Dragon Witch

The Dragon Witch.

Destructive.

Brutal.

Vengeful.

Troubled.

Mislead.

These words would make up the very definition of Jeanne, or to others, Jalter, but that isn't important right now. She was revived after three days to spread fear and contempt upon those who did her wrong. When she needed them in her time of need, they only watched as her corpse burned. Her once guileless violet eyes turned a hollow, pale yellow. Her vibrant blonde hair also turned whitish blonde, devoid of its petrifying beauty. 

However, at this moment, she was silent. Her pale eyes glimmered with a calculative glint as she saw the sole survivor of her horde of Wyverns. The Black Wyvern she designated the platoon's leader came back crippled, with only one wing. It struggled to make it back to her.

Seeing it like this, Jeanne wanted to scold it for returning, but she showed a painfully high amount of calmness at the moment. Its loyalty was astounding, something she wished was a part of the people she once called "comrades." 

The night sky illuminated the cathedral where Jeanne made her base of operations. It gave the building a vacant feeling, just like her eyes, but the fires and torches that lit up most of the inside represented the burning intensity of her heart.

"Look at you," Jeanne's voice was surprisingly mellow yet desolate, something she kept hidden. "You returned like this, knowing I would likely berate you for being this weak."

The Wyvern groaned sadly, but Jeanne shook her head, her pale hair dancing amidst the soothing breeze. 

"Who did it? I know the Dragon Slayer couldn't do this. I made sure that bastard couldn't even walk," Jeanne cursed. 

The Wyvern croaked as it gave a hoarse grunt. Jeanne could see that it was going to die eventually. Without its other wing, it was nothing more than those running lizards. 

"I see. Someone else took a Wyvern with them. That means someone possesses my skill. Despite that, I should've felt their presence if they were a Servant," Jeanne looked up at the cloudless sky, feeling an irresistible urge to hide.

Her pale eyes blinked as she saw faint red lights mixing with the beautiful silver light of the moon. Her eyes narrowed as she felt something amiss. The red lights were small, like dots, but they moved like a unit, similar to formations seen in ancient Rome. 

Jeanne turned her head back to look at the Black Wyvern, but it wasn't moving, its body limp and lifeless. It had passed on, but it gave her useful information on the one who took one of her Wyverns. 

"You did well to return," Jeanne raised her right hand, and a trickle of heat swelled above her open palm before bright, vermillion flames came to life. She flicked it at the body of the Wyvern, incinerating it. Her pale eyes lit up as the flames of her resentment burned the Wyvern to ash. 

Her burning resentment only grew, not for France, but the entire planet. 

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.

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As the sun broke through the dispersing clouds, the campfire where the Chaldeans settled began to wake. The bustling noise of the small ferns rustled against the wind, and the tall, heaven-bound trees blocked most of the sun's light. 

Malzeno was the first to awake, or for that matter, never went to sleep. His Qurio was busy gathering information so he could keep Ritsuka safe. She was still sleeping, as if last night's events were nothing. However, an hour after she departed for dreamland, she began to fidget. It wasn't until Malzeno realized she was most likely going through what was known as the "Dream cycle." 

Ritsuka was likely seeing his early life or his countless battles against other Monsters. They weren't exactly a welcome sight to watch. An equivalent would be seeing intense boxing matches where blood flew across the arena, and strikes were the equivalent of death.

The sound of wheat trickled Malzeno's ears, and his red irises looked at the sleeping Jeanne. She was also fidgeting, but not for long, as she woke up with cold sweat rolling down her face like she was outside during a storm.

"Good Morning," Malzeno greeted with a small, curved smile, but Jeanne couldn't reciprocate the same gesture as she clenched her head tightly. Her bundle of blonde hair crept through the crevices of her fingers.

"Trouble! I can feel her presence!" 

Malzeno's eyes didn't share the same worries. He could feel Ritsuka and Mash shuffle and wake up with yawns, but they were also on high alert as they heard Jeanne's troubled voice.

"You guys are awake!" Romani chimed in, his tone carrying a deep weight. "We've confirmed a large lifeform a few kilometers away! There's a town called La Charite close by!"

"You three go on ahead," Malzeno said with crossed arms.

"What? Why?" Jeanne asked as her face was slightly pale.

"I have to make an interesting first impression. Don't worry, I'll intervene at the right moment."

Although his words were vague and carried an air of arrogance, they could feel the confidence in Malzeno's words, and their worries subsided. 

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High above La Charite, an extremely large and robust Wyvern hovered like a dark cloud, ready to rain down death and despair. Pale Blonde hair swayed in the crisp winds while flaxen yellow eyes peered down at the town of La Charite with disgust.

"Burn everything to cinders. I want everyone dead!" 

Hearing the command, the Wyvern reared its head back as the back of its mouth glowed red like a furnace before flames escaped the edges of its lips. The crimson flames formed a spherical ball in front of it, and Jalter's eyes were filled with glee, as untamed as the flames she wielded.

"STOP!"

Jalter heard the pleas from below, but she cared little for it. It was like a little mouse begging to leave the trap it was glued to. It was pathetic!

"Kill them!"

The Wyvern shot the fireball at La Charite without hesitance. The speed at which it came down was like a comet, fast and devastating, as all of La Charite exploded in a single shot. A bubble of flames sprouted, followed by a heavy gust of wind and debris.

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.

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"Ritsuka! The enemy will be there-"

"Well, ain't this an unwelcome sight. I didn't think this would happen."

The amused yet cold tone entered Ritsuka's ears like water, and her eyes shook as she looked behind her to see the other Jeanne. However, Ritsuka was ignored as the other Jeanne was looking at their Jeanne.

"Pathetic and crippled."

"There is another Jeanne D'Arc," Ritsuka managed to speak, finally getting the full attention of Jalter.

"What's with this small worm? A new attendant to replace Gilles? How laughable," Jalter chuckled as she had a hand over her mouth as her eyes and words conveyed her mockery.

"Very well!" Jalter raised her hand. "I will have to introduce mine then! Come now, my Servants!"

It happened faster than a blink of an eye, followed by a wind pressure threatening to crack the Earth. 

"New hostiles surround us!" 

"You can't win against that!" Romani said through the transmission. "Flee! Get out of there!"

"What a hilarious face," Jalter said as she was overjoyed by the expressions of dread upon the Chaldeans. Her Servants surrounded them in a Pincer-like formation. 

"I may just die from laughter, so before that, I'll have to kill you first!"

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AN: I guess that works as a cliffhanger? I was originally going to get the fight done here, but I felt it would mess with the pacing I had in mind for this chapter. I wanted to give Jalter some moments outside her usual screen time, so this was mainly a chapter for her. 

I left Malzeno behind because this would be his first big fight. I also needed time to play everything out in my head as well to bring a great fight sequence. 

Please leave your thoughts on how you guys think it will go down (It may help me as well, and I'm curious.) 

Things will deviate from here, so the story won't go as we saw.