PART ONE

  My eyes fluttered openm heavy with fatigue. As I staggered to my feet, an unsettling chill washed over me. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, cimsuming everything in its path. The air was still, oppressive and cold enough to raise goosebumps along my arms.

  A wave of diziness swept through m, and swayed slightly, stuggling to steady myself. Each hesitant step I took sent my foootsteps echoing into the void., amplifying the eerie slience. I scanned the darkness, searching for a way out-for anything that could tell me where I was. Was this a dream? Or something far worse? Whatever it was, it coiled around me, heavy and suffocating like a living thing watching from the shadows.

  Wrapping my bzer tightly arot und myself, I forced my trembling legs to move forward. The pitch bck seemed endlessm but standing stihell felt even worse. My breath came shallow, and the weight of unseen eyes bore down on me with every step I took.

  I stopped in front of a strange, glowing ball, suspended in the air as if defying gravity. Its light shimmered faintly, casting eerie shadows onto the cold, dark ground below. Nervously, I edged closer, my breath hitching with each step, and slowly reached out to touch it.

  The moment my fingers grazed its surface, a pulse of energy surged through me, sending me sprawling to the floor. My heart raced as hazy images began to swirl with the crystal-shadows twisting and bending untill they formed a familiar scene.

  It was the cssroom.

  I froze, staring in disbelief as Morganna and Ms Boggle appeared inisde the crystal, helping the other students recover from the chaos I had caused. My chest tightened, a sickening knot forming in my stomach. Why was it showing me this? Was someone mocking me? Reminding me of my outburst-my failure?

  Summoning what little courage I had left, I leaned closer, my hands trembling as I gazed deeper into the glowing sphere. The scene shifted slightly, and then, cutting through the silence like a bde, a faint voice whispered in my ear: "They don't need you,Dorophina!"

  The words sent a shiver down my spine, sharp and biting. I felt the air grow heavy around me, pressing down as panic swirled in my chest.

  "Who...or what are you?" I whimpered, curling into myself as I rocked back and forth. My voice trembled, barely audible. "Why are you doing this to me?"

  The sound of girlish ughter echoed around me, sharp and hollow, sending chills down my spine. "It's your fault!" the voice decred, its tone mocking and relentless.

  The crystal ball trembled voilently, its light growing brighter and erratic untill, with a sudden burst, it shattered into tiny glowing particles, The fragments swirled around me like fireflies, twisting and bending as they coalesced into a figure.

  My breath hitched as I stared at shadowy version of myself standing before me. Its eerie red eyes glimmered in the darkness, void of warmth or life, and its expression was hauntingly vacant. I shuffled backwards instinctively, unable to tear my gaze from the unnatural figure.

  "Please," I whispered, my voice trembling as tears pricked at my eyes. "Stop this! I just want to go home!"

  The shadow reached out, its movement slow and deliberate, acompanied by unsettling, guttural groans that made my skin crawl.

  "Morganna, help me!" I sobbed, my voice cracking as I stumbled backwards. My legs wobbled beneath me, nearly giving way, but I managed to keep upright even as panic through me like fire.

  PART TWO

  Fustrated, Morgana paced the length of the cssroom, her steps quick and uneven as she gnced repeatedly at the scorched spot where I stood moments before.

  "I don't understand," she mutturedm scratching her head in agitation. "I've never seen anything like this before."

  "And you're supposed to be the great magic user in our family!" Ms Boggle shot backm her voice tinged with exasperation as she shook her head. Kneeling beside the charred tiles, she ran her fingers over the burnt edges, tears forming in her eyes. "We have to help her- she must be terrified!"

  "Any ideas?" Morganna asked with a raised brow, her tone tense yet guarded.

  The other students murmured among themselves, their hushed whispers filling the room. Who could bme them? This was likely the first glimpse of real magic they'd ever seen, and the sight of the destroyed cssroom was nothing short of shoking.

  "Ah-ha!" Morganna excimed suddenly, cpping her hands together with a spark of excitement. She hurried to the charred tiles, crouching down to examine them more closely. Her eyes glistend as they caught the light, and a faint smile spread across her face.

  "She's been sent to the...Beyond!" Morganna decred triumpthantly, though her voice grew quieter as the gravity of her words sank in.

  For a moment, Ms Boggle froze, her body as still as her piercing gaze bore into Morganna like a knife. The silence was heavy, charged with disbelief and dread.

  Suddenly, she lunged forward, grabbing Morganna's wirst with a grip so tight it made her wince.

  "The Beyond?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mix of fury and fear. "Did you say that poor Dorophina is in... the Beyond?"

  Morganna tried to pull back, but Ms Boggle's grip only tightened, her knuckles turning white with intensity. "You can bring her back, can't you?" she pressed, her tone sharp and unyielding, desperation flickering in her eyes.

  "Its....not that easy," Morganna muttured through the pain. "Trust me, sister. If it was, I'd have her here in a snap!"

  An angry ugh escaped Ms Boggle's lips as she tightened her grip on Morganna's wrist, her gaze sharp enough to cut through steel. "Then I suggest you find a way," she growled, her voice low and dangerous. "Or you'll spend the rest of your days as a snail!"

  Morganna swallowed hard, her expression waving as Ms Boggle finally loosened her grip and turned away. She walked stiffly toward the other students, who were staring at her with wide and uncertain eyes.

  "Sure, leave it to me," Morganna muttured under her breath, kicking a broken tile aside in frustration. Her tone tinged with resentment and sorrow. She sighed heavily, her voice soft as she whispered, "Oh, child...why didn't you listen to me?"

  Part Three

  The shadowy figuer swayed and wobbled as it drew closer, its movements unnatural and unsettling. My heart pounded in my chest as I curled into myslefm wrapping my arms tightly around my knees. Strangley, I felt nothing-no regret, no fear. It was as though the longer I lingered here, the more I began to resemble the haunting figure.

  Was it trying to warn me? The thought sent a shiver down my spine as I watched it stretch out its hand, reaching for mine.

  "I'm nothing like you! Let me go!" I yelled, my voice trembling with a mix of defiance and dread.

  "Oh, but you are!" it whispered, its voice low and chilling.

  I froze as its tone began shift, morphing into something eeirly familiar. It sounded like me. As if it was growing, abdapting, the longer it lingered in my presence.

  "You would do anything for magic, would you?" the figure hissed, its words sharp and vemonous, dripping with hatred and anger.

  "N-no, I mean-" My voice faltered,cracking as panic seized my chest. I felt as though invisible hands were squezing my heart, crushing my resolve. "It's not like that!" I sobbed, colpsing into the cold , unyielding floor. My heart sank, becoming as dark and suffocating as the ptich-bck void surrounding me.

  "What's the use?" I whispered, rocking back and forth, tears streaming down my face. "Nobody's coming for me."

  The air grew colder, biting at my skin as the shadowy figure leaned closer. Its glowing red eyes burned brighter, piercing through the darkness as it reached for my trembling hands.

  "Yes...I have to...forget everything." I muttured coldly, my voice hollow as the shadowy figure passed through me like a ghost. A bitter ugh escaped my lips, "Huh, figures. Not even that...thing wants me."

  I pushed myself to my feet, my legs trembling as if the weight of the darkness threatend to pull me back down. A strange force seemed to tug at me, ripping through the void like unseen strings, while small, shadowy wisps danced around my feet with every unsteady step.

  "Oh..,how cute," I murmured, my voice fading as the faint tugging sensation disappeared into the emptines. Slowly, I turned my head, my gaze driting aimlesssly into the void, staring at it as if it were an old friend whoes name I couldn't quite recall.

  My eyelids grew heavy, the exhaustion settling in like afog. Stumbling forward, I whispered to no one, "My fault. It's all my fault." Each word tasted bitter, a reminder of the weight I carried.

  I froze as a distorted,broken image appeared around me-a young dy, her movements flickering like a shattered reflection struggling to hold itself together. She seemed strangley famiir, yet an invisible barrier kept the truth just out of reach. My chest tightend as I turned away, unable to comfort her. The image flickered once before dissolving into the distance, leaving me alone once again in the endless darkness.

  "It's always been this way," I sighed, my voice barely above a whisper as I sat on the cold floor. The weight of lonliness pressing down on me, heavy and unrelenting. "Everybody leaves me eventually."

  "Dorohina."

  Her voice-comforting, familiar, umisakable- piercing the darkness around me. Morganna's voice. My heart surged with hope, and I sprang to feet, forcing my trembling legs to move as I followed the sound. Step by step, I trudged forward, the shadows around me seeming to cw at my legs.

  "I'm coming!" I chocked out, desperation shaking my voice, "Don't leave me, please!"

  The wisps nipped and bit at my ankles, thier touch cold and sharp, but I pushed on, determined to find her no matter what. More of those fragmened distorted, images of myself limped and staggered toward me, their arms reaching out in silent pleas for my hand. I clenched my fists and pressed forward, refusing to let them hold me back. Exhaustion gripped me, my eyelids growing heavier with every faltering step.

  With one st push, I reached for her image ahead, my hand trembling as I stretched toward her. Morganna's gaze softened as she reached for me, her reach steady and strong, pulling me free from the suffocating shadows.

  I colpsed to my knees, gasping for air, the rush of relief overwhelming me. Tears streaming down my face as I threw myself into her arms, clutching her tightly. "I was...so scared!" I sobbed, my voice breaking as I pressed myself into her chest. The familiar sent of her perfume surrounded me, a small comfort in the chaos.

  "Hey, now! Where's the big brave girl I know?" Morganna asked softly, her voice soothing as she ran her fingers gently through my hair.

  "Gone," I replied bluntly, wiping at my cheeks with trembling hands. "That was terrifying, you know?"

  Before Morganna could respond, Ms Boggle raced toward me, her face streaked with tears. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around my exhausted body, holding me tightly as if afriad to let go.

  "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again," she murmured, her voice shaky but ced with relief. She managed a small smile, soft smile, adding in a firmer tone, "Not ever."

  As her words lingered in the air, my thoughts began to drift, wandering back through the chaos of everything that happened. The strange dream, the spell I had learnt, and that unsettling pce- I couldn't help but feel that it all meant something. But the answers eluded me, tangled in the fog of my exhaustion. My eyelids felt heavy, and confusion clouded my mind as I gave into the overwhelming tide of weariness.

  PART FOUR

  Later that day, I found myself in Morganna's cottage, lying in my bed. The bnket tucked snugly around me, and a small tub of water sat on the table beside me, its surface rippling faintly as the room creaked with quiet stillness.

  My head throbbed when I tried to sit, and I winced at the effort. Morganna was sprawled across the end of the bed, clutching a small book in her hand, her breathing soft and steady as she mumbled in her sleep. She must have stayed with me all night.

  My vision was still hazy,the edges of the room blurring as I looked around.

  I slid out of bed carefully, my feet pressing lightly against the wooden floorboards. Gncing back at her, I saw her stir slightly, murmuring unintelligibly before sinking deeper into slumber.

  There was so much I wanted to uncover, and now that my mind had cleared, my determination burned stronger than ever. The familiar sight of her piles of books brought a strange sense of comfort. I deliberately avoided her grimore, letting it lie untouched- it wasn't worth the risk. If there was one thing I'd learned, it was that grimore was better left far away from me.

  I sifted carefully through the stacks of books, tracing my fingers over their worn covers and selected a handful that seemed promising. Settling into her chair, I felt a pang of emtotion as the faint scent of her test potoin-making drifted toward me, stirng memories that drew a unexpected tear to my eye. I sighed, gently pulling open the first book in front of me, letting its pages whisper its secrets.

  Even if nothing magical happened this time. I was content with simply sitting quietly and reading. It was enough- at least I was truly ready.