In-Between Lives
Amitie couldn't take her eyes off the witch. Her red and white dress, once assumed as fine and almost regal, was torn at the edges and dotted with dirt, grime, and stains. The fabric was thin, ready to tear at the seams with the slightest tug. Her long tresses of blonde hair were twisted at the ends and brushed against the splintered wooden floor. Amitie focused on the strangely rotted bows that adored her shoulders, but miraculously, the one sitting atop her head seemed to be in perfect condition.
Raffina concerned herself with the décor. Off-white skulls and dusty tomes littered the floor. Broken, gray animal skulls and femurs were shaped into chairs and shelves around the oak table. Water seeped in through the cracks in the corners of the room, which left Raffina raising her eyebrows. She was certain that she didn't see any sort of pond behind the shabby shack and knowing the forest, she only knew of a stream closer towards the entrance.
"Um, hello!" Amitie grinned and waved a bit too eagerly. "I'm Amitie, and this is Raffina."
"Charmed, I'm sure," she said, crossing her arms, her normally arrogant smile replaced with a scowl.
"Amitie and Raffina, what familiar names you two have," the witch whispered, resting her thin hand to her bony cheek. Sliding off the creaking table, she drew closer and inspected their faces. "You even look like them." She pinched her forefinger and thumb together with a tiny grin playing on her chapped lips. "Just a little, of course."
"Haven't you heard it's rude to impede on one's personal space?" Raffina snapped, taking an involuntary step back. Her hand knocked against the door. "And open this now. Locking in your guests is-"
"No. I won't be letting you go," the witch interjected, and Raffina bristled, her cheeks coloring to a vibrant red hue.
Shooting her finger at the witch's nose, she barked, "You can't keep us prisoners in your grotesque hut. People will come looking and-"
"No one has found this place in fifty years." The witch slapped Raffina's hand, a low chuckle rolling up from the back of her throat. "Do you think anyone would come find you when they can't even find me?"
Amitie shivered as Raffina clutched her hand, indignation burning in her eyes. She spared a glance at her trembling friend. A rare bead of sweat dribbled down from her temple to her chin, and Amitie watched it fall, the severity of their situation dawning on her.
"I haven't had girls my age as guests in so long." The witch smiled, giggling as if she hadn't struck Raffina. Spinning on her heels, she returned to the table and added, "Let me make some tea. Is herbal fine?"
"No! No, it most certainly is not!" Raffina shouted, stomping forward. "If you don't want a kick to your jaw, then you will let us go!" She cleared her throat. "If you please."
The witch blinked, her dull blue eyes taking in the girls before her. "Well, you're rude. I guess I'll only make tea for Amitie."
"Oh, uh, I'm good! Really, really good!" Amitie laughed and shook her head, the corners of her lips stretching into her cheeks.
Her mouth settled into a frown. The witch lowered her shoulders and threaded her fingers through her knotted locks. She peered into the adjacent room, which Amitie noticed had a few rusted pots scattered on the floor, but the shadows prevented her from seeing much else.
"You're our hostess, and a hostess must listen to her guests," Raffina remarked, eagerly piercing through the witch's resolve. She squared her shoulders. "Now, shall we sit down? I'd love to discuss certain topics with you if you've found your cool."
Amitie withheld her gasp. She flicked her attention between the neutral witch and smirking Raffina. Among her friends, only Raffina could be so poised and confident in front of a powerful sorceress. Not even Klug, with all of his arrogance, could touch someone like her, and Amitie found herself grinning at the slight edge Raffina had over the witch.
Snapping her fingers, the witch listened to the door click and Raffina's snickering, her song of victory. The witch stepped back to her table and pulled out two rickety chairs. She gestured for them to sit as she took her place at the opposite end. Waving her hand, a puff of golden sparkles surrounded her fingertips as she summoned a linen tablecloth out of thin air. As Amitie marveled and Raffina rolled her eyes, she splayed it perfectly over the rotted wood.
Raffina crossed her legs as she sat, and Amitie clutched the edge of her seat, grimacing from the pricking splinters that poked against her palms. Blowing on her hands, she rubbed them on her shorts and flashed a friendly smile at the witch.
"So," Raffina began before Amitie could begin chattering, "do you have a name?"
"We're all born with names. What a stupid question," the witch deadpanned, smirking as Raffina dug her fingers into her palms.
"For-for an esteemed witch, you're certainly lowbrow."
"Huh? 'Lowbrow?'" Amitie pointed at her eyebrows. "But her eyebrows seem kinda high on her head to me."
The witch and Raffina briefly looked at Amitie, their eyes wide before settling back into their glaring match. Realizing she had made a social faux pas, Amitie blushed. She rocked her legs under the table and peered around the room, hoping to come up with something new to say.
"Oh! Um, Miss Witch!" Amitie shot her hand into the air. "Are you really five hundred years old?"
The witch nodded. "Five hundred and it's definitely not less."
"Wow! How'd you live so long?"
She chuckled, a bitter dryness etched in her voice. "Immortality is a curse more than a blessing, and I'll be the first to tell you that."
The cheer quickly faded from Amitie's voice as she quietly replied, "Are you seriously immortal?"
"Why would you say that? If you're immortal, than you can remain young and beautiful forever" Raffina leaned forward, her lips creasing into a thin line. "Though, with hair like that, I suppose you really let yourself go."
The witch leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling. She watched a line of ants crawl through a gash in the rusted metal slats that she could pretend was a makeshift roof on a pleasant night. They trekked along in an even line marching off for duties unknown, and she sighed, closing her eyes.
"You girls, you definitely live normal lives. Learning magic, having fun, that's the life I once lived." She rubbed her neck. "In another world, that's the same life I had."
Gasping, Amitie cried, "Another world? We have-"
"If I can interrupt," Raffina grabbed Amitie's arm, "then I'd like to let the witch finish." She fixed her bangs, hiding her face with her arm and whispering, "Shush, will you?"
Amitie grumbled, crossing her arms and hunching forward. She had so many friends on other worlds with such easy access of reaching them. Certainly the witch would have liked to hear about that if she was lamenting her immortality and past.
Observing them for a moment, the witch fiddled with her torn sleeve. She smoothed down the creases and let her attention fall back to Amitie. "My world was a magical one. We lived and breathed magic. I went to school to learn healing and effect magic, and I had many lively friends." She gripped her chin and rested her elbow on the table. "One of my closest friends just happened to be the heroine of that world."
"I see. That does sound similar to our world," Raffina replied, her interest piqued.
"What did you do for fun?" Amitie asked, tilting her head.
"Oh, lots of things." The witch chuckled. "We'd practice spells and explore dungeons. We'd play pranks on each other or shopping or eat curry together." She sighed, a wistful cloud fogging her vision. "When I was very little, I'd even chase after my beloved."
Raffina tensed. From what she recalled from Tarutaru, her legend involved her crying out for her beloved. She would dash throughout villages and what would eventually Primp Town sobbing for the love she had lost, clawing on doors and leaving gashes behind. She straightened her back, noticing a blur mar the witch's eyes.
"He was...a hero. Just like that other girl, he was a hero in his own right." A wistful sigh slipped out of her. "I loved him when I was so young. We were all children, and when I fell in love, I fell hard. All I could focus on was him and him alone. Even my kindergarten teacher was worried that I was focusing too much on him." She chuckled, her head bowing and bangs covering her eyes. "Yes, I loved him so much. I loved him more than I could ever love anyone else, but he-"
Amitie's heart panged as the witch sucked down a sharp breath. If Ally heard such a miserable love story, she was certain she would cry on the spot.
"That's quite a tale," Raffina remarked, twirling a lock of pink hair, "but I have a question."
The witch grimaced. "What now?"
"You're five hundred years old. Have you been staying here this entire time?" She chuckled as the witch stiffly nodded. "Oh, what? Like Amitie says, 'get really real!'"
"Is there something funny about that? Is there something funny about mourning my losses? Can someone like you even fathom what I've lost?" The witch's voice trembled, and Amitie noticed her long nails carving into her palms.
"Uh, Raf, maybe you shouldn't antagonize her."
Raffina nudged away Amitie's hand from her shoulder. She stood up, leering down at the witch with a composed smile. She splayed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "You see, from what I'm hearing, this is pitiful."
The witch leaned back and flicked her chin up. "How so?"
"You're making a big mess out of yourself because you lost your Prince Charming. So, because of that..." She swept her hand out to the various bones scattered around them. "...you threw temper tantrums! You've obviously taken your anger out in such an unproductive way and think you're above everyone else. To that, I say you're not even that great of a witch." She jabbed her finger at the witch's nose, ignoring Amitie fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "You're just some big coward, aren't you?"
"Co...ward..." The witch sounded the word out. She said it under her breath and then echoed it louder.
Raffina neatly pushed in her seat. She snickered through closed, smirking lips. She ascertained the situation all too well. Before her was a simple monster, someone who chose to hurt others to distract herself from her own pain.
"While I'm sympathetic when it comes to searching for love, have you done anything worthwhile since arriving here?" She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Because it certainly looks like you haven't. What right do you have to act so strangely and harm others? Because you lost your loved one? That simply does not cut it."
The witch did not reply and lowered her head.
"I don't have time to deal with someone who tries to act mysterious only to end up as all talk. Sure, I'm looking for my prince, too, but I have other goals as well! I train and study every day. Someone who laments about love and does nothing about making herself better isn't worth my time." She drummed her fingers on her pouch and pivoted on her heels. "Come along, Amitie. We're done here."
"Diacute...diacute...diacute...diacute, diacute, diacute..."
Amitie swallowed, the spell all too familiar. She jerked her head over to the witch, watching her lips move and utter almost imperceptible words. She knew that spell was Arle's enforcing magic, one that greatly enhanced her next attack. Orange pulses surrounded the witch's hands, and as she slowly rose to her feet, Amitie gasped.
Rushing up to Raffina, she slammed her shoulder into her back. They yelped, knocking into the hard wood floor and scrapped their arms and hands. Amitie rubbed her jaw, but before Raffina could scream at her, it happened.
"EXPLOSION!"
Heat enveloped them and shot outwards, decimating the table. The single fireball burst into dozens, rocketing towards the walls and ignited them. The hut seared and burst, choking them with black smog. Raffina and Amitie huddled on the floor, the latter having barely put up a flimsy shield in time to send the crackling flares spiraling at the bones.
The witch levitated towards them, her hands balled into smoking fists. She glowered at the stupefied girls, her eyes no longer human. Each inch closer propelled the volley of flames that battered against Amitie's shield. As Amitie grunted and held out her hands, desperately hoping to keep her shield up, the witch giggled.
"Call me a coward, will you? Go on! Say it again! Say it again when you didn't listen! Say it again when I had no choice!" Her grin edged on inhuman with too many teeth showing.
"A-and what good would it have done? Didn't you say you weren't going to leave us alive?" Raffina spat out, hurrying to her knees behind Amitie. She noticed her friend grunting, a vein sprouting in her brow as she forced the shield to linger despite the fiery onslaught. "Amitie, Amitie, hold on for a bit. I'll handle her."
"R-Raffina, she's really strong," she whimpered, her arms pushed back by a particularly strong fireball. Coughing, she held her breath as the smoke wafted around them.
Clapping her hands together, the witch stopped the spell. She glanced at her abode, utterly decimated and burning. The smog rose beyond the trees and mingled with the sky. She knew trouble would come find her, but at the same time, all she could do was smile.
"I haven't had fun with magic students in so long. The last one who came here, she was a bit younger than you. Purple hair, glasses, she was a lot of fun." She sighed. "She was the only one who ever escaped me."
"And we will too!" Raffina proclaimed, shooting to her feet. She readied herself, keeping one fist in front of her face and one by her hips.
The witch hummed. Her pose reminded her of another fighter. Glancing down at Amitie who gasped as her shield released, she found the same passion of the heroine glowing in her eyes.
"It's like I thought. You two really are like them, but they're dead. They died long ago." She brushed her hair over her shoulders. "You know, you were right when you said I was a coward. I could've fought with them, but given the chance to escape, I took it without realizing what I was doing."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Amitie asked, taking Raffina's arm to help herself stand up.
"My world was destroyed just like you two will be. No trace. No memory. Nothing will be left of you just as nothing was left of my world."
She said it like she was commenting on the weather. Chills raced down their spines despite the flames scorching the earth around them. Silence pounded in their ears and raced with the blood rushing in their skulls.
As soon as Amitie exhaled a held breath, the witch bellowed, "Mind Blast!"
The witch summoned dizzying waves, but Raffina grabbed Amitie's hands and dashed away. As Amitie stumbled over her own feet, Raffina quickly stuffed her into shrubbery. Leaves coated their hair, but she wasn't bothered, too enraged to care for appearances.
"Raffina! What are you-?"
"I got us into this mess." She swallowed. "So, it's only right and proper of me to get us out. Besides..." She offered a weary smile. "...it'll mean I'm worthy of the Super Courageous Heroine title, right?"
She flinched, the bush's thorns sticking into her legs. Before she could help, her friend had already darted back out to confront the witch. Grunting, she tried pulling her legs out, but the thorns stubbornly clung to her socks and shorts. She tried gripping the vines that wove within the bush, but thorns pierced her palms and forced her to recoil.
"Leave Amitie out of this. I'm the one who upset you, not her. While I'm not sorry, it means I'll be your more than worthy opponent." Raffina cracked her knuckles and neck. "Are you prepared?"
The witch chuckled. "You even sound like her. Down the way you treat others, you really are like her. Do you have a monstrous servant, too?"
"Ha! I think you and Feli would get along greatly, but I'm not one for cryptic jargon if you please! Now, it's thrashing time!" Raffina ran at the witch, her fists gathering by her pouch. A spark raced through her, and she grunted, smashing her fist upwards. "Flamme!"
Her fiery punch missed as the witch sidestepped, but Raffina wasn't finished. She kicked the witch's afterimages, grimacing with each failed attack. Every punch, kick, and elbow met with a mirage. The witch simply ducked, dodged, and leaned away, but Raffina managed to strike at her nose, hitting the faintest bit of skin.
"There! Decharge!" Raffina cried, thrusting her palm at the witch's neck.
She struck her square on her jugular, and once the electrifying hit landed, she pounced. She delivered a kick to her shins, forcing the witch to buckle backwards. Beaming, Raffina felt the rush of victory course through her.
The witch merely blinked as she gazed at the sun, wondering if it was the same one her beloved had been under all those years ago.
With all of her magical power collecting in her right leg, Raffina swung and slammed it right into the witch's chin, roaring, "Ciel Arc!"
Her kick, infused with the power of the rainbow and the strength of a mighty warrior, sent the witch flying high into the sky. The smog that continued rising covered her ascension. Raffina watched as she was devoured by the smoke, satisfied with her pleasant smirk stretching into her cheek.
"Not worth the trouble," she sneered, dusting her hands together.
Amitie ripped herself free from the bush, stars illuminating in her eyes. "Raf! That was great! You were incredible! I can't believe you beat her!" She clutched Raffina's hands, swinging her classmate around in a circle.
"O~hohoho! Was there ever any-?"
She stopped herself. Amitie's eyes had gone painfully wide. She watched her pupils dilate until they were nothing more than pinpricks. Releasing Amitie's hands, she looked over her shoulder as if she was trapped in slow motion.
The witch raised two fingers and pressed them to Raffina's brow. With only a bruise forming on her chin, it was the one sign of damage done to her despite Raffina's volley of blows. Her eyes, sparking with wild madness, widened as she fired off a spell.
"Ongoku," she whispered, and it was over.
Pain speared through Raffina's mind. It was hotter than any flame she could summon from her pouch. She cried out, clutching her head and collapsing to her knees, but before she could fully acknowledge her suffering, her eyes clouded over.
Sleep tugged at her eyelids. She wanted to close them so terribly. It was as if she was suddenly resting on a comfortable pillow draped in the warmest blankets. The urge was too powerful, too mighty to resist as her body refused her begging mind to stay awake, to stay alive.
Raffina fell over and slackened. Her breathing grew shallow, and Amitie's voice sounded miles away. She could hardly register her hands shaking her limp shoulders. With her blinking, tired eyes, she made out swathes of yellow, red, and pink blocking out the sun.
"Raffina! Raffina! Stay with me! Open your eyes!" Amitie wailed, and Raffina uttered a weary yawn.
"Amitie...I'm sorry. I was too arrogant. I..." She trailed off, but she managed to lift her hand. She clutched her shoulder, feeling her thoughts fade into obscurity. "Run. Run away as fast as...you can...go..."
Her hand collapsed onto the firm earth. Her eyelids slid shut, and she felt like she was falling. No one heard her scream as she tumbled deeper and deeper into a never-ending abyss.
Amitie froze. She held Raffina's sleeping form in her arms. To the average person, she looked like a princess waiting for the kiss of her true love to wake her.
"She'll never wake up. As long as I live, she'll never come to again," the witch sneered, bending over and leering down at Amitie.
Trembling, she slowly set Raffina on the ground. She could still hear Raffina's insults and laughter ringing in her ears.
"That girl was the one who wasn't worth the trouble. Who did she think she was? Empowering herself with magic from a pouch. Even the one I knew trained harder than she ever could."
Amitie remembered Raffina waking up at the first hint of dawn to train. She exercised and practiced more than any of their classmates. Not even Tarutaru could lift as much as she could. Not even Klug studied all the answers compared to her. She had some of the highest marks in class, and it was all thanks to her dedication and discipline.
"What a weakling. My beloved would have beaten her instantaneously." She rolled her eyes. "To think I thought you two were like them. I was fooling myself."
Amitie's eyes snapped open. Her vision crossed, doubling Raffina's frail body. As the witch cackled, she focused her raw anger into her left hand, fresh and pained like an open wound, and shot for the witch.
"BAYOEN!"
The witch could only make out Amitie's fingers when it happened. She was blown backwards, smashing into a tree as the hail of flowers crushed her. Her senses quickly became warped, cluttered thoughts and stunned muscles filling her head and body. As her back slammed through the tree, she gasped as it came toppling down, summoning a shield to force the tree to land next to her.
The witch gasped, her body shaking with each breath. Footsteps encroached towards her. Flicking her gaze down, she let her mouth fall open.
"I won't let you talk about my friend like that," Amitie said, magic pulses flickering around her, and to the witch, she truly appeared like the heroine of her world. "Raffina was right. You can't treat people like that. You can't take your anger out on them like that! Just because you're sad doesn't mean you can mistreat others! Now, wake Raffina up!"
With a cry, Amitie threw herself at the witch...who smiled.
Classes were over for the day, and sitting alone at his desk, Tarutaru fretted. The empty seats in front of them left him sweating. He pressed his fingers together, his brow creased and lips pursed. His foot rapidly tapped against the floor as Lidelle and Klug passed him chatting about an upcoming joint project they were going to present to class tomorrow.
Amitie and Raffina hadn't returned. Even though he told them about the Witch of Nahe, he assumed they would have come back by now. No one had seen the witch in decades. Either she didn't exist or they got lost, but it was the explosion that roared in the distance that made the sweat roll down his cheeks much faster. Even though Ms. Accord reassured them the explosion was probably just a Puyo battle, his heart couldn't accept it.
"Tarutaru."
He yelped, his head flicking up so quickly that his hat almost fell off. Accord smiled at him, Popoi sitting on her shoulder with Sig standing by her side with a stack of papers. He fixed his cap, his cheeks thoroughly red as his teacher chuckled.
"M-Ms. Accord, sorry. I didn't see you there," he admitted, bowing his head.
"Well, yes. You were looking out the window for the rest of class," she teased, lightly pinching his pudgy cheek.
"Are you worried about that explosion?" Sig asked. "Is that why you keep looking out?"
Tarutaru fidgeted with his jacket. "Well, yeah. Uh, Ms. Accord, I gotta tell you something."
She tilted her head. "You can tell me anything. You seemed so distressed during class that I didn't want to ask you in front of everyone in case you were embarrassed."
He groaned and shot out of his seat. "It's Raffina and Amitie! I told them about the legend, and they haven't come back!"
"What legend? Actually, which one? Primp has a lot of legends," Sig replied, sitting the papers on the nearest desk.
"The Witch of Nahe, I told 'em about her."
Accord's smile faded. Her hands tensed by her waist.
"Oh, the Witch of Nyahe? What a meowsance she is," Popoi jeered, and Accord lightly batted his head with her thumb. "Nya-ow! Why'd you do that?"
"When I told them during break period, they went off to find her, and they haven't come back! That's why they've been gone for the rest of class!" Tarutaru felt as if his strength was zapped, and he collapsed back into his seat. "I'm worried. Raffina wanted to challenge her and took Amitie with her, but..."
"Are you saying they're in trouble?" Sig interjected, his demonic claw twitching.
"Tarutaru," Accord whispered and gently patted his shoulder, "it's okay. I'll find Amitie and Raffina." Straightening, she smiled at Sig. "I'll need someone to help me in case there's trouble, so, Sig, if you'll do the honors?"
"Sure thing." He gave her a thumbs-up.
"And also..."Accord snatched the papers and slapped them on Tarutaru's desk, earning a yelp in return. "...for your punishment of not paying attention, please file these away in my office. They're my lesson plans for next month, so make sure you order them by the dates, okay?"
Grimacing, Tarutaru accepted the papers. "Uh, yeah, but make sure they're okay...okay?"
"I will. Don't worry, Tarutaru. By tomorrow, everything will be normal again." Accord grinned and gestured for Sig to follow her out the classroom.
"Are we going out to that explosion?" he asked, quickly keeping up the pace when she took off in a sprint.
"Oh, yes. I have some...unfinished business with the witch, after all."
All Accord could do as she ran with Popoi clinging to her shoulder was hope she would make it in time before the girls suffered the fate she almost given.
So, I kept Raffina's original spells because I actually really like her saying her spells in French like how Lidelle says her spells in Italian. I think it adds more to her character, and while I like the English version of her spells, too, I just picked the French ones to give them some love. Also, thank you all for supporting this story! I know it's been a bit since updates for some chapters since I actually got really sick during all of April, and I've been accepted to various zines while writing this story, so all of that really took up my time, but thanks again for all of your comments and reviews! I really appreciate it!