A Shymphony of Destiny

This getting…To quiet.

That was all Lumino could think as he sat at the massive table, pages of the book fluttering under his fingers. The silence wasn't peaceful—it was unnatural. Thick. Heavy. Like the whole library was holding its breath.

Reading reminded him of his grandfather, who once taught him how to hold a book, how to sound out each word with care. Maybe that's why he'd gravitated toward the shelves after Alira vanished—maybe that was his way of finding comfort. Of not thinking about Kael.

He turned another page, then paused.

"I think Kael went upstairs..."

His eyes drifted toward the upper floor, his guilt gnawing quietly in the corner of his heart. Did I overdo it? I slapped him... But I just...

He must hate being tied to me these past few days, Lumino thought. Anyone would.

But it was strange. Kael's footsteps had been loud—he always stomped, made his presence known. Earlier, he'd even kicked things around.

Now… silence.

Lumino closed his book.

"Should I… check on him?"

Slowly, he ascended the stairs, each step creaking underfoot in the unsettling quiet. The air up there felt colder. Dustier. Stiller. He scanned the rows for any sign of Kael—footprints, movement, a rustle—but found nothing.

It's like he vanished into thin air...

A creeping unease began to twist in his gut. The silence wasn't just strange anymore. It was wrong.

"Kael?" he called out softly.

No answer.

He tried again, louder. "Kael?"

Still nothing.

His pulse began to rise.

As he weaved through the towering shelves, something caught his eye—a thick, deep crimson book wedged between faded tomes. It seemed to hum slightly… like it was calling to him. Drawn in, Lumino reached for it. The instant his fingers touched the leather spine, the air changed.

And then—

His eyes turned pitch black.

He looked up blankly, and collapsed onto the floor.

The book thudded beside him.

**************************************

Where... am I?

Lumino opened his eyes. He was standing in a place that didn't make sense—like a dream, yet far worse.

The ground was mist, the sky was void. There were no walls. Just endless, pulsating black.

No. I've been here before.

I hate this place.

He pinched his arm—hard—hoping pain would wake him. But no.

Then—

Click. Clack.

The sharp sound of high heels echoed from somewhere beyond the shadows.

He spun around, heart pounding.

Then came a melody. A voice. A soft humming.

"Na…na…na… na…na…na…"

That voice.

It was beautiful. Terrible. Familiar.

He began backing away instinctively, clutching his shirt with shaking fingers.

"Hello… we meet again."

The voice, once distant, suddenly surged forward—

And the woman appeared before him in an instant.

Lumino gasped, stumbling back and falling onto the misty ground.

She was radiant—and horrifying.

Her lips curled into a smile as she leaned down, her breath ghosting across his skin.

"Your scent… so intoxicating."

She licked the corner of her lips, her mouth drifting toward his…

But at the last moment, she whispered into his ear instead,

"Reeking… of destruction."

Lumino flinched, slapping his hands over his ears.

His body trembled. He wanted to speak, but fear had stolen his voice.

"Don't be afraid," she cooed.

Her crimson dress trailed like blood through the mist. A jeweled necklace shimmered on her throat. Her eyes glowed—red, ravenous, and endless. Her skin was porcelain. Her lipstick, a deep wicked red. The eyes that he saw before, in his dream. Black hair framed her haunting face like a curtain of ink.

"Wh-who are you?" Lumino finally managed to whisper.

She smiled. Slowly. Seductively.

Her hand lifted, brushing his cheek.

"I wonder…"

"Why don't you guess?"

**********************************************************

Meanwhile, Kael...

He'd walked far. Too far, and still—nothing.

"This is stupid," he grunted under his breath. "I thought secret tunnels were supposed to be exciting."

All he got was cold stone, stale air, and more darkness.

Then—

A flicker of light. Something ahead reflected his lantern.

He quickened his pace.

A door. Finally.

He shoved it open—and what he saw made him pause.

"…What the hell?"

A large chamber.

Seven coffins stood in a perfect semicircle, lined with eerie precision.

The temperature dropped immediately, a chill biting at his skin.

Despite the macabre scene, Kael didn't feel fear. Only confusion.

Seven coffins? Why…?

At least Lumino wasn't with him. He'd probably faint just from the atmosphere.

Kael approached the first coffin, inspecting them one by one.

They were real. Heavy. Cold.

Inside each…

Human skulls. Bones. The remains of someone long dead.

Except one.

The seventh coffin—was empty.

Kael's brows furrowed.

He noticed plaques on each one. Scratched, aged, but readable.

"A Witch. Rest in Peace."

His blood ran cold.

"Don't tell me…"

Then—A voice.

"What are you doing here?!"

Kael turned.

Alira stood at the entrance of the room, eyes glistening with unshed tears. She held out a glowing staff, her face twisted in something between fury and grief.

"You saw it all…"

She gritted her teeth. "Now you must be—vanished"

Kael smirked.

"You should've said that from the start." He drew his sword slowly, eyes gleaming with thrill.

"Now i'm finally getting excited."

Kael lunged toward Alira, his blade flashing like silver lightning.

But Alira was faster—she whipped her staff toward him, and a sudden burst of force hurled Kael backward, slamming him into the stone wall.

Damn it...

But he was already back on his feet.

With a growl, Kael surged forward again, this time catching her off guard. His sword clashed against her staff, metal biting wood, the impact sending sparks flying.

Alira staggered back, her breath caught.

But her instincts kicked in—her staff glowed violently, and behind Kael, dozens of spectral blades materialized in the air, suspended in a deadly spiral.

They flew.

Kael reacted instantly, flipping backward as the swords sliced past him, cutting the air where he'd just stood.

In midair, he slid two fingers along the flat of his blade, and a gust of compressed wind surged forward, redirecting the spectral blades toward Alira.

Eyes wide, Alira shouted, "DISPEL!"

The conjured swords blinked out of existence a second before impaling her.

But she didn't hesitate—her staff slammed into the floor, summoning thick vines that burst upward from beneath Kael's feet.

With a snarl, Kael leapt sideways, rebounding off the stone wall with a burst of strength, and with a spinning slash, cleaved the vines in two.

He landed in a crouch, then dashed again—this time, blade whirling in a deadly arc toward Alira.

She barely ducked, the edge grazing her shoulder.

She staggered.

Her breath hitched.

Her movements faltered.

It was clear now—she wasn't used to this kind of battle.

Kael grinned. "That's it? That all you've got?"

"Shut up!" Alira hissed, fury in her eyes.

She raised her staff again, and this time her voice rang with power.

"Oh flame that consumes all in my way—EL FIRE!"

A torrent of blazing fire erupted toward Kael, crackling with violent energy.

But he didn't flinch.

With a flash of motion, he sliced through the flames, his sword absorbing the heat and momentum, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

He reappeared right in front of her.

SLAM—!

His blade collided with her staff, sending it flying from her hands.

Alira gasped—stumbled—fell backward.

One tear rolled down her cheek, and by chance, it landed on Kael's sword.

They both froze.

She lay on the cold floor, eyes locked with his, her lips trembling.

Kael raised his sword.

But instead of delivering the final blow—

He plunged his blade into the ground beside her.

He sighed, brushing his bangs back with his hand, and smiled faintly.

"You lose, damn it."

Alira turned her face away, cheeks burning with humiliation.

"You've never fought before, have you?" Kael said bluntly. "Your magic's not made for combat. That staff—doesn't even look like yours. You're not trained for this."

Alira's eyes welled up. "You're the villain here… barging in and beating up a weak, helpless girl."

Kael blinked. That actually struck him.

"…Tch." He stepped away from her and offered a hand. "Fine. Maybe I went too far."

She looked at his hand. Hesitated. Then reached out and took it.

He pulled her to her feet.

"For what it's worth… I'm sorry. For earlier too. The stuff I said in the chamber. Guess I was out of line."

His words came out rough, but sincere.

Somewhere, deep inside, he figured if he patched things up with Alira… maybe Lumino would stop being mad at him too.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment before Alira broke it.

"How did you get in here?" she asked, rubbing her shoulder.

Kael shrugged. "Coincidence. I kicked over a bookshelf. Door opened."

"You weren't supposed to be able to enter," she muttered, clearly annoyed.

"Yeah, well. I'm full of surprises."

Her eyes narrowed, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"…You saw the coffins," she said quietly.

"I did." Kael crossed his arms. "What the hell are they? Witches corpse?"

Alira drifted in her thoughts, lost in a sea of memories, each one heavier than the last.

****************************************************

"Hey… are you really sure you want to take this path?" asked a sharp-tongued woman in an emerald green dress, her face smug with mischief.

"Of course, Anema… I want to enter this Coven with all of you," answered a younger Alira, her golden eyes shining beneath long dark hair and a flowing white dress.

"This path isn't easy, Alira. Are you sure you can handle it?" Lylith chimed in, her deep violet hair falling over a black velvet dress.

"Are you doubting me, Lylith? I'm Alira! They said my research in alchemy was groundbreaking! I'm sure I can be the key for all of us to uncover immortality."

"It's not immortality we seek, but knowledge," a soft voice corrected. It was Penny, the woman in the pale pink dress with blonde curls. "We're here to find the forbidden library—Mideway."

"Still… immortality is just as valuable," Alira replied. "I heard the red witch—cast out for taboo experiments—discovered that place."

"Lady Seraphine Mideway," spoke a woman in an icy blue gown, her silver hair shimmering. "A noblewoman who reached the peak of witchcraft. If she's your goal, then I fear you're reaching too high."

"Delphine is right," added another softly, a gentle woman in yellow. "I'm afraid of the price we'll have to pay."

"Wedelia! Don't tell me you've become a coward now!"

They all laughed, young witches with big dreams and no idea of the nightmare ahead.

And then the memory bled into another—

"There it is! The library of a thousand secrets!" Alira shouted with joy, her voice echoing.

"It's real… It actually exists," Penny whispered in awe.

"There's something… dark about this place," Wedelia muttered, shrinking into herself.

"Vengeful. It feels vengeful," Delphine agreed.

"Let's go in," Anema said boldly.

They did. All six of them stepped into Mideway.

They weren't alone.

A woman with cyan hair welcomed them warmly—another self-proclaimed witch. She was cheerful, open. They quickly bonded.

But dreams fade. And nightmares grow.

Anema was the first to fall, her body ravaged by a mysterious illness. Wedelia lost her mind soon after, her screams echoing in the empty halls before she ended her life.

Delphine died in a fiery experiment—her quest for truth ended in ruin.

Cyan was claimed by a curse they didn't understand.

When she died, Alira felt it—the shift. The curse had moved.

It had chosen her.

It wasn't just death. It was a slow fusion of body and place—the library absorbing their essence, consuming them in exchange for its vast knowledge.

Lylith tried to resist, tried to save them. She crafted protections, bought them a decade more. But it wasn't enough. She died too—withered, drained by the library she had fought to decode.

Only Alira and Penny remained.

"I found out the curse moved to me," Penny said one day, her smile tight, almost brave. "Because of Lylith's efforts… we stopped aging. We bought time. But time's meaningless here anyway. We're… basically immortal, right?"

"You were closest to Lylith," Alira asked gently. "How do you really feel?"

"I'm fine." Penny lied, and they both knew it. "Recently… I found a book. Deep crimson cover. Written by Lady Seraphine herself."

Her eyes lit up.

"Really? Let me see it!" Alira's voice trembled as she took the tome.

"You're still so young, Alira," Penny murmured, watching her. "What are you now, 27?"

"Time doesn't matter anymore," Alira replied. "But yes, 27."

"You're the youngest of all of us. I want you to live."

"Don't talk like that," Alira frowned. "You're like my sister. I'd never leave you."

Penny squeezed her hand. "Then listen. Please. Leave. Take the book. Carry our legacy. Let it mean something."

Alira laughed. "As if I'd leave you behind and let you hoard all this knowledge by yourself, you snake."

They both smiled.

But Alira remembered that moment—the softness in Penny's eyes. The resignation.

"This curse," Penny had whispered one night, "it binds us to this place. But Lylith's protections helped. If someone escapes, the library falls, and something far worse will awaken. But you—you—shouldn't be shackled here."

"You're a good girl, Alira. Don't waste your life in this tomb."

But Alira refused. She loved the library. She loved Penny. She belonged here.

Still… the days grew darker. Sometimes, she heard Penny crying Lylith's name in the night. Sometimes she found her, stroking Lylith's bones inside her coffin.

Time had stopped, but not grief.

One day, Penny showed her final brilliance: she began archiving the entire library, storing every book in a spell-bound hologram system.

"I'm nearly done," Penny grinned. "I think I can finally weaken the curse."

"And when you're free, what will you do? It's been five hundred years…"

"You're still counting?" Penny giggled. "I stopped a long time ago."

"I'll eat shaved ice. Grilled squid. Go to a festival. Simple things."

Alira felt jealousy. Penny still had dreams. Alira didn't.

Then came the betrayal.

Penny lied. She said she could leave. But she couldn't.

She pushed Alira out. Locked her out.

Alira ran—through fog, through Drool beasts—back to the library. When she finally burst through the doors, she saw her.

Penny… coughing blood. Dying. Her body limp.

"Why…?" Alira whispered.

"I'm sorry," Penny choked. "I just… I wanted you to live."

Tears fell. Penny died in Alira's arms.

She carried her to a coffin. Penny had never made one for herself.

She didn't think anyone would be left to bury her.

Alira placed her beside Lylith.

She carved two coffins. One for Penny. One for herself.

She would die here. With them.

Centuries passed. She aged not a day.

One day, ready to join them, she lay in her coffin and whispered the sleep spell. Eternal rest was near.

Then—

"Warning: Two unidentified lifeforms have broken the cliff illusion."

She ignored it.

"Warning: They've passed the fog barrier."

Eyes still closed.

"Warning: Drool defenses have failed. Intruders inside."

Alira opened her eyes.

She stood.

She had to see them.

She ran.

And when she saw them—two strangers, gasping, standing at the threshold of the library—

Her heart filled with something she had forgotten.

Joy.

It had been so long since anyone found her. So long since she heard a voice that wasn't her own.

"Welcome," she said with a soft smile, "to my library."

That day… She finally moved again.