117 The Love Story Of The Enemy
Selma Payne’s POV:
“The Rocky Mountains?” Dorothy looked puzzled. “Do sorcerers exist there? I’ve never heard of it.”
I shrugged. “It’s my first time hearing it too. From what the witch in the dungeon said, I think it’s a very isolated clan from the rest of the world.”
Dorothy was a little worried and shook her head. “Maybe the witch lied. She’s a treacherous person who likes to release false information to confuse people.”
“But Master Mary cast a lie detection spell on her, and the spell didn’t detect any lies when she said that. She couldn’t have lied.”
“The Rocky Mountains…” Dorothy looked out the window and said with some nostalgia, “I haven’t told you, have I? When I was young, the only story my mother told me happened in the Rocky Mountains.”
“What story?” I asked.
“It’s a tragic mythical story. It was said that there was a witch who was the ancestor of the prophetic bloodline on this continent. She eloped with her lover to escape the church’s pursuit and came to this place. However, her lover was an irresponsible coward who quickly betrayed the witch and their son under the coercion of the local church,” Dorothy explained.
“On the way, the witch lost her son. She fled to the Rocky Mountains, and her son happened to be found by a werewolf hunter. The hunter raised the witch’s son with great care, but the witch’s son accidentally killed him in a magic riot.
“The boy, in excruciating pain, took the hunter’s heart and tried to use satan’s power to summon the hunter’s soul.
“However, it’s too late. The hunter’s soul has already returned to the arms of the Moon Goddess.
“An evil demon toyed with the boy. He told the boy about his background and asked him to go to the Rocky Mountains to get something in exchange for the hunter’s life. That was the head of the Supreme Witch, Mullvica.
“The boy agreed. He went to great lengths to find the witch clan living in seclusion in the Rocky Mountains, but the moment he saw Mullvica, he burst into tears, and his blood boiled. He recognized her as his long-lost mother.
“The boy was caught in an endless struggle, wavering between his adoptive father and his mother. In the end, under the enchantment of the demon, he cut off his mother’s head on a full moon night.
“However, his whereabouts were soon discovered by his half-sister. The angry girl gathered the witches to catch the boy and burned him alive with fire and pine branches at dawn.
“Before he died, the boy begged the demon to fulfill his promise and return the hunter’s soul, but the demon mocked him mercilessly. The angry boy used the last of his strength to perish together with the demon. The witches had to seal the demon and the boy to prevent evil from leaking out, permanently sealing their clan and escaping the Rocky Mountains.
“Since then, no one has ever found a witch in the Rocky Mountains. Occasionally, someone would find a scratch on the pine tree’s branch that looked like a smiling face. That was the demon’s way of bewitching passersby to unseal it.”
It was a story full of tragedy, just like in ancient Greece mythology.
I could feel Dorothy’s sadness and whispered, “So, you’re worried that the Rocky Mountains are already empty?”
“I’m not sure.” Dorothy shook her head. “I don’t even know if the story is true.”
“Then, where did your mother learn of this story?” I asked, puzzled. “This sounds like some historical secret. Maybe your mother made it up to coax you to sleep.”
“I think it’s true,” Dorothy said with a bitter smile.
“Why?” I asked.
She took out a small copper pendant from her collar. It was a pine branch wrapped in flames.
“Because I am the descendant of the hunter in the story. My mother and grandmother all have the blood of the hunter.”
“W-what?” I was dumbfounded.
“That’s it. Sometimes, I, too, feel that it’s unreal, but it’s the reality.” Dorothy caressed the glowing pendant and said, “So now you know why my grandmother had such a big reaction to my mother and father’s union, right?”
“So, this is Romeo and Juliet…” I muttered.
“Yes, the descendant of a long-time enemy actually developed love. What can be more ironic and dramatic than this?” Dorothy sneered, “I heard that my grandmother once tortured my mother as she tortured me to make her change her mind. However, my mother eventually ran away from this home, leaving me and her behind.
“That’s why I couldn’t hate this old lady who tortured me when I was a child. How pitiful is she? Being popular your whole life, but in the end, you’re abandoned by your loved ones. Only when you’re immersed in your crazy fantasies can you have a trace of your former life.”
