Reincarnation ➵ The Witcher

ii.

EDITH Flayers was an ordinary girl, well, as ordinary as one could get in a world like the one she was living in. Her days merged into one, which wasn't unusual for a farmers daughter such as herself. Her days consisted on caring for cattle, feeding them and eventually preparing to be sent down to the butchery. Often, if she was lucky, she would be able to visit the quaint little bakery across the town for a rare enjoyment of free time. Her days were the usual habit of a calm lifestyle, however, her nights were different than others. Instead of a normal slumber she'd crave for since she was a little girl, Edith's sleep was often terrorised by images she didn't understand.

It always started the same; the same, yellow eyes peering into the darkness with all the knowledge of wisdom she failed to contain. The eyes were familiar, yet they were completely different all the same. Edith knew she had saw them before, but she didn't know where. It was like an urging memory nagging at the back on her mind to remember - but she never remembered anything except for the brief pictures that haunted her dreams. Next, it always followed by the hallowing image of red. Everything was painted in a crimson; a crimson so painfully noticeable it always felt as if she had seen it before, but she didn't know where. Edith never knew where. Finally, all the saw was darkness. Not the usual type of darkness everyone falls into on the edge of unconsciousness, no, it was a darkness that crawled and engulfed the edges of her sleep - as if portraying what was to come.

But none of that mattered, of course it didn't, the only thing that mattered was ensuring her father and her two younger siblings always had food on the table and a roof - even if it was only hay, over their heads. Edith's routine started the same as it always did; by the crack of dawn she was already out feeding the cattle despite the morning dew still clinging onto the grass like second skin. The morning was abnormally cold one that brought shivers down Edith's spine and a chill through her body, however, this did little to deter her from her daily duty. Today started like any normal day but today she knew she was granted the opportunity to visit the town next over with her father and the small, cheap cart they had bought the summer before in order to trade goods with one of the merchants.

Excitement wouldn't explain the emotion bubbling in her chest, no, it would only undermine her happiness of being able to escape the small quaint town, even if it was only for a day. These palisades were like a prison cell to Edith, containing her want to explore the world among her - despite the monsters luring behind that she had yet to witness. Edith's hands worked in a repetitive continuity, feeding the cattle, ensuring they had enough water, before moving onto the next small herd.

This repetitiveness continued until around midday, until her father had finished his own duties of preparing the cart with the two olden horses who have experienced many moons of work. He had called her as soon as he had finished, and she complied straight away. Edith had shut the gate of the pasture behind her, walking the small distance across the grass onto the small cobbled road her father was waiting on.

Edith's father was quite an old gentleman, around 46 summers with black hair greying at the seams. His face was indented with age from the many tough years of labour, however, this did little to prevent the obvious smile lines ingrained into his skin from the years. He was quite short in stature, however, this did little to take away from the large personality he contained filled with softness yet aged with years of grief.

"Are we ready, father?" She questioned, hands affectionately patting the head of one of the two haggard mares. Her father watched her with a smile, hands busy mounting one of the last pieces of trade into the back of the farmers cart.

"Yes Edith, I expect we will arrive mid-afternoon as long as we have no issues along the way."

"..Issues, father?"

"We can never be too careful now, especially with those darned Witchers roaming around like they own the place." Her father shook his head in distaste, body mounting the cart and adjusting the reigns as Edith hopped onto the cart next to him. Edith's eyes narrowed in confusion, yet familiarity. Where has she heard of that term before?

"What's a Witcher, father?"

"An emotionless abomination is what a Witcher is, Dear."

The questions were constant - her curiosity being piqued at the mention the familiar word, "How would we know if we have ever encountered one?"

"They say Witcher's have these eyes - Yellow, beastly eyes that separate them from us," Her father started, and her mind instantly went back to her dreams. Yellow eyes, crimson, and the everlasting darkness. "You'd do best to avoid them, Edith, they are like any other monster in this world." His tone held validation - as if he knew everything about these so called Witchers Edith was so curious about, however, something felt wrong in Edith, as if what her father was saying was incorrect.