Helena’s heart thundered in her chest as the atmosphere shifted with sudden intensity. The tranquil morning light, so soft and golden just moments ago, dimmed to a chilling hue.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrWqGvazUw
Above, the sky burned with the eerie glow of dragons—one black as a void, the other blazing crimson.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVprjqevucP
The forest trembled beneath their presence. Midnight, the black dragon, soared with an ominous grace, his wings casting long, undulating shadows.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5npZ2LdnI
Ruby, the crimson dragon, circled beside him, her scales glinting with an otherworldly sheen, as if dipped in fire and blood.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmhzWNaRci
“Impossible...” The words clawed at Helena’s mind, each thought louder and more frantic than the last. Dragons... The Black and Crimson Dragons... How are they alive?
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3IaYeKCct
A single shout broke through the suffocating tension. “Everyone, regroup!” Helena’s voice rang sharp and commanding.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzy2kDY4oUE
Her team, already scrambling into defensive positions, clutched their weapons, but the weight of the creatures before them sapped their courage.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡegCr9kBUGR
Xia stood a distance away, her silver eyes aglow with a calm yet unrelenting determination. She neither flinched nor moved as Ruby descended beside her, landing with a thunderous grace.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwIGndVUZz
The dragon folded her massive wings like a queen dismissing her court, her presence radiating both power and precision. Above, Midnight hovered, his piercing gaze locking onto the group like a predator assessing prey.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBB9KPmYkBB
“Xia, this is reckless!” Ruby’s voice, resonant and sharp, echoed in her mind. The crimson dragon’s tone was laced with a mixture of exasperation and pride. “We told you to call for us if you were going to leave the hut. You’re putting yourself in danger.”
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1j1DsOy5AO
“We should leave before Baron Samedi becomes even angrier,” Ruby added.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRYGrXReWFi
Xia tilted her head slightly, her voice calm but resolute. “No. I need answers from them.”
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzBDh8JNzzH
The air seemed to shatter as Midnight descended, his landing shaking the ground and sending tremors through the earth.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbRjvicXpVd
Helena staggered but quickly regained her footing, her hand instinctively tightening on the hilt of her blade. Around her, the forest seemed to shrink under the dragon’s shadow, his towering form a dark omen of their impending doom.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNWlL9Dq2q
“Stand your ground!” Helena barked, her voice sharp and unyielding. “We’ve faced worse than this!”
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLMo8gjtGG
But even as she spoke, her resolve wavered. Midnight’s presence was overwhelming, his aura choking the very air around them.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAD62dIZ7bI
Ruby’s arrival only compounded the dread that seemed to seep into every corner of the forest. Helena’s heart raced as she fought to suppress the growing fear gnawing at her core.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4FU56f55Nm
From where she stood, Xia raised her chin, her voice cutting through the tension with a chilling clarity. “The princess of this empire,” she began, her words as sharp as the blade resting at her side. “I know you knew her well, Helena. Tell me—was she the Mother of Demons, Morah?”
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYTxfLtwut
______
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0r6fvlJtd
The question hung in the air, heavy with implication.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12Wmce8gHS
Helena froze, her instincts screaming at her to retreat, to flee from the overwhelming danger before her. But pride, coupled with an unshakable sense of duty, anchored her to the spot.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIEqg9DDBll
Her raven-black blade glinted as she raised it, signaling her team to prepare for battle.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbT3jfrvQ03
“You have no right to speak her name,” she spat, her voice low and venomous.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJEwWHXwWR
“So, it’s her,” Xia murmured, the words carrying a quiet finality. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, and her resolve seemed to harden.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZuHtwA74X
Ruby unleashed a deafening roar, the sound reverberating through the forest, shaking the very core of the earth. Midnight flared his wings, his eyes blazing with unspoken fury.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEADSeSXDw
The clash was inevitable.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8QGjlnBrOD
As Helena steadied her stance, the forest seemed to hold its breath, bearing witness to an ancient and fearsome confrontation—one whose echoes would reverberate through its roots for generations to come.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuF6W57Zst2
"Those dragons…"
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ae67i88eW
Her voice trembled, barely more than a whisper as her wide eyes remained fixed on the two colossal beings dominating the skies.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NHH9HpM5T
"Impossible…" she murmured, her thoughts tangled in disbelief.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ97J83KANmW
Her gaze shifted between the celestial creatures, the weight of their presence pressing down on her like a storm. "How… how can she command such beings?" The words escaped her lips, barely audible, her mind reeling at the enormity of the revelation.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCR0zCJkfV4
These were no mere beasts—they were forces of nature, living embodiments of the divine. And yet, they obeyed her. It was unthinkable.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnOyjJ9u80
"You call yourself a priestess?" Ruby sneered, her voice sharp and scornful.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hV4qD8b2e
"A priestess whose soul is darker than Baron Samedi himself," Midnight added, his laugh dripping with malice, echoing through the trees like a sinister melody.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloenEui7KN
"Are you Ruby and Midnight?" Helena asked, her voice calm despite the turmoil within her. Her gaze shifted to the majestic dragons, where Xia stood between them as though showing the world who was truly in command.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CUBzaBRy1
"What’s your business with us, demon?" Midnight grinned, his teeth gleaming with mischief. "I can’t help but feel drawn to devour your broken soul. Tell me, who did you sell it to?" he added, his voice laced with cruel amusement.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzvEbUGPIc
Helena’s expression remained resolute. "Tell Morah what you saw today. Tell her everything. I mean everything."
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTC9rpdal51
As her voice cut through the tension, the willow forest stirred. Its movements were unnatural, like a shifting illusion. The air grew heavy with magic as Helena and her group found themselves moving farther and farther away from Xia, no matter how hard they tried to resist.
7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseNAcLBd71
