Grand Athenaeum/The Black Witch
Chapter 3: The Black Witch
After the formation of the Resistance, yet another major power appeared at the precipice of the looming conflict ahead. Over time, the Resistance grew in numbers and soon decided that it was time to take back their city. They reached out to the Cygnus Knights, proposing a joint operation to remove the Black Wings from power. However, the Cygnus Knights soon learned that the Black Wings were once again plotting to assassinate Empress Cygnus. A veteran knight named Dunamis was sent to infiltrate the Black Wings' base in Edelstein, where he discovered the mastermind of the plot: a high-ranking officer of the Black Wings named Eleanor the Black Witch. Although he couldn't finish her off, Dunamis took a black scale from her that she was carrying and returned to Ereve. Unsatisfied with his failure to capture her, Dunamis went back to Edelstein against Neinheart's counsel in order to defeat the Black Witch. However, Eleanor lured him into a trap and captured him. To rescue Dunamis, Neinheart dispatched another Cygnus Knight.
Sneaking past the defenses, the Knight made their way into the Verne Mine. There, they met a ghost named Big Daddy, who offered to help locate Dunamis in exchange for recovering a photo of his daughter from the Ore Munchers. After finding the photo, Big Daddy led the Knight to Gelimer's secret prison. There, the Knight met a researcher named Allen, who agreed to help free Dunamis, as he himself had been kidnapped and forced to work for Gelimer. After taking androids apart for their parts, the Knight brought the necessary components for Allen to unlock the prison cell. Dunamis thanked the Knight for rescuing him, explaining that he had almost captured Eleanor when she had trapped him. He was confused about why she had gone easy on him the first time, even allowing him to bring back the black scale to Ereve. They decided to investigate and went deeper into the mine before entering Eleanor's room. Inside, they found her secret plans and were horrified to learn that the black scale was part of a spell that she was planning to cast. They fought their way out of the mine and returned to Ereve.
Upon arriving, they were shocked to find that the entirety of Ereve had lost its color. At the Empress' Resting Spot, they found Cygnus, Neinheart, Shinsoo, and all the Chief Knights turned to stone. Eleanor then appeared and explained that Shinsoo's power prevented any curse from befalling Ereve, but a resident of Ereve could inadvertently bring it inside the borders, which was why she had allowed Dunamis to take the black scale with him. The Knight then defeated Eleanor, causing her to retreat and break the spell. Though the Black Witch had been defeated, they realized that Eleanor's true plan had been to prevent the Cygnus Knights from aiding the Resistance. As a result, the Resistance had gone into battle expecting reinforcements that never arrived. The failed attack resulted in heavy casualties, and the Resistance was forced underground once again. Believing that the Cygnus Knights had betrayed them by going back on their word, the Resistance vowed that they would take back their city alone, and this event sparked heavy animosity between the two.