An Eternity of Nihility

Chapter 15: Scarlet naught

— Please take out your colored contacts, asked the queen. They may prevent me from seeing your future.

The Scythe of Silence gave her a questioning, wary look.

— But... I don't have contacts?

Puzzled, the queen approached her face, and inspected her eyes meticulously.

— You mean you really do have red eyes?

— (No, no, I've got violet eyes, banana. Of course I've got red eyes.)

She stepped back, still septic.

— I see. You'll have to excuse me. You may stand in the center.

As Hucral went under the sphere, she couldn't help smiling. The queen had made a grave mistake when she had given the witch permission to observe the sphere for as long as she wanted. And she was about to prove it to her.

The scarlet-haired woman turned and stared at the queen, announcing that she was ready. The latter clasped her hands together, as if in prayer, and recited an incantation. The sphere began to spin faster and faster, causing Hucral to float in the air. A few seconds passed before the color of the globe turned bloody red, and even though the queen was drenched in sweat, she continued the ritual.

The more time passed, the redder the sphere became, which was a bad sign. After 5 minutes, the globe was spinning at the speed of light. Hucral's hair was swept by the wind emitted by the sphere. Without realizing it, the queen was propelled violently to the ground, and as she tried to stand up, the globe exploded into a thousand pieces. Fragments of crystal shot out from all sides, injuring both the witch and her Majesty.

She and her husband opened their mouths, stunned by the scene before them.

The witch, who had stopped floating, elegantly placed her feet on the ground, smiling. She couldn't help but revel in her guests' fear. If she wished, she could restore this orb with her arc of time, but for the moment, she found no use for it.

As the king rose to his feet, the queen simply stared at him in panic, as if a huge lie were about to be revealed. Her husband didn't understand the look she was giving him, but a sense of dread overcame him when he heard their guest conjure up her katana, adorned with death flowers. When he turned his head in her direction, he saw her smile, as if she's amused by the situation. He would have liked to scream and run away, but he was tetanized. Yet Hucral didn't pay the slightest attention to him, as she was focused on the elven queen.

— So... she said, approaching her, what did you see?

This time, she wasn't smiling. Her face remained marbled, but she was eager to know the Queen's answer.

The principal concerned couldn't stop her face from trembling as she tried to formulate a clear answer. She swallowed before answering her question.

— You're... You are monstrous... No words can describe what I've seen and felt.

— Ohhh, because you felt emotions too? She asked, crouching down in front of her. That's interesting.

— Yes. Unlike you, we feel emotions. But you're so horrible, surely you can't understand.

Hucral would have liked to kill her and inflict the worst pain in the world, but she just sneered for a few seconds, her face still impassive.

— Just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't feel it.

Just as she was about to continue the conversation, the king raised his arm slightly, still scared and confused.

— Excuse me... What's going on?