In the vast expanse of the sky, a sudden cloud of acrid green burst, accompanied by a loud blast and tremors. The residual of the dust-cloud sprinkled on the tall trees in the wilderness, showering the leaves as they burnt away upon touch of the particles.
In the clearing within the forest stood a quaint cottage with a crooked roof and curving trail leading to its door.
The smoke came from the crooked cottage and shook the ground around it. As the smoke dispersed, Epinaes — birds with azure feathers and a horn growing from their malar — flew into the sky, carrying with themselves a cacophony of screeches.
Following the poisonous explosion of smoke, deathly silence descended upon the forest, not a single Epinae or wild Cuvorus — four legged beasts tamed by mankind to be their pets — wandered in sight, having abandoned the vicinity instinctively.
But within the strange little cottage, the atmosphere was tense. Sitting in a circle in the middle were four people, making not a single sound.
Three women and a lithe man — with long, blond hair— sat around, not looking at each other. Or the blackened smoke drifting out of the window from the ruined cauldron smoldering on embers.
The man sat with his eyes trained on his lap. His speechlessness was especially suffocating. He could not bring himself to face the women as he shifted anxiously. His face was pallid, tension rock solid down his spine and hands shaking as they clenched on his lap, eyelashes trembling.
"I apologise," hoarsely, he croaked out, unable to look up at any of the women, "I am sorry. I should have—"
"The Enforcer." One of the women, sallow in complexion with long black hair and eyes covered by a white blindfold, spoke up, breaking the tension, her voice light and chiming. "Your hands are bloody, Enforcer."
Enforcer.
"That title is not mine anymore. I possess a name." The man finally looked up, sapphire eyes — heavy, bruised puffiness under them — bloodshot and face frozen.
Another woman, dark in complexion and pale blue hair in a loose braid, sighed softly. "Felix Altan. I do not believe we can allow that any longer."
Felix Altan flinched, the stern quality of her voice knocking him out of balance. "I did not intend to deceive—
"You could not deceive us, Enforcer." The third woman — with fiery red hair and doe-eyes — interjected, her voice deep but not unkind. Swiftly, she bolted upright and stood up, hands clenching by her sides as she glared down at Felix. "The moment you stumbled into our coven, we knew. The moment we chose to care for you, we knew."
Felix stared past the women and at the wall behind them, lips pressed tight. "Then why did you…?"
The black-haired woman reached to tug the scarlet-haired woman's arm. Under the blindfold, her eyes moved. For a fraction of a second, the omega froze, the invisible scrutiny in the gaze he could not see rooting him to the floor.
"We hoped," her voice chimed in the room, none of the four acknowledged the scent of a thoroughly distressed prime omega thickening in the air, "you would entrust us with the knowledge yourself."
Felix shuddered, the gravity of their collective disappointment weighing down his shoulders, voice choking. "Edelina, Isla, Alesoine…"
Isla, the woman with a loose braid and dark skin, held up her palm, signalling him to be silent. "You stayed with us. You knew we were witch doctors, and still became a part of our coven. You learnt magic from us, witchcraft from us..."
"... We helped bring your buried potential to light," Alesoine continued impatiently, "even went so far as to ignore the pitch black darkness of your tainted soul."
"All because I," Edelina's voice faded softly, "saw the little spark of dying light in your soul, Felix."
Felix's head dropped, shoulders sagging as he exhaled shakily. "I was on the run. I would not dare sabotage the only hope of hiding away I stumbled upon."
Edelina's face softened ever so slightly. "Your crimes are countless, the Enforcer. We hid you away for all these years. But it is not possible anymore, I am afraid." Tugging loose the blindfold wrapped around her eyes, she gazed at him, crimson eyes glowing eerily. "The Royal Guards are on their way."
Hearing her words, Felix swallowed, eyes wide and face ghastly pale. "I see. Then… I should leave as soon as I can."
"You will be executed." Alesoine could not help but warn, doe-eyes narrowing.
"It shall be the punishment of my crimes," shaking, the omega stood to his feet, blond hair spilling forward as he tugged the hood of his cloak over his head and pulled it down, "I am forever grateful for your hospitality towards a man as despicable as myself. But now, it is time I bid my fairwell. May the gods be with you."
"Felix!" Barely out of the door, the omega looked over his shoulder, eyes hooded. It was Edelina who'd called out to him. "If given another chance, would you let your light burn brighter?"
With a helpless smile overpowering the sorrowful look on his sickly but beautiful visage, he nodded stiffly. "By all means."
…
Felix Altan had nowhere else to go. He was unsure if he wanted to run any more. The past few years with the three witches had done him good.
Much more than he ever truly deserved.
The damage of his mind was something nearly impossible to undo, he knew how indubitably unsalvageable he truly was.
The scent of fresh grass slithered around him, the young leaves crushing under his steps as he walked. Behind his eyes, where his left eye should have been, the hollow ached.
The white eyepatch covering the absence of his left eye and the scar around it was somewhat sunken. As the ache increased, the omega could not longer withhold a wince that left his lips.
The hollow throbbed, thrumming with a steadily increasing ache as he meandered through the sprawling forest. He needed to put as much distance between himself and the Moonshine Coven as he could before the Royal Guards sniffed out his trail.
Snap.
For a moment, the words seemed to centre on the faintest snap.
Someone was following Felix.
The omega's ears twitched, the faint sound of footfalls not lost on him as he tugged the cloak tighter around himself and sprinted, weaving through the trees with familiar ease. He only had a moment of headstart before the men following him abandoned stealth and ran after him in a wild goose chase.
Felix's face hardened, a biting coldness settling in his eyes as a rock thrown in still waters.
Yes, he did say he would not evade punishment any longer. But these guards?
Felix chanced a look over his shoulder, jaw set tight.
They will have him when he decides they can.