The Reborn Witch had a nice 'Tea Time' with the Dragon Queen today-Chapter 31: Fogs that Breathe Deaths (1)

Selene was but a talented knight in her eighteen, yet she has not seen a single battle unfolding before her eyes. She had read books, heard stories, and even trained hard, but the reality was something entirely different. Her heart hammered in her chest, as she took in the grisly scene before her. The townsfolk screamed and scattered, while the knights, once stoic, were now in a state of readiness even the midst of confusions.

The scarred man charged, along with his brethens that crowded outside from the entrance. Selene's mind was racing, her hand still sticky with Manasseh's blood, and she had no idea where this betrayal had come from. The vampire-turned-mercenaries were upon them, a whirlwind of teeth and claws that seemed unstoppable.

But she has to act, fast! Her mother's words of reprimands drummed in her mind, as she drew her sword. The silver blade, a gift from her mother, shimmered under the setting sun, a beacon of hope in the chaos, yet carries a light that was too blinding for the young Selene.

The scarred man's claw reached for Selene, his eyes alight with a bloodlust that seemed to have no end. With a roar of defiance, she swung her sword downwards, the silver blade glinting in the sun's final rays. The creature's arm fell to the ground. Yet with a grunt, his other arm immediately stabbed towards her heart. Selene stepped aside as she stumbled, her gasping breath mixing with the screams of the townsfolk.

The other knights encountered a battle of their own, as the vampire mercenaries had turned the peaceful square into a battleground. Selene's eyes darted around, searching for any sign of Adil, Adrei, or even Uncle Demond. Her heart raced with fear and anger as she realized this was no coincidence. Someone had orchestrated this, and she would not let them get away with it.

Yet that lingering question hammered down, as she witnessed the scarred man's bloodied arm had a...silk? A thread of silk sticking out from his torn flesh, the same kind that Manasseh's scarf was made of, as this thread casually strung his loose arm on the ground, before reattaching it back to his body.

"...it's Lady Manasseh's invention, isn't it?" Selene murmured to herself, her mind racing as she studied the silk thread that had reattached the scarred man's arm. It was the same material that made up the scarf Manasseh had been wearing. The revelation sent a shiver down her spine.

"Does that silk also protect you from Lady Adil's runes? Answer me!" Selene roared, her fear morphing into anger as she pointed her sword at the scarred man. The creature snarled in response, his eyes flickering with something akin to an utter calmness of hunter towards a prey.

"That woman has been...useful." The scarred man uttered, his throat hoarse, with his eyes never leaving Selene's. "But it seems her time has come to an end." His hand shot out again, this time aiming for Selene's throat.

Selene ducked as she pulled back her sword for a stab, only to find the scarred man had disappeared into a blur of motion. Gritting her teeth, she whipped around to search him under the commotion, her heart pounding in her ears as her eyes searched frantically through the melee for any sign of him. The vampire mercenaries were everywhere, tearing through the knights with brutal efficiency. The town's protective runes, once a source of comfort, now seemed like mere decoration in the face of merely 'weak' foes.

...this isn't right. Vampires aren't supposed to be...this strong...this resilient...Selene's thoughts raced as she narrowly avoided a random mercenary who came to attack her, his eyes black and his teeth bared like an animal's. Yet, amidst the chaos, she noticed something peculiar. The scarred man was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Selene panicked as she searched for the scarred man, dodging the vampire's attack. She couldn't let him escape; he had the answers she needed. The square was a whirlwind of chaos, with knights fighting for their lives and townsfolk running in every direction. Under the valorant struggles of her knights, no vampires slipped out, but the weird endurance by the vampire pushed the knights back, the vampires' head, arm or leg, all reattached by that eerie silk, as they roared and charged again.

Selene circled around the attacker as she cut off the vampire's head, yet the annoying silk thread reattached it with a sickening snap, the creature's grin never leaving its face. The knights around her fought with resolve to protect their town with their lasting breath, but their numbers were dwindling as the vampires' uncanny ability to regenerate made them seemingly invincible. The chaos grew more intense by the second, and Selene knew she had to find the scarred man. He was the key to this mystery, the one who could answer the questions plaguing her mind.

"I breathe the fog for the lost."

Then, a sound echoed as Selene's sword sliced through the air, cutting off the scarred man's head with a clean swing. However, before it could even hit the ground, the silk thread darted out like a living thing, wrapping around the head and the torso, reattaching it swiftly. The creature looked at Selene with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light.

But that light was replaced by a snowflake, stuck in his iris. Selene blinked in disbelief as she saw the scarred man's eyes widen with shock. The snowflake grew, swirling like a storm before it shattered his eye into a frosty dust. His smirk froze, his body going rigid with his eyes now nothing but empty sockets filled with frost. The creature fell to his knees, his clawed hand reaching out to Selene in a silent plea.

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The other vampires were no different, their movements jerking to a stop as the snowflakes began to appear in their eyes, a stark contrast to the crimson chaos around them. They crumbled to the ground, the threads of silk snapping as the cold took hold. The knights paused, their weapons hovering over the now-still figures, panting and bewildered. The square fell silent, the only sounds the fading cries of the townsfolk and the crackling of the eyes sockets freezing.

"For a child to play, mountains must be led astray."

Selene stumbled backward as the man's body had veins of ice surging from his eyes, lines of blue creeping out like a spider's web over his face. His mouth was open in a silent scream, the frost spreading from his eyes to the rest of his body. His blackened eyes fell out onto the cobblestone, turning into snowflakes before they hit the ground. The knights around her were equally stunned, their weapons lowered as they watched a similar scenery unfolding.

"In the lands shattered, an iced flower scattered."

Then the man's body began to crack, the ice spreading through his veins and shattering his bones, the silk relentlessly attaching it back and forth, an endless painful cycle. His skin turned to frost as Selene watched in horror. It was a gruesome sight she had never seen before, and she realized with a cold certainty that this was no ordinary vampire. This was something else, something that went beyond the myths she had grown up with.

"Home for the wicked, a tomb for the brave. May the final rest befallen to those deceivers for graves!"

The words were cold, yet filled with a strange kind of power, and they seemed to resonate through Selene's very bones. The man in front of her screamed as iced veins covering his body now broke free from his skin, the silk threads snapping as the cold consumed him. His body grew brittle and began to shatter into a thousand frozen pieces. The other vampires followed suit, their forms crumbling to the ground as the snowfall grew heavier, obscuring the horror in a veil of white.

Weirdly, there is no blood. Only the sound of crackling ice and the patter of frozen flesh. Selene's knights stood in shock, their eyes wide as they watched the vampires before them disintegrate into a pile of frozen shards. The square, once vibrant with life, was now a graveyard of the unnaturally frozen. Selene's breath came out in ragged puffs of mist as she stared at the remains of his attacker. The silk thread lay there, inert and harmless, no longer reattaching the dismembered body parts.

With a deep breath, she narrowed her eyes and turned around, the shade of a familiar witch hovering over the battlefield. The witch's cackling laugh filled the air, the chilling wind carrying her words. "Ah...feels good to be young once again..."

Selene sighed, chuckles escaping her. "Thanks for the help, Uncle Demond."

"It's witch Demond now, brat." Demond's shadowy figure emerged from the mist of frost, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. She looked around at the frozen vampires and nodded in satisfaction. "But you did well to keep the town safely. Plus points for keeping your head in the game and not having your emotions run wild in your first battle."

"...please praise me a bit more..." Selene mumbled under her breath, as she collapsed, her sword clattering to the ground beside her. Her knights rushed to her side, concern etched on their faces. Despite her exhaustion, Selene couldn't help but smile wryly at Demond's backhanded compliment.

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