Rot & Romance (Rewriting)

Chapter 89

The Demon's Spirit elixir.

It is widely known as the greatest act of witchcraft known to the living and undead. Crafted in the mid thirteen-hundreds by the sorceress Ursula of the Cauldron--named after her great prowess at potion magic--to protect her family during the Black Death plague.

Hundreds of millions of people died to Nature's wrath as a result of disobedient witches practicing necromancy. The dark art went against Nature as it broke the fundamental law that everything that lives must die. But Ursula found it unfair that she and her family should suffer the same fate as those that went against Nature. Therefore, she created a potion that would resurrect the dead. Privy to Nature's threat of the resurrected returning as monsters, Ursula took every precaution to protect her family upon their return to life. Using plants with magical properties like acacia for strength and speed, thistle for healing, amaranth for immortality and her own blood for life, she created the Demon's Spirit elixir.

Ursula had her entire family consume the elixir, should the disease infect them. Sure enough, the plague eventually resulted in the death of her family just days apart. Her beloved Ulysses. Her oldest son Aster. Her charming Ulric. Her sweet and honest Emil. And her beautiful daughter Isabella.

But they came back.

Her entire family came back to her.

Her brew was a success.

However, Ursula would soon find out that Nature's threat was not an empty one. Not long after their resurrection, her family tried to devour her alive. Their once fair skin an icy pale. Their once brilliant eyes, stone white. They became the monsters Nature promised they'd become.

She used magic to trap her family in their home. As one of the four elemental witches, she tracked down and called upon the assistance of the remaining three. In confidence, she told her elemental sisters about her misdeeds and pleaded for their help. But the other elemental witches refused to help Ursula and instead used their powerful magic to create weaknesses for the undead; gold, silver and copper. The three elements would burn the undead to the touch, easily piercing their flesh and weakening them.

And a stab to the skull will surely see them die.

In a blind rage, Ursula released her family from their home and they ravaged the land, tearing apart and devouring every human they came across. The elemental witches warned the people of the land that Ursula's family had become the immortal result of Nature's curse on necromancy and that gold, silver or copper could restrain and kill them. But Ursula's act only furthered the strain in human-witch relationships and their warnings fell on deaf ears. The people rioted and rebelled against the witches, even going as far as burning them alive in public executions. Not only did the people rebel, Nature was also unhappy with witches, taking away their extended life span and granting them a weakness--rosemary.

Days passed and more of the dead began to ravage the land. But these people weren't kin to Ursula.

They were former victims of her family. Bitten and risen again. As if her family were infecting their victims with traces of the Demon's Spirit with each bite.

Ursula and the people of the land would soon find out that seemed to be the case. The elemental witches forged daggers from gold, silver and copper for the people to use as protection against the dead--later becoming known as dead walkers.

With this advantage, the humans fought the undead and their ashes painted the land and sky. Once all of the dead walkers in the land were thought to be taken care of, Ursula caught wind that they were coming for her family next. She gathered her family and they fled the land and went into hiding for several years . . .