Plop! Plop!
One by one, corpses were hurled into the marsh by Ruboo and Zoe. After splashing briefly, they sank swiftly beneath the surface.
Their fate lay uncertain—perhaps devoured by crocodiles, or perhaps sinking into the mud to lie forgotten beneath the earth forever.
Perhaps only a drought of unprecedented severity, occurring once in a thousand years, could bring them back to the surface.
Of course, by then, the number of corpses would be far greater than these few dozen.
The prime burial ground Ruboo had discovered was surely well known to those of both the law and the underworld who had lived nearby for centuries.
This was far safer than digging pits or sinking them in lakes.
"Just the last batch left."
After disposing of the bodies from the boat, Ruboo and Zoe paddled back to shore. Madison, responsible for the land transport, glanced at the final corpse Quinny had dragged over. After giving Ruboo and Zoe a reminder, she was about to use her mind to move the last few bodies onto the boat.
Suddenly, a woman's voice cut through the air behind them:
"Did you kill these people?"
Madison jumped, whirling round to find a young girl in a tattered skirt, looking rather unhinged, had appeared out of nowhere.
"Do you know them?"
Madison's gaze turned icy. Her hand flickered slightly, ready to strike without a word if necessary.
Having already killed so many last night, she wouldn't mind eliminating one more to prevent leaks causing unnecessary trouble.
The girl, with her long, golden, wavy hair and heavy eye makeup, shook her head first. Then, her eyes filled with sorrow as she looked at the bodies on the ground, she said:
"I didn't know them. But lives shouldn't be snuffed out so carelessly. They should have had more time to savour fine food and music, to experience the world's beauty."
"If you knew what they did to us last night, you wouldn't feel sorry for these scum. Trust me, their deaths are the greatest contribution they could make to others and to this world." Quinny, who had also noticed the stranger, stepped forward to explain.
"It's rare we see eye to eye," Madison remarked, glancing at Quinny before turning back to the stranger with a smirk. "Fancy playing the vigilante like some superhero in the movies? Not the wisest choice, lass. Seeing us murderers dumping bodies, you should've hidden—not met the same fate."
"So, how'd you fancy dying? Burned? Shot? Knifed?"
Madison flicked her wrist, sending the shotgun and dagger on the floor flying towards the stranger.
In her eyes, whether the girl lived or died, she wouldn't let her leave.
In that case, revealing her abilities wouldn't hurt. Besides, it would be interesting to see the girl's reaction.
Madison watched with malicious amusement.
Sure enough, upon seeing the levitating shotgun and dagger, the stranger exclaimed in astonishment:
"A witch?"
"Correct!" Madison snapped her fingers. "Well then, the great Mother of Darkness requires a young, vibrant sacrificial offering. Since you've come willingly, you shall be offered up."
"Mother of Darkness? Sacrifice? Do witches have deities they worship?"
Surprisingly, upon hearing she was to be sacrificed, the stranger showed no fear, regret, or despair. Instead, she wore a peculiar look of bewilderment.
As if some crucial piece of the puzzle remained elusive.
Seeing this, Madison considered whether to apply more force to make the other party face reality.
The boat pulled ashore. Ruboo, who had approached, interrupted, "Right, Madison, stop frightening the girl."
He then turned to face the unfamiliar girl, surprise evident in his eyes.
He hadn't expected another witch of the Salem bloodline to appear here, let alone meet everyone in such a manner.
Ruboo greeted the girl and explained, "Quinny was right earlier. These men are cultists with the blood of many innocents on their hands. Last night, they even turned their blades against us. Little did they know a witch was among us, and we turned the tables on them..."
Ruboo spoke patiently, then presented the unprocessed crocodile-man corpse before them.
"The legendary King Crocodile, Lord of the Marshes. During my time dwelling in the swamps, countless tales of slaughter and wailing I heard were attributed to it. To think it met its end here. I believe your account now. Misty Day, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Witnessing the crocodile man's demise felt like a weight had lifted. Misty, her spirits lifted, smiled and greeted the group.
Madison folded her arms, pursing her lips. "Already trying to worm your way into our group? Not so fast. Ruboo, are you certain she can keep a secret?"
"Rest assured! I'll keep it secret!" Before Ruboo could respond, Misty assured them, "Actually, I'm a witch just like you."
"A witch?"
Ruboo, Madison, Quinny, and Zoe all looked utterly astonished.
"Yes!" Misty nodded emphatically.
To prove herself, she scanned the surroundings and spotted a dead fish floating belly-up in a puddle. She promptly walked over, retrieved the fish, and cupped it in her hands.
Madison, Zoe, and Quinny watched curiously.
After a few breaths, amidst Misty's warm smile, the fish in her palm suddenly began to leap and wriggle.
"The dead fish... it's alive?" Quinny exclaimed, voicing everyone's astonishment.
Even though he was well aware of Misty's abilities, witnessing this resurrection still left Ruboo profoundly shocked.
Resurrection, one of the Salem Witches' Seven Arrays abilities, could revive the dead, yet it came with numerous restrictions and even required the caster to expend their own life force.
Yet Misty was different.
Born with this power, her mastery ran far deeper, and she suffered far less backlash. She was truly a hand of God.
No wonder priests and religious zealots, upon discovering her uniqueness, branded her a devil and burned her at the stake.
For she had trespassed upon a domain reserved solely for God.
Alas, she herself was unaffected by the power of resurrection.
Ruboo understood that upon her death, her soul would be contained within the Book of Containment, becoming Entity 000.
Even the Supreme Witch could not wrest a contained soul from this extraordinarily unique tome.
Gazing upon Misty, who functioned as a veritable human resurrection pool, Ruboo felt a pang of regret.
At that moment, Zoe exclaimed in surprise, as if remembering something: "Misty Day? That name sounds familiar. Could you be the young witch Myrtle mentioned—the one discovered for her power to resurrect the dead and burned alive by a mob of believers?"
When Myrtle had come to collect her, explaining the witches' current peril, she had specifically cited the tragic fate of a girl, roughly Zoe's age, recently burned at the stake as an evil witch—a girl the coven had failed to rescue in time.
Having only recently discovered her own witchcraft, Zoe remembered this story vividly.