Estela, the captain of the Royal Guard, stood at the foothills of Mount Kirk, a colossal mountain nearly 5,000 meters above sea level. The expedition was many kilometers away from Toki, but the journey had been worth it. With her were some of Hirica's finest warriors, veterans of countless battles, men and women who had sworn to protect the nation at any cost.

  A soldier hurried over, his face hardened by the seriousness of his report.

  —Captain, we’ve found the cave we were looking for. Our scouts have already marked it on the map.

  Inside her tent, Estela listened to the news as she sipped hot coffee from a thermos. She allowed herself a moment of silence, her gaze fixed on the steam rising from the drink. Despite her iron will, she was fully aware of the danger of this mission.

  —Charles, are you sure you want to do this? —she asked without looking up from her cup. Her voice was firm, but there was a note of concern in it—. Unlike most here, you have young children. If you fall on this mission, they could be left without a father. We’re about to face the most powerful witch in history. The legends about her magic are terrifying.

  Charles, a burly warrior with short hair and a determined gaze, gave a confident smile.

  —Captain Estela, as long as you’re with us, I know everything will be fine. After all, you’re the strongest in all of Toki.

  Estela didn’t respond immediately. Her reputation preceded her; she was considered the most powerful warrior in the Royal Guard, a living legend. However, this time her instincts screamed that something was off.

  A few days ago, a message had arrived directly from the leader of the elven nation. The news set off alarms across Hirica: Priscila, the most dangerous magic user in history, had been located.

  Priscila, an elf exiled from her homeland for using forbidden magic and committing unspeakable crimes, had disappeared for five decades. It was believed she had died… until now.

  Fifty years ago, she and a horde of fanatics devoted to a dark goddess attacked Toki. At that time, the city didn’t have the magical barrier that protects it today, and the devastation was absolute. It was the Royal Guard who eradicated the dark goddess’s cult, annihilating every last one of her followers. This act, brutal but necessary, earned them the title of "Execution Squad" and the admiration of the entire world.

  Many nations had tried to exterminate those fanatics, but they always managed to escape. In Toki, they met their end.

  All of them… except Priscila.

  She was responsible for the death of a quarter of the city’s population. And now, fifty years later, Hirica had the chance to bring her to justice.

  Estela sighed and poured herself another cup of coffee. However, before she could bring it to her lips, a loud rumble shook the ground.

  The enemy had arrived.

  Suddenly, a large number of ogres emerged from holes in the ground. Massive creatures, with thick skin and muscles like rocks, armed with logs they used as makeshift clubs. Their yellow eyes glowed with primal ferocity as they roared in unison, ready to tear apart the humans before them.

  But if they expected to find frightened soldiers, they were mistaken.

  Estela drew her sword with lethal precision. In a single motion, her body slid between the monsters with the elegance of a dancer and the brutality of an executioner. The ogres’ heads rolled before their bodies hit the ground.

  The dark blood stained the blade of her sword, and she wiped it off with a handkerchief in annoyance.

  —Damn it, ogre blood stains the metal too much…

  She looked at her men, who were already in combat positions, waiting for her order.

  —Let’s go, boys! It’s time to hunt the witch.

  As they ventured into the cave, the members of the Royal Guard heard a woman’s voice humming a song. It sounded cheerful and lively, like the kind sung at parties. Suddenly, the soldiers’ lanterns began to go out, plunging everyone into darkness. Then, a large number of rocks began to glow, illuminating the area with a faint light. In the midst of that glow, a beautiful elven woman greeted them.

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  —Did you kill the ogres? —the elf asked with a mocking smile—. Didn’t you feel any pity for taking the lives of such fragile beings?

  —Damn witch! —shouted Estela, her voice resonating with strength and confidence as she pointed her sword at the elf—. You’ll pay for what you did to Toki fifty years ago.

  —Oh! I almost didn’t recognize you —said the witch in a playful tone—. You’ve grown strong and healthy all these years. Let’s talk somewhere else.

  With a snap of her fingers, Priscila teleported Estela and herself to a beautiful garden, leaving the Royal Guard warriors behind.

  —Where’s the captain? —the soldiers wondered, but it didn’t take long before they began to forget about her. Terrifying lizard men emerged from inside the cave, armed with bronze swords. Their numbers tripled those of the Royal Guard warriors.

  In the garden, Priscila sat elegantly on a stone bench, surrounded by exotic flowers.

  —Sit down, dear —she said with a welcoming smile—. Have a cup of tea. Or would you prefer a chamomile infusion?

  Estela paid no attention to the witch’s words. With a quick movement, she drew her sword and pointed it at Priscila’s neck, determined to end her once and for all. However, before she could move forward, her body became petrified.

  —What is this? —thought Estela, alarmed. The magic of wizards and witches had never affected her before. Her superhuman strength, which had always protected her, was now useless. For the first time in her life, she felt a pang of fear. But her willpower prevailed, and with a superhuman effort, she broke the spell, swinging her sword furiously. However, what she cut was only an illusion. Priscila’s image faded into the air.

  The witch appeared behind Estela and injected her with a substance that completely paralyzed her. Estela couldn’t move, only listen.

  —Don’t worry, the effect will wear off soon —Priscila said calmly—. Anyway, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t kill you. These are orders from my lady, Galatea. She wants you to join us, and she tasked me with revealing the truth about your origin.

  Estela tried to speak, but no words came out. Priscila continued, her smile now more sinister than welcoming.

  —Do you remember your parents, right? I’m not talking about the couple who raised you, the retired general of Toki, Albert, and his wife. I’m talking about your birth parents. You were frozen for so long that perhaps you’ve forgotten, or maybe you were too young. You, my dear, are what they call a demigod. You are the daughter of the goddess of the hearth, Vesta, and a human whom history has already forgotten. Your divine power makes you seem invincible, but you’re not. The proof is that you succumbed to my lady’s power. All these spells aren’t mine; they’re hers, the great Galatea.

  Priscila paused, watching Estela with a mix of curiosity and pity.

  —Fifty years ago, I was tasked with rescuing you from the hands of the people of Toki. Back then, you were a statue of a little girl. It was a great surprise that the humans of Toki managed to break the ancient spell that kept you frozen. But well, that doesn’t matter now. We’ll just have to erase your memory and make you swear loyalty to the goddess.

  At that moment, a mirror materialized behind Priscila. A man dressed in civilian clothes, wearing a flat, expressionless white mask, appeared in the reflection.

  —Servant of the goddess, we have bad news —the man said with a tense voice—. Eik has been defeated. And worst of all, a simple human killed him. The people are hailing him. We’ve learned his name: it’s Axel Axpe. He alone defeated Eik, the dark elf.

  Priscila frowned, clearly annoyed.

  —Damn it. He seemed like the most capable one. Well, he wasn’t that great either. How hard could it be to kill that human? Whether he’s a mage or a gifted one, all it would take is a scratch from the daggers on his chains. They were poisoned. Well, at least the goblins killed a lot of people before falling to the human warriors, right?

  The man in the mirror looked down, uncomfortable.

  —Actually, the female goblin leader died much sooner than expected, and that weakened the others. They fell quickly to the other warriors of Toki. We’re sorry to bring bad news.

  Priscila snapped her fingers, and suddenly, the man in the mirror clutched his chest and dropped dead from a heart attack.

  —Damn it, I killed the messenger again —Priscila said, frustrated—. I need to learn to control myself. There’s an unknown factor here. I must inform the goddess as soon as possible. Oh, I’m so sorry, I left you alone while I took a call, dear Estela. How rude of me.

  Estela, still paralyzed, was in a state of shock. Too much information had been revealed in such a short time. Had Axel saved the city from a dark elf? And had there also been a goblin attack? It was all hard to process. Her mind was in chaos.

  —A demigod… me? —thought Estela, confused—. How? My parents have always been my parents, the ones who raised me…

  Priscila glanced at a giant pendulum clock in the corner of her garden.

  —It’s almost time. We’ll have to continue this meeting another day —said the witch—. What happened in Toki is abnormal. We’ll leave your case for another day, dear. By the way, until now, you’ve only seen the power of my goddess, the power she’s lent me. But I’ve never shown you my own.

  Priscila turned her gaze to the mirror, and in it appeared the image of the Royal Guard warriors, exhausted but victorious. They had triumphed in their battle against the lizard men, even though they were outnumbered.

  —Look at that satisfied expression —Priscila said with a malicious smile—. It would be tragic if something bad happened to them now that they’re so pleased with their victory.

  With another snap of her fingers, a massive stalagmite grew from the ground and pierced the stomach of Charles, the Royal Guard warrior, killing him slowly and in great pain.

  —See you soon, dear —Priscila said, vanishing into thin air.

  Estela passed out, and when she regained consciousness, she found herself near Charles’s body, covered with a cloth.

  —We failed —Estela murmured, tears streaming down her face—. This was a trap.