Chapter 25.5: Absolute Information Denial

The Hex titled after the Chapter did three things, each one of them worse than the last. First, it censors someone’s words whenever they try to talk about something the Hex specifically denies. And by censor, Witch means actually censored – even when they try to talk about it, it only becomes an unsettling, undecipherable, indescribable static-filled noise.

Second; when the censor is triggered, it tears apart the victim’s body in violent and painful ways which were too excessive for its purpose. It was almost as if the Hex was designed by someone who was sadistic and cruel in nature, if nothing else.

Third; when the death is triggered, whoever cast the spell will suffer a mental attack. Witch described it as a ‘mental feedback reflecting twice the physical pain that the victim experienced’ and they would know from that feedback that someone had triggered the Hex – if they survived the shock, at least.

“Dammit.” Magician growled. “Hexes are such a pain... Seriously, who thought about using a three-stage curse like that? Trying to replicate it with Sorcery is going to be a nightmare...”

“A highly dangerous, highly secretive Hex brutally murders a man and that’s the first thing you thought of?” Witch responded with a sharp tone. “I can never understand you, Sorcerers and Mages.”

“We’re not the ones to develop such a powerful curse.” Magician bit back.

“And you Mages are the type to want to develop such curse now that it’s brought to your attention.”

“Question.” Tobias said, his voice cutting through their argument like a knife through butter. Both Witch and Magician turned to glare at him, and while their faces were blocked by their masks, he could feel their annoyance at his interruption. “Now that our only lead is... well, dead. What now?”

“I’d be damned.” It was Magician who spoke. His voice was low, but it seemed to lack any of the edge or bite he held earlier. “If we’re dealing with some kind of Hexmaster here, then I think it’s only sensible for me to back off now.”

“Is that so?” Witch replied, with a disappointed tone. “What ever happened to your previous statements? The ones about making our attackers pay for their transgressions? And what about trying to replicate such curse?”

“I know when to back out when the odds are too dangerous.” Magician answered, and began to walk off. “You can call Sorcery whatever you want, but in the end, it’s the crystallization of knowledge if nothing else, and I don’t intend to die young.”

Witch let out a sharp noise reminiscent of a bark. “Whatever you say, decrepit, old man.” But surprisingly, even with her flat-out insult to him, he didn’t bother to turn around, much less reply, as he only kept walking away, his form eventually melding and blending with the dark surroundings as he has no doubt cast some form of illusion sorcery.

“And what about you, Witch?” Tobias asked, his voice was perfectly neutral as always. It was as if Magician leaving didn’t impact him at all. In a sense, he didn’t quite feel anything about the man. And it was better for him to leave now, than to betray them later on.

“I am a Witch.” She stated, looking upwards towards the ceiling. “It would be unfitting of me to know that there is someone out there using Forbidden Hexes and simply letting them go. At this point, it’s not just about me or my party being attacked anymore; it’s also to preserve the unwritten law of me and my fellow Witches and Warlocks around this world.”

He nodded at her. “It’s about your personal pride as a Witch now, then?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. Then she looked back at the dead body sitting in a chair. “While our link is dead, this Forbidden Hex did give me great insight, and I think I can narrow down the suspects to a few people.”

“Hmm. Let’s go back then.” He said, walking past her and going through the same pathway that Magician used to leave. “Talk to you again tomorrow, hopefully we can solve this case by then. And do we bury this man?” He turned to face the corpse.

“No, it’s alright. I’ll just cremate him.” She shrugged, then gave a small, amiable wave to him. “Have a pleasant night, try to forget about this, alright?”

He didn’t reply, but he did raise his hand to indicate that he heard it. And just like that, he wordlessly walked away from the abandoned room, before finding himself in the hallways which had too many cracks on its stone walls, and the staircase which seemed to be of almost-rotting wood, as he stepped down.

He briefly smelled ashes in the air, before leaving the building without any further thought.

At some point, he had realized why he was largely unshaken by the inhuman speech of the censorship of the Forbidden Hex – he had remembered that it vaguely sounded like the time that he had been claimed by Death, however temporarily.

... Was that also the reason why he doesn’t really care about the surprisingly violent death of that man? With a shrug, he decided that maybe it was the case.

The night sky was filled with stars, and the full moon shone down on him like a much calmer, milder sun. The night was too beautiful for what just transpired, if nothing else.