Inside the underground dungeon, the sound of rusted iron doors opening and closing echoed through the dark halls. The entire place was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from candles flickering in each corner.
General Kimdo stepped into one of the prison cells, an evil and satisfied smile spreading across his lips.
"Well, well… look what we have here," he said mockingly. "Witches of the White Clan. This is already getting more interesting."
Elais sat in the corner with his head lowered. A thick iron chain was locked around his neck, suppressing his powers. His hands were shackled to the wall.
Blood streamed down from his head and across his body. Some of it was fresh, some already dried and stuck to his once handsome face. Marks from whips covered his bare skin where his torn clothes had ripped apart.
He had clearly been tortured mercilessly.
Elais tried to speak, but blood rushed out of his mouth, forcing him to cough violently.
Despite the pain, he smirked.
If not for the huge iron collar suppressing his powers, he would never have ended up like this. The demons had become far more dangerous than they had imagined.
Crafting a weapon capable of suppressing magical powers was no small feat.
But with the help of the Black Witches—those who had betrayed their bloodline, practicing black magic and allied themselves with demons—it suddenly made sense.
Still, Elais had one hope.
He prayed Bruno had already reached Dylan by now.
And he prayed that Vuno was still alive somewhere in this cursed dungeon.
Even in pain, Elais refused to give the demons the satisfaction they wanted. They would never see him broken.
He slowly lifted his head and smiled mockingly at Kimdo.
"Is… that all you've got?" Elais said with a weak but annoying smirk.
"The demons are really nothing."
Kimdo's expression darkened with rage.
His fist shot forward and slammed into Elais's cheek.
The impact snapped Elais's head to the side, blood spraying from his mouth.
But Elais laughed again.
"I guess that's still not enough," he continued hoarsely. "Even if demons try a thousand times, you're still nothing but trash."
"And trash can never rule the world."
Another punch landed hard on the other side of his face, nearly knocking him unconscious.
"You're courting death," Kimdo growled furiously.
He turned to the guards.
"Lock him up. The Mistress will be very pleased to hear that we have captured one of the white witch bloodline."
Kimdo began walking away, laughing wickedly.
Then he leaned toward one of the guards and whispered coldly,
"He will be sacrificed on the day of the offering to appease the Mistress. Until then… make sure he stays alive."
***
After the recent incident, Isabel's presence in the village became more suspicious to the villagers. Many of them avoided speaking with her and kept their distance.
But Isabel and her husband Zach paid little attention to the rumors.
They continued living happily together.
Especially now that Isabel was pregnant.
Zach pampered her endlessly, sometimes refusing to let her even touch the ground.
But one person remained unhappy.
Rose.
She was convinced Isabel was not human, but she had no proof. All she could do was watch bitterly as the couple lived peacefully.
One morning, Isabel took her basket and headed toward the market. Zach had gone into the forest to gather firewood.
The market was calm as she quietly bought ingredients to prepare dinner before her husband returned.
While checking a ripe papaya, Isabel suddenly felt it.
Someone was watching her.
Her body stiffened.
The villagers always stared at her, but this feeling was different.
This gaze felt… wrong.
Dangerous.
Without inspecting further, she quickly grabbed the papaya and rushed home.
Whoever was following her didn't stop.
Her hands trembled as she tried to open the door. She finally pushed it open and hurried inside, breathing heavily in relief.
But the fear refused to leave.
If her instincts were right, then she—and her unborn child—were in serious danger.
Just as she tried to calm herself, someone knocked on the door.
Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.
At first, she thought it was the person who had been following her.
But then she heard Zach's voice.
Relieved, she quickly opened the door and pulled him inside before shutting it tightly.
Zach immediately noticed her tense expression.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes," Isabel replied with a forced smile.
Zach smiled back, though something seemed slightly off about him.
"You didn't get the firewood?" Isabel asked curiously.
"Umm…" Zach hesitated.
Isabel raised an eyebrow.
Something about him didn't seem right either.
"I decided to come back early," Zach said gently. "I want to spend today with my lovely wife and our child."
"But you're always with us," Isabel replied softly.
"I want us to be together forever," Zach whispered as he hugged her tightly. "I missed you."
His hug ended the conversation.
Isabel eventually accepted his explanation.
She had no reason to doubt her husband.
Or so she thought.
Later that evening, after dinner, Isabel began clearing the plates when Zach approached her holding a cup of milk.
Just like he always did.
"Drink this," he said gently.
Isabel smiled warmly and accepted the cup.
She drank it in one go.
Zach watched her carefully.
A few minutes later, Isabel suddenly froze.
Her body started burning.
Pain shot through her stomach as she clutched it tightly.
Zach rushed toward her in panic.
Fear filled his eyes.
What had he done?
Regret washed over him as he watched her suffer.
Isabel struggled to understand what was happening.
But then she looked at Zach.
And realization struck her.
Slowly, her gaze shifted to the empty cup resting on the table.
Just then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Loud knocks echoed violently on the door.
The door shook under the force of the blows.
Isabel slowly lifted her head and looked at her husband.
But Zach flinched backward in fear.
Because the eyes staring at him were no longer normal.
Her pupils had turned bright yellow.