CHAPTER FIVE
After my fortification, my godmother told me that the demon gods had chosen me to be her daughter. That was why I was marked with the symbol of a lion. It was a royal mark my godmother had inherited from the King of all witches and wizards.
After she explained everything, all the witches who attended my welcome ceremony knelt down with their heads bowed.
"Long live Princess Tanya," they said.
I was astonished by their respect. A good-for-nothing, useless, cursed, and rejected Tanya had become the princess of the witches.
My godmother dressed me in a gown different from the other witches. It was royal regalia. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something.
"Don't worry, my child," she said. "You are more than you think."
As months passed, I became used to the activities of the witch covenant. At first, it was hard for me to drink human blood.
One day, my godmother took me to her secret chamber. There was a large sacred mirror with a black frame. She splashed a little blood from a human who had just been slaughtered. Then she began to chant:
"Four eyes of the wicked world, reveal the hidden truth about the owner of this dark blood I offer to you."
After a few minutes, I saw the man who had been slaughtered appear in the mirror. It was as if I were watching a movie.
I saw that man raping his younger sister and threatening her with a dagger, saying that if she told anyone he would kill her. It became a daily thing. Whenever he desired a woman, he forced his younger sister to sleep with him.
As time passed, the sister turned eighteen. There was a young man who loved her, but she rejected him because of the dark secret she carried. When her brother discovered that the man was pursuing her, he became furious and killed him.
The girl was terrified.
One day, she discovered she was carrying her brother's child. Unable to bear the pain anymore, she committed suicide.
After that, the mirror went blank.
I was trembling with anger. What kind of brother could treat his sister like that? I wished he were alive so I could torture him myself.
My godmother smiled and told me that all the humans we killed were wicked—devils in human form.
After witnessing that man's evil deeds, my hatred for humans grew stronger. I began killing them without hesitation. Their blood became my favorite wine, and their flesh my meal.
Many witches and wizards from different packs feared me, saying I was a powerful witch. At first, I did not believe it.
Until one day.
Lisa, the princess of the Snake Pack, abused Tamary, her servant. She suspected that Prince George from my pack was secretly dating Tamary.
I caught Lisa while she was torturing Tamary—cutting her flesh and drinking her blood without mercy. Seeing that reminded me of my cousin Mara abusing me while no one defended me.
I roared with rage and grabbed Lisa by the neck.
Other witches tried to use dark magic to stop me, but I roared like an angry lion. The ground beneath us shook violently. Fire burst from my mouth like a dragon, sending cold shivers through everyone—even my godmother.
I only released Lisa after she fell unconscious.
From that day on, Tamary followed me everywhere. She even begged to become my servant.
But not in my world.
I never wanted anyone to serve me. It reminded me too much of how I had been treated before.
I also refused to become Tamary's friend. Love had never been my hobby.
CALAMITY FALLS UPON THE KINGDOM OF MOYO
In the kingdom ruled by King Alex—the hometown of Tanya, where she had never received love or care, only humiliation, hatred, and rejection—tragedy struck.
One morning, the queen was found dead in her chamber with no signs of sickness. After she was buried, strange illnesses and deaths began to spread across the kingdom.
At first, King Alex believed it was just coincidence.
Then one morning he woke up blind.
The council elders summoned the royal witch doctor to consult the ancestors about the king's blindness and the disasters that were happening in the kingdom.
After consulting the gods, the witch doctor told the elders that the gods were angry with them for rejecting the Daughter of the Soul.
No one understood what he meant.
He said the only way to heal the king was for the prince and the elders to travel to the Jungle of Witches on the outskirts of the kingdom.
No one in the kingdom had ever visited that jungle, except one of their forefathers. He had once reached the ancient baobab tree. Rumor said the tree had existed since the beginning of time, and its roots could heal any sickness and break any curse.
When the man returned home, he told only his son what he had seen. Shortly after, he died.
Since then, no one in the kingdom dared to speak about that jungle.
The elders argued about the gods' command, saying it was a suicidal mission. But the prince vowed to follow the gods' instructions if it meant saving his father and the kingdom.
END OF CHAPTER FIVE