There are only two methods for crafting an unbreakable magic. One way is to make it so perfect that there are obviously no weaknesses, and the other way is to make it so powerful that even the obvious deficiencies cannot be exploited. The mastering of the first method marks a true witch from a demon.

- Andanian Chronicles

“Someone’s approaching swiftly, D1!” The fiend chortled with anticipatory joy as its acidic drool hissed loudly against the blighted soil. “How are they resistant to the magical plague on this island? Do you think that they will taste better than rotten flesh? I’ve never managed to meet a living human during my entire existence, do they have emotions, just like you do?”

“Stop lying. You’re just trying to get my hopes up again.” The lich muttered morosely as he curled his hands around his knees and stared at the grains of soil beneath his feet. “I won’t fall for such an obvious deception. Only an experienced mage could hope to stand a chance against the toxic aura you emit constantly whenever you’re awake. And why would any mage worth his salt travel to this blighted doubly-cursed…” His remaining words of complaint froze in his throat as a warm soft hand rested on his shoulder.

“Hey mister, want a sandwich?” Lily giggled mischievously.

“Ahh! Ugh… blasted barnacles! How did you sneak up to…” The lich swore as it whirled around swiftly, but the witch skipped around soundlessly to hide at his back and his gaze fell instead on her wary twin sister. “Honored Princess Charlotte!? You survived the battle of Trafalger after all! Why didn’t you take me with you? Where have you been all these years...”

“Boo!” Lily shouted gleefully as she shoved the unprepared lich forcefully from behind. The astonished undead was thrown forward into the princess and they collapsed in a tangled heap of limbs.

“Get off me you stinking uncultured molester!” Laura swore as she struggled to free herself.

“A thousand, thousand apologies my dearest princess! D2, I mean that cursed fiend must have…” The lich dislodged himself hastily and turned to glare at the perpetrator behind him. “I will definitely kill you this time, you demonic…” His voice choked off for the second time as he stared disbelievingly at an identical copy of the girl beside him. “Two witches? But how…” He whimpered in disbelief.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Lily cheered brightly, “You seem quite durable, mister. Let’s play a game of hide and seek together!”

“A game…” The lich stammered. “Ah you are just a child, Princess Charlotte must be…” The undead nodded with belated realization as it turned back to examine the other girl beside him.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not my great-great-great-grandaunt either.” Laura shook her head with flat denial as she dusted off her dress, “I know that she was about our age when she perished during some lousy battle at sea, but it’s been over a thousand years since then! Surely she would have grown a little if she was still alive…”

“Hide and seek! Hide and seek! Now, now, now!” Lily jerked him around forcefully and stomped her feet impatiently.

“Oh, I see. I had always feared for the worst when she confined me to this island, all those years ago, and never returned for me. I must apologize for mistaking you for someone else, my memories of her appearance seem to have faded with time. Please leave me alone, I wish to mourn in peace.” A mix of disappointment and sorrow was etched on his features as the lich sank back slowly down onto the earth.

“What are you two talking about?” Lily pouted impatiently, “Let’s play some games immediately! It’s been ages since we’ve found anyone good enough to finish a game with us!”

“Remember that book I placed at your nightstand about three months ago? Didn’t you promise to read it after I reminded you repeatedly…” Laura began lecturing somewhat obnoxiously.

“I get it! I get it! It was that moldy old tome about our family history. But it was far too depressing for me to finish! Those lousy ancestors kept dying in the most ridiculous ways ever! I hate it when people die, why does anyone have to die?”

“But death is just so fun, isn’t it?” The fiend chortled as it appeared before them and tossed a decaying skull at their feet.

“He’s dead!” Lily paled immediately at the sight. Then she sniffed at the air and quickly identified the nearby pit which contained the partially buried remains of several dozen former residents of the island. The distraught witch staggered backwards with a traumatized expression to clutch at her sister, “They are all dead! But I didn’t do it… I didn’t lose my temper, I swear! I don’t remember anything, so it’s definitely not my fault!” She begged desperately.

“Begone super foul demon! I won’t ever let you hurt my sister!” Laura shouted bravely as she brandished a talisman at the fiend diving towards them. An intricate globe of magic glittered brightly as it expanded to form a barrier that resisted the spirit’s attacks.

“Hah! A puny witch’s trick like this will never stop the great D2…” The fiend’s gloating trailed off as a look of horror glimmered on its features, “You must be lying! There’s no way that you are both witches when you both look exactly alike. And you’re sisters… TWIN SISTERS!?” The demon let out a sudden whimper as it backed away cautiously from the pair of children.

“Whatever does mister spirit mean? What does being twins have to do with anything?” Lily frowned in confusion.

“Nothing! Ignore it. It’s just a stupid lying spirit so it…” Laura flashed a hurried smile.

The fiend glanced alternatingly at the two identical girls before it, “Which one of you is the CURSED ONE? Arrgh… But it’s already obvious!” The spirit spat angrily at Lily, “She must never be allowed to come of age! Why didn’t your mother offer her to Krall when her powers first manifested…”

“Mother…” A single tear trickled down Lily cheek, “Elder sister, what happened to Mother? I… Erp why can’t I remember?” The witch groaned as she fell to her knees and clutched at her head. And the earth began to tremble as a massive destructive power began accumulating swiftly within her.

“NOT ANOTHER WORD! Just shut up before I blast you to cinders!” Laura threatened. Then she bent down hurriedly and tagged her moaning sister with a pitch-black talisman, ‘You can have my life, ten years!’ she thought desperately as she activated the powerful charm to suppress Lily’s emerging memories. “There, there… dearest sister Lily. Everything is alright, don’t try to think too much about anything, it’s not important. Remember our agreement? I’ll handle all the complicated stuffs and you just have to focus on being a good little sister. You must be very tired, so why don’t you take a short nap…” Laura cooed tenderly as she nestled Lily’s head gently in her lap.

“Nap, yes I really like naps…” Lily smiled languidly as she wrapped her arms tightly around Laura’s waist and drifted off into a dreamless enchanted slumber.

The princess looked up and glared at both the lich and the fiend, “That was close you idiots!” She hissed furiously, “Alright, playtime’s over! You probably have an hour at the most, so turn around and run as fast as you can towards the horizon, and never look back! This is your final warning!”

“D2, what’s the meaning of this? They might be witches but they are still children!? I might not look like much, but I’ve spent the past thousand years honing my skills and you’re basically an irksomely invulnerable spirit! Why are your thoughts in such a jumble, I didn’t even realize that you realized what fear was like…” The lich frowned in confusion.

“We must flee immediately!” The fiend gibbered desperately, “We must lift the sealing rock together and hurl it into the sea. Time is of the essence! The water will interfere with her senses, so if we sink ourselves to the bottom of the ocean we might be able buy enough time to escape. I’ll dig a trench in the ocean bed to hide us, I’ll lend you all the Talent I have, we must obscure ourselves immediately with higher magic…”

“You just aren’t making any sense! The reason we have been trapped on this cursed island for all these years was because of the fact that you refused to cooperate! Why have you suddenly changed your mind just because a pair of witches visit our island?”

“Witches never exist in pairs!” The fiend literally shrieked, “On the rare occasion when twins are born to a witch, both of them should be sacrificed immediately to prevent even the slightest risk of…”

“Silence! Never speak again!” Laura capitalized on the fiend’s state of distracted distress to fling a crackling talisman at it. The spell smoked violently as it cored straight into the spirit before vanishing with an ominous crackle.

“What did you do to me, you witch!?” The horrified fiend turned to stare at the princess as its normally hazy form began solidifying swiftly and masses of fur began sprouting from its formerly hairless skin, “What did you… Woof! Woof!”

“D2!? Holy barnacles, you managed to transmute that fiend into a puppy! Even his thoughts have become puppylike!” The lich stared warily at Laura as he began backing away in a defensive posture.

“Formerly Francis Dolohov, hailing from a long line of esteemed archmages. Achieved the status of mage first class at the tender age of twelve. Rumored to possess a rare friendship with the Princess of Andania, Charlotte Rowle Muriel. You vanished amidst the chaos of the battle of Trafalger. While the historical accounts accuse you of betraying your friend and country in her hour of most dire need, it seems that my ancestor just couldn’t bear to take you along with her to a risky skirmish. Hence she spelled you here with a fiend to prevent you from following her.” Laura nodded analytically, “Not exactly the most creative idea, but relatively effective. The only problem with her plan was the fact that she went off and died, so there was nobody to dispel the magic binding you to this island.”

“So? Even if you know my history, it doesn’t change anything.” The lich countered cautiously.

“I’m a witch. I can free you from the magic binding you to this island. In addition, I also know the exact coordinates where Princess Charlotte’s ship sank. Seeing that you have managed to survive for such an extended time, you must have researched some fairly advanced necromancy. Perhaps you can work your magic and revive your loved one in some similar form, even after all these years.”

“I don’t trust you, what if you turn me into that?” The lich glanced at the eager fluffy puppy woofing at his feet. The undead spread his arms wide and gestured at his decaying body, “Look at what happened to me, the last time I decided to trust a witch!”

“At least you’re still alive, Princess Charlotte must have bound you to the fiend to protect you from your enemies. And there are many worse things that could have happened?” Laura smiled impishly.

“What could be worse than being imprisoned with a fiend for eternity?” The lich questioned suspiciously.

“How about being imprisoned with two fiends and this lucky puppy for eternity? I read about the spell she used, so I can easily replicate it and strand you permanently on this island.” Laura suggested wickedly as she stood up and strode threateningly towards the undead.

“And do you think I’ll stand idly by while you stick your accursed talismans on me?” The lich loomed threateningly over the princess and gathered his power to strike her.

“Or what?” The princess laughed as she dashed up recklessly before the undead with a flash of magic, “Will you kill me? The great-great-great-grandniece of the witch you swore to protect?”

“Petrifcrse Completus!” The lich summoned a wave of dark freezing fluid that swamped towards the approaching girl. But the princess retrieved a charm and dismissed the approaching spell with a lazy wave.

“Outdated monochanted textbook restraining magic,” Laura mocked dismissively as she continued her advance, “I know at least six hundred and twenty-seven ways for countering that highly defective spell. If you mean to kill me, come at me like you mean it! A half-hearted attempt to bind me with some mediocre roadside technique will never succeed.” The princess stepped forward with deliberate slowness as she countered every single spell the lich cast at her. “Defeated already?” She mocked, “You’re far less Talented than the history books suggested. Our kingdom’s qualifying standards must have been far lower in the past!”

“Blasted barnacles! How dare you underestimate me!” The humiliated lich huffed furiously as he gathered up all his strength. A complex multilayered spell circle flashed into existence before the undead and spun with blinding speed as it launched a volley of assorted spells at the overconfident princess.

“Counter! Counter! Counter!” Laura’s shouted with increasing strain as she blocked spell after spell with her swiftly dwindling supply of paper charms. Then a bolt of freezing ice slipped past her defenses and thudded forcefully into her chest and the daintily built child was blasted back into the blackened dirt. The princess gasped with surprise as she stared momentarily at the blade of frost protruding from her body, then she coughed out a large mouthful of blood and fell silently to the ground.

“Hey! You’re a witch, right? There’s just no way that you were incapacitated by that single hit!” The lich that had been Francis shouted from a comfortably safe distance, but he failed to provoke a response from the girl that had crumpled to the ground. “Bloody barnacles!” He swore softly as he strode cautiously towards the princess, “You can’t be dead! I didn’t…” The lich muttered desperately as he scooped up the profusely bleeding girl and cradled her tenderly in his arms.

“Hehe, I gotcha!” Laura cheered as she tagged his forehead with a blood red talisman as all the blood she had shed coagulated swiftly into an intricate talisman beneath their feet.

“You!!!” The swiftly transforming lich managed to stutter out a single word of horror before his warping vocal cords interrupted his speech. And the princess grinned victoriously as she cuddled yet another fluffy puppy in her arms.

“Elder sister, what’s happening? I heard many loud noises…” Lily muttered drowsily as she rubbed tiredly at her eyes. The witch gasped as she finally noticed her sister’s ragged bloodstained dress, “You’re hurt! We must fix you immediately…” She exclaimed worriedly.

“Don’t be silly, little sister.” Laura countered condescendingly, “It was just a tiny scratch, I’m all healed up already. Hey, won’t you hold this naughty puppy for me, it bit me while I wasn’t paying attention!” The exhausted princess sighed as she stuffed her newly acquired pet at her sister.

“But I can still smell the blood… And we must punish also this big bad puppy immediately!” The witch pouted insistently as she glared at the offending animal, “I’ll make you feel the real meaning of…”

“Woof, woof!” The cute cuddly puppy barked eagerly as it drooled at the picnic basket beside Lily.

Lily frowned, “Dearest elder sister, this particular puppy is a little weird. I sense…”

“Oh, don’t be silly!” Laura replied hurriedly as she stuffed the second puppy at her sister before it could flee, “It’s just because they are part of a recently discovered endangered species unique to this island! They are the Andanian Retainers! We now have a boy puppy and a girl puppy so if we take good care of them, we will soon have lots of puppies to play with!”

Lily squealed with wide eyed excitement as she cuddled the barking canines tightly in her arms, “Two puppies! And they are both so fluffy that I’m gonna die! Do you think they will like sandwiches? I wonder if they are smart enough to play games with us? Oh, oh! I just had another smashing idea, what if we…”

And the princess and the witch chatted eagerly about their plans for their newfound pets, till the setting sun cast its fire red rays upon the churning ocean waves, and the first stars twinkled softly on the gently darkening skies.