External Magic was interesting to say the least. Like every guide book, it read like a text book. This meant I was fighting just to stay awake. Still, if I could do what this book was claiming, perhaps I was not as helpless as I thought. That was enough to keep me reading.

The introduction struck me in particular with this sense of hope. It read: "In the Demon Realm, there were two types of magic. Witches, and other demons, are blessed with a bile sack attached to their hearts. This allows them to produce their own magic, which can and must be spent in order to maintain equilibrium. This energy, however, is limited on the witch's ability to produce bile. Witches with a deficiency or that have expended their bile, will find themselves unable to cast spells. This is internal magic's core principle. However, what few witches fail to realize is the unlimited power of external magic. The Demon Realm is teaming with natural magic, and is most commonly utilized in potions brewing and bard magic. There are means of casting spells without expending any bile at all, if one is willing to call upon the realm's wild magic."

I had read halfway through the book already, using a notebook from my backpack for notes. That was when I heard the same tune I heard in the woods coming from the far wall. Closing the book, I placed it back on the shelf as the main door swung open to Raine and Eda walking hand in hand. With a soft smile, I nodded to the two.

"So," I glanced at the couple, "Any luck finding anything while at school?"

Eda shook her head before I noticed a third figure walking through the doorway, "I have to study. Lilith and I are trying out for the Emperor's Coven. Raine can help with research, though."

I sighed as I watched the two sisters leave. Clearly this coven thing was a big deal, but I was stranded, in more ways than one. I couldn't even leave the clubhouse on my own. It was mildly infuriating to say the least.

"Everything okay?" Raine sat down beside me, removing the cloak from their uniform.

"I really have to get home," I suppressed a sob that left the back of my eyes burning, "The human world, its on fire. People are dying of starvation, and I had the opportunity to do something about it, and I failed. Now I'm stuck here, in a place completely foreign, hidden away and I can't even leave the library. I-I don't know what to do. . ." The words were now tumbling out of my mouth as quickly as the tears were, and I was quickly running out of air. The trained organizer in me was screaming for me to get ahold of myself, reign in some sense of control, but it only made the tears fall faster. I could feel my vocal cords wrapping around my windpipe as I started to gasp for air, still babbling about my failures, until I couldn't breathe at all. Curling up on the couch, my vision began to fade.

When I awoke, I was in a hospital, laying on a couch adjacent to a bed. My grandmother was in the bed, as thin as a skeleton. Her crooked fingers were pressed against her chest like some mummy in a tomb. My mother and sister were there, staring at the sleeping figure. She was dying, not for lack of money or because she couldn't get better. She just didn't want to live anymore. I hated this nightmare. I hated this reality. I felt so helpless as I watched her die, knowing it didn't have to end this way. I laid on the couch and cried, for it was all I could do, my body shaking in sorrow at how powerless I was.

"Marlow? Marlow!" I found myself on the floor, Raine standing over me, "You spaced out for a second. Are you alright?"

"No," I pulled myself up to my feet wiping the tears from my eyes, "but I want your help. I want to learn how to come and go from this place."

"You're not a witch," Raine grabbed my shoulder, "You can't-"

"Play a tune?" I smirked, "How about you teach me, and we find out?"