Boiling Isles: The Next Generation - Act I.

Chapter XLIV. - The Manipulator

Paulina hissed in pain as she felt a dull throb in her temple. She sat up slowly, staggering slightly, trying to grasp where she was. The world was still swirling around her in a blur. She pressed her hand to her head to calm the dizziness. Suddenly, a huge, dark shadow fell over her, and a black sphere suddenly formed around her.

Before Paulina could do anything, however, the sphere moved and flew forward at a crazy pace, straight towards Kewok.

The ash-blonde-haired witch girl only needed to take one look at the antlered creature to immediately remember what had happened. She fought against Kewok with Priscilla, and Lucia, and...

Paulina's head immediately ached as she tried to remember the battle. All she could recall was that Priscilla had taken on some terrifying form and was moving towards Kewok, while Lucia... Lucia was trying to distract Kewok?

Paulina's head ached again. Meanwhile, the sphere arrived next to Kewok.

"It was an experience, Azura Lucia Noceda " Kewok's mocking voice was heard, and then the ancient god slowly began to float upwards together with the sphere holding Paulina.

Paulina looked up in despair, and that's when she noticed the huge, gaping hole in the ceiling that led straight to the open air.

No! This can't be! Kewok has escaped!

The ash-blonde-haired witch girl was completely overcome with despair.

"Stop! Where are you taking Paulina?!" Paulina heard Lucia's voice.

The ash-blonde witch girl looked down and saw Lucia looking up at her and reaching for her.

"That's none of your business," Kewok replied in an icy, cruel voice, and then, as if a strange joy had suddenly ignited in him, he continued, "It's true, I almost forgot about that."

Kewok curled his fingers, and Paulina watched in horror as Amity Noceda, who had just begun to stand up, suddenly rose into the air against her will.

"Mom!" Lucia screamed, trying to reach the brown-haired witch.

And then the moment Paulina never wanted to experience happened. A sharp, piercing crack tore through the air and Amity's head slowly, lifelessly tilted forward.

Paulina put her hands to her mouth in shock, her eyes welling up with tears.

No... It can't be true that Amity...

But her mind simply couldn't finish the thought.

After a few moments, all Paulina saw was Lucia falling to her knees beside her mother's motionless body, and then the dark sky of the Boiling Isles surrounded the ash-blond witch girl. Not long after, a few kilometers from the skull, Kewok suddenly stopped in midair, and with him the sphere that held Paulina came to a stop too.

The ancient god slowly raised his head to the sky. His eyes narrowed to a narrow slit, then he swung his arm towards the sky and grabbed nothingness with a firm movement with his fingers. In the next second, Kewok's palm was a brightly glowing ball of fire, from which raw, elemental heat and light emanated.

Paulina looked up at the sky in shock, and then something disturbing struck her. The sky, which had been perfect and complete until then, now seemed incomplete. Realization struck the ash-blond witch like a bolt of lightning. Her jaw dropped as she realized what had happened. Her gaze returned to Kewok's palm, staring almost frozen at the glowing orb resting within it.

Kewok... Kewok had literally picked up a star from the sky. A real, genuine star! And now he was holding it in his palm, as if it were just a simple pebble!