The Magic Within ↠ Once Upon A Time

[Chapter 2] Another Problem...

"What? They tried to burn Roland alive." I sigh, brushing my hand through my dark brown locks, "Show me where you saw it."

"Do you need us to come with?" Snow suggests.

"No... I can handle it myself, but it's probably best if Roland stays."

Robin nods in agreement; then, sets Roland down onto a near-by chair. David then places a hand on the boy's shoulder, signifying that he would be well protect if anything were to come at him. With that, Robin and I walk out of Granny's Diner, and to save some time, I use my magic to transport us into the forest. Robin then starts guiding me to where he saw Roland's toy incinerate.

It's a first, I would say, that I've ever heard of someone trying to burn a kid alive. Sure my sister, Zelena, tried to kill the Charming's baby for her curse (I knew she learned lesson), but who would be heartless enough to try and burn a child alive, not to mention with a harmless toy. First, toying with their innocence; then, igniting them in flames. Now, that's a low, even for me... or for the Evil Queen.

"It should be somewhere around here," Robin states. He was looking at the ground thoroughly, hoping not to miss anything through the moist dirt ground.

"It's quite far from the campground, don't you think?" I question.

"Yes, I know, but sadly, I was a little busy."

"I see, busy talking with your friends."

"Look, I don't want to talk about how bad of a job I did being a father. I'm just thankful Roland knew not to go far."

As we pass through, I began inhaling a smoky scent, a scent that definitely is dangerous for the wilderness (Who wants a forest fire?). With that, Robin and I see light smoke floating in the distance, but a log was obstructing our view of the origin that the smoke was coming from. We walk closer, though being cautious, and I was able to finally see the burning stuffed bear, or at least what's left of it, on the moist, dirt ground. Luckily, since it had recently rained, the dirt was soggy enough to block the flames from going any further.

"Do you think you can figure out who caused this?" Robin asks.

"It's a stretch, but I'll see what I can do." Once I edge near, I, first, distinguish the remaining fire then crouch down beside the polyester remains and began examining what's left of the bear. After about a few moments, I let out a defeated sigh, "I can't do anything to figure out who caused this. This person knew what they were doing. They manage to burn just about everything and left no sign of magic."

"So, there's nothing we can do."

"At the moment, no. We'll just have to wait and se-" Before I could finish my sentence, Robin and I both hear a twig snap behind us then shuffling in the distance. I turn, trying to find the source of the noise, but see nothing behind us. "Stay here." With that, I creep over towards the direction where the noise came from. Though Robin was more than eager to aid me, he had forgotten his bow and arrow when he left Roland with the Charmings. But, to protect the both of us, I didn't bother letting my guard down; I didn't know what to expect. I ready myself by harnessing my magic in case I ever had to defend myself. As I near a group of shrubs, I speak up, "I know you're there; you better come out now."

I took another step closer, and by now, I was dangerously close to the shrubs. I look into the plant, hoping to catch sight of the person inside. Then, I notice a pair of dark-colored eyes shining through, due to the light peering into the plant, but not before seeing something glowing inside. Once realizing what the cause of the light was, I gasp, knowing it was too late to do anything. Suddenly, a huge blast of magic throws me back, and I land a few yards away from where I stood.