The Last Healer (A Witch's Tale)

Prologue

A/N: This is a work of fiction. Names of characters, places, plants, diseases and others are fictional, so anything that somehow resembles the real world is just coincidence.

This is still unedited, so readers are expected to understand any spelling and grammatical errors.

Thanks!

(Thanks for the awesome cover SadieVerlac (now emperatriss)!)

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Prologue

It was a perfect day to collect ingredients for medicine. Mr. and Mrs. Graham allowed their daughter to go with them deep in the forest for them to test her if she can easily identify a certain ingredient, like what type of illness or illnesses an herb or any type of ingredient will be able to cure, or which ingredients can be mixed or should be mixed together for better effectiveness. It would not be difficult for her as she is a black-straight haired healer; it is already in their blood. Moreover, that day was also a great opportunity to teach her and tell her where would be the best place to get a hard-to-find ingredient, like where can she easily get them , and when would be the best time to harvest or collect them.

The whole day in the forest was so much fun and they were successful in collecting fresh ingredients. It was already afternoon when they decided to rest. The girl looked at her parents leaning on a big tree and saw that they are both already sleeping. Feeling tired, she lied down beside her mother, hugged her, shut her eyes closed and fell asleep.

It is still dawn when Valen awakes and finds herself atop of the tree, hugging one of its branch. Her eyes were swollen and she has scratches on her face, legs and arms. How she managed to stay atop of the tree while sleeping is still a mystery but she did not care; the very pleasant day deep in the forest with her parents was only a dream! Then she remembered what happened last night.

Houses are in flames, some of them are already ashes; blood, chunk of wood, blood-stained swords, arrows are scattered, dead and half-dead townspeople with black straight hair are lying everywhere on the dirt. Screaming, pleading voices can be heard over the clanking of swords. Valen's vision is already blurry as tears are streaming down her face, but she knows only a few black hair folks are still standing and fighting, she doesn't know where her parents are. She wanted to scream, she wanted to yell and look for her parents but it seems she cannot move away from where she is. She's holding herself from one of the branch of a tree, which is just near the entrance of the forest and near their village. She's climb it after her father ordered her to hide herself away from their town, but she cannot run far away, she doesn't want to and decided to stay hidden atop of a tree with thick branches and leaves. There she witnessed how her townsfolk were annihilated. One by one, she can blurry see, her dark-haired people are defeated. The sight is tormenting her, she cried helplessly, until she fell asleep from misery and exhaustion.

Tears are about to fall again when she decided to be strong, find her parents, look for any survivors, help them, heal them. She climbs down from the tree and run towards the village. There are no more flames but there remain the ashes that houses once stood. Blood, fresh and dried on the dirt, every lying body are already lifeless and cold; she became more frightened as she thinks about her parents. She hurried and decided to look for them. She froze and sobbed furiously at the sight of her father's dead body, Arthur; and there, another lifeless body below him, her mother's, Elen, and their position will let you know that his father protected her. She cried achingly, her mind is blank, she doesn't know what to think and just cried in sorrow; she wanted to shout and scream in despair, but still no voice is coming out her throat and mouth. Her body is aching probably for sleeping in no good position, but her heart is aching more than her body.

Her sobbing abruptly stopped as the body below his father slightly moved. She quickly kneeled down to check on her mother and saw that she's alive! She hurriedly and put great effort to carefully move her father's heavy body aside to give more breathing space for her mother.

"Mother", she pleaded; she tried to touch and move her mother into sitting position but halted her.

"Don't...Va..len", Elen started and can hardly speak. "I need..to...tell you..some.thing, need..this re..mai..ning.....strength".

"Don't say that Mother, everything will be fine, I'll heal you...you know I can", Valen pleaded.

"No,...I know..I...no lon..ger..have....enough, just...listen..to me...."

"No...", Valen whispered and sobbed.

"Take...this box..Va...len. This...have vials. You know...its con...tents..........it's my...pres..ent for.....you.. as pro..mised..for your...sixteenth..birth...day. Hap..py .Birth..day..sweet."

"Mother", cried Valen. "Thank you, but please stay alive for me."

"I'm sor..ry, I...know..I..no..longer can. Just..pro...mise me...to not...hold...a grudge...against..non-dark...haired...people. Pro...mise...me..."

"I promise....Mother".

"There...are s..till..things...that we...aren't..sure of. Open..your eyes...and seek...the...truth. Con...ti..nue...to heal...peo..ple. Use...the oil...in the..vial..wise.ly. You..know..I can...no lon..ger...make..more...for..you. Be strong...Vale..n.......your...fa.......ther..........and I......................... we..........love........y.........", Elen's last words of love as she took her final breath.

"MOOOOTHEEEEER!!!", Valen cried in agony. Her tears continuously run down her face, her sorrow and misery seem to devour her logic and reason. She's alone, everyone's lifeless, she can't think properly, all she feels is the heartache and despair. Rain began to fall which seems that even heaven is agonizing. She cried for hours. The rain washes away the blood stains. Valen is now silent; her mind is blank, not moving from where she is seated. After hours of silence, she stands up, walk, hoping to find a shovel. After finding a shovel, she started to dig and buried the dead bodies of her parents and other townsfolk. She prayed and offered flowers on their graves. No more town of Yel as it will be known, the graveyard of Yel.

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