The moment the witch walked through the door and spotted Lyn, she scoffed. "You're still alive."

Lyn's eyes twitched. "Yes. She wanted to stay with me."

"Oh really, now?" Sybil settled on her seat and leaned back. As she folded her arms, the multiple magic suppressors on each of her arms clanged against one another, while her grey hair draped over her body like a silver waterfall. "What did you do to her for her to make that poor choice?"

"I didn't do anything to her," Lyn growled. "She chose me."

Sybil raised her eyebrows. "Hm. So, why are you here?"

Lyn glanced around. Other than the few guards by the door, the visitation room was empty. She leaned forward towards the speak-through holes of the glass partition, and whispered, "I- I need your help. Or rather... Cinna needs your help."

That got Sybil to sit up. "Did something happen to her?"

"Yeah, she..." Lyn gulped down the bitter taste in her mouth. "She may have been taken by... Han and the gang..."

"Are you kidding me?" Sybil slammed her fist on the table; the sound from her hand and bracelets resounded across the glass barrier. "You promised you'll keep her safe!"

Lyn lowered her head. "I did, I- I didn't expect this to happen—"

"I knew I should never have trusted a quester," the witch spat. "I thought I could finally let that girl live her life, but you, you just had to ruin everything, don't you? You just had to ruin everything about her life, time and time again."

Sybil's every word cut into Lyn's heart like a sharp spear, and she bit back a whimper. "I'll- I'll save her. I'll definitely save her," Lyn insisted, trying more to convince herself than the witch.

"Of course you'll have to save her!" Sybil threw her hands up and waved her arms around like a pair of maracas. "I'm stuck in here, and the ones outside are useless!"

Lyn gritted her teeth. "I'll be much more useful if you tell me where I can find Cinna. I know you used to be friends with that old man. You must know where Cinna was taken to."

"Yeah, congratulations on achieving the bare minimum of usefulness." Sybil snorted as she leaned back on her seat. "And no, I do not know where Gazini is at. Gazini and his group of bloodthirsty wolves operate just like we do: traveling around the world to avoid being caught. If I knew where they are located, I'd have told the QA about them a long time ago."

"But... they were in a castle." Lyn frowned, recalling Cydney's memories. "They never moved around."

"The castle moves, idiot," Sybil explained with an exasperated huff. "Every other day, the whole building gets transplanted to a new location."

Lyn did not expect a situation like this. "Oh... If it moves, how am I going to find them?" she mumbled, dread slowly creeping up her heart.

Sybil's strained expression seemed to say, "You can't." Instead, she sighed and averted her eyes. "Priya has the ability to track Sīn-Sīn. It won't be very exact, but it'll give you the general location."

"Who?"

There was an uncomfortable pause as Sybil maintained her gaze on the wall next to her. "She's part of my... She's part of the Witches. You'd have to bring her something that belongs to Sīn-Sīn's for her magic to work well, like the hair on her comb, for example."

Part of the Witches? Lyn's body jolted up in excitement. "That's perfect! You and your Witches were super powerful! Where can I find her, and the rest of the Witches? They're friends with Cinna, right? They'll help her, right?"

Sybil turned her head back to shoot Lyn a glare. "They're my family. I've spent years with them, traveling and living and learning. I'm not going to reveal their location like this, especially you. I don't trust you one bit."

"Please, you have to. You need to help- You need to save Cinna. Those people... Whoever captured Cinna, they're ruthless. They- They almost killed my friend. And they..." A lump grew in Lyn's throat but she gulped it down. "They removed Cinna's ankle bracelet... by severing her foot."

Blood drained from Sybil's face. She stared at Lyn in bewilderment for a while, before closing her eyes. "Freya is going to hate me," she muttered, her voice faltering. "Send a message to a place called the Mo Gim Orphanage. Ask for Freya, ask for her help. Sign off as... Hummingbird."

Lyn hurriedly took her notepad out and scribbled the information. She tore the page away, and let the paper disappear into the air. "Thank you so much," she said, turning back to the witch. "Thank you... and I'm sorry..."

"No, you're not." Sybil's lips were quivering, but her tone and posture remained calm. "And don't thank me, I'm not doing this for you."

"Well, I'm thanking you anyway," Lyn said sincerely. "And I'm really sorry that you had to do this. I- I promise I'll make sure Freya does not—"

Sybil shut Lyn up with a wave of her crowded arms. "Enough with your empty promises. Just go and get your girlfriend, and actually keep her safe this time."

Lyn was going to proclaim another adamant promise when a message appeared in front of her. She snatched it up and read. "That was fast. Freya replied. She's going to meet me."

Guilt washed over Sybil's face. "She thinks it's me she'll be meeting," she admitted. Her grey eyes, resembling the soft clouds of a gloomy sky, fixed on Lyn imploringly. "Please, be gentle with her."

Lyn nodded before rushing out of the visitation room. Four heads turned towards her. A mix of relief and shame flooded into her heart; her friends were still here, waiting for her.

"What's the situation now?" Irene asked.

"There's someone else I need to meet who can help more, but..." Lyn looked around. Irene was folding her arms while Raph was leaning against the wall; the two of them had their brows intensely furrowed. Emily had her sword with her now, and Becca stood next to her, their shoulders touching. They were all so ready and determined, but unease ate at her.

"You guys should leave," Lyn concluded. "The person I'm going to find is... a QA-wanted witch, and I- I want to try and keep her away from the QA. That won't be legal, and- and I don't want you guys to suffer the consequences of it."

"So what?" Irene snapped. "You just want us to go back home? You're gonna do this all alone?"

"Well, I- I won't technically be alone—"

"Stop trying to do things yourself, you idiot!" Irene stomped forward with her fists clenched. "We're your friends, we're in your team! We're doing this together."

"I know, Irene, but—"

"Well, I'm coming with you no matter what!"

"I'm coming too," Raph chimed in. Anger still burned in his dark eyes as he scowled at her, not quite forgiving her yet. "Not for you, but for Cyd."

"Raph, you should... you should go to Millie's side."

"Millie protected Cydney till the end, so I'm coming to finish the job. And..." His voice lowered. "I can't have another friend die again."

Lyn pursed her lips and turned towards the other two. Before she could say anything, Emily noted, "We can't reach your team's fighter for help, and as a professional quester, I cannot let you embark on a dangerous mission without a fighter. Just saying. So I'm coming along as well."

Becca squeezed Emily's arm. "And I'm coming with her," she added, giving Lyn a reassuring nod. "The more healers you have with you, the better."

Raph grunted at the statement in agreement.

"Thanks, babe," Emily said as she squeezed Becca's hand back.

"You guys..." Lyn let out a sigh. "Fine. Let's go, then."

ϟ☁ϟ☁ϟ

Lyn sat on a bench behind the empty mall, tapping her fingers restlessly on her leg while fixing her eyes on the wall in front of her. Suddenly, a blaze of blue light burnt a hole through the concrete. She leaped out of her seat and held her breath.

"Sy!" A piercing voice echoed through the portal, just as an older Asian woman appeared. The eager smile on her face vanished the moment she saw Lyn. Without another word, she spun around and headed back towards the portal where she came from.

"No, wait!" Lyn grabbed onto Freya's arm, earning her a glare so ferocious it could slice her soul in half. A shiver ran down her spine. "P- Please, erm, F- Freya, right? I need your help, it's- it's for Cinna..."

"Cydney, again?" Freya's voice was as sharp as her pale cheekbones. "We have done more than enough to help her. Leave us alone."

"Please, Sybil said—"

"Sybil is doing way too much for that kid. She already gave up her freedom, what more do you people want?" The older woman pulled her hand away. Gritting her jaw, she added softly, "She gave up the freedom she had fought for years."

"I'm sorry, Freya, but we really need your help. Cinna... She- She is captured by Gazini, and I need to find her. I need to find out where Gazini's castle is." Lyn took a step forward. "Please, it's my fault. I'll do anything, I'll..."

"Gazini." Freya scowled at that name before glancing at Lyn. "What's your plan, then?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm- I'm going to find Cinna and save her, of course."

"And then what?" The Asian woman turned her body to face Lyn completely. "What are you going to do to her captors afterward?"

The question reignited the fury in Lyn's veins—the rage she had felt a few hours ago scorched through her body yet again. Heart pounding in her ears, she clenched her trembling fists. "Kill them, of course," she snarled. "I'll kill them all."

A wry smile tugged at Freya's lips. "I see we at least have a mutual goal, then." She turned back to the portal. "Stay here."

"Wait!" Lyn exclaimed frantically. "So are you- are you helping?"

"Stay here," Freya repeated, before disappearing into the portal.

The blue flames subsided, and soon, Lyn found herself staring at the blank concrete once again. Slumping back down on the bench, she buried her head into her hands, while her friends came out of their hiding spot.

"Yo, where did she go?" Irene asked. "Did she not want to help?"

"I don't know. She told me to stay here." Lyn let out a dejected sigh. For the past few hours, she had been doing nothing but running around in circles. She just wanted to get to Cydney, to be next to her already. Where was she, and where was that stupid castle?

"If she said that, I'm guessing she's going to come back," Emily noted. "In that case, you should stay clear of the wall, Irene."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but did you guys see that portal? The fire is blue. That's so cool."

"Of course we saw, we were here with you."

"I wonder how it's done. Man, I wish I can do th— Whoa!"

Lyn lifted her head to see the wall burning up in blue again. Irene stumbled backward as Freya walked out of the portal; a thin, curved sword hung on her back.

"Freya..." Lyn breathed out a sigh of relief. The breath caught in her throat when more people appeared behind Freya: three women, two men—and two huge tigers. One of them was an Indian woman cradling a cloudy crystal ball in her hands.

"I believe you know of us already, given that you and the QA have been so intent on capturing us," Freya said with a slight raise of her eyebrows. "But anyway, this is Priya, Clay, Lana, Dylan, and Elena. Oh and these are Elena's newest pets, don't mind them."

Lyn's mouth dropped wide open. The entire party of the Witches was here. She vaguely remembered them from her previous commission briefings, and she knew how powerful each of them was: a potential soothsayer, a necromancer, a healer who does metamorphism, an illusionist, and an animal subjugator. Together, even without their leader, they were formidable.

"Are- Are you all coming along?" she asked incredulously.

"What does it look like we're doing?" Freya rolled her eyes. "You brought Cydney's items?"

Lyn nodded as she whipped out a comb from her pocket and held it out. Priya gave her a small smile before pulling out a strand of hair and placing it on her crystal ball. The thin thread melted into the glass, and it lit up in a faint glow.

"California, the Sequoia forest," Priya stated. She lifted a hand, and the flames of the portal glowed purple.

"You kids ready?" Freya asked.

Lyn looked at her four friends. Emily was swinging her sword around, while Irene's skin was steaming like charcoal. Raph and Becca gripped their backpacks and nodded. Lyn's lips twitched.

"Hell yes."

One by one, all eleven of them entered the portal. As Lyn walked through the portal, the sky brightened. She was on top of a cliff, overlooking a vast, dense forest. It was a whole field of green for as far as she could see, while the orange hues of the setting sun highlighted the redness of the tree trunks.

"Whoa." Irene whistled. "This is nice."

"She's somewhere in this forest," Priya said as she scanned the terrain hopelessly, "but I can't pinpoint where. I'm- I'm sorry."

A breath of annoyance released from Freya's nostrils. "We'd have to scout the entire forest. It might take a while."

"Are you serious?" Lyn groaned. "We don't have time for this!"

"I have an idea. You'll hate me for it but I don't care." A smirk crept up on Irene as she smashed her hands together. "Lyn, create the loudest thunder you can."

"Oh, okay, sure." Lyn raised her hands. With a forceful downward motion, a bright light ripped through the evening sky, before dispersing in the air. The lightning did not strike anywhere, but the sound it made a few moments later was still deafening.

A few people in the group flinched at the roar, but the impact on the forest was larger—hordes of birds swarmed out from the trees, covering the sky, darkening the world around them.

"Oh, damn, I didn't mean to scare the animals away—"

"Nah, that's the whole point."

Raising her palms, Irene shot out the biggest blast of fire Lyn had ever seen. The flames engulfed the entire terrain, licking through the trees, burning through the leaves. The brightness of the red was a stinging contrast to the darkness of the veiled sky, and for those few seconds, it felt as though they were dragged straight to hell.

Then, Irene put her hands down; the flames extinguished in an instant.

She had burnt down the entire forest to bits.

There was a moment of silence before everyone burst into hysteria.

"Dude, not cool!" Lyn screamed.

"The trees!" Priya shrieked. "The poor trees!"

"Jesus Christ, what is wrong with you?" Emily exclaimed.

"Oh my god, these trees are ancient and you just- you really just..." Raph muttered to himself at a corner.

Meanwhile, Clay, the necromancer, was chortling. "This is awesome! I've never felt more powerful! Look at all these dead plants! They're all under my control now!"

"Come on, guys, don't worry. They'll grow back." Irene patted her smoking hands on her pants. "And it worked. There's the castle."

Indeed, right in the middle of the charred and blackened terrain, stood a large mansion. With tall pointed roofs and stained glass spotting the bricked walls, it looked just like the ones in Cydney's memories. Dozens of werewolves streamed out of the entrances as if readying an army.

They found it. They found Gazini's moving castle.

Rage burnt in Lyn's heart just like the flames that destroyed the forest.

"Let's do this. Let's save Cinna."