Chapter 1 – The Blood-Skin
Everyone was savoring the fragile peace left in the wake of Darkius and Arok's fall.
A full month had passed without demon lords, apocalypse theatrics, or god-tier tantrums.
For the first time, laughter felt real… and Sam has changed a little...
Because now sometimes he jokes even in a situation when silence is the answer.
Evening arrived in Astrid's backyard, soaked in dew, scent of steel, and Sam's daily profanity ritual.
---
Sam: "Fucking hell yeah—one peaceful month without Demon Lord bullshit!"
Strom: "The best feeling ever. I think that ugly black bitch lost all his servants."
Zyphus: "And Credit goes to Nia because she slaughtered most of them."
Nia (Blushing): "N-No… It's just my duty. It wasn't even that cool…"
Wraith: "Come on, Nia. You threw life on the line every time for us. Take the damn credit."
Astrid: "Damn right, girl. You earned something special."
Violet (already sensing disaster): "Astrid… no."
Too late.
Astrid yanked Nia into a hug forged by pure muscle and affection, tightening like a hydraulic press with emotions.
CRRRK—CRACK.
The sound of bones complaining echoed clearly.
Astrid: "You're the best, end of discussion."
Nia (fighting for oxygen): "Yeah… yeah… I know."
---
At the back door, Dravyss and Flowra leaned casually, deep in parent-tier gossip.
Dravyss: "After fights? The kind of curse language these idiots use could make even demons cover their ears."
Flowra: "Seriously?! They all look so innocent!"
Dravyss: "Innocent my foot. Strom, Wraith, and especially Astrid? They're the worst offenders."
Flowra: "Gods… our kids are heathens. Did you even try stopping them?"
Dravyss (hand raised in defeat): "Hell nah! I don't even enter that room when it happens. I value my hearing."
Flowra: "Hmph!. Then we need to teach some manners before it's too late."
Dravyss: "Say less. I'm in."
---
The yard was split between two scenes:
The team laughing in the open.
The parents plotting manners like it's a side quest
And peace, dying quietly behind them
Because behind the bushes…
A single hand—blood skin, veins pulsing faintly under warped light—watched them.
? - "Hmm! That girl again"
No face. No silhouette.
Just flesh stained in ancient magic and something old stirring beneath the surface.
Chapter 2 — The Armor repair
Peace never lasts long in ancient tales, but this time it tried… for two whole damn days.
After the legendary party at Astrid's house, everyone returned home—
except Dravyss, who decided the gossip must continue with Flowra for a few extra days.
Strom, however, didn't even unpack properly.
His armor—after enduring Darkius' final assault—was now showing more skin than covering.
So naturally, he did what any self-respecting Knight would do:
He went to his Cave Forge, the birthplace of molten steel and poor decisions.
---
Inside the cave's dark mouth, Strom dropped the remains of his armor like a dead body on inspection day.
Strom: "Behold… my legendary "armor"."
Nia: "That… is NOT a armor anymore. "
Strom: "I know, but I need it ready before fate throws another demon lord's servant in my face."
Nia: "Hmmm!. Need help?"
Strom: "Yeah… but first, a question."
Nia: "Spit it out."
Strom: "Your injuries—how long till you recover full strength? I mean in your Zyron Form."
Nia: "Relax. Human form needs rest. Every mystical form heals instantly after I revert or transform again."
Strom: "Good. Because I need Zyron and Bizoker scales to patch this thing."
Nia: "I AM Zyron, obviously. But we gotta travel again if you want fresh Bizoker scales."
Strom paused.
Then stared at his armor like it held state secrets.
Strom: "Actually… the armor still has a bit of Bizoker's aura clinging to it.
So… could you just… become Bizoker?"
Nia: "…Sure?"
---
She placed a hand on the armor, inhaled the ancient nightmare-flavored aura from its scales, and walked out of the forge-room to shift.
The ground trembled.
The sky itself felt personally attacked.
---
—BIZOKER
A beast stitched from nightmares:
Obsidian Black scales
Crystal spikes glowing like volcanic cruelty
Red diamond eyes
Razor claws, jagged wings
A brutal, double-bladed tail
If fear had a physical address, this was it.
---
Strom (low whistle): "Nice. Stay right there. And uh… this'll hurt."
Nia (dragon tone, somehow calm?): "Sure, genius."
Strom marched back inside, snatched his spear, and started harvesting scales like a true blacksmith.
He ripped enough scales to repair his armor twice over.
---
Strom: "Zyron next."
Nia: "Already on it."
Then came the flame-soaked healing hazard:
— Zyron
The Flame Beast:
A cosmic inferno drake
Wings forged like razors with fire
Healing flames colored in red cosmic fire and Claws sharp enough to burn fate itself
Strom repeated the scale acquisition ritual.
Strom: "Last request: Gorgon form please"
Nia: "…Why, exactly?"
Strom: "I need the teeth for design."
---
Nia : "Okay, fine. But if I give you my teeth, what do I get back?"
Strom: "Bread. Made by me of course."
Nia: "No thanks."
Strom: "Then name your price, woman."
Nia: "Night out. Just me and you."
Strom: "…Deal. But don't tell Wraith or I'll be reduced to ash by morning."
Nia: "Deal."
She shifted into Gorgon and Strom surgically extracted two fangs.
---
The Forge
Together they entered the forge-room like idiots carrying destiny.
Without Sam's help, repairing it took an eternity.
By the time the armor was fully restored, night had swallowed the world.
---
Strom (dusting hands): "Done."
Nia: "Good! Because I'm starving and my legs are paralyzed now."
Strom: "Bread before death?"
Nia: "Tomato soup, you caveman."
Strom: "Right away, Madam Nia."
Nia (teasing): "Also. Too tired to walk."
Strom (annoyed) : "You're gonna be the reason I die young."
Nia (evil smile) : "You promised."
Strom flinched like he was struck again.
He scooped her into his arms like a knight rescuing a cat that refuses to be rescued, and they walked back to Strom's house.
Dinner time.
But Strom was quieter than usual.
Because in the back of his mind he kept thinking:
> "If Wraith ever finds out Nia flirts with me…then The Dragon Knight saga will end at my funeral."
And that fear?
Completely justified.
Chapter 3 — The Night Out
Strom reached home holding Nia like she ordered.
He opened the heavy wooden door, set her down carefully on the couch, and ignited the oil lamps.
Strom: "Stay here. I'll be back after a quick bath."
Nia: "Fine… but hurry."
---
The Whistle Incident
A few minutes later, Strom emerged from the bath,
In his room, he was mid-change—shirt in hand, armor marks across his chest with scars.
Just before he could pull the shirt on, a whistle echoed through the room.
He froze.
A forensic silence.
Strom (looking around suspiciously): "…The hell?"
Then, between the cracked gap of the wall-frame and the door… two mischievous light-brown eyes glimmered at him.
Strom (clearing throat): "I told you already—watching someone changing is bad manners."
Nia (smirking shamelessly): "Maybe… but you're hot."
THUD!
Strom launched a pillow with force and embarrassment, slammed the door, and reappeared moments later—the shirt was finally worn, dignity half-repaired and he came out.
Nia: "Wraith needs to guard you better."
Strom (raising an eyebrow): "Oh yeah? And why's that?"
Nia: "Otherwise some girl like me will steal you."
Strom: "…You recovered your legs or you still wanted to...."
She dramatically yeeted herself at him.
Strom sighed, accepted his fate, and carried her downstairs.
He placed her at the large dining table.
Strom: "Sit. I'll make the food."
Nia: "Tasty midnight food with my Knight? Peak life honestly."
Strom: "Don't get ahead of yourself, kitty."
Strom cooked.
And surprisingly? Nobody died.
After devouring soup, meat, and bread (she refused the bread), they stepped out into the night streets.
— Night Streets & Forbidden Ages
Strom: "I wanna know your real age now."
Nia: "19,088."
Strom: "…That is epic as hell."
Nia: "I told you—I'm older than you human ever created manners."
—Fire? At Night? Rude.
Suddenly, a nearby house erupted in the flame.
Not metaphorical. Very real.
Strom: "Night out just became a fire rescue."
Nia: "Romantic walk cancelled. Time to put out people."
They rushed to the burning building—saving citizens with no magic or powers, keeping their identities undercover.
Strom rescued people gently, heroically, respectfully.
Nia rescued people like a ban-hammer from the heavens.
Old Man (gripping window frame): "Respect my age, young lady!"
Nia (already throwing him): "I'm literally older than you."
SPLASH.
He landed in the water fountain—alive, offended, hydrated as hell.
—Back to Night Out, Now With Conspiracy Flavor
After ensuring everyone survived, they returned to the cold torchlight streets.
Nia: "That house didn't look flammable enough to go full bonfire mode."
Strom (nodding, eyes sharp): "Someone's behind this. No doubt."
Then, from the rooftops shadows… two yellow serpent-pupiled eyes stared down at them.
They had no clue about it.
A voice slithered from the dark with an intimate menace:
> "I'm back… little bunny."
Chapter 4 – The Dead Rabbit
Next morning, everything dressed itself in calm again.
Nia continued walking home by foot, by choice, by boredom.
Strom (closing the door behind her): "You sure about walking? Just transform into something and go fast."
Nia: "Nah. I'm bored today. I'll go home enjoying the place."
Strom: "Okay. Take care."
Nia (waving casually): "Bye bye."
Strom went inside, preparing to open his shop.
Meanwhile, Nia kept walking, absorbing peace like it was a rare currency.
> Nia (soft but proud): "He is so damn good."
---
The Forest of Giants
She reached a massive dark forest.
The trees were too tall, too thick, too ancient—
sunlight barely entered, routing itself weakly between trunks like lost hope.
Nia (in awe): "Cold dark forest… the real beauty."
Then a voice echoed—slow, familiar, horrifying.
> Voice: "I'm here… little bunny."
Nia (stunned, whispering): "N-No… not her...."
From the bushes, two yellow eyes with snake-like pupils glowed at her.
Nia (shaking head, louder now): "no… No…NO.. you are not real! You can't be real!"
Then she stepped out.
---
The Crimson Witch
She walked out slowly, skin blood red, smile twisted and unnaturally wide, hair messy like someone braided chaos into it, nails long and curved like claws, and a skull hanging from her neck like a trophy.
In her hand—
a dead rabbit, ripped in half, blood dripping slowly from its body.
Nia (screaming, terrified, cracking): "HOW ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!"
Crimson Witch (grinning sharper): "You truly believed your mother killed me, huh? Poor child."
Nia (backing away, throat dry): "She told me you were dead! Stay away from me!"
Crimson Witch: "Your mother spared me. I won't."
She threw the rabbit corpse at Nia, blood splashing across her face and neck, staining her like accusations.
Witch (taunting, voice slithering): "I waited countless years just to see this. You're still weak. See this dead rabbit? Still the same fragile bunny running from shadows."
The blood shocked, her body finally reacting before her mind could break again.
She ran faster and faster, not daring to turn back once.
The witch chased her, laughing like madness, her presence curling the air into pure horror behind Nia's back.
Nia (crying, terrified, voice cracking mid-run): "Please… no…"
----
The Village of Misunderstanding
Nia ran until she reached a village path.
Then she crashed into a random villager.
Villager: "You blind or wha—?"
(He froze.
Others turned and stared)
Blood stained her face and neck.
To them? She looked like a witch who ate someone.
Nia (panicked, shouting, pointing at nothing):
"She did it! Not me! SHE—!"
They saw nothing.
Villager 1: "She's mad… she has killed someone!"
Villager 2: "She must be a witch!"
Villager 3: "Burn her before she harms us!"
Their eyes drilled into her, heavy with rejection, confusion turning into fear-driven hostility.
Nia (voice breaking): "Help me… please…"
She saw the crimson witch slowly walking toward her again.
Nia (shouting in pure terror):
"She! She doesn't want you—It's her!!! "(still pointing at the witch only she could see)
They saw nothing.
Villager Leader: "She will kill everyone."
Nia ran away again, tears flowing, mind cursed by old trauma rewinding like broken memories.
She finally reached Strom's house, knocking the door violently, repeatedly, and desperately.
Strom (opening while muttering):
"It's a door, idio—"
(He froze. The sentence aborted immediately when he saw her state.)
Nia collapsed into his chest, hugging him tightly, sobbing like her soul was leaking.
Strom (instantly switching tone): "Nia! What happened?"
Nia (crying, trembling, breathless): "She'll kill me…"
She pointed at the street.
It was empty.
But now the villagers arrive—torches, steel weapons, kerosene fire bottles.
Villager Leader: "Strom, stay away from that witch!"
Strom (anger rising cold and quiet): "Mind your language. She's my friend."
Nia (between sobs, terrified trying to explain):
"N-No… it wasn't me… sh-she did it!"
Villager 3: "Leave her, boy! Or we'll burn you too!"
Rage finally detonated inside Strom—not loud, not flashy, just terrifying.
Then he hold Nia tightly....
Strom (eyes sharp, anger dripping): "Dare to touch her… and watch what happens."
Everyone stepped back.
Because calm Strom was one thing.
Angry Strom? That was history no one wanted a sequel of.
Strom: "Stay away… or I'll tear you apart."
The villagers slowly backed away, fear outweighing anger, retreating one step at a time until finally running away.
Then one villager muttered loudly enough to the wound:
Villager: "He won't save you forever."
--- Belief, Not Proof
Nia (crying, hands shaking, voice shattered): "Strom, please bel-… Believe me… I didn't do anything wrong…"
Strom (soft, steady, reassuring): "I believe you, Nia."
Chapter 5 — Fire in Heart
Strom wiped the drying blood from Nia's face, gently this time. No jokes. No aura flex. Just presence.
He sat beside her — patient, quiet, human.
Strom (holding her hand softly): "Tell me what happened to you."
Nia (voice shaking): "She came out… but she's alive."
Strom: "Who? Who's alive?"
Nia: "The Crimson Witch. My mother killed her when I was small… I don't know how she's still breathing."
Strom: "Explain it to me."
Nia inhaled, then her soul cracked open like a forbidden grimoire.
Nia: "I was 3000 years old but my brain and body were like a 3-year-old child. I didn't even know what fear looked like until that day…"
She begins.
She was in the forest — a peaceful morning. Rabbits hopping. Sun warm. Nia transforming into a little bunny, laughing while chasing them.
Then silence stabbed the world.....
From the bush, two glowing snake-like eyes flickered.
The rabbits froze behind Nia.
But Nia froze inside herself.
Nia: "She leapt from the bush… not to hurt me. She grabbed one rabbit by the ears."
She trembled again remembering it.
"I couldn't transform. My body froze. She took advantage of that fear."
"She tore the rabbit apart, and threw the corpse on me."
"She stepped towards me, smiling… chasing me. I screamed, I cried, but no sound came. Not even animals heard me. No one came that day."
Strom (low, serious): "Then?"
Nia: "She cut me near my neck, drank my blood… and vanished."
After that day, Nia never slept peacefully again.
The witch kept coming in dreams — corpses of rabbits at her feet, Nia voiceless, crying in silence.
Nia: "One day Mother returned. I told her about the witch. The next morning she held my face and promised": "She will never return."
But the witch did return.
Strom: "So Yelfa killed her?"
Nia: "That's what Mother told me… but I don't know how she is still alive. In front of her my body freezes. I can't transform. I can't act. She laughs at me — and everything around me dies while I do nothing."
Tears flood. Guilt crashes.
"She kills animals every time she appears — and I couldn't even lift a finger to save them."
Strom stood up.
Strom (hugging her tightly, voice like stone and warmth): "It's okay, Nia. I'm with you."
Nia (soft sob, whisper): "Thank you… for believing in me."
Strom: "Anything for you."
Nia: "I love you so much, Strom."
Before he could reply — he saw Wraith standing in the doorway.
No words.
No scream.
Just the royal blue demoness stepping back, eyes glossy, breath wounded.
She turned — and ran.
Nia (turning back confused):
"What happened?"
Strom (lying instinct, voice flat): "Nothing."
—The sun set at Balcony
Evening bled into orange.
Nia slept inside.
Strom climbed to the balcony where Wraith stood facing the dying sun.
Breathing uneven.
Noise inside her quiet rage.
Strom: "Wraith!"
Wraith (turning, fire in words): "So you both love each other, and I'm the unwanted one now?"
Strom: "No it's not tru—"
Wraith (cutting):
"WHAT? You think I didn't see? I KNOW exactly what's between you two."
Strom: "You don't know how much she has suffered."
Wraith: "And I lived peacefully? My own kind cursed me every day because I dared to love humans! I die every day inside, Strom!"
Strom: "Please… don't make it weird."
Wraith (laughing without joy): "Weird? Now I'm weird? Fine. I understand everything."
That word — "understand" — detonated Strom's calm.
Strom (voice raised at last):
"UNDERSTAND? THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND!"
She does.
Wraith: "That she matters more. That you love her more."
Strom (instantly regrettable venom): "Sometimes I regret why I let you stay with me! If I had killed you that first night, none of this would've happened!"
The sentence slit the sky.
Wraith staggered — not because of the words, but because Strom implied killing her would've been better.
She spiraled inward.
Wraith: "It's not your fault, Strom. It's mine. I twist everything into the worst meaning....."
— Then she lists every insecurity like counting her own tombstones:
Wraith: "She is a Goddess, I'm a Demoness...."
- "She is beautiful, I look ugly."
- "Her powers heal, mine kill."
- "She loves softly, I struck you once."
- "She would never hurt you, but I did."
Wraith (eyes wet, shaking smile trying to still exist): "I'm sorry because you have to suffer because of me."
No pause. No conversation gap.
She walked past him and left the balcony.
Chapter 6 — The Truth of the Unknown killer
Strom was stuck in a crossroads darker than any battlefield he had faced.
His mind — unshakable and razor-sharp — was now failing him.
Not because of fear.
Not because of power.
But because the world forced him to choose a heart, not swing a sword.
He still loved Wraith more than existence itself, but abandoning Nia at the edge of death was never the code of a Dragon Knight.
That night, the crew gathered at Strom's house to unwind.
Relax. Reset.
Then Strom casually dropped the Crimson Witch nuke like a tavern bill.
---
Hall of Panic — Investigation Begins
They all sat scattered in the hall like a council summoned before doom.
Violet: "At least give us something more about her."
Strom: "I don't know much. I haven't even seen her."
Sam (confident but guessing): "There's a book I once gifted you. It's packed with witch stuff. Maybe… just maybe."
Strom: "Alright. I'll dig it up."
Strom marched to the bookshelf like a man hunting a lost artifact.
Five minutes passed. Drawer rummaging. Forest-level searching.
Finally —
Strom: "Got it!"
He tossed the dusty tome to Sam.
Sam scanned for descriptions matching Nia's traumatic checklist:
Blood-red skin
Yellow eyes, serpent pupils
A skull worn as a locket
Demon skin stitched as clothing
Razor-sharp nails
A grin wider than humanity shouldn't allow
Sam (squinting like he's reading doctor handwriting): "It's tough… but I'll still try."
After a tense pause —
Sam: "…Got it. Maybe?"
Zyphus : "The hell you mean MAYBE!?"
Sam: "There's no picture of the witch. That's the problem."
Strom (leaning forward, annoyed this time): "Then read something about her that can actually HELP us!"
Sam nodded, flipping pages faster.
---
By the front door, Astrid found Wraith leaking insecurity like an ancient cursed fountain.
Wraith: "He loves Nia. I'm nothing to him now."
Astrid (Try to protect Strom) : "No, Wraith! Heat of the moment! He's dramatic, and we BOTH know that man has anger issues."
Wraith: "Wake up, Astrid. We both know how close they are."
Astrid: "That's your conclusion. Mine is different. And look at Nia — shaking in fear. Have you ever seen her like that?"
Wraith glanced toward Nia, and for a moment, Astrid made sense.
For a moment.
But rejection had already blinded the demoness.
---
Clue of Death — Lore Drop in Hall
Sam (voice lowering like he read her tax returns): "It says no one survives after seeing her. She kills them brutally."
Dravyss: "But… why?"
Sam: "The power named Obsession. When the witch finds something good in someone else… she takes it At any COST no hesitation."
Nia (finally speaking, emotionally wounded but confused): "But why ME!?"
Strom: "Probably your transformation ability."
Nia: "She's already drunk my blood. Then why does she still want me now?"
Dravyss (eyes narrowing): "Even drinking your blood won't grant your powers. Stealing them isn't simple."
Sam: "There is one thing that might help… but trusting it feels like signing a Death permission slip."
Strom: "Say it."
Sam: "She had a heart. A Crimson Crystal Heart. She shattered it into 3 shards and hid them in different corners."
Zyphus: "Go on."
Sam: "If we collect her crystal heart shards… and break them completely…"
Strom (finishing the sentence like a man who heard "collect" and only understood "destroy"): — "Then we can kill her."
Sam: "Yeah. BUT—"
Violet: "BUT WHAT, SAM!?"
Sam: "The book says Yelfa, Mother Nature, already killed her. So how is the witch still alive now?"
A colder silence entered the room.
One Nia knew too well.
Dravyss: "Because that book is a lie."
Nia: "Lie!?"
Dravyss: "Yelfa never killed anyone. Her code is… Nature brings life, never death. She protects existence, but she never spills blood."
Sam: "Then who killed all those monsters written under her name?"
Dravyss exhaled.
Strom turned.
Then realization exploded in his eyes like a main-character power-up.
Strom: "Okay I understand."
No flair.
No denial.
Just the truth of an Unknown Assassin who carried a Goddess's reputation without a God's ego.
Dravyss: "Yes. Yelfa binds life. I end threats. We worked together… but she trusted me to strike while she healed the world."
The room was silent. Not shocked by the slaughter.
But shocked by the secret behind the savior.
The Mother Nature built the legend.
Dravyss carried the execution.
Chapter 7 — The VIP Pass
That very night, the team split apart like knights hunting a whispered curse.
Strom & Sam → Old Villager Library, dusty, ancient, smelling of ink older than kingdoms.
Zyphus & Violet → Elesta Library, elegant, arcane, full of locked grimoires.
Astrid & Wraith → The Ancient Library, forbidden archives — where Wraith walked ahead in silence, refusing Strom's presence.
---
Library Talk — Jealousy Level Critical
Between towering shelves and candles drowning in their own wax:
Strom (low, brooding): "She really thinks I'm in love with Nia."
Sam ( he's tired of romance side quests): "Strom… you gotta stop acting so damn cool in front of every girl. You don't realize how insecure she gets."
Strom: "I just tease Nia. It's nothing big."
Sam: "Nia said something that hit like a cursed dagger?"
Strom: "Yeah. She said she loves me."
Sam froze. That sentence alone came with a death certificate.
Sam: "Brother. Imagine someone else says "I love you" to Wraith in front of you."
Strom (no delay, immediate the demon inside him awake ): "I'll rip him apart."
Sam: "Exactly. You felt jealousy just 'THINKING' it. Now imagine what she actually 'FELT' watching that."
Silence answered for Strom. Not ignorance… but regret.
They didn't speak again. They just searched.
Because some wounds talk louder than hellfire.
House
Back at home, Dravyss buried her face in a tome, unaware that Nia was drowning in a blanket like a burrito with emotional damage.
Thirst crawled into Nia's throat.
Water was her quest. Fear was her path.
She stepped into the kitchen — dark, silent, wrong, heavy.
Glass filled. Fingers trembling.
Then—
She saw them.
Two serpent pupils. Yellow glow. Watching from the darkness like death itself.
The glass shattered in midair.
Not because it broke the floor…
But because Nia broke first.
Nia (voice dying):
"Please leave me alone… I don't want to die!"
Crimson Witch (grin stretching wider than a sin): "Oh poor little rabbit… I won't kill you easily. I'll rip your hope slow… until you're begging on your knees for mercy while I watch like it's entertainment."
The aura choked Nia. Her scream left without sound.
But before the claw could change fate…
BOOK HIT HER FACE.
Dravyss (Eyes sharp): "BACK OFF, BITCH!!"
Crimson Witch ( surprise ): …"You can see me?"
Dravyss: "Yeah. And I'll kill you twice if needed."
The witch stepped back into the shadows like smoke retreating from winds.
Crimson Witch (voice fading):
"Lucky rabbit… but luck always runs out."
Then she vanished — not walked away, not teleported — but deleted from existence like a ghost fade.
Nia collapsed into Dravyss' arms, sobbing crying tears fall as rain again.
Dravyss (soft but steel): "Listen Daughter… as long as I live, no one can harm you."
When the rest of the team returned, they carried books, jokes, and zero awareness of the supernatural threat.
They walked through the cold street toward Strom's house.
Wraith, walking slightly ahead, paused.
Not dramatic. Not heroic.
Just the type of pause where your gut whispers: "look up."
She slowly raised her head to the wooden rooftop nearby.
There she saw them.
Two serpent-like pupils, glowing yellow, staring down like ancient judgement.
Crimson Witch (Cruel): "Hello beautiful, I can help you."
Wraith stepped back once, silently.
Not answering.
Not attacking.
Not screaming.
Because she recognized that presence.
Not rumor.
Not myth.
Not book description.
The real Crimson Witch.
Sam (not seeing anything, joking because horror forgot to spawn for him): "The hell you looking at, blue-princess statue?"
Wraith (cold blink, turning away): "Nothing. Let's go."
The rest of the team entered holding books taller than Wraith's patience.
Dravyss explains everything...
Sam (honest reaction): "So basically… only you two got the VIP ticket to SEE that snakey-eyed Christmas decoration?"
No one laughed. Except Sam, inside his head.
Even his humor knew its place sometimes.
Wraith didn't speak.
But her silence confirmed the truth:
She saw her too. She had the Vip pass. But she didn't want anyone to know about this.
Strom (serious finally):
"We need to find that cure FAST."
Sam: "Before she strikes last time."
---
Hidden Rage — Silent Sabotage
From that point on:
No one else could see the witch.
Only Nia, Dravyss, and Wraith held the VIP vision pass.
But Wraith refused to share info. Not normal blindness but… jealous blindness.
She skipped every clue. Every record. Every hope.
She didn't want Nia to take a breath more than Wraith allowed.
And while the team prepared to hunt down myths, pieces, rumors, and shards…
The Crimson Witch stood vigil from the back window, watching like a patient predator.
Waiting not for them…
To fall in the trap and leave Nia alone.....
Chapter 8 — The Three Shards
The hunt dragged on for hours, like searching for three needles in a blood-soaked world map.
At the center of it all stood the truth no one dared speak aloud:
Wraith already knew the location of two shards. Not because she was helpful…
But because fate hated secrecy, and secrecy hated Wraith.
She hid the information. Not strategy…
But self-destruction wearing a royal blue crown.
Her eyes saw the witch. Her pride saw betrayal.
And her heart?
Already held the plan to betray hope and invite death for Nia.
---
The Locations
The Frozen Den → An endless tundra where the winds bite and even fire asks permission to exist.
Axe Temple → Ancient worship ground of Valkyries, carved in stone older than most gods itself.
Glass Mansion → Near Elesta, kingdom of Zyphus and Violet, shimmering like a beautiful lie in daylight.
The Plan
Strom (decisive, serious): "The Frozen Den's too far. I'll take Mom's help and fly."
Zyphus (nodding): "Violet and I'll handle the Glass Mansion. But Elesta gear-up first."
Astrid (grabbing her blade): "Axe Temple's in Valkyrie territory. I'll go. Sam or Wraith will assist me."
Sam (under his breath): "Bigger library then temples. Great."
Strom looked at the two girls left behind, trusting speed over suspicion:
Strom: "Wraith. Nia. You two stay here."
Wraith (smiling too fast, agreeing too fast, like a trap that already knows it'll spring): "Of course. Brilliant idea."
No one questioned it. No one saw through it. Because everyone believed Strom's orders, and Wraith's speed.
They thought because Wraith has an insane level of Speed she can easily protect Nia from Death itself.
— Departure
At cold dawn, Dravyss shifted into her guardian Dragon Form— and Strom rode atop armored and Spear ready.
Violet and Zyphus disappeared into the glow of Elesta's armory, snatching spears, Bow, enchanted arrows, and the most legendary Diamond Armour of Zyphus.
Sam and Astrid charged toward the ancient ruins, Valkyrie statues towering overhead like ancestors who died angry and stayed that way.
The house door closed behind them.
---
The House of Two Hearts Breaking
Nia trusted Wraith because friendship once existed between them. But that very day friendship was about to be tested in a way swords envy.
She sat beside Wraith, innocent and cold herself but not by curse, wrapping hands around a warm cup of water.
Then the Demoness turned her face.
Wraith (Cold): "Stay away from me."
Nia (soft confused): "What happened, Wraith?"
Wraith (venom calm but sharp): "You really ask me "what happened"?
You love him… even now? Knowing Strom loves me, not you?"
Nia: "I… I was just scared. That's a—"
Wraith (Rage): "You're scared? Or you're innocent and hunting a knight because 19,000 years of life felt lonely?
Didn't you find anyone else in all those years?"
Nia (a bitter laugh): "Funny number… but I never found someone with a pure soul."
Wraith: "Pure soul? Explain that thing."
Nia (walking emotional courage): "My mother carries the planet's life.
I carry the need for friends… in human shape."
"Every human wanted my powers. Not my presence..."
"Then… Strom listened. He understood. He saved.
Only because of him I made you guys my first real friends."
Wraith ( emotional but puzzled): "So… you never actually had true friends?"
Nia nodded softly.
But the next line detonated anyway.....
Wraith ( jealousy too loud): "Then WHY did you say "I LOVE YOU" TO HIM!?"
Nia stood up slowly.
Not aggressive. Not defensive.
Just shattered.
Nia (tears coming again):
"That day… that cursed warlock erased my memories… you all tried to kill me…
but Strom hugged the monster and called it home.
Aunt Dravyss gave me more love than my real mother ever could."
"I'm not trying to steal him…but I feel safe around you guys...."
Wraith didn't reply.
Nia already walked away.
Sat on the bed, blanket wrapped tightly like childhood trauma's return gift.
Nia (crying and Sobbing under a blanket): "Why… why everyone hates me...."
Chapter 9 The Crimson heart
— In the Frozen Den
Dravyss flew through the sky like a comet dipped in frost. The wind screamed behind them, but the two of them?
Silent. Warm. Untouchable.
Because Dragon Blood doesn't buy jackets. It overrides nature.
The landing was brutal—ice cracked, air moaned. A cavern stood before them, glowing deep blue like the world's cold heartbeat.
Inside the cave: A shard floated on an ice pedestal. No traps. No guards. No quests. Just take-and-go convenience.
But beneath it rested a note.
Dravyss (frowning): "Did that Witch have power to survive this cold?"
Strom (pulling the ancient book from his waist): "Maybe. Doesn't matter. Who cares."
He reached out. Took the shard. Then his mind connected the dots like a jigsaw puzzle made of trauma.
Note: "Powerful one is mine now."
Strom whispered it again in his head.
Powerful is mine → the strongest one belongs to her now.
He turned eyes wide.
Dravyss wasn't standing like a mother anymore.
She was standing like hunger.
Her eyes burned red.
Her breathing growled.
Her stance screamed: "The end"
Strom (step back, voice cracking the air): "…Mom?"
Dravyss (voice vibrating like scales grinding): "I'm not your mother!"
Before frost could settle— she leaped on him...
— In the Axe Temple
Sam and Astrid rushed through stone corridors older than civilization's excuses. Great axe-holding Valkyrie statues lined both sides like silent examiners of worthiness.
Sam (grinning): "So axe is the real weapon of Valkyrie, then why do you use sword?"
Astrid (walking without breaking eye-contact with history): "Because evolving matters, dumbass. Variety keeps enemies regret life choices."
Sam: "So that's why big blade too?"
Astrid (nodding): "Yes!"
Then they ran deeper into the dark cage where a red shimmer pulsed like a blood moon.
Sam (running with the confidence of a man who ignores warning labels): "Gotcha!"
Astrid (suddenly yelling): "SAM NO—!!!"
Too late.
A Red Orc Titan emerged, a massive mace already swinging. Skin dense like natural full-body armor.
Orc (roaring): "Die!!"
Sam twisted sideways—barely dodging death.
Astrid lunged from air, shield slamming Sam behind her as her colossal blade collided directly against the mace.
THUDDD!!!!!!
CLAAAANG! CLAAAANG! CLAAAANG!
Their power clashed like two mountains having a disagreement.
Astrid (gritting teeth, voice like steel breaking its own limits): "Sam—MOVE!"
Sam sprinted toward the shard platform while Astrid kept the titan busy in fight.
— In the Glass Mansion (Elesta Kingdom Border)
The structure glittered like arrogance made architecture. Walls of mirror and crystal, reflections infinite.
Violet (annoyed): "These things called mirrors. Who the hell named this place?"
Zyphus (already walking away): "Didn't matter. Shard first."
They split paths.
After a moment, Zyphus stepped into a mirror hall… and immediately lost direction.
Zyphus (yelling):
"Violet!!"
No echo. No reply. Sound didn't travel here—only reflections did.
Thousands of Violets waved from every angle.
He saw her wave…
But all copies mimicked perfectly at the same time.
Zyphus: "Do something else!"
She lifted both hands…
Same synced motion from every clone.
Zyphus snapped.
He hurled his spear at the central mirror— SMASH!!!
The hall shattered like a broken trust. His heart froze—not like Frozen Den, but like a regret.
What if he hit the real one?
He trembled just by thinking....
Because even Diamond knight can't rewrite reality.
— Inside Strom's House
Nia sat buried in a blanket fort of broken life. Crying softly like gods are also allowed to have feelings.
Nia (in her mind): "I should leave so far… Wraith can live freely with Strom… I hurt her…"
Meanwhile, Wraith stood in the reflection of a different guilt—flames still twitched behind her eyes.
She didn't want to kill Nia anymore… She just wanted her to vanish from existence.
Then something sat beside Nia on the bed....
Nia lifted her head—eyes wet, soul defeated.
And saw: "Wraith still sitting on the chair across the room."
Nia (voice fading):
"Then… who is beside me?...."
Chapter 10 — The Game of Death
Nia turned her head in fear —
her body froze for a second as her vision locked into the impossible.
There, sitting beside her on the bed, legs crossed, smile armed with terror itself…
Crimson Witch: "BOO!!!"
The silence detonated.
Nia screamed so loudly the windows should've cracked from sympathy alone —
her body flung backward off the bed.
THUD.
She hit the floor — breath gone, past trauma stacking like a curse.
Nia (shaking): "Leave me alone please! Please!"
Crimson Witch (grinning, unbothered): "Ohh! So Cute"
Nia looked toward the only ally she thought she still had.
Wraith sat on the chair, arms folded, eyes half-closed, waiting —
not moving, not helping, just watching.
Nia (voice breaking):
"Wraith— she is here, in front of me!"
Crimson Witch (pointing toward the chair casually): "She can see me"
Nia slowly turned back, realization stabbing sharper than any blade could've.
Nia (whispering, betrayed): "...Wraith?"
Wraith (cold, final): "You deserve to die!"
Nia's world narrowed instantly.
No escape paths left. No transformation cheats working.
Just her, a witch, and a demoness refusing to help her.
The Witch stepped closer — slow, theatrical, predator calm.
Nia stumbled back on the floor, panic maxed out.
She sprinted toward the door —
CLICK!
It locked itself brutally, Witch magic giving zero permission.
Wraith still didn't move.
If misery had a VIP seat — she owned it.
Nia (falling to her knees, crying): "Wraith please she'll kill me!!"
Wraith (stoic, affectionless):
"You have to think about this before destroying my love life"
Crimson Witch (leaning slightly, smirk affectionate toward death): "You try to steal her love, now I'll make sure that my little demon friend feels satisfied by your death'
Nia (voice shaking): "you both plan to kill me?"
Crimson Witch (shrugging, villain): "Nah! I don't make a partner, I know that she won't help you and I'll kill you easy"
Nia tried to transform —
dragon, war spirit, evil angel, cosmic being, anything.
But her powers refused....
Because the Witch had already drank her blood once —
and now the Witch owned her abilities to transform when she was near her.
Nia (desperate, tears dripping ): "Please work! Please! please!"
Crimson Witch (laughing, evil tunes humming): "Please don't work! Ha ha ha."
Nia tried to run again —
her legs failed, her balance failed.
She tripped forward and fell in front of the stairs.
Her fall echoed like the save point she will never reach.
—Forza Den
Strom moved instantly —
dodged claws, then dodged again, quicker, sharper, cleaner.
He had no intention to hurt Dravyss.
But Dravyss had no intention to stop hurting him.
Strom (desperate): "Mom please it's not your"
Dravyss (red-eyed, corrupted tone): "I'm not your mother!" (claw attack)
Claw, tail, flame blasts, pushes, punches like universe callbacks —
Strom dodged every attack like speed was permanent, sanity optional.
Then.
Cosmic flames caught him.
Everything melted around him in seconds.
But when Strom opened his eyes —
The Dragon Pendant around his neck already formed a barrier.
Azure, ancient, coded by ancestors who hated dying.
Strom (smirking at his survival): "Oh! So I'm protected"
Dravyss (shocked beyond lore): "How!?"
Strom (dramatic idiot energy, point + grin combo): "I'm just insane, Mom!!!!"
Dravyss (clenching fists): "I'm not your mom"
Strom leaped toward her —
stabbed his spear on the ground and vanished instantly.
Dravyss: "What?"
Strom reappeared near the floating shard pedestal stone.
Strom (nodding with cursed seriousness):
"Okay time to get normal."
He placed the shard on the stone —
Dravyss turned normal instantly.
Strom was acting like a madman now —
grinning at chaos like it was a training dummy.
He picked the shard again —
Dravyss turned hostile again.
Placed it back — normal again.
Again and again.
Pick — hostile
Place — normal
Pick — unhinged mother
Place — confused protector loser dragon
He repeated.
Took — place — took — place — took — place — took —
Strom (laughing at his own madness): "this is fun"
Dravyss (finally normal, irritated): "Don't do that again!"
Strom (calming down): "okay"
But when Dravyss herself picked the shard, nothing happened to her.
Because the Witch designed the rules perfectly:
The strong ones were meant to watch or guard.
The weaker ones were meant to be bait.
Dravyss (frustrated): "Bitch Crimson witch"
Strom : "Red bitch"
—The Axe Temple
Sam touched the shard —
it collapsed into dust instantly.
Sam (confused): "what?"
Then came a violent clash behind the wall.
CLANG!!!
Sam peeked out from behind the stone pillar.
Astrid's sword lay broken.
The Orc giant stood untouched, unmatched, unbothered.
Astrid (heart hurting more than her weapon did): "This is my favourite one."
The Orc giant grinned for the first time like he actually enjoyed violence.
Orc (lifting mace): "Now it's your turn."
Astrid shoved him aside without hesitation.
Her eyes caught something new:
A huge battle axe in a statue's hand.
She stole it instantly, grabbing it like destiny was designed for her.
Astrid (grinning, new build unlocked): "New Weapon hell yeah!"
She jumped on the Orc's chest —
axis rotating toward the inevitability of violence.
(Blood splattered)
For the first time, the Orc groaned in pain.
Sam (pumped): "that's good"
Then the Orc slammed Astrid so hard the axe flew out of her hands along with the shield —
and she dropped unconscious.
Sam: "Nah! that's NOT good"
In the same instant, Sam used telekinesis —
the broken piece of the Valkyrie sword flew up.
HEADSHOT.
Pierced through the giant's skull.
Sam (smirking): "Insta kill."
The giant fell.
Then Sam noticed the shard glowing on the mace handle the real one.
He stole it and immediately rushed to Astrid.
Sam (trying to lift her, failing humorously): "I can't lift you, muscle mommy"
He cast a quick spell to wake her.
Astrid jolted awake still angry as F —
grabbed him by the collar again, aura spiking violently.
Sam (calm, hands raised, charmer idiot): "Easy Astrid! We already won."
Astrid (blink blink confused): "What? How?"
Sam (proud, dramatic, idiot mage aura): "I'm Sam! The greatest mage"
—The Glass Mansion
Zyphus sat on the floor surrounded by reflections, confusion stacked at 100.
Zyphus (voice cracking under older-brother panic): "Violet please!"
Violet tried to speak —
but the mirror contributed no sound.
Zyphus stared at every reflection.
Then his eyes locked into the only clue the Witch didn't bother to hide:
Only ONE had a shadow.
His brain switched into berserk detection mode.
He rushed — shouted for Violet to back off —
and punched the real mirror.
SHATTER!!!
Violet stumbled out like a respawn.
Violet (dusting off mirror trauma): "How?"
Zyphus (standing tall, classic elder sibling tonality): "Because I'm your big brother"
Violet (rolls eyes, but impressed): "bark the truth"
Zyphus (finally): "Okay okay listen! They all are just reflections that's why only your one has shadow"
Violet ( proud):" Smart boy huh!"
Zyphus: "now shard time"
Violet pulled it out from her gear bag like it was light work all along.
Violet: "Here"
Violet had already found the shard earlier —
that's why her reflections were caught in the mirror trap, not her.
Chapter 11 — The Truth
Dravyss and Strom landed on the ground where all four were already waiting.
Zyphus and Violet stood holding one shard piece, glowing faint like a cursed quest marker.
Sam and Astrid leaned on their Axe and blade, gripping the second shard
Strom and Dravyss themselves carried the final shard
Strom (voice calm, aura loud):
"let's do this"
They placed all three shards together.
The air hummed. The ground trembled.
Then slowly… violently… poetically…
They merged into a single heart (🫀)
Strom: "Now that bitch will regret"
—Back at the house
Nia tried to escape, but the Witch always yanked her back just enough to let her try again.
Nia (voice breaking): "Wraith please, please, I wasn't meant to harm you. I misunderstood the kindness"
But she stayed silent.
Nia: "Please Wraith!"
Crimson Witch (grinning): "No she won't help you, she is heartless now"
Nia lost all hope to survive.
The Witch was happy seeing her cry, convinced no one would come.
Nia (Cold voice): "kill me then I accept my fate"
Crimson Witch (Evil laughing ): "Now this is good"
---
But before she could even blink…
THUDDD!!!!!
The Silver Blaze Sword stabbed the wooden floor.
Then a blue blur motion slammed the Witch into the wall and grabbed her throat.
She might be a demon but not heartless.
Wraith (voice sharp): "How dare you to touch my friend"
Crimson Witch (coughing but still monologuing): "You are helping her now!? She tried to steal your love!, did you forget that."
Wraith (shrugging, rolling eyes): "Every girl did. It's not a new thing for me now!"
She punched the Witch's jaw and tossed her into a chair.
Wraith(cold): "You should have stayed away from her."
Then came a sequence of violence so clean even the echoes scream pain.
PUNCH → CLAW SLASH → SWORD FLASH → PHANTOM DASH → PUNCH AGAIN
Her speed was unmatched.
Her aura was priceless, and all the anger on Strom rained down on witch.
Crimson Witch: "This won't end like this"
Strom stepped in from the doorway, voice calm, spear humming.
Strom (smirking): "But I'll end this now"
He crushed a crimson heart crystal.
CRRRAAK!!!
The Witch screamed —
her body stopped —
her eyes closed —
and she felt lifeless.
Sam (not satisfied): "Dude that's some kinda lame death"
Crimson Witch (laughing, voice echoing): "I didn't die, idiot"
(WHOSSH!)
She vanished from the floor.
Dravyss (ordering): "Spread out, she must be around here…"
---
They all spread out, searching.
But then…
Strom froze because he saw something that stopped his heart.
Her eyes were yellow now, pupils slitted like a snake's —
and she was smiling.
Not her smile.
But.....
Her smile.
Strom (whisper ): "Wraith?"
Wraith (twisted smile, voice layered and mixed): "No it's me… hahahah"
Strom: "NOOOOO!!!"
He leapt at her, but Wraith dodged instantly.
Then Strom looked at Nia's side…
The true body of the Crimson Witch lay there.
Soul-less. Real. Chilling.
Wraith (Crimson Witch, stepping over it): "I got a strong body now"
Strom: "Leave her alone"
Wraith: "No… I don't think I will"
Nia (hurt, voice quivering):
"How are you still alive? Your heart was broken"
Wraith (grinning): "Those crystals are fake. You really think anyone can live without a heart?"
---
The truth hit.
""No one can live without a heart.""
Strom (smiling now, checkmate): "You possessed her body, but your soul is still linked to this corpse."
Wraith (panicking) : "NOO!!!!!!!"
She grabbed Strom's hand and chanted again.
A red magic circle formed under their feet.
FLASH
Then faded....
Strom (raising eyebrow): "Weak spells?"
Wraith: "Now your soul is bound to my body"
Strom (shocked): "The fuck you mean "With your body?"
Wraith (evil smile): "If you hurt this body, you'll feel the EXACT pain but twice"
Strom didn't believe it —
So he threw a blue blade.
A deep wound on the crimson witch hand...
But Strom screamed, pain exploding in his own hand. No wound no blood just pain.
Strom: "What!? How!?"
Wraith (grinning): "Now try killing me, Strom!"
Before she moved —
Nia without hesitation she transformed into a giant python and wrapped the possessed Wraith, pinning her.
Witch tries to free herself by clawing Nia's flesh.
Wraith's claws can deal unbearable pain , but there is nothing that can break her grip on her friend.
Flesh tearing. Blood dripping.
But Nia did NOT break the grab.
Strom slammed the witch body into a wall he knows blood soul bond doesn't make body soul less, it's just an old but painful trick of Crimson witch.
Wraith (panicking): "NO STOP!!!!!"
Strom (voice booming):
"You think pain can stop me!? She is only mine, My Wraith!!!"
Then came the final punch —
His fist pierced straight through the Witch's heart.
THUD!!!!!
Body pierced. Bones crushed. Wall pierced. House cracked.
---
But then…
Strom fell to his knees.
Blood dripping from his mouth.
Nia collapsed unconscious from heavy blood loss, human form flickering back.
Now all three motionless hearts stopped, no breathing lay on the floor and
Crimson Witch is gone because her powers only works when someone fears her...
— Aftermath
Zyphus was the first to see them like that.
Zyphus: "Guys!!! Here!!!"
Everyone came in an instant—shoots thundering over the floor, breath heavy.
The sight punched them harder than any battle.
Strom, Nia, and Wraith were drenched in blood, lying like broken chapters torn from a forbidden tome.
Sam: "They fought her without us....rude."
Astrid: "STOP joking and HELP US, you silver-haired dumbass!"
Sam: "Fine fine! Muscle mommy, chill!"
Astrid glared. Chill was not in the Valkyrie dictionary.
They lifted all three carefully and placed them on the beds.
Sam immediately started chanting—a mix of healing spells and sleep spells, to force peace into their wounded souls.
Sam (whispering while casting): "It'll be better if Strom keeps his damn mouth shut when he heals…"
Zyphus: "Love you bro"
---
Evening
Strom opened his eyes slowly.
The world felt distant and punch-drunk, but the pain in his heart was intimate… personal… like unpaid debt.
Then he saw her.
Wraith laying beside him, eyes locked onto his like she never blinked.
Strom cleared his throat like a dramatic dude.
Strom: "Look at me like that and you'll fall in love with me again."
Wraith: "I'm already in love with you."
Strom froze for a moment ( in his mind): "Damn!. That was smooth."
Strom (out loud): "Don't fight me again, okay? …You KNOW I have anger issues. I say things I don't mean."
Wraith: "Then behave yourself."
Strom: "Fine. I will. And… I'm sorry, Wraith. For the earlier words."
Wraith: "I'm sorry too."
Strom: "It's okay, blue skin."
Wraith (soft smile): "Love you, idiot."
Strom: "Love you, my bitch demoness."
Wraith didn't flinch.
No claws, no punches, no roasts.
She just embraced him tightly, eyes closing as memories of chaos, love, and dumb arguments swirled inside.
— The Balcony Scene
Wraith walked out into the cold night breeze—steps quiet, heart loud.
She saw Nia sitting alone at the edge of the balcony…
Eyes wet. Soul ready to resign. Bags mentally packed.
Wraith: "Nia!."
Nia turned immediately, wiping her tears in panic trying to act normal.
Nia: "Yes."
Wraith (confused): "Are You crying?
Nia: "No. I don't cry."
Wraith sighed like the oldest older sister alive.
Wraith: "I never wanted to hurt you. Please forgive me for what I did, please..."
Nia: "Don't worry. I'm leaving this place so you can be happy."
Wraith (eyes sharp): "WHAT!? Leaving us?"
Nia( tears forming again): "If I stay, more danger will follow. You'll feel insecure when I'm near…"
"…so I decided to go far away and never come back to bother anyone again."
The night didn't move.
Then Wraith grabbed her and hugged her tightly, like she was holding something more precious than her own life.
Wraith: "DON'T LEAVE ME GIRL! You're awesome. The best.
Nia (shaky): "But I caused you pain…"
Wraith: "Doesn't matter. You're the heart of this team and…"
She paused dramatically, letting Nia complete the line.
Nia (tears falling again): "No one can live without a heart…"
Wraith: "Exactly. No one."
Nia broke. For real this time.
Nia: "I hate emotions, Wraith…"
Wraith: "Me Too"
They stood holding each other at the balcony, finally understanding something simple:
> The team heart wasn't some blessings or shard.
It was her...