It was all so surprising. Hana had just saved the group from being killed by a veritable army of murderous psychopaths by simply giving a warning and a display of power. Her still being the same person they knew and loved gave a huge sigh of relief, for it was proof that Black Queen's true goal had failed.
By now, she was leading the group over to the Witch World Castle. It wasn't taking long since they were flying on brooms. The Queen herself was simply flying thanks to her being a ghost. When they arrived, they noted how part of it seemed to have grown a few splotches of decayed vegetation.
"You'll have to forgive the look," Hana explained, sullenly, "It's tiring, trying to keep all of that stuff off of the Castle."
The group entered the Castle.
"I don't blame ya," Aiko replied, "The Witch World is huge, and that rot just keeps going for miles on end!"
"What happened here?" Doremi asked.
"Don't we already know that?" Shadow Doremi retorted.
"I don't think so," Momoko replied, "We've already found out a number of things after piecing together what we could see."
"I'll tell you soon," Hana replied, "But, I want everyone to be in a comfortable place first."
The group agreed to hold their questions until Hana said otherwise. She did so when they reached the throne room. It was deserted aside from only a few Witches. Hana took her place on the throne.
"Wait!" Doremi half-shouted, "You're the Queen of the Witch World now?" Hana smiled and nodded. "Wow!"
"I didn't live to see the day," the Queen remarked, "But I am glad I did see it, through and through!"
Aiko and Momoko could only stare in awe, and they silently compared themselves to their friend.
"I guess that's good," Shadow Doremi mused, "And I guess haters are gonna hate."
"But, what happened here?" Doremi asked, again, "And how long has it been going on?"
Hana closed her eyes. "About fifty years ago, twenty-four years before I was born, there was an unexplained explosion," she explained, "Little was found, so no one thought much about it."
"Wait a minute!" Momoko called, "If my math is right, then you're…twenty-six years old?!" Hana smiled and nodded. "You look so young! And pretty!"
"Since when is twenty-six an old age for Witches?" Shadow Doremi quipped, "Besides, you know people who are that young and still look pretty."
"It's true, I don't look twenty-six," Hana replied, sighing softly, "But…that's beside the point. About a decade or two ago, or somewhere in between, that was when the corruption started."
"The corruption?" the Queen inquired.
Hana nodded. "The corruption…no one knows where it came from. All we know is that it hurts everything it touches. It's pure evil, and it spreads like a virus. Those who die from it rise as undead. Those whose minds are warped by it become those loonies who're rampaging all over Majo Kai."
"That explains a lot," Aiko surmised, "But…what's happened to the other worlds? The Human World? The Wizard World?"
"The Shadow World?!" Shadow Doremi added, impatiently.
"The Human World is mostly unaffected," Hana continued, "But the Wizard and Shadow Worlds are all but trashed. Even the Witch World is about to fall, and I can't stop it, even with everyone helping!"
The information hit like a ton of bricks. There had never been a crisis of this magnitude. Even Majo Isabelle's attempt to dominate all worlds using an army of machines wasn't this great. Neither was the Shadows' attempt to tear the Witch World apart using a different, more monstrous and tortured kind of Witch. As far as the Ojamajos could tell, this world is a tortured one, and its suffering lacked a foreseeable end.
It may as well be synonymous with Hell.
"It couldn't be that bad, right?" Momoko mused, anxiously, "I mean, things can get better, right?"
"Everyone, wait!" the Queen called. She quickly began looking around the throne room. "I feel something happening. It's close by, and I want to know what it is!"
The group quickly started out the room, but Doremi turned back. "Aren't you coming, Hana-sama?" Doremi asked, "We can use the help if we run into anything."
Hana made a move to go with them only to hesitate. A tired look can be discerned in her eye. "I'm sorry, …but I can't. That display of power took a lot more out of me than I thought," she explained, "Believe me, I would love to help you out, but I can't!"
Doremi shook her head. "I won't force you," she replied, and she left to catch up with the others.
Doremi didn't take her time with leaving the Castle. Aiko, Momoko, Shadow Doremi, and the Queen were waiting for outside the gate, and they were primarily shrugging their shoulders. In Shadow Doremi's case, she was giving a deadpan sigh.
"Sorry I took so long," Doremi said, smiling sheepishly.
"Better late than never," the Queen replied, "I don't know what is there, but it's coming from the Witch Queen's Rose. We must hurry!"
With that, the group decided against further conversation and headed back to where they started. It was a breakneck pace, and they were there before they knew it. The scene transpiring before them was one that would make most parents shudder.
Backed into a corner was a dark-haired girl of about twelve. Surrounding her was a veritable coven of three Witches. All of the latter bore psychotic smirks reminiscent of the one sported by Shadow Aiko.
Rather than waste time with questions, Doremi quickly dove into the fray. Aiko, Momoko, and Shadow Doremi quickly followed suit. The Queen tried, but her earlier injury began acting up, and she found herself unable to do anything, let alone cast any magic.
"Pirika Pirilala Poporina Peperuto!" Doremi chanted, "Punish these psychopaths!"
Doremi's spell took the form of a beam and impacted against one of the Witches from behind. The other two quickly became aware of the company.
"More for the taking?!" one of them shouted, "This…is SO PERFECT!"
"Pameruku Lalaku Laliloli Poppun!" Aiko chanted, "Stop those psychopaths!"
Aiko's spell took the form of a snare that quickly wrapped around the legs of another one of the Witches. She tripped over herself in surprise and fell face-first into the dead grass.
"Peruton Petton Palalila Pon!" Momoko chanted, "Get those psychopaths!"
Momoko's spell quickly took effect and literally pushed the third Witch to the ground. The dark-haired girl took advantage of the distraction and quickly hid behind a wilting bush.
"That got'em!" Aiko commented.
"Big mistake, you little brat!" the first Witch seethed. In moments, she had snapped her fingers for a spell of her own. Instantly, the snare holding her fellow vanished in a cloud of purple smoke. "You're all just a bunch of naïve kids!"
"Oh yeah?" Shadow Doremi challenged. She emerged from the third Witch's shadow and delivered a stab right through the Witch's head via her bastard sword. She quickly withdrew her blade and backpedaled away before the other two cold react. "One down, two to- WHAT?!"
To everyone's shock and horror, the third Witch did not die from the head injury. In fact, she seemed more annoyed than injured. She turned around and glared at Shadow Doremi.
"It'll take much more than that to kill me!" the third Witch shouted, infuriated.
The Queen, at this time, finally managed to break through the hold her injury held over her. She snapped her fingers and quickly blew all three psychotic Witches to the ground, stunning them.
"Hurry!" the Queen called, "I don't know when this wound will act up again!"
Doremi turned to Aiko and Momoko and then to Shadow Doremi. "Think it's worth a shot?"
"It's our best spell, Doremi," Aiko replied.
"Yeah!" Momoko agreed.
"I can't join," Shadow Doremi replied, "Shadow magic and all. Unless we want to risk that-"
"Keep them pinned down, Shadow Doremi," Doremi said, "That's all I'm asking! Just don't kill them!"
Shadow Doremi gave an annoyed sigh and a nod. She did not waste any time and began using the blunt end of her sword to stun the insane witches. While she was striking vigorously at them, Doremi, Aiko, and Momoko gathered into a circle.
"Pirika Pirilala Nobiyakani!" Doremi chanted.
"Pameruku Laluku Takarakani!" Aiko chanted.
"Peruton Petton Sawayakani!" Momoko chanted.
"Magical Stage!" All three shouted, "Send these three away!"
A brilliant light filled and quickly lit up the area, forcing Shadow Doremi to withdraw from her assault. The light enveloped the three witches, and all of the young girls watched as the three Witches vanished into the spell's power one by one. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it faded, and there was no longer any sign of the Witches who were attacking them.
Doremi looked around toward the wilted bush. "It's okay! They're gone now!" she called out, "You can come out now!"
"We won't hurt you!" Momoko shouted, "We're still sane! I swear!"
"That's reeeeally helping her…" Shadow Doremi mumbled, sarcastically.
There was a sound coming from the wilted bush. It sounded like a mixture of crying and panicked breathing. Doremi went in closer to try and get a better look.
The girl did indeed look roughly twelve years old. Her hair was long but as black as a void. She wore what looked like an apprentice's uniform, albeit one none of the Ojamajos had been seen before. Her eyes were shut in abject terror.
"Please," Doremi ushered, softly, "No one's going to hurt you."
The girl seemed to calm down slightly. "Are…A-are you s-s-sure?" she asked, shakily, "You-you're not… o-one of them?"
"Positive."
Slowly and reluctantly, she emerged from the bush and into Doremi's presence. Her eyes were still shut, but not as tightly as before. It was then that Doremi managed to get a better look at her. Her uniform was ripped along the left side and part of her skirt was torn and detached. Her skin was scratched and bruised where it was exposed; Doremi assumed it was from the Witches who were attacking her since the bushes lacked thorns.
"It's okay," Doremi said, reassuringly.
Slowly, the girl opened her eyes. Though they were filled with fear and had a glint of hope, there was something familiar about them. Very familiar, and disturbing.
They were a piercing red, and there was a seeming, faint glow to them.