Witch Bewitched (New)

Chapter 55

Misa had put off meeting Rithian as long as she could, but she knew there was no escaping the inevitable. The witch had been right. Misa had returned, and she was going to Rithian for help because she had no choice.

Misa glanced at the ebony bracelet, wondering if it had been enchanted to ensure her return. It made her blood boil, so she returned her attention to the darkened path in front of her, not so daunting with Min-Min trotting by her side. She didn't have another relapse of losing control since her journey to Harthem, though the vivid dreams that plagued her with a sister she never had continued to visit her every time she closed her eyes.

It was a miracle no witch had found her with Tika's magic emanating from her like a white light in a dark forest, and Misa had a vague hope that maybe the magic wasn't as ancient and powerful as she'd been led to believe.

"I've been wondering where this ripple of power was coming from."

Min-Min hissed.

Misa froze, her blood rushing at the sound of the witch's voice. She hadn't even noticed Rithian sitting at the fountain, her hair tied back into an elegant braid. Not for the first time, the witch's beauty struck Misa, and she wondered how a monster could have such fair skin.

"Something was interfering with your magic, making it difficult to pinpoint where it had come from, but it all makes sense now."

A low, throaty yowl escaped Min-Min, before the cat hissed with a vehemence Misa had never seen before. Min-Min's fur had raised so much that she looked almost twice as large as she really was. Rithian only laughed.

"Tika always had a thing for cats. Not a surprise she sent one to guard you and your magic. I see you've become more powerful now. Not even the cat's cloaking could completely hide you away."

Cloaking? Misa glanced down at Min-Min. The cat had been protecting Misa from other witches, she realised. A surge of affection arose, and Misa made a mental note to make sure to give Min-Min a warm meal when this was over.

"I..." Misa gritted her teeth and swallowed her pride. "I've come to learn. I can't control Tika's power, and I've come to get it under control."

Even though she braced herself, Misa couldn't stop the pained wince at Rithian's sharp cackle. The witch stood, elegance exuding from her posture, her clothing, her whole being.

"It's unfortunate I wasn't there to see the light in Tika flicker and die. How tragic it is."

Misa doubted sorrow was the reason Rithian wanted to be present at Tika's death.

"You wish to learn magic?" Rithian awaited for Misa's answer with a predatory smirk.

Misa ignored the dread lumping in the pit of her stomach. This was what she had come here for. This was what she had prepared for. To find Leira.

For Leira. Do it for Leira.

"Yes," she replied with a strength she had to muster. "Teach me magic."

Rithian couldn't keep the ecstasy from her expression. She whirled around wordlessly, but Misa didn't need a command to know she was to follow.

Picking up Min-Min, who still had fur spiked like needles, Misa found herself weaving through the vaguely familiar streets of Harthem. They came to the secret room Misa had had her very first lesson in, and her training immediately began.

Rithian first assessed the extent of Misa's power, prodding at Misa's ribs and releasing her own magic from its cloak to measure it with Tika's.

With a slight smile, she remarked how Tika had always been weaker than her. Hiding away her magic, she then studied Min-Min with a slight scowl.

"The cat is keeping your magic from reaching its potential. Let her leave, and we shall continue our lesson."

Misa's heart dropped. Min-Min had kept her steady and strong under Rithian's guidance, and the thought of being left alone stirred a familiar fear and dread.

But Misa wasn't willing to risk Min-Min's safety, and she couldn't be sure Rithian would dispose of the cat herself if she didn't let her go. So, Misa whispered her goodbyes, and gently nudged Min-Min out the door.

When she returned, her magic, which had been restrained for so many days, began its erratic pulse, as if it was excited by the loosened leash that had been tied around it. Misa stumbled into Rithian. The witch scowled, and Misa staggered back, shuddering at the contact.

"I see," she said, simply with no mockery in her tone. "That's why you returned. You had no choice. The magic will kill you if you don't get it under control." She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Typical Tika, giving her magic away without the simplest training of how to keep it under control. She never did have good foresight."

Misa gasped as the first bouts of pain rushed through her veins. She hunched over, arms around her stomach, tears springing to her eyes.

"Stop it," she rasped. "Please, make it stop."

Somehow, the familiarity of the agony made it even worse, and Misa wanted the blackness that usually took her away from it. But, before she could even begin to slip away, Rithian grabbed Misa's hand.

The storm within Misa abated, and she gasped a lungful of air as the magic weakened its grip on her. She felt the pull of it going through Rithian, detaching from her like a leech that had been salted.

"What are you doing?" Misa asked, clarity returning with the numbing of the fire.

"Tika was a fool." Rithian tightened her grip. "You barely have the capacity to hold all her power, but she thought you'd be able to handle it. She was a fool to choose someone so weak."

Misa snatched her hand away when a semblance of normalcy returned to her body. It amazed her how light her body seemed to be without the bulk of Tika's magic weighing it down.

"So, what does that mean? Are you still going to teach me?"

Rithian sneered. "Of course I will. I'm not going to let such power go to waste, even if the host itself is a waste of space. Oh, no. I'm going to mold you into something truly, viciously beautiful."

Misa couldn't stop the shudder that shook her to her core. She wasn't so confident that she would escape Rithian this time.

"Let us begin." With an ominous smile, Rithian released her magic from its hold, allowing it to engulf Misa.

A dull throb in Misa's heart escalated into a sharp needle of pain when she felt her own magic gravitate towards the witch.

"W-what are you doing?" she gasped, withering from Rithian. "Stop!"

Rithian merely laughed. "Cloak your magic, Misa, if you want to survive."

Panic clawed up Misa's throat. Her magic ebbed away with each second, and she could feel her life, her energy draining with it.

"How?" Misa groaned as needles shot through her limbs, slowly grating through her before seeping out her pores and gathering in a heap in the pool of Rithian's magic.

"You must learn it yourself. That is the extent of controlling your magic. That is how you know you have full control. Now, cloak."

Blackness crept into Misa's vision. She staggered and fell to her knees. Bleeding. She was bleeding magic.

"You're going to kill me," she mustered. Every movement hurt. She struggled to even breathe. "You're killing me."

"Protect yourself." Rithian snarled. "How do you expect to use your magic if you can't protect yourself from losing it? Cloak it, now, Misa."

"I can't!" Misa didn't know how she was shouting. "I don't know how to!"

She was slipping. Misa's head spun. Rithian's figure warped against the expanse of the room, curving into a smear. "Please..."

Air. She needed air. Misa was drowning, just like she had been when she first received Tika's magic. She kicked in the water, but her body refused to move. Her ankles were caught in shackles that pulled her deep, deep into the ocean, refusing to let her struggle to the surface to breathe.

Misa clawed at her throat, desperate for air. Rithian's voice rang pierced into her skull, attacking her, slowly sucking her life away.

Then, a rush of cold air filled Misa's lungs. She gasped as the sweet breeze allowed her to breathe, relishing, gulping despite the sharp stab that came with the sudden influx of air. Blood rushed to her head once more, and it took a moment for the room to stop spinning.

She caught a glimpse of Rithian's dress sweeping in front of her. She looked up to see the witch glaring down at her.

"Pathetic," she spat. "I've never seen anything so useless and pathetic in my life."

Something bubbled in Misa, and she drew strength from the quiet rage that allowed her to push herself up. She stood on trembling legs, quivering not from fear, but from the sheer lack of energy.

"Pathetic?" Misa threw back. "You expect me to just know how to cloak my magic, and you call me pathetic? You expect me to run before I even learn to walk, and I'm the one who's pathetic? Why don't you teach me the right way, Rithian? Why don't you show me how to do it before you expect me to magically know how to cast a cloaking spell? Pathetic!" Misa threw her arms up. "I'll tell you what's pathetic. Pathetic is abusing someone weaker than you because you can't stand to be second place. Pathetic is using someone as a conduit for your anger against a person you could never otherwise defeat. You know what's pathetic, Rithian? You! It's you!"

Misa's head snapped to the side, and a resounding smack echoed in the room. She couldn't even register the pain until the shock of it began to wear off. Her cheek stung, fiercer than ever before, sending tears into her eyes. But Misa wasn't going to cry out in pain. She wasn't going to let Rithian trample over her anymore.

"Don't you dare speak as if you know anything about me, girl. You are nothing without your magic. You are nothing without Tika. Don't think you're strong just because Tika gave everything she had to you. You will never amount to half the witch she ever was."

Misa glared at Rithian, refusing to let the words sting, refusing to break. Because Leira needed her to be strong. Because Royle needed her to be strong. "Magic is nothing to me," she replied. "I never asked Tika for her magic. I never wanted to be a witch. I know my worth without magic, and I don't need a witch telling me what I mean to her. The only reason I'm here is because I do have magic, and if I don't learn how to control it, I'm going to die. So why don't you teach me how to use it the right way before I find someone else?"

Rithian remained still. Then, a slow smile spread across her lips. "You've changed. Where has the groveling, pitiful girl gone? You have a spirit in you I haven't seen before." She squared her shoulders. "A fine witch, you'll make. Very well. I'll hold your hand. I'll throw you a bone, and when we're finished, you'll become the very thing you despise. You'll be the strongest when you wield the power you hate with your whole being, so dependent on it that you'll lose the worth you have without it. Let your world shatter around you because you're going to step into the witch's world."

Rithian spread her arms out as if to present a grand reveal "And when you become the greatest witch to ever live, everything you believed, everything you ever loved, everything that made you who you are will crumble to dust. Then, and only then, will you have nothing but your magic, and without it, you will be nothing."

Misa paled but kept her pretense strong. She wasn't going to break because of Rithian. She wasn't going to let the witch determine her fate. Because it was Misa's life. It was Misa's will. Once Nisha was defeated, Misa would never need to deal with it again.

So, with the satisfaction of knowing Rithian's goals would never be achieved, Misa returned a small smile and challenged the witch.

"I'd like to see you try."

And when Rithian accepted with a wicked grin, Misa knew her fate had been sealed.