Odalia and Amity were flying high in the sky, so high that it would have been impossible to notice them in the dark of night. Amity had to admit that her mother's flight was definitely more graceful than hers, but that was probably thanks to decades of experience; she hoped to become as good as her sooner or later, or at least skilled enough to avoid making the broom shake like an earthquake. Odalia remained silent until they were high enough, then she placed the broom horizontally and stopped raising and said: "Well, we'll have a nice view from here. What do you think, isn't it beautiful to fly?"

Amity had to admit that it was really nice to look at the world from that far away: even though it was night, she could still make out shapes thanks to the moonlight, and she could see the shadows forming patterns down on the ground. Even though she would have loved to be able to see that scene during the day, she had to admit that she really felt very in tune with that nocturnal landscape: it was as if she belonged there. It was probably another consequence of her witch heritage; even when she didn't yet know she was one, she had always found the night very fascinating, both for its mysteries and its wonders.

Odalia let her look very carefully at Bonesborough and its surroundings, then she said: "When you will unlock your magic you will be responsible for all this and more, Mittens"

Amity looked at her confused: "What do you mean?"

"I'll try to explain it to you in a simple way" Odalia replied. "Tell me, yesterday if you had your magic would you have used it to protect your friends?"

"Of course yes. I would never have abandoned them"

"And that does you credit. But tell me, assuming that you already had your magic and that those who had problems with those fanatics were people unknown to you, what would you have done?"

"I would have intervened, obviously"

"And who would you have sided with?"

"With those who wanted to stop the Titan Trappers, it seems obvious to me!"

"And why would you have done it? Remember, in the context I described to you, you didn't know either side. How would you have known who to side with? What criteria would you have applied to determine who was right and who was wrong? How would you have understood if one of them was lying to you, and that you weren't in danger of helping the wrong side?"

Amity was speechless. She discovered that answering that question was very difficult. She obviously wanted to answer that she would know that the Titan Trappers were dangerous... but she only wanted to say that because she already knew. But what if she never knew? What would stop the Titan Trappers from hiding the fact that they were fanatics, convincing her that they were the good guys, and then stabbing her in the back when they no longer needed her?

Amity felt a lump in her throat. As a witch she would have enormous power in her hands: even just a hundredth of her mother's magic was something that was making her feel more powerful than ever. Sure, she wouldn't be as powerful as her mother for a long time, since she had decades of experience and magical contracts under her belt, but still, she would be far more dangerous than a normal person. Which gave her the power to eliminate the wicked... but how could she tell who was evil and who wasn't?

Seeing her in such confusion, Odalia understood that she understood. "I see you got there on your own" she said to her, and then she touched her palms: "Mittens, when you will unlock your magic you will no longer be a normal person, and this will lead you to make choices. You will have the power to improve or make the lives of others worse, and every choice you make will have enormous repercussions on the future of many people. For humans it is easy: they are weak, their choices are ephemeral; even if they end up helping the wrong person, all what they get is a lot of guilt and at most a little damage. The fairies? It's even easier for them, because they can read other people's hearts and already know in advance who is bad and who isn't. But we, Mittens... we are not like them. We are witches, and in our hands lies a power far superior to that of a normal human being. A single word from you, and entire groups of people can disappear; and this, inevitably, will lead to you having to choose who to side with, or better yet... who should live and who should die"

Amity shivered slightly. "But... do I really have to?"

"I'm afraid so. If you saw people fighting, would you be able to turn around and pretend nothing happened?" Odalia asked her. "This would already be a choice you would have to make. If you choose to intervene instead, even if you stop the fight without shedding even a drop of blood, then you will still have to make choices. You will have to decide who is right and who is wrong and punish them, and also think about the consequences of your action. Let's say you had limited yourself to capturing the Titan Trappers and making them escape: what would stop them from returning in the future? Or if you locked them in prison, will you be sure that they will never come out seeking revenge?". Her gaze narrowed: "What I did yesterday, when I literally turned the Titan Trappers alive, was an action dictated by anger, but not just that. Mine was a choice. I did it because then I will have always the certainty that those people will never threaten my family or anyone else here in Bonesborough again. Was it inhumane? Maybe, and in fact I never said I liked it. But I was faced with several options and in the end I chose the one that was safest for everyone. I chose to do one horrible action to prevent those cruel people from doing dozens of other horrible actions to innocent people. I had the power to prevent anyone in the future from going through what they were about to do to your friends, and I exploited it"

Amity had to admit that her mother's reasoning made sense; no, in reality it didn't even have the slightest flaw. If the Titan Trappers had simply been captured and locked in prison, they might have escaped. They would probably seek revenge. Her friends could have been in danger again... Luz could have been in danger again. What if they wouldn't have been able to defeat them this time? What if this time they managed to burn Hunter, or sacrifice King? And even if they had escaped and left Bonesborough forever, they would have done those things to someone else. They could have kidnapped other innocent kids to make them members of their sect or hunted down another young Titan. Traumatizing them as her mother had done was actually a perfect method to prevent any future suffering. But... "They were still people" she whispered. "Maybe they would have changed... at least some of them. Maybe there was another way. Maybe... maybe..." the words died in her throat.

Odalia sighed. "I know, Mittens, those were people. And that's what makes the choice so difficult: because no matter who you choose to punish, they will still be people. But it's your duty to make those choices". Taking advantage of the fact that they were sitting a few centimeters from each other, Odalia grabbed Mittens and hugged her to her chest: "Being a witch means having greater power than others, and having greater power than others means you are no longer alone spectator or actor, but judge. It means that even after you have understood who is the bad guy and who is the good guy and have stopped the bad guy, you will have to decide what to do with him taking into account what consequences your choice will have in the present and in the future. Which will inevitably lead you to carry out acts that you would never want to carry out. But sometimes it is better to sacrifice someone for the well-being of many"

"I don't want to be forced to... sacrifice someone" Amity murmured in fear. She wasn't enjoying this conversation at all.

"You will have to do it, whether you like it or not. Either you accept this reality, or you hide away on a mountain far from civilization for your entire life. You have no other options. The moment you will have this power in your hands and you will find yourself faced with a situation in which two parties are in conflict with each other... you will have to choose what to sacrifice so that as many people as possible can maintain their well-being" Odalia replied with a serious voice. "If you will face with a thief, you will have to choose how to stop them and how to prevent them from doing harm in the future; even if you only curse them so that they can no longer steal, you will still have sacrificed a part of their free will, but by doing so you will save the well-being of all the victims they would have robbed in the future; if you let them go away unharmed, however, perhaps this will make them reevaluate their life and lead them to redeem themselves, but much more likely they will do nothing other than take back their thefts as soon as you are gone. You will have to choose what to sacrifice; the well-being of the thief, or that of thousands of people. And the bigger the problem, the more your choice will be important and will affect many people, and in the same way you will find yourself with the having to sacrifice much more. If a war breaks out tomorrow, you will have the power to end it immediately, effectively saving millions of people, but you will have to choose how. You will side with one of the two sides, and therefore you will use your magic to annihilate the armies of the other? Or will you side with no one and instead eliminate their belligerent rulers and all their supporters, and enforce your duty by force by placing on the throne someone who will choose peace instead? Or even better... will you sit on that throne yourself, uniting both nations and ruling them as you see fit?" Odalia's eyes narrowed dangerously at those words. "What will be your choice, Mittens? Which will be the most suitable one, which will allow you to protect as many lives as possible and in the safest and most long-lasting way?"

Amity was desperately trying to find a loophole in her mother's words, any loophole, but there was none. Unfortunately, everything her mother said was true: in any context, someone would have gotten hurt. No matter who she stood with, someone else would suffer, and she would be the cause of that suffering. Nor could she have chosen not to intervene at all, because that would have meant being an accomplice to those who harmed the innocent.

She clasped a hand over her heart. The magic that now flowed within her thanks to the contract she had with her mother had seemed like a wonderful gift just moments before, but now she saw it more as a huge burden. That magic would vanish within an hour... but her true own magic, the one that would awaken within a short time, could never disappear. She would never be a normal person again. She would possess a power that no one else possessed. She would have to make decisions of enormous importance, and those decisions would affect the lives of countless others.

In a way... she was no different from a royal. Her power was comparable to that of a princess, or a queen... no, it was even greater as she could potentially influence the fate of multiple nations.

She bit her lip. As children, everyone dreamed of being princes or princesses and of being able to one day become kings and queens of a kingdom and live in pomp and luxury; but very few people actually realized what that position meant. Every gesture, every action, every word of any royal would always influence the lives of thousands if not millions of subjects. It meant having an enormous responsibility and having to make decisions that often involved sacrifices.

Amity realized that she had made the same mistake as those children. When she first discovered she was a witch, she hadn't really understood the consequences of possessing magic. She had thought that once the magical balancing was complete she would no longer have any worries, and that having magic would be a lot of fun. But now she realized that she had been wrong: having magic meant that throughout her life she would always have greater responsibilities than others. Much bigger than the others. "If that's the case... why don't fairies act this way too?"

"Because they are limited by their very nature" Odalia replied. "I don't know if you know this, but fairies can't do bad things without turning..."

"... in monsters. Yes, I know" Amity anticipated her, and the answer to her question immediately appeared in her mind while she was still speaking: "Wait... is that why? Because sacrificing something is still an evil act, and therefore they would risk turning into monsters?"

"You hit the mark, Mittens. Your intelligence is always surprising" Odalia complimented her by rubbing her hair. "Well yes, the fairies cannot intervene unless it is in the short term. Taking the example of war again, they could defend a villager from invading soldiers, or they could try to punish the evil king, but such actions would not be enough never to stop a war. Indeed, even if sometimes there is a happy ending for some, they often lead to worse suffering. I remind you that it is because of a fairy that the monster known as Belos was born and devastated the world for centuries. For this reason, almost all fairies simply choose a person to protect and become fairy godmothers, so that they can limit themselves to defending that specific person and those they love without paying attention to bigger problems, and those who do not take this road they take refuge in the woods or in remote places and become hermits". Odalia gave an annoyed grunt. "The reason why I hate fairies so much is precisely this: they don't have the ability to really act to solve other people's problems, yet they behave as if their actions serve any purpose other than educating a problem child. They claim that it is through the education of the new generations that creates a new world and avoids repeating the mistakes of the past... I don't think I need to explain to you how ridiculous this is. Maybe through education one day the world will be at peace and free from evil, but how many will have to suffer in the meantime? How many men, women and children will have to go to bed hungry because they are prey to an unjust ruler, while their prince will be educated for years by a fairy? When that prince becomes king and restores his kingdom, will this restore to the people all the years they have lost in misery, or will it restore life to those who have lost it? Not at all. That prince educated by a fairy may create a better kingdom, but it will still be a kingdom created by the blood and tears of entire generations of desperate people". She clenched a fist tightly, as if she were crushing something. "We witches have no such limitations. We can act much sooner, we can immediately eliminate the evil ruler and put a just and competent person in his place, or even we can sit on his throne and give prosperity to everyone without having to wait years or even decades. We can really make a difference. We are superior to everyone, to humans and to almost all other magical creatures, and this gives us the opportunity to build a better world through the sacrifice of a few"

Amity let out a long sigh. "If that's really the case... why have witches never created a better world?"

"Because unfortunately for a long time witches were unaware of magical balancing. It took us millennia to discover that we could become white witches and avoid being evil and do nothing but kill, consume and conquer. And when we discovered this, we it took another thousand years for the white witches to supplant the dark ones. And after... well, as you well know, Belos exterminated almost all of us, and the few remaining ones didn't find a pleasant world to welcome them in" Odalia replied. Then her tone deepened and she moved her hand strangely on Amity's shoulder, and for a moment her hands seemed to caress her in a rather strange way, almost as if they were the legs of a spider. "But if the witches could return to what they once were, this time under the wise guidance of a white witch with immense power... then they could become rulers of this world and administer it with justice and equity, and lead to a new golden age"

Again, Amity found no words to contradict her mother. In fact, she was quite enjoying the vision he was describing to her. Having to choose the fate of millions of people scared her a lot, but she couldn't deny that such actions would greatly improve the lives of others. If there was a group of witches who constantly watched over the world, eliminating any source of threat before it became a threat, even if it meant sacrificing something, then the future would always be bright. "That would be... really, really nice"

"Oh, that's sure" Odalia confirmed with a smirk, then she added: "I bet even the fairies would agree, but they're too proud to accept that we witches can do things they can't and impact the world better than them. I don't blame them for their refusal to intervene, it's part of their nature; but I can't stand their hypocrisy and stubbornness. If they agreed to recognize us as superiors everything would be simpler: we could worry about the big problems and they could manage the education of future generations as he likes to do so much. But obviously I have never found a fairy who was willing to accept their inferiority"

Amity thought it was a bit much to call fairies 'inferior', but she couldn't deny that witches had more potential to improve the world than they did. Which was ironic, given that the witches were supposed to be the bad ones and the fairies the good ones... but as the proverb taught, being too good was sometimes an obstacle rather than an advantage, and the limitations of the fairies' action fully demonstrated this. If they could help each other, white fairies and witches could actually make a difference. Of course, she didn't think that something as drastic as the relationship of obvious subordination that her mother had in mind was necessary, given that educating the new generations was very important to guarantee improvement... but mutual collaboration would certainly guarantee prosperity of the world.

Odalia let her think without disturbing her for almost ten minutes, then when she thought enough time had passed she said: "I didn't tell you these things because I want to scare you, Mittens, but because it is essential that you understand how much power and how much responsibility you will have in future. As I have already told you many times, my magic is not a toy. Having it means having to make important choices, especially if you are a witch. Choices which, if they were wrong, could lead to anguish and tragedy. Only we can remake the world, only we can take it by the bridle and lead it where it needs to go. We are witches, we are superior to others, we can decide fate". Her tone of voice became strangely more sibilant: "You understand, right?"

Amity nodded; his gaze had become very serious. "Yes... I totally understand, mom"

"Good, because tonight I intend for you to experience what it means to have to make such a choice" Odalia told her. "I will make you experience the weight of this responsibility first hand, so when you have awakened your magic you will know what you are facing"

Amity stiffened. "What... what do you mean?" she asked with a little fear.

"Now there is my magic in you, and you can use it for at least the next thirty minutes. Therefore, I will take this opportunity to make you use it in the right way" Odalia answered her. "Tonight, you will choose what to do with the future of some people and any others they may encounter"

Amity gulped and trembled slightly. She knew that sooner or later he would have to do something like this, after all it was inevitable given that making similar choices was part of his future; but she had hoped that it was a distant event. Odalia pulled her back to her and kissed her forehead: "Mittens, darling, you know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"

"Sure… sure, mom" Amity replied.

"Then relax. I know it's scary, it's normal; I was scared the first time too. But trust me, the sooner you face this fear and learn what it means to have this power in your hands, the sooner you can accept your nature and live with it. There's no point in putting it off to nothing" Odalia told her. "Trust your mother. Mama knows best"

Amity nodded slightly and relaxed into her mother's arms. "Yes, mom... I trust you" she whispered in a small voice. "What we will do?"

"Oh, we'll just deal with a couple of troublemakers. I dealt with all the Titan Trappers yesterday... but their two accomplices that you and your new girlfriend took care of didn't get the same treatment. They'll be perfect to let you experience what it means to be a witch" Odalia replied, then she pointed in front of them. "Don't you see where we're going?"

Amity looked up and paid attention to the moving landscape below them again, and realized that the flying broom was heading towards Bonesborough's prison.

"And that Mittens is how to be a perfect dictat-ehm, good and nice witch"