Under the starry sky of the frozen forest, thin smoke rose into the night as three figures sat beside a burning fire, while a fourth rested peacefully in their midst. Its faint light illuminated the darkness around them, barely pushing back the shadows of the surrounding forest.
With tense expressions, Gray, Zil, and Marie stared intently into the flames, each lost in their own thoughts.
"...Hey, guys."
Zil's voice finally pulled them from their thoughts.
"What we fought just hours ago..."
He stared into the fire.
"Am I the only one who didn't feel satisfied with that fight?"
Marie sighed.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. It was a tough fight, but to be honest... it wasn't that much of a challenge."
Gray remained silent.
His mind was still replaying the battle.
He could still feel the energy that had spread throughout his body as Graveveil came crashing down upon the monster. The power that had welled within him. Every movement he had made. Every strike he had taken.
He could feel it.
He had gotten stronger.
But that strength wasn't enough.
Not yet.
In order to make those who had taken what was precious to him pay, he needed to become stronger.
Much stronger.
Clenching his fist, Gray slowly released a breath before looking toward the other two.
"Even though we've become stronger, we still need to train."
His gaze remained fixed on the fire.
"We need to reach the point where even one of us can take on a monster of that level by ourselves."
Zil chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah. We hear you. We know we have to get stronger."
His smile slowly grew.
"Otherwise, that old guy might come back and drag us into that godforsaken chamber."
His smile suddenly faded.
"...Um."
Zil glanced around the forest.
"You don't think he'll actually come get us, right?"
Marie slowly turned toward him.
"Well, if he does, I'll make sure to kill you for jinxing us."
Zil stared at her for a moment.
Then—
Laughter erupted around the fire.
The three of them laughed loudly, the tension that had settled over them finally disappearing for a brief moment.
It was a small moment of peace.
Something they hadn't had much of lately.
"Well, before that happens, let's get to the matters at hand."
Gray's expression became serious again as he glanced toward the tent behind them.
"We need to wait for that girl to recover and—"
His voice trailed off.
A small girl lay asleep beneath a furry blanket, her head resting on Zil's lap.
She had black raven hair and eyelashes that seemed far too long for a girl her age. Faint tear marks stained the corners of her eyes, trailing down her pale skin.
She snored softly in her sleep, completely unaware of the conversation around her.
For someone who had just endured something so horrifying, she looked strangely peaceful.
Zil looked down at her.
"Huh..."
His expression softened.
"She looks so adorable when she's asleep."
He paused.
"It almost makes me forget how broken her face looked after all that."
His eyes remained on her as he watched her breathe slowly beneath the blanket.
Marie lowered her gaze.
"Yeah..."
She was silent for a moment.
"We know how it feels to lose someone dear to us and not have the strength to protect them, don't we?"
Silence filled the air.
None of them answered.
They didn't need to.
The words had struck something familiar within all three of them.
Then—
"Well, anyway..."
Zil broke the silence.
"I've been thinking about our flaming goddess back there."
His expression became thoughtful.
"The way she fought with those flames... I've never seen anything like it before. Even when I was in the Dark Regions."
Marie nodded.
"I know, right? The way she controlled fire isn't something that can be done through any normal means. Not even for a mage."
She paused.
"And don't forget when that monster rushed toward her. It was sent flying across the clearing as if it had been repelled by an invisible force."
"Yeah."
Gray's eyes narrowed.
"And then there were those symbols she kept drawing in the air."
He stared into the flames.
"I think they had something to do with the way she controlled the fire... and how she repelled that monster."
Gray replayed the battle in his mind.
Again.
And again.
He tried to understand exactly what he had witnessed.
The symbols.
The flames.
The strange force that had thrown the monster backward.
Something about it didn't make sense.
Then a thought suddenly entered his mind.
*The flames...*
Gray's eyes narrowed.
*...The flames didn't spread.*
He remembered approaching the clearing.
Even before they had reached it, the heat had been so intense that the frozen ground beneath their feet had begun to thaw. Snow had melted into muddy water beneath the heat.
Yet the flames hadn't behaved the way they should have.
The trees closest to the center of the clearing hadn't caught fire.
Only the trees surrounding the clearing were burning.
A fire of that magnitude should have spread.
It should have consumed everything in its path.
But it hadn't.
Gray stared at the flames before him.
It was almost as if the fire itself had been given a command.
*Burn this.*
*Ignore that.*
His expression slowly changed.
The fire wasn't simply being controlled.
Something about the way it behaved had been changed.
Something was forcing it to obey a different set of rules.
Gray's eyes widened slightly.
"The law... and nature of the fire..."
He muttered the words under his breath.
"...were altered."
Marie and Zil looked toward him.
Gray continued staring into the flames.
"I don't know how..."
His voice became quieter.
"But it was made to burn only what it was commanded to burn."
He paused.
"Everything else was ignored."
Zil's expression changed.
Marie's eyes widened.
"That means she's a—"
Before he could finish, the tent behind them rustled.
All three turned toward it.
A figure slowly stepped out, wrapped in a thick furry blanket.
Long ash-gray hair gleamed beneath the moonlight.
Amber eyes burned brightly, almost like flames themselves.
Her pale skin looked almost lifeless beneath the cold moonlight, yet her slender figure could still be seen beneath the heavy blanket draped around her shoulders.
There was something strangely otherworldly about her.
For a moment, it was almost as though a goddess of the frozen forest had emerged from the darkness.
Her expression was cold as ice.
Yet her amber eyes burned with an unmistakable intensity.
"You really are observant, aren't you?"
The girl's voice was calm.
Gray looked at her intently as she approached the group.
She stopped in front of them.
"Well, I think you've figured it out already..."
Her gaze moved between the three of them.
"But I suppose I should introduce myself."
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then—
"My name is Neris."
Her amber eyes remained fixed on them.
"And your suspicions are correct..."
She paused.
Her eyes suddenly began to glow.
A strange aura slowly surrounded her body.
The air around her seemed to grow heavier.
"...I am a witch."
***
Still around the campfire, shocked expressions were plastered across the trio's faces as they processed what Neris had just said.
Gray slowly chuckled as he reached for Graveveil.
"Damn. I knew my suspicions were right. You really are a witch, huh?"
He stood, Graveveil now in his hands.
The moment Neris's eyes fell upon the weapon, a spark ignited within them. The aura surrounding her slowly intensified.
"Yes, I am."
Her gaze remained fixed on Graveveil.
"And as much as I would love to answer your questions, I ask that you put that thing away and hand me the girl."
The moment she said those words, an explosion of Essence erupted around the trio, surrounding their bodies.
Gray's expression hardened.
"And what would you do if we said no?"
A dark crimson aura engulfed his body.
His eyes slowly turned red as he removed the chains wrapped around Graveveil's twin blades.
The sharp edges gleamed beneath the firelight as a dark aura gathered around them.
Neris stared at the weapon for a moment.
Then, she smiled slightly.
The air around them suddenly grew hot.
The flames of the campfire began to rise, stretching higher and higher as heat spread through the clearing.
"Well, then I would have no choice but to take her by any means necessary."
Neris's voice remained calm.
Yet the air around her warped from the intense heat radiating from her body.
For a long moment, none of them moved.
Gray stared at Neris.
Neris stared back.
Marie remained ready beside her brother.
Even the slightest movement could have been enough to ignite a battle.
Then—
"Would the two of you quit it? Can't you see we have a kid here?"
Zil's voice broke through the tension.
He growled as he looked between the two of them.
The little girl was still resting on his lap.
Beads of sweat rolled down her face as the Essence radiating from Gray and Neris clashed around her.
Zil frowned.
"Seriously, look at her."
Gray's eyes shifted toward the girl.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Neris's expression also softened slightly.
The tension between them gradually disappeared.
The auras surrounding their bodies faded as they finally sat down.
Zil sighed in relief.
"Now, like civilized monsters, let's introduce ourselves before we start thinking about killing each other."
He carefully pulled the blanket around the little girl, making sure she was covered properly.
Gray sighed before placing Graveveil beside him.
Even then, his eyes remained fixed on Neris.
"Well, pleased to meet you. My name is Gray Hunter."
His voice still carried a hint of annoyance.
Marie chuckled softly.
"I'm Marie Hunter. It's a pleasure."
She gave Neris a warm smile.
And finally—
Zil flashed a wide grin.
"And lastly, I am Zilders Crescent of the Crescent Wolf Pack. But you can call me Zil."
Neris stared at the three of them.
A vampire.
Another vampire.
And a werewolf.
Yet somehow, they were sitting around the same fire as though this were the most natural thing in the world.
If someone didn't know their races, they could easily mistake the three of them for siblings traveling together.
It was strange.
Almost unnatural.
Neris had never seen vampires and werewolves interact with such warmth.
"Well, I've already introduced myself, but let me say it once more for formalities."
Neris straightened slightly.
"My name is Neris, and as I've already said, I am a witch."
Her gaze shifted between the trio.
"I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. But if it's alright with you, I would like to ask the three of you some questions."
The trio exchanged glances.
Then they chuckled.
"Yeah, sure. You can ask."
Gray leaned back slightly.
"But only if we get to ask some questions in return."
His mood had finally begun to ease.
Neris sighed quietly.
"Fine."
She took a breath.
"Well, to begin with... why are two vampires and a werewolf traveling through the Dark Regions together like it's completely normal?"
She still seemed genuinely bewildered by the situation.
Gray chuckled.
"Well, to begin with, I helped Zil a while back."
He glanced toward the werewolf.
"And since we didn't know our way around the Dark Regions, he decided to help us."
Gray paused.
"Since then, we've been through a whole lot together."
His gaze shifted toward Marie and then back to Zil.
"So I guess what I'm trying to say is... we're basically family."
Gray immediately looked away.
He visibly cringed at the last word.
Zil stared at him.
Then his face suddenly lit up.
"Ha! I can't believe that you of all people would call me family!"
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"I expected it from Marie, but to think it came from you, Gray..."
His voice trembled with exaggerated emotion.
"Oh, it warms my heart."
Gray's cheeks reddened slightly.
"Well, fuck you, Zil. I just didn't know what other word to use, okay?"
Marie burst out laughing.
She watched the two of them bicker like siblings.
Neris, however, remained stunned.
How could a vampire and a werewolf joke around with each other like this?
How could they smile at one another without a trace of hostility?
"But he's from the Crescent Wolf Pack."
Neris's expression became more serious.
"The largest werewolf pack in the Dark Regions."
She looked at Zil.
"I know there is a truce between the three great races of the Dark Regions, but how can the two of you still act so friendly toward each other?"
Gray sighed.
"Well, neither my sister nor I were born in the Dark Regions."
He shrugged.
"So we don't really know what's considered normal here."
His eyes shifted toward Zil.
"But with everything we've been through... I guess this idiot's alright."
He paused.
"Oh, and Zil's an Omega, so I guess that's another reason we're cool."
Neris's eyes widened.
"Wait a second."
Her gaze immediately locked onto Zil.
"You're saying he's an Omega of the Crescent Wolf Pack?"
Her expression changed.
"That means he's—"
Before she could finish, Zil's eyes slowly turned golden.
Pressure suddenly filled the air around him.
His expression hardened.
"If you could, I suggest that we don't talk about that matter."
His voice was calm.
But there was something unmistakably serious behind it.
For the first time since they had met him, Gray and Marie saw Zil like this.
There was no joking.
No grin.
No playful attitude.
Only a cold seriousness in his eyes.
The pressure surrounding him intensified.
Gray's expression became confused.
There was clearly something about Zil's past that he didn't want them to know.
But Gray also knew better than to push him.
Whatever it was, Zil would tell them when he was ready.
"Fine."
Gray leaned back.
"We'll stop talking about it."
He looked at Zil with a faint smirk.
"So stop acting serious for once in your life. It's creepy."
Zil's expression immediately soured.
"Shut up! I didn't mean it like that, okay?"
Marie covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Gray sighed before turning his attention back toward Neris.
"Well, Neris... since you've asked your first question, you wouldn't mind if I asked mine, right?"
He stared at her intently.
Neris let out a tired sigh.
"Fine. Ask away."
"I've got a lot of questions, but I'll start with the obvious one."
Gray's expression became serious.
"What exactly was that creature we fought back there?"
His gaze shifted toward the little girl resting on Zil's lap.
"And what is your relationship with this girl?"
Neris followed his gaze.
The moment her eyes landed on the sleeping girl, her expression softened.
She adjusted her posture before looking back at Gray.
"Well... explaining what that monster was would take some time."
She paused.
"But there is one reason I asked you to give me the girl."
Her eyes returned to the child.
Gray watched her carefully.
Neris's gaze lingered on the little girl for several seconds before she finally spoke.
"Because you see... that girl..."
Her voice became quieter.
"...is a cursed one."