🌫️ Opening: A World That Smells Like Smoke
Across the world, the same thing happens.
No explosions.No sirens.
Just ash.
In cities, villages, deserts, oceans—fine gray particles fall from clear skies, coating rooftops, skin, and lungs.
People cough.
Brands flicker.
Monster Symbiotes recoil like something ancient has breathed near them.
Narrator:Magic does not always arrive loudly. Sometimes it whispers… and the world listens.
🕯️ Scene 1: The First Witch Burn
In a ruined village outside the Obvious Realm's borders, Luke, Hanabi, Jason, Sasha, and Trish arrive too late.
Bodies lie arranged in circles.Not eaten.Not torn apart.
Burned from the inside.
Hanabi kneels, touching ash that still smokes.
Hanabi:"This wasn't fire."
A voice echoes from the smoke.
???:"Correct."
A figure steps forward.
A woman wrapped in scorched robes, skin cracked like old charcoal. Her eyes glow dull orange.
Behind her, three more figures emerge from the ash.
Witch:"This was cleansing."
Luke raises his shotgun.
The witch smiles.
Witch:"You are late… but welcome."
The ash thickens.
They retreat—barely.
🧠Scene 2: Hyde Feels It First
Elsewhere, Hyde and Ashton feel it simultaneously.
Hyde collapses to one knee.
Hyde:"Something's… clawing at my Brand."
Ashton grips his shoulder.
Ashton:"Is it Nefima?"
Hyde shakes his head.
Hyde:"No. Older. Smaller. Hungrier."
A burned symbol briefly appears on Hyde's wrist before vanishing.
Narrator:The Ashen Coven does not announce itself. It brands the world quietly.
🧪 Scene 3: Area 51 — Limpey's Alert
Inside Area 51, alarms pulse a soft amber.
Not emergency.Warning.
Limpey's mechanical eye spins.
Limpey:"ARCANE ANOMALY DETECTED.MULTIPLE RITUAL SIGNATURES.CLASSIFICATION: WITCH COVEN."
Nkumkani lifts his head.
Nkumkani:"Witches?"
From a shadowed corner, Jablonski Jesteer chuckles softly, unseen.
Jablonski (to himself):"Ahhh… smoke women."
đź”® Scene 4: The Ashen Coven Revealed
Deep underground, beneath blackened soil, the Ashen Coven gathers.
A massive stone circle.
Ash falls upward.
The witches remove their hoods.
They are not uniform.
Some are skeletal.Some still look human.Some are barely holding themselves together.
At the center stands an Ash Mother — taller, cracked skin glowing faintly.
Ash Mother:"The Garden stirs."
Another witch bows.
Witch:"The Brands weaken. Souls slip."
The Ash Mother smiles.
Ash Mother:"Good. Prepare the harvest."
A burned coin spins in her palm.
🌲 Scene 5: Nkumkani's Group — Omen in the Wild
Nkumkani, Monkey, Aino, and Chinelo camp near dead trees.
The fire refuses to burn properly.
Monkey squints.
Monkey:"Anyone else smell… funerals?"
The shadows move.
Three witches appear between the trees without sound.
Aino draws his weapon.
Aino:"They're not undead."
The lead witch tilts her head.
Witch:"Correct again."
The witches vanish.
The trees collapse into ash.
Chinelo (shaking):"They were testing us."
⚔️ Scene 6: The Train — Ash in the Air
Inside the magical train, Tiago, Elijah, Park Go Hwan, and Kane Kato feel the shift.
The windows fog—not with steam—but ash.
The conductor speaks without turning.
Conductor:"The witches walk again."
Tiago grips his weapon.
Tiago:"How many?"
The conductor smiles.
Conductor:"Enough."
🕸️ Scene 7: Dracula & Korrin Sense the Change
In a ruined cathedral, Dracula and Korrin stop mid-conversation.
Candles extinguish themselves.
Dracula:"Witch ash."
Korrin snarls.
Korrin:"They burned monsters once."
Dracula's eyes narrow.
Dracula:"And they will try again."
🌑 Final Scene: The Whisper
In a forgotten graveyard, a lone witch kneels.
The earth cracks.
A voice—not loud, not gentle—enters her mind.
Nefima (distant, amused):You may borrow my shadow.
The witch smiles as her body ignites with gray flame.
Witch:"The Goddess watches."