The Five Cursed Witches: Volume 1 - Zoe, the Witch of Innocence

Chapter 93 Red against gold

Zoe

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I felt empty and hollow as I stared down at the thread. The scene kept on playing in my mind over and over. The phrase "blood for blood, a life for a life" echoed in my head.

The Necromancer had known exactly what she had been doing. She had been cruel and wicked, letting Harry believe that he would have his family back and whole again, only to take Annabel in exchange for Felix's life. I could imagine a million reasons why she had acted that way. Most likely one of Harry's ancestors, or any witch hunter, had been responsible for killing someone she had held dear. But that didn't make her actions any less cruel, and the emptiness inside of me was slowly being filled with a burning rage.

Then words that I had spoken, but did not remember until Felix had repeated them to me, came to mind. That fear, self-hatred, and guilt destroy a person. I had said it to Harry, and what a joke that seemed to be now. He only knew too well how those feelings destroyed. He had not been able to handle them, so he had turned to anger and revenge.

Just like the Necromancer probably had acted for revenge.

"I'm sorry," I said and put a hand on the thread. It vibrated with an angry buzzing under me. "I know it's difficult. But please. Let the meaningless circle of revenge end here."

I focused all of my mind and energy on the thread. There were several gray threads intertwined with the red to create the whole. I imagined the gray gone, and that I was able to see the colors it concealed. It felt different from last time I had tried with one of Harry's memories, but it also felt vastly different from when I had done it to Alex.

There was resistance. But not from the gray threads themselves, but from the red. I could feel the anger trying to take over, eat up the other threads and myself. The red slowly spread, included my fingers in its anger, then my hand, and slowly up my arm.

That couldn't happen, I couldn't let it spread. I tried to stop it, to break contact before the red managed to get further. But I was stuck in it. My hand was unable to move no matter how I pulled or tugged or just tried to open it, and I could feel how the anger slowly poisoned me. It would eat me up and make me unable to see past it. Unable to feel anything other than anger, just like Harry couldn't.

No, I told myself firmly. There wasn't only anger in Harry. I had felt worry and happiness in his memories too. The anger hadn't eaten him up completely and I wouldn't let it.

I concentrated on the gold threads I had pasted. Those memories that, even though they were tainted with anger, the original happiness shone from. He had loved her and she had made him happy in a way that could never be destroyed.

And the memory of when he had woken up in the basement. He had been worried and scared for Felix's life. And during Annabel's funeral, I just knew the gold that was there was because of Felix. Because Harry had felt love and happiness as Felix had stopped crying in his arms.

I let those memories pour through me and instead of trying to make the gray go away, I focused on letting the gold spread.

"She made you so happy. Please remember it. You loved her and she loved you and you love Felix and are just afraid of losing him too," I whispered and saw the red that had spread to me withdraw.

"I know you blame yourself, but she wouldn't. She said it herself. Anything. She loved you and Felix so much that she was willing to give her life."

The thread vibrated so hard in my hand that it became difficult to hold on, but at the same time, I couldn't let go.

"Remember her for the happiness she gave you, not for the grief her death caused you," I said and made one last push with my mind. Concentrated on and felt the happiness that was still there inside of Harry.

I watched as the whole labyrinth of threads lit up as if it was a glowing sun. When the light had dimmed, all was different. It wasn't the red chaos anymore, but a mixture of many colors. There seemed to me like there still was a lot of red, but it wasn't the gray that was twisted with it anymore. All the gray had gone.

I breathed out a sigh of relief before I pulled myself out. My work there was done, and I had to see what effect it had on Harry Jackson.

I opened my eyes and looked straight into Harry's. They were filled with tears that fell without an end from his cheeks. I could feel the wetness on my own cheeks and knew I had to be looking similar.

For a moment we just stood, staring into each other's eyes, but then he fell to his knees.

"Annabel," he sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Annabel. I should have been the one to die."

I fell to my knees as well and took his hands in mine.

"It's not your fault, and you can't blame yourself. There is no one to blame. Life is cruel, but you have to live and make the best of it all and remember the ones you've lost with happiness and love. Not anger and hatred."

Harry looked up and seemed to remember who I was. For a moment, I thought he would reach for a weapon to kill me. But then the tears seemed to gain new speed.

"Oh, my god. I... How could I... Please. Please, you have to..."

"I know why you did what you did. I know why you thought you were right and I forgive you."