The castle shuddered under the weight of the storm outside. The sky had gone completely black, a suffocating darkness pressing down over the city, smothering all light. The wind howled through the broken windows, a mournful, eerie wail that sent shivers racing down Emilia's spine. Even the air itself had changed—thick, heavy, filled with a presence that crawled over her skin, making it hard to breathe.
She felt sick.
She had already emptied her stomach once, and now she had nothing left but the dry, painful heaving that came when her body tried to purge something that wasn't there. It wasn't weakness. It wasn't cowardice. It was her.
The Witch of Envy was coming.
She was getting closer.
And Emilia wasn't ready.
She wanted to be. She needed to be. But standing here, feeling the weight of that presence pressing against her very soul, she knew there was no way to prepare for something like this.
Puck hovered beside her, his small body tense, his fur bristling with magic. His eyes, usually filled with warmth, were sharp now, unreadable, glowing with the power he was holding back.
"Don't worry, Lia." His voice was calm, but there was something underneath it, something tightly coiled, something desperate. "I won't let her touch you."
But Emilia wasn't worried about herself.
Her stomach twisted as she glanced at the door.
Rem was out there.
Rosewall had put her there.
And Rem… she wouldn't run.
Even knowing she didn't stand a chance.
Even knowing Satella could kill her without even trying.
"Rem—" Emilia stepped forward, reaching for the door, but before she could move—
A voice.
Furious.
"You fucking Bitch Witch!"
"A cute maid? How did they know my weakness?" A voice eerily similar to hers yet with a dangerous echo, spoke. "Can I pinch your cheeks or at least pet you?"
"DIIIE—!"
Then a loud, sickening thud.
Something—someone—hit the floor.
"Nobody is looking, maybe I should pinch her cheeks,"
A weight settled in Emilia's chest.
The door creaked open.
Slowly.
Painfully.
And there—
She stood.
A dark dress billowed around her as though caught in an invisible wind. Dark mist curled around her feet, slithering along the stone floor like it had a life of its own. The semi-transparent veil covering her face did nothing to obscure the truth.
Emilia's breath caught in her throat.
She looked—
Exactly like her.
But this was not her.
The Witch of Envy was malicious.
She was wrong.
And she had just silenced Rem.
Puck didn't hesitate.
The moment Satella stepped into the room, he moved.
Hundreds of ice lances shot forward, faster than the eye could follow, each one sharp enough to tear through steel, cold enough to freeze a man solid before he even felt pain.
Enough power to kill hundreds of humans.
But not her.
The ice spears didn't stop.
They didn't even slow her down.
They passed through her.
Like she wasn't even there.
Like she was untouchable.
"Lia!" Puck shouted, his voice tight, strained. He sent another barrage, more powerful, more desperate.
Nothing.
Not a scratch.
Emilia felt her pulse hammering against her ribs, but she didn't hesitate.
Holy water.
Blessed gems.
Pure energy, enough to obliterate anything corrupted.
She didn't know if it would kill the Witch.
But she prayed it would stop her.
It didn't.
The attacks hit nothing.
The water splashed harmlessly onto the floor.
The gems crumbled into dust.
And the Witch—
Didn't even flinch.
Didn't even acknowledge it.
Her voice was quiet.
Cold.
Empty.
"Are you done pretending to be a horrible ghostbuster or an exorcist?"
Emilia took a step back.
She didn't mean to.
But she did.
Her fingers trembled.
Not from fear.
From helplessness.
She had fought many things.
But she had never fought something inevitable.
Something unstoppable.
Satella's eyes bore into her. And in a detached voice, she spoke.
"You're like me... but with a Snapchat filter..."
Emilia gulped. Whatever she means... this has to be pure evil.