At long last, destiny beckoned...
At last, somewhere out there, her match, her other half had been found...! And, in his moment of need, had called a witch to his side.
Acadia sat up with a start, in her bed; feeling the irresistible tug of the accelerating ritual summons.
Wryly, the enchantress briefly considered changing out of her skimpy nightgown-
Too late.
The living weapon vanished; bound for the 12-layer magic circle which had found her, and called her name.
***
Sylphynford Acadia's lonely dormitory room, provided for her, by the Order of the Witches Assembly, was gone. Her bed, small as it was, and uncomfortable as it always had been, was gone.
Her dresser, and boudoir, in the far left and right corners, of that old room... Which had contained, between them, all the worldly Possessions she had ever owned; everything she had ever been allowed to own, mainly outfits, that is. which she'd gathered, meticulously, over the years. And cute accessories to match...
They were gone, it was all gone, but... Somehow, she didn't miss them.
In fact, Somehow, she couldn't really.... feel... anything, at all? except--
what must have been some... lingering sense of shock, perhaps. leftover, from the initial 12 layer match?
And a still mounting, ever expanding, heart-throbbing exhilaration.
Breathe, Sylphynford, Breathe....
she tried to tell herself, to no avail, whatsoever.
Instead, the summoned witch blinked, twice; rubbing her wide eyes, and then tilting her head. Still stunned, she found her feet, and stood, amidst the ringing silence.
No way... What kind of person matched with me?
No wayyyy....
It was all she could do, to try and re-orient herself, in the world, for a time. By peering left and right, then turning around, she was slowly beginning to overcome the persistent summoning daze.
Everything from her previous life, was indeed gone, including the sanctuary of the order, and even the city around it. Perhaps, even the moon she had been born and raised on, was no longer beneath her feet...
In its place, instead, was the most ridiculously opulent...
Her mind went blank.
Cathedral? She wanted to guess, still a bit dizzy, but quickly recovering. Either way, it was the most incredible thing she had ever laid eyes on.
And it wasn't particularly close...
Words failed her, for a moment, and she just drank everything in.
Countless, shifting holographs, dotted around her, displayed breathtaking vistas. Imagery and Landscapes, from far abroad... Or, perhaps, from other worlds?
They Showed tropical jungles, sun-stained cityscapes, frozen tundras, and roiling ocean tides. There was even more, but she looked past them.
Everywhere her eyes fell, was abundant wealth, magnificence and splendor, that exceeded all imagining. Slowly, vague notions of where, exactly, she might be did begin to trickle into the back of her mind... and yet, Acadia felt like her heart might stop, at the very thought of being correct, about it. Hammering, pulse-pounding excitement continued to build, within her breast; almost choking, she nearly swallowed a gasp--
Recognition was coming fast, now.
It was a great hall, a castle...
Utterly enormous, too! Gilded paintings, inlayed with priceless gems, were sprawled across a field of mosaics, high above. Lavish arches, with yet more riches, of gold & silver lining, reached down, among White marble statues... Bridging the decorated cieling with the priceless floor. Between them all, Rows upon rows of shimmering Heroic plate harness stood proud, and empty, to either side.
Above all, though, Acadia had begun to spy a mighty, all-too recognizable crest... an unmistakable sigil, with accompanying heraldry, known to all, across a hundred worlds...
Enormous, and positively dripping with meaning, with significance, It seemed to loom over her; over the entire hall, In fact. from it's place, behind the empty throne of Gliese. In the grand castle hall, of Altirk, of the Hegemony--
That crest...
She knew, gaping, silently. Feeling almost numb at the sight of the mark. Her entire body trembled, but, as she averted her gaze, looking down, speechless; the newly summoned witch discovered she had no more time to waste.
For, a dark, rippled steel crown, lay, bloodied, at her feet. At once, when she saw it, and the gasping, wounded young man who was meant to wear it, crumpled upon the floor. Her heart positively stopped, and her resolve hardened, at once, growing strong.
As if on cue, a stiff breeze swept in, from nowhere, and filled the hall; the young, bleeding prince, and the summoned enchantress both felt it, and stirred.
"You were lucky..."
The witch with stars in her eyes bowed low, haughty, then stood tall; towering over the man who would soon be her world. A vision of angelic beauty and grace, Acadia tossed her gleaming hair over one shoulder. "To end up getting me."
She spoke serenely, and gently, but crystal clearly. Her tone carried with it both affection, and longing; all wrapped up in a most sincere selflessness...
The Crown Prince, first vicar, scion of his line, twitched; trying, in vain, to raise his head-- struggling, and straining, above all, to hear her light, resolute voice... Which had seemed to split the horrifying stillness of his solitude out of absolutely nowhere.
She was radiant, beaming; taking another step closer, and smiling, invitingly, down at him. Though his agony was plain to see, and it bothered her, immensely; she was also already proud to be responsible for healing him, and restoring his dignity... giving him power--
someone so regal, and wonderful... What good fortune! The witch reached out with magic, probing him, to ease his pain...
But the suffering she found there was terrible, indeed.
Biting her lip, then, to gather up power; and, to reinforce her own will, Acadia slowly began to draw on the quantum computing, inside her. Dissolving away, she Manipulated space. Drawing the two of them closer together, growing nearer-- finally, reaching out, with a gentle mind, and an open hand. To touch his pain, touch the wounds of the crown prince of the Castle Altirk, heir to the monarchy on Gliese, sovereign of a hundred planets, and savior of the human Galaxy.
The starry eyed girl tried to hum, reassuringly, as she did so. Alas, how the crown prince howled, how he writhed, through gritted teeth! Each and every bleeding wound, every broken bone, within him, cried crimson tears. Acadia Sylphynford could only envelop his damaged body, within her subspace.
As Pangs of molten, jagged grief tore streaks through her heart, one by one. though he was still a stranger, somehow, seeing him suffer, helpless, on the floor before her... Was almost too much to take,
Could this be the instinctive bond of a witch and her wielder?
Acadia was deeply troubled; she reformed her physical body, and looked around again, where it was now more than clear to see. this had been no ordinary summoning ritual.
Fresh Blood streaked his face, and body, after all, ceaselessly pouring out upon his Noble clothes, and marking his rippled steel crown, where it had fallen from him.
Yet there was no-one else in the vicinity... in the grand hall, of the galactic capital, crown Castle Altirk? How could that be?
No-one, to help the scion of the royal line? In his time of agonizing pain, when his need was greatest?
Worse still, far from a willing sacrifice, her beloved prince was clearly mutilated; bearing the tell-tale marks of violence, from the hand of another.
Someone had assaulted the Crown Prince of Altirk?
But who? Who would dare?
When Cancer Iz Hime VanAstral Babylon finally did speak, at last- he sounded distant, and feverish. Acadia could barely hear him...
"So... so, It really worked... They were right-"
He seemed to want to spit, full of disdain and agony.
In his mind, she saw who-
It was the king, the King of Gliese, ruler of this Noble Castle, Altirk. He had sent someone to do this, they had sent someone...
'they' he had said, that could only be the king and the King's own Witch.
So, his own father had done this...?
Iz was panting, almost delirious; clawing, uselessly, at the ground, in an attempt to rise to his feet.
"Relax, my lord-"
Acadia The Witch saw that he could not, and so took it upon herself to go to her knees, where she would soothe him; instead. "I'm here, now... I'll never leave your side again."
Her voice was like salvation itself; like a comfort all-encompassing... Though he was only hearing it, now, for the first time in his Life. Salty Tears began to mingle with the blood leaking down his chin; Iz grit his teeth.
"Don't weep, my lord." Her soft, lilting voice rang out, once more; shattering the tension and loneliness of the throne room at Altirk- splintering it, like a glass chime crashing to the floor.
"Trading this temporary, fleeting pain, for my eternal servitude...?" Truly, it was the voice of a witch.
"There's no better deal than that!"
Every word carried with it such sweetness, such sincerity, as to Convey, through the sheer force of her own determination, a suffocating blanket of pure comfort and assurance; which then settled, inexorably, down upon the crumpled, sobbing young man at her feet.
Whispering the words of a lifelong blessing, to lay over him, she knelt... Setting her hands upon him, and taking him into her arms; embracing her bloody Prince.
The Bottomless warmth and devotion of her touch swallowed him whole-- immediately, Cancer Babylon choked, frozen in place. The unforgiving frigidity of the cold floor beneath him seemed to all but melt, slowly, away... As the searing dampness of the blood in his eyes, and on his hands, in his hair, began to tie them together; binding them, as one- In accordance with her will.
"Shhhhh... It's okay, Iz..." The witch breathed, holding onto him, tighter still. Desperately, he turned his bloody face up, into her, at last-- into her inviting breast; choking back his own overflowing pain and exhaustion. "It's okay."
"How..." The scarlet prince barely managed to croak, rubbing his bloody, tear-stained face against her collarbone; lips buried in her voluptuous chest. His words came out somewhat muffled, as well. "How do you even know my name..."
"Everyone knows your name, silly."
She giggled, lightly, airily: still absentmindedly caressing the side of his face-- and gazing, carefully, into the depths of his mind.
"Aren't you a member of the royal family, after all...?" the witch chuckled, under her breath.
He blinked; hesitating, for just a moment, as if caught somewhere between considering this, and ruing his own helpless ignorance.
"I can't see." The prince exhaled, at last, with his head spinning.
"You have blood in your eyes. It's dry, and caked over."
She explained, calmly, softly, sweetly. Almost whispering, so that she could barely be heard, and wouldn't offend his ringing, throbbing ears. "It stings, doesn't it?"
He seemed to consider this, utterly exhausted, utterly lost. And then nodded, speechless.
Acadia Sylphynford just hummed something, softly, to herself; still gently rocking him back and forth, cradling him in her arms.
"Just wait until all my friends find out I ended up contracting with the Crown Prince-"
Cancer Iz grimaced; halfway grinning, halfway scowling. The pain in his eyes was slowly beginning to subside, now, however...
"Glad to have been of some service, Witch of mine."
She just sighed, delighted; He was adorable... Yes, absolutely perfect--
Better than she could ever have hoped, even in her wildest dreams, as a little girl.
She never dared imagine she could match with someone like this--
Flush with her own bottomless adoration of him, she stroked the top of his head, gently; tenderly, running her fingers through his hair.
"Look, can you see me...? Here I am, Iz..." The witch massaged his temples, rhythmically; cooing, gleefully, to him, and feeding a vision of herself into his mind.
Since he currently had no working eyes of his own, to see her with.
"Am I not beautiful... Am I not pleasing, to you-?"
The crown prince held onto her, desperately, as though his very life depended upon it.
"The nightgown does please." He managed to grin, lightly, through the blood in his throat, still sounding hoarse. "but you would please even with considerably more clothes on."
"More clothes would be Less pleasing, though... I'm sure." Acadia chuckled.
He said nothing.
Then answered back, a moment later; dryly. "Are all witches this beautiful?"
"Not this beautiful..."
She fanned herself, smug, with her own right hand. He didn't answer, yet again, for yet another moment; or, perhaps, was unable to.
Giggling, Sylphynford took the initiative, again, for her new host. "You see, we matched before I had a chance to change my clothes, your grace."
Glowing, she stroked his cheek, concentrating as much power as she could muster through and in-between them. As it flowed all around, twinkling like stars in a dark night sky of her controlled subspace, she let her eyes drift shut.
"... so, wearing this nightgown is the same way that I will appear before you, for the first time, in the flesh. When you are healed, and your eyes opened~"
At this, exhaustion and delirium seemed to boiled over inside him, and she just beamed. He was fairly certain, at this point, that she was Intentionally making it sound like more of an excuse than it actually was.
But, at his wits end, Iz just hung his head, actually laughing with her.
Acadia exhaled, calmly, hushed; bringing her lips to his right ear, and gently, tenderly stroking the side of his head... Running her fingers through his hair.
Murmuring, the witch was practically glowing. "From now on... I'll make your dreams come true, Cancer."
The witch continued to hum something, soothing, to him, under her breath. He fought for air, struggling with the experience of magic stitching his body back together.
Iz Hime-Babylon heard her, but, still lightheaded, still utterly disoriented, was only distantly, peripherally aware of the fact that the crucial moment had arrived. Acadia had already begun to whisper the final words- which would reify their binding, lifelong contract.
"I'll be your Weapon, from now on, my crown prince..."
It took another few moments, still; but, Finally, he did realize what was happening.
What her words meant, what she was now doing.
Assorted stars of twinkling magic, in every color of the rainbow flashed and faded and flashed again, all about; color and light pierced the whirl of subspace that Acadia had become, as her formless body swallowed most of the crown prince, drawing him into her pocket dimension, to be at ease, and cement their union for the first and most critical time.
"I'll be your partner, for, From this moment on, I... Acadia Sylphynford Bound-Eria, Witch of the Night Sky, Witch of Dimensional Subspace, do pledge myself to thee; by way of a 12 layer magic circle, we have matched, and I have come to your aid... Never to abandon you, again, or ever leave your side. Accept my eternal allegiance, as I accept your blood offering, and I will become yours, our bond will be complete."
The incantation seemed to echo, back and forth, between his ears.
For the first time in what felt like ages, he could just about crack one eye open. The light and sound, and motion was still too dazzling, however.
"I... I accept." He breathed.
A blinding flash, and a gust of wind. Acadia fully dematerialized, and drew the crown prince fully into herself, into her subspace dimension, among the starry sky.
"Then I am yours-" she whispered, to him, from within.
The sensory overload was extreme, but before he knew it, Iz was back on the cold floor; and his new witch was back in a fully corporeal state, standing proudly before him.
"Let's get your dad back, for this"
She raised him up, then, with magic: lifting him, evenly, to his feet- in far more dignified a fashion than he could possibly have accomplished himself, under his own power.
Bewildered, however, Cancer still said nothing.
The weight of the moment-- of destiny-- was heavy upon him.
At last, she took up the lord's right hand; cradling it, reverently, in both her own. Dropping down, onto one knee, the witch of subspace Smiled...
Then, Acadia tugged on his fingertips- one by one- fanning them out, before pressing her lips, decisively, into his palm.
He almost shivered. Sounding completely bewildered, in fact, the heir to the Galaxy finally found he could open both of his eyes.
And saw, all at once, that same, smiling embodiment of mystical beauty, kneeling before him. in that same shimmering nightdress, with long, flowing hair.
She had stars, countless stars, in her dark eyes, it seemed...
*