home

search

28: Searching for Answers

  What am I going to do about you…?

  You should know better than this!

  Why don’t you make yourself useful for once?

  How did you think that would be okay!?

  You… You stupid child!

  Mari sits up in her bed with a gasp, another nightmare has pgued her sleep.

  She takes a moment to calm herself, holding her plush dinosaur tight. She feels like she should have started to get used to this by now, but these dreams are continuing to get to her every time they occur. She won’t let it keep her down though, she’s got another busy day pnned, and she has to keep going.

  Once she’s showered and had breakfast she’s going to jump back on those forums and get some answers regarding all the complications she’s run into in the day and a half since she st spoke to the other witches. There’s been a lot going on and it’s left her with a lot of questions, but with any luck she’ll be able to have some reasonable conversations about how to deal with them in the future.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: ok look

  uv been kinda cool so far nd i dont wanna say anythin thatll make u like upset 4 real cause thatd really suck and shit

  but like

  come on

  please understand how fukin hirious it is that u basically just created santas workshop nd then ur doll started makin little elf outfits on its own

  i fuckin wish i thought up somethin half as funny as that shit. might hav 2 call u christmasdusk now lol

  Well, that wasn’t the sort of response Mari was looking for when expining what happened with Adeline.

  CrimsonDusk: Yeah I’m sure it’s hirious, but there’s a lot of stuff that I need to ask about, so can I get an actual expnation of what’s going on with the doll so I can move on to the next thing?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: yea i just needed 2 get that outta my system lmao

  u gotta be careful setting up ur doll workshop cause shit like this can happen where things that ur thinkin bout when makin tha doll can like bleed into it, so yea unless u can completely ignore them while u work setting up a bunch o christmas decorations is gonna make the doll obsessed with christmas lol

  sum witches like 2 keep it pretty pin so they can keep a clear mind like a meditation thing or whatevs so ur decorations are probs why ur new doll is weirder than the others. the important part is u can kinda do whatever with ur workshop as long as u can focus on what ur doin without getting 2 distracted so like keep that in mind if u still wanna decorate it

  i hav a bunch of cool led lights in my workshop and its fukin sick :)

  as 4 the doll goin all snow miser on you that could kinda be a bunch of things so its kinda hard to say lol. might be the christmas stuff still cause like idk which hemisphere ur in but all those christmas movies and shit can make u associate the holiday with the cold anyway.

  could also b tha stuff we told u 2 think about 4 ur other 2 dolls still but just like worse 4 sum reason or even a mix of both problems. not uncommon 4 some dolls to hav sum magic in them that can do that sorta thing but u said u figured out what was causin it so u should b able 2 keep an i on it and just do whatever you did again to fix it

  if u really want you could get rid of tha doll nd try again but thats up 2 u

  Mari sighs, there’s some information in there that will be useful for future dolls, but it’s still ultimately coming down to her needing to figure out what actually works for herself, especially in regards to what’s going on with Adeline. The thought of getting rid of a doll leaves a bad taste in her mouth, even if it has caused a lot of problems so far, so that’s not an option either.

  CrimsonDusk: Thanks, but do you have any other tips or anything that could be useful? I was kinda hoping for more specific advice.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: sorry gurl but witchcraft is weird and dolls are kinda like condensin all that weirdness into a thing that looks like a person

  whatevr specific things i do probs wont work for u unless you got like a bunch o the same brainworms or whatevs cause witchy stuff works differently depending on whos doin it and even in this crowd o weirdos im pretty out there. like full on goblin mode n shit lmao

  really just comes back 2 us not bein able to help more until u can figure out wats causin ur problems in the first pce

  i guess i could tell u not 2 try fillin ur workshop with easter eggs or whatevs but u probs figured that out already lol

  LadyEleanor57: Dear CrimsonDusk,

  If I could make a recommendation, it may be worth thinking about what would constitute a quiet space for you, somewhere that you can easily rex. While this may not help with the doll that you are currently experiencing difficulties with, incorporating elements from such a pce into your workshop is often a good starting point for newer witches who are setting up a workshop for the first time.

  Personally, I like much of my castle to be filled with greenery. Getting in touch with nature helps to calm me, and serves to show just how I’ve managed to cim this pce for myself, so think about where your soul feels most at ease, and use that as your starting point.

  Regards,

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: o yea id been wondering about that lmao

  good advice tho

  Well, that’s at least something, but Mari’s not exactly sure what that sort of space would be in her case. She never really considered that a comfortable pce could even be something you can make for yourself, and not just something you find elsewhere. The only pce she can think of that makes her feel that way is Cassandra’s house, but the location itself obviously isn’t the important part in that case. She’s drawing a bnk on how she’d go about setting that sort of thing up, but she can always just come back to that ter so there’s no point stressing about the details right now.

  CrimsonDusk: Thanks, I’ll have to think on that but I appreciate having some direction.

  There’s also something I forgot to ask st time I was online, but is it possible for a witch to make it so that you never think to ask their name or anything like that? I’m pretty sure the witch that used to live here did something like that to me.

  CovenMama: Oh yeah, that’s definitely a hex. That kinda magic is good at affecting other people in different ways, so like using it to hide in pin sight and all that stuff is pretty standard as far as what you normally use it for. Using it just so people don’t think about your name is a little less common but definitely something a hex could do.

  We’d be happy to show you how all this works if you’re interested btw, a bunch of us here are pretty experienced in that area.

  Well that answers that question. Mari’s relieved to get a straightforward answer for once, even if there’s still an aspect to it she’s unsure about. The offer is appreciated as well, it can’t hurt to expand her horizons.

  CrimsonDusk: Oh that could be cool yeah. I guess before that I’m wondering why she would have wanted to hide her name from me in the first pce though.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: o wat if shes u from the future :O :O :O

  …Huh?

  Wait, the initial does line up... Is it possible to use magic to travel through time? Could that witch really be-

  *Ping*

  Someone else just posted.

  LadyEleanor57: Dearest DollMaster,

  While I do appreciate your sense of humour at times, I must ask that you refrain from saying anything that could give our friend CrimsonDusk a false idea of what witchcraft is capable of, or otherwise confuse her, especially when she’s so new to the craft and in need of help.

  To set the record straight, CrimsonDusk, for as much as we witches are capable of doing, temporal manipution is one field that has always remained out of our grasp. There would be no end to the chaos that would be wrought should such a magic exist, so at the very least that is one possibility you can discount when it comes to the motives of witch of yours.

  Regards,

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: yea i was just fuckin with u lmao

  things get crazy enough without that sort of shit goin on. lots of witches like 2 keep 2 themselves so it could be a weird xtenson of that but who knows tbh

  maybe she has her reasons but ud have 2 ask her urself if u wanted 2 find out

  Right, that makes a lot more sense. It’s a good thing Eleanor jumped in to clear things up before Mari‘s suspicions got too out of hand. She doesn’t really pn on talking to that witch anytime soon to figure out what’s really going on there, but it’s some small comfort to know she has the option if she needs it.

  But still, if that witch really did use a hex on Mari, then there’s something else she’s been dealing with that she suddenly can’t help but wonder if it might be reted.

  CrimsonDusk: Maybe this is a weird question, but can hexes also be used to give people nightmares? I’ve started getting them every 2-3 days for the past couple weeks, and CovenMama mentioning that hexes can mess with people has me curious if that’s reted.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: yea hexes can do that sorta thing but honestly its probs a u thing this time

  u no enough about sensin magic and shit that ud b able 2 tell if someone hexed u like that. like assuming it workd at all ud feel the magic happenin when you go 2 sleep and wake up

  bsides u knew that witch 4 a while yea? y would she pce a nightmare hex on u after gettin u to start learnin witchcraft urself? wouldnt make sense unless she just wanted 2 fuck with u 4 fun cause ud start catching on real quick like u did with the name thing

  which like i guess isnt all that different from what shes already done by fuckin off without expinin anything but still thatd be way more actively antagonistic than the other shit uve told us so far. either way theres no way ud be hexed rn without knowin so u dont gotta worry about witch things causin those nightmares

  should maybe talk 2 a psych bout it tho lol

  Mari leans back in her chair with a huff. Just the one doctor is already more than enough for her. It is somewhat reassuring to know that her nightmares aren’t being caused by magic though.

  CrimsonDusk: Okay, well there’s just one more thing I wanted to ask about. How common is it to bck out after casting a huge spell?

  The next few messages all come in very quickly, and Mari’s stomach sinks upon reading them.

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: holy fuck r u ok?

  SpellMaker: What spell did you cast? How long were you out?

  CovenMama: Well at least you seem to be fine atm, you’re pretty lucky in that sense

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: when did this happen?

  LadyEleanor57: CrimsonDusk,

  I sincerely hope you are feeling better now, and it is extremely fortunate that you are still here with us. Please tell us everything you can about the situation that led to such a thing happening to you so that we can make sure it does not happen again in the future.

  Regards,

  …Why are they all acting like this? It wasn’t anything that bad, right?

  CrimsonDusk: Okay can someone expin why everyone’s so concerned before I start panicking?

  LadyEleanor57: Dear CrimsonDusk,

  Apologies if our collective reaction has led to confusion, but in this case we have ample reason to be concerned. You may recall a previous forum thread in which we discussed how a witch’s body starts to acclimate to their magic after a number of years, which leads to a number of changes that aren’t always visible to the eye. One of the most notable of these changes is that the way your body works at the lowest level is altered, as it will start to rely more on your magic to function as opposed to the regur operation of your internal organs.

  This comes with many benefits, however there is also one very notable downside. While one’s magic effectively becomes one’s very life force, it is still a source of energy that must be expended in order to cast spells. This means that if a witch was to burn through all of their magic, there would be nothing left to sustain themselves and said witch would cease to function, which can lead to either a quick death or an endless slumber, depending on a variety of factors.

  With all of that in mind, I’m sure it’s now profusely clear why your previous post has garnered the response it has. If there is anything any of us can do to make sure that you avoid such a fate we would be more than happy to do so.

  Regards,

  Mari feels a shiver run through her as she reads the message. Oh god, it really was that bad. The shock starts to set in as she types her next message.

  CrimsonDusk: So you’re telling me I almost fucking died?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: hold on now it couldnt be that bad in ur case

  ur still new 2 this stuff so ur body still does all the regur human things. its way 2 early for that 2 actually kill u which is why it just fucked u up 4 a bit instead

  but yeah consider it a lesson in why u gotta be super fukin careful with powerful magic. honestly like half of witchcraft is just figuring out how to do a thing in a way that doesnt leave u ded after

  what the fuck were u even doin to get that bad tho i thought u were still learnin the basics?

  She takes a deep breath. Okay, it couldn’t have killed her, at least not yet. But still, why is this the first she’s hearing about just how dangerous witchcraft can be? She didn’t even realise she was doing anything all that serious.

  CrimsonDusk: So if that had happened ter on I would have just been fucked then? All I did was stop the flow of magic to close the door like LadyEleanor told me to, and that could have ended with me never getting back up?

  LadyEleanor57: Dear CrimsonDusk,

  To be absolutely clear, even if you had already undergone such changes, death is not a guarantee in such a situation. If a witch is extremely fortunate their body will shut down before completely running out of magic, at which point they will wake once more when their reserves have recovered enough to function again, not entirely unlike what seems to have happened to you. Additionally, if one enters a slumber they cannot wake from instead of death, it’s theoretically possible for another witch to revive them, although no small amount of effort is required to do such a thing.

  Additionally, do you mean to say that you closed the door to your home’s core by stopping the flow of magic entirely? That is not the regur means of doing such a thing. What I had attempted to instruct you to do was to visualise the door closing while casting a small amount of magic. It sounds to me like you have managed to close it using brute force instead, which would be the equivalent of closing a regur door by completely destroying it, and building a new one in its pce.

  With that in mind I can’t say I’m surprised that such an act would put that level of strain on your body, and I must ask that you be more careful in the future.

  Regards,

  That st part struck a chord with Mari, the st thing she needed to hear right now is that this whole thing was somehow her fault. She grits her teeth as she starts to type.

  CrimsonDusk: Well maybe if anyone around here could give me some proper instructions instead of all this cryptic shit I wouldn’t almost kill myself trying to figure out what I’m meant to be doing in the first pce.

  How was I supposed to know that I wasn’t doing it the right way? Why did nobody tell me witchcraft was this dangerous before that witch dropped this fucking house on me? Why am I stuck here having to find out how to do every little thing on my own because everyone’s talking in fucking riddles?

  xX_TheDollMaster_Xx: hey

  u got every right to be upset at that other witch but u dont get to take that out on dy el

  how many times do we gotta tell u that more complex witchcraft works differently 4 each witch? we r all tryin 2 help as much as we can but u really do gotta figure out most of it 4 urself so dont get upset at us when shit dont work how u expect the first time

  uve been sayin that u arent really a proper witch and all that shit in here anyway, maybe u gotta step back and think if this is what u even want 2 do with urself

  sorry if this sounds mean but 4 real u should just stop 4 a bit and take some time to sort ur shit out if this is how ur gonna b

  …

  Mari’s not sure what she hates more, that things reached a point where DollMaster is the voice of reason here, or that he’s bringing up some really good points.

  Does she actually want any of this? To become a witch? Is going through all this trouble worth it just to take care of this house she never asked for? She’s sick of not knowing what she’s meant to be doing, and struggling to figure it out on the fly. Apparently she’s already done something that could have killed her, or at the very least would have killed her if it had happened at a ter date, and who’s to say she won’t end up in the same situation again?

  Even aside from all of that, are any of the benefits of becoming a witch even something she wants? Sure, it sounds like it might be able to help with her lungs, but does that outweigh everything else? Does the idea of living forever even appeal to her at all?

  Mari looks over at Martin, who’s sleeping in a basket she pced next to her monitors on the desk so that he has a pce to hang out that isn’t in the way. She gives him a soft pet, and the bck cat starts to happily purr. Would she be happy in a world where she doesn’t have to worry about death but he still does? It’s not like Mari isn’t aware that she’s likely going to outst him anyway, but adding immortality into the mix makes it that much sadder.

  That’s just Martin, too. What about Cassandra? As much as she hates to think about it, she knows her friend can’t have all that long left at the rate she’s going. In all honesty, Mari doesn’t have a single clue what she’s going to do without her, or how she’d ever be able to cope with losing her, the very thought has always been too upsetting to even consider. If that’s the case, why would she want to go through with something that could result in her having to live for hundreds of years, maybe even longer, with the only person who’s always been there for her existing as nothing but a memory?

  The more she thinks about it, the less she’s convinced she could do it.

  She doesn't have to make the call right now, of course. She’s still got plenty of time before she’d have to deal with those more permanent changes, but maybe she’s not really stuck with this pce. Maybe she can just give up on the whole witchcraft thing and just take the dolls to live somewhere else. Sure, she’d have to figure out something for her lungs if she’s going to cut out magic entirely, but surely there are options. Maybe she could even find another witch to maintain the enchantment for her.

  A sudden phone call breaks Mari’s train of thought, but there are a lot of things she needs to consider before she can decide if she actually wants to keep going with witchcraft or not.

  Little does she realise that the choice is already meaningless...

  SyntaxSpeedway

Recommended Popular Novels