"Alatus."
Lord Rex Lapis's voice rang through my head. I looked up at the sky as the morning sun seeped through the tree's leaves. I blinked, trying to avoid the hot heat and headed towards the shade.
What the hell was I even doing here? I'm lost in the middle of nowhere in a child like form, starving with only a dull spear to protect me from harms way.
I was sent out on a task to befriend a witch for 5 month in order to find the secret of the witches weakness. And I wasn't tasked with just any witch. Barbatos, to be exact. Better known as the Windriddened witch of Mondstadt. He has terrorized boarders outside the land of Mondstadt as well, involving the Liyue witch hunters to join forces with the Mondstadt Witch hunters to search out for him.
I have to play the role of an innocent lost child who's strayed too far from home, hoping that he'd take some pity into me and take me back to his hideout.
They say that he has a soft spot for kids, but I doubt that.
Stupid idea, huh?
Some rumors have it that he eats children for lunch, which is believable in more ways than one.
I'm not even a witch hunter for crying out loud. I'm a vampire hunter! I kill living demons for a damn job. Not some-, magical all powerful witch that would slice my head off with just the flick of a wrist.
I looked at the potion bottle that was strapped to my waist belt, carrying a sparkling purple liquid inside of it. Whatever it was, it was the thing that was allowing me to stay in this kiddish form.
One teaspoon a day will allow me to stay in this body for a good 24 hours. The alchemists in Mondstadt contacted us about this witch problem of theirs and helped make this for this 'lovely' special occasion.
I walked aimlessly through the forest, trying to find my way into his arms somehow. The bird on my shoulder chirped along to the soft melody of a flute, gently well played.
The bird was covered in shining blue feathers with a sharp small beck. I had it to send intel over to the Liyue and Mondstadt Witch hunting department.
Apparently he was a very wanted man. And a witch? I thought witches were women, not men. He should've been a wizard instead-, or maybe I'm just being sexist.
Wait a second. A flute.
I had read through his file (though there wasn't much to see or find), and he had a taste for music. Besides, no random weirdo would go out into the middle of the woods to play a song.
Before I knew it, I was enchanted by it's angelic tune, and found myself heading towards it.
And there I found him, sitting on a fallen log that was already beginning to rot from the sides, covered in overgrown vines; which flowers bloomed from it.
It was surprisingly easier to find him then I had expected, considering I started out my journey to seek him out three days ago.
He sat there, his fingers sliding across the flute as his braids swayed in his face. His eyes were closed, but I still felt uneasy about approaching him. Who knows what he'd do to a young child like me. How are we so sure he even likes children?
Animals surrounded him, listening to the sweet melody of his music. So it wasn't just I who had heard it, but these creatures as well.
I began to feel sleepy the longer I was within earshot of the flutes melody. My head was starting to feel cloudy, and I nearly lost my balance for a moment. His song was like a lullaby.
I blinked, and the music stopped. I opened up my eyes again, looking back at the log to see that he was no longer seated there anymore, though the animals around that area had fallen asleep.
I quint my eyes, hoping that I was just sleepy, and couldn't fully see him because of that.
"Boo~" a playful whisper burst into my ear.
"Ah-!" I yelped, turning around and jumping back. I stumbled to the floor with this weak body form, looking up only to see Barbatos standing before me. Laughing.
The animals around us that were once peacefully sleeping to the gentle melody, woke up, and many scattered into hiding while others stood there cluelessly.
"Ahaha! I didn't expect a young boy like you to be wandering out in the woods like this." He chuckled, bending down to his knees, reaching a hand out to help me up.
Out of instinct, I immediately reached for the spear which had clattered to the ground next to me, and quickly pointed it at his throat.
Immediately after I had done that, I knew I had messed up.
"Fuck." I thought, quickly stiffening.. "I wasn't supposed to seem threatening.."
He looked at the spear for a moment before laughing.
"Ohoho, so you're a feisty kid, huh?" He joked around. "If you were attempting to kill me with such a dull weapon like that, you'd probably be better off cutting bellies open with only a plastic spoon."
He lifted up his finger, and swung it around in a motion, making the spear rip it's way out of my hands, and into the air; hovering right above us.
"Wow-.." the words slipped out of my mouth.
"Hm, cool trick, right?" He showed it off to me, swinging it around in the air with zigzags and circles.
"But a little boy like you shouldn't be playing around with dangerous toys like these," his tone seemed to become bitter in a way, but it quickly melt down back into that sweet talk.
"What are you doing here?" He looked into my eyes as it seemed to glow. It made me hesitate for a moment, but the minute he flashed on a smile, my fear seemed to fade. He was good at pretending to play nice.
"I-..I'm lost and can't find my way back home.." I faked a cry, trying to get out some tears to make it seem more dramatic. "I've been out here f-..for three days.."
"Lost?" Barbatos tilted his head. "I don't usually find lost children around here so deep into the woods. It's strange, really. Do you know who your parents are?"
That part stung. Unfortunately, I had never known who or what my parents were, and I had absolutely no clue where they went. All I know is that I was taken in and raised by Lord Rex Lapis.
"No.., my parents-, they're gone." I mumbled out loud enough for him to hear. He gently placed his thumb onto my cheek, and started rubbing it in a circular motion.
"Oh you poor thing." He grinned, sending a chill down my neck. "That's quite a horrible thing to happen to someone like you so young." Barbatos sighed. "I could take you in, but that would be risky for the both of us.." he muttered to himself, but I still heard his words. "No parents, far from home, alone. He's lost it all."
He turned his attention back to me, and caressed my cheek, and then made his hands' way into my hair; running his fingers into my scalp and ruffling through my hair; pulling out small twig branches and leaves as he did so.
"Well, I've always wanted an apprentice. And here you are, with nothing to lose!" He smiled, reaching his hand out for me once more. I was hesitant for a second, but eventually remembered my mission and held it. Barbatos lifted me from off the ground and held me in one of his arms.
He reached his other hand out as the spear dropped into his palm from out of the air. Getting him to allow me to become his apprentice was easier than I had originally expected. I thought that I would have had to get on my knees and beg for him to take me in.
Is he really this naive?
"An apprentice? What's that..?" I played dumb, squeaking my voice up to a higher pitch; which made me sound like a complete idiot.
"It's a person who works for me, but I teach them things." He explained, though he wasn't very good at it. "Starting today, you'll be my mini worker. My apprentice."
I nodded, and he smiled down at me. Suddenly, my stomach growled out of nowhere, sounding like a wild beast trapped in a cage. There was silence for a moment before Barbatos burst into laughter, and I dug my face into my shirt collar as my face flushed up in embarrassment.
"Ahaha! You must be hungry. Starving, even." He said, placing me down onto the ground as I tried to desperately avoid any sort of eye contact with him. "Do not fret, child, I was just trying to catch my prey earlier before you had interrupted."
He walked over to a deer that was standing there, seeming as if it was frozen in time. He gripped the spear tightly in his hand. I was confused about what he was doing at first, but his actions answered my own question before I could even speak as he striked the deer with the dull tip of the spear.
It let out a horrible blood curling shriek before Barbatos ripped it's tongue out of its mouth with his bare hands. He repeatedly stabbed the poor creature over and over again as I stood on the side lines, watching in horror. It's eye twitched as it looked over to me, in a call of desperation, but I couldn't do anything.
I watched as the light in its eyes faded away with every second that pasted by. Blood dripped down his hands, and his clothes were splattered in red. The deer's dead body was drenched in it's own fresh blood, making me feel as if I was about to throw up.
In his hands he held the lifeless corpse of the deer, and in the other was the bloody spear. It frightened me how he could be so cold about it. Like this was normal. Sure it was-, but not like this. You'd usually kill an animal with a quick death; but this one died a painful and brutal one.
This was normal for me. I did the same thing he did with the deer, but replace animals with vampires. What's the difference though?
I see this sort of shit every day, but this was different.
It scared me was how he so heartlessly killed an animal in front of what he presumed me as a '10 year old child'. A child who was possibly kind and innocent young boy.
That's sick.
He walked towards me, still holding the corpse as it's disgusting smell penetrated my nose, and I cover my face from just the sight of it.
"Gross.." I pinched my fingers onto my nose, blocking out the rotting smell before I gagged.
"Oh, that's right." He recalled. "You're only a kid. Most children I know don't like to see dead things. Your reaction is better then most, if I'm being honest." He smiled.
How could he even smile at such a time like this? Was doing all this for just a meal really necessary; and couldn't he have just used his magic?"
These thoughts made me realize just how evil this monster of a man could be.
"Come boy, take my hand." He reached it out for me to grab. I didn't want to touch him. His hand was covered in raw blood from an innocent creature, but I had to though. I grabbed Barbatos hand, and he smiled, seeing satisfied. He smiled only at my fear.
"My hand is filthy now."
I thought to myself, already feeling regret seep into me.
To be honest, If I had never heard of this, 'Windriddened Witch' Barbatos; I would've never guessed that be was such a cruel witch under that innocent human disguise of his. Noir black hair that faded into blue strings of hair, aqua eyes that shined in the shade, and fair pure skin that make it look like he glowed in sunlight.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, but I knew where anyways, just not where exactly.
"I'm taking you to my home, for a meal." He told me, walking into the forest, far from the path.
Here I was now. Walking beside a dangerously wanted witch who has committed a number of treasons, heading in deeper and deeper into the thick forest.
Where no one would be able to hear my screams.
♡︎
(This story was inspired by something I saw on Twitter a while ago.)