In the heart of a land hidden from the world, there was a village known only by those who existed within its borders. The sun never shone there, nor did the moon rise. It was a land of eternal twilight, where dreams and nightmares intermingled and danced beneath the inky-grey sky. In this village, mundane folk and magical beings lived side by side, each fearing and respecting the other in equal measure.
At the center of the village, there was a grand, ancient mansion, covered in ivy and heavy with the secrets that it hid behind its stone walls. It was here, in this lair of shadows, that the Witch made her home.
The Witch, as she was known to the villagers who whispered her name in fear and awe, was one of the most ancient beings in this land of perpetual dusk. She had existed even before the village had been built around her dwelling. The villagers gave her a wide berth, for they knew just how powerful and capricious she could be.
A young woman named Liliana lived on the outskirts of the village. She had been born into this world of twilight and had grown up hearing stories about the Witch. Liliana had always been fascinated by the tales of her magic and her power, although she knew that seeking out such dark knowledge would likely lead to her doom.
And so it happened that one fated day, Liliana’s curiosity got the better of her. Determined to learn more about the Witch and her powers, she ventured out into the night and crept to the ancient mansion at the heart of the village.
The scene before her might have deterred any other curious wanderer. Trees with twisted branches clawed at the sky, their leaves rustling with a restless energy as if powered by some unseen force. The Witch’s emblematic raven sat perched atop a gnarled, leafless tree, its beady eyes watching the intruder as she neared the abode of its mistress.
Liliana felt a shiver run down her spine, but she did not falter. She had come this far, and there was no turning back. Quietly, she approached the heavy wooden doors and knocked upon them, her hand trembling with a mix of anticipation and dread.
The door swung open slowly, revealing the figure of the Witch standing there, bathed in the soft glow of candlelight. She was not as Liliana had imagined her, for she was neither hideously old nor deformed. Her hair was the color of midnight, cascading down her back like a river of darkness. Her eyes were heavy with the weight of secrets buried deep within them, and her unearthly beauty was both mesmerizing and deadly.
“Who dares enter my sanctuary?” The Witch’s voice was like a dagger, sharp and cold.
“I… I am Liliana,” stammered the girl. “I have heard stories of your power and your magic, and I wish to learn from you.”
The Witch studied her for a moment with narrowed eyes, measuring her soul and tasting the essence of her being. Then, with a wicked grin, she replied, “Very well. Be my apprentice, but beware – the path to knowledge is fraught with danger.”
And so Liliana joined the Witch in her ancient mansion, learning magic both dark and wondrous. She discovered spells that could heal or harm, enchantments that could bend reality to her whims, and potions that could grant dreams or nightmares. The Witch instructed her in the art of shape-shifting, teaching her to become one with the creatures that inhabited their twilight world.
Together they flew on obsidian-feathered wings, their powerful incantations echoing through the twilight like thunderstorms. Each day brought Liliana deeper into the world of darkness and shadow, until she was as much a part of the Witch as the Witch was of her.
But with great power comes a price, and Liliana soon found that the more she learned, the more isolated she became from her fellow villagers. It was as if an invisible wall had sprung up between her and the people she once knew, a wall she could not penetrate.
One day, the Witch said to Liliana, “You have learned all that I can teach you. It is time for you to choose your path. Will you stay here with me, in this world of twilight and magic, or will you return to the mundane village you once knew?”
The choice was not an easy one for Liliana. Would she stay in this land of eternal twilight with the Witch who had taught her so much, or return to the village that had once been her home?
After much deliberation, Liliana decided that she could no longer live separated from her own kind. With a heavy heart, she bid farewell to the Witch and returned to the village on the outskirts of the twilight realm.
Years passed, and Liliana’s magical skills grew stronger, but she never forgot the lessons that the Witch had taught her. She used her powers sparingly and wisely, healing the sick and guiding her fellow villagers through their dreams and fears.
But there were whispers. Whispers that she was more than human, whispers that she was something to be feared. The villagers began to avoid her, and once again, Liliana found herself shunned by her own people.
In her loneliness, Liliana remembered the Witch’s warning – that the path to knowledge was fraught with danger. In seeking out the secrets of their twilight realm, she had forever altered her destiny.
And in the heart of the village, in the ancient mansion that still hid secrets behind its stone walls, the Witch watched over her former apprentice from afar. Perhaps she smiled, or perhaps she sighed, as the raven spread its obsidian-feathered wings and took to the sky, a silent observer of the world that lay between darkness and light.
Author: Opney. Illustrator: Dalli. Publisher: Cyber.
