Esther stared at Ayana, already losing patience. "Enough of the mystery. Just tell me the answer."
Ayana stopped smiling. Her expression turned serious.
"The answer is simple—Primal Witches, also known as Primordials."
Esther frowned. "Primordials? What do you mean by that?"
Ayana folded her arms and explained calmly, "Primordial witches are the first naturally born witches. Unlike us, they did not inherit magic from their ancestors—because back then, there were no witches before them."
Esther narrowed her eyes, still not fully understanding. "Then how did they get magic?"
"They were born with it," Ayana said. "Born to ordinary human parents with no magical bloodline. No rituals, no blessings, no gods involved. It's as if the world itself chose them and forced magic into their blood. The reason why is still unknown. Maybe nature needed guardians. Maybe magic needed vessels. We don't know."
She continued, "Every witch today, including us, exists only because of them. We use magic because we carry a trace of their blood—we are their descendants."
Esther slowly absorbed the information, her expression turning serious.
"So… are you saying…" she muttered, voice low.
Ayana nodded.
"Yes. That boy—he is a Primordial."
Outside Ayana's hut, Mikael stood silently beside the wooden wall. He had followed Esther after noticing her strange behavior since last night. She had been restless, distracted, and clearly hiding something. At first he thought it was just her usual witch matters—but when she rushed out early in the morning after seeing some strange message in the water, he grew suspicious and followed her quietly.
When he saw her enter Ayana's house, he relaxed a little.
So it's just witch business, he thought.
He was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard something—a boy. He froze. A boy? What boy? Fear flashed in his eyes as a bad thought crossed his mind.
Did something happen to one of my sons?
He stepped closer silently, listening carefully from just outside the door.
---
Back inside, the discussion continued.
"A Primordial represents the pinnacle of witchcraft," Ayana said. "A fully grown Primordial is destined to reach highest level of witchcraft able to produce magic comparable to a nexus vorti event."
Esther's eyes widened. She understood exactly what that meant.
Esther stood up, hands trembling slightly—not from fear—but from excitement.
"With this boy," she said slowly, a dangerous glint in her eyes, "with his power… I can finally take revenge on my sister…"
Her voice rose, filled with bitter emotion.
"And I can bring Freya back!"
Outside, Mikael's heart stopped.
'Freya.
His daughter who was supposed to have died of the plague… the daughter he never stopped mourning… the daughter he still grieved for in silence.'
His eyes widened. Blood rushed in his ears. He couldn't think—he acted.
He stormed into the hut, slamming the door open as he glared at Esther and Ayana.
"What did you just say!?" Mikael demanded. "What do you mean—bring Freya back!?"
A few minutes later:
SLAP!
Mikael's hand struck Esther across the face, the sound echoing through the small hut.
"You lied to me, woman!" he roared, his face red with fury. "You kept me away from the truth about my firstborn!"
Mikael growled, he said, pointing at Esther, his voice trembling with anger, "you stood there and did nothing while your sister took my daughter!"
Esther stumbled back, clutching her cheek, eyes wide and filled with tears. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Mikael!" she pleaded. "I was scared… my sister—she's powerful, far beyond anything we could handle. If you had gone after her, she would have killed you too!"
"You had no right to decide that for me!" Mikael barked. "You let me mourn my daughter as if she were dead!"
Ayana stood silently in the corner, her hands folded in front of her. The situation had turned from discovery to disaster in moments. The best thing she could do now was stay quiet and let the storm pass.
Esther lowered her head, guilt covering her face. "I couldn't… I couldn't stop her…"
"Pathetic," Mikael muttered, his voice breaking with pain and fury. "You lied, even about our own blood."
Esther stepped closer to Mikael, voice trembling. "I thought I was protecting you, protecting all of us. Dahlia took Freya away when you were gone. I couldn't stop her."
Tears streamed down Esther's cheeks. "I tried, Mikael. I swear I tried… but she would have killed us all if I resisted. I had to tell you she died of the plague—it was the only way to keep you from going after her. Please forgive me. "
Mikael's breathing was heavy, filled with rage and heartbreak. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, through clenched teeth, he spoke, "I will forgive you, woman… when I get my daughter back. Until then, don't speak of forgiveness."
Esther wiped her tears, nodding rapidly. "Yes. I'll make it right. I'll atone for it all. I'll use that boy's power—I'll channel him and bring Freya back!"
Just as those words left her mouth, Ayana's calm but firm voice cut through the tension.
"You can't do that, Esther."
Both of them turned toward her.
Mikael glared at Ayana, his anger reigniting. "Are you telling me what to do, witch?" he growled, hand going for the sword on his back.
Before he could even draw it, Mikael dropped to one knee, clutching his head in agony.
"Arrgh—!" He screamed, veins bulging along his temples as a sharp, splitting pain consumed his skull.
Ayana's eyes glowed faintly she said coldly. "A simple spell to make a stubborn man remember his place."
"Stop! Ayana, stop!" Esther rushed forward, holding Mikael as he writhed in pain. "Please, he doesn't understand!"
Ayana's expression softened for a moment, then she released the spell. Mikael gasped, finally regaining his breath. But when he saw himself being held by Esther, his pride flared up again—he shoved her away roughly.
Ayana sighed, shaking her head. "To think, after being married to a witch for so long, you still haven't grasped reality. So prideful of you..… You truly believe you a normal human weak can stand against against one of us?"
She stepped closer, her tone sharp. "Do you think you survived Dahlia because of your strength? No, Mikael. You lived only because she let you. Because Esther was her sister and a hostage to you vikings. Remember that before you raise your sword against a witch again."
:: When writing this chapter I realized it's hard to predict how a person would behave given the situation so it took me like 15 different drafts and rewrites to get this which I was satisfied with and know what it doesn't even half match what I first thought like 30% resembles to the first draft I had to skip some parts when Mikael heard the whole thing as I couldn't write it without messing up. And yes time skip is coming soon and from here butterfly effect will cause some real trouble even protag will be baffled can you guess in the comments!??