The Devil's Cursed Witch

The two knights stood up as well to follow the prince but they heard him say, "Wait for me here." Outside of the tavern, Rhian found Mad John swaying on his feet, still mumbling his discontent and cursing those people who laughed at him. Rhian thought about how to best approach an old man like him.

He approached the old man and held his arm, helping him walk. "Let me help, Grandpa."

John looked at the unfamiliar young man with heavy-lidded eyes. "Who are you?"

"I am just a traveler. I saw you struggling to walk so I thought to help you."

The old man chuckled. "You are a thoughtful young man."

The prince didn't comment and asked him where he was headed. He helped him walk in the direction of his house. "Grandpa, I heard you talking about some dragon and hidden kingdom."

"They all think I am making up stories. No one believes me."

"I believe you," he said. "Will you tell me more?"

John's eyes visibly widened, as if Rhian's curiosity sobered him up. "You want to listen to this old man's ramblings?"

"What ramblings, Grandpa? Are they not your experiences from your younger days?"

The old man laughed as if he found the most precious gem. He started to stumble on his words. There was finally someone who believed him and was willing to listen to him, and he had so many things to say he had no idea where to start. "Grandpa, why don't you start where that kingdom is located?"

John raised his head towards the distant mountain ranges, their snow-capped peaks shining under the pale moonlight. "You see those mountains there, young man? Beyond those mountains, if you travel about three or four weeks on foot, there is a hidden kingdom of supernatural beings, of people that are not part of humankind."

"Does that kingdom have a name?"

"Agartha," the old man said with fervor. "That kingdom is called Agartha."

"Agartha," Rhian slowly repeated, committing it to memory.

"You can call it a paradise…" The old man further described the kingdom the best he could, but he was a stupid teenager when he ran away, and all he knew were the few stories he overheard from the village chief and his parents. "...and many races resided there to seek shelter and escape from the endless wars within the continent a thousand years ago."

No wonder people called him a lunatic. John's story did sound like some folklore, impossible to believe unless you have personally experienced it. "You say witches also live there?"

"Yes. I've never seen one, but from what I heard, those witches make amazing potions! They are good people, unlike what the rumors say about them."

Rhian didn't want to think of his sister as a witch, but this was what he had heard people call her. Countless attempts were made to kill her, but she survived each of them. There was a rumor that she was an immortal and no one could kill her. Even his own mother, Queen Shanel, told him that his younger sister was different, blessed by some unusual power. What if she escaped towards Agartha, a place where people would not care whether she was truly a witch or not?

'The mountains ought to be dangerous for a lone girl. If she truly headed there, I hope she is safe.'

Rhian pulled out the strange gold coin from his pocket and showed it to the old man. Even before the prince could say anything, the old man grabbed it from his hand. "You! Where did you get this?!"

"I found it while traveling," the prince replied casually. The old man looked at him in shock. "Do you know where this belongs to?"

"Agartha?" the prince asked, taking chances, but to his surprise, the old man enthusiastically nodded. "Yes! See, this is the symbol of the Almighty Black Dragon carved on it! And these"—he flipped the coin— "ancient symbols spell out the words 'Kingdom of Agartha'."

Rhian didn't want to believe the old man's stories, but a part of him was starting to.

Especially hearing about his sister from Queen Shanel, he started to believe there were things beyond human understanding. Moreover, while traveling across the continent from the past few months, he heard various stories about beings that people either feared or respected, about incidents impossible to explain without the existence of magic as well as historical records or murals that would be logical if people accepted the existence of supernatural beings.

"Can I keep this?" the old man asked him with hope in his eyes. "You can." The prince gave that coin to the old man. "Think of it as my gratitude for sharing your experiences."

However, when Rhian asked about how one can go to Agartha, he received a dismal response from the old man.

"The entire kingdom is protected by a barrier created by the King of Agartha himself. You will not be able to find it without a map, and even if you accidentally do find its location, you won't be able to see through the illusion and enter it unless the patrolling warriors allow you to enter."

John sullenly explained he was a naive sixteen-year-old boy when he ran away. He hated being cooped up in the village. Back then, there were only five human villages and everyone knew everyone. He felt like a bird trapped in a cage, but also didn't want to rebel against the supernatural races so he ran away with his friends. Only he was lucky enough to survive. It had been forty-seven years since then.

He attempted to return when he missed his parents but was unable to find his way back. The old man could only tell the general direction to the prince.

After sending him to his house, Rhian looked at those mountain ranges for a long time and then returned to the tavern.

The prince filled his mug of beer before telling his knights, "Tomorrow, we are leaving for Agartha."