Birth of the House

The White Witch

A very strange request was recently delivered to all guilds across the land of Fiore. One that asked powerful individuals who were experts in the field of magic to investigate a certain house in the Rose Garden. On the outside, it appeared to be just another completely normal structure like any other. Walls painted pure white, though not exactly maintained very well. The house had a front door right into one of the less busy streets of the town and no garden of any sorts. Just a regular structure people would live in. That was about it appearance-wise at least.

Though, of course, there was much more to it than just that. The reason why someone wanted this house to be investigated was that it recently became a source of incredibly dense magical energy. Those sensitive to ethernano particles would feel as if the building housed every individual from the Ten Wizard Saints list and more. Several mages already accepted this request, thinking it to be easy jewels. But the moment they would approach the building, they turned away in terror, their sense of self-preservation kicking in. No matter what was inside, it surely had to be extremely powerful to have this much magic.

And no one wanted to deal with that head-on. But as one would have it, there was not a single person who knew the truth of this place. What was really behind those unlocked brown doors? A mundane hallway with three different doors both on the left and the right with a final seventh door at the end of the hall itself. Behind each of those doors, a plain looking room with barely any furniture and living space. This building was the home of Charlotte, a young White Witch of Black Rose. A fact that everyone failed to realize, as the house was still in ownership of two different people who fled the town fifteen years ago.

Charlotte’s parents. They were unknown. The girl’s special powers started showing very soon after she was born, so the pair decided to leave the ‘demon’ alone. The baby would be put in her crib as the two individuals pack all their belongings and left, never to return. The child was meant to die of hunger and thirst, completely and utterly alone. But it was not only her powers that made her special. A tall man in black suit with golden eyes found himself standing next to the wooden crib the moment those two left, a wide and eerie grin on his face. The Observer. He would take care of Charlotte from now on.

And as such, the girl survived and lived on. Alone, in this decrepit and bare home, her only friends beings creatures that no one else could even see. There was more to Charlotte’s story, but that was a tale for another day. For now, the important thing is that her power was only growing more powerful with time. Her white magic was special and it would leak out of her body that could not properly hold it under control. And as time went on, the magical energy would seep into the house itself, becoming part of it. Finally, the structure became so saturated with ethernano that regular people took notice.

And thus, this job was created for whatever brave soul would enter this monstrosity of magic. But perhaps they were right to worry. After all, nothing is left to chance in Charlotte’s story. The puppeteer has everything under their control and writes this story to their own liking. But there was another aspect to it all. The origin of Charlotte was not a simple one. Recycled from a story that already met its ultimate end, she was broken, and so was everything connected to her. And the house? The house might have been the biggest part of it all, pieced together from junk of magic and otherworldly stories.

Because of that, an anomaly was created. Charlotte herself could not trigger it, for she was in tune with the house and all it represented. But the moment someone else would open the doors of this house and set a foot into this building, a powerful wave of magic would activate and change everything. The front door would vanish and leave whoever entered trapped inside, the hall suddenly transforming into a single small room. An elevator that would start moving up. And after few seconds, it would come to a stop, regardless of buttons that might have been pressed on the selector to the side.

“Welcome to the First Floor, Guest”

It was not an automated message. The elevator spoke on its own as if it was a living entity. And it spoke straight to the person inside of it. The doors would open to reveal that very same hall that was meant to exist right after the front door. But it was no longer dim with walls covered in mold and nearly broken down wallpaper. They were painted a beautiful and pristine white, almost shining and blinding whoever would see this place for the first time. The doors remained unchanged, but gave off a much warmer, yet dreadful feeling of what they could be possibly hiding.

Regardless, one of them would open the moment this chosen person left the elevator. The third door on the right side it was. And from there, a young looking girl emerged. Her hair was just as pure white as the walls themselves. Her skin pale and her eyes the same as her hair, lacking pupils of any kind. Pure white orbs that stared right at this stranger. She wore a white swather with a bright yellow ribbon and a black short skirt. An attire similar to a school uniform in a way. Her legs were hidden away beneath a thin layer of black fabric as well, all ending in a pair of neat black shoes.

“W…who are you?!” Her voice was slightly shaking and clearly alerted, as she did not expect someone to enter her house uninvited. But other than that, she didn’t even notice any changes to the House. No, of course she didn’t. For she always saw it like this. The girl was unreliable when it came to her magic and mental state. While living in a home that was slowly falling apart, all she saw was a beautiful place she grew up in, a palace of White. But now, that imagination turned real by using a mage of this world, controlled by a different puppeteer, into reality.

Charlotte

1,089 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

Not only was the girl perplexed by a sudden presence of another being in her house, she was also scared. Her voice surely gave that away, but there was just nothing she could do to prevent that. Surely if this green-haired female was an enemy, then Seth would find a way to save their puppet from this situation. What actually happened was a semi-friendly greeting from the invader to this place, which was not exactly something that would happen very often during robberies and such. Though the girl still could not even think of any reasons why a mage from Lamia Scale would suddenly appear here.

As she would start making her steps, so would Charlotte who instinctively and out of fear started backing away from this new and unknown presence. At least until she would hit the wall behind her. Slightly cornered and unsure of what to do, she would normally rely on her puppeteer. Though this time, Seth remained silent and not giving her any instructions as to how to proceed or address this Samira. Because of all that, tears quickly started appearing in the corners of the white girl’s eyes before they would be forced out and slide down her cheeks, depart and fall onto the ground to stain the wooden floor.

“I… I… please don’t hurt me!” As if she saw a ghost, the girl would tightly clench her small fits as she would drastically turn her body around and bolt it toward the door she came from. In her hurry, she wasn’t even able to properly grab the handle for the first few moments, accidentally putting several deeper scratches on the wooden door with her nails before finally managing to open the very simple mechanism and disappear inside. If Samira were to follow, she would notice even some blood on across the scratches, as the girl probably hurt herself in the panic.

Behind the door she would find a single small room that was even more white than the hall it lead to. Not only that, it was drawn. Whatever was happening in this house, it was affecting the reality itself, as all the walls, floor and ceiling appeared as if it was drawn by someone on a piece of paper. This created a room that was pure white with black lines creating all the edges which would make it possible to even see anything. In the far corner, there was a single small bed with white sheets and a nightstand separating it from the wall. Across from it to Samira’s left, there was a single shelf filled with books.

And that was it. There was absolutely nothing else in this room aside from a bed and two other pieces of furniture. The white-haired girl was very blatantly hiding behind her bed and next to the nightstand, sitting on the floor with her back pushed against the bed’s side. Her had was in her palms and even from distance, it could be easily heard that she was crying and muttering something to herself in fear, perhaps a prayer? The right sleeve of her white sweater now had red stains on it from blood, as the fingernail of her right index finger got broken and nearly forced out of her skin, which tore it.

A small, but quite painful and nasty looking injury that probably occurred during her desperate attempt at escape earlier. Though as she fled into a dead-end room with very little space to hide, it probably said a lot about her ability to run from danger or think properly in panic situations. For now, she remained in place trembling and crying, hoping that nothing bad would come her way. She didn’t want to die, she didn’t want to feel pain. But her heart was racing so fast it hurt, as she struggled to breathe or even get back up to try and run again if need be. She was trapped.

Charlotte

1,746 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

Charlotte was nothing more than just a regular human. Something that almost seemed unusual in the world of magic. That was not to say that there were no regular humans who managed to turn into powerful wizards, not at all. There were many. In fact, the green-haired female who appeared out of nowhere just few moments ago might have been human as well. But how was the girl to be sure? She did not know and she had absolutely no way to confirm. Not what she was, or if her words were the truth. This house, it was the girl’s home. And she had lived here alone for over fifteen years.

A stranger suddenly appearing here out of nowhere, of course it would freak the girl out. She had never seen this other person and did not know if she could believe them or not. And while they appeared friendly enough, one would have to look through the girl’s eyes to discover just how terrific the world could be for her. While just human, she was rooted in something completely different from reality itself. She was drowning in a sea of black, inky substance that would paint her world pitch-black. Perhaps that was why she seemed almost obsessed with color white at times?

She thought her room to be a sanctuary of solitude, a place of absolute safety that no monsters could enter. A childish view on something, as seemed to be always the case with the young white witch. The moment she heard words spoken behind her back, all hair on her body would stand up and her body as tense as a wooden board. She did not want to believe that anyone other than herself entered this room she had grown up in. The truth was undeniable, however. If this were any other case, then perhaps… perhaps her powers would shift the reality around.

But in the house, and with another puppet present, even Charlotte could not erase the presence of another human being. So as Samira slowly approached, shew would turn to face her. Tears were staining her cheeks, making those pure white eyes without pupils take on the second color besides white - bloodshot red. It was as if she could not even hear, or process the apologies and reassurances. For the longest time, Charlotte would just stare back at the other female with a blank, yet absolutely terrified expression and not sure of what she should do.

But a mention of healing came by and the girl finally felt pain in her fingers. Looking down, she saw her nails broken and some nearly torn out of her skin from the prior panic. It hurt. Oh, it hurt so bad! How come she didn’t feel anything before now? Was fear truly that paralyzing to her? Perhaps… after all, there was an unknown invader in her own home. She was terrified beyond belief. Clenching her fists tightly, a gentle and pastel white aura would surround her fingers, hands as a whole. And the moment she relaxed her muscles again, those very hands were in their original state.

A display of the girl’s power and the fact why she joined Black Rose. The reason why she was abandoned by her parents in the first place. A mage was welcome in the world of magic, in Fiore. But she was different. The moment she was born, the reality around her would start to slowly collapse in on itself. Twist and turn mangled, that was the power of her blood. A curse of being a puppet and an unseen, yet omnipotent force and the chaos magic of a White Witch flowing within her blood. She was destined to a life of absolution, chaos and death repeated.

It seemed that she was no longer shaking. Though she did move her body back again, away from the green-haired female. She would move until her back hit the nightstand, making a small reading lamp on top of it jump slightly. She was cornered, the bed on one side of her body and the drawn white wall on the other. The only way was forward, straight through the unknown magician. Still scared and confused, the girl would bend her knees until they were pressed against her body, her face pressed into her legs as she also hugged them with her slender hands.

She wanted to say something, but did not know what. How should she approach this situation? How could she possibly do anything that would not result in her imminent demise? The life she lived prior to this lead her to believe that anyone who would breach onto this world of her must have wanted to harm her. And yet, the other girl was not approaching in that way. She was confused, oh so confused. The embrace on her body would only grow tighter as she started sobbing again. She wanted someone, anyone to be here for her… to embrace her and tell her it would be okay. She wanted to feel that warmth of another and be assured by it that nothing bad would happen.

Charlotte

2,599 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

Face buried in her arms, the white sweater absorbing the tears which escaped from her pure white orbs. If one were to see the world through the eyes of Charlotte, then perhaps they would understand why she acted how she did toward others. Or perhaps they would not. There was simply no telling. But the world was cruel to the girl until now. And there was more cruelty to yet come. However, pain was not all that was there, present and awaiting. The puppeteer had many plans, but could let loose ever so slightly when the time was right. After all, having just a broken down puppet would be no fun at all.

Thankfully, it seemed that Seth did not have to do a thing this time around. The other green-haired puppet would do so in their stead. It seemed that the puppeteers could understand one another after all, even if it was all through simple and sometimes only barely visible hints in the actions of their puppets. The warmth slowly washed over the pale and cold skin, making the slow white blood inside of the White Witch flow just a bit faster, let her heart beat just a bit faster in the excitement for this and outside world.

It was indeed the spirit’s presence and voice that would coax the little bug out of her shell, let Charlotte move her head up and take a look at the spirit. She had yet to see anyone dressed like that or even look as such. The girl was not familiar with the warmer regions of this world yet, such as deserts or even jungles. But if she were to guess, then she’d say that this Isis was from such a place. She might have also been surprised at how little clothes the spirit had to hide her body away, her figure showing boldly.

But none of that truly mattered to the young one. What mattered was that calming aura and a pleasant voice that had no aggression or bloodlust hidden behind it. It was true that Samira’s voice was like that as well, but she was still connected to many spirits that were of different natures. Some of them deadly while others peaceful. It was because of this connection that the house and the puppeteer would not allow Charlotte to understand right away. Presence of numerous beings inside of one figure, such thing frightened her. But right now, there was but one single spirit inside of her.

Her nose was runny and tears still slightly flowing out of her eyes, her face flustered as the normally nearly white skin had been painted pink, almost actually red by this situation. She was shivering and clearly frozen in place still. Yet, there was a certain sense of consent coming off of her, which then slowly lead into a loving embrace between the broken girl and a spirit of another mage. A hug, something unusual to the girl. Something she had not really received from anyone outside of few members of her guild that were more friendly than most and had strange ways of saying hello.

As she was pulled into the embrace, her hands would at first fold against her own chest, as if to protect it. But as her head rested against the spirit’s welcoming bosom, the White Witch would finally be allowed to relax, her hands slowly moving down and then grabbing onto the scarce white cloth and fabric. Closing her eyes, she would just let her body lean into the spirit, completely giving up control over what would happen. A bold move, even from someone naive. And Charlotte was far from that, considering how she was acting until now.

Perhaps it was just the fact that she was tired. Tired of being afraid, scared and hurt. Afraid of feeling nothing but the dreadful cold of loneliness, the lack of contact with others. Of course, it could have also been the puppeteer themselves, who had pulled the strings and forced the young girl to trust this being from another world. But whichever was the truth, did it really matter at all. Everyone seemed to be happy now, at least to some degree. And as such, there was no need to question the means, at least not in a world such as this. A fabricated reality for the amusement of others.

Only a small whimper would escape from the white-haired child as her hair was stroked, a warm hand running through it with affection rather than anything else. Her hair was not being pulled, torn out or cut by bullies. No, it was actual affection, something she barely recognized. It was pleasant. So pleasant that she almost wished it would never end. To remain like this forever, being comforted and pampered, surely that would be a blissful existence. However, such fate was not to be. A tale good for the puppet, yes. But far too boring for the puppeteers.

Still, as already mentioned, even Seth was willing to give Charlotte some happiness from time to time. So as the girl fully relaxed her body and calmed down, so did the world. The house, the place where they all were right now, was part of her magic, after all. It was only natural that it responded to the change in her emotions. Magic was alive, no matter what anyone thought. Such was already a proven fact. Especially the magic of White Witch, something that relied on the user’s heart and even creativity to weave the world around them.

The sterile white room all around them started falling apart as if the paint the walls were made out of started melting into an endless whirlpool of black that was swirling beneath them as if they were standing and kneeling on a flooring made of glass. But despite the darkness looking rather intimidating, there was no sense of danger. Only warmth, as if they were all resting beneath a morning Sun, fresh air all around them. Instead of the white walls, a faded yellow color showed itself and formed new borders of this one room.

Even new furniture started shaping itself out of nowhere, several futuristic boxes appearing out of thin air while traditional wooden furnishings appeared all over the place. In but a heartbeat, what was until now a barren wasteland of a house changed into a warm and pleasant old-styled house that one could find in the middle of nowhere for people to retreat to when they had enough of their busy lives for a while. Even new windows appeared, ones through which those warm rays of Sun were entering. And yet, they were still very clearly beneath ground if the elevator that took them here was to be trusted at all.

But as unfortunate as it was, the hug had to end at some point. Charlotte would very slowly and gently pull away, using the sleeve of her sweater to wipe away what tears were left staining her cheeks and eyes, leaving the fabric somewhat wet in the process. She would again scan Isis and her master with a quick glance, trying to process everything that was told out loud until now. But due to her distress, a lot of it was still distorted and unusable for her. She was unsure what was going on, but at least she felt safe now, rather than threatened and about to die.

“S…so sorry…” She would eventually apologize, realizing that if these people were to do something bad to her, it would have been done already. So now they were, at least partially, on the same page as what was going on. “Leaking… magical power?” Clearly, she did not know what the summoner really meant. But a tiny whisper in the back of her head helped her figure it out. Trying to stand up, Charlotte suddenly stopped as she realized that she was still holding onto the spirit. And for somehow, she did not want to let go.

She wanted to be hugged and patted more, she wanted to hear the spirit’s heartbeat as her head rested against her chest. Thinking about all that, the blush on her face also remained present even after she stopped crying, her mouth wavering slightly at the same time. In the end, she decided to stay sitting on the ground, hopefully with the spirit staying, while she would explain what was going on. “U… Um… Seth is saying that this was because the House was not stable. But when you entered this place, you brought new magic in that was used to make this place perfect. Your task is already done, the leak is gone.”

And it was true. On the outside, the massive magical energy that was coming from the house was no longer present. Simple gone. And if someone were to try and enter again, they would find an abandoned and decayed interior. The only way to enter where the girls were right now was to possess the magic of White Witch now. Or have a permission of one, such as Charlotte herself. But whether Samira had any way of knowing or sensing this was an unknown to the young girl, so there was a good chance she would just have to take her word for it.

And after a moment of silence, the girl also realized that she said something that she did not actually want. Making her grip on Isis’ clothes, provided she was still there, tighter, she looked up at Samira with some semblance of hope in her eyes. “I…! Uh… Um… there is something… I need help with… I’m scared to make the first step alone…” She wasn’t quite able to explain what she wanted due to her still pretty shy nature. While Samira’s job was done, there was little something the young girl could use help with was what it boiled down to.

“The elevator… leads to different places. I need to explore them, but… making the first step is scary… if done alone…” When they entered this place, the hall they were in suddenly transformed into the elevator that started going down and brought them to the real House where Charlotte was. With that little fact and what Charlotte just said, it could be pieced together than the elevator was like a device that could move those in the House between different places. In this case, it was actually different worlds that were somehow connected.

The White Witch was able to move between these worlds on her own by using her magic and even transport others with her. But using the elevator seemed to be a better option. It was a powerful tool that the girl had no idea how was created, but it definitely allowed connection even to worlds that were very far away from Earthland. And why exactly did she have to travel to different worlds, even ones that were so, so far away? She was given this task by a girl whose name she did not know. But this girl was above the worlds and constructing a theory.

A theory that would either save or destroy the world. She was the one who controlled the multi-verse if one were to think in such way. And there is a thread to this theory called Phreta. That was Charlotte’s goal, she was to find Phreta and stop it. But she could not do it alone. Thankfully, she already had a certain dreamer as an ally. But said dreamer could only help her in certain ways and not everywhere. Which was why she was still very much alone in this place and desired help from the green-haired summoner.

She also knew that mages rarely worked for free, which suddenly caused a bit of desperation to run though her. “I’ll give you anything from this place that you want for a help… even if I don’t have much here… but I’ll part with anything, so please! Please…” Realizing that she didn’t even have a proper way of paying, her head quickly came to hang low, her expression saddened again as in the back of her head, the worst possible scenario started playing over and over again, showing her how she would be left alone here again to do it all on her own. It had her scared.

Charlotte

4,654 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

Without any doubt, there was simply nothing better than trusting a stranger you have just met simply because they said few kind words and hugged you. Sounded good to Charlotte! The young white witch’s pure white optics would sparkle with hope and excitement when she heard that she would not be required to pay her. She was already preparing her heart to have to give away her precious staff, the only item of worth she had. That said, there was the condition of “nothing too dangerous” mentioned by the summoning witch. And while the girl did not know of anything dangerous, she could also not rightly be sure that all will be peaceful.

After all, her life seemed to be nothing more than a roller coaster of death and despair. At least most of the days, anyway. The only problem was that she was innocent enough to believe her adventure to a different world would go without any problems at all, so she did not mention anything and just nodded to the proposal, happy that it came her way instead of Samira either demanding pay or leaving her in this place all alone and going back outside of the house. Though to do that, she would probably require a bit of Charlotte’s help in the first place, at least now that the house was in this form.

She still clinged to Isis all the same, until the moment their goodbyes had to be said. As one could expect, that was not exactly the easiest thing to do for the young white witch that very quickly got used to the protective warmth of the spirit surrounding her. With one last hug, the girl would remain staring at her with wide eyes, one last attempt at catching the spirit’s hand as she dissolved into the light and resulting in a failure. “N..no..!” A clear tone of desperation and sadness could be heard from that last cry, but she could not prevent the spirit from returning to her world.

And so she remained in the room completely alone while Samira headed to the elevator as if all had returned to normal and she was once more completely abandoned in this place. But she could not stay there for too long. The green-haired girl actually said she would help! And while she remained distant and cold toward the white witch, it was an offer she had to take if she ever hoped to accomplish anything on this journey of hers. Swallowing the nervosity stuck in her throat, she would slowly walk out of the room and carefully approach the small mechanical box in which the other witch already resided.

Still unsure how to actually act around this older female, Charlotte would just quietly and with a rather shy attitude slip into the elevator and look at its interior. It was still the same old familiar elevator that was in her house from the moment she was born, or at least ever since the moment she could still remember from her past. She actually didn’t remember much, at all, but it felt to her like everything was fine. Well, the elevator was never able to move until this very moment. “Welcome, Miss Charlotte. Where to?” The sudden mechanical voice made the girl jump a little.

“A..ah… umm… the eighth floor?” Replying by giving the elevator a random number, they quickly started going up while a relaxing elevator music started playing out of nowhere. Charlotte would remain completely silent, only fidgeting in place unless Samira actually spoke to her. In the end, she had absolutely no idea how to initiate a conversation or what to even talk about. But they would arrive to their destination soon enough. The doors would open and the same voice from before would let them know. “Destination reached. Have a fun day!”

Stepping outside, Charlotte was stunned. Outside of the mechanical box, there was a completely different world from their own, as they stood on a floating platform that could be easily described only as a geometrical shape of a triangle, playing with all kinds of colors on top of a white base, as if it was splattered with different buckets of color several times over. And yet, the floor on which they now stood was glossy, as if covered with a protective layer of something. All around them were more of these floating, flat shapes, platforms that defied gravity and serve seemingly no purpose.

They were also a fair bit in the air, a green and grass-covered ground about two hundred meters beneath them. And if they were to look into the distance, they would see a giant painted city, composing of tilted buildings that would have already fallen over if they were in a normal world. Skyscrapers that would suddenly turn ninety degrees half-way through their length and thus form an L shape for some strange reason. And above all, there was life. Humanoid figures moving on the ground all over, their behavior completely passive and non-hostile, chattering among themselves about the most meaningless of things.

And yet, they seemed to lack any facial features at all. It was as if their faces were nothing more than a black hole, or perhaps random painted parts of human faces arranged in a completely random fashion. To put it simply, they were the least memorable of NPCs someone could ever meet. So much so that no one would ever even pay any attention to their face, how they looked, what were their names or what they even really talked about. But they were the life that filled this world, one filled with bizarre architecture and giant, absolutely massive strawberries floating in the air.

Looking up, the young white witch noticed a black Sun, yet it was shining just like the on in Earthland would. And as she observed this new world, she just couldn’t help herself but to admire it with everything she had, as she moved toward the edge of the platform they were on. “So pretty…” The most innocent of words, even accompanied by the gust of wind that played with the girl’s skirt and sweater a little bit, as well as her hair that danced to its whim. She had certainly made the first step, and it was much easier than she thought it would be.

Charlotte

5,712 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

The strangeness of this world was honestly nothing too special for someone like Charlotte. Her whole world and life were special in this rather different way to the normal special. The result of that was the delight that Samira noticed. Normal people would see this world as plain strange, but to someone as the White Witch, it was just fascinating because it looked just as normal as everything else, but all those colors around made it more special in this very special way. A logic that was hard to comprehend for anyone who did not live in the girl’s shoes, the reason why almost no one understood her.

When she was addressed again, the girl jumped in place ever so slightly, almost not expecting there to be any communication at all after the rather silent presence of them both in the elevator only mere seconds ago. Though it would surely be rather awkward, doing things like that. She would turn toward Samira before looking around once more somewhat nervously. “That’s… I’ve never been to this world, so I know nothing about it at all… but I was told what to do. I need to find the author of Phreta theory and stop them from finishing it.”

This was probably a good amount of nothing for anyone other than Charlotte. The words she used, they would probably not mean anything to those who were not already involved in her little quest. But she did not quite realize this and continued on explaining and providing the summoner with additional information. “I should be able to recognize the right location because it will be quickly deteriorating, fading out from the existence itself. But this world looks pretty alright so far…” Despite its strange structure, it was not falling apart at the seams.

But that meant very little as of right now. The Phreta theory might have been contained in a much smaller area, a single room even. But that was something she didn’t let out yet, it was an information that could be rather discouraging to others people, especially if they were here for free. Or at least that was what Seth said to Charlotte in her mind. The girl didn’t really understand, but she went with it anyway. After all, Seth was never wrong, as they were omnipotent and had knowledge of quite literally everything. Which also meant that they could lead her straight to Phreta.

However, they would never actually do that, for that would simply cut this whole story far too short. In the end, the girl had accepted that this was not her story in the sense that she was writing it. She was the main heroine of this tragic tale, but Seth was the one writing it. A fact that most other people would surely never accept and would be driven mad eventually because of it. Thankfully, Charlotte was raised into this mentality and had to accept it for as long as she could remember of her life. Was that a sad existence? Maybe. But she did not mind it right now.

She would slowly walk toward the edge of the platform and look down. There was indeed still ground there, one that would lead them into the city ahead. But before taking that certain step forward, she would turn with Samira with an uncertain expression. “Um… thank you very much. I was afraid of leaving the elevator because I didn’t know what would be on the other side. But now that I know, I’ll be fine… I think… maybe…” She was very clearly not convinced by her own words, but she was still forcing them out. It didn’t feel quite right to her to just keep silent.

“So if you want to leave, you can… I have to go ahead.” Samira really wasn’t forced to continue any further than this, even if Charlotte hoped that she would. But she couldn’t ask this of her, so she would just turn toward the edge of the platform. But being the girl she was, she had to close her eyes to avoid the fear as she made a single step forward, one that was meant to toss her over the edge so that she could fall toward the ground. But as one would have it, she managed to trip over her own feet and instead pummeled toward the grass-covered ground head first.

But as she figured out from everything around her, the fall didn’t actually harm her. Instead, she fell down so slowly that there might have as well been invisible sheets of thin material slowly tearing beneath her and moving her lower and lower. Eventually she would touch down on the ground, but still let out a pain-filled grunt as her head made contact with the earth. But it seemed that she was fine even then. With an annoyed groan, she would stay laying on the ground, her back firmly pressed against the cold dirt and grass while she looked up at the black sun.

She wondered if Samira would follow behind or not. Before she could formulate her own answer based on what she would see, Charlotte noticed something else. The faceless NPCs were all around her, staring down at her. No less than ten of them were surrounding her entire body, all standing tall in a circle as she remained on the ground. Anyone else in that position would probably be properly spooked. But the White Witch only blinked few times and then smiled while also opening her mouth and letting out several kind-hearted words.

“Good day! How are you doing?” And they would all answer at once, voices coming out of those endless black holes that adorned their faces and their voices resonating deeply within the air. Some had distorted voices, other little bit more normal. But the fact they have synchronized, as if they were part of a single hive mind, was surely something regular people would consider a bit creepy to say the least.

Charlotte

6,895 / 10,000 WC

Despite how it all appeared, Charlotte accepted the answer with a smile and tried to nod, though that was a bit difficult as she was lying on the floor. “That's good to hear. Whcih way to the city?” To her question, they have all pointed in a single direction toward the very obvious nearby city. She really didn't have to ask, but she did anyway.

And with that, it was time for her to get up. And so she did, stretching a little bit in the process. While surrounded by these NPCs, they have actually also formed a little space that would allow her to skoot between them and head out. But before then, she looked around, honestly hoping that the certain green-haired woman was somewhere nearby, as the NPCs have distracted her little too bit to pay attention to whether she jumped down as well or not.

The White Witch

The girl was walking somewhat reluctantly, but also firmly. She knew that she had to explore the city if she ever hoped for being able to find anything, or confirm that she could not find anything in this specific world. Her mission might have been a futile one, searching for but one single thing in the entirety of the Universe. Much, much worse than mere needle in a hay stack. But when it came down to the puppeteer, they always were ready to make things interesting. They would not have this story stall, lose its appeal because it would drag on. No, not at all. They were ready to move the girl toward her goal when the time was right.

For, however, she was to wander endlessly in this artificial maze. And yet, someone was willing to suffer through it with her. Hearing the noises and sounds behind her tiny frame, the girl would turn and her pure white eyes widened. Was Samira really standing right there? She had said that she wanted to come further, for this world was interesting to her. So much she could understand. But the summoner was also worried about little Charlotte? Why was that so? Why would she care about the girl that she was not connected to in any way?

Regardless, the young White Witch was rather happy with this development, to say the least. And to show so, she would nod with a very happy expression, a smile wide, shown. “Okay!” But even then, one question remained. How should she interact with this green-haired individual? It seemed that they did not go all that well together so far, which was a bit problematic in a situation like this. And Charlotte was not someone who knew how to improve things of this kind either, complicating matters further without even meaning to.

So she did what she did best, keep on moving forward. Turning around again, she looked at the giant city in front of them. “Let’s see…” There really wasn’t anything else that they could do but to go inside. And so she did, one step after another in hopes of reaching even higher places of this world. This place was huge, looming over them menacingly. And yet, it appeared rather clean. A pure white city, where it seemed as if all was made out of one singular material rather than a composition of more.



This pristine white, yet not blinding, was almost inviting to the girl. More of the nameless beings stood all around, going about their business. Some trying to sell what appeared to be useless white cubes while others trying to get someplace only to turn around and go back where they came from, repeating the process without end. And within the shadow of this place, they all appeared like pitch-black stains on this beautiful reality. Charlotte and Samira would too, once they entered the city. As if entering a painting, while the world all around them was white, their bodies became of pure black color.

The White Witch stood still for a moment, looking at her own shadowed form, before turning back to her companion. Their skin, clothes, hair, all of it was pure black. But their facial features turned pure white instead, giving them at least semblance of human-like features. Yet, it seemed that the girl did not mind this, smiling at Samira instead. Perhaps a sign of reassurance if she was distressed by their palette changing, or perhaps letting her know that she was okay with this and they she did not have to worry about the young girl.

This was not something that would have her just stop moving forward, either. She continued on, walking through the city and observing the different shadows all around them. But she would not stop along their side for too long. They were really unrelated to what they were doing here. Soon, stairs along one of the building caught her attention. Not even really thinking where they could lead, the blackened White Witch moved up them, soon waiting for her companion so that they would go up together. Was this world interesting enough to her, she wondered.



As she conquered the steps, one by one, the world shifted around. And soon, they would enter an impossible space, buildings all around them, aimed in every single direction. They would walk to the stairs against gravity, yet they would not fall. Upside down, sideways, it did not matter. She walked and walked until she reached a hole between the white homes and stairs. Inside of this hole, she saw the sky. It was blue and pretty, reminding her that all had its own beauty. She tried to reach for it, but something happened. Something inside of her mind. She…

Looking up, I saw it. An eye looking down at me through the crack in the white, silicon skies. It was perfectly still, watching me. And I was watching it. But was it good for anything at all? No, probably not. The eye drifted away and I remained staring at the sky. Because what was below me, I did not want to see. That hellish landscape of flesh, blood, and black. It could corrupt anyone who set their gaze on it. I did not wish to succumb to such fate. Not yet. Not yet. My duty was not yet finished. And for that reason, I continued walking, through this empty world. When was it exactly, that all the people here have disappeared? Consumed by the worst of nightmares, surely. But who was to really say? There were no survivors, after all. It did not even matter at all. I have finally reached the door. Wrapping my hand around the cold handle sent shivers down my spine. Something, in the greatest depths of my being, was telling me to pull away. To run, to turn back. But I did not. I faced what was on the other side.

…recalled something strange. As if her head was suddenly filled with memories that did not belong to her. A vision of this world, but it looked much different to how it was now. Why was it so? She had no idea. The only thing she knew was that she extended her hand and all of that happened. Confused about it all, she retracted her head and look around before continuing up the stairs. And only few seconds later, she had reached the summit. A large platform extending above the white city. It was a grand view, but there was not a single sign of life here. She looked at Samira, still confused as to what she saw a moment ago.

Charlotte

8,009 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

Upon hearing her name again, the girl somewhat snapped back into the reality around them. Still in this black and white world, their bodies unlike the regular. Of course, it was nothing permanent. And there was no way they could even remotely transform into the mindless inhabitants of this world. Such said Seth. And so, Charlotte knew. But they did not want her to share this information with her more powerful companion. How exactly would she appear if she knew so much about this world? Suspicious? Crazy? Seth already knew how uncomfortable this whole situation was for Samira and even her puppeteer, after all.

And so, they did not wish to make this any more convoluted. No point in continuing this struggle any longer. And pulling the appropriate wings, Charlotte would sigh and approach the end of the square platform they were on top of. Beneath her, the white city of shadows. Anyone even remotely afraid of heights would probably refuse to approach the place she was standing at. All of those strange stairs they have walked up, they could only hint on how far up they were. A fall would be lethal. And perhaps there even was a tiny, tiny desire inside of the girl. A desire to jump.

She blinked few times and turn around, to face the green-haired girl. A single step back would surely cause her to fall. “I’m sorry… it seems that this world really was empty. Phreta isn’t here and all appears to be just fine. I just wasted your time…” She felt guilty. Absolutely nothing had happened. Even for the puppeteer. The plan was quite different at the start. Much more dark and cruel. But in the end, they have decided to have the puppet survive without harm. Was it boring?

Perhaps. At least so it seemed for Samira. A strange hollow feeling filled Charlotte’s soul because of it. But, well… at least they were done here, right? She was free to leave now. “Let us head back?” Saying that she had moved her hands up to the level of her chest and made a praying motion. At that moment, a thin veil of magic moved from her and enveloped Samira. A warm and pleasant magic. It caused light to crystallize around both girls, starting to form white wings behind their backs with gold accents. Wings that responded to their wills.

And just like that, she made that one step back. Her weight shifted and gravity did the rest. It was no longer the same as when they entered this world. Instead, it was the normal weight forcing the entire world and all within it down. Charlotte was falling, the wings on her back leaving behind a trail of beautiful particles, stretching lower and lower. A moment of hesitation crossed her mind. Why not just let it happen? Leave the wings be and fall asleep on the blanket of crimson red, never to wake up. The thought might have been there, but it was still fleeting.

And so, before she actually hit the white floor deep down, the light wings flapped and the girl stabilized with a good bit of distance still to go before she would hit the bottom. Her plentiful hair would wave and dance with the air currents all around, her clothes trying to do the same. It felt cool on her skin. Refreshing? Perhaps. The puppet wasn’t quite sure how to tell anymore. And stalling was not helping either. Moving more into the air, she searched for her companion. She did not know whether Samira was fine with flying or not.

But if she was, then they would simply fly above the city and back toward the elevator. There really was no more point in staying. And as they moved past the border, their bodies would return back to normal as well. Colors that had returned to them might have even appeared much more vibrant after they were exposed to so much monochrome. It was a good way to make one appreciate something they have, by removing it from them. Not that this was the intention of this world, or even Charlotte and Seth. Merely just an observation.

With the wings, it was of no issue for Charlotte to land back on the platform they were on when they first arrived. It was still as bizarre, the skies around them looking muddled. Doors of the elevator were open as well, waiting for the two girls to enter and move away. The purpose of this place was over, so the world itself started slowly growing more dim and boring. There was simply no point in it. It only existed for the two girls to explore it. And maybe that was why all of this fell apart in the first place.

The White Witch waited for the summoner to land next to her as well. It was uncertain if they would even have to talk about anything at this point, but it would be rude to just leave and not be by her side. In the end, it was because of Samira that all of this was possible. But for all the grand questing that this was meant to be, it all ended up rather dry. And perhaps, that would also be the end of Phreta’s story. Because if the reality that the puppeteer wrote down was not any fun, then there was no point to it.

And whether the story was any fun at all depended on the puppeteers within it, as well as the other puppeteers that joined and read through it. Unfortunately, it seemed that this place just did not make the cut. And so, as they were to leave for the elevator, the entire city started collapsing into an endless abyss behind them, as would eventually this whole worlds and all of the nameless beings inside of this place. Nothing would be spared, as this very reality was meant for Charlotte alone anyway. It just had no other purpose. It was a sad goodbye story for them.

Charlotte

9,019 / 10,000 WC

The White Witch

The two of them flew gracefully over the temporary world like pure what pigeons. Despite the architecture here is not exactly what one would expect or even consider all that well-done, it must have been beautiful for at least someone. It was only a shame that no one else would get to see this place from this point of view after the two of them left, for it would crumble into dust. Would they feel sad for the nameless creatures down below, or would they be forgotten all too easily, much like the rest of this place? That, perhaps, was the most tragic thing of them all.

For as they landed on the platform near the elevator, all of this world was forgotten completely. The journey was a peaceful one, in the end. Not what was intended in the beginning, an unexpected result of a wish. The Echo must have stared from the distance, ready to show itself any moment. But then, wouldn’t this really just turn into some cliche horror movie? The writer of this story must have realized this and intentionally did not allow the trans-dimensional being to leave its nest. And now, it was the end of the story, without any twists or hooks.

Shame that it appeared so unsatisfying to some, despite the Samira puppet claiming otherwise in the end. Sending an appreciative nod her way, Charlotte would sign ever so slightly. “I see. Even though we did not find the Phreta theory, I thank you for coming with me. It was fun, not being alone!” It might have been the girl’s curse, to stay eternally alone. Because no matter what she tried, or how hard she worked, it just never seemed to be enough. This world was cruel like that, toying with their emotions at the puppeteer’s whim.

However, it also made her look at the past fondly. There was a time when she wasn’t alone. When she had her very own team, formed by a mermaid and the glorious and mighty Horatio, all mages of Black Rose. Together, they accomplished much and the White Witch was as powerful as shew as only thanks to them. She also used to have a best friend, Desireé Blooms, a shining star on the stage and adored by many. They were all lost to her now. A story drawing to the close did not need any loose ends, after all.

Was it sad? Should she grieve, knowing this? Perhaps. But she may have already made her peace with it all. After all, she lived with the puppeteer’s presence for years now. Supernatural and cruel was not new to her. This was her world. The cruel and unforgiving world of Charlotte the White. It was all about the suffering, only to entertain the masses. She did not even mind knowing that she was nothing more than a puppet, meant to carry out another’s will. It was perfectly natural, something that she was being told every since she could remember.

As they both entered the elevator, the young girl would press one of the many buttons. The first floor, it said. And the elevator started heading down, silently. A dreadful and penetrating silence, louder than ever before. But the White Witch stood with her body straightened and full of confidence now, a smile on her face. That was because she at least got to have some fun before the end. Sure, there was one or two more adventures planned by the puppeteer, but then it would be the true end for her. Or at least this version of her. She knew that very well.

And so she had to make every last moment count. They would be all that she will have left for the eternity to come. If someone asked, she would admit that it all seemed pretty scary. But also liberating. In the end, all life was born only to be put on a road toward the inevitable end. For some, it just arrived much sooner than for others. And that was fine, she thought. Finally, the metal box they were inside of had come to a screeching halt, tiny little bell letting them know as the doors opened wide to reveal the outside world.

Not another bizarre existence filled with nonsensical visage, but the real Earthland Samira belonged to. Stepping out, there was a thank you from the green-haired summoner. To that, Charlotte would bow deeply. “No, I think we are even. If you have truly enjoyed seeing that word, then perhaps that is the payment for your assistance. Even though there was nothing dangerous in that place, I don’t think I would have been able to do it all alone.” Were they even with this? Maybe. Maybe not. After all, the older woman did not enjoy this journey as much as she was admitting here.

But that was fine. Charlotte would wave her a goodbye nevertheless. It was a saddened wave, as the girl honestly hoped to see that very nice spirit once more before this would be over. But she did not get to. She was simply to be left alone again. So as the summoner was slowly disappearing in the distance, the White Witch would run forward few steps and shout at the top of her lungs. “I hope we will see each other again in the future!” A sincere wish.

Though if it was to become true, then the Charlotte present would probably be a different one to her self in this very moment. Realizing this again, she had quickly turn her back toward the scenery of Black Rose and started moving toward the house. But she did not enter it. No, instead she closed the doors from the outside and started running. She would not return to this place, to her very own home, until it was time. 「Seth」 was already guiding the child, the final marathon. Will she be able to finish it gracefully, or will she fall flat? Both options were fine, really. All that mattered… was that they had at least a tiny bit of fun in the end.

Charlotte

10,039 / 10,000 WC