Witches Brew - Part 15 - Top Tier Reward Story

As always with this one - Thank you so much to the real Loona for supporting like you do.

Wow - I can't believe we are 15 parts into this story.

I have to admit - I really enjoyed writing this small character arc. RIP

If you also enjoy Loona & the Gang - let me know! I love to hear your reaction to this one

Witches Brew Part 15

From the thick void of shadow around Loona, the darkness begins to stir—rippling like black water disturbed by some ancient force. A low hum vibrates through the air, and then, without warning, a shape begins to form.

At first, it's only an outline—tall, regal, and impossibly still—but as it steps forward, the shadows peel away like old skin, revealing Nezemica in full. Her body is cloaked in twisting wisps of black smoke and her eyes burn with a deep crimson glow that pierces straight through Loona’s soul.

As Nezemica approaches, the air grows colder, and the weight in Loona’s chest intensifies until she can barely stand. When she speaks, her voice is a whisper and a roar all at once, echoing from every direction.

“Child,” she drones, “now see me for what I am.”

Like being chucked into a frozen lake, Loona is ice cold to the very core of her bones. Nezemica’s presence only reminds her of the evil in the world—like she radiates pain and suffering.

“Submit, Child,” Nezemica says softly at first, but her words echo in Loona’s mind, quickly becoming a deafening loud roar.

Yet, Loona clenches her fits and fights back.

Memories of her past claw at her with pain and sorrow, but they forge her resolve like steel in fire. Loona stands proud of the woman she is becoming—no matter how many years of anguish and emotional turmoil it took to get here—because every scar is proof of the strength she’s earned.

“B-Back off,” Loona howls, screaming as loud as she possibly can.

Nezemica’s presence is, however, like the weight of an ocean pressing down upon Loona’s body. Still, through sheer will of determination, Loona lifts a single hand in defiance. She’ll use whatever magic is left inside her to fight back against the person who has imprisoned all these souls in endless torment.

“You can’t have a dawn without enduring the dusk!” Loona roars, her voice echoing like thunder as she locks eyes with Nezemica’s burning crimson glare.

With a defiant snap of her fingers, a blazing wave of radiant pink energy erupts from Loona’s core, ripping through the air like a comet unleashed. Fuelled by the last flickering embers of hope and love still burning in her soul, the blast hurls itself toward Nezemica with explosive force.

Caught off guard by the sudden assault, Nezemica barely raises a barrier in time, conjuring it at breakneck speed with a flash of dark power. Loona’s radiant blast slams into it with thunderous impact, sending a concussive shockwave exploding outward, shattering the air and rattling the very fabric of the shadow realm around them.

“Loona….,” Nezemica tuts with a wag of a finger. “Why waste yourself on pointless attacks. I thought you wanted to help people.” Nezemica begins to pace around Loona like a tiger mocking its prey. “Don’t you want to help me rid this world of pain?”

Nezemica brings one of her manicured fingers to her lips with a playful giggle. “Well, how about I sweeten the deal?”

Driving her influence deep into Loona’s soul like a venomous spear, Nezemica unleashes a storm of torment, dragging buried memories of Loona’s former male self to the surface. Her mocking words echo like thunder, each syllable sharpened to cut deeper, feeding off Loona’s pain as if savoring every crack in her resolve.

“How about I remove the memories of you being a man—would that stop this futile resistance?”

Loona can barely look up—let alone see. However, Nezemica’s offer brings her some sort of comfort. Would it be better to forget her past and live carefree in a world without pain?

Loona is yanked into the haunting fragments of her past, forced to relive the days when she walked the world in a body that never felt like her own—each memory a razor-sharp reminder of the ridicule, rejection, and aching silence that carved wounds deeper than anyone ever saw.

Loona clenches her jaw and lets the pain engulf her.

Tears run from Loona’s eyes, steaming down her face to then drop from her chin.

“N-No….” Loona manages to speak—but her voice is weak.

Nezemica stops walking and smirks with delight. “What’s that?”

Anguish runs through Loona’s veins, but she still resists. “No!” she says louder.

“Child, are you a fool?”

“I’m ME!” Loona shouts, lifting her gaze to glare directly at Nezemica. “My Pain! My angush!” Loona belts in her direction. “It’s all me!” she groans, resisting the pain being inflicted on her by her own memories. “All the fear, confusion, and sadness from my past is what makes me—me!”

Feeling a resurgence, Loona begins to take control of her own anguish, and she starts to battle against Nezemica’s control. Slowly getting to her feet, only twitching from the pain being administered, Loona stands in defiance.

Blood dribbling from her nose and her ears, Loona glares with steely intent.

“I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE OF WHO I WAS!” Loona roars, unleashing a blinding eruption of pink heart magic that shatters Nezemica’s grip on her like glass under a hammer. “MY PAIN ISN’T A WEAKNESS. WHAT TRIED TO BREAK ME ONLY FORGED ME INTO SOMETHING STRONGER.

With a fierce cry that echoes through the void like a battle hymn, Loona surges forward, her hands blazing with brilliant pink light as her heart magic flares to life. Every beat of her heart pulses through the air, raw and defiant, as shimmering energy spirals around her like a storm. She thrust both palms forward, releasing a barrage of radiant blasts—each one fueled by her love and her anguish—as one and the same.

One beam strikes Nezemica square in the chest, staggering the shadow-clad witch and cracking her armor of darkness with a flash of blinding light. Another strike follows, slamming into her side and sending a ripple of distortion through the realm.

But Nezemica only laughs and wafts away Loona’s attacks with one flippant flick of her wrist.

The shadows surge back stronger than ever, swallowing Loona’s light like a void devouring flame. She pushes harder, pouring the last of her energy into one final, desperate blast—but it fizzled against Nezemica’s rising strength.

The power drains from Loona’s limbs, and she drops to one knee, gasping, sweat and tears streaming down her face. Her magic flickers and dims, leaving only the sound of her ragged breath and the cold, oppressive presence of Nezemica looming ever closer.

“Child,” Nezemica laughs, clapping her hands together with a quiet happiness. “You truly are different from your counterparts. Such emotion burns inside you. It’s a talent to combine your joy and your sorrow into one.”

Nezemica holds one hand out towards Loona. Her thumb and her middle finger are poised to snap her from existence. “It’s a shame that you haven’t taken me up on my offer, young lady. We could have done brilliant things.”

Nezemica tuts once again, and she looks away. “It’s a real shame you’re not mature enough to see what I’m trying to achieve.” She looks into the sky and lets out a long breath. “…and now I have to kill you.”

A smile creeps across Nezemica’s face as Loona meets her gaze. Loona knows what’s coming, but her body can’t or won’t move. Her fate is sealed and when Nezemica clicks her fingers, she will be no more.

Loona thinks of the gang, and those fleeting memories allow her to crack a smile of joy in her final moments. It was her dream to own a tavern for her and her buddies to drink. A dream—that came true.

“Goodbye, Loona.”

Not unlike the attacks Loona fired in Nezemica’s direction, a bright flash of crimson red forms a wave as thunderous magic hurtles from Nezemica’s finger click aimed in Loona’s direction

The ground shakes, and the blinding light engulfs everything around it. Loona has nothing left to defend herself, so she allows herself to smile as she braces for death.

“Take care of the tavern,” Loona says under her breath as thoughts of Gigi ring in her mind. “I will miss you.”

“L-Loona…!?” Gigi’s voice echoes in Loona’s mind—like a memory, but ever-present. “I see you!” Gigi’s voice purrs in delight.

Nezemica’s attack crashes into Loona with a cataclysmic force, sending violent shockwaves rippling through the very fabric of reality. Magic scorches the air, a chaotic dance of swirling pink and crimson flames. The impact is direct and overwhelming. No one could have survived the savage attack.

As Nezemica ambles, a sinister smile tugs at her lips as she watches the smoke billow, waiting for the moment it clears, eager to claim victory and stand triumphantly over the lifeless form of the very last heart witch.

“Loona…..” Gigi’s voice softly grazes the void between Nezemica and where Loona once kneeled in agony

“Loona….” Gigi’s voice repeats—as if he was trying to wake Loona from a nightmare. As if he was trying to save her life.

“Loona, wake up….”

Nezemica is agitated by the words. She looks all around her—confused as to its origin. As the smoke clears and the dust settles, something or someone stands between the two witches—like a barrier of hope.

Loona’s eyes clear and in front of her stands the bare feet of a man. Loona can’t help but notice how unkempt they are, with cracked heels, dirt caked into every crevice, and nails jagged and yellowed from years of neglect.

Whoever they are—they saved her.

“Loona?” the man standing in front of her says softly. “You need to get out of here. You have no idea how much I’m depending on you.”

Unsure as to what’s happening, Loona looks up at the man. His face is shadowed by the crimson light radiating from Nezemica, but Loona can just about make out his eyes. They are feline-esk. They are warm, comforting, and somewhat familiar.

“G-Gigi…?” Loona gasps, looking upon the figure standing as protection between her and Nezemica. “Is that you!?”

However, the figure looks away and stands strong against another one of Nezemica’s incoming attacks. It hits like a clap of thunder from the heavens, but the figure stands strong, deflecting all of her pure evil away from Loona.

“YOU!” Nezemica spits in fury. “You’re the vile beast that’s kept me from the city all these years! I’ve waited so many years to be face to face with you—you mistake!”

“Loona,” the man says softly as he once again shields himself from Nezemica’s flurry of attacks. “I can only hold her for so long. You must leave this place and return. Our world needs you.”

“Gigi…!?” Loona asks once again, hearing the voice of her tavern cat in the man. She’s certain it’s him but in some sort of corporeal form.

A flash of brilliant crimson light pushes back against Gigi, burning his skin, but he stands strong.

“Loona,” Gigi turns his face to the side so he can look Loona in the eyes. “This is where our friendship ends. It’s been an honor for me to serve you as the very last heart witch. I’m counting on you to bring this world back from the edge of despair!”

“W-What are you saying!?” Loona cries out as Nezemica blasts Gigi to his kneels. Swirls of golden magic stream up from Gigi like his very soul is being torn to shreds.

“Go, leave this place!” Gigi shrieks as another attack rips the flesh from his body. “Go back to the tavern!”

“Gigi, no!” Loona shouts as tears drip stream from her eyes. “We can fight her—together!”

Taking in a deep breath, Loona summons all of her strength to try and stand tall against Nezemica’s attacks. Helping Gigi is the only thing on her mind—even if her body is broken and her soul depleted.

As Loona rushes toward Gigi, who trembles on shaky legs, he turns to look at her. Tears stream down his face, but they don’t match the soft, bittersweet smile he wears—a smile that speaks of quiet resignation, a silent acceptance of whatever fate has in store.

“I’ll miss you too,” Gigi grins, wafting a paw in a last-ditch attempt to force Loona to leave this space.

Loona is violently yanked backward, her body hurled through the air. In that final, heart-wrenching moment before darkness claims her sight, she sees a devastating blast tear through Gigi—his form engulfed in light, then gone, leaving behind only a swirling cloud of ashes where he once stood.

Loona’s vision blurs and fades, her scream ripping through the air in raw, desperate agony. Grief crashes over her like a tidal wave, drowning her spirit as darkness swallows the world around her. The only sound that remains is the frantic, thunderous pounding of her heart in her chest.

Then—calm. Silence and a bright light.

“Am I dead?”

“No.”

“Is Gigi still alive?”

“Hey, Loona…?”

“Yeah….?”

“No walking around naked now I’m gone, okay?”

“Gigi…?”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you save me!?”

“Loona, I’ve waited for you for such a long time. Fulfill my master's dying wish and bring us peace.”

“What does that mean!? How!?”

“Goodbye, Loona….”

“Gigi!? No, you can’t die!”

“Gigi, I need you!”

Loona’s then gasps awake. Sunlight streams into her eyes, and above her, an unfamiliar ceiling hangs over her head.

It feels like waking from an endless nightmare—her body tingling with pins and needles as if reality itself is stitching her back together. Cold sweat clings to her skin, and a tremble runs through her as sensation creeps slowly into her limbs, leaving her shivering.

Then, the sounds of the room flood in. A rhythmic beeping.

“Loona!” Katie gasps, sitting beside her bed. “We’ve all been so worried!”

Slowly and with Katie’s help, Loona sits up in the bed. It’s a hospital room, and she has no idea how she got there.

“W-What happened?” Loona asks, looking into Katie’s eyes like she can barely believe he’s real.

“We don’t know,” Katie replies honestly, getting Loona comfortable as she sits up with her pillows that hold up Loona’s weakened body.

Katie then points at the door. “Lance is also in bad shape. They think you tried to kill him!?”

Loona’s eyes grow wide, and tears form. Memories of attacking him come to the forefront of her mind. They are memories she has, but she doesn’t remember doing such things to him.

Loona’s gaze lowers. Despair creeps in.

“Katie…,” Loona says plainly. “Where’s Gigi…?”

Katie is silent.

His silence tells all.