Fantasy The Coven ic

[Thalia_Neko]

Prologue

Letitia Darkchild

​

Letitia's gentle boots, softly caressed the forest floor, crunching solemn, dried leaves underfoot with each passing step. The short, pitch-black haired girl was moving along at a steady pace; towards a job that had summoned her: letter delivered by her usual Courier. Intense, yet low drolls of thunder rumbled off in the distance, heard but not seen through their preceding flashes of lightning. Yellow bolts unseen, due to the harsh density of that forlorn forest she found herself moving through.

Suddenly, the young witch came to a stop, miles from her destination. Eyes surveiled the dark, shadowy surroundings of that wood, green orbs lightning up like the eyes of a cat in the darkness. For the rank 4 witch, something felt off. It not only took a lot to spook Letitia, but if something felt unusual to a witch, then it usually was.

Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Ominous. Not even the sound of thunder could be heard any longer.

Just then, a weird, yet sharp prick of magical energy appeared behind her, making her neck hairs stand on end. Calmly turning around, she spotted a younger girl. Though, since she was short, standing at just 5'2'', they were roughly the same height, with the other girl, just being slightly shorter.

The girl before her, who by no means had any right to be in that dreary wood, was rather cute. With a welcoming face, and stance, looking at Letitia curiously, wide-eyed and innocent. Her attire was very adorable, and delightful, with a long, cute tie in front, and a darling skirt at the top of her thighs. For all intents and purposes, the girl before Letitia, was just some sweet, young lady, out and about.

Letitia knew, it wasn't that simple.

"Letitia... -chan," the girl's voice was pleasant, and dainty, revealing her youth, and inanity.

Narrowing her eyes, Letitia opened her mouth in response, seeing as how that was all the other girl was going to be saying, until she spoke herself. Lest they both stand there in those woods for all eternity, staring blankly back at each other. "Number..." she glanced on the girl's outfit, and spotted the symbol there. Ah. Of course. "Fourty-four," she finished. "What are you doing here? Why are you out in these woods?" It was obvious that Letitia was uncomfortable. Usually high-ranked witches worked alone, and were called in only for extremely difficult jobs, that only Single Digits could accomplish. In general, others proved a liability. Especially, one with such a low rank. In fact, the girl before her, was ranked so low, that she had not only just joined the Coven recently, but she had basically no magical power, and was only slightly more magically inclined than a regular human. Or so suggested the girl's ranking. Not only a novice, but a young novice, with foolish, childish tendencies, by the looks of it. Letitia, also was slightly different than other witches, and was even more reclusive. She not only rarely worked alone, but she hadn't actually seen another witch in five months.

That's how she preferred it. Isolation.

"I.. was following you, number-four-chan," 44 replied, voice soft.

Just the way she spoke, sent shivers down Letitia's spine. Who was this kid? Why was she here? Then it dawned on her, this was not right. This girl was dangerous. Despite her rank. "I know you're new, but Coven witches are not allowed to attack each other! It's forbidden! -"

"I don't care, four-chan!" 44 retorted, her voice hollow. Cracking sounds could be heard from her, and she began to shake a bit. Instantly, she fired out some dark-like magical projectiles.

Caught off guard, Letitia was stunned, and struck by the magic. With an annoying shove, and small, grunt she focused her gaze back on the girl there. Her anger was quickly triumphing over her confusion and hesitation. Coven law stated that no witch could attack another without provocation. Readying a counter spell, the black-haired witch watched in shock, as the adorable girl before her began to change.

Cracking and scratching could be heard coming from the short, white-haired girl before her. "Hehe..." she giggled sickly-sweet, as cracks appeared around her jaw, and suddenly her mouth unhinged, extending down, sharpened teeth revealing themselves. A wave of magical force extended out from her, blowing the trees above, causing quite a violent rustle through them, and sent dried leaves away from her.

Realizing what was going on here, Letitia took the offensive instantly. "Y-you're an Awakened Being!" She held out her hands, and bright orange runes appeared in the air. Intoning the spell, "Ruin Torrent," two orange-red-hot lasers fired out at 44.

However, 44 was ready, and was hoping something like that would happen. Her jaw extended all the way to the forest floor, looking like some devilish nightmare. Letitia's spells sunk right into the blackness of her mouth, and promptly disappeared. With a satisfied swallow, 44 rubbed her belly, and giggled. "Mm, tasty! Your magic, Letitia-chan, so tasty! Gimme more! I must eat! So hungry!" With that, sickening announcement, 44 fired herself at Letitia in a burst of speed, only catching a surprised, "So fast," from her opponent, before slamming a magical-powered fist right into the other girl's side.

Letitia let out a yelp of pain, from the sudden attack, and was flung backwards. Smashing trees with insane force, finally she was stopped, by her body smashing into a boulder. Pulling herself from the smoke and rubble, she groaned, but ultimately was fine. Her magical barriers were holding. One thing was for sure, 44 was no rank 44. Ready for the onslaught, she retaliated, as a laughing 44 launched at her again. She had already figured out 44's magic. She somehow had the ability to consume magical power -and probably convert it to her own. Quite a dangerous, and formidable magic indeed. It instantly made her wonder how many other Coven witches 44 had already attacked, and had their magic consumed. That was something she would have to investigate in the Coven, after her current job contract was fulfilled. Still... magical power could be used in a multitude of ways. Instead of direct magical power, she'd use something physical.

"Too arrogant!" Letitia shouted, nimbly avoiding another magical-induced blow. Black rune appeared below her, and blackness coated her fist. "Dark Strike," she intoned, slamming her fist right up into 44's stomach, sending the smaller girl flying upwards into the air. Seeing as how she had the upper-hand on 44, the black-haired witch decided it was okay to use a direct magical-powered spell, hoping at this particular time that her opponent was vulnerable. While 44 was sailing up and away from her attack, Letitia made some symbols with her hands, obvious runes of some spell. Her magic flared up, kicking up the wind around her, and a bright orange symbol appeared on the ground, directly below where 44 was flying upwards.

"Twelve zodiac from the nether," Letitia began the ritual, "Mirrors of the radiance above, show this wretch your foul power. Show her her sin, and cleanse it!" With the last symbol formed on her hand, eyes glowing a bright red, she slammed the ground with her palm. The full incantation said, her spell released, "12 Sinful Zodiacs!"

The orange symbol on the ground flashed a bright light, before splitting into twelve smaller signs. They flew up, and began to spin around 44, glowing brighter and brighter. Each sign linked with her body, and began to burn bright hot, searing onto the girl. It was clear she had been right; 44 had been vulnerable to more advanced spells. The witch obviously had to be prepared to eat them. Good to know. Now, if Letitia's spell worked as intended, the body of 44 would be completely erased -even the ash, and she would be sent to hell, for forever punishment.

However, things didn't always go as planned, and 44's scarred, marred, smoking body fell, hitting the ground, completely unconscious -yet still alive. Letitia walked closer to it, glaring. "Huh. Tougher than I expected. Still..." With 44 at her mercy, finishing her completely off would be effortless, raising her hand, preparing to command another spell to get rid of this wretched being before her once and for all, another voice spoke up. Letitia turned to see a taller woman walk out from behind a tree. She was clad in blue, and had a sad look on her face. Moria: rank 33.

"Don't, Letitia, please," she pleaded, gently walking over.

"What? Coven rules are absolute. She not only attacked me, but she's also an Awakened Being! Look!" Letitia growled in anger, pushing 44's body into the light of the moon above. Her face was covered in cracks, mouth was agape, widened by supernatural force, extending wayyy beyond what a normal human's jaw could do. Even her muscular structure appeared whack, with muscles bulging on her arms and legs.

Moria stared down at the beaten body of 44, and shook her head. "No."

"No? What do you mean, no? Of course she is! I -no- we have to kill her -it!" Letitia retorted, furiously, prepping up another spell to end 44's life for sure.

"No! Letitia! Stop!" Moria rounded on Letitia, and stared straight into the higher ranked's eyes. Magical blue energy engulfed both, and Letitia fell backward, eyes white, and blank, body un-moving. Peering back down at 44, she bent down, picking her up. Holding her like a mother, Moria pet the side of 44's face gently. "Poor thing..."


~~~


Letitia winced, sitting up. Rubbing one of her eyes -now back to normal-, their bright green gaze swept the area around her. Huh. Where was she? What was she doing? Scanning the forest, she began to remember. Oh yeah! Of course. She had a mission to do! Why was she laying here in the leaves? Had she really just dozed off like that? "Ugh, can't remember..." she murmured, rubbing her head.

Standing up, Letitia turned towards her destination, and began heading towards the nearby town, which was just a couple miles away, current Coven mission in her mind.

 

[firestorm]

Osamaru

He ran thru collective headquarters in his wolf form. He ran past many sages, Hot on his heels was another wolf. He and the grey wolf were playing chase threw collective headquarters,finally osamaru and the grey wolf made it outside. The grey wolf tackled him to the ground and started to horseplay with him. Osamaru wiggled out from under the grey wolf and shifted. The grey wolf whimpered and osamaru said “ I'm sorry beta but I must get back to work,I will play with you another time go back to my pack alright.” the grey wolf named beta took off into the forest. After dismissing beta, he brushed his clothes off and walked back into headquarters.

 

[Scaleless]

The taste of dust was distinguishable even from where he stood. Directly in front of him existed a towering chapel, with architecture that predated any of the surrounding buildings. The atmosphere was frigid and empty. That was due to the surrounding routes being blocked off hours prior to his arrival. A little sooner than now any sound he would make would've been obscured by chatter, but now it was dead silent. Nuru was forced to lament in the sounds of his feet striking the pavement as he approached the structure. The chapel was ominous, even for those who were not magically-attuned. Perhaps it was a sort of 6th sense held by all humans to help them avoid potential danger. Nuru drew nearer still, disregarding any sensation of primitive instinct.

Long rays of sunlight seeped into the chapel from the mosaic windows stretching against its sides. The rays broke the uniform blanket of darkness that otherwise covered the chapel. From there, he could make out the shape of several expertly sculpted wooden benches. They stretched from one side of the room to the opposite with a single large break at the center. The old wood creaked weakly underneath Nuru's saunter as he stepped closer. A strange noise started to become more apparent as he approached the chapel's opposite wall. Scratch, scratch, scratch, the sound came from every direction. It was just loud enough for Nuru to take notice, but not distinctly identify its source. It did not impede his step and his expression remained still. It was evident by now that he was not alone.

"For what purpose does thou most foul disturb this sanctum? Retire from this place, I beseech thee," the voice was raspy and its location indiscernible. "Leave... Leave... Leave... Leave," Several more voices intoned in harmony. Naru held firm, unbothered by the faceless ones. "I cannot." He answered. The voices only germinated further with Nuru's blatant refusal.

"Then thou shall fall, you pernicious, unholy, varlet," the voices ceased proceeding the raspy voices last utterance. The Chapel became dead silent, even the monotonous scratching was deafened by ambiance. Nuru waited, with little choice but to allow the faceless voices to get the first move. The tension became just as palpable as the chapel's molded air. Snap, a wooden bench exploded into a flurry of splinters. A blurred object lunged itself toward Nuru from the very same direction. The ghoulish creature grinned, certain that his head would meet soft flesh and bone. But, it would only meet air. "Transpose," the sage murmured. Nuru's image dissipated and reappeared a short distance away, whilst the ghouls skull smashed against the opposite wall. The impact shook the entire chapel violently and a cascade of debris rained on to the scene from above.

It only took a second for his next attacker to pounce forward, with tooth and claw ready to rend his body. The creature swung wildly at Nuru, but a thick barrier stopped its advance. "Aegis," he intoned. The barrier boxed in the entirety of Nuru's form to offer a layer of protection. The barrier itself had no coloration, but it seemed to distort the space around it to form clear cut edges. After a few more moments of wild slashes the imp grew weary. Now, Nuru was finally able to observe the creatures full form. It wore a cross against its neck, that seemed to burn the skin it rested upon. Further scars were laid upon its shoulders and back-- it reminded him of an act called flagellation. He immediately dropped the thought, however.

"Transpose," the man uttered a second time. A large swab of rubble dissipated from the floor and now appeared above the imp's head. With a crash, it turned the lowly creature to a mere stain against the already tarnished floor.

"Wicked creature, why does thou persist? I know thy kin. I know thy sin," the voice clearly carried authority. Nuru surmised that these smaller assaults would not cease so long as its owner still lived. "What do you know of sages?" Nuru inquired, in an attempt to better perceive the raspy voices location. "I know naught of sages. I know of man. I know the evil that seeps from thy rotted soul. Thine are a creature most foul." Nuru felt little need to maintain his barrier now and let it disperse. The moment he had done so he felt that the temperature of the room changed marginally. "I, humble servant Natailah shall smite thee. I call upon the demon of brimstone to bless me with the power to smite this repugnant creature. Malebranche, reduce him to naught." Every nook and detail of the chapel became much more apparent after the strangers intonement. The flash of light blinded him briefly, but he was able to recover enough to make out the opposing figures face. The name he recalled for certain. The details of this mission involved only investigating an abandoned chapel. He did not expect to encounter an Apostate and not one of this caliber. Apostates were typically in the jurisdiction of the coven. But, as magistrate he would engage any criminal without question.

The elder woman held a staff with both hands, and above her she channeled a mighty spell. The orange hue of the spells heat reflected off of the bright cross she strapped to her neck. "What are you doing here? Why are you making these monsters wear your jewelry?" He asked, while he prepared to channel enough power to hold against the witches attack. "MONSTERS?!?!" The woman snapped, the veins on her wrinkled neck stretched through her skin. "They are my children! They are apostles! Begone wicked one, no longer will I hear thy words!" She screeched with sweat dripping from her brow.

"Apocalypse of the faithful! Destroy all that lie before me!" She intoned, releasing a bright wave of fire that shook the very earth around them. The wave turned the surrounding structures to nothing but ash and it would reach Nuru in only a moment. "Unbind the very fabric that confines this world. Tear it at its seams and repair it in your own favor. Discontinuity," the sage intoned. A large pitch black structure appeared in-front of his own body. The brunt of the attack was siphoned into its midst and then the rest of the surrounding flame followed. The flame was drawn in to the abnormality like a violent typhoon.

When it was clear, only half of the chapel was left standing. The Apostate escaped. The Chapel was located in the center of the city, so she had to escape through the very densely populated town. If this was any place else he would immediately drop the task and report their location to the coven, but he had no choice but to try and follow. A trail of soot had shown him the path.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Jinya bowed her lightly head in thanks, cradling the pack of cookies in her arm as she stepped away from the vendor. The bag crinkled as she rummaged its contents, grabbing a loose handful of ginger snaps and cramming them haphazardly into her mouth. She decided she wasn't feeling picky today and settled on whatever was cheapest. The young man running the stand seemed wary of her presence - and her sword - but, not by much; 41 isn't exactly an intimidating number, to other humans she was probably only as dangerous as. . . any other human, really. She licked the crumbs from her fingers, only vaguely aware of where she was going as the sound of idle chatter guided her footsteps.

She navigated expertly through the flowing crowds, the hilt of her sword sticking out over the canopy of heads. The city had much to offer, for a woman of simple pleasures. . . but right now, she was on duty, and that meant she could only slack off onsite. Once she slipped out of the maze of people, she began breathing normally again, slinking into the shade - it's not like she hated going outside, but having to push upstream through hordes of pedestrians was understandably suffocating. Glancing up, she sidestepped as a woman leaned over the balcony directly above her, airing out her rug against the banister.

To her left, rowdy children tore down the cobblestone road, laughing and chasing and climbing over one another with colorful toys in their hands - it was chilling, knowing that even amidst such peace there was something vile lurking in the shadows, waiting. The vendor, far down the street and out of sight, the commute of people going about their daily lives, the children gleefully playing and giggling among themselves - in a split second their lives could be extinguished, as easily as a dying candle flame.

Protecting these fragile lives was her job. . . or at least, it was supposed to be, if her own life weren't so fragile.

Jinya stopped in her tracks, cookie halfway in her mouth as she came face to face with an exasperated woman, a wild look accentuating the creases in her face. She was visibly armed, staff in hand - and she was likely a witch. She chewed through the rest of the cookie, wondering if it was somebody she knew. Placing faces to names wasn't exactly her strong suit. But when her eyes searched for the woman's symbol, there was nothing.

An apostate.

Welp. Jinya wasn't planning on doing any dirty work today, but it looked like the trouble came straight to her doorstep this time around. Hell, if she was lucky, she might even live.

"I don't suppose you'd like to talk this out over a snack?" she proposed, offering the frenzied woman one of her cookies.

 

[Shagranoz]

It was her time. This morning, Catherine was going to bond herself to a demon and join the coven. The sorceress-to-be stood in the middle of the summoning circle, feeling the magical energy she'd trapped straining at its capture. She slashed her palm with a ritual knife, letting a few drops of blood fall into the dirt and unleash her magic. "Azorgathal, come to me!"

There was a roar like thunder, a flash of light, and a mighty serpent lay coiled before her. "I am Azorgathal, little witch. You have called me for a contract, yes? Let us make it, and be done."

It took a few minutes to hammer out the deal to both parties' satisfaction, but at last the contract was made. Catherine signed it in blood and fire, and Azorgathal nodded in agreement. "One last thing, Catherine. I require a place to stay in the mortal realm. Open your mouth, if you please."

Catherine did so, but she wasn't quite sure what was going on. She soon found out, and wished she hadn't. Azorgathal rushed forward, shrinking as he did. In an instant, he had traveled into her mouth and down her throat. Is-is he dead?

No, Catherine, came a thought from her stomach. Our bond is complete. You cannot harm me, just as I cannot harm you. We shall be together for the rest of your days.

 

[Scaleless]

The chase began. Nuru's shadow darted across the pavement as his hunt continued. His body flickered from street, to rooftop and back. His image did not stay in the same spot for more than a single instant. As he moved, he started to become aware of the full gravity of the situation. Unlike the blocked off chapel, the streets were flowing with people and children. He was clueless as to what Natailah would do when cornered-- the Apostate did not appear mentally stable to begin with. The trail was growing very thin now and the witch was not within his sight. Had he been fooled? Nuru cursed himself, his narrow thinking mind did not allow him to even consider the possibility that such a crazed witch would be capable of any act of cunning.

Natailah eyes bulged within the confines of her skull and her face turned a bright shade of red to match. "Abhorrent pagan, does thy believe I'd take any offering but your flesh?" The Apostate howled, with her staff pointed directly at the opposite witches skull. She smiled then, as if a sick thought materialized within her mind. "Yes... grant me thy flesh and I shall grant thine absolution," the Apostate beckoned with a murderous glint apparent among her features. An orchestra of screaming and screeching had begun some distance away from the two, but Natailah did not look to regard it. "O' king of brimstone, reave this wrench of all fortitude and allow it to be accorded to myself instead." The apostle intoned, whilst her staff crackled a sick red lightning from its very tip. The bolt shot off erratically, twisting and turning as it forged a path straight to the opposite witches heart.

But, the bolt had not found its intended target. "Transpose," the sage had intoned, as the body of an imp flickered in-front of the bolts grasp. The bright red bolt crudely struck the imps body in the witches stead. The imps body began pulsating as every muscle in its body inflated and deformed. It let out a deep and primitive howl as its corpse finally fell limply to the ground. The red hue that surrounded the imps body was shot backwards in to the witches own. The Apostate's body looked rejuvenated, but emotionally she appeared crushed. "Thee would make me drink the blood of my own child? There is truly no salvation for man..." She wept with a solemn expression apparent among her face. The frantic screeching of the townspeople had grown louder. Finally, her children had found her. A cascade of imps and lesser creatures flowed to the Apostate's side from every single nook and cranny. The Apostate's face was downcast towards the concrete floor, whilst her children surrounded their mother.

Nuru had appeared then, at the coven witch's side. Nuru was not the offensive type of fighter. In a battle of attrition, he was certain he would come out the victor. But, a long battle in the middle of a crowded area would result in many casualties. Luckily, a witch from the coven confronted the Apostate just on time. "I will offer safeguard to the surrounding structures and people. Please, feel free to go all out," the sage had instructed. "I only ask that you spare this Apostate, Lady..." The sage trailed off, whilst his eyes scanned the witch's body for a number and symbol. "41."

 

[Melon Bomb]

"Guess she doesn't like ginger," Jinya muttered to herself, stowing her cookie back into the bag. The color slowly drained from her face as her eyes followed the hordes of gangly creatures, crawling out of the woodwork at the bidding of their master. Right. . . I think that's my cue to leg it. She quietly began taking small steps backwards, fully prepared to turn tail and flee down the road when someone appeared before her - a courier of sorts, or maybe a sage? She seriously hoped it was the latter.

"Uh. . ." The woman trailed off in response, racking her brain for some lame excuse to make a break for it.

Oh, sorry. I sprained my wrist so I can't use my sword. Can you be a pal and take care of this one for me?

Hey, man, I'm actually a pacifist. Maybe I can go look for someone else who can handle it?

I really, really have to use the bathroom. Like, really badly.

. . . Yeah, none of those are convincing at all. She raised a brow as the boy urged her to go 'all out,' by which she hoped he meant 'out of town and back to HQ.'

"Spare the Apostate?" she said, scratching the back of her head as she worriedly sized up their numbers. "I think you've got the wrong idea about me, dude. . ." Jinya carefully drew her sword from its sheath and assumed a combat stance, narrowing down on the rogue witch. "Sorry, I know you've got your hands full with collateral but can you cover me? I don't do so hot outside of a duel."

That said, her eyes briefly flared with magical energy as she uttered her spell.

"Thieving crow. . . take her soul!" A light gust of air expelled from the ground beneath them both, but otherwise the witch would likely notice no effect. Until she makes her attack, anyway.

Jinya surged forward, opening with a feint thrust to test her reaction.

 

[Elle Santiago]

​

It was raining.

It was raining so hard, in fact, that despite the enchantments she had in her clothes to ward off rain and other liquids, she could feel the dampness of water seep through the material. The noon sun was obscured by thick clouds, proving it a difficult task to trudge up this steep trail that seemed otherwise not used. Seyis reached out her hand and grasped a cold gauntlet that helped her up this particular hill that threatened to send her tumbling down back to the foot of this incline. “You have my thanks,” she said, perhaps, for the umpteenth time to her construct who only glanced back with its red eyes, remaining unresponsive. Well, as it should. If her Fallen Knight began speaking, then something would be afoot as well as dangerous.

They -- or rather, Seyis -- continued to walk, her silence broken only by the occasional cursing when she tripped or slipped on the now-muddy ground. She had a feeling magic was at work here. This particular mountain range -- if not the location -- wasn’t so heavy when it came to rainfall; she’d know since she liked taking this route, visiting the various villages usually isolated to the world. It was also the way the rain was charged with energy. It made strange pitter-patter sounds, like little glass bells ringing before shattering on the ground. Or on her Knight. Or on her enchanted clothes, really. She was just glad that there were no glass shards, or else she’d be mightily outraged.

Soon, she found that her effort wasn’t at all misplaced. The mountains here usually tapered off at the top where one would find a collection of little homes and hard-working people. Would calling it a mountain be wrong, then, as it would be considered a plateau? That line of questioning halted when Seyis saw the destroyed homes of people she visited when she could. There was blood everywhere but no bodies to be found. She stared at her Knight which stared back, who also unsheathed its sword, the crimson blade having that eerie light similar to its eyes.

“Oh, False Angel,” she intoned, slowly walking with her construct escorting her, “bless me with your unholy knights from the depths of the Well of Misery. May they protect me, and slay Evil under your name with your power.” There was a ripple of power, the familiar chill of Death next to her where another Fallen Knight appeared from nowhere. The Second Knight looked at her with its red eyes before nodding respectfully, unsheathing his swords in anticipation of a monster.

Satisfied for the moment, Seyis walked through the open graveyard of blood and missing flesh, whispering quiet words of her own ritual. “The hunt begins.”

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Letitia Darkchild
​

The Nightess walked the entire length of that somber, dismal forest, with not so much as a peep from any living thing within 300 feet of her. Only with the rumble of thunder in the far off distance. It was eerie, even more so than usual. The trees were all windy, but their bark was skeleton-white. As she approached the edge of that wood, where the town was located, Letitia noticed just how bad the place had gotten. Trees were nothing but spindly wooden structures: no leaves, no life, dead. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered what the cause of this decay was. Whatever it was, it was coming from the town up ahead.

Peering through the sparse, dead-finger like trees, her eyes saw through the dimness, and laid themselves upon the pitiful state of the town. It all left a sour taste in her mouth. The visual in front of her, the lack of life, the somber silence, the very taste of the stagnant air. Letitia began strolling forward into the sullen, lifeless place that was that ghost town of death. A heavy, rancid air permeated the place, and as a high-ranking witch could definitely feel the presence of something there. Magic surrounded number 4's senses at all times. Naturally, that meant she was better at hearing, seeing, and even smelling than other witches who didn't know how to enhance their physical traits with such magic. She sensed.. it. Hanging on the periphery; just out of sight, somewhere it clung. Her green eyes darted around, trying to pinpoint just where. Not yet, she couldn't find it just yet.

However, what she sensed was not something like say, a werewolf. Oddly enough, though those were magical creatures in nature, they were harder to sense than most; due in part to their mindless nature. Magic was heavily associated with the mind, it was how witches and sages learned to not only control magic, but hide their magical presences from sensors. It wasn't quite so for werewolves though. Those beasts had no idea how to hide their presence, they merely were too stupid to even realize they had a presence; hunting by instinct alone. It was one reason they were so dangerous, and low ranked witches were dispersed to deal with them so often. Meaning, this was something far more nefarious. Far more dangerous in the long run. What could it be? Letitia ran through her databank of all the supernatural things out there. She just didn't have enough information yet. All she knew was it was something quite nasty. Especially if it was responsible for all this around her.

Promptly, upon stepping forward, a body appeared in the window of the nearby building. Presumably tossed out, it quickly fell right on top of the short girl. Diving out of the way, Letitia scraped her hands and knees against dusty, cobbled street that lead into town. As the body hit the ground with a crunchy thud, the witch stood up giving this bizarre event a frustrated, perplexed look. She held out a hand, and reddish magical runes appeared around her arm. Letitia drawled, "Vanish Form." Quickly, reddish energy enveloped the body, and slowly it turned black, evaporating. "Always remove bodies. Lest they return to haunt you in some way," Letitia repeated dryly, warning no one in particular. Looking up, she trying to observe the building beside her, but whoever had tossed the dead body down had disappeared within, with nothing so much as even a word. Tossing a body so haphazardly... was not a good sign.

A moment later, Letitia was feeling the sense of dread creeping in, from where she stood in the center of town. A plaza of sorts, with a long-since dead fountain. Looking around, the huts and houses were just shells and skeletons of what they formerly were. The streets, once cobbled with fine stone were cracked, and malformed. The fountain in the middle could once have been a pristine, beautiful hub for the citizens there, now it was a monument to the travesty that had occurred here. Whatever that may be. Sighing feeling the weight of this entire place laid upon her shoulders, she knew, oh she knew, that she had to fix it. It was not only Letitia's duty as a witch of the Coven, but she also really wanted to, deep down; this place was just too depressing, just too upsetting.

Clapping her hands together, and closing her eyes, Letitia began her spell. She formed a few symbols with each hand, then spread her arms out wide, and released her magic. "The past. The Ether. Connected. Memories dredged up. Ungodly trespasses. Favorable meetings. Any. All. Downcast eyes. Uplifted view. The fallen. The arisen. Reveal to me, what once was." The spell would not be felt by the others there. Or at least its effects wouldn't. Its effects would only be seen by Letitia. As soon as Letitia opened her eyes, her spell was in effect. Glancing around, she was able to see into this village's past. What she saw left her sick to her stomach. It was horrible. This type of thing was supposed to be prevented by witches, not cleaned up by them...

..


A man stood before a woman, his face red with rage. "You stupid, repulsive shrew!" he shouted, smacking her across her face. "How dare you leave the house! What did I marry you for?! Clean the damn place! It's as obscene and foul as you are filthy!" He roughly grabbed her arm, and kicked open the wooden door to -presumably- their home. "Now get to work!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, flinging her roughly inside, causing her to collapse on the ground, with a groan, tears welling up in her eyes. "Now don't come out until this place is SPOTLESS! Or until I tell you to! Dumb whore," he roared, grabbing the door handle, and slamming it behind her. He had unfinished business that day.

Meanwhile, the woman, crying, glanced up at the wall she was facing. A mirror was placed there. She witnessed her repulsive reflection. Once a beautiful young woman, now a shriveled, bawling mess, gray hair everywhere, face soured, bags under her eyes, shaky hands and arms. What had happened? Where had everything gone wrong? She stared into the mirror. Deep into the mirror. Then her eyes widened.

The man, however, was confronting another man. "What the hell was that? Why were you with Selene?" he growled, shoving the younger man against the wall of a nearby house. "What were you doing with my wife?!"

"Nothin', asshole, back off," he retorted, glaring, but turning to go. When the older man once again, shoved him against the wall. Choice words were shouted in his ear, "That's my wife! You're not to speak to her again!"

"You're a pig! A brute! You treat her like a slave! She doesn't want to be near you or have anything to do with you, ever!" The younger man shouted, his anger rising.

"I -what?! Hold your tongue boy!" He growled, punching the man in the stomach. "She's my wife! She's mine to do with as I want! If that means she cleans my house, then fine! If that means she cleans my clothes, then fine! If that means she cleans my sh -"

The other man retaliated with a hard punch right across his face. Suddenly, an all-out brawl happened between the two. Rough kicks, hard punches, and not a few barrels or rocks were hit against each other. Then, as quick as their fight had started, it stopped, with the sounds of loud howling.

"What was that?" The younger man grunted out, breathing hard, blood dripping off his face.

"What was what?" The older man repeated, holding back a thrown punch, glancing around the village. Promptly, screams of anguish and terror rang out. Things like fights and arguments were commonplace in that town. It wasn't that unusual to hear screams either. "Bah, stupid fools can't even handle some stray mutt!"

"Stray mutt? You're the fool, old man! Didn't you hear the sounds of that horrific wail? That was no ordinary dog," The younger man replied.

"What did you say, ingrate?" He growled, ignoring screaming people, who were fleeing something, turning his fury back on the young man before him.

"I said, you stupid cur, that you're a freakin' ignoramus! There's no way that was a dog!" He shouted.

"That's it! You think you can speak to me that way? You should show some respect!" He yelled, tackling the man, smashing through the poorly-built house and continuing their fight. While outside the hut was a scene of nightmares. People were panicking, as something else ravaged their small community. A community already drenched in the blood of the pained, hurt, angry, and vile. What was once a small, homely community, was now a treacherous place, repugnant, ruled by chaos, and terror.


...

Letitia's spell wore off, the memory, the vision, dissipating. Her whitened eyes -indicating the spell was in use- returned to normal. Before her was a run-down town, ghost-like, with its current residents as rotten inside as the dead bodies that they find daily. The town was here, standing more or less, but it was gone. Desolate, and dark. She was right. She had confirmed it. That was definitely what was wrong with this town.

A Darkspot.

 

[Shagranoz]

3 days. 3 long, torturous, miserable days. That's how long it had been since her summoning of Azorgathal. The witch who had taught Catherine that much had left and not returned, so she decided to look for signs of civilization. Sadly, they were few and far between. A discarded bottle, a scrap of cloth, but nothing to say, this way to people.

Catherine crested a little hill and looked in front of her. Down in the valley, she could see stones arranged fairly regularly. A graveyard! And where there's a graveyard, there have to be living people to dig the graves!

A graveyard, eh? Reminds me of when I laid siege to a castle with a zombie horde. Watching the terrified faces of the defenders as their former comrades clawed through the gates- good times, good times.

 

[Scaleless]

The magistrate offered a brief and courteous nod to her request. Slowly, he brought his arms to the same height of his chest and allowed his hands to clasp together. Each one of his fingers intertwined and the energy radiating from his person was clearly observable. "Conceal this space from prying eyes. Grant me a world where none may disguise. Lend me your Aegis and shut the first gate," the sage chanted. A radiant energy flowed from his feet and across buildings, the veil turned upwards abruptly and spiraled far in to the sky. When the light cleared, a transparent wall shut them all in. The wall shifted and flickered, as if it distorted the very space that comprised its borders. "Second gate, shut." A similar energy ensnared the witch and the Apostate, when it cleared they were shut in a similar, separate barrier within the first. The only way to escape its constraints was to either destroy it, or defeat Nuru. The sage released his hands as his spell was cast and inhaled deeply. Now, the witch only had the Apostate to worry about. From her sword, he surmised that she preferred to get in close with an opponent. He could only pray that he gave her an advantage and did not merely sentence her to death.

The tip of Lady 41's blade came at her fast. The Apostate attempted to step backwards, but was impeded by the wall at her back. The blade grazed past her cheek and bore against the back of the barrier-- she managed to dodge, but just barely. Natailah stepped to her side and glided to the opposite side of the barrier. It would only take a few steps for the swordsman to reach her a second time.

"Rodents... Slaves... Accursed peons. I merely wished to live in solitary among-st my children, but it seems thou will grant me no such favor. Does thou cruelty know no bounds? Sage, witch, thou art all the damned same. Thus, I will use the strongest gift granted to me to purge thou-- my hand has been thoroughly exhausted," the woman ranted. Tears flooded from her eyes and her staff was poised forwards towards the coven witch. The air within the second barrier smelled of sulfur, whatever attack she prepared was ready to be unveiled. "Die now, accursed slave. Horn of Malebranche!" A powerful beam of pure plasma shot from her staff and went in the direction of the opposing witch.

He could not afford to concern himself with the witch. He could only trust her grit as he had his own enemies to face. The horde charged him with extended claws. The first one tried an aerial approach, by digging their feet in to the ground and jumping upwards. It was a formidable attempt, but he would not fall so easily. He spoke with one arm towards the sky, "Open, Heavenly Conduit." With his words a pitch-black portal opened above the imps head, and another close by. The imp jumped straight in to the gateway and was redirected to the other side. But, when it withdrew from the opposite portal it's direction was redirected. Smash, an imp and his sibling collided into one another head first. The victim's nose gave way with a rough crunch, as the two creatures were sent flying into the wall of his barrier.

The remaining creatures were a lot slower in their approach. They were dull-witted, but not dumb enough to make the same mistake after seeing its outcome. They grouped together, arm to arm. They would attack simultaneously and overwhelm him. It was a bright plan, brighter than he would expect from a group of mindless drones. He did still have more than a few tricks he had not shown yet. They made the mistake of gathering too close together-- he would wipe them out in a single attack. "Unbind the very fabric that confines this world. Tear it at its seams and repair it in your own favor. Continuity." A familiar dark ring arose before him. A bright red light rested at its center and it grew brighter and brighter with every passing second... until. A bright wave of fire erupted from its epicenter and flooded his barrier. The two witches were protected from its heat by the second barrier he placed to ensnare them. When it cleared, none of her children were left standing. The witch had only herself to blame.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Jinya felt her gaze drift upwards, following the boundaries as the layered barriers enclosed around them. Years ago, she would've been dazzled by the sage's display of magecraft, but despite her abstinence from her duties, she's been in this line of work long enough to see her fair share of spells - utilized both by her allies, and by those trying to put her six feet under. She reassumed her stance, holding her sword high at her side with its edge tracing diagonally toward the earth.

"Die now, accursed slave," the Apostate cried. "Horn of Malebranche!"

In this enclosed space, there was little room to dodge the massive energy discharge, but Jinya had no intention of dodging. She charged head-on, holding her weapon out in front of her to take the brunt of the blow. As the surge of magic clashed with her blade, the blast instantly dispersed to nothing more than a fizzle as it curved around her. She winced as she felt the scorch of the heat waves against her skin, but it wasn't going to be enough to hurt her. With a forceful swipe, nothing of the once powerful spell remained but a waft of steam rising from her steel.

If Jinya were a more talented witch perhaps she would consider taking the Apostate alive, but given her capabilities, she was hardly in a position to take her chances.

Without missing a beat, her figure burst through the plume of smoke - the blade broke through the searing fumes and pierced straight through the Apostate's heart.
"Sword of Metal," came the dry response, a tinge of sarcasm as she pushed the weapon further into her rib cage. The elder witch gasped and choked, eyes wide as her fingers tightened around her staff in a death grip. The witch clutched at Jinya's throat with her free hand, silently willing her to die over and over. The intent was there - desperately there - but with her strength fading, her grasp could not even compare to that of a child's.

"Cursed, vacuous spawn of man," she hacked, spewing rancid breath in Jinya's face with each word. A bitter scowl crept across her face as she suddenly leaned into her, gazing deep into the woman's eyes. "As thou cast thine judgment on this plane, so too shalt thou be judged-" The Apostate's head separated from her shoulders before she could finish. Jinya stepped back as the witch's blood spilled onto the floor, filling the gaps and crooks of the cobblestone as her head rolled to the side.

"Sorry, your breath kinda smelled," Jinya said, swiping the stains of her blade into the floor with a light splatter. She slipped the weapon back into her sheath, looking over her shoulder to see that the remaining creatures were unsurprisingly decimated. She massaged her wrists and sighed, feeling the first degree burns that ran up her arm beginning to sting now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
Looks like she'd live to see another day.

"Thanks for the help," she said, getting a clearer view of Nuru as the barriers dissipated into the atmosphere. "Probably would've been a smear on the ground if you hadn't saved my sorry hide."
Walking some paces forward, she knelt down and frowned, quietly mourning her dismantled snacks. Well. It was the cookies or her life. She rose to her feet, shaking her head as she turned to the magistrate again, this time with an open hand extended.

"Jinya. Nice to meet you. . . ?"

 

[Scaleless]

"Nuru," He answered, clasping her hand within his own. "You fought well. I'll be sure to report what occurred here, Miss Jinya," he said, before releasing her palm. A number 41 taking down an Apostate would certainly resolve in a rank change. That would likely mean more frequent missions and more trying ones as well. In Nuru's head that was one of the finest rewards the coven, or the collective could possibly bestow. With most of the danger gone, the people of the town began flocking towards the two. An indistinguishable chatter had began as more of the town folk gathered. Nuru peered over her shoulder and took a glance at the body behind her. The sword at her side told the entire story. "That's not good," Nuru thought.

"Can they just do that, kill someone like that in broad daylight?"
"No-no, listen, the other one was crazy!!"
"My god, there's so such blood."
"To think, just a moment ago she was at my shop buying my wife's homemade cookies."

The voices only grew louder as more curious bystanders stepped towards them. They had kept a safe distance, afraid, yet curious. A child attempted to run towards the corpse out of intrigue, but they were yanked back crudely by an obscured hand. Nuru turned towards the townspeople, he felt he should say something even though he did not yet know what. "This woman was a violent criminal. She failed to obey the law of the covenant and received her just dues," he justified while pointing an accusing figure towards the disfigured corpse.

"I told you witches were violent."
"If she's violent, what does that make the one who lopped her head off?"
"Who the hell is going to clean that?"
"Why were they here, shouldn't you protect us?"

His words did not earn their favor as he hoped, in fact he may have just made things worse. He took a few steps backwards to return to Jinya's side. "I can clean things up from here," he stated with some confidence. Nearly immediately afterwards he was struck in the back by a boot thrown by one of the townsfolk. He stumbled some, but still managed to retain the same confident composure. In truth, he had no clue where he should even begin.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Jinya readjusted the weapon straps over her shoulder, making no effort to defend herself from the accusations. Unpleasant as they were, she's long since recognized that words will never move people.
In this world - the world of sages and of witches - only actions speak. And even then, you had so little control over how the public would choose to interpret them. Fighting rogue demons and witches was enough already, she was much too tired to be fighting the rest of the world on top of that. It was a rather defeatist outlook even for her, but she'd more or less resigned the second she joined the ranks of the Coven. Speaking of which. . .

. . . I hope my rank doesn't go up, she thought, praying that the Apostate she'd just eliminated was one of the weaker ones. She often fluctuated in rank, rising after defeating a notable foe, and then sinking due to inactivity - a cycle of mediocrity that was less of a trap and more of a minor nuisance. She preferred to stay low, where not much was expected of her and she could laze about as she pleased.
For the most part.

"Now, now, don't say that. Is there anything I can help with?" she offered half-seriously. Really, she just didn't want to walk back to HQ alone - these angry townsfolk were making her about as uncomfortable as she was probably making them. Side-eyeing the crowd, her eyes met with the young boy by chance, red kite still fluttering from his hand - the boy's guardian carefully but defensively guided him behind her, returning Jinya's gaze with a fearful but determined look of defiance. Right. You're a real hero.

 

[xXSunnyXx]

Her flats softly brushed against the marble floor as she walked along the halls. Avalon Had wandered HQ aimlessly looking for something to do. she had no work to be done at the moment and was generally aloud to laze around if she so desired. Yet she was restless, eager to do something productive, or possibly find somewhere to practice her magic so she continued onward. soon growing tired of wandering, she pulled on a jacket and set out for the small library in the nearest village. upon entering the small building, she noticed the sweet elderly librarian "Good morning Mam" she greeted the librarian cheerfully "Good morning dear" the librarian greeted back watching as avalon strode over to the books, picked up one she likes, sat down, and started reading intently.

 

[Scaleless]

Nuru walked leisurely to the fallen Apostate's remains. The man lifted a palm towards the body and a barrier had blanketed its perimeter. The barrier's purpose was to deter anyone curious enough from stirring Natailah's remains. You could never be too careful when dealing with the carcasses of fallen witches. Nuru then turned to Jinya and mused over her question briefly before answering, "I only need to share the details of my mission with the collective's employer, then ensure that this body is dealt with accordingly." Afterwards, he planned to return to the Staircase for a brief respite. He would never stay there for long, too much inactivity had made the magistrate restless. He gained a bit of distance from Jinya and murmured a familiar incantation under his breath. A portal had opened between the two with a crack of electricity. From this distance, the portal had a steady static "hum" stemming from its center. "You are free to come with me. At the very least, this will take you some distance away from this crowd," he said. His eyes glazed over the crowd as they grew more anxious.

Nuru set foot into the portal and stepped unto the other side. Before him stood more regal buildings than the rest of the town. The most eye catching of which stood directly in front of him; the phrase "town hall" was inscribed at its forefront. In his mind he recollected the full details of the mission in order to better surmise its details to the town's mayor. The mission became much more complex than was initially described, but he made the best of it. There were only two shortcomings; firstly, the destruction of the chapel. His second shortcoming may not be seen as such by his employer. It was his failure to capture Natailah alive. To which, he'd have Sir Eon to answer to.

The sound of the portal stirring was still audible at his back. It would not hurt to have company for this, but he knew that Jinya held no such responsibility. It was his mission, not hers. Nuru turned his head to the side and looked to his back, awaiting movement.

 

[xXSunnyXx]

Hearing all of the commotion outside she looked out a window seeing the large crowd. She left the library and had joined the crowd observing what was going on. She had quite a few questions that she would like an answer too. She pushed through the crowd and steped up to the portal, she first poked her head through before stepping all the way in. The place seemed strangly framiliar, like it was somewhere her mother or father had taken her once before. She dismissed the thought and cautiously entered the building that said "Town Hall" looking around for the the 2 people she saw enter the portal as she walked onward.

 

[Elle Santiago]

​

The trail was gone.

The rain washed the evidence away, and was she an ordinary woman, then she would’ve called the crime hopeless -- or, rather, summoned the Coven’s attention so they would investigate this matter themselves, and she would be free to go about her business. But, for better or for worse, she was a Witch, and it was her responsibility to solve the mystery now.

Seyis spoke of words long memorized, the stream of magic spreading out from her feet to the ground. It had no visible colour that could be seen by outsiders, only a certain feeling of magic that pulsed and searched. But in her mind, she could see every blood that was spilled, the faint traces of outline in the earth where those who were alive struggled to be free. She walked and knelt at the nearest trace, her hand reaching out for the soil. Daintily, her fingers picked up a torn nail from the muddy soil.

“Flesh is flesh,” she spoke as she stood up, the pulsing magic reverberating every step she took, “blood is blood. Death is everywhere and nowhere, misery in the very air we breathe. Show me the way, oh Mistress--” She bit her tongue, clenched her teeth together that her jaw clicked.

It was here, and Seyis couldn’t see it.

The ground was saturated with magic. The magic pulse she sent out and was continuing to send out was giving her incorrect information -- at the very least, confused information. But it was here, no matter what her magic told her. She had been a Witch for a few years now, and every fibre of her being was telling her danger, danger, danger! It made the hair on her skin stand on its ends, the chill of the rain forgotten as her body heated up from adrenaline.

Seyis remained as still as she could, her constructs doing the same. Then the curtain of rain in front of her split like a monster’s maw, the darkness within containing too many teeth and a little girl’s crying face. Inside, the girl gasped, voice too old for her, reaching out with a too large hand that almost caressed the Witch’s cheek, “Help me, please.”

The First Knight crashed into Seyis hard, sending her flying in the air for a moment before impacting the broken house. She audibly groaned before standing up quickly, hurriedly reinforcing her spells and beginning the chant for an Awakened construct. The Second Knight slashed widely, catching the underside of the invisible monster. It staggered, the maw of many teeth jamming shut by the force. The Second Knight didn’t relent, hacking and carving its blades against its invisible skin.

Then, it wailed. Water turned into ice. Her Knights froze in contact, rendering them useless. Only the enchantments on Seyis’s clothes kept her from dying from the frigid spell. The ice shards only cracked against her skin and garments, but she could still feel the cold. She bolted, dry lips forming words -- “let those I’ve slain wreak havoc, let those I’ve slain live once more” -- as she ran towards the forest. Her constructs dissolved, only its frozen shells left behind.

And, behind her, large tree trunks were smashed apart, splinters flying in the air due to the abomination. If she couldn’t see it with the ambient magic in the air or by her naked eyes, then she’d had to make do with the obstacles. If it was hurt, then that was just a good thing for her. Seyis vaulted over a fallen tree and entered a small clearing. She stopped in the empty centre, turned around, her hands performing the sigils, magic waiting to be unleashed.

“Wretched souls of defeated Witches and Demons, as the eternal servant of Ziz, the Mistress of the Damned, I command you, Solei, to Awaken!”

The monstrous abomination burst through the clearing. It opened its maws, the pleading look on the girl’s face before now turned into a thing of hatred. “You’re just like the others!” It yelled, “So you’ll die like the others!” The monster wailed again, the sky beginning to freeze as the voice of the abomination and the girl echoed in the forest. It closed its mouth, the abomination now visible due to the shimmering ice and falling snow. It was tall and large, standing on all fours with insect-like limbs. The flesh was hidden under thick, dark carapace. It had too-sharp claws.

It charged, and Seyis jumped back, letting go of her magic. Solei shimmered in existence, taking the brunt of the damage as the two monsters met with explosive force, one of frigid air, the other of scorching heat. The Awakened Being of Fire howled, ash and smoke escaping its lips. It breathed and laughed, volcanic hands clashing against frozen claws. “Ah, free to kill once more! Fight me!”

Seyis stood back, allowing Solei to battle the abomination. Her lips spoke of spells, hands moving in gestures in preparation for what will come next.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Letitia Darkchild
​

Letitia had suspected such a thing, when first noticing the rot, decay, and death in the forest beyond the village. Upon coming to said village, it was pretty evident that there was some sort of Darkspot located somewhere within the place. At least it would've been evident to whoever knew what a Darkspot was. That was higher level witch stuff, so she doubted most knew. Now, to get down to the nitty-gritty, and locate the Darkspot that was infecting this town. It could be such an arduous task; locating something that could be as small as a speck of sand. Sighing, the dark-haired witch walked through the place, house to house. No residents revealed themselves, though she always felt like they were just on the fringe, perhaps even watching her. There were bodies. Plenty of them. Some freshly killed, maybe by each other, with how horrible this place had gotten. Some were long deceased, decaying and stinking. She stumbled upon a caved in wooden home, upon entering it, she found two men, dead. One a lot older than the other. Both were beaten to death, by the looks of their rotting corpses. In the bathroom, she found a third body, stinking and covered in flies and maggots. A victim of their dispute.

"Ugh, gross," Letitia grunted, shaking her head, holding her sleeve over her nose and mouth. Exiting the place, she looked around. Where would the Darkspot be? She would have to find it soon, for it had already spread its horror too far, and for too long. Narrowing her eyes, she may even have already found it, previously, and just not have realized. Walking back over to the fountain, she glanced down at it. Within it she noticed that there was a black rot. Sludge was growing, and festering. She had found it. The Darkspot.

"Okay, let's see if I can do this..." Letitia murmured to herself, holding her arms out to her sides. She, then, formed them into an X over her chest, then began to pull them apart once again, until her hands formed an O above her heart. Instantly, dark thoughts flashed into her mind. Voices spreading through her psyche.


Kill them. Start with the other witches. It would be easy.

Hate them. You already do.

You've already seen it. Death. It's not hard. It's simple.

Finish it. End it.

Why not?

You're not a nice person. It wouldn't be too hard for you.

Do it.

Kill them. Kill them. Everyone.

All of them.


"Grr," Letitia groaned, shaking her head, images of bodies strew about. Bleeding. Wounded. Witches she had met before, on the ground. Innocent civilians. Demons flying in a blood red sky. "Stop it. Stop it! STOP IT!" she shouted at the voices and images in her head. Sweat had formed on her brow, and her temperature was rising. It was a good thing she had been called in for this job. Most witches didn't have the mental capability to fight off this type of attack. Emotional. Mental. Even physical. Her heart was beating fast, and her legs were shaking. Darkspots weren't all that rare, but often treatable rather quickly. Even just human emotion often made them disappear. Emotions like love, acceptance, empathy, and joy were enough to make them go away. However, those Darkspots that grew strong... Were an entirely different story.

And this one was strong. So strong.

The strongest Letitia had ever seen, or came across. Even she was struggling to retain herself under this dark pressure. The witch began to invoke her spell.

"Darkspot. I beseech you. Go back to the void. Rid this land of your evil. Bring life and joy back into the world." Clapping the O together, she did a motion, and raised her hands to the sky. "Heavens above, hear me. Brightspot!" With that, her magic sparked, zapping hard, and causing Letitia to stagger away with a shocked yelp.

"That won't workkk~" came a slimy voice behind her. One of the current residents had creeped out from whatever hole he had been hiding in. His skin was shriveled, pasty, white. He wore very little, and was spindly. Barely a thing living. His voice was worse, like listening to nails on boards. And with his chilling words, he turned, then slithered away to wherever he was going.

Whipping back around, Letitia she glanced back at her handiwork. Her eyes widened. She had gravely miscalculated. "W-what?!" She gasped out, seeing that her spell had failed. No. It had done the opposite! It had fueled the darkness there. This wasn't any ordinary Darkspot. It was a fully Matured Darkspot!

Magic, dark in nature, sparked out from what she had originally thought was just a regular Darkspot. Bolts of purple energy ripped through the ground, and exploded some nearby houses. Letitia let out a few shocked screams, and avoided one of the bolts herself. Glancing underfoot, she realized her mistake, and it made her blood run cold. It was as she had said, sometimes Darkspots could be as small as a speck, other times... as large as an entire village. The fountain wasn't the Darkspot! The entire village and surrounding forest was! She breathed out in disbelief, "No way..." How had this one grown to be this size without The Coven knowing? How had it grown so fast?

The ground was completely black, and howls of anger and terror rang through the air. Purple bolts of dark energy ripped through the village, and the nearby trees. Cracks appeared in the ground. It seems she had inadvertently hyper-charged this Mature Darkspot, igniting its dark magic. If Letitia didn't act fast, this entire place would rip open, releasing darkness, only horrid, terrible feelings, and worst-of-all, demons into the world. This Mature Darkspot was about to become a physical gateway to the Demon Realm.

Her previous spell had proved too weak for such a Mature Darkspot. She would have to amplify her spell to seal this one. For that... She'd probably need other witches to aid her. Frick! Other witches! None were around! She had been deployed to deal with this alone! The fools in the Upper Coven! Not to mention, with the current power of this Mature Darkspot, lesser witches would almost definitely feel its negative effects. Threatening any to Awaken. "This is bad. So very very bad!" Letitia chorused aloud. If it was this hard for her to resist, then it was impossible for anyone around. She'd probably hear the horrible effects of such negativity on the remaining residents soon enough.


You can do it. You know you can. Letitia. Your a killer.

Just get it over with. End everything. End it all.

Make it quick. Painless.

Easy.


The voices continued to hound Letitia, darkness swarming her entire psyche. She knew it wasn't herself though. It was this vile Darkspot. Just being around it made one succumb to the darkness within, and around. Then it festered based on more darkness and terrible feelings, forever growing bigger. This Darkspot had unfortunately been here a long time, for it to reach the size of the entire town. Had to have. Boy, this place must have been so damn miserable, for so long.

"Unghhh... " Letitia moaned, falling to one knee. It was growing increasingly difficult for the witch to defend against this Darkspot, but instead of giving in, she would convert its dark magic into pain, and soak up the pain as physical damage to her body. That much her magic could do, and she could allow. Physical pain was easier to endure than mental anguish. Suddenly, something sent a shiver down Letitia's spine, shocking her through and through. A large spike in dark magical power had appeared behind her. What next? Hesitantly she glanced behind her at the village, and her eyes widened, while the light-skinned girl paled to white.

Not visible in front of her, but in her mind's eye, she watched in horror as dark black hands, reached through a nearby mirror, cracking its surface magically, but extending out into the physical world. Those hands gripped the sides of the furnished frame, and began to pull. White light glowed from within the mirror, as something dreadful pulled itself out and through. Slowly horns, muscles, and other bits and parts of its body revealed themselves, touched by the warm air of the real world. It took just a moment longer, like a chick hatching from an egg, for the Demon to burst free from the mirror, and spread its wings.

Phasing with a heat simmer, through the roof of the building, the Demon found itself floating above the town that had been infected by the Mature Darkspot. Spreading its wings, Letitia noted its face. It had none, and instead was a mirror. This was a terrible Demon. She could feel its power from here.

Glaring down the Demon, Letitia found herself shaking. The Nightess had squared off against a handful of Demons in her time as a witch of the Coven, it was why she was rank 4, but none had terrible power like this one. She knew that. It was evident by the way the world crackled and sparked around this Demon. She had never seen the physical world start to bend and react to a Demon like that. It's like its physical presence in the world was already distorting physical laws.

"What are you doing here, Demon?!" Letitia shouted at it. "You are unwelcome here! Go back to your own realm!" Her voice was threatening, but honestly, she was rather scared, and normally she was fearless. It must've been that infernal Darkspot making her feel this way! This Darkspot! That's how this Demon was here! It must've used this Darkspot to grow itself a personal portal, and broke through the barrier between the Demon and human realms! Not only that, but that was what her vision was about! This Demon was why this Darkspot was so powerful, had to be. It had tempted the poor people of this town. Narrowing her eyes, she knew she had to find the spot it broke through, and destroy it, to sever the link between this Demon and its self back in the Demon Realm. That would de-power it a lot, and then she could strike it down.

"Heh heh heh," The Demon began to slowly chuckle, clearly amused by its instigator. Folding its arms across its chest, it had its 'gaze' focused down on the witch. "Ah... A Coven Witch... I knew someone was tampering with my Darkspot. Oooh, a Single Digit, too. Very smart of the Coven. Heh heh. I thought I hid my tracks well, but apparently not too well. So smart, so smart. Heh."

Spoiler

Letitia, stared down the Demon floating before her; he had wings, but just seemed to float without flapping them -eerie. Regardless, the fourth rank in the Coven racked her brain, searching out this Demon's identity. If one could figure out a Demon's name, then that gave them power over the beast. -A little bit of power, at the very least. So she searched and searched, trying to recall. Letitia had read many books and scripts about various Demons, learning all she could, but it seemed that vast pool of knowledge, was actually hindering her at the moment. For one reason or another, she couldn't pinpoint this Demon's exact identity.

Usually, Letitia was on top of it, very much in control. She would give orders with no hesitation, she would know what to do, she wouldn't hesitate to act. But this entire ordeal had her a bit frazzled. Shaking her head once, to clear it, regaining her composure, she had to think, had to come up with a plan. The Demon before her had broken into the world through the use of the Mature Darkspot. Normally such a thing never occurred. Darkspots very rarely ever got so powerful to summon a Demon, let alone a Demon Lord, as this one seemed to be. He had 'birthed' his way into the world through some sort of portal: the mirror, obviously. Narrowing her eyes, she stared out at the village, that was now covered in a dark, fetid miasma, emanating from everywhere at once, as the entire village was the Matured Darkspot. It's decay slowly eating the entire place alive.

The plan. The mirror had to be destroyed, to sever the Demon's ties to his true form, which she knew hadn't yet manifested entirely. That would keep this shadow here, in a very much weakened state. After which, she would be able to defeat him -hopefully. Then after that, she could deal with the Mature Darkspot. Ah, shit. Would she have enough magic power for all of that? Letitia stared up at the Demon floating there, biting her lip nervously, clenching her fists. She would have to. Otherwise...

 

[ZeiruliousMakavar]

Caelyn Amarkiir

Caelyn let out a soft sigh as she slowly woke up, adjusting her hair so that it was no longer in her face, as how she normally woke. She had moved to a new town, after graduating from her old high-school, to get away from her family. This meant that she didn't really know many people in the town in the beginning, and she enjoyed this solitude that this brought. As much as she enjoyed spending time with people and communing with others, she preferred the silence of her home, and the library, to the outgoing nature that she had slowly adopted during her years at school.

Having gotten dressed in her usual casual clothes, she slowly made the walk to the library, actively trying to avoid anyone else who had magic meant that she had to go a long route however, instead of the direct route. This was because of the nature of her magic, and meant that she had to avoid many of the people she used to call friends. Or could call friends in the future.

It was when she reached across the street to the library that she noticed a commotion, due to the crowd of people blocking her path, and disrupting her concentration on ocusing on suppressing a few of the more dangerous elements that she'd collected over the years. She apologized for bumping into the man, bowing a bit to him as she moved to go around the crowd, trying to get into the library as she returned to focusing on avoiding any magic users. Though she half knew that at least one would have probably noticed her by now, due to the laps of her mental shield.

 

[Shagranoz]

The rain was coming down in buckets now, making vision just short of impossible. Catherine trudged her way her way through the graveyard to the town... and was horrified into utter silence. The town had been razed into oblivion, and corpses lay strewn about. Even Azorgathal was disturbed.

I'm not above a bit of violence to further my goals, but this? This is tasteless.

Among other things.

A chill raced down Catherine's spine, and she knew what it meant. Magic. A lot of it, over towards the west. She raced off towards the strange source, hoping to get a better idea of what was going on.

 

[Melon Bomb]

Delivering a report. . . just the thought of it was making Jinya sleepy. Beat standing around here though, that was for damn sure. Taking him up on the offer, the hum of the portal buzzed faintly in her ears as she followed the younger man through, catching glances from a new set of curious onlookers. Eager to slip away from the prying eyes, she hurried on ahead and quickly scaled the steps to the town hall, heaving her weight into the handles of the heavy double doors. Warm air washed over her as she stepped inside, the scent of lavender incense circulating the lobby. Framed between two pillars, the rest of the room curved out into an oval and tapered into a wide set of stairs that junctioned at the end of the room. Lining the sides were rows of closed doors and rounded counters, and long hallways that stretched into separate wings of the town hall.

It was then, she realized, she had no idea where the hell she was going. Tentatively, she walked inside and let her gaze wander the interior. She couldn't say she's ever visited one of these before, but given how rarely she went outside, there was bound to be a new experience or two. Before she got much further, she was stopped by a lady sitting at one of the desks.

"Excuse me," the woman called, pushing up her spectacles as she ushered Jinya to her. "You can't bring your weapons in here. If you have business with the mayor, you can sign your name and drop off your sword, we will hold on to it for you." She paused a moment, mulling over the words before nodding and walking forward. Confiscating weapons seemed awfully pointless given that most witches could raise havoc with a snap of their fingers, but there had to be some kind of precedent to set, she supposed. Slipping the strap over her arm, she set the blade down on the counter and glanced over her shoulder to Nuru.

Maybe she should've just waited outside.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Letitia Darkchild
​

The Demon roared a metallic screech that pierced the ears. He knew who his true enemy was. In an incredible burst of speed, sending him from one place to another instantly, his fist drew upward, and connected right in Letitia's rib-cage. Hearing a few crunches of satisfaction, he sent the dark-haired witch flying with a powerful blow.

"BLEHGH!" Letitia was forced to release, feeling his fist sink up into her chest cavity. The force behind the hit was immense, this was most certainly a very powerful Demon Lord. Number four had had run-ins with many Demons, but a Demon Lord? Maybe just two, if she could remember. None was this aggressively imposing, though. His hit sent her small body flying, smashing through buildings, and disappearing beneath smoldering, smoking rubble. In one of the worst hits she could ever remember taking. Pulling herself from some crashed debris, she coughed. At least her magic barriers were holding.. for now...

Angered, the Demon sent out a raging screech, his mirror-face flashing red with burning flames. In another instant, he appeared above her, slamming Letitia hard into the ground. Little did she know, his gateway, was hidden deep underground, in an ancient cavern beneath the town, Lesser Demons already pooling out of the mirror, using the Demon Lord's power to come into the real world, sentries set to defend the portal. Meanwhile, Letitia was laying on her stomach in the uncomfortable crater that the Demon Lord had smashed her in, struggling to get back on her feet. As the mirror-Demon stared, he felt a sense of satisfaction, watching this witch struggle. Good. The silly witch would learn her place.

Very quickly, the Demon placed himself over her, with his mirror-face right before her eyes. Her reflection appeared there. In mere moments she would stare at it, stare into its depths, and see the terror down within her. He would make her face herself, her inadequacies, and her darkness. That was his horror. "This is my power. Witness your inner being, and lay waste to yourself."

"No! Get... away!" Letitia shouted, closing her eyes, shoving him off, and getting shakily to her feet. Her eyes widened, immediately recalling what she had heard about this particular demon. "Demon Lord of Soul-searching, Introspection and Mirrors.." Her words ended there. Gah! What was his name though?! Feet turning a shiny-black, she launched herself at the Demon Lord, and tackled him away. Magically-powered arms, allowed her the strength to throw him away, where he stopped, floating in the sky.

His laughter bellowed outward, completely satisfied with himself. "So, you've realized who I am? Well.. partly... it would seem," he shrugged nonchalantly. "If you've realized that, then you realize the magic that now threatens you."

"It's of no consequence," Letitia couldn't help but refute, arrogantly, and pridefully.

"Yeah? Haha, sure, whatever." He chuckled lightly. "We'll see... Unless you can figure out my name. Even then... Well.. Huhahaha!" He trailed off into more laughter, his entire form bouncing in air, with his thunderous cackle.

He was right, without his name giving her dominion over him, this Demon Lord would be very very difficult to defeat, even for her. Black and orange magic swirled around her fists, and she looked down at them. 'Destruction magic'. The magic to destroy demonkind. Letitia was very potent against Demons, however... Tch.

After the demon's heinous laugh, and after Letitia's momentary worry, the two threw themselves at one another. They clashed back and forth. With Letitia brandishing harsh Destruction magic, that sizzled, and crackled, igniting and decimating anything her magic accidentally touched. Contrasting, the demons' in-your-face full-on brutish style of nasty hand-to-hand combat. One spell in particular, that she released: "Dome of Death!" Had her hands clasping together, with bright red-orange circle of power beneath her feet, a swirling mass of blackness, veined with reds and oranges appeared high in the sky. It fell, dropping straight onto the Matured Darkspot that was the town, looking to obliterate everything with its magical power.

However, luckily or unluckily, however you viewed it, the Mirrored Demon stopped it, stepping before the massive explosion, and shoving his face right against it. That mirror blocked its power with crackling thunderous force. Sparks of magic bouncing all around him, eventually the explosion from her spell was sucked up into that endless reflective face of his. Then, in horror-fashion, the Demon Lord crawled forward, and pointed his face in her direction.

"Unh!" Letitia gasped, and leaped away, as a big, nasty black and orange beam of magic fired from his mirror, shredding the cobbled stones, ground, dead grass, and destroyed buildings as it sought her out. Leaping away, Number Four landed, and drew a few symbols in the dust, cutting herself gently on her arm on purpose, she let blood leak down into those etched symbols. "Whips of the Master!" she called out, slapping her hand down on it, powering her spell.

Tendrils of bright orange sprung from the ground, and reached out, wrapping harshly around the Demon Lord, searing his flesh as soon as he was caught. They continued to wrap around him, pulling him closer to the ground, strangling him in their power harder and harder. The spell had no chance to contain him. Within a second, the Demon vanished, and appeared right behind Letitia. His leg swung and he kicked her across the town, her body skidding harshly along the ground. The Demon Lord's onslaught continued. Without allowing the witch any rest, he picked her up off the ground, and threw her up in the air. Following her, he landed several punches and kicks, that released ear-splitting-gong-like booms; sound from each hit rang out across the forest, coupled with huge shock-waves. Yet she managed to endure. "Heh heh heh, impressive," he breathed, before taking both fists, flipping, and slamming down against her midsection. Hearing the shrill cry from the girl brought joy to his demonic ears, while his attack sent her flying like a whistling meteor at the ground below. Her impact was like said meteor, destroying the remainder of that entire town, killing any unfortunate soul that had managed to persist within the Darkspot for so long. It decimated the place, leaving not a single building intact, with debris, rubble, rock, and dust spreading out from her impact like an explosion had just occurred.

Alighting on the nearby earth, noticing she was still alive, the Demon Lord spoke, seemingly very dazzled by the girl's tenacity. "Wow, you're a glutton for punishment, aren't you witch?" He snarled out in a spine-chilling tone, his voice the same hollow, metallic-sound. "Heh heh heh heh. Yes, yes, yes, I know of you. I remember now." His voice carried on, watching her struggle to pull herself up out of the center of the crater, grunting with effort, and now bleeding from some injuries he had caused. "Belial. -He gave you high praise, Letitia-san. I thought he had gone soft, but indeed, you are a very interesting opponent. He venerated you, yet it's still stunning how you are able to even stand after my attacks."

Letitia managed to find her footing as he spoke, standing before him, facing him proudly. Then it registered. "Wait. You said 'Belial'. You spoke with Belial?" Quickly, her face switched from one of surprise, to one of haughty confidence. "You shouldn't have mentioned that!" In truth, she should've already contacted him; that was her mistake. She knew to contact him immediately, when faced with a threat like this. However, it had escaped her mind somehow. Probably the insanity of it all had skewed her judgment.


Belial! She called deep within herself.

Belial! Do you hear me?

Yes, girl. I can hear you.

You see this Demon before me?

You mean, Ao Meira?

Hehe, thanks, Belial.

Anytime, my Letitia.


Her eyes glimmered, and her bloody lips curled into a smirk of satisfaction. Placing her hands on her hips, she spoke defiantly, "Ao Meira."

Instantly, as his name was leaving her lips, Ao Meira was struck in the chest with intense pressure. He fell to the earth, knee slamming into the ground, fighting the effort to collapse. He spoke with Belial about this particular witch, but he hadn't grasped that they'd be contracted to each other. If he had known, then there was no way he would've spoken the words he had. In hindsight, it now seemed completely reasonable to suspect she was his contracted witch. Given her particular magic affinity. "Heh... Well, so you know my name. Big deal. Even if you know my name, I'm still here in the physical world! You'll still have to overpower me!" His response was muffled from his concentration to stand back up, but his words were stricken with intense anger.

"That's true sorta, but now that I have your name, my attacks will be far more effective. When I locate your gateway, and severe the link, I'll be able to banish you with a one-way ticket back to your own little rotting, festering, stinking hell," Letitia snarled back. Glaring down his mirror-face. While the two faced-each other, she felt a new resolve deep inside, and magic power swirled around her. "Round two, Ao Meira?"

Not missing a beat, he was as snarky as ever. "Bring it on witch."

 

[Elle Santiago]

​

It was hell on earth, two opposing forces of nature clashing together in brute force as the heavens wept its tears of despair. There were no attempts at trickery, only hatred shared between them. The surrounding forest was covered in fire and ice – of flames frozen by frigid ice, of ice melting by eternal blaze. The rain evaporated as it reached the clearing, a surreal mist filling the air.

The girl-abomination lashed out with its icy claws, grating against Solei’s lava-skin. It pushed, clawing and slashing in wild abandon, melted claws reforming over and over and over, the Fire construct laughing and taunting in turn as the girl-abomination proved to be useless against it.

The only thing keeping Seyis alive was her barriers. Even with its protection, she could still feel the shift in temperature. But, in the presence of monsters, she didn’t remain motionless. Her hands flew to perform sigils, making sure to keep an eye out for surprise attacks from any direction. Her eyes blazed towards the girl-abomination of claws and carapace, magic escaping her lips as she held out both her intertwined hands at it. “Earthly Restriction!”

As her voice rang with power, the sheet of ice underneath the girl-abomination broke, the ground beneath it reaching up to grasp insect-like legs, covering its limbs. A look of panic flashed on the face of the abomination, its child-like gaze now turning, pleading for the Witch’s mercy. “No! Please! I can’t! Not again–”

Solei reached out with its fiery hands, grasping the ‘jaws’ of the abomination’s maw, pushing them apart. The solid magma plates of the construct’s face shifted to show a wide grin before breathing out an inferno within. The girl-abomination screamed, its human and demon parts singing its deathly duet. The air turned into ice, sharp shards flying everywhere in an act of desperation.

The arctic fragments crashed uselessly against her construct, but Seyis wasn’t so fortunate. She took a step back and swung her left hand from the bottom to the top in a wide arc and yelled, “Earthly Shield!” The soil in front of her surged from the ground, and when she closed her open hand into a fist, it solidified in time to block and halt the advance of the deadly ice. Some shards embedded itself hard enough in the shield that its tips appeared on the other side of the shield, the ice glinting maliciously with the help of the burning forest.

But, all things came to an end. The girl-abomination’s scream turned into a raspy wail that turned into pitiful sobs. Seyis’s heart threatened to falter, to mourn the girl, to cry for what she once was. Her heart tugged in sympathy, but she knew it was a mask – a deception to lower her guard, so she would fall and die. Once, the Witch did as her heart told her, but it only threatened her life. Now, she only listened to her heart, but her mind was the one that made the decisions.

The rain stopped, the ice began to melt, and the heat was what remained. Seyis pursed her lips, the smell of charred meat and demon skin unpleasant as its odour wafted in her nose. She would have used her cloak to mask her face if she knew it would help. Behind the cover of her shield, she tilted her head to peek at what happened. The thick carapace was still there, but from its joints oozed black-blue liquid. There was a black statue inside the maw, and when she walked closer to look, she noticed that the statue’s expression would eternally be affixed to one with horror.

Solei stared at her with its blazing eyes, its heat turning into comfortable warmth. “It has ended, Witch. Do you have any need of me?” Seyis turned her head around and saw the burning trees. The construct need not a spoken instruction, only intent. It waved its magma hands, and the flames were extinguished. It bowed and then disappeared back into nothingness.

All that remained was the girl-abomination’s carcass and heaven’s tears. Without even thinking of it, Seyis began tugging on her magic, the ground inscribed by specific runes around the corpse. This wasn’t one of the more extensive fights she experienced, but she felt drained. Maybe because it was a child? Or maybe it was because her construct had been travelling with her for a while now? The latter’s unlikely. She always had one of her constructs active.

Pushing those thoughts away from her mind, Seyis finished the runes and knelt on one knee outside the magic script. Her hands were clasped together in prayer, eyes focused on the clearing skies. “Ziz, Mistress of the Damned and the False Angel, under your name, I have slain an enemy. I ask of you, accept my humble offering and praise me with your blessing.” The ground lit up in a blinding silver light, the material of the abomination dissolving under the Demon’s magic. As it slowly disappeared, Seyis felt her strength and resolve return to her, her body enveloped by a gentle silver glow.

However, that wasn’t the only thing. She felt Ziz caress her skin, tugging her cheek to the side, and fixing her stare in a direction. And, upon coming to that realization, the touch on her skin was gone. Seyis picked herself up from the ground, one of her knights summoned to be at her side once more as she began the trek towards the place her Demon wanted her to be.

 

[Thalia_Neko]

Letitia Darkchild​

Glowing black and orange, sparking with red; powerful protective magic surrounded Letitia, keeping her encased in a protective magical barrier. She slammed into Ao Meira over and over again, with each blow resounding like thunder, shaking the immediate area. Casting yet another spell, large black orbs floated in the air, veined with red-orange molten webs. "Orbs of Blasphemy!" She shouted, three orbs ascending into the air. Each one was about the size of a large bush. They each continuously fired powerful magical beams, cutting swathes of dark magic through the ground, each time Ao Meira dodged them. He was quite adept at dodging her magic, with an insane speed that appeared as if he instantly blinked around the battlefield. In fact, the frenetic pace of their fight meant that he outpaced the witch rather easily. Letitia was not thrilled with that, forced to maintain her entire focus on the powerful Demon Lord before her.

Letita slid back after blocking an attack by Ao Meira. If she didn't find his portal soon... It would finish transferring his entire existence here, and he'd become whole. Then Ao Meira wouldn't need the portal to link to, and he'd be free to leave this area. Who knows where he'd go? Or what he'd do. Which meant she'd have to break free from this battle sooner, rather than later. She didn't seem to realize that Lesser Demons had already taken up arms around Ao Meira's portal, protecting it with their meager existences. That would be another obstacle.

"Profane Laser," Letitia intoned calmly, holding out her hands and firing dark-magic rays like the orbs that remained in the air. "Tch..." she grunted in annoyance, as Ao Meira continued to dodge them. Knowing his name was supposed to make her spells more powerful against him! But if he dodged each one, then what did it even matter? Finally, she landed a solid strike with one of the beams on his side, searing a glowing patch of smoking orange across his flank, causing Ao Meira to howl out in pain. A terrible metallic wail.

Seeing her chance, Letitia launched forward, with magically powered enhanced speed and strength. Her small fist sunk into his chest, in much the same way his had to her, earlier, and she sent him flying upward. Appearing above him, mimicking his movement from before. Letitia's hand formed into her next attack. Pinky and ring finger pressed against each other, her middle and index finger pressed against each other; her hand turned a shiny obsidian color, "Dragon Claw!" She shouted, eyes furious, powerful Destruction magic infused in her hand in this shape, with the magic spreading out like a scaled pattern. Sparking with red bolts of magic, Letitia slammed her spell down into Ao Meira's chest.

Ao Meira let out a scream of agony, feeling the powerful effects of her 'Dragon Claw' spell seething through his midsection. With the force, Letitia brought him all the way to the ground, and smashed him into it, making yet another crater.

"Heh heh heh," Ao Meira's laughter rang out, before Letitia's body was sent flying out of the crater with a powerful blow. He followed it up, by grabbing her flying form, and slamming her face-down into the ground, flying forward dragging her like that. Seeing the light of consciousness begin to ebb from the witch within his grasp, he flipped her over, and left her laying on the ground, facing the sky. He snaked his form creepily over her, and placed his mirror-face in front of her eyes. It took only a moment for his power to take hold, and he slowly crawled off of her, standing upright at his well-over 7 feet.

Pain made Letitia's body throb with intensity, and she found it hard to move. Disgusted, even as Ao Meira crawled over her, she could do basically nothing about it. Within moments, he positioned her reflection over her and her eyes widened. She faintly heard, "Witness your inner being, and lay waste to yourself," before the dark-haired witch found herself plunged into darkness. She was not nearly as strong as before.. perhaps ever.. Perhaps she had always been so weak...

Ao Meira felt satisfied, 'grinning' down at Letitia, who was laying on the ground, eyes white and wide-opened. Her body was completely still. He'd leave her there. Let her mind melt. It was always so freaking gratifying to end a witch in such a way! They always had such dark pasts that made his magic so damn easy!


...


Letitia was falling and falling and falling, through endless darkness, that surrounded her oppressively on all sides. Within seconds she struck solid ground, only illuminated by a strange white light that seemed to follow her. Groaning from the impact, the witch pushed herself up, and looked around. Eyes only being met with complete and utter darkness. Where was she?

Standing up, and smoothing down her outfit, Letitia once again made note of her surroundings. Black darker than her hair reached out into the distance all around her. Suddenly, she noted something in the very dimness just beyond her sight. What was that? "Hey!" She called, hand extended. "Hey!!" she hollered again, before taking off running after whatever she could see in the distance.

"Hey! Can you hear me?! Over here!" Letitia yelled, now sprinting after whatever it was. But as she neared it, her legs slowed, beginning to understand what she was looking at. A ghost from her past.

Nearing the image before her, Letitia came to a complete halt, standing there, darkness behind her, a single column of white light illuminating the short, dark 18-year old Witch. A scene playing out before her. With an all-too-familiar face within it. A beautiful young witch. -No, the most beautiful young witch there had ever been. White porcelain skin, perfect features, a dress made out of star-light, hair scintillant and radiant.

Yuna. The White Star.

Letitia's heart caught in her throat, as the scene played out. It was the worst memory that she ever had. She had tried to use her magic to destroy it. However, her subconscious over-powered her will, and would not allow her to do so. Even Moria could not remove such a powerful memory; when she had gone to the 'Memory Witch' to try to get it removed.

This was the worst day in Letitia's young life. Something that had happened only a year or so ago. Even worse than the day she was orphaned. The day she lost Yuna, forever.

Screams of anguish roared from Yuna, as she confronted Letitia, scarier than any Demon or Consumed Witch/Sage. The day that it had all fallen apart.

Worst of all. It had been all Letitia's fault.

In tandem with the other Letitia in the memory, she released her voice. "Y-yuna..." Letitia breathed, reaching out, the scene still playing out before her very eyes; just about to end.

"Go, Letitia. I don't ever want to see you again," Yuna replied, glancing her way, tears, like diamonds, streaking, and staining her perfect face.

Letitia's heart stopped, and she froze, eyes blank, darkness wrapping inward.

What had she done? Why had she did it? It had been perfect. So perfect. Faint memories drifted through her mind. Of a short witch of darkness, mingling -closely- with a taller, more confident witch of light. Two that couldn't be more opposite. Two that contrasted so greatly, that their very presence together was a paradox. White and blackness, intermingling, leaving their shadow and light behind, wherever they went. Nearly inseparable at first. Always together. Always doing everything together. Enjoying themselves. Enjoying each other...

Visions of pristine perfect lips, crossed through her mind. Visions of kisses. Visions of intimacy untold.

Stuff that made her sour heart even now, flutter and beat to a new tune. Her tune.

They had a lovely thing going.

Until the one of darkness ruined it. Until Letitia ruined what they had had. Incapable of putting her first. Always working. Work work work. Selfishness at its peak.

Her star, always second.

Letitia's world shattered. Its brightness now gone. Only dark remained.

She could feel the darkness. It was all around. Seeping closer. It was the only thing that remained. Why not let it? Inching ever closer, the darkness began to poke at her. Why deny it? There was no white here anymore. What could be the harm? There was no light here anymore. So what did it matter?

Why would it matter, otherwise?

The darkness... it was so enticing.

Who would care, otherwise?

Who would care.


...


Within those caverns, hidden underground, Lesser Demon after Lesser Demon continued to flood out. Their forms grotesque and brutish. Not a one looking the same, but all as mindless, equally enslaved to the Demon Lord above. His portal, a mirror, their only mission. A drive to murder anything nearby, besides Ao Meira, was all that burned inside them. They didn't even care when one of them was felled by a witch. It did not matter. Meaningless. They had numbers: hundreds, thousands! And soon, their mission would be complete. Soon all of Ao Meira's entirety would drain from the mirror-portal, fully releasing the entirety of Ao Meira upon the world.

Meanwhile, up above, Ao Meira was merely waiting for his full form to become whole. He was waiting for Letitia to be drained of everything by his magic. He was... just waiting. Not long now. He could feel it. Excitement brewed within him. He looked down, towards the witch he had thrown into her own mind, into her subconscious. That dark-haired witch was quite dangerous, that was for certain, but he could tell from here, his power was working. She wouldn't last much longer in her own mind.


Yuna

Spoiler