The Overlords Witch {BL}

Chapter 31 - Burdened

"Dead? "she repeated almost breathlessly. As if her ears failed her Natashya couldn't help but confront Ingrim, "He can't be dead! Where's his body then"

"We've yet to discover it, and he was said to be taken for food by a large beast but..." he handed her a bag.

Inside it, she recognised the silver ornaments that the boy was never seen without. And his black hair tied in a bundle. Her teeth sunk into her lips but she still didn't believe his words alone. Even if a week had almost past since.

"Who said it? Do you have the culprit? Let me see him"

Ingrim clearly had his reservations, but for one reason or another, he nodded and guided her. A cell wouldn't be a fitting word to where the man was, it more like a hole or a coop, the space was cramped. It was uncomfortable on the eyes not to mention the decadence of the entire dungeon, not a single light other than the one a guard held before them.

The man scrambled as soon as he saw people, he was in a deplorable state that made Natashya feel nauseous as if the smell of sour of blood and sour rotting flesh wasn't bad enough. The man was clearly burnt in many places, where he ears should've been were just bloody holes.

He kept rocking back and forth with a pleading look in his eyes as he spotted them, "It wasn't me...it wasn't me... I didn't kill that monster...it wasn't me I didn't kill it... I beg..i beg of you".

Natashya felt weak and her stomach dropped further, the words came right out his mouth. He was clearly desperate so why would he lie. She did in fact remember his face though he wasn't the leader he was the one who left along with him.

"You call that boy a monster?", she squeezed the bars to the man's cage and pressed her face very close. Her face was a grimace of a deep crease in her eyebrows and her lips were a straight line.

As if she remembered herself, she quickly stood and turned with a deep breath, her voice still heavy and unbecomingly low "...but it seems you have never witnessed your own pathetic appearance, and you will die alone in this darkness. Monster"

The man seemed to not heed a word as he just continued to rock back and forth repeating the same things," I didn't do it...the monsters dead...dead... I didn't kill it... I beg you"

Natashya felt the tightness in her throat knot even more painfully, she slammed her fist on the next cage before pacing away.

He was a good boy she knew that; he was pure and burdened with so much. He was so childlike, he couldn't even express himself properly, yet somehow, he found himself in such a brutal place. If only she made the right choice, he would still be...

----------A week earlier----------

"Please, no more"

'It hurt that's all he knew, pain all over his body. Once on his face, another stomp to his stomach, it robbed him off his air. Everything stung, everything felt painful. '

"It hurts", he sobbed blood streaming from him nose.

"Won't you use your powers again Witch? ", another was a foot thrown to his stomach he felt a crunch in his stomach.

"It...Hurts" he repeated.

He couldn't see and he couldn't breathe, Sera choked for air hoping it would get inside his body and stop the pain.

"That should be enough to teach the witch", The leader heaved, arching forward.

"Shouldn't we kill it? It's a witch and isn't that our current job Fenil?" the other man asked unwilling to move away from the witch, he held the torch close.

"No, it is useful to us and didn't you see Gurt?"

"How is that witch useful and see what?", Gurt was already irritated and furthering that annoyance was his boss' roundabout way of speaking.

"Purple with bruises, a bloodied nose and not even a spark. The witch probably drained his energy. We could probably sell it"

"And the first job? We're supposed to kill it!"

"That won't be a problem that man. Our employer will probably want proof. So, we send its hair and maybe these pieces could be sold too "

The man took a knife out hidden in his trousers and tugged at Sera hair roughly, and cut a long chunk "Here, tie it up and put it in your knapsack". He tossed the hair.

Gurt who was close snatched the hair that landed on his chest, "you think he'll believe us?"

"I have never seen anyone else with black hair, have you?

Gurt scratched his head roughly and released a chesty sigh. Again, dragged into tiresome things. His boss was more happy than usual since, it was quite the accident that they found the black-haired one. Like magic, he appeared nearby to them.

The other man responded with a taunted sneer and took off both the earrings and threw them to Gurt.

Sera immediately reacted and covered his neck; they couldn't take this. Its something important that Dez gave him and if they took it, he could never see Dez again. They couldn't take it he wouldn't let them

Tears and blood ran down his face, "Please" he begged desperately holding his neck. "Don't...take it..aaa" another flash of pain was thrown at him.

"You're lucky... ", Fenil grunted as he mercilessly stomped on the boy's shoulder "we don't skin you... Witch" he finished twisting his foot.

"Please" Sera felt himself slip in and out of darkness, his hands weakened and slowly he felt it slip from his neck.

'Dez please...'

"Haha you see this they're all snakes, isn't it weird" Fenil appraised to the necklace.

"I hear they're seen as divine in some regions..." Gurt responded but shortly went quiet.

"Never mind just take it..." the other man didn't notice and just continued to hand him another ornament. It took him more than a moment to realise why exactly Gurt was silent, it was a wolf.

Less than a metre from him was this grey-white wolf, it was massive but all bone too, Gurt didn't move. As if he did, the wolf wouldn't see him at all, a low growl came out its mouth.

Just as it pounced sinking its massive teeth right into Gurts arms he let go of the source causing it to roll. He screamed and flailed and just when the wolf was to take another bite, presumably at his neck this time around.

Fenil intervened before the wolf had the chance, the knife he left beside him he now grasped it tightly. Not sparing another second, he lunged at the animal piercing the wolfs stomach, then its neck, then its neck again. "Old shit" when he saw it retreat, he went to see the extent of Gurts wounds

Immediately it let go of the first man in a poor whimper, then retreated it limped over to Sera and lay at his feet. Sera could barely see it through his hazy vision he tried to stretch his hand out, but when he moved, he felt a deep and sharp pain reverberate throughout his body.

He sobbed in response, he hurt all over and he couldn't even help something right in front of him. Both of the men got closer making Sera stomach sink, before they were able to do anything, he surrounded himself and the wolf in a dome-shaped shield of ice.

He strained desperately to get the words out "don't..." he begged, he struggled to stretch his arm out but it was too far away.

Eventually whimpers no longer left wolf just a pale silence. When Sera finally touched the wolf, nothing happened a spark of light shone then quickly collapsed. It was too late and his vision began to darken, only coarse breaths left from Sera's own mouth when he collapsed.