SACRIFICIAL WITCH // 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

[CH 32] Grim Realization

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬʸᴵᴺᴳ : "I Bet on Losing Dogs"
ᴺᴱˣᵀ ᵁᴾ : "Black Out Days"
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▮▮▮▯▯

Leaves crunched underneath their boots as they made their way to their destination.

Teal eyes glanced at the woman beside him, she was oddly quiet. As if lost deep in her own thoughts.

"The Avatar of Wrath worries about you."

(Y/n) glanced at him and her brows slightly scrunched together, "Oh? Are you going to tell me to leave to Celestia as well?" Bitterness seeped in her mouth as the words left her lips.

"I have no right to order you around, my lady."

She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth at his formality, which only slipped out of him as a habit that had yet to die off. It was something that reminded her of the... invisible wall between them. Moments in which he acted emotionally distant. Despite knowing he'd do anything for her, do anything she asked of him, at first she found it sweet—until she realized that it was due to the power she held over him.

She was the master and he was the familiar. She was the lady and he was the servant.

Their arrangement was contrived due to her creator finding it necessary.

These thoughts never bothered her before, not until recently. Only when she started taking her boundaries seriously with the seven did she finally have an epiphany that made her wonder when Dainsleif would do so as well to her.

But he hasn't.

All he's done was remind her to use him however she deemed fit.

And it made her sick.

Sick, because she didn't want to use him. She wanted to get to know him, actually befriend him, to form a bond with him that felt genuine.

Perhaps it was silly that she wanted them to feel like equals. She was either above or below others on an invisible hierarchy, never feeling like anyone stood by her side, and it annoyed her.

She didn't know why, nor did she know when it began, when such an issue began to slither around her neck and whisper into her ear that all her relationships were transactional in a way, artificial. Bound to fall apart with one wrong move, one mistake, one slip of the tongue.

She felt a twinge prick her heart when he'd put on this act of formality—ceasing all signs of familiarity—creating an invisible space between them once aware of her sour mood. She hated feeling like he was walking on eggshells around her.

"Right, of course. It's because you're my familiar isn't it? It's imperative that you follow my orders." She couldn't shut up though.

"It is because I care about your safety. It's my job to—"

(Y/n) raised her hand to stop him, "I don't need to hear this monologue again. It's not like you can disobey me right?" She stopped walking to look at him with a lopsided smile that looked strained.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her, features void of any emotion. "Are you upset with me?"

She felt a bitter laugh threaten to escape her lips. She honestly didn't know why she was acting this way. "Of course not."

Perhaps she was overwhelmed by the potential hunt. The angels, lingering around like hawks. Looking for her, a trembling bunny. She was sure they were scheming.

"I'm sorry," he still apologized anyways, "if bringing up what occurred back at the mansion soiled your mood."

"Just," she held the bridge of her nose, "stop... apologizing." She squeezed her eyes tightly as she tried her best to pull herself together.