Chapter 1: PROLOGUE; THE NIGHT WITCH.
It was said that her name was a taboo among taboos. Her smile had slayed many. Her body was captivating and her figure, made all attracted to her. That was until they realized that beauty was all she had.
A woman who was colder than ice and stronger than a beast. She was even faster than darkness itself. Her name, which meant only death, lived up to its meaning. Those that wronged her died in the most gruesome ways imaginable and till today, they would still cringe in their graves at the thought of what they went through.
Those who were unlucky enough to be visited by her personally due to calling out her name had it even worse. Nevertheless, there was only one way out for both these cases, death. Sometime later, it was said that meeting her through the former was much worse than the latter case. But, some still wondered if it was truly the full story.
Her death too was one mostly talked about. As they brought her to the stake, she cursed them. She cursed them all for killing her without any proof of what she had done wrong. Without hesitation, they ended her and smiled when her corpse was burned to ashes, not taking any meaning to her words. They continued living their own lives. That was until one after another, it happened.
The children born in the night of her death resembled her. They had her white hair, her blue eyes and most importantly, her cold and ruthless heart. However, they were either born of unsound mind or slowly ran mad. The one thing they all had in common was that they all died young.
It was the fourth month of the year according to the Tiger calendar.
The night was dark, as blessings from heaven descended and made contact with the earth. The people had long since waited for this moment. They had prepared their fields, ready for the blessings to descend upon them.
Thus, in their homes they sat around their tables and ate, while others looked out their windows and smiled up at the sky. Relief washed over them as this year was one full of good promises. The children were tucked in their beds as the dreams took them for a ride.
Those who had no homes made sure to stay dry. The strays were nowhere to be seen. Those who had a nut or two loose screws were still out, wondering what was happening. They would stand, dance and look like they were fighting with someone the next minute. When these people were asked what it was they saw, they could not give an answer, for they themselves did not understand.
On that night, in a particular household, the silence that had befallen the villages and surrounding area was naught. Scream echoed and bounced off the walls of the house, drowning out the noise of the rain. Outside the house was a man pacing up and down in distress.
Every time a scream echoed he would wince and fold his hands into fists, each time tighter than the last. He sourly wished that he could help the woman that lay inside the house.
He utterly detested this feeling of helplessness. However, it went without saying that this was not his department or field. He was truly useless in the situation.
The screaming went on for hours and he began getting worried. The love of his life was in there, while he was outside, unable to be of any use.
His heart ached as he thought of how much she was suffering. This brought him much sorrow, however, what would come after was a bundle of bright light in this dark night. He looked up at the cloud covered sky. Just then, the moon peeked out from beneath the dark clouds.
Although it was for a mere second, he felt as if his worries had been illuminated slightly. Yes. There would be a bright bundle of light. He raised his hand, allowing his palm to be drenched by the rain.
The screams stopped, causing him to swivel his neck to look back at the house. The rain echoed, thunder struck and there it was. The sound both of them had been waiting for. A cry was heard as it called out to the world. At that moment he ran in without a second thought.
Inside lay the most beautiful woman in the world in his eyes. Her skin was sweaty, and her eyes fell shut for a few seconds before she looked up at him. He had burst suddenly into the room, startling the midwives. However, she gave him a small but tired smile. Her eyes lifted up at the sides, and she cocked her finger, beckoning him over.
His eyes lit up when they saw the both of them, and despite being the man of the family, he felt tears pool at the corners of his eyes. He approached them and the midwives gave him way.
One of them, the younger one who was still in her teens, walked forward and bowed before him. He gave her a small nod, allowing her to speak.
"It's a boy… but…" She hesitated for a few seconds, glancing back at the older midwife who was packing up the tools that they had used.
"You may leave." A weak voice pleaded. He swiveled his neck to look at the woman who lay on the bed, and squinted his eyes slightly.
"Dear." He spoke softly.
The midwives did as they were told, leaving the two of them alone in the room. The scent of blood pierced his nostrils, but he still took a few steps forward, approaching her. She retracted herself afraid of what he might do if he saw their child. The child was swaddled tightly in clothing that only showed his small wrinkled up face.
However, he only noticed the look in her eyes.
She was now willing to part with him for the sake of her child. His life, which was yet to begin, was far more important than hers. He wordlessly took a seat beside her bed. She was exhausted but still managed to glare at him with those needlessly bright eyes of hers.
He sighed, clicking his tongue. He silently made up his mind to take the task on and protect both of them. She, who lay on the bed still holding their child tightly in her arms, she saw that the look in his eyes had changed. There was determination and kindness to them. Her body relaxed and she loosened the grip she had on their son.
Once he did, he was convinced of the reaction he got earlier. The curse of the witch of the night had been passed down to their son. However, unlike the other children born on such a night, their child had one green eye and one silver one.
He picked up the child from his wife's arms, holding his head as carefully as he could. The young one stared at his father silently, before reaching out a small grubby paw to rub the small beard that had begun to grow on his chin.
Then, as if he had seen something funny, the child giggled. The child's voice was low, but it directly pierced into the man's heart.
Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to fight it. His son would be able to live. However, he knew better than most, what many people would see was the curse and not the life of the child. He had seen so many parents before begging for the lives of their children when it was far too late for them.
His heart ached just thinking about it. He did not know if he would experience the same pain. All he could do was pray that his son would live a comfortable life before his life ran out.
He looked away from the child and gave his wife a small smile. His heart clenched when he saw her pale expression. Her lips had turned a dark blue color while her hair, from the roots to the ends, had become a silver white color. As the image of the cursed witch presented itself before him, he became too shocked to move and too terrified to breathe.
His wife turned to look at him, her warm beautiful eyes now replaced with cold blue ones. Her blue lips pulled up into a smile, causing spikes of cold chills to rush through his body.
"Lucky are thou, for thy son is much stronger than any of the maggots before him. For this, thine will let him live. Take this as grace that thine are gifting upon thou and thy family." Her blue lips pulled up even further, exposing the white teeth that lay beneath.
Relief washed over him, and he subconsciously relaxed. He was just about to answer her when she spoke up once more.
"But, be warned human man! If the child does not find that which is true, he shall suffer the same fate as all the others. Heed my warning, human man. Do not ignore that which you do not know and acknowledge that which you do, as the others did, for this shall only cause his demise. I truly wish you and the child all the best." She mumbled the last part.
With that she left her. He slumped into the seat he was on, and watched with slit eyes as his wife's hair turned color once more. She coughed weakly and looked at her child.
She had heard what the night witch had to say. She had also felt what she felt and was convinced that that woman was not as cold and evil as everyone made her out to be. This made her wonder what the story behind her was. She was curious to find out why she had done all she had. If she truly was as innocent as she had felt, why hadn't she tried to clear up her name? Why had she lived such a dreary life?
Her vision blurred and she slumped in her bed. She gave her husband a small smile. Her lips were still slightly blue, but she coughed. Red blood dripped onto her lips and down her chin.
"H-his name is Echo Tyra," she breathed. Each breathe taking its toll on her, but she still continued. "It means reflection of a brave warrior. He will overcome everything that is thrown his way. I believe it."
The man gave her a smile as she handed her name over to him and their son. He held back all the questions in his mind as he took her hand in his own. He let her rest and rocked their child, watching him as she slept as well. He placed the child on the bed next to her before heading to the door where a shadow appeared.
"Spread the word."
The two figures talked for a while before the shadow disappeared. He looked down at his son and was convinced that with this, his son would not have a harsh life. He was convinced that with this, his son would have a lighter sentence. He was convinced, that with this, his wife could smile a little longer.
"My little warrior, I will protect you till the sun stops rising. Just bear with me a little longer." He said this while bowing his body and placing a light kiss on his little forehead.
His eyes flitted to his wife who still lay in their bed. With a smile on his face, he pushed a stray lock of her hair back from her forehead. It was then that he noticed her skin was as cold as ice. He froze.
Although she was terribly pale, her beauty was still as fresh as it was the first moment he laid his eyes on her. He had hoped that they could still make more memories, that she could still live a little longer.
With a silent thud, he fell onto his knees, the tears that had pooled down his eyes now falling down his cheeks. His hand grasped tightly onto her own cold one. Shoulders shaking, he looked up at her. Light from the moon poured in from the window, illuminating her pale figure. He found his body raising up on its own, as he grabbed onto her cold body. Her head bobbed back, as his tear stains stained the light dress she had been wearing.
Even if she was gone, she had given him five lights in his life, and this, was the six one. He could not ask for more. No. He would not ask for more. He was happy but still.
He tightly grasped her limp body, allowing another tear to run down his cheek. In the noisy night a silent scream rang, unheard by anyone but him and his son.
Eyes fluttered open as a figure searched around the premise of a dark room and a smile greatly shone as they turned in comfort to their side. The figure snuggled into their covers while looking up at the covered windows. Their eyes glittered in the dark, they exhaled.
"Welcome, little one." The whisper of a woman whose voice was drenched in malice said as she basked in her own twisted sense of what could only be described as joy.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone