Chapter 2: A Traitor & The Beginning of Downfall

As the silhouettes stepped towards the six witches' point of presence, the purple-black mists made the living things around it wither. Turns off in seconds. The forest that had almost died lifeless, was now getting pitch black.

The trees instantly bent because their branches were lifeless. The roots seemed to stiffen, the creatures howled in pain as their souls were forcibly ripped out.

Signs like this … the six witches could already tell who was coming.

"The Black Shadow," whispered Narvi, looking worriedly at the silhouette hidden by the dense fog.

Aslyn growled in annoyance. She extended her red Agyss towards the silhouetted figure.

"Mavesto Ila—ah!" Aslyn was instantly knocked aside, hitting the trunk of a large, dead tree.

"Aslyn!" Narvi and Maggni shouted in unison.

Aslyn groaned holding her chest. The mist magic attack that suddenly shot fast seemed to stab his chest. As tightly as possible Aslyn gripped her ball of Agyss power to get it out of her hands.

Furious with annoyance, Maggni gritted his teeth at the silhouette hidden in the dense fog. He was just about to stick out his red Agyss, but something stabbed him in the back, then wrapped around his waist very tightly.

"Arghhh!" Maggni groaned with his eyes tightly closed, feeling the pain like a thousand needles stabbing. "C-call… call Zevana!"

"You think you can beat me?"

Albus was surprised to see the sight of the two magicians about to attack the Black Shadow, but the mist's magic attacks stabbed. His Gryffin started flying unsteadily. Albus couldn't control it until his gryffin was flying weaker and weaker.

Albus's body rolled down to the ground along with his gryffin which fell impaled by the spiky tree trunk. The gryffin's groans of pain froze Albus all over. The gryffin's death was tantamount to the death of part of his life.

"No!" Albus shouted sticking out one hand in a slump. "No, Malvoy! Malvoy!"

Too late, Malvoy—albus gryffin—died seconds later.

Albus's breath was ragged as his emotions flared up. His eyes immediately flashed with anger. Albus turned his gaze to a misty silhouette not far from him. Immediately Albus stuck out a blue Agyss.

"Geviosa pellene!"

The dead roots of the trees almost want to come out of the ground. But the dense purple mist that was traveling as fast as lightning turned into thicker roots, blocking the movement of the roots from Albus's magic.

As strong as possible Albus maintained his magic even though the dead roots were entangled completely by the Dark Shadow's magic roots. Albus groaned while maintaining his magic, but Albus' arm immediately jerked up. Her Agyss was blown away.

"Argh!" Albus called out as something began to coil from his feet to his waist. "Umero Povetta!"

Albus repeatedly tried to get magic out of his palms. The magic severed the cursed magic roots that were wrapped around his body now. But his strength seemed to be gone.

"My protective wall can't last long!" Malvosa's exclamation was heard while guarding the frozen barrier. Her blue Agyss flickered indicating a decrease in power level.

The situation became precarious. Albus, Maggni, and Aslyn had been caught in the black mist's magic. Malvosa's frozen barrier immediately broke and the mist magic hit. Malvosa and Narvi were entangled in dead roots that choked their breath.

While Iluvia who was riding on the gryffin immediately fell to the ground and groaned. His Agyss slipped from hand.

"YOU CAN'T DESTROY ME!"

"GEVARUS MARVETTO!"

The cursed magic mist that was moving like a wave instantly evaporated after the magic wave appeared suddenly. The six witches suddenly gasped, then looked away in unison when they heard the howling of the wolf.

"Niff?" Aslyn called out softly, pulling the corners of her lips into a dazzling smile. "He's coming, he's finally here!"

Unlike Aslyn, the three wizards—Narvi, Albus, and Maggni—are wary of the gray wolf that is Zevana's vehicle. They wondered silently: since when did Zevana, a witch, befriend a werewolf?

The gray wolf dashed swiftly from behind, breaking through the magic barricade made by Zevana. In the face of the dense purple mist that killed the lives of creatures and life around, the gray wolf stopped at Zevana's will.

"Nuvesalus mollis, suviante solum, ingerdian lousia!"

After the three incantations were chanted, the dead creatures slowly rose one by one. The groans of three giant-type creatures resounded. Along with that four flashes of lightning thundered, Zevana faced the four lightning bolts to attack the army of cursed magic creatures.

Then one of Niff's hands moved like swinging something forward.

A shriek of pain howled through the mist from the lightning that had struck. The branches turned into flaming spears and shot towards something beyond the mist. Only the echoing sound of someone groaning—Niff guessed it was because of the fiery spear attack.

"Niff… you came…"

Niff stood straight as if to challenge the fog in front of him. Sharp gray bead eyes scanned the surroundings. To be honest, Niff was very curious about the form of the Black Shadow.

"Of course! You think I'll run away?!" Niff shouted back.

"Ha ha ha!" A heavy thunderous laugh resounded. Of course it was a mockery. "I think you've become a loser, Zevana!"

Niff's hands clenched tightly. His eyes were already blazing white, a sign of the power within him that was getting more and more passionate.

"All you arrogant witches! Why don't you believe in the prophecy? It's too easy for me to destroy you."

Niff was still silent with eyes watching around. The more Niff tried to control him emotions, the more his emotions exploded stronger.

"Show yourself, Dark Shadow. You're the coward for not daring to come out of your shield of mist!"

From the right side of Niff's front, the magic mist attack almost pierced him body. Luckily Zevana was able to avoid the magic mist attack from the Black Shadow.

"I will not let you rule the Country of Amaphera!" Niff's voice coincided with the fall of the lightning spear at the point of existence of the Black Shadow.

Frans had turned back into a human, looking at Niff in amazement with his great power attacking using three rare magics. Fire, raising the death of creatures, and the power of lightning. He silently waited for a reaction to emerge from Niff.

"Clusters—"

Niff's chanting of the spell immediately stopped when he felt a piercing heat on one of his legs. A hot feeling that seemed to penetrate the skin, flesh, burned Niff's feet.

"Argh…" Niff saw his burn wound spread with sparks all over the skin of his leg. "What is this?"

In just three seconds, the heat widens and numbs the whole leg. Niff couldn't move his feet to step back.

"Andraca luves…" Niff muttered a wound healing spell. Argh! What is this?!”

Unfortunately, Agyss' healing spell had no effect.

Niff jerked his head up when his chest seemed to be stabbed with small needles. The pain from the leg flowed between the blood cells to the chest, left an excruciating cramping pressure on the stomach, and stabbed into his solar plexus.

"Zevana!"

The exclamations of the six other magicians were heard. Niff's breath hitched. Now his whole body really can not move. Niff could only stand stiffly, staring intently at the silhouette behind the fog.

"This… this is my heyday! The Country of Amaphera will submit under my rule!"

Niff growled in annoyance. He couldn't do anything.

“Leave the Agyss to me!”

Niff's hands still tightly gripped his Agyss.

"I'm sorry Zevana."

Niff's eyes glanced to the side, saw Frans forcefully take Agyss from his hand. Niff was surprised and looked at Frans in disbelief.

"You said you saved me, Bastard," Niff said with an emphasis on anger. "That drug is a trap?"

Frans already holds Niff's Agyss. "I saved Amaphera Country. He is after your Agyss. Amaphera Country will be even more destroyed if this thing is not given."

Niff couldn't fight back when his Agyss power ball floated along with the thick black mist. The white color of Agyss slowly turned black as the cursed magic mist enveloped him.

The ground suddenly shook. Not long after, a black light full of mist soared into the sky. Niff's protective wall broke, causing black magic to immediately shoot six witches who were limp at that time.

Niff gasped when he heard the screams of pain from the other six witches. The dense purple mist ripped out their soul cores without pity. There was nothing Niff could do. A piercing feeling of heat arrived in the throat—death really was waiting in plain sight!

Niff's eyes closed tightly, chanting a spell in his heart. But all the spells don't work. As his Agyss has changed, Niff's self-power will be destroyed.

"Goodbye, Niff."

That was the last sentence that Niff heard before he felt even greater torture. Long painful screams Niff howled when something in his body was forcefully pulled.

Niff just fell limp after the core of his heart was forcibly removed by the Black Shadow.