Chapter 8

The Witches den;

Taiyang was sitting on an un-leveled wooden chair in an old wooden like straw cottage in the middle of nowhere within the dense forest that stationed a few miles west of Huaijiu Hills. She was devouring the food in front of her to her hearts content from the hunger she had endured for the past few days.

She was crunching and munching on random things that were given to her by the witch. And since her eyes were still blind, she didn’t care what it was; she was too hungry too noticed it anyways.

The witch sat right next to her watching as she grabs everything on the broken wooden table and shoves it into and down .

“Slowly my child.” She grabs Taiyang’s hands to stop her from stuffing herself so fast. “You’ll choke,” She said with an excited yet raspy voice.

Taiyang stops and looks over to her right to see if she could stare into the witch’s eyes.

“W-Who are you?” Taiyang asked her with full of burnt rice. “… What happened to me? Why am’ I so hungry??”

She was totally confused and didn’t know where she was. Her face was a bit dirty and dry.

“… My child,” The witch smiles and places her right hand onto Taiyang’s left cheeks. “Don’t be afraid, you’re safe here.” Her feline eyes smirked away.

“You… Who are you?” She asked again after swallowing her food.

“Me?” The witch giggles, “Savior.”

“Savior?” She thought.

For a moment, the memory of her being poisoned came rushing back to her. dried quickly and she suddenly jolted her right hand on her right-side head and flinched in a slight pain. She tries to shake the pain off but it was no help.

“That’s right,” She gasped with her eyes shut. “I… I… Died.”

“Wrong!” The witch yelled a little. “You didn’t die.” Her fingers shook side to side and she giggles away.

“… I… Didn’t die?” Taiyang opens her pale dead eyes. “I didn’t die?” She tries to find the witch with her eyes.

“Yes! You didn’t die, because I saved you.” The witch said as she laughs. “Hahaha…”

Taiyang begins having a very bad migraine all of a sudden, as she listens to the witch creepy laugh. She cries and stands from the small wooden chair, knocking it over and yelling in pain back and forth.

Although she is blind, she still felt her world beginning to spin; feeling like she needed to vomit.

‘If you were only born as a lowly status, so many of us wouldn’t have to hate you.’

‘If you would have just stayed away locked in your chambers well, no one of us would have killed you.’

‘Blame yourself for being born blind and loved by all. Blame Royal father for giving up on the rest of us as he chose you. ‘

‘Blame the ill fate you carry!’

‘Blame the world for not being fair.’

‘Blame Weiting for not loving you and allowing you to die!’

Her head was pounding like drums and sharp pain starts jabbing at the temples of her forehead. She bangs her body against the already broken walls and falls to her knees in tears as she begins to remember some words that were said to her before her death.

‘It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself.’

‘… Sorry, I couldn't even protect you.’

‘… Black-poison-black… poison…’

‘If you don’t like her, let her go! Why hold onto something that doesn’t mean anything to you!?’

‘... General Chan Weiting sent it to me to give it to you...’

‘I was told that General Chan made this himself because he felt bad.’

‘He wanted to apologize to you, but you kept turning him away…’

‘He killed you!’

Taiyang yelled out a scream of fire and throbbing pain as she fell to the ground, into a coma. The witch rushes to her side and pokes her a few times to see if she was still alive.

“.. My child,” She brushes her fingers through Taiyang’s hair and smiles. “Don’t worry, I will cure you…” She whispers and giggles again.

A few days later, Taiyang was seen sitting outside the straw cottage in the middle of the forest, dazing into the space in front of her. She felt the hot sun beaming on her skin like always, but her world was still pitch darkness. Ever since she woke back from the grave, the rain had stopped and the temperature went back to its normal summer weather.

The witch walks out the cottage and saw her sitting there alone in silence. She slowly twitches her head to the side and limps over.

“My child,” She kept calling Taiyang that phrase for some odd reason. “Here,” She brought over a bowl of burnt rice.

“What’s this?” Taiyang asked her as she felt the witch place the bowl in her hands.

“Food,”

“Food?” Her fingers felt the stickiness from the burnt rice.

The witch nods her head quickly, “Yes, food. Eat.” Her voice was high pitched.

Taiyang could feel the kindness from the witch which helped her feel comfortable.

She gave a pale and weak smile, “… What is your name?”

“My name?” The witch thought, “I-I don’t have a name.” She lied and turns away to hide her face, shaking her side to side nonstop.

She seemed odd. Before, she was like a wise powerful being but now she was like an odd and immature child, afraid of being questioned. Why is that?

Taiyang places the bowl onto her lap, “Then… How am’ I supposed to address my savior?”

The witch smirks at her in silence, briefly, “… Wu,” She hissed.

“What?”

“Wu,” She whispered and lightly giggles.

“Wu??” Taiyang’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment. “H-Hao, Wu Jie-Jie,” She smiled.

The witch claps her hands and begins dancing around her like a child who just received candy. Taiyang could feel the happy aura from the witch as she sits there listening to the creepy but joyous laugh.

There were too many questions and too many answers she needed to find. For the next few days she stayed with the witch in her den, trying to figure out what was going on. But without a sane person at her side, how was she going to get the answers she is seeking.

Why was she there with the witch? Where was her royal father? Where is her royal siblings? Where is Weiting? She felt like she was far, far away from home; abandoned.

Suddenly, the witch threw a piece of cloth at her, as they sat in the yard the next day.

“What’s this?” Taiyang asked her.

“Clothes,”

“Clothes?” Her fingers ran through the cotton grey robe. “Thank you,”

The witch giggles to herself again.

“You… Can’t see?” The witch walks over and waves her hands in front of her eyes.

“No, I’m blind.” Her smile turns upside down.

The witch sequenced her feline eyes and smirks, “No worries!” She said and jumps onto a broken tree stomp nearby. “… I can help,”

“What?” Taiyang froze, “You… Can help me see?” Her heart raced for a moment.

“Yes, I can help.” The witch pointed to herself and then to her, back and forth a few times, "I can help,"

“How?” Taiyang’s fingers shiver in nervousness. “Surgery?” She gulps in fear.

“No!”

“How?” -

“Magic--- yes, magic!” The witch hops off the tree stomp and runs over wiht a finger raised int othe air. “I can do black magic.” She whispers with a gurgling noise.

“Black… Magic?” Taiyang took a moment to think and then gasped, “You!” She stood on her feet and moves back a few steps, “You... You’re a witch!?”

“Ahahaha!” The witch laughed and nods her head twitching side to side. "I'm a witch!! Yes, yes, yes!"

Taiyang shook in fear and drops the cotton robe from her hands to the ground. She quickly reaches her hands out in front of her and turns to try and run for it.

“Ahahaha!” The witch laughed, watching as Taiyang tried to escape the woods, but failed.

“I have to get out of here.” Taiyang cried and then tripped on a rock in her way. “Ah!” She scraped her hands on branches and leaves.

“You---” The witch runs over to her and bends down to her face. “… Can’t run away! Ahahaha!”

Taiyang gulped spit down her dry throat and turns to face the witch, “Why? What do you want from me?”

“Want?” The witch scans her up and down-- side to side.

Taiyang froze on the ground, scared to death. She has heard many stories and myths about witches and shamans. They’re powerful beings that could kill with one finger raised.

“I want…” The witch thought and made a choking noise for a few seconds. “… I remember,” She nods and quickly crawls over Taiyang’s body like an animal, “I want revenge.” Her eyes glowed, an inch away from her face.

Revenge? From who? And why?

Chan Manor,

later that early evening;

Weiting was seen packing a few of his things as he was dressed in his dark colored armor. His hair was neatly tucked up into a high bun.

“Are you ready?” His father walks into his study room breaking the icy silence.

“Father,” Weiting turns to look at him full face. “… I’m almost done.”

His father nods, “Hao, be quick, the carriage is ready out in the front.”

“Give me a few more minutes. I’ll be out shortly.”

His father pats his shoulders and turns to leave the room. Weiting turns back to pack the last of his bags and exits his study room as well. He exits the main hall’s yard and through the front gates of the Chan Manor.

“Be careful on your way,” He heard Lao Li’s voice conversating with his father.

Chan Long (his father) was on his horse already, fully suited in his dark colored armor too.

“I will, in the meantime, I’ll leave the Chan Manor in your care.” Weiting’s father said as he pulls lightly on his horse’s reign.

Lao Li has been working for the Chan Resident for over 18 years. Chan Long had plenty of trust in him.

“Don’t worry Old Master, I, Lao Li, will take care of the Manor until your return.” He bowed his head a little with a smile.

Weiting threw a few of his bags onto the carriage behind the horses and turns over to look at Lao Li as well.

“Young Master,” Lao Li greeted him, “… You take care of yourself now,”

“I will… I will see you when I return...”

“Hao,” Lao Li nods with a half-smile. He could tell that Weiting was still suffering from the crown princess death.

Weiting walks over to his horse and hops on, “….. Lao Li,” he calls him over.

“Yes, young master?”

He looked a little washed off, “… While I’m away, please do me a favor.”

“Anything, young master,”

“Please help me visit the crown princess from time to time. Make sure she has offerings. I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone for… I’m afraid I won’t be able to visit her until I return.”

Lao Li nods, “I will, don’t worry.”

His father sighs as he peeks over his shoulders hearing them talking, “Hao le, let’s set out before darkness fall.” He said and gallops off on his horse lightly.

“Don’t worry young master, I will take of everything until you come back. I promise!”

Weiting set his mind at ease, “Thank you,” He thanked and gallops off lightly on his horse too.

Weiting was now joining his father as they set off to the South boarders of Zhao State, Luo Ning. There, where a battle was soon to be taken place. As the Chan army made its way towards the city’s gates, Weiting riding in the front behind his father, frowns.

They rode passed the scared hills that had a view miles and miles away from the city. He peeks towards his left and noticed the sun beaming down over Taiyang’s tomb and returns his eyes on the road in front of him.

‘There are 3 things that can never be hidden in this world… Do you know what they are?’

‘… No.’

‘First: The Moon… Second: The Sun…’

‘… What’s the third?’

‘The third….. The truth,’

Weiting was a bit upset and angry that he was not going to oversee who the real murder behind her death was. And instead, the Emperor had made a decree for him to leave the city with his father to fight in the Southern border to protect their kingdom.

He gritted his teeth while holding in his pride for the sake of his family and tighten his fist on his horse’s reign as he rode along the path way towards the city’s gates to leave the city.

‘What is the truth? The truth that can never be hidden? What is it?’ He focused his eyes on the road, thinking about her words.

Suddenly, right before they exited the city gates, a gust of wind came through the army and dirt flew into everyone’s eyes, causing the army to dissipate in chatters.

“What’s this?” -

“What is going on?” -

“My eyes!” The army cries as they being to rub their eyes back and forth.

Weiting and his father quickly covers their eyes with their hands before the dirt entered their pupils. They stopped their horses and allowed the wind to pass by before exiting. Weiting struggled to keep his eyes open and suddenly saw a blurred figure standing in the hills to his left near the Huaijiu scared Hills.

‘… Taiyang?’ He whispered in his head as he saw the dark silhouette of the figure, ‘Is it you?’ it looked like her from the distance.

A female like figure stood there in a dark colored gown robe, her hair was loosened onto her back like a beautiful waterfall as it blew with the wind. She was seen smiling, almost as it seems, with her hands in front of her.

Weiting removes his hands from his eyes to get a clearer glimpse as the wind begins to die down from his point.

He felt a little joy seeing this figure yet sadden. To him, it was like Taiyang sending him off to war. To him, he felt like she was saying ‘Take care, good luck, and see you when you return.’

“What a strong gust of wind,” His father gasped as the wind died down. “You alright abck there, Weiting?” He peeks over his shoulders and back to his son.

Weiting was still busy staring off to the left, focused on the sacred hills.

“Weiting!?” His father shouts for him and he snaps back to reality.

“… What?” He looks over.

“What’s the matter?” His father asked and turns to the left to see what was so interesting that Weiting didn’t hear him calling. “What are you looking at so intensely?” He pondered trying to find anything that could give him a reason.

Weiting cleared his throat and looks back to the hills, “It’s nothing,” He rode his horse beside his father, “Let’s go,”

Before the evening began, the Chan army had left the city.