OF Stars And Circle
Chapter 6
Never Again
1,202 Words
7 Min Read
10 Sept 2026
Chapter_6
Inside the void, my body begins to disintegrate into particles of light.
Huu... Looks like my time has come. It’s much faster than last time. By my count, I’ve only had enough time to replay my first life five times over.
“Here it comes." Experienced it already; I wait for the light to come, but it doesn't.
Having left the void, I now became one with the body, but the light never came.
Instead of being greeted by light, only darkness comes.
In that darkness, there was no voice, no drowning urge to fight for a first gasp of air.
Instead of jolting awake, my consciousness drifted into slumber. Fear never came—only a strange sense of relief, wrapped in a lingering warmth.
"I shouldn’t have, but I was unable to stop myself from succumbing to that warmth."
It is a peaceful contrast to the cold void.
“I wanted to sleep in that warmth." Voice cracked as my only bits of consciousness remained.
"I shouldn’t have, but I was unable to stop myself from succumbing to that warmth."
It is a peaceful contrast to the cold void.
“I wanted to sleep in that warmth." Voice cracked as my only bits of consciousness remained.
Wrapped in the cocoon of warmth.
"I wish it were…"
Before I could even complete my thoughts, my consciousness faded completely.
Leaving my thoughts unwoven, I fall into the slumber of that darkness.
_________
Fallen to the floor, Arghet finds her solace in the child.
A blessing radiating from him anchored her sanity.
A blessing radiating from him anchored her sanity.
Be blessed to grow into the most magnificent specimen you can be. Fenrin's words echo in her head.
It was not only meant for the infant but also for her.
Arghet couldn't bring herself to leave the solace she found.
With the sheer dread of the madness and the agonizing pain it brought, she is anchored, unable to leave.
Drained and devoid of both strength and the will to fight, drowsiness took over in that solace of light.
In that darkness, the sun is drowned out in the horizon, leaving not a single ray of light marking the end of the day.
Offering the gift of another sunrise.
"Gifted alike to the Witch of the Dark Night and to the child who will bear its shadow."
___
The light of the early sun draws on the forest.
Yesterday's silence shattered under today's chirps as bird songs rippled throughout the woods, echoed soon after by the rest of the forest's denizens.
The sun’s rays greeted those who survived nature's cycle, filling the gap of the old with new life.
At the center of the forest, perched atop the canopy's largest tree, sat a secluded house. Elevated far above the woodland floor, it commanded a view of the entire realm.
In that house
Lying on the floor in her deep slumber, Arghet's eye opened as she came to her consciousness
First, driven by pure instinct, Arghet turned her eyes to the infant.
She closed the distance as she came near the infant, reaching her hand but stopping midair.
Her body is laced with dirt, and she can't bring herself to touch the child.
Her body is laced with dirt, and she can't bring herself to touch the child.
"I need a bath." She walks toward the door, ready to leave the room, but a hesitation creeps inside her.
Arghet looks back.
The child is still asleep, but I don't know when the child will wake. Her thoughts were a chaotic jumble as she tried to decide what to do next.
"Maybe this will do," she muttered
Arghet's mana twisted and condensed in her palm, tracing the intricate outline of a symbol before expanding into a protective barrier around the child.
Still feeling a little hesitant, she tore a little of her consciousness; she infused it into the barrier.
Finally free to leave, Arghet moved out.
Entering the door to the bathroom.
Finally free to leave, Arghet moved out.
Entering the door to the bathroom.
She prepares to take the bath
Filling the tub with warm water laced with flowers as they float above. With a little more touch, it is now ready to use.
Filling the tub with warm water laced with flowers as they float above. With a little more touch, it is now ready to use.
Arghet stepped in the bath as she slowly lay down there motionlessly, letting herself drown.
Minutes stretched from one to two, then three, until keeping track of time became pointless.
Even unable to drown herself, she pulls her head out of the water
"Can't even feel the pain even when desired." The sadness in her voice is laced with guilt.
Numb to all pain, yesterday drifted away like a phantom dream. But while her body felt nothing, reality was etched into her soul.
She walks out to the bath; her thoughts are jumbled, but there is not even the shadow of pain she felt yesterday.
Empty with thoughts.
She moved to the kitchen, prepared breakfast, and ate with quiet, deliberate grace.
Arghet looked far from a witch. Her flawless poise of nobility, a far cry from the wild, unraveled nature of a witch.
She carries herself in grace without a single shred of suspicion.
To her mind yesterday was still clear.
Arghet moves to the bedroom where the child lies, but she can't bring herself.
Pausing at the doorway, torn between stepping forward or retreating, she remained frozen before slowly falling back.
Her mind is heavy with emotions that have become foreign and now start to become clear once again.
Resting there in stasis, she lay motionless in the chair, waiting for the child to wake up. But no matter how long she waited, the answer she sought from her infused consciousness never arrived.
The peak of the sun has long passed; what started as a day will soon come to its end.
Knowing that the spell's effect had long worn off, Arghet started making assumptions, desperate to quell her mind.
"Maybe the child is just sleeping. It isn't strange for a newborn witch to sleep that long."
"No... perhaps her body adapting to the blessing."
The child would be fine. After all, she was blessed by a star. She voiced it out
Yet Arghet couldn't shake the growing restlessness in her chest. In hundreds of years of existence, she had never felt a panic like this.
"It is your fault," the voice echoed in her thoughts.
"Why did you run?"
"Why didn't you save us?"
"Why leave us in pain?"
Hallucination of past hunts, even after a hundred years: she can still vividly see them
Unable to contain herself, she burst into the room.
As she slowly came closer but was still unable to let herself hold the child, her breathing was labored, making it hard yet rough to breathe.
In her vision, the child lay there motionlessly.
"Is it the 4th one, Mother?"
Arghet's eyes clouded with tears as they flowed down, unable to control herself. The wall she has built for years has fallen.
"Why a child?
Why can't it just be something I expected? Why ? Just why?"
Arghet's voice questioned her very reality, but no answer came.
"A new sister to join."
"No," she answered, gathering herself back.
The wall has broken; she moves further as she embraces the child.
"She will join us sooner or later. After all... it was you, Mother, who left us in this pain."
Having said it, the warning of the horror of the past vanished, leaving an eerie silence.
"Not this time. My child will not die this time”.
The faces of the past overlap in her eyes.
Strip from her coldness her nature came to light, along with her fear resolving herself to never let it become true again.
She will never allow the past to repeat itself.
____
Authors note:
This chapter mainly focuses on the shift, as I don't want to make it forced.
I have left some foreshadowing in some chapters; you can try to think.
Many heavy words are used, and I almost get back to my old writing style with too many fancy words, but they fit well. For this chapter, I tried to paint a picture for you to see
I have left some foreshadowing in some chapters; you can try to think.
Many heavy words are used, and I almost get back to my old writing style with too many fancy words, but they fit well. For this chapter, I tried to paint a picture for you to see
A little slow pace this time
Bye, leave a comment
Bye, leave a comment