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Chapter Text

Magix. The wondrous Kingdom of magic, its cities were equipped with advanced technology, and its ancient traditions were cherished and passed down to each new generation. Its famous three schools attracted young magicians from across the Magic Dimension. Magix maintained a balance between positive and negative energy, between black and white witchcraft, allowing young sorcerers to choose their own path, giving them the opportunity to manifest their powers and use them for the good of the entire Kingdom. But one day, this balance was shattered. This had happened before in other magical dimensions, but this war brought far greater sacrifices, and the state of affairs never returned to what it was. This is the story of three young sorceresses whose ambitions and powers would later become a threat to all of Magix. The so-called sisters who would restore the power of the witches in full.

But it all began far from Magix. Each of the so-called sisters started their journey unwillingly, swept into a whirlwind of events beyond their control, and back then they did not know that one day darkness would envelop their hearts, and they, intoxicated by power and authority, would destroy this world.

After the defeat of Domino, the entire magical world was plunged into deep mourning. That place was a sanctuary for the Dragon's Flame, and the legend of the lost Guardian Princess spread through rumors across all the Kingdoms. Only a few years had passed since the fierce war led by Lord Darkar himself and his minions, among whom were the most powerful witches of the entire Magic Dimension – the Three Ancient Witches, whose history dates back to the very dawn of the magical Kingdoms. They were revered and feared; like the Lord himself, they were a part of this world, hiding in the shadows, and had been seeking the perfect moment to strike for centuries... The brave heroes of the Company of Light managed to defeat and imprison them in the most remote corners of the magic dimension, but their energy lingered in the atmosphere for many years, and the whole world understood that one day they would return, for creatures darker than the night itself and older than the world itself never surrendered so easily...

*****

The eternally bright and welcoming Solaria remained as it had always been. Evil could not reach here, and the inhabitants of this Kingdom hardly knew the full horror of what was happening on other planets. Solaria was a lifeline for those who were suffering too much – residents from nearly all nearby planets, from once-prosperous Kingdoms, were evacuated here. And Solaria, just as sunny and welcoming, instilled hope and warmth in people's hearts.

But it had its own shadows too, one of which was still too small to make any decisions and was just beginning to understand her powers. However, she had long realized that she could not radiate the same light as everyone around her. Her parents were in the minority; they also preferred to remain and act in the shadows. They named the future sorceress Darcy, in honor of her awakening dark powers. They always told her to act quietly and carefully, to study magic when no one was around, and explained that their powers were not accepted here. In the evenings, Darcy listened to her parents' inspired stories about how the forces of evil had captured and destroyed Domino, but when they reached the part where the Witches were imprisoned and the mighty Lord faced defeat, their voices took on an unprecedented sadness, for they believed that the ancient evil would reach this Kingdom too, and then they would all finally become one, cease to exist in the shadow of eternal light, and their power at full strength would show the Solarions their place.

Darcy learned to play the opposite during the day at school: she smiled like everyone else, addressed professors respectfully, studied diligently, and aroused no suspicion, creating the desired impression of a straight-A student and a quiet girl. Nevertheless, she enjoyed this game, liked using the privileges of a top student, using them for her own benefit, manipulating her classmates, and she knew that no one would accuse her of anything as long as she didn't reveal herself and confess to her mischief. To study her native magic, she either used her home with her parents' supervision nearby, or went to the swamp and tried to harness her power on her own. This place had a bad reputation among people, so it was a perfect opportunity for her to practice her powers alone. Moreover, the creatures inhabiting it were so perfect for the young sorceress and her awakening power of mind control. Although they were harmless, Darcy enjoyed feeling their devotion, pitting them against each other, and watching them do everything according to her will.

One day, sitting on a wide hummock near a willow drooping low over the murky, viscous muck, her gaze fixed on a book borrowed from the school archives as she pondered a new cloning spell, Darcy heard a crack not far away, which didn't sound like the movement of the small creatures she subjugated. Something large and clumsy was moving towards her, and she began to look around carefully. Fortunately, her vision allowed her to see every detail from a distance, but she still had to wear glasses because up close, at arm's length, everything would blur without them. She tried to concentrate and apply an environmental fusion spell to observe the unknown monster. She enjoyed studying every action of different creatures, and perhaps she would try her luck and even have enough strength to subjugate this creature too? Merging with the hummock, she saw a huge, rough, yellow ogre in torn rags. Shifting his huge, coarse paws, he breathed heavily and puffed, breaking branches and trampling grass; yellow, skin-colored teeth and protruding fangs were visible from his huge mouth, and in his hands he carried a large bundle of herbs and berries. Darcy had never seen ogres in these parts; apparently, this one had been brought from another planet very recently, and in theory, he should have been kept under guard. All magical, sentient beings were not released without an escort until they were deemed safe. Although, maybe this ogre wasn't dangerous? Darcy felt no fear; everything seemed interesting to her. Waiting until the ogre turned away to collect something from the bushes, she began to dissolve the fusion spell to try her luck and subjugate this creature. Kneeling on one knee and leaning her hands on the hummock, she accidentally slipped with her other foot, the shoe scraping across the rocky surface covered with moss. And then the oaf began to turn towards her. She didn't have time to switch herself back into a fused state, and the creature, with widened eyes and reddened whites, stared at her dumbfounded. Darcy, pursing her lips and clenching her teeth, tried not to move, looking in her combat pose far more terrifying than she could have expected. The ogre clumsily began to turn around and, throwing out a short «Oops», started running in the opposite direction. Even Darcy was left perplexed, not understanding why he didn't attack her, but she decided to tempt fate and, darting from her spot, ran after him:

– Hey, wait! I won't hurt you, I want to know where you came from! –  Darcy understood that if there were other sentient beings nearby, he could tell them about seeing a strange girl in the swamp, and the news could spread to the school, and then they would start questioning her about what she was doing there, and she absolutely could not reveal her secrets! So the only way was to stop the ogre. She couldn't cast a spell while running; her young mind was encountering such a situation for the first time and wouldn't allow Darcy to concentrate on what she needed. The ogre slowed his run and turned towards her, almost falling over from the change in speed. Darcy was amused by his clumsiness; she realized he wasn't a danger – such a big oaf, yet he got scared of a child!

– Really? –  his loud, rough, but frightened voice reached her as if from all sides, and he scratched the back of his head with his free hand, – We fear people, they hurt us, – now he sounded like a genuine child, and Darcy even felt sorry for him for a second, but she watched intently, trying to predict the next move of the rough ogre.

– Listen, I'm not like other people. Maybe I even want to help you, just don't tell anyone you saw me here, and then you can go wherever you want freely, – she adjusted her glasses and sighed tiredly; she really didn't want to deal with this monster right now, and even more, she didn't want him telling anyone he saw her!

– Ooh, no one ever wanted to help Knut before, thank you very much! – he joyfully clasped his hands together, dropping the bundle of herbs from his hand, and looked down perplexedly, bending over to pick it up. «Hmph, looks like I'll have to fuss with him for a long time» – thought the young sorceress, and, crossing her arms, began to watch his efforts. She hadn't tried using hypnosis; after all, this creature seemed sentient, and Darcy hadn't practiced her magic on them yet. Besides, her energy was depleted from the recent environmental fusion spell.

– So, your name is Knut, right? A strange name. But okay, how did you end up here? – she asked without much hope that this creature was capable of lengthy negotiations, but she still had time to study him, and the interest inside her wouldn't quiet down; it was, after all, a rare opportunity to encounter another new creature.

– That's the name people gave me, we don't have names ourselves. My family stayed on Linphea, and I was brought here to work, but everything I do no one likes, and they start hurting me, and I ran away from the mean people, and now I live in the nearby forest. They're still looking for me because sometimes I hear people's voices near the forest, and I have to hide. And I came to the swamp for herbs, and then I saw You and got scared, because I thought You would tell the bad guys about me, and they'll make me work for them again, – finishing his concise story, the ogre scratched the back of his head again and lowered his gaze, then looked at Darcy hopefully, – But you won't tell about me, right?

Darcy looked at him skeptically. No one would be worse off if she covered for this creature, provided he himself didn't blab about her.

– I won't tell, on the condition that you also keep quiet about seeing me. And there are no herbs on this swamp, unless you want to brew a potion that will cover you in green warts. Because I see you're gathering healing herbs, and this swamp doesn't have any, just so you know, – she subtly hinted at the ogre's incompetence in this area, glancing at the bundle in his hand. – Come on, I need to get my book, and I'll show you where to gather the right herbs, – she motioned for the ogre to walk slightly ahead; Darcy needed to see and control him so he wouldn't run away, and also watch to ensure no one else wandered here.

She understood that this ogre had no one here; he was hiding from people, and this was a new opportunity for her to learn to expand and use her powers. Darcy knew Knut was easily led, and it would be easy to control and manipulate him. She understood it would be mutually beneficial for both of them – she would hide the ogre from people, and he would voluntarily-forcedly agree to – magic lessons. – After a short time, several times a week, she would deliberately go into the forest and practice controlling her magic, now on a sentient being. Also, for greater persuasiveness, she gathered necessary herbs for him; sincere, childlike joy always reflected on Knut's face with the broadest smile, and Darcy understood that such little things would bind the ogre closer to her, so he wouldn't dare run away. She managed to learn telepathy and communicate at a distance, learned short-distance teleportation, and was able to transfer a power to the ogre to always know his whereabouts. Control was growing; she felt the energy inside herself, she knew that one day she would become stronger than before, and her parents supported her in this; they believed she would become the Chosen One.

*****

The Kingdom of Diamond was famous for its wonderful, amazing nature. Trees covered in crystals curved in an unusual manner and grew along paths between ledges and hills; purple, shiny stones covered a large part of its terrain. Below, beyond the mountains, stood a majestic palace, as if made of sand, and a city whose buildings were pressed tightly together, creating the impression that none of its inhabitants could hide from each other.

On one of the palace balconies sat a lonely figure. Rocking in a chair, she gazed far beyond the mountainous horizon. This was the young princess, heir to the throne of Diamond. She had a free hour from her studies to rest before the next exhausting hours of learning and training. Although the Kingdom seemed carefree and free of problems, it was quietly preparing for something, as if knowing that danger was to be expected from somewhere outside. And the princess, who, by an unfortunate twist of fate, had become the possessor of the power of frost and ice, was trained as if according to the strictest military programs – every hour of hers was scheduled to the minute; she practically never saw the world. Only one hour a day could she distract herself from everything and be alone with her thoughts. Possessing such power, her parents named her Icy. They understood that her element was strong and powerful, and they controlled her, taught her discipline, and did not allow her to be weak. They did not want *Her* to find out that their daughter could be the Chosen One for «Them».

In the distance, on a clearing covered with short green grass, many red foxes were running. Behind one of the trees, one of them was hiding, next to small, recently born fox cubs. A younger girl was running nearby and, upon spotting the fox lying behind the tree, approached it with soft steps, looking at it with a smile and delight. She wanted to share this joyful discovery with her sister, but they were not close and hardly ever spoke. Princess Sapphire was a carefree child; her magic was drawn to the native source of this place – the crystals. She skillfully created purple crystal flowers, weaving them into wreaths that she so wanted to give to her older sister. Icy was bitterly jealous of her carefree and lighthearted nature, screaming into her pillow at night from despair and resentment. Why did she have to work for two and tear her hair out from stress, while her restless little sister could run after those screeching foxes all day long? She couldn't calm down, and when her parents started talking about her and Sapphire, she would explode and demand answers as to why she had to suffer, to which she received the same replies – she was the crown princess, she had to be restrained, maintain decorum, she had to learn the diplomacy and politics of the Magic Dimension, and not waste time on silly thoughts about her destiny. She was the heir to the throne and had to prepare to rule the Kingdom, had to be ready for any danger, train, and not use her native magic. Icy wanted to turn everything upside down and cry from the cosmic injustice of her fate, but she continued to do as she was told; she couldn't run away. She believed that when she became Queen, everything would be as she herself wanted.

Once again, dreaming of the future, she reluctantly remembered her younger sister frolicking in the clearing behind the palace. Rising wearily, she decided to fetch her from there so her parents wouldn't scold her again for losing sight of that nimble fox. As if she had a choice, as if she could keep an eye on everything happening around. With a grim expression, she headed towards Sapphire, once again cursing every minute she would have to spend near her. Spotting Icy, Sapphire ran towards her, but seeing the look on her face, decided to awkwardly step back, looking at her with a modest smile and holding her hands behind her back.

– How many times have I told you not to go far from the palace alone, don't set me up, – Icy began in a cold voice that brooked no argument, clasping her hands over her stomach. – Every time I find you here. What is it with you and these disgusting creatures?

Sapphire offendedly furrowed her brows and, taking a step towards her, said:

– You're wrong! They are very cute and playful, look! – she pointed a finger at the one sitting under the tree. – She has fox cubs! Isn't that wonderful? – she believed that at least Icy's face would soften, but it didn't even twitch, and Sapphire turned away hurt, swallowing tears. Every time, she lectures her on how to live, tries to impose rules made for Icy herself, and does everything to ensure that her heart too one day becomes covered with indifference and cold, as had happened with Icy.

– Sapphire, you don't understand how hard it is for me. You can't even imagine how much I have to endure and go through while you can run freely around the courtyard all day and not think about anything! Why do parents spare you so much, why don't they burden you like they do me? Ah, yes, of course, you're our beloved little daughter and sister, not like Icy, who was unlucky enough to be born with the magic of cold, because she might one day be found by the minions of the Three Witches, because she's not like the others! Insensitive, mean, touchy! – Icy couldn't keep her feelings under control; every day this raging element built up inside her, and now she felt herself losing control, a veil clouding her eyes, and her fingertips beginning to frost over.

– Icy, it's not my fault! We were just unlucky. I myself would like to study and be with you, but parents don't allow me. I'm very sorry they treat you differently! But you shouldn't become evil, you're not like that! Not like them... – she pressed her palms to her shoulders, she began to feel the air around her grow colder, and her eyes shone with impending tears. –Icy, please, do you want me to talk to our parents? They'll listen to me, they'll understand, just calm down, I beg you... – Sapphire couldn't hold back tears; she was afraid for herself and for her sister, because when Icy lost control of herself and her emotions, her magic began to break out, as if waiting for the right moment.

– You know, sometimes I think it would be better if you never existed. Maybe then I wouldn't see the parental love they dedicated not to me, but to you, and it would be easier for me. It would be better if I were chosen, and I would stop feeling the constant pain from the restrained magic, – these fatal words for Sapphire were like a knife in the back. She had believed all her life that Icy loved her, in her own way, not showing feelings, but still loved... Sapphire couldn't let her go; she believed that one day she would help her sister, but now her heart was shattered into pieces, and she dashed away:

– How can you say that, Icy?! Don't you understand that I'm trying to help you, to do good, to make you distracted and see the bright sides of life! The ones I want to share with you, but you push me away! – Sapphire took a step towards her, while Icy, lowering her head, clenched her hands into fists until they trembled. A deep «Shut up...» escaped her lips. – Believe me, I don't wish harm, and I never have! Let go of this resentment, let me help, and don't blame me for all your troubles...

– I said shut up!! – Icy's loud exclamation echoed like a thunderclap across the clearing. The frightened foxes ran in all directions, and the fox under the tree tucked its tail and covered its cubs with its paws. Throwing out her hand in a defensive gesture, Icy couldn't control the stream of energy that burst from her along with the scream. With a desperate sigh, Sapphire stopped half a meter away from her – the ground beneath her began to freeze rapidly, her legs covered in ice, climbing upwards until it reached her waist. Her legs were shackled in burning ice; the young princess looked in despair and panic at her equally shocked older sister beside her.

– I... I'm sorry... – was all Icy could squeeze out, stepping back, watching the result of her actions. She couldn't bear it and, turning around, ran away towards the palace, with frozen fingers and tears in her eyes, not believing what she had just done. It was the first time she had used magic on a person, and on her own sister at that...

– Icy, come back, Icy, don't leave me here!! – desperate cries from Sapphire came from behind, but Icy was as if carried forward; she was afraid of what she had done, she covered her face with her hands and cried cold tears. She didn't want to do it, it wasn't her... Desperate thoughts mixed with the anger and resentment that had accumulated inside her for years. She wavered between common sense and revenge against the whole world, against everything that had allowed her to become who she was now. Her parents' constant reproaches were unending. Her mother, being a fairy, exalted them, endlessly talking about their powers, which were useless to Icy, nurturing hopes that Icy herself would one day become one of them, and at the same time, attempts to suppress her character continued, attempts to break her personality and final will, which Icy desperately clung to, trying not to go insane when her tortured mind and body continued to hold on. All this accumulated inside her, not allowing her to breathe freely. Constant hypocrisy hung in the air, especially when their Kingdom hosted guests from other planets; her parents were polite and responsive to them, in public they began to treat Icy with at least some respect, but those disgusting looks – how she hated it all... And now, running away from her bursting feelings, from the power that had spilled onto her sister, who had done nothing to her, but on whom Icy had snapped anyway, she understood – it would hurt very much now. And she wouldn't hide.

*****

Melody was one of those places in Magix's inner circle where the long-maintained harmony had been disrupted: poverty, hunger, devastation – all this haunted its inhabitants after desperate attempts to repel the forces of evil of Lord Darkar. Once a thriving planet, spiritualized and imbued with harmony in every corner of its domains, it now suffered the consequences of terrible attacks. But gradually the planet began to heal its wounds, and the song of the whales began to sound again for all the souls of Melody. People lost themselves in the music; it united hearts and did not let their will to live die out. But even the most famous performers and the most devoted listeners were subject to the poverty and ruin around them; it could catch them at any minute, lie in wait around the corner when people's hearts burned with the brightest light of hope and dreams of a better future.

The once cheerful city, drowning in the noise of festivals and joyful laughter, was now emptying. People only went out when necessary; there was no more peace and joy on their faces; the gray sky and dust of the once noisy city covered its entire part. Only she wandered aimlessly – she didn't want to go home, as always. With headphones on, hands tucked into the pockets of an old jacket, in worn-out jeans and with a tangled tail of unruly curls, she wanted to stay here; even on this lifeless and empty street it was better than in the house of her constantly arguing parents, who every day intended to create real chaos around them. She herself was the embodiment of this chaos – the raging element of the winds had become subject to her literally from birth – an uncontrolled flow of energy and a wave of her hand made the air obey her when she was stressed, angry, or crying. However, her soul wanted to calm, if not her feelings, then at least the constant fights and screams in her home. With the disrupted harmony inside Melody, heavy rains and thunderstorms often occurred there.

And now Stormy looked at the sky, waiting for the next bout of bad weather, which calmed and soothed her, just like the loud, tearing music in her ears. That was the name given to her because of her turbulent character and strong connection with the lightning splitting the sky and the storm destroying everything in its path. When all the children were afraid and hid from the crushing bad weather, Stormy, on the contrary, seemed to stick to the window and watched the reigning atmosphere around with genuine joy: pouring rain, wind sweeping away everything in its path, and people hastily trying to leave the street as if they were on a battlefield. Only this way could she feel alive. Stormy always found it hard to make contact; building social connections was not easy for her, which, however, always ended with her arguing and fighting with someone. She didn't want to be like her parents, but her temperament made itself known; her sensitive nature reacted sharply to any reproaches and claims against her, and it was easier for her to explode – uncontrolled outbursts of aggression often became a topic of discussion at school. It was hard for her to stay in one place for long; restlessness and poor concentration also affected her inability to study like everyone else. Everyone always demanded something from her without asking what she herself wanted. And Stormy only wanted understanding and a drop of love in her direction. Like a wolf cub that attacks everyone to bite, she was only trying to protect herself this way, and people didn't try to see anything deeper in her, something vulnerable that she tried to hide deep inside so it wouldn't hurt anymore. She had long understood – the world was cruel to her; the world, in principle, was never reasonable and fair, but it seemed that she, in particular, got a fate worse than others.

The first drops fell on the girl's upturned nose, and her gaze, fixed on the sky, finally ceased to be so gloomy. The first lightning and the convulsive anticipation of the first thunderclaps made Stormy feel happy, and a smile involuntarily escaped her, illuminating this dreary place. The rain and wind enveloped her, and with a wave of her hand, Stormy directed the wind, chasing leaves across the asphalt; rotating her fingers, she created a whirlwind that devoured all the dust and garbage in a funnel, and a pleasant whistle filled her ears even through the music playing in her headphones. Such moments were always imprinted on her soul as a bright spot; they were little joys that allowed Stormy to live through another day after day.

The vibration in her pocket darkened her mood again; she understood that her small joy was again fading before the huge wall of routine feelings of irritation and resentment. The whirlwind subsided, the garbage noisily scattered wherever, and Stormy took the old, broken phone from her pocket, answering the call:

– Stormy, where are you wandering? Get home, immediately! – her mother's voice made her sigh doomedly, and her recently calmed nature began to protest again because of what awaited her:

– Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way, – she replied irritably, then hearing her mother's abrupt exclamation:

– Just you try... – she didn't have time to finish before Stormy hung up. Thousands of thoughts raced through her head – from dissatisfaction that they would again treat her like a wild dog and blame her for all human sins – and she growled irritably, kicking a can in front of her. Quickening her pace, she wasn't even in the mood to turn the music back on, and the stormy weather, exactly like her state, could no longer give her the needed calm.

The door was unlocked, and Stormy burst into the house like a hurricane, slamming it. Kicking off her shoes and backpack, she hurried to her room, if not for her mother, who blocked the passage. However brave and pugnacious Stormy seemed to others, near her she became wilted and tense, ready to hide far, far away from just her gaze.

– Stormy, how much longer? They told me again that you were rude to the professors today and almost got into a fight with one of them. Do you even understand what you're doing, you wretched girl?!–  On the last words, her voice became rough and harsh again, and Stormy wanted to cover her ears and close her eyes, to just disappear at that moment, and she involuntarily lowered her gaze. – Look at me when I'm talking to you! – she grabbed the girl roughly by the chin, forcing her to look at her, and Stormy's eyes began to cloud over from approaching tears. – How much longer will you disgrace me and your father? Do you even have any brains?

– I was just defending myself, – Stormy said in a surprisingly firm voice, to which her mother looked at her as if she were insane and let out a hysterical laugh:

– You call that 'just defending yourself'? Is that what it's called now? You, you brat, if you pull something like that again, I'll personally strangle you with these hands and say 'I was just defending myself'! – she twisted the last words, and to Stormy's relief, finally let her go. – You're so pathetic. Restless, stupid, and a liar to boot!

– Please, not now, Mom, – Stormy couldn't stand this intensity; she wanted to disappear as quickly as possible or explode, but she was holding on by the last thread of her patience and tried to pass by while her mother paced back and forth.

– Look at her, thinking of running away! You'll get yours, stand still when I'm talking to you!

– Just let me go, and I'll leave, okay? Or stop controlling me and accept that I am who I am! – Stormy turned to her and began to snap back with unconcealed irritation; she could no longer stand being treated like this; resentment and fury were tearing her soul apart; she stopped seeing anything through the tears.

– Shut up and don't contradict me! – Stormy's cheek seemed to ignite when she received a slap; this was her limit. She hated these moments with all her soul, and she tore away from the spot, pushed her mother aside, and ran like lightning into her room, slamming and locking the door deafeningly. A ringing stood in her head from the slap; her face reddened and burned, and she even thought she tasted blood in her mouth. She broke into hysterics. She could still hear the screams and banging on the door, and she herself, falling onto the broken bed, buried her face in the blanket, howling deafeningly like a wounded, cornered wolf cub. Her modest room was as if destroyed by a tornado – broken furniture, items scattered all over the perimeter. When moments like this happened to her, she started destroying everything here, fiercely tearing and throwing things until emptiness and weakness set in, and then she would quietly lie down on the floor and let the hot tears just roll down. She jumped up and kicked the table, overturning it once again; the pain in her foot sobered her – but today was not that day; she simply had no strength left to destroy anything, and she fell again, covering her burning face with her hands, while the storm outside intensified, as if sensing her condition, submitting and raging just as restlessly, roaring and groaning; the wind tore trees, and the rain lashed against the closed window. Stormy flung it open and inhaled the cool air; it became easier to breathe; the rain and noise could soothe the pain of her wounded heart.

– Well, just wait, Stormy, when your father comes home tonight, you'll really get it! – the last phrase reached her, and Stormy sat down tiredly on the windowsill, lowering her head onto her knees. Before, her parents hadn't treated her like this, but now, as if intending to pour out their next anger on her, they looked for any reason to pick on her and instill even more anger and hatred in her. After about 10 minutes, she managed to calm down; now emptiness occupied most of the space in her consciousness. Picking up the table and chaotically scattering the items that were on it before, she decided to change clothes and distract herself with creativity. She didn't feel like eating, and even if she did, she wouldn't leave the room for the next couple of hours anyway, or, given the situation, until tomorrow morning. Taking off her jeans, she looked at her knees – they were covered in bruises and abrasions, recent hardened scars. The results of another «lesson» from her father. So tonight was going to be another nightmare ordeal for her.

*****

Billions of light-years away, in the expanses of the most remote corners of the Magic Dimension, where there is nothing bright and friendly to all magical creatures, lies a secret place, separated from all others. This place is imbued with hatred and pain, nightmares and fears, and endless darkness and suffering can drive even the most resilient magical beings insane. Everything here changes under the influence of negative energy; this place is used to scare all children; legends are told about it, shrouding it in a veil of mystery and prohibition. It was created for the most terrible evil, the blackest and deadliest magic that could exist. After many centuries, it became a prison for the most terrifying creatures and beings, as if sent from hell itself. Now, the evil that had so recently haunted the Magic Dimension and managed to destroy an entire Kingdom was imprisoned within it. The Three Ancient Witches became eternal prisoners of Obsidian; their physical bodies were destroyed, but their spirit and energy still existed; they were not completely destroyed. They had enough strength to contact other beings, but they had lost all their might and would never be able to escape their prison without someone's help. And they had help – those few minions who remained to serve the Three Witches even after their defeat, when the entire Magic Dimension was filled with hatred for all witches, were still waiting for the right moment and carrying out their orders. Now, two of them knelt obediently, awaiting further instructions from their Mistresses. They had access to this place thanks to their Patronesses and their own might and powers, so they could reach here unhindered and carry out the will entrusted to them. Moreover, one of the witches was the genuine Guardian of this place, yet she did not have sufficient strength to free the Three Witches.

– Sisters, – began the first of the three spirits floating between huge pillars of black crystals that seemed to absorb all light falling on them. – Don't you feel the energy beginning to spread across all the Kingdoms? – sounded the voice of the witch's spirit, which seemed to envelop everything in frost and resonate in all places simultaneously. The witch herself had a bluish tint and a collar resembling numerous icebergs.

– Yes, sister, – continued the second witch after her, who had a purple tint and long, wavy hair. – More heirs to our powers have begun to awaken. We must not waste time; we need to deliver them to our servants quickly, – she flew around the two kneeling witches who awaited further instructions.

– Sisters, why don't we choose those who have already awakened? You know, the more children know what they are supposed to do, the higher our risks! – joined the conversation the third witch, whose spirit had a pink tint and hair resembling a thundercloud.

– Don't worry, Tharma. I feel the power of these children; their auras are saturated with hatred, darkness, and cruelty. They will become the witches who will be our new bodies, – said the very first witch, floating around the black crystals.

– I can't help but agree with her, Belladonna. Remember how many times we've been disappointed: Valtor on Omega, Griffin betrayed us, and many sorcerers and witches didn't even try to find us! – The second witch flew up to Belladonna and stood beside her.

– Liliss, this is our only chance to get out of here and obtain the Dragon's Fire! Despite everything, Mandragora and Morra are still with us, and they will deliver the girls to the Order, and if the magical connection of the new heirs aligns, they will understand themselves what needs to be done!

– Forgive me for interrupting you, Mistress Belladonna, – addressed one of the witches, still kneeling, she raised her gaze to the floating spirits, – but as you know, no trace of the last Princess of Domino has been found yet, who in theory should have been the last Guardian at this time. Is it possible that the Fire could have disappeared along with the Guardian herself? – Mandragora was the most loyal and chief minion of the Three Witches, the Guardian of Obsidian and the witch of insects; it was she who managed to find them and become the Guardian of this place to have access to them and carry out their will.

– Mandragora, it cannot be that the Fire disappeared forever from the magical universe! Then the entire dimension would disappear, and neither we nor this place would exist. The Fire is the foundation of everything, the pillar of the creation of all magic! – Tharma answered her, majestically rising above the witches.

– She is right. Daphne did her best in the final battle; we still don't know what happened to the last Princess, but the Fire still exists. There is an ancient prophecy – when an artifact created from the Dragon's Fire is near the Guardian of the Fire, she will manifest her power for the first time, and then we can easily find her. If these young sorceresses are indeed the true heirs to our powers, they have every chance to find the artifact, and for that, they will fly through all the planets of the Magic Dimension, but they will find the girl, I promise you. – spoke Belladonna, addressing everyone.

– When can we begin work, Mistresses? – sang the second witch in a sweet but poison-filled voice. – One of the girls, who possesses the power of cold, resides on Diamond, and I have long dreamed of settling there, if you allow... – Morra was a shaman witch; she controlled the elements with the help of a staff, and her most beloved and strong element was the element of cold. She wore skulls of magical animals on her head, her shoulders were framed by red dreadlocks, and her eyes were always hidden by black fringe.

– Don't you dare, Morra. Your task is to take the girl and erase the memory of everyone who ever knew her. If the Kingdom finds out you were there, they will immediately understand what we are planning, – Liliss answered her; their task had to remain a secret to all; these girls, like the others who possessed the necessary powers, were the only chance for the revival of the Three Witches.

– As you wish, my Mistresses, – the shaman witch sang, smiling slyly. She already had a plan in her head for conquering this planet, and if no inhabitants remained on it, and access to the planet was limited – who would then know that she had done it?

– You may begin now. Mandragora takes the girls from Melody and Solaria, Morra – the girl from Diamond. And don't deviate from the plan, understood? – On the last phrase, Belladonna flew up to the shaman and enveloped her in dark energy, which made Morra feel uneasy.

– Yes, Mistress, – she bowed in response, understanding that it was not worth showing her emotions prematurely.

– Transport them to our Order in Magix. Our servants have worked hard and organized a shelter for cover; there they will be helped to understand the importance of their mission. And after that, you must lie low and accumulate strength. We will summon you when the right moment comes. Sisters, I feel that these very sorceresses will become our embodiment, our rebirth. We must not interfere in their work; our existence must not be known to them, for then they will try to contact us and understand that we can use their bodies! They will only know that they need to obtain the Dragon's Fire, and after that, we will take both the powers, and the bodies, and the Fire!

– Yes, sister, we will finally finish what we started! But what about the Sword of Oritel? When it awakens, we will need a young noble King who can pull it out and thereby free us! Can these girls really find it? – Tharma asked Belladonna, floating near her.

– Don't worry, Tharma, when the girls get the Dragon's Fire, they will come here, and even that sword will be subject to the Fire! When they destroy it, they themselves won't understand whom they have freed! – Belladonna burst into caustic laughter. – And then we will proceed with our plan, sisters! – All the witches burst into deep, bone-chilling laughter, and the floating black crystals would be the only ones to hear and absorb their piercing laughter...

*****

Although Darcy liked her parents' stories about the witches and their powers, about how mighty and great they were, their obsession wasn't very characteristic of Darcy herself. Yes, she wanted to be a witch, she felt like one and saw the manifestation of her powers in the dark arts, but she wouldn't want to spend her whole life obsessed with old tales, exalting ancient evil and seeing nothing else around her. Sometimes it seemed to her that she was about to be handed over to some sect, and her powers would be used by other sorcerers and witches for their own purposes. Darcy was independent, proud, and wouldn't simply waste her life on eternal servitude; rather, she herself could gather everyone around her and subjugate them. With cunning, deceit, manipulation – even without using spells, she could make anyone admire her and exalt her; even a furtive glance from her amber eyes could enchant everyone around. Just as she loved admiration for her person, so she loved acting through others – and then watching as others were punished for her vile misdeeds. She found this an extremely magnificent spectacle, enjoying the suffering of others, and understood that no one could reproach her for anything.

Darcy was returning home after another magic training session with Knut – this ogre amused her, and in a way she had even grown fond of him, but she still knew and understood that first and foremost she needed him for selfish purposes, not for some kind of hangouts. But after the lessons, narrated in a monotonous tone by the professors, it was, however, interesting to listen to stories from Knut's life, back when he lived on Linphea. And this way she could learn more about that planet, its inhabitants, and its structure, and knowledge was vitally necessary for her, primarily for her future development as a witch. Arriving home, she at first didn't pay attention to her parents, who, as always, were in an exalted state, but when they, seeing her, jumped up as if scalded and knelt before her, she began to suspect something was wrong.

– Darcy, something incredible has happened! – her father addressed her, looking both alarmed and impatiently joyful. – You have been chosen! You are the heir to the Great and Incomparable Liliss! Darcy, it's a miracle! We so hoped this would happen, and glory to the Great Dragon, now our lineage will finally show these impostors their place! – Their gaze, seemingly full of madness, made Darcy doubt their adequacy, and she crossed her arms discontentedly and looked at them:

– Okay, this isn't funny anymore. I understand, of course, that you love and respect them very much, but there's no need to involve me in this... in this... – her speech slowed on the last words as she watched an unknown woman, seemingly floating out from around the corner, enveloped by insects, which she hadn't even heard at first.

– You are not yet the heir of Liliss, but you are potentially suitable for the role. You're lucky to have parents like them, – she nodded towards her parents, who were now convulsively bowing before the standing witch. – You are unique; not every young sorceress gets such a chance. I am Mandragora; I will help you harness your powers. You must come with me, and you will understand how many undiscovered talents you have, and how many worlds you can conquer. You are Chosen by the Darkness itself, and you should not waste your powers in vain. With me, you can achieve unprecedented heights. – Mandragora's sweet words were due to the fact that she was dealing with a difficult sorceress – studying the girl, she understood that she possessed mind power, was very capable and deductive, and would not agree to go with her just like that. Therefore, her main task was to convince her and make her understand that she needed to leave this place, to make her believe her, because without her own desire, it would be impossible to work with her later.

– I understand you want to convince me and all that, but what's in it for you? Because it's unlikely you were sent by the Three Ancients themselves, and I know perfectly well about the uniqueness of my own powers, so I need to know what you get in return, – Darcy understood that nothing in this world is done for free, and therefore she couldn't help but be meticulous about every word of this witch.

– You see, Darcy, you could be very useful in a certain matter that will help you gain power over the whole world. It's about the Dragon's Fire. Yes, legends are told about it now, but think – if you have enough power to find it, you will rule absolutely everything, you will be able to subjugate entire Kingdoms, be the ruler of all worlds, and our Order will be able to expand its borders and spread across all worlds, and then we will all be satisfied. Deal? – The witch stood behind Darcy, placing her hands on her shoulders. Darcy didn't want to agree to an unknown adventure promising ephemeral, countless riches without specifying terms and facts. She knew that the heirs of the Three Ancients did not live well; such witches were usually very tied to their mistresses, and despite all the power they received, in the end they could only use it for the purposes of the Ancient Witches. However, there was almost no exact knowledge or facts about successors – knowledge about the witch world order had been corrected and remade many times, and little might remain of the original essence. Therefore, vague knowledge made Darcy doubt this offer even more.

– No, I can't agree like that. I want to be with my family and study the dark arts here; I can achieve a lot on my own without your help, – Darcy tried to step away, but Mandragora began to hold her firmly by the shoulder.

– Your family won't help you; you are in a limited position on this planet. You know how witches are disliked here, especially witches of darkness, and there certainly won't be enough knowledge here for your further development. And time is passing; you will waste your power in vain without new knowledge and skills. Resistance is futile; you don't want your loved ones to suffer, do you? – Darcy understood that she was being blackmailed now, and she had nothing to oppose this witch. It would be stupid to fight; she was clearly much stronger than her, and Darcy would simply be taken by force, and it would hurt more from the injuries received.

– Fine, I'll go with you, just don't touch them, – Darcy shifted her gaze; her parents remained standing as if enchanted, as if they themselves were under hypnosis.

– That's good, Darcy, you made the right choice. Only, we still need to influence your parents a little, – Darcy turned around sharply and looked at the witch anxiously, – and not only them. Everyone who ever knew you must be rid of all memories of you. A simple precaution, – Mandragora didn't wait for Darcy's response, who was already about to object, and the witch was enveloped in a swarm of insects, and everything around her was flooded with a dark glow. She began to cast a forgetting spell, taking a part of Darcy's magical energy to be able to penetrate all her connections. Darcy began to feel a slight emptiness inside herself, and her head began to spin, but she still tried to stay on her feet. Mandragora spread the spell along all the branched paths of Darcy's interaction channels so that every sentient being would erase their memory of her forever. However, access to one of the channels was closed, and the witch could not penetrate it. Mandragora did not possess mind control power; what was available to her now were general witch spells accessible to sorceresses with a large baggage of experience and knowledge. And unique powers given by nature could only be used by the witch possessing those powers.

For Darcy, everything happening began to resemble a delirious dream; everything before her eyes started to blur, and the reality around her distorted until she was pulled into a teleportation vortex. It seemed she was simultaneously weightless, and yet something persistently tried to pull her along, and it seemed to her as if her whole body began to stretch along with the vortex sucking everything in. It ended as abruptly as it began; she was yanked out of the portal and fell onto the grass, unable to move. After a few minutes, when the dizziness began to subside, she sat on her knees, brushing the grass off her skirt, and began to look around. The witch was not nearby, nor was the teleport; she was in something like a schoolyard, on its back part. There was a building nearby, and the entire territory was fenced with a high fence, so she couldn't understand or see exactly where she was. Well, apparently, she had no choice. She didn't want to announce herself to everyone immediately; she needed to study the place she found herself in and calmly think over everything that had happened. Thoughts raced through her head, one after another, about what would happen to her parents, how she would live now, what would become of her... With these reflections, she stood up and began to slowly and cautiously walk around the territory of her future «home».

*****

Stormy remained in her room, immersed in her thoughts. The recent turmoil faded into the background, and even thoughts of the impending punishment didn't frighten her too much. Why constantly think about what is inevitably going to happen? Instead, she decided to plunge her consciousness into music again and start drawing. Although she had no talent, this activity calmed her and set her up to distract herself from reality. Stormy often had her head in the clouds, which was unsurprising, and loved to dream fantasies about something unattainable for her – about a good family, about understanding around her, about becoming a great sorceress and getting everything she wanted. Her drawings were abstract; through hidden images, in every line, form, and color, her entire essence was hidden, what she carefully kept inside herself. And now, diagonal lines, drawn with a black pen, crossed the entire sheet, creating a sense of forward movement; nearby swirled lines similar to tree branches, and on their tips bright drops of different colors froze. At the foot of the abstract trees, spirals were placed. Now she was mixing different colors of her pencils in them, creating colored puddles. She didn't realize the meaning she was transferring to her drawings; she only knew that it was what she wanted to draw out of herself, what was bursting out and demanding its realization and place in the material world.

Through the loud music, she still managed to hear him. The knock on the door made her flinch, and the voice, promising nothing good, renewed the anxiety in her troubled soul:

– Stormy, come out for a bit. We need to talk, – her father didn't like to wait long, and Stormy didn't try to delay these moments because she knew it was fraught with her being hurt even more. Taking off her headphones and putting down the pencils, she stood up and felt her legs involuntarily buckle. It was a residual memory – when danger approaches that has left scars, the healed place begins to ache. With heavy legs, she trudged to the door; her fingertips went numb from cold, and her face, on the contrary, was burning. Unlocking the door, she approached her parents, who were sitting in the living room as if nothing had happened. Stormy wanted to get through this and forget it as quickly as possible; she hated when such heavy moments were prolonged; her patience was strained, and she began to sink even deeper into negative feelings.

– You have disappointed me very, very much, Stormy. No matter how many times I repeat – it's useless, no matter how much I teach – you don't understand. Do you want to be treated badly? – her father began to walk around her with slow steps, and Stormy felt she would soon go crazy from the anticipation.

– No, Father, – she replied in a quiet voice, lowering her gaze to the floor.

– What are you whining about? Look at me when I'm talking to you, and speak clearly and loudly. Do I have to teach you that too? – his tone rose on the last words, and Stormy immediately looked her father straight in the eyes. Inside her, a growing element raged; she wanted to destroy; her hands trembled, and her eyes filled with fury. She was both scared and hateful to look at him, but all she had to do now was humbly wait and endure when she wanted to break loose and destroy everything around.

– You've become completely insolent. We raise you, give you everything you need, and you, ungrateful wretch, try to repay us like this? – The atmosphere began to heat up; with every word he said, Stormy clenched her hands into fists tighter. The pain distracted her, not allowing the storm to break out prematurely. – You will yet fall to your knees before us when you lose everything! – He jerked Stormy sharply by the arm, and she staggered from the surprise and fell; her shoulder was seized with pain, and she was grabbed harshly by the hair, lifting her head, causing Stormy to hiss as pain shot through her neck. – Just endure, just wait it out–  – that was all she could think about now; she hated and was disgusted to find herself in such a position; she wanted to growl and bite to defend herself, but she knew from experience – it still wouldn't protect her. Suddenly, the room was filled with a sharp flash, causing her eyes to reflexively squeeze shut, and her father released her hair, and she fell to the floor again sharply.

– What the... – escaped his lips before a swarm of insects enveloped the sphere that appeared in the center of the room, and a strange-looking woman materialized from it.

– A witch! – Stormy's mother screamed, recoiling and moving towards the wall. – What do you want from us? Leave us alone!

Stormy tiredly rose on her elbows, still focusing her gaze, she tried to make out the uninvited guest. The latter directed two swarms of insects at her parents, thereby enveloping them, not allowing them to fight back, lifted them into the air, and distracted them from the witch.

– Hello, young heir of Tharma. I am Mandragora, and I have come to take you away from here, – the witch began to approach Stormy, to which the latter bared her teeth and stood up sharply, moving her hands away in a defensive gesture.

– Don't touch me! – She directed a stream of air at Mandragora, trying to knock her off her feet, to which she simply dissipated the girl's energy, coming closer. Stormy didn't understand what was happening, but it was definitely something bad; this woman didn't inspire trust, and all the girl's instincts screamed only that she needed to defend herself.

– I am not your enemy, child; I will help you harness your power. I know you want to take revenge on all your offenders, and you will have that chance.

– I don't understand what you're talking about! I can stand up for myself; you're nobody to me! – Stormy tried to attack again, to which Mandragora simply bound the girl in energy shackles. Stormy tried to break free; she absolutely disliked this whole situation; fear and fury clouded all her consciousness, and the recently calmed storm outside raged again, only a hundred times stronger this time. The wind was so strong that it broke the windows, and glass poured onto the floor, scattering around the room in gusts of wind. The noise of the downpour filled the room, and lightning outside began to strike one after another, and thunderclaps vibrated in their ears. Mandragora understood how strong and powerful the force in this girl's hands was, who had not yet learned to control it properly, and it was very important to direct her thoughts in the right direction.

– You can become a powerful witch, so strong that no one will ever dare to hurt you again. You have an extraordinary gift in your hands, which you are now wasting in vain. No one here will give you the necessary knowledge. I know you can't stand them, – she pointed her hand at Stormy's parents, surrounded by insects behind her. – Don't you want to prove to them that you are capable of more? Then they will finally believe you.

Stormy didn't know what to feel, and doubt was reflected on her face. On the one hand, the witch was right – Stormy clearly felt resentment towards her parents, but on the other hand – did she really want to prove anything to them? But, thinking about this question now, the girl sincerely, deep in her soul, wanted to prove to them that she was better than they thought. She didn't want to admit these thoughts; she wanted to be self-sufficient, but she also depended on them; she had no one else but them. And since such a chance had fallen to her – to become stronger and prove to them that she was capable of more – should she refuse such an opportunity?

Mandragora took advantage of the girl's confusion and opened a portal, sending her to Magix. She knew what to press to convince the girl that she needed this, and she would later understand what her purpose was. The witch began to use the forgetting spell, and, as on Solaria, now no one on Melody would remember the existence of a girl named Stormy...

*****

Stormy jumped up sharply, as after a sudden fall in a dream, convulsively looking around. Her head spun, and her empty stomach tightened; a sharp attack made her double over. Spitting bile, she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her golf shirt and tried to stop trembling, not understanding what had just happened and where she had ended up. A high fence, a multi-story building – it reminded her of an orphanage her parents had once threatened to send her to, leading the crying, begging girl to the gates. Thoughts of them made her gloomy – now that they were not nearby, she didn't know what would happen next. Because even nightmare events can become familiar, native, and known. And the unknown is the greatest fear known to sentient beings.

Darcy was looking around and hadn't noticed anything suspicious or strange around the territory, but suddenly a noise reached her ears, as if something had been dropped onto the grass with a thud. «Has Mandragora returned?» – was the first thing she thought, cautiously walking towards the sound and turning the corner. But, to her surprise, she saw only a frightened girl in old, dirty clothes and tangled hair, as if a whole nest had settled in them. Darcy didn't hide her surprise and, cautiously approaching the girl, began to wonder where she had come from. Did she run away from the building? She would have heard footsteps. Did she teleport? Could she be another heir?

Stormy noticed movement in her peripheral vision not far from herself and, spotting an unknown girl, jumped back from her, beginning to defend herself:

– Hey, how did you get here? – she looked at her with a snarl, to which Darcy just calmly crouched near her, not wanting to conflict:

– I have the same question for you. Did someone teleport you? – When she crouched closer, Stormy examined her: dark, neat bob, glasses covering her whole face, some kind of strange school clothes (apparently, the local uniform) – Stormy immediately disliked her.

– What's it to you, smarty-pants? – Stormy turned away, propping her cheek with her hand; she didn't want to deal with this know-it-all; she immediately identified nerds and teacher's pets, and usually such people always ratted her out, for which, naturally, they always got it from Stormy afterwards.

Darcy understood that she had clearly ended up here not of her own free will – she had learned to read emotions on people's faces, and this girl very vividly showed everything happening inside her.

– Did a woman with insects approach you? – Darcy started with the main thing to save herself from unnecessary questions. The girl turned to her sharply; for a second her face expressed surprise, and then she again put on a mask of arrogance, but her eyes became alive, and her interest in the conversation increased:

– How do you know about her? Are you in cahoots? – Stormy became alert; obviously, this smarty-pants must know something about her, and why she had come for Stormy specifically.

– Of course not, I would never agree to be here in my life! Obviously, she needs heirs, and we unfortunately possess the powers she needs. I was teleported from Solaria; sure, it's not the best place to live, but being here is definitely not the best...

– Stop-stop-stop, what heirs, what powers? And she told me I could become a strong witch to take revenge on everyone. And what do you mean from Solaria? Where are we then now? – Stormy persisted; her recent irritation was replaced by a lack of understanding of the situation she found herself in. Darcy stood up and sighed heavily, adjusting her glasses. It would be hard to figure all this out, especially when her interlocutor asked so many questions that Darcy herself would like answers to.

– Okay, let's start from the beginning. I'm Darcy, and you?

– Stormy...

– Look, Stormy, I don't know where we are, but obviously, we're in a completely different place. This witch, Mandragora, erased the memory of everyone who ever knew us, sweet-talked us, and promised great power, but it's strange, because she must get something in return, right? She mentioned some Order, but I've never heard of Orders run by witches before... And she also said something about the Dragon's Fire, which is the strangest thing, because no one knows where it is or what happened to it. – Stormy looked at her with an uncomprehending gaze; she could understand little of what Darcy was telling – she had studied the history of the magical world poorly and therefore couldn't know what exactly she meant. But obviously, she wanted to understand what was happening, and now it was worth putting aside her prejudices about this girl and trying to listen to her.

Darcy looked at Stormy and understood that she clearly didn't know the circumstances she found herself in. But if she really was one of the heirs, then they needed to stick together and try to figure out this whole situation.

– And since we ended up here together, we need to try to find out what's going on. And go to the entrance; we have no choice anyway, and there's no point in staying outside; they'll find us. So, deal? – Darcy extended her hand to help the girl up. Stormy understood that she had no one else to hold on to; they had become victims of circumstances, and there was no point in arguing and being proud here. Besides, this Darcy didn't seem so arrogant to her; maybe they could manage to stick together for a while.

– Well, since we're in the same boat, – Stormy took her hand and stood up, – then there really is no choice. Let's go, smarty-pants, – Stormy said with a smile, this time not meaning to offend her, and Darcy just snorted, and they simultaneously turned towards the voice of a woman who had come out from around the corner near the entrance.

– Here you are, girls, we've been waiting for you for a long time. Welcome to your new home.

*****

Sapphire remained with her legs shackled in ice, screaming after her fleeing sister; she was torn by tears and didn't understand why she had done this to her. Her soul ached now much more than her legs in the burning ice; she just wanted to help her! The girl covered her face with her hands, hiding tears; she was scared, hurt, and cold; she constantly replayed the thoughts of the incident and tried to understand what she had done wrong? Was she too kind, too cheerful, ran too far, said something Icy didn't like... Thinking about her now, she cried even more; she admired her so much, so wanted to be near her and show her all the beauty of the world they lived in... Her silent reflections and sobs were interrupted by a shadow over her head. Clouds filled the entire sky, and Sapphire sighed doomedly.

– Great, and now it's going to rain... – she said in a trembling voice, trying to calm down and understand what to do, when suddenly a sharp lightning bolt pierced the sky, and it became dark as night, and right in front of her, a dark sphere appeared, enveloped in dark pink lightning. Sapphire fearfully raised her hands, not knowing what to do, as a woman in dark robes with shamanic symbols materialized from this sphere. Right behind her, ice golems appeared, following the woman with heavy steps. When she landed on the ground and struck her staff, the whole earth began to cover with ice, and with each step she took, the ice intensified. Mountains, trees, crystals – everything began to cover with ice as she approached Sapphire, who could only look at her with genuine horror.

– Good afternoon, little girl. Could you tell me where the castle of the Queen of Diamond is? – her voice, saturated with sweet poison, sounded to Sapphire as the worst thing she could hear, and her sly smile, through which sharp, spike-like fangs were visible, instilled in Sapphire disgusting associations with the maw of a child-eating monster.

– No! What do you want from my mother? The Queen does not speak with witches, and I see you are a witch! – On Diamond, there was a particularly unpleasant attitude towards witches, and Sapphire understood that she certainly wasn't offering anything good and knew that her family was in danger! – I am Princess Sapphire, and it is my duty to protect my Kingdom! – Sapphire tried to buy time, while with her hands behind her back she tried to break the ice, but the necessary spell wouldn't come to mind. – And you will not dare harm the Royal Family!

– Sapphire, – the shaman witch looked at her with interest, shifting her gaze from the girl to the fox sitting under the tree, protecting her cubs, and did not hide a satisfied smile that promised nothing good. – A beautiful name. Strong and daring, like a wild beast! –  She loomed over the girl, raising her hand, from which magical energy began to shower down with pink glowing sparks.

– Go play with the other puppies! And a new Queen will ascend the throne of Diamond! – Magical sparks began to envelop and cover Sapphire; under the strain, the ice cracked, and she herself began to feel herself shrinking until she felt herself fall onto the frozen ground with a thud. She tried to get up but couldn't and realized she had been turned into an animal when she tried to scream, but there was no voice – instead, she made squeaking and chattering sounds, like a fox. The girl could do nothing and only watched as the shaman witch directed the golems towards the palace. She tried to run to get ahead of them, but the witch lifted her with telekinesis:

– Not so fast, young Princess, haven't you heard that your family is now here? – She threw Sapphire, who had become a white fox cub, towards the fox sitting under the tree. Sapphire whined and tried to get up, but the new body wouldn't obey her, and she could only hear the witch bursting into caustic laughter while she whined from heart-wrenching torment.

Icy ran forward, not feeling her legs; her mind raced between going back and finally reaching her chambers and hiding, thinking over what had happened before she was found; she wouldn't break, and she wouldn't be punished. No, she couldn't go back; she couldn't look at her now, see her frightened face in hysterics, and her legs shackled in ice. Whatever they did to her now, she was afraid of what she had done. Her native magic was destructive – the frost she created took energy and gradually killed. Once, long ago, in early childhood, she accidentally froze a bird that flew into her window – she saw it fluttering until it completely stilled. And when the ice melted, the bird could no longer flap its wings and fly away...

Maybe, subconsciously, Icy wished the same for Sapphire but was afraid to admit it to herself, and, wiping away tears once again, she ran into the main hall, so inopportunely colliding with her parents...

– Icy, what's wrong with you, why the tears? – her father asked, approaching her along with her mother. Icy fell to her knees, understanding she couldn't hide what she had done.

– Look at me, what happened? – the questions continued, and Icy couldn't say the main thing, and her prolonged silence could cost dearly later:

– Sapphire... – was all the Princess could squeeze out, and her parents looked at each other anxiously:

– What about Sapphire? What's wrong with her, did you do something to her? – her mother began to explode, and as soon as Icy looked up at her, the door to the hall suddenly swung open. Preoccupied with Icy's condition, no one noticed how the ice golems had infiltrated the palace; the thunder of their steps began to echo through the hall only now.

– Sapphire is dead, dear Queen, – a woman materialized in the doorway, theatrically bowing; she sang these fatal words for everyone in a poisonous voice.

– Guards! Where is everyone? You will pay for breaking in here, damn witch! – her father shouted furiously, and her mother, turning into a fairy, began attacking the witch with purple crystals. Everything that existed for Icy collapsed in one moment. Only one phrase was in her head: – It's all my fault. – If she hadn't run away, if she had returned and freed her...

– Don't look like that, this girl got what she deserved! She contradicted the new Queen of Diamond! – The witch took a few graceful steps forward, parrying the attack, and the floor under her feet began to cover with ice.

– How dare you, Morra! As long as I live, you will never become Queen, cursed witch! – Between her mother and the witch, a real battle to the death was taking place, and Icy just sat on her knees, unable to move or do anything.

– Icy, don't just sit there, fight! – her father shouted, throwing her a sword materialized by her mother, while he himself fought the advancing golems. Icy saw that her parents were having a hard time in the fight; obviously, they were losing to such a strong witch. No, she felt she couldn't fight for them. Seeing how pathetic they looked now in her eyes, she remembered the moments when they extolled the great powers of light mages, and their own greatness, according to them, was almost unique in the entire Magic Dimension. And watching as her mother was thrown back by the witch's attack and couldn't get up, she was finally disappointed in what they had tried to impose on her all her life. They themselves told her: – Weakness is the worst thing that can exist in a person; those who give up simply don't know how to fight. – And now they were no better than those they so vehemently hated. And Sapphire...

– Icy, – her reflections were interrupted by Morra's voice, who suddenly decided to address her. Icy turned to her and saw how the golems had managed to overcome her father as well. – You are exactly the one I need. Come with me, Chosen One of Belladonna. – Understanding that she had been chosen, she understood – this was her chance. She was tired of injustice, of hypocrisy and deceit around her. Icy didn't want to see this pathetic picture of her defeated parents before her, and standing up, took a step towards the witch.

– Icy, don't do this! – her mother desperately tried to stop her. – You don't understand what path you are taking! How much we taught you – the duty to the Kingdom comes first! You must protect your people! – Even now, her mother thought only of honors. – Haven't we taught you that? – Icy, despite everything, took step after step, approaching the witch. – You, traitor! I knew it! I wish she had killed you instead of Sapphire! – Icy slowly turned to her, not hiding her shocked and hateful gaze. How dare she say that, having lost one daughter, send the second to death without pity?

– You never loved me. You raised me only to get rid of me later. Forbidding me to use magic, leaving me with nothing, only to later throw me to the wolves. If you're so ready to send me to death so easily, how are you better than the witches? – Her cold voice, devoid of emotion, hid all the anger and resentment that had accumulated inside her. Morra, watching this spectacle, perceived the family drama as a theatrical performance and did not hide a poisonous smile, putting an arm around the shoulder of the approaching Princess.

– You will never be like Sapphire! And you never deserved a drop of our love, never! – Icy saw her mother's mask crumbling before her eyes; now she had no reason to hide what was obvious to Icy anyway.

– I hate you, – Icy said quietly, accepting these words as a given, as what she had felt all her life but had never found the occasion to say.

– I think it's time to end this magnificent performance, – the shaman witch said manneredly, aiming her staff at the former Queen. Now two lifeless bodies were bound in ice, and Morra led Icy out with her using levitation; now they hovered above the palace. The ice golems expanded their domain, freezing the city, and the people who came out, desperately fighting for their lives, were noticeably losing to them. Icy watched this spectacle and couldn't hide a smile. For some reason, it gave her some relief.

– You see, Icy, what heights you can achieve if you study your magic! They restrained you and would never have given you a chance to know how wonderful it can be when entire Kingdoms are in your power! And you don't need to learn boring negotiations and politics for that; you simply take what you want, and no one will dare contradict you! – the witch explained to her, holding her by the shoulder while Icy watched the chaos reigning around. – You will begin to control your element the same way; we are similar, you understand? – Morra continued with her sweet and poisonous speech.

– I understand. And I see it clearly. All my life they held me back like a leper, told me what to do, never asked my opinion, and I won't allow anyone to treat me like that anymore. I will become stronger and prove that being a witch means being mighty and invincible. –

Morra smiled contentedly and, placing a hand on Icy's head, uttered her last words to her:

– Good girl, – before sending the former Princess to Magix. And Icy would no longer see how her Kingdom continued to die and freeze in the ice, and would not know that somewhere under the snow beat the heart of a white fox – an eternal immortal prisoner of this place.

Chapter Text

The "Little Hope" Orphanage was situated on the outskirts of one of the many cities of Magix. Beyond its territory lay a forest that covered a vast part of the planet with its domain. It stood out on the sparsely built-up street, maintaining its authenticity in its facade: as one of the few remaining historical buildings on the planet, it definitely created a feeling of immersion in a different era, one that was almost impossible to find anywhere in modern Magix. New technologies were infiltrating the Kingdom silently but tangibly – they combined magic and a new aesthetic, and manifested in almost everything: in buildings, transport, fashion, activities, music, and gadgets. Magix accepted these changes, transforming under the influence of a new trend that blended practicality and convenience. The modernity penetrating every corner of the planet was concentrated in the Kingdom's eponymous metropolis. The highly developed technologies stood in sharp contrast to the three schools located further away, and all of them were separated from each other by an endless forest, highlighting the cities and buildings as islands of civilization.

And in this whirlwind of progress and massive structures, the orphanage seemed like just one of those relics of the past, usually mentioned only in history lessons or on tours for the particularly curious. It didn't hold the value carried by the three famous schools, which harbored many secrets and knowledge, their historical roots stretching back into distant antiquity. But it was precisely because of this reputation that an even greater secret had taken root in the orphanage, hidden behind a mask of charity. It was raising future followers of a forgotten evil: the magical dimension, thinking the threat was gone, had no idea it would come from where they least expected – for the shadows were not asleep, they were quietly and covertly hatching their plans…

A flash of white light momentarily illuminated the courtyard, and a teleportation sphere appeared between the high fence and the cracked wall of the building. Icy fell to her knees on the grass, bracing herself with her hands in front of her, reflexively trying not to fall flat. Her long, dark blue dress was crumpled, her loose, snow-white hair fluttered in the wind, and only the ferronière of small purple beads kept the hair from plastering itself to her face. She didn't know what had happened the moment the witch touched her head. She had only seen her city being painted white, and bloodstains gradually covering that canvas… and now she was somewhere she could never have expected. She thought she would remain there, finally release her magic, and rule that new world under her guidance… But seeing the enclosing walls and the ancient, almost derelict building before her, she felt a sharp pang in her heart. She had been deceived. Thousands of thoughts began to race through her mind: that it had all been in vain, that she had allowed it all to happen, feelings of guilt and searing despair, the terrible admission that she had enjoyed watching others suffer, denial and anger towards herself and the whole world that had allowed this. Overwhelmed by deep despair and confusion about what to do and which feelings to embrace, Icy pressed herself to the ground, covering her face with her hands, hiding the icy tears that burned her cheeks. A muffled sob escaped her; she had never been as broken as she was at that moment. For the first time, she felt an explosion of emotions; her hysteria was the result of years of suppressing all feelings inside, the loss of control over a situation that had, for the first time, managed to disorient her, to make her an insignificant speck in a desert whirlwind, a barely visible point in the endless void of space.

A soft touch on her shoulder made her lift her head; blinded by the tears, she hadn't even noticed someone approaching. Icy saw a woman looming over her, her face expressing calm and a barely perceptible triumph that Icy failed to catch.

"Hello, dear. Welcome to your new home – a place of help and support that we will provide you here," her tone was dripping with indifference behind a mask of virtue. Icy shook her head from side to side, preemptively denying everything they might offer her here.

"This is not my home, and it never will be… Send me back, I don't belong here," she said as she was lifted to her feet by the elbow, standing up like a rag doll, unable to do anything on her own.

"The past cannot be brought back. This is your present and future. Let go of what holds you there. Allow your heart to open to a new reality," the woman chanted, leading Icy by the elbow towards the entrance. The former princess didn't want to be locked up again, not when she had gained such desired freedom, and now rules and conditions were being dictated to her once more, which she was supposed to obey.

"I won't! You will never make me follow your rules!" Icy cried out, trying to break free from her grip, which only tightened. Icy felt a sharp pain in her arms that almost made her double over as her arms were twisted and she was led into the building. She didn't know how she would get out of here, or if she even could, but she would resist until she had no strength left; she wouldn't give up so easily! She was led into a sort of common room, where several sofas and many tables were arranged, with children sitting at them. It was even quite spacious and, at first glance, bright. Some were reading, some were drawing, but it seemed this room wasn't a classroom, just a shared space for everyone. Icy was thrown onto the floor, and the woman began to leave, turning back for a final remark:

"We'll transfer you to the appropriate wing soon. For now, sit and think about your behavior. Know that weakness is not appreciated here, and you'd better direct your dedication to a useful cause." The door closed, and the children's gazes turned to Icy lying on the floor, who was trying at least to sit up, still feeling a heavy pain in her arms.

"Well, well, what do we have here," Icy saw a girl approaching her, with several others behind her, "what's with this old-fashioned outfit, from which century did they deliver you?" Everyone burst into mocking laughter as Icy looked at them, barely concealing her hostility and anger.

"How dare you address me like that! I am a Princess, I demand to be treated accordingly!" Icy retorted. She didn't understand what was so funny; her pride was wounded; she never allowed anyone to treat her like this.

"Oh, what an honor!" another girl drawled mockingly, "Remember, your status means nothing here. You're one of us, and if you haven't figured it out yet, we absolutely don't care who you pretend to be," she approached Icy, with a sneer in her eyes, and knelt beside her. Icy was filled with indignation and hatred; this was all wrong, she shouldn't be here, and no one would dare to look down on her, especially not some orphans!

"You will regret your words, commoner!" Icy felt the anger building inside her, her fingers turning icy, and the air in the room dropped several degrees. Before she could do anything, the children grabbed her on the girl's orders, not letting her break free, and she, taken by surprise, lost concentration of her power, remaining helplessly pinned from all sides.

"Just try to start using magic. I also have power, and I can freeze all your limbs," said the girl sitting next to her, then looked at the table with a sly smile. Icy didn't understand what to expect next or what that look meant, but after the girl got up and took a pair of scissors from the table, Icy began to struggle with double the force. She thought the worst, panic overwhelming her; all concentration vanished, only the deep-seated survival reflexes raging within her:

"No, no, no! You wouldn't dare! Let me go! Stop!" Icy screamed as they held her even tighter, and she weakly began to shake her head from side to side, "Why are you all doing this? What did I do to you?" Icy tirelessly tried to understand the motives behind their actions, but deep down, she understood that this was their nature; they simply enjoyed bullying those in the minority. Icy herself felt those hidden motives within her, how her soul felt lighter from the suffering of others, especially when her thoughts so inopportunely returned to Sapphire… The girl knelt beside her, grabbing her hair:

"I think we need to remove this ancient pendant from you!" she sneered, smiling mockingly while the others giggled. Grabbing Icy's hair tighter, she cut the front part of her hair almost to the root. Icy struggled with all her might; her ferronière helplessly scattered beads across the floor. The scissors moved with difficulty, literally chewing through her hair, but strands of hair mercilessly fell to the ground.

"No, stop! Please, stop!" Icy pleaded, her shaken nervous system from all the events of the day simply gave up, and she burst into sobs again until the door slammed open with a loud bang.

"What is going on here?!" thundered the voice of the woman who had brought her here. All the children quickly backed away from Icy, and she herself helplessly sank back to the floor, "Have you lost all decency?! Chrysalis, is this your doing?!" the woman exploded, shouting at the girl who had been cutting her hair.

"No, ma'am! It was all Hilda!" she lied brazenly, framing her "friend," who looked at her in shock.

"That's not true! She set it all up!" the other girl retorted, but the woman grabbed both of them by the scruff of their necks.

"I don't care who started it; this isn't a fight club. You should show your leadership in lessons! Everyone is punished, march to your rooms!" the caregiver exclaimed in a tone that brooked no argument, and all the children obediently ran off. Chrysalis and Hilda also tried to leave, but the woman held them fast, "I'll have a separate talk with you two! Icy," she turned to her, still lying on the floor, "get up and stop whining. Let's go to your room, change, and then to dinner," she said just as firmly and strictly, but in a calmer tone. Icy hurried to get up, all tear-stained, with tufts of crookedly cut hair on her face. She was roughly grabbed by the elbow and led away. She began to think that once she learned to control her power, it wouldn't be so easy for them to get away with it; she would take revenge on all of them for humiliating her, for daring to belittle her and for framing her. She would never show her weakness to anyone again, never.

Stormy and Darcy were in the dormitory, which was filled with bunk beds for about 20 people. They had decided to occupy one of them for now to discuss their situation here. Stormy immediately said she would take the bottom bunk. She didn't state the reason, which was that she didn't want to be on top; due to her anxiety-ridden dreams, she was afraid of falling from the height. Besides them, the room was empty; apparently, everyone was either in classes or in other rooms. At this stage, they decided to stick together to understand the mystery of their presence and purpose here.

They had been given uniforms consisting of a shapeless gray dress-overall, a white shirt, and a pair of simple black shoes. While Darcy complained about the tasteless style and the fact that she now had to wear such clothes, Stormy was glad that the clothes were at least new and clean. While being led to the dormitories, Darcy examined the corridors and rooms they passed. Their wing was on the third floor on the left side; on the first floor, as far as she could tell, there were common rooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and some utility rooms. Passing another corridor, she looked at the door plaques, which had simple numbers engraved on them – apparently, these were classrooms. Going up to the third floor, they were led into this common dormitory; on one of the beds, their uniforms and minimal belongings were already laid out.

Darcy was thinking about what awaited her next; she was anxious about the unknown future. What would become of her when they were released from here? Where would she go? Led by these thoughts, she sat down on the lower bunk next to Stormy; she wanted to share these thoughts with her. She felt an inexplicable, subtle kinship with this girl; she wanted to talk to her and discuss everything that came to mind. She tried to dismiss these thoughts, justifying them by the fact that they were simply in the same confusing situation – the recent teleportation, shared fatigue, and being cut off from her planet and family, left to her own devices. She lay down across the bed, putting her hands under her head, and began to share her thoughts with Stormy:

"What do you think awaits us next?" In response, Stormy just looked at her tiredly; she didn't feel like pondering the meaning of their presence and fate right now. She just wanted to forget everything and fall into a long sleep, and wake up back home.

"I don't know, but obviously, a new day awaits us. And then we'll see. Right now, I just want to sleep; all this has exhausted me terribly," Stormy said the last phrase with her usual irritation, climbing onto the bed with her feet. Darcy understood her feelings and decided not to bother her for now, thinking they could discuss everything with fresh minds the next day. Their drowsy stupor was interrupted by the door swinging open abruptly.

"Uniform's on the bed, change and get to dinner. Take these two with you," the girls heard the voice of caregiver Mayrine. While walking to the room, Darcy had learned her name, and apparently, she had brought another new girl to them. Darcy and Stormy sat up on the bed, examining the girl who had entered. She was wearing an ancient-looking dress, all disheveled, angry, and with a strange hairstyle. Darcy was even somewhat surprised; this was the second girl she'd met with what looked like a bird's nest on her head. But looking more closely, she saw that the hair wasn't just messy – it had been badly torn and cut by someone. And given her state – jerky movements, red face, and tear tracks – Darcy understood she had been treated far from kindly. Stormy saw a glimpse of herself in her for a moment. She recognized that defensive manner, those movements and facial expressions; something instinctive stirred within her, as if she saw a reflection of her own behavior in someone else. But it was obvious that this stranger had intrigued them both.

Icy quickly entered the room, noticing the two orphans in the corner out of the corner of her eye, and went to the opposite side herself, not wanting to associate with anyone. She sat on the bed, which creaked harshly beneath her, and covered her face with her hands, trying to cope with the overwhelming feelings. Her hands were shaking with anger, turning icy, and this helped cool the fervor on her face; the cold of her hands relieved the tension from her flushed skin. Her consciousness kept returning to the same thought: "How dare they treat me like this?" And she wasn't just thinking about the recent incident, but also about what had happened on her home planet… Conflicting emotions overwhelmed her. On one hand, it felt as if something dear, something that had filled her soul, had been torn away. But on the other, that something was like a cancerous tumor that had poisoned her life. She was torn between these feelings until the girls sitting on the opposite side addressed her:

"Hey, why you whining?" Stormy really disliked seeing anyone's tears because it resonated with her own inner state. Because of this, she didn't feel compassion for her and wished she would just shut up. Icy didn't look at her but understood from her tone that she was irritated. She didn't care about that right now; she was too immersed in her emotions. Stormy saw her ignoring her, and her fiery nature was not pleased with that at all, "Hey, I'm talking to you!" She rose slightly to get a better look at her. She was about to get up and approach when Darcy beat her to it.

"I hate them… I'll get revenge on everyone… I hate them…" Icy hissed through her teeth, engrossed in her turmoil. Darcy heard her quiet threats and didn't react to them, only came closer and stood opposite her, crossing her arms. Icy felt someone's figure looming over her and decided to remove her hands from her face to look into the eyes of the one who had grown so bold.

"Can you explain what happened?" Darcy inquired. For her, it was important to gather information about everyone she met here; it was necessary for scouting out the environment and who she was with. Icy was too emotionally drained, and even if she wanted to object, she simply couldn't anymore. Moreover, she didn't see mockery or bullying in her eyes, which gave her some hope that not everyone here was a complete monster.

"What happened is none of your business." Icy didn't want to continue the conversation with her, deciding to keep the humiliating details of what happened to herself. She noticed a mirror embedded in the wall near the entrance and decided to somehow gather her hair. She stood up and walked over to it, examining herself. She had to do something about this… She took a bracelet off her wrist, deciding to use it as a hair tie, and gathered all her hair into a tight ponytail. The cut strands stuck out from all sides, preventing her from making a neat hairstyle, and Icy turned away from her reflection in despair. Stormy watched all this silently, deciding not to intervene with questions for now. Although she didn't like her arrogant tone, she herself also didn't have the energy to start an argument, and what was the point? She was just like all the others anyway. Darcy also watched the scene silently but decided to test her luck and try to get her to talk again:

"Who did that to you?" She pointed explicitly at her appearance, which was painful to look at from an aesthetic point of view. She didn't like direct confrontations, and although the methods she chose to influence others were mean and manipulative, physical clashes, like fights, made her sick.

"Does it matter right now?" Icy asked a counter-question, looking at her from under her brows with a tired gaze. Stormy was amused by her reaction, in which she found a manner similar to her own way of responding to others. She herself became a bit more animated, getting up from her spot and moving closer to Darcy.

"Maybe it does? We need to teach whoever did it a lesson, set up an ambush and punch them good!" Stormy said this in a casual tone, standing up for someone for the first time, which surprised even her own thoughts and words. She didn't understand why she suddenly wanted to protect her, and she decided to add a jab so as not to seem too noble, "Otherwise, you're just a weakling right now, but if you prove otherwise – they'll leave you alone."

"It's not about weakness. I am much stronger than you might think. It's all this cursed place… It confused me," Icy noticed their puzzled faces and attributed it to their general interest in her condition. Meanwhile, Stormy, and especially Darcy, began to suspect that she wasn't here simply because she had lost her guardians, "It doesn't matter, I just shouldn't be here," Icy added. These questions were so ill-timed for her; she would have liked to prove the opposite, that she was stronger, she was a hundred times better than them, but her resources were depleted.

"A cursed place? And how long have you been here?" Darcy asked. Her intonation and gaze, prompted by the words about being confused, led her to certain thoughts she couldn't yet substantiate.

"Maybe half an hour. Why do you care?" said Icy, irritation beginning to rise in her voice again, "I'm telling you, I shouldn't be here, got it?"

"Alright, you don't have to explain for now," said Darcy, stepping back a little and giving her space, but she was still unsettled by her sudden appearance here. And her appearance bothered her even more. She had an idea of how she could both win her over and try to get her to talk.

"Listen, let me help you with your hair?" Darcy proposed, not hoping for a positive answer, but still, there was a chance she might agree. Icy lifted her gaze to her again, distrust written all over her face, "It definitely can't get worse, and with strands of different lengths, they'll only mock and humiliate you even more. The choice is yours," Darcy added, simultaneously being non-intrusive and yet not giving her much choice.

"And what will you do?" She didn't want to go through another humiliating haircut, but on the other hand, it clearly couldn't get worse, "Fine, there's nothing left to lose here," Icy agreed, unexpectedly even to herself. She was both scared and intriguingly curious to see what she could do. Darcy had already read in her eyes that her doubts on this matter were minimal, so she calmly accepted her response. She started rummaging through the pockets of her old clothes, and luck was on her side – she hadn't taken her nail scissors out of them when she was still at home, and this was a great find, considering they might be needed not only for hygienic manipulations.

"Well, it won't be professional, but we need to do something about this," said Darcy, approaching her and kneeling down. Icy let out a heavy sigh, let her hair down, and allowed her to do whatever she had in mind. For some reason, Icy felt a certain non-intrusiveness and lightness from her, and for the first time, she didn't find it hard to be in the same room with someone. It was too early to talk about trust, but she felt that a thin thread between them was already beginning to form. Darcy began to carefully comb her hair with a simple comb that was among her future uniform's belongings and trim the uneven shape. Stormy watched them and, for some reason, felt calm watching this scene. As if she weren't with some strangers in an orphanage, but with friends at home, even though Stormy had no friends and didn't understand what that was like, but her subconscious clearly painted exactly that picture. She realized she hadn't introduced herself:

"Hey, what's your name, anyway?" Stormy asked, and at that moment, both girls' hearts skipped a beat.

"I am Icy, Princess of Diamond," Icy was proud of her status, even if she no longer had it, and nothing remained of her home planet except the title and knowledge. Darcy had guessed she wasn't from an ordinary family, but her royal origin intrigued her greatly. Stormy wasn't particularly interested in royal families; something else caught her attention. Her name, Icy. A chain of assumptions formed in her mind, linking the three of them together. The similar-sounding names, the sudden appearance in the same place… Obviously, this all led to the thought that something greater was meant to unite them.

"A princess? I could have guessed from your clothes and manners that you're of aristocratic blood… But that's not just a status, it's belonging to an entire Royal Family. And how could a Princess suddenly end up in some ancient, forgotten orphanage?" Darcy began to interrogate her. She didn't doubt her words; she just wanted to hear the truth from her lips, if she was really here because she was the Chosen One… That meant they were destined to be together.

"That's what I'm saying, that's why I keep repeating that I shouldn't be here," Icy repeated once again, "You should at least introduce yourselves," in truth, Icy wasn't particularly interested in their names, but she needed to address them somehow.

"I'm Darcy, and this is Stormy," Darcy introduced both of them, continuing to even out Icy's bangs. Darcy looked into her eyes and saw hints of curiosity in them, as if she had started thinking about what she had just heard. Darcy herself had understood from her name that the coincidences weren't accidental and decided to try to get the story from her own lips, "So, you shouldn't be here?"

"Of course. Everything was supposed to be different. And anyway, why should I tell you anything if you yourselves are silent about why you're here?" Icy decided to defend herself, countering them with questions in return. It wasn't that she genuinely wanted to know something about them; rather, she wanted to understand the motivation behind their questions, why they were so focused on her, and why Darcy had even started helping her. Darcy exchanged a glance with Stormy, and a mental understanding passed between them that they should tell her what had happened. If their guesses were correct, it meant she was supposed to be with them sooner or later.

"We are the Chosen Ones, if you understand the meaning of that word," Stormy began from a distance. When she and Darcy were brought here together, she had told her about the common connection of the three witches with the powers of wind, darkness, and cold, and that their powers were directly connected to their progenitors – the Three Ancient Witches. Stormy understood they weren't witches yet, but they were potentially on that path. Stormy didn't like the fairy world; it seemed too cloying, too perfect to her, and if she had a choice, she would rather follow the path of a witch, even though knowledge of their world order was still inaccessible to her. She had grown up in cruelty and darkness, in a world where the weak were not pitied, where there was a struggle for survival, and she wasn't afraid of anything; she had already been through her personal hell, and shifting her path to get everything for free without effort seemed impossible to her now. Darcy thought the same, who saw hidden hypocrisy in the fairy world order, where status decided everything, and she knew firsthand that her powers would a priori never be welcomed there.

When Icy heard the key word, everything fell into place in her head. Now she understood why they were asking her why she was here, and the similarity and meaning of their names also stopped seeming like a coincidence to her.

"And you were transported here too?" she asked, catching the sincerity in their gazes, not a hint of mockery, and she understood that this was all not without reason. Darcy saw the understanding of the situation in her eyes, that she had grasped the connection, and it resonated with her.

"Yes. Mandragora transported us, also without saying where or why. Only mentioned that we would gain power, something about an Order, and about the Dragon's Fire," Stormy replied, immediately mentioning what the witch had told Darcy. For some reason, Stormy felt she could tell her this, and Darcy was in solidarity with her.

"Mandragora? But a different witch came to me…" Icy looked at the girls in bewilderment, and the understanding crept into her mind that Morra was acting in concert with someone, but she hadn't told her about the Fire or anything else, "And what do you mean, she mentioned the Dragon's Fire? That's a lost power, the most powerful in the entire magical dimension," Icy was completely confused by these new revelations.

"I don't know why she mentioned it, but she told me that I might be able to find it, even though it's the stuff of legends," Darcy replied, thinking about who this "other witch" was. Obviously, they were acting together and pursuing the goal of uniting them and sending them here, "Well, there, done," she finished trimming Icy's hair, and Icy hastily stood up and went to the mirror, "Maybe it's not perfectly even, it's hard to work with such scissors, but it looks better than before," Icy examined herself, and it was hard to get used to her look, to such short bangs. But it was definitely better than before.

"Yes, it looks decent," she pulled her hair back into a high ponytail again, and as it turned out, that was more comfortable for her. Now no one would dare to see her vulnerability, and she wouldn't allow anyone to treat her like that again. Along with the high ponytail, she gained confidence that she wouldn't be so easy to grab. She shook the cut hair off her shoulders and looked at the uniform lying on the bed. She had to accept these changes, no matter how much she didn't want to, but she wouldn't return to the past; now her path lay in a different direction. She felt that with Darcy and Stormy, she would find answers about her purpose, and she herself was surprised by this thought inside her. They had known each other for a measly half an hour, and she was already thinking about seeking answers with them… She thought that maybe it was all about that connection between the Chosen Ones, but something inside hinted that all these feelings were almost independent of each other. Stormy appreciated Darcy's efforts, and the latter now addressed her directly:

"And why are you sitting in the corner? Let me fix you up too," it pained Darcy to look at her tangled curls, which were scattered all over her shoulders, giving her the impression that she had been cleaning a chimney with her head.

"What do you mean?!" Stormy was outraged; she didn't want to entrust her hairstyle to her, "I'm not going to test your skills on myself! I can tidy myself up!" She was clearly not thrilled by Darcy's enthusiasm, but Darcy didn't want to do anything drastic, just to make her look decent.

"I'm not going to do anything beyond your expectations, but I don't see you taking proper care of them; you look terrible," Darcy replied, and Stormy frowned, but she understood that Darcy was somewhat right. Stormy didn't take great care of her hair, preferring to tie it back in a messy ponytail, and with a hard life, it was unlikely she had the means to feed herself, let alone bother with such a trivial thing.

"Alright, just be careful! Otherwise, you'll regret it," Stormy said, getting up and approaching Darcy, not implying any violence or threat in her words, as she usually did with others – she just didn't want to be disappointed with the result. Darcy started combing out her curls, understanding they would puff up after this, but she had an idea of how to hide that. A silent understanding formed between them, and Darcy pondered why she had suddenly taken such a zeal to help these two. She justified her motives with her aesthetic taste; after all, if they needed to be together, she didn't want to see grubby girls next to her, but on the other hand, she felt a certain need to care for them, though she had no intention of admitting it. While Darcy was busy with the hair, Icy changed clothes in the meantime, assessing her appearance. Very simple and inconspicuous, tasteless and identical, but without the massive folds of the dress and constricting elements, she felt lighter in such an outfit.

"Why do you think they sent us here specifically?" Icy wondered, trying to find answers within herself to the numerous questions that had been haunting her all this endless day.

"I'd like to know the answers too, but apparently, maybe it's easier to control us this way. Or we do have some goal after all… This connection doesn't just appear, although not all power bearers end up staying together. So, it seems they want to test us for something. I can't assume more for now; not enough information," Darcy put forward her theory. The girls momentarily pondered this; did they really want to help them? Or were these all empty words to get rid of them quickly, or to choose the best among them for purposes unknown to them. Darcy tried to connect everything she had heard from Mandragora, everything she knew herself, with this place and the circumstances they found themselves in. For the first time, Darcy couldn't calculate her next move, and this threw her into confusion. After all, if they were going to survive here, they would have to stick together.

Stormy thought about where this road would lead them, for what purposes they had been chosen, and how she herself would withstand this crazy whirlwind of events that had suddenly descended upon her. She reasoned that people had appeared in her life with whom fate had connected her, albeit involuntarily, even though she could never have expected it. She tried to accept within herself that she would be acting in concert with someone; doubts crept into her head – did she really need this? But looking at Icy and Darcy, and understanding them literally from half a word, from a single glance, she felt an inexplicable need to be near them. Stormy barely noticed when Darcy finished doing her hair, and when she announced it, Stormy stared at her reflection in the mirror, trying to get used to it.

"Pigtails? Seriously?!" Stormy looked at her with unconcealed irritation; she absolutely did not like what she saw and did not hide her emotions about it, "Did you decide to turn me into a poodle so they'd mock me even more?!"

"You're just not used to it, Stormy. What, do you want me to cut all your hair off? This is still better than before; you'll look at yourself differently in a couple of hours," Darcy said, not taking her displeasure as something serious. On the contrary, she had done her a favor against those who might try to grab her by the hair like they did with Icy, and her intentions certainly didn't imply making her a laughingstock. Icy looked at Stormy, at how she behaved, how she talked, and the image of Sapphire inconveniently surfaced in her mind again. She somewhat resembled her, only Stormy was much rougher, but that manner of standing up for herself, the gestures, some completely subtle, unnoticeable details… She tried to push that image out of her head, to stop thinking about her, because she was gone, like everything else from her past life… And Stormy wasn't even her sister to try to link them together through associations. But deep in her subconscious, Icy wanted to atone for her guilt before her, even if it was a different person, even with the most minimal similar traits, but her subconscious projection onto her left Icy no choice.

"Alright, stop, there's no point in arguing with each other now. We have something in common, I think you felt it too, and it's not just because we ended up in the same circumstances. Even though we don't know each other at all… It feels like our fates are somehow connected. And it's not because we're the Chosen Ones," Icy said, addressing both of them. Stormy forgot her recent irritation and looked at Icy, as did Darcy, and they both understood what she was talking about. When Icy voiced her assumptions and feelings about it, they felt a response within themselves.

"Yes, Icy, even our names are similar. If that's not fate, then how else can you express it?" Stormy wondered, and they both moved closer to Icy.

"It's hard for me to admit it, but I feel the same. Maybe we can last together much longer than we might have assumed before," Darcy replied, seeing in Icy's eyes both confusion and acceptance of the situation.

"Anyway, I want to say… Whether fate exists or not, it doesn't matter; what matters is what unites us now. Even if we are just beginning to explore this new path," said Icy, and Darcy and Stormy silently agreed with her. An unspoken acceptance of the situation arose between the three of them, that they would stick together as long as they had the opportunity. They were distracted from their thoughts by footsteps outside the door and voices, and children in the same uniforms as theirs began to enter the room; there were no more than ten of them, very few for such a large room.

"Looks like we missed dinner after all," said Darcy, and the three of them went to the corner where Stormy and Darcy had already claimed their spots. Icy took the lower bunk, and they decided not to let anyone onto the top bunk together. This was their spot, their corner, and no one would dare eavesdrop on them or try to join their silently formed team. Icy noticed that the girl, Chrysalis, who had dared to humiliate her in front of everyone, entered the room.

"That's her," Icy said quietly to the girls, and they understood what she meant. Chrysalis noticed the cut hair on the floor and then looked towards where the girls were sitting.

"Oh, look, the little princess found herself some servants!" In response, the children giggled as Icy stood up, followed by Darcy and Stormy, "What, as I see, you wanted to make yourself even uglier? And you picked up some mutts to match! Now clean up this mess you made, or else…" she didn't get to finish, as Stormy grabbed her by the collar, literally furious at how she dared to address her like that. She kneed her in the stomach, causing her to double over while everyone else watched in shock. Icy was simultaneously angry that she hadn't been the one to do it first, and simultaneously proud of how confidently and fiercely Stormy was standing up for them. Darcy had expected such an outcome but was still surprised at how easily Stormy exploded and immediately jumped into a fight. Chrysalis fell to her knees, clutching her stomach, and fearfully tried to back away, seeing Stormy winding up for another hit, but then Icy intercepted her hands. The latter didn't want to just watch all this; she wanted to take revenge herself, and not just start a fight in a hot-headed rage, but to make her suffer and pay for the humiliation.

"Let me do it," said Icy, stopping Stormy and approaching the doubled-over girl instead. She grabbed her by the hair, forcing her to look at her, "If you come near us again and say anything like that again – I'll finish you off myself," she looked at the children who were watching this spectacle and doing nothing about it, "And what about you, got scared? When your boss got shut up, you didn't lift a finger? This applies to all of you too; just try to touch us, and you'll get yours. And you, look and see what kind of friends you have," Icy addressed her again, and Chrysalis meanwhile tried to hit her, but Icy managed to intercept her, kneeing her in the face. Icy was burning with revenge; from the accumulated resentment and emotions, she stopped holding back; she hit the girl wherever she could, and she had enough strength even without help from Stormy and Darcy.

"How dare you, who do you think you are?!" a girl from the crowd protested, stepping towards Icy and trying to stop her. Stormy intercepted her, not letting her approach.

"And you shut up and be quiet; you and the rest don't stand a chance," Darcy addressed her, understanding that none of these children would do anything against them. They were just followers of a bolder weakling who was useless without her crowd; she just reveled in attention, having nothing substantial behind her.

"What, does anyone else want to speak up?!" Stormy addressed them, "You're pathetic and worthless!" She was literally twisting that girl's arms while she screamed to be let go. Darcy watched them from the side, ready to stop anyone who dared to approach her herself. She had her own leverage and knew how to use it. For now, she just watched as Icy and Stormy showed that they were not just about words, but ready for immediate action.

"You're just sick! You're only fit to be witches!" someone from the crowd said, and for the three of them, it sounded only like a compliment. Darcy noticed one of the orphans trying to slip quietly through all this chaos towards the door, and she hastily stopped her.

"And where are you off to? Surely you know that snitches are caught first and punished very severely," Darcy reveled in the control over the situation, blocking her path. She understood that sooner or later, they would be reported, but for now, she just wanted to enjoy the situation where all masks had fallen off and all three of them were now feared. Meanwhile, Icy gave herself over to the surge of fury that had overwhelmed her once again. Her uncontrolled magic activated again, freezing the areas she touched. The cold in her hands sobered her, and she looked at the results of what she had done. Chrysalis was lying on the floor, covering her face with her hands and trembling, drops of blood falling from her nose onto the floor. Icy looked at her hands and saw how she had skinned her knuckles. She grabbed the girl by the hair again, looking into her face and expressing sincere contempt for her. Icy couldn't contain her laughter, in which hysteria, despair, relief, heartache, and pleasure from what she had done were mixed, and she simply couldn't stop. Her laughter grated on the ears, like an icy whirlwind silencing everyone, leaving them breathless.

"You wanted cleanliness, right?" Icy hissed through laughter and rapid breathing, "Then wipe the floor yourself," she said, standing up, and pressed Chrysalis to the floor, dragging her by the hair across it. Stormy had already let go of the girl, who had stopped resisting, watching the spectacle and silently admiring Icy's intensity. She herself knew what it was like to finally pay back for endured humiliation, defending yourself and not letting anyone treat you like that again. Icy was gradually coming to her senses; finally, she felt relief in her soul; finally, she had done what she had dreamed of… But for her, this was only the beginning. She knew she would still be opposed, she knew this world would go against her because of her choice, but she was ready for that too. Not losing sight of anyone, Darcy approached Icy, putting a hand on her shoulder, mentally letting her know that it was enough for now. She knew that the more marks she left on the girl, the more the three of them would suffer later.

"You really laid into her, though. I thought you couldn't fight," Stormy said, approaching her, expressing her support for her intensity and skills. Icy felt that now she wasn't alone. Darcy and Stormy were with her, were for her; at that moment, they seemed to become one, as if everything had fallen into place. The other two felt the same. Now, together, they knew they would stand up for each other, they would tear their place here out by the roots, holding everyone under their feet, and everyone who dared to oppose them would pay for it. The lying Chrysalis was dragged aside, left to come to her senses, and angry, contemptuous glances were directed at the three girls who had sat back down in their places. They saw in each other's eyes an unspoken promise, an aspiration to become stronger, to find answers in this world together, and the thin thread of connection in their hearts grew stronger, became visible, as if they had been born under the same banner. Chosen not only by the Witches – Chosen by the Magical Universe itself, only for each other.

Chapter Text

Evening gradually took hold, lowering dusk upon the city, replacing light with darkness in all its corners. The sunset barely pierced the grey clouds and the equally grey walls of the orphanage's fence, and through the barred windows, closed with thick curtains, darkness fell in the bedrooms, making it almost impossible to navigate. The soft night descended unnoticed, enveloping everything around it, and the three girls, who had decided to stick together no matter what, struggled to stay conscious after such a difficult day that had changed their lives once and for all. Despite the recent incident, which had allowed them to see fear and contempt in the eyes of the other orphans, they remained on guard, for the girls could expect anything from them: from minor mischief to a quiet reprisal.

Even though they were exhausted and hungry, they still wanted to learn more about each other, and while there was still time before nightfall, they spent it sharing stories of their past lives. They were no longer afraid to trust each other, they knew and understood that they only had each other now, and in such a short time, they had managed to connect and grow closer. The girls all sat in a circle on Stormy's bed, which was further away in the corner, and spoke almost in whispers so no one would dare eavesdrop. Darcy occasionally glanced at the other children, checking what they were doing; it seemed caring for their "friend" concerned them more right now, so they paid the trio almost no attention, only occasionally throwing contemptuous glances.

Darcy was the first to begin her story, seeing that Icy and Stormy weren't quite ready to talk about themselves yet, so she wanted to encourage an open dialogue. She talked about Solaria, about how her clan believed in shadow dominion and hid from the light side of the Kingdom, which rejected their ideas in every way. She spoke of parents obsessed with tales of evil forces, who believed Darcy could become the Chosen One, and in the end, that's exactly what happened. Stormy and Icy listened attentively, each trying to process what they were hearing. Stormy had the most questions, as she was only just beginning to get involved in this whole mess, so Darcy had to pause her story to answer her inquiries, which Darcy was already getting used to.

"So, you were already involved in all this from the beginning? They told you more details about what being 'Chosen' means and what role the Ancient Witches play?" Stormy made a thoughtful face, her mind overloading with the dense information. She wanted to get up and at least walk around, shift her consciousness to music, but all she could do now was nervously jerk her leg to relieve the tension.

"Very little information about this has survived on Solaria, and about witchcraft teachings in general. My parents retold these stories as legends, every evening, and it all came down to the same thing: the Three Ancient Witches, under Lord Darkar's command, captured Domino and managed to destroy it, but they were defeated and destroyed themselves," Darcy continued to explain calmly and measuredly, seeing Stormy's agitated state. She understood that due to her nature, it was hard for her to sit still now, but she tried to distract her somehow and explain as clearly as possible. Icy was simultaneously lost in her own thoughts, understanding that she needed to share what had happened with them, no matter how much she didn't want to admit it. Seeing Darcy and Stormy so close to her now, she felt in them a semblance of safety from the fact that they were sharing their most intimate secrets with each other. Icy looked dejected but still tried to maintain a lively appearance, even though she literally wanted to fall and not get up, to shed the burden of these experiences.

"They believed that one day, eternal darkness would fall upon Solaria, that it would extinguish its two suns, and then we would all be free. Over the years, their obsession only grew worse. They dedicated all their time solely to their patronage and stopped controlling me and my powers, so I had to learn my strength and magic on my own. Not that I needed their help anyway; I'm used to relying on myself. I was worried that I myself could be drawn into this eternal servitude; I didn't want to dedicate my whole life to it. And I'm used to controlling everything around me," said Darcy, recalling moments when her parents seemed frightening in their unquestioning faith. She saw their mad gaze, especially in the last moment before she was teleported. And their monotonous speech, which could go on for hours, sometimes literally drove Darcy crazy. She hid behind books; reading immersed her consciousness in another world where she could ignore the reality before her and engage in self-discovery, rearranging the thoughts in her head to create order. Darcy snapped out of her brief reflections and looked at the girls, reading their gazes and what might be hidden behind them. She saw clear interest in Stormy and was pleased that she was engrossed in her stories, while Icy, on the contrary, seemed detached, though she pretended everything was fine.

Stormy became interested when Darcy mentioned magic, and she thought about how lucky she was to be able to express and study her powers, and that her family encouraged her strength. Unlike Stormy herself, where her powers were not taken seriously, where she was humiliated, belittled, and not perceived as something significant for them. Sometimes Stormy herself thought about it, about the uselessness and meaning of what she possessed. Although stormy weather brought her to her senses, she couldn't concentrate on her magic when there was no raging element around; her power only manifested when winds and heavy rains were raging around. She wanted to study her powers, to understand how to create lingering clouds and raging winds herself.

"How did you come to understand your magic? And are there any practices to be able to, say... concentrate?" asked Stormy. First and foremost, she wanted to understand how to concentrate her powers outside the conditions where her magic manifested. In response to her words, Darcy thought about the differences between their magics and whether anything she knew could help her.

"Our sources are different. Your magic probably works better precisely in the weather conditions implied by your element. Yours isn't concentrating; it's more likely spontaneous, impulsive. My experience is completely different, so the magical practices I know might not suit you, given your impulsive character. Well, or you need to conduct a mental analysis," Darcy mused and smirked, seeing how Stormy looked extremely displeased in response. The latter let out an irritated sigh and tried to process what she had heard, mixing it with the scant knowledge she herself possessed.

"Okay, whatever, I'll find another way. There must be something else!" said Stormy in a slightly raised tone, causing Icy and Darcy to look at her, signaling with their eyes for her to be quieter. Darcy shifted her gaze to Icy and saw that Icy was barely holding on. "Hey, why are you so down?" asked Stormy, who also noticed Icy's condition and couldn't stay silent about it. Icy understood their concern and tried to overcome herself and admit that she knew almost nothing about magic and couldn't even control it. Because even Stormy knew how to manage hers, albeit considering the weather conditions around, but Icy couldn't boast any experience at all; her practice ended in spontaneous outbursts of energy that depended on her emotions, and the pain in her body from suppressing magic that had built up over years had become part of her identity. These energy impulses seemed to reopen those old wounds, after which emptiness set in too quickly and intensely.

"At least you both already have experience with your magic. I was restrained my whole life..." Icy began, understanding that she needed to pour out all those accumulated feelings hidden within her, the grievances unspoken for years. She looked into their eyes and saw glimmers of concern, genuine emotions; they cared about her, she felt it with her entire being. The more they shared their innermost thoughts with each other, the more they felt that unbreakable thread of connection between them.

"Come on, you can learn anything. No one will restrain you now," Darcy said in a sly voice, implying that even the staff here wouldn't have the same influence over them as everyone had in their pasts. They are nothing to them and are in no way connected, so bypassing restrictions will be much easier. Icy understood what she meant and knew it would be so. They wouldn't stop in their goal to learn everything, and no one here would stop them.

"Yes, you're right. It's just... I always tried to be the best, I was the best at everything. But no one saw it, no one tried to appreciate me properly. And my power... Damn it, I can't admit that I'm years behind you in magic," said Icy, smiling nervously and lowering her gaze, not believing she had admitted a weakness. Her feelings were tangled; she felt she would be judged for this now, even though she understood it made no sense for them. They still didn't know much, and they would have to learn everything together.

"Oh, come on," said Stormy, putting a hand on Icy's shoulder, "I'm not far ahead of you myself," she tried to cheer her up, to which Icy sighed despairingly and still understood that her level needed to be raised literally from the bottom.

"At least we'll all learn something here. We have plenty of time now, Icy. I'm sure you can even surpass us. I feel you're very determined and diligent," said Darcy, and Icy sensed sincerity and genuine understanding of her nature in her tone.

"Thank you, Darcy," she replied briefly, understanding that these girls had won her over in the most necessary way. She began her story, about what she had been taught, how she was treated, and gradually the story led her to Sapphire, and it was still hard for Icy to talk about it. Without raising her eyes, she clenched her hands into fists, telling them about her, about their relationship... Darcy and Stormy listened attentively, empathizing with her state, literally sharing it with her, which made Icy herself feel better, as if she could cast off part of her burden from her troubled state without remorse.

"And when we started arguing again for the last time, I couldn't hold back my magic, and I froze her legs. And just... ran away," she barely uttered the last word, almost swallowing it in the air, but the girls heard it and understood her literally from half a word anyway, "then that witch appeared, Morra... Said she was dead. And everyone is dead now. I thought I would stay there. But you see how it turned out. She's there now... ruling," Icy struggled to say these words; it was the first time she could share part of her experiences with someone, and every word cost her enormous effort.

The three girls didn't even notice how they had taken each other's hands, and at that moment, they seemed to feel complete unity with each other, as if they had shared parts of their souls and revelations. All three understood that their deep understanding of each other bound them even closer together, and they felt that even the deepest and most hidden wounds could be shared with one another.

Icy shared her years of torment about how injustice had pursued her all her life, how she had been raised simply for future destruction, and how even in her final moments, her mother had not repented. She didn't think about her feelings, didn't think about what she had done; all her thoughts were only about honor and status, pompous regalia, and the power she exalted. And in the end, she wished for her death, which became the final point in Icy's conviction about what was happening to her. There were no good purposes, no good intentions, only pain and loneliness. Icy finished her story, finally raising her gaze to the girls, and they all seemed to have just lived through her emotional turmoil themselves.

"I'm very... sorry," Darcy wasn't particularly good at expressing support, especially with words, but that was all that came to her mind at the moment. She was disconcerted by Icy's state and surprised that after all that, she was still holding on. She admired her resilience; even through such life obstacles, she felt Icy's unshakable desire to continue her path no matter what. Stormy felt the same from Icy's state and story. At that moment, she seemed to sink into her own life, found some parallels, and also admired her stability and endurance, admitting that she was stronger than she had thought upon first seeing her. Icy's gaze expressed determination, and little remained of the frightened girl from a few hours ago in her eyes. Icy latched onto Darcy's words; she didn't like pity, considering it a sign that it was only for the weak and helpless, and Icy never classified herself in that category.

"Just no pity, Darcy. Otherwise, I'll think you see me as weak and helpless, and that's absolutely not the case," she replied, directing her gaze at her, and Darcy sensed absolute confidence in her position in her eyes and didn't dare doubt it.

"I know that, and I don't see you as weak. I just felt your experiences in the moment, and it was very difficult... And that's why I'm amazed at how you're holding on," she explained, and Icy understood that she had managed to understand her, accept her with that pain, and truly saw right through her.

"Yeah, Icy, your strength of spirit is admirable. You've been through so much..." added Stormy, still coming to her senses, as if she had lived through it all herself in that moment. Icy smirked, squeezing their hands in hers, feeling their unconditional support and understanding, and it gave her strength and confidence that she would endure all life's hardships with them.

"Thank you... really, I never thought I'd get so much support and understanding from you..." Icy said sincerely, and they seemed to take another step towards each other. Her eyes almost glistened with tears, and she hastily tried to turn away, but their fixed gazes didn't let her look away.

"Just don't get gloomy now," Stormy let out a chuckle, but she herself was almost on the verge of being moved, "Never thought I'd share my experiences with anyone, let alone offer support, but you two..." It was hard for Stormy to hold back her emotions, unlike Icy, and now their gazes were fixed on her.

"It's okay, Stormy. You can share with us everything that's in your heart right now," said Darcy, at which Stormy instantly felt her vulnerability in that moment but hastily decided to get rid of that feeling because she understood that she still wanted to remain confident around them, and being open about her feelings was new and confusing for her. Returning mentally to her memories, she told them about her life, how she was treated, how she stood up for herself no matter what. She told them she could always defend herself, that she had fought since early childhood with anyone who dared to even look at her the wrong way. She felt alienated from everyone else, and her rage could literally consume her, and she would stop controlling her actions and thoughts. She got lost in that whirlwind and could only find herself in stormy weather, as fierce and destructive as she was. Stormy shared her vivid impressions of that captivating feeling, trying not to focus on the emotional scars her parents had left her, but her mind, out of habit, sought familiar liberation in her element from everything that plunged her into her personal hell, though that wasn't possible now. Gradually, Stormy moved on to discussing what happened before she came here; her memories were cooling down, and she didn't know if it was because of Icy's cold hand, which she was holding and distracting herself with that feeling, or if they both had occupied her mind so much that she could no longer concentrate on that resentment and anger.

"And for the first time, next to you, I don't feel that devastating rage. You know, every person has something in them that inevitably sets me off... But you, even though you sometimes said things that irritated me, I didn't want to start destroying everything like I always do because of it, and I didn't want to strangle you for it," she smiled nervously, thinking how ridiculous she must look right now, "It's hard to believe, but it's true. I never could have imagined such a thing was possible," she admitted, first and foremost to herself, allowing the wounded and aggression-driven wolf cub within to approach a gentle hand from which she sensed no danger for the first time.

Darcy watched her vivid expressions and facial features, her lively eyes, and was pleased to hear from Stormy herself the admission that she had accepted them so closely. Perhaps her mind allowed her for the first time to accept the fact that her emotional spectrum was much broader than just raging fury and irritation, even if those emotions were her primary strength, she wasn't limited to just that.

Icy thought about how they were all more similar to each other than she could have assumed before their frank admissions. They were all loners, rejected by society, who had been suppressed; their pain and their experience had made them who they are now. And she felt that they all still had a future ahead, they could overcome all this to become stronger. Icy was moved by Stormy's experiences and saw that she seemed to have long accepted them within herself, as if it were all familiar to her and therefore taken for granted, unlike Icy herself, who was torn by her numerous conflicting feelings and multifaceted thoughts, perceiving it within herself as a weakness she hated.

"You did everything right, Stormy. You always have to stand up for yourself, and the main thing is that you remained yourself, not breaking for anyone," Icy said in a confident tone, and she felt gratitude from Stormy in her gaze in return. All three girls seemed to dilute their thick, concentrated worries with waves of understanding and empathy for each other, and each felt lighter. "I want to tell you, Darcy and Stormy, despite everything we've been through in our past lives, despite what we've lost – today we gained something more important, something more substantial," Icy addressed them, and both girls understood what she was talking about. That evening, they had found each other; having lost everything, they found each other's hands in this hollow emptiness, and the veil of years of blindness began to fall away, and before their eyes, the thread of connection that had always been between them finally took shape.

"That's right, Icy. Today we showed each other that there is something more important in life than we used to think," said Darcy, feeling all of Icy's determination and steadfastness, which had also transferred to Stormy. And in that moment, the three girls shared all their emotions, all their goals and desires that united them and connected them into something very cohesive and fundamental.

Holding each other's hands, they spent the rest of the evening in quiet conversation until night completely fell upon the room and all the children had long gone to sleep. The trio could have talked like that until morning, but the accumulated exhaustion crashed down on them completely. Stormy was the first to fall onto the bed, since all three of them were sitting on her spot; she literally switched off in an instant and could no longer stay conscious. Darcy and Icy exchanged glances, smiling at the sight, and moved to their own places.

Darcy barely climbed onto the top bunk, finally sinking into the feeling of softness beneath her, and her eyes closed instantly, seeking salvific darkness beneath her eyelids. She didn't know how long she lay like that, but sleep refused to penetrate her consciousness. On the contrary, an inexplicable alertness filled her brain, which even her tired body couldn't control. Darcy opened her eyes and saw darkness before her, which had previously been inaccessible to her. Nights on Solaria were bright, and after already exhausting sunny days, she couldn't sleep properly at night. In her room, the windows were always covered with thick curtains, and despite that, particles of light seeped in, almost unnoticeably, and she constantly had to hide her face and eyes from it. But now Darcy saw pitch-black darkness before her, through which her consciousness discerned the outlines of objects and the room. She felt an inexplicable replenishment of her strength at that moment and became interested in exploring this feeling and checking if her powers depended on her surroundings.

She closed her eyes again and began to concentrate her thoughts on releasing energy. To her surprise, she didn't even have to think or concentrate for long – a purple haze burst sharply and quickly from her fingers. It was larger and brighter than she usually managed, and it seemed to absorb all the surrounding darkness into its pitch-black center. Seeing this, Darcy hurriedly extinguished the magic so no one would wake up and see it. Her heart beat unusually fast, her mind was incredibly alert despite the general fatigue, and she herself was surprised by what had just happened to her.

Darcy heard a rustle below, lowered her head, and saw Stormy anxiously changing her position in her sleep. Her tension was palpable even through the atmosphere around her; the air seemed filled with pre-storm stuffiness. Darcy returned to her spot, wondering what she could be dreaming about that made her energy start to escape her.

Stormy's eyes snapped open, and an unexpected light cut through her vision, making her quickly close them again. Focusing her gaze on her surroundings, she realized she was in her house. Unfamiliar sunlight filled the entire room, which surprised Stormy because she had never seen such bright sun before. And then she was even more surprised to find herself home again. For her, this was impossible; she had just fallen asleep in the orphanage, next to Darcy and Icy! But if she fell asleep, maybe this was a dream? But everything seemed so real, so genuine to her... She touched the table in front of her; it was unusually cold, but so real... She examined the living room she was in again and noticed photographs on the shelves that had never been there before. They depicted silhouettes, and she realized it was her parents. Their features and clothing became clearer, except for their faces. But there was still something missing, and Stormy tried to make out the poses they were standing in. She realized they seemed to be holding someone, hugging someone, but there was only emptiness there. She guessed that it should have been her. Stormy shifted her gaze to the rest of the surroundings, and everything seemed to remain as it was, as far as she remembered.

"What are you doing here... Witch..." she heard a quiet, wary voice behind her. Stormy turned around, but the movement felt as if she were in water and didn't fully control her body. She saw a dark silhouette, edged with a bright pink glow. She recognized her father in it, and above him loomed a similar silhouette of her mother, who, like a ghost, clung to the ceiling light. Everything before Stormy began to swim, and she stepped back, and the entire room seemed to flip over to the other side, and she flew straight into the hallway corridor. Feeling weightless, she saw a fork in the corridor and went right. She realized her house had turned into an endless maze. Wherever she went, she always returned to the same corridors she was trying to escape from.

"I don't understand! Stop!" Stormy panicked, shouting into the darkness, and was dragged by an unknown force into another window that appeared in her path. Suddenly, she found herself floating in the midst of an endless expanse of water, and the scorching sun, like an eye, seemed to be watching her from above. She tried to swim somewhere, not understanding what was happening, when figures of her parents emerged from the water, just as dark and with pink glowing edges.

"Witch... Witch... What are you doing here..." they said monotonously, looking at her, and Stormy was almost drowning, not knowing what to do. All her movements were absurdly slow; no matter how hard she tried to speed up, she couldn't. Stormy heard a voice from somewhere far away, yet simultaneously from within herself. She looked at the figures, but they just kept repeating their monotonous words, and now they seemed to merge into one, into some abstract entity Stormy had never seen before.

"Destroy... that is your power... destroy... destroy everything around..." she continued to hear the voice through space, and Stormy began to wonder what this voice wanted from her. What did she need to destroy? The shadows? The water around? It was absurd to her; she couldn't even swim out, fly up, as usually happens in dreams, let alone use her power when there was only sun around? Although... Maybe she needed to destroy it?

Meanwhile, the shadows seemed to be moving closer to her, and Stormy raised her hand towards the scorching ball above. She thought about grabbing it like a balloon and squeezing it until it popped. To her surprise, it worked, and the expanding, red-hot ball burst in her hand, showering down with lightning.

Stormy seemed to absorb that power and rose to the surface, gathering huge balls of water in her hands, which turned into two enormous water tornadoes. The tornado evaporated and turned into huge, dense clouds that covered the entire sky. Stormy raised her hands, and the clouds swirled, forming a vortex above the shadows. Water from the ocean rose in heavy drops upwards, and suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning began to strike from the vortex, shattering the shadows into fragments. The fragments began to expand and swallowed Stormy, and she found herself back in her living room. Before her stood the images of her parents from the photographs, with blurred faces that moved wherever Stormy directed her gaze.

"You have disappointed me very, very much..." she heard a distorted voice, and her hands clenched into fists. She could literally physically feel the trembling and tension in them.

"Destroy... that is your element... destroy..." she continued to hear the voice as if in her head, and Stormy understood what she needed to do. She needed to destroy these images, get rid of them. She tried again to feel the energy within herself, to fill herself with fury and anger, and remembering past grievances, she didn't even have to try to get angry. A sphere filled with countless crackling, hissing lightning burst from her hands; inside the sphere were thick, swirling clouds that formed a huge cyclone within it, with a black center. She directed this sphere forward, but it moved as if too slowly. Yet when it reached the images, it literally destroyed them in an instant and began flying around the room, creating a whirlpool, destroying everything in its path, and soon only charred, yet damp, remains of the room were left. Stormy continued to hear the voice inside her, and it was alien, something that shouldn't be part of a dream, as if it was someone creating all these dreams but not being a part of them, only an observer from the outside.

"Young heir... destroy everything around... spare no one and nothing... destroy..." the same word – destroy – was repeated like a mantra in all these phrases. Everything around Stormy began to blur again, covered in a dark veil, and she literally fell into this abyss but stopped in weightlessness, trying to find something, any image to hold onto...

A dome of pure sky opened before her eyes. There was no hint of sun, clouds, or wind on it, only an endless blue, behind which there was absolutely nothing. Icy looked around, trying to understand where she was and what had just happened. She had fallen asleep in pitch darkness, and suddenly this bright light cut through her eyes... She looked around but saw only an endless field with unnaturally bright grass, as if artificial. She took a step forward, and a hissing sound was heard under her feet. She looked down and saw the grass burning beneath her, forming steam, while Icy herself was barefoot and felt almost nothing. Icy heard a voice behind her, and her heart froze from its so familiar tone...

"What have you done? Witch, what have you done?" Icy looked back and saw an ice wall stretching infinitely upwards. Inside this wall was a frozen figure, black and faceless, with a bluish glow around the edges; it pressed its hands against the wall as if trying to break out. Icy felt horror within herself, not understanding what was happening or why this figure had the voice of her dead sister.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Icy snapped, losing touch with the reality of the situation. Many more such dark hands began pressing their palms against the wall, and Icy felt her skin crawl. But it wasn't from the cold of the wall; it was from the faceless, emotion-erasing voice she heard as if from everywhere and simultaneously from within herself.

"Subjugate... subjugate them all... every single one..." a previously unknown sensation filled Icy; she seemed to be filled with a newfound sense of awareness. She seemed to instantly understand her entire essence, her nature, and this brief moment was so insignificantly short yet so vividly filled with a multitude of events and sensations that Icy wanted to repeat it by any means necessary.

Then her feet finally began to feel the scorching grass beneath them; her skin literally began to blister, filling with blisters, and Icy needed cold, right now. Her hands moved along trajectories unknown to her before, and a stream of snowflakes burst from them, covering the scorched grass with frost around her. The shadows around went wild, trying to break through the wall, and Icy needed to hurry because she understood they would break out and attack her now. The grass under her feet rapidly began to freeze, and she herself stopped feeling her hands, in which a vortex of snow had formed, enveloping everything around. The sky above suddenly turned into a huge glass dome, and Icy directed one hand upward, freezing it with a strength and fury previously unknown to her. The dome turned white, cracked, and instantly shattered into pieces, and Icy saw the real picture of what was behind it. The city moved in labyrinths, changing its position; its once sandy hues were replaced by absolutely snow-white ones, as was the entire view around. Shadows wandered back and forth, and a trail of blood followed them, soaking into the snow, forming bright red paths. Icy kept turning around, trying to understand where to direct her power; everything moved so unnaturally, so absurdly, that she couldn't catch anyone or anything around.

"Subjugate everything to yourself... it all belongs to you... subjugate..." the voice continued to reach Icy from everywhere, and she tried to understand what it meant to subjugate, what was required of her. Mentally, she tried to stop the city spinning around. If it all belongs to her, it must obey her! It is within her power to claim everything for herself, and with these thoughts, the city began to slow down until it finally stopped completely. All the shadows tried to get away from here, but Icy didn't let them, encasing them in ice, and mentally desired only one thing – to take everything for herself, no matter what or who, no one would dare take from her what belongs to her!

The white walls began to swim before her eyes and became covered in dark spots, and she found herself in a dark void, not knowing what to do or what had just happened. She had done everything right, as the voice had told her; hadn't she succeeded? Or had she been deceived again? Icy tried to wave her hands in front of her, trying to grasp something with them, but felt only a viscous, sticky darkness in her hands, through which it was even impossible to breathe. She was determined to find out what was happening, why this dream was so real, and what was behind it...

Darcy stared into the darkness before her, lying on the bed, and her consciousness filled with an unusual feeling of beginning to lose herself in this darkness. Gradually, it was as if she entered an astral plane where her body merged with her mind, and she stood in the middle of an enormous, endless darkness. She began to explore it, not knowing what awaited her ahead. Her feet stepped on some surface that left circular traces beneath her, and they spread across the entire plane. Darcy caught a faint vibration from them, and her hearing picked up a barely perceptible hum from somewhere far away. Darcy stopped and listened, trying to determine which direction the sound was coming from. She tried to follow it, stepping as quietly as possible on the surface. The hum grew louder, and Darcy, intuitively, stretched her hand forward. Her hand seemed to plunge into some sticky substance, through which she tried to detect any hint of something else. Her fingers pressed against some surface, like a wall, and Darcy felt it with both hands, still unable to see through the thick gloom. The wall gave way, and it seemed to be a door, and she literally flew into a vortex that appeared out of nowhere. She was falling downward, unable to control what was happening or her body, and she saw only a vortex with moving black-and-purple plasma walls before her. Her body seemed to stretch, just like when she was in the teleport before ending up in the orphanage.

Suddenly, a dull pain pierced Darcy's back, and her breath was knocked out. She realized she had seemingly fallen to the ground; the full weight of gravity crashed down on her body in a sharp wave, completely disorienting her. Her head spun, and simultaneously, she rose easily, as if all the weight had suddenly left her body, leaving her weightless. She looked around and saw nothing but dense, tall trees. It was a night forest, just like the one Darcy used to visit from time to time. She moved forward, not stepping on the ground, almost floating, wondering what might happen next. If this was a dream, it was extremely realistic in its sensations for her.

She looked ahead, and her gaze seemed to cut through the forest, reaching further than the view available to her, even though she herself could barely move her feet to get closer to where she was headed. Suddenly, everything began to twist before her, and her vision seemed to stop obeying her control. She could see and penetrate through crevices in the twisted trees, and her consciousness fragmented in these strange sensations. She felt the earth shudder, even though she wasn't even standing on it with her feet. Something was approaching her, something unknown and large, and Darcy couldn't even hide because she was completely lost in what she saw before her. Closing her eyes, the twisted vision pursued her anyway, and she covered her face with her hands, trying to stop the madness around her.

"Control... what you cannot even see... control..." a voice seemed to cut into her consciousness, and Darcy tried to concentrate at least on the sounds since she couldn't control her eyes. Her head spun, and she couldn't keep her balance, falling backward but hanging in the air. If she couldn't control her gaze... Stop. Control? Even if you can't see? Darcy latched onto that word spoken by the voice and wondered if this was the key to solving the problem? The vibration was approaching, and the stomping of someone's feet only intensified. She needed to stop what she couldn't control...

She concentrated her power, clutching her head with her hands as if trying to hold it in place. She must regain control over her body, her mind, and her vision, and she must stop what is approaching her, even if she doesn't know what it is. Since Darcy already knew how to hold her power and direct it, she recalled practices for concentration when spells didn't work for a long time. She sent a mental impulse through the pathways of her brain to catch that particle responsible for her vision. She needed to intercept the external influence, if there was any, and even if this was a dream, it meant she could definitely regain control within it. No one dares to control her dreams, dictate what she sees, what she hears, because she herself will make anyone see what she wants; it is she who takes control of everything she touches or looks at. With these thoughts, she pulled her gaze back to herself, and now she controlled its every movement, concentrated it where she herself wanted.

Now she carefully looked around, trying to find the source of those sounds and vibrations she felt. She saw trees bending into strange shapes, flipping over, and literally breaking the fabric of reality, and through them, she began to notice fast-moving shadows. They moved almost imperceptibly, but thanks to the concentration Darcy had discovered within herself, she could catch their movements. Using her gaze as an anchor, she literally latched onto a shadow and unexpectedly sharply moved her body towards it. The shadow was as black as the thick darkness before, and inside it seemed to be an absolute void that could suck her in and never return. A faint purple glow cut through the edges of this figure, and Darcy examined it, identifying the silhouette of her mother. Darcy was surprised by this fact but accepted it as a given... And what was she supposed to do with it now?

"Chosen One... Chosen One..." she heard monotonous voices from the side, and turning, she saw many shadows approaching her. They resembled those people her parents often associated with, who were just as obsessed... The figure next to her also spoke, but in a distorted, strange voice, and suddenly grabbed her arm, causing Darcy to scream a silent scream, dragged into the void of that shadow. She found herself back where this strange dream had begun. In the endless, sticky darkness. Darcy thought that perhaps she needed to find more such doors to pass these strange trials and scenarios. But she no longer heard any sounds, and even the vibration under her feet disappeared, as did the leaving circles.

She walked, it seemed, endlessly, trying to understand what to do. She stopped, peered, listened, moved her hands around, but nothing happened. Suddenly, she felt movement quite nearby. The darkness around trembled from it, and Darcy began to move in that direction. Soon she saw someone's hands, and not just one pair. They kept trying to feel for something in front of them, and looking closer, Darcy realized who it was. One pair was very pale, almost transparent, while the other was covered in bruises and scars. Icy and Stormy. She stopped hearing anything and moved intuitively, as in a silent scene from a silent film. She reached out her hands to them and grabbed them both, just like when they were all sharing their stories sitting in a circle. When Darcy made contact with them, they all literally clung to each other, and a vortex of energies began to form in the very center, but a sudden flash blinded them, forcing their consciousnesses to return to their bodies.

Stormy was the first to wake up. The sharp morning light cut through her eyes after the darkness she had seen in her dream. She tried to figure out what was happening, why her heart was beating so wildly, and her hands were trembling... The last memory was of her standing in that darkness, and suddenly someone grabbed her hand, and after a sharp flash, she was back here, in the orphanage bed. She turned towards Icy, who had also almost jumped up, with the same frantic gaze, rapid breathing, and they exchanged glances, understanding from that one look what had just happened. From above, Darcy was already looking down at them, with the same sensations as the two of them, and all three girls exchanged glances, immediately sensing something wrong with the dreams they had seen. Their silent scene didn't last long; they didn't have time to discuss anything before the bedroom door swung open abruptly. Caregiver Mayrine stepped out with a brisk stride. And she was heading straight for them... The trio immediately understood it was because of yesterday's incident.

"You three wretches! You barely arrived and are already establishing your own rules here?!" she shouted, and Stormy grimaced, remembering the tone people usually loved to yell at her with, "Get up and follow me, now!" She didn't wait for them to get dressed or even stand up; she took Icy and Stormy by the elbow, and the latter began to struggle, hating being touched like that.

"Hey, get your hands off!" Stormy raged, at which her arms were simply twisted, and she hissed in pain, hating this place even more.

"Wait, let her go, we're coming," Darcy hurriedly jumped down from the top bunk, trying to reason with the enraged caregiver, but she understood persuasion was useless here. Icy was incredibly angry at all this; she had restored justice yesterday, hadn't they told her themselves that weakness wasn't appreciated here?

"Darcy, don't give in to her provocations! We're not going anywhere, let Stormy go right now, or you'll pay for this!" Icy stood in a fighting stance, understanding it was foolish to attack now; she didn't even have developed magic... But she wouldn't let anyone order her around, treat her like this; she had taken revenge, she had shown she was stronger, wasn't that what they wanted from her here?

"How brave you are, let's see how you talk now!" said Mayrine and bewitched Icy's hands, which began to fuse together, almost merging into one. The entire trio didn't expect such an outcome, and especially not that she possessed magic. Icy looked in horror at the terrible something that was now her hands and instantly lost all her confidence. "What are you standing for, let's go!" she continued in a stern tone and pulled Stormy and Icy along with her. Darcy had to follow, having no choice. She understood they could do the same to her if she threatened so openly; Icy and Stormy were thinking the same, and now they were simply afraid, not knowing what to expect. If she used magic on Icy so easily, it meant an even more terrifying punishment might await them...