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172 - Tainted
Last Updated:
2025-01-10 08:49:02
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MAD END'S DECEPTION 173 - Pure Cosmic Power
GILDEONHe stared in awe at the creature growling low before him. Even Kana froze behind it, her wide eyes fixed on the strange being. Its body was covered in coarse, bark-like skin—gray and rugged. The ridges and grooves of its muscles resembled twisting roots, and patches of moss clung to its surface.It looked less like a living being and more like a human figure carved straight from an ancient tree.Gildeon had no idea what kind of being this stranger was. But in this era, it wasn’t that extraordinary. This was when the Shining Keeper had entered hibernation, leaving the second cosmic breach unchecked. Even the sylph hunters of the time couldn’t stem the fallout. Various beings from other dimensions spilled into the world—sentient, unlike the mindless beasts they had eradicated long ago. Some were so bizarre, so alien, that even higher mortals had no names for them.The wolves didn’t stay down for long. They rose again, their shadowy auras pulsing stronger than before, wrapping ar
Last Updated : 2025-01-14MAD END'S DECEPTION 174 - A Spirit Connection
GILDEONHe trailed behind the two as they approached the massive tree, his gaze fixed on Tree Man. Perhaps lingering in this memory would reveal what kind of being this creature truly was.The tree’s gaping hollow was enormous, easily allowing Tree Man’s towering frame to pass through. Inside, the space was surprisingly human in design. A bed woven from thick, intertwining roots and padded with moss leaned against one wall. Tree stumps, their surfaces smoothed by years of use, served as tables and chairs.From the ceiling hung baskets stuffed with dried vegetables, fruits, herbs, and fish strips. Their pungent aroma was thick, hitting hard—earthy and sour with a sharp, fishy tang. Even Kana wrinkled her nose, quickly covering it with her hand.Tree Man noticed, his bark-like face shifting slightly, as if attempting an expression. For a moment, Gildeon could have sworn it was an embarrassment.“Sorry,” Tree Man said, his rough voice awkward as he gestured vaguely around the room. “Hous
Last Updated : 2025-01-17MAD END'S DECEPTION 175 - To The Future
GILDEONHe’d seen enough to know this would end badly. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder how Kana would manage to crawl out of this alive. These shamans were not to be underestimated. Their power carried the weight of something ancient—something likely bestowed by Yonah himself. Even the strongest modern witches would surely be no match for them.“Me not let Kana die!” Tree Man growled, planting himself between Kana and the shamans. The low rumble of his voice sent birds screeching out of the canopy, their wings beating frantically against the still air. On the ground, smaller creatures bolted into the underbrush, a nervous energy spreading like wildfire.Tree Man was prepared to go all out in this fight.The shamans faltered but didn’t break. Their chanting rose, seemingly twisting the air itself. The scent of earth turned sour, and the very forest recoiled—leaves curling, branches straining, as if the trees themselves wanted to pull away from what was coming.“Don’t fight them,” Ka
Last Updated : 2025-01-18MAD END'S DECEPTION 176 - An Important Mission
GILDEONHe thought it was a figure of speech at first. He hadn’t expected the Indigo Sylph to mean it literally—centuries into the future.Jumping into the next scene, Gildeon braced himself. The air was cool, and the sky stretched dark above him. He stood at the edge of what appeared to be a small park or a quiet town bordering the woods. Six camper vans were parked in uneven rows along the tree line. A bonfire flickered in the center of the clearing, its glow dancing across a group of about ten people gathered around it.A few held beer bottles, their laughter spilling into the night. Some swayed as if they were having the time of their lives. One man strummed a guitar, and the others sang along to what sounded like a country song.He had no clue what year this was. The seventies? Eighties, maybe?“I didn’t expect you to make it this far,” Drusden’s voice came from behind him.“About time you showed up,” Gildeon replied dryly, not bothering to turn around. “I was starting to forget
Last Updated : 2025-01-22MAD END'S DECEPTION 177 - His Father's Valor
GILDEONHe didn’t move. Couldn’t. His eyes stayed locked on the couple. Something stirred deep inside—a pull, like he was truly connected to them. Especially to the one they called Daego.Could they really be his mother and father?Haemos had known them. That was the part that was fucking with his head. Why had Old Man lied to him?“You look bothered, salamander,” Drusden said, craning his neck to get a read on his face. “Huh. You didn’t know them, did you? Orphaned too young, is that it?”He ignored him. The Headwitch could talk all he wanted. Gildeon was tuned in elsewhere, listening to the conversation between his father and Markaus. They talked about Greater Beast sightings. Camp relocations. Strategies. The stuff that mattered.A proud smile tugged at the corner of Gildeon’s mouth. General Daego was a wise man.Drusden’s voice ruined it again. “He kind of moves and talks like you.”“I liked it better when you weren’t here,” Gildeon shot back, irritation creeping into his voice.D
Last Updated : 2025-01-25MAD END'S DECEPTION 178 - As One Of Us
GILDEONHe held his breath, waiting for an answer that didn’t come. Or rather, his father said something, but it was all muted.“Did you censor it?” Gildeon asked, tilting his head slightly. He couldn’t see Drusden lurking in the shadows, but he was certain the bastard was there.“Now, why would I do that?” Drusden retorted. “This is your subconscious, salamander. The memory of your parents—well, parent—is ingrained in your spirit. I have no control over it.”Gildeon dragged his attention back to the scene. Ragina’s face said it all—eyes wide, lips parted. She knew who it was. Part of him thought she’d be mad at Daego, but she just stared at the baby. Shocked, but not angry. She held the little him in her arms as the membrane slowly dissolved, strand by strand, until only the baby remained, crying. That sound, from him, was strange to his ears.Weeks passed. The baby’s existence had been hidden from everyone. Only Haemos and Kohina knew about it. Gildeon watched Ragina care for the ba
Last Updated : 2025-01-29MAD END'S DECEPTION 179 - Key To Your Mind
GILDEONIn a blink, he was back in Drusden’s throne room. He dropped to his knees, palms flat on the cold floor, breath ragged. He hadn’t even realized he’d shifted back to his mortal form. His chest tightened, a storm of emotions threatening to tear free.His mysterious birth mother. His father’s death…He slammed his palms against the floor, frustration boiling over. Haemos and Kohina knew who he really was. Why the fuck had they kept it from him?Footsteps. Brown boots halted in front of him—Drusden’s. The Headwitch crouched, head tilted.“If you need a shoulder to cry on, mine’s available, salamander,” Drusden mocked.Gildeon’s glare burned as he met the bastard’s smug face.“Not gonna lie. Your father’s memory might be my favorite one I’ve delved into.” Drusden paced, dragging from his cigarette. “Learned a lot about your kind. Shame we never got the real answer about your mother.”He stopped, gaze lifting to Dragon Zylas as he exhaled a slow stream of smoke. “I really thought I’
Last Updated : 2025-02-01MAD END'S DECEPTION 180 - Inspector Heman
ARAHIt was up to her to pull him out of it.The weight of that realization pressed down on Arah like a boulder. She was determined—of course, she was—but how was she supposed to do it? The thought of failing, of not being enough to help Gildeon, curled around her ribs like a vice.She shook her head, shoving the doubt aside. This wasn’t the time for uncertainty. Gildeon needed her, and that was all that mattered.She sprinted down the prison hallway, dodging jagged chunks of fallen stone and splintered beams. Behind her, the sounds of battle raged—Roselia and Lokius locked in a deadly clash.Then, a sharp cry of pain.Roselia.Arah faltered, her body twisting instinctively toward the sound. Every fiber of her being screamed at her to turn back, to help. But she knew Roselia wouldn’t want that. She wouldn’t forgive Arah for wasting time—not when Gildeon’s life hung in the balance.Gritting her teeth, Arah forced her feet forward.Outside, the fog wall loomed before her—a towering, imp
Last Updated : 2025-02-04
Latest chapter
MAD END'S DECEPTION 195 - Are You Magical Too?
ARAHShe checked herself in the mirror, smoothing down the pink dress covered in little floral prints—it matched the theme for tonight. It was her first time going to a bachelorette party, and everything she knew about them came from movies.And in those movies, there were usually male strippers.She’d asked Mabel if there’d be any. Mabel had just giggled and said “no” over the phone, but in that coy way that didn’t really feel like a no.That made her a little nervous.Arah wondered how Gildeon would take it if he found out she went to a party where half-naked men were out there flaunting their abs and grinding to some sexy music. Would he be annoyed? Jealous? Pissed?The thought made her smile as she stepped out of her room and passed by the study. She paused at the door, resting her hand against it, picturing Gildeon inside—still in his cocoon, still asleep.The first time he’d finally let her in, she hadn’t known what to expect. The study room had felt weird. Empty, no furniture,
MAD END'S DECEPTION II: CAYLAO FESTIVAL ARC. 194 - It's Just A Dream
ARAHShe slipped the cardstock with her printed Clover Wish design out of the binder, tore it into pieces, and dropped them into the bin. Then she pulled out a few more flash sheets—ones with patterns that looked a little too much like real sigils—and tossed those out too.She couldn’t risk setting something off again and starting another coven war.A month had passed since the incident. Life on Caylao Island had returned to normal, as if nothing strange had ever happened. The townspeople had been spared that horrific memory thanks to Roselia’s bewitching fog. If it hadn’t been for that, Arah likely would’ve lost her friends too after they found out she wasn’t human.She looked up at her friends gathered in the waiting area, swapping theories about what really happened at Baccayo Prison that night.“I heard Sharko’s gang was involved,” Mabel said, swirling her straw in her milk tea. “Maybe they tried to break out some of their old members.”Tonio grimaced, mid-chew on a massive bite o
MAD END'S DECEPTION 193 - Let It All Go
GILDEONThey brought Arah to Roselia’s farmhouse. She was still out cold, and it would likely take her a few days to recover. Roselia had set up the back room, lit herbs that filled the air with sharp smoke, and circled Arah with crystals humming with healing energy.Gildeon switched on his dragon sight. Arah’s aura flickered, blue-green, faint. But something else swam through it—streaks of deep, electric blue that came and went like a second heartbeat.Gildeon hadn’t seen that on her before, but maybe they were remnants of some buried power. Something that had awakened when her life hung by a thread—something she’d used to wipe out both Zylas and Drusden.The aftermath of that fight still gnawed at him in strange ways, but none of it mattered for now. Answers could wait. He’d talk to Arah when she woke up.Gildeon pulled the blanket over her shoulders, then glanced at Ghulik, who was curled on a cushion near the bed, snoring like an old man, his belly swollen.Before leaving the Bacc
MAD END'S DECEPTION 192 - Drusden Was Dead
GILDEONThe monster that had been Drusden let out a growl that made the air tremble. Its massive fist crashed down, shattering the stone floor, jagged cracks splintering out like veins. Gildeon staggered back, the ground quaking beneath him.He needed to get to Arah—fast. But his attacks were useless against this colossal Fog Drusden. His flames and claws struck nothing but air, doing little more than disrupting the mist. Meanwhile, every swing of its massive arm and stomp of its enormous foot shattered the makeshift walls and cracked the floor beneath him.He had to find its weakness. But even when he used his dragon eyes, he couldn’t find anything.Gildeon leaped back repeatedly, leaving decoys in his wake until the giant beast fixated on them. The distraction worked. With the creature’s attention elsewhere, he slipped into the shadows, making his way toward Ghulik and Roselia.Roselia was still unconscious, but her aura was slowly returning.“Master, Ghulik used last power to heal
MAD END'S DECEPTION 191 - So Much Regret
DRUSDENHe had wagered everything he had left on this battle. Half his soul remained with the titan form he had unleashed against Gildeon, while the other was committed to harvesting Arah’s power.When all his comrades had fallen, he thought everything was lost—that he was fighting for nothing but survival and revenge. But then he had found a way to exploit the weaknesses of both Gildeon and Arah. And with that, an opportunity had emerged.This would be his last chance to complete the mission.For the sake of his fallen witches, he had to claim victory.The air shimmered with the sylph’s power—cool, electric, alive. It curled around him, thrumming against his skin. Even half of her essence would be enough to ignite the ascension, to send him spiraling into a euphoria of accelerated evolution.From a human who became a powerful witch to a witch on the brink of ascending to a higher mortal state—only one step remained. Zylas had to carry him up to the Shamibar to complete his transforma
MAD END'S DECEPTION 190 - My Past Self
ARAHThe talons dug into her ribs, tight enough that she could barely breathe. Every movement sent sharp jolts through her side. Above, the wind roared past—a cold, biting force that turned her breath ragged and thin. She could feel the heat of the dragon’s underbelly, a stark contrast to the freezing air, like the sun trapped in scales.The wings beat in a steady, monstrous rhythm. Each downward stroke sent a tremor through her body, making her stomach lurch. The sheer power of it swallowed everything else, drowning out even her own pounding heart.She twisted, trying to turn her head, but the grip was unyielding. “Where are you taking me?” she yelled at the beast.Dragon Zylas answered with a roar—a gut-rattling sound that made her ears ring. Around her, the fog was still thick, high up in the sky. She couldn’t see anything else. Were they still above the prison compound?She struggled against the talons again, but it was futile. Not even her tattoos could help her now. They had sun
MAD END'S DECEPTION 189 - About to Go All In
GILDEONThe apparition stalking toward him wore Commander Haemos’s shape. The details wavered and blurred, but Gildeon could still make out the rage-twisted expression on the ghostly face. Haemos’s fog sword flashed through the mist, a broad arc aimed straight at him.Gildeon shot backward, his eyes darting to Arah. She was squaring off against a spectral enemy of her own. He already knew Drusden was using their fears and regrets against them. But who could be Arah’s demon?Gildeon tensed, ready to rush to her side, but Fog Haemos cut him off, blade slashing in a tight swing. He ducked, but not fast enough. Steel bit into his shoulder. He grunted, blood spilling onto his hide. He’d been too distracted by Arah to harden his dragon scales in time.With a snarl, he wrapped his clawed hand around the fog blade, yanking it free from his shoulder. Agony rippled through him, but he didn’t flinch. Muscles strained as he drove the sword back into the ghostly figure, the force sending Fog Haemo
MAD END'S DECEPTION 188 - We'll Go Home
ARAHThe moment her fingertips brushed his beastly face, a cold shock slammed into her, so sharp it stole the breath from her lungs. Her vision blurred, darkness swallowed her whole, and before she could resist, her eyes fluttered shut—When she opened them again, she was somewhere else. Her breath hitched as she took in the sight around her.Corpses.Men. Women. Children.Her people.Arah’s stomach twisted. Sylph bodies lay scattered across the blood-streaked ground. Their lifeless blue eyes stared into nothing. Some bore deep claw marks, some were nearly split in two, and others had been brutally ripped apart, as if a pack of rabid wolves had torn through them.The village lay in ruins, smothered by the stench of death. Salamander warriors moved through the carnage, their heavy footsteps crunching over bodies—as if to ensure no one had survived.Tears welled in her eyes. This wasn’t a noble battle. This was a massacre.A few feet away, she spotted Gildeon in his leather armor. His b
MAD END'S DECEPTION 187 - Remember Me
ARAHFear coiled around her ribs like a vice.“I-it’s me,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.Gildeon didn’t flinch. His lips remained curled back, exposing sharp teeth. His expression was predatory, enraged. In his eyes, she was someone else—an enemy.What had Drusden done to him?She tried to choke out his name again, but her throat tightened, the pressure crushing her windpipe. Her pulse pounded—a frantic drumbeat against his grip. The steam curling from his scaled body rolled over her in suffocating, blistering waves.How the hell was she supposed to stop this?Through tear-blurred eyes, Arah caught a flicker of movement—an outline shifting, pulsing like a mirage behind Gildeon. Her eyes widened as she remembered her creature-helper.Gildeon hissed, his body tensing as his free hand shot back, claws poised to seize whatever had latched onto him. The creature clung to his neck, jaws clenched, its form flickering in and out of focus.The grip around Arah’s throat sl
