At the edge of Rottin Wood, Lyara appeared behind the trees, walking from the palace of the Blossom Glades.
On one side, the glades, was a vast field of foliage that was covered with beautiful flowers. The scent of the flowers was intoxicating and alluring. Only by smelling it, a man could lose his mind and fall into depravity in no time. An intricate, invisible trap that was laid out beautifully by the witches. One that barely anyone noticed.
On the other side, the woods, was an area fully covered with tall black pine trees. The trees gave off an unpleasant smell and hidden dangers. One that would chase away any Ashen slave. They couldn't leave the glades because what was waiting out there for them was something much worse.
Siderius waited inside Rottin Woods. His back was bandaged carefully. He was still in a lot of pain, but that wouldn't hinder what he was supposed to do.
His black eyes observed Lyara walking to the Rottin Woods. Everything lit up in his vision, he could see everything as bright as day.
Lyara didn't bring any torches. She thought that the darkness would only add to the play she was planning.
"Boy?" She purred. "Circus boy? Where are you?"
The nameless boy came for a circus. He was an actor specifically and would normally participate in plays for the joy of others. He had no name because he was the lowest of the low. He had no family ties, and he was a man.
A man that could never be awakened into a witch.
"I'm here," Siderius called out. He hid inside the darkness, only revealing parts of his body for Lyara to see.
"Why are you in there, boy? Come and meet me." Lyara seductively said. She swirled her skirt gently, making it float up a bit, revealing her pure white thighs.
"I'm shy… Can you come closer?" Siderius stepped back further into the woods. His body completely disappeared into the darkness.
Lyara snickered. She licked her lips and followed him.
The boy had an unreasonably pretty face. His skin was white, different from the usual slaves. He was raised by dancers in the circus, and therefore, that gave him a feminine aspect to his vibe.
This was only the spice on top of a delicious food, making him look even more precious in the eyes of the witches. All witches wanted him for themselves. They wanted to make him their own personal slave.
With a love slave like that, they would surely advance in the ranks of witches quickly.
But in return, the boy would have to face unimaginable torture, both physically and mentally. 'Love' that the witch promised was never just love. And Siderius knew that very well.
This uninitiated witch, Lyara Starcrow, came from a high family. Her mother was a Major Witch, a powerful magic user that everyone looked up to. One of the rulers of the Blossom Glades. Such a specimen like the boy would only be spared for people like her.
"Come on, now. Don't be shy." Lyara said. She's going through the woods, playing hide-and-seek with Siderius. The play made her exhilarated. The wait would only heighten the pleasure that she was about to get.
Siderius moved seamlessly in the woods. His feet touched the ground gently, without making any sounds. The wilderness was the playground of the witch hunter. In here, he was the predator.
"Come closer, Lyara. Come closer. I have a surprise for you." He said.
"Oh, you pretty boy… You didn't need to do that." Lyara got more anxious. Her heart filled with fiery lust. She imagined all the things that she would do to him once they were together.
Choking him while he begged for mercy. Stabbing him with betrayal in his eyes. Or commanding him to hurt himself for her pleasure.
Every negative emotion fueled the witch's power.
The more they went inside the Rottin Woods, the fewer spores there were in the air.
The spores of the Plague Trees. The trees that produced aphrodisiac pheromones that could easily vanquish any man's will. Siderius couldn't be sure that this body could resist it, so he needed to lure her further.
"Hey! Stop playing! Come out to meet me!" Lyara lost her patience and screamed out. Her eyes flickered a faint pink light. The light of her power.
"Listen to my voice, Lyara. We're almost there. I prepared a very special place for you." Siderius kept fishing, his voice was a mix of lust and greed. It's like he couldn't wait to devour her whole.
That tone was all Lyara needed to hear. All her caution went out the window, and she kept on moving. She didn't notice that she had stepped over a thick salt line on the ground.
Siderius smirked. He stepped out of the darkness, letting the moonlight shine on him.
"My love! There you are!" Lyara lunged at him. She hugged him tight.
Her skin was scorching hot from all the lust that was boiling within. She ground her hips on Siderius' waist. Her skin was soft and filled with the scent of flowers.
She looked up at him and, without hesitation, licked his chin. Her tongue was soft and wet, delivering a special chemical that caused Siderius' body to tremble a bit.
Lyara snickered seductively.
"Are you anxious, boy? Are you looking forward to what I am about to give you?"
Siderius grinned widely. "Oh, I am. I have been looking forward to this moment for the last two months."
In his hand was the obsidian knife he had made. It was covered in salt at the moment. Siderius stabbed the knife into Lyara's abdomen and kicked her away.
He immediately stepped into darkness, hiding himself from her.
"YOU?! You lowlife?! How dare you?!" Lyara roared. Her abdomen burned like it was branded. Her skin let out black smoke.
"How? What is this?"
"It is salt. Well. Not just your everyday salt but a special kind of salt. One that will hurt witches like you."
Siderius raised his hand and started gesturing.
The three pillars of Alchemy. The three 'S'.
One was the Seal. He used it to summon the system.
The second was the Sign. Hand gestures that could evoke alchemical reaction and control the Alchemy Seal to its perfection.
He closed all the fingers on his right hand, leaving the index out and slightly curved. He drew a circle in the air. That was the first Sign.
The second Sign was conducted simultaneously. The back of his left hand points to the ground. All the fingers stretched out and slowly moved into the curved position.
The salt line lit up, a faint blue barrier covered the entire area.
Now, there was no hiding the truth from Lyara anymore. She turned her head back 180 degrees without moving her body. Similar to that of an owl.
Lyara grew bigger, her limbs stretched out to be double their normal size. The witch's tongue stuck out, long like a snake.
She growled a sinister noise.
Without saying anything, Lyara jumped on a nearby tree and quickly climbed higher. She's looking for higher ground to jump over the barrier.
Siderius was never going to let her do that.
The third Sign. He clasped his two hands together. The barrier closed itself off at the top, creating a dome of faint blue energy.
[MERCURY EXTRACT -5]
[MERCURY LEVEL: 48]
Mercury Extract, the transformative substance. With it, Siderius could conduct any Alchemy Seal and Sign. But it was costly. Especially in this world with very little development toward mining and alchemy.
Lyara smashed her entire body into the barrier. Her skin burned like charcoal, and she was repulsed back.
Lyara rolled a few times on the ground, quickly getting back on her feet.
"Who are you? Which coven are you from?!" Lyara screamed. "I am Lyara Starcrow. My mother is a Major Witch. Do not mess with me!"
"I am no witch! I am a witch hunter.
And tonight will be your last, witch!"