The Witch's Curse

Tenebrae numen frugativi et appelavi...

Argh. Failed again.

Wenefica's been collecting grudges for thousands of years, but it's still not enough? How?

What're YOU looking at?

I can complete this hex without you looking over me.

I'm not gonna be a horrible old witch like she was. I'm gonna be the one to end everything.

Hmm... I wonder if there's a more efficient way to collect grudges?

Aha!

Aldo's demon sword, Ogre Rancorem, would do the trick. Pretty sure he lives in Baruoki. Much as it pains me to do so, I guess I'd better pay him a visit.

So basically, I need you to hand over Ogre Rancorem.

Not happening.

What? Why not? You normally bend over backwards to help out people in need! Why won't you help me?

Because you're not really in need! I'm not helping you complete some hex!

Ah, so you don't have that friendly attitude toward everybody... Just certain people who meet your criteria?

And what makes you say I'm not really in need anyway? I might die if you don't give me that sword! Stop being so biased against me!

Look, I'm sorry I made you feel that way, but I'm still not giving you Ogre Rancorem.

Just hand it over already!

Hohoho! You sure do have a lot of girlfriends, don't you Aldo?

Grandpaaa!

THAT'S your grandpa? He doesn't look anything like you.

Yeah, he found me and Feinne in the Moonlight Forest 16 years ago and has raised us by himself ever since.

So we call him "Grandpa," even though we're not actually blood related.

In the forest? Hm...

We may not be related by blood, but we're family all the same. Family is about more than just blood.

Hmph.

Ahem! Excuse me, Mister Mayor, I'd like to talk to you about the child...

Sigh...

Wait, I know that voice. Is that nobleman back again?

I suppose I'd better see to this. Do excuse me.

Your old man made quite a face there. I take it he doesn't like this person?

You could say that, yeah... He's searching for his granddaughter, who went missing 16 years ago. He says she went missing in the Moonlight Forest...

And he thinks your little sister is his granddaughter?

She and I were found together. So no matter which way you look at it, she can't be his granddaughter. But no matter how many times we tell him, he won't believe us. He bears quite the grudge against Grandpa now.

A grudge, eh? Convenient.

Sigh... It is what it is.

Look, if you want a reward, I can pay you any price.

How many times must I tell you? My Feinne is not your Monette.

I'm sorry, but please, go home.

Well, well... Is that a grudge I sense? Maybe a little hatred? What if I told you I could help you get rid of those feelings, old-timer?

Enmity, jealously, anger, I can make it ALL go away...

What ARE you talking about, girl?

Wait! It couldn't be, ! Monette? Is that you, Monette?

......

This is Wenefica, a hexer from the Moonlight Forest.

Wenefica? This girl? Do I look senile to you?!

I've MET Wenefica. It was years ago, and even then she was already past her prime.

Hmmm... You knew her?

Tell me then, who did you wish to curse? And did your wish come true?

......

You don't wanna say? Fair enough. How about you tell me this instead, Why're you still looking for a girl who went missing 16 years ago? She's probably dead already.

Because I heard a rumor. I heard about a girl living in the village who was found in the Moonlight Forest 16 years ago. I thought if she was my Monette, I could find her and bring her back to my mansion... My only daughter passed away a long time ago, leaving my granddaughter as the only blood relative I have left. It's only natural that I cling to the hope she's still alive. Don't you see?

Sure, I see. Hey, I've got an idea. How about I go look for your granddaughter for you?

You're going to help someone out?! Who are you, and what have you done with Wen?!

Shut up, moron.

So what d'ya think? Pay the price, and I'll make ANY wish come true, no questions asked.

Very well. Please, find my granddaughter.

As for payment... Hmm. How about this brooch I'm wearing?

This crest...

You've got yourself a deal. I'll take on your request.

Oh, but I should mention...

I'll find your granddaughter for you, but I doubt she'll be coming back to you alive.

......

Right, off to the Moonlight Forest. Gotta talk to someone who knows what happened 16 years ago.

Wen, where are we going? Who would know about something that happened so long ago?

Who? Why, Wenefica, of course.

Wenefica? But...you're Wenefica?

I am now, yeah. But this name used to belong to someone else.

Huh?

Why do you always look like you barely comprehend what's happening around you? Wenefica's kinda like a title, okay? It gets passed down from generation to generation.

Ah, I see. That must be where the tales about the immortal witch come from. Then the Wenefica the nobleman met was your predecessor?

Where is she now?

Six feet under. She died six years ago.

But luckily for us, I have the ability to read the memories of the dead. So we're gonna dig her up and see what went down.

WHAT? Are you crazy?

That's illegal!!!

Besides, surely your predecessor was something like a mentor to you? Don't you find it disrespectful?!

Yeah, she was my mentor. And she was practically my mother, too. You see, I was abandoned as a baby. The evil witch found me in the forest and took me in.

I'm sorry, I had no idea.

But if she was practically your mom, then all the more reason why you can't desecrate her grave!

Yeah, I don't see it that way. To me, that's precisely why I SHOULD dig her up. We didn't exactly have a loving relationship.

The witch, she only took me in so that she could use me. Not everyone is as lucky as you.

...S-Sorry.

Whatever.

Wen! Did you bring me the snake skin I asked for?

Yeah, yesterday! It's in a bottle under the magic shelf. If you'd checked, you would know that! And stop leaving your robe lying around, the one with the magic potion inside. Why d'you have to be so lazy?

Don't treat me like a child, Wen. I'm your mother.

I know, I know. But why're you calling me Wen? My name's Monette.

That's what was engraved on the ring you found me with, right?

It'd be nice if you could remember at least that much.

Keheheh... Forgive me dear. But I didn't forget your name.

I just thought you should start getting used to the title now, since you will be the one to inherit it.

Huh?

Wen? What's wrong?

Nothing. Come on, we're nearly there.

Beyond here is the burial ground that the Wenefica have been using for generations.

What do you mean, "beyond here"? There's no road.

Look a little closer, Aldo.

Where fog never retreats and the signposts don't speak, dim moonlight reveals the path that we seek...

A path just appeared!

Yeah, it was just a little spell of obscuration. Gotta keep intruders out.

Whoa, that's amazing!

Come on, let's go.

Is that...a magic circle?

Oh, this? This is the Twilight Anathema, a curse the Wenefica have passed down for generations. Just like a sun sinking beneath the horizon, it sends all life down to the underworld. And I mean ALL life. This thing can even kill spirits.

Spirits? That's crazy! Why would you even need a spell that powerful?

I dunno, really. By the time I became Wenefica, our reason for casting it was lost. All that remains now is a sense of obligation to finish it.

What do you mean?

The first Wenefica put a terrible curse on us.

Now, how do I put this in a way that even a tree stump would understand?

Wenefica is like a pseudo-immortal. She transfers memories, feelings, and knowledge from one vessel to the next, thus continuing her existence.

And that's what happens when you "become" Wenefica?

Yeah, though my rite of succession was never actually completed, so the memories are a little vague for me.

We have no real power, and Wenefica holds our lives in her hands. Hilarious, right?

No, not at all!

There's no way to break the curse?

If we can complete the Twilight Anathema maybe, but...

...I don't have the final piece.

If you gifted me Ogre Rancorem, maybe I'd be able to make it work.

I'm sorry, but I still can't do that. Ogre Rancorem is way too dangerous to give to anybody else.

Ugh, you're useless.

I thought if I told you my sob story, maybe you'd be moved to actually help me. What a waste of time.

Come on, let's go dig up my mom.

We're here.

Are we really doing this?

What, you think I'm gonna back down now? If I search her memories, maybe I can find out the location of Monette's ring.

Bring that back with us, and the old man will give up his stupid search.

Ring? What ring?

Tch. Forget I said anything.

Wait, did you know about Monette all along? Does that mean...are you...

Monette doesn't exist anymore. That's all there is to it.

Now hurry up and dig. That geezer could drop dead of old age at any moment.

A monster?! Wen, get back!

Never...disturb...her...resting... place...

Yeah, I figured that thing would turn up sooner or later.

You recognize it?

Yeah, it's always pacing around the graveyard. I guess it's like a guard or something. Do anything to one of the graves, and it'll pounce right on you.

So if you don't want it to tear your throat out with its bare teeth, I suggest you give it a good fight. Here it comes!

Still alive, huh? Well, good for you.

But come at me again, and I'll show you the true meaning of pain. You got that?

Can you understand us? Then, please, will you stand down? You have my word; we're not here to harm anybody resting here.

......

Hmph. Guess the beast's not so stupid after all.

Now, let's go dig up this grave.

This was the previous Wenefica? But she looks too good to be a corpse. Are you sure she's dead?

Yeah, she's dead, all right. She tried to kill me, but she failed.

Heheh. She had it coming.

......

Hey, why d'you look like you're about to cry? Stop acting like a baby and get to work.

Hurry up and carry her over to the spring for me. I only brought you here to do the heavy lifting.

This should do it. See how the moonlight glistens on the water?

Let's begin.

Oh, eye of heaven, watching over all time. Reflect unto the water the secrets of the past.

No...not this one. We have to go further...

...Found it.

Wait, please! Don't kill my baby!

Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't help you. Your father asked me to kill this child and her dad, and that's what I'm going to do.

Hate me, resent me; I don't care. The more grudges I amass, the closer I get to fulfilling Wenefica's wish. Don't worry, I'll make this quick.

...Damn it. Why did you protect the baby?

Because...I'm her mother... I love her...

"Love", huh? I don't really get it. I've never loved or been loved by anybody.

Well, now what? There's no way my client's gonna pay up now that the mother's dead. Should I kill this kid anyhow?

Waaah! Waaah!

Resisting, huh? You actually wish to live? In this world? This world is filled with such wickedness that I find myself wishing I had never been born.

Waaah! Waaah!

Well, if you really want to live, perhaps I can make that happen. You can be Wenefica's next vessel.

Wenefica! Get up!

Hrnnn... Be quiet, child.

No, I will not be quiet! I've made you breakfast, so get up already!

I didn't ask you to.

So you don't want it?

No, I want it. I always enjoy your cooking. In fact, I'd say most things are more enjoyable with you around. How odd...

Heheh! I think so too! Let's stay together forever, Wenefica!

Wenefica, what're you doing?

I'm dying, child. This illness will take me before long.

Wh-What?! No! You can't die, Wenefica!

I can, and I will. But before a Wenefica dies, she must find a successor. So come child, your body will become the vessel.

...What?

If this fails and I kill you, well, I apologize.

Kill me? What are you talking about? You wouldn't really kill me, would you? We're family!

I'm a witch, child. We're not family. Your family died a long, long time ago. All that's left of them is this ring. Your unhappiness was all my doing. If I wasn't a Wenefica, you could have been happy.

But I AM Wenefica, and so too, are you.

No! Please, don't do this!

Cascade of wisdom, torrent of memories. Droplets of knowledge pour into this empty vessel...

Help me, please! Wenefica... Weneficaaa!

M-Mom...

I can't.

She...she is my daughter...

Ugh... Aaarghhh! It hurts! It hurts so much! All our memories are leaking out... All because I stopped the ritual... I can't... I...I'm fading away...

Who am I? Why am I here? I don't know, I just don't know. All I know for sure is... I love you...my darling...child...

AAAAAARGHHH!!!

Huff...wheeze... Haaah! What the hell did I just watch?! What WAS that?!

How can you kill someone's parents and still say you love them?! How selfish can you be?!

Wen...

Don't! Just shut up, Aldo! I can't deal with you right now!

But you need to hear it! She may have had a warped view of the world, but I really do think she loved you.

She was dying... She had to have meant what she...

I SAID SHUT UUUUUUP!!! She didn't love me! It's a lie! Just the thought of it makes me sick!!!

I don't need her love or anyone else's! I'd rather rip out my heart with my own two hands!!!

Wen...

Sh-She ruined my life... How could she murder my parents and then turn around and say she loved me? I can't take this... I can't...

Curse that word! Damn that disgusting emotion! The weight of it will strangle me to death! I hate this! I hate it! I hate it! I HATE IIIT!!!

Your mother's body is back where it belongs now.

Yeah...

Hey, are you okay?

What a stupid question.

I only came here to get Monette's memento, I didn't expect to feel this way... Even after she died, she still held onto it...

Sigh... I'm gonna wring every last git out of that old man when we get back to Baruoki.

Shall we go back, then?

Here. It belonged to Monette.

Indeed, that is my family's crest engraved on the ring. But it's covered in blood...

Look, I told you before. Don't expect a child who went missing 16 years ago to come back alive.

Besides, it was YOU who wanted her dead in the first place.

What are you...

We found out why you paid a visit to Wenefica. You asked her to kill your daughter's husband and their newborn baby.

......

Are you gonna own up to it? Or are you gonna try and lie your way outta this?

You're right; I did exactly that. I couldn't forgive the man who stole my daughter or his child. My daughter was a fool to elope with a country hick who lived somewhere as provincial as Baruoki...

So I wanted to bring her back and show her the error of her ways. But...

She was killed...

My only daughter is dead, and it was all my fault...

So you wanted to find your granddaughter out of remorse?

Oh, Aldo, always so innocent. No, his true motives aren't nearly so sweet.

You only wanted to find her because, without her, your bloodline ends. Am I wrong?

I won't deny that. For nobility, nothing is more important than the continuation of one's line. But that wasn't my only motive. I wanted to make sure she was happy.

HAPPY? And who are you to measure another's happiness? The arrogance!

Perhaps, but it's only natural to want your child to live a life free of discomfort and hardship. Wanting to pass on the joy you feel to another may seem conceited, but it is an expression of love.

Though perhaps you're still too young to understand.

......

You have my thanks for finding this memento of my granddaughter.

Shouldn't you have told him that you were Monette?

I told you before that I am a great believer in karma. That old man cursed people to die. He doesn't deserve the solace of knowing his granddaughter survived.

But...

Besides, sweet little Monette of Baruoki no longer exists.

I am Wenefica, the lone hexer, lover of misfortune, and heir of the Moonlight Witch. Just the thought of being that worthless old man's granddaughter is practically breaking me out in hives.

I understand. For me, though, I think I'd be glad to know I still had some family left, whoever they were.

That's because you're an idiot. If he was able to survive all this time without her, then it's best to just put it to rest. Bonds like love and affection break people's hearts. You're better off without them.

Alright. I respect your opinion.

But you're not alone, Wen. You've got me now. And to me, at least, you're a dear friend.

Ugh, there you go again with your pretty little lies. You're making my skin crawl.

Hey, that was uncalled for!

Then learn to keep that kinda crap to yourself.

I'm outta here. That stupidity of yours might be contagious.

Hey! It's not a virus!

Wen will be Wen, I suppose...

Ugh, all this love and friendship garbage is giving me a headache. Why can't people be more selfish? If they were...

...It'd be a lot easier to ignore this burning feeling in my chest.

Wenefica... I hate you for ruining my life... ...And I hate you even more for loving me.

But you did. And now I've got no choice but to answer your love for me.

So...I will have my revenge.

When I saw your memories, I saw a glimpse of something I'd never seen before. The woman standing there...

She was the one behind everything. The first witch. The first Wenefica.