She Belongs To The Devil

"Walk… this way…"

Joyce kept on hearing those whispers as she walked in the direction that the capsule was pointing. Currently, she was walking along the narrow path of a wood that led to a village that was near the Palace.

This small village called New Myrtle was developed after the migration of the wolves. And as it was established after the migration, this village's population constituted of both humans as well as the werewolves.

As it was a full moon night, the werewolves were instructed to tie themselves up if they were still unable to suppress their automatic transformation during the full moon night.

The experienced wolves, the ones who had already mastered their werewolf side, were also not allowed to wander around the woods during the full moon.

It was to make it easier for everyone. If someone saw a wolf wandering around during the full moon night then they would know that that wolf was a newly turned one.

If the human villagers saw a wolf during the full moon night then they would know that they needed to run away. If the patrolling werewolves came across a transformed wolf then they would know that they needed to capture it before it hurt itself or someone else.

The humans, on the other hand, were requested to stay inside their homes and secure their doors.

The humans didn't mind a one-night curfew a month because they knew that it was for their own safety. But at the same time, they were also very trusting of the werewolves because they had developed a close friendship with them by now.

So the wood was inevitably empty of the werewolves. Joyce was the only one who was walking in the wood right now.

Even though it was a full moon, the sky was heavily covered with clouds. Barely any pristine lights of the full moon were passing through those clouds.

And even though she was a powerful witch, Joyce was a little scared to walk alone in the middle of a wood. The whispers that she could hear only sounded creepier out there.

She was on high alert and was trying to occupy her scared mind by actively looking around.

She was searching for a girl, especially Ariel because the voice kept on repeating that it was a 'she' who needed her help.

"Come on… how much more do I have to walk? And is 'she' even safe until now? I just hope whoever needs my help is safe and sound. And I really hope it's not Ariel who needs my help. I will bring upon the wrath of the Devil on me if anything happens to her. Uncle Theodore will kill me."

Crack!

She heard the sound of some twigs snapping behind her.

Joyce inhaled sharply and jumped around while spreading her palms. She was ready to attack if something hostile was to come in her direction.

However, she couldn't see anyone.

Joyce gulped and thought to herself, "Am I imagining things? Am I hallucinating because of this deafening silence of the night?"

She looked around her and prayed, "I hope I am not going mad because of this plant from hell. Why the hell is it even talking to me?"

Suddenly a chill shiver enveloped her heart as she got a dreaded thought, "Or is it even the plant that's talking to me? What if it's some demon that latched with the plant and came here?"

Joyce looked down at the capsule. It was still trying to pull her in the opposite direction.

"I hope it's not some wicked demon. I hope I am not dying tonight…"

She turned around and resumed walking again.

After walking for ten more minutes, Joyce reached near the edge of that wood.

Finally, the capsule dropped on her chest and it stopped pulling her.

Joyce blinked twice in confusion because she didn't see anyone, not even a cat, in the vicinity.

"Er… what the…"

Joyce carefully looked around her once again. But nothing.

"Did I just get fooled by those whispers?" she thought to herself. "Or do I just wait here for something to happen? Or has it already…"

Joyce suddenly looked down at the soil under her feet. And she sighed in great relief. "No one has dug the land. For a second there I thought someone already buried that 'she'…"

She stood there for a few seconds, unable to decide whether to return back to the Palace or wait for a little longer.

The more she stood there in silence, the more she was getting restless and scared. Countless dreadful scenarios played in her mind. And in most of that scenarios, she couldn't help but imagine herself being that 'she' and then dying.

She pressed her cold palm over her hot forehead and spoke out loud so that the capsule or demon inside it or whatever would hear her. "Maybe I should really head back. I don't see anyone who needs my help here."

However, she didn't hear any whispers.

She pinched that capsule between her fingers and shouted at it again, "Do you hear me? I'm going home!"

But there was no answer.

"Fine. I'm heading back for–"

Suddenly, she heard someone humming a tune from afar. She looked to her side and saw a middle-aged man in the distance.

"Umm… that's not a she!" Joyce exclaimed in her mind.

That man looked drunk as a skunk. He was barely able to walk with his staggering feet. And his hums sounded very slurry.

"Okay! And he is walking towards me!" Joyce pressed her lips into a thin line and narrowed her eyes.

Joyce forgot that she was currently invisible. When that man kept on walking towards her, she felt as though he saw her and was coming to take advantage of her.

So she held out her palms and prepared to knock that man down with her magic if he came any closer.

"Alright! You are close enough you drunk bastard!" Joyce mumbled to herself when that man was still pretty far away from her.

She manipulated a couple of branches of a nearby tree so that she could grab that man and throw him away.

Those branches shot towards that man as if they weren't branches but arrows.

However, just when they were close to that man, Joyce heard a series of snapping of twigs and crumpling of dry leaves. And before she could even perceive what it was, some kind of dark shadow jumped at that man.

Out of instinct, she threw those branches towards that shadow instead.

That shadow got hit badly and immediately after, Joyce heard a low whimper.

"A wolf?" Joyce thought to herself and started running to the place where it had landed.

The drunk man was startled to his core. For a few seconds there, he was unable to move. He was utterly confused as to what had happened.

But then he heard the sound of a whining wolf. It was glaring at him with its amber eyes. And it was trying to get up.

Suddenly, a realization hit that man that he was about to get killed by that wolf just moments ago.

His survival instinct kicked in as his life was on the line. So he looked around and instantly picked up a huge stone from the ground to kill that wolf before it killed him.

"Wait!" Joyce shouted at the top of her lungs but that man didn't listen to her.

"Hyaahhhh!" Instead, he shouted and raised that stone above his head to strike that whimpering black wolf.