On the high walls of Silent Castle, the dim yellow glow of Wind Lanterns illuminated the soldiers' faces.
A soldier with distinctly Southern Continent features yawned and said, "Fog's rolling in. Looks like it's raining pretty hard in the mountains."
Beside him, a grizzled veteran sat on the ground smoking a rolled cigarette. "The weather's been strange this year. Even if it hailed tomorrow, I wouldn't be surprised."
The two were chatting.
Suddenly.
The younger soldier noticed something in the shadow of the wall.
A ball of yarn that did not look quite real rolled out of the shadows.
On this fog-shrouded night.
The sudden sight of such a ball of yarn.
Left the soldier momentarily at a loss.
Behind the ball, a strand of brightly colored yarn stretched into the darkness.
As though it could extend infinitely into the distance.
A moment later.
Following the strand, a woman in a black robe patterned with purple and a dark gray hat emerged from the darkness.
Her appearance perfectly matched the descriptions of a Witch.
Seeing a "Witch" suddenly emerge from the darkness.
The soldier finally reacted and grabbed the rifle resting against the wall.
At that moment.
The hooded "Witch" in purple robes raised her right hand, holding it half-closed against her lips.
In her palm.
A dark, ancient horn immediately materialized.
The horn exuded a sense of weight and immense power.
Wooo!
The "Witch" blew the horn in her hand.
It gave a low, resonant blast.
The sound echoed repeatedly along the walls, yet did not spread into the castle.
As though it affected only the walls.
As the sound waves overlapped, the surrounding shadows shattered and the ground cracked.
The soldiers on the walls, the heavy ballistae beside them, the cannons.
Everything seemed to solidify into translucent amber.