Her Witch, Her Demon: Book 1 of Hers Trilogy [WxW]

20. The Beginning

Two weeks later

Twenty years. That was how long Herragal had been in seclusion, patiently evolving her Chaos. And in twenty years, she'd not had a moment of peace. Her mind tormented her. Day and night. The threads of the present, past, and future interwove like the labyrinths of Madorathis. When she strained to untangle them, they knotted even tighter.

For eons, her prophecies had been nothing but accurate. But from the moment her evolution began, nothing made sense as the lines between that which was known and unknown blurred. It was a bloody war, her mind the battlefield.

For twenty years, two months, and six days...

But one cool evening, while nurturing her mind in her temple in Tavras, the wheezing in her fractured mind silenced, and the constant shifting of her memories and visions stilled. Peace. She had never felt tranquil in two decades. It was almost foreign to her mind.

Slowly, the cracks of her broken visions pieced together. Torrents of images effused from her mind like a burst dam, transporting her into an infinite realm molded from her dreams. Trillions and trillions of visions and memories. Past, present, future. From the Old Realm and New. No doubt her skill had evolved. The scale was much vaster in space and time. Then the last crack of her mind healed, melding into a coherent whole.

Suddenly she saw everything. It all made sense to her. Unlike when she struggled to piece together bits and pieces, the process was seamless now. Instant, even.

For the first time in twenty years, she completely trusted her visions again.

Herragal stood up and frowned. The Union. How had she misinterpreted what she saw about the Union? She thought it would destroy the world. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had softened the severity of the end of the world, far less than it was supposed to be. Now that her mind had finally healed, one thing was crystal clear — this was just the beginning of the end. Her prophecy to Onixcasria suddenly made sense, and she shuddered in excitement for the future.

"When you crush the moon," Herragal mumbled, "and the crown touches your head, then your seed will conquer the crown of the sun. But beware, for pride prowls in darkness, primed to prey on life."

The first half of the prophecy had been fulfilled. The second part would forever change the three realms as they knew it.

But first, she had to return to Gatr and deal with the impatient demon prince.

* * *

Two days after Herragal returned to her palace in Gatr, she had a visitor. Already expecting him, Herragal instructed her Second Power to usher her guest to the throne room where she sat imposingly on her high golden throne, dressed in her most spellbinding dress. She was not one for formalities, but it was necessary to silently remind this particular guest that he was in her dominion of power.

In strutted the First Power and Lord of Nozra Dominion in all his dazzling glory. Firstborn of Lucifer. His black princely robes clung to his slender body majestically. With his olive skin, long silver hair, and fiery ruby eyes, he was the spitting image of his father.

"Prince Darizen," said Herragal. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Your Highness."

"I heard you returned, Lady Herragal," he said, flashing his most charming smile. Yet, Herragal would not be fooled. She'd known Darizen from infancy. That clogron was the most cunning being to walk the face of the three realms, second only to Lucifer. Most people would fall for Darizen's charms. She was not most people. "I wanted to welcome you back," he added.