The moment Annie stepped out of the portal and into the forest, a wave of thick, acrid smoke filled her lungs. Her heart clenched at the sight before her.
The village of witches—her home—was in ruins. Houses once hidden beneath the protective embrace of ancient trees were reduced to crumbling ash.
The scent of burning wood and scorched earth tainted the air. Jagged remains of huts jutted from the ground like broken ribs of a dying beast.
The witches were in shock , as they all started screaming and running towards their homes and families.
Annie told a witch to carry Menma , and she started running towards her home...
The only thing on her mind being, are the witches safe!
As she ran through the burning village, a wooden door fell from a house, and her eyes went instinctively towards it.
But she saw no signs of people being in it
She thought to herself "where could all of these people be?"
Then, she saw them.
The injured.
They were on the healing room, their bodies stained with dirt and blood. Some groaned in pain, others leaned against the walls clutching broken limbs or bleeding wounds, but some of them were getting treatment.
The sight of their suffering sent something dark coiling in Annie's chest, a fire that burned hotter than the wreckage around her.
Her breathing became ragged, fists clenching at her sides. Her thoughts blurred into a single, deafening desire.
Who did this?
Her boots pounded against the scorched ground as she stormed through the ruins, searching—hunting—for the ones responsible. If they were still here, she would make them pay in blood.
Then, a voice called out.
"Mother !"
She turned sharply, her eyes wild, her body ready for battle, but it was Lunara.
The young witch stood at the heart of the devastation, her purple hair tangled, her face streaked with soot. She was unharmed but weary, her expression one of relief and exhaustion. Behind her stood the new guardians—Sybil, Sylvara, and Saphyra—each bearing cuts and bruises, but alive.
Annie took a slow breath, trying to steady herself. "Who did this?" she demanded. "Where are they?"
Lunara didn't answer immediately. Instead, she motioned for Annie to follow. "Come. You need to know what happened."
Annie hesitated. Her body screamed for vengeance, but she forced herself to listen. With clenched fists and burning fury in her veins, she followed.
A few hours ago...
"It happened as soon as you left," Lunara began, her voice steady but laced with anger. "We sensed something was wrong the moment you got in the portal , it was beginning to be quiet , almost to quiet...
Then, the humans came."
At first, they were hiding in the trees. Dozens of them. Armed with swords, spears, and torches. Their faces twisted with hatred.
"Burn the witches!" one had screamed.
They charged like madmen, cutting down anything in their path. They set homes ablaze, tore through gardens, and shattered sacred relics that had stood for generations . They didn't just want to kill—their goal was to erase everything, to crush the very essence of the witches' existence.
They hunted down the elderly, laughing as they dragged them from their homes. They tried to capture the younger witches, binding their hands, forcing them to kneel as if preparing for execution.
Lunara's jaw clenched as she recalled the horrors. "They—" her voice faltered, but she forced herself to continue. "They tortured the young ones. They cut their hair, their skin, forced them to watch as they desecrated our lands. They wanted us to beg."
Annie's nails dug into her palms, drawing blood.
But the witches fought back. Lunara, Sybil, Sylvara, and Saphyra led the counterattack, potions tearing through the human ranks, clashing against steel.
"But the witches weren't prepared for the attack, unlike the humans we didn't have many potions and weapons .
And the humans had come prepared, armed with powerful weapons . For every human we struck down, more took their place."
"We were losing."
"I was fighting with some of them , but just me wasn't enough to kill them, as i saw them piling our people together and getting ready to chop off their heads!"
But then—
A storm tore through the battlefield."
HUMAN CREATION // RED SPEED OF DEATH
The wind howled like a raging beast, and in the blink of an eye, the humans began to fall.
One by one.
Slashed throats, severed limbs, bodies collapsing before they could even scream.
A blur of motion cut through them, too fast to see. Only the aftermath remained—the spray of blood, the thud of bodies hitting the earth.
Then, he appeared.
A man, barely older than Annie. His hair was a wild, dark mess, his clothes stained with fresh blood. His golden eyes gleamed like fire in the night.
And in his hand—
A blade, long and curved, dripping with crimson.
He stood amid the carnage, surrounded by lifeless corpses, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.
One of the last surviving humans, trembling in fear, tried to run. But in a flash, the man vanished—only to reappear behind him. A quick, clean slice. The human crumpled.
Lunara exhaled. "He killed them all."
Annie's eyes widened slightly. "Who… was he?"
The man had introduced himself after the slaughter. His voice was calm, indifferent, as if what he had done was nothing more than a casual stroll through the woods.
"Name's Zayne," he had said, flicking blood from his blade. "I knew the witches would be here he said , I have a message to deliver to you...
I come from Lulusia Kingdom, and It seems we might have a common enemy...
The Purgatorist!"
"How do you know anything about Purgatorist?" asked Lunara.
" I will tell you when you come to find me in my kingdom , don't worry witches are allowed!"
And then, he disappeared—vanishing into the trees like a phantom.
Present...
Annie exhaled, her emotions a tangled mess. Relief that her people had survived. Fury at the humans. And now… curiosity about Zayne.
She looked at Lunara, her voice low but firm. "So he just disappeared?"
Lunara shook her head. "Gone. He vanished after the fight."
Annie looked toward the ruins of her home, her grip tightening around her sword.
"We will have no choice but to go and find out if they are going to help kill the Purgatorist!", said Annie with a determined look.
"We can't trust them!" Said Lunara , he is a human, the same one as they and pointed to the wounded witches.
Annie quickly shut her down"That is not for you to decide! ...Purgatorist killed Lilith and hurt Menma , i ... I will take my revenge on them, but i can't do it alone, i need help,all the help i can get, even if it means teaming with humans!
But if these humans decide to betray us , i will burn their entire kingdom down!"
Lulusia kingdom....
A thin, crimson line sliced through the landscape, a fleeting trace of Zayne's movement as he streaked across the lands with impossible speed
. Each step propelled him forward like a phantom, the sheer force of his momentum sending dust and leaves spiraling in his wake.
The world blurred past him—rolling hills, vast meadows, distant villages—until the towering walls of Lulusia Kingdom came into view.
The kingdom stood like an impenetrable fortress, its mighty walls stretching high, shielding the bustling life within. Nearly ten thousand people moved about their daily routines.
Merchants bartered in the open-air markets, children chased each other through cobbled streets, and guards patrolled with weary vigilance.
With a final push, Zayne launched himself into the air, his body slicing through the wind as he arced over the walls in a single, effortless leap.
From his airborne vantage point, the kingdom sprawled before him in a breathtaking display—streets woven like a labyrinth, homes and shops packed tightly together, and at the very heart of it all, the castle.
His feet touched down without a sound, the red glow of his power fading as he strode through the city's main thoroughfare.
The cool air carried the scent of baked bread, iron, and fresh fruit, mingling with the lively hum of conversation.
Yet, Zayne paid little attention to the people. His destination was the castle .
As he continued walking, the castle loomed ahead, an architectural marvel of stone and steel.
Its size was nothing short of monstrous, with towering spires that seemed to pierce the sky and walls thick enough to withstand an army's assault.
An extra layer of fortifications surrounded it, making entry difficult for most—though for Zayne, it was a welcoming checkpoint .
As he neared the castle gates, a pair of guards clad in polished armor stiffened at his presence. One of them, a man with a scar running down his cheek, immediately bowed his head in respect.
"Brother Zayne, quick on your tasks as always," he said, his voice steady but laced with admiration.
Zayne smirked, brushing a few strands of dark hair from his eyes. "It's kinda hard to go slow when you have a speed creation," he replied, his tone edged with amusement. "Anyway, are the rest of 'the brothers' here?"
The guard straightened, nodding. "Yes, they are waiting for you inside the castle."
Without another word, Zayne continued forward, his steps light yet deliberate.
His brothers awaited him-and where they gathered, chaos always followed!