Adventures in Magic

Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First or any of the characters/locations affiliated with it. The original characters introduced in various chapters belong to me.

A/N: There is no mystery behind the title and the purpose of this chapter, as you can see by the summary. There is, however, a bit of a background story on Kitanya to show how she became involved with the dark magic cult. Let's just say…it's somewhat complex. Brace yourselves.

Note: The beginning of this chapter involves a semi-flashback sequence, just to give you an indication of what started this whole thing. Also, the feeling of nervousness and dread that Sofia feels at the start of this chapter is something I've felt before. It's one of those can't-explain-it feelings, but you just know something bad is going to happen. I've felt it at school before a fight broke out between students; I've felt it before someone's passed away. It's scary, especially when there's nothing you can do to alleviate your intuitive feeling. Just thought I'd offer a little insight.


Chapter 20
Overthrown

Summary: Kitanya betrays Master Elgraste and magically captures him before then setting her sights on the Enchancian friends.


Kitanya aimed her wand at the hologram of the group on the crystal tower roof and blasted it, wishing with every fiber of her being that it had actually hit any or all of them: from Master Elgraste to the princess, or even to the little girl. She didn't care. None of them meant a thing to her, and all she really cared about was her revenge.

She'd been assigned to Master Elgraste when she was eight years old. That was now thirteen years ago. She'd not been born with the untouchable gift of magic as Dexter had; he, a mere year younger than she was, had surpassed her beyond comprehension by the time he was ten. "Prodigy" was always the term people used to describe him, and she'd grown to despise it…and Dexter.

Regardless of her less-than-immaculate magical skills, Master Elgraste had kept her on as his protégé, and she'd worked under him, learning from him, during all that time. Of course, whenever Dexter did something better or more exciting, all attention turned to him. Frustrated with the situation, she'd turned to…less-than-wholesome methods to ensure that her powers would somehow become far greater than Dexter's. Whatever it took, she was going to prove herself to Master Elgraste.

It all began when she was thirteen. Her master had sent her on a quest to locate some specific supplies for upcoming lessons, and he'd given her instructions not to stray from her path. Naturally, as a rebellious teenager, she'd disregarded the second half of his directives.

After gathering what she was required to get for Master Elgraste, she'd been about to leave for Mahiya again when a fortune teller had solicited her for a reading. The mysterious old woman had informed her that she was destined for a life of greatness, complete with immeasurable and incomparable powers. Entranced by the possibility, Kitanya had pleaded for the woman to give her more information.

"More information" had somehow evolved into guiding the young girl to a shady building, which was filled with numerous other people who'd come seeking answers to the same types of questions she'd had.

The leader and his followers (or whatever they were called) were draped in the same dark cloaks and were holding the same intimidating scythes as the creatures that she'd summoned recently. The leader informed the numerous visitors that this was a dark magic society known as Notis Ordinis¹, a long-standing chapter of their "alternative magic sect," as he'd referred to it. It didn't take her long to find out that the leader's name was a simple moniker: Villacorta. Evidently, he was once a renowned wizard who'd fallen far astray after several questionable 'accidents' were linked back to him. He'd been banished from his homeland, after which he'd founded his own cult that practiced the most malevolent forms of dark magic.

Kitanya never learned any other members' names, which kept the society and its members shrouded in figurative and literal darkness. In a way, she preferred that. The less she knew, the less she cared.

After learning what the society was about, and especially after realizing what sort of powerful magic she could incur if she joined, Kitanya didn't hesitate. The moment the dark magic mark of the Notis Ordinis was magically branded on her arm, which was both painful and exhilarating for her, she knew there was no going back. She was bounded by blood to the order, and there was only one way to separate herself from it: death.

After all was said and done, that free-spirited girl she'd once been was gone. Instead, a far more callous and sinister being stood in her place.

Kitanya glared at the mark on her arm, noting that it was pulsing and glowing softly. The last eight years, she'd had to hide her true nature from everyone, especially Master Elgraste. She never was able to explain to him how she'd gotten so much more powerful after one measly, mundane trip to collect ingredients. She'd given him some lame excuse, such as, "I guess I had it in me the whole time," or something to that effect. Either way, he'd begun paying her more attention and working with her far more often than Dexter.

Perhaps the fortune teller was right. Things were finally going her way. Maybe she was destined for great things.

And then Dexter got that Undercover Protector job, and things went right out the window. Master Elgraste once again began putting his time and efforts toward teaching and helping the younger boy when he could, and even the wizard's little sister got more attention than Kitanya. It was enough to drive her mad, and in effect, she supposed it did.

She began resenting not only Dexter and his sister, but also Master Elgraste. Everything the man did, she detested. She specifically hated his desire to keep the kingdom a secret, as to her, it was a waste of energy and resources. The two Enchancian strangers had thrown her for a loop, but she'd insisted on allowing them in, despite orders to keep all outsiders…out. And when Master Elgraste had welcomed them with open arms, she'd been completely flabbergasted.

Why was he so accommodating to them? To Dexter? To Brexley? To everyone but her? Enough was enough, and she intended to make it quite clear how she felt soon enough.


The next day, Sofia couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It chilled her to the core, despite the fact that it was summertime. Nervous, and without any real reason to be so, she slowly dressed for the day. She tugged a purple and pink dress tunic over her head, brushing out the ruffle that rested just at her legs. She then pulled on some matching purple leggings before fastening her purple boots onto her feet. In a few swift motions, she'd clasped her Enchantlet on her right wrist, along with her GuardoRing on her right ring finger. Her amulet was already on, as always. She fastened a small belt around her tunic, and in one of the little loops she placed the wand that Cedric had given her for safe keeping. Now she just needed to fix her hair.

She grabbed her brush and a hairband and sat down on the floor before a mirror, brushing out the typical waves that usually occurred so early in the morning, especially since she often slept with it braided. Once she was satisfied that there were no tangles, she attempted to begin the task of tying it up into her normal ponytail, but she couldn't even do that. Her heart had sped up, and she was shaking. She lowered the brush and band to her lap with her left hand while her right hand rested over her heart, her blue eyes peering at her reflection in the mirror. "What is wrong with me?" She gasped as she heard a knock at the door. "Wh-Who is it?"

"Really, Sofia?"

She sighed in relief as she heard Cedric's voice from the other side. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Cedric… Um, come in."

Cedric walked inside and placed his hands on his hips as he observed her, noting that her hair was tumbling in long waves to the carpet rather than up in its usual ponytail. "I thought you were ready?"

"I was almost done, but…" She frowned. "I know this sounds crazy, but I'm… I'm nervous."

"Nervous?"

"And I can't stop shaking, so I can't fix my hair, and I'm just…" She sighed as she looked up toward her baffled friend. "I'm scared, Mr. Cedric."

Cedric's look changed to one of concern as he pulled her to her feet, guiding her to sit down on the window seat and hoping that some of the sunshine filtering in would help her stop shaking so much. He'd never seen her so nervous before, not even when fighting Vor a few years ago, and he was extremely worried about her. "Sofia, there's nothing to be scared of. Nothing's going to happen. What even brought this on?"

"I don't know…" She frowned. "I just got a really bad feeling when I woke up, and I can't shake it."

"So this is intuition?" he wondered.

"I don't know what it is, but it's freaking me out."

"Hmm…" He gently ran his fingers through her hair, noting that it seemed to be calming her down. "Whatever it is—if it's even anything—it's going to be all right. I don't want you getting yourself worked up over nothing." Though she was calmer, he could still feel her shaking. Without even thinking twice, he grabbed the brush and hairband from her hand and gently tapped her arm. "Turn around, and I'll fix your hair today."

Sofia couldn't help laughing. "Are you sure? I've got a lot of hair…"

Cedric chuckled. "Yes, I have noticed. And it's not like it's all that complicated." He gently gathered her hair into his left hand before brushing it all to a point with his right hand. Once he was content with the results of his brushing, he set the brush aside and gathered the hairband, twisting it a few times until her ponytail was secure as always. He stood and pulled her to her feet, turning her to face him. Pondering, he hummed and reached forward, gently loosening a few strands next to her ears, like she usually wore them. He then smiled, satisfied. "There. Not bad at all, if I do say so myself."

Curious, Sofia hurried over to her full-length mirror and turned sideways, grinning as she saw her reflection. She looked like her usual self, all right. She turned briskly to face her mentor, only to laugh apologetically when she realized she'd whacked him in the face with her ponytail. "Sorry, Mr. Cedric."

"You know, you should consider adding that as a weapon when you fight off villains," he joked before smiling. "How did I do?"

"It's perfect," she gushed.

He shrugged with a smirk. "Naturally." He chuckled as she reached forward and hugged him.

"Thanks, Mr. Cedric. I don't know what caused me to be so nervous, but…" She pulled back, glancing up at him. "I'm going to try to calm down and just…enjoy the day."

He nodded, placing his left hand over her right shoulder. "Good. I promise, everything will be fine. And even if something does happen, I'm here with you, and I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. All right?"

She nodded, a feeling of relief washing over her. "Thank you, Mr. Cedric…"


Soon afterward, they left their apartment to meet up with Dexter and Brexley for breakfast. They all had big plans today, which most definitely involved officially documenting their networking status. While paperwork wasn't exactly something Cedric enjoyed, this particular type was hard evidence that he and Sofia had completed their jobs effectively when they returned home to Enchancia. Of course, any of that type of documentation would have to be officially signed by Master Elgraste, whom they'd planned to meet later that morning.

"Morning, you guys!" Sofia greeted as she and Cedric entered the other apartment, her spirit much calmer and happier now. She grinned as she signed 'Good morning, Brex' to the little girl, who grinned widely. She was learning, little by little.

"I hope you guys like pancakes," Dexter said as he guided them all to the small dining table, placing a huge stack of golden, fluffy goodness before them. "Because I've made quite a few of them…"

Cedric nodded appreciatively. "This is fine, Dexter. Thank you." He placed two pancakes onto his empty plate and had hardly begun reaching for the butter when he saw Sofia grab one of his cakes and put it on her own plate. He scoffed. "Excuse you. There are about ten other pancakes on the other plate to choose from. Why are you stealing mine?"

She grinned as she began cutting up the pancake with her fork. "Because it annoys you, and annoying you is kind of fun sometimes."

He offered his apprentice a pointed look. "Sometimes, I swear, you have a wicked streak."

The princess smiled sweetly after eating a bite. "Never said I didn't, Mr. Cedric."

Brexley smiled before offering Cedric one of her pancakes.

"Oh, Brexley, no, dear…" He saw the five-year-old's lip begin trembling at her supposedly rejected offer, so he quickly smiled and accepted the pancake. "I mean, thank you." He gestured the sign that Dexter had taught him meant 'thank you' and chuckled as the child grinned widely. He placed the pancake onto his plate and smirked toward Sofia. "Hmm! Looks like there are people who will help me in my time of need."

"Good to know if there's ever a pancake crisis." Sofia snickered before continuing to eat.

Dexter laughed and finally sat down with them, using his wand to conjure some juice for each person. "Eat up, everyone. We have to meet Master Elgraste in the crystal tower in an hour."


Meanwhile, Master Elgraste was rather busy organizing documents in his tower. He had managed to get a great deal of work done already that morning, though he knew he still needed to sign the official documentation for Cedric and Sofia, regarding the Enchancia-Mahiya Magical Connection Proclamation—or whatever they called it.

He'd no sooner finished his task when he felt a sharp sting in his head, causing him to double over in pain. However, as he glanced up slowly, he saw the cause of his pain, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Kitanya?"

The woman smirked as she snapped her fingers, breaking the magical connection and causing her master to visibly relax a little bit. "Perceptive. For once. Now, then, I believe you and I have some matters to attend to, and I'm afraid we can't do that unless I have your undivided attention."

"What are you—ahh?!" He felt tight magical bonds begin forcing their way around his body, and to his surprise, one even began tightening around his neck. "Kitanya, what is the meaning of this?!" He grasped at the neck bonds, trying to keep them from choking him.

"Of course you're confused about this, right?" She rolled her eyes, maintaining her concentration and hold on the man. "See what happens when you don't pay attention? See what happens when you show favoritism?" She lifted her left arm, the sleeve yet again falling back and revealing the mark of Notis Ordinis.

"Kitanya," Master Elgraste gasped in horror as he attempted to overcome her magical hold, his knuckles turning white during his attempt to remove the bonds around his neck. His eyes trailed from the dark mark on her arm to her narrowed, reddened eyes. "Y-You… You joined a dark magic cult?"

"What concern is it of yours?" she snapped, glaring at him as she tightened the magical hold on him, smirking as he struggled to breathe. "A real mentor would have noticed something like this years ago—eight years ago, when I first received it, in fact." She frowned as she scoffed at his widened eyes. "But no—you were more concerned about your precious Dexter and his successes. This is all your fault. You allowed a thirteen-year-old girl to get involved in something dangerous just to get a little guidance from you…"

"You know I cared about you," he rasped as he managed to slightly loosen the bonds. "I wanted to see you succeed!"

"LIAR!"

"Kitanya, please! Let's talk this over. And maybe then you can explain to me your train of thought when you got yourself involved in a cult—"

She growled and pulled the bonds tightly, causing him to fall to his knees with a loud groan. "There's nothing to talk about, old man. The Kitanya you knew is gone. Do you know what she went through, just to get your approval and attention? The pain inflicted upon her?"

"Kitanya…" He gasped as she released her magical hold on him. Weakened, he just stared at his protégé, panting softly.

"The loss of…?" She stopped speaking before she allowed herself to demonstrate any form of emotion. She knew she'd said too much when he gaped at her.

"What did they do to you?" he asked, horrified.

She glared at him, knocking him back with another blast of magic. "Far worse than you can imagine. But I did what I had to in order to be who I am. And it still wasn't good enough for you." She smirked as he groaned in pain again, no longer able to move. "For that reason, I intend to get my revenge today, one way or another."


The Enchancian friends and Mahiyan siblings finished their breakfast before heading to the crystal tower to meet up with Master Elgraste. Along the way, while Cedric and Dexter were chatting about the paperwork, Brexley noticed that Sofia had begun shaking a bit again.

The little girl reached out and took one of Sofia's hands, smiling calmly as the startled teen stared at her. Though she was unable to speak or hear, her vision worked very well, and she could easily see how distraught the older girl looked. Gently, she squeezed her new friend's hand in reassurance.

Sofia smiled appreciatively, feeling her nerves beginning to dissipate a bit as they followed the guys. She signed 'thank you' and received a pleased grin from the younger girl. As they walked, she pondered on the fact that even Brexley had picked up on her nerves. Of course, the child was extremely perceptive, but… The closer they got to that tower, the more nervous she became.

Dexter led them all through one of the back ways to the tower, guiding them around a few secret passages before ascending to the older man's main workspace. The tower was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside, which was evidently something Master Elgraste had done on purpose. He liked the idea of challenging perspectives, or something of that nature.

When they arrived at the door that would open into his workspace, Dexter frowned upon realizing it was locked.

"He never locks his door," he informed the others, his hand firmly clutched around the doorknob.

Sofia pulled Brexley to her side, gently holding onto the girl. Her nervous feeling was growing even stronger now…

"Allow me," Cedric offered, using a spell to magically unlock the door. As it creaked open, he nodded to Dexter, who walked inside first.

It was rather dark in the room, which the quartet noted was kind of strange, especially for it being midmorning. It was also awfully quiet for somewhere usually bustling with experiments or magical happenings. It was just…odd.

Dexter used his own wand to illuminate the place, sending light to every corner of the room and above them so that they could see. And he instantly wished he hadn't…

Master Elgraste was bound to a makeshift 'throne' in the center of the room, his head hung low and what appeared to be…blood…matting his long hair, which hung in clumps around his shoulders. Upon further inspection, a gash on his head was likely the culprit for all the blood.

"Master Elgraste!" Dexter gasped, hurrying over to the man.

Sofia's eyes widened at the old man's state, but she instantly turned around, pulling Brexley with her, wanting to spare the girl the horrible sight. Of all the times she could have been right about a feeling, this was one she really wished hadn't come true.

"What happened?" Dexter asked as he began untying the Mahiyan leader, careful not to irritate any of the numerous lacerations and injuries he'd somehow withstood. They spanned from his head to his neck and even down to his chest and arms, his fabric cut with what was probably magic.

"Who did this?" Cedric asked, his eyes narrowed, and his hand clutched around his own wand.

Master Elgraste looked up at them, his eyes practically sunken in and his voice raspy as he responded, "K-Kitanya…"

"Kitanya?" Sofia asked in shock as she whirled around, Brexley spinning beside her.

"Kitanya?!" Dexter echoed, shock and horror just as evident on his own face.

"You called?"

Everyone turned back to see the woman in question standing there, her fluffy cat situated on a table next to her and looking every bit as menacing as she did. Her arms were folded, and her usual honey eyes were coated in red, glaring challengingly at them. A smirk was fixed on her face.

"What have you done to our master?" Dexter demanded as he stepped up, pushing the girls behind him.

Kitanya chuckled evilly as she held out one hand, dark energy coursing through her veins and forming in her palm. "Nothing he didn't deserve," she cooed saccharinely. "And nothing nearly as unpleasant as what I intend to do to you, Dexter."

"You leave them alone!" Sofia demanded, ignoring her nerves and stepping up beside Dexter, withdrawing her wand and feeling her Enchantlet tighten around her wrist. Her role as a Protector wasn't just limited to her own realm, she felt. It now carried over to all realms. Helping people was her calling, and she couldn't let this wicked woman get away with what she'd done.

Kitanya smiled cruelly as she then turned to the young teen. "But first, let's get rid of the pesky princess, shall we?"

Cedric gasped as the woman charged her dark magic once again. "Sofia!" He took off running toward her.

"And your sorcerer friend can go next! Say goodbye, Princess!" The blast left her fingers instantly, her dark magic aimed to strike Sofia…

But that's when everything went black.

To be continued…


Ending Note 1: Notis Ordinis translates to "Macbeth Order" from Latin. I'd like to thank bellechat for making that connection with "Something wicked this way comes." lol This does sort of have a Shakespearean/Macbeth feel to it, and I'm SO glad someone mentioned my favorite play! For that reason, the order was named after it. :D