Night had fallen over the ancient city of Griezmann, and the silver moon barely illuminated the moss-covered rooftops. The streets were silent, shrouded in a veil of mist that slithered as if it had a will of its own.
Among the shadows, a figure moved with surgical precision. Yuta, the legendary thief who dared to defy the impossible, advanced without making a single sound. His black coat fluttered lightly in the wind, while his cold, calculating eyes reflected the faint pale glow of the moon.
In his hands, an ancient scroll—the map of the Immortal Witch's fortress.
On his lips, a faint, mocking smile.
> — "Impossible? They never learned not to underestimate humans."
That was his signature: arrogance and absolute calm, even in the face of death.
Among legendary thieves, Yuta was an anomaly. Not just for his audacity, but for the way he manipulated magic—something no human should be capable of. A simple, unstable magic—but lethal in the right hands.
And tonight, he would prove that not even the most powerful witch on the continent could intimidate him.
---
The fortress rose atop a hill shrouded in violet mist. Broken towers clawed at the sky, and ancient stones pulsed with arcane energy. Runes floated around the walls, forming a living barrier—the magical field known to mages as the Seal of Centuries.
Spectral sentinels patrolled the ramparts, their spears made of greenish light slicing through the air with a low hum. One wrong step here meant certain death.
But Yuta chuckled softly, adjusting his hood.
> — "What a spectacle. Hope they saved a glass of champagne for me."
With a swift motion, he drew a magic circle on the ground and pressed the scroll to the floor. A purple light snaked across the ground, spreading until it touched the fortress's barriers.
The magical glow wavered.
The runes trembled, confused by a simple yet cleverly distorted spell.
Yuta manipulated the energy almost instinctively, creating illusions that fooled the arcane sensors.
No alarms sounded.
The barriers remained still.
He moved forward.
From rooftop to rooftop, he moved like a living shadow. Every jump was meticulously calculated, every breath measured. He was more than a thief—he was a strategist, a criminal artist.
---
Crossing the main gate, the atmosphere changed.
The air inside the fortress was dense, almost solid, charged with ancient magic that made his skin crawl. Distant echoes whispered through the corridors, like voices trapped in another dimension.
"Go back…"
"Foolish human…"
"She's watching…"
Yuta ignored them.
Those whispers were mental traps—tricks designed to make intruders doubt themselves.
He took a deep breath and continued.
The main corridor was a deathtrap.
Invisible blades cut the air in chaotic patterns, pools of corrosive energy writhed like living things, and runes on the walls discharged concentrated mana at the slightest misstep.
But Yuta danced between them.
The magical crystals he carried floated around him, generating temporary shields. Each attack deflected only made him grin wider.
> — "This is almost fun."
He leaped over a fire trap, rolled under a wall of energy, and disabled an ancient seal with a single touch.
It was as if he had rehearsed every movement—but no one had ever entered this fortress and returned alive.
---
Finally, he arrived.
The treasure hall.
A circular room, lined with arcane mirrors and columns carved with forbidden symbols.
In the center, atop a pedestal, rested a pulsating black crystal—the Azheran Crystal.
The gem exuded an almost tangible power, warping the air around it. Shadows bent in deference to its presence.
Yuta approached slowly, his gaze fixed on the pulsing light.
> — "So… this is the prize that will make my name legendary."
But something was wrong.
The air vibrated. A pinkish glow descended from the ceiling like a living curtain.
A female figure materialized before him—tall, shrouded in an ethereal aura.
Long black hair floated like flames, and her eyes blazed with the intensity of a thousand moons.
The Immortal Witch, Lilith.
> — "A human… using magic? This is… impossible."
Her voice was as cold as death.
Yuta, however, only smiled, tilting his head slightly.
> — "Impossible is just a word for the weak."
---
The confrontation didn't begin with shouts.
Lilith raised her hand, and the hall's runes flared with a deafening brightness.
Chains of energy rose from the floor, forming a labyrinth of defensive spells. Any other thief would have been obliterated.
But Yuta was different.
He moved his fingers in the air, and the magic circle beneath his feet responded. A translucent field appeared, deflecting attacks, redirecting them back to the walls. Explosions of energy lit up the hall, reflecting in the thief's calm face.
Lilith watched silently, intrigued.
With every spell she cast, Yuta countered.
With every trap that appeared, he found a flaw.
> — "How…? A mere human shouldn't…!"
— "I think it's time you reconsider your ideas about 'mere humans.'"
He advanced, step by step.
The energy around the crystal began to react to his presence. When he touched it, a wave of power tried to disintegrate him.
But Yuta, quick as ever, raised an improvised mana shield, channeling the impact.
The floor cracked.
The walls shuddered.
And yet, he was still smiling.
> — "Time to leave before I get bored."
In the blink of an eye, Yuta vanished.
A snap of magic echoed, and the thief dematerialized into the purple mist, leaving only the trembling runes behind.
Lilith looked around, sensing the emptiness where power had once been.
The crystal—stolen.
She clenched her fists, and the entire hall exploded with raw energy.
> — "A human dares to challenge me…? I will find him. And I will destroy him."
Outside, Yuta already watched the city from afar, the moonlight reflecting in his eyes.
The cold wind blew as he adjusted the pack on his back.
> — "Another night. Another legend."
In Griezmann's underground taverns, rumors began to spread.
A name echoed among thieves, mercenaries, and rogue mages:
"The human who stole from the Immortal Witch."
A thief who wielded magic.
A man who defied the impossible.
A name that would soon be feared by gods and immortals alike.
Yuta.