My head felt dizzy and my vision seemed blurry. My neck hurt after an object hit me hard. I sat leaning against a chair with my hands tied in a room that looked like a warehouse. Some wooden boxes were piled up in the corner of the room and were full of cobwebs. Dust fills the entire room, making my throat itch.The room was cold without a fireplace or a single lamp hanging on the wall. Then I heard footsteps coming up the short flight of stairs that led to the door of this room. I guessed it, Elgar came in and took my rifle and sword and placed them in front of me."Are you awake?" He asked without looking at my face."Let me go! Why are you keeping me in this cramped room?" I spoke quietly without struggling or putting up any resistance."We had to do it because you were so brutal earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you with that wood." said Kathleen who entered silently and stood in front of the door. Her face showed a hint of remorse, but her gaze was just as cold as when I first saw h
I brought all my weapons, rifles and daggers. Kathleen had some arrows with her bow. We headed to the gate where Alden was waiting. Unfortunately he wasn't there."Alden...Alden...are you still here?" I kept calling his name and walked away from Cornwall. The snow piles were still as thick as ever, and the ground was still completely covered. I walked slowly on the slippery ground and felt the toe of my boot step on a long, thin object.I picked up the object which was a piece of an arrow, the base missing and the tip burnt. Somehow I felt that Alden was in danger. I threw the arrow away and ran after Alden while shouting his name. Suddenly Kathleen found something."Jenna, look!" She found a black coat and there was no doubt that it really belonged to Alden. The coat looked shabby and had burn marks on it. I hugged the coat and cried. Something bad must have happened to Alden. The arrow was broken and the coat fell off his body. "Alden, where are you?""Jenna," Elgar tapped me on the
Two days after being deployed, the search team from Glaze never returned and there was no news of them. My father didn't know what had happened to them either. So without any command from anyone, our small squad of four started heading to the witches' hideout secretly.Alden and I carried rifles complete with a flurry of bullets, swords and dozens of poison-laced arrows. Elgar and Kathleen had magic to protect themselves. I had complete trust in both of them and I was sure they wouldn't betray me."Are you ready?" I asked the others."Of course." We put on our black coats and walked out of Cornwalll. At first glance, the small village really seemed desolate with small houses that were a bit far apart. But the place was safe enough before Alden was attacked near the gate.After weeks, the forests of Cornwall were still covered in thick snow so we had to walk slowly to avoid falling into the snowdrifts. We passed the spot where Alden was buried under a pile of snow."I was buried here y
A beautiful woman standing behind her came forward, brandishing a dagger at the sky. She seemed to be the queen of all black magicians."My families!! tonight will be the beginning of our triumph! We will no longer need to hide and will become stronger with their blood!" she said with a laugh and pointed at the children and captive Glaze hunters. She held up his index finger and cast a deadly magic, the violets."Tonight is the last full moon in a hundred years. The most appropriate time to start a new life. I am Queen Millorick and my magical kingdom will be the most powerful and invincible ruler!" She shouted and was followed by the horrifying noise of the other witches. Then she took out an object that I had expected, the silver chalice. Millorick had the chalice of flames, while the other two were still safely stored in Glaze."But we're still missing two of our most precious items.. Even if we only have the second cup, we can become immune to fire by drinking their blood!"They h
Fairy tales, mythological creatures or witches have become part of human life. They seem to exist and seem real but some of us only think of them as mere fantasies that are scribbled with a pen or spoken by word of mouth to entertain children who are about to go to bed. Remember Morgana Le Fay? The infamous sorceress and enemy of King Arthur and his advisor, Merlin. Or Hansel and Gretel?Two human children who were banished to the forest by their parents for some reason and then got lost in a candy house. More precisely, a trap house owned by an evil witch. Not only the two of them but there are other children in this world who feel the same way, as well as people who make traps like the witch. Regardless of the truth of the story of the two siblings, witches are not figures who only live in folklores, but a black hole of reality. They perform many dark rituals, spread diseases, plagues, curses, and all the ugliness they cause. But...they won't be able to survive much longer or go
Thick black smoke soared into the sky, producing a giant, terrifying plume. The pungent odor seemed to poison my nose and throat to the point of suffocation. The sounds of screams, cries, and laughter mixed together like water and wind in the ocean. Me too, was in that atmosphere. Lying helplessly on the grass with a body full of wounds. My body was so covered in blood that I was unable to do anything. With blurred vision, I saw a boy about seven years old with red hair and pale skin and long fangs, standing in front of me and pointing his index finger at me. A purplish light emerged from his index finger and swirled around in a small vortex. I didn't know what he was going to do, but it seemed like he wanted to hurt me. In a flash, a man in a black robe drew a sword at her. I screamed, as my world seemed to spin around. Fire, smoke, swords, blood, bullets, and screams echoed in my mind until I couldn't control myself.I soon realized that it was just a dream. Precisely the bad memo
The snow was falling relentlessly. Millions of flakes made almost everything white. Trees and small plants looked sad in the freezing cold. The strong wind seemed to make everything harder, but not as hard as the task we were given. Me, Emma, Alden, Kingsleigh, and Marlon had to walk down Windstone, which was very lonely and cold. This is the westernmost area after York that borders the forest. The whole area was completely silent. The trees seemed to be watching our movements. The sound of the wind seemed to hint that Windstone was not a safe place especially for this kind of atmosphere.We continued walking down the path for a while. I was always on alert and gripped my rifle tightly to deal with the attacks that sometimes came quickly and blindly. But there was no need for this. There was nothing in this place, no mysterious sounds or movements let alone two witches on the loose."We've been searching this place for a while and there's nothing here!" said Alden."I'm not sure what
I woke up after a while of lying helplessly in a pile of snow. Apparently I had fainted after falling. A gust of wind from the west that was so cold made me suffer. My body was shivering in the cold amidst the returning snow. My dark brown hair was slowly turning white from the snow.Amidst the silence of this unfamiliar place, a man in a thick black coat walked towards me and stopped. Without knowing who it was, he knelt down and extended his hand to me."Who are you?" I asked half trembling, not from fear but cold."It looks like you're hurt and need help. I'd be happy to help you. By the way, my name is Elgar." His voice sounded soft and his smile was warm. He had a calm demeanor with his shining blue eyes and dark hair that swayed in the wind."I..." my lips felt heavy to speak. I didn't know what to do. It's definitely not okay to carelessly accept an offer from a stranger in the middle of the forest like this. He might not be a good person, and worse, he might be a wizard in dis
A beautiful woman standing behind her came forward, brandishing a dagger at the sky. She seemed to be the queen of all black magicians."My families!! tonight will be the beginning of our triumph! We will no longer need to hide and will become stronger with their blood!" she said with a laugh and pointed at the children and captive Glaze hunters. She held up his index finger and cast a deadly magic, the violets."Tonight is the last full moon in a hundred years. The most appropriate time to start a new life. I am Queen Millorick and my magical kingdom will be the most powerful and invincible ruler!" She shouted and was followed by the horrifying noise of the other witches. Then she took out an object that I had expected, the silver chalice. Millorick had the chalice of flames, while the other two were still safely stored in Glaze."But we're still missing two of our most precious items.. Even if we only have the second cup, we can become immune to fire by drinking their blood!"They h
Two days after being deployed, the search team from Glaze never returned and there was no news of them. My father didn't know what had happened to them either. So without any command from anyone, our small squad of four started heading to the witches' hideout secretly.Alden and I carried rifles complete with a flurry of bullets, swords and dozens of poison-laced arrows. Elgar and Kathleen had magic to protect themselves. I had complete trust in both of them and I was sure they wouldn't betray me."Are you ready?" I asked the others."Of course." We put on our black coats and walked out of Cornwalll. At first glance, the small village really seemed desolate with small houses that were a bit far apart. But the place was safe enough before Alden was attacked near the gate.After weeks, the forests of Cornwall were still covered in thick snow so we had to walk slowly to avoid falling into the snowdrifts. We passed the spot where Alden was buried under a pile of snow."I was buried here y
I brought all my weapons, rifles and daggers. Kathleen had some arrows with her bow. We headed to the gate where Alden was waiting. Unfortunately he wasn't there."Alden...Alden...are you still here?" I kept calling his name and walked away from Cornwall. The snow piles were still as thick as ever, and the ground was still completely covered. I walked slowly on the slippery ground and felt the toe of my boot step on a long, thin object.I picked up the object which was a piece of an arrow, the base missing and the tip burnt. Somehow I felt that Alden was in danger. I threw the arrow away and ran after Alden while shouting his name. Suddenly Kathleen found something."Jenna, look!" She found a black coat and there was no doubt that it really belonged to Alden. The coat looked shabby and had burn marks on it. I hugged the coat and cried. Something bad must have happened to Alden. The arrow was broken and the coat fell off his body. "Alden, where are you?""Jenna," Elgar tapped me on the
My head felt dizzy and my vision seemed blurry. My neck hurt after an object hit me hard. I sat leaning against a chair with my hands tied in a room that looked like a warehouse. Some wooden boxes were piled up in the corner of the room and were full of cobwebs. Dust fills the entire room, making my throat itch.The room was cold without a fireplace or a single lamp hanging on the wall. Then I heard footsteps coming up the short flight of stairs that led to the door of this room. I guessed it, Elgar came in and took my rifle and sword and placed them in front of me."Are you awake?" He asked without looking at my face."Let me go! Why are you keeping me in this cramped room?" I spoke quietly without struggling or putting up any resistance."We had to do it because you were so brutal earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you with that wood." said Kathleen who entered silently and stood in front of the door. Her face showed a hint of remorse, but her gaze was just as cold as when I first saw h
I knocked on Kathleen's door as if visiting as usual, and I would pretend not to know that she had just gone to the village. I knocked on the door many times, but there was absolutely no answer. Suddenly, the door opened on its own without anyone opening it. I looked inside and entered carefully. The house was very quiet even though Kathleen had just entered."Elgar, Kathleen! Where are you guys? I'm Jenna."I kept calling their names, but there was still no answer. Then I heard voices upstairs. Without thinking, I climbed the stairs and found Elgar standing there."Elgar, I called you earlier. But there was no answer." I said quietly and somewhat hesitantly."You're back Jenna." he said quietly. Maybe he wasn't happy about my arrival.Um...Elgar, I...I have something to say." Before I could continue, Elgar grabbed my arm and led me to the window. He was silent and I was hesitant to speak, but I couldn't let curiosity linger in my mind."Does this have anything to do with me?" he aske
Willeth seemed deserted when I returned. It seemed like my squad members had returned to the base except for Alden. From a distance I saw him standing near the former witch house. He rushed over to me after I called out to him."Where have you been? Did you get lost again?" He was so worried."I did. I got lost after hearing strange noises. And...""And you met your acquaintance again?" Alden cut me off. I sighed. Apparently he knew what I was thinking."I got lost far to the north, and if I'd gone straight I would have reached Cornwall. That's what I remember when I was confused in the middle of the forest. Alden, I have something very important."I whispered to him as I showed him the scroll of paper inside my coat. Before he could ask, I grabbed his hand and ran towards Glaze.The mission had no result which made my bullets intact. We rushed to the big house to tell everything I got to the other Hunters.Kingsleigh was cleaning the rifle and welcomed us in front of the mansion."Di
A feeling of doubt suddenly appearing, making me unsure to came. I remembered the silver chalice Elgar had given me, which was one of the black witch's mystical chalices. I was a little afraid of meeting them, but I also wanted to make sure where they got the chalice from. I decided to just come and ask for an explanation.I knocked on the door a few times rather loudly. "Elgar, Elgar, open the door!". Then the heavy wooden door opened and made a squeaking sound."Jenna! Come in..."His blue eyes lit up when she saw me. He smiled like a rose in front of me. I entered cautiously."I didn't expect you to come back here." Elgar looked pleased with my arrival."Of course it's not without reason Elgar. Um...I actually wanted to ask you something." I replied firmly as I looked into his eyes sharply."Ask what?"My head felt dizzy. It felt like my head was completely empty. I tried hard to remember what I came to this place for and what I wanted to say, but I really couldn't remember. Then
I was still awake thinking about the chalice Elgar gave me when I heard a noise in the middle of the night. It seemed to be not far from where I was right now. I grabbed my rifle and ran to the back garden. I heard the screams of a young girl, which became clearer and clearer. I guessed it was coming from behind Glaze's wall.I called Emma who was probably fast asleep. After knocking on her door a few times, she came out with a dagger in her hand."What's going on?" she asked, smoothing her hair."There seems to be something out there. I heard a young girl screaming for help.""Why don't we go look for her?" suggested Emma."Okay, let's take the stairs."We took the wooden ladder and jumped over the wall. Fortunately, there was no barbed wire or broken glass at the top so we could jump easily.Outside the wall was very quiet. There were only a few torches to light the way. My gaze scanned all corners of the community-owned plantation until I saw a black figure moving at the end of a
I went home and locked my bedroom door. The silver chalice that Elgar had given me was still hanging around my waist. I took it out of my pocket and held it up to the window. A ray of light coming in made the chalice glitter. The body of the chalice was filled with carvings like twisting plant tendrils, with the main carving in the shape of a woman. Elgar had only given it to me as a memento and I had no idea where to keep it.There was a knock on the door. "Jenna, your father wants to see you, I mean us. He said he wanted to show you something." It was Alden.I quickly put the chalice back in the bag and hid it under the bed. Alden was waiting for me outside."Well, it sounds like I've never known that before."We headed into the big house to father's study. Chaz and my father were waiting there."Hi father!""Hi honey. Mr. Everscott might have told you. Commander Egerton and I have something to tell you.""Why just us?" I asked curiously."It's about something important that not eve