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102 - Fractured Sylph
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MAD END'S DECEPTION 103 - Greatest Threat
Many Years Ago (Part 2.1)ARAHEENThe Dragon.Years ago, stories of a winged creature flying through the night sky spread like wildfire. Their people said the salamanders had unleashed it as a weapon, striking down garrisons and supply ships once thought to be impenetrable. Yet no survivors emerged from those attacks to confirm its existence, so their people had conveniently dismissed it as a myth.Until recently.In the past couple of years, a few sylphs had managed to survive a garrison attack—though barely—to recount their encounters. They spoke of a salamander with the power to shift into a colossal beast, its wings vast and its scales as hard as steel. Unfortunately, they had died before offering more details.The stories had consumed her father ever since. To him, the Dragon was the greatest threat the sylphs had ever faced. He was determined to find it, capture it, kill it—whatever it took.
MAD END'S DECEPTION 104 - Enough Pretense, Enough Silence
Many Years Ago (Part 2.2)ARAHEENHer father laughed, a slow, measured sound. “Did I not swear that I would find what would wound you most grievously?” He gestured toward the guard. “You do not wish for your precious sister to endure such torment, do you?”“Aktaeon!” Nalini cried out.“She had no part in this,” Aktaeon said, blood and spit flying from his mouth, his muscles taut. “She has never even slain a sylph in her life!”The guard lifted Nalini and slammed her onto the rack without a hint of care, while another stepped forward to fasten her wrists and ankles. The female salamander’s heartbeat raced with fear.“Then do her this favor,” her father said, his tone almost leisurely, “and reveal to me everything I seek to know about the Dragon.”Nalini turned her head toward her brother. “We swore, Aktaeon,” she said. “Don’t tell them.”“Ah, another defiant one,” her father remarked, t
MAD END'S DECEPTION 105 - Chaotic Fragments
PresentARAHThe fog swallowed her surroundings, wrapping her in the past once more. Slowly, it began to recede, peeling back the memory like layers of mist until the present bled through. Her breath caught as reality snapped back into place—tears welled in her eyes, her mind spinning with chaotic fragments.Blinking rapidly, her vision sharpened. A man was kneeling before her, his back to her, head yanked back. His hair was tightly tangled in her fingers. She gasped, her body tense, unable to process how she had gotten here or how this moment had taken over.What the hell was happening?Her other hand clenched something sharp. The handle, wrapped in cloth, was soaked through and stained red. It was a jagged blade made of either metal or glass. The edges were biting into her palm as she pressed it against something soft. Something pulsing.A wave of cold shock crashed over her, pulling her completely out of the haze. She was cutting the man’s throat—just as she had done with Nalini in
MAD END'S DECEPTION 106 - Letting Hell Break Loose
ARAHShe must’ve lost track of time again because the next thing she knew, she was back at the witches’ base, with Vienna helping her onto the couch. Voices and movement blurred around her—Drusden giving orders, the cloaked witch speaking through the guard’s voice. Lokius dabbed her face with a wet towel, and the beer guy pressed a glass of water into her hand.Alaunus appeared last, arms full of supplies for healing and who knew what else. Part of her remembered he was the reason she’d tried to leave in the first place, but right now, she couldn’t bring herself to care. His pale blue eyes held concern—whether it was genuine or not, she couldn’t tell. She let him inspect her, barely registering the cut in her palm until she felt the familiar hum of energy from his fingertips.Vienna sat beside her, murmuring softly as she worked through the tangles in her curls, cleaning the blood from it. The others moved and talked around Arah. She could hear them, but the words didn’t seem to reach
MAD END'S DECEPTION 107 - You're Cruel, Arah
ARAHShe kicked her legs off the couch and sprang to her feet, every nerve in her body on high alert. The lights in the whole block flickered on—whether by magic or not, she couldn’t tell.Drusden’s face tightened, his cigarette frozen halfway to his mouth. His brown eyes flashed with a brief glint of surprise, though something in his expression suggested he’d somehow expected this.“Is it the enemy coven?” she asked, tension crawling up her spine. Did they know she was here? Were they going to attack the prison?Closing her eyes, she exhaled sharply, clenching her hands. A part of her wanted to laugh in disbelief. After everything—the vampire encounter, Alaunus, the fog, reliving that tragic memory, remembering what she really was, and the bloodbath she’d caused...Now came the enemy witches. It felt like a cruel joke that her night wasn’t over yet. Her head throbbed, sharp pain stabbing behind her eyes. Why couldn’t she catch a break?The doors upstairs slammed open. She glanced up
MAD END'S DECEPTION 108 - Collateral Damage
ARAHShe burst out of the back hallway, sensing the danger in the air. She froze in place, her eyes darting toward the plume of smoke curling up from the distant horizon. Fire crackled, likely coming from the direction of the main gate and watchtowers. Had the enemy blown them up with magic?Her stomach twisted at the sound of sizzling flesh and faint, agonizing screams. Someone was dying slowly over there. The guards—it had to be them. She clutched her chest, horrified at the thought of those innocent people burning alive. Why them? They were just doing their jobs. They didn’t deserve to die like that.‘We won't have to worry as much about collateral damage...’ Vienna’s words from earlier echoed in her mind. Arah hated the very idea of it. Unless those people were deliberately causing harm to others, they shouldn’t be caught in the line of fire for someone else’s fight.“The enemies did all that?” she muttered under her breath, wondering how powerful they were.“Actually, they’ve bro
MAD END'S DECEPTION 109 - Original Battlefield
ARAHDrusden turned to her and asked, “What did he say?”She frowned. “You didn’t hear it?”“He only communicates through the mind of whoever he chooses to speak to,” he said, his tone demanding. “So, what did he say?”Arah glanced back at the man in the dark coat and hat. “Just that he wants me,” she replied softly, finding herself drawn to his blood-red eyes. His voice echoed inside her head, repeating the words, ‘I shall have you,’ over and over until her feet began to move.If Lokius hadn’t shaken her shoulder, she might not have snapped out of it. “Don’t stare too long, darling,” he warned, brushing the back of his fingers against her cheek. “Elder vampires are notorious for enthralling people—human or not, I guess.”She quickly averted her gaze, wondering how a higher mortal like her could be affected so easily.“Hand over the sylph, and I shall consider sparing all your lives,” the elder vampire declared. She suddenly realized he hadn’t opened his mouth when he spoke. This time
MAD END'S DECEPTION 110 - Bleeding Brides
GILDEONHe’d been awake since the dark chains had suddenly unlatched from his wrists and ankles. They had disappeared into thin air without a trace of magic left behind. He had a good idea of what had gone down, but right now, all that mattered was the relief of those damned shackles being gone.Looking back, he doubted he’d gotten even a minute of sleep all night. Thoughts of Arah had pounded through his head, filling every corner of his mind. Was she safe?Drusden wouldn’t let anything happen to her—knowing full well Gildeon’s wrath would be waiting if he did. Still, his mind remained restless. The inaction burned him up inside. Not having control, not knowing every detail of the situation outside the station—it kept him on the fucking edge.Ghulik hadn’t returned yet, which meant he was still out there, trying to dig up intel on that long-haired witch.The door creaked, but he didn&rsquo
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