The seeds we plant

Natasha's POV:

A haze weighs on my mind. I slowly raise my eyes only to realize that I wasn't sleeping in my bed. The still weak rays of the sun hit my face showing me that it has just dawned. Memories surge into my mind like an unpleasant black fountain that fills my mind with pain. The urge to cry floods me again as I try to stay conscious.

- A…. ahh…..AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH

I scream until my throat can no longer make a sound. I lean against the ground on my knees as I vainly try to stifle my sobs. When I finally open my eyes again I notice a red puddle spread out beside me. The surprise forces me to get up, throwing myself against the wall of the house. A powerful urge to vomit hits me when I notice it, somehow I avoid doing so as I try to get back up. A deep fear invades me as I try to look at the source. To my surprise, the one on the ground is not someone I know. Although his head was missing, he was wearing the unmistakable leather armor that the raiders wore. A wave of relief fills me after I recover from the shock.

-D-Dad…did he win?

As if to answer my question, a sound of something moving comes from the cabin. My heart beats with hope for the first time since the night before. Before I can even think about it, my limbs are moving towards the door of the house.

-Dad!

What I find inside takes my breath away. One of the armored men was moving clumsily around the kitchen, apparently looking for something. He looks up and watches me. My first impulse is to run, but I can't move, uncertainty and terror petrifying my legs in place.

-And…where's dad?

Somehow I manage to squeeze out that question. He looks at me and makes an annoyed face.

-Your dad?... Ah, he's lying over there.

My gaze follows the man's sign only to find my dad impaled by a sword. My legs shake as I face reality. Before I know it, I run to his side. A huge puddle of blood pours out of his chest. I lean over and try to hug him, but he doesn't respond. Before I know it, I start crying next to him.

- That bastard almost killed me, you know? He lunged at me with the sword he stole from me and stabbed me in the stomach. Almost, I don't count it.

- W-why?

- Why?... well, I don't mean to brag, but my luck is pretty good. When we were lost in the woods after we had separated, suddenly a light hit me in the face when we were searching the town in the dark. I don't know why, but someone opened the door of this house and we noticed it right away, that's how we got to this place.

- ... Huh?

"It was... my fault?"

A darkness suddenly rose from my chest. Guilt began to flood my mind in chaos. A piercing pain crushed my heart. The pain made it hard to breathe. The air was not reaching my lungs. My breathing became faster and faster as tears began to pour out.

"If only I hadn't been selfish… If only I hadn't left home… If only I had accepted that mom and dad weren't looking at me."

In the middle of that chaos a seductive voice in my mind whispered to me. It was a sweet whisper that slowly infected my mind.

"Do you wish for power?"

- My luck really is the best. I don't have to look for you to kill you anymore. You really saved me the trouble of looking for you, you know?

"Do you wish for power?"

- With my companions dealing with your mother and sister, I don't have to worry about witnesses anymore.

"Do you wish for power?"

- Now just be a good girl and stay still, I don't want to make a mess here.

- Give it to me!

- Woah, you scared me girl, don't just scream all of a sudden.

A strange feeling filled my heart, as if my senses had suddenly expanded. I felt like I could now move something besides my arms or legs.

"Raise your hand."

Following the strange voice, I raised my hand towards the man.

- Huh? Are you going to beg for your life?

- I'm sorry sir, but I… am not a good girl.

"Close it."

I closed my cloak as the man approached me with a sword. Immediately afterward the house creaked as many green lines shot out from the ground and launched themselves at the man at a dizzying speed. Before he could respond, the green lines coiled around the man until they formed a bud. The man's moans echoed as he was crushed by the force of the green lines.

-Y-Youuuuuuu, were you a witch?

The creaking of the man's body only became louder. The man's screams of pain accompanied each crunch in a horrible way. It was hard to imagine that I was doing all this.

- D-damn monster.

Those were his last words before his voice faded away completely. The creaking of his body soon began to cease until only the sound of flesh rang out. I slowly let go of my hand to reveal a mass of flesh that could hardly be considered human anymore. Unlike the body I found outside, this one didn't make me feel disgust or pity. Even the hatred I had for the man vanished as I looked at the mass of flesh.

"Maybe I really am a monster."

Even the guilt that was crushing me had disappeared. A strange unnatural calm was the only thing left. My desire for revenge, my desire to fight, even my desire to live were diluted in this strange calm. I felt like an empty shell. I turned my gaze to dad and it didn't make me sad either. I slowly walked towards him and lifted his arm with the help of the green lines. I snuggled into his chest and slept hoping to never wake up.