The Devil's Cursed Witch

North of Agartha, in the forest bordering the rugged peaks around the kingdom, a beautiful eagle with ashy gray feathers could be seen gliding swiftly with a downward momentum.

Within that dense forest, ancient trees with height so tall and width so wide they resembled tower spires could be seen somewhat covered in fog. Large thatched houses made of interwoven branches could be seen hanging on the bodies of every tree, their features seemingly like giant nests.

Morpheus had reached Redcrest, an imposing city within the territory of the shapeshifters and the land where the Divine Eagles ruled over the other feathered races.

Just as he landed and transformed to his human form outside of his house, one eagle clan member approached him as if waiting for his arrival.

"Hey, Morph," the eagle casually called out, looking to be of similar age as Morpheus. "The Family Head—I mean, the Chief  has asked for you."

The race of shapeshifters followed the laws of the jungle, particularly on how they revered bloodlines and strength, and their hierarchy were particularly strict not only within their own family but with other families as well, just like how predators like wolves dominate over small animals like rabbits. Morpheus' uncle, the Head of the Divine Eagles, was the current strongest shapeshifter alive, and thus, he was also the acting Chief of their entire race.

Morpheus sighed and walked towards the door of his home without answering.

"Morph? Are you listening? Hey, Morpheus!"

"I am tired, Iden," Morpheus said as he entered his house. His residence was modest, lacking decoration and looking empty with only basic furniture made out of wood inside. Though it was fairly spacious, one could see the entire house upon entering the place. Morpheus went to lay on his bed, which was nothing more than a pile of dried grass which was covered with soft animal skin.

"Chief said it's urgent," Iden insisted. "All the other family heads have arrived and they are only waiting for you."

Morpheus decided to ignore him, but Iden was sent to him for a reason. He was persistent.

"Hey—"

"Morph—"

"Can you hear me—"

"Are you really asleep?"

After a while, Morpheus sighed and sat up on the bed. "You won't give up unless I go?"

"That's the Chief's order and I have to carry it," Iden replied with a shrug.

Morpheus stood up, and in the fraction of a moment, he turned into his other form, flying away from his house without stopping until he landed on the most magnificent tree within the city.

The residence of the Chief of the Shapeshifters was a gigantic ancient tree with a thick crown and an even thicker body, large enough that numerous connecting nests were built around it, and the hollowed trunk further divided into sections with the entrance at the bottom of the tree.  The entire tree was divided into different floors, and protected by enchantments, making it the most important place within the City of Redcrest.

The first floor was a common-use area, and it had a huge assembly hall that was meant for meetings by the leaders, while the other floors were used by the Chief's family.

When Morpheus reached the assembly hall, he saw the influential people from various families all seated, waiting for him. He knew why they were waiting for him.

"Morpheus, finally, you are here."

A middle-aged man with gray hair color similar to Morpheus, only his hair had a slightly bluer tint, was seated at the head of the long table. His wild appearance was similar to Morpheus—from his feather cape to his white tribal tattoos—only that this man's marks were numerous, almost covering every inch of his dark skin, highlighting the accomplishments he had accumulated during his younger years.

He was Agraleus, the Chief of the Shapeshifters.

Hearing the Chief's words, the attendees of the meeting all turned to look at one of the strongest warriors among their kind. There were males and females with various appearances, each giving off different scents and auras, some of them in their original forms. There were those of the feathered races—the ordinary eagles, the golden crows, the blood hawks, the red-crowned cranes and the doves—and there were also the leaders of the other families like the wolves, the cats, the berserkers, and merpeople, among others..

Morpheus bowed his head in front of his uncle, Agraleus. "Chief, you asked for me?"

"Yes, Morpheus," the Chief said. He went straight to the point as soon as his nephew was seated. "Did you meet the King?"

"Yes, I did," Morpheus replied.

Curiosity could be seen on the faces of everyone within the hall. The leaders of each family knew the kind of relationship Draven and Morpheus shared. This warrior was the only person in the entire kingdom who dared to be brazen in front of King Draven, never fearing him contrary to the instinct that shapeshifters have against the devil. They also knew whatever Morpheus did, the King would not do anything to harm him.

Agraleus nodded. "Then, did you talk to him about what we discussed yesterday?"

"I did."

Morpheus answered only what he had been asked and didn't bother to explain, causing the hall to become silent as the people around him waited for him to say more.

His uncle realized the silence would go on if he continued to wait, so he asked, "What did you two talk about?"

"I told him what issues will arise if the human remains within the Forest of the Elves."

"What did His Majesty say?" the leader of the merpeople asked.

"He is the king of this kingdom. Do we really expect him to not know about the consequences?" Morpheus asked.

The Chief sighed. "That is the issue. Despite knowing everything, the King is ignoring it and continues to keep that human female in the city of the Wood Elves."

The leader of the Golden Crows chimed in. "I wonder why the King did not send that human to the human villages. I heard she is a child, a young female. Won't it be more comfortable for her too to be surrounded by adults of her own kind?"

"Perhaps…the King has taken a liking towards that female and intended to raise her to be his woman?" someone murmured.

All conversations stopped within the hall. Everyone had sensitive ears due to their animal-like senses, and those shocking words were enough to scare the souls out of everyone in attendance.