A lone woman stands in front of the tomb of a certain man. She was short, not even half the size of the boulder in front of her, and she had a familiar shade of crimson red hair, her eyes a similar color. She was wearing nothing but a thick white robe, which was enough to cover her entire body. The man's family has just recently left his tomb after burial, and now the woman stands in front of it, melancholic.
《What a waste, a man of your talents.》
She gently pressed her palm on the boulder covering the path to the inside of the tomb, and slowly rolled it away as if it had no weight at all.
《So let us make a deal.》
The woman smiled creepily as she saw the clean body of the man. The body was wearing white robes, it had a stab wound on his side abdomen, and his hands and feet had holes through them.
《You want to make the scriptures true, do you not? You have the power to heal illness and revive the dead, but you can't use such power on yourself.》
The woman laid her hand on the man's face, and slowly opened his eyes. But the man's body showed no sign of reacting. He was well and truly dead.
《You may borrow my Gift. On the third day after your death, you shall be resurrected. In exchange, you will find me a suitable temple, destroy it, and allow me to rebuild atop it.》
She whispered into the dead man's ears, and slowly closed his eyes. She then moved away from the body, to exit the tomb. She turned back before leaving the tomb to say one final thing.
《If you are true and well the Son of Man, you should know the difference between the devil's temptation, and my offer. I do hope you make the right choice, Joshua, son of Joseph.》
She removed her left arm as if it were a prosthetic, and left it inside the tomb, by the door. She then left the tomb, and rolled the boulder blocking it back to where it was prior.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Three days after that man's death, he was brought back to life. He visited his loved ones, showing them proof that he has already died once. He showered his surroundings with blessings once more, and on the day that he finishes his end of the deal, he vanished in front of his followers, as though he returned to the heavens where he is believed to stay.
But the truth is slightly different.
《Joshua.》
A feminine voice came from behind the man, her voice sweet, yet mischievous sounding, as if it were a succubus' temptation.
《The deal is done. You may use any of the temples that I've destroyed.》
The man replied to the voice without looking for its origin. He then slowly moved forward, trying not to look back at the beauty behind him.
《Are you not curious what I plan to do with these?》
The voice asked the man, but he only stopped for a moment, before continuing onward.
《I see... Well, I pray that you find happiness, wherever you may go.》
But before the man could fully leave, he stopped, turned around, and opened his mouth.
《Just one question...》
A slight silence fell upon the two, who were a fair distance away.
《What are you?》
The man asked, but the beauty he was looking at was only smiling, as though she didn't hear his question at all.
《...Sorry, did you say something?》
She asked in a loud voice that carried throughout the air between them, but the man didn't repeat his question, instead only turned back around and moved forward again.
《...Shame. He was a real looker too. Hepha, let's go.》
A black-haired carbon copy of the beauty wearing a black dress emerged from her shadow, and started walking alongside her.
《To find more Babel residents...》
The two of them walked the opposite direction of that man, and they eventually faded into the horizon. That was the first, and only meeting between that familiar red haired lady and that man.
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Encounter: Witches of Sin
Short StoryWitches are supernatural beings with no explanation on their existence. This is a peak at their lives, though perhaps some peaks are not meant to be looked at. PS: As the chapters go on, there will be retcons. Trust the latest episode.
