The Seeds of Rebellion

by GoodSR

The Boiling Isles has always been a harsh place. But the five decades under Emperor Belos were marked by total control under the Titan's will. The capture of the most powerful wild witch, Edalyn Clawthorne, was supposed to be a victory. But then a young girl dared to demand Edalyn's freedom on live crystal ball. And so her act sowed the seeds of rebellion that could end it all.

1. Caged

Raine Whispers stared at the scroll in horror. It was an announcement from the Ministry of Truth on Flash.

Edalyn Clawthorne, the most powerful of the wild witches, was captured by the forces of Emperor Belos.

Edalyn, once the love of their life, was now captured like a beast by those bastards.

She didn't deserve to suffer this fate.

Maybe it's not true. They didn't send any pictures. What was that saying those youngsters say? "Pics or it didn't happen"? The Ministry of Truth in Bonesborough had a reputation for being less than truthful, to say the least.

But this was something different. All the reports always said that Eda often put up a fight. That was true. She was always someone who insisted on being herself. That was what they liked about her.

Saying she was captured, however, meant that somehow, they had won.

Tears fell down their face. They knew why they got her.

Emperor Belos controls the Boiling Isles in the name of the Titan. He rules through fear and fervor, controlling the lives of every witch and demon through the coven system, restricting witches' magic to what Belos said the Titan wills, not the witch's will.

When they joined the teaching program of the Bard Coven, they wanted to teach them the beauty of music. But they slowly found things that made them question the purpose of the coven. They came to the realization that they were manipulating and forcing people to suppress themselves in favor of Belos' plans, whatever they are.

But what can they do? The emperor's campaign against wild witches was one of the most severe in urban areas. People were tracked, and sometimes snatched off the street and even inside people's homes, never to be seen again. Among older people who still remember the time of pure magic, Belos would violently suppress any and all forms of resistance.

Now Edalyn was imprisoned. What hope was there for the people of the Boiling Isles who wanted to live their own lives in peace?

They wiped the tears from their eyes and regained their bearings.

They were inside a study. Papers were strewn around the desk. Test papers that had to be checked.

The pain could wait.

But Edalyn was at the back of their mind. She always was, of course, but now it was tinged with sadness and misery.