Black Witch
Driven to hopelessness by grief, Alyssa Flumina, a skilled witch and potions master, is pulled into the past by one of her potions and into the arms of an equally desperate Ciel. But desperation and vengeance are a dangerous combo, especially when a contract with a demon is in the mix.
~Victoria Super Omnes~
Chapter 20
The forest. I was back in the forest again.
I sighed as I took in the now familiar environment. I had been coming here for weeks now in my dreams, watching as the me who wasn't me met with my stalker, Caius.
But this time, things seemed different.
As usual, Caius made his entrance by appearing over my head and landing at 'my' side, but as he landed, his body slowly began to fade away.
I perked up at the change, curious about what could have inspired it.
As Caius' body faded, 'I' turned to face me and smiled. A trickle of apprehension ran through me. This wasn't right. Up until now I had been completely ignored every time this memory had played, but now I was being acknowledged?
Common sense told me that this was no dream, it was something more than that. I was in a memory of some sort, like when elders of my family would enter dream states to share past experiences. Question was, whose memory was I in? And why was there someone who looked exactly like me?
"Come closer, I don't bite," 'I'/she said. She brought her hand up and motioned for me to come over and I found that, unlike all the times before, I could control my body.
Hesitantly, I made my way forward, drawing closer to the smiling 'me'.
"I was wondering when we would actually speak," she said, that smile still on her face. It unnerved me to see 'myself' smiling so much.
"I've been here for a while now," I said, making no attempts at lying. "You could have called out to me at any time."
'She' sighed and waved off my statement. "Time, and it seems that until now I've been rather weak," she sighed. "Much weaker than I would have liked."
"And this concerns me how?" I asked, irritated. This 'me' unnerved me for reasons I couldn't comprehend. Just being this close to her -barely an arm's length away- made me antsy and set my teeth on edge. I felt it in my magic too. It reacted strangely to her, alternately accepting her or pushing her away, as though uncertain as to whether she was an enemy or a friend.
"A bit crabby aren't you?" she asked, turning away and walking up stream. Still on edge, I followed. "I recommend some chamomile tea for that."
I ignored the advice. "Who are you?" I asked. "And why do you look like me?"
"The question would be, why do you look like me," she said, whirling around to jab a finger in my face.
"What?"
"My name is Andromeda, Andromeda Flumina."
~VICTORIA SUPER OMNES~
Minutes later and my mind was still reeling from the sudden revelation.
A Flumina? One of my family members? It would explain why my magic wasn't treating her like a total enemy, but all it did was raise more questions.
Why was she here? What did she want? Why was it necessary to trap me in here? If she really was a member of my family, she could have simply approached me in real life whenever she wanted.
Something just seemed too off here...
"I suppose you're wondering why I'm meeting you here as opposed to in real life," she said, almost as though she could hear my thoughts.
I simply glared at her.
"See, the thing is, I can't," she said.
"Too weak?" I asked, repeating what she had said earlier.
"Yes, but not in the way you would think," she said. "While my powers still seem to be the same as usual, I do not have a vessel with which to approach you."
"A vessel?" I repeated, confused.
"Yes!" she said cheerily. "After all, you can't expect a wandering soul to survive off of her own forever, do you?"
Wandering soul...? Wait... That meant...
"You're dead," I breathed. Now it made sense. Wandering spirits had no bodies of their own, most needed an object to latch onto in order to have some semblance of power but others could survive by possessing humans and feeding off of their energy in order to survive.
"Ding ding ding, we have a winner!" she said, clapping her hands.
I frowned. But that still didn't explain how she had managed to pull me in here. I was certain I wasn't being possessed and I hadn't been in contact with any cursed items recently, so how did she manage to latch onto me?
"Still trying to figure out how I'm here?" she asked, looking amused. "It's simple really, it's because you're..." She paused and gave me a speculative stare. "You don't know," she said, after a minute, her eyes going wide. "You really don't know!" Her eyes were gleaming now, as though she had discovered something fascinating.
"Don't know what?" I asked, getting irritated.
Andromeda shook her head, her curls (too similar to mine) bouncing like a child's. "No no no, my secret!" she said with a smile. "Although that does make things easier for me," she said with a smirk.
I tensed and my magic coiled around me, waiting. Andromeda seemed to grow larger before me, I took a step back to steady myself but fell when my legs were pulled out from beneath me.
"What the-?" looking down at my legs I saw tendrils of water had broken the river banks and were clinging to my legs, tugging me back to the river.
I panicked. "Perseco!" I screamed. The water fell away from my legs as though they had been cut but the tendrils instantly reformed and began tugging at my legs with even more vigour. Others sprouted as well, grabbing my arms and pulling them wide so that I couldn't struggle.
"Perse-" Water shoved its way down my throat, making me gag. For a brief moment I felt weightless, as though the water had lifted me up, then the cold surrounded me as I was dragged under.
Panic took over my body and I fought with everything I had. I clawed at the invisible hands on my arms, shoulders, neck - the arms pulling me further and further down until the light at the surface could no longer be seen.
Bit by bit though, my movements began slowing down as the energy left my limbs. Even if this was a dream, the water around me, in me, clogged my lungs and made it hard for me to think.
Slowly I felt my brain shutting down and darkness began to creep into the corners of my vision...
No...
With sluggish movements I tried fighting off the hands but it seemed to be of no use as I was only dragged further down.
Ciel...
My hands drifted to my sides, motionless. I couldn't fight it anymore. My sight was growing dim. Was I going to die here?
Sebastian...
'Alyssa...'
Great. Now I was hearing things...
'Alyssa..!'
No... I wasn't hearing things. That's Sebastian's voice!
"Alyssa! You idiot!"
My lips quirked at that. Always the charmer aren't you Sebastian...?
But still, it did the trick. It helped me to focus. The panic was gone from my head and I could feel the energy creeping back into my limbs. The darkness in my vision was creeping away too, I could see some light again.
"Alyssa! Don't you dare-!"
Dare what? I tugged at the phantom limbs and they disappeared. Confusion seeped through me at their sudden release, but I didn't pause to question it. Seizing the opportunity, I pulled away and swam to the surface.
Sebastian...
"You're mine, understand?"
My face burned and I almost stopped on hearing the declaration, but pride burned through me and renewed energy flooded through my body as I made for the surface.
His?! What was that demon thinking? Alyssa Flumina belonged to no-one!
"Alyssa!"
I broke the surface of the water, gulping in sweet air.
"Alyssa!" Sebastian's voice...? Hands were on my face, holding me still. "Are you awake?"
Awake...?
I coughed but nothing came out. No water, as though I had never been drowned. My hands moved to my neck, touching the places where the tendrils had grabbed me. No scars there either. What had happened...?
"You were having another nightmare," Sebastian said, his hands moving to my shoulders.
"A nightmare?" I repeated. Was I having a nightmare? I couldn't remember anything. All I could remember was almost drowning and being unable to fight back.
"A nightmare," Sebastian assured me. I glanced at him and was surprised at the concern I saw there. The normal grin he wore whenever he came to wake me up was gone from his lips. Instead, they were pulled straight into a serious line. His eyes were narrowed as they took me in, the crimson glistening slightly.
I flushed, embarrassed at my, no doubt, less than decent state - what with my hair all messed up and my body drenched in sweat from the nightmare.
It was too bad I couldn't remember anything from my nightmare though. Something was nagging at me, telling me I had forgotten something important.
Then it came back to me in a flash.
"Sebastian," I said sweetly. He glanced up, eyebrow raised and completely suspicious.
"I DON'T BELONG TO ANYONE!"
~VICTORIA SUPER OMNES~
Mildly irritated, I made my way down to the kitchen ready to make breakfast for Ciel.
"Honestly, that stupid demon," I muttered, fixing my collar. I glanced out the window for a moment to admire the view and froze.
"EH?!" I practically glued myself to the window in shock. The lawns looked freshly cut and the hedges had been trimmed to perfection (although in the odd shape of an elephant).
I ran outside to confirm what I was seeing and almost ran smack dab into the freshly hung laundry.
This was just getting weirder and weirder.
I ran back inside the house, searching for Sebastian to report the news to. I found them in the dining room, the table full of freshly cooked food.
"What happened?" I asked, gaping at everything.
"It seems our guest Agni took it upon himself to do all this," Sebastian said, looking shell shocked.
"Amazing," I said, looking through the spread. My stomach grumbled at the sight of the curried crabs.
"It was no trouble," Agni said. "The Prince may be excluded, however I am a mere butler so I think the least I can do is lend a hand to my fellow butler, Sebastian."
"Agni..." I could practically see the admiration for the brown man flowing off of Sebastian in the form of sparkles. Aww, bromance.
Sebastian glanced back at the idiot trio. "Why don't you all kneel down on the ground and beg for a mere scrap of Agni's talents," he said with a radiant smile. "Perhaps it would improve you even a little."
I stepped back to avoid the trio as they bum rushed Agni and began begging for talent.
"So?" Ciel asked. "How long do you intend to stay in my house?" he asked Soma. Things had finally quieted down and Ciel and Agni had taken seats across the table from each other to eat breakfast.
"We'll leave once our work is done," Soma said, munching on a roti.
"And that is...?" Ciel asked.
"Weren't you looking for someone?" Lau asked. When did he get here?
"Oh yeah! We're looking for a lady!" Soma said, looking in his pockets for something. "This lady!" he declared, showing off a very crudely drawn portrait of what appeared to be a woman.
"Her name is Mina, she was a maid servant at my palace," he said. "I drew that! I drew it so well that once you see her you'll recognize her for sure! Isn't she a beauty?"
"Sebastian, Alyssa, can you find her with this?" Ciel asked.
Sebastian grimaced. "Even for us that's..."
"Kind of a stretch," I finished, looking at the painting.
"Meh! Never have I seen such a beautiful lady," Lau exclaimed. Oh sure. Kiss up to the prince.
"Of course, she is the most beautiful lady in the palace," Agni declared, clapping his hands together to show that he had finished his meal.
"So, why is this woman in England?" Ciel asked only to be ignored by the prince and his butler bowing to a huge statue. "LISTEN!"
"What the hell is this all of a sudden?" Ciel demanded. "Where did they get that statue from?"
"It seems as though they are praying, but that's such an awful surreal figure of god," Lau commented.
"It's just a statue of a woman who holds men's heads, wears men's heads as necklaces and happily dances on a man's stomach," Sebastian said bluntly. "That's how I see it."
"That's how Kali is always portrayed," I said blandly. "She's one of the many goddesses from Hinduism."
"So it's a god from India?" Ciel asked.
"Goddess," I corrected. "Kali is the wife of the God Shiva and is commonly associated with empowerment." I explained.
"You know quite a bit Miss Maid," Soma complimented.
I beamed, genuinely pleased by the compliment. "I don't really have a specific religion I call my own but I do like knowing everything about my roots," I said. "Especially the religion. It's quite fascinating."
"When was the last time you've returned to India?" Agni asked.
I sighed as I thought about it. "Not since I was a child actually," I told them. "To tell you the truth, I do miss it a bit."
"Then I sincerely pray that one day you will be able to return," Agni said with a bow.
"Thank you," I replied, returning the respectful bow.
"What about this Kali?" Sebastian asked, sounding mildly irritated.
"Legend says that a long time ago a demon recklessly challenged Kali to a fight," I began. "Of course the victory went to Kali, however, afterwards her bloodlust could not be appeased and she became obsessed with destruction and massacres."
"So the damage the goddess cause was worse than the demon," Lau said, amused.
I nodded. "The other gods couldn't stop her so they decided to destroy the world in order to save it. But in order to protect this world, her husband, the God Shiva, lay down at her feet."
"So that's why he's being trampled on," Sebastian said. "It was a lover's quarrel!"
"What kind of lovers' quarrels have you experienced?" I asked, horrified at the thought that this seemed normal to him.
"Maybe he should have done that before so many people got killed," Ciel said.
I shrugged. "After she stepped on her husband she returned to her senses and the world returned to its peaceful state."
"In other words, the goddess Kali is the great goddess who defeated the demon after a time of trouble," Agni finished.
"So she's holding the head of the demon as proof," Sebastian said. "if such a strong god exists I should be careful when I go to India."
Eh? Does that mean that gods are real?!
"So I have finished praying now!" Soma declared before I could ask Sebastian anything. "Let's go out midget!" he said, grabbing Ciel. "You'll be my guide!"
"Why me?" Ciel demanded, struggling in Soma's grasp. "Besides, I'm not midget, my name is Ciel!"
"Then Ciel, I order you to lead the way," Soma said, dragging him off.
Sebastian stepped forward to block the way. "I'm sorry, but it has already been decided that the young master will study and work today."
"As you can see, I'm very busy," Ciel said. "If you want to look for that person then do it yourself." And he and Sebastian left.
"Aww, what to do now?" Soma pouted.
"Well, Sebastian will be starting Ciel's music lessons shortly," I informed them.
"Then I shall impress Ciel with my excellent music skills!" Soma declared, about to run off.
"I don't think that would be a good idea," I said, grabbing his collar.
"B-but..."
"Why don't you play something for me?" I suggested. "Ciel gets angry whenever he gets interrupted too many times during the day."
Soma's chest puffed out at the thought of being able to show off his talents and seemed only too pleased to lead me to his room. He dove into his things and pulled out a sitar for himself and a pair of tabla drums for Agni.
He quickly set them up and started playing, he and Agni setting a lively tune. As the music played I felt myself getting antsy. It had been so long since I had heard music like this. My mother had taught me how to play the sitar but I had always had a passion for dancing. Even now, Soma and Agni's music was tempting me to dance.
"Dance Miss Maid! It's fun!" Soma said, already rocking to his music. I laughed and got up, waited for a moment to feel the beat that they were giving me, and began moving.
It was so fun! I lost myself in the moves before I could even think about it, my arms and legs moving of their own accord. I was having so much fun that, before I knew what was happening, a sudden turn had me tangled in my skirts and sent me tumbling to the ground.
"Ow..." I groaned. Nothing was hurt, only my pride.
"Are you okay Miss Alyssa?" Agni asked, helping me up.
"I'm fine," i told him, dusting myself off. "I suppose that's the end of that for me..."
"To be quite fair that sort of heavy English dress does not suit the dance at all," Agni comforted. I gave him a smile and he smiled in return.
"I know!" Soma said suddenly. "I have a few dresses I was planning on presenting to Mina when I saw her, but I can always buy her more when we return!" He whirled around and pointed at me. "I'll give you a few of those!"
"My lord is so kind!" Agni declared.
I bit my lip. I was certain Ciel wouldn't want me accepting anything from Soma but... how could I resist?! I was sorely tempted by the thought of a Choli*, it would be so much more comfortable to wear during the year than long dresses. Pair it with the lehenga* and Sebastian might never be able to get me to wear formal British clothes again! Or even a nice sari*!
"What do you say?" Soma asked.
"I..." I bit my lip hard, debating my answer. "Can't," I said, shoulders slumping. "Unfortunately I can't accept any gifts without Ciel's permission."
"Nonsense!" Soma declared. "I'm a guest here offering my hosts gifts. It would only be rude to turn them down! Agni, bring something for Miss Maid!"
Agni left the room almost immediately.
"No, I can't!" But Soma wasn't taking no for an answer. Agni returned quickly bringing something with him.
"Please don't!" I begged, but then he unfolded it and I fell in love. The main colour of the sari was turquoise, but not a crazy bright turquoise either.
No, Alyssa. Bad Girl! say no!
But i glanced at it again. It was accented with dark red and white flowers and had a large white and red trimming at the bottom.
Too late. I was in. Hook, line and sinker.
"I'll take it!" I squealed, twirling around with the garb.
"Well, go put it on!" Soma commanded, pleased that I had finally accepted.
Ridiculously excited, I ran to my room to change immediately. Fortunately for the choli, Mina and I seemed to be the same size and the sari wrapped around my waist beautifully!
Feeling lighter than I had in a while, I unpinned my cap and let my hair fall loose around my face. Deciding that all that hair would be too much trouble, though, I clipped some back from my face but still allowed a stray curl to fall down.
Bursting with happiness, I did a little twirl in my mirror, loving the way I looked. I threw the sari over my shoulder so that it wasn't quite so long (I would have to adjust that later) before running back to Soma and Agni.
"What do you think?" I asked, twirling for them.
Soma smirked but Agni looked a bit red in the face.
"Almost as pretty as Mina!" Soma declared. I giggled and thanked him.
"Let's go show Ciel!" he said, taking my hand and dragging me off in search of the younger boy.
"Ciel~!" he yelled, bursting into the room where he was practicing his fencing with Sebastian. "Look! Look! Look! Loo-AGH!"
Halfway through his grand entrance, Soma managed to trip on God knows what, sending both of us tumbling.
I tensed, waiting for impact with the ground but was pleasantly surprised when I came into contact with something much softer instead.
I felt my face start to burn.
Please be Agni. Please be Agni. Please be Agni... I chanted in my head but when I looked up I was staring into the familiar crimson eyes of one slightly red Sebastian Michaelis.
~VICTORIA SUPER OMNES~
So... i didn't get as much reviews as normal on the last chapter. A bit disheartening but nothing stops a new chapter from rolling out!
Reference points!:
*Choli - A midriff and back baring top which is usually part of regular female Indian wear.
*Lehenga - The skirt which usually is pleated to one side that accompanies the choli.
*Sari - A sort of skirt wrap that is wrapped around the waist before being thrown across the shoulder.
You can google pics if you're interested. The pic of the sari Alyssa's wearing is on my deviantart account as is a picture of Irene. Check it out!
This chapter actually didn't go the way I planned but I like how it ended up anyway. I ended up not putting in the whole Sebastian vs. Agni fencing match in this one because I was getting lazy. *sigh* that means more work for the next chapter.
As of today my exams are officially over! Muah! Thanks for bearing with me everyone!
Arigatou minna-san!
~Rayne