Once upon a time, the Witch Queen Scarlet, known as the 'Blood Witch,' stood at the pinnacle of the world, towering above all other beings.
There were no other words to describe her.
She was, quite literally, the apex.
A being who had reached the limits of humanity.
From birth, Scarlet never knew what it meant to be weak.
Without needing to train, magic naturally accumulated within her.
Without needing to study, magical runes and formulas etched themselves into her mind, appearing vividly before her eyes.
She was more than talented… she was the very embodiment of divinity.
Even by doing nothing but breathing, she grew stronger. Scarlet's power increased endlessly, her potential almost infinite. She accepted this calmly, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
There were even moments when she wondered if, one day, she might transcend all existence and become a god herself.
But growth wasn't infinite.
Scarlet's seemingly boundless progress eventually reached its end.
At some point, she found herself unable to grow any further.
By then, Scarlet had already achieved power so immense that she could be considered the strongest in the world. She could have single-handedly conquered more than half the world, yet she was unsatisfied.
It was because she knew of the existence of the Twelve Divine Moons.
There were beings who had surpassed this level.
Beings with even greater, more awe-inspiring powers existed.
If they could achieve such heights, why couldn't she?
That was when Scarlet, who had already reached the peak of her natural growth, dedicated herself to rigorous training and study for the first time in her life.
'It was nearly a hundred years ago…'
During that time, Scarlet met countless individuals.
She encountered Ha Tae-Ryeong, a master of the sword. She met and even clashed with members of the Twelve Divine Moons. She rescued persecuted witches and gave them sanctuary. She collaborated with mages, creating new spells through their exchanges.
Yet, even after nearly a century of traveling and training, Scarlet had not grown, not even by the slightest margin.
It was as if the heavens were telling her, 'This is your limit.'
She felt empty.
Though she had obtained immense power, achieving it so effortlessly and without struggle meant she derived no thrill, no joy, no happiness from it.
When she saw a Class 1 mage celebrate with joy and excitement after advancing to Class 2, all she felt was envy… free of any petty emotions.
No matter how much effort she put in, Scarlet knew she could not grow further by her own means.
But she didn't give up.
'I have plenty of time left.'
Hundreds of years, thousands even.
If she continued to strive endlessly, surely she too could one day experience the fulfillment that came with growth.
That's what she believed.
Until she met him.
— You are an anomaly in the plan.
The figure was shrouded in mystery. No, perhaps it was a woman… it was impossible to tell.
Clad in a white robe, their gender, age, and identity were completely unknown.
They spoke:
— Your very existence creates a massive disruption in the flow of the world. Therefore, you must slumber for a while.
'Slumber? For how long...?'
— A thousand years should suffice.
'What?'
The figure appeared out of nowhere, demanding she sleep for a thousand years. It was preposterous.
But Scarlet was a being who stood at the pinnacle of the world. Unless one of the Twelve Divine Moons challenged her, there was no way she could be defeated.
And so, for the first time, the Blood Witch unleashed her full magical power and fought seriously against this mysterious figure.
— You've lost, Witch. I'll awaken you in a thousand years.
She lost. Utterly and completely.
'I... lost...?'
Their battle tore the land apart, split the seas, and shattered the skies.
When meteors began raining down through the cracks in the heavens, it truly seemed as though the world was coming to an end.
However, she could not defeat the mage in the white robe.
'I was supposed to be the pinnacle of humanity.'
Who was this mysterious figure?
Their fierce battle caused the robe to flutter repeatedly, offering brief chances to glimpse their face.
Yet no matter how closely she looked, all she could see was a void… a shadow devoid of any human form.
'I lost to someone without even a face…'
When Scarlet regained consciousness, she found herself in a space entirely filled with white.
'Where is this...?'
Around her body, a red magic circle extended in a radius of 100 meters, and twelve pillars stretched up toward the ceiling.
The structure resembled a birdcage, evoking the sense of being tamed, though no kind caretaker appeared to feed or nurture her.
Only emptiness.
In this void of nothingness, Scarlet was left alone.
And from that day, nearly a thousand years passed.
"Sigh... Back here again!"
Scarlet lifted her leg, lightly tapping a floating orb-shaped light on the ceiling with her toes.
About a hundred years after being sealed, she began to extract faint traces of magic from her body. Using this limited power, she gradually decorated the vast prison.
She created a desk, a bed, lights, toys, mobiles, and even dolls, furnishing her cage with various items.
She even crafted clothes, and now she wore a self-made dress.
Scarlet's true form, which appeared to be two or three years older than her avatars, exuded a mature charm. Her relaxed posture as she sat with her legs lifted while wearing a short dress that would certainly be an embarrassing sight for anyone who happened to see her.
But in a thousand years, no one had ever entered this place, so she acted as she pleased.
It was quiet.
If she continued to gather and save the tiniest fragments of magic over hundreds of years, perhaps one day she might have enough power to create another avatar.
But could Scarlet truly endure until then?
Before being sealed, she had already been alone. Because of that, even after her sealing, she didn't feel much loneliness.
However, after creating her avatar, wandering the outside world, and meeting Baek Yu-Seol, Scarlet had indelibly etched into her heart just how warm and joyful it was to have someone by her side.
Now, she felt lonely.
Cold and desolate.
To have no one to speak to.
To have no one to listen to her.
She had finally realized just how terrifying and painful that was.
"It's all his fault…"
If not for Baek Yu-Seol, she might never have known what it felt like to be lonely, even while wandering the outside world.
Even if her avatar had been destroyed during an ambush by Fawn Prevernal Moon, she might have simply shrugged it off, thinking, 'I'll just endure a few more centuries and create another one.'
But not anymore.
"A few centuries..."
"Can I endure that again?"
She wasn't sure.
The human who had soothed her loneliness had an average lifespan of less than a hundred years.
Even if she were to escape, it was likely that he would no longer exist.
And even if he somehow survived for centuries, she doubted she could bear that long stretch of time alone.
'It hurts too much…'
How could she possibly endure these agonizing days, one after another?
She tightly closed her eyes.
Perhaps the mage who had sealed her knew that she could extract just a tiny amount of magic from her body.
Perhaps he had anticipated that one day she would create another avatar and venture into the outside world.
And perhaps he had also foreseen that she would return to this place, overcome by loneliness, unable to withstand the solitude.
Maybe he knew all along.
Scarlet gritted her teeth.
"I am the Witch Queen. My pride will not allow me to fall for such petty tricks... How dare they..."
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Burying her head into the bed, Scarlet covered her ears with both hands.
If she let her mind wander even for a moment, it felt as though she could hear the voices of those she had met in the outside world.
'My disciples... I need to look after them.'
By now, they must have realized Scarlet had disappeared and were likely searching frantically for her. But no matter how hard they searched, they would never find this place.
She had searched with them for signs of her own seal long ago but hadn't found even a trace.
Even Scarlet herself didn't know where she was.
'If only I knew the location, I'd just... break out!'
The magic circle encasing her was only 100 meters wide.
If she could just send an avatar beyond its boundary - large if viewed as restrictive, yet small in the grand scheme - she could easily dismantle this prison.
But what good would that do?
"In the end, no one will ever reach this place anyway..." Scarlet thought and closed her eyes.
***
Suddenly, a sensation like static electricity made her hair stand on end, and her eyes flew open.
"W-wait, what's this...?!"
It felt familiar.
"A witch hunter?"
Occasionally, young witch hunters had attempted to track her and find this place.
Ironically, the ones who sought to kill her came closest to reaching her prison.
But not one of them had succeeded.
The invisible layers of security magic surrounding this place, cast from somewhere beyond her prison, had caused every last witch hunter to meet their demise.
After the news spread that the Witch Queen had turned the tables and hunted witch hunters, an unspoken rule formed among them.
'Do not mess with the Witch Queen.'
For nearly centuries, no witch hunter had dared to approach her.
And yet, out of nowhere, she now felt the distinct sensation of being pursued by a witch hunter.
"Could it be...?"
Baek Yu-Seol.
If it wasn't him, there was no one else who would attempt such a thing.
"Is he really trying to come here...?"
Surely, this was a signal.
She was certain of it.
It felt as if his voice was resonating in her mind:
'I am searching for you.'
Though she couldn't possibly hear his voice, it echoed in her ears.
Scarlet unconsciously shot to her feet.
"Ah..."
She stumbled forward, grabbing onto one of the bars of the cage-like pillars at the entrance to her prison.
'Don't get your hopes up. Don't get your hopes up. I mustn't hope. If I hope and am disappointed, the pain will only be greater.'
No one had ever reached this place.
She couldn't allow herself to hope.
He was just a young human, barely even 20 years old. So then, why?
Thump! Thump...!
Her heart pounded uncontrollably.
'Don't hope, I said...!'
Scarlet clutched her chest, trying to steady herself, as her heart raced wildly.
Even though she had once stood at the pinnacle of the world, managing her own emotions remained a difficult task.
She didn't want to hope, yet she couldn't control the excitement coursing through her racing heart.
In the end, she accepted her emotions.
"…I don't care anymore. This is on you."
Scarlet muttered as if speaking to her own heart and pounded her chest with her fist.
If Baek Yu-Seol were to stumble, or if he met his end like the other witch hunters who had come before him…
The disappointment would ultimately be hers to bear.
But Scarlet decided to embrace the present moment.
Simply knowing that someone was searching for her was enough to ease her loneliness. It made her feel less desolate and less isolated.
Just the fact that someone was trying to reach her made her feel happy.
'I will savor this fluttering feeling in my heart.'
Until Baek Yu-Seol opened the door to this accursed cage and walked in, she would cling to this feeling and endure.