May felt a single drop of sweat that ran through her temples as she opened herself up to contact her ancestors. She wouldn't need to perform the entire ritual the same way she did before. No, this time, at that place, she could feel the magic and the divination acting in a different way. The voices came and whispered in her ear, and when she looked back at the disciple, the words came like a river from her mouth:

  "I'll defeat you. You changed your face, and you're wearing the face of the last person you killed, so long ago."

  And when May said the words, she felt herself being pulled and pushed from different directions. The castle itself morphed into something different.

  Two people argued in the pouring rain. They wore long overcoats, and the city lights shone in the distance. May wanted to get closer, but she knew she couldn't. It was like an invisible force kept her stuck. May watched in horror as one of the people took a knife and stabbed the other, multiple times. The water on the pavement mixed with blood that was soon washed away by the rain.

  May took a deep breath, and she was back in the castle. If the woman weren't blind, May would swear the disciple observed her.

  "Oh, so you wanted to start like this... the same bold way you started discovering magic a few years ago. And even before this game ends, you'll be falling face-first onto the floor."

  And like the first time, it was like the whole castle folded into itself. This time, in the vision, the disciple was by May's side as she watched herself in her room. Younger than she was at the moment, she played with her cards. She seemed focused as she started taking tarot cards from the deck. And with a single movement from her hand, the cards rearranged themselves in the deck.

  "Sweet." The past May said. And the present May decided to try something. She extended her hand across the invisible force that pulled her back. And when she said:

  "Hey, can you lend me that?"

  The past version of herself looked at the present version of May and extended the deck.

  "Sure, take it. I bet you need it more than I."

  And present May took two cards, as she said:

  "The Sun upright, taking cards, brought me a lot of happiness. When I discovered that I was a witch, it was like everything started to make sense. Reversed Empress, you will start to lose your mind, and you will feel insecure, as you notice that you're losing this game. On your knees, you will beg for mercy."

  And they were back at the castle, but the table was thrown away. The disciple cried while holding some of the items that were on top of the furniture.

  "Please, spare me. He forced me to do all of this." The woman sobbed on the ground as May watched.

  "A funny trick, I used to do tricks like that back then, too, when the Master found me. But a trick won't save you from collapsing on the ground with your friends." The real disciple reappeared at the table, which was in the right place once again. But not for long, as the room morphed and transformed.

  Now, they were at a tent, a woman covered by a veil read the fortune of a man. May saw the man's back. The woman showed him something in a crystal ball, and whatever the man saw there, it pleased him.

  "It's interesting how you seem powerful in this vision, but you weren't always that powerful, right, Ermelinda? Or don't you remember when they were mean to you? You were so alone, unlike me, when I go out of the castle with my friends by my side."

  And the vision turned into something different; it was similar to a village. Simple houses circled a single central square. At the center of the square, a group of kids bullied a young girl. The girl cried as she tried to defend herself. But she was too small and too weak to protect herself against the group of kids that surrounded her.

  The real Ermelinda took a step back, as she said:

  "Well, everybody has to start somewhere. Like when you started noticing how weak you were and how much you depended on your friend. Contrary to you, I'll be able to defeat you all by myself, my hands around your neck while your life fades away."

  And the colors at the village morphed into black and darkness, and they were back at the castle. May in the ground and Ermelinda on top of her, the woman held the girl's neck. A vicious laugh and a manic expression on the disciple's face. May gasped for air, but amidst her struggle, her eyes locked on the woman.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "You think your hands will be surrounding my neck, but the only thing you'll be trying to hold on to is life. There was a time I couldn't trust myself, but Karina showed me that she would always be by my side."

  And the castle dissolved and turned into the sewers of Neo Victoria City. Karina and May ran away from a group of hellhounds. Karina laughed like a kid.

  "You can trust me, May. I know that physical combat isn't what you prefer. So the next time, you can let me fight for you. I will trust you to protect my back while I'm in the middle of it."

  And then both the May from the present and the past smiled at Karina. She knew she could count on her friend, even when she was fighting alone.

  "But there was that time, when I turned into a disciple, the way power flowed into me. And then again, you have no future behind the walls of this castle."

  The vision turned into something even darker. A group of people who wore capes, Ermelinda in the middle of a room, and some sort of liquid being poured into her mouth. The people there turned their faces in the direction of May. They had bloodshot eyes, and they bled from their mouths, too. Like zombies, they walked in the direction of the girl. But she wasn't afraid, because she knew it was all just a vision. And the disciple's magical power couldn't hurt her.

  "But power comes with consequences. Back then, you had to betray everyone for more. It was like a drug; you were never satisfied. Contrary to me, in my future, I see myself sharing all my blessings with my friends; I won't ever let myself be consumed."

  And again the vision changed, to some place lost in time. On the ground, Ermelinda stayed. It was a different version of her, younger, another body, another life. She cried alone in the dust, and the wind washed away her tears. When she got up, her eyes were completely black, and a storm raged. She walked up to one of the houses in the town and disappeared inside.

  "My past was built with power, and I reclaim it. Once I cried in the dust, but in your future, only dust remains."

  The place turned into something else, a desert. In the middle of the sand, a pair of skeletons lay unrest. The bones eroded by the action of time and wind. And the infinite dust always ran across them.

  May started to feel a little insecure. She didn't know how long this battle would go. And it started to feel like ages to her body. She felt all the fatigue of all the lives she had to live. It was too much, and she felt she was about to give up. But her ancestor, for the first time, turned almost physical, and May saw the person who guided her. It was an older woman, in the corner of her eyes, wrinkles formed from frequent smiling. She wore an elegant dress and a cape around her shoulders. The woman had a benevolent aura about her that May sensed as it was emanating, even through the afterlife. The woman whispered to the girl:

  "I'm your ancestor. I don't remember my name anymore. But I've been here for quite a long time. I walked by your side, and I saw life through your eyes. When you asked for the future, I tempered the past, so you would learn to look back before you looked forward. I guided your hand, and I prayed every time you took a card. And although you didn't trust your readings, I blew the winds of fate in every moment of insecurity." The woman grabbed May's hand. "I don't know you, yet I love you with all my being. I will guide you through your victory."

  And May found herself speechless. She lacked words to express her gratitude and her enchantment with the moment. Her confidence grew again inside of her, and she felt the moment coming. There wasn't much left, and she knew that. After all, witches do know stuff. May looked once again at the disciple, as she said:

  "A few minutes ago, my friends and I ran in the direction of your castle, and we ran up the steps. Anxiously, we wanted to cross another barrier. A few minutes in the future, and we'll be running again, and there will be nothing left of you. Just a cape that will be ignored by the servants; they will find themselves free from the evil you impose."

  Somehow, it was like the words had hit the mark, as they went back to the castle. The visions had vanished. And now, May observed it was the disciple who was sweating and looked unsure. The girl had made the vision become too real; she anchored it on the hope, and thus, she would leave the duel a victor. Against all the odds, she was about to defeat another disciple.

  But Ermelinda wasn't about to give up. Not until she had tried one last thing. If May brought things close, she would once again take it back.

  "There was a time, a time in the past, when I learned I was a witch. But back in that time, being a witch felt like a curse. Now I bring my eyes to the distant future, let's see how cursed you will become, little May."

  This time, it was different. A thunder was heard in the distance, even though they were in the underground. The castle shook, and they were taken to somewhere distant. It was a place where time didn't exist. The matter was destroyed and reconstructed. In this place, there were multiple paths, and each path led to a door. Some of the doors were simple, made of wood. But there were also intricate metal doors. The skies at this place were purple and in a constant storm. And it seemed that the space was completely empty. Ermelinda and May stood on a platform in the middle of the storm. The girl was confused, and yet, something about the place was familiar to her.

  The disciple fell to the ground, her face frozen in utter horror.

  "What have you done, girl? What have you done? Are you insane? Aren't you afraid of the consequences? What have you done? What have you done?" Ermelinda started to repeat, and May felt that the vision had to come to an end. Yet, they were still there, under the purple skies.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Oh, I guess you know better what I'm talking about." The disciple got up once again, and there was some kind of dignity in the gesture. "You won this battle, little girl. But after seeing that, before I vanish, let me give you a piece of advice. There are frontiers that shouldn't be crossed, and there are fates worse than death. There will come a time when you will regret winning against me here. After all, there lay a peaceful death compared to what is ahead of you."

  In the middle of the storm, one giant eye opened. Red and injected, the eye looked at the girl and the disciple. And then, the vision was over.