Since the witch awoke, she had been connecting the loose dots of the puzzle that was the current case. Many pieces were missing, but the way it all degenerated made her think of something she didn't want to encounter: the possibility of a cult.
It was just a guess, but symbols associated with a man who developed particular fetishes seemingly out of nowhere, without showing any signs of having them—even though he had a wife who knew nothing about it, even though she was willing to follow him in many things of that nature—indicated certain things.
"What? Séraphine, it's just your guess," said the voice on the phone. But Séraphine wouldn't let him continue.
"I need answers, too, Jack! Maybe it's not that serious; maybe it's just that my client's husband likes to be a bitch. But I need to find out.
There might be a fuss, especially since I'll have to deal with a lycanthrope woman."
When Séraphine said those words in exasperation, she brought a couple of fingers to the bridge of her nose. She swore she heard the man she was talking to curse under his breath.
"Séraphine, it's a good thing you warned me. We can mitigate that as long as you aren't committing an act of discrimination. But you know, even if they turn out to be the most abominable cult ever, you can't kill them.
Not only that, but it's more appropriate to send a police officer with you. They have the right to enforce the law. If things get serious, they can make tough decisions," Jack mentioned, making Séraphine's green eyes fill with glitter.
"But let's say you broke into something that's not illegal. I don't know the details of your case, but you'll have to undergo a psychological evaluation. Do you understand?" the man asked, making Séraphine lower her head. She didn't want to answer.
"Séraphine, did you hear me? I asked if you understood," Jack said again, finally prompting Séraphine to answer.
"Yes, I understood. But I don't need a psychologist. Even if I don't find anything serious, I'm not crazy," Séraphine said through gritted teeth. She didn't want to go to a psychologist.
"Wanting answers about an unknown symbol and suggesting it's associated with cults is worrying. If things aren't as you think, you may need to talk to someone who wants to understand you.
I hope this is the case, Séraphine, because you know it well. No one wants a cult around." Jack's words hit a sensitive spot for Séraphine. She clenched her free hand so hard that she almost drew blood with her fingernails.
"Yes, let me give you the address and what I know about the case. At least I'll ease the officer's burden a bit." Curtly, Séraphine diverted the topic of conversation, and Jack tacitly agreed.
At the time, Séraphine didn't know it, but she had gone down the rabbit hole. Her life was connected to someone else's for a long time, even until the end.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
Blume was a vibrant and lively city, but its outskirts seemed to lack this modern vitality. They were home to large tracts of forest and farmland, as well as beautiful scenery.
Some wealthy individuals decided to build cottages or cabins in the suburbs, away from the modernity that was increasingly infiltrating the city.
Tania brought Séraphine to this place because the lycanthropic woman lived in the suburbs. The tranquil atmosphere of this place calmed some of her agitation, as it had a certain natural charm.
It was so charming that magical creatures were a common sight. Séraphine was walking along a small dirt path surrounded by trees and bushes when she saw some small gnomes scampering in front of her.
She stopped to watch them and noticed that the little creatures wore peaked hats almost the same height as they were. Each gnome wore a hat of a different color, as if to express part of their personalities.
Gnomes are intelligent beings. They had already detected Séraphine, and, since she was human, they were wary of her approach. However, noticing that she stood her ground, the gnomes relaxed.
"Hey, human, do you want to go to that place too? Not a good idea!" said a gnome with a prominent white beard.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked Séraphine cautiously. She knew these creatures were gentle and helpful.
"We've tried to stop many giants like you! But they ignore us, blinded by... by... by... We can't tell. It's no good to follow this path. You should leave," said the gnome, whose tiny body started trembling.
Another of his companions approached and took his place, eyeing Séraphine cautiously. He first noticed her witch's hat, the most characteristic feature of a witch at the moment.
The gnome seemed to intuit a few things from her green eyes, so he quickly averted his gaze and focused on Séraphine's rapier. He felt a particular interest in this weapon.
"A magical weapon! Are you coming to fight? I sense the desire for a fight in you, but you're alone. You won't be able to fight what's there," said the gnome, somewhat distressed, though his gaze didn't stray from the rapier's sheath.
"I'm not alone, little one," Séraphine commented before looking back. She could feel the latent aether of someone approaching from a fork in the dirt path.
Following her lead, the group of gnomes looked into the distance with the witch. Being magical creatures, they perhaps had better aether perception than Séraphine. What they could sense made their eyes brighten.
A relatively powerful presence was approaching. Soon, out of the trees, a figure emerged. It was a long-legged, blue-eyed, blonde woman in a black police uniform, an officer's badge hanging from her chest.
At her waist hung a revolver, and on her shoulder rested a large warhammer that seemed weightless to her, though her footsteps sounded heavy.
With defined muscles and a regal bearing, her beauty differed from Séraphine's charming appearance. The woman glanced at the gnomes, smiled, and waved to them with her free hand.
Then, she turned her gaze to Séraphine. Both women were similar in height, but they had very distinct styles. The blonde looked at Séraphine's face for a moment before focusing on her green eyes. For a moment, both women stared at each other.
Neither understood why they couldn't take their eyes off each other. The previous silence, which had radiated unfamiliarity, was now tinged with a much more peculiar color.
"Élodie Duval, police officer and warrior," the woman said, breaking the silence. Her voice was strong and lively, and it made Séraphine smile unconsciously.
"Séraphine Rohan, private detective, supernatural consultant, witch." Séraphine offered her hand as she spoke.
Élodie took her hand in a tight grip, trying to test Séraphine. Even though the witch did not have superhuman strength, she overcame the policewoman's grip.
Although the two had never met before, each knew a little about the other by various means. When they were finally face-to-face, they mentally sized each other up.
A strange atmosphere was generated between them as they shook hands, but it quickly disappeared when one of the gnomes came close enough that the policewoman's and the witch's alert senses were activated.
"A warrior! Much better than the witch, no offense!" the gnome said. This made Séraphine feel uncomfortable, so she let go of Élodie's hand and ducked out of the way.
"Never be rude in front of a witch," Séraphine commented before making a face that startled the gnome. Realizing it was just a joke, he puffed out his cheeks as the other gnomes made fun of him.
"Yeah, sorry. Whatever. We can't do much for you guys, you know? We can only give you this." The gnome removed his prominent blue hat and reached inside it, causing Séraphine to look at him with interest.
"Where do you think the witches stole the magical knowledge for their hats from?" the gnome asked, noticing Séraphine's curiosity, and pulling out two glass thimbles with some reluctance.
"We dare not mention what goes on in that place, but we have prepared some things. You must drink their contents, and you may have a real chance," said the gnome, causing both Séraphine and Élodie to raise an eyebrow.
"The Tower only advised me that we would be attending to a case involving lycanthropes, not anything as serious as this," complained Élodie. However, she accepted the gnome's gesture and took one of the thimbles.
"I'll explain things on the way. Their words give me more hints about what we might expect. It seems it's not a good thing," replied Séraphine to Élodie. She took the thimble and drank its contents in one gulp.
It was a small portion of what could be described as a potion. She readily agreed to drink it because gnomes are not sinister. Soon, she was thankful she had done so.
She felt something sweet land on her tongue, which then dissolved into a comfortable coldness that went straight to her head. Instead of giving her a migraine, however, it calmed many of the symptoms of magic abuse she had been dealing with all day.
It didn't eliminate the symptoms, but it made them easier to ignore. She also felt her mood calm down. This brought back Séraphine's haughty demeanor, reminiscent of the diva she had always been.
Élodie noticed this change. When she first saw Séraphine, she had an intuition that the witch was exhausted and somewhat disheveled. Now, however, Séraphine looked like a magnet for stares, exuding a great deal of confidence.
"Thank you, friend," Séraphine said, feeling comfortable after so many hours of silent agony.
If Séraphine could express a simple comparison for everyone to understand how she felt, her words would make the shy blush and would be inappropriate for the young. So, we can say that she was quite uncomfortable.
"Don't worry. Your recovery is only incidental and won't affect you anymore. It's true function... don't forget to leave us a few sweets when you can, okay?" The gnome asked expectantly, and Séraphine nodded with a big smile on her face.
"Whatever you say. I'll bring the candy early tomorrow morning," Séraphine pledged, making the gnomes jump with excitement.
Élodie watched this scene in silence. Whether she wanted to or not, she always ended up noticing Séraphine more than she should. Noticing this extra attention, the witch turned to look at her, winked, and continued sharing with the gnomes, who gave her all the clues they could without revealing too much.
The cop looked at the thimble in her hand, drank its contents, and felt no particular change except that her slight sleepiness from waking up disappeared. Then she looked back at Séraphine, having a few thoughts in mind.
'She's much more beautiful than in the pictures,' reflected Élodie, who could recognize the beauty of any woman.
"Well, we should go, shouldn't we?" she said, interrupting the dialogue between Séraphine and the gnomes, who looked a little sad.
"May Mother Light protect them!" said a gnome in a feminine voice. The others began to give her well-wishes as the two women walked down the dirt road.
"We could have waited longer. I was having fun," Séraphine complained when she was sure the gnomes couldn't hear her. Maybe that sneaky fairy poking her head out of the bushes could have, though. Who knows?
"We have a case. Aren't you supposed to explain the nuances of all this to me? I don't want to fight for no reason." Élodie didn't beat around the bush. She got to the heart of the matter, causing Séraphine to shake her head.
Séraphine was much more comfortable and suffered less from the affliction of every wizard or witch: abusing the aether. This gave her more confidence and brought out her playful side.
"Come on, officer. It was just some gnomes helping us, and incidentally, giving us more clues," Séraphine said lightly. Despite this, her left hand rested on the handle of her rapier, showing how nervous she was deep down.
"Here's the thing," she said, noticing the disapproving look on the blonde's face. She went on to describe the whole case to her from the beginning.
As they talked, they gradually caught sight of a large farmhouse with cars parked in front. Although it was late afternoon, the whole area seemed unusually dark and cold.
The little light that reached them caused their shadows to be cast on the ground. But as they approached the house, strange things began to happen around them. The women's shadows elongated unnaturally and twisted into two hideous faces.
When this happened, both the witch and the warrior stopped and looked at their respective shadows in unison, holding their weapons tightly. They both had stern expressions due to the danger they had sensed.
The aether in Séraphine's body boiled from deep within her soul, waiting for her to guide it with gestures. On Élodie's side, the same bluish light surged from her arm and covered her warhammer.
This pair of Witch and Warrior would now have their first fight together.