The Life As The Devil's Son

Chapter Six: Devil's Curse

My eyelids fluttered open, and the world around me remained a hazy swirl until a distant voice pierced the air. Startled, I jolted upright on a nearby couch, my gaze sweeping the room until clarity finally settled in. I found myself perched on the couch's edge, and as my fingers clenched the fabric, the approaching footsteps quickened my pulse. My head snapped up, and my eyes strained to focus, revealing a young boy approaching me. He seemed to be around my age, but my fear held me back, suspicion gnawing at my thoughts: Is he a disguised agent of my father, sent to manipulate me once again?

Soft words trickled from his lips in an attempt to calm my mounting fear. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you."

Gradually, my trembling body began to subside, and I fixed my gaze on his outstretched hand. In his palm was a piece of bread. Skepticism still lingered, but hunger got the better of me as my stomach rumbled. I accepted the offering, muttered a subdued "Thank you," and grasped the bread.

The boy settled down beside me and raised an eyebrow as he began to introduce himself: "My name is Anthony. What's yours?"

I shook my head, my response muffled by a mouthful of bread—a deliberate tactic to stave off further conversation. Yet Anthony's persistence remained unyielding, with a determined glint in his eyes. He seemed annoyingly eager to know who I was.

I sighed in defeat. This kid wasn't going to give up. "It's Austin," I muttered, my voice less guarded.

Just as I thought that might satisfy him, a woman with dark hair materialized before us. Her eyes were yellow like a cat's, glowing with an otherworldly intensity that made me jump from my seat.

"Austin Hudson," she uttered, her eyelids raising as if she had been expecting me.

My confusion deepened, and my brows furrowed. "Who are you, and how do you know my full name?" I asked, my wariness shifting to a new target.

She gazed at Anthony and motioned with her hand for him to leave the room. "Son, can you give us a moment?"

Anthony nodded before leaving me alone with this strange and mysterious woman.

She then fixed her gaze back on me with a faint smile. "I am Tara. I am what you might call a shadow witch," she mentioned while extending her arms outward in a welcoming response.

The weight of her words bore down on me. A shadow witch? It sounded like something out of a fantasy book, but here she was, standing before me.

"I am also a seer. I knew about your existence long before you came to this world," Tara pointed out while raising her chin. She claimed to have heard so much about me, and I wondered how much she truly knew. My thoughts raced, and my heart thumped as I tried to comprehend the situation unfolding before me.

My mind struggled to wrap itself around her statement. A seer that knows about me? It felt like I had stepped into some alternate reality where nothing made sense.

"Wait, wait," I stammered, my voice betraying my confusion. "You knew about me before I even got here? How is that possible?"

Tara's gaze remained steady, her yellow eyes never leaving mine. She seemed to sense my bewilderment and offered a patient smile. "Time is not a linear path for me. I can see moments that have not yet occurred. Your arrival here was not unexpected," she clarified.

My head spun as I tried to process her words. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with missing pieces. "So, you're saying you saw me before I was born? And you knew I'd end up here?"

Tara's smile deepened, a glint of amusement dancing in her eyes. "Indeed, young one. Your existence was foretold in the whispers of the universe long before you crossed over."