Captain Edmund walked toward me, his scythe raised and ready to strike.
I felt a strange, unsettling presence from him and took a small step back, bracing in my fighting stance, my eyes locked on him.
"Rahhh!" He roared, then let out a laugh, slapping his thigh.
"You should have seen your face!" he said, shaking his head as he chuckled.
I frowned, crossing my arms in annoyance.
"Don't worry about those worms. It's just a hex," he said, waving his hand calmly.
He stepped over to the magic circle, raised his scythe, and slashed it. The aura of forbidden magic that had radiated from it vanished instantly.
A sudden voice echoed in my head.
"Ezekiel, you guys alright in there?"
I froze, eyes roaming across the room, searching for where the voice came from.
"Don't freak out. It's me, Theai. One of my abilities lets me talk to people telepathically," her voice flowed gently inside my mind.
A floating notification appeared in front of me.
[System Alert: Telepathic link established with Theai Willow via Nature Resonance]
[Mind-to-mind communication enabled]
I could sense her presence, almost like we were having a normal conversation.
"We're on our way to help the person who called for help," she added, her thought quietly entering my mind.
"Okay, we're on our way," I replied.
Her presence disappeared instantly, leaving a strange emptiness in my mind.
"Captain! They're moving to help the person who called for help," I said, tapping his shoulder.
Captain Edmund turned immediately and knelt closer to the faint runes, his fingers tracing the carved symbols of the magic circle. "Don't leave yet. I need to inspect something with this witch's magic first," he said, frowning.
"This witch is powerful… she could use black magic," he muttered, tightening his grip on the scythe.
He gazed at the floor.
I followed his eyes and noticed one of the necrotic worms still wriggling there.
It writhed strangely, its body twisting and stretching. Suddenly, its skin split, and a black moth burst forth.
Its belly was swollen, like it was carrying something.
Captain Edmund reached out to grab it, but the moth shot toward the door, wings fluttering wildly. He sprinted after it, and I followed close behind.
It darted ahead just like it had with the hooded lady before.
We trailed it until we reached a broken window. It was the same spot where the witch had disappeared.
Without warning, Captain grabbed me, and we floated toward the opening. To my surprise, we passed through the glass as if our bodies were invisible.
Outside, on the empty street, the hooded lady stood waiting in the middle of the road.
We landed on the road across from her.
The witch stood calm, a black moth hovering before her as she gently settled it on the small, ragged doll in her hands.
As the moth settled on the doll, it moved and twisted. The witch let out a soft hum, and the doll shivered oddly.
Tension tightening in my chest, my body leaned forward without thinking as Captain Edmund readied his scythe.
"Did you get bitten by the worm earlier?" he asked, his eyes scanning me sharply.
I glanced down at my feet, checking them quickly with my hand, but found nothing unusual.
Captain teleported in front of the witch, his scythe raised high, ready to smash. Shadows stretched along the blade.
I followed him closely, my heart pounding. I had never been in a battle like this before. I only played games, but I never expected to be here now, giving my life in real combat.
The witch leaped backward just in time, dodging the scythe slicing through empty air.
"Soul-Cutting Crescent!"
Captain Edmund swung his scythe again, releasing a sweeping crescent of shadow that rushed toward the witch with intense energy.
She had no time to dodge, yet a mocking smirk curved on her lips, her face still hidden beneath the hood.
In an instant, her body shattered into a swarm of black moths, wings fluttering everywhere. The moths scattered in every direction, leaving nothing but black dusts where she once stood.
Before I could notice, the swarm of moths surged in my direction, and she reformed in front of me, her figure whole again.
"Chrono Shards!"
I summoned four spinning temporal shards. I pointed them toward her, intending to pierce her instantly. The shards shot forward.
"Misfortune Jinx!"
She waved her hand at the shards. The shards shifted violently, rushing straight back toward me.
"What the—?" I leapt backward, twisting mid-air to avoid the attack.
My feet barely hit the ground before I leapt again, dodging the shards that seemed to have their own will, following me relentlessly. I kicked one away, but it curved in a wide arc, returning like a boomerang.
"Chrono Shards!"
I released four more to intercept the incoming ones. The shards clashed in mid-air, sparks of temporal energy scattering around us.
But then a swarm of moths fluttered in front of my eyes, blocking my vision. I waved my hands wildly, trying to push them away, but even more kept coming, each one filling my sight.
One of the shards struck me. Pain burned across my side.
"Aghhh!" I shouted, stumbling back.
As the moths flew away, I caught sight of the witch crouched on the ground, holding her doll and softly chanting to it.
[Chrono Heal has been triggered!]
Warm energy surged through me, knitting my wounds. I clenched my fists and surged forward.
Captain kept striking, swinging his scythe with precision, but every time he hit, the witch's body dissolved into moths again, only to reform moments later. The moths seemed to mock our every move, giving her impossible mobility.
"Umbral Grip!"
Captain shouted, releasing dark, shadowy hands from his scythe. The hands shot forward, wrapping around the witch's arms, pinning her.
He swung his scythe, aiming for her neck, but instead of cutting her, the strike rebounded. Pain exploded in my neck as the damage had been transferred to me.
He turned his gaze toward me, eyes wide with shock. My blood ran down my neck.
[Chrono Heal has been triggered!]
The healing energy surged again, mending my wounds in a few seconds. I could breathe, though my body still trembled from the intense force of the blow. If not for this ability, I would have collapsed under the pain.
I watched the witch carefully, her lips curling into a sly smile. Without warning, she shattered into another swarm of moths, each wing beating in perfect synchronization. The swarm darted toward Captain, moving with terrifying speed.
She reformed behind him and shot a dagger from beneath her cloak, but the Captain's body was immune to the strike. The dagger sliced through empty air, and I could sense her confusion from afar. The Captain twisted and drove the upper blade of his scythe into her, sending the witch flying backward.
She hit the ground but sprang back to her feet. Her hood slipped down, fully revealing her face.