Venezia was walking through the forest. Although she seemed firm that day, she was very much worried. She was worried about her mother, who had gone to look for Kassandra, and because of her concern, she could barely think about anything else.
Right now, all the bad things that could happen to her were on her mind, and then she realized she shouldn't bother with it too much. She started thinking positively, at least trying.
During that time, Zela was with Miranda.
"Do you really think it's a good idea to have a team led by Venezia? Yeah, I get it, she's the future ruler or whatever, but if we let her make the decisions, Kasandra will kill us all with one swing of that damned scepter," Zela spoke, flipping through a book from Miranda's library.
"You know, you have to give everyone at least one chance," Miranda told her off, putting the books on the shelves. "Who knows, maybe she really knows how to be a leader."
"Miranda, that girl got lost in her own village, she couldn't get up from the floor until I gave her a hand, and I can bet she's not even worthy of my little finger, let alone be a leader of a team."
"I think you're overexaggerating. She needs some practice, that's all."
Zela still thought she was right, and then someone knocked on the door. There stood an unknown man who came to borrow a book from Miranda's library.
He entered calmly but was shaken when he saw Zela. She noticed it immediately and decided to provoke him a little.
"Hello." She waved at the unknown man, laughing evilly.
The man screamed and ran out of the library mindlessly. Zela just started laughing loudly.
"Well done! You just drove my guest away," Miranda complained annoyedly.
Zela casually leaned back on the chair. "I'm just messing with ya. Calm down. He was too wretched to borrow a book anyway. Before he could take it, it would've hit him in the head."
"Ha, ha, ha ... Very funny," Miranda spoke in a sarcastic tone. "Anyway, I wonder when will Ferdinand come up with something that'll help Venezia in the fight against Kasandra."
"If she tries to fight, she'll either die, or I'll have to pull her out of the mess she's gotten herself into."
"Come on, Zela, you're acting like you're not even participating in this conversation."
"I am, I am," Zela retorted, going to put that book back on the shelf.
Suddenly, Ferdinand burst into Miranda's house through the door while carrying a large box.
"Great, what kind of nonsense have you brought now?" Zela asked, looking at the box.
"This isn't nonsense, but an old knight's armor that I enchanted. It'll protect Venezia from Kasandra's cruelest spells. But, well, I didn't have the ingredients for most of them. Basically, what do you think?" asked Ferdinand, showing the armor from one side and the other.
Miranda approached Ferdinand to get a better look at the armor. She took it in her hands.
"Ah, it's really heavy. How will anyone be able to wear this?" Miranda asked, barely holding the old heavy armor.
"You're dramatizing. No armor is that heavy," retorted Zela and took the armor from her hands.
"So, is it heavy?" Miranda asked her, knowing that Zela was wrong.
"Fine, you were right. This armor is too heavy," Zela dropped it on the floor.
"Someone was wrong, and we saw it in front of us," Ferdinand began to provoke Zela.
"Ferdinand, don't, please," suggested Miranda.
Zela put the armor back in the box. She looked at Miranda and Ferdinand disinterestedly. "So we agree that armor is a bad idea."
"We have to come up with something light and smart," concluded Miranda and began to think.
• • •
Kasandra noticed that Huarn's scepter was not as strong as before. She knew that, for this, she needed her faithful assistant, the ghost named Virti.
She went to the prison of darkness. Before, when Kasandra attacked the village, a helper, ghost girl Virti, was created from the scepter. Virti was a master of tactics and manipulation and was said to obey Kasandra's every command. Her origin was completely unknown. After Kasandra got trapped in the mirror, Virti was trapped in the prison of darkness. There were no prison guards, but instead many traps, and it was spoken the stone walls of the prison were impossible to breach without magic.
Kasandra started through the tunnel. Suddenly she felt vibrations. She knew it must be one of the traps.
Abruptly, flames shot out of the wall. Kasandra saw them and started running forward. Many more flames flew out of the hollows, but she managed to avoid them all. Soon she came to an unusual hallway with a tiled floor. Some tiles were black, and some were white, unevenly distributed.
She first stood on a white tile that suddenly collapsed, then quickly jumped on a black one, which fortunately did not fall. She looked into the hole left where the white tile collapsed. There she saw some strange, terrifying creatures that started biting a white piece on the ground. Kasandra wasn't fond of the scenery and began to imagine what would have happened to her if she had fallen there.
She continued her journey through a dark and damp, narrow corridor. She moved calmly through it until she realized that the corridor is getting narrower and narrower. Then she quickly ran towards the bright exit and grabbed onto a rock.
The tunnel was no longer there, and Kasandra was holding on to the rock under which a large hollow with spikes could be found. Even lava was gushing out on one part, and a huge stone was lying on the central part. Kasandra knew that must have been the stone prison. She slowly descended down into the hollow next to a spike, reaching a stone prison.
She pointed the scepter at it, managing to dismember the construction with a spell when Virti finally stood before her.
This was a tall white touchable ghost with an unusual face that featured gray areas around the eyes, on the edges of the face, and lines on the lips. Her crystal blue eyes glowed a little, and her dark brown tousled hair shone with a gray glow. She was dressed in a gray-blue-lilac tunic, black trousers with scratched edges, black sleeves around which semi-transparent chains were tied, lavender-colored sandals on her feet, and a blue-lilac ribbon on her head. The ghost girl watched Kasandra with an enthusiastic look.
"You set me free, my lord!" exclaimed Virti excitedly in her slightly raspy voice.
"I have a serious problem, Virti. This Huarn's scepter doesn't work like it used to," Kassandra said, showing her the rusty staff.
"You spent too much magic. If you want to strengthen it, you need a crystal of protection."
"Well then, where could I find that thing?"
"There is a possibility that someone already has it in Blue Village."
For Kasandra, that meant she had to hurry. Along with Virti, she set off on a forest road unknown to the villagers.
Suddenly something rustled. Virti heard that sound and immediately warned Kasandra. She looked out of the bushes and saw mother Elis, heading towards Blue Village with a team of soldiers.
Instantly she knew what to do. She jumped in front of Elis together with Virti.
"Kasandra!!!" cried Elis, stuttering.
"Look who came to us?" Kasandra teased her, laughing. "Let's see what else this scepter can do." She directed it towards Elis and the soldiers.
A layer of stone formed over their bodies, except around one soldier who managed to jump into the bushes at the last second. Fortunately, Kasandra did not notice him, so he decided to calm down completely to remain unnoticed.
"Great, the petrification spell is still present," confirmed Virti, looking at her lord.
"Of course, but if we use it constantly, we'll wear it out," Kasandra claimed, shifting the scepter from hand to hand.
"It's possible that we already have, but do not worry, it is my job to take care of such details."
"These were the strongest soldiers from Blue Village. Now that they are petrified, it will be easy to take over, ha ha!"
"You are a genius, my lord!" exclaimed Virti, smiling eerily.
"Tell me something I don't already know," Kasandra retorted confidently, swinging her scepter and continuing on her way.
You don't know a lot, Kasandra, Virti thought as her face formed a grimace.
"My lord, I have something to do, or rather, get hold of an item that will serve us well," informed Virti, holding her hands behind her back.
"Oh, Virti, what's it about? I thought we were looking for a crystal of protection."
"Indeed. However, you will go alone first, and I will come soon after."
"I take your word for it but don't take too long."
When the two of them went to their side, that soldier quietly tiptoed to Blue Village. He ran as fast as he could until he entered Miranda's house.
"Mr. Robert, what are you doing here? I thought you were with Elis and the others," Miranda spoke confusedly.
"S-something ..." The soldier almost remained speechless. "S-something terrible happened!"
"Just calm down and tell me what happened," said Miranda kindly, helping him to calm down and sit on the chair.
"K-Kassandra m-met us at the wrong moment." He was catching his breath. "I managed to save myself ... b-but she petrified the others."
Miranda nearly choked. "W-what?! This is awful! If the village finds out that we have run out of our best soldiers, they'll start panicking. And Venezia especially must not find out about this news."
It was that moment Venezia entered the house and clearly heard Miranda's last sentence.
"What am I not allowed to know?" Venezia questioned Miranda, looking at her with worried eyes.
"Looks like I can't keep this a secret." Miranda sighed, placing her palms on her shoulders. "Venezia, promise me you'll remain calm when I tell you what happened."
Venezia nodded. "You can trust me."
"So ... ugh ... Kasandra petrified your mother and the other soldiers."
"I-I can't be calm after this!" Venezia shouted in terror and ran out of Miranda's house crying.
Suddenly, Zela burst into the house, who Venezia ran past in tears.
"The hell is up with that damn Venezia?" she asked, annoyed.
"I'll tell you later." Miranda closed her palms. "Now we just have to stay calm."
"Don't you understand that staying calm will not help us in crises? Come on, spit out what happened."
Miranda took a deep breath. "Zela, maybe ... maybe you're right. If the village doesn't find out that our best soldiers are petrified, they'll be calm and won't take this situation seriously."
"Wait, that's what happened?" Zela winced. "Eh, shit! So, you'll be tellin' them about this?"
Miranda fell silent suddenly. She looked around the house. She took a deep breath and declared, "Yes, I have to tell them what happened."