Midnight Over the Witch Tower
The academy slept.
Or at least…
It pretended to.
Moonlight slid down the enormous spiral windows of the Witch Tower, painting the stone corridors in pale silver. Emergency arrays still hummed softly within the walls, not fully restored after the earlier assault.
Outside, the sky remained fractured.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
Celestial Quarters — Uneasy Rest
The shared living chamber was quiet.
Twelve doors circled the central space like spokes of a wheel, each leading to a private room prepared for the Celestial Warriors.
Most lights were dim.
Most doors closed.
But not all minds were at peace.
Inside her room, Lyra sat on the edge of her bed.
Awake.
Her Phoenix Flame burned steadily in her palm—
Yet every few minutes…
It flickered.
Too subtly for most to notice.
But not for her.
A soft knock came at her door.
She didn't need to ask who.
"…Come in."
The door opened quietly.
Orion stepped inside, sunlight faint around his shoulders despite the late hour.
"You're still awake," he said gently.
Lyra gave a small, tired smile.
"You too."
He crossed the room and sat beside her without hesitation.
Close.
Familiar.
Grounding.
For a few moments, neither spoke.
Then Orion quietly reached out and covered her hand.
Sunlight met flame.
Warm.
Steady.
Her flickering stabilized.
---
Across the Tower — Something Moves
Far below the residential levels…
Deep within the older foundation corridors of the Witch Academy…
A shadow slipped through the walls.
Not walking.
Not floating.
Phasing.
Silent as a thought.
One of the Arcane Trio's elite underling witches had entered the tower.
Not to attack.
To mark.
---
Morgana's Barrier Reacts
High in her private observatory, Headmistress Morgana's eyes snapped open.
A rune-circle beneath her feet flared sharply.
"…So," she murmured.
"They begin the surgical phase."
She rose instantly, violet energy already gathering around her fingers.
But she did not move to sound the alarm yet.
She was listening.
Tracking.
Because the intruder was being careful.
Very careful.
---
The Target Revealed
The shadow-witch moved through three sealed layers of ancient stone before finally slowing.
Before finally stopping.
Not near the armory.
Not near the archives.
Not near the defensive core.
She stopped directly beneath—
Lyra's room.
Above, Lyra suddenly stiffened.
Orion noticed instantly.
"What is it?"
Her hand pressed against her chest.
"…It moved again."
This time—
The Phoenix Flame did not just flicker.
It pulled downward.
Like something below was tugging on it.
Orion's eyes hardened.
"That's not natural."
"No," Lyra whispered.
"…it's not."
---
The First Surgical Strike
Deep underground, the shadow-witch began her work.
A small obsidian needle appeared between her fingers.
She drove it carefully into a pre-prepared leyline crack beneath the tower.
The moment it pierced—
A thin thread of distorted dark aether shot upward.
Silent.
Invisible.
Targeted.
Straight toward Lyra's cultivation core.
---
Immediate Reaction
Lyra gasped sharply.
Her Phoenix Flame surged wildly.
Gold—
Then briefly edged with black again.
Orion moved instantly.
"Lyra!"
Sunlight exploded outward from him, wrapping around her like a protective shell.
The dark thread struck the solar aura—
And slowed.
But did not fully stop.
Across the hall—
Seraphina's eyes snapped open in her room.
Darkness around her rippled violently.
"…Zane."
Next door, Zane was already standing.
"I feel it."
Shadow and darkness reacted together.
Because this was no random probe.
This was precision targeting.
---
Morgana Intervenes
In the observatory, Morgana's expression finally hardened.
"Enough testing."
She raised her hand.
And snapped her fingers once.
Deep beneath the academy—
Ancient witch arrays ignited all at once.
The foundation corridors flooded with binding light.
The shadow-witch froze mid-ritual.
Her eyes widened—
For the first time.
"…Detected."
Morgana's voice echoed directly into the underground chamber.
"You were bold to enter my tower."
The intruder hissed and tried to phase out—
Too late.
Violet chains erupted from the walls and wrapped around her instantly.
But—
Just before full capture—
The witch smiled.
And crushed something in her palm.
Her body dissolved into black mist.
Gone.
Self-terminated projection.
Not the real body.
Morgana's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Cautious."
Very cautious.
---
Aftershock in Lyra's Room
The pressure on Lyra vanished.
Her flame stabilized again—
But her breathing remained uneven.
Orion still held her shoulders.
"You with me?"
She nodded slowly.
"…They're getting closer."
Across the living quarters, doors began opening one by one as the other Celestial Warriors emerged, already alert.
No panic.
But no one was relaxed anymore.
Because now they understood.
The Arcane Trio had shifted tactics.
No more simple battlefield pressure.
Now—
They were hunting Lyra directly.
---
High Above the Clouds
Within the fractured sky, the third witch finally spoke aloud for the first time.
Her voice was soft.
Amused.
"Good," she whispered.
"Her flame reacted exactly as predicted."
Beside her, distant and unseen, Selmara and Velmira listened through the ritual link.
The third witch's eyes gleamed faintly.
"Prepare the next phase."
Far below—
Lyra's Phoenix Flame trembled once more.
Very faint.
But real.
And the night was far from over.