Arcana's Path Ch. 03

Violet leaned on the other side of the door as she listened to Rin cry, hearing the woman's own spiralling thoughts telling Rin what a piece of shit she was. It didn't just hurt to hear them, it made Violet angry.

She wanted to walk through the door and hold the woman until she stopped crying, but a forced hug wouldn't do Rin any good right now. Rin utterly despised herself. She needed the space to try and process her emotions.

It also wasn't like Violet didn't need space as well. Rin brought up all the pain and sorrow that the witch tried so hard to pretend she didn't have.

Violet had never learned to forgive herself for failure. Any kind of failure. What she'd come to learn was how to pretend she was okay with failing, and that could get her through the day.

She didn't grieve her failures so openly, anymore.

She also never forgave herself for failing, ever.

Right now, she was failing Rin. Failed. Past tense. She had pushed too hard, too fast. Trying to show her that some things were simply... Wrong. That she deserved more than what she had.

As much as Violet wanted to fix Rin, to give her a life that the woman was content with, there were still limits to what she could do for them.

She stood up, easing away from the door silently. She walked back out to the table where they shared their meals, and snapped her fingers to throw together a small box. She handwrote a letter on top, and then she took the port crystals from inside her pocket.

Violet whispered, unable to raise her voice without bursting into tears, "Winds of change, resonate. Make the two in one, and one in three. Break and bind, and take me to the Glade."

She belched lightly as she appeared in a small clearing in a forest. The trees towered overhead, hundreds of years old, but scarred by frequent fires. It was quiet here, the animals watching the newcomer in curiosity and concern.

She walked over to the small hut and opened the door to reveal a young black-haired girl fallen asleep whilst reading a book. Violet busied herself cleaning up the simple wooden table without disturbing them.

Then she moved on to dealing with the constant invasions of ants and spiders that the occupant had long since given up on. Finally, she headed out of the hut and underneath to check in on the cellar.

"Bite me, one more time." Violet threatened the wolf as it began to growl at her from the dark. The growls instantly became whimpers and the yellow eyes retreated away from her as the guard realised who she was.

She checked over the cheese, turning some of them, and then she opened the buried freezer, looking at what was left in the ice-filled container that was effectively a fridge. Seemed like they were pretty much out of food, again.

Violet headed out to her garden at the edge of the Glade, and began picking mushrooms. She'd cultivated this particular patch for most of her life, but still sometimes the wrong kind of fungi would end up creeping in.

She stood up, stretching her back before she picked up the bucket and headed inside.

The girl had woken up, and crept over to fall into her bed. She stirred lightly, "Vi. Wasn't expecting you for a while."

"Me neither." She replied, placing the mushrooms by the woodfire stove and snapping her fingers to light it.

"Having problems with your little project?"

Violet laughed, "You're my little project. Rin is supposed to be... I dunno. A friend. Someone I don't have to constantly worry about. But I did my usual, lost my temper, and now she hates me."

"So, how long until I get to meet her?"

She shook her head, "You're not understanding. I don't know if Rin will ever want to speak to me again. Things might be over completely."

"Oh." The girl said sadly, "So you're here because you're pouting."

"Escaping." Violet shrugged.

"Well... I guess that means you're cooking something fun?"

"Mushroom omelette because that's pretty much all you have left." Violet said accusingly, "What happened to the month's worth of meals I brought over last week?"

"Got hungry."

Violet shook her head, "You should have texted me to bring you some groceries. Never feel guilty about that. It's my fault that you live way the hell out here."

"It is not your fault my magic is completely uncontrollable, Vi." The girl replied angrily, "You need to stop blaming yourself for that. I'm a once in a lifetime sorcerer. Nobody could keep me in check. That's the part of a heroine's backstory everyone skips over. How the hell a mentor can teach something with creepy amounts of power."

"I don't blame myself for your lack of progress." Violet skirted the issue and began to peel and cut the mushrooms as the pan started to heat up.

"Vi."

She winced, "Yes, I still blame myself for what happened. There's absolutely nothing in the world you can do to change that. I know you blame yourself, too. So we can both just feel guilty."

"He was nice." The girl said quietly. "I miss him, most days."

Violet blinked back tears, happy that she was facing the other direction. "Rin found her way to the forums, somehow. Found out most of what happened."

"Huh?"

She shrugged, "Not like we hide the site from search engines."

"Yeah, but... Like, how? Most mundanes think its either a roleplaying site or a bunch of conspiracy weirdos. What did you do to her?"

Violet smiled sadly, "I didn't hide that I'm a witch from her. I think she set out to prove I wasn't one, or something. Then right when she starts to accept me..."

"You really like her."

She shook her head, "I do, but that isn't it. That was never going to happen, all things considered. Besides, having you on my plate is work enough without a dating life. I just hate how much... The way she talks to herself. She sounds like... Me. My thoughts."

"Yikes."

"Thanks, Chel." Violet laughed.

The girl giggled, "Well, you were being honest. And there's nobody else I've ever heard who treats themselves as badly as you do, Vi. You bury yourself in work because the moment you stop, you spiral."

"Do not." Violet retorted, smiling at the memory. "I managed to finish my book."

"Rin." Chelsea whispered quietly and began tiptoeing across the cabin floor, "So she... Made you feel content with yourself, then?"

"Calm. Happy." Violet shrugged. "It's over, Chel. And if you try and tickle me right now, you're going to get an elbow to the face."

Arms went around her in a reassuring cuddle. "Nope. I'm sorry about Rin, Vi. I really, really am. Seems like being around her did you as much good as you did for her."

She poured in the eggs and flipped the pan to fold it over quickly. "Yeah. She might have done that. Though she was sort of right about how I kept breaking into her house... That might have been a tad... Over the top."

"You're a witch. And you don't have the time to care about rules." Chelsea giggled, "Though, I suppose you didn't tell her that one, either."

"Nope."

The girl sighed, hugged her some more and then skipped over to her other fire, "Been working on my husbandry. Talking to more than just Damon. The birds are worried about something. That normal?"

"Pretty much. Every year, bird migratory patterns get more disturbed. Its humanity." Violet shrugged, "I won't say its good. Or that they shouldn't be worried. But it is the new normal for about the last hundred years."

"That sucks."

She snapped her fingers, suffocating the stove's flames, before gently placing the omelette across a plate and walking over to drop it on a table. "Yup."

Chelsea dug in quickly, and Violet could see the hunger in the girl. She was practically ravenous, struggling not to shove it all in at once. One of the side effects of using her magic.

"You're going to need a bigger cellar."

The girl shrugged, "You're not the only person in the world who brings me food, Vi. Yours just tastes the best."

"I'm still responsible for you." Violet corrected her, "I'll bring by some more groceries soon and talk to Tim about expanding your fridge space a bit more."

Chelsea laughed and shook her head, "Still insisting on thinking of me as your apprentice? I'm as much your apprentice as a hurricane is a storm cloud. Only true on technicality."

"Oh, so I can take back all my magic books, then?" Violet raised an eyebrow.

The girl went white, "N... No. Please don't."

"Then shuddup and call me Master." Violet stuck out her tongue at her, before laughing and cuddling the girl lightly. "We all do what we have to, Chel. We're witches."

"You're still thinking about Rin."

She blushed, "Yeah... Sorry about that. Most people can only hear thoughts, not see the vividness of imagery. So my thoughts are going to be a bit..."

"... Pornographic?" Chelsea finished for her before dissolving into laughter, "Rin has exactly no idea how into her that you are, does she?"

"And she never will." Violet ordered. "That wouldn't help her any."

The girl pouted, "You really don't have to try and mother every lost soul around you, Vi."

"It's the promise I made myself." She said quietly, looking into the flames as she sat down on the floor. "I said that I would do whatever it takes to make people smile. That would be the legacy I leave behind."

"Ouch. That got depressing, fast. Wanna play a board game?"

"Last time I played with you I ended up stuck inside the game for a week. So I'm going to take a pass on that." Violet chuckled quietly. "No... We're going to have an exam. Check in on your focus and control."

"Aw." Chelsea moaned. "Fine, Master."

Violet sighed, "Been avoiding it, but the best magic to teach you control is -"

"Sex magic. I remember." Chelsea rolled her eyes, "I haven't been a virgin since I was eighteen, mother dearest. So... What kind of ritual were you thinking? Doubt you're much in the mood to be part of it."

"Focus and control." Violet replied, and snapped her fingers to produce a small candle and put it on the table. "Basically... Keep the flame even... And edge yourself."

"Aw, fuck you, Vi." Chelsea pouted.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Fuck you, Master." Chelsea corrected herself with a grin.

Violet crossed her arms, "Nice try. I don't need your thoughts to know you're scared you can't."

"I don't... Wanna hurt you."

The witch shrugged, "You need to learn, Chel. My cottage might be comfortable, but don't you miss the four of us going to a bar? You and me, teasing Arcana into asking someone out. Kina with her hands down someone's pants."

The girl rubbed at her face, "... Yeah. Heard much from them?"

"Arcana's doing okay. She's in Japan. You probably heard the dragon." Violet knew that Chel was putting off the test. But she'd indulge the girl.

Chel shook her head, "Heard. Didn't understand. My husbandry is still damn awful. I just got that he was mad and hurting. Just like everything else that can breathe. Heard anything from the kitty?"

"Kina?" Vi asked and gave a laugh, "She should be the one teaching you this stuff. She tries to lock herself in when she's in heat... But you know Kina."

The black-haired girl grinned, "Fucking everything with two legs. Can't help but show off how... Flexible... She is."

"I can't believe that line works for her." Vi laughed.

Chel shrugged, "Annoyingly, she is. She ever get you into bed?"

"Nope. Never even kissed a girl. But I am about to watch one try not to cum." The witch redirected the conversation back to the task at hand.

The girl blew out her cheeks glumly, "Fine."

Vi grunted as she barely contained the fireball as Chel attempted to light the candle and nearly blew up the cottage, again. "Focus. Control."

The girl tiredly shook her head, easing down from apocalyptic to catastrophic. Good enough that with Vi's shielding she could start the lesson.

Chel put a hand between her legs shyly, biting her lip and gently rubbing at her panties. Vi was instantly assaulted by the girl's thoughts, images being broadcast at a volume that practically stripped away the witch's own mind.

She winced as she found herself standing in Chel's old room, watching a blonde laying her down on the bed. The man was affectionate, kissing frequently and causing Chel to squirm and gasp.

He was tall. More lithe than strong. All the same Violet's eyes were pulled to his shoulders as he leaned over Chel. He kissed her fast and hard, whilst she returned it more timidly.

"Focus." Violet reminded her, "Keep the flame steady in your mind. Absence, flame, and your stud."

"I am!" Chel snapped angrily from the bed, before stiffening as the man pressed his cock against her. He cupped her cheek in one hand, and pressed their foreheads together.

"I love you, Chelsea."

Violet watched, unable to do much else from this position, as Chelsea's ex pushed his way inside her. The young woman groaning and moaning. Writhing even though this was a fantasy, even though he was only entering her and not actually fucking her.

This was a fantasy. As vivid as the real world, because it was Chelsea's magic. Violet wasn't sure, but she also didn't want to experiment and test it, but she had an inkling that if she was to get a creampie in one of Chelsea's fantasies, she might just be giving birth ten months down the road.

Thank the gods that Chelsea was timid and quiet, with the most vanilla tastes in the universe. Violet wasn't sure that she'd be able to cope if the girl was into bukkake and orgies.

"Oooooh shiiiit!" The girl was also not at all quiet. "Oh... Oh, that's it! Fuck! Yes, yes!"

"Control it!" Violet snapped, "Slow down. Focus on the flame. You're not here to cum, Chel."

"Euhm!" The girl complained, but the aggressive pounding of her ex turned to slow and sweet. He held her, whispering to her, as he ever so gently thrust into her.

Violet rolled her eyes, "Foooocus. I know you. Sweet nothings are enough to push you over the edge. Pull back. Take a moment, if you need it."

"Fuck off, Vi!" Chelsea snarled, and for just a moment they were back in the cottage, before they were in her room again.

The witch could see the control slipping.

The girl was struggling to picture the candle's flame as she jilled herself, and she was struggling to edge herself instead of giving in to the primal desire. As a result, her magic was fraying at the edges.

"Chelsea McGibbon." Violet said even more firmly.

"I know what I'm fucking doing, Vi!" She growled, as the sound of her hand movements momentarily pierced the fantasy world, "I... I'm... In control."

Speckles of shifting colours started appearing around the edges of the room, giving rise to the lie. However, Violet knew she couldn't push her harder, not without breaking the concentration that was already wavering.

The black-haired girl started to arch upwards on the bed, "Con... Control. I am in... Control. Gods, this feels good. Oh Dyeus. Shit."

"Been a while?" Violet asked in concern.

Chelsea nodded as her ex continued to screw her, "Mmm. I... I can't... Risk it. Not without you or... Ard... Ard..."

"Ardet-lili." Violet took pity on her.

The girl groaned, "Without... You guys... Around. Not safe."

"I don't particular enjoy watching you with a guy. Or anyone." Violet said quietly, "But... If you need a release... You should let me know."

"It's... Embarrassing. Shuddup. Close... Hard. Hard." Chelsea started panting.

Violet winced and pulled her hat down over her face.

---

Kitty leaned against the wall, smoking and trying to pretend she was feeling fine. She totally hadn't just broken a years long effort to dump cigarettes because she was angry at herself for upsetting Arcana again.

She grinned to herself, remembering the way the woman had jumped out of the window of the hotel on a massive dragon like it was just another day.

Bitch knew how to get Kitty's attention.

She'd sulked a little bit after that, then tried to coax the little green dragon out from under the bed with some food. Neither fish nor burger had even stirred it and she'd got frustrated and stormed out.

How was it that Arcana could be in a city for a single night and already have two new pet dragons? It was crazy. And it showed off how crazy Kitty was for not wanting to be right beside her.

Before she knew it, she'd lifted someone's wallet and bought herself a pack of smokes and headed somewhere she could glare and be left alone.

How could she be so fucking stupid?

She was being offered a taste of the weirdest, craziest, most amazing shit the world had to offer. Her reaction was to treat the woman like she was trying to wrap a chain around her throat.

Kitty's eyes bugged and she choked as a chain wrapped around her throat.

Her head jerked as the chain pulled tight and slammed her head into the ground. She looked up blearily at a bearded man standing in front of her.

He was looking up as a dragon crashed down over the top of them, letting out a bellowing roar that Kitty could feel deep in her chest, but unfortunately couldn't seem to hear over herself choking to death.

The man said something she couldn't hear and the roar stopped. She could see the red fading to grey beside her as she dragged herself upright and managed to bend open one of the links.

Kitty coughed and rubbed her throat, "Wow. Wizard's got a temper. Ya supposed to be intimidating me or something? The poor little mundane supposed to be scared?"

The wizard stared at her as she stood up slowly, tilted her head back and glared at him.

His eyes widened in surprise, "Oh my. What precisely does Arcana see in you?"

"No idea. Try askin' her."

He shrugged, "I'm afraid she won't be saving you. She's on the other side of the city and her transport seems to have turned into a statue."

"Don't remember beggin' for help." Kitty sneered at him.

The wizard's brow furrowed and he looked up at the stone dragon leaning over her and back down at her again. "If I hadn't allowed you to remove the chain you would be dead."

"That'd suck."

His jaw fell, "What in the... Why are you too stupid to feel afraid? All you mundane types do is fuck and die! Is there anything your kind does that isn't avoiding death or trying to procreate?"

"Wow. You're a piece of shit." Kitty laughed, "Moving along because your breath stinks, I'm takin' it that you're one of Arcana's exes? She's moved on. Maybe you should."

The wizard snapped his fingers and Kitty was dragged into the air by something she couldn't see coiled around her throat. She could feel her neck being crushed. Not just unbreathing, but breaking.

She looked at the angry little man with her usual disappointment.

If he intended to kill her, he could just get it done. The bastard just wanted her to admit that he was the stronger. He needed for her to feel afraid of him.

The wizard stared at her in frustration, and clenched a fist. Every bone in her body popped and snapped. If she could move her larynx she probably would have been screaming, but as it was she couldn't even breathe out.

Her arms were pinned down her sides and her legs together as he violently crushed her.

Kitty couldn't help but smile at the hilarity of being crushed by a jealous and angry wizard.

It was ludicrous.

The daughter of some low level gangster, discovers that magic is real. A few days later she is crushed to death in a case of massive overkill by a wizard trying to compensate for either a really fragile ego or a tiny dick.

It was down right hilarious.

"There is nothing funny about this, mundane!" He roared at her, spittle flying.

Kitty disagreed. She wouldn't be able to stand up from laughing even if he hadn't practically liquefied her bones.

Now there was a rocking thought she'd never expected to have from any kind of fight.

She was basically being curb stomped by a demigod with a bad temper and an even worse sense of fashion, whilst people walked by without noticing the brand new statue in their city.