The horns echoed through the forest again.
Long.
Low.
Deadly.
Liora stood frozen in the middle of her cottage while the sound vibrated through the wooden walls.
"…Hundreds?" she repeated weakly.
Rhael nodded casually, as if they were discussing the weather.
"More or less."
Her eyes widened.
"More or less?!"
Cairis, meanwhile, looked completely calm.
Too calm.
He stepped toward the window and pulled the curtain aside slightly.
Torchlight flickered between the trees.
Lines of armored soldiers.
Shields.
Spears.
Dozens… no, hundreds of Church knights surrounding the cottage from every direction.
Liora's heart dropped into her stomach.
"…They're really here to kill me."
Rhael leaned against the wall.
"Technically," he said, "they're here to kill both of you."
"That's not comforting."
Cairis let the curtain fall back into place.
"They've brought an Inquisitor."
Rhael nodded.
"The Grand Inquisitor, actually."
Liora's legs nearly gave out.
"…That's bad, right?"
Neither man answered immediately.
Which was answer enough.
Outside, a voice suddenly rang across the forest.
Clear.
Powerful.
Cold.
"Witch of the ancient bloodline."
Liora froze.
Even from this distance, the voice carried terrifying authority.
"Come out peacefully."
Silence fell across the cottage.
Liora swallowed hard.
"…And if I don't?"
The voice outside continued.
"Then we burn everything."
Torchlight brightened through the trees.
The forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Liora's hands began to shake.
"…They're serious."
"Of course they are," Rhael said lightly.
"They're the Church."
Cairis suddenly moved.
Before Liora could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer.
Her breath caught.
"…What are you doing?"
His crimson eyes locked onto hers.
"You're trembling."
"I'm about to be executed!"
"That's not happening."
His voice was calm.
Absolute.
Liora stared at him.
"…There are hundreds of them."
"Yes."
"And you're injured!"
"Yes."
"And you still think you can fight them?"
Cairis smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"I don't think."
His crimson eyes flared with light.
"I know."
Liora felt something shift in the air.
Something ancient.
Something terrifying.
Rhael straightened slightly from the wall.
"…Ah."
Liora blinked.
"What?"
Rhael watched Cairis with clear interest.
"…It's been a while since I've seen this."
Cairis stepped toward the door.
Shadows curled around his feet like living things.
Liora grabbed his arm instinctively.
"Wait!"
He paused.
She swallowed hard.
"…You're going to die."
Cairis looked down at her.
For a moment, his expression softened slightly.
"Not tonight."
Then he leaned closer.
Close enough that she could feel the heat of his breath.
"Stay inside."
His voice dropped to a low whisper.
"No matter what happens."
Her heart pounded.
"…Why?"
His answer was simple.
"Because the moment they see you…"
His crimson eyes darkened.
"…they'll stop hunting a witch."
Liora frowned.
"…What do you mean?"
Cairis smiled faintly.
"They'll start hunting a queen."
Before she could respond—
The cottage door exploded open.
Light flooded inside.
And standing beyond the doorway was a man in brilliant white armor.
Tall.
Cold.
Terrifying.
The Grand Inquisitor.
His eyes locked instantly onto Cairis.
"…Demon."
Cairis stepped outside.
The moment he did—
Every knight raised their weapons.
Spears aimed forward.
Holy magic began glowing along their blades.
The forest itself seemed to vibrate with tension.
The Inquisitor raised one hand.
"Kill him."
The army moved.
Hundreds of soldiers surged forward at once.
Liora gasped.
"…Cairis!"
But he didn't move.
Not at first.
The first wave of knights reached him.
Spears thrust forward.
Holy magic blazing.
And then—
Cairis raised his hand.
The world went dark.
Shadows erupted from the ground like living monsters.
The first twenty knights were thrown backward instantly.
The forest floor cracked beneath the force.
Rhael whistled softly behind Liora.
"…There it is."
The power of a demon prince.
Cairis stepped forward into the battlefield.
His movements were effortless.
Deadly.
Every swing of his arm sent soldiers flying.
Holy magic clashed with dark energy.
Trees shattered.
The ground split.
The battlefield became chaos.
But there were too many.
Liora could see it.
Even Cairis couldn't fight an entire battalion alone.
One knight slipped past him.
Then another.
And another.
They were heading toward the cottage.
Toward her.
Liora stumbled back.
"…No."
Her heart pounded violently.
The knights were getting closer.
Too close.
One of them raised a blade.
"Witch!"
The moment the sword swung—
Something inside Liora snapped.
Magic exploded from her body.
Not a spell.
Not something controlled.
Something ancient.
Something wild.
The ground beneath the cottage cracked.
A wave of glowing silver magic erupted outward like a storm.
Every knight near the house was thrown violently through the air.
Trees bent.
The sky itself seemed to tremble.
The entire forest lit up with blinding light.
Liora stood at the center of it all.
Her hair lifted slightly in the surge of magic.
Her eyes glowing faint silver.
And across the battlefield—
Cairis stopped fighting.
For the first time since the battle began…
He looked shocked.
Then slowly—
He smiled.
Rhael's voice came quietly from behind her.
"…Well."
Liora's magic continued to surge uncontrollably.
The ground cracked further.
The air shimmered.
Rhael finished calmly:
"The witch has awakened."
Cairis wiped blood from his lip and looked toward her.
His crimson eyes burned with something far more dangerous than battle.
Something darker.
Something possessive.
He whispered to himself—
"…Beautiful."
The forest was half destroyed.
Hundreds of soldiers stared in horror at the glowing witch standing before them.
And the Grand Inquisitor slowly smiled.
"…So it's true."
He raised his sword.
"The last witch has returned."
Liora's magic continued to spiral out of control.
And Cairis realized something terrifying.
She wasn't just awakening.
She was about to lose control completely.
And if that happened…
She might destroy the entire forest.
Including herself.