The One after my Heart

Just when Kyra had given all hope in getting through the night, this mysterious man showed up here in front of her now.

"That must be the brat from the famous Greenwood family", the man said as he looked towards Kyra's left side, taking note of Nisa and her blonde hair and then continued, "... ahh...yes.. and that must be the annoying Vandermire witch over there then. Look at them radiating in all their splendour like a firefly on this beautiful night", the man devilishly grinned as he saw Bree, who was on the other end.

Despite his sarcastic comments somehow, she intuitively felt that this person was not here to harm her, at least not temporarily, not for now. Her chances of getting away from here would probably depend on him.

She noticed him looking with a curious expression on his face at the skulls that were now floating two feet above the ground next to her. They were set ablaze with a greenish fire and slowly levitating in the air. He tried to step into the circle but then noticed some sort of barrier keeping him out. He then looked back at the skulls, seemingly realising something a thoughtful expression flashed across his handsome face.

"Please save the little girl. She just ran into the woods a few minutes ago. She's just an innocent little girl", Kyra implored the man in black with a begging look in her eyes.

"Ohh. And why would I do that?" the man turned to look at her.

"You should know I never do anything for free. What's the price you are ready to pay in return, beautiful?", he said with a teasing tone seemingly in no hurry at all.

By now, Nisa's body started glowing with a radiant golden light around her wrapped around her like a cocoon. Meanwhile, on the other side, Bree was now surrounded by a fierce glow of a hazy metallic brown colour.

"A..any..thing...just...just h-help herr", replied Kyra in a slurred voice as she felt herself getting dizzy and felt a wave of weakness spread through her and her body began to twitch.

"Anything? Are you really sure?", he asked with a serious look on his face as he looked at her.

"Yes...anything. Just hurry up and save her. She ran into the woods just a few minutes ago." pleaded Kyra.

"Don't regret it later, because you said it yourself", the man in black said with a small triumphant smile appearing on his face, but then at the next moment, he noticed Kyra slowly losing her consciousness before she blacked out.

"Annoying witches and their annoying magic", he muttered with an annoyed expression on his face as his expression turned cold and serious.

"Alright big guy, let's get to work. Kill the old hag", the man dressed in black commanded at the last straggler who was on his knees.

With a flash, the gold-hilted knife that was lodged in Osraan's heart removed itself and flew into the air ending up in his hand. He fiercely slashed down at one of the skulls that were levitating in the air. To his surprise, it didn't break open, leaving just cracks on the surface, but that didn't faze him. In a split second, he delivered multiple slashes on top of the skull that was set between Kyra and Nisa.

At the same time, Bartem, who was on his knees, propped himself up and took out his broad blade as he ran in towards the dark witch. He stabbed, aiming at the old witchs' heart.

But then, at the next moment, a barrier formed on the witch's body thus preventing the knife from stabbing her. But that didn't stop the large man as he repeatedly pulled back his arm and tried stabbing at the old woman's heart.

Although this move didn't kill the witch, it did succeed in disturbing her trance. The cocoon of light seemed to have violently fluctuated on both Nisa and Bree's bodies as it dimmed.

Perhaps it was because old Barlow's trance was disturbed that the skull which the man in black was attacking Kyra's right side burst open finally with the green flames from the socket spilling out, burning the skulls themselves.

"Sorry gorgeous, but you'll have to suffer for a bit more.", he muttered as he made a quick decision.

Without hesitating, he appeared at the skull that was placed between Nisa and Kyra and hacked down with the knife. In a single slash, the skull broke as it combusted into green flames, turning into ashes like the previous one.

"No!" bellowed the old witch as her eyes opened in a fury. "What did you do!?" she slammed her frail palm against Bartem's chest. The beefy straggler's chest collapsed inwards as he was pushed ten feet backwards.

But then, at the next second, like a wild animal, he sprinted back towards the witch ignoring his wound with heavy with his blade raised, aiming to stab her.

Meanwhile, the cocoon of light that Nisa was enclosed within seemed to have shattered and completely vanished into thin air, and her eyes jerked open.

"Y-you...but how-" She noticed the man in black who was looking at her, but before she could ask him anything, he hurriedly pulled her down from the stone table and interrupted her, pointing in Bree's direction as he whispered.

"Little Brat, you'll find your little sister a thousand steps away in that direction. I suggest you hurry up before the wild beasts get to her and make a nice meal out of her. Hurry up!"

Nisa's eyes went wide as she heard the man, and she didn't need any second reminder before she sprinted into the forest looking for her sister without any second thoughts.

"Typical Greenwood. So lovable", the man in black chuckled to himself and then looked at Bree, who was beginning to stir awake. With Nisa taken out of the formation, the spell had obviously failed since she was after all the crux of the entire spell. Bree's light cocoon shattered and her eyebrows scrunched up as she was about to wake up.

On the other end, as these events were happening at the same time, the old witch, who was furious, shrieked as she thrust her cane at the incoming Bartem, who was trying to kill her as she bellowed," Vortex blast".

Immediately from the tip of her cane, there was a release of energy like a cannon. It seemed more like air compressed at extremely high pressure into a twisting vortex as it was shot outwards horizontally. It hit Bartem squarely in the chest once more, but this time, leaving a gaping hole through the centre of his body as the attack passed through like a huge cannonball. The last straggler finally took his breath as his corpse was blown away back into the dark woods by the pressure.

"You!" the dark witch panted with huge gasps as she finally turned towards the cause of her failure and pointed her cane towards the man in black. Her figure seemed to have grown even paler. "You did this!"

"Excellent choice of place to have a witchy-witch slumber party. Though you're a little old for this. Don't you think so, grandma?" replied the man in black with a smirk on his face. Bree, who'd managed to wake up by now, took in her surroundings. She noticed the absence of the greenwood sisters and glanced at the man in black warily. She frowned as she saw Kyra, who seemed unconscious even now and hadn't woken up even though the formation was broken.

She rushed towards Kyra's side and stood near her head in a protective stance, and shook her in order to wake her up.

The dark witch immediately noticed her movements and waved her skull in her left hand towards the two women as she muttered, "Sieze".

But this time, Bree was prepared as she immediately shouted,' Earth shield'.

A brown opaque wall in the shape of a tortoise sprung immediately around her, and the stone table Kyra was on. In the next moment, there were screeching and tearing noises on the barrier wall as though sharp nails were clawing on smooth glass.

Old lady Barlow had by now noticed Nisa missing amongst them. The girl must've escaped, she thought to herself. She kept the skull in her left hand pointed at the barrier Bree had erected up.

The skull seemed to have started glowing green like the one's in the formation earlier, but this one seemed to be stronger as green flames blazed out from the empty sockets. 'That should keep the brat occupied,' she thought to herself, turning her attention to the man in black who looked at her with an amused smile.

Looking at his expression in hatred as she spewed, "You're the one who did this. It took months of preparation to finally get my hands on the bloodline of a greenwood. Die!"

'Dark vortex tornado!'

The energy cannon blast around twenty meters wide with a colossal bang blasted outwards, destroying everything on its way for more than a hundred meters.

The man in black's eyes went wide in shock to react. "No! Wait! Don't"

The ground was upturned, trees were uprooted with everything getting splintered into pieces on the way.

The man in black's body was nowhere to be found in sight along the wide long trench that was now formed on the ground trailing into the distance.

"Damn annoying flies." Old lady Barlow said as she gave a vicious look and gave out a satisfied grunt looking at the ravaged land and forest as she looked at the scene ahead.