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99 - Secret Weapon
Last Updated:
2024-09-20 08:54:24
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MAD END'S DECEPTION 100 - About to Relive It
ARAH“Dammit!” She slammed her hands against the steel gate, the impact ringing out with a dull, metallic thud. Running her fingers through her hair, she fidgeted in place, pinching her lower lip, trying to figure out her next move. Her pride wouldn’t let her return to the witches’ block on her own. And it wasn’t like she could ask one of them to open this door for her.But she had to get out, no matter what. Her hand hovered over the access panel on the side. It looked old, like it hadn’t been in regular use before the witches arrived. Maybe she could break it open. She lifted the hem of her dress, wrapping it around her fist, and punched the control panel. Nothing. She struck it again, harder this time, each blow stronger than the last—each strike sending shooting pain up her arm. But Arah endured it, biting back her cries. Adrenaline rushed through her and on the final hit, sparks flew. The panel wires and chips sizzled.Arah stepped back, rubbing her bruised fist, her mouth droppi
Last Updated : 2024-09-20MAD END'S DECEPTION 101 - Pity Was Forbidden
Many Years Ago (Part 1.1)ARAHEENShe had not intended to stop before the cell, yet her feet slowed of their own accord. Before she could command them otherwise, her gaze had already settled upon the prisoners. She wasn’t entirely certain what had drawn her. Pity was forbidden. Perhaps it was curiosity. After all, she had never ventured this far into the Crescent Tower before. Not even as a child, when she had used to sneak in, longing to see a living, breathing salamander up close—rather than just the figures from stories or the illustrations in her books.The tower reserved this depth for salamanders considered to be the highest threat. Her entry here had been a hard-earned privilege, granted after she had passed the trials to become part of the sylph army—both as a sigilmaker and a warrior.Today, her father had finally allowed her to join his inquisition work, though he had given her no clue as to what awaited.“Araheen!” her father called.She turned swiftly, catching a fleeting s
Last Updated : 2024-09-21MAD END'S DECEPTION 102 - Fractured Sylph
Many Years Ago (Part 1.2)ARAHEENShe exhaled a quiet, controlled breath. She suppressed any hint of troubled reaction even as Theobald sidled up to her, blocking her path—far too close for comfort. His gaze met hers, with the faintest trace of arrogance on his lips. The thought of striking his disdainful face crossed her mind. It was a temptation she had long harbored since the day her father brought home his second wife and her two insufferable children.But she was no longer the naïve, defiant girl she had once been. After everything she had endured to regain her father’s favor and elevate her status in society, she could not afford to be seen as a Fractured Sylph anymore.“Let me pass,” she said, her voice quiet but firm. Theobald lingered for a moment, as though testing her patience. When she did not waver, he at last stepped aside, offering a subtle gesture of his hand as though to grant her passage.“You can’t fool me, dear step-sister,” he whispered, falling into step behind h
Last Updated : 2024-09-21MAD 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.
Last Updated : 2024-09-22MAD 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
Last Updated : 2024-09-22MAD 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
Last Updated : 2024-09-23MAD 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
Last Updated : 2024-09-23MAD 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
Last Updated : 2024-09-24
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
