The wind whispered through the trees as night fell over the underground city of Varlenn.
There, where sunlight had never touched the ground, a massive mansion rose among the blackened hills — its windows glimmering with a cold, silvery light that reflected the emblem of the Black Moon, the seal of a group that wasn't exactly an organization… but neither was it anything less than one.
Few dared to speak that council's name.
Even fewer had the courage to approach the place where they gathered.
---
The mansion's main hall was vast and elegant.
Floating candles hung in the air, casting dancing shadows across crimson curtains and a long ebony table. At its end stood a tall-backed chair — empty.
Around it sat four figures, each powerful enough to inspire panic in the darkest corners of the underworld.
Yuta arrived last.
His black coat swayed lightly as his footsteps echoed firmly across the dark marble floor.
He wore formal attire, as required by council law — a high-collared black shirt, a fitted leather tie, and a silver pendant shaped like a crescent moon: the mark of one of the council's four pillars.
"You're late, Yuta."
The voice came from his left — dry, edged with mockery.
The man speaking wore a white mask cracked on one side, his immaculate suit concealing an arm etched with scorched runes.
It was Draven — known as the Abyssal Fist, the only one capable of wielding infernal energy without dying in the process.
Yuta walked past him without a word and sat down calmly.
"If it were something urgent, you would've started without me," he said, his calm insolence making Draven grind his teeth.
"Tch… still the same arrogant bastard," Draven muttered.
Across from him, a woman smiled faintly.
Her hair was white as snow, tied in a simple bun, and her golden eyes gleamed with boredom.
Ravenna.
Among humans, respected. Among witches, feared.
The only witch allowed to live among men without being hunted.
And the woman who, long ago, had loved Yuta… and never moved on.
"Leave the boy alone," she said, crossing her legs. "He's just here to admire the décor… aren't you, Yuta?"
He glanced at her.
"Never been a fan of meetings," he replied.
The fourth member, seated further back, let out a short laugh.
Kaen — the group's strategist. Young, with messy golden hair and a lazy grin.
"You two still have that unresolved lovers' tension. It's practically part of the Black Moon ritual now."
Ravenna ignored him.
Draven scoffed.
Yuta simply closed his eyes, waiting for the real reason behind the summons.
Then came the sound of heavy footsteps.
Silence fell.
At the top of the staircase appeared the Order's Leader — a tall man whose face was covered by a dark veil, his cloak marked with ancient inscriptions that seemed to move under the light.
His power was suffocating.
He didn't need to speak to command respect.
As he approached the table, a pale blue light emanated from the candles — a sign that the seal of confidentiality had been activated.
Nothing said there would ever leave those walls.
The leader set a black envelope on the table.
Four identical copies appeared magically, sliding to each member.
"The summons was answered," he said in a deep voice. "All four of you present — that alone says much about the gravity of our situation."
Yuta picked up the letter.
When he opened it, a small puff of black powder rose into the air.
The crescent moon emblem projected above the table, and ancient runes began to glow red.
"Emergency Council: Witch Invasions, the Queen's Resurrection, and the Sealing of Lilith."
The air grew heavy.
Kaen whistled softly.
Draven clenched his fists.
Ravenna averted her gaze — the word Queen struck a nerve.
Yuta only watched.
The leader continued:
"Several human cities have been attacked by unknown magic. Sources report fragments of the Witches' Crown have been located near the forbidden territories. We believe someone is attempting to revive Lilith."
Their eyes met.
No one needed to say it aloud — reviving Lilith meant war.
"You'll be dispatched to the site," the leader said. "Your mission is simple: seal Lilith again before she fully awakens."
Ravenna suddenly stood up.
"Seal Lilith? That's suicide!" she shouted. "If she's truly awakening, it means the balance is broken. Do you know what will happen if we touch her?!"
"A war between humans and witches," Kaen said with a half-smile, trying to ease the tension. "But hey, hasn't that become our specialty?"
Draven turned to Yuta, suspicious.
"You're awfully quiet. Any objections, Yuta?"
He looked at the burning seal on the letter and smiled faintly.
"None."
But his eyes told another story.
Because he knew something none of them did — he was the reason this was happening.
Yuta stood, slipping his hands into his pockets, and walked toward the door.
"If we're done, I'd rather leave early. The sooner we seal Lilith, the better," he said, not looking back.
Ravenna watched him go, her fingers tightening around the fabric of her dark dress.
Her voice came soft, almost a whisper:
"Why do I still feel like… you're lying to all of us?"
Yuta paused for a moment, without turning his face.
"Because maybe I am," he said — and vanished into the corridor's darkness.
---
Outside, the black moon hung high in the misty sky.
The council's ancient symbol pulsed on the mansion walls like a heartbeat in the night.
And while the others argued over plans and doubts, Yuta walked alone down the stone road, the cold wind cutting across his face.
He knew exactly what he had to do.
The mission to seal Lilith was only the beginning.
Because deep down… he didn't want to stop her return.
He wanted to provoke it.
The night had grown thick—the kind of darkness that wind could not pierce and sound itself seemed to swallow.
From atop an ancient hill, the mansion of the Black Moon Council slowly vanished beyond the horizon, while four silhouettes advanced along the stone road leading toward the Forbidden Forests.
This was no ordinary group.
They had faced legendary beasts, fought mages who tore continents apart, survived hell itself—and somehow, returned alive.
Yet even among them, the name Lilith hung heavy, like a shadow no one wished to name.
The cold wind brushed through Kaen's hair as he walked in front, holding a magical lantern.
The blue flames within the glass flickered as if alive.
Behind him, Draven moved in silence, his gaze sweeping the surroundings like that of a warhound ready to strike.
Ravenna followed with light steps, her dark dress flowing in subtle motions, while Yuta walked last—hands in his pockets, eyes on the clouded sky, the same sky he had once despised.
"The meeting was a disaster," Kaen finally said, his rough voice echoing through the trees. "Four powerful people, and none of us has any idea what the hell is going on. Seal Lilith? Really?"
Draven replied curtly,
"The Council doesn't ask, Kaen. It commands."
"And since when do you follow orders?" Kaen shot back with a crooked smile.
Draven stopped and gave him a threatening look.
The scorched runes along his arm began to glow red.
"When the enemy can wipe out the entire planet."
"So you're finally afraid of dying?" Kaen teased.
"No," Draven said, stepping forward as the runes pulsed. "I'm afraid of dying before killing you first."
Before the tension could erupt, Ravenna sighed loudly.
"You two never change," she said, stepping between them. "If you're going to fight, do it after we kill an immortal. Deal?"
Kaen smirked, hands raised.
"She's got a point."
"For once," Draven muttered, turning away and resuming the path.
Yuta, silent until then, observed from behind as though the scene were a distant echo.
When Ravenna glanced back at him, he looked away, feigning disinterest.
"Are you going to keep ignoring everyone, Yuta?" she asked.
"I'm just listening," he said without changing tone. "It's more useful than talking nonsense."
"Hm." Ravenna crossed her arms. "Always so… predictable."
"Always so persistent," he countered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
Kaen chuckled softly.
"And here I thought that tension between you two was ancient history."
Ravenna shot him a deadly glare. "Shut up, Kaen."
"Alright, alright…" he said, still amused. "But admit it—it's fun watching ex-lovers pretend they hate each other."
Yuta ignored the remark, but Ravenna blushed faintly before quickening her pace.
---
As they approached the Forbidden Forests, the road narrowed into glowing trails.
The soil shimmered purple beneath the moonlight—an ancient magical anomaly born from centuries of residual energy.
Each tree seemed alive, breathing slowly.
Yuta stopped and studied the dark roots spreading across the ground.
He could feel the energy vibrating like a malignant heartbeat.
"I've been here before," he murmured.
Ravenna looked over her shoulder. "When?"
"Long ago," he said. "Before any of you were born."
Draven scoffed. "You talk like some ancient ghost."
Yuta met his gaze, and for a brief second, his violet eyes gleamed so coldly that Draven looked away.
Kaen noticed and defused the moment with humor.
"Alright… if Ghost Yuta knows the path, I guess we're safe."
They walked in silence until additional footsteps echoed between the trees.
Yuta raised his hand for them to halt.
The darkness seemed to shift—something, or someone, was following them.
Draven conjured a blade of infernal fire.
Ravenna extended her arm, forming a golden magic circle.
Kaen focused the lantern's light.
Yuta simply closed his eyes—and vanished.
"He disappeared?!" Kaen exclaimed.
"Quiet," Draven ordered.
From atop a tree, Yuta reappeared soundlessly and dropped to the ground, gripping something by the neck.
It was a humanoid creature with pitch-black eyes.
A witch's messenger.
Veins pulsed with living magic, and a glowing green sigil burned on its forehead.
"I was sent… to warn you," the creature rasped.
"Warn us about what?" Ravenna asked, keeping her spell ready.
"That the sealing of Lilith… is no longer possible," it replied, its voice shifting between human and demonic tones. "She has already begun to awaken."
The ground quivered.
Kaen frowned. "Is that good or bad?"
Draven said grimly, "It means we're dead."
But Yuta remained calm.
"Then we're late," he said, releasing the creature. "Go tell your mistress we'll be there… soon."
The creature stared at him, confused.
"You… you smell of—"
A snap of Yuta's fingers.
The creature turned to dust.
Silence returned, heavy.
"'Smell of what,' Yuta?" Ravenna asked, her voice trembling.
"It doesn't matter," he replied, already walking ahead. "Follow me. The forest is about to react."
---
Two hours later, they stopped near a silver river.
The water glowed faintly—pure, but ancient.
Kaen dropped his pack and sat down.
"We need rest. If Lilith's partially awake, we'll need every bit of strength we've got."
Draven nodded, carving runes into the ground to form a protective circle.
Ravenna, quiet, approached Yuta.
He was staring at the moon's reflection in the water.
"You don't look surprised by any of this," she said.
"I'm not."
"You knew Lilith was awakening?"
"Yes."
She frowned. "And you didn't tell anyone?"
"No one asked."
"Yuta…" she sighed, stepping closer. "You're hiding something. You always are. Since the day I met you, you've never said what you really want."
He turned his face toward her slowly.
His gaze was cold—but beneath it, a shadow of sorrow.
"And if I told you what I want is impossible?"
"Then you'd be lying, as always," Ravenna replied bitterly. "Because you always get what you want."
Silence thickened between them.
Kaen, sensing the mood, looked up and grinned.
"Hey, if you two are about to have a romantic reunion, let me know—I'll step out."
Ravenna threw a crystal at him. "Shut up, Kaen."
"See, Draven?" he laughed. "They still like each other."
Draven, dead serious, said, "They never stopped."
Yuta said nothing.
But in silence, an image flickered through his mind—the face of his sister, smiling before the curse consumed their clan.
The blood, the fire, the chaos… and her eyes begging for help he couldn't give.
Everything he'd done—even this—was for her.
Sealing Lilith was only part of the plan.
Lilith… Queen of Witches…
The name echoed in his thoughts.
The only living being capable of breaking his bloodline's curse.
And the only one who could grant him the gift of immortality.
But no one needed to know that.
Not even Ravenna.
Especially not Ravenna.
---
At dawn, the group resumed their march.
The forest had become a maze of mist and whispering voices.
Kaen, ever curious, asked,
"Yuta, how do you know where to go?"
"I can feel it."
"Feel it? Like… magical instinct?"
"No," Yuta said, gazing toward the horizon. "I feel her calling me."
They exchanged wary glances.
Draven broke the silence.
"'Her'? You mean Lilith?"
"Yes."
"That's madness, Yuta."
"Maybe," he said—and kept walking.
Ravenna watched him from behind.
Something pulsed in her chest—a strange mix of fear and longing.
She knew he was lying about many things.
But she also knew that whatever his true goal was, it was far greater than any of them imagined.
---
When they reached the top of the hill, the sight made them stop.
The forest opened into a vast valley where the soil glowed in shades of red and violet.
Gigantic runes were carved into the ground, forming a magic circle the size of a city.
At its center lay a dormant portal—the Seal of Lilith.
"So this is it…" Kaen murmured.
"The heart of the witches' world," Ravenna said almost reverently.
"The battlefield," Draven added firmly.
Yuta stared at the seal, a faint smile curling his lips.
"The beginning of everything."
Kaen turned to him.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Yuta said. "Just a feeling."
Ravenna stepped closer, her gaze sharp.
"Let's hope your feeling doesn't get us killed, Yuta."
He met her eyes calmly.
"If it does, I'll die smiling."
She shoved him lightly, irritated.
"Idiot."
Yuta smiled—a rare, genuine smile.
But inside, his heart raced.
Because there, beneath the seal, he could feel the echo of the magic he had searched for years to find.
The same magic that could free his sister.
The same power that would drive him to defy the entire world.
---
The moon was rising again when they descended the hill.
The air grew heavy. The ground shook.
And suddenly…
the trees began to move.
From the forest depths, dozens—perhaps hundreds—of creatures emerged.
Ancient demons, twisted and malformed, their mouths sewn shut and eyes burning with flame.
The portal reacted to their presence.
Draven's runes erupted in fire.
Kaen opened the lantern, releasing a surge of blue light.
Ravenna raised her defensive spell.
Yuta simply stared at the horizon and whispered:
"Finally… it's begun."
The wind howled, lifting dust and leaves.
The seal blazed with light.
And from the deepest shadows, a woman's voice echoed—
"You dare set foot in my domain once again?"
It was sweet, cold, and ancient.
The voice of Lilith.
The group braced themselves.
And the war that would divide the world into light and darkness…
was about to begin.
The forest sky seemed tinged with purple shadows as black mist intertwined with the moonlight. Among ancient trees and twisted roots, the Black Moon Council advanced. Each of their steps reverberated across the dry ground, echoing like a silent warning: even the forest itself seemed to respect their presence.
Yuta led the way, his violet aura oscillating slightly—almost imperceptible, yet enough for any observer to feel the chilling power radiating from him. Beside him, Ravenna clenched her fists, eyes fixed on the figure ahead—Lilith, the immortal witch, whose black crystal floated mere inches above the ground, pulsing with pure magic and slightly distorting the reality around it.
Kaien stepped forward, his blade gleaming, vibrating with sonic energy.
— "Primordial Sound: Resounding Rift!" he roared, striking the air. The vibration tore through the space, cracking small rocks and deflecting Lilith's destructive spells.
Seraphina smiled, shadows dancing invisibly behind her.
— "Crimson Dance — Puppets of the Blood Moon!"
Spectral marionettes appeared, striking with precision and intercepting the black lightning Lilith fired.
Lilith raised a hand, her voice echoing with ancient authority:
— "You… dare. The Black Moon Council… cursed as you are, you still have the audacity to cross my path?"
Yuta stepped forward, a cold smile on his face:
— "We are not here to discuss audacity."
With a swift gesture, he unleashed a Shadow Vortex, manipulating magical energy that spiraled around, diverting part of Lilith's destructive attack. The witch dodged, frowning, but could not completely contain the impact.
Ravenna cast a defensive spell, Lunar Shield: Amethyst Veil, enveloping Yuta and Kaien in translucent barriers. Lilith's force collided with them, distorting the air while absorbing part of the destruction.
Kaien advanced again:
— "Primordial Sound: Abyssal Tremor!"
The strike reverberated in concussive waves, making the trees tremble, while Seraphina manipulated her marionettes to create distractions and illusions, partially cutting through the witch's black crystal.
Lilith laughed, a sound heavy with decades of knowledge and contempt:
— "You remind me of someone I loved… but you are only shadows of what I created."
Yuta narrowed his eyes, sensing that Lilith recognized more than she revealed. Yet he remained cold, concentrating his energy into a single strike: Rift of Eternal Night, a concentrated beam of magic that split into multiple shards, each seeking weak points in the immortal's defenses.
Ravenna did not hesitate:
— Lunar Seal: Guardian of the Dawn!
She launched floating rune circles, creating barriers and seals that partially restricted Lilith's movement.
Kaien and Seraphina, in perfect sync, attacked and distracted, each demonstrating the might of a Council member. The underworld elite did not hesitate; together, they could slay a mortal witch—and even Lilith felt the pressure of their combined power.
Lilith raised both hands, unleashing Half of the Black Crystal. Reality twisted violently: trees contorted as if alive, the ground cracked, and shards of black energy shot out like splinters.
Ravenna held Yuta firmly, shielding him:
— "Careful! She's releasing half the crystal's power!"
Yuta dodged skillfully, leaping into the air and manipulating his Shadow Vortex to avoid the blow, while his mastery over stolen magic and previously acquired artifacts gave him an edge.
Lilith watched, her eyes gleaming with surprise and curiosity:
— "So it's you… the energy of eternal love. I won't reveal it to anyone… but you know who the true target of the prophecy is."
Yuta froze for a moment, but remained impassive:
— "I am not here to talk. I am here to pass through."
Ravenna shielded him from a devastating burst capable of shattering the ground:
— "Careful! She will unleash everything if we don't restrain her!"
The battle intensified, the attacks now nominally catalogued:
Lilith: Half of the Black Crystal — Reality Distortion
Yuta: Rift of Eternal Night / Shadow Vortex
Ravenna: Lunar Shield: Amethyst Veil / Lunar Seal: Guardian of the Dawn
Kaien: Primordial Sound: Resounding Rift / Abyssal Tremor
Seraphina: Crimson Dance — Puppets of the Blood Moon
Lilith finally retreated, realizing subduing this group would not be easy. Yet her gaze fixed entirely on Yuta. A silent recognition passed through her eyes—something only he could understand.
— "The Queen of Witches is not me… she is the one who doesn't yet know her true power. Lyra…"
Yuta swallowed, keeping his calm as the world around them still shook with Lilith's raw magic.
The battle was far from over, but the Black Moon Council had already displayed their collective might—and the tension had reached its peak.