"A deal?" Estelle echoed in disbelief. "You brought me here against my will, tried to intimidate me, threatened my friends...and now you want to negotiate?"
"Pretty much," Victoria replied nonchalantly, taking her seat at the table once more. She flicked her wrist towards Estelle, and a wooden chair slid up behind her, bumping the back of her knees and causing her to fall back onto it.
Despite knowing that Victoria was the woman the voices in the maze spoke of, and knowing that she had used magic to bring Estelle here, seeing the impossible firsthand still left her completely dumbfounded.
"You really are a sorceress," she breathed.
Victoria raised one thin eyebrow, the corner of her mouth twitching up. "Sorceress? How fancy! Most people just go with 'witch' these days."
A snarky witch to boot. Great. "And what does a witch want with me?"
"Such an impatient girl," Victoria scolded teasingly, twisting her hand around in a quick circle. Estelle watched as an ornate teacup materialized in the witch's hand, fragrent steam wafting off the top. "Tea?"
Estelle shook her head and Victoria shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. "Before I tell you what I want from you, you should first understand why I've approached you to begin with, no?"
It was absolutely ridiculous, but Estelle was suddenly reminded of playing Solarion Chronicles with her friends. "Is this your tragic backstory or final monologue?" she said, unable to hold back her amused scoff.
"I suppose that's up to you, isn't it?" Victoria replied with a wink. "But a word of advice - when dealing with witches, always learn exactly what you're signing up for. We can be a bit tricky if you're not careful."
Right. Like kidnapping people through graves tricky. Estelle opened her mouth to pop off a retort, but an urgent beeping sound cut her off.
"Oops! Hold that thought," Victoria said, setting down her teacup to examine one of the glass vials on the table. The viscous blue liquid inside was bubbling, though Estelle couldn't see an obvious heat source, and the witch carefully inserted a thin metal rod inside to stir the contents. Estelle's skin crawled as she pulled the rod back out and saw it had been corroded through entirely.
Victoria hummed in approval, gently setting the beaker back onto the table and tossing the remains of the stirring rod into a trash bin nearby. "Sorry for the interruption love - timing is critical you know! Anyway, where were we? Oh, that's right."
"What I want is very simple. Revenge," she said, her pleasant voice darkening on the word. "The man I loved betrayed me, you see. Indulged his carnal desires with another behind my back, and planted his seed inside of her. An ordinary, unremarkable village girl of all people!" she sneered, as if the woman being normal was more of an insult than the actual cheating.
Taking a moment to compose herself once more, she continued. "Rather than take responsibility for his actions, my beloved sealed me away. For 25 years I've been held captive in this wretched swamp, in the name of 'protecting' his whore and her spawn. But no longer."
The righteous anger on her beautiful features smoothed into icy amusement. "His seal has weakened enough that my magic is free, if not my body. And that is where you come in."
Estelle swallowed, not liking the path this tale was taking. "You can't leave, so you want me to bring something here."
Victoria smiled. "Smart girl. For years I've thought about how to hurt him the most, and I always land on the same answer - his only child, his filthy legacy. The problem is, the girl is protected by a powerful charm, one even I can't penetrate from a distance. My magic is effectively useless against her while I'm trapped here. So instead, I want you to bring her to me."
Estelle opened her mouth to immediately refuse. Why the hell would she deliver an innocent girl to a vengeful witch? There was absolutely no reason she could think to even entertain that idea.
Before the words could form on her lips, Victoria held up one finger, cutting her short. "Nuh uh uh! Let me finish. I haven't gotten to what's in it for you, yet."
"I don't care what's in it for me. You obviously don't know me as well as you think you do," Estelle argued, standing up and moving towards the door along the far wall. She knew leaving would almost certainly not be so easy, but it was worth a shot. She couldn't just stay here forever.
"On the contrary, my sweet. I know your deepest, darkest thoughts. The ones you won't even admit to yourself," she murmured, stepping towards Estelle. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned close, warm breath washing over the shell of her ear.
"I know you want to get rid of Abigail, too."
Estelle paused with her hand on the doorknob, blood running cold in her veins. Body moving of its own accord, she slowly turned back to face the witch, who smirked knowingly.
"That's right. The one I'm after is the girl who has caused you so much pain, caused the one you love so much pain." Her voice was low, and dangerously seductive - like velvet wrapped around a dagger. "I can make all that pain go away. For you and Sebastian."
Estelle couldn't breathe around the tightness in her chest. The majority of her was screaming no, this bitch was crazy, there was no way she was going to sell out anyone, even Abigail. But she couldn't deny the one tiny part, that twisting tendril of insecurity and anger that lay deep in her heart. That dark place inside wanted to hear her out.
"How...would you make it go away?" she asked reluctantly, hating herself for it but unable to resist.
"I won't kill her, if that's what you're worried about," Victoria assured her, taking Estelle's hand in hers and lightly guiding her back to the middle of the room. She gestured towards the machines proudly. "I've been working on these for the better part of a decade. The Dark Shrines."
Estelle jumped as the witch suddenly bolted to the floor, moving almost inhumanly fast as she pounced on something near their feet. When she stood back up, her fingers were curled around a small grey mouse, squeaking helplessly in her grasp.
"The Dark Shrine of Selfishness," she cooed, pressing a series of buttons on the one with yellow 'eyes'. She placed the mouse on a round platform in front of the machine, and pulled the right arm down like a lever before the mouse had a chance to run.
Estelle watched with rapt attention as a brilliant yellow light rose up from the platform, and when it receded, the mouse was gone. In its place was...a dove?
The dove fluttered its wings in apparent confusion as Victoria casually opened the door to her hut. Seizing the opportunity for escape, the bird took off, flight path unsteady but determined. Victoria cast one last look and shut the door, walking back to her shrines.
"D-did that just..." Estelle stuttered, unable to make the words come out.
"This shrine will turn any living creature into a dove," Victoria confirmed. "Including humans."
She stepped over to the center machine, configuring it before turning to Estelle. "Step on this platform please."
"Uh...there's no fucking way I'm going to do that."
Victoria rolled her eyes. The casual expression looked so weird on her delicate face. "It's not going to hurt you. I want your help, remember?"
"Yeah, well, pardon my skepticism but that last machine was decidedly horrifying."
Victoria looked slightly offended. "Doves are beautiful," she huffed. "Fine, have it your way."
To her credit Estelle saw it coming - but Victoria was too quick. With one swift movement she placed her palm flat on Estelle's back and shoved hard enough to make her stumble forward, directly onto the platform. One lever pull later and...
Nothing. Estelle blinked, looking at Victoria in confusion. "What...happened?"
"The Dark Shrine of Memory. Pretty self-explanatory, really. It has the ability to erase memories."
Estelle blanched. "Wait, you erased my memory?"
No way. She sifted through her head, frantically cataloguing things she ought to know - Sebastian's crooked smile, the smell of her mom's perfume, the jingle to that fucking gum commercial... it was all there, wasn't it?
"Sure. Well, just one memory. What did I just turn that mouse into a moment ago?"
Estelle stared at her blankly, stomach dropping out when she realized she didn't know. She remembered Victoria picking up the mouse, putting it on the machine, pulling the lever, and then...nothing. It was like there was a block in her mind, and no matter how hard she pressed against it she couldn't make it budge.
"What the fuck..."
"Pretty cool, right?" Victoria grinned. "What's even better is that this machine has two settings. I can erase specific memories from the person standing inside, or..." her eyes gleamed, "I can erase whatever is standing inside from everyone's memories."
Estelle's stomach twisted, nausea overwhelming her. The thought that in a simple press of a button, everyone she'd ever loved could forget about her...
"What kind of monster would do that?"
"Monster?" Victoria cocked her head in confusion. "I'm not a monster. My inventions have very altruistic uses, thank you very much."
"When would it ever be a good thing to make everyone forget about somebody?"
"When they've just been turned into a dove," Victoria said, giggling. "Oh, I forgot, you can't remember. It was a dove."
Victoria sighed, clearly not understanding the reason for Estelle's horrified silence. "The mouse turned into a dove," she reiterated.
"I get it."
And she did. The pieces had clicked together, and she finally got the full picture of Victoria's ambition. She'd picked Estelle because she knew about their rivalry, knew she was the most likely to agree out of everyone in town. She wanted her to bring Abigail here, where they'd turn her into a dove and make everyone forget she ever existed.
Make everyone forget she ever existed...
"Do you really get it?" the witch asked, voice a persuasive purr in Estelle's ear. "Think about it. You'll have everything you want. Sebastian will be yours, with no reservations, no doubts...not even a wistful memory of Abigail to come between you two."
Estelle swallowed hard, insides churning with a potent mixture of disgust, desire, and fear. Fear not only about her predicament, or the incredibly disturbing task she was being asked to do...but fear of the part of her that wanted to say yes.
"What does that one do?" Estelle asked, nodding towards the third machine. It was mostly a stall tactic, but the witch didn't need to know that.
"Oh...well, I guess you could say that one is my backup plan. You see Estelle, I really want us to help each other out, but if you refuse..." Victoria trailed off, frowning slightly.
"Well, the Dark Shrine of Night Terrors will open a portal between the mines and Pelican Town."
"Is it just me or is it extra creepy out tonight?" Natalie asked, biting her lip as she scanned her surroundings nervously.
She was right - the walk through the forest was particularly ominous. It was a new moon that night, and even with their phone flashlights lighting the path ahead, the forest was smothered under a heavy, oppressive darkness. It hung like a mist, swirling over and around them, almost tangible but just out of reach.
It felt wrong.
"It's not you. There's something going on," Sebastian confirmed. "Before she disappeared, Estelle was trying to tell me what was happening. But I didn't believe her," he said, voice cracking at the end. Why didn't he just believe her? Would she still be here if he had?
Sam put his hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault dude. What did she say?"
"She said she heard voices in the maze, talking about dark magic and elementals," he said, trying to recall her exact words. "And that there was a woman using spells to mess with us."
Thinking back on it now, with his new insight and the sinister atmosphere he was feeling, it started to make sense. This wasn't a normal creepy night. He couldn't pinpoint what it was exactly, but something in the quiet stillness was making the hair on the back of his neck stand up. It felt oddly familiar though, kind of like...
"Hey, did you guys go down that pitch black hallway in the maze? The one with no torches at all?" Sebastian asked warily, feeling like he already knew the answer.
"Uh...no? But dude, we went through the maze front to back. There was nothing like that."
Sebastian shook his head. What other explanation could there be?
"Estelle and I went through a hallway that felt a mile long, in complete darkness. It...felt like this," he said with a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. "It really fucked with her."
His stomach tightened as he thought about the waver in her voice when she finally admitted to her fear, how clammy her palms had been when he held her hand. How she said he made her feel okay again.
"And you think this creepy hallway was magic?" Natalie asked, the doubt still evident in her voice.
"I don't know what I think anymore," Sebastian snapped in frustration, the torrent of emotions inside of him threatening to burst. "All I know is that Estelle said there was dark magic at play, I told her she was crazy, and then she vanished. So what the fuck am I supposed to think other than she was right?"
"Sorry Seb. I'm just scared. If this is all real I just…" Natalie trailed off with a sniffle.
Sam put his arm around her, pulling her close. "It's okay babe. It's gonna be okay."
"But what if it's not?"
There was nothing any of them could say to that, and a tense silence fell over the party as they approached the wizard's tower.
Estelle stared at the witch, feeling like she was being torn apart inside. How could she make a decision like this? Sacrifice Abigail and live with that guilt, that black scar on her soul forever...or refuse and doom the town. The villagers couldn't protect themselves against the evil that lurked underground, and even those who could fight still wouldn't stand a chance against a surprise monster attack. It would be a slaughter.
She swallowed hard as she imagined a pack of void spirits bearing down on the people she had come to love. Their screams in the darkness. Vince and Jas growing cold on blood-stained cobblestone.
That settled it. There was no question. The right answer was clear.
"Fine," Estelle whispered, unable to muster any more volume to her voice.
"Fine...what? Be specific dear! I told you, witches are tricky if you're not careful," Victoria replied, lips twitching in amusement as she realized she'd won.
"If I bring Abigail here, I want your word that the town will be safe," Estelle began, her legs feeling like lead as she approached the witch, leaning against her table. "No monsters, no unnecessary toying with their memories."
She nodded, teasing face suddenly serious. "You have my word."
"And Sebastian can never know."
"Of course."
"Then I..." Estelle inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a long moment as she steeled her determination. Her voice was oddly calm as she opened her eyes once more.
"I refuse."
Before the witch could process what was happening, Estelle reached out and snatched the flask from the table beside her, throwing it as hard as she could towards the purple-eyed machine.
"NO!" Victoria shrieked, holding her hands out helplessly as the vile blue liquid consumed her shrine, sparks flying as it ate through the electrical components.
Estelle took advantage of the momentary distraction and bolted for the door. She had just grabbed the doorknob when the cool metal suddenly became scorching hot, forcing her to let go with a yelp.
Before she could recover, an overwhelming force enveloped her, roughly grabbing her body and shoving her painfully away from the door and against the opposite wall. It felt like the air itself was restraining her, thick and oppressive, and impossible to escape. There was nothing to grab at, nothing to fight against, and her entire body was pinned so tightly the only thing she could move was her eyes.
They landed on Victoria, standing in the center of the room, trembling with rage.
"I should kill you, you petulant little brat!" she snarled, her magic squeezing the air from Estelle's throat.
Unable to move, unable to breathe, Estelle could do nothing but stare helplessly as she felt her life slipping away. Darkness began to lace the edge of her vision, and as her eyes fluttered closed she saw an image of Sebastian, wearing that sideways smile she loved so much.
She didn't regret losing her life to protect the others. She only regretted losing him.
"But first, you're going to suffer."
Just as her consciousness began to fade, the pressure let up enough to allow breath to pass through. Estelle gasped, the humid, sticky air of the swamp tasting so sweet as it filled her aching lungs. With renewed resolve, Estelle wriggled and writhed, struggling against her invisible binds. The witch paid her no mind, angrily scrawling symbols in chalk on the floor.
She tossed the chalk aside as she finished, and casting one final glare at Estelle, murmured something under her breath. A green oval sprung to life between the symbols, looking almost like a full-length mirror - except the surface was rippling and shimmering with what could only be magic. Estelle felt a cold bead of sweat drip down her neck when she realized what was coming next.
"Goodbye, Estelle."
The force holding her pitched forward, and Estelle was flung into the portal.
When they reached the top of the winding steps, Sebastian raised his fist to knock on the door, but it slowly creaked open before his knuckles made contact. There was a flicker of dim light shining through the crack, but a quick glance inside showed that no one was there to have opened the door. Sebastian swallowed hard and stepped into the tower.
"Fuck dude, he really is a wizard," Sam muttered, looking around in astonishment. A cauldron boiled in the corner, emitting a faint green smoke that they made a point to avoid. Sebastian didn't recognize the design traced onto the floor in chalk, but if fantasy novels and games had taught him anything, it had to be a summoning circle. Rows of books lined the back wall, some so old the binding looked like it would wither away at the slightest touch.
Any doubt Sebastian still harbored about what was happening faded away. This was real. All of it.
"Wizard?" he called, walking towards the hallway.
"It's Rasmodius," a voice corrected from behind. Sebastian whirled around to find the wizard standing right behind him, in the spot he had been not 3 seconds prior.
Natalie shrieked, and the wizard glanced over at his friends with disapproval. "You brought guests?"
"I want Estelle back. They can help," Sebastian replied firmly.
Rasmodius looked them up and own, raising his brow as if he sincerely doubted their ability to assist, before ultimately dismissing them entirely. Taking a step towards the summoning circle, he lit the candles around the edge with a flick of his fingers.
"Holy shit..." Sam breathed as they all watched wide-eyed.
"Do not speak unless you are told to," Rasmodius commanded sternly. "A stray word can turn even the most harmless spell into something twisted."
Their mouths snapped shut, watching in silence as the wizard murmured an incantation. The outer band of the circle flashed with a column of yellow light shooting upwards, so bright Sebastian covered his eyes reflexively against it. When the light faded, he opened his eyes to see...an apple?
"They call themselves Junimos," Rasmodius clarified, holding a small offering out to the creature. "Forest sprites. They flit between the physical and spirit worlds, acting as messengers and guides. They should be able to tell us where Victoria took the child."
"Victoria? Is that the woman who messed with the maze?" Sebastian asked.
Rasmodius shot him a look for speaking out of turn, but answered anyway. "Yes. She is a powerful dark witch, bearing a terrible grudge. I thought my seal would hold, but it appears she has outwit me once again."
"So why did she take Estelle?"
"I do not know. I would have thought she'd take another, but...perhaps those charms still protect her..." he trailed off in thought.
Sebastian couldn't bring himself to care about whatever charmed, protected girl the wizard spoke of. Estelle wasn't protected, and they were wasting time. He looked at the small green creature bouncing happily inside the circle. "Do you know where Estelle is?" he asked it.
"Boy, they won't speak to typical huma– ," Rasmodius began, but was cut short when the creature chirped in response.
Sebastian glanced up, a hint of a smirk on his face. "Did that mean yes?" he asked.
The wizard frowned, but nodded.
"Can you show me where she is?" Seb asked the Junimo.
It chirped again, a series of quick little noises that caused a dark look to settle over the wizard's face.
"What? What did it say?"
"I'm afraid the situation is more dire than I'd suspected," he replied, brows narrowed in agitation. "Your friend refused Victoria's proposition. That woman never did handle rejection well..."
"What the fuck does that mean?"
"It means that Estelle pissed off a dark witch, and now she's in deep shit," Sam supplied. "Right?"
"Crass, but correct. Estelle's consciousness was banished to the spirit realm – a place where humans should not go if they lack the magical talent to protect themselves. If left for too long, her experience there will essentially break her mind." The old man pressed his lips together in a grave line. "And when the mind breaks, the body follows soon after."
Sebastian felt like the air had been knocked out of him, like he'd never take a full breath again. Yoba, no.
"How long do we have?" he choked out, fighting to stay calm despite the cold dread welling up inside him. They still had a chance. He had to believe they had a chance.
"That depends on her. But we must not dally, or she will be lost." Rasmodius said, walking to his bookshelf and scanning the volumes.
"One of you must go into the spirit realm to retrieve your friend," he continued, pulling a dusty tome from a shelf and hastily flipping through the pages. "I suggest you choose whomever she has the closest bond with. It will assist in finding her."
Sebastian turned, looking to his friends. Natalie's eyes were red-rimmed, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Sam had his arm around her for comfort, but his face was pale with worry. He idly wondered what his own looked like.
"Who's going?" he asked.
"You," Sam said immediately.
Natalie nodded in agreement. "Her closest bond is with you, Seb."
His eyebrows furrowed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You're her sister. And Sam's her best friend. Why me?"
Natalie almost smiled, a tired little expression full of fear and exasperation. "Because she loves you, you fucking idiot."
Sebastian felt like the world stopped turning. His gaze flicked between Natalie and Sam, who were both looking at him with complete certainty. They wouldn't lie to him now, when so much was on the line. She must have told them.
Estelle loved him.
The breath he didn't realize he'd been holding exited in a whoosh, the blood in his veins picking up speed and clearing his head. He turned back to the wizard, who was drawing a new chalk outline on the floor.
"I'm going."
The wizard nodded, not looking up from his work. "I suspected as much. Good. Your natural affinity for the arcane will make this easier."
"My...what?"
"Latent mystical potential. I suspected as much, but your ability to communicate with the Junimo proved the theory." Rasmodius sounded almost bored, like he told people shit like that every day.
"Whoa, hold up...Seb's a fucking wizard too?" Sam sputtered, staring at his best friend like at any moment he'd sprout wings and a tail.
Rasmodius sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like he was staving off a migraine. "Latent mystical potential. You won't be able to cast spells without rigorous training, and maybe not even then. But there is a benefit in that the spirit realm will not affect you as harshly. You'll be able to see through the deceptions."
The wizard stood, dusting chalk from his hands and eyeing Natalie, who stood nearest to the cauldron. "You there, girl. Make yourself useful and bring me 100ml of catalyst."
Natalie blinked, looking between the three of them in confusion. "Uh, what the hell does that even mean?"
The wizard shot her a look of exasperation as he gathered various reagents from a cabinet nearby. "Beakers are on the shelf. Measure out 100ml of catal-" he paused, sighing, "of the bubbling green goo in the cauldron."
"That's all you had to say Gramps," she grumbled, turning to do as he asked.
While Natalie and Rasmodius were busy working on whatever magical science experiment he was cooking up, Sam stepped over to Sebastian, slapping a hand on his back.
"You okay man?"
"No. You?"
"Not even close," Sam said with a nervous little laugh. "One minute I'm getting blown in the hedge maze, the next Estelle's in another dimension and you're some kind of baby wizard. Wild fucking night."
Sebastian knew Sam was trying to help, but he couldn't manage to lift his grim expression. Magic, forest sprites, "latent mystical potential"...none of it mattered if Estelle was gone. He couldn't process anything except that hard truth, and the fear his best wouldn't be enough. It was all on him, and if he failed...
Sam squeezed his shoulder, pulling him back from the dark place his thoughts were taking him. "Hey. I believe in you. And you're not alone."
Sebastian looked up at his best friend, the guy who had had his back as long as he could remember. He was an idiot, optimistic to a fault with too much charisma and not enough sense...but Sebastian didn't know what he'd do without him.
"Thanks Sam."
A loud crackling sound stole their attention, and the boys turned to watch as the wizard dropped various herbs and powders into the beaker. The liquid inside frothed and hissed, the color shifting dramatically before finally settling on a mossy green.
"Drink this," Rasmodius commanded, holding the beaker out to Sebastian. "It will allow you to understand the Junimos. They will help you find the girl."
Sebastian eyed the potion dubiously, but didn't hesitate to bring it to his lips. He'd drink bleach if it helped get Estelle back.
The moment he swallowed, a wave of dizziness washed over him, so intense it brought him to his knees. His fingers gripped his hair hard enough to hurt, clinging to his head desperately as he felt like his brain was being blown wide open and reconfigured. He heard Sam worriedly calling his name, felt hands on his back and face, but he couldn't focus on anything except struggling to maintain consciousness.
It had only been a few minutes, but it felt like hours before the worst of it passed. Sebastian pushed himself up on trembling legs, swaying on his feet until Sam grabbed his arms to steady him. He looked up through sweat-soaked bangs at the wizard, who, much to his chagrin, was chuckling.
"Something funny old man?" Natalie growled, her fingers dropping from Sebastian's forehead to curl into angry fists. That surprised him - he knew she was protective of Estelle, but didn't think that extended to him. It felt kind of nice.
"Not at all. I'm just impressed he didn't pass out," Rasmodius explained with a shrug.
"Latent mystical potential," Sebastian muttered, rubbing his face on his sleeve and taking a deep breath. "So what's next?"
"You go get Estelle."
Rasmodius closed his eyes, murmuring an incantation as he held his hand up towards the circle drawn on the floor. A flash of light punctuated his final word, and a shimmering violet pane of some sort materialized in the center of the circle. It was just large enough to walk through, and Sebastian suddenly realized that's exactly what he was supposed to do.
It was a portal.
Adrenaline burning through his fatigue, Sebastian took a hesitent step towards the portal, but paused when the wizard spoke his name for the first time since they'd arrived.
"Sebastian."
He glanced up to see the man frowning, a look of discontent on his face.
"I will be focused on maintaining the portal and cannot protect you on the other side. Do not underestimate the danger you will be in. Stay alert, and trust your instincts."
"I understand," Sebastian said, unphased. He had never had a clearer purpose than he did at this moment.
He was going to find Estelle, and bring her home. He was going to tell her she meant everything to him, kiss her until her lips were swollen, hold her close at night. He was going to make her feel as alive as she made him feel.
Sebastian stepped into the portal.