William and Shilo had found a mostly empty Park to sit and talk in. The only other people there were an elderly couple, so it was private enough for their conversation. The red-haired Witch sighed, "In the past, I haven't really liked to talk or even think about my life before I came to the Capital because if I did, it terrified me so much that I just-" she paused, trembling, before gulping and forcing herself to relax. "But then, someone that I admire a lot told me that if I kept silent, I would never be able to move on with my life. That's when I finally faced everything I had been locking away. It was painful, horribly so, but it made me feel better- to talk about it. Since then I haven't thought about it much, but, after meeting you, and- unintentionally, reading your feelings- I knew that you were just like me. That's the reason, that I want to help you with everything you're keeping inside, and to tell you about myself too. Because I know that you won't judge me, and that you'll understand how I feel," Shilo paused, taking a deep breath.
"I was born in the Forest of Witches, to the Queen of Witches. There are no men there, only girls and women. The Queen hates men, and hundreds of years ago found, not only a way to increase her lifespan, so she still looks like she's at most 30 years old right now- but also a way to reproduce asexually, without needing men. The Queen of Witches has birthed every Witch that ever lived in the forest and rules them with an iron fist. Years ago, when I was only a child, she was a very kind and loving person and a good Mother to all of my sisters and I. One of her abilities is to see the future with a crystal ball, and she told me that she saw me one day becoming one of the greatest Witches in the forest. But then, one day, she-" Shilo cut herself off and shuddered in terror, wrapping her arms around herself. After a moment, she continued, "she went insane" the girl said, causing William's eyes to widen.
(Flashback)
A 12-year-old Shilo sat with her Mother, the queen of Witches. "Shilo, I have recently had a vision- of you dear" the woman began, causing the young, red-haired Witch to gasp, "a vision of me Your Majesty? May I ask what it was that you saw?" Shilo asked. "My Divinations have shown me, that one day, you will become a very powerful Witch indeed" the Queen explained. "Really? You think I could become that powerful? But all my Magic can do is read emotions and thoughts. Those aren't very impressive abilities at all" the girl replied self-consciously, looking down and away from her Mother. But the young Witch felt a finger on her chin, before her head was gently lifted so that her gaze met that of the Queen, "my Divinations never lie dear. I promise you Shilo, you will become a great Witch, especially after you get your Grimoire. I have faith in you, my daughter" the woman smiled gently, causing the younger girl to smile back.
"Alright, I'll do my very best, Your Majesty" she replied cheerfully.
Black Clover
Shilo headed towards her house, humming happily, before noticing another Witch coming her way. The Telepathy Mage beamed and waved excitedly, "Vanessa!" she called, catching her Sister's attention. The pink-haired girl turned to look over at her, before smiling as she realised who it was, "hey Shilo, did you just come back from a visit with the Queen?" Vanessa asked happily. Shilo nodded, beaming, "she said I'd become a great Witch one day! I really hope so. If I become really strong, then I can help protect all of my sisters and my home! Although, I don't really see exactly how Telepathy Magic of all things could help me do that," the red-haired Witch replied, blushing slightly. "I'm sure you can do it. even if I can't see the future like the Queen can, I know that you'll become strong enough to protect all of us one day. I believe in you" Vanessa replied, before turning to go on her way, "well, the Queen want's to see me now, so I'll see you later, okay?" the Thread Mage called cheerfully, waving as she went.
(Pause flashback)
"That was, the last time I saw my sister Vanessa," Shilo sobbed softly, wiping her eyes. William frowned, reaching out to rub the Teenager's back soothingly, "did, something happen to her?" he asked tentatively, not wanting to upset the young Witch even more. "I don't know, no one ever saw her again after that. I heard rumours from my other Sisters that she had made the Queen angry, and so she had locked Vanessa up in the castle. I missed her a lot, Vanessa and I had been particularly close. So years later, despite how scary and dangerous the Witch Queen had become since that day, I decided to go and ask about Vanessa," Shilo paused, shaking badly now, tears welling in her eyes. The World Tree Mage gripped her hand in an effort to provide some comfort and stability. Even without the ability to sense other people's emotions, he could tell just how terrified even thinking about this was making his friend, 'I have a very bad feeling about this' he thought warily. "So do I" Patry added seriously. "*sob* It was a mistake. I never should have done it, because that's when the monster came out for the first time!" The young Witch exclaimed, sobbing in terror.
'Monster?' William thought worriedly, feeling a cold shudder travel up and down his body.
(Continue flashback)
Shilo stood in front of her Mother, who had a much colder look on her face than before. Honestly, it frightened the young girl a bit, but she held her ground. This was her Mother, and the Mother of all Witches. Surly the bad feeling that she was getting was just nerves, right? "Your Majesty, I was wondering about Vanessa. No one has seen her since you called her here all those months ago. I'm a bit worried. I've heard rumours that you're giving her special training. I understand that it's probably important, but please could I see her? Just for a little while, to see how she's doing?" Shilo asked. The Witch Queen turned to look down at the girl, before descending the steps in front of her throne. The red-haired Mage gulped as her Mother walked towards her. When she was right in front of her daughter, she released her Mana. Shilo's eyes widened in terror and she collapsed to the ground, body trembling so hard that she could barely breathe, 'w-wh-what is this?!' she thought, tears falling from her eyes at the overwhelming amount of fear that welled up within her.
'Her Mana! It's terrifying!' "Y-Y-Y-Your Majesty- p-please-!" the young girl whimpered, risking a glace up at her Mother, only for her tear-filled eyes to widen in horror. The Witch Queen was looming over her, black crows surrounding her form and her eyes filled with disgust and apathy, "no" was all she said, before Shilo felt intense agonising pain radiating throughout her whole body. The last thing the girl heard before blacking out was her own voice screaming in agony.
Black Clover
When Shilo awoke, it was to aching pain utterly engulfing her body. She groaned, trying to move as little as possible, 'wh-what, happened to me? Where am I?' she thought. As much as Shilo tried to stay still, every twitch, wince, flinch or breath intensified the aching. "Shilo" the sudden cold voice snapped her attention directly to the source, causing even more pain to engulf the poor girl. When she finally managed to open her eyes, Shilo gasped at finding the Witch Queen standing above her, staring down at her, eyes seeming to glow a bright red. The red-haired Witch breathed deeply, body trembling in terror. "I hope you've learned your lesson now. From now on, I will not tolerate any imperfect questions like that. Vanessa belongs to me, and as such, I am the one to decide her fate. Return home and do not concern yourself with her again, understand?" the woman asked. Shilo trembled, but bowed, before scrambling to her feet and rushing out of the Castle as fast as her aching legs could go.
'I have to get out! I have to get away from her! Mother- the Queen has gone crazy! I can't stay here anymore!' she thought, tears welling in her eyes as she remembered the look the woman had given her when she'd woken up, and how much pain she'd been in. 'Did she beat me!? I don't even remember! I'm so scared- I have to get out of here, before she finds me!' Shilo ran and ran, terror fuelling her aching legs. She paid no attention to any of her sisters that she passed, all of whom watched her with utter confusion. Before she knew it, Shilo had reached the edge of the forest. It was here that she stopped, only for a moment. Their rules expressly said that none of the Witch's were allowed to leave the forest without permission. And yet- the red-haired Witch glanced back the way she had come, 'what if the Queen is coming after me?!' she thought, terrified at the very idea. She shook her head, 'if she is, then I have to get out of here, right now! Otherwise- I'll die!' Shilo thought, pure terror and desperation filling her.
The Telepathy Mage stumbled slightly as she forced her shaking legs to move, but she made it out of the forest. After that, Shilo kept running for as long as she could, terrified that the Witch Queen would appear in front of her and kill her at any moment.
(Pause flashback)
"And so, I left the Forest of Witches, terrified that the Queen would find me and kill me, since leaving the forest is against our laws" Shilo explained. "I can't believe your Mother did that to you. Actually, no, I can believe it," William frowned, looking down at his lap, tears in his eyes from his own dark memories of the past. He then looked up again, "I'm so sorry Shilo. You didn't deserve that" he added, wiping his eyes. His Teammate smiled softly, wiping her own tears, "Thank you, but the next part of the story is a lot happier" she replied.
To Be Continued