Cearbhail:

Hello! I know it's been a while. But... hear me out. I finally figured out what I want to do with this. And we're starting fresh. You'll understand. And Yes! This was always the plan! I just didn't want to do it, and that's why I waited until now to finalize it.

[Vicky Silver]

I kept glancing over to the alleyway where Brian snuck away with Morrigan. Morrigan, a witch in the same coven as me, placed up a powerful blocker. It was keeping me from looking inside to see what was happening. Not that I wanted to see anyway. Last I checked, she was holding him down, getting ready to do something perverted to him. And he looked pretty happy about it too. I don't want to see what they're doing right now.

I couldn't keep my attention on it anyway. The winds of intention were beginning to build. It's like the calm before a storm. The air begins to feel static, like it's being pulled away and charged. Mother always liked being dramatic. The storm clouds building overhead had the entire village running for their homes. Everyone thought it was going to start pouring rain… and they weren't wrong. And here I am, in my pretty dress… and you'd think I would have known better by now. Power Clouds. I knew they'd be building today. My power was going to be unleashed.

My mother, and most mothers, seal their children's magical powers when they are born. They place our power inside… like a mental bank vault. The seal keeps our powers from unleashing for 13 years until we're old enough to control them. Unsupervised children cause catastrophe. Emotions and all that. Teenagers are worse, but… you know… by then we're expected to be able to control our magick by then. So, our parents have 13 years to let us experiment with 'lent' power. They let us dab into a very small portion of our own magick, sometimes theirs, so that we can learn how to better control our own gifts. Mother wanted to keep my sealed for even longer. The longer it builds… the stronger the release. The stronger I become, even if temporarily.

And so… this is why turning 13 is so special for our coven. This sealing/awakening has become a bit of a ritual among my family members. And I was the child of the Grand Coven Mother… Mother Goose. There was a lot of expectations placed on my shoulders. Great things were to be made with my power. There was a lot of stuff I wasn't told… I was kept in the dark about my greater purpose. Mother always told me I was going to be special. That I was going to save the world. I was created with this one purpose… this one mission. And today, I begin that mission.

I kind of felt… anxious. Regretful. I tried my best to enjoy this year to the best of my ability. I made friends… something Mother wouldn't let me do. I found a small fling with a boy… something I probably wouldn't be able to have passed this day. I never wanted this life, this… dream to end.

But, as I stood in the center of the village marketplace, looking out to the central village gate, I could see her approaching. Mother was in attendance with several of her coven mothers. All from York, I'm guessing. I couldn't run from her. I couldn't run from my destiny. I guess it's time. Time for face the piper.

…

[Malik Isthtar]

"Sister, are we ready?"

I rushed into the kitchen, checking on Laila's progress. The cake was already cooked and dressed to perfection, but we wanted to make sure the cookies were hot and fresh. This was Vicky's big day. I wanted to make sure it was special for her.

I only had seconds to take in what I saw. Blood… everywhere. Vicky's cake, smashed on the floor. My sister, bent over the kitchen table, drenched in blood. The other cooks flung across the room, necks slit, arms broken. Carnage everywhere.

I quickly went on the defensive. There was a flash out of the corner of my eye. A shadow from above. I dove into a roll, barely evading a falling opponent. I heard the slam of the boots hitting the cobblestone. As I came to a stop, I threw myself into a side roll. A bolt ricocheted off the floor, skirting over to a pot, making a loud pang sound.

I grabbed a nearby fallen pot, raising it over my head. More pangs. Either throwing knives, or crossbow bolts. I don't which right now. I don't have time to think. I only have time to act.

Keeping the pot as my shield, I charged forward, kicking a table in front of me. I only got a brief glance at my opponent's feet, but that was good enough for me. I pulled out my strapped crossbow, throwing my pot away long enough to bring the crossbow to aim. I pulled the trigger, feeling a slam in my chest. A crossbow bolt hit my padded armor. Right underneath the leather chest guard.

My crossbow bolt was quickly deflected by the intruder. My eyes were beginning to blur; this bolt must have been laced with a poison. And it was acting fast. My fingers were growing numb. My hand wasn't able to support my crossbow any longer. So, I let it fall to the ground. Fine, I'll do this the hard way.

I charged over to the intruder. The intruder was dressed in robes similar to my own. Except his robes were dark blue, almost black with red trimming. He looked like an Assassin. But why would an Assassin kill two of his brothers? He couldn't be with us. He must be a Templar turncoat.

I charged as quickly as I could. I should have taken time to assess his abilities, come up with a strategy for taking him down, but I didn't have time to spare. The poison was working its way through me. I could feel it taking more than my fingers and toes. My feet were beginning to drag, my arms felt heavy. My knees were beginning to buckle. I only had one shot at this. Might as well make it count.

The Assassin in question waited for me, arms spread wide like he was going to embrace me in a hug. I got a small look at his face, and instantly recognized it. It was Morrigan's father. He was the Assassin all along? Was he the one that was killing witches in York? Was he the mysterious Assassin I was building a profile on? Why was he here? Why did he kill my sister? Why was he trying to kill me? Was it because of Vicky? It was her birthday… she was about to unlock her powers. And Vicky's mother was minutes away from arriving. All this time… I didn't put it together. And here I was… about to die. Unless I can kill this intruder and fetch an antidote. Or get a healer to help me.

My knee buckled before I could reach the intruder. I stumbled, falling and catching myself on the table I kicked at him. My breath was becoming erratic. My vision was blurring. This was bad. My arms were practically dead. My striking arm wasn't reacting to my orders. There would be no killing this guy now.

The murderer felt comfortable walking into the room now that I was out of commission.

"Tell me why…" I tried to call out to him. Tried to speak. It came out as a whisper.

"Go now in peace, brother." The murderer muttered to me as he reached behind me, grabbing me by the scruff of my hair. "You've fought long enough. Time to rest." I heard the snap of a hidden blade. And then a yank on my hair.

What the fuck?

…

[Mother Red]

"Do I look alright?" I asked Olin, offering him a full glance at my formal robes. If Mother Goose was on her way down here, I had to look my best. I had to represent my Coven as their leader. She would be here any minute, and I didn't have time to get my sisters ready for this occasion. Most of them were getting ready for Vicky's birthday party, and as such, weren't dressed formally. Most of them were dressed for the party to come afterwards. I had to be the formal representation if there was to be one.

Olin gave me a good look over. "You always look good, honey."

No matter how much he says it, it still brings a blush to my face.

"Ah… there's the red I know and love." Olin said with a smirk.

I dropped my arms, giving Olin a stern look. "Olin… I need to know for real though. Mother Goose could be here any minute. I need to be presentable. Is my cape on correctly? Is my braid correct? Do I look slouchy? Is my makeup applied correctly? The mirror only tells me so much."

"So, I'll tell you if you want." I heard a voice behind me.

A woman with long braided blonde hair dressed in darkened Assassin robes, sat in the windowsill. She was holding a slice of birthday cake, biting into it as she sat there.

"Who are you?" I asked as I readied a spell in my hands. "Master did not tell me we were expecting visitors from another den.

The woman took another bite of the cake, nodding her head appreciatively. "I'm from the York Assassin's Den. An older Den than yours. My name is Mirror, but… you just learned that when I answered your question. And if I may…" She gave me a full glance over. Her eyes were light blue. She looked kind of like Olin. Like a Norse.

The woman snickered. "You have red on you."

I was about to ask what she meant, but as I stepped forward, something slammed into my shoulder from behind. I felt the slash of a sword across my back.

Olin was faster than I was. While he may have been surprised by our guest, he was now quickly turning around, throwing his arm out in a defensive swipe. The attacker's arm was thrown up as Olin closed in on our attacker. Olin quickly spun the attacker's arms around, getting within kicking range. Olin screamed as he snapped his foot out, planting it firmly on the attacker's stomach. With a heavy kick, the attacker was pushed out of the room. I heard the attacker scream out as he slammed into the wall behind him. Olin cracked his knuckles as he charged out the doorway.

That left me with the woman named Mirror sitting on the windowsill. I turned to face her. Mirror was still sitting there, eating the last bite of her slice of cake. "I really must say, this cake is divine. Made coming up here worth it." She choked down the last bite, nodding to me as she jumped off the window. "Well, get on with it. Let's do this."

I screamed as I threw my arms forward. Magick surged through me. The cut on my shoulder healed instantly, and a wave of heat and fire burst through my hands. Mirror jumped behind a bed, using it as a shield as my fire consumed everything around her.

I kept launching fire out of me as I tried to get someone to notice we were being attacked. If I made the castle catch on fire, some of my friends would surely notice. The bed Mirror was hiding behind was quickly burning away. Soon enough, she would be dead, if she wasn't already.

I kept the fire pressure going as I backed out of the room. I wanted to get away as quickly as I could and see if I could help Olin with his fight.

Okay, just got to keep focused. I can do this.

…

[Olin]

The attacker got lucky. I didn't hear him coming; I was so focused on the woman sitting in the window that I forgot to check the doors for more of them. He stabbed my wife so quickly that I didn't really have time to react in time to stop him from reaching her. When I turned around, blocking his arm away from us, I had just enough time to summon up the strength of my Nordic thighs to launch this skinny invader out of our room. Luckily for me, we kept displays of shields and swords in our room. I had time to grab the shield sitting by the door as well as my personal war axe before heading out to attack our intruder.

"Tell me." I said as I shield rammed into the attacker, slamming him harder against the wall. "What is your plan how that I have you pinned?"

"A well-timed shot." The attacker replied. He had a crossbow in his left hand. It wasn't aimed at me, but he pulled the trigger. I traced the shot, seeing the bolt hit a metallic shield we kept on the wall. The bolt skimmed off the shield, hitting a second one, and then soared over to me. I dove out of the way, keeping my shield up as the attacker lunged at me with his rapier. I caught the bolt on my shield, brushing it away from me as I readied my axe. I screamed as I charged him.

My attacker brought his saber down, trying to get underneath my shield, but I was better trained than that. I lowered my axe, catching his attack, and brought my shield up to his face. I slammed him hard against his face as I snapped my axe through his arm.

"Fuck!" The attacker swore, jumping back from me. "Master told me you were weak and pathetic."

I lowered myself into a charge. I bull-rushed the attacker, slamming him against a wall. "I'm Norse… The last thing anyone would dare call me is 'weak'." I roared in his face as I brought as my axe up. I felt something slam into my hand. It was the bolt I deflected earlier. It hit hard enough that my hand dropped my axe. The attacker, who I was now seeing was dressed as an Assassin, smirked as he reached around my shield. His crossbow was reloaded.

I jumped back as he pulled the trigger. A bolt barely skimmed my chin. It slammed into the ceiling, and I had a perfect view as it recoiled… right into my face.

… Well… that's… going to be hard to follow up. All up to you now, Red.

…

[Back to Red]

I managed to get outside of our bedroom, my fire still racing down at my now charred bed. Mirror was nowhere to be seen inside the burning room. That wasn't a good sign. Either she was gone, or she managed to get outside the window without being burned alive. And since I don't see a charred skeleton… that means she escaped.

I backed out into the hallway, looking for Olin. I quickly saw him getting slammed in the head with a crossbow bolt. And just like that, I watched as he fell to the ground. The entire world seemed to come to a halt. Olin… the man I loved, he was on the ground, dead. I felt time come to a stop. I snapped my hand out to our attacker, and I screamed as black lightning shot from my hands. The attacker had no time to act. He didn't need to. My attack was somehow diverted from him. It took a second to see that a Shield had been projected in front of him, deflecting my attack away my target.

"You're pretty… and strong. I like that in a woman." Mirror called from behind me.

I snapped my head around, bringing up a Shield spell of my own to defend me from anymore backside surprises.

Mirror stood in the middle of the hallway, her robes lightly charred. "My Mirror Armor almost couldn't protect me. You're pure onslaught." Mirror nodded to me. "Master was right about you. You're a dangerous one."

"And you're a dead one." I replied. "You killed my husband."

Mirror snickered. "You can't do anything to me."

"Watch me." I said as I snapped my hand out to her. I felt a light crackle of energy, but… then it fizzled away. My lightning attack was gone. If that wasn't bad enough, I felt my Shield spell melt away from behind me. What the heck was going on? And then I felt it. The small pulses of a neutralizing crystal. They were blocking magick with a special crystal.

"You… you bitch." I said as I heard the coated footsteps approaching behind me. I didn't have any weapons on me, but I did have one thing.

The man was behind me now, and so… I resorted to my tried and true method of catching idiots off guard. I turned around, snapping my hand out. The man wasn't expecting such a move, but more than that, he wasn't expecting what was in my hand. A bag full of powdered peppers. I scored him right in the face. He wasn't ready for that any more than Wolfe was. While he was distracted, I grabbed a knife off his belt, pulled it out, and then slammed it in his throat.

That's what I'm talking about!

I glanced back at Mirror, yanking the knife out of her friend's throat. "One down. One for one?"

Mirror glanced at her fallen friend. "I don't care. He did his job, and I'll do mine."

"You'll die before I will." I replied.

"I'm surprised the poison hasn't hit you yet." Mirror replied. "It was supposed to counteract your magick… and it's finally done that. Tell me… how are your fingers?"

I focused on my hand. My fingers felt tingly. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. "No…"

Mirror nodded, her eyes full of fake sympathy. "Yes…"

I screamed as I charged for her. Mirror laughed as she blocked my knife thrust. I dropped the knife from one hand into the other. I quickly jabbed the knife into her side. Mirror's gleeful smirk quickly vanished as she realized I had stabbed her with the same poisoned that had graced my back. I know Assassins like to prepare all their weapons. This one would be no different.

"Tit for tat." I said with a growing smirk. "Looks like we're both going down."

Mirror smirked. "I still accomplished my mission."

"And with you gone… so have I." I muttered as I felt to my knees.

"Well, not quite." Mirror pulled out a small vial. She raised it to her lips, taking a drink. "There… poison will be neutralized in a minute. I'll be fine. That was a good maneuver though. Think I'll remember that." Mirror patted me on the head as she walked past me. "Now time to kill your other friends."

I felt my eyes growing heavy. There wasn't anything more I could do. I guess this was it.

You've got to be fucking kidding me!

…

[Vicky Silver]

Mother was just now getting inside the town. The power clouds were over the town now, lightning crackling. The town was surrounded by a strong windstorm. The six other coven witches were beginning to surround me, all keeping their staffs aimed out towards the town. Why were they here? Were they trying to protect me from something?

Mother nodded to me as she walked up. "Vicky, darling. It's your 13th birthday. Here is your present." Mother held out a small box for me to take. It was dressed in sigils.

"Pandora's Box…" I muttered. "This can't be a present for me. It's a present for you."

"A present for all of us." Mother corrected me. "In mere moments, everything will change. You will usher in a new age. An age of prosperity."

"An age of darkness." I heard a new voice call from the Assassin Den.

Both mother and I looked up. Standing on the outer balcony was the man from my nightmares. The Dark Assassin.

"You?" Mother called out. "Witches, that's the man. Get him!"

The six accompanying witches all aimed their staffs as the Dark Assassin, launching prepared spells of lightning, fire, and pure light. The Assassin Den became a target, spells erupting all around it. The other witches from my coven were quickly arriving to see what was happening.

Lucy was in front of everyone, running up to me. "Vicky? What's going on?"

"We're under attack!" Mother screamed. "Bricksville Coven, prepare your battle spells. We are at war."

And then, as if on some unknown command, I saw more and more Dark Assassins appearing on the rooftops. I counted nearly ten of them. And then dropped down on top of my sisters. Among them was Jon Blacke, a boy I embarrassed earlier for bullying my crush, Brian. And next to him was… Morrigan. And if she was here… that meant… Brian…

I felt tears coming to my cheeks as I turned to face them. They were quickly running up to me.

"Mom… do it. Do it now!" I screamed.

Mother nodded, raising her hands to the sky. "Ready the box, honey."

"No." I replied. "I'm going to need every ounce of it."

Mother glared at me, but she didn't hesitate as she directed her glare to the sky. "Mother Hecate, I call upon thee to help me unlock the seal I placed upon my child. I call upon the powers that be as I release her Power." Mother placed her hand on the back of my neck. Normally, she'd grab me on my forehead, focusing on my forehead, but my attention was focused on the two charging at me.

Mother pulled her hand up my neck, her fingers tracing my spine. I felt something inside me start to shake, and then I felt something begin to pull. In my mind, I could see a cage. And inside it was me. I was in the fetal position. She looked malnourished. Forgotten. Locked away to never see the light of day.

And the me that existed now was standing outside the locked cage. In my hands was the key to her escape. The key to my survival.

I walked up to the cage through the murky water. As I approached the cage, the malnourished me glanced up at me. She rose to her feet, giving me a wary look. "Are you here to free me?"

I nodded. "Yes. I'm here to free us."

I stuck the key into the cage, and turned the lock. As soon as the door opened, I was welcomed by a blinding light.

"Thank you." The me whispered through me as I snapped my eyes open.

A bolt of lightning called down from the sky, slamming into me. My Power had been awakened.

Jon and Morrigan were about to reach me, but my sudden outburst threw them both away from me at the last second. They both slammed into the wall of a nearby building. Images started to flash through my eyes. I could see Brian dying… I could see Malik and Laila being killed by the Dark Assassin. Red and Olin murdered by two trained Assassins. And I knew it was real. It happened. It was happening right now.

I felt destroyed. My friends… my family. They were murdered. Gone! Everyone I actually cared about, murdered in front of me. Well, not in front of me, but I did get to witness their deaths through the visions forming inside my mind. I watched every single one of them like I was standing around them. Brian was killed by Jon and Morrigan. They played him as a fool and killed him when he was poisoned. Malik was taken out in a similar fashion. Olin was defeated by an unexpected bolt to the face. And Red was poisoned. And my sisters were being slain by witch hunters right now as I thought. I couldn't let this go on. I couldn't let this dark assassin guild destroy my life… my family.

Power surged through me. As it collected in me, I felt something inside me explode. I was back in the murky water. The malnourished me was now standing in front of me. Power surged around her. She no longer looked malnourished. She looked like me but covered in scales. Her eyes looked serpentine. "I have the power to fix this. Do you wish to fix this?"

I stared into the serpentine me's eyes. "Are you my power?"

She smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm you. The you that exists. Now… and forever." She pulled me in for a tight hug. "Now… do you want to fix this? I can only do this once, so… you better get it right."

"Get what right?"

The lizard me laughed as she pulled me away. She brought a finger to my forehead. "Embrace Eternity…" Her voice echoed as she flicked me in the forehead.

…

The world around me vanished. I felt like I was being pulled into a whirlpool of time and space. And then I felt myself crash into something. It felt like a hard floor.

I groaned as I opened my eyes. I was dressed in my nightgown. My blanket was still on top of me. And I was awkwardly placed out of my bed. My leg was still wrapped in my blanket, but my head and shoulders were definitely resting on the floor. And I had one hell of a headache to boot. Did… did I just fall out of my bed? Was that all a dream?

I sighed as I rolled my leg out of my coiled blanket. I shook off the headache, using magick to ease the pain. Well… I wonder what day it was. Wasn't today my birthday?

I found myself sighing. Just another nightmare. I should get used to them by now. They won't stop coming.

My room didn't look very different. It was just like how I left it. I quickly stood up, brushing my blanket off me.

"Vicky? Are you okay? I heard a crash." It was Sukey. She had the room next to me.

"I'm fine, Sukey. Just fell out of bed is all." I called out to her. "Had one heck of a nightmare to tell you about later."

"Okay." Sukey replied. "Well, it will have to wait until tonight. I'm heading out with Jill to fetch a pail of enchanted water from the mystical lake we discovered last month."

Sukey and Jill were going to do what? But… they already did that not too long ago.

"You just did that five days ago. We have enough to last a whole month."

"No…" Sukey said with some hesitation. "We planned on doing it today. We'll have five days until the full moon to let it charge with our crystals. The moonlight will transform the enchanted water into enchanted moon water. And with that… you know…" I knew what she was talking about.

She was referring to my moon water bath. After reclaiming my power, I was going to want to lie down in a bath drawn with enchanted water to help me ease myself into my new power. Wait… I remember this day. This happened five days ago!

I felt a small smirk of the serpentine me inside my mind. You have five days, me. Get everyone prepared.

I felt every nerve on me catch on fire. Power surged through my hands. Wait… I was awakened?

"Um… Sukey… I seemed to have peaked early. I'm going to need that moon water tonight."

Sukey grumbled through the doorway. "You always get unfair treatment."

"You have no idea…" I mumbled back.

Cearbhail:

Now do you understand why I've waited. I needed a lot of wine to do this. Well, it is New Years Eve on December 31st, 2021. Let us ring in the new year right. With a fresh start.