Wystika Academy of Witchcraft and Wicca: also known as, the most prestigious magic academy in all of Incancity. It was founded centuries ago by the most powerful witch to date, Yvette Wystika. Since then, ownership and operation was handed down through generations of the most powerful witches in attendance at Wystika academy. Next in line to be chosen as Wystika’s headmistress was Phoebe Ziera, who just so happened to be the current headmistress’s niece.

Headmistress Mystique Ziera had always been much harder on Phoebe than any of the other students, so it was no wonder that Phoebe rose to the occasion. Despite many people believing that Phoebe was chosen solely due to Mystique’s familial bias, no one could deny the strength and potency of Phoebe’s power.

Phoebe was a second year student at Wystika, and despite the astronomical expectations that were set upon her, she had little to no interest in becoming Wystika’s next headmistress. Her own plans for her future were much different.

Phoebe started. She gasped in surprise as her familiar, Baphomet, stretched and repositioned himself beneath her enormous witch’s hat. She quickly composed herself, repositioning her hat to hide Baphomet. She made sure to keep incredibly still to avoid letting it fall off. Familiars were strictly forbidden from entering the classroom.

“Phoebe,” the professor called to her. Phoebe’s eyes snapped wide open, meeting her professor’s gaze without a moment’s hesitation. All attention in the classroom shifted onto her and Phoebe flushed beneath the weight. “Is something wrong?” the professor asked.

Phoebe very quickly shook her head once she’d gathered her bearings. “Um…no, Professor Zachary, I’m—I’m fine.”

Professor Zachary’s brow furrowed. “Phoebe, we have been over this. I am no fan of formalities. Please, call me Cousin Zachary.”

Phoebe bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. “Right, my apologies, Cousin Zachary.” The words tasted unfamiliar in her mouth and Phoebe didn’t appreciate it. She preferred to be formal and respectful to her professors, but they didn’t always appreciate that.

Phoebe’s gaze shifted from Cousin Zachary’s, landing instead on a singular witch staring at her from the front row. Phoebe, of course, recognized this witch as another second year, Robin Thornwick. Robin had short, ashy-brown hair that was choppy and spiky around the edges. Their eyes were a goldish-orange, and they were significantly taller than Phoebe. After Phoebe, Robin was speculated to be the next strongest witch at the academy, but Phoebe would sooner quit the academy altogether than let Robin catch up with her.

Robin flashed a cheeky smirk in her direction and Phoebe shot them a glare. Robin giggled and winked at her, mouthing a couple words that Phoebe couldn’t understand before turning back to face the front of the room. Phoebe rolled her eyes and returned to her test paper.

* * *

As class let out, Phoebe began walking quietly back to her dorm, hugging her books to her chest and occasionally repositioning her hat so that Baphomet was safely hidden.

An arm abruptly wrapped around Phoebe’s shoulders, nearly knocking her to the ground. “Good morning, top witchling. I hope I didn’t startle you.” Phoebe peered to the side to see Robin standing there, grinning while gazing down at her. Phoebe rolled her eyes, suppressing a smirk. Robin rolled their eyes as well. “Oh, Phoebe, you can’t pull that with me. Don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy these brief moments we share together.”

Phoebe refused to look them in the eye. “Why would I enjoy spending any amount of time with my biggest rival?”

Robin gasped and held a hand to their heart in a show of mock offense. “Is this because I beat your grade on that exam?” Phoebe said nothing, but she blushed. “Love, you’re too hard on yourself. You don’t have to be perfect.”

Phoebe scoffed. “My goals aren’t to be perfect, Robin. They’re just to beat you.” She smirked.

Robin chuckled. “Good luck with that, love,” they said, removing their arm from Phoebe’s shoulders. They stepped in front of her, blocking her path to her dorm. They leaned down so their face was level with Phoebe’s. “Chasing after you is one of my favorite pastimes.”

Phoebe blushed again and she couldn’t help a smirk from creeping onto her face. She lifted herself onto her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss onto Robin’s lips. “Stop trying to distract me, Robin,” Phoebe said as Robin stood back up to their full height. “I still need to get ready for tonight.”

Robin released a heavy sigh as Phoebe pushed past them in order to continue her journey to her dorm. “Ah, yes,” Robin said, jogging to catch up with her. “The annual conjuring at the witching hour. Quite a mundane way to spend Halloween, if you ask me, but I suppose Auntie Mystique expects your attendance, doesn’t she?” The conjuring occured every year on Halloween at the witching hour, and it served as a means of appeasing the spirit realm. Each witch in attendance brought a sacred gift that they offered to the spirit world in hopes of preventing an all-out war between the realms. The tradition dated back centuries and had yet to fail.

Phoebe rolled her eyes. “The conjuring is mandatory, Robin. Every witch in Incancity is required to attend. Aunt Mystique has nothing to do with it.”

Robin took hold of Phoebe’s hand and laced their fingers between hers. “But wouldn’t you rather spend Halloween alone with me?” they asked, smirking devilishly.

Phoebe smiled. “You know I would, but what I want isn’t always an option. There are high expectations set for both of us, and at this point, I don’t want to take any chances.” Phoebe stopped walking and took hold of Robin’s other hand, gently holding both of them against her heart. “I’m sorry, but we can stand together during the conjuring if you’d like.”

Robin shook their head and smirked. “There’s something I want to show you.” With that, they released one of Phoebe’s hands and used the other to drag her down the hallway in the same direction from which they’d come. Very few students were still milling about the corridor and those that were paid Robin and Phoebe no notice.

Phoebe frowned. “Robin, where are we going?” she asked, holding on to her hat to keep it from flying off and exposing Baphomet.

Robin glanced back at her and grinned. It was then that they arrived at Robin’s dorm and Robin released Phoebe’s hand in order to open the door. Phoebe continued to fix her hat as the door swung open and Robin pushed her inside, quietly closing the door behind them. Phoebe turned to face her partner, only to find a giddy smile plastered on Robin’s face.

Phoebe raised a single brow. “What’s going on, Robin? We only have a few hours until the conjuring and I still have homework to finish. What are we doing here?”

Robin ignored her and quickly rummaged through the junk beneath their bed that had accumulated over the course of the last year and a half. They quickly pulled out a large box, which they then placed in the center of the room. They beckoned for Phoebe to join them on the floor, which she did after a moment’s hesitation.

Robin opened the box to reveal a few candles, dead flowers, bird bones, and some gold and silver coins. Phoebe’s eyes widened and her gaze flicked between the box and her partner, her mouth falling open in shock. “Robin, this isn’t funny—”

“I know you’ve always wanted to speak with the spirit world directly, so I’ve spent the last few months gathering everything we need.” For once in her life, Phoebe was at a loss for words. “I wanted to surprise you tonight, but—but I just couldn’t wait. And I know you want to go to the conjuring, but—but this is a once-a-year opportunity, love, and—and I can’t guarantee that we’ll even have this same chance next Halloween. So—So, what do you say?” Phoebe’s gaze locked on Robin’s and she closed her mouth. “Spend Halloween with me this year?”

Phoebe’s face broke into an elated grin. She leaned over the box and kissed Robin again. “How could I possibly say no?”

* * *

Sneaking away from the conjuring was surprisingly easy considering the sheer amount of witches in attendance. They’d slipped away when two members of the High Witch Commission had begun taking count of the crowd. The High Witch Commission was made up of the six most powerful witches in Incancity, Headmistress Mystique being one of them. They oversaw the city and conducted the conjuring every year. Usually, only two of them took count of the witches while the other four joined later to ensure that the conjuring went smoothly. If there had been any more than two, there’s no way Phoebe and Robin would’ve made it out.

Phoebe and Robin giggled gleefully as they ran down the corridor, hand in hand, in the direction of Phoebe’s dorm.

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Phoebe whispered, pausing briefly in the middle of the corridor in order to catch her breath. Robin stopped as well. “Aunt Mystique was right, you are a bad influence.”

Robin chuckled and approached Phoebe, cupping her face in their hands. “The worst,” they said, planting a gentle kiss on Phoebe’s lips.

Phoebe shook her head. “You’re infuriating,” she whispered.

Robin scoffed. “You love me.”

“You wish,” Phoebe joked. She leaned in to kiss Robin again, but the sound of faint voices conversing close by distracted her. Robin seemed to hear it as well. They furrowed their brows and gazed in the direction from which the voices were coming. “I thought everyone was supposed to be at the conjuring,” Phoebe said.

Robin pursed their lips. “The only people that weren’t there were us and the other four Commission members, but what would they be doing here?”

Robin took a few short steps in the direction of the voices, but Phoebe grabbed their hand to pull them back. “Robin, don’t!” Phoebe whispered. “Let’s just go back to my room. We don’t want to get caught.”

Robin clenched their jaw. “But what if something’s going on? What if someone got hurt and they need help?”

“If they needed our help, they would’ve asked for help. Besides, they do this every year. The other four commissioners never join until just before the witching hour. Whatever they’re doing, it’s none of our business. Let’s just go.”

“Well, then call it my own morbid curiosity,” Robin said, giving Phoebe’s hand a gentle squeeze. “If it really is the rest of the Commission, I want to know what they’re up to. You don’t have to come if you don’t—”

“Are you kidding?” Phoebe exclaimed, keeping her voice low enough so as not to disturb the voices coming from behind the corner. “You think I’m letting you snoop around on your own? I’m the only voice of reason you’ve got, Robin.”

Robin chuckled and lifted Phoebe’s hand to their lips, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “Aren’t I lucky to have you, then. Let’s go.” Robin gently tugged Phoebe forward, and despite her overwhelming sense of dread and uncertainty, she followed.

The voices grew louder the further they traveled down the corridor. Baphomet, who had been hiding beneath Phoebe’s enormous hat, peaked out so as to sniff at the small frog perched on the brim of Robin’s. Phoebe hadn’t noticed Robin’s familiar, Onyx, sitting on the brim of their hat and Phoebe wondered if Robin even realized Onyx was there.

Phoebe’s heart was pounding as the two came across an ajar door, from which the voices were loudest. Robin turned to face Phoebe and flashed her a cheeky grin as they released her hand and approached the door, kneeling and peering through the crack. Phoebe took a deep breath to quell the shaking in her hands as she followed suit, leaning over Robin so as to get a better view.

Inside, the room was like any other vacant dormitory: a plain bed pushed to one side, a dresser beside it, warm brown walls, no windows, and a simple crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The only difference between this room and all the others was the massive, jagged dimension portal in the center of it, the edges of which emitted black smoke. The portal resembled that of a hole in a piece of paper more than anything else and Phoebe could’ve sworn she saw the portal grow. Through the hole itself, hazy, translucent silhouettes drifted aimlessly, several reaching mangled hands through the portal.

Standing directly before the portal was Aunt Mystique, clad in her full witch’s garb, and behind her were the remaining three Commission members. Floating in front of Mystique was perhaps the largest, most ominous-looking book that Phoebe had ever set her sights on. The leather cover was faded, ripped, and discolored in certain spots. The book was thoroughly embellished with many precious gems on both sides and the coffee-colored pages—which Phoebe couldn’t read from so far away—were torn, frayed, and stained with ink. Like the portal, black smoke emanated from between the pages of the book and the lights in the room and in the hallway flickered and buzzed as Mystique flipped open the floating book.

Phoebe was stunned. She had no idea what was going on, but the scene laid out before her filled her with a gut-wrenching sense of dread; her blood ran cold. Phoebe guessed that Robin could feel it as well, as they quickly grabbed hold of Phoebe’s hand and gave it a firm, reassuring squeeze.

As the book flipped open—seemingly on its own—Mystique spread her arms out and began reciting an incantation in a language that Phoebe couldn’t understand. The second the words spilled from her lips, a sense of empowerment and pride washed over Phoebe and she nearly stumbled back a couple of feet from the sheer shock of the sensation. Robin gasped, their eyes widening. Onyx jumped down from Robin’s hat and landed on their shoulder, curling up against their neck; Robin didn’t even seem to notice.

The longer Mystique continued to recite the incantation, the more the portal seemed to shrink. The silhouettes inside shrieked in pain and retracted their outstretched arms. Robin and Phoebe watched the portal shrink and the lights flicker as the same black smoke seemed to engulf Mystique’s hands. Phoebe couldn’t see her aunt’s face, but she imagined that the sight would’ve given her nightmares.

Phoebe had never witnessed any magic that even somewhat resembled what she’d just witnessed: the black smoke, the foreign incantation, the floating demon book, the flickering lights. Phoebe didn’t know what to make of it. She’d thought she’d witnessed every type of magic there was, except one.

Aunt Mystique concluded her incantation and the portal sealed shut. The black smoke dissipated and the demon book gently closed. Phoebe quickly grabbed Robin by the back of their robe and pulled them out of sight just as Mystique turned around. Robin gasped and stumbled over themself as they scrambled to their feet. The last thing Phoebe heard as she pulled Robin behind the corner was, “Did you hear that?”

Phoebe silently cursed her stupidity and mumbled a quick invisibility spell, clamping her hand over Robin’s mouth to keep them quiet. As Robin and Phoebe faded from sight, Mystique and the other three Commission members rounded the corner, searching for something that they couldn’t seem to find. Phoebe held her breath, silently praying that neither Onyx nor Baphomet would make a sound.

By some miracle, neither Mystique nor any of the other Commission members noticed them. Mystique turned to her comrades and began speaking to them, but the sound of Phoebe’s heart pounding in her chest drowned out everything else in the hallway. Eventually, all four Commission members made their way down the hallway in the direction of the conjuring. When they were all out of sight and out of earshot, Phoebe released her invisibility spell and removed her hand from over Robin’s mouth.

“What the hell was that?” Robin exclaimed, throwing their hands into the air.

“I told you we should have left well enough alone!” Phoebe shouted back. She took a deep breath in an attempt to compose herself. “Look, I think we should be careful what we say out here. We don’t know if there’s anyone else listening, so let’s go back to my room and talk about it there.”

Robin released a heavy sigh and nodded, taking a few small steps in the direction of Phoebe’s room. Phoebe was about to follow, when she felt a tug in the pit of her stomach. She glanced over her shoulder, unable to shake the uneasy feeling swelling in her gut.

“Phoebe?” Robin called to her. Phoebe glanced over at her partner for a moment before turning her gaze back in the direction of the room. Surely without any thought whatsoever, she made her way back to the room in which they’d witnessed the mysterious spell. Just as she’d suspected, the demon book was still in there, though it was no longer floating in midair. Instead, it was lying on the ground in the same spot over which it had been hovering before. Phoebe quickly collected the book from off the ground and made her way out of the room.

* * *

Sitting atop her bed, Phoebe stared at the cover of the demon book on her lap. “What, in the name of Hel, is this thing?”

“It’s a grimoire,” Robin explained. They stood in front of Phoebe, gazing down at the book as well. They had their arms crossed securely over their chest and nervously tapped their foot on the floor. “Wild witches used to use it in the era of dark magic before the witch and spirit races were divided.” Robin tore their gaze from the book and met Phoebe’s instead. “Does this mean that the High Commission has been using dark magic?”

Phoebe violently shook her head. “No, that’s not possible. Dark magic is strictly forbidden.”

“Yeah, by the High Commission. They enforced that law, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they have to abide by it. You saw what Headmistress Mystique did in there. That was no ordinary kind of magic, that’s for certain,” Robin stated.

Phoebe shook her head again, nervously biting her nails. Baphomet curled up on Phoebe’s lap, purring so as to comfort her. “I just—I don’t want to believe it. There’s no way. The High Commission wouldn’t—they wouldn’t—” Phoebe’s breathing quickened and her hands began to tremble. Tears burned the corners of her eyes.

Robin kneeled down in front of her and took both of her hands in theirs. “Hey, look at me, love. Everything’s going to be okay. We’ll figure this out together, like we always do, I promise.” Phoebe sniffled and nodded, struggling to focus her attention on Robin’s orange eyes. “Are you okay, love?” Phoebe nodded again and wiped away her tears with the back of her sleeve.

“What do we do? What were they even doing?”

Robin pursed their lips. “I think they were sealing the spirit realm.” Phoebe furrowed her brows, confusion creasing her forehead. “That’s what it looked like to me, at least.”

Phoebe shook her head. “If that’s the case, then what’s the point of the conjuring?”

“Probably to distract the community,” Robin speculated. “You felt the magic they used. There’s no way we wouldn’t sense that if every witch weren’t congregated in one place.” Phoebe shook her head, her mind racing a million miles a minute. “What if it’s not such a bad thing?” Robin asked. Phoebe glanced over at them. “As long as the spirit realm is sealed, who cares how they did it?”

“It’s not that part that’s bothering me, it’s the fact that they felt the need to hide it. If this is the way they need to do it, they could easily manipulate the community into believing it’s right. So then, why lie to everyone?”

Robin released another heavy sigh and stood up from their kneeling position on the floor, only to sit beside Phoebe on her bed. “Maybe it’s because sealing the spirit world isn’t actually a good thing.” Phoebe sighed and rested her head on Robin’s shoulder. Robin planted a gentle kiss atop Phoebe’s head and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“What do we do, Robin? We can’t just ignore this.”

Robin gently rubbed Phoebe’s back comfortingly. “I don’t know, love.”

Phoebe sat up, gently scratching behind Baphomet’s ear. “I think we should go back to the conjuring before they realize we’re gone,” Phoebe suggested. Robin’s gaze wavered. “Otherwise, they’ll begin to suspect something since they heard us leave.”

Robin shook their head. “There’s no reason for both of us to go, especially since we found the grimoire. One of us should stay to study it while the other goes and vouches for both of us.” Phoebe nodded and just as she was about to speak, Robin interrupted, “You stay. You and Baphomet learn things quicker than Onyx and I.”

“No, I’m not letting you go out there alone. What if you get caught?”

“I can take care of myself, love. Although, you’re cute when you’re protective.” Robin winked at her. Phoebe pressed her lips together, appearing on the verge of tears. Robin’s smile faded and they gently cupped Phoebe’s face in their hands. “Hey, I’ll be fine,” they promised. “I’m the second most powerful witch at Wystika. I know how to handle myself in front of a few old witches. Now, you study up on dark magic while I keep an eye on the Commission, okay?” Phoebe hesitated before giving a subtle nod in response. Robin smiled and gave Phoebe a gentle kiss on her forehead. Then, Robin stood up from their seat beside Phoebe and made their way to the door just as a knock sounded on the other side.

Phoebe’s breath caught in her throat. After overcoming her moment of shock, she quickly stuffed the grimoire under her bed and positioned Baphomet on her lap, motioning for Robin to open the door.

On the other side stood Aunt Mystique, arms folded across her chest with an expression of immense dissatisfaction on her face. She raised an eyebrow, looking Robin up and down when they opened the door. “There you both are,” she said, her irritation showing through her voice. Robin and Phoebe exchanged a nervous glance. “I hope you both haven’t forgotten about the conjuring. Every witch in Incancity must be in attendance.”

“We didn’t forget, Aunt Mystique. We just—” Panic swelled in Phoebe’s stomach. She wasn’t nearly as good at lying as Robin was, but they didn’t seem to have an excuse either. Phoebe gently lifted Baphomet off of her lap and joined her partner in front of Mystique. Phoebe wrapped her arms around Robin’s neck and said, “We just wanted some alone time, that’s all, and we were just on our way out when—when Baphomet started, um…he started shaking and—and he was breathing really heavily. So—So, Robin decided to go back down to the conjuring while I stayed with Baphomet.” Mystique raised a skeptical brow. Her gaze flicked between her niece and the black cat curled up on the bed. Phoebe joined her familiar on the bed once more. “I hate to miss the conjuring, Aunt Mystique, but I’m really worried about Baphomet. Surely the spirit realm won’t stake their decision to attack on one missing witch, will they?”

Mystique pursed her lips, pointed her chin toward the ceiling, and straightened her back, keeping her arms crossed firmly over her chest. “I suppose not,” she said. Phoebe’s heart was pounding so loud, she was sure Mystique could hear it. “If your familiar truly is as ill as you say, it would be unwise to neglect it.” Phoebe smiled with pride, though she struggled to suppress it. Mystique glanced over at Robin, who appeared just as shocked as Phoebe felt. “In that case, perhaps I will personally escort your—partner back down to the conjuring myself.”

Robin looked up at that and violently shook their head. “Oh, no! You don’t have to do that. I can make it there just fine on my own.”

“Nonsense,” Mystique said. “Besides, I could use the company.”

Robin looked over at Phoebe, silently begging for help, but Phoebe simply forced a smile and said, “I think that’s a great idea. It would give me peace of mind to know that you both get there safely.”

“Wonderful!” Mystique exclaimed, displaying absolutely no emotion. Robin’s face turned crimson as they stared, wide-eyed at Phoebe. “If that’s settled, let us go. The conjuring will start in a few minutes and we don’t want to be late, do we?”

Robin stared at Mystique and gently shook their head. “N-No,” they stammered.

“Come along, then,” Mystique said, guiding Robin out of the room.

The moment the door closed behind them, Phoebe jumped up from her resting place and pulled the grimoire out from under the bed. “Okay, Baphomet,” she said. Baphomet perked up, his ears twitching as he stared at her from the bed. “We need to learn basically everything in this book as soon as possible, but we can’t stay here.” Phoebe tugged on a jacket, faced Baphomet, and said, “Aurumium.” The second the word was uttered, Baphomet leaped from the bed, suspending himself in midair as he quickly transformed into a long, black staff, at the end of which was a black cat carved out of wood with glowing yellow eyes that easily resembled Baphomet’s.

Phoebe snatched the staff out of midair, opened the window, and jumped. As she fell, she positioned herself comfortably on her staff and began to fly through the air, making her way toward the roof of the academy. She peered down at the dense mass of congregated witches in the courtyard and sighed, wondering how it was possible that only six witches had managed to fool an entire community.

As Phoebe reached the roof, she quickly pulled out the grimoire and sat, flipping through it as Baphomet detransformed and joined her. None of what she read made any sense to her. There were spells of all kinds outlined in the grimoire and Phoebe felt her stomach drop the more she flipped through it.

Phoebe shook her head and shifted her gaze to Baphomet, who was peering at the pages as well. “Do you understand any of this?” she asked him.

“Perhaps it’s simply not for you to understand,” a voice said.  At first, Phoebe thought it had been Baphomet that had spoken, but then Baphomet looked in the opposite direction. Phoebe peered over her shoulder, only to see three of the six commission members glowering at her. Phoebe scrambled to her feet and faced them as Baphomet transformed back into a staff. Phoebe grabbed the staff and held it in front of her in self-defense.

“Didn’t your aunt ever teach you that you shouldn’t take things that don’t belong to you?” one of the commissioners asked—a different one than had originally spoken. Phoebe said nothing, but her face twisted with disgust as she stared at them. The commissioners were all clad in identical black and red robes, their tall witch hats sitting atop their heads, shielding their faces from Phoebe’s view.

“Come along, Phoebe,” the leftmost commissioner said, extending a hand. “Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

Phoebe’s right eye twitched. “The only thing I regret is letting the Commission get away with this for as long as they have.” The commissioner dropped her extended hand. “Weren’t you the ones that forbade dark magic in the first place? Why, by the gods, would you forbid it just to use it yourselves?”

“That is none of your concern, Miss Ziera,” the centermost witch asserted. “Please, turn over the grimoire to us and forget any of this ever happened. I don’t think you want to witness the consequences of defying us.”

Phoebe scoffed. “Why would I do that?”

The centermost witch’s face broke into a knowing grin. She held a hand out in front of her and whispered an incantation that Phoebe couldn’t understand. A glowing orb of light materialized, hovering over the witch’s hand. As it grew, Phoebe could faintly make out an image in the light; the image grew clearer as the seconds ticked by. The witch beckoned Phoebe closer, but Phoebe didn’t move until she heard Robin’s voice emitting from the orb.

Phoebe’s eyes widened as she gazed at the image within the orb. The image displayed a screaming Robin, struggling against Mystique and the other two commissioners, who fought to subdue them. There were tears in Robin’s eyes, their purple robe was ripped, and their witch’s hat was gone. "Onyx!" They shouted, pulling against their captors' grip. "Argen—" One of the commissioners clamped a hand over Robin’s mouth before they could finish Onyx's transformation word. Mystique and the other commissioner began to bind Robin's hands with rope as they screamed beneath the hand gripping their mouth shut.

Tears oozed out of the corners of Phoebe’s eyes as she watched the scene unfold, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. Her staff suddenly felt a thousand pounds heavier in her hands and she could no longer hold it up in self defense. She took several steps back, stumbling and falling flat on her backside as the centermost witch’s spell disappeared.

The centermost commissioner took several bold steps toward Phoebe, leaned over her, and said, “I hope you understand that this matter is of grave importance, Phoebe, and if your partner has to become collateral damage in order to resolve this, we won’t hesitate.” Phoebe looked up at the commissioner, her eyes burning. “Now, kindly hand over the grimoire and we will release your partner.”

Phoebe hesitated, then pushed herself to her feet, using her staff to steady herself. She dropped her staff as Baphomet destransformed. Then, Phoebe picked the grimoire off of the ground and looked the commissioners dead in the eyes as she said, “Baphomet.” Baphomet looked up at her expectantly, waiting for his next set of instructions. “Unhinge and consume.” She tossed the grimoire to Baphomet, whose eyes turned from a warm yellow to a furious red. Baphomet leaped from the ground, his face contorting as his mouth tripled in size, razor sharp teeth snatching the grimoire out of the air, only to swallow it whole before he landed.

All three of the high commissioners gasped in shock. The centermost witch looked absolutely furious, her face turning beet-red as she shouted, “You insolent little brat! Do you have any idea what you have just cost this community? You have doomed us all to war!”

Phoebe’s expression was completely apathetic. She wiped away her tears with her sleeve and said, “If you really thought that I would give you the grimoire after seeing what you’ve done to Robin, you really have no clue what you’re dealing with.”

The centermost witch clenched her fists until her knuckles turned bone-white. Her hands began to shake with frustration and her lips pulled back against her teeth in an angry snarl. The rightmost witch placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder and said, “There may still be a way to retrieve the grimoire, sister.” She then whispered something into the centermost witch’s ear.

The centermost witch grinned evilly and turned to her other sister. “Fetch the others, and make sure they bring the child.”

The leftmost witch nodded. “Yes, Lady Greer,” she said and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Seconds later, the witch returned along with Mystique, the final two commissioners, and Robin. Robin’s face was a rainbow of bruises. There was blood on their face and their hair was completely unkempt. Their hands were bound behind their back and multiple layers of duct tape covered their mouth. The moment they saw Phoebe, they screamed, but it was muffled beneath the tape.

Phoebe pursed her lips and stared at the Commission, unable to bring herself to look at Robin without bursting into tears. In her hand, Mystique held a small cage, inside of which Phoebe could see Onyx, struggling to reach Robin through the bars.

Phoebe shook her head in disbelief as her gaze flicked between Mystique and Lady Greer. “I don’t know what you’re trying to—”

“Throw the child and their familiar off the roof,” Lady Greer commanded. Phoebe’s heart dropped. No one moved for a moment, but the Commission didn’t dare disobey Lady Greer’s command. After a moment of hesitation, the two Commission members standing beside Robin grabbed them by the biceps and pulled them to their feet. Robin screamed and fought with every ounce of strength they could muster as the Commissioners dragged them over to the edge of the building.

“No!” Phoebe screamed, preparing to run in order to help Robin. Before she could take a single step, Mystique appeared behind her, grasping her arm to hold her back. Tears burst from Phoebe’s eyes as she struggled against Mystique’s grip, watching as the Commissioners pushed Robin closer to the edge. “The grimoire is already gone! You can’t do this!” Phoebe screamed.

“Stop!” Lady Greer shouted. The Commissioners pushing Robin stopped just before the edge of the roof. “I changed my mind. Hold them over the edge instead,” Lady Greer commanded. The Commission members did just that. They pushed Robin to their knees and held them directly over the edge of the roof. The Academy building was taller than any other in Incancity and Phoebe suddenly couldn’t breathe. Robin was shaking and whimpering; they refused to look down. Lady Greer turned to look at Phoebe and smirked. “Now, hand over your familiar, Phoebe Ziera, or we push your partner over the edge.”

Phoebe couldn’t tear her eyes away from the sight before her. Upon hearing Lady Greer’s threat, Robin craned their neck to look at Phoebe and violently shook their head as if to say, Don’t do it!

Phoebe had never been more conflicted in her life. She had to choose between the two things in the world she cared most about. Phoebe peered over her shoulder, only to find that she had a perfect view of the courtyard in which the conjuring was taking place. Phoebe’s eyes narrowed. “You’re going to use Baphomet to extract the information from the grimoire, aren’t you?” she asked. No one said anything. Phoebe wrenched her arm out of Mystique’s grip and bent to retrieve Baphomet from where he was curled against her leg. “I know that familiars can relay the information they consume to their masters and their masters only, so I don’t know what you think Baphomet can do for you without me.” Phoebe finally met Lady Greer’s gaze. Lady Greer’s smirk was completely gone. Phoebe took a few steps toward the edge of the roof and Lady Greer’s eyes widened.

“Phoebe, what do you think you’re doing?” Aunt Mystique shouted, reaching a hand towards her niece. Phoebe stood directly on the edge. “Enough of this foolishness! Step away from the edge, please! I’m sure we can come to some sort of understanding.”

Robin screamed at her as well, but their words were lost beneath the tape.

Phoebe shook her head. “After what you have done, Aunt Mystique, I will never be able to forgive you. You banned dark magic, only to use it behind everyone’s backs. You lied to me about everything that this academy is, you hurt the person that I care most about in this world, and I hope one day you see the error of your ways. As for right now, I simply can’t let you get away with this.” Phoebe stepped over the edge of the roof and began to plummet to the ground. Robin screamed, tears bursting from their eyes as they watched Phoebe fall.

Phoebe closed her eyes as the wind enveloped her. She hugged Baphomet close to her chest and whispered, “Aurumium.” Baphomet quickly transformed into a staff and Phoebe held on tight as she flew up from her downward plummet. She looked back at the roof behind her, her gaze finding Robin first. Robin was no longer being held over the edge. Instead, they were safely back on the roof, heavily guarded by every Commissioner except Aunt Mystique and Lady Greer. Suddenly, Aunt Mystique had a staff in her hand as well. It was a brown and white staff, on the tip of which was an owl mid flight. She quickly hopped on her staff and started chasing after Phoebe.

Phoebe gasped and turned away, flying in the direction of the conjuring. “Baphomet, relay information,” she commanded.

How much? An eerie, raspy voice echoed through Phoebe’s mind. Familiars could only talk to their witch partners in staff form.

“All of it,” Phoebe answered. “I need everything in the grimoire for this to work!”

Phoebe, you’ve never taken in that amount of information before, and this is dark magic, so there’s no telling what it’ll do to you. Are you sure about this?

“I have to be,” Phoebe answered. “Just do it!” The yellow gemstones acting as Baphomet’s eyes on the staff began to glow and Phoebe was instantly hit with a shockwave of power. Images of blood, fire, and death flashed through her mind. She saw bodies hanging from tree branches by their necks, she saw buildings burning and heard people screaming, she saw a blood-red sky and an inky black moon.

Phoebe! She heard Baphomet shout. Suddenly, Phoebe awoke from her trance and noticed that she and Baphomet were both plummeting toward the ground once more. She gasped and quickly took control of Baphomet once more, pulling up just as they were about to hit the ground. Phoebe released a euphoric sigh of relief and continued her journey toward the conjuring.

When she arrived at the conjuring, there were tears in her eyes. She didn’t know when she’d started crying, but the impact of the grimoire’s power knocked her off guard. She hovered several dozen meters over the conjuring and watched for a moment as many of the people gathered there looked up and pointed at her.

Phoebe was shaking. She took a deep breath to steady herself and she hopped off of Baphomet, still hovering in the air as long as she held onto him. Phoebe closed her eyes and whispered, “By the power of the Lord of Death, I speak these words with final breath. Conjure my thoughts and guide them well, may my memories find a new place to dwell.” Phoebe focused clearly on the memory of watching Aunt Mystique and the Commission seal the spirit realm using dark magic. With that, Phoebe waved her staff through the air, conjuring thousands upon thousands of tiny black bats, each emitting small plumes of black smoke. Phoebe pointed her staff in the direction of the crowd and the bats took off, each finding a single person to reside within. Several gasps echoed among the crowd. Others collapsed, while some looked ready to fight someone.

“Phoebe!” Aunt Mystique’s voice called out. Phoebe turned to see her aunt hovering just a few feet away from her. “What have you done, you foolish child?” she shouted.

Phoebe glowered at her aunt. “I’m not finished yet,” she said as she waved her staff at the sky. “I am now the only witch in Incancity that possesses the power of the grimoire and I will use any amount of it to correct every mistake you and the Commission have made.” A circle of clouds formed in the sky around Phoebe’s staff.

“Phoebe, this is treason! You shall not go against the Commission’s decree!”

Phoebe ignored her aunt and closed her eyes. “Through wind and storm, my will shall—”

“Phoebe, please!” Mystique shouted, interrupting Phoebe’s train of thought.

Phoebe opened her eyes and glared at Mystique. “Tell me why the original Commission imprisoned the spirit realm!” Mystique said nothing. Her lips pressed into a hard line and her gaze wavered. “Tell me, or I’ll open the gate to the spirit realm and let them finally get their revenge!”

“Fine, I’ll tell you!” Mystique complied. She released a heavy sigh, her chest and shoulders heaving with defeat. “The spirit race never posed any threat to the witch race. They’ve always been peaceful, but several witches feared that they would rise up and overthrow the witch race one day. So, those witches formed the High Commission and used dark magic to banish the spirit race to another realm. Since then, only the High Commission  has been allowed to use dark magic.”

Phoebe’s eyes widened. “And yet, you stand here, trying to convince me not to release the spirit race? What are you so scared of? Losing your power and authority?” Mystique said nothing, but her gaze wavered and that was enough assurance for Phoebe to press on. Phoebe shook her head in disgust. “You may never forgive me for what I am about to do, but just know that I don’t need your forgiveness. You need mine.” Phoebe closed her eyes again and lifted her staff toward the sky. Mystique’s eyes widened, but before she could choke out a single word of protest, Phoebe shouted, “Through wind and storm, my will shall be so, as darkness ensues beneath the moon’s glow! I call upon my brothers and sisters of old, free these trapped spirits from their tomb so cold!” 

Immediately after the words were uttered, the clouds parted to reveal a similar portal to the one that Phoebe and Robin saw the Commission close, except this one was astronomically bigger and vastly more intimidating. The wave of power that had washed over Phoebe when she witnessed the Commission close the portal was trivial in comparison to the sense of empowerment she felt now.

Spirits rushed through the portal’s entrance by the dozen, pouring down from the sky like a tidal wave of iridescent shadows. They flooded the courtyard and began to spread through Incancity faster than Phoebe had ever seen another being move. The congregated witches in the courtyard began to scream and scatter, but the spirits paid them almost no notice. Many of the witches watched in confusion as the spirits peacefully meandered around the courtyard, showing no interest in anything other than their new surroundings.

Phoebe turned her gaze away from the sight, realizing there was one more thing to take care of before she could celebrate her victory.

Directly behind Phoebe stood Mystique, her face a furious shade of red. “Do you have any idea what you have just done?” Mystique asked.

Phoebe shrugged. “Maybe I don’t, but what’s done cannot be undone. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have bigger things to deal with than your temper tantrum, Aunt Mystique. The Commission lost. Get over it.” Phoebe didn’t wait for her aunt to respond before she hopped on her staff and flew back over toward the roof of the Academy. Atop the roof stood the remaining five Commissioners, staring in shock at the display that Phoebe created, along with Robin, who couldn’t tear their eyes from the scene either.

Robin’s eyes snapped to Phoebe’s and they once again began to struggle against their bonds. Phoebe quickly hopped off of Baphomet and waved her staff at Robin, whispering, “By the Dark Lord’s will, untangle these ropes that bind, guide them well and give them a new home to find.” Suddenly, Robin’s ropes unraveled and their hands were free. The rope that once bound Robin instead wrapped around the two Commission members that had been holding them hostage. The Commissioners fell to the ground, screaming, as Robin ripped the duct tape off of their mouth.

“About time!” they shouted at Phoebe, smirking. Phoebe rolled her eyes and Robin shifted their attention to the cage that held Onyx. Lady Greer’s gaze flicked between Robin and the disturbance that Phoebe had created. Her expression displayed clear defeat and she suddenly collapsed onto her knees, staring forward without a shred of will left. “Onyx!” Robin shouted. “Argentis!” Suddenly, Onyx transformed into a long, green and yellow staff and flew into Robin’s hands through the bars of the cage. Robin quickly jumped off the roof and flew to catch up with Phoebe. Phoebe smiled as they came to rest directly in front of her. “Took you long enough,” they said.

Phoebe smirked and said, “It would’ve gone a lot quicker if you hadn’t gotten captured.”

Robin’s smile faltered and then faded. “Right. I’m sorry. I thought I was stronger than that.”

Phoebe’s smile disappeared and she violently shook her head. She gently touched a hand to Robin’s cheek and said, “Don’t apologize, my love. It wasn’t your fault. You are still the strongest witch I know.”

Robin gave a weak smile and looked back up at Phoebe, wrapping their hand around Phoebe’s wrist to keep her hand in place. “I love you, Phoebe,” they whispered.

Phoebe smiled lovingly at Robin and planted a gentle kiss on their lips. She rested her forehead on theirs and said, “I love you too, Robin.”