Chapter 11 – The Warlock's Moon
Three weeks had passed since the night Hollowfen was rebuilt.
The scars of fire had healed — on the land, if not in the hearts of those who stayed.
The moon would soon be full again.
In the fields beyond the village, Blue, Kin, and Rito trained from dawn till dusk.
Each strike, each breath, each drop of sweat was preparing them for the battle they all knew was coming.
New Weapons, New Strength
Kin spun his new staff, its silver surface etched with glowing runes that pulsed with faint blue light. Every swing hummed with power — the ancient symbols granting him bursts of speed and strength when facing supernatural foes.
Rito danced through the air with her twin blades, each forged from silver laced with fae stones that shimmered green under sunlight. Her strikes were fluid and graceful — every motion guided by instinct she barely understood.
And Blue — the hybrid prince — stood apart, blade drawn.
His katana, forged of obsidian and silver, sang when it moved. The weapon absorbed his hybrid energy, glowing faintly blue as he swung. The more he fought, the more control he gained — power without the chaos of transformation.
Zak stood beside Xavier, watching proudly as the three young warriors sparred.
"They're coming along fast," Zak said. "You've built a strong family here, X."
Xavier smiled faintly. "They built themselves. I just gave them a reason to fight."
Zak chuckled, glancing back toward his wife and son — both hybrids like him, watching from a distance. "My family's good too. Happier than we ever thought we'd be. You gave us forever. That's more than we could ever repay."
Xavier gave him a shove, smirking. "Enough with the sir crap, Zak. You already repaid me the day you decided to stay and fight beside us."
Zak grinned. "Alright, sir."
"Zak—"
"Kidding!"
Their laughter faded as Selene approached, her silver hair flowing like moonlight, her tone sharp and urgent.
"There's going to be a full moon tonight," she said. "The first since the witches attacked. I can feel their power building again… heavier, darker. They're coming."
Xavier's expression hardened. "I know. If they've crowned Gus as their new warlock, the witches have given him the Moon Queen's power. He's not the same boy anymore."
Before he could say more, Blue's voice cut in.
"Then we'll bring him back. We won't kill him."
Selene's eyes softened. "Blue—"
"No!" Blue's voice cracked, rage and grief colliding. "If we kill him, then we're no better than them. He's still our friend. He has to be saved."
Selene tried to reach for him, but he stepped back, his body trembling. "You can't save someone who's already lost to the dark," she whispered. "Sometimes the kindest thing you can do… is end their pain."
Blue's eyes flared bright blue. "Then what about our pain? What about mine?"
Before anyone could speak, he blurred — vanishing in a streak of supernatural speed into the woods.
"Blue!" Rito cried out, starting after him. Kin followed instantly.
"We'll find him," Kin said, determination in his eyes.
Xavier watched them go, silent for a moment before turning to Selene. "They have to learn that sometimes doing the right thing… hurts more than anything."
The Cliff of the First Change
As the sun dipped low, Rito and Kin searched through the darkening forest, calling Blue's name. The trees whispered in the growing wind, shadows thickening as the full moon began to rise.
"Where could he—" Rito began, but Kin suddenly stopped.
"This place…" He looked around, eyes wide. "This is where it happened. The first time Blue changed."
He broke into a run, Rito chasing close behind until they reached the familiar cliffside — where it had all begun.
Blue was there, kneeling near the edge, his sword stabbed into the ground beside him. His shoulders shook.
"I don't want to kill him," he whispered. "We shouldn't have to kill our friend, right?"
Rito and Kin both dropped to their knees beside him.
Rito wrapped her arms around him. "We'll find another way, Blue. We have to."
Kin nodded, voice breaking. "We'll save him — together."
For a moment, all three stayed like that — friends bound by loss and love and promise — their tears falling into the earth that had once been their battlefield.
Finally, Rito stood, helping Blue to his feet. "Come on. Let's go home."
The Darkness Arrives Early
As they started back through the forest, Blue froze mid-step. The air changed — cold and heavy, like the world had stopped breathing.
He looked up. The light of the setting sun flickered and dimmed, swallowed by shadow.
"I feel it," he whispered. "Something's… wrong."
Back in the village, Xavier and Selene felt it too.
Every hybrid in Zak's pack stiffened — claws half-shifting, eyes glowing with instinctive fear.
Xavier's hand went to his blade. "Something isn't right. The sun hasn't even set completely yet."
Zak turned toward the treeline, eyes narrowing. "Do you hear that?"
Selene's head tilted slightly, her ears twitching. A low, guttural sound echoed in the distance — hundreds of distorted shrieks blending into one unholy roar.
Then Xavier spoke one word, cold and certain.
"Demons."
The Warlock's Legion
The forest exploded in chaos.
Hundreds of winged, twisted demons burst from the shadows — black fire spilling from their maws, their claws cutting through stone and soil.
Above them, suspended in the crimson glow of the rising moon, hovered Gus — his wings outstretched, his eyes burning like molten gold. His voice thundered across the sky.
"Attack, my legion! Cleanse this world of beasts and traitors!"
The demons shrieked as they dove toward Hollowfen.
Xavier drew his blade in one smooth motion. Zak's pack shifted into their hybrid forms, howls echoing through the valley. Selene's eyes burned red, her fangs bared.
And in the distance, running through the trees, Blue, Kin, and Rito stopped in horror — watching the swarm of darkness descend upon their home.
Blue's jaw clenched, his blade lighting up with hybrid energy. "This ends tonight."
Rito unsheathed her twin blades. Kin slammed his staff into the ground, runes blazing with light.
As the first wave of demons hit the ground, the forest erupted into battle — steel against claw, light against shadow.
And above it all, Gus, the crowned Warlock of the Witches, smiled.