dress.
I hummed, rolling my eyes. Of course the judge would be… judgemental like that. I couldn't help but wonder what the witches would do once they found out I wasn't actually a witch, but a dragon.
I honestly wanted them on my side before I revealed that detail to them.
So, I went around being called 'The Dragon Witch', my new title and soon to be nickname. Eruka basically ignored Medusa as she trailed behind us, leading me around and showing me shops and houses. She eventually introduced her best the friend, the eldest Mizune Sister, a Mouse Witch. She apparently had five other sisters that I hadn't met. Someone I can relate to.
"This is Mizune, eldest of the Mizune sisters. Mizune, this is Elphaba, the Dragon Witch introduced at the mass this evening."
Mizune gave me this string of 'chi chi' sounds and bowed, confusing the ever loving hell out of me. So, be by respectful, I gave her a small bow in return.
"It's nice to met you Mizune. I'm enjoying my time here so far…" I smiled when the little Mouse Witch seemed to jump and smile at me, excited with my introduction.
The fact that Medusa was just following me made me wary as all get out, but I put the snake behind me and talked casually with the two other witches.
"So, so far I've met pretty nice witches that like blowing things up but also avoid unnecessary fights. My kinda people," I mused, watching Eruka's face light up.
"You like destruction too? I mean, with your kinda power you could blast a hole in the planet if you wanted to!" she cheered, clapping her hands together excitedly. I gave the girl a lopsided grin, shaking my head.
"I can admit I take a slight pleasure in watching things blow up. I don't like seeing innocent people get hurt, so I tend to keep my description away from populated areas," I explained, watching both Mizune and Eruka nod. Medusa made some kinda grunting noise behind me, catching my attention. I turned around to see the Snake Witch laughing at me.
"Is something, funny Medusa?" I asked, the hair on my back rising in offense. Medusa nodded, giving me her sly grin.
"Oh indeed my dear. It's just, keeping the blasts away from people just takes all the fun out of it. Don't you like watching body parts fly like rockets?"
Now that set me off. I glared at Medusa hardly, offended by her comment. Before I could retaliate Eruka stepped between us, a glare etched into her brows.
"Leave her alone Medusa! Unlike you who likes killing humans for pleasure, Elphaba's at least a decent person! I can get behind her logic," she crossed her arms defiantly, Mizune letting out a few chitters as well. I felt my ears got hot, the two defending me honestly getting to my heart. Medusa scowled, glaring at us.
"Oh please, like that's any better. She's a witch, killing people is in her nature, as it is in you and I Eruka," she sneered, black cracks of magic fusing up by her hand.
I was suddenly defensive, letting my own power build up. Maybe not fire, but watching this woman get frozen solid sounded pleasurable.
Eruka growled, taking her wooden staff and pointing it at Medusa roughly.
"As if! I don't wanna get involved with the DWMA for killing innocents. I'm already at risk cause I'm in the Order, I wanna stay under their radar as long as I can! Besides, the DWMA is way too strong to mess with! We lack in numbers while the DWMA as forces scattered all over the world. Maybe you should cut the act and admit it, the only reason you want Elphaba in the order is so that she can blow the Reaper's armies to smithereens. While I don't doubt she could do it, they've done nothing to her and she to them. Hell, she's not a part of the Order so they technically can't go after her unless she provokes them! And she seems much smarter then that! So tell me, Medusa Gorgon, what do you really want with Miss Elphaba's power!?"
The fact that she defended me like that and called me 'Miss' warmed my heart. But I had to quickly dismiss that feeling when Medusa suddenly lunged, her arm pulled back and ready to jab into Eruka throat.
While she was fast, I happened to be prepared. I quickly stepped between Eruka and Medusa, my own fist pulled back. I threw the fist punch, slamming my knuckles into Medusa's jaw. I watched her lose her footing and fly backwards, skidding across the gravel like a stone on the water.
I let my lungs freeze, building up water in them before letting the liquid rocket out of my throat. Medusa tried to get onto her feet, but when the water hit her, I slammed my fist into the ground and watched the water turn to ice. From the my feet to Medusa the water froze and stuck to everything it touched, including Medusa.
I watched with glee as Medusa was frozen to the ground, nothing but her head free.
I slowly stood, smiling as Medusa struggled under the two inch thick sheet of ice locking her to the ground.
I smirked, "How's that for fun?"
Eruka promptly snorted next to me, dropping to her knees and letting out a long line of laughs, pounding the floor with her fist.
Mizune even began to laugh, leaning against Eruka as she let out little squeaky laughs.
Medusa swore up and down at me, her eyes wild and livid as I spun on my heel and began walking away. I turned to the two laughing witches.
"Eruka, Mizune, I'm ready to continue the tour if you please," I bowed while saying, Eruka and Mizune crawling to their feet and walking forward.
We left the screeching Snake woman behind us, continuing our walk through the town. I was rather happy up until that point, liking the overall pleasantness of the witches. But, as usual with me, the happiness, didn't last too long.
Turns out, only Eruka and the Mizunes truly thought the way I did. The rest of the witches I met, all had the same mindset.
Kill for fun.
The witches around me expressed their joy in killing any human that stood in their way, and even some ending the lives of innocent meisters and weapons that were nowhere near ready to go after a witch's soul.
In all honesty, this place was starting to sound like a bloody arena than an actually society. They may have had shops, houses, and even schools, but they were all taught the same thing. Kill for the blood, not for the soul. I discovered that I was truly a firm believer in Death's philosophy. Kill only those who can no longer saved, cleansing them of their evil souls and letting them go free into the afterlife. Death was always super keen on making sure only people who had crossed the point of no return were killed, nothing more and nothing less.
Turns out, in this little war I wanted no part in, that's the side where my heart sat.
But, I kept the little detail to myself as we walked through the Witch's Realm.
Eruka was excited for my answer in joining the Witch Order or not, always asking me if I had made my decision yet as the night went on. The main reason I wanted the witches on my side is because it would be nice to have a large force to help protect the nest.
Guess not.
"So Elphaba? Do you think you'll stay?" Eruka asked for the tenth time, holding onto my arm tightly. I smiled nervously, rubbing my temple.
"Um, I'm not sure Eruka. I mean, I'm kinda free spirited so I don't think rooting myself to an organization is such a good idea for me. I wouldn't mind visiting though," I smiled, giving Eruka my honest answer. She pouted, put out that I wasn't staying for good, but she appeared to be rather ok with that, for she smiled almost seconds after.
"While I think you'd be super fun here, I can understand. Just, try not to get yourself killed by anyone when you leave ok?" she asked, a fearful look in her eyes. My heart twisted happily, the joy of having such a caring person my friend warming my heart.
"Don't worry Eruka, if you knew what I really was, you wouldn't have to worry about diddly squat."
Bad call. She gave me a confused look with my previous string of words.
"What you really are? Aren't you a witch?" she asked, taking notice to my nervous sweat.
With no way to get out of my slip up, I pulled Eruka off into an ally and made sure there was no one around before placing my hand down onto the ground and pulling up the earth, creating a wall that shielded us from the crowd. Eruka jumped, staring at me fearfully.
"U-Um, did I say something wrong?" she asked, pressing herself to the wall in fright. I shock my head, cupping her cheek as terrified tears rolled down her face. I guess with my display of power both at the Witch Mass and towards Medusa she knew that if she crossed me, things might not end too well for her. But I soothed her fears, shushing her quietly and smiling gently.
"No, that's not it you've done nothing wrong. I just slipped up my words and now you know something that may or may not get me in trouble."
She tilted her head in confusion, wiping her eyes and taking her big, orange hat off and tucking it to her chest.
"What did you say then?" she asked, looking up at me. I sighed, running a hand through my hair.
"Remember how I said if you knew what I was you wouldn't worry? That was the slip up. You see Eruka, Medusa mistook me for a witch. I am anything but a witch in fact. I'm actually a Dragon."
I watched her pupils almost dilate in shock, her breath hitching and her hands coming up to her mouth. I sat and waiting, letting the information pass through her mind.
Instead of a loud scream or a declaration of 'intruder', Eruka gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen.
"You're a Dragon? Really!? I figured you used magic without words cause you were super talented but… you don't use magic do you!? You just have elemental powers like a Dragon!" she cried, jumping up and down.
I honestly wasn't expecting this reaction, but let's face it.
Since when does anything I expect actually happen?
I smiled, nodding.
"Yes, but be quiet about it alright? I'm just gonna turn the Order down on their offer and leave before they get too suspicious. Alright?"
She nodded, tucking herself into my side, letting my lower the giant slab of rock that shielded us from the rest of the crowd. We slipped back into the moving crowd of people, pretending like we hadn't just had a secret conversation.
As we moved along, Eruka decided to take me to her favorite cafe, pulling me into a pair of large black doors before I could protest.
When we entered, I had to admire the design of the room. While the big theme was black, various shades of purple and grey dotted the room, making a gothic yet comforting room.
She led me to the bar, setting me down on one of the stools and waving the bartender down.
"Hi Silvia! I want my usual! And get one for my friend too!" she called. 'Silvia' looked at me, her eyes widening at my presence.
"Hey, this is the Dragon Witch from the mass earlier! It's nice to met you, my name is Silvia! I'm a Wolf Witch! I hope you don't mind Eruka's usual drink unless you wanna order something for yourself," she began making our drinks, smiling brightly.
I shook my head, letting her know that Eruka's usual, whatever it was, was fine with me. As we waited, I saw other witches gathering at the windows and looking over in my direction, as if amazed I was there. The whole Dragon thing was getting a bit too popular for my liking, the attention unnerving. Eruka didn't mind, waving at people as if bragging that she was with me instead of them
When our drinks got to us, Silvia sat down in front of me, casting her towel away and resting her head on her hands.
"So Miss Screeting, could I ask you something?" she inquired, smiling when I sighed at the drink's sweet yet bitter flavor. I nodded.
"What do you think of… the DWMA?"
The whole cafe went silent and looked at me, as if waiting for the judge to determine whether someone was guilty or not. I froze up, looking around nervously as they all waited for my answer patiently. I saw Eruka staring at me fearfully, gesturing for me to make up some bullshit excuse as to why I couldn't answer.
But my mind, for some reason, thought of something else.
"You wanna know my honest opinion? I've never encountered them before, but I hear they do a lot of good for the world."
That was not the right thing to say, at all. The witches around me all gasped, shocked that I would say they never bothered me. Silvia reeled back, her eyes wide.
"Really!? B-But they slaughter us! They kill our families without question and they do so simply to gain power. You're ok with that!?"
I straightened my back, giving Silvia a hard glare.
"I never said I was ok with heartless slaughter. Should the DWMA kill you if you've never done anything wrong, no. But at the same time, the only real threat to this world are the people whose souls have become Kishin Eggs. Let's be real, the Kishin awakening wouldn't just be a threat to the world and them, but to all of you also. I honestly think this whole war is completely pointless. You all would be much better off with being allies instead of enemies fighting in a pointless cat fight that's gone on for who knows how long."
The entire cafe was silent, all eyes locked onto me. Silvia sat in silence, her eyes lowering in thought. I decided to continue.
"And another thing I want you all to consider, is that the one who started this war wasn't someone from the DWMA. It was Arachne Gorgon wasn't it, a witch. If you want honest opinion, allying against her would've turned out better then just fighting each other and blaming each other wrongly."
I swear I saw Eruka start crying, her smile wider then ever. Silvia looked around, seemingly putting what I said into thought. She looked up.
"You might wanna bring that up to Maba."
"DO WHAT!?"
Ok, so bringing it up to the Judge and Maba was not a good idea. The next Witch Mass was held the next day, everyone coming down to see my answer. I decided to voice my reasoning from yesterday, hoping to get a good reaction.
Apparently not.
The Judge was red in the face, offended that I would suggest such a thing. I winced as the Judge continued to scream and scream, her voice getting louder and louder by the minute.
"I mean of all the things to say to us, allying with the very people who slaughter us for power!? You have some nerve, Dragon Witch! Why would you suggest it in the first place!?"
I sighed, looking up at the Witch from the center of the castle's speaking room.
"Think about it Madam Judge! If you allied with the DWMA, your people would no longer be slaughtered, you could help in the Kishin Egg hunts, and your people wouldn't have to hide away! It's a good idea! And besides, this war you fight is nothing but a complete waste of time! It all happened because of Arachne right? So why are you fighting the very force that destroyed her!? In my opinion you should've allied a long time ago!"
The Judge reeled back, her eyes narrowed dangerously. Maba seemed to be offended by my offer also, glaring hardly down at me. The Judge spoke up again.
"I can't believe you! Arachne created those awful weapon human abominations! And instead of destroying them like we wanted to, Lord Death took them in and trained them! He took their power and used it to begin his awful organization! We should've killed those weapons a long time ago!"
But I stood my ground, my cheeks getting hot with anger.
"But they were still human beings! They were victims to what happened, it's not like they had a choice! Death was merciful and gave the second chance at life so that they wouldn't have to die! You people are just angry that you didn't get your way and now you're picking a fight you know you'll never win nad eventually, when you unleash a full scale attack, the DWMA will tear you down with little to NO mercy!"
I was panting by the end of my argument, the Judge staring me down.
"You better watch your tongue, Dragon Witch! You are turning on your own kind by saying these things to us!" she snapped. I rolled my eyes, pulling up my sleeve to show off my tattoo again.
"As if, I'm not a Witch! My power was given to me by the dragons! I'm a Dragon myself, I've never been a Witch!"
The whole crowed seemed to reel back collectively at my reveal. I saw Eruka twiddling her thumbs nervously, looking around to see all the faces contorting into ones of anger.
The Judge gasped, staring down at my tattoo. She glared.
"How dare you. How DARE you invade our home and sell yourself as one of our own! You better leave right now if you know what's good for you!"
I snarled, getting more and more angry by the second. My defenses were skyrocketing, and the more this woman talked, the more I let the energy buildup in me.
"Listen, I was brought here by another Witch after she mistook me for one of her own. So don't blame me, first of all. Second, the reason I came even though I'm not a Witch is because I was hoping to maybe get some sort of agreement going, guess not."
The Judge rose a brow, glaring down at me.
"What kind of agreement?"
I snorted, amused that I had peaked her interest even after she got angry with me.
"My nest is in dire need of assistance, and I was hoping that maybe if you could help me, I could help you as well. When you brought up the circumstance with the DWMA, I was going to offer up my assistance originally, however… when I learned that you people slaughter those who help defend the world, I kinda got offended. Because you people decided to turn against them simply because you didn't get your way honestly disgusts me! I will not stand by people who doom this world simply because they can't sit down and have a civilized conversation. Maybe if you did that, your people wouldn't be killed like pigs for slaughter because they see you as a threat! So you may see me as some kind of enemy, but I can tell you this right now, threaten me, my dragons, or the innocents of this world and I will not hesitate to crush you."
And that was the day I made enemy with the Witch Order. I proved my point and voiced my opinion, even though it wasn't very popular. The Judge was staring me down, her face red with anger. Maba had said nothing the entire time, as if waiting for a certain sentence to come out of my mouth.
I guess that one was it.
Maba stood slowly, raising her hand up to prevent the Judge from speaking out anymore than she already had. Maba looked down at me, her eye hard and focused.
"Elphaba Screeting. I hoped that when I first saw you, we could be friends. I knew of you different species the moment you flew into my Realm, but I had hoped that we would be able to strike an agreement. But you've voiced your terms, and I'm not very sure that we can follow it. Now, I'm willing to let you leave without any consequence right now if we both agree our kinds may never truly mingle. I must apologize for our rudeness against your word, but I ask that you forgive us and we will forgive you for your words as well."
That was surprising to me, the fact that Maba was going the civil route. While I was still angry that they killed people for pleasure most of the time, but the fact that they were willingly to just be civil and let us part ways made me a bit glad.
I bowed to Maba, sitting silently before raising back up and nodding.
"I'll agree to this. Thank you for showing me your civilization, I'll be going now."
And that was that, the first and only time I was in the Witch's Realm. As I turned around, the witches watched me leave silently. I heard Eruka jumped from her seat and follow me, following me out the door and into the streets.
After we were clear of the other witches, Eruka spoke up.
"I can't believe they didn't take your offer! That's so stupid! I mean you had some good offers to, if we had you on our side you could protect the Realm from harm!"
I smiled, shaking my head and turning to look at her.
"Thank you for the encouragement, but sometimes things don't work out in our favor. At least they'll let me out before attacking me or something," I smiled, making a turn. Eruka huffed, latching onto my arm and pulling me forward faster.
"Where will you go after this?" she asked, taking a few more turns before we ultimately reached the exit.
I smiled, "I'll go back to the Dragon Nest. The new Empress should be born in about a week or so, and I need to be there when it happens. Oh, and thank you by the way."
Eruka gave me a confused look, stopping in front of the portal out.
"Thank you? For what?" she asked. I grinned, getting down on one knee to get eye level with the tiny frog girl. I patted her head, grinning.
"For making this experience not as miserable as it could've been. And for this, I must ask a favor of you."
She nodded, grabbing her dress as I voiced.
"Whatever you do, don't lose sight of your beliefs ok? And make sure to keep that Medusa in check, something about her scares me and I really don't wanna get involved in any unnecessary fights because of her. Can you promise me that?" She nodded happily, jumping into my arms and locking herself around my torso. I couldn't help but giggle, hugging the witch back with glee. When we parted, I stood up and walked towards the exit, waving goodbye.
Eruka smiled, waving back with vigor. For someone who had only known me for two days or so, I saw tears sparkling in her eyes as I neared the portal.
I gave her one last smile before stepping through the gate, watching the hazy, purple sky turn back into the gentle, dark blue of night.
Those two days rewrote my story completely. I figured I would live out the rest of my life at the nest, but that near tussle with the Witches set in motion something both grand, and terrible. I had set forward the key event that would eventually lead me to the DWMA.
The new Empress was on her way, and my goal was to make sure she hatched safely. As I departed back for the nest, leaving that short, yet scary visit to the Witch's Realm behind me.
But even now, years after all of these events have taken place…
Something tells me I should've been more cautious of the Judge.
Damn this was long and tiring.
ELPHABA HAS GRACED THE WITCH'S REALM!
And hooooo boi this was so exhausting to write. So long, so many characters... so many details. And man, I gotta lot to say about it.
So first up, this is what causes the huge change in Elphaba's path, and the reason will be revealed in two chapters time. I loved writing the tension that Medusa causes for Elphaba, the lady knows she's up to something...
You also might've noticed the Eruka was written in and that she was a friend of Elphaba's. Does this get brought up later on? Yes, it does. Eruka was the one thing good in the realm for Elphie, and she returns later on.
Aaaaand Elphaba brings up the mishap that is the DWMA and the Order. This woman strives to change it and she gets a good head start on it when she hits the Academy.
The Order doesn't really like Elphie all that much, and they're also kind've afraid of her too. But that Judge takes her personally, and makes a reeeaaaally dumb move later on that makes Elphaba pretty mad. But, with the Elphaba's suspicion and the witch's anger, I wonder what'll go down later on? Guess we'll have to wait and see!
Story is updated every Saturday at 5 pm Tokyo time (+9)!
Next Time:
The new Empress has been born into the world! With her rein on the rise, the Dragons look forward to a new heir. What will she hold for Elphaba, and what does Elphaba discover about her powers by helping her hatch?
Find Out Next Time: October 14th
~HUGS ALL AROUND~