The Devil's Warrior Queen
Chapter 383: A Witch’s Turning

Chapter 383: A Witch’s Turning

Zoya stood amidst the aftermath of her dark and forbidden magic, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she surveyed the destruction that lay before her. The bodies of her enemies lay scattered around her, their lifeless forms twisted and broken by the power of her spells.

But even as she basked in the aftermath of her victory, a sense of unease gnawed at Zoya’s heart like a hungry beast. She knew that she had delved too deeply into the forbidden arts, that she had unleashed forces beyond her control in her quest for vengeance.

Her breath turned shallow as they all dropped dead, leaving the forest with the foul stench of their burnt corpses, but after wielding the powers of the flaming crystal, she suddenly felt dizzy.

Her head throbbed with a painful headache and her vision suddenly turned blurry. She was aware of the consequences from wielding such a dangerous power and in such a large form, also the use of forbidden fire magic took a great toll on her.

With a trembling hand, Zoya reached up to touch her forehead, feeling a searing pain erupt behind her eyes like a thousand daggers stabbing into her skull. A groan escaped her lips as she staggered backwards, her vision swimming as waves of nausea washed over her.

But the pain did not stop there. No, it spread like wildfire throughout her entire body, engulfing her in a searing agony that seemed to burn her from the inside out. With each passing moment, the pain grew more intense, until it felt as though she were being consumed by flames from within.

Desperate to escape the torment, Zoya stumbled forward, her limbs heavy and unresponsive as she fought to stay upright. But no matter how hard she tried, the pain refused to relent, its fiery tendrils wrapping around her like chains, binding her in an endless cycle of suffering.

She was aware of the risks and sacrifices that came with possessing such phenomenal and forbidden powers. She was aware of the darkness that came with wielding dark magic that she was taught as a child never to wield, but she was ready to delve into the darkest of paths just to avenge Aldric, after all, her soul was already sucked into a despairing whirlpool.

And then, just when it seemed as though she could bear the pain no longer, darkness enveloped her vision, swallowing her whole as she succumbed to unconsciousness. In that moment, all she could feel was the overwhelming weight of her own guilt and despair, a heavy burden that threatened to crush her beneath its unbearable weight.

As she lay unconscious amidst the ruins of her enemies, Zoya’s mind was consumed by visions of the horrors she had unleashed, of the lives she had taken in her quest for vengeance. And as the darkness closed in around her, she knew that she would pay the price for her sins, that the consequences of her actions would haunt her for eternity.

Despite karma coming for her in the near of far future, she was ready for whatever life threw at her. Aldric was now the only reason she wanted to live, she needed to live. To avenge his death, sooner or later and the entire kingdom of East Ravka would pay.

She wouldn’t rest until they all paid, the words constantly rang in her head like a mantra before she fully lost consciousness.

As Zoya slowly regained consciousness, she found herself lying amidst the cool grass of the forest floor, the gentle rustle of leaves overhead serving as a soothing lullaby to her troubled mind. With a groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, blinking against the bright light of the morning sun as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.

Her eyes surveyed her surroundings and for a minute she was lost in confusion as she caught sight of the countless decayed corpses surrounding her.

But as she slowly regained her composure and unshackled entirely from the hands of slumber, the events of what had transpired on that unfortunate night before she lost her consciousness came rushing back to her like a broken dam.

She gasped heavily, feeling the weight of dismay crushing her beneath its heavy veil as she remembered that Aldric was dead.

She sobbed, but it was as though her tears had dried up, there was none left to cry, not even the deaths of the soldiers she had killed was enough to comfort her or fill the gaping void of emptiness in her soul.

Surveying the corpses, she realised from her observation that she had been unconscious for days, which was for who knew how long.

She was as well very parched, perhaps that was why she couldn’t cry, because she was dehydrated. Scrambling up to her feet, she scurried away from the foul smelling vicinity to find a lake or something. Soon, her eyes caught sight of a small pool of fresh water.

Rushing towards it, she knelt beside the edge, ready to drink, but as her eyes adjusted to the light, Zoya’s heart skipped a beat as she caught sight of her reflection in a nearby pool of water.

For staring back at her was not the face of the white witch she once knew, but that of a stranger with dark, ebony hair cascading around her shoulders in unruly waves.

With a gasp of disbelief, Zoya reached up to touch her hair, feeling the smooth strands slip through her fingers like silk. It was true, her once pristine white locks had been replaced by hair as dark as the midnight sky, a stark reminder of the darkness that had consumed her soul.

A wave of panic surged through Zoya’s chest as she struggled to comprehend the implications of her transformation. For as a white witch, she had sworn to uphold the principles of light and purity, to use her powers for the greater good of mankind. But now, with her hair turned black as pitch, she knew that she had strayed from the path of righteousness, that she had allowed the darkness to take hold of her heart and soul.

With a heavy heart, Zoya rose to her feet, her mind racing with a thousand questions and doubts. How had this happened? What had she done to deserve such a fate? And most importantly, could she ever hope to redeem herself in the eyes of the gods and regain her status as a white witch once more?

But then, she realized she was asking ironic questions. Obviously, her title and heritage as a white witch had been stripped away from her. After all, she had delved into the forbidden arts of dark magic, sucking away every ounce of light within her.

She had used her magic to kill and destroy, she had tapped into the darkness residing within her. She had paved way for the darkness to seep into her being and poison every inch of her soul, darkening it till there was no light left. She had been taught that, that once a white witch wielded dark magic, they would turn into a dark witch because then, their hearts would be darkened.

Zoya knew that she was no longer the same person she once was, that she had been irrevocably changed by her brush with the forbidden arts and the thirst for revenge.

Despite knowing all that, despite the consequences and punishments, she didn’t feel a single pinch of regret or remorse. For Aldric, she would commit the impossible.

Speaking of him, she suddenly remembered that he might still be in the forest, that was if he was dead, but hopefully if he wasn’t, then he wouldn’t be there anymore.

Was he dead or perhaps had he somehow survived? She pondered deeply, her heart throbbing in her ears with intensity.

Zoya quickly set off into the forest, her steps slow and deliberate as she sought out answers to the questions that plagued her mind.

Along the way, she encountered creatures of the forest, deers grazing peacefully in the meadows, birds singing their sweet songs in the treetops, but their presence brought her little comfort as she went back to the area she had come from, hoping to not find Aldric’s corpse laying where she had left him. Dead.

Finally, after some time of running through the forest with desperation unlike any other clinging to her form, she arrived at the spot where she had left him.

Her eyes scrutinized the area for him, searching with a hopeful heart while praying inwardly that he was not among the corpses of the soldiers he had slayed for her, while giving her time to escape.

Her heart bloomed with hope, her face a portrayal of her desperation and longing. If only the universe would give her a second chance, a second chance to be in his arms again, she would never take any second beside him for granted, she would cherish every single moment as if it was their last together.

But sadly, the universe was not granting her that wish.