I Reincarnated as an NPC Witch

Revelations

Silence ensued to both of them, no one dared to speak. Abigail breaks the awkward silence between them, “Did you?” The Dark Wizard didn’t answer her. “I know you’re still there. At least, have an evil monologue that you did or a cheeky clue that you have done it. If you’re playing the villain here, at least give me some clues if you were the one who caused chaos here.”

“Shush your mockery, I am not taking any of it. Besides, who are you for me to tell what I have in store for you? The confusion you are having right now is enough for me to even manipulate you into doing things that would benefit me greatly. Besides, whoever did that to you all earlier is just based on your perspective, Abigail. If you think it’s me, then it’s me. If you don’t think it is me, then it’s not my fault.” Abigail looks around her, finding the person she’s talking to. “You answered my second question. Answer the first one.” “Hmm…?” She can hear footsteps around her and a walking fog that’s going in circles. “My first question. How did you know my real name? I am known as Crocus in this world. How did you know the name I own in my own reality?”

He snickered under his breath, “How do I know your real name, Abigail? How and why do I know it?” She can feel his hand on her shoulder again. “Don’t touch me! I am not in a dream, Dark Wizard. I could do anything to defend myself now! You can’t hurt me again and I am not going to let you this time. Your advances would be in vain.” The vines start to appear again under her feet, it visibly threatened the walking fog. It moved away from the vines that are slowly making their way towards him, crawling like a nightmare. He also removes his grip from his shoulder, making Abigail smirk in victory. “Hold your magical crawling plants, Floral Witch. I am not going to hurt you this time. Besides, what I did before is not that hurtful at all. Pfft.” He stopped in a corner and looks at her from there. “I don’t intend to hurt you at all, well, yet, so don’t worry.” He giggles sinisterly. “Why are you questioning my knowledge, Abigail? I am a Dark Wizard, after all. As someone that is existing before you even arrived in this world, I will know everything about you.” He moved in front of her, looking from there rather creepily. “But, I don’t intend to know everything about you either. In fact, I don’t even care even a single bit. But, I have these abilities that have been given to me and I discovered myself. So, why not use it to my advantage? I have used it before, why not now when there’s someone new, fresh of memories, and has an interesting goal?”

Abigail was confused yet interested in what he’s intending to say right now. “I know you are utterly confused about what I am saying. It’s just that I am all-powerful for you to even understand.” He slowly approaches her. She tried to walk back but she was held in her place, unable to move anywhere. “But, you will, someday. You are still new anyway. They haven’t touched you that much and I am hopeful that they wouldn’t.” In front of Abigail was still a fog, just inches away from her body and her face. She was unable to see what’s behind there or even what’s the face of this person who calls himself the Dark Wizard.

 “Don’t let them corrupt you, Abigail. Don’t let them control you. We still have things to do. If there’s someone that’s going to fight you, it’s me. If there’s someone who will be able to manipulate your mind, I rather prefer it to be me. Even it sounds so jerk, I am asking you to stop people to corrupt you just for me to do that to you instead.” Even she can’t see him, she can feel that he smirked at her. “Are you out of your mind? I will not be corrupted by anyone, especially you. If your power makes you think that I will just fall into submission to you. You are thinking in the wrong way. Besides, you are giving me time to be able to fight against you. It’s not only your game, Dark Wizard. It’s mine and yours.” She lets out her vines again to get farther to her. The Dark Wizard snickered, “I like the determination, Floral Witch. I will be expecting that from you. He lets her go, removing the fog that surrounds her. “I’ll be going now. Have a nice sleep and beware of the surroundings. You don’t know what this world and I have in store for you. I hope I’ll come back and you’ll be still alive… and uncorrupted.”

He suddenly vanished out of existence. Abigail fell on the bed, the mattress soften her fall. She looks around, hoping to find any traces of him. He was just gone, just plain gone. The fog that was once surrounding her fades out of existence. Everything seems good and the moon is still shining through her window. Her mind was still confused about what just happened. He’s referring to some people that he’s referring to as people that can control her and manipulate her. People that could corrupt her in some ways. “Is he referring to the one who corrupted Estelle earlier? Is that someone is multiple people all along? Or, it’s just a neutral pronoun and I am overthinking this through.” She massages her temple, “Corruption. What does he mean by that?” She crosses her arms, “He knows who victimized Estelle earlier. He knows what’s happening. He’s saying it’s them and blatantly refusing he doesn’t have any connection with them.” She sighs, “He didn’t, Abigail. He didn’t deny it. He just didn’t say any clue he was connected.”

She sets aside her blanket and sits on the edge of her bed. The tiredness she felt earlier was gone and her mind is filled with questions that crave answers. She’s trying to deduct something from what he said but she just keeps coming back that he knows and has a connection on something. That very thing answers things but at the same time, it doesn’t. It just makes more questions pop into her mind. She decides to screw it off and sleep finally for the day.

Her thoughts didn’t let her sleep well. Nothing was bothering her but her own mind. She was asleep in an undetermined time due to the growing tiredness she had while she was awake in bed, thinking of things. She woke up the next day with an aching tired head. “Crocus, are you there?” Keeana knocks on her door. When she wasn’t answered by anyone, she decided to open the door by herself. She was greeted by a sleeping Abigail that seems wasted. She approached her and shook her gently to wake her up. “Hey, Crocus? Wake up, we are going to prepare to leave the village now.”

Abigail slowly opens her eyes while groaning. She can feel a sudden jolt of pain on her head. She can’t even open her eyes that well. It feels like there’s something heavy that pulls her eyes shut. “Do you get a good sleep?” The witch scratches her eyes to help them to open. “It seems that you didn’t. What happened to you last night? Did the dreamcatcher worked somehow?” Abigail rises up on the bed, leaning on the headboard then looks at Keeana. “It worked. It worked so well that the Dark Wizard needs to disturb me before I sleep and tell things that almost made me awake overnight.” The archer sits on the edge of the bed, “What did he say to you again? His visits are getting more common. Especially to you.”

Abigail sighs, “He visited me because he wants to congratulate me somehow. Because I learned some basic spells with my wand just yesterday. Then, he came over and just wanted to check me out and express how proud and happy he is with my progress. I don’t know if it’s mockery but I think it is.”

“Did you asked him or somehow told you he was the one who caused chaos in the dining room yesterday?” Abigail sets aside the blanket, “I asked him and he only just answered me with ‘it’s all in your perspective’, bull—”, she clears her throat, “Yeah, he said that if I think he is the one who caused that, then it’s him. But, if I don’t think he was the one, then it’s not his fault. He’s starting to get deeper and deeper about things and I am liking none of this, at all.” Keeana scratches her chin, “Who do you think did it then?” The witch sighs, “I was really considering him as the main suspect because he’s the only one here who could do such things. Besides that, he’s the only one I know I am enemies with and somehow wants to abduct me in some way. But, he said some things that make me question all of my deductions of what just happened.” Keeana tilts her head in confusion, “Mind to tell me what is it?”

“He said to be careful and avoid being corrupted by them.” It made the archer much more confused, “What do you mean by them? Or, what does he mean by them?” Abigail shrugs, “I have no idea as well, Keeana. It proves my suspicion that he has something to do with what just happened but not in the way that I expected it. Somehow he knows the people or someone unknown of his gender that has done the damage yesterday. I don’t even know if what happened yesterday has something to do with what he’s saying about ‘not being corrupted.’”

“Can you say the exact words that he said to you? At least, don’t add anything that you think that he’s trying to say. Just the raw ones.” Abigail clears her throat, “Don’t let them corrupt you, Abi—Crocus.” She clears her throat again after that, “Don’t let them control you. We still have things to do.” It made Keeana think deeply, it’s new for Abigail for her to just look at something and think about things this deep. “We still have things to do? What does he mean by that?” Abigail shrugs, “I think it’s about the prophecy that he’s trying to push to reality. You know, about some fight or something.” Keeana nods, “I understand that, he likes to speak in a vague language. Is that the only thing he said?”

“Well, it’s just all like some douchebaggery that he’s the only one that will defeat or something. With dark magic comes insanity, doesn’t it?” Keeana giggles and gets off the bed, “The leading clue is he is hiding something from us. If he knows the one who corrupted Estelle, you should not even trust him that he will go easy on you even you just started your adventure. You already know the basics of your magic, right?” The witch nods, “I think it’s enough for him to even pose a bigger threat for you. Besides, he desires your defeat, so he will do anything to even get you out of his way. I am still confused and a bit suspicious why he needs you, in all people, to even fight him. I mean, I admit we can’t defeat him by ourselves, but it’s still suspicious why he’s rooting to kill you. And even more, he’s trying to help you understand how his mind works. I don’t see this much villain-hero interaction in my life. The last one we defeated before didn’t even exist in our minds until he seeks havoc throughout the continent. Unless…”

Abigail raises her eyebrow, “Unless?” Keeana looks at her, “This is a silly thought, he needs something from you.”