Episode 40: "When the Clouds Whisper Doom"
The days following Kael's awakening were bright—almost too bright. The sky, for a brief time, seemed to honor the return of one who had touched death and come back carrying fire. But like all good things in their world, peace was a fragile mask.
Tunde slouched dramatically over a cafeteria bench. "Why does the pasta taste like revenge?" he groaned, examining the noodles as if they might lunge at him.
Felix, the ever-practical human, gave the tray a sniff and gagged. "Bro. This pasta smells like it was boiled in cursed water. Someone call a health inspector."
Kael chuckled from across the table, sipping bottled water—safely brought from home. Lana smiled beside him, though her eyes held a flicker of unease. Rhea picked at her salad, occasionally shooting glances at the windows where storm clouds had started gathering out of nowhere.
"I'm not trying to be paranoid," Rhea said, "but this is the third day in a row the sun's disappeared before noon."
"And the seventh time Tunde's complained about food in two days," Lana added with a smirk.
"No, she's right." Felix leaned closer, lowering his voice. "The soil around town has been drying out unnaturally. My mom's tomato garden shriveled up overnight. Like it was cursed."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "You think the witches are behind this?"
Lana nodded slowly. "I've felt something...off. Like a hum in the air, but not the good kind. The type that makes animals run."
Just then, the school bell rang—but it was distorted, screeching slightly before cutting off mid-chime.
Students began murmuring, standing from tables with cautious glances. Outside the large windows, the wind swirled violently. A flock of birds slammed into the glass in a frenzy and dropped lifelessly to the grass below.
Rhea stood up fast. "We need to find the source. This isn't just bad weather."
---
Scene Cut: Deep Within the Ashen Woods
A circle of witches, hooded in cloaks woven from shadows and twigs, stood surrounding a grotesque cauldron. Each of them bore markings carved into their arms—runes that glowed a sickly green.
One stepped forward, her eyes gleaming like molten silver.
"They play with life," she hissed. "They broke death's law. The balance must return."
Another witch, older, lifted a rotting book from the ground. "We have starved the crops. We have summoned pestilence to creep under their doors. But it is not enough."
"The blood moon rises soon," whispered the youngest. "On that night, we will rain ruin upon their city."
---
Back at the Academy
Kael stood atop the training field, looking out into the distance, the same direction Lana's gaze had wandered all morning.
"You feel it too?" he asked quietly.
She nodded. "They're coming. Not today, maybe not tomorrow. But soon."
Tunde appeared behind them, out of breath and holding what looked like a half-charred cookbook. "Okay, first of all, who hexed the home-ec room?! Second, do you guys know how hard it is to run from shadow-beasts with this face?"
Felix walked out from behind him. "Shadow-beasts?"
"Yeah!" Tunde waved his arms. "Like actual hounds made of fog and hatred. They were chewing on school lockers."
Kael frowned. "We need to strengthen the wards. Tonight."
---
Nightfall – Ward Ritual Grounds
The group gathered in a protective circle behind the school, surrounded by glowing salt, burning sage, and crystal wards. Felix held a lantern. "Tell me again why I'm the one holding this when demons hate fire?"
"Because," Tunde said, "you're the only one who won't accidentally set yourself on fire."
Rhea grinned. "He's not wrong."
Kael's hand hovered above the symbols drawn in blood-mixed ink. "Focus. This is not just about protection. We need to track the magic back to its source."
As the last chant was spoken, a ripple of energy burst from the circle, shooting into the sky and splitting the clouds.
A vision slammed into their minds—images of twisted trees, ash-stained soil, and a face. A woman's face, ancient and terrible, her eyes full of endless night.
Lana gasped. "I know her. That's the Witch Queen of the Hollow."
Felix dropped the lantern. "Why does every name sound like a metal band?"
Tunde clutched his chest dramatically. "We're going to die."
Kael tightened his grip on his sword hilt. "Not today."
---
Final Scene: In the Witches' Camp
The youngest witch stirred the cauldron, whispering words in a language no human tongue could shape. The image of Kael and his team shimmered within the black water.
"The wards are up," she murmured. "They are preparing."
"Let them prepare," the Witch Queen said, stepping forward at last. Her voice cracked like thunder. "The game is only beginning."
She raised her hand, and from the shadows crawled something ancient—horned, whispering in impossible syllables.
The demon from the Pit.