Despite the situation and surroundings they were in, a few within the Helenbora coven were excited.
"Hehehe. I can feel the demonic energies caressing my skin as if they are pampering me. With a place like this, we might just be able to summon a Demon Prince's soul fragment," said a second witch who followed behind Clauria closely in a hopeful tone.
"Haah! Why stop at a Demon Prince then? Why don't we summon a Demon Emperor while we are at it?" rebuked the third witch, clearly displeased about the optimistic and cheerful tone cultivated by the second witch.
"Hehehe. I don't see any reason why we would fail in our objective, Harleen. Well, unlike you, I'm hopeful," retorted the second witch. "Let's just hope that someone like a Demon Emperor exists though. We can't summon someone that doesn't exist, can we?" she asked the third witch rhetorically.
"Will you two stop bickering now?" Clauria spoke before the two witches could continue to argue with each other.
"We have more pressing matters tonight. If we fail one more time, we'll be in deep trouble for sure. Need I remind you that the summoning of five lesser demons or two greater demons is not a success for us?" she asked while turning to look at the five demonic beings who were following her obediently. Of course, she was referring to them, the newest addition to their group, five demonic beings who had been turned into her and her subordinates' servants.
"The Ishgaar's Templars will eventually come to know about whereabouts," Hilbeli, the witch who was second-in-command in Helenbora coven, spoke up in a grim tone, highlighting what Clauria wanted to say.
"It's only a matter of time before they get a hint of our presence in these ruins. My sisters. So we need to be a bit careful.
We'll be forced to leave this place empty-handed after all that we have been through. It would be such a waste of effort and resources if we couldn't at least summon an archdemon tonight," Hilbeli said while looking at the full moon in the sky.
"Hehe. Clauria, my dear, you look beautiful under the light of this full moon. But the stress you feel in your heart is showing on your face.
I say let Leesha speak her heart out. There's nothing wrong with feeling excited even if we are under a lot of pressure," another witch joined the fray and supported the second witch with a playful smile on her face. And with that, she rebuked what Clauria and Hilbeli were trying to say to Isha.
However, unlike in the case of Leesha the second witch, nobody tried to argue with this fourth witch. This was because she was Clauria's lover with a very playfully argumentative disposition. Nobody won in a verbal spat against her. As such, the others in the coven often steered clear of this fourth witch.
"*Cough. Guys, focus. We… we have a job to do," the head witch said while looking at the fourth witch with eyes that almost screamed "not now" at her.
Clauria could argue with the fourth witch just fine. However, for some reason, she only focused on the bit of praise she received from her lover. It was as if the fourth witch knew how to control someone who was hailed as the head of the coven.
The fourth witch didn't lie. Clauria indeed looked beautiful under the calming yet eerie full moon. She appeared to be in her early thirties by mortal standards, yet her beauty transcended the passage of time.
Her features were both delicate and mesmerizing, and a subtle air of mystery surrounded her. Adorned in a flowing, midnight-black gown that seemed to absorb the moonlight, she exuded an otherworldly grace.
***
The seven witches of the Helenbora coven had long concealed themselves, driven into hiding by the relentless pursuit of Ishgaar's Templar. Tonight, however, under the unhindered gaze of the full moon, they chose to reveal themselves.
The celestial orb hung in the cloudless night sky, casting an unwavering spotlight on the city square, signaling the opportune moment for the coven to unleash the arcane energies that pulsed within them.
After reaching the middle of the abandoned city square, Clauria snapped her fingers to manifest a grand demonic circle that almost covered half the area of the giant city square. This was done so precisely and effortlessly that the other witches felt respect for their leader.
The other witches as well as the demonic beings surrounding them didn't need to be ordered. They knew what they were supposed to do and took their respective positions within the demonic circle.
With calculated precision, Clauria raised her hands, and the other six witches joined her in a synchronized incantation. The demonic beings, their dark forms lurking at the periphery, awaited their mistresses' commands.
The air crackled with malevolent energy as the coven began to weave a ritual that would potentially summon a strong demon and further enshroud Kizamgaar's Ruins in the grip of supernatural darkness.
"O demon of the abyss, heed my call,
Rise from the shadows, let darkness fall."
Claudia started the ritual in her serene and confident voice.
"Bathed in the moon's glow,
Awaken, creature of the shadow.
O mighty demon, from realms high and low,
Materialize now, let your strength freely flow.
Through the night, let chaos reign,
As I summon thee, break the mundane."
As the haunting echoes of the witches' incantations reverberated through the silent city square, the shadows themselves seemed to dance to an unholy rhythm.
The once-thriving metropolis, now a canvas for forbidden rituals, bore witness to the resurgence of the Helenbora coven and the ominous power they sought to unleash upon the world.
Under the effects of the witches' demonic prayers, the spatial fabric started fluctuating. It soon tore itself up before resealing itself in the next moment.
However, that fraction of a second was enough for someone from beyond the veil to enter the world of Labh Salem.
Just like how the coven wanted, someone had appeared inside the central Eye of the demonic circle. However, the witches were conceded. They looked at each other with perplexed gazes as they wondered if the ritual had failed.
It was because the entity they had summoned appeared to have flesh and looked alive. 'This can't be a demon,' they all thought collectively.
"Kekeke. Finally! Damn. How many… huh! I wonder how many years have passed since I breathed in the fresh air."
The "demon " spoke in an unknown tongue while being surrounded by a renegade coven of witches.
