Once the first day of classes was over, Satella and Echidna were greeted by Minerva and Carmilla outside of the 3A classroom. Subaru and his crew were also around the vicinity, waiting for Satella.
"Satella! You should come with us to the hideout! We're having a 'tea party' as a good luck for the year!" Minerva invited the half-elf.
"No, I won't agree to that. She's not one of us anymore." Echidna instantly rebuked, reminding everyone that indeed, Satella had betrayed them. Thus, in her perspective, the half-elf doesn't have the right to be with them anymore.
The blonde gave her the full wrath of her glare. "Shut the hell up! That's not for you to decide! What are you, a dictator?!" She turned to Carmilla. "Carmilla! You're with me, right?!"
"Eek!" The pinkette squealed due to being called out. "Uhmm…" She nervously took a glance at Echidna before turning away. "I… I've… never really… liked Satella-chan… but… we're not complete without her… because... she will always be one of us… no matter what happens... so, I guess... it would make me a little happy... if she's around..."
"Good point!" The blonde nodded furiously. "I'm sure the rest of us share the same sentiment except evil Echidna!" She turned to Satella. "Well?! You're going, right?! That's a yes, right?! Right?!"
"Uhm…"
Satella felt extremely relieved and grateful that the girls still consider her a friend and a part of them despite her "betrayal," well, except Echidna. But, while Minerva's invitation may seem harmless on the surface, this is quite the predicament for her. She's placed in a position where she has to choose between her friends and her love, Subaru.
Subaru and his crew also planned the first-day party at Roswaal's mansion, which is located near the academy. She already guaranteed her presence at the party. And by the rule of "the first promise should take precedence," along with Subaru being there, there's no reason why she shouldn't be there. However, she can't let the opportunity to reconcile with the witches to pass either. Both Subaru and the witches are significant parts of her everyday life.
Her gaze dances back and forth between Subaru, Emilia, and their friends, and Minerva and the witches. The pressure of her choice began to mount as if this very choice will be a monumental event, even though it shouldn't be.
Ultimately…
"Hm. Very well." She nodded, accepting Minerva's invitation.
The usually fiery Minerva displayed a radiant grin, while Echidna frowned in disappointment. The latter was caught off-guard by the half-elf's unexpected choice, to put it mildly. Knowing about the half-elf's predicament, she was certain Satella would have and SHOULD have chosen to be with Subaru over them. She really hates it when someone or something goes against her expectations.
Once the half-elf comes to terms with her decision, she informs Subaru about her sudden "change of mind."
"Is that so? Ah, well. Whatever, that's fine. You miss being with your friends and everything, right?" A mixture of disappointment and understanding were apparent in his tone.
Subaru is not that oblivious not to notice she doesn't get along nor does she really interact with anyone in his group other than Emilia… so, of course, she would want to spend time with her "real" friends. He usually tries to encourage interaction between her and his group, but nothing comes out of it most of the time. It's quite disappointing for him. He really wants her to get along with everyone. And perhaps, he MIGHT have also enlightened the idea of distancing her away from the witches due to his distrust of the girls with the exception of Minerva.
"Oh, hold on a minute! I got an idea! Why not just invite them to Ros-chi's place?" He grinned as he thought of another solution. "That way, we can all be there! Great idea, right?!"
"I was considering that but… there's no way Echidna, Carmilla, and Sekhmet would come; Carmilla hates everyone aside from the girls, Sekhmet is too lazy to leave the hideout, and Echidna, well, Echidna reasons. I don't want to splinter their opinions more than I already have, sooooo…"
He sighed, disappointed once again. "I see. Well, you have fun, alright?"
"Hm. I will. Thank you, Subaru."
Chapter 4: The Great Rift
Upon arriving at the doorstep of the Witches' Hideout, Satella can't help but feel a little nostalgic.
The hideout is nothing more, but an old rundown building situated near the academy. Based on its appearance, there's nothing special about it. It's just one of the many buildings blended with the dull environment. Not to mention, the walls are decorated with cracks and tainted with dirt. Nevertheless, this is the place where she holds many valuable memories.
Minerva knocked on the door. It took a while before it opened, revealing Sekhmet.
The slothful woman looked a little surprised when she noticed the half-elf. "Haa… nice to see you, Satella…" She welcomed with a soft smile.
After exchanging a few words of greetings, she led them in.
The inside of the building appears to be much more pleasant than the outside. Although there's nothing outrageous or special about it, it has a very comfortable and homey atmosphere. For instance, the floors were wooden, and the walls were painted using nature's colors. In addition, there's a roundtable where the witches hold discussions and eat, a spacey living room where Daphne and Typhon often play, faux flowers and plant furniture, ornaments, and walls decorated by abstract paintings.
With the exception of Daphne, who lives in the forest, and Satella, this is where most of the witches reside when they're out of school. But with the recent semester, Echidna, Minerva, and Carmilla moved to the academy dorms, leaving only Sekhmet and Typhon as the current residents.
All in all, long abandoned by their family, this place is a home to them.
Daphne and Typhon, who were playing with Daphne's pet rabbits, were alerted by the presence of the newcomers and their faces lit up in joy.
"Ooh, Tella-Tella's here too? This is going to be fun~!"
"Tella!" Typhon ran to embrace the half-elf. "I miss you, you know! How long has it been, almost two months? You should come visit me sometimes, you know!"
The half-elf gently caressed the girl's green bob-cut hair. "Ahahaha… there's really no excuse for not coming to see you, is there? But don't worry, now that you reminded me, I promise plenty of visits~!"
"I'll hold you on to that! Not keeping a promise is an act of eviiiiil~, you know! And Tella, unlike Dona, is not evil!"
After catching up with lost time, Satella played around with Typhon, Daphne, and the rabbits. In due course, the unwilling Carmilla was also dragged into the fun. And so was Sekhmet who managed to stay indifferent and bored in spite of a number of rabbits climbing across her robes.
Meanwhile, Echidna and Minerva were left to take care of the preparations. They set up cups of tea, cookies, and biscuits in the roundtable. Additionally, they've also baked several sweets and bread using recipes they've been trying out lately.
Once the preparations were finished, everyone gathered around the table. It was now time to start the party, a routine party they call… [The Witches' Tea Party].
Licking her lips in delight, Daphne immediately reaches out for a bread, but Minerva stops her hand before she can grab one.
"Uh-uh! First things first! Before we eat, let's all state our wishes for the year!" Minerva suggested.
"Hrrrnnnnn, fine, fine!" whined Daphne. "Daphne isn't a selfish girl! Daphne just wishes for a year full of delicious meals and new yummy food to try and discover. That's all~."
"Okay, I guess it's my turn. First, I wish for each one of us to have a wonderful year free of suffering!" Minerva started, raising a determined clenched fist. "Likewise, for Lia, Subaru, and everyone in the academy! And finally, I wish for the entire world to stop hurting each other so much! I want all forms of pain and suffering to disappear by the end of this year!" At this point, the overzealous blonde was standing up. "Otherwise, pain and suffering are going to bear my wrath because I'm going to beat the living hell out of them!"
"How noble of you," came Echidna's snide remark. "But please, I ask you to be careful about making such an outrageous wish like that…"
"Ugh! Mind your own wish, Echidna!"
"Oh? But now that you've mentioned it, I don't really have any particular wish for this year. So, there's that, I suppose."
"Eh?!" Everyone, including Sekhmet, gasped collectively.
"Greedy Dona-Dona doesn't have a wish?!" asked Daphne in surprise.
"I can't feel her lying, you know," Typhon confirmed. "What is this? Has Dona finally decided to stop being evil?!"
"But, there must be something you really want. I mean, we all do…" Satella tried to reason.
"Mind your own wish, elf," Echidna quoted Minerva's earlier words to spite the half-elf. "It's not that I don't have a wish, but it's a wish that can never be fulfilled within a year. It's my one and only wish, in fact. And if it can't be fulfilled within a year, then there's no point of declaring it as my wish for the year since logically speaking, we are only stating our wish for this year alone, are we not?"
"Haa… Echidna… huu… it would be easier to just say… haa… that you don't want any of us… huu… to know about your wish… haa…" Sekhmet slowly and mercilessly exposed the real reason behind Echidna's supposed lack of wish.
"That's totally unfair!" complained Minerva. "Ugh! But then again, hearing about everyone else's wishes, while hiding her own, it's so Echidna to be this greedy!" All agreed with her. "Whatever! I'm sure it's nothing but trouble anyway! Let's move on!"
"My turn!" Typhon raised both arms in glee. "It would make me reeeeeally~ happy if there are less evil people in the world! Eviiiiil~ does nothing but cause chaos, you know~. Therefore, those who are evil must be judged accordingly!"
"Uhm... I just wish that… people would stop… bothering me… talking to me… pestering me… approaching me… touching me… looking at me… screaming at me…" Carmilla continued listing people's supposed violations against her. Her expression becomes more unsettling by the second. "If they don't… then… I wish… for those people… to just… disappear… and… die…"
"Urrnnnn… Milla-Milla can be so scary sometimes!" commented Daphne.
"Haa… what can I say? Huu… I wish for the year… haa… to be less bothersome as possible… huu… and for every one of us… haa… to be safe and make it out alive… huu… nothing else would make me happier…" Sekhmet ended her wish with a faint smile. As the eldest and only adult of the group, she bears the responsibility of looking after them.
"That's by far the most normal wish out of all of us but you shouldn't trigger a death flag like that," warned Echidna with a frown.
"Death flag?" Minerva raised an eyebrow, suspicious at the foreign phrase. "What's that supposed to mean? A flag that can trigger death? How does that even make sense?"
"It's nothing…"
"Oo-kay. Whatever. You say a lot of stupid nonsense anyway," dismissed the blonde.
As the girls went around and expressed their wishes for the year, Satella can't help but be reminded of their abnormal characteristics; Minerva's rage towards suffering, Daphne's struggles with hunger, Typhon's pride against those she deemed evil, Carmilla's extreme anti-social tendencies, Sekhmet's extreme sloth, and although she refused to state her wish, Echidna's inhuman capacity for knowledge.
They're far from what one would consider "normal behavior" for young women, to say the least. But then again, Satella also has her fair share of abnormality. In particular, the "inner voices" that occasionally harass her thoughts. Not to mention, her 'love' for Subaru, which often leads to the manifestation of "the voices" in the first place.
One has to wonder; how did seemingly normal girls end up like this?
"It's Tella's turn!" Typhon reminded.
"Well, to be honest, I already have everything I could ask... for the most part. I have Subaru, my sister, and all of you." Satella smiled softly before her expression turned a little sour. "But even so, it's still far from perfect…"
The fact that she has to "share" Subaru with Emilia marks one of the few flaws in her otherwise perfect everyday life. She's not certain if she can ever overcome that hurdle.
"Regardless, I'm very satisfied with the life given to me! I could not ask for a better one. Although, if there's anything that would make it better… I do wish for ALL of us to get along." She finished off, intending to reach out to a certain someone who dislikes her for no reason.
Echidna rolled her eyes and didn't bother to respond while everyone else supported and encouraged the wish.
"Alrighty, then! Let's enjoy ourselves with these treats!" proclaimed Minerva with the wish-making now out of the way.
As they indulge themselves in treats and pleasantries, Satella looks at each one of them in relief. She was greatly troubled when she thought she lost her friendship with them after her "betrayal." She makes a promise to herself that she will somehow make it up to them and regain their trust again.
When her gaze crossed with Echidna's, she was greeted with hostile eyes as she expected.
"That reminds me… I really need to have a talk with her at some point. I don't know why she hates me so much…"
For now, the girls continued on with their pleasant day. Surely, such a peaceful and heartwarming refrain won't last forever. After all, moments like these are destined to eventually burn in flames and drown in shadows.
"Haa… I suppose it's now time… huu… to discuss the elephant in the room… haa…" announced Sekhmet after they finished eating.
Everyone immediately understood what she alluded to; the discussion about what led Satella to her "betrayal."
Straightaway, after Sekhmet's announcement, the mood became tense.
"H-hey, does it have to be now?!" questioned Minerva. "Come on, let's not ruin this rare moment of tranquility! And maybe Satella is not ready to talk about it yet! We should give her time! I'm sure it can wait!"
The slothful woman's expression darkened, and her eyes narrowed. "Haa… while my heart was warmed upon spending time with Satella again… huu… let's not forget her actions… haa… could have led to our demise… huu… and until we know her motivation for what she did… haa… and depending on how malevolent her intentions were… huu… we could be facing… haa… in front of us… huu… inside our sanctuary… haa… an enemy… huu…" Her breathing grew more irregular as she spoke, causing her speech a great deal of difficulty.
While the lethargic Sekhmet tends to take a neutral stance, mostly due to indifference, in almost all issues in general, the plausible threat Satella poses to the girls turned her into an aggressor this time. Regardless, she genuinely hopes the half-elf was well-intentioned. But, she needed to put her personal feelings aside at the moment. She has Typhon and the other girls to protect, after all.
"Tella… mom…" Typhon glanced back and forth between the person she considered a mother, Sekhmet, and the person she considered an elder sister, Satella. For the first time in quite a while, the youngest of the group has a gloomy look on her face instead of her usual bright and happy one.
The green-haired girl isn't the only one affected by the sudden shift of mood. The discord caused Carmilla's hands to tremble. Somehow believing the illusion that her safety had been compromised, she grabbed the nearest knife near her.
"Carmilla, calm down!" Minerva quickly reacted before someone gets hurt. "We're not trying to fight! We're just trying to talk, okay?!" She slowly tried to approach her.
Carmilla gradually backed away from the blonde. "S… stay… away… from… me…" She pointed the knife towards her, warning her to back off.
"H-hey! Carmilla, please!" Despite a weapon being pointed towards the blonde, it didn't deter her from approaching the anti-social girl. "We're just talking… yes, we're just talking… we're not fighting… no one is going to suffer here, okay?"
The pinkette kept backing away until her back hits the wall. She drops the knife to the floor and her whole body starts to tremble.
Minerva hugged the frightened girl and whispered, "Don't worry. No one is going to hurt anyone here. We're friends. No. We're more than that. We're… family." She comforted the girl with earnest words. "Family don't hurt each other. You have no reason to be scared, Carmilla. No one is going to hurt anyone here…"
"O-o-okay…" Carmilla meekly nodded and returned the hug. "I… trust you… Minerva-chan…"
"How foolish of me… huu… to disregard Carmilla's circumstances… haa…" Sekhmet berated herself for momentarily forgetting about Carmilla's fear of tensive situations. "Maybe… huu… this can wait for another day, then… haa…" She conceded her interrogative stance towards Satella for the best of everyone.
"No, it's fine… I'm… I'm willing to talk about it, I want to talk about it with everyone," softly declared Satella with a sincere smile. "I've been waiting for the chan-"
She was interrupted mid-sentence when the sound of the front door opening and closing caught their attention.
It took them a few moments to gather their thoughts, looking at each other in confusion. Soon, they realize what just happened. Echidna, who had been strangely silent during the discussion regarding Satella, was missing from her seat. Thus, it can only be concluded she must have left a few seconds ago.
As usual, Minerva was the first to react to Echidna's deed. "Tsk! That girl! Of course, she's going to leave just when Satella finally wants to talk! Talk about rude!"
"Dona-Dona probably doesn't want to hear what Tella-Tella has to say, Daphne thinks," Daphne predicted rather accurately. "You know how Dona-Dona is when it comes to Tella-Tella."
Once again, the cold shoulder managed to make the silver-haired half-elf frown. Out of all the girls, she really wanted Echidna to hear her out the most, mainly because she REALLY didn't need Echidna resenting her more than she already did.
"I should go after her, I guess," volunteered Satella, feeling responsible for what happened… even though she really didn't do anything.
"Are you sure? I can go with you, you know." Minerva offered her assistance.
"Me too!" Typhon joined in.
"No…" Sekhmet dismissed their offered assistance. "We should leave this to them… huu… to fix whatever issue they have with each other… haa…"
"I don't have issues with her, she's the one who has issues with me." Satella corrected with a hint of irritation in her voice. "But, I will do my best to sort this out!" She assured them before leaving to go wherever Echidna went off to.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Minerva asked Sekhmet, worried about the two girls who are important to her. "Do you think they'll ever overcome the rift that divides them?"
"I don't know… haa…" The lazy woman answered honestly. "I doubt it… huu… but who knows…"
"Is that so…" The blonde frowned. "Some 'family' we are, huh?" She glanced at Carmilla who had long calmed down by now. "More like dysfunctional family…"
"I'm going to need a drink… haa… Typhon…" Sekhmet called the green-haired girl. "Get me a drink… haa… the really strong one… huu…"
"Oki-dokie!" Typhon obliged and grabbed one of the wines stored in the cabinets and delivered it to her "mother."
Upon receiving the beverage, Sekhmet opened it and poured it into her cup, mixing it with the remaining tea. Without a disregard for how the mixture would taste, she gulped the contents of the cup in one go. Then, seemingly not affected by the alcohol, she poured in another round.
"I need a drink too!" demanded Minerva.
"No… huu… you're underage…" Sekhmet denied her request. Besides, she really didn't want to deal with the blonde in her drunken state.
"I… I… want one… too…" Carmilla suddenly chimed in.
"Fine… haa… both of you can have one..." This time, the elder yielded rather easily. With Carmilla now demanding for a drink, she knew it would be a losing battle to reject both of their requests.
"Can Daphne and I have one too?" Typhon wanted to join with them. However, unlike the blonde and the pinkette, Sekhmet had always been adamant about letting the youngest drink. But maybe, Typhon hoped this time would be different.
"Daphne is really curious about it, you know~. What does it taste like? Does it taste yummy? Why are only adults allowed to drink? Why do most people become really funny when they drink? Is there something special about it?" Daphne asked a flurry of questions.
"Haa… no, and that's final…" Sekhmet stood firm with her decision, giving them both a hard look. "Huu… now stop bothering me… haa… and find something else to do…"
"No fair!" Typhon complained. "Neru and Milla are underage too but you let them drink! Being unfair means evil, mommy! You are evil, mommy!"
Knowing that her "mother" won't change her mind, the now rebellious Typhon pouted and resorted to playing with Daphne and the rabbits again.
With the young ones now out of the way, the three remaining witches in the roundtable proceeded to drink in pleasure. But deep inside their minds, their thoughts were preoccupied with Satella and Echidna's never-ending complications.
Once Satella stepped outside, she found Echidna leaning against the building with her arms crossed.
"My, you're quite the stubborn one, aren't you?" She immediately hurled her insult as soon as the half-elf was within her line of sight. "Or maybe, for you to chase after someone who has clearly expressed her disgust for you, you must be too much of an egotistical brat to ignore the obvious message."
"I…" Satella started rather dejectedly. But then, she decided enough is enough. She glared at the girl in front of her straight on with resolute eyes. "Or maybe, I'm just tired of being treated with hostility for reasons I do not even know! Tell me, what is the reason behind your hatred for me, Echidna? And please, do not use my 'betrayal' as an excuse because you already hated me before then!"
Even the half-elf herself was surprised how straightforward she was. Perhaps, the girl really did push her patience to its limits.
To say nothing of Echidna who was taken off-guard by the half-elf once again. She expected she would stammer nervously like she usually does. Certainly, she would have found that pleasing and pathetic at the same time! So, to witness this side of the half-elf, it's quite worrisome. The silver elf had resolute eyes that conveyed her desire to know the truth.
"An egotistical brat, indeed. Very well. I shall enlighten you with some truth. But, it's best if we take this discussion elsewhere. We wouldn't want any unwanted ears listening, no?"
Satella nodded in agreement.
"Although, I do warn you. You are not going to like what I'm going to say. So, if you want to cower away from the truth, now is your final chance to do so."
After Satella acknowledged Echidna's warning, they ended up in the fields behind the academy.
With no other visible human around the area, along with the cover of the night, it's the perfect place for them to have their "talk" without any interruptions, or unwanted ears. Additionally, the fields, illuminated by the crescent moon, look rather scenic with all the blooming flowers of spring.
"I'll start." Satella got straight to the point. There's no turning back now. "First, I want to tell you why I needed to do what I did, why I had to 'betray' the team to Flugel."
"By chance, is it because Flugel confirmed the existence of the Witches of Lugnica to be true? And not only that, but he also figured out our identities as well. So, as a dear acquaintance of yours, he approached you, and then he blackmailed you into leading us to him, so he may turn us into his personal lackeys, yes? And now, here we all are! Hence, Satella is innocent, faultless, and she just wanted to protect us! It's wonderful how everything turned out, isn't it?" Echidna ended her speech with a devious smile.
While it's true Satella did found her resolve, she was completely dumbfounded – because everything Echidna said, word for word, was exactly what happened.
Now, it begs the question,
"H-h-"
"How did I know?" Echidna, who had been controlling the flow of the conversation since the beginning, interrupted once again. "Hmm, let's see. Would you believe me if I tell you I deduced all of it? Or maybe, I performed an investigation? Or perhaps, I'm a traveler of space and time?!"
"T-t-"
"Outrageous, isn't it? But wouldn't you agree life would be more interesting IF that is the case? Unfortunately, however, it's nothing like that. Do you really want to know what happened?"
Satella is growing annoyed Echidna has her dancing around her fingers again, but she nods nonetheless.
"It's simple, really. Okay, let's take deduction, investigation, and time-space travel out of the equation. Can you think of a plausible explanation how I came to know of it?"
The half-elf thought deeply about it. Unfortunately, nothing substantial came up. How else would Echidna come to know of it, leaving deduction, investigation, and time-space travel aside? In the end, the best she can come up with is a silly,
"Uhm, I don't know, did you, perhaps, somehow eavesdrop on our conversation when he blackmailed me? I mean, that must be the reason why you wanted to talk in a place where no one can hear us because you've experienced it first-hand… or maybe that was just to give me a hint, I don't know…" The half-elf felt extremely stupid.
And Echidna didn't hesitate to let her know how stupid she found her to be.
"If only your brain is as large as your ego." Echidna sighed in disappointment. "As I've said, it's simple. How else would I realistically come to know of it, really? Well, let me tell you; it's because I have been working with Flugel in the first place! While I still don't like that crafty bastard, we have long been acquainted with one another. So, we made a deal. In exchange for my cooperation, I needed his 'assistance' to get you off the team. Then, the rest, as they say, is history. And why would I do that, you ask? Why would I willingly cooperate with the bastard just to get rid of you? I mean, isn't it obvious? It's because I hate you!"
Satella was in a state of shock, to put it loosely. She's unable to move nor form any sort of response at the moment. This development was the last thing she expected.
Echidna had been working with Flugel all along... to get her out of the group.
"I did warn you're not going to like what I have to say, didn't I?"
"… That's how it is, huh?" The half-elf was finally able to muster some words. "Heheh…" A dark giggle escaped her lips.
All this time, she had greatly worried and doubted she was ever going to reconcile her relationship with the witches. Even in her mind, she saw her "betrayal" as an unforgivable act, regardless of her reasons. But now, she knows that it wasn't her who betrayed them. Rather, it was Echidna who betrayed her.
"Typhon, Minerva, Sekhmet, Daphne, and Carmilla - it may not always be sunshine between us, but I consider them to be my only genuine friends. Your endeavors could have very well caused a permanent fracture to my friendship with them. It must have been very amusing for you, wasn't it, Echidna?"
Indeed, it was Echidna who tampered with her friendship with the witches, an essential part of the everyday life she treasures so much; an act which crossed the line.
"To think, I wanted to be friends with you… even if you hated me, even if you hurled countless insults and words of mockery towards me, I didn't want to give up pursuing that elusive friendship…"
"That's cute, but I would have preferred if you hadn't involved yourself with us. You should have stayed away and minded your own business."
"I could have… maybe I should have… maybe it would have been best for me if that was the case, but I don't regret any of it. If I hadn't involved myself in your affairs, I would have never made so many wonderful memories with everyone. And to be honest, I admired you a lot. Despite your age, you're so very capable, intelligent, and you always carry yourself with grace and maturity. However,"
Like a fragile mirror, all good-will and positive image she had of the white-haired girl were stained by black and shattered into thousands fragmented pieces.
"I now realize that you don't care about anyone but yourself. You have been toying around with my life, and you almost took away something that's precious to me. That is something I cannot overlook. Even the way you interact with everyone, it seems to me you always keep a distance – controlling, manipulating."
As she listened on, Echidna let out an amused smile. "That's some damning accusation, you know. But, you're entitled to believe whatever you'd like, so I won't bother." She ended her statement with a nonchalant shrug.
The half-elf directed the full intensity of her glare towards the girl. "After all that you've done, there's no doubt in my mind, you have become my enemy, Echidna." She declared with no hesitation.
Echidna returned the glare to the half-elf, matching her intensity. "I see. That's the decision you made."
"You are an enemy I have to defeat if I'm to keep my everyday life intact – I know that now."
"But do you believe you can defeat me?"
"Well, I do have the information of your treachery. There's no stopping me from exposing it the girls, is there? Once they learn of it, there's no doubt they're going to take my side and that would make defeating you easier."
"Oh, is that a threat? I admit that's a solid strategy, especially for someone as dimwitted as you. But, something tells me you're not going to do that."
Satella frowned. Indeed, Echidna exposed her bluff. "Yeah… actually, I'm saving it as a last resort, but I would rather not have it come to that. Even then, I'm probably not going to be able to do it. For one, I would like to spare them from the massive disappointment. But more importantly, the revelation would destroy the group to the point of no return and I don't want that. So, for the time being, I'll just tell them about Flugel's blackmail and leave your involvement out of it. I'm going to defeat you in another way. I don't know how, but trust me, I will find a way."
"You're really stupid." Echidna sighed, almost feeling pity for the half-elf. "Well, do whatever you want. I already wasted a lot of productive time by having a conversation with you. We should go back now."
The way Echidna, unfazed and cool as always, easily handled all of her attempted threats was a cruel reminder to Satella about the gap between them. She's beginning to doubt if she's really capable of winning against someone who's "too perfect."
"Wait. Before that. You still haven't answered my question. Why do you hate me, Echidna?" The half-elf recalled the reason why they're having this conversation in the first place.
An unreadable smile – be it of sorrow, disdain, anger, fear, or relief – arose in Echidna's face.
"Because you are my biggest regret and you will continue to be… forever."
"What... do you mean by that?"
"Do you know... that eventually, you will kill your dearest friends and destroy half of the world?"
"W-what? T-that's..."
"As a 'seer,' that's the 'prophecy' I have for you."
Satella's first instinct was to deny Echidna's prediction. She wanted to convince herself that what Echidna said was nothing but utter nonsense. And yet, somehow, an unknown influence prevented her from dismissing them. Something within her compelled her to believe that Echidna's prediction was indeed a fact, or will be a fact.
All at once, a flurry of images was drilled into her mind. They were so chaotic and simultaneous that she wasn't able to process and observe any of them, overloading her mind. There was a commonality in them, however; blood, shadows, and darkness. In every image she saw, there was blood, shadow, and darkness. Unable to handle the overabundance of disturbing images, she clutches her head with both hands.
"W-what are these?! What is the meaning of this?!" She asked, fearful of the images.
Suddenly, a dark purple aura began surrounding her entire body. Wide-eyed, she looks at the girl in front of her.
With no recognizable emotion on her face, Echidna walks and stops just a few inches away from Satella. Likewise, a mixture of black and white aura began to surround her body. With the soulless glare of her black eyes, she reveals to the half-elf,
"Oh, but you have nothing to worry about, Satella. Because you know, I have always perceived you as my enemy. You will always, forever be, my enemy. And I, [The Witch of Greed], will stop at nothing until I completely destroy you."
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an ethereal white butterfly fluttered its wings across the space that separates them.