Ch.31: Absolute Power Reveals the Truth! The Unknown Light!

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Ava sighed and waved her hand over her crystal orb. "I'm getting worried."

Vince looked up from the road and asked, "Was that before or after your seventeenth call to Willow?" Ava shot him the stink eye. He gripped the reins up to his face. "Sorry, sorry!" He sighed and scratched behind his head. "Honey, I don't know what to tell you. Perhaps her crystal ball was destroyed, or maybe the connection's just weak."

"I've tried over and over. I don't want to assume the worst. Willow has no magic, but I consider her the strongest out of all of us. Still, it's concerning that she hasn't been able to pick up her calls."

Vince frowned, then looked ahead at the road. "There's not much I can do for you there."

"I know." Ava leaned against the side of the driver's cart and closed her eyes. "How much farther until we reach the temple?"

Vince pulled the torn map out from his jacket and read it over. "At the speed we're going, another few days."

Ava sighed. "The Key of Darkness. I hope Ella is prepared to face Seth."

"He's supposed to be one of the big three of the mages, right?" Vince asked as he tucked the map away. "How strong are we talking?"

"If Seth was at the Gelid Peak Tournament like Master Cielo, then Seth will have plenty of ammunition to work with. I just hope Ella's prepared to fight on her own. It'll be a first since facing Benedict."

Vince smiled. "I'm sure she'll do fine. Between training with you and Willow, maybe she'll kick Seth's butt before he has a chance to weave a spell."

Ava snorted a laugh. "Wishful thinking." She pulled her legs up and hugged them. "Destiny's a scary thing, you know."

"Don't you dabble in reading it?"

"That doesn't mean I like what I see. It's…a strange topic. When I first realized those Eeveelutions were destined to face the Shadow King, fear welled up inside me. Children being Mysto's heroes? How maddening."

"Didn't you see other symbols aside from the main six?"

"They simply act as players for the greater goal. They weren't made as clear as the six symbols representing Team Ravenfield. I imagine only Gwyn knows who she really is, perhaps Griffin, too."

"I see." Vince focused back on the road. "I never thought that destiny stuff was real, though I'm in the wrong region to make assumptions like that."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Vince…"

"Yeah?"

"You…You don't regret doing all of this for me, right?"

Vince looked at her in surprise. "What could you mean by that?"

She sighed. "I wanted to focus on the circus just as much as you did, but I've been dragging you around the region just so I could help those kids. We haven't had as many shows as before, and I feel like I'm putting everyone's lives at risk over this, especially our children. You've been the one taking care of them while I focused on Ella and the others."

Vince reached over and patted her shoulder. "Honey, you know I don't think this journey has been a burden on the circus. We've been doing fine so far. Besides, with the way things are, better to be on the move than in one place. At least we have the comforts of home wherever we travel."

"I suppose so."

"Plus, you're pretty strong. I have no reason to fear for the kids' safety with you around."

Ava smiled sadly. "True." She hugged her legs closer. "Still…"

"Hmm?"

"I made a promise to Garret that I'd keep his boys safe. Whether or not the prophecy is set in stone, my convictions remain stalwart." She narrowed her eyes. "Hypothetical question: how far would you go to protect our kids if I wasn't around? No offense, dear, but you're not all that strong, even for a Hawlucha."

Vince smiled. "Well, I can't guarantee I'd win in a regular fight, but I would do anything to protect our children. You know that, even if it costs me my life." He noticed Ava's mood dwindling into a sour expression. "Ava?"

"…Do you remember that spell I learned a long time ago? The forbidden one?"

"The Life for a Life spell, right?"

She gripped her robe and took a deep breath. "I learned it for the sake of the kids. If anything happened to one of them, I want to make sure they lead fulfilling lives, even if it costed my own. We've talked about this before."

Vince frowned and looked away. "It was a pretty uncomfortable topic when you first brought it up."

"Then you remember what I said when we decided to help Team Ravenfield."

Vince clutched the reins tightly. "Ava…"

"I've lived my whole life channeling fate. If the Ravenfield brothers end up being our only hope, I need to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure one of their survival. I've outgrown my use as a mentor, or at least I will, so giving my power to them would do them good."

Vince glared at the road. "Ava, that's not going to happen."

"I'm not as strong as I used to be. I fought the Shadow King once before, but how would a second confrontation go? Morgan may have weakened him, but that doesn't mean things will work out. We have to consider the possibility that—"

"Ava!" She jumped a little to her husband's raised voice. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. "That's not going to happen, because I know you're strong. Even if the kids outgrown their need for a mentor, they'll still need you. And you have children of your own who look up to you. Don't go thinking the end is inevitable, not when you still have so much life left to spend."

She narrowed her eyes. "Vince…"

"I admit, I get stressed out whenever we get involved with this stuff, but I trust you. I wouldn't have gone through with all of this if I didn't love you. If it means protecting our children in the long term, then I'll follow you wherever you go."

"Vince…"

He sighed. "Besides, I don't want you thinking thoughts like that. That spell is a last resort, not an inevitable plan. I want you to focus on what you do best. I'm not one of fate like you, but if the Ravenfields are the ones that break the shackles of fate, you can bend them to your will."

Ava wiped her eyes along her sleeve. "You…really think so?"

Vince smiled. "Ava, promise me you won't die. Even if the Reaper himself comes to collect your soul, please never stop fighting. I believe in you, and those kids believe in you, too."

Ava stared at her husband in awe, then showed a tearful smile. "I…guess so." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, honey. I'm sorry for being a burden."

Vince nuzzled against her chest. "You've never been one."

"Aww!" Their eyes widened as the Tauros looked back at them. "You two are such a happy couple!" one of them exclaimed.

Vince snapped the reins and yelled with a deep blush, "Eyes on the road!" The bulls chuckled and resumed walking.

Ava chuckled, hiding her own red face, and stood up. "I could use some coffee. Want one?"

"Yes please," Vince groaned, pinching between his eyes.

Ava leaned down and kissed his head, then headed back through the carts. Somehow, she felt a little better. The stress of the journey took its toll on her, but she could always rely on Vince to cheer her up. He could be a goof at times, but she had no reason to shrug off his encouragement. That, and she couldn't resist that man's charisma on the stage. He could captivate the hearts of the audience with his wondrous performance.

Ava giggled to herself. Among other 'performances'…

She crossed through five carts before stopping on the connecting bridge. She looked up and saw a Pikachu tail swooshing over the roof. Curious, she jumped up and found Cheri sitting on the roof, staring off into the distance while munching casually on some bluk berries.

"Cheri, sweetie?" Ava greeted.

Cheri glanced over her shoulder and smiled, flashing black-stained teeth. "Hi, Ms. Ava!"

Ava pulled herself up and sat down next to her. "Something wrong? Why are you sitting on the roof?"

"Well, Abby and Carrie are busy feeding Charlie, Mom's hanging out with Nebula, and Ella's busy doing her weird meditation stuff. Also, Faye kicked me out of storage when I tried to steal the bowling pins."

Ava sighed and shook her head. "Yes, she's particular about her props being taken. So, why the roof?"

Cheri waved her hand around. "I wanted the fresh air, so I thought I'd come up here. I wanted to look at the mountains we were passing."

Ava smiled. "Pretty, aren't they?"

"Very!"

"We'll actually have to cross through a valley in-between two mountains soon. They're very pretty from what I've heard."

Cheri nodded. "Oh, I'm sure. I just hope my headache goes away before then."

Ava frowned. "Oh? Do you need any medicine?"

"I tried, but it won't go away. I also think I'm going color blind. I think? Color blindness is where you start seeing one color, right?"

Ava squinted suspiciously. "Cheri, what exactly are you feeling at the moment?"

"My head rings whenever I get near Nebula, Abby, or Carrie, and I keep seeing weird glowing spots every once in a while."

"Glowing spots, huh?"

Cheri nodded. "Yeah. Also, is it normal to feel anxious unexpectedly?"

Ava glared. The obvious aside, something definitely felt wrong here. She noticed signs that Cheri might have inherited something from her father, the same thing her brother inherited. If she was anything like Tony, her senses would be alarmingly acute. If she was sensing something that was making her feel anxious…

"When did you start feeling like this exactly?" Ava asked.

Cheri tapped her chin. "Well…I think when we went to Ella's village. But now, whenever I look back at the road, I get that same feeling. Not as bad, but…heavier? I don't know how to describe it."

Negativity. Is she sensing shadows? Ava looked back at the road. It'd make sense if she sensed it at the village. There were remnants of shadow everywhere. But…why would she be sensing something out here?

Ava focused on the road, trying to extend her senses as far back as they would allow. A part of her wondered if Cheri's newly found senses were just playing tricks. It wasn't abnormal for those discovery their innate magic. After all, if there was something following them, why hadn't Ava sensed it by now?

She scanned the surrounding rock and detected no traces of anything following them. She couldn't see anything, either. Perhaps Cheri was sensing nothing after all.

So…why did Ava have this uncomfortable dread constricting inside her chest?

"Cheri, maybe you should go back inside," Ava suggested. "Go talk to Wally. He might have something for your headaches."

Cheri shrugged. "Okay." She threw the last of her bluk berries into her mouth and climbed off the roof.

Ava stood up and was about to join her, but took one last look back at the road. Nothing as far as the horizon. She had reason to trust her own senses, but Cheri's? She was a child. Regardless if she came from a family with exception sensory capabilities, could she really be sensing something, if only faint?

Ava glared. Something's definitely not right. A flash of teal appeared over her forehead, casting her third eye. She closed her eyes and tried to peek into the future, sensing the intended fate of their caravan. Would they be attacked? Was a shadow hunting them down? Or was it something mundane, like a shady broom salesman?

What Ava got instead sent chills down her spine. She had no trouble reading futures and predicting events. If something was meant to happen, she will sense the multiple paths intended. Good, bad, apocalyptic, even uncertain, she'll detect any obstruction in the future.

Somehow, what she sensed was far worse than their caravan being attacked, or the gruesome images of something descending upon them for immediate extermination. The morbid comfort of confirmation or possibility gave Ava hope. No, what she sensed was much worse than that…

Because there was no future she could sense. No good or bad.

A dark future awaited them, one of uncertainty that didn't even exist.

Ava opened her eyes with a gasp and looked back at the road. Her eyes shrank, spotting a single blip of a figure edging on the horizon. The second she blinked, it was gone. She stood up and backed toward the edge. Her third eye shook frenetically, trying to detect the figure, but it was like they didn't exist.

What…is going on here?

Gwyn sat within a magic circle on the ground, legs crossed and eyes closed as she concentrated on the earth. An aquamarine aura surrounded her as she connected with the ground. A low hum vibrated through the earth, shaking pebbles and swaying blades of grass. Every inhale through her nose felt like it carried great power. Slowly but surely, she was starting to feel Mysto's presence.

She inhaled one deep breath and cupped her hands around her mouth. Focus. Don't force the magic. Bend Mysto's will to my command. Don't control it, but work with it.

She turned her head and blew, firing a solid beam of wind through her hands and pierced a wooden target hanging off a branch. The wind not only pierced the target, but completely obliterated it, leaving being a thin wooden ring swinging askew.

Gwyn opened her eyes and frowned. "Ah man! That was too much power again!"

"You're telling me." Ambrosine came out of hiding and observed the target. "You know you were supposed to puncture it, right?"

Gwyn groaned and covered her face. "Handling my own innate magic was tricky enough. I have an entire region at my beck and call now."

"Controlling the elements must not be easy." Ambrosine walked up to Gwyn and patted her shoulder. "But you'll get the hang of it. At least it wasn't a hurricane or something. That would've been worse."

Gwyn looked up and giggled. "Oh please, I can't summon a hurricane. That'd be silly."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Ambrosine mumbled. She shook her head. "You feel like you're getting better control over it, right?"

"Sort of, yeah." Gwyn stood up and dusted herself off. "It's a lot of work, though. From what Medusa and Venus showed me, it involves a lot of static movement. Pulling magic out of the ground isn't something I can do jumping around the place. I have to be standing still for some incantations."

"Huh. Well, it is an archaic method of performing magic."

Gwyn smiled. "Plus, I get this cool wand, too!" She pulled a jagged stick out and waved it in front of Ambrosine's face.

Ambrosine blinked. "I didn't even know witches used wands."

"They don't, but Venus gave it to me for good luck. HAH!" Gwyn struck a dynamic pose, flailing her wand about. "Take that! And that!"

Ambrosine sighed. "You are such a child."

Gwyn smiled proudly. "I know." She then sensed something through the ground. She closed her eyes for a moment, then smiled. "Ooh, Medusa's coming."

As predicted, the Serperior witch slithered out from the bushes. She chuckled aloud. "I'm glad to see your training is paying off. I thought I'd come check on you, dearie."

Gwyn wagged her tail, beaming ear-to-ear. "I'm doing great, thanks! I'm learning so much about being a witch. I never thought I'd be this excited about witchcraft, but I really am!"

Medusa smiled. "Then this calls for a celebration!"

Ambrosine raised her brow. "Celebration?"

"Well, I just received a call from Cicely. She plans on returning in the next few days."

Gwyn gasped. "That means we'll be able to get the Key of Time!"

Medusa nodded. "Precisely. So, I figured for all your training, we should celebrate with a feast around the campfire. I have marshmallows for roasting and s'mores."

"Marshmallow roasting? S'mores? YAY!" Gwyn cheered, bouncing on her toes. "This is amazing!"

Ambrosine crossed her arms. "Seems a little weird to be celebrating these days."

Medusa waved it off. "It's not like you have anywhere to go for the next three days. Enjoy the good times while you can. Perhaps you could score another kiss from your little boyfriend."

Ambrosine's face turned beet red. "Gwyn forced me to do that for her stupid experiment!"

Gwyn turned away, giggling. "You were pretty invested in that stupid experiment."

"And you had way too much fun with that!" Ambrosine yelled.

"Flint deserves all the love and attention he was wrongly rejected."

Ambrosine groaned into her hands. "You're weird, you know that?"

Medusa laughed. "Well, speaking of Flint, I need you to help him and Andre set up for the feast. I want to have a word with Gwyn in private."

Ambrosine sighed and dragged herself away. "Sure, whatever. I'll catch you later, Gwyn."

"Bye-bye, BFF!"

Ambrosine flinched a bit, yet felt oddly touched by the sentiment. She didn't let it show in her face and shuffled away as fast as possible.

Gwyn giggled to herself, but stopped as Medusa slithered around her, tapping her staff a few times on the ground. "Gwyn, through my observations, you've progressed wonderfully in your studies. There's so much more I want to teach you about witchcraft, but I'm afraid we must focus on your trial with Cicely."

Gwyn glared and nodded. "Of course, I understand." She smiled. "Still, I appreciate everything you've done for me. Admittedly, I'm still a little tense about witches, but not as bad as before. It's something I'll have to adjust to in the future. Baby steps, right?"

Medusa smiled. "Baby steps, indeed." She sighed and turned away from the Mew. "Of course, when all is said and done, the noble art of witchcraft will be dragged through the mud so long as such tension persists. I'm entrusting you to change that for us, and for Venus. I want her to live among others as an equal, not an outcast. I love her dearly, but I can't have her living in this one plot of land for the rest of her life."

Gwyn nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to show the truth of witchcraft."

"I know you will, which is why this feast we're having is very important." Medusa bent down and faced Gwyn, narrowing her closed eyes. "With our time together coming to a close, I have only one final lesson to teach you, and this may be the most important one of your life."

"My…most important?"

Medusa nodded. "Let me tell you something about the world, and why those with your optimism are a rare breed. I think the shadows' invasion has shown the darker side of our society, that we're willing to throw away morals to satiate ourselves. We're given this illusion of freedom because security has been destroyed. Those of greater power seek to capitalize on weakness and find a way to use it for themselves. One would say power corrupts absolutely. I imagine that's been the fabled belief of the Shadow King.

"However, absolute corruption is simply too easy of an answer. No, I imagine power reveals who our true selves are, whether we want to admit it or not. You're given a status among the common Pokémon, and your usage of that status shows the type of person you always were.

"Gwyn, you are the very reason why absolute corruption isn't the answer. You were born with great power, greater than any other. I imagine, if given time, you could find enlightenment and ascend to that of a true goddess."

Gwyn frowned. "I could?"

"You could become the greatest witch of the mortal world, and a goddess among our land. You could rend anything you wish with a snap of your fingers. Mysto would crumble beneath your fingers if given the opportunity or reason." Medusa sighed. "And yet, that will never happen because you are a genuinely good person. It's as ingrained into you as your godhood. What others see as ultimate power, you find the ways to use it to make others happy. You don't seek to bring misery because you try to see the best in everyone."

Gwyn pouted and looked away. "I…have certain thoughts regarding Callista and two fellows named Reuben and Zaros," she admitted.

Medusa smiled. "Well, you are half-mortal. You're not perfect, but your kindness if far from a farce. Even your little kissing experiment is a sign of your kindness. You did that just to make Ambrosine feel better, to show you do care about her."

Gwyn blushed and tapped her fingers together. "Maybe a little…"

"I want you to remember that kindness, Gwyn Belladonna, for when I tell you what became of the history of witches."

Gwyn gasped. "You mean you're gonna—"

"All of you. Tonight. I shall tell you the tale of what drove witchcraft into the dark rumors of the past. Only then shall you make your decision on how to change the future." Medusa slithered around Gwyn and started back for the house. "Remember this most of all."

"What?"

"Power reveals our true selves. Sometimes it shows our inner ugliness, and sometimes it shows how vulnerable we are. Though you are not completely pure with your own inner darkness, let that not distract you from what you are. If I recall, your own mother described you as a beautiful rose. I'd say you embody the rose perfectly." With that, Medusa headed off into the woods.

Gwyn cradled her arms together, staring ahead into the trees. "I embody…the rose." She felt the wind brushing through her fur and hair. She parted a strand from her eyes, then glanced at a tree when she noticed something.

She wasn't quite sure, but she could've sworn she saw glowing image of a rose on a tree. The image, though brief, looked familiar to her, like she had seen that particular symbol before.

Gwyn blinked. "Weird…" She shook her head and ran back to the house, hoping to get ready for the festivities. And perhaps sneak a few marshmallows while no one's looking. Let not her pureness distract her sweet tooth.

"Lunchtime, witch."

Callista opened one eye as Tony placed a plate inside her cage. High quality rations. From the looks of it, scraps of food mixed together to create a discount casserole. The right assortment of nutrients to keep her barely alive.

My favorite, she hummed sarcastically. She shot a web at the plate and pulled it over to herself without getting up.

Tony sat down in front of the cage and scratched at his bandage. Callista nibbled on her scraps before asking, "So, how much longer until you can take that thing off?"

"Hard to say. Pretty sure the woman who operated on me wasn't a licensed physician."

"What gave you that idea?"

"A back alley eye transplant in clear view of the hand drawn certificate. Just a wild guess."

Callista rolled her eyes. "May you live in interesting times, Sapienti."

"Already am."

"I'm aware."

Silence passed for a moment as Callista nibbled at her food, but kept looking up to see Tony staring down at her with that same intense glare of his. How strange given she was used to his jeering and mockery months ago, only now he sat here brooding. Barely a quip from his lips, none of his annoying babble just to irritate someone. She theorized this happened to be a Dewott who knew her and had the same last name as her Sapienti. So, either a clone or a counterpart from a completely different universe.

Callista stopped eating and glared at him. "Is there something you want to say or do you have some strange fascination watching people eat their prison garbage?"

Tony's brow furrowed deeper. "I recall some choice words you kept muttering under your breath whenever I leave you be. And frankly, I'm not a fan of them."

Callista waved her foreleg around. "Freedom of speech or some crap. If you're taking offense to my mutterings, that's your problem, not mine."

"It's more a case of correcting your idiocy."

"Arrogance. How lovely." Callista curled her legs under herself. "Do tell then. What have I been saying to bring out that murderous glint of yours?"

Tony hissed through clenched teeth. "That crap you've been spitting about me emulating Aeternus."

"Oh, that?" Callista shrugged. "Can you blame me? Or perhaps you yourself are asking because you doubt your own beliefs?"

Tony scoffed. "I know who I am, and I know I'm nothing like that madman. I don't go around murdering people for giggles. I follow my beliefs and rend the stains he made across Mysto until I watch him burn into Hell."

Callista raised her brow. "Cute. Really cute. However, you misinterpret your own beliefs. Take it as a game of cards. So confident in your winning hand, except you've been showing it off this whole time without realizing, and you'll kill anyone who tries to point it out or con you. You're so up your own ass now that you barely resemble the brat who loved jabbering away like an idiot."

"Your point?"

"Why is my word less trustworthy than your own? Do you truly believe you aren't becoming like that psycho clown, or have you accepted your own fate to stew in your denial until you've murdered a child in their sleep?"

Sparks crackled through his fur. "What are you trying to say?"

Callista glanced over her shoulder. "Those kids under your care are young. Really young. They lost the one home they had and sought to rely on themselves to survive, right? Now they turn to you as their guide. I could see you as one, but the old you. This you, however, is going to use those poor kids as meat shields."

"I would never do that."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot of things we would never do," Callista huffed. "Next thing you know, I'm a five-hundred-year-old witch running from the law and being interrogated by a half-drunk teenager."

"I'm twenty."

"You live as long as I do, that's barely old enough to not be considered a pre-teen." Callista glared. "Sapienti, I'm only saying this for your own good and the good of those kids: you are not in the right mind."

Tony smirked. "I've never been better. The Maelstrom Thieves are monopolizing on Mysto's chaos. We'll push back the shadows and have our way once again."

"Do you not care about your comrades?"

"I quit Team Ravenfield. Whatever they do with themselves isn't my problem. They can get themselves killed for all I care. I'm the one who'll survive."

Callista's glare deepened, yet there was sympathy in the black pools of her eyes. "Sapienti, I've lived in darkness for a long time. I know that feeling, and I know you don't mean that. What have you been doing with your life these last several months?"

Tony glared. The dark rings under his eye were emphasized by the low light of the tent. "Mourning. Take a guess why."

Callista closed her eyes and sighed. "Of course…"

"But I can never be hurt again so long as I detach myself from those feelings. I've never been better. And I'll continue to detach myself from everything until I get what I want. No matter how hard we try, there will always be something in our future to let us down, and we'll forever have to live with that pain. And I don't want to remember that pain."

Callista narrowed her eyes. "I hate to burst your bubble, Sapienti, but pain can't be forgotten." She scoffed and shook her head. "Why am I lecturing you? You're still a naïve brat pretending he knows how the world works. Let me spill the facts for you because you seem to be more interested in plugging your ears and singing offkey: Wendrake is dead! Your little girlfriend is dead! Get over it!"

Thunder roared outside the tent. Callista felt a change in the pressure and watched the sparks fly over the tent. Tony rose to his feet, fists tightly clenched, as his fur stood on end from vast quantities of electricity.

"Shut. Up," he growled.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Callista continued to jeer. "But you're so busy acting like the world's oh-so-horrible that you've become no better than the very people who brought this upon you. You can pretend all you want you've healed, but the scars will never go away. You want to keep living in denial? You might as well walk yourself over to the shadows and proclaim yourself the Herald of Thieves!"

"Shut up, or I'll fry you!" Tony snapped, raising his hand over the cage.

"You say you won't turn into Puck? I give you a week before you start contemplating suicide runs with your thieves. Or better yet, just go to the nearest village and raze it to solidify your control. That's what people like you want. They crave absolute power for their own gain, just like Puck."

"I'm not corruptible like that murderer!" Tony roared.

Callista huffed. "Puck was never a saint, boy. He was born evil, whether he admits it or not. And when given the chance to expand his influence, he took it. I don't think you understand the kind of person Puck is, or why he's so fixated on you. It's because he sees what he once was in you. That same spark that drove him to become the mastermind he is today."

"I'm not evil like Aeternus."

"Perhaps not, but you are no saint. The Shadow King may believe power corrupts absolutely, but I see it differently. Power reveals the kind of people we really are. Look at yourself. You've inserted yourself into the role of a thief leader, and your first course of action is to send children to wipe out Puck's supply chains until he decides to deal with you in person. Perhaps evil is too kind a word for you."

The storm raged louder outside, stirring up commotion from the thieves. Tony paid them no mind and threw his fist against the cage. "Don't you dare compare what I've done to your laundry list of war crimes, lady."

Callista scoffed. "Give it enough time and you may exceed my body count." Her glare softened. "However, despite all I've said, you possess one trait that makes you surpass Puck as a person."

"Oh yeah?" Tony grunted. "And what's that?"

"Wisdom."

Tony's eye widened. "Huh?"

Callista shook her head. "You're young, you're impressionable, and you're too hotheaded for your own good. And yet, I see someone adaptable, cunning, and quick-witted. Someone who learns as he goes and finds his way to his own destiny. The Ravenfields break destiny, but someone like you finds an angle around destiny. You've sacrificed that mind of yours for an escape from your sorrows, because you believe you're too weak to face them."

Tony clenched his teeth furiously. "Listen here, you—"

"But words alone can only do so much, it seems. Sadly, that's all I have. Just words." Callista yawned and lowered her head. "The cruelest thing you could do is cut out those that are precious to you. You call me a monster? I don't see a shadow warping your judgment. What's your excuse?"

"I…" Tony's fists shook. He could feel the lightning building up outside, waiting to be released down to fry even the witch's bones to ash.

Callista opened one eye. "Oh? I'm not dead yet? I could've sworn a lightning bolt was going to come down by now."

Tony closed his eye and took a deep breath. He felt the storms settling to their usual complacency. He glared down at Callista. "Why should I take anything you're blathering about seriously?"

"I may not remember much of my reasons for joining the shadows, but I have an extensive knowledge of my time. Tell you what, when everyone goes to sleep tonight, you and I are going to have a little chat about what happens when someone's given access to power they shouldn't have, and the consequences of mishandling it."

"And I should be humoring you because…?"

"You can either prove to me your maturity isn't as fragile as a wet paper bag or you can walk away and continue brooding at the clouds. The choice is yours."

Tony flared his nostrils, then marched past her cage, sending one last shock through it before exiting the tent. He had to go quell everyone's panic on account of the sudden storm.

Callista closed her eyes and lay her head down. "I didn't hear a no, at least."