The ritual reached its peak, then it finally reached its end.
And then, silence.
The light died, the runes faded, and the valley returned to darkness as though nothing had happened at all.
Except for the bodies, and her.
She stood alone now, swaying slightly, her breath forced and ragged. The power was gone, but the cost remained, etched into her very soul.
Despite it, Seraphina grinned, but deep beneath the slight curl of her lips and the gleam in her eyes was a ruthless coldness that was filled with chilling intent.
’Found you’. She thought with a grin.
The coordinates, the paths, she finally realized where he was...
To think that after initiating such a high-profile war that swept through the Midnight Forest and all surrounding environs, Zaratul would actually go sowhere else to train and recover his power.
’Such guts,’ she smiled darkly. ’You really look down on , Zaratul’.
She knew what those coordinates ant, she knew where the paths led to- there was only 1 mountain with 100 peaks in the entire world.
"Dragon’s Tooth". She muttered calmly.
For a few seconds, Seraphina just stood in silence, letting the wind whip against her face as her brain whirred, deep and lost in her thoughts.
Then slowly, she finally looked down and focused at the fallen forms- her allies, her subordinates, her sacrifice.
For a long mont, she said nothing.
Then hoarsely, with a voice stripped of everything but purpose, she uttered. "I found you, and I’m going to be your end".
Her grey qi swirled like a swirling veil around her.
...
A few minutes later, deep within Ravenhelm in her secret chambers, Seraphina sat cross-legged on top a stone bed, ditating.
Her eyes were tightly closed.
Knock! Knock!
There was a knock on the wooden door and without opening her eyes, she let her qi swirl outwards which was the signal to co in.
The door was pushed open, and one of the most beautiful woman in the world walked into the secret chambers of the High Priestess.
She was a Succubus just like the High Priestess, but her beauty was on a whole other level. Her beauty was not soft or innocent; it was deliberate, sharpened into sothing dangerous.
It drew the eye not gently, but irresistibly like standing too close to the edge of a great height, knowing you shouldn’t look down yet unable to stop.
Her skin held a faint, unnatural warmth as though lit from beneath by embers rather than blood. In certain light it shimred subtly, carrying hints of crimson and gold beneath its surface.
Her features were impossibly symtrical, sculpted with the precision that felt less like birth and more like design with high cheekbones, full lips pursed tightly, and brown eyes that glowed faintly like a fla.
Her hair fell in dark waves down her back, the strands catching the light like polished obsidian.
And from her temples curved a pair of elegant horns, smooth and dark, sweeping backward in graceful arcs that only enhanced her silhouette rather than detract from it.
Her presence seed to change the air itself.
Behind her, a pair of wings unfurled slowly in a darkly magnificent manner, like those of a fallen angel. And just visible behind her was a slender tail that moved with a lazy, deliberate rhythm, its pointed tip tracing unseen patterns in the air.
She stood with an effortless, predatory grace, every movent fluid as smoke curling in still air.
Every other Witch trembled in the presence of the High Priestess, scrambling to bow and pay their respects, but not her. Not Hecate.
She was the next High Priestess candidate of the Demoness Sect, a genius among genius with a talent claid to be one in a hundred million.
She was selected, grood, and trained by the other High Priestess who died 10 years ago and after her death, Seraphina took over Hecate’s training.
She was a Level 99 A Rank Crone of the Witch Class, she was just one step away from becoming a Sovereign.
"You called". She said calmly while looking at the High Priestess.
Seraphina was not angered by her insolence, she was already used to Hecate’s irreverence and willfulness.
She took a deep breath and said. "I have a mission".
Hearing that, Hecate frowned. "I..."
"You can’t refuse". Seraphina cut her off imdiately as her eyes ignited for the first ti with a sinister light.
Seeing that light, Hecate showed no fear but she no longer protested.
Seraphina pulled at the air in front of her and a brown sealed envelope materialized in front of her. "This is a letter," she said then she looked into Hecate’s eyes. "I want you to help deliver this letter".
Hecate listened without saying a word.
"We need help in the current war against Dreadmoor of every single one of us is going to die, including you". She said.
"But the rest of the world can’t publicly ally with us. Afterall, they see us as the evil guys, so we have to be proactive and give them an avenue to help us without letting the rest of the world know and to not damage their reputation".
"The Fla Sovereign is too arrogant to acknowledge Zaratul’s threat, while that slut of the Shereya Dynasty is too foolish to think straight and make the right decision to eliminate Zaratul from the world".
Her gray eyes glead as she looked at Hecate. "I want you to go to the North, to the Valor Dynasty. I want you to deliver this letter to the Sovereign of War personally".
"He is the most logical thinking of the 3 Empyrean Sovereigns and is the one most likely to help us if we present circumstances that won’t damage his reputation as the Overlord of the Valor Dynasty".
Seraphina’s eyes narrowed as she stared at Hecate with deeper intensity, glaring at her face. "I don’t expect you to just give the letter to him".
"Stay by his side," she said calmly. "Wait on him and let him read the letter, wait to see his reaction to it".
"And no matter what his reaction is," she exhaled. "Make sure that he agrees to help, by all ans".
"And when I say by all ans, I an by all ans".
Hecate frowned. "I can’t promise that, there are boundaries..."
"Shut up girl!" Seraphina cut her off coldly. "You’re a few thousand years too young to tell what is right and what is wrong".
"I won’t sit here and let you lecture about boundaries".
"My sister picked you up as an orphan from the streets. Without her, you were nothing. With her, you are this".
"You have an obligation to serve the Demoness Sect in its ti of need and when the ti cos, I expect you to do it without complaint".
Hecate’s face twisted coldly. "But..."
BZZZZZZZZ!
Seraphina’s qi erupted like a tsunami, saturating the entire chamber with such oppressive energy that Hecate’s legs quivered.
Her eyes bulged, her veins popping out as she struggled to stay standing.
Hecate glared at the High Priestess but unfazed, Seraphina kept the pressure and continued increasing it till Hecate finally gave up and said. "I live to serve the Demoness Sect".
The pressure finally receded and Seraphina nodded. "Good".
She pushed the brown envelope out and it imdiately floated towards Hecate who grabbed it with a slight scowl on her face.
Seraphina ignored the look on the Succubus’ face as she finally stood up, stretching and revealing the ample figure hidden beneath the black robe on her body, then she yawned.
"It’s been so long since you fought a capable opponent that you’ve been beco even more arrogant these days".
"You can be arrogant for others," Seraphina smiled. "But too?"
"Follow , let show you once again the gulf between Level 99 and Level 100. Let show you why I won’t tolerate such disrespect from you again".
Seraphina walked out of the secret chamber, walking right past her without paying attention to her predicant.
Clang!
The mont the heavy wooden door closed behind her and the High Priestess left to the training arena, Hecate finally stood straight again as she wiped the blood off the corner of her lips.
Her face was cold and her thoughts were clear.
Without hesitation, she turned around and left the secret chamber, following behind the High Priestess.
That was when she discovered that Seraphina had no intentions of hiding the duel at all as she already made an announcent about it, aning the entirety of Ravenhelm was going to watch the duel between the High Priestess and the High Priestess candidate.
Thousands gathered, and the spectacle only made Hecate feel even more quietly motivated to prove to the High Priestess that she was not to be trifled with.
An hour later though...
BAM!
Hecate’s face was slamd into the ground for the umpteenth ti in the duel, eating grass and sand as the High Priestess toyed with her.
’Damn... dammit!’
Seraphina towered over her like a mountain. "You still have a lot of way to go woman".
After that, she gave her healing pills to recover, and then Seraphina led Hecate to secretly sneak out of the Fate Realm.
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