Engulf the Witch

Helmut could no longer move.

He lay upon the cold ground with his face turned against the earth, his body refusing every command his mind gave it. He tried to raise his hand, to move his fingers, even to turn his head, but nothing responded. It was as though an invisible weight had been placed upon every part of him, holding him completely still. The flames of the Inferno that had surrounded his body only moments ago had almost disappeared. He could still hear something in the distance, the sounds of battle and distant screams, but they seemed to be coming from an impossibly faraway place. Slowly, those sounds faded until there was nothing left.

Helmut looked around with his eyes.

The clearing was gone.

Nobody’s around, friends and foes.

The Dark Brocken Forest itself had vanished, replaced by an empty darkness that stretched endlessly in every direction. Helmut could not understand what had happened. He was certain that he had been fighting Walpurgis only moments ago, so why was he suddenly alone? He attempted to move again, but his body remained completely paralyzed.

Then he heard footsteps.

It was slow and measured.

Someone was approaching him.

Helmut’s heart tightened.

The footsteps continued until a figure appeared in the darkness. At first, Helmut could only see a pair of boots, then the person’s legs, their body, and finally their face as they stopped directly in front of him.

The figure lowered his head.

Helmut’s eyes widened.

It was Luger.

His oldest friend stood before him with the same familiar face Helmut remembered from Vaterden, except there was something deeply wrong about the smile spreading across it.

"Hello there, old friend."

Helmut’s expression immediately hardened.

Anger began spreading through him, pushing aside the confusion that had overwhelmed him moments earlier.

"What is going on?" Helmut demanded. "What have you done to me?"

Luger smiled.

"Me? You already believe that I’m doing this to you?"

He crouched down beside Helmut.

"Well, you aren’t wrong."

Luger’s smile widened.

"I did put a spell on you."

"A spell?" Helmut asked. "What are you, a mage?"

"Assuming I’m a mage?"

"You have magic."

Luger laughed quietly.

"We all have magic, you fool. That is probably the stupidest thing you could say."

Helmut’s eyes narrowed.

"We’re warriors. We have mana stored within our bodies, enough to enhance our physical abilities and strengthen our attacks, but we aren’t capable of casting spells like wizards, mages, or witches. So how are you—"

Luger interrupted him with another laugh.

"Still trying to understand everything."

He sat down beside Helmut as though they were simply two old friends talking.

"Making a deal with a devil does make a person look bad," Luger said. "But it was worth it. I needed enough power to finally get rid of you once and for all."

Helmut stared at him.

"Why?"

The question escaped him more quietly than he expected.

"Why have you done this?"

Luger looked at him.

"We were friends."

Helmut’s anger returned.

"Then you betrayed me. You killed innocent people just to frame me. You could have accomplished whatever you wanted yourself, but instead you dragged everyone else into it. You destroyed their lives and mine."

Luger smiled.

"The worst has only just begun."

Helmut’s expression changed.

"What does that mean?"

Luger did not answer.

Instead, he reached behind himself and pulled out two swords.

Helmut’s eyes widened.

Luger stood and moved behind him.

Helmut could feel the swords being positioned above his body.

Then Luger turned him onto his back.

The first blade pierced his stomach.

Pain exploded through Helmut.

He screamed.

Luger began cutting through him with terrifying calmness, the blades tearing through his body while Helmut remained completely unable to defend himself. Blood spread across the ground and splattered against his face. Every movement of the swords brought another wave of pain, until Helmut could no longer tell where his body ended and the agony began.

His tears mixed with the blood running down his cheeks.

He couldn’t tell what was real anymore.

The world around him began to blur.

His breathing became weaker.

Am I dying?

The thought appeared in his mind.

How can this be real?

Then a woman’s voice answered him.

"Because it isn’t."

Luger suddenly stopped.

Something struck him from behind.

A burst of flame sent him flying across the darkness.

A feminine figure stood between Luger and Helmut.

She was completely engulfed in fire.

Her hair floated around her head as though it were made from living flames, and the heat surrounding her distorted the darkness. Helmut could not see her face clearly, but he could see the outline of her body approaching him.

She knelt beside him.

A burning hand gently touched his face.

"You forget."

Her voice was strangely familiar.

"You are me, and I am you."

Helmut stared at her.

"You are the chosen one of the Inferno Krone. I will not allow you to die because of a curse."

The flames around her face shifted.

For an instant, Helmut saw something that frightened him more than the fire itself.

There’s the crimson smile.

It was cunning and almost cruel.

And somehow, it reminded him of himself.

The figure leaned closer.

"Rise."

Helmut’s vision began fading.

The last thing he saw was the burning woman standing between him and Luger.

Then everything became black.

Heat returned to his body.

His eyes opened.

"Helmut!"

Someone was shouting his name.

He heard Zorna.

The sound pulled him back into reality.

Helmut gasped and immediately felt something crushing his body.

Walpurgis had him.

The Moon Witch’s body was wrapped around him, her white clothing holding him tightly against her while her mouth remained unnaturally open. Some kind of dark energy was being drawn from his body and disappearing into her. Helmut could feel the Inferno itself being pulled away from him, as though something were draining the fire from his soul.

Zorna was shouting his name from somewhere nearby.

Helmut tried to move.

Nothing happened.

Then he remembered the burning woman.

You are me, and I am you.

The Inferno suddenly erupted.

Flames burst from Helmut’s body with such force that Walpurgis recoiled. The temperature became unbearable, even for her, and she was forced to release him as the fire began burning through her white robe.

Helmut fell to the ground.

His armor glowed brighter.

The Inferno surged through him.

He slowly stood.

Walpurgis attempted to retreat.

Helmut extended one hand.

Dark charcoaled chains suddenly erupted from his armor.

They flew through the air and wrapped around Walpurgis’s body, binding her arms and legs before pulling her toward him. She struggled desperately, but the chains tightened around her.

Helmut stared at her through the flames.

"Burn with me."

The Inferno exploded.

Fire spread across Helmut’s armor and into the chains, then traveled directly toward Walpurgis. The flames engulfed her white clothing and surrounded her entire body.

Everyone stopped fighting for a moment.

Hans stared.

Even the Kolossal Knight remained motionless.

Zorna could only watch as Helmut stood within the center of the inferno, his burning skull facing the Moon Witch while flames consumed them both.

Hans had seen Helmut’s Inferno form before.

This it was different, because it’s something far more terrifying.

The Walpurgis screamed.

Her voice echoed throughout the forest, but there was desperation within it now. The creature that had seemed untouchable only moments ago was struggling against the flames of the Inferno, and gradually her scream became weaker.

The fire continued burning.

Then Helmut’s arms moved.

He pulled Walpurgis closer.

For a brief moment, through the enormous flames, the others could see only their silhouettes.

It looked almost like Helmut was embracing her.

Then Helmut spoke.

"Enough."

The flames began to disappear.

The Inferno withdrew from the clearing, leaving behind drifting embers and smoke.

Walpurgis fell.

Her body struck the ground, and for several seconds she did not move.

Helmut stood above her.

The Moon Witch was still alive.

Her white robe was damaged, her body covered in burns, and the bandage remained wrapped around her eyes. Her breathing was weak, but she had survived the Inferno.

Helmut looked toward Zorna.

He extended his hand.

Zorna immediately understood.

She pulled the curved dagger from her side and threw it toward him.

Helmut caught it.

Hans watched silently.

He still did not understand what Helmut intended to do, but after everything he had witnessed, he no longer trusted himself to predict the answer.

Helmut walked toward the fallen Walpurgis.

She tried to move.

The charcoaled chains remained wrapped around her.

Helmut raised the dagger.

His mind returned to everything that had happened since he had first found Krone. He had died once. He had returned from Hell. He had raised warriors from the dead. He had created pacts with those who joined his army, and with every new servant, the Inferno seemed to become stronger within him.

Now another powerful being lay before him.

Walpurgis had once been the object of the witches’ worship.

She had been their goddess, their weapon, and the reason they had sacrificed so many children.

But she survived his flames.

And Helmut had another use for her.

He pressed the dagger against her chest.

"Erhebe Dich, Walpurgis."

The flames around Helmut’s skull rose higher.

"The fire of Inferno grants you a Second Turn."

He brought the dagger down.

"Become my Bishop."