The party had defeated a Golem.
After the battle was over, they pressed on continuing their path to the dungeon. However, they decided to postpone entering the dungeon for the day, instead choosing to rest and recover their battle-weary bodies, especially Straf. He was in no serious danger, however, he needed time to recover. Eris had given him some of the potion pills she had bought from Tabor's shop, hoping to ease the boy's pain.
The group settled beneath a rocky overhang and lit a campfire to push back the mountain's chill. Drawing on her knowledge on mountains, having lived on one herself, Lili proceeded to gather some herbs and hardy mushrooms within the area to help Straf with his healing and to fill their bellies for the night.
"Are you sure that won't kills us?" Eris asked the witch preparing their meal.
"If you don't like it, you don't have to eat," Lili replied.
The three gathered close to the campfire and began to munch on their mushroom meal. Sitting by his side, Lili fed the bed-ridden Straf, in this case, a blanket on top of some leaves.
"This is delicious!" Eris declared, her eyes widened in shock as she had not expected it to have much flavor.
"Thanks, Lili. Witches aren't that scary, after all." Straf said, a gentle smile formed in his face.
"What did you think witches were, anyway!" Lili yelled, feeling somewhat irritated and offended.
"Well, people mostly say you bring bad luck and curse others, but now I can see you're nothing like that," Straf explained, trying to redeem himself from his previous remark.
"Of course, it's not like that! It's just…" Lili felt a need to explain why witches had isolated themselves from the humans but it wasn't time. She still had to explore more of the world before she can come to a conclusion.
"You don't have to say anything you don't want to. But, I think witches are great, the way you can use magic and all that. If it weren't for you, I'd be flat as a pancake by now," Eris let out a chuckle trying to make light of what happened. "I can't thank you enough."
Lili felt her heart grow warm, Eris' words wrapping around her like a soft embrace.
"Well, we're not that different from humans. We live in towns, have festivals, and…"
Lili went on to share tales of her life back home, careful not to reveal too much, keeping their secret hidden between the lines of truth.
…
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[Good morrow, Most Esteemed Reader!
It is I, your humble Chronicler, once again.
If you have reached this point, I feel it only fitting to reward you with a story from a distant past.
Back to the story of the First Witch.]
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…
On that fateful day, Selene and her party had just conquered a dungeon, when suddenly, a surge of blinding Mana engulfed the cavern where they stood. They felt waves of heat emanating from its core. After the light was gone, a floating sphere of gold had appeared in front of them, its surface warm to the touch. Delicate lines ran across the metal forming an unfamiliar writing.
Selene held out her hand and grabbed the ball with her fist. She marvelled at the metal sphere as it gleamed like a captured Sun in her fingers, unknown symbols dancing across its radiant surface.
Before she could hand it to her other party members, it melted in her hand. An intense burning sensation shot from her hand as if accidentally holding a boiling pot.
"Aaaaaaaaah!" Selene shrieked in agony.
"Selene!!" her party members, Bryn and Tora, exclaimed.
Then, the molten metal crept its way up her arm to her neck, carving a path of scorched flesh. It crept further, traversing her face and settling on her right eye. Her eye burned as the golden goo claimed it. Eventually, Selene had past out from extreme pain.
The next day, Selene had awoken to a bed on an inn in the nearby village with bandages covering her right eye. She placed her hand on the bandaged eye trying to feel if it was still there.
"Bryn! Tora!" Selene called out to them, feeling confused and afraid.
"Selene, we're here." The two burst into the room immediately after hearing their leader's cry.
"What happened to me?" Selene cried out. She could feel tears running down her left eye, but not her right. It felt cold, solid and lifeless.
Tora brought out a small mirror from her pocket and handed it to Selene.
"Whatever you see, you're going to be fine," Tora said, her tone was soft trying to ease the burden in her friend's feelings.
Removing her bandages, Selene gazed at her reflection in the mirror and was shocked to see her right eye was gone, and had been replaced by a golden sphere. Panic raced through her mind as her vision split into two overlapping images as if the world had torn itself apart.
When she closed her right eye, everything looked normal. However, when she closed her left eye, everything seemed to be of made of gold - the walls, the bed, even Bryn and Tora.
Days passed and through her newfound vision, she began to see symbols being projected from certain objects. She noticed a flurry of symbols that jutted from her fire sword, from monsters and even dungeons.
And then, a sudden realization swept through her. She was seeing Mana in a different form. Determined to understand what the symbols meant, she meticulously sketched and recorded them on parchment scrolls. After years of dedication, her collection grew and she was able to decipher the meaning behind some of them.
Her first discovery was the symbol for fire - the Flame rune. A rune that appeared in things associated with fire or heat.
One night, as drowsiness tugged at her eyelids, a mental image of the Flame rune formed in her mind's eye.
Unexpectedly, a weak flame had manifested in front of her.
Wait. Did I make that?
Eager to put her suspicion to rest, once again, she focused on the Flame rune and created a mental picture. She thought of every detail - its shape, the number of strokes, the thickness of the lines.
A faint flame appeared, yet again.
She had cast her first Spell.
Her name was Selene, the First Witch, Keeper of the God's Eye.