Occulus: Tale of the First Blood Witch

Chapter 1

The sun is about to set, and the smell of death lingers in the air. They say ravens are connected to witches and they can be seen, perched on a century-old willow tree. Indeed, hell hath no fury as a woman scorned. And jealousy is like the king that rules that fiery kingdom.

The villagers in a small town in Munich have gathered in front of that forlorn tree. No one dares to get near it, even the children don't climb on it; for in that town, that tree symbolizes only one thing, the demise of the wicked. And tonight, it shall be burned down together with a woman, a witch whose hatred grew from the love she feels for a man she cannot have.

Everyone stopped babbling when a figure stepped out of an old cabin nearby. A woman whose head is concealed by a potato sack and covered by filth and dried blood. The feeling of fear and hatred started to rise as she started to be guided to the tree.

"Kill that witch!" a voice shouted as the rest joints the chant. "Kill! Kill the devil's apprentice!"

The woman was forced to climb a high platform as the chants grew louder.

It was the year 1662 and no one has tolerance for the mysterious and the odd for anything unusual is surely the work of the devil's accomplice or Satan itself. Birchwood, a small simple town in Munich, is a quiet place. Adorned by birch trees where the name of the place was taken from. The townspeople lived a simple but quiet life, living by farming and fishing by the lake. However, little do they know; their beloved little town will be soon shrouded by terror. It all began when the ever-charming Rose fell ill. And no doctor can tell what her illness is. Rose, like the flower, was the fairest and the pride of Birchwood. Men adored her, women admire her, and children loves her; for she was gentle and sweet. Despite this, she also became the center of jealousy of some maidens.

Hell broke loose when Peter, a young lad confessed his feelings towards Rose. The young lasses in that town have set their eyes on him and it was like a non-spoken agreement between them that no one shall have the handsome man. Rose also has fallen in love with him and accepted his love. Yes, the walls have ears and the news started to spread around Birchwood. The townspeople have mixed reactions to this; most of them rejoiced and some of them... well, have been heartbroken. And one of them is a lady named Veronika.

She has been adoring Peter for quite a long time, but it was taboo for women to confess their love to men. She was forced to keep her emotions for a long time until one day, she confessed her love. But Peter did not accept her love for friendship is the only thing he could offer. The news turned her loving into loathing, and she loathed Rose the most.

If I can't have him; then no one will.

It was unknown to everyone that Veronika is from a family of witches. She is also a fine lady, but it was not enough for Peter to notice him. And this is the very reason a vile plan began; she wanted to kill Rose through a wicked curse.

But first, she needed to acquire two vital things for her the curse: strands of Rose's hair and a photo of her.

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

And this is what she did.

Everyone in town knows how much Rose loves reading. On a lovely afternoon, Veronika went where she could definitely find Rose, in the small community library. Once she set her eyes on her, the act began. Veronika has deceived Rose by pretending like she's also a big bookworm. In an instant, they became the best of friends... to Rose, that is.

Veronika's hate towards Rose grew bigger and bigger. Seeing Rose and Peter together is like a taste of poison that slowly kills her. She cannot bear it any longer; she felt that she needs to do the ritual very soon. One morning, Rose and Veronika went out for a picnic by the lake.