~Chapter 18~

Corissa

Four barriers brought down in what seemed to be little time...that girl was moving quickly, which I greatly appreciated. The sooner her job finished with the barriers, the sooner I could finally have Joel dispose of her. I didn't know how many barriers were left, but I had plenty of new areas opened up to me already and while Noella moved through each province, I had my spies and soldiers slowly make their way into the newly acquired entrances of the new kingdoms. The last I spoke with Joel, he was heading into oceanic territory with her. Upon Grimhilde's demise, I brought her mirror to my home on the Forbidden Mountain. I sought out council from my new mirror wondering if there was a threat to me. The mirror then informed me of an old sea witch with abysmal powers compared to mine, but she had powers nonetheless. I decided to make my presence known to her and teleported myself to that aquatic world. After finding my way to her lair, I was cordial with her and warned her of an incoming threat. That woman so imbued with light. Noella. The witch mocked me telling me how ridiculous I sounded. I gave her a fair shot and enough warning, but I left her to deal. It was a few days later that my spies informed me of that old witch's demise. I had warned her, but it didn't matter. Noella was doing all the work for me removing people in power in the various provinces beyond the barriers. Nobody could stand in my way.

As Noella moved her way across the provinces opening them up to me, I remained in my domain for a time just planning out my next moves. Was it too early for me to stamp myself in each of these new territories? I had been waiting and patient long enough. It was time to reveal my presence and control. Drake, my crow and trusted spy, flew down from the nearby window landing on my shoulder. I took my staff and rolled my hand around the green orb on the top raising it above my head as I vanished from my castle. Teleportation was just one of the magic powers I enjoyed at will. My first stop was joining a small battalion of my loyal soldiers who I ordered to disperse starting at Grimhilde's former province. Her reign ended and mine was just beginning. My soldiers had gathered up all loyalists to the princess named Snow White. They were lined up before me as a crowd gathered around.

"Listen well, all of you, this province is under new authority. My authority." I yelled raising my arms up high, "All those who wish to remain true to the light, will be made an example of." I warned.

"And what if we don't comply?" A voice from the crowd asked.

I turned around not catching the imbecile who dared to ask such an idiotic question. I quickly walked up to the first loyalist in the line summoning my dark powers of energy pouring from my hand and in a fluid swipe, I slit their throats in succession right down the line. All my victims began gagging on their own blood and toppled over dead in seconds.

"Get the idea?" I warned, "Any other takers?"

"W-Who are you?" Another villager asked timidly.

I saw this commentator this time and pushed my way through the crowd looking at this man intensely. Quickly, I grabbed his neck and squeezed putting tremendous pressure on his throat.

"Corissa." I answered and promptly threw him to the ground.

As I walked away, immediate whispering among the citizens began and I could hear the fear in their voices. This was just the beginning. I raised my staff toward the sky and began a spell. This land had too much color and brightness, so I remedied that with another spell imbued with my darkness and malice that spread across the province. The sky filled with clouds and it quickly began to rain. I appointed a chief commander to lead the soldiers around this province giving him authority in my absence making sure my wishes for this province are carried out. I conjured my commander a small magic mirror to keep in contact with me frequently. This was but the first province I was going to make some drastic changes. That young woman, Noella certainly had done me a huge service in breaking down these barriers. There were three new provinces that I would stake claim to. Perhaps I could have Joel kill her now.

"No! Don't harm my daughter!" A voice inside me cried out.

So the real Corissa really was still with me. How entertaining it would be to have that girl's mother be a first hand witness to her daughter's murder.

"You have my body, leave Noella alone!" The voice said again frantically.

I ignored her demands and returned to my mountain. The drastic changes I made were noticed by loyalists and they tried to reclaim the province in the name of the princess, but their numbers were easily stamped out by my own. The threat of my name carried on throughout the province and even beyond the borders. I sat on my throne in my castle stewing about where I wanted to go and what I would do next. Drake cawed at me and I gently petted him. Soon a bright light appeared in the center of the room and I had to shield my eyes. The light was bothersome and I could sense the familiarity. Finally the light dimmed and who came forth from the light surprised me. A woman with long cascading blonde hair down her back wearing a forest green dress came towards me. She stood before me and the light emanating from her being was intense and seemed brighter than I remembered. However, she was no stranger, but she naturally looked at me as if I was one.

"Your powers of darkness are not welcome in the provinces of Fantasia. My sister and I might not have been acquainted in nearly three hundred years, but you have no right to this domain."

"It's nice to see you again Kadri." I said standing tall staring her down intensely.

She stopped surprised by my response. My face and body may be altered, but I saw the realization in her eyes.

"Maleficent?" She said raising a brow.

"My name is Corissa." I corrected her stamping my staff on the hard stone floor.

"I thought you were gone…" Kadri replied.

"Don't believe things you hear. What would you know of it anyway? Are you still a an acting fairy of the forces of light and purity?"

"Naturally." She curtseyed waving her hand.

"Ugh, you make me sick. Clearly, you haven't changed." I shrugged.

"Neither have you." Kadri frowned crossing her arms.

"Only in body." I said standing tall and proud. "Why have you come?"

"When forces of the dark press into the provinces, it tends to stir up disaster and it's my job to stop it from happening."

"And if I refuse?" I challenged raising a brow.

"I will make you." Kadri replied pulling out her wand from up her sleeve.

"Can't you look the other way? I'm your sister." I reasoned taunting her.

"Those words mean nothing since you chose the wrong path…" Kadri replied, "And I want to free you from that path and I'll start by freeing that poor woman whose body you have taken captive."

"Silence!" I yelled raising my staff and shooting a stream of green firebolts at her, which Kadri easily deflected putting her hands up defensively waving her wand around blocking my attacks.

"You're skills have improved little sister." I commented with a smirk.

"That tends to happen after three hundred years." She answered.

For a few minutes, I volleyed large blasts of dark magic at her, which she deflected every time. She wouldn't fight back, but only shield herself or deflect.

"Typical Kadri, always playing defense and never offense." I mocked.

"I refuse to acknowledge your pathetic mind games." Kadri replied.

"Pathetic am I?" I growled raising a brow. I glanced up briefly trying to spy Drake around in the ceiling rafters. Immediately I cast a spell over that crow making him four times his normal size and got him to distract Kadri. He swooped down pecking at her head and pulling her hair harshly with his beak. I took the opportunity to blast a green firebolt at the iron chandelier like decoration on the ceiling. I blasted through the chain as Kadri was standing below. As the iron came crashing down, Kadri saw it falling and jumped out of the way missing it just barely. She fell landing on her stomach and rolling a few times knocking her wand from her hands. I quickly teleported over there in seconds and kicked her wand out of the way as Kadri tried to reach for it. I quickly grabbed her by the neck preparing to spell my hands in green magic energy. Her eyes met mine and though she didn't seem scared of me, I was shaking. I couldn't end her...why couldn't I end her? My thoughts of frustration surged within me and I tightened my grip even more.

"You can't do it can you?" Kadri said barely audible.

I detested the fact that she was right. What was stopping me from taking her life when I killed those loyalists earlier in one easy swoop? My fingers loosened and I released her from my grasp as she fell to her knees coughing trying to catch her breath, but this was far from over. Apparently I couldn't end her life, but there were hundreds of solutions to that problem. I summoned my powers forth and made a thick choker necklace conjured from the depths of my malice imbued with my powers of darkness. Immediately I waved my hand and stuck it tight around Kadri's neck. Then in another fluid motion, I waved my staff toward her and Kadri levitated off the ground and I slammed her against the nearby wall. For good measure, I connected her necklace to a chain on the wall. Her necklace was more like a collar than an item of jewelry. Kadri was struggling the entire time, but winced in pain with everything she tried.

"Careful Kadri, that necklace is laced with my dark energy. Not only does it imprison you, but it's main purpose is to drain your powers of light."

"Maleficent...have you fallen so far?"

I snapped a glare in Kadri's immediate direction and stomped right up to her getting in her face grabbing her jaw with my thumb and forefinger.

"It's Corissa." I growled.

As I walked away contentedly, I returned Drake to his original size as he swooped down landing on my shoulder as I walked back to my throne. Feeling victorious, I sat with my staff resting in my one hand and glanced at my sister, my new prisoner. The necklace was a new form of torture that I seemingly just invented. Slowly, her powers would drain from her body and maybe once she had enough maybe I could use her for something, but until then like everything else lately, I would wait as patiently as I could. Maybe I would conjure something else up to expedite the process, but maybe this gave my sister and I time to catch up and talk about what had gone on the last three hundred years. Kadri was already losing color in her face and she looked wiped.

"What have you been doing here in recent years?" I asked casually.

'Wouldn't you like to know." Kadri muttered weakly glaring at me.

I extended my arm with my staff out toward her threateningly.

"Don't make me force you." I warned making the orb at the top of my staff glow.

"I was checking in on a spell I had cast on a province far away from here almost ten years ago. A selfish, unkind prince who needed to be taught a lesson."

"A selfish, cruel prince?" I replied in disbelief, "That sounds intriguing. What did you do?" I asked curiously.

"I transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell of transformation over his entire kingdom and staff." Kadri continued.

"His servants too? Kadri, I'm impressed." I smirked.

"Unless the prince learns to love and earn love in return his transformation will be permanent and there isn't much time left."

"And you lost me...you shouldn't give loopholes to spells...it ruins the fun."

"That's why we differ." Kadri replied, "I'm trying to help him learn something important. Life can sometimes be a powerful motivator."

"Tell me, does the prince have a magic mirror?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, I left him one. Why?"

"No reason." I said.