Oakhaven fell silent that winter. The fever returned, but there was no one left who knew which root could stop it.

Elara looked at the crowd. She saw neighbors she had delivered as infants and elders whose joints she had soothed with willow bark. Fear had transformed their memories into monsters. They didn't see a healer; they saw a conduit for the demonic. The Aftermath

The prosecutor, a man named Miller with eyes like cold flint, spoke of the Malleus Maleficarum . He cited the "Hammer of Witches," claiming that Elara’s ability to break a fever was actually a "glamour" used to mask a curse. The "persecution" wasn't just about faith; it was about fear of the unknown. To Miller, a woman who understood the language of roots was a woman who could subvert the order of the Church. The Demon Within

The subject of "Witchcraft, Mythologies, and Persecutions" was no longer a matter of folklore in Oakhaven; it had become a living shadow. The Myth of the Horned One

The trial began on a Tuesday. Elara stood before the magistrate, her hands stained with the berry juice she used for salves—now called "the Devil’s ink."