"Damn meddlesome mushroom!" shouted Howard Stone, clutching the head of his cane in anger. His fat face contorted into an ugly grimace, and his glasses fogged up from his breath.
"I shouldn't have let it interact with that bunch of bitches. I shouldn't have left it alone, thinking it would be a good guardian because it's so naive..." Despite his turmoil, the man tried to relax. After all, he had to maintain his composure in front of his men and partner.
"Hey, shouldn't you give me a hand?" Howard asked. When he didn't hear an immediate response, not even a taunt or that exasperating laugh, he looked back and realized that the hooded woman was nowhere to be found.
Just in case she was hiding, he struck his staff against the ground several times, generating waves of aether that spread throughout the area and returned to him. The result only made his cheeks red with rage.
"You escaped? Damn you! Bitch! Am I a joke to you? Fine! I can do it alone! After all, my plan is almost complete..." The old man gazed at the mass of spiritual energy contained within the blood-made ritual circle with a strange mixture of longing and despair.
"Just a few more minutes..." Howard Stone murmured, then looked at his six men standing protectively around him.
"A bunch of trash is coming up those stairs. Don't let them interrupt me. Kill them," he ordered before stepping away and walking toward the ritual circle. His transparent glasses were illuminated by the red light of spiritual energy as he ignored the uncomfortable expressions on his henchmen's faces.
"Boss... are you okay?" one of the men asked, concerned about Howard. But his voice fell on deaf ears. His leader kept walking, ignoring him.
"Shh! Can't you see? He's crazy!" whispered one of the henchmen, looking cautiously at the man who was supposed to be their boss. To him, that monster was not Howard Stone.
"Haven't you noticed? The boss has changed! He doesn't look human; he looks monstrous, like an animal," the man said again, gripping his rifle tightly and trying to appear confident despite his fear.
"Did you notice it, too?" asked a third henchman. To his surprise, his five companions nodded.
"Besides, I feel weird, too..." said another henchman, scratching his face. But neither he nor the others noticed that his hand had turned into an ugly claw that tore his skin when it came into contact with it, leaving ugly, bleeding marks.
No one seemed to notice these details or smell the scent of blood. They didn't notice the obvious differences in them either, even though their personalities seemed normal.
However, when they heard the footsteps of several people climbing the stairs, growing louder, each of their eyes subtly glowed red, and grotesque smiles appeared on their faces.
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"Where do you think Nisca went?" asked Élodie, chewing on the blue mushroom the mycelium had given her earlier as she climbed the long stairs.
The area was now clear, with no trace of the whiteness that had covered it a short time ago. SĂ©raphine heard the blonde's question and shrugged before taking a bite of her mushroom.
"I don't know, but I hope to see it again," the witch finally replied, her voice hinting at longing. It was a feeling that seemed to be shared by her current companions.
"It's an... interesting creature," said Madeleine, who, like the other two girls, was eating the mushroom that Nisca had given her.
"By the way, was it a boy or a girl?" Sasha's question made the three girls turn to look at the fairy, who was flying freely while stuffing her cheeks with her mushroom and feeling no embarrassment at their strange looks.
"I never thought I'd be discussing the gender of a mushroom..." murmured SĂ©raphine as she patted the sheath of her rapier, which she had positioned for quick access to her sword.
For the same reason, she also had the holster for her revolver on the other side of her waist, ready to fight without having to take her weapons out of her hat. The witch realized that this place was much more dangerous than she had thought, so she decided to get into the habit of keeping her weapons on the outside.
"Let's not talk anymore. I can smell seven people up there," Madeleine said, pointing to the end of the stairs. Her forked tongue constantly flicked out of her mouth.
Although her face wrinkled from the foul smell, she decided to concentrate, ignoring the stench and focusing on the presence she had detected. Her words made the brief, cheerful atmosphere much tenser.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Élodie stepped forward with her hammer raised. However, Séraphine wouldn't let her go just like that. She channeled the aether produced by the resonance of her soul. Extending her hand forward in a stopping gesture, she created a floating wall of aether in front of the blonde.
This proved to be an excellent measure to protect the police from gunfire, as one of Howard Stone's men, upon seeing Élodie appear, pulled the trigger of his shotgun without hesitation.
The pellets fell on the blue energy wall like raindrops. This did not deter the other henchmen, however. They aimed at the police but did not fire. Instead, one of them spoke up.
"Hey, beautiful, why don't you take that thing away? We promise we won't shoot," he said with a mocking smile. He knew his words were nonsense, but in the current situation, it was clear that neither they nor she could harm each other.
"What cliché expressions," said Séraphine, finishing climbing the stairs and standing next to Élodie, preparing for their arrival. The witch had expanded the aether wall, investing more energy in the process.
Although she was more aware than anyone else of the cost of using magic, as long as she didn't overdo it, she would be fine. So, the witch, who had barely used magic during their entire journey through the fragment of the spiritual world, allowed herself to expend such energy.
However, SĂ©raphine's attention was on the bodies of the six henchmen. Noticing her scrutinizing gaze, they began to laugh and make lewd expressions at each other.
"Ooh, big tits! Like what you see? Why don't you come closer? Maybe the six of us can fill that big ass of yours," said the man with the scratched face. He held a sawed-off shotgun in one hand and was the one who fired it.
But SĂ©raphine narrowed her eyes when this man brought his claw-like hand toward his crotch and made an obscene gesture. This, added to his words, greatly upset the witch.
"Don't you realize you're being consumed by spiritual energy?" SĂ©raphine asked, but it was as if none of the men heard her. Instead, they continued to mock her companions.
"Guys! The blonde is a cop! I bet even the boss hasn't tasted a cop's pussy. I want to be the first!" Just looking at her legs makes me feel like I'm about to explode." One of the men began to mock Élodie. When he laughed, a long, toothy tongue came out of his mouth. This abnormality did not seem to surprise him at all.
"And isn't that the actress? The boss has good taste. How would you like to get a blowjob from her with her forked tongue? It must be heaven!" The words of the henchman, whose skin was covered in rotten scales, made Madeleine shake her serpentine body.
"There's also a fairy! Hehehe... What if we put her in a jar? Let's see how long she can last!" Directing this comment at Sasha, who was still perched on the lamia's shoulder, the girls realized that they simply couldn't reason with these people.
"Hey, Élodie, can those guys be killed?" asked the lamia, causing the blonde to smile broadly as she twirled the hammer in her hand.
"Of course! Humans and creatures corrupted by advanced spiritual corruption have no rights. Look at them; they don't even notice their changes," replied Élodie before looking at Séraphine.
"However, I need confirmation from our consultant," said the police officer with a small smile, and the witch nodded.
"Just by looking at how their bodies have transformed... I don't need to make an effort to confirm it," SĂ©raphine pointed out. She took her revolver in hand as the aether wall flickered, about to disappear in a minute.
This was a signal to both sides, prompting men and women alike to prepare. However, the witch couldn't help but glance in the distance, where she could make out Howard Stone's figure.
He was standing in front of what she could barely make out as a ritual-formed barrier. Again, SĂ©raphine didn't need to use her ability; her sensitivity to energy made the hairs on her arm stand on end.
Élodie sensed the danger as well, so she occasionally glanced cautiously in that direction, becoming somewhat distracted from the impending conflict.
Madeleine's scales trembled because her senses were keener than those of humans; her yellow eyes saw exactly what was contained within the barrier. However, she quickly had to look away because the mere sight of it gave her a headache.
"SĂ©raphine, can you feel it? There's a mass of spiritual energy that looks like a miniature sun! I don't know what Howard wants to do, but we have to stop him," the lamia said to the witch, causing the latter to take a deep breath.
"Things are getting worse and worse," the witch muttered, her body tense and ready to act the moment the wall of energy she had created disappeared.
Which happened at that very moment. With the way clear, the three women jumped in different directions. Élodie took advantage of her improved body, powered by the aether, and swung her hammer at the man with the shotgun. She struck the weapon with such force that it shattered completely.
Her speed was enough to get her out of her enemies' line of sight, and they fired at the spot where she had been standing. SĂ©raphine rolled on the ground, avoiding a rifle shot that, fortunately, was not automatic.
Then, the witch fired twice. First, she hit the hand of the man who had tried to hurt her. Then, she hit his chest. However, she knew this wouldn't be enough; these men were no longer human, but beasts in human clothing.
Madeleine used her armored scales to deflect the shots fired at her. Then, she swung her tail like a whip and struck four of the men. Sasha flew toward one of the men boldly, her hand glowing with aether.
The fairy used one of her special abilities, an advantage she had over the rest of her species. The henchman's weapon was covered in energy before floating uncontrollably out of his hands.
"Why the hell do you want to lock me in a jar!?" Sasha growled, controlling the weapon she had levitated. She turned its barrel toward the fallen man, and then a shot rang out.
Although the fight was brief, the six gangsters were injured to varying degrees. They began to laugh as they patted their bodies, realizing they were still alive. They had not been incapacitated!
Worse yet, even though they were unarmed, they seemed to pose an increased danger. The damage they had suffered exacerbated the changes that had already begun in their bodies.
The girls had to step aside and watch as the men began to mutate in various ways. They didn't want to, but when they were about to attack, the whole place shook, causing them to lose their balance.
In the distance, Howard Stone and his followers laughed because his great desire had finally been fulfilled. Without hesitation, he swung his staff at the ritual circle, destroying a key point and ruining the containment of spiritual energy inside the barrier.
This is why the place shook; the previously contained energy was unleashed in a wave that swept through the entire area. This accelerated and worsened the transformation of the minions, making them more grotesque.
However, when the wave hit the girls, they did not feel uncomfortable. Instead, something inside them emerged, weak but enough to compensate for the corrupting power trying to cling to their bodies.
"Why isn't anything happening to us?" Élodie asked Séraphine. Neither of them understood why she seemed fine. However, it wasn't the time to focus on such questions. There were terrifying monsters in front of them that they had to deal with first.
"We'll figure that out later. We have to get rid of these guys first. I don't like what Howard is doing over there," said SĂ©raphine. She drew her rapier, armed herself with her two weapons, and focused on the enemy closest to her.
Her body had grown taller, and her skin had become dry, seemingly losing its elasticity as it clung to her bones. Huge claws ended her deformed limbs, adding to her quadrupedal posture and making her look like a hairless dog.
Although the creature's eyes seemed lucid, SĂ©raphine felt that it would not be long before he went mad. His eyes glowed red, indicating the saturation of spiritual energy in his body.
The same phenomenon appeared in the eyes of the other deformed creatures, whose forms varied and acquired strange animal features, but which were still obviously physically deformed. By this point, they were just as monstrous as the animals they had encountered along the way.
SĂ©raphine stepped forward, seeking to maintain the initiative against her enemy. Her rapier emitted a dense green glow, indicating the activation of its enchantments.
Due to its lack of coordination, the creature reacted too late to her thrust. Without mercy, the witch struck to kill, trying to pierce the monster's neck. However, she only managed to insert the tip of her weapon slightly.
Despite having no obvious scales, the creature's skin was incredibly tough. She saw a brief red flash, probably from it using the spiritual energy in its body as a buffer.
Despite everything, the blow hurt it, drawing black blood from it. It screeched and emitted smoke as it fell to the ground, as if it were acid. Luckily, SĂ©raphine avoided being splattered by the liquid; otherwise, she would have been injured for no reason.
The wound caused the beast to let out a terrible scream, making the witch feel slightly dizzy. The monster wasn't badly injured, but SĂ©raphine's attack provoked it. It swung one of its sharp claws at her.
The witch avoided the attack with a simple slide backward, but the monster lunged at her. It opened its large mouth, revealing sharp teeth and saliva. It wanted to bite her.
SĂ©raphine raised her revolver and fired the entire magazine at the beast's body. She didn't aim for the head, knowing it would be counterproductive. The bullets were powerful enough to push the beast backward as they dug deep into its flesh.
The witch seized the opportunity and wielded her sword against the creature with obvious murderous intent. She may not have had Élodie's physical prowess or Madeleine's power, but she was a skilled swordswoman and ruthless enough.
She didn't care that they had once been human. These men had degenerated on their own. Even if they had been forced, her duty as a witch was to eliminate such corrupt beings and allow them to rest after death.
Thus, she aimed the tip of her sword at the vital points of her most dangerous enemies, such as the monster's right eye. This time, her sword met little resistance, completely piercing the beast's skull.
SĂ©raphine looked with disdain at the monster, which had hardly posed a threat to her. Corruption only made it uglier, not stronger. Had it remained human, SĂ©raphine would have been more cautious, the fight would have lasted longer, and she might have been injured.
'Power without control is just an aberration,' thought Séraphine as she kicked the creature's body, dislodging it from her weapon. She had to support her companions because she was the only one fighting a single enemy. Madeleine was fighting three, and Élodie was fighting two.
The witch joined Élodie, who was fighting two mutated beings. One had limbs that had turned into repulsive, spiked tentacles and a fish-like head.
The other had wings in place of arms, allowing him to rise several meters into the air. With legs like a bird of prey's, he resembled the harpies, one of the intelligent races that lived in this world. However, there were none in Shattercrown; they preferred to live on the Iron Continent.
Séraphine sensed something strange about the tentacled man, so she chose to attack him first when she approached Élodie. This beast reminded her of the beings she usually sees when she activates her special vision or suffers an attack from the curse that accompanies this ability.
"That guy has a strange constitution. My hammer blows don't seem to hurt him that much. With this disgusting bird harassing me, I can't concentrate on eliminating them," warned Élodie. She was happy with the support she received from Séraphine. Now, she could fully concentrate on the enemy in front of her, which was constantly flapping its ugly wings.
"Thanks for the warning. I know how to deal with things like that." SĂ©raphine put away her weapons because she knew they wouldn't be much help at this point. She was going to resort to her most important resource: magic.
"Hehehe.... Do you want to know what else turned into tentacles?" In a raspy, sinister voice, the creature facing the witch asked, causing SĂ©raphine to narrow her eyes.
"Thank you for making my future actions easier," she said, vibrating her soul to produce the aether necessary for her spell.
She was determined to destroy this monstrosity as quickly as possible!
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Élodie swung her hammer with force. Enhanced by the aether, her body exhibited strength superior to that of a human. The head of the hammer whistled as it cut through the wind and headed toward the mutated man floating several meters away.
"You can't hit me with your simple attacks," the monster taunted the blonde woman in a high-pitched voice similar to a bird's chirp. He raised his body higher, effectively evading the police officer's attack. However, he didn't notice the mischievous smile on her face.
"You can't fly too far, can you? I may overlook some things considered basic in the supernatural world, but I know physics, you fool!" Seeing how the wind caused by the swing of her hammer made the winged beast lose its balance, she lowered her body slightly, planning her next move.
The blonde propelled herself forward, taking a great leap that allowed her to reach the height of the mutant creature, which had descended several meters due to the police's previous actions.
With her hammer covered in the aether she had channeled as she rose, she struck the monster squarely on the left side. The sound of breaking bones was audible, and the force of her blow sent the enemy crashing to the ground.
As he fell, she concentrated her energy on her right foot and landed heavily on the monster's chest. She pressed down on his rib cage, causing the characteristic cracking sound that indicated his bones were breaking.
Although the monster tried to attack her with its hind legs or the appendages that emerged from its wings, she was much quicker, repeatedly stomping on its neck.
Since her enemy was now practically at her mercy, she could be ruthless, a trait she had learned in the army. Seeing the mutant's lack of strength, the police officer stepped aside, then raised her hammer high.
The aether was no longer visible on her body as before, but it still improved her internally. This meant she could exert less force, though she didn't need to waste energy at that moment.
After all, like wizards, witches, and alchemists, warriors suffered side effects from overusing aether. Her forehead was slightly beaded with sweat due to the high temperature that accompanied using this power, but she could handle it. She had endured worse as a soldier.
Élodie dropped her hammer, crushing the monster's head. Black blood splattered the ground, but she didn't let it stain her. She saw that the liquid was saturated with spiritual energy and didn't want to tempt fate.
After striking the monster several times with her hammer to ensure its death and reducing its skull to dust, the police officer shook the blood off her weapon and turned her attention to the witch.
The being SĂ©raphine was lying on the ground, battered, with pieces of its limbs scattered around. Its body was being squeezed by a giant hand made of blue energy while the brunette was about to make another gesture.
SĂ©raphine shaped the palm of her right hand like a knife and 'cut' forward, generating an aether blade that floated in front of her before flying swiftly toward her enemy and striking his neck directly.
The witch opened her left fist, controlling the magical limb that had subdued the ugly creature into which the man had been transformed.
The hand followed suit, opening and releasing the now decapitated corpse of the corrupted mutant. Although SĂ©raphine was breathing heavily and sweating, she smiled.
"It's not as powerful as the tentacled things I often see," said the witch. She then turned her gaze to Élodie, who had approached her.
The two women stared at each other for a few seconds before turning their attention to Madeleine. Unlike them, she had found it much easier to deal with her enemies.
She also had the help of a fairy. The lamia's serpentine body wrapped around one of the enemies, squeezing it so tightly that the monster couldn't survive.
Sasha, who was still levitating one of the gangsters' weapons, aimed it at the creature Madeleine was constricting and pulled the trigger, emptying the entire magazine into its head.
The little fairy then dropped the gun and floated toward Lamia's shoulder. With her claws, Lamia had disemboweled another of the corrupt monsters, slicing open its abdomen and staining her long nails with black blood.
However, Madeleine was not concerned about this. As the beast writhed on the ground, the Lamia's nails fell off before new ones grew back. Her attention was now focused on the last of her opponents.
It backed away, trying not to attract the attention of the fierce snake woman. However, her yellow, slit-shaped pupils locked onto the corrupt being, making it tremble.
"You've already eliminated my companions... Shouldn't you let me go?" he said in a harsh voice. His body had changed so drastically that he barely looked human.
His body closely resembled that of a cricket, his sickly green skin seeming to mock the color of Madeleine's scales. He tensed his legs, ready to run if the Lamia tried to approach him.
"Pathetic," said Sasha, standing on Madeleine's right shoulder with an arrogant expression on her face and her arms crossed under her chest.
"I remember you perfectly. I saw your face outside my house many times. I wasn't going to let you go. You should look at your body," the Lamia said, frightening the cricket monster before he paid attention to his body.
His body was silently and painlessly falling apart. He didn't understand why this was happening to him. When he tried to ask Madeleine, the corrosion reached his eyes, robbing him of his sight, and finally, his life.
"You didn't tell me you were poisonous!" Élodie approached Lamia, whose torso rose as she stretched her snake-like body.
"They say women should be mysterious. In nature, snakes are among the most enigmatic creatures. Don't you think I should be twice as cryptic with my abilities?" Madeleine asked jokingly, causing Élodie to stop arguing, for now.
They had something more urgent to deal with. Now that they no longer had enemies to stop them, they could approach Howard Stone, who had come dangerously close to the sphere of spiritual energy.
"I don't think it's a good idea to let him do that," said Élodie, flexing her muscles and preparing to attack the last enemy, the most important one of all.
However, SĂ©raphine placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, causing her to turn and look at the witch. Her blue eyes were full of questions. The brunette, however, was not paying attention to the police but rather was watching what was happening in the distance.
"I don't think it's a good idea to get closer. I don't know what helped us resist the previous wave of spiritual energy, but I doubt we can withstand this enormous concentration of power.
Howard destroyed the ritual containing that sphere of energy, and it's obvious that this thing is unstable. It could explode. If we're too close, well, don't we have examples of what exposure to large amounts of spiritual energy in a short time can do?" SĂ©raphine pointed to the fallen bodies of the mutants they had dealt with not long ago.
There were many forms of spiritual corruption. She knew someone suffering from it: the half-baked wizard who sold her the spell for shooting magic bullets.
However, that man's corruption was different from the corruption that caused the mutations in these gangsters. It was a slower corruption, one that could be remedied with a purification performed by the kind of nuns like Sophia.
Anyone who interacted with spiritual creatures would inevitably experience slight spiritual corrosion, but this was generally not a serious matter and could be eliminated by the body itself.
Only in extreme cases, like this fragment of the spiritual world, do such drastic transformations occur in living beings. Even inorganic matter can be affected.
"So, are we just going to watch while it does whatever it wants?" Madeleine hissed, causing SĂ©raphine to shake her head before flashing a gentle smile.
"No, we just have to wait a moment, and then we'll have a chance," the witch replied to the snake woman. However, just as she was about to explain what she was waiting for, a pain shot through her eyes.
Without hesitation, SĂ©raphine took off her hat and put her hand inside it, rummaging around in its spacious interior while keeping her eyes closed. She knew what was happening. Everything she had experienced since entering this place had triggered one of her curse's attacks.
This time, it seemed quite intense. Although her eyes were tightly closed, the curse forced them open. They glowed with a green light of the same intensity as her previous outburst, and the world before her was completely transformed.
She was no longer in that ruined place. The environment didn't even resemble what she had seen in the fragment of the Spiritual World. Now, she was in a tunnel whose red walls trembled slightly.
The walls were covered with eyes of various colors, shapes, and sizes. Fleshy appendages waved on the flesh-like walls, which constantly contracted, making this place resemble the entrails of a living being.
The air was cold, and the ground beneath her feet was soft and muddy. SĂ©raphine didn't want to know what she was stepping on. She couldn't see it anyway, since the entire floor was shrouded in darkness.
"Hmm? SĂ©raphine~ It seems you've gone deeper, perhaps too deep." The omnipresent Musu appeared next to the witch. She was the only visible thing on the dark floor. Her head was twisted, and she looked at the woman with a strange, human-like smile on her furry face.
"Don't try to look for your pills. Human alchemy can't get you out of here. You have to endure it on your own. This is one of the trials you must endure!" Bad timing...just when something interesting was about to happen in the earthly world.
Did Lady Osmond expect your psyche to be strong enough to bring you here? It'll be entertaining to see her reaction when she watches you suffer through her annoying mirror!" Musu began to mock SĂ©raphine, who was standing there completely naked with none of her companions around.
Being naked in a place that looked like entrails was not the outcome the witch had hoped for at the end of this mission. Although she was suffering from terrible mental distress, Musu's words made her realize that this situation was one of the critical indicators of her curse.
There was still time before the curse would dominate her visual ability completely, but how could a curse simply give her benefits for free? Everything she had seen and suffered for almost seven years was proof that this power came at a terrible price.
"So, what should I do? Dance naked for the indescribable beings behind the veil of reality?" she asked, placing her hands under her breasts and using sarcasm to hide her fear. However, her mind was working at full speed, relying on meditation to increase its activity.
"Hm, human flesh doesn't interest them. Do you want to play with those tentacles? They don't care! No, what you have to do is simple. You must...hehehe, why don't you go ahead? I'll do you the favor of guiding you!" Musu declared, watching SĂ©raphine's body closely. He had always been interested in the appearance of humans.
The witch's body always fascinated this cat-like being. Although SĂ©raphine did not have a superhuman body, she was in good shape with few visible muscles.
She had long legs, a decent butt, and large breasts. However, Musu never understood the adornments that humans wore. He understood that the witch had pubic hair between her legs. After all, a cat's body is quite hairy. But why did SĂ©raphine have pieces of metal on her nipples? Musu didn't understand.
"Have you stopped watching me yet? When I return to my body, will it have been a long time or just a moment?"
SĂ©raphine crouched down to try to catch Musu, who avoided capture.
Although nervous about her situation, the witch knew that at least her soul was there. Meditation helped her realize her current state: She had truly come to this place in the form of a soul.
Having studied the immaterial, especially topics related to the human soul, she knew that time was strange for this part of living beings. Every time her curse attacked or she used her ability, time would pass differently.
"Just a moment. I took care of that. I want to see how you deal with what you're facing. A failed spiritual core? Now, that's interesting! But I also want to see how you deal with this. Come on!" After assessing the witch's body, Musu began to run, leaving bright footprints that served as a signal for SĂ©raphine.
"As long as I don't have to deal with those ugly tentacles, I'm fine. If I can solve Howard Stone's problem, I may have to take drastic measures to relieve the stress," the witch muttered, following the cat's trail while looking with disgust at the tentacles on the walls. They were always trying to get closer to her, but she knew it wasn't sexual.
Not when she could feel the murderous intent in those colorful eyes. Those things wanted to tear her apart. That was normal for SĂ©raphine. After all, the things behind the veil were never kind, save for a few exceptions.
All of these beings have always wanted a piece of her, literally. Unlike spiritual creatures, however, these entities could barely interact with her. For that reason, she couldn't deal with them either.
The worst part, however, was that even though they hurt her and caused her great pain, they never left a mark on her body or soul. They constantly bombarded her mind with confusing and incomprehensible things, which was the most dangerous aspect of these beings.
She had gained excellent mental resilience because of this. At least she didn't collapse with a drooling mouth and persistent nightmares for days on end. However, SĂ©raphine knew she could never get used to it. Her curse always found ways to make her suffer.
'I don't know what test I have to perform now, but from what I've learned, as long as I persevere, I will gain something. I've already gained my vision, mental resilience, and ideas for spells. Will I gain something this time?' thought the witch, using all the hypotheses she could come up with to keep her mind occupied and distracted from what she was experiencing, which was partially dissociated from reality.
The tunnel SĂ©raphine was in grew narrower and narrower. At least those appendages and eyes were decreasing in size. When the witch had to turn sideways to cross a narrow spot, she only felt the damp touch of the flesh wall; nothing tried to grab her body.
After passing through, she found herself in an open space. However, she had neither the time nor the inclination to explore further because a huge green eye was floating in the air, watching her. She could see her reflection in it.
"The test is as follows! You always see other things, but have you seen yourself? If you can bear what you see of your being, you will be free from this place. SĂ©raphine, it is time to face the beast that you are." Although Musu did not appear, the cat's voice could be heard, and thus, SĂ©raphine's test began.
The giant eye glowed green, and SĂ©raphine understood that it represented her visual ability. She activated her Vision without hesitation. This caused a strange reaction, creating a connection between her and the floating eye and changing her point of view.
She realized that she was now seeing the world through the eye and observing her soul. At first, she saw her normal reflection, as she was accustomed to seeing in the mirror. Soon, however, as always happened when she focused her visual ability on a person, she began to scrutinize her being more deeply.
She delved deep inside herself, exploring an unknown side of her essence: the beastly side of her being. Every human possesses this wild, unbridled nature, but safeguards it behind reason and ethics.
She liked and disliked what she saw in equal measure. The process was mentally overwhelming, but she persevered despite the pain her soul felt and the mental confusion inherent to this layer of reality.
One aspect of her true self was revealed to her in a form resembling her current appearance. Exposed to her vision, she cried, moaned, and screamed. In the end, however, she accepted that this was part of her, an aspect of her being that she could not change, only accept, and overcame it.
Thus, SĂ©raphine paved the way for her future, where she could improve and become better. The curse made her suffer, but it also gave her something.
The witch felt her return to the real world. Still with her hand inside her hat, she tried to find the pills that could relieve her mental confusion. However, she felt a strong hand on her shoulder and knew that she didn't need the medicine.
With bloody tears running down her cheeks, Séraphine looked at Élodie, who stood next to her, concern in her eyes. Although she had only known this blonde warrior for a day, because they had fought together, it seemed as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Are you okay?" Élodie asked, sounding a little scared. Séraphine nodded and forced a smile.
"Thanks to you... never mind. I think we can attack now." SĂ©raphine felt something stir inside her, but suppressed and ignored it, abruptly changing the subject. Not only did she have important things to deal with, but she also didn't want to let out what was inside her.
But as she prepared to act, her body subconsciously led her to stand beside Élodie. She felt much more relaxed, and the cloudiness in her mind diminished.
SĂ©raphine didn't know what was happening, but the seed that had been planted yesterday had just sprouted inside her. Now, it just needed to be properly watered.
Instead of a little water, however, it would be a great storm.