"There it is..." Aster said as he stood at the bottom of Arcane Tower, where Celina is waiting for him. He was about to make his way up the stairs, but that was when he saw the door open up for him. "Of course." Aster figured Celina left that for him. He still went inside. He walked right into the tower, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. "What are you up to, Celina?"
"The only one going up is you, Aster." Suddenly, a magic circle appeared right underneath Aster's feet. Suddenly, he found himself transported. Faster than taking even an elevator, Aster was transported to the top of the tower. He now found himself in the chamber and spotted Celina right across from him. "Hello, Aster. I'm so glad you could make it."
"Celina..." Aster was now faced with his old friend in the flesh. He had hoped for this day for a long time, but he had wished it was under better circumstances. "I see you've become quite profound in magic. I take it you were the one that drew that magic circle that brought me all the way up here."
"That I did. You knew I was always fascinated by magic, and I was quite gifted at it." Celina said. "I can do that and so much more. I've had plenty of practice."
"What happened to you, Celina?" Aster questioned. "Why are you so different? Most of all, what are you up? Why have you done all of this?"
"You surely have a lot of questions, but it has been seven years since we last saw each other." Celina said. "I know I may not seem the same, but I've changed. I'm not the same helpless little girl I was when the Brusard Core took over this place. I made a difference."
"What do you mean? What happened to them? For that matter, what happened to the people of Willow? The whole town is deserted." Aster said.
"Well, it all happened at some point after you left." Celina said as she stood up from her throne and shared her little story. "I guess I should say from when I helped you escape. For the past few months, I tried to stand against them. They attempted to break my spirit, especially since they weren't so happy I used their own means to help you escape."
"What do you mean? What did they do to you?" Aster said.
"You remember how ruthless they were." Celina said. Despite all this time, Celina still thinks about it herself. "They locked me away and tried to break my spirit, but I did my best to hold on. It did feel like forever as the days went by so slowly, but it all changed one day. I don't know who because I was in a rather weakened state while they were holding me captive, but one day someone granted me power. More power than I knew I could have."
...
Flashback
After Celina helped Aster escaped, the thugs that worked in the Brusard Core brought her in and tortured her. It was rather hard for her to say how long it lasted. It could have been days, weeks, or any amount of time. Grecko Brusard wasn't happy that Celina used his system to help her friend escaped. They had her in chains and tortured her by actually electrocuting her. They kept it up until Grecko gave the signal to stop.
"Now, do you see why you shouldn't use other people's things without their permission." Grecko said. "Now, play nice with me little girl and we shouldn't have any problems."
"Everyone has a problem with you. You're a pig. How can you treat people the way that you do?" Celina said. Grecko grabbed Celina by the jaw and forced her to look at him so she remembers this.
"Because I can. Simple as that." Grecko said. "Now, what do we say in this sort of situation. It starts with an S."
"Screw you." Celina said. "Vanetta was willing to stand up to someone like you. It's only a matter of time until someone else does. You're no powerful man. You're a spineless old man that just doesn't like it when he doesn't get what he wants. For such an old man, you sure do act like a big baby." Celina stood by what she said, but Grecko smacked her with his cane for that.
"I'm not the one in chains and in pain. Maybe I'll leave you in here for a while." Grecko said. After that, he and his men cleared out and left Celina in that dark room alone. Celina felt so weak now and wanted nothing more than to make that man pay. Just then, she could tell someone else entered the room, but she was too weak to see who it was.
"What now?" Celina said. Then, she felt something. She felt power pulsating through her body. The power just felt too good.
...
Grecko
Grecko acted like he actually owned the town. Technically, he did, but no one really liked it. As he sat in City Hall to figure out what his next move was going to be, and who else will suffer from it, he could hear some sort of commotion going on outside.
"What are those idiots doing out there?" Grecko said. "They know I don't like being disturbed." That's just what happened when he saw the doors to his office blew open with one of his men flew in. "What the hell?!" He looked and saw Celina came walking in, but she seemed different. She had a sinister grin on her face with magic flowing from her. "You! I told those idiots not to let you out! Even you are a child, you need to learn some respect!"
"Respect for you? Don't make me laugh." Celina said.
"You know what I did to that woman. Don't think I won't do the same to a child." Grecko said.
"You're a real piece of work." Celina said. "You and whose army? The way I see it, you're all alone now. A feeble old man who really has nothing and tries to take money and power to compensate for that."
"How dare you, you little brat. You clearly don't know..." Grecko didn't get to finish that as Celina used her magic to cause his desk to explode and blow Grecko back that he smashed against the window.
"You're done running that mouth. You can dish it out, but can't take it." Celina said as she stood over him with her getting her magic ready. "Never again will we have to put up with your garbage." She used her magic directly on him and the next thing that was heard was the sound of Grecko screaming.
End of Flashback
...
"You killed him?!" Aster said. He couldn't believe that Celina would actually do that.
"Why are you so shocked and surprised. I wanted revenge on him, and you should have as well after what he did to your mother." Celina said.
"I may have hated that man, but that doesn't mean I wanted to kill him!" Aster argued. "You acted cruel! Stopping him is one thing, but killing him was something else!"
"Well, it worked. His men cleared out of here once they saw their boss was dead. No more bread to put on the table for them." Celina claimed. "That was just what I did as a child. I had no idea what I could be so powerful." She said as she stared down at her hand with her grinning like a maniac. "The power I had was incredible! I had no idea I had such potential! I've always wanted to learn about magic, but I never knew I could make it so powerful! Back then, I was just a mere child! Imagine what more I can do with even more power! I've never felt more alive with it!" This is worse than Aster thought. Celina hasn't just changed but has gone mad with power.
"Celina... I don't know what happened to you to bring out that power, but it's clearly effected you mentally!" Aster said. "You've had a taste of it, but now it's like you're drunk and obsessed over it! That isn't you!"
"Aster..." Celina said once she calmed down. "I'm sure you still remember. Do you remember the last words your mother said before she died? Life is magic and magic is life. Do you know why she made those her final words? She said those words to us before."
"Yes, I remember. It was when we were both learning about magic." Aster said. He still remembered. They were just children and wanted to learn more about magic.
...
Flashback
"Mom? Can Celina and I use magic?" Aster asked.
"Of course. You two just need to be willing to learn it." Vanetta said.
"I want to learn more about magic!" Celina said. "Magic sounds like it can be really incredible! It sounds like you can do anything with it! I could fly on a broom, make a bunch of potions, and cast so many spells."
"That sounds more like something a witch would do." Aster said with Vanetta finding this amusing.
"Regardless, you two could use magic if you wanted." Vanetta claimed. "You see, magic is a mystical power that has been around for many years. It's become a part of life. In fact, it might as well be the energy of life itself because magic is alive."
"It's alive?" Aster questioned.
"In order to use magic, you must tap into the power that comes from the heart." Vanetta said. "Magic is used in our lives, but it's a power that helps life prosper. It can be used for good, but it can be used for evil as well. It all depends on the person, what's in their hearts. Magic comes in many different forms. It comes from believing in yourself, faith, and that kind of power can only be found in your heart. When you unlock that power, there's no telling what you are capable of. At the same time, you have to find what you do cherish in life to help your magic grow and prosper. Magic might be incredible, but it's not vital. Your will to live in life is. All magic can do is help you in life, but life is where you can find magic. They're intertwined in so many way. Life is magic and magic is life."
"I'm not sure I really understand." Aster said as he seemed so confused, but that just got him getting smothered by his mother.
"Aster, you are so adorable and precious even when you are confused!" Vanetta cheered.
"Hahaha! You have such a smother mother!" Celina teased.
"Don't worry. You'll understand in time. You just need to find the power inside you and you can do anything." Vanetta said.
End of Flashback
...
"Life is magic and magic is life. She was trying to tell us the secret to having magic and to live! To do that, you must have great magic power!" Celina claimed.
"That is not what she meant and you know it!" Aster said. "That's the logic of someone who lusts for power! Celina, you aren't thinking clearly! What about all the people?! With this new insight of power you have, what happened to all the people that lived here."
"They were free to leave. There were some I needed for other means, but they were free to leave." Celina said. "They were all scared by my power and left. Unlike Grecko, I didn't the stop them."
"You scared everyone away?" Aster said. Aster couldn't believe this was the same girl he once knew. He doesn't quite understand how she could have allowed this to happen to her, but he can't let it go on. He has to put his hesitation aside and act like a Phoenix Flame wizard. "Sorry, Celina. I don't want to do this, but you've gone too far." He brought his hands together and started making. "Crystal-Make: Sapphire Sword!" He formed his sword and held it in his hands.
"Oh... Maker magic with crystal. How beautiful." Celina said.
"The only reason I haven't taken off yet is because I believed I could help you. You were my best friend, but this insanity must stop." Aster said. "I'm hoping that once you are defeated, you'll come to your senses!" Aster made a bold attempt to save Celina from herself. He went at her with his sword and swung it right at her, but Celina held out her arm and the sword shattered upon impact. "What?!" Not understanding what just happened, Aster moved back from her. "What just happened?! What kind of power do you have now?!"
"A very potent power that I believe is magic's truest form." Celina said as her outline began to sheen from magic. "During the seven years you've been away, I have worked on my magic and became...an enchantress. I can enchant magic power into anything and change the properties, such as making that sword of yours quite fragile. Another example, I can enchant the ground you're standing on to explode!" She held out her hand and grasped it closed. The spot Aster was standing on glowed, but he jumped away before it detonated. "I've learned a few different kinds of magic, but enchantments are probably my favorite. I can even enchant the area around me to do this!" She used her magic to form lights and had them attack Aster.
"Crystal-Make: Quartz Shield!" Aster formed a round shield out of quartz and used it to block the attacks with some explosions going off.
"It's funny, isn't it? We both wanted to learn magic, and we both seemed to have gotten good at it, but neither of us thought that we would actually face each other in combat." Celina said.
"I'm not getting any enjoyment out of this." Aster said. He took his shield and threw it at Celina, but she ducked down and avoided it. Just then, Aster went at Celina himself and tackled her. When he did that, he pinned her down to the floor and held her arms down. "Celina, come to your senses! Deep in your heart, I know you're the same girl I grew up with! I'm not giving up until you wake up!"
"That's going to be a long wait. A lot has changed in the past seven years." Celina said.
"Not just for you, but for me as well. I became a member of a magic guild called Phoenix Flame." Aster said. "We're not the type to give up. I've been training for all these years to become as strong as I am now, all so I could one day save you and avenge my mother. I became as strong as I am now for you and for her." It's all true. To this day, he still remembers that vow he made.
...
Flashback
It happened not that long after he arrived to Phoenix Flame. He told Velvet all about how he wanted to learn magic and some of his past to why he wanted to learn magic.
"I see... It sounds like you've been through a lot." Velvet said. "Your mother sounded like she was a powerful wizard. If you are serious about learning magic, I be more than willing to help. I just need to know what kind of magic you might be interested in."
"I... I don't know. There's so many different kinds." Aster said. "From everything I do know about magic, it sounds like one can be quite creative, beautiful, and you can do just about anything."
"Hmm... Well, by that logic, maybe maker magic best suits you." Velvet said. "Maker magic allows you to create almost anything. Those who practice it have their own different styles. If that's how you view magic, it might work best for you." That's when Aster began to learn more about magic and tried to use it. After that, he tried to settle in Phoenix Flame. Still, he greatly missed Celina and his mother. He felt so weak and powerless to help them, and now his entire town is being ruled by a horrible man. He's in a new town and doesn't know anyone and feels so alone. As he sat near the lake at the park, he kept thinking about those two. Now that he was beginning to learn more about magic, he thought about something his mother once told him
"You just need to find the power inside you and you can do anything."
When he thought about those words, it made his resolve stronger. Rather than sitting there and feeling sorry for himself, he got back up and began to practice his magic. He brought his hands together with them glowing a bright light. He couldn't save his mother, but he will get stronger to save Celina and Willow.
'I promise, Mom. I will get that power.' Aster thought and made the first steps to grow. Not just for his own sake, but for all of those who are important to him.
End of Flashback
...
"That's why I'm not going to back down. If I have to do this to help you, I will." Aster said.
"How lovely. I'm afraid you're not going to like what's next." Celina said. She used more of her magic and was able to knock him off of her. "You see, there's something else. Something you're going to help me with."
"What are you talking about now?" Aster questioned.
"You'll see soon enough. There's a reason I wanted our reunion to be here at the tower." Celina said. Aster didn't like where this was going.
"It doesn't matter." Aster said as he made his stance once again. "If I have to defeat you to stop all of this, I will." Aster devoted his life to gain the magic power he has now to save those he cares about. He had hoped he never would have to use it against Celina, but he thinks its the only way to save her now. All that he's been through has been for this moment.