The Damned Demon

In the sweltering heat of a chaotic volcanic landscape, Kira and Lupus stood, their figures silhouetted against the glowing magma and smoky air.

The ground beneath them was cracked and unstable, much like the plans Kira had painstakingly laid out.

Kira's dark emerald eyes flickered with frustration as she addressed Lupus, "I don't understand. How did that little pampered girl cure the Nightshade Princess? Asher must be feeling quite smug now that his kingdom has a fresh supply of critical resources, while Drakar must be fuming after wasting his kingdom's resources to steal their allies. If it had been any other situation, I would have taken pleasure in his misery, but this is a huge setback for us."

Lupus, ever the calm in the storm, gently shook his head and replied, "Not necessarily. The bloodburners still lost a lot of allies. The Nightshade Kingdom's resources are finite and can never best the draconians. All they accomplished was buying themselves stime."

"Then what do you suppose we should do now? It's too early to initiate my final plan. Don't tellwe are going to rely on-"

"Me?"

A cold, eerie voice interrupted Kira's retort.

Both Kira and Lupus turned sharply, their eyes landing on a black cloaked figure, her chilling red eyes the only visible part of her face.

Kira's lips curved into a guarded smile as she recognized the newcomer, "Ah, our mysterious 'Red Witch'. We weren't expecting your company now. Why did you call the way here?"

The Red Witch's gaze narrowed as she stepped closer, her voice even and menacing, "Since your plans weren't completely successful, I am going to take over from here."

Kira frowned, her voice laced with disbelief, "What? I know you probably have someone deeply connected to the Bloodburn Kingdom, but only a fool would believe that you can take them down on your own. Even if you truly killed Layla and her dragon on your own, it isn't the sthing, is it?"

With a casual tilt of her head, the Red Witch responded coolly, "I don't have to do much. The bloodburners will cause their own downfall."

Kira scoffed, her expression hardening, "Are you that ignorant? Have you ever seen their king and queen? They are inseparable and unstoppable. As much as I don't like to admit it, no bloodburner would ever dare to rebel under their rule."

The Red Witch merely let out a tired sigh, "The ignorant one is the one who doesn't know the right secrets."

Kira's expression hardened as she pressed the Red Witch for answers, her brows furrowed in a mix of suspicion and intrigue, "You...What do you know?" she demanded, feeling that the Red Witch wasn't bluffing.

The Red Witch's eyes narrowed, a shadow of confidence in her eyes, "You will know when you need to know. There will ca twhen I will need you. Until then, everyone should stay put while I do what I need to do," she replied, her voice as cold and steady as the rocky cliffs surrounding them.

Kira turned to Lupus, her voice laced with skepticism, "Are we really supposed to trust her based on only her words?" she asked, her incredulity evident.

Lupus, who had been an observant shadow until now, finally nodded, his gaze fixed on the Red Witch, "She will do what she said. She won't disappoint," he assured Kira, his voice steady and confident.

Reassured by Lupus' conviction, Kira blinked, but her mind still raced with questions.

"But remember...Asher is mine to deal with. If anybody touches him, I will make them wish they weren't born," the Red Witch declared, her tone chilling, leaving no room for doubt about her resolve.

Kira furrowed her brows, puzzled and intrigued by the Red Witch's specific vendetta against Asher. Just how and when did he offend someone like her?

"Good. But you better make sure he won't disrupt our plans. He is very dangerous and unpredictable," she warned, her cold voice contrasting with the scorching air around them.

The Red Witch nodded slowly, then turned and began to walk away, her black cloak swirling around her.

Kira half-way turned around, but suddenly she turned back around, her eyes flashing with a sharp light. In the blink of an eye, her hand shot forward to throw a sharp knife at the Red Witch's back,

*Shhhk!*

Kira's brows raised upon seeing the knife actually puncturing the flesh of the Red Witch, who got frozen in place.

However, as the Red Witch's figure collapsed to the ground over a pool of blood and her hood uncovered, Kira's brows relaxed before she let out a subtle scoff, "Looks like she doesn't trust us at all but seems very good at disguising her presence," She commented upon seeing the body of sordinary woman whose aura was no stronger than that of a Soul Slayer.

"She isn't someone who likes to take chances," Lupus remarked without even glancing at the corpse.

"It seems like you know her. Don't you?" Kira asked as she turned around to look at Lupus, her curiosity sharpened like a blade.

Lupus met her gaze with a serene composure that belied the chaotic landscape around them, "You wouldn't want to know who she is unless you want to jeopardize your own plans," he replied, his voice carrying a hidden warning.

Kira let out a cold chuckle, "You could have just said you don't want to tell me. Whatever...let's see if she can live up to her words," she mused aloud, her eyes gleaming with a mix of defiance and anticipation.

The sun was still hidden when in a dark room, three soft mats were lying on the floor, each occupied by a sleeping figure.

Despite Asher insisting Merina and Ceti to have their own rooms, the two of them insisted that as werewolves they don't feel comfortable sleeping separately and felt more comfortable when they did everything together as a family.

Because of this, Asher absolved Merina of her duties on certain days here and there so that she could spend the night with her family despite her insisting not to show so much favor towards a maid like her.

However, under the quiet hum of the night, a restless shuffling broke the silence. Ceti was wincing and fidgeting in her sleep, her movements growing increasingly agitated.

This disturbance roused Kookus, who let out a frustrated sigh, "Ahhhh, I was about to marry my girlfriend. Who keeps kicking me?" he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes before his gaze landed on Ceti's twitching limbs.

"What is she dreaming about?" Kookus wondered aloud, squinting in the low light.

In the depths of Ceti's mind, a vivid and chaotic scene unfolded

—a dark, grimvision of the Bloodburn Kingdom reduced to ruins.

The air was thick with the stench of death and blood, overwhelming her senses as if she were truly there. Her heart pounded with dread for her loved ones and her home; the devastation before her was inexplicable yet terrifyingly real.

Before she could rush to look for her loved ones and find out what was going on,, the scene shifted dramatically.

Suddenly, Ceti found herself standing on a distant cliff, overlooking the kingdom now enveloped in dark smoke. A familiar voice pierced the silence, laden with guilt: "It's my fault...."

Turning around, Ceti saw Asher standing a few feet away, his figure shadowed and lifeless as he stared out at the destruction, "A-Asher?" she tried to call out, her voice catching in her throat, thick with confusion and shock.

"Asher!" she cried again, more urgently, but the scene began to dissolve around her, her plea fading into the void.

"Asher!!" Her voice broke through the boundary between dream and reality as her eyes snapped open—just as her fist inadvertently connected with Kookus's chin.

"AYOOO!!" The force of her punch sent him flying with a wailing howl, crashing spectacularly through the window.

"Kookus!" Merina exclaimed, jolted awake by the commotion. She rushed to the window, her heart racing, only to sigh in relief upon seeing Kookus knocked out on the ground below, seemingly unharmed but for his tongue sticking out.

Turning back to Ceti, who was now sitting up with tears streaming down her cheeks, Merina approached her with a mixture of concern and motherly affection, "Ceti...what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream again? It's been so long since you had one," Merina asked softly, sitting beside her and placing a comforting arm around her shoulders.

She had seen Ceti wake up from her sleep in such an agitated manner a few times in the past, but never before had she seen Ceti being this shaken. Most of the times, she even forgot what she saw the moment she woke up.

But this time…it seemed as if she was still seeing the horror in her eyes.

Ceti, still trembling from the vivid nightmare, nodded slowly, her breaths uneven as she struggled to process the terror that had felt all too real.

Merina gently prodded her daughter for answers, her voice laced with a mother's concern, "Do you remember what you saw, Ceti? Was it something very bad? Was it because of...Luna?"

Ceti paused, her eyes meeting her mother's, filled with an unspoken turmoil.

She opened her mouth to respond, hesitated, then took a deep, steadying breath.

Standing up, she inadvertently drew her mother to her feet with the motion, "You can tellanything, daughter. You shouldn't carry any burden alone," Merina encouraged, her hand reaching out as if to physically lift the weight from Ceti's shoulders.

With a forced softness to her smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Ceti shook her head dismissively, "It's just a nightmare, Mother. You don't have to feel worried. I will just go out and take a walk to clear my head," she reassured, though her voice carried a tremor of uncertainty.

Merina sighed, her instincts as a mother tingling with worry. She nodded, letting her hand rest momentarily on her chest where her heart thudded uncomfortably.

She watched helplessly as Ceti walked out of the room.

Alone in the quiet expanse of a courtyard in the Demonstone Castle, Ceti's steps were hesitant, her thoughts a tumultuous storm.

Under her breath, she whispered a challenge to the quiet, her voice barely louder than a murmur, "Luna...I know that what I saw was your vision. You better tellwhat it's really about and what it meant. Was it...the future?"

The night air remained still, her words dissipating into the cold.

Frustrated, she snapped, "I know you are hiding inside me. I had enough of having a person live insidein silence and do nothing but givenightmares. You better start taking responsibility for whatever this is."

Talking to herself felt foolish, yet the weight of her unresolved questions bore heavily on her.

"Ceti? Who are you talking to?" A refined yet surprised voice of a man suddenly echoed from behind.

Ceti gasped silently as she turned around.