Due to the fact there had been deaths on Earth, and too much damage to the planet and its people – it had to be decided that it needed to be left alone.

Neither Serpantha nor Larpskendya were happy about it, but it came with the job. It took a lot of work from a lot of people – Earth had to be stripped of it's magic, even Yemi was left to grow up a normal child. Heiki and Rachel were the only ones with magic left. Not that anyone knew, because everyone's memories had been cleared, false ones put in to substitute the last few years. Eric was able to keep his memory, which saved Rachel and Heiki some awkward explanations. Although it was somewhat comforting to the Wizards they kept their magic, it didn't stop how much it hurt that they were forced to abandon two people who meant so much to them. It was for the best.

With every year past, Rachel and Heiki lost more hope. They were both 18/19, ye the whole experience had stopped their worlds. They still felt like young teens in ways. The worst part was they couldn't even talk to someone about it – especially Heiki, who needed someone to talk to anyway, but now she had abandonment issues she couldn't talk to about to anyone else. Not even Rachel knew how or when Heiki was abandoned as a child; she refused to speak about many bad things in her life. Nothing changed when the Wizards left. She wouldn't talk about how she felt, she would just get upset or angry, be withdrawn, and lose trust in all people.

Rachel felt selfish, but it did hurt her when she felt Heiki didn't trust her, as Rachel trusted Heiki with her life. She was closer to Heiki than anyone, and would trust her with her life in a heartbeat. However, because Heiki refused to talk about her feelings, Rachel couldn't really talk to Heiki either. She wished she could talk to Morpeth, but he chose to stay on Ithrea. Rachel took it more personally than she should. It felt like it happened a million years ago, yet yesterday at the same time. There were times she almost wished she could go back and relive it – the best and worst times of her life both happened due to the war between Witches and Wizards, after all…

Sometimes they both doubted if it was real. Heiki, in particular, got angry with the Wizards for, well, abandoning them. It was heartbreaking for Rachel to see Heiki feeling like that, with nothing she could do.

Some things did not change, which allowed them to partly relive things. Eric still had the Prapsies, and as a 15-year-old boy, he found it irritating to have them around him all the time, but they never quite learnt their lesson. Unlike Rachel and Heiki, he still had to go to school, although he had no plans to do anything after it, the same as his sister and Heiki. All of them just lost all drive or will. None of them were really living.

They still lived in fear of High Witches; they weren't fully aware what they were capable of as a race, and who was to say the Wizards were not dead? Who was to say Orin Fen was still there?

One morning Eric came downstairs for breakfast, which was probably more of a lunch given it was 1pm when he awoke. Heiki and Rachel were drinking tea and watching daytime TV. He stood in the doorway eating a piece of toast, and between bites he said, 'Guessing this is all you have planned for today?'

'Yup,' the girls said blankly in unison.

'Well,' Eric began delicately, 'I don't want to raise hopes, or anything, but last night I detected faint traces of magic outside Earth. Don't know what species, don't know who's, so this could be good or bad news – most likely nothing, though. You might want to go for a bit of scout.'

Rachel stood up, and immediately put her shoes on.

Heiki said, 'Wait, wait, think this through, Rach. We're just going to go up into the atmosphere and have a look?'

Rachel just said, 'Are you coming?'

Sighing, Heiki put her shoes on.

Heiki just planned on flying, not seeing the rush, as she knew it would be nothing – it had happened before – but Rachel shifted, so Heiki kept up with her. If trail by any kind of being, it was at least a link to the people outside Earth. At least she had a chance of finding out what happened. Eric was not interested in going in the least – not anymore. He just lost interest in everything expect sitting in his room all day.

Rachel went much further than they needed too, with still no sign of anything. Heiki stayed silent, she figured it was best.

Heiki lost count of how much time had past when Rachel exclaimed, 'I've got something!'

'What?!'

'It's…' Rachel looked confused, 'It's weird. It's not a scent. It's more a presence. I can't explain it…'

'Rachel,' replied Heiki softly, 'I hate to sound so patronising, but maybe this is just wishful thinking?'

'Please trust me…'

Heiki just nodded sadly, and they kept going.

It seemed and absolute age they were travelling. When they were not back by 7pm Eric began to worry, but it was more than likely they'd gone out drinking to ease the disappointment. Not healthy, but why did it matter? They were not really living anyway.

Eventually Heiki and Rachel long exited their solar system. Heiki felt way out of her comfort zone here, so did Rachel, but neither of them particularly cared due to the hope of what they could find. Childish hope was all they really had left, even though they were fully aware they could both be heading straight to their deaths.

After hours upon hours of travelling in silence, they did find what they were looking for.

Orin Fen.

They both just froze, not believing it to be true. They didn't know what to do, nor did they know what they would find.

'OK, Rach, this could easily be some form of trap or not even real. I mean we found it this easily? And it's perfectly visible. Something is amiss. This can't be right, it's not right.'

'Of course,' Rachel replied bluntly, 'but we'll regret it forever if we didn't go down now. Stay hidden and you know where to head.'

Heiki nodded, and they flew down to the planet below.

A little girl who looked about six, with shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes and cheeky smile, and tattooed eyes looked mesmerised at the two girls who just appeared in front of her in the living room of her house.

Heiki bent down to her height, and said in the language of Orin Fen, which Serpantha had taught her, 'Where's your daddy? Can you fetch him for me?'

The little girl seemed pleased the strange women spoke her language, and gladly helped.

Rachel just had to use spells to translate what Heiki said – it was not ideal with the complex language, but it would have to do.

They overheard a male voice they did not recognise coming down the stairs. 'Volüsa there is no one in there, so I'm not getting dressed. End of, I don't have time for your games.'

The little girl chuckled, 'Then prepare to be embarrassed cos they're girls.'

Upon learning his younger sister was not lying, or being, well, a kid, he did begin to feel embarrassed. In only a pair of boxers and carrying his sister, he did not feel he looked his best, especially since his blonde hair was everywhere, and he had bags under his green tattooed eyes. He was not overly embarrassed though, he had a well muscled body and now had girls to show it to.

'So that's Volüsa, and you're her brother? You are?' Heiki said straight away, very confidently. Rachel just stayed quiet, still needing time to grasp everything.

He wasn't phased she knew his language, and just replied, 'Venibilles, excuse me one second.'

He shouted through the house, and him and female voice had a loud, angry argument that went to fast for Rachel to follow, although Heiki smirked.

Eventually a woman came down the stairs – you could definitely tell she was their mother, with the same hair and eyes as her daughter, albeit shorter hair. It was weird seeing how young she looked, yet they knew she must be hundreds of years old. She, however, spoke in English an Alabama accent, 'What are you doing here?'

She took her daughter off her son, and spoke to her soothingly in her own language, and said to her son in English, 'First, we speak English from now on. Second, how hard is it to get you to wear clothes?'

'Sorry, I didn't really expect people to appear in my house. How stupid of me.'

'You told her to find her daddy,' the mother said, turning back to Heiki and Rachel, 'her daddy isn't in at the moment, she always fetches her brother instead, we don't quite know why.' The Witch put her child down, told her to go off and play somewhere, and continued. 'I am Owlola, my son Venibilles and my daughter Volüsa. Heiki's figured out who I am.'

Heiki nodded, 'You're the girl Serpantha's had a crush on since you were kids. So you and Serpantha?'

Owlola nodded, 'He's not here at the moment. Then again, nor should you be. We had to leave the defences down for when he got back.'

'From where?' Heiki asked, hiding her concern.

'What about Larpskendya?' Rachel interrupted.

'Where do you think? I apologise sincerely but I can't give away details, and as much as I don't want either of you here, I need to wait until one of them gets back because I need a second opinion.'

'You can have mine,' Venibilles chimed in, 'I think—'

'Shut up.'

Luckily, Serpantha arrived home at that moment. He was clearly tired, and Owlola said, 'Where's your brother?'

'Still out there,' reported Serpantha, 'I'm physically tired and tired of arguing with an idiot so I left, I've had enough of her I swear. He's fine on his own, though.'

'I'll take your word for it,' Owlola gestured to Rachel and Heiki, 'but as you see, we have bigger problems.'

'Getting to it,' He said, switching to English, speaking in that typical sing-song Irish accent of his. 'I need some form of alcoholic drink to handle this though.'

Before he could leave, Owlola picked up a bottle from behind the sofa and gave it to him, 'Way ahead of you, I know you to well.'

Serpantha near downed it then turned to Heiki and Rachel. 'Bottom line, you need to leave.'

'I didn't come all this way for that!' Heiki said, furious. 'You owe me an explanation if nothing else, yet you don't even care.'

'Of course I don't,' Serpantha replied, 'that's why I fought so hard for you to be able to keep your magic and memories. That's why put so much effort into protecting your planet.'

Heiki just stood there, looking hurt, and Rachel was still in shock.

'Venibilles put some clothes on, no one needs to see that,' he added.

Rachel, while Heiki was just fuming silently and trying to work out what to say, said, 'Doesn't Larpskendya have kids?'

'No, he doesn't, and it's complicated why, before you ask. I understand you are in shock, and I understand your grief and hurt but honestly, it is not a good thing you are here.'

'I'm not leaving until I get an explanation. I've stated that many times.' Heiki stood stoic.

'You could have picked a better time, there's a battle going on right now.'

'With who?'

'Who do you think?' Serpantha snapped.

It was quite scary to see him snap like that, to be so aggressive; it seemed unnatural. The accent actually added to the terror. Heiki was used to Serpantha's anger, but he snapped quicker than he usually would.

How much stress have you been under? Thought Heiki, but all she said was, 'Well then what happened?'

'She didn't listen. She didn't care, what more is there to it?'

'Well how many are there I mean how hard can it be?' Heiki asked caughtiously.

'Too many,' Serpantha said. 'I don't know what she's done but it isn't good. Usually it was small numbers and I am not sure why she bothered to pick petty fights, but now there is hundreds, and they keep coming. Whatever she pulled it's an amazing trick, but I have no time to figure it out because all my time is spent fighting, so sorry if you aren't my top priority.'

'If you let me fight—' began Venibilles.

'No!' Serpantha snapped, again. 'You are a child, Venibilles, and I'm not having that of my children, ever. I lost one child I'm not losing another.'

Rachel interrupted, concerned, 'You lost a child?'

'I'll explain later,' dismissed Heiki, and Rachel wondered how much Heiki knew that she didn't.

'All this is getting us no where,' Owlola sighed, 'Serpantha, go see Volüsa, and get yourself rested. I'll explain it all.'

Serpantha walked off, and Owlola began the story…