Faira’s stomach churned as she sensed the darkness crushing the woman, confusion arising at Marianne’s smile despite the force squeezing the life from her. Faira tired once more to regain control of the elements, to put the power back in its place where it belonged, but the flame and living shadows raged on, a sick contentment dusting through her mind as the flame consumed the woman.

[i]No, no![/i] her head twitched in conflicting irritation as her fight to regain control made the flame’s intensity diminish slightly. 

Job done, the darkness and flames sunk into the ground and receded back to Faira, bile rising to her throat at the sight of what remained. With the target of her hatred and fear seemingly disposed of, Faira finally managed to get a cap on the powers and enhanced emotions, pushing them and their side effects back to their corner.

She stumbled forward slightly as the magic released her, her body weak and back once again sore from hitting the wall. She swallowed hard, her breathing shaky as she took in the blood-bathed corpse, her legs threatening to give out as the shadows still lingering at her feet swirled around her like loyal dogs waiting for their master’s order. 

[i] She’s… I just…[/i] Faira placed a hand to her forehead and swallowed hard. [i]I just [u]killed[/u] someone![/i] She looked down at her shaking hand in disgust, a spark flickering from one finger to the other, before dying out.

[b]“…Oh my. That’s really bad for me, isn’t it?”[/b]

Faira gasped and spun around, stumbling backwards as she willed her legs to support her. There, Marianne stood before her. Mouth agape and wondering whether she was relieved that she had not murdered someone, or wanted to run as fast and far away from the woman as she could, she glanced back to where Marianne’s fake corpse rested. She looked on with widened eyes as giggling white arms disposed of the corpse in their own ominous way.

Unsure of what to say to Marianne, she took a frightened step back from the woman who had defied death. Suddenly, a violent shiver ran through her as the air around her grew icy, her breath becoming vapor in the air and the single remaining strand of shadow withering away.

She held her breath as Marianne revealed her eerie eye for the first time… or had she seen it before, as impossible as the déjà vu was?

[b] “If you ever do that again…I will not hesitate to end your story. And not the peaceful kind too, no. I’ll take you to the highest building I can find, rip out your entrails…and then hang you with the spare pieces.“[/b]

Faira only whimpered in response, an arctic cold settling in her at the imagery even though the physical chill had disappeared.

[i]D-definitely run,[/i] she thought, deciding the answer to her earlier debate. She took a step back as if to do just that, but her legs finally failed her. She collapsed to the ground, her world turning black for a moment.

As her vision returned, she propped herself shakily up with her arms. She inhaled and looked up as Marianne said her name, and swallowed as the woman continued. She jumped as Rosaline stood beside her.

Forcing herself painfully to a sitting position, she cast a wide-eyed warning glance at Adrian as he placed his glowing blade against the woman’s throat, glad both when Rosaline spoke up, and that someone powerful enough to easily defeat a basilisk seemed to be on her side—at least for the moment.

Glancing up at Rosaline, Faira dared to take her attention away from Adrian and Marianne for a moment to follow the doll-like woman’s gaze. She ran a hand through her hair as she noticed the new staircase.

[i]A-and let the mad-house continue…[/i] She swallowed against a lump in her throat and hugged herself as a residual chill ran through her.