All seven pairs of eyes glared at Cydney with raging fury. Sybil had her hand wrapped around Cydney with a threateningly tight grasp, while Freya had her sword pointed at her neck. Even the horses in front of the carriage seemed ready to kick her in the head somehow.

"W- What?" Cydney stammered, glancing around. "I... I didn't..."

"Don't lie!" Freya yelled. "You're a Blood Magic user like Gazini!"

"That's- That's not true! I've never killed anyone in my life!"

"Really?" Sybil's voice was soft but frightening. "So you're telling me that Gazini figured out a way to bring you to this world without human sacrifices?"

"I... I don't know..." A lump formed in Cydney's throat.

"You don't know? Do you not remember how you got to this world?"

Flashes of repressed memory flooded into Cydney—the grandiose, gothic castle; the bloody floor, and its rancid, metallic smell haunting her to this day; the wrinkles on Gazini's face, made deeper by his chilling, deformed smile; and that boy, grabbing onto her hands...

Tears blurred her vision as Cydney lurched forward and dry-heaved. She hugged her stomach.

"N- No... I didn't kill anyone... I really didn't..."

Sybil released her hold. "Alright, I'll believe you for now," she said, leaning back on her seat. Slowly, the crowd of people towering over Cydney moved away.

Cydney remained in her crouched position, trembling and panting.

"Who... Who is he... exactly?" she croaked.

There was a sigh from Sybil before she began to recount, "Gazini was... a powerful and intelligent wizard. I mentioned before that there are currently three types of magic, elemental magic, vital magic, and enhancer magic. But twenty years ago, Gazini discovered a fourth type of magic: magic that manipulates a... special kind of energy—an energy that separates our world from... a parallel world.

"It was an intriguing discovery for all of us, and we experimented with it for a while. Because of how little we understand it, we decided to call this energy, dark energy, and this magic, dark magic. Soon after, we figured out how to summon objects from this parallel world, so that we can learn more about the unknown. But the thing about dark magic is that, because it involves manipulating a... highly unnatural energy, it requires a toll. A huge sacrifice."

Sybil shifted in her seat, before continuing, "We had to sacrifice rare or expensive items from our world, in order to obtain scraps from the other world. A rare gemstone found only in the underground caves of Ecuador would give us a ball of dirt. To be honest, I didn't mind it; there are lots to learn about a place from just dirt. But Gazini was very... ambitious. For some reason, he really wanted to summon... living organisms. We watched him sacrifice over a hundred birds, but not once did he manage to summon anything more than a feather."

"Rest in peace, birds," Elena said gravely.

"Rest in peace," everyone else repeated.

"We told him to stop," Sybil continued. "We told him that there were too many unnecessary deaths, but he refused to listen. When we learned about his intentions to try this magic on humans, that's when we cut off all ties from him. Magic that sacrifices human lives is not magic we want to pursue."

At this point, Cydney's thrashing heart drowned out everything around her. The more Sybil spoke, the more it sounded like a faraway echo, and the more repressed images appeared in Cydney's mind. The castle, the blood, the werewolves, the swordsman, the castle, Gazini, the scars, the swordsman...

Her body started to tremble. Oh god, oh god, that had been Blood Magic. That had really been Blood Magic...

"If you are here, and if you are telling the truth," Sybil said, "then it would mean that Gazini actually found a way to summon a human without requiring human sacrifices. That would be a very impressive feat. We've been dabbling on dark magic on our end too, but I don't think we can achieve anything close to that yet."

Freya snorted. "She's obviously not telling the truth. If even you can't figure it out, there's no way he can."

Cydney's throat was stuck and her head was spinning, but she managed to croak, "He... He didn't..."

There was a pause before Sybil's unrelenting voice pierced Cydney's ears again. "How did you get to this world, Cydney?"

"I'm not sure... I don't..."

"You do know," Sybil pressed. "You know way more than you've been letting on. Tell us."

This was all too much for Cydney—the painful resurfaced memories that she'd been trying so hard to forget, the traumatizing revelation of Gazini's Blood Magic, and the fact that seven witches and wizards were ready to attack her... Everything hit her at once, and Cydney was overwhelmed with grief. Planting her face into her hands, she bawled.

"I don't know anything, okay? I don't even want to be here! I want to go home! I want to see my parents, and my brother, and my friends! I'm supposed to go to college, and- and travel the world. I'm supposed to do so many things, so, so many things. Instead, I'm stuck in this stupid world, where I don't know what's going on half the time, where I can't do anything without asking people for help and having them look at me as though I'm a freak. I didn't want this! I didn't ask for any of this! I just want to go home!"

The world was silent as Cydney sobbed uncontrollably. Tears washed her face, flooding her airways, soaking her shaking palms. Every single emotion that she had held on to for seven years—all the stress, unhappiness, trauma—poured out like a broken dam.

She cried for what seemed like forever. After she calmed down, Sybil placed a hand on her back, while her other held out a handkerchief.

"Sorry, Cydney," she said gently, "it must have been hard on your own. Were you pulled to this world against your will, or were you unaware of what you're signing up for?"

Cydney took the handkerchief and sniffed into it. She was not sure how to answer that question. Both? Neither? That day had been both a sharp pain and a blur for her.

"I'm not sure..." she mumbled finally.

Sybil sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'm sorry either way. I'm sorry we thought you were like Gazini, and I'm sorry that you can't go home."

"But you know you can't go back to your world without another round of Blood Magic, right?" Freya said flatly.

"Freya, please, now's not the time." Sybil cast a disapproving look at the fighter. "Cydney, listen, we can help you figure something out. I may not have studied dark magic as intensely as Gazini, but I was there when he discovered it. If anybody can help you figure out how to get home without sacrificing anybody, that would be me."

"What? Sybil, you know that's not possi—"

Sybil cut Freya off. "I single-handedly put over fifty people to sleep even though they came prepared for me. I think it's possible with me. What do you think, Cydney? Join us, and I can help you go back home. We can figure it out together."

What? Join them? As in, join the Witches?

Cydney blinked. "But... Lyn..."

"Oh right, you have your little girlfriend." Sybil chuckled. "She's pretty and all, but she's ultimately a quester helping the QA, you know. What do you think she's going to do if she finds out that you, whether voluntarily or not, participated in Blood Magic?"

"She..." Cydney remembered Lyn's distressed face when they were talking about Blood Magic, and her heart sank like a rock. She gulped. "I trust her. She's- She's the only person in this world who's never once made me feel bad about myself. She'll... understand..."

Sybil's lips tugged upwards. "Look at you, you're so cute. But are you sure? She's an elemental mage, Cydney. Elemental mages are some of the most close-minded people I've ever known. Sorry, Dylan."

"No offense taken." Dylan shrugged. "I agree with you."

"That's not true," Cydney insisted. "She's not close-minded. She- She may be a bit full of herself at times, and stupid, and reckless, but she's the nicest and most caring person I know."

"Hm." Sybil raised her eyebrows. "However nice she is to you right now, don't forget that she's still a quester, and questers are dogs for the QA. Do you think she'll still be nice to you when she finds out? Do you think she'll stand by you as the QA brands you a fugitive? A witch?"

"I..." Cydney's eyes fluttered. As much as she trusted Lyn—as much as she wanted to trust Lyn—a part of her knew that Sybil had a point. "I won't let anyone find out..."

"Okay then, for your sake, I do hope you get to keep your little secret," Sybil said, before letting out a small laugh. "Isn't it funny, Cydney? You're sent on a commission to capture us because we're Forbidden Magic users, but you're technically an even bigger criminal. You know, you should be the one being chased by questers, not us."

She laughed again at Cydney's miserable scowl. "Sorry Cydney, I'm just teasing you. And sorry about your sword too, but I hope this serves as a replacement." She took out a wristwatch and gave it to Cydney. "It's from your world."

Cydney flipped the watch around. It had a strange, blocked-shaped face, with no clock on it. Instead, there was a glossy screen that resembled her phone screen. At the back of the watch was a little label with the Apple logo and the word "watch". A touch screen watch? Apple makes watches now?

"Thank you for this, Sybil," Cydney said sincerely.

"No problem. Have fun with your new toy." Sybil winked. "Anyway, we'll be going to our next hiding spot. If you're not planning to join us, I'm going to need you to leave for our safety. There should be a small exit to the outside world further down."

"Oh, sure..."

Cydney jumped out of the carriage. Her voice was still muffled by the built-up mucus in her nose, and her eyes were uncomfortably puffy.

As she started making her way back to Lyn and the team, she heard Sybil calling out from behind her.

"Hey, Cydney! When you become an outlaw, you can always join us!"

ϟ☁ϟ☁ϟ

The hurried footsteps and agitated chats woke Lyn up.

Blinking, she opened her eyes. Smoke blurred her vision, but she could make out the rocky ceiling of the tunnel.

"What the hell?" She let out a groan. Her mind was befuddled and foggy, as though she had taken a long nap in the middle of the day.

"Oh shit, she's awake." Lyn heard Raph curse before he appeared next to her.

"Oh hey, Raph—"

"Lyn, listen to me very carefully. Don't. Move." Raph was holding up his hands as if Lyn was going to sucker punch him. "Don't move an inch. This is very, very important."

"What?" Lyn frowned.

Her memory started to come back to her. Oh right, they were supposed to be attacking the Witches but everyone had been overcome by that subjugation magic. Ah, damn it. Sybil Dalman was true to her notoriety.

"You are bound by a poisonous plant. I'm currently trying to get it off you, but meanwhile, don't move."

"Poisonous plant?" Lyn looked around. The passageway was full of people, and she recognized some of them as QA employees. As her eyes glided downwards, she noticed that, indeed, a cage of sharp vines floated inches above her body.

"What the hell? When did this happen?"

"I don't know, everything's really strange," Raph said. "You're the only person bound with this plant, Jason's sword is broken in half for some unknown reason, and Cydney—"

He stopped himself, glancing at Lyn nervously.

"What?" Lyn demanded. "What about Cinna? Where is she?"

"Okay, before I tell you, please, please promise not to move."

"I know, I know! Jesus Christ, Raph, just tell me!"

The healer took a deep breath. "Okay. Cydney is gone."

"What?" Lyn almost sat up if not for Raph's firm push on her head.

"I told you not to move!" he chided.

"Why would she be gone? Did they kidnap her?"

"I don't know. Irene and Millie are off with the QA to search for her right now. Once I get these vines off from you, we'll join them. But for now, don't move."

Lyn planted her head back down in frustration. Of course she had to be immobilized and be completely useless when Cydney was in danger. She clenched her fists as she watched Raph cut away at the plant carefully (and a little too slowly).

She felt a letter appear in her hand. Who was trying to contact her at this unfortunate time? Straining her neck, she peered downwards to peek at the letter.

"Hello Lyn, this is Cydney, I'm—"

Lyn did not bother to finish reading the rest of the letter before she sat up again.

"Cinna!" she exclaimed—right before a thorn pierced her chest, and the world turned pitch black once more.

ϟ☁ϟ☁ϟ

"Hello Lyn, this is Cydney, I'm asking someone to help me send a message to you. I'm at this University of New York, at Albany, I think? I'm safe and well, don't worry about me, but could you please send someone to come get me? I'm lost.

p.s. Please don't get up!! You have the 'Vines of Death' binding you right now, and it's filled with venom!!"