Legends of Forlienne

Chapter V: The Witches

 Some of the most dangerous beings on the planet of Forlienne were the demons. Children of gods who had not inherited their parents' celestial power, Demons were almost always blessed with immense power. This rule, as all do, had exceptions.

The first of the witches were triplets, born to Hepelii, the goddess of reptiles, and Semyiel, the god of souls. It was clear when the first of them exited the womb that it was not a god. The child's skin was covered in pale yellow scales, spanning the length of her infant body. When she let out her first wail, it was earsplitting. When her little mouth opened, the noise which emerged could be heard throughout the underworld. Those who had not turned away at the painful noise could see within her tiny mouth a pair of fangs which already dripped with venom.

The second of the witch children seemed fae at first. When her head popped out, it had the pointed ears which all fae have, but by the time she had emerged completely, it was clear that she was like her sister. The bottom half of her body was fused together like the tail of a snake, and it was covered in brilliant green scales. The moment she was free of her mother's womb, she escaped from the arms of the midwife who had delivered her and slithered to the darkest corner of the room, where she curled up to sleep.

The third was on its way. The moment her head peeked out, she was crying. This was not unusual for the children of gods, and Hepelii was hopeful that at least one of her children was a god. It was not to be. By the time she had fully exited the womb, it could be sensed by the surrounding gods that she did not have the spark of power which made gods what they were. It could also be seen that her hands were covered in scales of a deep red, and that the ends of her hands were tipped with long, claw-like fingernails.

All three of the children were demons.

The god and goddess loved their children, and they nurtured them throughout their childhood. As was the custom among the gods, both parents, regardless of love or marriage, would remain together until the young demons were fully grown. Hepelii and Semyiel, being only lovers, followed this custom. The childhood of the young demons was short by the standards of the gods, lasting only one hundred years. When this time expired, Hepelii left her children to the care of the world, trusting them to be capable of protecting themselves. Semyiel did not.

Although they were demons, the triplets had yet to show an inkling of any kind of magical ability. This worried him, but, being a minor god, he didn't have the power needed to grant his children what he considered to be enough magic. So he sought help.

First, he went to Harmylk, the god of war, and his sister Pesdfey, the goddess of peace.

"Another race of magic wielding demon only provides more opportunity for conflict," Pesdfey told Semyiel.

"There are enough races on this planet to fuel the wars of a thousand generations. Why would I need another?" Harmylk told him.

Next, Semyiel went to Gadhtri, the god of the wild. Gadhtri refused to help. He saw any being which had not evolved naturally as an abomination. He would not contribute to the further destruction of his beautiful wilderness.

Semyiel tried to get help from almost all of the major gods, or at least those who would hear his request. All of them refused. It was when he had nearly given up hope that Liysnah approached him with an offer.

This was before Liysnah was locked away, you see, and Safrehk still felt the protective instincts of an older sibling when it came to her. Semyiel hadn't dared ask either of them for fear of Safrehk's unpredictable temper. But now, she came to him.

She had seen his plight, and, feeling pity for him, she offered to use her own power to grant the young demons the power they needed to live in peace for all of their immortal lives.