Prologue

"Urgent! Urgent!"

Audrie Bramfiled was sitting inside his room when he heard the call outside. He opened his door, and a messenger approached him.

"Sir Audrie, an order from the Knight Commander!" Said the messenger, "A witch was spotted approaching the eastern watchtower. Please prepare your squad and support the garrison immediately."

As soon as he heard the command, he hurriedly sprinted out of the room and gathered the knights. It was near midnight, but the Winterkeep Fortress was full of noises as the knights armed themselves.

"Attention! There is a mission for us to get rid of the witch in the east watchtower. We will kill the witch and keep everyone safe!" He declared, "Pack up your gear and remember your position in the linear formation!

They started marching towards the watchtower and prepared themselves for the upcoming fight. The knights all knew they might die, but it needed to be done to keep the people safe.

"There is no need to worry." He encouraged them, "The enemy might be powerful, but we have the advantage in number." The Knights regained their spirit and continue marching forward.

But was it that easy? As they opened the watchtower door, they were caught off guard by the sight they saw. Vines were crawling inside the walls, big trees breaking the buildings, but what surprised them the most was witnessing the watchtower's guards fighting each other.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Still puzzled at the situation, Audrie started shouting. "Why are you guys still standing here?! Go stop them for me!!"

But no one responded. His words didn't reach them, and the squad was still standing there. He tried to command them, but it was hopeless. He didn't felt like he was talking to a human. Their eyes were lifeless as they started moving toward him. It was like soldiers who haven't eaten for months looking for food. But then a mysterious figure showed itself during the chaos.

"W-Who are you?! Are you the one that's doing this?" His speech stuttered as he saw the figure moving down from the stairs.

One step, two steps, three steps... The steps were getting louder every time. It was like experiencing a nightmare. Never in his life has he felt the verge of death so close to him. Not even in all of the dangerous missions and adventures that he has gone to. He tried to charge forward, but he couldn't take a single step. Then the figure spoke.

"Even the smallest sin that you commit can have enormous consequences back to you." The figure spoke in a monotonous voice, "You have taken everything from me, it's fair for me to take it back."

Audrie could see the face inside the figure. It was a girl with beautiful eyes, the color of sapphire and emerald. He couldn't see it clearly, but he was sure that he saw the same lifeless eyes just like the knights. But in his heart, it felt different. It felt like he was in tranquility all along, and none of this was real. But that feeling didn't last long...

The witch waved her hand, and the space around him started shifting as his vision started to blurred. Bewildered, he started talking to himself. "Hmm? Where am I? Wasn't I fighting the witch? What happened?" He tried to move, but he couldn't. It felt like he has become a statue. He started losing consciousness, and before long, he has already lost control of himself...