Disclaimer: Some violent content. Reader discretion is advised.

He fell seamlessly. Weightlessly. Unencumbered.

At first, he screamed. Then, he wailed. Finally, he closed his eyes and begged God to take over, even though he wasn't religious.

But then, something amazing happened. He opened his eyes and, even if it was just for a moment, he saw the entire Ozian landscape before him. He saw the white and glimmering palace of Glinda to the south, the Emerald City in the middle and the Munchkin Country in the background. He saw vast swaths of farmland and miniature towns that he could barely make out.

Then came peacefulness. Even feelings of euphoria.

Moments before, the Wizard had plunged off the enormously tall waterwall, perhaps one of the highest in the Winkie peaks. The roaring of the water gave way to a fierce wind that blew against his face. Everything else was eerily quiet.

He knew the only way he could save his own life was to think of a place he could teleport to that he could view with his own eyes. This was not an easy task. The tree line was still a distance below him, but it was coming up fast. He turned his head and saw a pack of Winged Moneys who were diving through the air in his direction. They were coming for him.

If he was not to be quashed by the unforgiving ground, then he was to be captured by the Winged Monkeys.

The Wizard had to act expeditiously. He gazed at the tree line to the east of the Emerald City. I wish to go to the Munchkin Country, the Wizard thought to himself. A blue glow then started to shine in his bag as he closed his eyes.

Instantaneously, he was transported to the forest floor. As this change happened immediately, the freefalling sensation ceased, and his feet touched the ground. Because his body had no time to react and adjust to this sudden change in speed, the Wizard felt an incredible dizzying sensation. His feet stumbled and his balance faltered as he dropped his hat and his bag. A weak sensation pulsated throughout his body and the only thing he could feel was the rushing of his blood. It finally passed, but none too soon for the Wizard's liking.

After getting his bearings, he soon realized he was someplace in the dense forest of the Munchkin Country. He looked up and saw massively tall trees. The Munchkin Country had some of the biggest trees in all of Oz. The Wizard had never seen trees this big from when he was in Kansas, or anywhere else in the United States for that matter. Due to the thickness and width of its branches, only thin rays of light managed to reach the forest floor. The Wizard heard the chirping, grunting and various squeaking sounds of animals that were hidden behind the woods. As such, he could not see any when he looked around, but their sounds filled the forest, even if the noise was soft and remote.

However, he saw something else when he shifted his gaze: a rustic old cottage nestled behind thick trees. He now knew where he was.

This was Evanora's hut. He wanted to go there and that is where the stone took him. The Wizard's lips curled into a devious smile as he began to steeple his fingers. Yes, Evanora will now pay for what she did to the Munchkins. She will now pay for the death of the king. She will now pay for all the slanderous words she said to me. She will now pay for setting me up and turning the entire Emerald City against me. She will pay for ruining my life!

Truth be told, the Wizard wanted Evanora to be executed the night she was banished. But Glinda was vehemently against this and said that no Good Ozian should kill. He ultimately relented. But since the Emerald City had ordered his death—the total and complete height of hypocrisy—he greatly regretted listening to her. And the intervening three years, this was yet another reason why he resented Glinda. In the Wizard's mind, her decision allowed Evanora to remain free and to continue her terror against the Ozian people. It allowed her to set all these events into motion!

Above all, she continued to terrorize him. He did not want this to go unpunished. The Wizard wanted revenge.

This would be a kill mission. He would sneak into Evanora's cabin and kill her. If he was going to be executed by the Emerald City for defending himself by killing Agatha, then he thought he might as well take her out in the process. In his hubris, he believed that sneaking up and slaying her would be easy. What could go wrong?

The Wizard reached into his bag that was sitting on the forest floor and grabbed his protective vest. He slowly took it out and unfolded it. The vest was clunky as he placed it over his suit jacket, but he felt that it was sufficient to protect him from the witch.

Still, he believed that he wouldn't need it, for Evanora had been defeated by Glinda and lost her powers in the process.

In the depth of his mind, he knew that he was going to kill an unarmed witch. But he told himself that she was the Wicked Witch, not deserving of life. She was a filthy swine, a disgusting excuse for an Ozian. There were no redeemable traits to her. Additionally, if the Wizard was not to survive his subsequent return to the Emerald City, at least he took the opportunity to rid the land of this odious witch. Believing his death could be inevitable gave the Wizard a surge of confidence that he never thought he had.

He picked up his hat and bag. There was no going back now.

The Wizard bent his knees and hunched his body forward as he slowly crept towards her hut. He peeked in through a random window, but the cottage was completely dark as the thick trees of the forest prevented the rays of the sun from entering. He then decided to sneak in through the only entrance of the decrepit cottage: the front door.

He saw that the entrance was slightly ajar. The Wizard believed that this would be too easy, and that the witch was careless and reckless to leave the door open. Evanora would not even know what hit her, he thought to himself. Maybe I will just bash her over the head with a blunt object. As he quietly entered her small and dilapidated living room, he was spoiled for choice. He quickly looked around and saw several wooden logs leaning against a nearby wall. He picked one up as he made his way deeper into her home.

I'm going to bash her over the head, the Wizard silently repeated to himself. I hope she begs for mercy before I bludgeon her to death. Even though this would have terrified him to no end several years prior, a surge of energy washed over him.

As he crept forward into Evanora's abode, the Wizard noticed a soft orange hue emanating from the nearby kitchen. He slowly entered and saw a metal pot of water boiling on the nearby stove. He then gazed on *her*, the withered old hag that Glinda had beat in a magical duel three years prior. The last time he had seen Evanora up close like this was when she had given him the tour of the palace.

Her back was turned to him as she sat on a nearby chair. Believing he had the element of surprise, the Wizard's lips parted, and a dastardly grin appeared on his face. However, and unbeknownst to him, Evanora mouth also curled into a wicked smile.

She had been waiting for him. She knew that the Wizard was walking right into her trap and that he was entirely in over his head.

"So…you received my letter…", the eastern witch replied curiously and amusingly as she slowly raised her head. Due to the lack of light, the witch's yellow eyes were the only thing an observer could see if one could gaze upon the witch's face.

Initially surprised that she knew he was there, the Wizard remained confident and resolute. "Yes, fiend", he responded forcefully. "After all these years of your wickedness and misdeeds, I have come to end your wicked existence! I am going to gloat over your dead corpse!"

The Wizard was so sure of himself and his mission that he fully believed he was on the side of right. What did Glinda really know about not killing those who were wicked? She was incredibly biased because Evanora was her sister.

He knew the truth. Deep down, the eastern witch did not deserve to live. In fact, she deserved to die a death filled with torturous agony. He would be the one to make sure of that. He would do what Glinda and those other cowardly Ozians who now hypocritically ordered his death had failed to do.

Hearing this, Evanora clenched her teeth together as a demonic smile appeared on her face. She slowly stood and turned from her chair.

She looked repulsive and frighteningly hideous. Her skin was withered and her face old and haggard. She had flowing white hair. Her attire was torn and as dark as her. She shrieked as she shot green light from her hand as a wave of lightning now raced towards the Wizard.

He didn't have time to react or express shock at this unexpected turn of events. He simply believed that he would be able to withstand this assault because he wore a protective vest made of metal.

He was wrong.

While the metal did indeed protect him from death, it was not enough to completely shield him from the lightning. He was jolted by this electrical surge, thrown off his feet and his back hit the wall behind him. He slumped to the floor and then lost consciousness.

He finally stirred as his eyes burned him. The Wizard gasped for air as his hands, arms and legs trembled. He tried to move his hand, which now felt numb. He finally had enough strength to slowly open his eyelids, but he began to continuously blink as he squinted. The black void greeted him.

After several minutes, he was cognizant enough to realize that he was now in a wooden cage that was suspended from the kitchen ceiling. I am alive, the Wizard thought to himself. But I am probably not going to like the reason why.

"Ahhhhh, my 'guest' has finally awakened", a raspy voice greeted him from the nearby kitchen table. However, it was so dark and without the hue of the orange glow, the Wizard couldn't see anything.

The witch jumped from the pitch-black darkness that surrounded his cage. "HAAAAAAAAH", she hissed at him venomously as she shot the Wizard a wickedly evil grin and snickered delightfully. Her face now appeared between the wooden planks that made up his cage as she taunted him. Her teeth were jagged and yellow. Her sharp nails were long and dirty. Her wrinkly skin was withered. While Evanora appeared like a hideous old hag, she was always one for theatrics and for terrorizing those she despised.

If her little sister appeared demonic in her green skinned witch form, the eastern witch was the devil herself.

"W-w-why don't you just kill me already?", the Wizard groggily asked as his trembling from the electrical shocks to his body began to subside.

"Kill you?", she inquisitively asked as she began to mock him. "Oh, no. And what fun would that to be to me? I think you are more useful to me alive…for now", the witch said as she heartily snickered.

While she spoke, a deep red glow emanated from Evanora's feet as she began to transform. Her withered skin became smooth, her teeth white and her nails short. Her black and green glittering dress returned as a look of youthful exuberance appeared on her face, just like she was when he first met her.

The Wizard had once deceived Evanora with his disembodied head and his fireworks, but now the joke was on him. After Glinda had "humiliated" the eastern witch once more with her so-called concerned "sisterly" visits, Evanora felt powerless to strike back against this perceived folly. Even though it was never stated, she believed that Glinda had only paid her a visit to secretly gloat over her success at reclaiming the Emerald City. And ever since that happened, Evanora wanted to get her true vengeance. Oh, how she would have loved to have attacked Glinda right then and there during that chess game. But she couldn't as she had been deprived of her powers, which further added to her long list of grievances and indignities.

Indeed, it was serendipity that her yellow hooded informant—one who had paid her multiple visits—delivered to her Theodora's old red boots. Unlike her little sister, however, Evanora was very similar to Glinda. She was patient and she waited for an opening to strike.

Since that fateful visit, she had only maintained the illusion that she was an old crone. With Theodora's old boots, Evanora had altered them into "ruby slippers". While the appearance changed, this accessory still retained its incredible powers. And the eastern witch used this to her advantage. She only appeared as an old hag to her sister through the crystal ball even though she could have looked like her former self at any given time. She used her magic to create fake little Nomes to try and extract gold from her coffers. She played a trick on everyone.

She also knew that the Wizard would come to her if she baited him into a trap. But she also knew it would never happen if he was at the Emerald City, for the palace had numerous servants who would read and vet messages. She also knew that Glinda would never allow him to venture into the Munchkin Country by himself.

But his unexpected visit to the Winkies made the Wizard vulnerable and gave the eastern witch a unique opening to strike. Knowing that he would take the bait, she wrote him a letter and taunted him in it. Since Evanora knew that the Wizard was separated from Glinda and that he was now at odds with the Emerald City, she could kill him if she could provoke him into coming to her hut.

And of course, the buffoon showed up! She was going to get *her* revenge on the Wizard. To her, he was a chauvinist and a bumbling moron who stole *her* rightful place on the throne. *He* who knew *nothing* about the land or its people, was *given* something he had *never* earned or had a right to have in the first place!

Of course, Evanora was not stupid. She knew that this idiot was being used as a tool by Glinda herself in her machinations so that *she* could take over and restore the powers-that-be who had advised King Pastoria.

This incensed the eastern witch. By being banished, her whole scheme to remove her father had been for naught. Their mother died for nothing. Ruling for ten years was an incredibly short amount of time in witch years. Consequently, she viewed her coup of the king as a failure.

Once Glinda retook the Emerald City, all of Evanora's "reforms" were quickly undone. The bumbling Wizard agreed with all of them, of course, because he knew nothing about Ozian politics, its culture, or its society, so of course he acquiesced. He was sniveling, conniving and selfish! All he wanted was that stupid gold!

When he was alive, King Pastoria labeled those who disagreed with him, posed a threat to his rule or those he feared as "wicked". Consequently, many Ozians were banished from the Emerald City and could never return.

This was outlawed when Evanora assumed power. And apart from Glinda and her officers, the eastern witch also invited every Ozian—even if deemed 'Wicked'—back to the Emerald City. There was a part of her that did this to hurt Glinda and the others who had supported the king. Regardless, the labels and terms "Wicked" and "Good" that the state had previously used to ostracize others fell by the wayside. In those short ten years, these terms were only permitted to be used in colloquial conversations and the city itself did not weaponize them as an enforcement measure.

However, when Glinda had resumed leadership, the "wicked" designation that King Pastoria used to ostracize his enemies and abuse his own family came back into force. Many individuals that the eastern witch had pardoned during her time had been outcasted once again.

Nothing would please Evanora more than getting revenge not only for her fall, but for Glinda's arrogance to boot. And in her absence, the Wizard's death would have to do.

Her prisoner was still on his knees as the cage was too small for him to stand. He wrapped his hands on the wooden planks as the eastern witch gleefully continued her taunts.

"So, what should I do with you now?", Evanora coyly said as she placed her fingers on her chin. She made it seem like she was contemplating her next move, but she knew exactly what she wanted to do to him. "No. I think I will do something else." After a momentary pause, she continued. "I think…I will burn your skin to a crisp and flay you alive while I hear you scream…" She flashed him a devilish smile.

The Wizard looked at her as he slowly reached into his pocket. Evanora wanted him to cower and become fearful, but he was not going to let her have that satisfaction. "I am done with your molestations and your threats. You are a coward, a deceitful liar, and a hideous old crone", he retorted. "Heh, why look at you. You used to have the entire audience of the Emerald City and two armies at your fingertips. Look what happened with that!"

His tone then became haughtier as Evanora's gaze fell and she lowered her head as indecisiveness and doubt appeared on her face. The Wizard became more confident as he engaged in the verbal tug of war, and he regained the tempo.

"But look at you now", he said as he continued to taunt and tease her. "You are nothing! You are just a withered dried up old hag who has lost all her influence and wealth and spends all day in this impoverished hut whimpering like a little whelp." As he spoke disdainfully at her, he used his free hand and placed his fingers on his chin to mock the witch's tone and her mannerisms.

"Shut up", she finally growled as she slowly shook her head in annoyance.

While the Wizard indeed feared Evanora for the last three years, he was not going to be that fearful man anymore. Even if he couldn't kill her, he was going to hit her where it hurt. And the fact that Evanora could kill him right then and there was irrelevant now because there was a good chance that he would be executed by the Emerald City, anyway. This compelled him to say everything that was on his mind.

"Hey guess what", he continued as his voice remained caustic and scathing. "Do you know who rules the Emerald City now? Oh wait, it's me! Some no-nothing from some far away and distant land took your throne. And, wow, I was only here for one week before I did that. How much of an incompetent imbecile did you have to be to allow that to happen?"

"Shut up!", Evanora said again as she seethed. Her once steady and polished tone gave way to annoyance and disgust as a frown enveloped her face. "Ugh! I knew my sister wouldn't have the guts to kill you!" She then began to pace back and forth. "This just shows me how weak and pathetic she is!"

"And you know what!", the Wizard added, his voice imbued with confidence. "I am not afraid of you anymore! You know why? Even if you kill me now, I will have still won! Because I will die as a martyr and reclaim my reputation as having fought a witch as WICKED as you, while YOUR name will be defiled for all eternity! How do you like that, YOU OLD FUCKING HAG!"

This made Evanora clench her teeth, curled her hands into fists and snarled at him. No one in Oz had made her as angry as the Wizard did. However, showing displeasure was rare for her, and she quickly tempered it. She then raised her hand as her fingers pointed in his direction.

"You are going to regret meddling in my affairs and saying that!", the witch spat at him. "And while you are screaming in agony inside that wooden cage of yours as you are slowly being burned alive, you will begin to understand why!"

On this day, the Wizard happened to be extraordinarily lucky. Or maybe Evanora was just incredibly unlucky. For as the pair were engaging in their brief, yet incredibly bitter tête-à-tête,the Wizard was busy using his hand to place a small bullet into his Derringer. It was a tiny instrument, so he had to use his fingers by memory when placing that bullet into the chamber, but he was dexterous and nimble with his hands.

And when the witch raised her fingers and her hand began to light up with a green aura, the Wizard attacked. He aimed his weapon at the witch, but he had never actually used his invention on a live person before. Due to his nervousness and the adrenaline that coursed through his body, he fired that single bullet, which tore through one of the wooden planks. It missed the witch entirely and continued towards the metal pot full of boiling water. From the time he pulled the trigger, everything happened incredibly quickly.

With the Wizard's arrival, the eastern witch had completely forgot all about the water she had boiled. And after the Wizard was captured, she became increasingly overconfident and didn't pay it any heed as the flame underneath the pot remained at its highest intensity. Unfortunately for her, she was standing between the wooden cage that the Wizard was confined in and the kitchen stove itself. This placed her in an exceedingly vulnerable position.

As the bullet impacted the metal pot and tore through its exterior, the vessel's integrity failed. Since the pot had been compromised, there was a loss of pressure that caused the boiling water to rapidly convert into a gas, which then forcefully expanded.

This caused the metal pot to violently explode, which hurled shrapnel and boiling water in every which direction.

Evanora screamed in sheer agony as she bore the brunt of the explosion, with shards of metal and boiling water landing on her back, her arms, and her legs. As she was utterly distracted and stumbling in every which direction by this sudden turn of events, the Wizard wasted little time. Guided by the red aura of the boots that gave enough light for the Wizard to see, he kicked the loose wooden plank that the bullet had tore through and crawled out of the cage that the witch had hastily and shoddily constructed. His eyes quickly darted to the wooden log that was lying on the floor. He took it and before Evanora could react, he grunted as he began to beat the witch viciously and aggressively. He first hit her in the stomach. As her body heaved from its impact, he then beat her across the face. And when she fell to the floor, he continued to groan and grunt and beat her until she didn't move anymore.

The witch's screams had turned into a soft moan. And then, there was silence. When the Wizard saw the now battered body of his greatest adversary and nemesis, his thoughts continued to be one of hatred and scorn.

Tonight, it was going to end, the Wizard thought to himself as he dropped the wooden log and quickly removed the now unconscious witch's red glowing slippers. He knew the battle was over, but what should he do to her next? Maybe he should place her in the cage? Maybe he should grab her by the hair, drag her outside and finish beating her? Maybe he should simply burn her to death? Neither the attack on Evanora, which relied on brute force, nor his ideas on what to do with her next showed any brilliance on the Wizard's part.

As he continued to think of these vile thoughts on how to ultimately dispose of the witch, he heard another feminine voice echo in his mind. At first, he thought it was Annie, but it was in someone else entirely.

Wizard don't do this. The Wizard looked around, but no one was there. The cabin was eerily quiet, save for the intermittent sounds of various outdoor birds.

"Glinda?"

Wizard, I am communicating with you telepathically from the Emerald City Palace. Please, don't do this. This is not the man you want to be. This is not the man that you are. Please, don't kill her.

The Wizard closed his eyes as he stood over Evanora's body. There was blood spatter all over the cabin floor and some on the Wizard's clothes. At this point, he truly didn't know if the eastern witch was dead or alive.

"I've already killed someone in self-defense, but the Emerald City has condemned me for that without knowing all of the facts", he said with much disdain in his voice. "You didn't even come to ascertain what was true and what was false. You let the Emerald City issue that horrible decree of death against me, and you let Wogglebug deliver that message and accuse me like some common criminal. You let Evanora roam free and terrorize the Munchkins!" He then pointed his finger at Evanora's body as he curled his lips angrily. "Well, this witch started all of this! She got what she deserved!"

Her voice continued to flash through his mind. Come to the gates of the Emerald City. I understand why you think the Emerald City doesn't want to treat you fairly, but I can assure you that I would have visited you if things in the city allowed. You *will* receive a fair trial. Killing Evanora will not bring peace, nor will it resolve the terrible things that have unfolded. This is not the way, Wizard…

The voice disappeared. "Glinda", the Wizard whispered, but there was no response. He then simply stared at the wooden floorboards of the eastern witch's hut, seemingly lost in his thoughts. He then looked at Evanora's bloodied body. He began to eye her face and chest, which he saw slowly rise and fall.

She was seriously injured. But she was still alive.