A few days later…

The training was hard and demanding, much more than Lila was used to, but it had to be done. If she didn’t toughen up, then not even her mutation would do her any good. Both Fiadh and Alondra wanted to see results as quickly as possible, and so they had teamed up against her, hurling spell after spell against her to see how she fared. For the most part, she was doing great but there was a problem.
“You’re being too defensive,” Fiadh declared, wiping pearls of sweat off her furrowed brow. They were fighting in an improvised, closed-off underground arena that allowed no spells to escape the meshed dome around them. 
“Agreed,” Alondra said as she channeled another beam of energy through her fingers and sent him flying in the young witch’s direction “Stop hiding behind a shield and strike.
“I need to defend myself,” Lila said, maintaining her protective stance. She absorbed the spell's impact but failed to launch a counterattack after that. “How else am I going to fight two-on-one?”
“By making sure we don’t attack in the first place,” Fiadh replied, and Alondra nodded. “If you let your opponents have the first strike, you’ll always be on your guard, and they can wear down your defenses little by little. You need to be better than that or you’ll be surrounded and overcome, case in point…”
Fiadh circled Lila positioning herself behind her while Alondra faced her head-on. At a snap of her fingers, they initiated a powerful joint strike, exerting monumental pressure on Lila’s already weakened barrier. They stopped right before shattering it, but the damage was already done.
“Evil magic is not for the faint of heart and for those who have moral quandaries using it…” Alondra clenched her teeth. “Your foes won’t use the normal playbook when fighting against you, dear. They’ve ripped the pages of decency and fair fight a long time ago and you should do the same.”
“But you’re both stronger than me…” Lila huffed, sitting on the cold floor of the arena to catch her breath. 
“Maybe but you’ve got something we don’t… You can cleanse our attacks and use our power against us,” Fiadh sat next to her and smiled. “Why aren’t you doing that?”
“Because my gut keeps telling me it’s not going to work,” Lila shrugged. 
“Ah, but that’s not your gut talking…” Alondra joined them and summoned three bottles of ice-cold water.
“Then what is it?” Lila asked.
“The conditioning of all your previous teachings. All the years you spent learning to play by the rules are what’s holding you down now. You think it’s not going to work because until now you had no reason to believe it would. Shedding those prejudices is the first step in becoming as strong as you can be.”
“That’s easier said than done.”
“Hey, we never said it would be easy, but the path is clear. How you choose to walk it is up to you, but I suggest you find your answers as quickly as possible otherwise you’ll always be trapped in doubt.”
Lila sighed. She understood what they were both trying to say but not how to execute the plan at hand. She needed to take control of the narrative and instill fear on her adversaries from the get-go and then use that momentum to strike, but how could she do that if she didn’t believe in her own power?
“It’s all about perception, Lila,” Fiadh said. “We’re giving you another chance to change yours.”
“How?”
“Drink some water first, and then we’ll tell you,” Alondra said.
Lila did as she was told, taking a sip of the cool, refreshing liquid, followed by another, and another… It was as fresh as it was addictive and even though she realized something was wrong, she couldn’t stop.
“What the…?” she thought, her mind in disarray as she emptied the bottle, and a burning sensation spread from her lips to the rest of her body. She threw the bottle away and squirmed, the ghost of betrayal creeping in and taking hold of her senses. “What have you done?” she screamed.
“Congratulations, Lila, you’ve just been poisoned!” Fiadh declared.
“Poisoned?” she gasped, the substance she had just swallowed changing inside her body. “But why?”
“Why not? Evil plays dirty and you’ve yet to fight it as you should. Now, you don’t have a choice,” Alondra concluded.
“The toxin you’ve just ingested is the product of black magic, a poison of ancient times repurposed for the sake of this lesson,” Fiadh noted. “It works slowly and it’s quite painful as it spreads through your body. It’s also deadly in large quantities and you’ve just drank enough to seal your fate.”
“You’re joking, right? There’s no way you’d…”
“It’s not a joke, dear. The first painful effects should be hitting you right about… now.”
Alondra chimed in, her voice low and menacing. “The toxin works by destroying your body from the inside out. Picture your insides burgeoning with an inferno, consuming your muscles, tissue, and organs as you writhe in excruciating pain.”
Lila’s body began to quiver as the poison took hold. Her skin turned a sickly shade of pale, and her lips twitched. Each breath she took was labored, her chest rising and falling with an alarming rapidity. The young witch was on fire, the agonizing pain coursing through every vein and artery. The once cold floor was now hot against her skin as she writhed in torment. She could barely comprehend what was happening, the shock of being poisoned rendering her thoughts a jumbled mess. Through the haze, she heard the evil cackles of her supposed mentors.
“Alondra, Fiadh... what have you done?” she choked out between gasps for air. The poison was spreading, making it harder and harder to breathe.
“We’re teaching you a lesson,” Alondra smirked. “If you want to survive, then you need to activate your mutation. Take control of it and cleanse the poison from your system before it’s too late. Do it, Lila! Fight this or you’ll die and everyone you hold dear will be forever lost to Tabitha and the sign of evil. Penelope, your mother… everyone will perish because of your weakness. Is that what you want? If not, then fight! Show us what you can do.”
Lila couldn’t bear the thought of losing everyone she loved. Her heart screamed at her to find the strength to fight against this malevolent force that threatened her very existence. In a last-ditch effort, she focused all her energy on the twisting, burning sensation within her. She closed her eyes and visualized the poison as a dark, oozing goo, and with all her might, channeled all of her power to expel it from her body.
Her eyes bulged as she felt the poison begin to recede. The agonizing pain lessened ever so slightly, and Lila took it as a sign of hope. Emboldened by the smallest victory, she continued to push herself harder, focusing on the remnants of the toxin still clinging onto her insides. Her whole being felt as if it were an active volcano, but she knew that if she could just hold on for a little longer, she would emerge triumphant and cleansed of the vile poison.
The other two witches watched in silence, shock and anticipation etched in their visages. The power on display was beyond their comprehension. It was like watching a phoenix rise from the ashes, its powerful wings flapping and soaring into the sky.
“You’re doing it, Lila,” Alondra breathed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re doing it!”
Fiadh nodded in agreement, her expression a blend of awe and pride. “You’re stronger than you know, Lila. You just have to believe in it.”
As Lila’s vital signs began to return to normal, her eyes fluttered open and she took a deep breath. Her body was still weak and shaky, but the unbearable pain was gone. She looked up at her mentors, no words coming out as she just stared at them. For the first time since the beginning of this harrowing journey, Lila felt like she had unlocked a new part of herself.
“You did it, Lila!” Fiadh said with a smile on her face. “And it wasn’t just your mutation that saved you, but your determination and willpower.”
“Yes,” Alondra agreed. “You saw what you needed to do, and you did it without hesitation. That’s true strength.”
“I can’t believe you fucking poisoned me!” Lila glared at them, her cheeks flushing. “What if I had frozen? How could you have been so callous?”
“We did what was necessary to get you riled up,” Fiadh shrugged. “Everything we’ll be going up against will be a giant death trap. Against Tabitha and her minions, it’s do or die, Lila. There’ll be no time for second guesses or pleasantries of any kind. You have a weapon no one else has and you need to use it.”
“You could have killed me.”
“Not really,” Alondra produced another bottle of water, this one devoid of any incantations to conceal its true nature. “The antidote was right here, ready to be administered if things got too rough. I’m glad they didn’t, though. Like Fiadh said, you can’t afford to sit still in a life or death situation. You need to be ruthless when the moment calls for it and that applies to our initial quandary. Don’t stay on the defense unless there’s no other choice.”
Lila stood up, snatched the water bottle from Alondra’s hands and threw it in her face, hands curled into fists. She was pissed beyond measure but, then again, that was the point.
“I think I get it now,” she growled.
“I hope so because you’ve rested long enough,” Fiadh declared. “Now, are you going to fight or weep?”
The two older witches joined hands and attacked her, a wave of dark energy cutting the air in half and sapping all light from the dome. Lila stood her ground, eyes fixed on the prize. If they wanted a dirty fight, then they were going to get it.
Unflinching, she remained on her spot, the flow of darkness pushing forward until it hit her straight in the chest. It burned on contact, but she remained still, allowing it to penetrate her body. 
“Okay, you asked for it,” she mumbled.
The combined spells bounced inside her, tainting her bloodstream. Lila held on to the dark energy and began to purify it from within, reflecting its intensity in a blazing ball of light. The subterranean plateau shook, and the dome cracked as she hurled the distilled power back at her assailants before they had time to react. 
Fiadh and Alondra received the unexpected blow, their knees faltering as they tried to push back. Lila was channeling a power too great to be contained, born out of anger, frustration, and the pressing need to set things right in the world again. They fell to their knees as the ball of white light burned the tips of her fingers, preventing them from casting another spell.
“Dirty enough for you?” Lila grinned, stopping her attack before it got out of hand.
Fiadh and Alondra exchanged a complicit glance. They had seen many battles in their time, but they had never witnessed such a powerful transformation. It was as if Lila had evolved right before their eyes, becoming a divine being in her own right. It was a beautiful and majestic sight.
“Yes!” Alondra rejoiced, staring at her charred fingers. “More of that, Lila! That’s how you use your power. You don’t need to hold back. When the enemy comes at you, use their arrogance against them. Attack them head-on before they realize what hit them or use their power to amplify yours. The more energy you cleanse the more you can channel back at them. Hit them where it hurts the most and we can win this and end this nightmare once and for all.”
“We still have a long road ahead of us, but you’re on the right path now,” Fiadh said, casting a light healing spell to mend her wounds. “Well done, Lila. I think we can take a break for now.”
“No!” Lila exclaimed.
“Huh?”
“I can go a few more rounds but if you can’t keep up, then find someone else to practice with me. The faster I hone these skills the better.”
“She’s got a point,” Alondra shrugged. “I can go on for another hour or two, I think. Are you game, Fiadh?”
“Anything for the cause…” the Resistance leader conceded. They were creating a monster but, thankfully, the beast was on their side. She rolled up her sleeves and tied her hair in a ponytail, before cracking up her knuckles and saying, “Do your worst!”
And so Lila did.

* * *

Sarah kneeled with her hands behind her back and the sign of evil branded in her soul. It had happened. All of her thoughts had been stripped away from her and the will of Tabitha had become the center of her universe. She stared at her owner’s boots, begging for a chance to worship them and tell her how grateful she was to be a part of her ever-growing army. However, her Mistress was cruel and cared not about her feelings, only her unquestionable devotion. When she looked at her, she saw a bug - a tamed bug for sure, but still repulsive enough. Crushing it under her heel would be an undeserving boon.
“Crawl to me, bitch!” Tabitha commanded.
Sarah quivered in fear and began to crawl towards her mistress, each movement a test of her loyalty and devotion. The floor was cold and unforgiving, but she didn’t dare to lift her head or complain about the pain in her knees. This was the new normal, the world as it should be from now on.
Tabitha watched her slave approach, her black robe flowing around her like a shroud of darkness. The old crone was powerful and reveled in the thrill of control that came with it. Humiliating her foe’s mother was a pleasurable feeling, one she couldn’t get enough of.
“It’s time, Sarah,” she hissed. “It’s time to make your daughter pay for daring to stand against me. You’ll be her ruin in my name.
“Yes, Goddess,” the mindless thrall replied. “What would you have me do?”
“You’re going to reach out to her and help me find where her new friends are hiding. Then, you’ll lead the charge to destroy them all. I’d rather have Lila as my pet but if she refuses to surrender - which I suspect she will, - I expect you to put her out of her misery once and for all. Those are your orders. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Goddess,” Sarah smiled, eyes facing the floor. Nothing would please her most. “It will be my honor to do this for you.”
“That’s a good bitch. You may lick the soles of my boots now.”
Tabitha lifted her leg, allowing Sarah to slide under her and press her back against the cold floor. She kissed the dirty boots and begged for more. She could feel the dominance emanating from her mistress, a power that made her skin crawl and her stomach churn with fear. This was the most wondrous moment of Sarah’s ignoble life; to be so close to the person who held all the cards, who had control of Sarah’s every move.
The old crone allowed her follower to linger for only a moment, before yanking her leg away, dismissing the act as if it were nothing. “Now rise, slut,” she barked out. “Go and do your duty.”
The thrall scrambled to her feet, trying not to show how much this degradation affected her. She was nothing more than a tool for her eternal delight and would not fail her. Lila had to suffer.

((to be continued))