Redemption Amid Hatred (Part 1) | The Witch Hunter
In the late fifteenth century, Europe launched the so-called Witch Hunts, claiming that people with supernatural abilities were witches possessed by demons who had brought plagues and wars upon the land through their magic.
Driven by fear and anger, large numbers of people—men and women alike, including government officials, nobles, clergy, and professional witch hunters—joined together in a frenzy of mass arrests, sexual abuse, trials, and executions of those accused of being "witches."
The Witch Hunts inflicted devastating harm upon their victims—both women and men accused of being witches or warlocks. They endured brutal physical torture and sexual abuse regardless of gender, while women, in particular, became the primary targets of humiliation and persecution.
Many of those arrested amid this wave of collective hysteria were not witches or warlocks at all. Some were falsely accused by relatives or neighbors, others were framed out of malice, and some were persecuted simply because they appeared suspicious.
Those who were falsely branded as witches or warlocks and subjected to such horrific persecution left behind immense hatred after death. Their restless spirits and resentment accumulated upon their persecutors, creating tremendous karmic consequences.
Because of these events, the higher realms no longer permitted people with supernatural abilities to openly manifest on a large scale within human society.
On one hand, this prevented heavenly secrets from being revealed and discouraged people from placing their faith in magic rather than righteous deities. On the other hand, it sought to prevent humanity from continuing to persecute and torture those gifted with supernatural abilities, thereby creating even greater karma.
Today's reincarnation story from Yu is connected to the Witch Hunts.
Yu hopes that everyone who has developed hatred because of what happened to him will see this.
Joanne and her younger sister, Annie, shared an exceptionally close bond. Their parents, simply because they did not follow Catholicism, were falsely accused of being a witch and a warlock. They were arrested, brutally tortured, and ultimately burned to death.
Fortunately, the two sisters had been living with their grandmother in an isolated home deep in the wilderness since childhood, allowing them to escape the tragedy.
Having inherited their grandmother's gifts, both sisters were born with supernatural abilities. To protect themselves, their grandmother taught them to conceal their powers from the outside world.
Annie was remarkably beautiful, with long crimson curls cascading like a waterfall, bright sparkling eyes, fair skin, a graceful nose, and rosy lips.
Joanne, by contrast, had long dark-brown straight hair, slender eyes, sun-kissed skin, and lips that were slightly pale. Though she was beautiful in her own way, she lacked the dazzling radiance of her younger sister. Nevertheless, Joanne adored Annie, for her sister was the sunshine of her life.
Annie had a secret.
When she was ten years old, she met a boy named Matthew. Because her grandmother's home stood deep in the forest, far from any village or neighbors, the two children were able to spend time together unnoticed.
Matthew had moved there from a distant town after losing both of his parents and being sent to live with his grandparents. Two years older than Annie, he was cheerful, adventurous, and loved leading her through the surrounding woods on little expeditions.
Annie never told her family about Matthew, fearing they would worry about her, and their friendship remained her secret.
Matthew, however, carried a secret of his own.
His parents had been killed because of an evil witch.
His mother had developed a tumor in her abdomen. His father exhausted the family's savings seeking medical treatment, consulting countless physicians, yet none could cure her illness.
Then one day, a woman claiming to be a powerful witch arrived, insisting she possessed magical abilities that could heal the sick.
She brewed a large pot of herbal medicine and instructed Matthew's mother to drink it. If her condition improved, payment would be required. If it did not, the woman promised she would leave without asking for anything.
The moment she drank the medicine, the pain in her abdomen disappeared.
Overjoyed, Matthew's parents begged the woman to remain and continue the treatment.
Soon afterward, Matthew's mother appeared to recover. She could once again get out of bed, move about the house, and even perform light household chores.
Believing the witch had cured her, the couple handed over every last coin they possessed.
Not long after the woman left, tragedy struck.
Matthew's mother suddenly began vomiting large amounts of blood. Blood also poured from her lower body. Dizzy and weak, she collapsed unconscious.
Matthew's father rushed to summon a physician.
After examining her, the physician slowly shook his head and urged the family to prepare themselves. The tumor had ruptured, causing catastrophic internal bleeding. There was nothing more that medicine could do. She had only moments left to live.
The witch had never been capable of healing her.
Money had been her only goal.
The herbal medicine merely dulled the pain. It did nothing to cure the tumor. Worse still, it accelerated its growth until it outstripped its blood supply, causing extensive tissue death and eventually rupturing, leading to fatal hemorrhaging.
Matthew's father had already reached the limits of despair after exhausting everything in search of a cure. Now his wife was dead—indirectly because he had foolishly believed the witch's promises of miraculous healing.
The following morning, Matthew awoke to a scene that would haunt him for the rest of his life.
His father had taken his own life with a gun.
From that day forward, Matthew hated witches with all his heart, believing they were heartless murderers who killed innocent people for money.
One day, Matthew shared his painful past with Annie.
She was shocked.
She and Joanne were descendants of witches and had inherited certain magical abilities. Joanne possessed the gift of healing and could revive dying animals. Annie, meanwhile, could influence the weather, allowing the sisters to gather fruit and vegetables in the wilderness without being hindered by storms.
With sorrow in her heart, Annie realized that she and Matthew could never have a future together. They could only remain friends for the time being.
And so, she never revealed the truth—that she herself was exactly what Matthew hated most: a witch.
Continue with Yu's Reincarnation Stories: Redemption Amid Hatred (Part 2) | The Witch Hunters