The Seed Thief

⚠️ Violence ⚠️

“She must be a mage… but in this state, she’s hardly a threat.”

“Doesn’t seem like one, though. Have you seen mages from the Magic Tower? The powerful ones practically drip jewels and fancy robes, but this is just a country bumpkin.”

“Don’t let your guard down. Did you not see that barrier around her house?”

One of the men grabbed Lulu’s hair, yanking her head up.

“Why…? Who…?”

The men clicked their tongues as Lulu mumbled, her tongue sluggish from the poison.

“Are you sure this is the Forest Witch? She looks like a dumb bitch.”

“That’s what I’m saying. She doesn’t look like someone Magic Tower mages should be afraid of. And the prince risking his neck to protect her? For what? That run-down shack and this…”

Their efforts yielded such a meager prize. Frustrated, the man holding her hair shook her roughly.

“Hey, what’s your name? Are you really the Fore…?”

Before he could finish, the scarecrow burst from the trees, slamming its wooden arm into the man’s hand.

“It’s that scarecrow again!”

“Kill it!”

Startled, the other intruders drew their swords, slashing at the scarecrow as it danced between them, lurching away from Lulu, buying her precious seconds.

Lulu struggled to her feet, only to collapse again. As she fell, the scarecrow turned its attention back to her. 

In that instant, the intruder’s sword pierced straight through the scarecrow. The clothes Ervandas had so carefully chosen for it were ripped to shreds. 

Ashamed of being startled by a mere scarecrow, the men tore it into pieces.

“That wench is the Forest Witch! Look at the familiar she keeps!”

“Damn thing. Scared me for a second.”

They stomped on the broken pole that served as its legs. Immobilized, the scarecrow opened its mouth as wide as it could, screaming.

A horrifying shriek echoed through the forest, immediately cut short as a sword cleaved through its head.

The scarecrow’s head, split in two, rolled to a stop at Lulu’s feet lifelessly. The magic that had animated it severed.

Originally, it was a discarded scarecrow brought from the village and enchanted. Now, all that remained was straw and splintered wood.

But to Lulu’s eyes, the scarecrow seemed to have bled to death.

Her first creation, her oldest friend, was gone.

“Ah…ah…”

She crawled towards it, gathering its lifeless form in her arms, a strangled sob escaping her lips.

As Lulu clung to the shattered scarecrow, the intruders grabbed her, kicking the head away and hauling her to her feet.

“Since she is the Forest Witch, let’s take her.”

“Wait, we should check the house too.”

Just then, a heavy thudding shook the ground.

“What’s that?”

“Hey, what other familiars are you hiding?!”

Panicked, the men shook Lulu by the hair, demanding answers. When she didn’t respond, they grabbed her by the throat.

Lulu struggled for air, but the man didn’t loosen his grip. 

The thumping sound grew closer, accompanied by the splintering crash of trees.

Then, the golem burst into the clearing.

Lulu gazed at the golem beyond her teary vision. Had it heard the scarecrow’s dying shriek? But she’d ordered it to stay behind.

Never had the golem disobeyed her. It had been created to serve, to obey. And yet, here it was, defying her for the first time.

“Stop it!”

Caught off guard, the intruders scrambled to defend themselves. But it was too late.

The golem, forged from the sturdiest rock the forest could offer, was a weapon in itself, even without its arms. 

The first man was sent flying, his body a broken, crumpled heap. Another swung his sword, but it sparked harmlessly against the solid stone. The man was soon crushed by the golem’s body, screaming in agony.

The golem rampaged furiously, slamming into and crushing the remaining men as if knowing that even a single survivor would endanger Lulu.

At last, the fighting stopped. The golem stomped its foot down on the last man’s head, silencing his gurgling breaths. Crimson stained the pristine snow.

The golem lumbered toward Lulu, who was breathing heavily, leaning against a tree.

As gruesome as the sight of the dead men, the golem’s body was splattered with blood and crackings.

Feeling sorry, Lulu unconsciously reached out her hand. The golem, like a dog seeking its master’s praise, lowered its head, seeking her touch. However, just before her fingers made contact, its body crumbled, collapsing into a lifeless heap.

“Ah…”

Lulu stared at the pile of rocks that had once been her companion, tears streaming down her face.

She felt lost, consumed by grief for her lost friend and her own helplessness. The poison still coursed through her veins, but she forced herself to her feet, stumbling onto the familiar path.

And then she sensed it—the faintest trace of her old magic, intertwined with Ervandas’s essence, a fragile thread leading out of the forest. If she followed it, she would find him. She had to find him. She had to tell him about the golem, about the scarecrow…

Lulu started walking unsteadily. As she crested a small hill, she saw a flicker of light in the distance. She recognized it. The old woman’s house, near the village. The old woman who used to give her bread.

The old woman and her son were the only villagers who had ever shown her kindness. Maybe…maybe they could help. Gathering her remaining strength, Lulu lurched toward the light.

Even if they couldn’t help her directly, they could send words to Er.

She reached the house and knocked weakly on the door. 

Moments later, the old woman appeared, her face illuminated by a flickering oil lamp.

“Who’s there at this hour…? Eek!”

The lamp slipped from her grasp, crashing to the ground as she staggered back, her eyes widening in horror.

“You…you…are you the Forest Witch?”

“Yes…it’s me…please…help me…my friends…in the forest…I need to find Er… ”

“What are you talking about? Get out! Leave…no, wait. Come in. Are you hurt?”

The old woman’s initial fear seemed to vanish as quickly as it had appeared. She pulled Lulu inside, her voice surprisingly gentle.

The normal Lulu would have found this sudden shift in demeanor suspicious. But she was exhausted, her body ravaged by poison and grief. All that mattered was finding help.

“Sit down, child. You’re covered in blood. What happened?”

The old woman’s concern brought fresh tears to Lulu’s eyes.

“In…in the forest…men…they had weapons…”

A strange glint flickered in the old woman’s eyes.

“Is that so? Where are they? Did you kill them all?”

“I didn’t kill them…the golem, it was trying to protect me…”

“So, they’re all dead?”

Confused, but too exhausted to question the old woman’s strange line of inquiry, Lulu nodded. It was true. The men were dead.

“I see…it must have been quite a shock. Wait here for a moment.”

The old woman hurried outside, leaving Lulu alone in the dimly lit house. Her gaze fell on the cloth bag she’d been carrying. Somehow, even in her panicked flight, she hadn’t dropped it.

With trembling fingers, Lulu unwrapped the layers of soft cloth, revealing the bone crow nestled within.

The crow hopped onto the table, its hollow eyes fixed on Lulu. It was usually so playful, so full of life. Now, it sat unmoving, as if sharing her grief for their fallen companions.

Just then, the door creaked open. The old woman was back. As Lulu turned her head, a sudden blow struck her from behind.

A sharp pain exploded in her head. Her vision went dark, and she crumpled to the floor.

The last thing she saw was the old woman’s son, a heavy club gripped in his hand. He raised it again. Instinctively, she raised her hand to protect herself.

Agonizing pain shot up her hand, her ring finger was bent at an unnatural angle. Unable to scream, before darkness swallowed her, she heard the old woman’s panicked voice.

“I told you not to kill her! Why did you hit her so hard?!”

“It’s not that easy to hold back this thing, you know! But it’s fine, she’s out.”

Even in her dazed state, she understood. These people, just like the men in the forest, meant her harm. As Lulu stirred weakly, the old woman’s son raised the club again.

“She’s a witch. We need to make sure she doesn’t try anything. Just a couple more blows should do it… then we can tie her up.”

“Look! That thing on the table! What is that monstrosity? Get rid of it!”

The man whirled around, the club coming down on the table with a crash. The bone crow screeched, its fragile body sent flying. It landed near Lulu’s face, struggling to stand.

Of all her creations, the crow had always been the most high-maintenance. A chipped bone, a frayed feather, and it would be by her side, whining and demanding attention until she fixed it. It wasn’t until she reinforced it with stronger magic, more than she had used for the golem or the scarecrow, that it finally stopped pestering her.

But now, even with its body breaking down, it scrambled towards her.

Before she could react, it pressed its beak against her hand. She felt a surge of power, the echo of her magic, flowing back to her.

And then the crow collapsed, its bones crumbling and shattering as if its time had finally come.

Before finding Er, or even before escaping this forest, Lulu had lost the three friends who had been with her for a lifetime. Now, she could no longer endure.

The old woman shrieked, her voice high-pitched and frantic. Her son yelled back, his words a jumbled mess.

Lulu closed her eyes. Everything went black.

* * *

A drop of dirty water fell from the leaky ceiling, landing into a puddle on the floor. Ripples spread across the surface, distorting the reflection of a flickering lamp. Lulu, curled in a corner, gazing blankly at the scene.

Voices of passing guards could be heard from a distance.

“That’s her? The Forest Witch?”

“That’s what they’re calling her.”

“Looks like a normal girl, except for the red hair.”