In the small kingdom of Kaik, far from the bloody wars between Alik, Arcaladia and Veztuo, a family of mercenaries lived in the shadows. Flarinteo, a powerful sorcerer, and Marak Lem, the last Fairy Queen of the world, lived in a refuge where peace and danger coexisted. But this couple was known for their cruelty and lack of scruples; they accepted any mission, no matter if their victims were humans, beasts, or even other feeric beings. Wherever they went, they left a trail of hatred and fear. Their reputation as murderers and traitors had spread like a black shadow that followed them, making them wanted and pursued everywhere.

In this hostile environment marked by violence, their daughters were born, first Lariel, and then, some time later, Liffel. Marak Lem had placed great hopes in Lariel, longing for the fairy traits, the signs of the magical and mystical heritage of her lineage, to manifest in her. However, when he saw that his firstborn did not show the essence he had hoped for, disappointment began to settle in his heart. This disappointment only intensified when Liffel was born. To Marak Lem, little Liffel brought even fewer fey traits, as if the fairy lineage was fading with her.

One night, the tension between the parents reached its breaking point. In a dark, silent room, with the lights of a few candles, the conflict erupted.

Flarinteo, his voice trembling with rage, turned to his wife: “How can you even consider abandoning your own daughter?

Marak Lem looked at him, her eyes shining with the determination of someone who had already made up her mind. -I need a worthy successor, someone who really is the Queen of the Fairies. Lariel is our best choice. She has more fairy traits, and I can cultivate that power in her.

Flarinteo clenched his fists, his voice turning grim: “And that's why you have to leave us? -His words seemed to be choked with anger and pain.

-It's more important than you think, Flarinteo. A fit Fairy Queen is essential to maintain the balance of the world,” Marak Lem replied, walking away.

Flarinteo looked at her, amazed at the coldness of her answer.He could not believe his ears.-What a stupid thing to say! -he spat, frustrated and bitter.

Marak Lem sighed, as if it was beyond any explanation he could offer. Silently, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Flarinteo alone, the echo of his last words echoing in the gloom.

Marak Lem knew his decision would be hard, but, in his mind, it was the only way to ensure the survival of his legacy. Despite his apparent coldness, he firmly believed that this separation was the only possible sacrifice to protect Lariel and prepare her for the role that destiny had in store for her as Queen of the Faeries. However, Lariel, while still a child, was deeply pained to be separated from her little sister, Liffel. She knew that Liffel would not understand her departure, and the thought of leaving her behind brought tears to her eyes, which she tried hard to hide.

Thus, in a cold dawn, Marak Lem departed with Lariel, leaving the shelter in absolute silence. Flarinteo, who had done everything possible to keep his family together, remained beside little Liffel, watching helplessly as the two figures disappeared into the darkness. The absence of Marak and Lariel marked the beginning of a path of shadows, wounds for Liffel and her father, one that both would have to walk without explanation or comfort.

Liffel was unique, a hybrid between witch and fairy, a mix of power that made her special and, at the same time, dangerous in the eyes of the world. She was born with one eye of each lineage: the right, yellow and bright, was her witch's eye, a trait inherited from Flarinteo, her father. The left, however, was red and fiery, the fairy eye that allowed her to see the souls of living beings and to know the truth behind their words, a gift that only a Fairy Queen could pass on. But Liffel lacked wings, an absence that her mother had interpreted as a sign of weakness, leading her to make the drastic decision to leave her behind.

With the departure of Marak and Lariel, Flarinteo knew that Liffel's future required a special guide, someone who could teach her to control her gifts and protect her from those who sought to take advantage of her lineage. In his search for a refuge for his daughter, he remembered an old ally of great power: Celestia, a witch of half-breed lineage like himself, rumored to be the last of a line of astral witches. Celestia ran an orphanage in neutral territory, far from the wars and the inquisitive eyes of the world.

On a gray and rainy day, Flarinteo made his way to Celestia's orphanage. Hidden under a torn cloak and a mask that barely allowed his eyes to be seen, he arrived at the place in silence, determined to protect his daughter, no matter the cost.

Celestia was waiting for him with her intense and penetrating gaze. Her blue hair fell elegantly over her right shoulder, and her eyes radiated a mixture of mystery and authority. Her right eye, of a deep purple hue, seemed to contemplate everything from a perspective beyond the human; while in the left one shone a four-pointed star, a mark that, it was said, could make those who looked at it feel trapped in the vastness of infinity. Two line-shaped tattoos under her eyes completed her imposing figure. Dressed in elegant attire, her demeanor conveyed an overflowing confidence, as if behind her smile she always kept a plan.

image [https://i.ibb.co/q1n5V6M/Celestia.png]

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Flarinteo bowed his head and began to talk to her about Liffel's situation, explaining his fears and the need to protect his daughter. Celestia listened to him attentively, and in the end, she nodded with a tone of concern, but also with deep empathy.

-I understand the situation,” said Celestia, keeping her gaze fixed on him. I will help you. That's what we're here for, Flarinteo; we half-breed bloodlines must support each other. We are like brothers. Since most of the witch bloodlines died out, there are only seven noble bloodlines left, and ours, the half-breeds, are the most powerful. Although our bloods are mixed, we share the same destiny. -Her tone was solemn, and in her eyes shone a spark of commitment.

Flarinteo felt relief at Celestia's words, but also a pang of apprehension. He knew that, although Celestia had accepted Liffel, his daughter's path would not be easy in a world that distrusted witches and those with such peculiar powers. The rain pounded against the windows of the orphanage, as the two sealed a silent agreement, one that would ensure Liffel a new opportunity to grow up and understand who she was, away from fear and persecution.

The rain continued to fall heavily, creating a gray curtain that shrouded the orphanage in an air of mystery. Flarinteo and Celestia stood under the shelter of the porch, their words intertwining in a conversation laden with tension and dark agreements. Flarinteo, with the calm of one accustomed to the shadows of war, nodded at the mention of his long duration.

-Yes, true,” he said, in a calm voice. This war is lasting too long.

he storm continued to lash the orphanage, the sound of the rain drowning out any murmur of the night. Under the porch roof, Celestia and Flarinteo stared at each other in silence. The air was thick with tension, as each weighed the secrets they would share and the favors they would ask of each other.

Celestia, in her steady voice and without taking her eyes off Flarinteo, broke the silence.

-I will allow your daughter to stay here until she turns sixteen,” she declared, with no trace of doubt in her tone. Then she will have to fend for herself. My relatives will look after the orphanage in the meantime; I will be here alone from time to time. I have discovered, at last, how to break my seal, that accursed spell the ancestral wizard cast on us 500 years ago. -He paused, his voice cracking momentarily with the weight of that history that marked them all. A curse passed down from generation to generation, limiting the power of all witch lineages. -His eyes flashed with an anger that seemed to burn from the center of his soul.

Flarinteo looked up, attentive, but not surprised.

-Go ahead, tell me what you need.

Celestia smiled a cold smile, but her expression became somber.

-You must find the traitor, the Ash Witch, and destroy her. She has been conspiring with humans and the Xenon to exterminate the remaining witch bloodlines. I know her weakness, and I will tell you about it.

Celestia approached and, in a low voice, revealed the Ash Witch's secret to Flarinteo, her eyes filled with rancor.

Flarinteo nodded, processing the new task in silence.

-Flarinteo nodded, processing the new task in silence. If that's all, I'll leave,” he replied, turning toward the exit.

But before he could take a step, Celestia added, with a sharp smile and an intense gaze:

-Remember, if you don't kill her before the next lunar eclipse, I'll have to kill you and your whole family. Of course, I trust that won't be necessary, will it?

You're the best assassin, aren't you? All for the brotherhood.

Flarinteo responded with a slight nod and a parting gesture, raising his hand back as he walked away in the rain.

After that meeting, Flarinteo, although worried, made the decision to leave Liffel in Celestia's care. He knew that his daughter would be safer at the orphanage, away from the dangerous entities that haunted him. However, he couldn't help a knot of unease at parting from her.

During her time at the orphanage, Liffel made a special friendship with Lafy, a young water witch of a lower bloodline. Lafy was cheerful and loyal, and her presence filled Liffel's days with warmth and she found in her a respite from loneliness. The two shared dreams and secrets, and their friendship became an inseparable bond, a source of support and companionship.

Meanwhile, Celestia set out for unknown lands, beyond the southern borders of Kaik, in her quest for freedom and revenge against the spell that limited her power. Without her presence at the orphanage, life went on for Liffel, who was completely unaware of the dark promises and deadly commission her father had accepted in exchange for her protection.

Over the years, the orphanage began to empty. One by one, her childhood companions left, and eventually, so did her best friend, Lafy, who went with her family, leaving Liffel in an ever-deepening loneliness. By the time she turned sixteen, Liffel knew she could no longer stay there, and decided to leave. She headed for the nearest town, where she saw recruitment posters for the army of Arcaladia. The kingdom was looking for warriors, witches and any talent that could serve in the war, and promised rewards and ranks to those who excelled.

Although the idea of joining the war generated some rejection, Liffel understood that it would be her chance to earn money, to have an independent life and, perhaps, to be reunited with her sister Lariel, whom she had not seen since childhood. Before venturing to the front lines, Liffel spent a year hunting in the forests of Kaik and Veztuo, honing his skills and earning some money. After that year, he set out on the journey to the recruiting area in Arcaladia, a long and lonely journey that took him another year.

Upon arrival, she met Caysus, a soldier with whom she quickly felt a strange connection, but she didn't have time to delve into it. In the midst of her preparation, she received news that her sister Lariel was already part of the army. Lariel tried to contact her, but fate and the chaos of war prevented them from being able to meet at the draft. Despite her frustration, Liffel continued, and soon her skill made her one of the most prominent witches in the troops of Arcaladia, renowned for both her combat prowess and the unique power of her half-breed lineage.

The war continued for a year and Liffel was forged in the heat of battle. In the midst of these memories, a mysterious echo began to resonate in her mind, a strange voice whispering temptations.

Liffel, lost in her sleep, found herself reliving fragments of her life that she barely understood. Thoughts of conversations between her father and Celestia, words that were foreign to her, floated through her mind. She had been only a newborn, unable to understand the weight of those secrets. But now, as she pondered, she began to hear a mysterious voice, a whispering temptation coiling in her mind.

-If you let me have your body, I could break your magic seal... together we could be more powerful.

The revelation shook her with force. She awoke with a jolt, as if she had just escaped from a nightmare. Her body trembled, every fiber of her being was shaken by an inexplicable fear. With a start, she opened her eyes, and the world around her became clear, but the cold sensation lingered on her skin, as if a shadow had left its mark.

That sensation was strange, almost painful, as if something inside her had suddenly been torn apart, shattering the nature she knew. A shiver ran down her back, and Liffel realized that the voice was not just an echo in her mind; it was a call to a force that could change everything, a power that threatened to consume her.