The Devil's Cursed Witch

"Don't panic. It's not your fault," he said, observing her guilty expression. "These are fruits that can't survive away from their tree. If you pluck them, they disappear into nothingness, but as long as they remain on that tree, these fruits can survive for years and years. They don't die, just that the fruit cannot live without the tree."

Ember calmed down after realizing it was not her fault.

"Do you know what we call this ancient tree?"

Ember shook her head.

"We call it 'Pharos', which means 'lighthouse'. It's a magical tree that will forever shine as long as it has these lantern-like fruits. It is a beacon that guides the people of the forest at night. For those living in the forest, especially those below the cliff, as long as they see this ancient tree, they will know exactly where they are."

Ember found herself nodding, grateful not only because she had learned the name of this ancient tree but also because it was pleasant to listen to the winged man's deep and manly voice.

After a while, Morpheus said, "It will be evening soon. You should return home."

She turned silent with her lips pressed in a thin line. How could she say that she left 'home' with the thought of never returning again. It wasn't just a simple want of running away—she wanted to disappear.

Morpheus observed her expression. He didn't know why he was being so gentle towards this human when he wasn't even half this nice to the females of the feathered race. He was also one who held deep resentment against humans in his heart, but he seemed to not be able to hate this particular human.

Was it because she looked miserable?  Was it because she tried to take her own life, and he felt pity for someone so young, or was it something else…?

"What happened?" he asked. "You don't want to go home?"

She shook her head to say no.

In Morpheus' opinion, other than the Wood Elves' territory under the care of Leeora, there was no better place for her to be in this entire kingdom than the human villages. After all, Wood Elves were the  gentlest of the races, and due to their High Elder's leadership, none of the ones actively hostile to humans stayed in Ronan. On the other hand, the humans would of course welcome an addition to their population.

However, Morpheus did not trust the humans in the outskirts of the kingdom. It would still be best that this female stay with Leeora, who was known for her kindness.

Though he hated humans, he wanted this little female to be in safe hands.

"Are you scared of something," Morpheus asked, "or someone?"

She again shook her head, not willing to tell him anything.

"Hmm, let me guess. Are you scared of a red-eyed man?" he asked.

She immediately looked at him which confirmed his prediction.

He chucked and stood up. "You don't need to be scared of him. Though he acts cruelly most of the time, he is not evil."

Her expression told him she didn't believe the words Morpheus was saying. Leeora was the same. Why do they keep telling her that she shouldn't be afraid of their king?

Seeing her look of suspicion, Morpheus laughed. "Ah, don't get me wrong. I am not his friend, nor do I like him. In this entire kingdom, no one hates him as much as I do."

'He hates him?' It surprised Ember, wondering how this tall-winged man could say two contradictory things. 'But he's defending him?'

"Though he deserves to be hated, it's not right to run away and take your life for him." A light smirk painted on his lips. "Rather, you should stay and create a lot of trouble for him. Strike back and annoy him. Better if you give him a huge headache."

She blinked her pretty eyes a few times, as if to know what he meant.

"I mean, just be brave and don't be scared. He might punish you, but he won't really harm you."

Thinking about his words, she nodded slowly. Other than the elf Leeora and the witch Cornelia, this winged man called Morpheus was the third person in this kingdom who she felt trustworthy enough not to lie to her.

"You should hurry back. The sun will set soon," he suggested and offered her his hand to stand up, showing he was not going to take a 'no' for an answer.

Accepting his hand, she stood up hesitantly, and he took her to the stag loitering around the other side of the tree.

Morpheus and Lusca were acquainted with each other, and he patted Lusca's back in a friendly gesture. "You have been growing nicely under the care of the High Elder."

Lusca let out a bellow, as if greeting him back. This fascinated Ember, as she too wished she could understand the stag's words.

After a while, Morpheus said, "You should take this little female back in time for dinner. We don't want the High Elder to worry too much."

The human girl climbed on Lusca's back and was about to leave when Morpheus heard a soft voice coming from her direction.

"Ember."

"Huh?"

Morpheus was surprised that she talked. From that night when he witnessed her being saved by Draven up till now, he had never heard her speak and thought she was mute.

With Lusca walking away, the human girl turned her head over her shoulder to look at him, her green eyes sparkling.

"My name is Ember."

Morpheus grinned a lopsided smile, and in return, let her see what she wanted to see all along since the moment they landed at the cliff. His large majestic wings appeared from his back, spreading them to their fullest, making her eyes widen in awe.

Her mouth gaped at how beautiful and unbelievable those wings looked, making him look like a divine being, an angel.

"See you, little female," he said with a satisfied smile and flew away still in his human form. He didn't know why, but intuition was telling him she would prefer seeing him like this rather than if he turned into an eagle in front of her.

Ember continued to watch him fly until he disappeared from her sight. She turned around to rub Lusca's head and looked at the forest trail in front of her—the way back home.