Chapter 74: Infiltrating The Witches' Forest
Disclaimer:
Thank you for the 300 reviews on this story! I didn't even realise it reached that number until I checked recently, so thank you for all the support through the reviews and the DMs!
In this chapter, there are references to events in past chapters to help with foreshadowing and whatnot and I'll list the important ones here:
Chapter 36, 43, 65, 66.
With that said, I hope you enjoy!
"Have you finally realised your mistake in leaving my forest?" The older woman asked. Her pale, teal eyes narrowed ever so slightly at the sight of who had appeared before her.
It was the Queen of Witches and she was sitting on a throne made out of dead branches that were propped up against the back of a wall. As you looked at this woman, one of the main things that stood out about her was the fact that she wore a large, murky-green, pointed hat, hiding most of her pink hair. Both were similar to Vanessa's but the contrasting colours added the difference. The hat also had black feathers, akin to a crows surrounding the base of it. Another thing that gained a lot of attention was her large skirt with different, black patterns embroidered all around. The main colour scheme she had going on was of those two colours, black and green. There was another colour and it was dark-blue which showed through the teardrops that were beneath both eyelids as well as having the same colour of lipstick.
Vanessa and Daisy were transported from the entrance of the Witches' Forest to a room with no one else in except for the witch that was looking down on them from the comfort of her throne. To the side, were severed heads of deer with flames coming out from the top to bring light to the otherwise dimly-lit room.
"Mistake? No, I definitely do not regret leaving this horrid place", Vanessa replied, flicking her pink hair to the side.
"Oh? Is that any way to talk to your mother? The one who raised you like the witch I had hoped you would become", the elder witch replied with a straight face.
The Thread mage's face turned sour. "You didn't raise me at all and if trapping me like some doll is what a mother like you does, then I'm glad I left when I did".
"You were never like this when you lived here. Is the change in your personality to do with that… man, Yami Sukehiro?" The Queen's voice strained at the mention of the Dark mage's name.
"I guess you could say that but it definitely wasn't a negative influence like you're insinuating. In fact, I only wish that he came into my life earlier than he did", the Bull retorted.
Daisy was just hanging at the back, behind Vanessa, and she could not make sense of anything that was happening. She had promised the witch in front of her that she would not talk out of line or anything but even if she hadn't there was this eerie feeling coming from the Queen making sure she'd be quiet.
"This woman… She hasn't even used any magic but I know… not to mess with her but saying that… how is Vanessa standing up to her?" Daisy gulped, still silent as she didn't want to mess things up.
The Queen of Witches stood up from her throne and a cold chill filled the area. It was like she had the ability to instil fear with even the slightest of movements. She merely stared into Vanessa's eyes and pointed her finger at her.
"Hm. Very well. If you want to remain imperfect, I cannot stop you though it is much to my dismay. Anyway, why did you return if all you want is to spew insults at my face?" She asked, wondering.
"The reason I'm here… is for you to teach me ancient dispelling magic! The ability to undo curses and injuries that otherwise cannot be healed… that is what I want from you!" Vanessa pointed back at her mother who she had forsaken.
There was silence between the three in the room. The Queen stared deeply into Vanessa's eyes for a good few seconds whereas Daisy looked at Vanessa to see if she was going to say anything further.
"Ancient dispelling magic… that could work for Asta's arms as well as Emilia's mother. Alice could also be helped if it can undo things like that…!"
The silence continued until the Queen took one step forward. She was still in an elevated position but that one movement sent shivers down both Vanessa's and Daisy's spines. There was a sudden shift in the air, making the two tremble.
"How dare you request something like that of me! You abandon your home, you neglect your perfect potential, but you have the gall to ask me of such a thing… Are you not ashamed?!"
The Queen of Witches lost it for only a mere second. She shouted as loud as she could, sending vibrations throughout the air in which the wall behind the two Magic Knights broke apart into pieces, revealing the rest of the forest.
She sat down, leaning back on her throne. "My, what an imperfect situation", she said calmly as if she never had shouted in the first place.
Despite all this, Vanessa remained strong and firm in what she wanted. "I'm not asking but I am demanding. All those years you had me trapped, all those years of my life I'll never get back, all those years I wanted to be free… I'll never have those back but I will be getting this from you!"
"Just what did the Witch Queen do with Vanessa? A mother… should not be doing things like that!" Daisy clenched her fists as her mind began to wander elsewhere.
"I did all that to craft you into the perfect being. Your Thread Magic has that much potential. Fate could be yours to manipulate if you were only stronger and not so easily swayed. A daughter should submit to and do their mother's bidding. That is what family is".
The Witch Queen turned her head away from Vanessa for the first time since coming face-to-face with her. It was almost like she had enough of her or just didn't want to help or adhere to the Black Bull's demand.
Vanessa looked down at the floor, frustrated as she shook her head. Her hands were rolled into fists and were tensing up. Daisy was much the same but instead of looking down at the floor, she actually took a few steps forward for the first time.
She raised her head at the Witch Queen who didn't even bother to glance at the Ice mage this entire time. Her blue and violet-tinted eyes strained and her brow was furrowed. This time, as if following the same sequence as the other two, she pointed her own finger at the witch above.
"You're no mother to Vanessa!"
The named mage turned her head with her eyes widened. "Daisy, I told you…!"
"A mother doesn't do that to her own daughter! Trapped for years… Expecting them to do your bidding… Crafting them… They're not dolls for you to play with! I don't know the full story but I damn well know what a mother is and you… you're far from it!"
Daisy's eyes were like mist, her voice was breaking up, and her expression was of a sad anger. She had no experience in what Vanessa had gone through or had any relation with the Queen but she still spoke up to defend the Magic Knight with her.
"Mothers should be caring… they'll do anything for their daughters. They'll even…",
The Blue Rose paused as a scene from seven years ago played out in her mind.
FLASHBACK - SEVEN YEARS AGO:
A small, nine-year-old Daisy was inches away from a group of three bandits, edging closer to her as every second went by. The two men on either side had black masks on whereas the man's face in the middle was without one. He had an eyepatch covering his right eye while the other eye was staring at the young girl. This man had a knife in his hand but there was a magical aura around it, as if he was using magic in tandem with the object.
"Thank you for letting us in, little girl. It's a shame that we can't leave any witnesses so… you'll just have to die!"
Daisy cowered down below, her little arms protecting her head and the floorboards beneath her being stained dark with her tears falling from her widened eyes. She was screaming but it didn't look like anyone was going to save her.
"Take this!" The man in the middle shouted. He made a forward motion but then there was the sound of a clash. He then shouted like he was surprised. "What the…?!"
Daisy lifted her head and instead of seeing the man in front of her, she saw the falling figure of someone dear to her. It was her own mother with her back to the group of three. There was a red colour growing in the middle of her chest and through her clothes. Her face didn't reflect the situation they were in but instead, she was smiling at her daughter.
"Daisy…", she said weakly but then fell to the floor with a thud, marking the ground with a crimson splatter.
"Shit! Ah, if we stay to get rid of the girl then that's more time wasted! You know exactly who this house belongs to! No matter, take the goods and run!"
The trio started running towards the closed door. They turned around and quickly bolted out of the door and into the dark night, leaving the little girl alone with the dead body of her mother.
"M-Mama…", she cried.
FLASHBACK - END
"They'll protect their children no matter what!" Daisy exclaimed, shouting from the top of her lungs.
Suddenly, she felt a hand on her right shoulder which snapped her out of her outburst. She turned around reluctantly, as she knew she went against what Vanessa said. She saw the witch look at her but instead of an angered woman, she stood with a smile.
"Daisy, take a deep breath", she said, nodding to show that it was okay.
As the Blue Rose did, she managed to calm down slightly but that was only for a few seconds before the Witch Queen responded.
"Hmph. Who is this insignificant human that came to our doorstep? My divinations told me you would be arriving, Vanessa, but it doesn't pick up on things that aren't worth my time. How dare you raise your voice at me?"
Shivers once again. The cold talk in tandem with the Queen's emotionless expression was enough for both Daisy and Vanessa to flinch. Though that was the case, they really needed to get what they came for and withstanding the Queen's pressure was all part of it.
"You talk as if you know a lot about mothers, human. You dare to suggest that I'm imperfect so… where is this perfect mother of your own?" The woman asked, her eyes tensing as it felt like she was being disrespectfully compared.
"Daisy reacted like that because of what may have happened with her family…!" Vanessa opened her mouth to interrupt. "That's eno-!"
"She's dead".
The Thread mage stopped and just looked at Daisy who had replied very quickly and plainly.
"Simply imperfect".
The Witch Queen was constantly at odds with the other two and it didn't look like this exchange was going anywhere. Perhaps Daisy shouldn't have had her outburst but even then Vanessa seemed like she wasn't getting through to the Queen.
"My mother is dead but I know she did everything for me", Daisy added as she turned to Vanessa.
"But you did nothing for me. Instead, you forced me into your own mould…", Vanessa continued as she tightened the gloves around her arms. "You will teach me this magic and you will do it because you owe me!"
"It looks like my daughter has to be disciplined along with the outsider. I'll show you just who is right and who… is wrong!" The Queen screamed, raising her grimoire.
"If I can't train my arms right now… I'll train my legs!"
Asta shouted, thinking no one else could hear. He was just outside the base on his own. There was no one around as they had all left for the day and the only thing to occupy his mind was what he did best.
"Exercise! Since I can't use my arms, I'll use my legs and even if there's no fighting involved… I might become a bit taller!" He then started squatting up and down repeatedly. He worked up a sweat within seconds and the dry floor beneath him was no more because of it.
The magicless Asta was a man on a mission. He very quickly broke his own record of 999 squats by finally reaching the big 1000.
"Hoho… that wasn't too hard! Finally, my goal for my legs is coming true sooner than I had initially thought!"
Asta looked in the air and started to daydream. He pictured himself with huge, muscly legs that helped him easily pass the 6ft threshold that was otherwise completely alien to him.
"I know Noelle and the others are hard at work trying to help me but it's not like I can just laze around all day!"
A flap from Nero's wings suddenly snapped Asta back to reality and saw the bird perch in the middle of his head.
"Man, I wish you could talk. Captain Yami disappeared all of a sudden so there's no one to talk to at the base. I mean, there is Henr-!"
His speech was cut off by a strong gust of wind coming from above his head. He looked above and saw two things. From behind the thick winds, he saw the sight of messy, red hair that was strangely familiar and the other was the giant spatial portal that released the wind itself.
"That's Finral's Spatial Magic but… there's only one person with red hair like that!" Asta realised as he squinted, trying to make sense of everything in the midst of the raging winds.
Suddenly, the wind that came from above encapsulated him and took him into the air, having him float next to the person with the red hair.
"H-Huh?!" Asta shouted, struggling but ultimately not managing to do anything. Nero flew off the mage's head as he was surprised as well at what was happening. The bird was struggling to fly in the winds but after a while, they calmed down. The two then saw the faces of everyone clearly as the heavy wind started to subside, now only around Asta's legs.
"Old Man Zell?!"
"Hiya, Asta. Long time no see", he waved.
"Domina and Mariella, too?!"
"Hi there, kiddo", Domina greeted.
"Hello", Mariella nodded.
Asta then saw the three Magic Knights beside them.
"Lucas, Noelle, and Finral?! Are you all kidnapping me or something?!" Asta's green eyes were looking at everything that came into frame all of a sudden, shifting from left to right but his head was also moving at the same speed.
Floating in the sky, Noelle and Finral were on a broom together along with Fanzell and Domina who also had their own. Mariella was by herself and it didn't look like she was going to share her mode of transport with anyone.
"Bakasta, do you really have to point out everything you see?" Noelle folded her arms, looking away.
"Well, if it's so sudden like this, then yeah!" Asta shouted, now upside down because of the wind around him. "Um, Old Man Zell, could you…", he tilted his head down, signalling to the Wind Magic that was causing some problems.
"Haha, my bad about that. Quickly, sort yourself out and we'll be off", he replied, removing the wind from around Asta.
Even though Asta requested to be free, it wasn't the best thing to do at that exact moment as now Asta found himself plummeting to the ground with no way to break his fall.
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO IT JUST LIKE THAT!" He screamed, flailing about.
The scream didn't last for too long as he had been saved. Not by the one who put him in the situation but by one of the Magic Knights.
"AHHhh…?" Asta landed on his feet, still in the air. He turned around and smiled. "Thanks for the save, Lucas!"
"Hmph. Good going, Lucas. I was going to offer him a ride after forcing Finral to go on his own broom… H-Hang on, I meant just as friends!" Noelle argued with herself whilst acting all flustered.
Lucas gave a thumbs up to the injured Black Bull. "We can't have you getting hurt even more than you already are!"
"Hey, that wasn't even my fault, it was-!" Asta replied and looked up towards the red-haired Diamond native but what he saw just threw his train of thought into a wild spin.
It was a bloodied and bruised Fanzell withstanding Domina's hard punches to his face. Or, at least, he was trying to.
"You idiot, darling! You could've injured Asta even more with your careless thinking! Please, be more considerate next time!" She shouted, constantly slamming her fists into her fiance's cheek, making it swell and inflate.
"Wow, look at you", Mariella smiled briefly. "You're taking all those hits without your clothes magically popping off. Usually, they end up disappearing after the smallest of touches so this is really something".
Fanzell was frozen in place, not knowing what to say. Domina's punches weren't letting up at all and Mariella's sarcastic compliments were only increasing.
"We have no time for this, guys! Let's get moving!" Finral ushered, moving behind the rest of the group. He formed a large, spatial portal for everyone to fly through.
"You guys still haven't told me where we're going!" Asta struggled, moving his head about to see if anyone would give him answers.
Lucas spoke up, sitting tall and in front of the ashen-haired teenager. The Dual mage was the first one to fly through the portal which transported him to the edge of the Clover Kingdom, near the east.
"I'll explain, Asta, since it looks like… I'm probably the only one available to…", he sweat-dropped at the sight of the one-sided fight between the couple that was being egged on by the assassin, as well as Noelle's odd pout and flustering when she looked at Asta.
Asta looked around and only saw a few small villages bordering the edge of the Clover Kingdom which is where the group were just a few seconds ago. There was barren land more towards the east and towards the Diamond Kingdom but the mages weren't going there.
"We think we've found a place that can heal your… arms, Asta", Lucas explained, pausing before the last word, not knowing how he'd react. "There's some sort of magic there that might be able to do the job".
Contrary to what Lucas and the rest of the group thought, Asta just nodded slowly before he raised his head, revealing a small smile with his mellow, green eyes.
"... I tried to hide it from you guys so you wouldn't worry but seeing you all, and not just my squad, do all this for me… I don't know what to say", he answered, gulping to keep his throat from drying up.
"That's your problem, Asta", Noelle added, as Finral flew the broom alongside the two. "Don't you remember what I said after our first dungeon mission?"
Lucas and Asta looked at each other before thinking back to the start of their Magic Knight careers.
"When you're in a team, everyone caters for everyone. You'll make mistakes and your team will help you out. Your team will make mistakes and you will help them out".
The Golden Dawn put his fingers on his chin, confused about something. "I remember what you said, Noelle", he tried to continue but the Water mage interrupted.
"Yes, yes, that's right. If something goes wrong then it's your team's duty to help you out! If you're hurt, then we'll cover!" She flicked her right ponytail, brimming with confidence.
Lucas responded, continuing what he was going to say. "Ah, yeah, I get that and I agree with you, but right before that, you said…".
"Hmph. I'll admit that it was my own fault I got injured from that guy's attack. It was nothing to do with you, Lucas…",
"Didn't you say that your own injuries have nothing to do with other people?" Lucas asked, putting a finger to his lip as he was thinking quite hard.
Noelle's cheeks reddened and she started mumbling and tripping over her own words. "Well, y-y-yess… I did say that bef-before but i-i-it was to… AH, WHATEVER! Why are you always trying to catch me in an embarrassing pinch like this?!"
The royal started to rock the broomstick back and forth, ruining Finral's flying, in order to get closer to Lucas to, what everyone assumed, would be to hit him.
"N-Noelle, what did I say wrong?!" Lucas shouted, flying around in circles to get away from her.
"Oh, be quiet!" She responded, trying to push Finral out of the way so she could get control over the broom.
"Why am I stuck in the middle of these two…?" Finral sighed, trying to fight off Noelle's tenacious personality.
"Um… should we help Lucas?" Fanzell pointed, his face and clothes now completely back to normal.
"I think so", Domina agreed.
Mariella was cooperative but it wasn't in the way you'd think. "I've found that to stop people fighting, you just kill one of them in cold blood", she said apathetically as she brought out a dagger made from her Ice Magic.
"Yeah, let's keep the killing to a minimum…", the couple replied together.
As Asta was being dragged along on Lucas's broom to get away from the royal, he just looked around. Seeing all this, together with their efforts to help the teen, he slapped his cheeks with the palm of his hands, leaving a red imprint. He stopped himself from getting too emotional but there was one thing in his mind.
"Thank you".
The group calmed down after this and went their way. Asta was talking about where they were headed and the rest of them answered, seeing that he was going along with no problem. They thought he'd refuse since the Witches' Forest would be putting them in danger, but he knew he could depend and rely on the people he's with.
There was a bit of silence since everything had been explained regarding their destination but there was one thing on the mind of the assassin from the Diamond Kingdom. Her dark, pink eyes moved from right to left, observing the rest of the group.
Domina was in front, helping to lead the way to the Witches' Forest, and Fanzell was sitting behind her. Lucas and Asta were on one side, whilst Finral and Noelle were on the other and Mariella was behind them. Ironically enough, they were flying in the shape of a diamond.
"Teacher and Domina might be okay with letting a stranger waltz in with the Black Bulls but I'm not going to be so complacent. Perhaps the two want to be trusting after running for so long but all my years of training has taught me to be on my toes. This… Lucas… There's something about him that irks me. Just who is he?"
Her focus on Lucas was strong but it came to a halt as a scream from Domina made the rest of the group stop.
"What's wrong?" Fanzell asked, worried that something might have happened to his fiancee.
"We're here!"
Everyone looked around but all they saw was a bunch of clouds with dense forests stretching across the horizon. Huge, thick trees were all around with branches giving shade to different parts of the greenery. Vibrant, multicoloured flowers were sprouting from the leaves and the floor. In the distance, on the side of a mountain, were a plethora of waterfalls gushing out from what seemed like caves. The water was glimmering as the afternoon sun's rays reflected off the surface.
"I thought there were supposed to be witches here", Asta said, looking around.
"It doesn't look like there's anyone around", Lucas added, thinking there would be people everywhere in the Witches' Forest.
"Well, of course, there isn't! The forest is a very secluded place, away from the eyes of humans or whatever roams around. You need to go deeper in to see the residents but even then you either need to be let in by the Witch Queen or have a guide and fortunately for you guys… I'm here!" She said proudly, slamming her hands on her hips and raising her head.
"She's quite chipper considering we're going to where she was exiled from… Actually, we don't really know anything about this place!" Noelle realised. She turned to the craftsman. "Could you give us a bit more information about the forest?"
"Sure", Domina agreed. "The Queen expends her insane mana across the whole forest, helping it grow, produce agriculture, and to warn against prying eyes or major attacks. If we enter, we'll be recognised and disposed of without question. That means even Spatial Magic is out of the question", she turned to Finral who dropped his shoulders.
Fanzell raised his hand to ask a question.
"Yes, darling?" Domina pointed.
"This isn't a classroom…", Lucas rolled his eyes.
"How on earth are you going to get us in then?" The red-haired man scratched his chin.
Domina started chuckling as she brought out a huge, brown sack out of nowhere. She couldn't have been carrying it since the others would have seen it so this was something like a magic trick.
"What on earth…?" Noelle deadpanned.
"I always take my bag of goodies with me wherever I go. Did you forget what I've been doing in the Black Market?" She giggled. "I'm a master craftsman and one of the best merchants…", she turned to the side, away from the rest, as if to talk to an audience of some kind. "... though, illegal", she turned back. "... around!"
"She definitely said she was an illegal merchant…",
"Why did she try to hide that fact when we know…?"
"That's Domina for you…",
The violet-dressed woman coughed seeing the faces of her friends. "Uhm… well, I have just the thing to get us inside!"
She reached into the bag and brought out a white shawl that was almost transparent and glowing ever so slightly.
"This shawl… or should I say… Vanishawl will get us inside the forest without a problem!" She started moving it around like a matador.
"Quite the interesting name you have for it", Finral commented, trying not to laugh.
Domina raised an eyebrow at the comedic feeling she was receiving from the noble. "Well, I guess you can go in on your own and see just how funny it is when the rest of us are protected", she turned her head.
"No, no, I'm sorry!" He put his hands together.
"That's what I thought". Domina replied, sticking her tongue out.
"Hey, your fiancee is really something", Lucas whispered with his hand covering his mouth.
"Don't I know it", Fanzell replied, his eyes turning into hearts.
"Uh, okay…", the Dual mage said before flying away just a yard further.
Domina continued. "This Vanishawl, well, it's in the name. Your magic, presence, and body will all vanish. I won't ask for money from you guys but this is worth almost 30,000 yul! Well, actually, it's worth way more than that when you take the time to create, material costs, as well location tax into play… hm, would it be safe to increase the price to 45,000 yul now that I think about it? I mean, it would mean less sales per item but it really is worth that amount. I'd say I'd rather keep it as 30,000 even though it goes against my very being… Ah, being a merchant is hard", she cried, tears coming down from her eyes.
Instead of the rest of the gang questioning her about what she just did, all eyes turned to Fanzell. This was a surprise even for Mariella as she hadn't seen Domina sell anything around that price after being reunited with her fiance.
"Is she okay?" Asta asked, pointing at the woman who now had a dark cloud over her.
"Nevermind that, 30,000 yul?! She asked me for 350 yul when I went so does that mean the product isn't as good?" Lucas worried, thinking back to the silver-chained necklace.
"Guys, we're getting way too sidetracked here! Do I need to remind you that Vanessa is most likely already there, along with Daisy if she managed to come along!" Noelle shouted, snapping everyone out of their imaginations.
Domina sat straight, now serious. "You're right. That was my bad. Anyway, the Vanishawl will also hide you from others. Once you put these on, go towards the centre of the forest and you'll see a castle and that's where the Queen is. If I know Vanessa, that means she'll be there".
"Got it!"
As the large group of seven focused their efforts on infiltrating the Witches' Forest, there was another group making similar plans of their own. This one was located on the outskirts of the Clover Kingdom, right above a lake in a misty forest.
Outside, there were hundreds of foot soldiers, all belonging to the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Their white robes just about touching the cold floor as they stood guard. It was relatively empty inside with only a few members around.
"Hate. I hate all humans".
A long and pink-haired woman with a red tattoo across her forehead was busy petting a large lizard in the depths of a dark cave. As she moved her hand underneath the animal's chin, it responded with a soft growl and hot air blowing out of its wide mouth.
"They killed Vetto and hurt Rhya. I will kill them".
The lizard started growling loudly as she said this, letting out a stream of flames up above from his mouth, giving light to the dark room.
"It looks like you're getting more accustomed to Salamander, Fana".
Fana turned around to see a man with a long, white robe walking towards her. He had a wide smile with his eyes closed, showing sincerity with every word he said. His whitish-blond hair was tied in multiple braids and he also had some red tattoos on his face.
"Licht. Salamander is also getting accustomed to me", she raised her hand to pet one of the Great Spirits. "It's all for our success against the humans".
He nodded his head, agreeing. "That is precisely why I've come to you, Fana. It's time to move out towards the Witches' Forest.
Her sea-green eyes remained emotionless as she processed the information. "So, preparations are done?"
"Yes. The Magic Stone is with the Queen of Witches which I assume you'll have no problem with. There's just another matter that you need to focus on as well", Licht added, still smiling.
"I will do anything you say, Licht", Fana responded, her fluffy, maroon dress moving as she moved away from Salamander for the time being.
"The Black Bulls are heading there and that means the human with the master's weapons will be there. That's only part of it though… there is the case of the Hybrid being there as well", he added.
This made Fana's eyes widen even more than they already were which was shocking in itself. The mention of Asta and the Black Bulls wasn't enough for her but Lucas was a different story. She felt like this before when she met him in Nean and she still doesn't understand the feeling she got back then.
"I don't know why but my head hurts trying to think back".
"Who is this person…? Why do I… Why do I…?"
Fana paused and looked up at the Light mage in front of her who was slightly confused with her odd manner.
"Licht, do you recognise this Lucas from somewhere? My mind… It hurts when I even think about that human. I don't understand but… if I kill him, will the pain go away?" She held her head and her eyes slightly softened.
"You will not be killing him. We need the Hybrid captured as he is essential to our plan. Rhya tried to do so but he… failed as you already know. If you capture him, perhaps your questions will be answered". Licht raised his arms and put them on Fana's shoulders, comforting her.
The Flame mage was silent for a few seconds before a shake of the head calmed her down. She sighed and then looked into Licht's golden eyes.
"The mission will be completed", she said before returning Salamander to her grimoire.
The one who represented Hate walked out of the room to get ready to travel but Licht was silent this time. He had just seen Fana act in a way that he had never seen before.
"I mentioned Asta, who killed Vetto, and who has the master's weapons but she didn't even respond to that. But the Hybrid, Lucas… just what is it with him and her? Did something happen all those years ago?"
The Clover Kingdom's makeshift group had entered the Witches' Forest without any trouble. They were separated into two pairs and a group of three since Domina only had three Vanishawls with her.
They were all near each other and were silent for the time being as they were just descending into the forest's depths. Eventually, they found civilisation and it was like no other.
Before, they saw the thick tree trunks from a distance but now they were up close to it and it was almost like something from a fairytale. The light-green trunk was glowing brightly and multicoloured flowers were sprouting from its leaves and roots. On the branches that extended from the trunk, sat multiple buildings including houses, schools, and markets.
"Would you look at that, Asta. They have it all", Lucas whispered but was gawking at everything he saw. It reminded him of the fairytales that his sister, Iris, would tell him when he was younger.
"They really do. They've got stuff that Hage can only dream of having…", he said sadly. He was mainly focused on the school as his village didn't have one and the children would often have to be taught by Sister Lily visiting each individual house.
They kept flying on the broom which was also invisible since Domina's creation covered it as well. They got closer and saw the amount of witches around that were just going about their day.
"There's markets here and it looks busy right now", Noelle tried to point out but couldn't really do it as well since she was squished in between Domina and Mariella.
"Hey, put your arm down", Mariella ordered, uncomfortable with being in such close proximity to someone else.
"Be quiet, you two", Domina whispered as her voice strained. She was sweating heavily as this was a dangerous move but also because of something else. "I should've done something about how hot you get when using the Vanishawl… I'm going to fry since there's hardly any air coming through!"
The other two were near Lucas and Asta and they were having their own looking session. Well, it was mainly Finral as Fanzell was busy trying not to get noticed since the former was moving all around the small Vanishawl.
"Would you look at those babes!" He tried to whisper but it still came out as a rather loud voice. He was pointing at a few witches who were walking around.
"F-Finral, I really think you should calm down", Fanzell protested, pushing him away as he wasn't really caring about personal space at this point.
"Sorry but don't you see all these beautiful women around? They're just…!" Finral raised his voice again as he focused on another few witches.
These ones were relaxing at an outdoor hot spring and didn't really leave much to the imagination as the only thing that was covering them was their witches hat on their head whilst the rest of their bodies were submerged in the warm water.
Finral's eyes became hearts and his face turned redder than the sun above. He moved around trying to compose himself but this only made things worse. They were now heading into a tree branch at a high speed.
"Oh no, this is bad!" Fanzell noticed. He extended his right arm and shot some Wind Magic to the left, moving away from the incoming branch. "Phew…", he sighed, thinking he was safe. However…
RRRRIPPPP*
The sound of ripping rang around the immediate area. Fanzell had saved himself from heading into one branch to only move into a different one. The sharp wood didn't hurt anyone physically but it sure hurt Fanzell mentally as it dug into his clothes and ripped all of them off with only his underwear remaining.
Of course, if the branch dug into clothing, that means it dug into the Vanishawl, completely removing it and exposing two men to the forest full of witches. One nearly naked and one who was obsessed with them.
"AHHHH!" A multitude of witches started screaming.
This was heard around the entire forest as people started going into a panic.
"Two men?!"
"How on earth did they get here?!"
"Are they here to kidnap us?!"
Fanzell and Finral were the subject of abuse as all kinds of different magical spells were hurled at them. From Flame and Water to Earth and Stone - they were receiving the consequences of the Bull's actions and yet…
"Ladies, could you please stop and calm down for a minute…?" Finral said on one knee, offering his contact details to various different ones.
"That's enough!" Fanzell shouted, with only his underwear to save some of his dignity. He wrapped the Spatial mage in wind and they flew away towards the middle of the forest.
"NOOO!" Finral reached out, defeated as his chance to impress the witches was disappearing.
Now, Fanzell looked behind and a large stampede of witches were forming, all chasing after the two men. He sweatdropped and sighed, looking forward to ending this event.
"Flame Magic…",
"Water Magic…",
All kinds of magics were being shot and the Diamond fugitive was trying to evade as best as he could with the upset noble in tow. One part of his mind was on that and the other was looking to see where they could go. Eventually, he saw an opening but, at the speed they were going, they couldn't exactly control themselves.
Following the other two mini groups, the actions of Fanzell and Finral also caused them problems as well.
Domina and the two teens were weaving in and out of a stampede caused by other witches in their frenzied panic but the one who was flying was going through a different problem on top of the other one.
"Domina, are you alright?" Noelle asked, shaking the woman with light-orange hair.
"Yeah, you don't look too good", Mariella added, moving her head to get a better look.
Domina turned her face and it was completely red with water, or rather sweat, falling down it and onto the broomstick, giving it a darker shade of brown.
"How on… earth… are you not frying with all this heat around?!" She shouted, trying to throw the Vanishawl away and onto the floor.
Noelle and Mariella pulled it back to try and keep their invisibility but Domina's strength was proving too much for them so they ended up in a tussle in such a small space.
"Domina, don't you dare!"
"You and Teacher really are made for each other with your odd quirks".
"Is this the time to be saying that?!"
Domina gave off a scream, her flight course going haywire as they were about to crash into someone.
"Asta",
"Lucas",
The two exchanged quick looks as they both felt the incoming Ki of five people. Three of them were coming from the left and two of them from the right. They couldn't really get away since there was a stampede of witches around them, and they also couldn't let their disguise go willingly in case they survived this. So, the only solution was to brave the hit, hoping that the Vanishawl will take most of the impact.
"AH!" All three groups shouted as they collided.
The flowing winds hit Domina's face, cooling her off and she breathed a sigh of relief. Wiping her sweat, she turned to the two 15-year-olds behind her who looked fearful as they sat on the floor with dirt, dust, and leaves all over their bodies.
"Oh my gosh!" Domina panicked, gasping. She was fidgeting and flailing her arms since her plan failed but this was only the start of the mess. She hadn't even noticed the other problem that was right underneath her.
Her purple eyes looked towards her boots and saw just what she had landed on. It was Lucas and Asta in a heap on the floor, with Fanzell and Finral next to them. Both of their own Vanishawls were torn up meaning they were out in the open as well.
"Ah, there's no time for me to ask if they're alright!" Domina shouted to herself, taking up the same time that she could've asked them the very question. "All of you, get on your brooms and make a beeline for the castle right there!"
The craftsman pointed at the centre and a tall building was right there, overlooking the majority of the forest. It looked relatively normal but there was one thing that stuck out to all of the Witches' Forest infiltrators. There was a huge, gaping hole on the side as if someone had destroyed it.
"Looks like they've already made an entrance for us!" Lucas shouted, trying to fly as quickly as he could with the weight of three others behind him.
"This isn't good. Why would she leave a hole like that there?" Domina pondered but still flew with a high speed along with the other two girls behind her.
They reached the opening and dived right in, not caring for how they landed but only focusing on escaping the chasing witches. The seven landed on a hard floor and as the dust subsided, they noticed they had reached safety, at least for now.
"Um… Domina?", Lucas asked, trying to get up off the floor.
"Yes?" She replied, fixing her dusty clothes.
"Why did those witches do all that? Do they hate men or something?" He asked, confused as to why they would chase them like that.
"Oh, didn't I tell you? It's forbidden for men to enter this place. If they saw women, they may listen to reason but it's immediate execution for the other gender", she said.
The four males all shouted, shocked. "YOU NEVER TOLD US SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"
Lucas, Asta, Finral, and Fanzell all surrounded her with angered faces. They were bobbing up and down with each of them getting angrier by the second.
"Oops, did I forget?" She lightly knocked her head with her knuckles, sticking her tongue out.
"YES, YOU FORGOT!"
Once they sorted their arguments which only lasted for a few seconds, they all turned their heads to the back of the room. The fire on the deer ornaments burned brighter, revealing the scene in front of them.
"Vanessa!"
All of them shouted. They saw the Thread mage, unconscious and on the floor with a few bruises over her face and arms. It looked like she was in a battle and the victor was right there with a foot on her head.
Another ornament lit up, revealing the second mage that had also lost the battle. She was trapped in a cage, hanging from the ceiling. Though not unconscious, she also sustained injuries but they weren't very deep like Vanessa's.
"Daisy!" All of them but the Diamond trio shouted.
She stood up and wrapped her hands around the metal bars of the cage, seeing that her friends, along with some others, were here.
"L-Lucas, and all of you?" She said with a very small smile before the strength in her knees gave way, making her fall on the inside of the cage.
Upon instinct, both Lucas and Asta moved forwards with their grimoires shining in front of them. Asta's spellbook opened up and he yanked the Demon-Dweller sword out of it with his teeth, whereas Lucas brought out his Dual Blades, powering them up with a blue tint.
"Let them go!" The duo shouted, brandishing their weapons.
The woman who had trapped the two turned her head to face them with no emotion present on her face, the earring on her left chiming as she did. Her eyes looked like they were glowing a bright red underneath the darkness of her witch's hat.
"Imperfect intruders. I am the queen of this forest and I will teach you animals what happens when you mess with me".
NOTES:
The gang have infiltrated the Witches' Forest! I liked writing all the mayhem and chaos that came with Fanzell and Domina since they're kind of like that ;P.
Mariella has a distrust for Lucas and it's quite smart since she has no idea who this guy is. I wonder what will happen, hmm…
Daisy is one of my main characters but with how Black Clover is structured, it's been kind of hard to have her around a lot of the time. But now, with this arc, I'm able to reveal more things about her that expands on her character.
The chapter references were when Daisy told Lucas that her mother was dead in Chapter 33 and she thought about her mother in Chapter 66. There was also Lucas's dreams in Chapter 36 and 65 about Fana as well as their odd moment of recognition in Chapter 43.
I'm adding these references since I have been putting some hints and things like that to key plotlines that I want throughout the story and since this is all writing and no pictures, it might be hard to really remember some things so I hope this helps, even a little bit.
