Chapter 2: Cupid’s Hammer

The air cracked with tension as the blood-wreathed witch howled from the cratered ruin of the eatery, and Lyzelle—gliding like a mischievous fairy of execution—hovered midair, arms outstretched as heart-shaped flames rippled from her skin, climbing her limbs in radiant pink and white wisps that shimmered like divine embers. Her wings flared open as her bow spun once in her hand, elongating, warping, then collapsing in on itself with an audible snap, reforging into a massive pink warhammer etched with glowing white runes that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. Yuniper—now a grotesque fusion of rotted flesh and living corruption—vaulted upward with a feral screech, her body propelled by jagged spirals of red magic that carved the air behind her like raptor talons. Her blackened claws twisted with flickering runes, and as she lunged, the ground beneath her curled upward like rippling scales, the stone hissing as her momentum shattered the street below her.

Lyzelle spun backward midair, letting the witch's clawed sweep carve through where she'd just been, then twisted in a perfect, upside-down pirouette as she brought her hammer down like a falling star. The blow missed—but only barely—as Yuniper spun into a contorted handspring, her limbs cracking as she twisted backward inhumanly, her heel raking sparks off the hammerhead as she landed atop a broken vendor's stall. Without pause, she whipped her hand out, slinging three curved spears of solid crimson into the sky from the rotating crest behind her. Lyzelle clicked her tongue, caught one midair between two fingers, and bit into it—shattering the curse-magic like brittle sugar glass. "Yuck! That one tasted like rotting commitment issues!" she taunted as she dropped, somersaulting mid-fall to dodge the next bolt, then vaulted from a crumbled pillar with a flex of her wings to close the distance, hammer dragging behind her like a comet tail.

Yuniper raised both arms, and red veins lashed upward from the ground like jagged zippers—twisting into a clawed cage—but Lyzelle twirled sideways through the gaps with aerial grace, kicked off one ascending wall, then dropped into a ferocious hammer spin, cleaving downward with enough force to cave in a chapel's marble wall as Yuniper barely backflipped away, her charred robe catching flame. With a wide-eyed grin, Lyzelle wrenched the hammer upward and slammed its head into the cobblestone with a twist—pink and white fire igniting from the runes in controlled, rippling bursts. The explosion chased Yuniper across the square like vengeful blossoms, forcing her to cartwheel into a crouch, where she slammed her fists into the dirt and pulled an entire section of blood-soaked ground into a spinning disc beneath her feet, sending herself hurling like a screaming sawblade at Lyzelle.

Lyzelle's wings whipped open and flared, halting her descent with a burst of radiant lift. She flipped backwards, bow snapping into place in her grip again, and in the blink of an eye she loosed six arrows in a weaving arc—each one ricocheting off cracked walls, fractured columns, and even a hovering Hunter's shield mid-fight—before curving down all at once toward Yuniper's center. The witch let out a feral roar and pirouetted on her cursed disc, using a rising spiral of dark magic to shatter five of the bolts—but the last arrow slipped in low, skimming under her guard and piercing through her shoulder with a searing hiss, pinning her momentarily to a crumbling spire. "That one's for the overcooked stew, hag!" Lyzelle cackled as she dropped again, spinning her bow into hammer form and slamming it straight through Yuniper's elevated perch, smashing both it and her enemy downward in a plummeting spiral strike that collapsed the tower with titanic force.

They vanished in dust and thunder, and the square held its breath—until a ragged shriek tore upward again. Yuniper erupted from the rubble, her body dripping with black ichor, ribs visible through her torn side, but eyes burning brighter than ever. She surged forward, launching herself into a barrel roll spin and slashing both hands upward, carving open the air with raw power that split the stone street in uneven channels. Lyzelle didn't flinch. She spun, ducked beneath one slash, caught the second claw with her hammer's head, then twisted Yuniper's wrist with a jarring upward thrust before kneeing her in the gut with devastating, punishing rhythm. "Dramatic final form? Boring. Seen it. Try crying more," she said gleefully, then vaulted off the witch's back with one foot and flipped above her—drawing her bow again mid-flight, forming a glowing white arrowhead of fire that she didn't even aim—she simply dropped it. It fell like judgment incarnate.

The resulting impact annihilated the section beneath them, and with a final, brutal scream, Yuniper's body was launched skyward—her form flailing, ruptured by countless unseen cuts as though the atmosphere itself was carving her apart. Pieces of her burned robe, shattered limbs, and streaks of her cursed blood rained down like grotesque petals, and Lyzelle, still airborne, twirled gracefully through the descending carnage with a mocking, radiant smirk. "Whew," she sighed, letting one drop of blood narrowly miss her cheek. "Do you have any idea how long it took to finally kill that bitch? I nearly missed brunch." Her smile widened, pink and white flame still lazily rising from her body. She turned mid-hover to speak—only to spot Kota sprinting full-force down the nearest alley, arms flailing, mouth wide, screaming like a tavern maid who'd just seen a ghost.

She snorted, floating higher with a satisfied laugh. "What a man."

Kota tore down the cobbled street like a terrified goat in a thunderstorm, arms flailing, breath ragged, his screams echoing between stone walls. "No no no no no no no."

But before he could finish his panicked sprint, Lyzelle zipped into existence right in front of him, floating upside-down, her arms crossed and a teasing grin plastered across her face.

"Did you know the witch was gonna eat you?" she asked, her voice syrupy-sweet with mock concern, her upside-down hair swaying like silver-white smoke.

Kota screeched to a halt, blinked once, then ran around her like she was a traffic cone, not even acknowledging her. "NOPE! NOPE! NOPE!"

But before he could get more than a few steps ahead, the unmoving body of Yuniper suddenly thudded to the ground in front of him with a sickening, wet splat. Her corpse was shredded, twisted, and burned, but it was there, unmistakably her.

Gasps erupted in every direction—Hunters, Adventurers, townsfolk. Everyone stopped. Everyone except Lyzelle, who cocked her head and muttered with a grin, "Ahh… right. Forgot about this part."

Kota, the Hunters, everyone: "What part?"

Suddenly, Yuniper's broken form began to convulse, limbs cracking, body arching like a marionette under invisible strings. Her stomach burst open grotesquely, not with blood, but with spiraling coils of living shadow—smoke that twisted and hissed, wrapping the air around her like oil on fire. From it emerged her soul form—a nightmare beauty sculpted in void-black mist. Her hair, shadowy and alive, extended far behind her, coiling like tendrils of sorrow. Her face was a whisper of her former one—ethereal, hollow-eyed, and slowly twisting with rage.

Lyzelle hovered beside Kota, hands on her hips. "So… witches? They ain't like us Cupids. Their soul is tied to their power. Bargained off to the God of Darkness for cool shit and a cute face. But when they die? The god puppets their soul. That thing?"—she thumbed to the snarling, malformed shadow above them—"is basically her… but hollowed out. The annoying high ranking witches are able to do this. And if the soul isn't snuffed out in time, BAM! It causes the entire area to rot with curses, the nature of the witches power seeping to the ground."

Kota was still frozen, his brain catching up, when Lyzelle turned to him with a sharp smile. "Hey. I choose you."

"Huh—"

And then she kissed him.

The town exploded in reaction—cheers, gasps, groans, a mug was thrown. One Adventurer howled "UNFAIR!" while another collapsed dramatically into another's arms. Pink flaming hearts burst from the ground and soared skyward in slow-motion grandeur.

Kota's face turned a level of red previously undocumented by alchemists.

'What's happening?! No way I'm getting kissed?! For the first time…?'

When he blinked, she was gone.

"What… where…?" he stammered, holding his face. "I feel… weird."

Lyzelle's voice echoed inside him now, impish and excited. "Oh, you feel that? That's your soul not being empty for once, dummy. You had a clean slate, and I slapped a contract on it. Congratulations. You're now a Cupid candidate. You're welcome."

Kota's body began to glow—his skin turned snow-white, runes spiraling across his chest and limbs in elegant patterns. His hair flowed upward, now pure white, flickering with the pink-white flames that burst from the halo hovering over his head. He looked down at himself, then at his reflection in a broken shard of glass. For the first time… he grinned. Power surged in him—raw, warm, liberating.

'This is real…isn't it…?'

Floating into the air with fluid grace, Kota felt weightless. Limitless.

From the space beside him, they formed—his weapons: Twin chained blades, glowing and snarling like sentient fire. Forged from a shattered elder Cupid's bow and the ribcage of a forgotten god of desire, the blades sparkled with pink-white voltage and roared like an aching heart ripped open. He grabbed the chains, twirled them once, flames trailing in artistic fury.

From below, Yuniper's soul shrieked up at him, voice trembling. "Kota—! I LOVED YOU—!"

Kota scoffed, spinning the blades once more. "You used me, psycho! I finally trusted someone. Never again. I can't believe I was on a date with a witch.."

"We can continue the date! Just kill that Cupid smut and help me!"

He smirked, eyes glowing, ready to burn everything down.

Lyzelle—inside him—cheered like a fangirl. "YEAH! THAT'S MY BOY! TWIRL THOSE PAIN SWORDS! LIGHT HER UP!"

But then—poof—his glow fizzled, his body jerked, and suddenly… he was just Kota again, hovering awkwardly, half a foot off the ground.

"Oh no," Lyzelle muttered. She burst out of him in a flash of pink fire, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. "Are you serious?! We were about to have a badass moment! You were floating! Your blades were out! I posed for that!!"

Kota, dazed and slightly drooling, whispered, "My body's rejecting the power… I've never felt this before…"

"Yeah, that's normal," she sighed, crossing her arms.

Yuniper's soul began closing in, her corrupted essence a cyclone of shadows still tied to her twitching corpse. The sky darkened as her scream intensified.

Lyzelle turned slowly, smiling wide, calm in the chaos. "Alright, sweetheart. Time for round two."

And as Yuniper lunged, Lyzelle tugged her blindfold down just a little—revealing a single, glowing pink eye. Her pupil was a spinning array of white runes, radiant and alive.

"You wanna know what real heartbreak looks like?" she whispered, fangs showing.

Lyzelle's single glowing eye shimmered like a dying star—brilliant, furious, divine. A single tear of blood slipped down her porcelain cheek, trailing across the edge of her smirk. The tear hit the earth like a divine ember, and the ground cracked open in glowing lines, pulsing with ethereal pink energy. From those glowing faultlines, massive spectral hands erupted—each one dozens of feet tall, pink and radiant with glowing white runes carved across the palms and fingers. They smashed down toward Yuniper's soul with the weight of celestial judgment, each impact quaking the cobbled street, sending debris and spectral fire skyward.

Yuniper's shadow soul screamed as the giant hands pummeled her, her form flailing but still tethered to her body. "I thought souls couldn't be touched!" someone shouted from the onlooking crowd.

Lyzelle turned slightly, addressing them with a condescending grin. "They usually can't, dumbasses. But this one? It's still latched to that rotting meat sack. See, witches that make pacts tie their souls directly to the god they swore to—and to their corrupted body. Makes their soul a lot more squishy." She twirled midair, raising her arms theatrically. "So voilà—I can break her!"

Yuniper's soul staggered, coalescing back into a solid, sinister figure. Her face, half-beautiful, half-hollow, twisted with contempt. "You're in love with the human boy," she growled, her voice echoing like many layered screams. "He was mine first! My prey!"

Lyzelle's laughter peeled out across the town square, wild and manic. "ME? In love with that guy? Please! Cupids can't fall in love with humans—it's literally against divine code! Do I look like I follow rules, though? Heh." She pointed dramatically at Yuniper. "But you, Miss fucking Cannibal —you're the real joke. Witches can't love humans either. You either eat 'em or curse 'em, or if you're feeling romantic, sacrifice 'em under a blood moon. You don't love. You marinate."

That was enough.

Kota stood, chest rising and falling, eyes filled with fire. "I'm ready now."

"Atta boy," Lyzelle grinned. Without hesitation, she flew into him in a flare of pink flame, their souls syncing once more.

In a single blink, Kota's body ignited with the same divine radiance as before—but this time it held steady. His skin glowed white, pink runes danced across his arms and chest, wings unfurled in a violent gust, and his halo spun like a sawblade. His grin returned, fanged and confident, as his chained blades whipped into his hands, their fire crackling like electric honey.

As he floated midair again, the crowd exploded in cheers.

"Kill that witch!"

"HE'S FLOATING AGAIN!"

"MAKE HER SHADOWY FACE EAT DIRT!"

Even the kids watching from rooftops and barrels shouted in glee, throwing sticks like pretend weapons. Most people would run and hide, but most people like Hunters and Adventurers, love to see moments like this all over the world. The witches are a plague in every kingdom, and to see a strong one getting fucked up, was the best thing ever.

But Kota and Lyzelle bickered internally, voices overlapping inside his head.

"You better not pass out again—"

"I won't! That was ONE time—"

"I posed with the flaming chains! You EMBARRASSED ME!"

"Stop yelling in my brain!"

From the crowd stepped a vibrant guild trio, dressed like mismatched circus rogues but radiating seasoned energy.

The leader, a sharp-jawed man with a cocky grin and a massive tome strapped to his back, raised both arms. "The Chrono Howlers got this!" His name was Blight Vance, long brown hair with sharp teeth and green eyes, and he glowed with aura-infused tattoos.

His companions, Pebble (a massive muscular woman with a tower shield, an orange bob cut, and pure white eyes) and Merrythorn (a wiry mage who floated upside down while sipping from a bottle. His face obscured by a black mask, wearing black sackcloth with a hood over his head), immediately sang his praises.

"Whatever Blight says, it comes true!!" Pebble bellowed.

"Blight never lies! We got this!" Merrythorn swooned.

"BEHOLD HIS BARRIER ART!"

With a chant from Blight, a dome of rotating hexagonal runes erupted around the battlefield, encasing Kota, Yuniper's soul, and the blast zone in a translucent magical arena. The power radiated outward but couldn't breach the shell. The crowd roared again in appreciation.

More chatter broke out from the crowd.

"I heard witches cursed entire valleys—turned cows into spiders.."

"Cupids only show when witches pop up. Some say they're older than this world.."

Kota now hovered at the center of the shimmering dome, flaming chains coiled around his arms, eyes locked on the screaming, writhing shadow of Yuniper. Inside him, Lyzelle's voice cackled. "Now this… this is a damn date."

And then—like twin comets diving into oblivion—they clashed.

'I'm really fighting,,.I really am? I got power now from a Cupid that I always thought were myths. Even if this is a dream, I don't ever wanna wake up..'