WITCH OF THE END

A few days passed and Luna continued her steady recovery. The army had done its best to provide her with doctors and healers to ensure she was in peak condition before she was called to join the subjugation of the Crimson Tower, or Blood Tower as Raphael had referred to it.

The subjugation had already started with Captain Snow and Lena leading the first group into the Tower. Aside from that, everything else was confidential and Luna was to find out when she reached the main base. Which wasn’t far from here because the Tower was now within her sight.

From a distance, the tower appeared as if it were hewn from the very heart of the earth itself. Its surface was marred with grotesque runes and symbols that seemed to pulse with a life of their own. Red lightning arced intermittently across the sky, illuminating the tower in brief, eerie flashes.

The parks in this former town had long since withered under the tower's influence. Once verdant and probably lively, the trees now stood as cruel sentinels, their leafless branches twisted into grotesque shapes that seemed to claw at the sky in silent agony. The grass beneath them had turned brittle and brown, crunching underfoot like ancient parchment.

No birds chirped here, no insects buzzed. Even the wind seemed to hesitate before rustling through the dead territory, as if afraid to disturb the oppressive silence that hung over the cursed land.

Seated peacefully on one of the former park's benches, Luna looked up at the towering monstrosity before her. She couldn't shake the feeling that the Blood Tower was not merely a structure of stone, but a malignant force—a festering wound upon the world, waiting to infect all who drew near with its dark allure. Special territories had been created by the government for safety purposes. Within these territories, barrier technology was being used to shield the doctors and mundane humans in the hospital complex from the black ether or any other form of influence from the tower.

Luna's dark hair had grown longer, neglected for too long, or perhaps an effect of all the healing she had gone through. Her skin was once again flawless after the healers did their best to fix the damage done to her. The mental wounds were still there, of course.

But that didn’t explain the dark sacks under her eyes.

Luna was exhausted and fatigued from not sleeping for the past three days while trying to remember what she kept forgetting.

She had tried meditation, which hadn’t worked. Banging her head a few times hadn't helped either. And even taking brain boosters to fire up her mind only resulted in severe stomach aches and headaches.

Now, she was on her final trial. Staying awake in the hope that she might start remembering something by triggering her sub-consciousness. At this point, she needed to recall something because the subconscious was where most memory was controlled, even the most forgotten. If she had managed to remember something a few days ago, then that means it was still there. Just hard to access.

In her hand, she carried a small timer to track how long it took before she forgot again. She hadn’t started it yet since nothing had occurred at the moment.

To keep her mind awake, she continued observing her silent environment with a keen eye. The trees were dead, the grass brown after being poisoned by the black ether. The park had turned into an eyesore.

Corruption must have been some evil witch to let this happen to such a beautiful planet. It wasn't entirely their fault, though. Even before the Fall, the world had been breaking apart, resources were scarce and humans were building colonies on other planets to save the rich.

Unfortunately, that plan never came to fruition. When the Fall happened, the only colony that survived for a while was the Moon Settlement.

"The Fall."

Her dazed gaze traveled back to the crimson sky.

"He spoke about the fall."

She mumbled, her mouth moving on its own.

"Olympics… and Yong Feng."

Suddenly, Luna froze as the forgotten memories started to replay once again. She remembered. She remembered the old man on the train and their short-lived conversation about the fall and her great-grandfather Yong Feng.

"Yong Feng… the Olympics… the stars. The old man knows where the stars are…"

Suddenly, Luna burst into a fit of maddening laughter. But it quickly tapered off as the hex's influence took hold. In a bewildered moment, she even forgot why laughter had seized her in the first place.

"Huh?" she sighed and looked around. No one was here to see that. “I’m starting to sound like a mad person."

“I even forgot to start the timer…” She put away the small timer and the corners of her lips curved upwards in a smart grin, a testament to her victory as she pulled out a small recorder attached to her hospital gown.

"Hehe. I'm a genius indeed."

She nodded with a smile and quickly pressed the replay button. The only recorder she could find in these parts was one from the old era, dating over fifty years old, with a small tape capable of recording sound for days. She turned it on when she started the challenge and today…something had finally happened.

Luna found it fascinating that humans used to store data on these polythene-looking things. Primitive as it might have looked, this was high-end technology free from things like tracking.

The tape began rolling, accompanied by static interference in the background—making Luna's voice initially struggle to come through clearly. However. Soon enough. Her words became discernible:

"S..tar… stars… fall… Yon… eng. Fall."

Following her utterance, static overtook the recording as the potent hex imposed on her erased the remaining information. Despite this, Luna had gleaned what she needed from those fleeting words.

"The fall, the stars falling, and...Yong Feng?"

'What does he have to do with all of this?' she asked herself.

These fragments were her clues. Remarkably, the fact that she didn't forget them suggested that tricking the hex was indeed possible. The hex was undeniably formidable, but Luna suspected constraints were holding it back—perhaps rules imposed by the universe itself, responding to her attempt to outwit its effects.

"Hmm… I wonder if it's connected to why the world is like this?"

This question lingered in her mind as she pondered the implications of her revelation. The fragments recovered from memory were like pieces of a puzzle, hinting at a larger truth about the state of their world and the events that had led to its current fractured state. What did she learn about on the train? Was it connected to the Tower?

Luna leaned back in her seat and sighed.

“ All of this. It's Interesting.”

***

After her successful attempt, Luna needed sleep more than anything else. She was already inside the hospital complex, heading to her room. When suddenly, she saw someone who surprised her.

Standing at her door was a tall, striking woman clad in sleek black nanoskin armor that accentuated her lithe frame. Her sapphire blue eyes shimmered with an intensity that hinted at unimaginable power. Sharp bangs framed her pale face like a curtain, adding to her enigmatic presence as she stood sentinel-like, exuding an aura of quiet strength and vigilance.

What was Darkness doing here? If Luna remembered correctly, the daughter of House Ares had performed remarkably well during the fight on the train. Luna had even heard she had killed a Lycanthrope with her hands and sword.

Of course, Luna wasn't surprised. Legacies were supposed to be the best of the best due to the rigorous training they received throughout their lives. She imagined Darkness had begun her training the moment she learned how to walk.

After all, House Ares was known for being brutal.

"Lady Darkness, what brings you here?" Luna approached the woman, feeling a touch nervous in her presence. It wasn't just because Darkness towered over her.

Darkness lowered her head and replied in a calm, respectful tone. "I was assigned to be part of your unit. We requested to follow you when you join the subjugation."

"Unit? When did I get assigned a unit? I thought only capt—" Luna paused, recalling Darkness's words.

As if reading her thoughts, Darkness cleared her throat and snickered. "After hearing about how you fought against that devil without giving up, the Flames of War told me that following you will bring me more Glory! I waited for the four days you were in a coma to tell but you weren’t there when I returned to check on you."

Luna scowled, bringing her hand to her forehead. "Glory? Is that your reason to follow me? Seriously, what is wrong with you warmongers?” she asked Darkness who had her chest puffed out.“ Ah…Biscuits.”

"Mm… are you hungry, Lady Lunaris?"

Luna nearly jumped when someone spoke right behind her. She turned swiftly, her reflexes primed to strike, but she halted upon seeing his handsome face.

"Hi." Gail waved and smiled, his perfectly white teeth gleaming. His wide, golden eyes showed surprise after her near-attack.

Luna's narrowed gaze softened slightly, her expression serious yet tinged with a hint of embarrassment at her overreaction to his friendly greeting.

"Gail? You're here too. I'm guessing it's for the same reason as hers."

She gestured towards Darkness, who winked mischievously at Gail the moment their eyes met.

He shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. "I don't know her reasons, Lady Lunaris. But I'm here at your sister's request. I'll be your guard while she's away. I’m also part of the same unit because of that."

"Oh. Really? Then who is the other, Darkness? You said ‘We’."

Luna turned back to the tall woman who stood with arms crossed, radiating confidence.

"Mira is currently receiving treatment before she suits up in her nanoskin armor," Darkness replied casually. "We're going to have fun together. The three of us and Golden Boy over there. Hehe."