#97 Ancient Powers

I try to focus as much as I can. I know the spell, but having seen it done once doesn't make me an expert at all... Still, I am one of the most powerful witches around, and I have the knowledge of dozens of generations in my mind now. I take a deep breath and face Ayesha, trying to feel her power inside. She's frowning and probably a bit anxious as to what I am preparing now, but she's visibly too exhausted to protest now anyway. I only hope she’s still got enough magic...

I find the core of her magic power, her source, and indeed, it feels a bit different than mine. I can't quite describe it, but it's as if... it had a different constitution. It makes sense though. Ayesha comes from a different line of witches, her power was forged differently, as if her magic had its own fingerprint, very different from mine. Still, magic is magic, and Fire still is my specialty... As soon as I get a hold of it, a large magic circle appears under her feet.

*Is this... harmless for them?* Asks Nora, sounding a bit worried.

*Magic isn't like a limb or an organ, it's more akin to... a deep breath. I'll deplete her from most of what she's left, but afterwards, Ayesha's magic will still be there, she can produce more again once she's rested. Like emptying her lungs, but she can still breathe in. For Selena though, I can't guarantee... It might feel a bit weird.*

*I'm not a pup, Mara. Bring it on, hurry.*

Indeed, it's not like we've got forever either. I have to focus on this spell, and if it wasn't for the Black brothers forming a protective triangle around me, I'd be defenseless. Still, I trust them fully for now, and I don't have much of a choice anyway. I close my eyes and focus, reproducing the spell I saw, to the best I can. I feel the circle moving, from Ayesha to under Selena's feet, and I hear the witch gasp and fall on her knees. I need to focus on her fire, to keep it inside the circle, trapped outside of its owner. Fire is so... whimsical, I need to hold on tight and not let go. Still, I keep my grip on it, and gently, push it towards Selena's golden aura. I feel her hesitation, but I keep pushing, as if I was introducing her to the fire. Ayesha's blue flames slowly start to change, and they feel different too, as if they were adapting to the new owner. They turn a bright gold color, almost white, something strong and blinding.

*Wow... Now I like that,* chuckles Selena.

Looks like it's working... I take a few more seconds to make sure that magic is adapting to Selena's body, but there's obviously something going on with her Aura that protects her, and that Ayesha's magic recognizes too. White Magic. It just finds its way to take and convert that magic into Selena's. Once I make sure it's stable, I slowly open my eyes, to find the cream-white wolf's body now dominated by large, white-gold flames. Wow, it's... Even more impressive and beautiful than I imagined. Her mate approaches, visibly worried, but she's fine. She looks like a young sun on four paws burning bright, almost blinding.

"Nice," I chuckle.

*That feels... pretty awesome,* she growls, moving her limbs as if to test it.

"You don't have a lot though, and unlike *real* witches you're not going to be able to replenish it easily, so be careful to not run out right away."

*Got it. We just need enough to get you back to that hurricane thingy anyway, right?*

"I guess... Nora, are you sure you want to do this too?"

She steps forward and nods. Meanwhile, Ayesha steps back with a grimace and a groan.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking the guinea pig... Also, who the hell are you going to take to do that crazy new spell?"

"...I was thinking of Naptera?"

She scoffs, staring at me as if I was crazy for a couple of seconds.

"Wait, you're serious? You do know she tried to kill you, right? Also, she's been sitting the whole fight out!"

"She can keep sitting it out, but I don't care if she likes me or not. Last time I checked, she wants that Curse gone and so do we. ...Do you know where she is?"

Ayesha grimaces.

"You really are a crazy one... Last time I spotted her, she was somewhere west..."

Right, I can actually feel her. It's faint, but... there's definitely the trace of a water witch in that position. I nod, and turn back to Ayesha.

"Can you get yourself to the General Hospital?"

"As long as I don't get bit on the way..." She mutters, looking down at the wolves.

*I promise no one will touch her,* Selena nods.

"Yeah, you'll be fine."

"Nice. Also... I hope the wolves remember, when this is all over. That I helped..."

I nod, a bit thankful indeed. Looking back, Ayesha was certainly a huge help in all that mess. Perhaps she will ask for some sort of payback once this is all over, but I'm not too worried. I know now that Dark Witches aren't all bad, and some also stand in-between, with more complicated motivations... She quickly leaves the area, limping a bit but at least, she should be able to get out of here.

*Let me guess... The other one isn't going to be as easy to convince?*

"I don't want to force Naptera," I say. "But I think I can convince her, at least. After all, she may hate me for being a Cursed One, but she probably hates the Curse more. She helped me earlier too, it must mean something."

All the wolves remain silent, but I know this isn't going to be as easy as I make it sound... Still, I ought to try. I start running again, in the direction I felt Naptera in. Now charged up with flames and that white magic, Selena flies ahead like a lightning bolt, visibly enjoying her new powers. She was already strong before, now she's scary powerful. The White Luna already understood how to keep her flames brimming despite the rain, and she jumps on two golems on the way, frying them effortlessly like a thunder witch more than a fire one... At least I don't have to worry about Selena for now, she's obviously doing great without my guidance.

Meanwhile, Nora runs by my side, her snow-white fur like a shooting star in the darkness, her blue eyes looking right ahead.

*Mara, I keep thinking... If we get rid of the Curse, will you be alright? As a Cursed One...*

*I hope so. Perhaps something will change, I'm not sure. It's not really important for now though, don't worry about me...*

*Stop saying things like that, we already told you a thousand times. You're family to us... you're like our little sister. Of course we worry.*

I can't help but smile, her words warming my heart more than worrying me. I know. I know I found a new family here, in Silver City, a real one.

The warm feelings are quickly cooled down by the never-ending pouring rain though, and the sight of Naptera. As I suspected, she didn't leave the area, only watching the fight from the sidelines. She makes a sour expression as we approach, already glaring towards the wolves. Only Nora and I dare approach to a certain distance around her, but the Black brothers stay back, all growling as a warning.

"...So you did come out," she says.

"Naptera, I'm almost there. I got to the secret behind the Curse, and I can end it. But we need your help."

"We?" She repeats, her eyes still defying the wolves.

"The Curse is strong, and it was created by the first Royal," I quickly explain. "Not just a witch, but a werewolf witch, who had access to a very powerful magic, and carried very dark feelings inside. I can't get rid of all that darkness by myself. If I go inside again, she may consume me just like she did with Ravena. I know you felt it too."

There's no way she didn't feel the Earth Witch's passing. The Curse used her, emptied her magic before it killed her. It was much more aggressive and reckless than the spell I used on Ayesha. Crossing her arms, Naptera glances towards the large tower of darkness on the side.

"...That arrogant Earth Witch brought her own demise."

"Are you going to stand there as more of us die, then?"

She stays silent. Oh, Moon Goddess, she's not making it easy, and it's not like I have a lot of time to argue with her either... I take a deep breath, and try to remember everything she said earlier. Wait, there's something...

"...How old are you, Naptera?"

She glares at me, and although it could seem legitimate, I know it actually means I aimed just right.

"You're... much older than you look, aren’t you? I didn't realize before, but... Nephera wasn't Sadia's daughter, she was her grand-daughter or something like that. Sadia gave birth to a human child first, didn't she? She had a son, a human son that didn't appear in the witches' tree."

"There you go again, talking as if you know anything," hissed Naptera.

"You're the one playing charades. I've studied our family's ancestry, and Sadia was the daughter of a witch named Beatrice Jones, but Nephera couldn't have been her daughter."

"....There are still many things you need to learn about witches, little one. Nephera was Sadia's daughter, but to preserve her child, she tried to... delay her birth."

I frown, trying to understand. Wait, could it be a... reincarnation? That's the only thing that would make sense. Just like little Mara and I... Sadia tried to protect her child by waiting?

"She protected her soul?"

"...She tried. Sadia thought that by having her daughter be born later, after her own passing, she could protect her soul from the Curse... but the Curse found her anyway."

Now that solves one mystery... Also, I don't know how I should feel about witches actually playing around with unborn children's souls, but I guess I'm not one to speak, with my own history. I take a deep breath.

"But it didn't work out, anyway. You stayed alive all these years, Moon Goddess knows how, just to see your friend's daughter be taken by that Curse again. I understand you hate that Curse, maybe more than anybody. Wouldn't it be time to stand up and fight now, though? Aren't you tired of being on the damn sidelines?"

"Says the child who came to steal my magic to lend it to a wolf..." She hisses, her eyes going down on Nora.

"Borrow," I correct her. "Plus, if you're as old as you pretend, I'm sure you've got plenty to spare. And... and it's raining, for Moon Goddess' sake!"

She can't tell me she is going to run out of water magic anytime soon, we're literally almost swimming in a giant bloody mud puddle! I step forward, decided to end this quickly.

"Naptera, please. I don't care who you do it for, but this Curse has to be stopped. You know Sadia wanted to protect her child, how much she sacrificed for it. If she was your friend, why would you stand back when you have a chance to help defeat what she tried to fight!"

She glares at me, but this time, I see doubt in her eyes.

"...Do you even know what you're risking?" She asks.

I take a deep breath, and look inside to wake my water magic, taming the fire one at the same time. It gently flows in like a river, and I feel my left eye changing, most likely turning back to that gentle blue again. Naptera looks stunned by my eye, and finally uncrosses her arms. After a while, she sighs.

"...and here I thought you didn't look like her. Bloody Jones... Fine, I'll help you. But if you fail to take down that Curse..."

"I won't," I retort, showing how determined I am.

Naptera gives me one more doubtful look for the sake of it, but her eyes then go to Nora, checking the white wolf out. I'd rather act before she changes her mind. I take a deep breath and once again, activate the spell. Unlike Ayesha, Naptera is probably charged with water magic, but this will be a bit trickier for me...

*Ready, Nora?*

*Anytime.*

I nod, and after a deep breath, begin the process. Once I reach out for Naptera's magic, I see the difference between a several-decades experienced witch and myself. Compared to her water magic, mine feels like a furious uncontrolled stream. The flow I touch is like a gentle river, spreading across her body like a perfectly controlled tide, so perfectly imbued in her it's as if I was looking at her veins rather than at a magic network. I am impressed, but I am also wondering if I can ever dream of achieving such perfect control over my magic...

I don't have time to gather more inspiration on Naptera's mastery though. I slowly start pulling the strings of that water stream, trapping more and more of it in my spell, as much as I can entrust Nora with next. I feel some resistance, but it's like undoing the knots in a complex network of water strings, and as soon as I manage to pull one little stream after another, more naturally follows. I try to save as much as I can, but I don't want to completely deplete Naptera, nor give Nora more than she'd be able to handle. Soon enough, I reverse the spell, and slowly transfer all of the Water Magic I could gather into Nora's body. To my surprise, her body seems even more easily accepted as a new host by the water magic than Ayesha's fire in Selena's. Is it because she's more Royal? I am not sure, but her white aura is definitely quickly finding how to handle all of that, and the magic starts to resonate with her, in a new way.

When I open up my eyes, Nora's body has changed again. Amongst the white fur, I now see very faint, tiny white sparkles, like... like snow. Nora's white aura seems to have gone even more icy and stronger, as if her body was surrounded by a cloud of blizzard. The air around her is really colder, and I step back after a shiver.

*That's... interesting,* she says, shaking down her body.

"...Ancient blood wakes ancient magic," said Naptera, looking down at the now truly snow-white wolf. "Your kind may carry some of the witches' forgotten powers..."

"You mean... there might be more than the three elements of water, earth and fire?"

"There are only three core elements," she says. "But who said they couldn't be used in different ways, to do... more? You did it before, didn’t you?"

Now that she mentions it... I used lightning, and even fog. This was only possible because I could combine both fire and water. Until now, I thought that witches were restricted to the use of only one element, but... in the dream, weren't the two Luna using all three of them? They were so much more powerful. Is it still possible we could one day achieve the same thing again? Even if it was centuries ago, as Naptera said, perhaps not all of those powers have been lost, just... locked.

Naptera lets out a long sigh, her eyes going beyond me, to where Nora is.

"Perhaps you were right... Perhaps the new generation has more to teach us about ourselves than we thought. Even the ones we thought to be... broken."

Woah, she's almost sounding nice now. At least she's let go of the whole "Cursed One" thing... I nod, and suddenly, my eyes land on my finger. The butterfly tattoo, it's still there. Now that I focus on it, I feel some sort of energy, but it's very tame, I'm not too sure what's hidden there.... Maybe it would be good to remember it later, for the final assault. I feel this is going to take everything we've got to defeat the Curse for real this time. I take a deep breath, and look down on the newly powered wolves by my side. Both Lunas are absolutely... impressive. Selena looks like a lightning bolt, shining so bright it's hard to look for too long, while Nora is winter personified. I smile, and look inside for my own magic. I feel my inner fire, shining in all its full glory again, making my blood boil and ready. There's my water magic too, gently flowing like a slow stream inside. I think "touching" Naptera's had made me more conscious of my own, and I quite like the idea of getting knowledge through other witches' magic...

Naptera slowly steps back, and I turn around, facing the two Lunas and the Black brothers.

*Ready, Ladies?*

*Ready when you are, Mara.*

Liam smiles and steps forwards, looking more confident than ever despite his ragged up appearance.

"Let's take this Curse down, Tiger."

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*Author Note: Thank you for reading! We are getting so close to the end, leave a comment if you enjoyed! Thanks!*