Her hair was pulled violently and slammed to the floor.

Pain radiated from her face as it was pressed hard against the floor. Both arms were twisted roughly behind her back and someone drove a knee down on her.

The overwhelming force crushed the air from her lungs, causing her to cough.

Her eyes squeezed shut, then opened, only to be stung by the dust that filled them. Biting down hard to stifle the scream that tried to break free, the taste of blood filled her mouth.

Barely breathing, pinned to the ground, her scalp was suddenly yanked back violently. The brutality made her feel as if her skin was being torn away. Unable to bear the searing pain any longer, the scream and tears she had been holding back finally broke through.

The person who had grabbed her hair slapped her hard as if to scold her for crying. Her face, already a mess of dirt and tears, instantly swelled. Just a few slaps were enough to split the inside of her mouth.

“Open your eyes properly!”

A strong hand grabbed her chin and shook it roughly, with a force so intense it made her head spin. The pain made her gasp, unable to open her eyes fully. Frustrated, the large hand slapped her cheek again. The impact caused her to cough, sending a bit of blood mixed with saliva flying. Someone must have gotten hit, because an angry voice cursed.

“Disgusting!”

Her hair was pulled even higher, forcing her head back painfully as her body remained pinned to the floor. The pressure on her neck was unbearable.

‘Will my neck break if this keeps going?’

Fear coursed through her and her dry lips quivered as she struggled to breathe. Gathering what little strength she had left, she managed to open her eyes. But tears clung to her lashes, blurring her vision as if a thin veil covered her sight.

She blinked a few times, causing the collected tears to spill over her cheeks and run down her cheekbones. Her heavy, wet eyelids made it difficult to focus.

“Red eyes,” a voice murmured.

Amidst the noise, a deep, resonant voice cut through the chaos and reached her ears. It wasn’t the voice of the one that had tormented her just moments ago. Slowly blinking, she lifted her eyes a little higher.

Despite her head being pulled back by her hair, she couldn’t see the man’s waist – he was that tall. The man wore black armor and a black cloak. The edges of the cloak, fluttering near his calves, were decorated with the image of two wings in white, making them visible.

White wings. The emblem of the Holy Kingdom of Chiron.

“Found you,” he murmured.

At his words, the crushing force at her back vanished, the grip on her hair loosened and her face fell back to the ground. Though she was now free of the torment, she had no strength left to move a single finger.

She kept her head pressed to the floor, her breathing ragged and shallow. A burning dryness clawed at her throat. Every inch of her body ached, and now, as if a fever had set in, she felt unbearably hot.

But it wasn’t just her body that was burning – heat was coming from all around her.

Through her blurred vision, she saw bright blue flames rising. The azure fire began to consume the fleeing people, spreading rapidly. High-pitched, terrified screams echoed from every direction.

Lying motionless on the ground, she locked eyes with a frantic figure flailing in panic. Her wild gaze met his, and in an instant, the figure let out a guttural scream and came at her.

Swoosh!

The sound cut through the chaos like a knife.

A massive greatsword sliced through the attacker’s body in one swift motion. Blood spurted into the air and splattered across the ground. Blue flames erupted from the wound impaled by the sword.

The fire began to consume the corpse, turning it black as it burned. The crackling sound and sickening stench filled the air.

Blood must have splashed onto the man’s armor, but there was no sign of it.

The man drew his sword and turned his head indifferently to look at her. His eyes, reflecting the spreading flames, were an intense shade of blue. She could clearly see a deep-seated contempt in those eyes.

It was the last coherent thought she could muster. She had no strength left to keep herself conscious.

Someone grabbed her limp body and lifted her. Her unsteady legs dragged on the floor, but she had no time to register the pain before darkness overtook her.

* * *

The High Priest of the Holy Kingdom of Chiron declared a holy war.

The followers of Chiron, granted permission to wield the sacred power of their God, vowed to use that power to judge the heretics of Earth.

Led by inquisitors wielding explosive divine energy, they captured cultists across the land and purged the world with the blue breath of God. And finally, their swords reached the land of witches, Tempe.

Led by the Great Witch with Red Eyes, the demon worshippers quickly crumbled before the Hammer of God.

The witches, who had resisted with their dark powers, could not withstand the divine power and began to flee. The High Priest urged his followers not to give in and demanded that the witches repent.

The witches were cunning beings who could bewitch the creatures of the earth, and even a moment of carelessness would allow them to quickly regain their strength. Chiron finally devised a plan to eradicate the surviving witches once and for all.

The solution was to capture the leader of the witches. The warriors on this sacred mission faced many hardships, but eventually, they succeeded in capturing the evil Great Witch.

The Great Witch was imprisoned in a heavily fortified cell, and it was decided that she would be executed by burning in the capital’s main square, where the Great Temple stood.

On the eve of the long-awaited execution, the Great Witch’s burning was abruptly canceled. The Great Witch had pleaded for her life. In exchange for her survival, she began to betray the witches’ strongholds.

In doing so, the Great Witch revealed herself to be a truly vile demon worshipper at heart. Though many shuddered at her treachery in betraying her kin, the opportunity was too great to pass up. The Inquisitors acted swiftly, and soon every corner of Tempe was engulfed in blue flames.

The land trembled with the near-constant echo of screams, and the rivers were forever tainted with the stench of blood.

It was a time of rampant witch hunts.