Chapter 7: Conflict

Isz came across a small guard outpost near the forest and headed toward it. Upon arriving, he introduced himself as the knight who had been sent to support the division of tracker-scouts.

The police captain said, “Hello, sir. It seems you arrived just in time, we were discussing the recent attacks by the witches and the Volny raiders. If you don’t mind me asking… how old are you?”

Isz made a puzzled face before answering.

“I’m twelve. I’ll be turning thirteen next week. Is there a problem with that, Captain?”

“None at all,” the captain replied. “You just reminded me of my son, he’s around your age. I’m simply impressed that someone so young can already hold a position of such responsibility. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, if that’s how it sounded.”

“It’s fine. Everyone who looks at me says the same thing,” Isz replied with a slight smile.

As he spoke, a door opened.

“Good evening. Isz, right?” a man said. “Harpya told me about you. I’m Hindal, and we’ll be working together tonight.”

Isz: “Nice to meet you.”

Hindal: “You already know about the mission, right? The police requested our support. My trackers went ahead to scout the area two hours ago and haven’t returned yet. Looks like our suspicions were correct… I just hope they’re okay. Let’s move, platoon. Grab your wagons and weapons. Anyone carrying an A-rank relic, bring it. And don’t split from the main group without notifying someone.”

Police Officers: “Yes, sir!”

The group headed toward the indicated location and immediately felt a reddish mist spreading around them.

Hindal: “Yeah… looks like they were expecting us.”

Out of nowhere, raiders marked with the sigil of the Voice of Lust charged from the shadows. A police officer had his throat slit by a ritualistic dagger. Isz leapt from the wagon, assembled his spear, and cut down three assailants in one motion.

Lightning burst violently from his spear, illuminating half the district like a storm. Hindal jumped in with his cerberus, whose roar was so powerful it forced the raiders to their knees. The officers restrained them for interrogation.

Hindal: “Good work, Isz. That relic of yours is pretty damn strong.”

Isz (panting from the strain of summoning lightning): “Thanks…”

After interrogation, the officers learned the raiders were transporting sulfur, gold, and people meant to be sacrificed to a witch hiding nearby. Suddenly, the sigils on their foreheads began to boil. They laughed hysterically, and one after another their heads burst apart in a violent, inexplicable explosion.

Isz froze, horrified,he had never seen anything like it.

Hindal: “This witch must be extremely powerful… She must’ve heard everything we said. Cerberus, go find the trackers and any surviving officers. Captain,get back and report this to the Church or the nearest garrison. The kid and I are going after the witch.”

Captain: “Good luck, boys. I’ll send reinforcements as soon as possible and notify the city medics.”

Hindal and Isz ventured deeper into the forest.

Isz: “I didn’t see you use any relic during the fight… What’s yours?”

Hindal: “It’s my dog.”

Isz: “A living relic? I thought those were just old legends.”

Hindal: “Heh… everyone says that. And then they panic when they find out he’s an Immaculate.”

Isz widened his eyes in surprise.

Isz: “Where did you find him?”

Hindal: “I used to live near Minerado City. I played in the woods a lot as a kid. One day I heard barking, the trees shaking… I found Cerberus fighting a spectral creature and a shadow. They attacked me, and he defended me. Then he bit my hand and sealed the pact.”

They approached the witch’s cabin, but it was empty. A sudden blast of plasma struck them, followed by a cloud of blood-rain.

Isz: “Hindal, move! She can see us through the mist!”

The witch stared at them with inhuman focus, claiming she knew what they came for, but that she had nothing to do with the sacrifices.

Hindal rushed her, slashing her arm. Isz charged his weapon with a paralyzing shot, but the witch cast a blinding spell. She insisted the only ones she killed were the trackers, because they were attracting that unwanted being. And if the two boys didn’t want the same fate, they needed to leave.

Hindal smirked, and Cerberus lunged, overwhelming her and dispersing the mist from the entire region. Defeated and trembling, she begged for mercy, muttering:

Witch: “T-The Woman in Black… she’s coming… she must not reach me…”

Confused, Hindal and Isz exchanged a look.

Witch: “Too late… run…”

Her eyes began to bleed. Her skin peeled away like wet cloth, revealing she had transformed into a Devilhand.

Isz: “What the hell is happening?!”

He readied his spear and firearm.

Hindal: “Isz, strike the ground with your strongest lightning. Don’t aim, just do it!”

The Devilhand lunged, claws slicing the air. Cerberus howled at the moon, summoning a fireball that crashed down at the same moment Isz’s lightning exploded.

Hindal: “Give me your gun, Isz.”

Isz (shaken): “A-alright…”

Hindal fired a mercy shot into the creature. She whispered a faint “thank you” as she died.

Isz: “Why did she say that? And why was she warning us?”

Hindal: “Maybe because she wasn’t a Midnight Witch… and she was actually telling the truth.”

Frustration weighed heavy on Hindal, he couldn’t complete the mission with total success. But he already had a theory for the future.

Hindal: “This case really is tied to Midnight Witches… but I suspect they relocated and framed this other sorceress. My team died because we weren’t warned, but the raiders are gone. That’ll have to be enough for now. Thanks for the support, Isz. You handled yourself damn well out there. I’m sure your superiors know it.”

Isz: “Thanks… you and Cerberus fought incredibly too.”

They returned and filed their report, highlighting that the forest witch was innocent, yet the local newspapers still depicted her as responsible.

Hindal: “Where are you staying, Isz? I’m heading back to the trackers’ barracks. If you need a ride, come along. You can stay there, or at a hotel.”

Isz: “I’ll stay at the Church orphanage until the Scouts give further orders.”

Hindal: “Perfect. Hop in, I’ll drop you off. The orphanage is fifteen minutes from my barracks.”

The two rode off into the night, still haunted by one question:

Why did the media frame an innocent witch?