The Devil's Cursed Witch

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Aureus felt like he entered a different world. Instead of another room, there was a fairytale-like garden in front of him, a vast meadow surrounded by rolling hills, the plants blooming with colorful flowers as if it was the middle of spring. Butterflies and small birds could be seen flying here and there, and one could even hear the sound of a stream nearby.

The scene felt refreshingly beautiful.

'I am sure there was nothing like this outside the cottage?' His gaze followed the bright clear sky above, and when he extended his five senses, he had another strange feeling.

The sunlight was neither too harsh nor too bright, the scent of flowers neither overwhelming nor sweet, the sounds of nature was like music, and the flowers were magnificent, not a single leaf or petal wilting.

It was...too perfect.

'This is not real either.'

"You got it right, young one," he heard the voice of a woman and Aureus turned to look at her. An old witch who looked similar to the woman outside walked towards him. She only had one arm, and her empty sleeves fluttered along with the wind.  "Everything you are seeing in this room is an illusion."

"Welcome to my garden, shapeshifter. I am Maria Grimsbane," she introduced herself and then an older woman with a sickly thin complexion came to her side, "and this is Glinda Mortem."

Aureus got back to his senses as he was stunned to see that beautiful illusion and immediately greeted them, "Greetings, ladies. I am Aureus, Commander Morpheus' nephew."

"We have heard about you, the golden eagle of this generation, and we were curious about you. It's good that you had an opportunity to visit us."

"And I must say you look like your mother," the thin woman called Glinda said. "Even with just one glance, I know you are her son."

"Thank you for your kind words," he replied politely and once again looked at the beautiful illusion around them. 'This kind of garden, Seren would have fallen in love with its beauty.'

The two witches observed the young shapeshifter and then shared a knowing look with each other.

"Aureus, would you like to learn how to create such an illusion?"

He looked at Maria. "Can I? I do not think I can learn the magic spells of witches."

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"It's a simple magic, nothing more than a trick, which won't be difficult for a divine being like you to use. You don't need to be a witch or warlock to do this. It is nothing special; anyone capable of magic can do this to some extent," Maria replied. "The only thing its caster need is imagination. After all, what will materialize is a product of your own creativity."

"It's amazing how this spell can deceive all five senses," Aureus could not help but marvel. "And you say it's a simple magic trick?"

"You see, we old witches have nothing but abundant time in our hands. Our bodies are too weak for manual labor, and neither do we have much magic power left in us. So what do we do here in Spirit Circle? We develop simple tricks to  relieve our boredom. Most people think amazing things are products of strong powers--the more complicated, the better--but sometimes, breaking down spells to their core structures can allow one to reach the same conclusion."

As Glinda said those words, she did something with her hands, and as she threw dust in the air, there appeared more butterflies which happily danced around their figures.

'Butterflies? Seren loves them,' was the first thought that came to his mind.

"Teachers, I would like to learn under your guidance. Please teach me."

----

It took a while for Aureus to listen to the two witches' explanation, and in a span of an hour, he was able to manifest a single butterfly.

The pair of old women praised him.

"You learned it fast. See, it was so simple."

"If you practice imagery for a couple more days, I am sure the level of details you will be able to create will be quite high."

"The easiest illusion deceives the eye. You already succeeded in that. Next, would be hearing. I believe you can achieve that even without us teaching you."

"Indeed. You got the basics down, Young Lord Aureus."

'Once I return Megaris, I will make sure to find an opportunity to create the most beautiful illusion for Seren.'

A light smile painted on the shapeshifter's lips with that thought.

When Aureus left the illusion to return to the drawing room, he found  Morpheus and Thala silently enjoying tea, their appearance seemingly waiting for his return . Though neither of them were frowning, Aureus could sense this peaceful atmosphere was not as it seemed.

"Did you enjoy learning new things from these senior witches?" Morpheus asked as he stood up.

Aureus was about to respond when he heard Glinda speak from behind him, "Your nephew is incredibly talented. I do not know if it is because of his youth or the way he was raised, but his ability to absorb new teachings will be a great help to his future reign. The Divine Eagle Clan of this generation is lucky to have him as their lord."

"Thank you for the praise, Glinda," Morpheus said and then looked at Thala, who offered him a light nod, before picking up her book to resume reading. It was a silent dismissal.

After some brief parting words, Morpheus and Aureus left the Spirit Circle.

In the middle of flying, Aureus could not hold back, "Morph, what are you up to these days? Are you planning something dangerous?"

"I told you, you don't have to worry," Morpheus said. "Instead, let me ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Is the King of Megaris alone enough to beat that Black Witch Zaria Lynx and save others from her?"

Aureus didn't even have to think. "He is. He is the most powerful person I have ever met, but I can't compare him to the King of Agartha. After all, I had never witnessed King Draven using his powers. But, my instincts are telling him he is more powerful than your king."

"More powerful than Draven? Draven is a several-thousand-year-old dragon while your king is only twenty-odd years old. He's like a newborn infant to the eyes of long-lived races like ours."

"I cannot describe it. Like I said, it is just my intuition. Must be because his mother is the Queen of Witches? I can't point it out exactly, but if you were to ask me if I am in danger 'who would I run for help?', then I would side with my king. The King of Agartha might have the power to destroy, but the King of Megaris has the ability to protect."

"Good to know."

"But why do you ask?"

"Just a random thought that came to mind," Morpheus said. However, his next words, he could only keep to himself. 'So he will be able to protect Myra, even without anyone's help from Agartha. Yorian, that elf, is there too. With Aureus and those two, I am confident Myra will be saved.'

"What are you thinking about?" Aureus asked after his uncle had gone unusually silent.

Just then Morpheus heard something and he sighed, "Someone called for me. I have to go."