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8 - War to End
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MAD END'S DECEPTION 9 - Awakening
Long ago, mindless beasts from distant realms breached this world. They were ravenous, draining the air and water, turning the planet into a wasteland.To resolve the crisis, the Shining Keeper, a being from the celestial planes, descended to the mortal realm. The plan was to craft vessels to house souls pivotal in sealing the cosmic breach. Those vessels would later be known as Lower Mortals, identified as Humans.To make the world habitable, the beasts had to be exterminated first. So the Shining Keeper created the Salamanders—Higher Mortals born of fire—to fulfill this task. They succeeded. Yet, she deemed them too barbaric and unfit to become the guardians of Humans.She fashioned a gentler and more docile successor. The Sylphs—Higher Mortals born of air—were tasked with eradicating the first race and replacing them as guardians.But the Salamanders defended their existence.Now, through ages untold, the Salamanders and Sylphs are engaged in an endless war, trapped in a fragment o
MAD END'S DECEPTION 10 - War You Started
Six Months Ago (Part 1.2)GILDEONHe sprang to his feet, slipping into his trousers before joining Kohina outside. They stood together, looking down at their camp in the ravine below. Captive sylphs lay scattered around like cattle awaiting slaughter. Compared to their state, the cattle would’ve been more fortunate to meet a swifter and more dignified end.They said the Shining Keeper had shackled the sylphs’ emotions to maintain control over them, rendering them docile. But beneath the moonlight, Gildeon could see how those sylphs’ eyes, varying in shades of blue, glimmered with unease. Their lithe bodies shivered. He could smell their suppressed terror from atop the cliff.His gut twisted as he watched the scene below. Male and female sylphs lined up against the ravine wall, clothes torn, backs bared. Lash after lash from spiked whips tore into their skin, nearly flaying them alive.Some might argue this was mere retaliation for what their comrades had suffered. But as the acrid ste
MAD END'S DECEPTION 11 - Come to Me Then
Six Months Ago (Part 2.1)GILDEONHe smashed through the metal gates with a deafening roar, turning the garrison entrance into a chaotic mess of stone and steel. Towers crumbled, columns toppled, and bodies were trampled under his feet as he charged ahead.His dragon was hungry for destruction.His senses sharpened, locking onto the warrior sylphs and spellcaster sylphs in their whites and blues. They stood frozen, trying to maintain stoic faces, but he could see the confusion in their eyes, could practically taste their fear. This was likely their first time to see a dragon up close. Baring his teeth, he snarled, sending another wave of terror through them. Behind him, he felt the salamanders crashing through the wreckage, knocking down enemy sylphs. Some fought with blades, while others had shifted into their beast forms, slashing with claws and whipping their tails around. Before him, the spellcaster sylphs reacted first. Their hands formed reverse triangles in front of their stom
MAD END'S DECEPTION 12 - Keep Her to Himself
Six Months Ago (Part 2.2)GILDEONThe stench of death faded, replaced by the sharp smell of burning electricity. Ghulik squirmed against Gildeon's back, his tiny voice trembling.“What is Master doing? Master is going to Mad End's Wall. Master is already maaad!”The goblin jumped off, but Gildeon didn’t bother looking back to see where he scampered off. With a firm grip on the reins, he slowed the horse, needing a clear view of the chaos ahead.The trail widened, the trees thinning out until he reached a vast stretch of drylands. The ground was reddish-brown, cracked, and lifeless, stretching to the horizon where a wall of dazzling lights towered. Colors swirled together, creating a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic effect. It was as high as five men stacked on top of each other. He could hear its hum and feel the air sizzle, close enough to tingle his skin.Beyond the wall of lights, an even higher obsidian rock wall loomed, its peak lost in the sky. They said beyond that wall was the end
MAD END'S DECEPTION 13 - Don't Try to Stop Me
Six Months Ago (Part 3)GILDEONAraheen. That was her name. He couldn't grasp why her name stirred something deep within him—an inexplicable urge to possess her. From now on, she'd be his wife. At least until he'd taken what he needed from her.They found an abandoned sylph watchtower a few miles from the Mad End’s Wall. It was where he’d taken Araheen. They would be safe here. For now.Using the tip of his shortsword, he drew Kohina’s summon sigil on the rust-colored earth, muttering her name under his steam-charged breath. He needed her help to set his plans in motion, and Kohina was the only salamander he could trust with his secrets.Afterward, he settled onto the windowsill, one leg propped against the frame. While waiting for Kohina, he inspected the sigil needle he’d picked up earlier. Silver, with a finial patterned after an owl, its eyes set with sapphires. The tip was sharp enough to prick his fingertip. Other than that, it looked just like the hair sticks Kohina often used.
MAD END'S DECEPTION 14 - Witch Lady
PresentGILDEONFor days, he'd been waiting for that powerful witch to make another move. So far, no danger had come Arah’s way, which meant one of two things: either they hadn’t traced the sylph magic back to her yet, or they were already aware and were just smart enough to bide their time.With no class today, it was perfect timing when he received news about another body turning up dead—someone who probably bore Arah’s Clover Wish too. He had to see it for himself. So, without wasting time, he drove straight to the fishing village and met up with the fisherman he had helped before.“You told me to call you if any strange jellyfish attacks came up around here,” Donny said, leading him to the far end of the shore. “Over there, Mr. Ayadi. I didn’t know what to do at first.”They trudged past boulders and fallen trees, remnants of last year’s typhoon. The low tide exposed algae-coated rocks, and even from this distance, Gildeon caught the stench of something rotten.“Master, Ghulik sme
MAD END'S DECEPTION 15 - Only A Monster
ARAH“You haven’t broken the lock yet?” Tonio's curious eyes bore into her after she admitted she couldn't get into Gildeon’s study. Of course, she left out the steamy details that now distracted her, making her heart race. Her tattoo machine hung idle as she fought to drown out the memory of her husband's lustful gaze, the intense sounds he made, and how he came hard into her mouth...She was embarrassed to even be thinking about these things while working next to her friend.‘Get it together, Arah. Save those thoughts for later,' she scolded herself.“I thought you’d have managed to peek inside by now.” Tonio’s voice broke through her reverie.“I haven’t had a chance to try again,” she replied, steadying her voice and refocusing on the cursive name stenciled on Tonio’s forearm. The delicate lines of ‘Patricia’ were a welcome distraction. “He added a new lock. It’s tricky. He’d know if I touched it.”For all she knew, Gildeon could've also installed a spy camera somewhere in the hous
MAD END'S DECEPTION 16 - His to Claim
GILDEONHe trudged up the narrow dirt trail, eyes locked on the abandoned farmhouse behind the broken wooden fence. It was laughable how people spun stories about this place, scaring the shit out of themselves. Haunted, they said. The rumor was that the old woman who died here had cursed the land—anyone who dared set foot inside would end up dead. That kept most folks away, speeding up as they passed the hill.To him, it sounded like the perfect hideout for someone on the run, like Roselia. Except now, she’d made him hike up the trail five times, never letting him reach the farmhouse gates.He halted, panting a little. He’d indulged her vindictive theatrics long enough. “You can stop this stunt now, Roselia!” he shouted, hands on his hips. “Let me in, or I’ll start burning this place down.”Right on cue, a middle-aged woman in a violet dress appeared at the top of the trail, her long copper hair swaying in the breeze. Her lips were pursed, hands clasped in front.“What do you need, My
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