WITCH OF THE END

"I don't remember."

Those words sank into Luna like a stone into deep water, dragging her thoughts down with them. Anna's master was someone touched, perhaps broken—by the curse.

That alone made him someone she would need to find when she eventually left this realm.

"If you don't remember, then that might mean your master is someone affected by a curse on Fate," Luna said slowly, her voice carrying a sharp edge.

Anna crossed her arms, her tone defensive. "It could also mean that I had a bad memory."

Luna chuckled, low and dry. She hadn't expected to uncover something like this out in the quiet of the woods. Perhaps her fortune was finally shifting, ever so slightly.

'Perhaps Anna could be my first ally…'

Coincidence? She doubted it. The very idea felt like an insult. Anna's master almost certainly knew something about her, about the Divine Realm, enough to risk Anna. Fate was a rope that could be tugged, cut, or rewoven by anyone who wielded power over it. And this smelled far too much like design.

"Bad memory or not," Luna said at last, her smirk cutting through the tension, "I believe our meeting here is no mere coincidence."

Anna's face finally cracked, emotion bleeding through her stoic mask. To her, this felt like striking gold, like stumbling into a truth others would kill for. "So, what is your goal?" she asked, her voice laced with curiosity that was almost too eager.

"To break Fate and save the people I care about," Luna replied, her tone sharp with conviction. "My family fights to protect the mortal realm. Therefore, I intend to do the same by returning the Eternal Flame."

Anna frowned, her brows furrowing in thought. "How does one do that?"

The corner of Luna's mouth twitched. She could not achieve her goals on her own. The being that had invaded her soul years ago had whispered of allies, shadows waiting in the dark to be gathered. She hated to admit it, but it was true: she needed help.

"By achieving godhood."

The wind howled as though the world itself recoiled. Leaves scattered like frightened spirits, ripped from their branches and carried away into the void of the forest.

Anna stared at her, awe flooding her green eyes, her breath catching in her throat. 'So a mortal can ascend… to become a god.' She had always suspected, always known. And here it was, spoken aloud. Her lips curled into a slow, wicked smile. Knowledge had always been her greatest hunger, and Luna had just fed her something far richer than she imagined.

Shoving both hands into her pockets, Anna tilted her head and asked the next question, her tone deceptively casual. "I guess you're more than I thought. What are you doing in this place then?"

Luna shrugged, though her gaze burned with restless purpose. "Power and answers. I came to this realm to study the strength of a Visionary and to learn more about our worlds."

****

Meanwhile, inside the Astral Vigil.

"Lunaris Feng's Domain. Do any of you have an idea of what concept she might wield?" A deep, gruff voice rolled across the amphitheater-like chamber. It came from the smoky presence looming at the center, a tall figure carved of shadow and haze.

This was none other than the Dream Lord's projection, addressing the Saints he had left to govern his territory while his true self lingered in the Divine Realm.

"We have no idea yet," Raiden responded, his tone steady but laced with caution. "We anticipated that she would awaken the concept of Balance, but she shows no signs of it. Instead, her abilities lean more toward reshaping rather than restoration. She has also attained the rank of Saint and will undergo her confirmation test in a few days."

The Dream Lord's faceless gaze shifted, his voice echoing once again, flat and commanding. "Has she begun experiencing the Dream Singularities?"

"Yes, my lord," answered a female Ascender in a gold-and-white uniform. Her voice carried the calm precision of one who measured every word. "I confirmed it with my Soul Beast. In time, she will be drawn to remain with the Astral Vigil. But I also have… a request, my lord."

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The chamber stirred. Many of the gathered Ascenders exchanged sharp glances, surprised by her boldness. A request? Few of them had ever witnessed someone dare ask such a thing of the Dream Lord himself.

But what did they know? This woman was one of the five King-Ranked Ascenders in the realm. She stood far above every Saint in the chamber, and for that reason, she alone had the right to ask the Dream Lord for favors.

The hall fell into silence until the smoky projection stirred. "What is it, Qwan?" the Dream Lord asked.

The woman, Qwan, smirked. A glint of excitement sparked in her golden eyes as she began, "Lunaris Feng recently aided Ginyu in his battle against a Titan. She struck its chest with such force that it spearheaded their victory. That should have been impossible for two reasons." She raised two pale fingers. "One: Titans' outer shells are naturally resistant to elemental attacks, being born from the elements themselves. And two: no Ascender without a fire aura should be able to unleash such a blast… and still walk away four days later."

None of the gathered Saints reacted. They all knew the truth. Many had fought Titans themselves. Her point needed no explanation.

"What if we have in Lunaris Feng an Ascender as unique as Victor Artemis?" Qwan pressed on. "Victor, born of the Moon Goddess's lineage, has flourished under the cold tutelage of our rivals. But if we nurture Lunaris Feng. If we teach her how to exploit the dual uniqueness within her lineages, then the Astral Vigil will finally secure its foothold in the Divine Realm."

"That is not an easy task." A voice snapped back. One of the Saints, an aged man with stone-pale eyes and brows knotted like tangled roots, leaned forward. His gaze was sharp, cunning, foxlike. "Lunaris Feng has made it clear she does not trust this sect. We cannot force her to remain, let alone bend the knee to the Dream Lord."

But little did he realize he was crossing a wolf.

Qwan's smirk deepened. "We don't need her to bend the knee, Wu Yang. There are other ways to keep her here. One of them lies with her sister, the other Feng. And if that fails…" her voice dipped into a chilling calm, "…we can damage her soul gate. That way, she stays within our reach, without ever becoming too strong and beyond our control. Is that not the same method used to contain Victor… and Iron Gambit?"

Silence weighed heavily in the chamber. Every Saint present held a seat of influence within the Astral Vigil, each entrusted with shaping the sect's future. Most were men and women of the old world, their bodies worn but their wisdom vast. Some bore only the faint spark of divinity, while others had endured as Ascenders for half a century or more.

"The Inherited Bloodline has always been a flaw of the New World," one saint growled, his voice like grinding stone. "And yet… You are right. To secure the sect's future, we must claim a bloodline that carries true lineage."

"Hehe… and this one carries two," another added with a rasp of disbelief. "A true genius of the Qi Path."

The statement rippled through the assembly like a dropped stone into still water. Murmurs swelled. Lunaris Feng was an anomaly that should never have existed. One lineage alone, especially such as that of the Supreme One, was already a divine rarity. But two housed in a single soul? That was perilous. They all knew what happened to humans who tried to harbor dual bloodlines: instability, madness, destruction.

"That is precisely why she must remain within this sect," Qwan pressed, her voice cutting through the murmurs. She turned her golden eyes toward the Dream Lord's smoky form. "The other sects are already searching for her. Even the Sea King has begun to move. And consider this: Lunaris Feng wields sorcery strikingly close to the lost arts once used by the gods, or so the ancients claimed. When the mortal realm finally collapses, she could shepherd what remains of humanity. That is why I request you to make her my disciple. After all…" her lips curved in a smirk, "I am the only one competent enough to teach her."

"Competent?" Raiden scoffed, his tone sharp as a blade.

Golden eyes narrowed. "Do you take issue with that, Ascender Raiden?"

Raiden rose to his feet, his face unflinching as he looked up toward the woman seated above him, her seat raised higher than the rest.

"Of course I do," he said firmly. "Have you forgotten our purpose? We are meant to guide her to the Bridge of Time. Not shackle her." His voice hardened. "You're proposing we control someone who may already be thinking ahead of us."

Qwan's expression shifted into a mask of arrogance. "She is a mere First Gate, Raiden. A child clawing at strength because the world hunts her. That desperation is a leash. We can use it." She folded her arms. "The Bridge of Time can wait. The sect's survival comes first."

Raiden's jaw tightened, teeth grinding. "You will regret this, Lady Qwan."

"There is nothing to regret," she countered smoothly, her golden eyes gleaming. "Lunaris Feng is only a vessel. We control her, and we rise with her. Don't you agree, Dream Lord?" Her daring gaze shifted to the smoky figure looming in the chamber's heart.

The smoke stirred, deep and resonant, pressing into every soul present.

"I agree with Qwan," the Dream Lord's hollow voice intoned. "Control her. Shape her. And conceal her from the Visionaries until she has mastered her second gate."

At once, the blue smoke dissipated. The suffocating pressure lifted, leaving only silence and the uneasy weight of the decree.

After the Dream Lord's presence faded, the chamber felt hollow, its silence carrying more weight than his words. Qwan slowly turned her head toward her fellow King-Class Ascender, Ginyu.

He sat beside her, but his attention lingered elsewhere on a female Saint among the murmuring members below. When he noticed Qwan watching him, he quickly dipped his head, withdrawing into the shadow of his seat.

Qwan exhaled sharply, a sigh edged with disdain. "Do you support my proposal?"

Ginyu's voice came low, measured, and tense. "You don't want my answer to that." He leaned forward slightly, his tone hardening. "I already did what you asked. I tested her strength—and in doing so, exposed my own weakness." His narrowed eyes met hers. "But Raiden may be right. We are trying to leash a storm we do not understand. I fear we are taming a force far too strong for us."

"You exaggerate," Qwan replied, her voice dripping with cold arrogance. She leaned back into her chair, golden eyes gleaming with certainty. "I will oversee her Tests for Sainthood myself. And when the time comes, she will bend, or break, on my terms."