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

Chapter 104 Repressed memories

Zoe

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My mind was blank as I looked at Scarlet. I had no idea why she was back or what she wanted, but I knew it couldn't be anything good.

"Why are you not wearing your usual depressing clothes? Willing to kill whatever now?" she asked, but then looked down at the ground and I saw as realization hit her. She opened her mouth to say something, but my mind had finally started to work again and I beat her to it.

"Where is the Priestess?"

Scarlet sneered. "You don't have to worry about her. Not just yet anyway."

"Why are you back here?" I asked next, and she opened her mouth to talk, but at the same time the door to the house opened and Felix ran out of it. He looked at me with fear and I knew he must have felt mine through the bond.

"Zoe, what..." he started, but then he saw Scarlet and he halted. Anger appeared on his face.

"Oh, so you brought the mate with you," Scarlet chuckled. "Well, now, that's just perfect. You see, I've always believed in an eye for an eye."

"No!" I yelled and ran to stand between them as Scarlet started to chant. But that didn't matter. Partly because me physically being between them wouldn't stop the spell. But also because Scarlet's eyes widened when she had finished and Felix still stood unharmed.

"It's not that easy to hurt a witch hunter's son," Felix said calmly to Scarlet and then walked forward to stand next to me.

I saw how Scarlet's eyes landed on the amulet, and her eyes narrowed. But a light also seemed to shine there. I knew what she would do, what she had realized. Though witchcraft couldn't hurt him, weapons still could.

Without really thinking, without actually caring if it would work or what I maybe would discover, I plunged forward. The only thought in my mind in that moment was that I needed to ensure that Scarlet didn't hurt Felix.

My hand connected with the skin on her arm. I saw her eyes widen in terror as I jumped into her life energy.

In difference from both Alex and Harry, Scarlet's physical life energy was perfect. It didn't come as a surprise for me. Being a witch, she had likely always healed any injury through magic. So as soon as I was connected, I instead went one level deeper to see what her labyrinth of memory threads would look like.

It was vastly different than both Alex's and Harry's had been. Though if I had to pick one, it looked more like Alex's.

There were all different types of colors weaving in and out of each other. But some shone brightly, while others almost seemed to be disappearing. It wasn't the same as the gray threads. Those had still looked strong. It really was more like some were disappearing, fading away, as if she was forgetting the memories.

It made sense that some memories would be weaker and eventually disappear. We didn't remember everything we had ever been through after all. But it seemed to be unproportionally much, and it made me wonder if Scarlet was actively trying to forget about certain things.

What though?

At that moment, I had forgotten why I had even dived into her to start with. Curiosity had taken over. And without a second thought, I randomly picked one of the dimmed memories to have a look.

I saw myself as a little girl, not more than five years old. I sat in the coven's library looking at complex pictures over a spell. Scarlet came up and sat down opposite of me. She was older than me and already a grownup.

"Why are you looking at that?" she asked me.

I had been too absorbed in the book to notice her, so when she spoke I was briefly startled. But then pouted.