"Alysra, bring my staff to me." The Queen of the SilverClaw Witches Clan summoned one of her top coven witches, her sharp iron nails digging into the aging bark of her winter throne.

Alysra, a young girl with vibrant red hair and eyes that resembled burning fire, nodded before turning around and leaving through the double doors of the central hall.

Her footsteps retreated down the hall, disappearing as the queen herself, Yagein Washli arose from her throne, the material of winter lace dress whispering past the polished floors of the hall. Her eyes, gray gems ringed with a charcoal ring, inspected the empty hall, the two tall figures of her other top coven witches guarding the door.

Some say her beauty was her deadliest weapon despite the few wrinkles that pushed into her porcelain skin. Her hair still remained silvery white and untouched as it tumbled down her back, her eyes still holding that fire, and her features still prominent and her body still maintaining the subtle curves of her youthful body.

The lair of the SilverClaw Witches wasn't a dreary cave like others have whispered about over the past hundred centuries. The witches didn't live under poverty nor despair. They made sure to let even the moon know they were killers of the night.

Instead, the SilverClaw Witches hid out in different parts of the northern kingdoms, making sure to keep a distant from one another. Yagein Washli's personal home laid snuggled underneath the Black Cobra mountains, an elegantly crafted castle shielded by a sheet of snow that engulfed the protruding mountain to the sky. It was always hidden underneath darkness, very little light spilling into the dimly lit walls and restricted areas. Candelabras and chandeliers hung from the ceilings and decorated the walls, weapons of destruction marking their place along the velvet walls. Icicle vines slithered their way around the constructed pillars, forming an unbreakable gate overtime.

Heels clicked against the floors of the hall as the head witch dropped the material of her dress she had gathered in her hand to the floor, intertwining her fingers together as she made her way towards the open window that revealed the darkening sky of the night.

The howls of the wind cried into the open sky, snow dancing with the wind as it blew past her face and up the mountain peek. The glass seemed to shiver underneath the powerful speed of the night wind, shaking even as she grabbed the handle of the double window and slammed it shut.

The room was once again silent, not even the breaths of the two guards standing by the door penetrating the atmosphere as Yagein made her way across the vast room, past all the pictures of the previous high queens of the clan.

All the way at the end, hidden underneath shadows was a glass display plastered to the wall. Only she could see as she made her way over to it, her long nails tapping alongside the diamond knob of the glass door. Carefully, her hands twisted it open and the door fell open for her.

Trophies of her elders, of her own accomplishments, sat silently on the first top display, stained with blood after cramming too many detached heads at the top row. Her enemies' heads, her acquaintance, her own family, her mindless kills all sat there at the top, sunken eyes and rotting flesh surrounded by a pool of dried up blood.

Below it were her weapons of torture, including her own slick broom that had been given to her by her own mother. Some of them included swords and chains while others included her special spells in specifically classified bottles. The broom laid on the glass, ash white and as beautiful as ever.

In the corner, dangling on a crystal hook was an amulet, a magenta red ruby placed into a gold holding case and dangling off a crafted gold chain. Her fingers gently stroked the beautiful, damned thing. 

There were many rows of her accomplishments and failures, many rows of trophies that reminded her of an immortal life awaiting her. Many things that told her she was the best of the worst. Yet, when Yagein's gray eyes landed on the crystal crown sitting in a bed of blue velvet in the middle of the glass display, a surge of anger rushed through her veins and her sharp claws sunk deep into her palms.

"That wretched girl should not be alive" the head queen whispered to herself, reaching into the glass display and curling her fingers around the head of the beautiful crown. Pulling it out of the bed of velvet, she held the ultimate symbol of destruction in her hand, the cold crystals cutting into her skin.

Gray eyes danced over the intricate designs etched into the sides of the crown, diamonds and sapphires braiding together to form a teardrop ruby at the sharpened peak of the crown. Ever since her encounter with that dreadful Hell Siphon, images of that girl have been flashing in her mind.

She couldn't be alive. She wasn't supposed to be alive.

She was supposed to be dead for nineteen years now, her bones and ashes slowly sinking into the soil of the polluted earth not alive and breathing in all her hell glory.

Quickly, Yagein had convinced herself to abandon the Kingdom of Aysein to return to her home of the isolated Black Cobra Mountain in the northern kingdoms. She had to take the time to think, to make sure she wasn't letting her conscience slither into her actions. 

But deep down in her bones, the head queen of the SilverClaw Witches knew she wasn't wrong. 

"I will find and kill you, no matter how long it takes" Yagein whispered to herself in an unbreakable promise. Letting one iron nail gently caress the teardrop ruby at the top of the crown, the high queen was about to put the crown back when the sound of the double doors opening shattered the perfect silence.

With grace, she turned around, the crown still in her hand as she saw Roxanne, her right-hand fellow witch stalk towards her, dark ringlets cascading over her shoulders. Her amber eyes met those of the queen, her steps stopping in front of her.

"Your grace" she uttered, bowing lowly at Yagein, the material of her black lace dress kissing the floor. Yagein slowly nodded her head, signaling her to stand up. "What can you tell me Roxanne?" she asked, watching as her right-hand witch stood up.

"After consulting the other SilverClaw Witches and using some drops of blood from that bloodline and combining various spells to search the whole of Asxairo, it has been confirmed that indeed the bloodline of that family still exists and the girl is still alive" she confirmed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Just the kind of news the SilverClaw Witch needed to here. Letting a sigh escape her lips, she ran her fingers through her silver hair, pushing a strand around her ear. "Fantastic. She needs to die."

"Unfortunately, while we couldn't locate her exact location, we were able to use a binding spell and uncover that she indeed has ties to another significant magic being" Roxanne informed once again, eyes concentrated only on her queen. 

The Head Queen let her train of thoughts pause, punishable ideas racing through her head even as she let her nails dig deep into the skin of her palms. "Who is this being? Where is she?" she demanded.

Her fellow right-hand witch watched her with intriguing amber eyes, her calm demeanor never faltering. "Your grace, the location spell was only able to pinpoint her location which is the Nyuels Village in the Kingdom of Serius."

Hissing Yagein, threw her hands in the air, letting her long nails dig deep into the crown, letting her nails sink deep into the jewels. Just when she thought she was done with that wretched place after she had left her killing ground, that stupid girl was dragging her back to that damned place.

"Of course that foul being would have connections to other magic beings in that foolish excuse of a kingdom. Barbarous mistake" she growled, letting her grip loosen on the crown once again. Yet as her mind began to turn over, flipping ideas to the back of her mind, her thoughts stumbled upon one foe that could help her with her goal.

One foe that loathed that deceitful, ungrateful, breathing being almost as much as she did. One foe that also happened to reside in the four weak walls of Serius

Casting her gaze one last time at the crown, she pushed the beautiful jewel into Roxanne's arms, letting her own fingers pry from the diamonds. "Put this foul thing away when I am done here. It should never be shown to her."

Roxanne nodded, keeping the crown cradled and tucked in her arm as the head queen picked up the material of her skirt in her hand. "Storm, Ivory. Please come" Yagein summoned the two guards just as the doors opened once again and Alysra walked in, a crafted bone staff in her hand.

Ivory and Storm were the first to reach the head queen, the electric midnight blue hair, wild red eyes, and snow pale skin of Ivory a huge contrast to Storm's dark skin, blood red hair and curious green eyes. "What may we help you with, my queen?" Ivory asked in a demanding voice, her long iron nails digging into her scarlet dress.

"Make sure this news doesn't reach the other witches. This girl could be a danger to our entire clan and everything we have fought for" Yagein demanded. She turned her gaze to Roxanne. "And you, use the last few drops of blood you have from her bloodline and create something that will be bound to her blood. We can use it as a tracking device" she instructed just as Alysra stopped before her, handing over her staff.

The source of her destruction, made out of the pure bones of her enemies and held together by the ashes and blood she has spilled in her reign. Small, delicate icicles intertwined around the long staff, designing the weapon to the cobra shaped head of her staff. Two sapphires stood as eyes, diamond fangs protruding out of the cobra's mouth.

The SilverClaw Queen gracefully accepted it, ushering Alysra to stand with the others as she ordered them. Her gray eyes watched her loyal covens witches, her nails digging into the head of her staff. "In the meanwhile, get your brooms ready and polished. We have someone very important to talk to and a prey to strike."

Lucien waited patiently at Venix's hut under midnight's sky, his fingers curling deep into his palm. The steady beat of his heart hammered in his chest, a gold key dangling in his grip as he debated on whether to knock on her door.

After his encounter with her this afternoon and his brief talk with Rheynaok, his mind has been turning over on the possibilities of this mission. On one hand, he needed the Witch's help badly and knew she would know tricks he wouldn't dare learn.

On the other hand, if Rheynoak ever discovered that he had betrayed him so many times and went behind his back with Venix into the forbidden part of the library, his head would be hanging off a long staff by morning.

Two choices he had to make. Each could get him killed.

But as he stood there in the cold wind of the desert, the Hell Siphon knew the only way to get to the root of this sinister plan of Rheynoak's was to abandon him completely.

Well, for now, at least.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and gently knocked on the door of her hut, concentrating his eyes on the golden key clasped in his grip as he waited for the door to open. Seconds later, the knob turned and the door opened revealing Venix.

As soon as Lucien's ice blue eyes landed on her, every breath coming out of his lips seemed to stop. His hands were all of a sudden shaking, the once quiet stammer of his heart growing louder with each passing second.

"You are aware that you could have knocked on the door five minutes ago instead of standing here in the cold" she uttered, raising an eyebrow at him. A scarlet blush coated his cheeks, his dark cloak brushing past his shoes.

"I thought you needed some time to yourself" he responded back, pleading with himself not to look at the way the dark green shirt hugged her chest and the curves of her waist.

"And you need a good slap to the head but we don't always get what we want do we?" she commented, closing the door behind her. Her fingers curled around the book in her hand, nails digging deep into the cover.

"I have the book" the Witch said, holding the cursed thing a bit high for the Hell Siphon to see. Distracting himself from those cold violet eyes, he casted his gaze down to the old leather and nodded. "And I have the key. We better get going. Midnight isn't exactly a pleasant hour."

A smug smile slipped on her lips, her other hand straightening the dark blue cloak around her, held together by a topaz barrette. "It's my feeding hour" she said, tucking a strand of white hair behind her ear.

The two magic beings walked across the desert ground towards the beautifully built small castle in the center of the desert. Their footsteps crunched against the ground, ragged breaths coming out in icy foggy breaths,

Lucien kept casting his gaze over to Venix, his eyes scanning for the sorrow, the broken girl he saw earlier today when she held him too tight and cried too much. He looked out for anything that might have been a sign. A present teardrop, tangled hair, bags drawn underneath her eyes.

But nothing stood out as a sign. Even the way she walked was confidently dangerous, her wild white hair blowing behind her and her iron nails digging deep into the book.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as they neared the double doors of the castle. The magic barrier around it sensed Lucien's presence and fell for one moment, allowing both him and the Witch to slip through the open doors.

"I don't see how my well-being concerns you Lucien" Venix answered back to him, her shoes clicking against the floors as the two entered the main hallway. "It's none of your business."

Her voice bounced off the walls of the hallway, the golden walls decorated with swords and paintings of others that came way before them. A chandelier lit with candles dangled above on a diamond ceiling, marble statues and several trophies sitting on white pillars.

A floor to ceiling window was present as they walked by, large scarlet draperies covering the window and refusing any wind to penetrate through the room. A lump formed in Lucien's throat, his fingers nervously pushing back his tousled hair aside. "You seemed...broken. I just wanted to know if you were feeling alright."

He made his way around another corner, the BloodBone following him close on his tail as he headed towards a grand staircase laced with velvet on each step. His thoughts were wandering, passing by a painted portrait of Rheynoak, his hands rested on a silver sword. His foot landed on the first step pushing himself up when a flash of white crossed his eyes.

A blinding sight and Venix was in front of him, her violet eyes blazing wildly with terror, bone white hair collapsing against her face. A strikingly dangerous predator eyeing its prey. "Let's make two things clear Lucien" she hissed, gripping the book tightly. "I am not broken. Rheynoak dangling the fact that I'm alone in this cursed world has been a cruel joke towards me for a very long time, even before he came along. That idiotic fool can not break me."

The Hell Siphon watched her, still and breathing out uneven breaths. He didn't flinch nor deny her statement, simply watching how her eyes twinkled with a fire she never held back. But after a few seconds, he attempted to speak. "I didn't mean no harm in asking-"

"And number two" she continued, cutting off his statement before he could even finish. "I only decided to go with you for my own benefit, not yours. Don't push your luck. Just do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do."

Lucien could sense the impatience around her, the fire burning in her eyes as she raised her brow at him. He noticed this, knowing whatever she said wasn't meant to be taken as a question. It was an order.

Nodding he simply cleared his throat and nodded before stepping his way over and allowing himself to go up the stairs in a temporary piece, not looking over his shoulder to see if Venix was still following him. He didn't need to.

The two beings walked side by side as they neared the glass door of the library, their strides matching each other. "Rheynoak better not be in there" the BloodBone hissed, merely dangling the book between her fingertips.

"After what happened earlier, he's been knocked out for quite a while. His energy level is low" the Hell Siphon responded, keeping his gaze on they key as he stopped in front of the glass doors of the library.

A satisfied hum escaped her lips as he pulled on the doorknob and yanked the door open, stepping aside to let the BloodBone Witch enter first. "Good. At least he knows what a broken spine feels like."

A frown tugged at the Hell Siphon's lips. "Trust me, he does."

The library was elegant, pristine with comfortable velvet armchairs seated at every corner accompanied by a crafted wooden desk. A few plush couches stood in the middle, a glass center table filled with books. Tall, wide shelves filled with books of every origin, of every size and color, filled the spaces in between the shelves all the way to the bottom of the bookshelves.

Tall pillars intertwined with green vines stood beside each bookshelf, a book standing on top of a crystal stand, a glass dome covering and protecting them. The floor to ceiling windows was closed, red draperies pulled back to reveal the pale moonlight spill into the vast room.

"Don't tell me Rheynoak is stupid enough to hide all his secrets this very room?" Venix said, impatience in her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. A snort came from Lucien's lips, forcing himself not to smile as they made their way across the library room. "Trust me, he's not that stupid" the Hell Siphon commented, weaving his way through the complicated turns of the ever complicated maze of the shelves.

"I beg to differ" was all the BloodBone said.

An eerie silence followed the two magic beings as they made their way past the tall bookshelves to the back of the room, the light of the moon dimming into a pale existence until it couldn't penetrate through the complicated mazes of books they faced as they made another turn, their wide path turning narrow towards the end.

In the back of the room, a rather ancient looking bookshelf stood tall, the sizes of the books thicker and more worn out, the leather already crumbling off the covers. Intricate designs dangled off the old candelabras plastered against the walls, the candles old and dead.

"This part of the library is strictly for Rheynoak and me" the Hell Siphon explained as he ducked his way behind the ancient bookshelf, the thick presence of magic seeping through his veins. "But this key will temporarily allow any magic being to enter through for a short amount of time."

"Why does it only allow Hell Siphons?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The BloodBone Witch frowned but nodded and followed the Siphon carefully, making sure to keep close as they made their way behind the bookshelf and down a long, twisted staircase that led to the center dungeons of the tribe. The death cells.

A foul stench filled both of their noses as they came face to face with a wooden door with a brass handle dangling from a golden hinge. A large star with a flame thriving in the middle was the proud symbol in the middle of the door. "This door is made out of pure Hell Siphon magic. It only allows Hell Siphons through hence only Rheynoak and I have access to it" he explained, looking down at the gold key in his hand.

"But with this key which is made out of ancient magic, it breaks that bond between the Hell Siphon magic and penetrates that barrier that allows all magic beings to trespass for a short time" Lucien kept explaining even as he inserted the key into the lock and twisted.

The sound of the lock untwisting rang through the quiet atmosphere, the Hell Siphon standing still, one hand on the key and the other one plastered on the bare wood of the door. The BloodBone Witch waited, curling her fingers deep into her cloak. "Don't tell me you are hesitating now, Lucien?" Venix said, violet eyes flickering over to him. "I'm not going to stand here and wait all night for you to waste my time."

The Hell Siphon listened to her words, unmoved by her words, the stillness of his magic trapped between his blood and veins. His ice blue eyes held the gaze of the key, debating on whether losing Rheynoak was worth it all. If losing the only person that ever cared about him was worth it.

He should have felt a stab a guilt, a voice whispering inside his head not to do it. Yet he felt nothing. He didn't feel the pull, the push or the voice whispering in his head.

He felt nothing. He was practically boundless, free.

"I don't regret anything" Lucien uttered, twisting the key open in his hands. The latch finally unlocked, allowing the door to let down its guard and slip open, revealing a dusty room, uncoordinated and filled with disheveled books.

There were no dungeons like she had expected or wild ravenous animals like he had feared. He hadn't been down here in a really long time. But all there was were books.

Red books, leather books, tall books, fat books, thin books, old books, new books. Books, knowledge of all kind. Secrets of all kind and they were all locked away for this many years.

Until now.

Venix stepped in, letting her arms fall to her side, the book still in her hand as her eyes flickered around the small room, breathing in the faint air of magic and dust. Lucien walked in, standing behind her, one hand braced on the door frame.

"Welcome to The Treasury. Pick your poison."

Seconds, minutes passed and the two magic beings were buried underneath their own research, large books written by the ancients during the dark ages in their grips. Venix had given the Hell Siphon his book, choosing to abandon him and wander to the back of the quiet snug space of the treasury to retrieve books about the ancient Witch Clans that existed before the war.

She had to know. She just had to know if the rumors were true. If her kind, her parents, were truly beasts.

On the other side of the room, Lucien was stuck reading page after page about the annihilation of Mind Siphons after the war that left them weak and ultimately was their downfall. Their whole species seemed to be dead, wiped out from the face of this crumbling earth.

Until Onyx and Alesandria came in the picture.

They were curses that were supposed to be destroyed a long time ago.

Sighing, Lucien ran his fingers through his hair and set down the fifth book he had browsed through on the carpeted floor. His hope was dwindling, barely hanging on a string as reached into a shelf and pulled out a green leather book, no title. The book seemed to call to him, a static energy he couldn't explain. This one was bigger than the book from the Kingdom of Aysein which was opened by his foot, a half picture of map sketched into the yellowing pages.

"How is your research going?" he asked out of curiosity to Venix as she appeared from the back of the room, a scarlet red book in her hand as she folded the pages in half to mark her spot. Those violet eyes of her never met his as she gently gripped onto it, letting a sigh escape her lips.

"Something you shouldn't worry about Hell Siphon" she whispered back to him in a gritty voice even as the tiniest speck of sadness clouded those vicious eyes of hers, her heart weighing on the fact that there was little information to prove that not all of her kind were monsters.

Still, she had to know more.

Ignoring her voice, Lucien pushed himself off the bookshelf to stand close to her side, keeping the gaping distance between them. He pried the book open, the old pages sticking together like a bonding spell. Dust flew out in a dirty plume of clouds, twinkling underneath the dimly lit candle light.

"What is that book?" the BloodBone asked, her iron nails pointing to a folded piece of paper lying in between the crumpled pages. Frowning, the Hell Siphon curled his fingers around it, picking it up. Yet, the page didn't detach from the book, simply unfolding into a pattern of intricate designs and words of the forbidden etched on its aging skin.

His blue eyes scanned the intricate patterns, drawn into a familiar picture he knew. Words, ancient words of the past were scribbled on the pages in thick, fading black ink, the corner of the page turned in and folded into a crease.

"Tlo vaeut ag klo vaetk kaer rak l'bo it" he read softly, flipping the page over to find nothing on the back, blank and empty as space. The Hell Siphon's heart nearly dropped as he recongnized the words and the pattern, his eyes dropping to the open book at his feet. 

"Curses, it can not be" he whispered to himself as he kneeled down next to the Kingdom of Aysein book, placing the new green book adjacent to that book. The intricate designs on both pages connected perfectly together, forming one picture that could possibly destroy everything and everyone ever known on Asxairo.

The picture was not clearly formed, clearly missing three more pages that would complete the picture. Yet Lucien didn't need the other three pages. He knew what those words were trying to tell him and if he was on the right path, he knew what the patterns were supposed to form. 

"They are not supposed to be alive" Lucien finally whispering to himself, running his fingers through his bone-white hair. "They are not supposed to even exist. They were never supposed to exist."

Furrowing her eyebrows together, Venix leaned down next to the Hell Siphon, her violet eyes tracing the designs on the pages with utter confusion. "Who? Alesandria and Onyx?" she questioned, casting her gaze over to the concerned Hell Siphon.

Gently, Lucien raised his head, ice blue eyes connecting with hers as he slowly shook his head. "The species of the Mind Siphon" he uttered, his right eye side eyeing the half complete design in front of him. "They were never supposed to exist in the first place."

A/N: And that is the end of another chapter! So long, so detailed, such cliffhangers and a whole lot of Lunix!

So in this chapter, we were introduced to the Queen of the SilverClaw Witches, Yagein Washli and she seems very determined to get rid of someone....

*In french accent* Suspicious, is it not!

But moving on, the teamwork between Lucien and Venix despite snarky comments here and there was great and the chemistry between them is what really makes them a dynamic duo.

YAYY FOR LUNIX!

The upcoming chapters will feature Castrin a with a very suspicious mission and a surprise visit for Alesandria and Onyx! So much more to tell!

Thank you guys for getting me to 1,897 reads and 341 votes with a new high ranking on #611 in fantasy. You all mean the world to me and I love you all so much!

So excited!

So tell me what your thoughts are on this chapter! Any special moments between Lucien and Venix that you liked? How did you feel about Yagein Washli! Comment down below and don't forget to give it a vote if you like the chapter.

Until next time!

With love, May