Chapter Fifteen
Back home, everything spun around me before darkness claimed my eyes.
When I opened them, I was underwater. Cold, endless, and silent. My lungs screamed for air as I kicked upward, my arms slicing through the icy depths until my head broke the surface. I gasped, coughing, confused.
There was no ocean, no waves—just a lonely shoreline that bled into a dark, endless forest.
Where am I?
I looked around, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Maybe this was a dream. To test it, I picked up a sharp stone from the ground and pressed it against my skin. The sting was real. I hissed as a drop of blood formed.
Then I heard it.
"Come, my child."
The voice was smooth, melodic, and hauntingly familiar. It carried warmth that wrapped around my heart, drawing me forward. I knew I shouldn't follow it—but my legs moved anyway, guided by something stronger than fear.
"Come, my child…"
The whisper echoed through the trees until I stepped into a clearing. There she was.
A woman stood beneath a dim light that filtered through the canopy, her black hair cascading like silk over her shoulders. A crow perched on one of them, and several more hovered above, circling her slowly. Her long black gown shimmered like liquid shadows, and when she turned, her eyes met mine.
They glowed—a deep, haunting silver that felt ancient. Her expression softened, almost like that of a mother seeing her long-lost child.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling. "Where am I, and—"
"Keep your questions for later, child," she interrupted gently. "We don't have much time. Follow me."
I hesitated, my instincts screaming no, but something inside me trusted her. Against my better judgment, I followed.
We stopped in front of a dying tree—its bark cracked, branches skeletal, and roots dry as bone.
"What do you see, Luna?" she asked.
I blinked confused and angry. "Wait—you brought me all the way here to ask about a tree? Are you insane?"
Her tone was calm. "Just look."
So I did. And the longer I stared, the heavier the air around me felt. Then I realized what I was seeing.
"This… this is a Wolmort Tree."
The name alone sent chills down my spine.
Legends said that a thousand years ago—during the Age of the Holy Island Paradise—six clans lived in harmony: the Moon Clan, Blood Clan, Wood Clan, Barbarian Clan, Aqua Clan, and Elemental Clan. They worshipped different gods and lived in peace, until outsiders came.
Those outsiders brought weapons. The clans, bound by sacred law, were forbidden to fight. Their men were slaughtered, their women defiled, their lands burned.
In desperation, each clan prayed to their gods for salvation. But the gods offered them a terrible choice—to eat the forbidden fruit of the Wolmort Tree, sacrificing their humanity in exchange for divine power.
The chiefs gathered, drew a great circle, and each ate the fruit. Then, one by one, they slit their throats, collapsing lifelessly on sacred soil.
When the outsiders found their bodies, they laughed, mocking their faith. But then came the cracking of bones—their corpses twisting and reshaping. Some rose as towering wolves with molten eyes, others sprouted bat-like wings that blotted out the sun. Some became serpentine beasts, others burning forms of fire and ash.
The outsiders didn't stand a chance. The clans tore them apart.
But the gods' gift was also a curse. Power corrupted them. They turned on one another until chaos devoured the island. Amid the blood and fire… the Wolmort Tree vanished.
"Maybe," the woman said softly, "chaos was what the gods wanted all along."
I turned to her, my voice barely a whisper. "How do you know this is the tree?"
She smiled faintly. "Because I was there."
My chest tightened. "That's impossible. You can't be—"
"I am what's left of her," she said. "A fragment of a soul, bound to the tree. And am dying, Luna. Dying because there are no more sacrifices."
I stepped back, my heart hammering. "Sacrifices? What kind of sacrifices?"
"Relax," she said with a faint smile. "If I wanted to sacrifice you, you'd already be dead."
Her tone shifted, colder now. "What the tree needs is the blood of black-hearted supernaturals—those corrupted beyond redemption."
My throat went dry. "And what does that have to do with me?"
"I need you to find them," she said. "Bring me their blood, and in return, I'll give you a Wolmort Fruit. It will purge the poison inside you… and grant you a power beyond any creature alive. The bloodline of gods will run through you. Only then can you survive the coming Battle of the Saints."
Although still confused by what she meant by the battle of saints still My eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Why don't you hunt them yourself?"
"Because I cannot," she said, her voice echoing softly now, fading around the edges. "What you see is nothing more than a shadow of my soul… tied to this dying tree."
Her gaze burned into mine. "So, Luna, do you accept?"
I hesitated. The thought of becoming a killer made my stomach twist. And yet, something in her tone—something in her eyes—told me this was fate.
Before I could answer, the ground trembled. The forest shook violently, trees swaying as the crows screamed into the air.
The woman's figure began to flicker.
"We don't have much time!" she shouted, her voice breaking apart. "Do you accept, Luna?!".
After a heartbeat of hesitation, I whispered, 'Yes.
The world exploded in light—
and everything went black.
(To be continued…)