"Dark magic?" Luz tried to remember what Vee had explained to her earlier while they were in the cell. "It's the one who's weak against light magic, but strong against life magic, right?"

But judging by the face Masha was making, the issue must have been much worse than she imagined. "Are you sure?" she asked Vee in a serious tone.

The basilisk nodded with a lot of fear in her eyes. "I can feel it clearly. That staff is overflowing with evil energy. It's definitely dark magic"

Masha rubbed her chin. "If so... then we should be careful. If a person is walking around with a staff full of dark magic, then he is definitely affiliated with something dangerous. I'm not saying that Hunter is a danger, but he definitely didn't get that staff from the first merchant he found..."

"There's more: whoever is behind him must be very powerful" Vee added. "I have never felt so much dark magic in my life. Infusing so much magical energy into a single object would kill a normal person. Whoever has succeeded in such a feat must be an individual hundreds of times superior to any sorcerer, maybe even thousands of times"

Masha's eyebrows arched even more. "If that's the case, it's best to try to avoid antagonizing Hunter. It would be very difficult to win a battle against him alone, but if whoever gave him that staff was lured here, then I don't know how we'd surv..."

"Ok, ok, time out" Luz stopped her. "Look, it's clear to me that you both know what you're talking about, but I'm not understanding anything. By the way, I can understand Vee, but how do you know this stuff, Masha?"

"I learned the basics at school, and then since I was very interested in them I did more research in the library of the town. Of course, that was before books became paid for and asked for one hundred gold coins for two minutes of reading" Masha explained.

"Do they teach these things at school!?" Luz exclaimed with her eyes shining. Although she had avoided doing so until then she suddenly had a great desire to study.

"No, no, they only teach the basics. Yes, in short, the division of magic into the four main categories. They have to do it, after all they are part of the world we live in, it is essential for us kids to know certain things to make sure we don't risk of getting into league with the wrong magical creature or person who can use the wrong magic. To know the rest you have to find out for yourself, like I did. I've always been interested in these things; I'm only human and have no chance of I use magic unless I get very expensive items or am chosen by a magical creature like a Palisman, but I still like to learn how this fascinating force works" Masha answered.

Luz was amazed. If it really was possible to learn something about magic, then she wouldn't mind going to school at all. And even if the school she went to didn't teach magic, she could have learned to read and used this ability to learn it from books on her own. She was seriously starting to reevaluate her idea of school. However, that was not the time to fantasize. "Okay, so you're a good student, that's all clear, but you still haven't answered my question. Why would Hunter be suspicious just because he uses dark magic? Vee is a basilisk and uses death magic, but I don't see you being upset by that"

"Luz, this is different" Vee murmured. "Death magic is... how can I say... neutral. It can be used to do harm but also good, since you can defend yourself with it. But dark magic... that can only be used to corrupt. It is cruel, malignant, and terrifying. Whoever uses it must have these same characteristics, otherwise it is impossible to harness it"

Luz scratched her head. "I don't understand"

"Let me try to explain it to you" Masha intervened. "The four magics have very specific roles. Life magic is, as its name suggests, something that allows the birth of life. With it you can make flowers bloom, grass grow, create chimeras or entire new forms of life. It is the magic that, for example, allows the Palismen to move: their wood is infused with life magic and if carved with specific techniques, known especially by fairies, it learns to be alive. At its precise opposite we have death magic, which instead it is the one that takes life. In practice, it is the classic scene from storytellers' tales in which a magician waves his wand saying a couple of strange words and everyone in front of him falls to the ground dead. Both of these spells are neutral, because they reflect the natural balance; they can do good just as they can do harm. And life magic is superior to death magic because... well, life always triumphs over death, at least from a general point of view. Everything is clear for now, or am I going too fast for you?"

Luz nodded gesturing for her to continue. She was having a hard time remembering everything Masha was explaining, but nevertheless she wanted to hear until the end. She wanted to take notes to make sure she didn't forget anything, but... she still didn't know how to write. Now more than ever she regretted not going to school that day.

"Well, then let's move on to light magic, that is the magic of good beings of which fairies are the perfect example. As you perhaps know, fairies are always good... but more than a choice on their part, it is a natural condition, because the their own magic is always good" Masha continued. "Light magic, to use a general approximation, heals. It doesn't give new life, but helps what already exists. If we take fairies as an example, who are the best-known beings who use light magic, they can heal wounds, protect from danger, cure from illness, and even teach a few moral lessons to 'heal' a bad behavior. Even when they do something seemingly bad, they always do it with a good purpose: you know, the classic story of the arrogant prince who is transformed into something horrible so that he learns the importance of behaving well. It's not a curse, it's just a teaching, and in fact it always has a limited duration; if those who are 'punished' by the fairies accepted that they were the ones who were wrong and tried to change, then all of them would be back to normal in no time... but of course people are often too arrogant for this and so it takes them years to realize their mistake and get rid of the fairy's 'punishment'. However, put simply, fairy magic, and therefore all light magic, is always good; it can never be used to actually harm anyone. After all, how can something meant to heal actually hurt? It would be a contradiction. And therefore its users are also always good, because to recall it their intentions must be aligned with the capabilities of their magic. Well, dark magic is the exact opposite"

Luz noticed that a dark veil had passed over Masha and Vee's faces. "Dark magic always has the aim of wounding, of doing evil. It cannot be used to do good. It cannot kill directly, because only death magic can do that, but it can corrupt, wound, consume, ruin, corrode, devastate. To give you an example, a curse cannot kill a person, but it can force them to vomit blood endlessly, condemning them to a slow and painful death; it is not the curse that kills but the loss of blood. The curse is only that which caused pain, not death. And this applies to any spell created with dark magic: it can only inflict pain. Dark magic is the embodiment of evil in its purest form. And just like light magic predicts that its user is always good, dark magic requires that its user is always evil"

Luz was starting to understand why Vee and Masha were so upset about Hunter using dark magic. "Maybe I'm starting to put the pieces together" she said. "Is this why light magic overwhelms dark magic? Dark magic can hurt, but if light magic can heal anything, then it's as if nothing had happened"

Masha's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow... good, you understood how it works right away. You're smarter than you look... sorry, I didn't mean to be mean" she said. "Well, yes, that is the reason why light magic overwhelms dark magic. And in the same way dark magic overwhelms life magic because disease and corruption can creep in anywhere and weaken any life form to the point of killing it. Life magic overpowers death magic for the reason I told you before, which is that life always triumphs over death in a general point of view. And death magic overpowers light magic because... well, you can be the best doctor in the world, but you can't heal death". Masha shrugged. "Be that as it may, the general picture is that life magic and death magic are neutral, and therefore the user can have the benefit of the doubt; light magic is always good, so there is no need to worry; but dark magic... who use it is always evil, and there's no doubt about that"

Luz scratched her chin. "So… Hunter is definitely evil?"

"He might not, but whoever gave him that staff sure is" Vee replied. "And since I doubt that there is anyone out there who gives magical objects to the first person who passes by, especially if they are so powerful, then there is no doubt that Hunter must know someone very dangerous. This doesn't make him bad... but we certainly cannot ignore such a thing. And then... you saw how he behaves, it's as if he doesn't care about other people"

Luz was rather doubtful. Hunter was definitely a grumpy and rude person, and he also had some prejudice towards magical creatures since he treated Vee like she was a beast and Flapjack like he was a nuisance, but she didn't think he was completely evil. Even though Luz knew he wasn't the best judge, he seemed to her more like a guy trying to act all high and might rather than an actual murderer. After all, if he were a real bad guy, he would probably have grabbed Flapjack and crushed him, or he would have taken Willow and killed her given how many times she had challenged him. He had the power to do that, but he had never done it. And he could have made her pay when she punched him and Masha when she pointed a knife at him, an elbow from him would have been enough to knock both of them to the ground, and instead he just walked away in a huff. She considered the possibility of trying to say a few words in his favor, even if it gnawed at her liver since she couldn't stand that boy, but she wasn't sure how much right she had to judge a person: after all she had already proven that she wasn't very good at it, and most of the people in that room knew it very well, so chances were they wouldn't take her seriously.

But to her surprise she didn't need to say anything in Hunter's favor, because Willow was the one who spoke for him: "Guys, look, I don't think we should judge Hunter without knowing his story. I know he's an asshole... but I don't think he's bad enough to fit the description you gave us of dark magic. I mean, we haven't seen him kill anyone even though he could have done it easily, and he always used his staff more to throw guards away or stun them rather than actually hurt them"

Luz was quite surprised, and judging by his expression Gus was too. "Sorry, but aren't you the one who always thinks badly of everything and everyone?" the puppet asked her.

"I don't think badly of everything and everyone! I'm prudent and I use my head! Which you aren't capable of doing!" Willow snapped irritably.

Luz couldn't blame her; she wasn't exactly very good at being prudent, much less using her head. But at least she was happy that for once Willow agreed with her about how to deal with Hunter.

Masha let out a sigh. "Even if he were a good person, the problem remains that he is almost certainly affiliated with someone who isn't. The longer he stays here, the higher the chance that his presence will attract someone who we probably don't want to deal with. So the best thing to do is to try to get him away from us quickly, ergo eliminate the Inspector once and for all". She looked at Vee: "You really don't want her to die?"

Vee seemed to be in the midst of a moral conflict. Finally she replied in a feeble voice: "She's still my aunt... but I know what she did and what she has to pay for. If the law decides to sentence her to death, I will accept that judgment. But I don't want anyone to have to dirty their hands with the her blood. My aunt has already done enough harm, I don't want her to contribute to even damning a soul"

"Sniff. Oh, Vee, you're so judicious" Willow said, jumping onto her shoulder. "I wish Luz was like you"

"Hey, I can hear you!" the puppet snapped irritably.

Masha giggled, then she became serious again. "The best thing to do, if we really don't want to kill her in her sleep or something like that, would be to unmask your aunt in front of everyone. This would disorientate her guards and we in the resistance could take advantage of this to disarm them and therefore also arrest all her criminal followers. And since the whole town would see it, the population would rise up and help us. We could..."

"Wait, wait! Are you seriously considering letting my aunt live?" Vee exclaimed. "I thought..."

"You thought what? That I wouldn't care about your opinion?" Masha asked. "I'm not heartless, girl. I'm the leader of the resistance and I understand that sometimes you have to make sacrifices and put your feelings aside, but that's no justification for trying to think of a plan that doesn't include such actions. If in the end we will conclude that murder is the only possible choice, then I will be happy to give to your hunter friend the permission to do as he please, but until then I want to at least try to find a solution that works for everyone. So? Any suggestions for unmasking your aunt?"

Vee was shocked for a moment, then she smiled so wide that her lips touched the fins on her head. Luz looked at it and thought that smile was the most adorable thing in the world. "Well... um..." Vee mumbled something incoherently, then she shook her head and seemed to regain her sanity. "There is actually a way to unmask a basilisk. Our transformations require concentration to maintain. If a basilisk were subjected to great mental stress, then they would eventually lose control and transform back into their true form"

"Like you did with me" Luz remembered, as Vee began to lose control of her human form as soon as she panicked.

Masha scratched her chin. "So, if we assume that someone accused your aunt in front of everyone of being an impostor, showed evidence of it and maybe even showed up the real Inspector, would she turn back into a basilisk?"

"It's possible, yes. Or at least she would start to change, for example spots or fins would appear on her" Vee replied.

"Then it's settled!" Masha exclaimed, clapping her hands with satisfaction. "All we have to do is lure your aunt into the middle of the town and then put pressure on her. As soon as she starts transforming and everyone is confused, we of the resistance will act and rout all her guards and capture her helpers. I already have some ideas about how to do it. In this way we will take control of the town without it sinking into anarchy and without those criminals managing to escape in time. And when your aunt will completely transform, we'll capture her too. At that point we will free all the judges and law enforcement officers wrongly imprisoned, and everyone will receive a fair trial. We just need to find a way to lure your aunt out of the building..."

"You won't need much for that, I'll be enough" Vee replied to everyone's surprise. "I'm the one who knows her secret. She won't let me go. She's certainly already unleashed a good part of her goons after me"

Masha raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure, girl? Being the bait is definitely not a good thing"

Vee nodded. "I appreciate your concern, but I want to do it. After all, the responsibility is partly mine..."

"You're not responsible for anything, Vee. Stop saying those things" Luz corrected her.

"The puppet is right, girl. You don't have to accuse yourself of anything, and you certainly don't have to try to make amends for your aunt's actions" Masha told her with an oddly protective look. "I ask you again: are you sure you want to do this?"

Vee felt her heart leap strangely into her throat. Luz was also looking at her worriedly and protectively, but for some reason the fact that Masha was doing it too made her feel like her stomach was twisting. "Yes, I want to do it" she said confidently.

Masha looked at her for a moment longer, then she dropped her worried gaze and smiled. "Okay, then it's settled. We'll begin the plan in the morning and liberate the town!"

"Um, that's all very good to hear... but I warn you, even if exposed my aunt won't be caught easily" Vee warned her. "And a greater basilisk isn't exactly a pushover..."

"Well, for that we have your basilisk hunter friend for, right? You just have to convince him not to kill your aunt and let the law do the job" Masha replied.

Vee looked down. In fact Hunter was the only one who could make that plan work because he was the only one who could defeat the Inspector. And he would certainly fight, since that would be an excellent opportunity to obtain what he wanted. But how to convince him not to take his trophy and limit himself to the satisfaction of having captured a basilisk? Hunter had made it clear that he was intent on having a basilisk's head on his kitchen shelf, and at the moment the only thing holding him back was that their interests were partially aligned. Vee doubted she would ever be able to convince him.

Luz put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Vee. You won't have to do anything, I'll talk to him"

Vee looked at her in surprise. She didn't expect that Luz as well as Masha would so easily agree not to eliminate her aunt after all the evil she had done. "Really?"

Luz smiled warmly. "That's what a sister does" she replied. "You stay here with Masha, I'm sure she still has many questions for you. I'm going to find that grumpy guy. One way or another I'll convince him"

And with that she walked out of the tent with Gus and Willow, leaving Vee and Masha alone. "You've found yourself a really good sister" the latter said. "She certainly has a lot to improve in terms of education and attitude, but she absolutely has a heart of gold"

"Yeah. That's right" Vee murmured, then she almost jumped when she realized she was now alone in the same tent with Masha. For some reason that even she couldn't explain, the mere thought was enough to make her heart beat faster. "Um… so, do you have any more questions about basilisks?"

"Oh, yes, I have quite a few" Masha replied with a smile, and even though that smile couldn't even compare to Luz's, Vee felt that it too warmed her heart a little. "But personally I don't think I'll ask them to you"

Vee was a little confused. "Uh... why?"

Masha scratched her chin enigmatically. "I don't really know... I'm very interested in basilisks and in general anything related to magical creatures or magic in general... but... right now I don't want to meet Vee the basilisk. I just want to meet Vee" she replied, then she winked slightly with her eyes. "So? Do you want to just tell me about yourself?"

It took Vee a moment to understand, and when she did she felt her heart doing somersaults again. "Uh... of course! And I would really like to meet just Masha, not the leader of the resistance"

"I will be happy to introduce myself to you as such, then" Masha replied. "So, what do you want to talk about?

This chapter mainly served to correctly explain how magic works in this world and also to illustrate some characteristics that will be important in the future; If you have any doubts don't hesitate to ask in the comments. Remember, however, that although some magics overwhelm others, if the one who uses the weakest magic is much more powerful (according to Vee, at least a hundred times), then they can still fight on equal terms or even win the battle. But clearly even in such world it's hard to find anyone who is over a hundred times more powerful than the average magical creature... right?