Ivy stared at the dark metal door to the demon’s prison and shrugged. It couldn’t be any worse than what she had already gone through. She pushed the—surprisingly unsecured—door open and stepped into a vast, cavernous space. The expanse was lit by a soft, unseen colorless glow, and when she tilted her hear upwards, found that no light reached whatever lie above her. Likewise, she could not see the far end of the chamber either. The only thing in view sat at the center of the cold, featureless stone cavern.

A pillar of pitch black rock ascended into the equally dark air, and at its base a figure writhed and thrashed. From the entrance Ivy could not make out much, but she knew what was confined here. She closed her eyes, summoned her power, and took a single, perfect step forward. When she reopened her eyes, the witch world was gone, and the demon stood before her. Or more, it was held up by the church’s restraints.

The thing’s slender body vaguely resembled a human in its basic shape, but that was where the similarities ended. Before, in the witch world, she had not truly gotten a good look at it. It’s splotchy gray skin was stretched tight over squirming musculature that constantly shifted and pulsed beneath the surface. Other than the standard set of limbs, countless tentacles sprang from its body at seemingly random locations. Each was covered in black-as-night eyeballs, and Ivy had to look away for a moment to stop herself from retching.

It wasn’t just the grotesque, alien nature of the demon that assaulted her senses. She had seen her fair share of strange sights in the witch world. No, it was what was done to the demon that caused the bile to rise in her throat. To a one, all of its innumerable, quivering eyeballs were pierced with a spike of black metal that could be none other than pure alaricite. Similarly, its entire body had been nailed to the rock face by hundreds of such spikes, and from every wound, a putrid black smoke rose into the air. Between the spikes, alaricite chains cut into its flesh and wrapped around the pillar.

Yet Despite all that held it there, its entire body continuously struggled against its bonds, the wounds sizzling and smoking more with every fruitless movement. The only part of it that remained still was its head. The creature’s face was far too round compared to the rest of its body, and like the rest of its eyes, the two bottomless pits there had a pair of extra large spikes driven through.

Look at what they’ve done to me, Ll'qixllin. Release me.

At one point, not so long ago, all of this would have terrified her. Would have sent her running as fast as she could in the opposite direction and never stop. But now? After everything?

“You look a bit different,” she said.

Within Qix’nerod I projected an image of myself to you. I can manage that much at least.

Qix’nerod. Great. Another nonsense word.

“Do you mean inside my witch world?”

…Indeed.

She hadn’t exactly expected it based on how the demon communicated with her inside her mind, but it was still unnerving to not see its mouth moving.

“Do you prefer this?” it asked out loud, causing Ivy to flinch. Did it have Rose’s power? Ivy’s as well? She had no idea what it might be capable of.

“Uh, yeah…I guess.”

“Release me.”

Ivy rose an eyebrow.

“Why should I?”

The creature squirmed harder against its bonds, and a piercing shriek filled her mind. She tried to to cover her ears, but one arm was still useless, and the sound was coming from within her head to begin with.

“Do you possess no gratitude, Ll'qixllin? You would be dead right now had I not aided you.”

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I have to do as you say, now.”

A growl came from the demon’s throat as well as sounded in Ivy’s head.

“What are your objections?”

“You mean other than the fact that you’re a monster with an unknowable agenda?”

“You still doubt that I am on your side, even now?”

Ivy thought for a second about everything it had done, and really, it had only aided her. Then again it would probably do anything it could to get out of its current situation.

“I don’t know what ‘side’ you’re on. You may help me against the people who did…this,” she waved her unbroken hand at it, “to you, but what, then? You’re out and what happens next?”

“You and I join together. Form the Bond, and rebuild this world.”

Ivy scoffed, almost laughing.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Again, the demon surged against its restraints, the black smoke pouring from its wounds obscuring its figure for a moment.

“You felt what it was to share my strength. You will give that up?”

Ivy looked down at her mangled arm that was throbbing more and more as time went on, her adrenaline from the fight fading.

“Yeah, I could do without that, to be honest. Though I do have a question.”

“Ask.”

“What is…Ll'qixllin?” She had a hard time pronouncing the word it had called her from the beginning.

The demon growled a second time.

“Does my Qixllin tell you nothing?”

Ivy rolled her eyes.

“Apparently not.”

Wait. His Qixllin? No. It couldn’t be.

“Your language does not do it justice, but I believe the humans called the Ll'qixllin before you: Witch Queen.”

She clenched her jaw, teeth grinding audibly. Things were starting to fall into place, albeit still with many gaps. She could guess what Qixllin was supposed to mean, and who his Qixllin was. Though Ivy couldn’t figure out why it was her who was supposed to be this "witch queen" and not someone like Rose.

“And this is who you think I am?” she asked.

“I know this is who you are. It is what you are. You are the bridge to Qix’nerod.”

“What does that mean?”

This was worse than trying to get answers out of Rose. There was only ever more questions.

“Those of my kind that have touched your world of color and sensation before can sometimes visit again, especially if a powerful Qixllin wanders nearby. Otherwise, the Ll’qixllin must ferry us across the divide.”

Oh. Oh, shit. Did this thing mean to use her to bring more demons into their world? For what purpose? More than that, the witch world was their…home?

“But—”

“Release me,” the demon said, squirming harder than ever.

“Hang on—”

“Release me.”

“Listen demon—”

RELEASE ME.

The jolt of the creature’s mental scream forced Ivy’s weakened body to her knees. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes from the shock and pain of the mental attack.

“Release me,” it said using its mouth again, “and I will give you all the answers you desire. When you accept my Bond, you will understand.”

She looked up at the insane, grotesque form of the demon.

“I…I don’t want to.”

“You will leave me like this?” it asked. “Tortured and crippled by our mutual foe?”

Ivy shook her head.

“You’re a more terrifying foe than the church. Just look at you, and still I am forced to my knees by merely your thoughts.”

“Release me,” it said again, “release me and I will prove to you I am not your enemy.”

“To reveal yourself as my master? My captor? What do you want with me?”

“Release me.”

Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me. Release me.

Ivy screamed, the pain of his invading thoughts searing her mind until she could not hear herself think. The only thing left was the endless waves of his command. She clawed at her forehead with her good hand in an attempt to pull him out.

“Stop!” she said. “Please!”

Release me. Release me and it will stop.

“F—fuck…you.”

Release me.

Ivy forced herself up on one foot, then the next.

Release me.

She took a step towards the demon, and it grinned at her.

Release me.

When she rose her dagger, it’s smile fell.

Release me.

“You…aren’t…going to stop…are you?” Her breaths came heavy in between words, and the demon’s mental assault continued unabated, but standing seemed to lessen the pain.

Release me.

“Fine.” Ivy took another step forward. And then another. Each movement forward hardened her resolve against its command. “But there’s something you are forgetting about me.”

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Release me.

The unspoken words of the demon felt quieter now.

Release m—

Ivy laughed and closed the remaining distance between them, putting her within striking distance.

Rel—

“You see, I’m not going to be beholden to anyone. Not a king, not a church, not ‘your Qixllin’ Rose, and certainly not you. And I really only have one way that I’ve learned to deal with my problems.”

R—

“I’m a killer, after all.”

Across the demon’s entire body, only a single section dead center on its chest had not already been pierced by the church. She adjusted to a reverse grip on her dagger and raised it up to the demon’s chest.

Wait.

“No thanks.”

Ivy thrust forward, putting her whole body into the stab. The demon’s wailing filled the cavern, but none of it breached Ivy’s mind. Swirling black clouds coalesced around the blade of her dagger, pulling in the smoke oozing from all of its other wounds. She let go of the hilt before the stuff could touch her and watched. The creature began to deteriorate from the extremities inward. Its tentacles went first, disintegrating from the tips all the way to where they joined its body. The feet and hands came next, followed by its limbs. Its head melted into a thick, dark fog, and then only its torso remained, until that too faded away, leaving only her dagger embedded deep into a solid, black sphere. Her weapon and what remained of the demon fell to the stone floor with a clunk and Ivy had to jump backward to avoid it landing on her feet.

“W-what the hell was that?” she asked no one.

She bent down to retrieve her weapon, and the black sphere came with it. The thing was no bigger than the size of her palm, and added little weight to the blade, but after a couple of attempts at removing it, she realized it was stuck on pretty well. The blade had pierced all the way through, coming out the far side, and both the entrance and exit wound were so perfect, there was no room to pull the weapon free.

Ivy shrugged. A problem for another time. Another day. She was so, so tired. In one night she had managed to decimate the church, and kill a demon to boot. Her injuries throbbed with every passing second. She just needed to get home. Strangely, that meant Virian’s palace these days.

She trudged out of the demon’s prison cavern and back through the winding halls of the cathedral basement. Her legs moved on their own, her mind hoping they remembered the way. Eventually she hit a staircase, and every agonizing step upward threatened to make her collapse. Somehow, she reached the top on wobbly legs and shuffled down the hallway that led to the worship hall. She could still hardly believe the destruction she had wrought here, and had to admit the demon’s offer tempted her just a tiny bit, seeing it again. But how could she justify trading the fear of paladins for that of the demon? She had made the right choice.

At the entrance to the cathedral, a woman appeared, saw Ivy, and then the carnage all around her. She screamed louder than the demon had and fled, wailing as she went. A few hours ago, Ivy would have killed the woman, but she just didn’t care anymore. She plodded forward, exiting the cathedral, and then the courtyard and front gates. Her pace was slow but steady, and not a soul bothered her despite it being well into the day now. In fact, the nobles that were out exclusively fled in horror from her. She must look a sight after everything.

Ivy laughed as she approached the palace wall. The guards at the gate tensed, hands on the hilts of their swords.

“Halt, girl,” one said, “Sheath your weapon and state your name. Explain why are you covered in blood.”

Ivy had almost forgotten she was still wielding her dagger, but the demon's core stuck to it prevented her from putting it away. She had no patience to deal with these idiots, anyway. She smiled sweetly at them, licking her lips. A bitter, salty taste filled her mouth.

“I’m a witch,” she said, “move or die.” Both men recoiled, drawing their weapons. “I guess you chose death.”

“H-hang on,” one said, “you’re a…w-witch?”

“Yeah,” Ivy said, “why don’t you go run along to the cathedral and tell the bishop a witch has arrived at the palace. You can tell him its the Dragonfly.”

Their eyes went as wide as dinner plates, and both of them actually ran. Huh. Virian needed better guards. She was supposed to be a noble killer and they just abandoned him. She must really look pretty scary at the moment. It was handy, though. While she could just bypass them with her power, she didn’t know if she had it in her to navigate the witch world right now. Any moment now and she’d probably just fall over.

She didn’t get much further before being challenged again. The massive courtyard housed its own barracks for the royal guard, so it wasn’t surprising. This time a good five or six soldiers ran up to her, more on the way.

“I’ll give you the same choice as those at the gate,” Ivy said, “move or die.”

“Have you killed my men at the gate?” one asked. They started drawing swords and Ivy sighed.

“I’m the Dragonfly, run away please.”

“I don’t care who you are,” the solider in charge said, “until I know more, you will be detained here.”

Oh. So a good guard, then. A shame, really. She’d have to…huh. Or not. She looked past the company of guards toward the palace proper and saw a figure running towards them. She could pick him out easily even from this distance.

“It’s your lucky day,” Ivy said, “I’ll wait here for a moment, but I’ll still warn you against touching me.”

A pair of the guardsmen were edging a little close to her, and paused. She smiled at them as they took a step back. Wow. She needed a mirror.

“Hey!” Virian’s voice from afar reached them as he was running up. “Wait! I’ll handle this.”

The guardsman who had been speaking glanced back and flinched.

“Your highness!” he said. “Stay back! It’s the witch!”

“It’s fine!” Virian shouted back. He was close enough now that she could make out the fine features of his face. “She’s more likely to hurt you than I! I’ve dealt with her before!”

Ivy frowned at the coldness of his words, but held her tongue, knowing that it could cause trouble for him if he behaved too friendly toward her in public.

“Your highness! I cannot—”

“I’m ordering you to disperse. Sergeant Feron and Corporal Tamren are still with me at the palace. I am well protected.”

Virian jogged the rest of the way up to his soldiers, breathing hard.

The one in charge gave Virian a look, then turned to Ivy and shook his head, but did as he was told and retreated toward the barracks, but stayed within shouting distance. Virian, on the other hand, walked straight up to Ivy, cringing the whole way.

“Ivy?” he asked. “Is that…really you? My god. What happened?”

He tried to reach out to her, but Ivy held up a hand.

“What do I look like right now?” she asked.

He hesitated for a moment, his face doing its best not to twist into a grimace.

“Are you hurt?” he asked. “There’s so much. What did you do?”

“Yes,” she said, and again he tried to touch her, forcing her to take a step back. It wasn’t the time or place, but still there was a hurt frown on his face that he could no longer disguise after her dodge. “Later. Let’s go see Rose.”

Virian shook his head, then nodded.

“Right. Okay.”

He turned his back to her, and she limped after him through the rest of the courtyard and up the steps to the palace doors. The guards there gave her the same wary, disgusted look the others had, but with a gesture from Virian, they left her alone. Inside, the first floor of the palace was empty. There were no guards, coutiers, servants, nothing.

“Feron has assured me the couple outside can be trusted,” Virian said, once the the doors were closed behind them, “other than Feron and Tamren, I haven’t let anyone get near. Not after the bishop came knocking.”

He turned back to Ivy and placed a hand on her shoulder. She let him this time. It felt good. Warm.

“Virian…”

“Ivy, what happened?”

For the first time since she had become the Dragonfly, Ivy agonized over the consequences of her actions. What if he was scared of her now? She herself couldn’t explain how she had killed the paladins, and it frightened her. What if Virian hated her now. For what she had done. For what she was.

“L-let’s go to Rose, first,” she said.

“Yes. Yeah. Of course.”

He continued to the lead the way through the dead quiet of the abandoned palace, down a side wing of the ground floor to where Rose’s recovery room sat. He pushed open the door, and the two of them entered to find Rose alone, sitting up in her bed, streaks of tears streaming down one side of her face that was unbandaged.

“Did something happen?” Virian asked immediately after seeing the scene. “Where’s Tamren? Did he do something?”

“I sent him away,” Rose said.

“Oh.”

Ivy stepped past Virian and approached the bed, hovering over Rose.

“Rose,” she said.

Her sister titled her head and gave Ivy a look that she had never seen from the older witch before. There was a profound sorrow deep in her one uncovered eye, but on the surface, her face creased into cold hatred. For Ivy.

Ivy had prepared herself for this confrontation, yet still flinched at Rose’s regard.

“You killed him,” Rose said, her voice an icy chill.

Ivy had a pretty good idea who she was referring to, but played it dumb.

“The archbishop?” Ivy asked. “He deserved it.”

“Are we playing this game? Have you forgotten who I am?” Ivy stayed quiet. “Alright then. No. I do not refer to that insect of a man, but of Zarynthal.”

“Oh it has a name, then?”

“He only helped you. Again and again.”

“Yeah well maybe you should have told your master not to try to force his will on me.”

Rose’s upper lip quivered, one side of her top teeth showing past the snarl.

“He is not…never mind. I did tell him. Many times. But he would not listen!”

Ivy scoffed.

“Is that supposed to be my fault?”

“You don’t understand! I’ve been waiting for you for hundreds of years. But him? It so much longer. And what he endured while waiting…he grew impatient.”

It was hard not to laugh at her explanation. Every bit of it was hilarious. Ivy didn’t understand because Rose never told her anything. Hundreds of years? Longer? None of that had anything to do with Ivy. Was she supposed to just lie down and accept a monster because it had gotten a little impatient?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Virian said from behind Ivy, “I feel like I’m missing too much here.”

Ivy turned her head to him.

“You’re not the only one.”

“Zarynthal is what we call a ‘demon’,” Rose said, answering Virian’s unasked question, “though he would not refer to himself as such.”

“Your demon,” Ivy said.

“What?”

“He’s your demon.”

“Was my demon. You killed him.”

Virian stepped closer, standing at Ivy’s side now.

“And that’s a…bad thing?” he asked.

“That’s a very bad thing,” Rose said.

Ivy found herself scoffing more and more lately.

“You’re the one who told me to never get involved with demons! You were scared to death and wanted to run the second Armond mentioned them! Now I find out you’ve been bound to one the whole time!”

“I sheltered you because it was necessary. Every path where you met the Qix’rymith too early, I saw nothing but death at every turn.”

Ivy squeezed her eyes tight and massaged her forehead, dagger still in hand. More nonsense. More secrets. More bullshit.

“W-what?”

Rose sighed.

“My power does not end at knowing your thoughts. At knowing all thoughts. I can see the world through the lens of thought. What everyone is going to do next. And based on that, what they’d do after that. How others around would respond to that. Every action is a direct response to what came before. It forms a map. A map I can follow and alter along the way to an outcome I desire.”

Now Ivy really did laugh. That night Rose had told her that she always got what she wanted hadn’t actually been an exaggeration.

“You’ve been manipulating me since the day we met. Or was it before that? Did you send the hunters after me as well? When I was what, fourteen? Who are you, Rose?”

“I’m the only one who can make the world safe for us, Ivy, and you insist on ruining everything that I have worked towards.”

Ivy shook her head.

“That’s what you have to say to me? You’re unbelievable, Rose.” She turned to Virian. “Once she’s healthy enough to move, get her out of here.”

“Uhm—” Virian tried to say more but Rose would not let him.

“No,” Rose said.

“No?” Ivy asked, bring her attention back to the older witch, “I can eject you from the palace right now if I wanted. Who’s going to stop me? You? I’m sorry for what happened to you. And I’m sorry that I caused it, but when are you going to realize you can’t control me, Rose?”

“I can.”

Not for the first, or the second, or the third time, an urge bubbled up inside Ivy to hit Rose. Hard.

“Why don’t you enlighten me on this method of yours?” Ivy asked though gritted teeth.

Rose grinned. Only half of her teeth showed past the bandages, giving her a haunting visage.

“Would your prince kiss you so sweetly after knowing what you did last night?”

Ivy froze, staring daggers down at her sister.

“Rose…I swear to you I will—”

“What is she talking about?” Virian asked.

In reality, Rose’s threat meant little. Virian would find out what she had done soon anyway. But she didn’t want him to find out like this.

“She slaughtered them, prince Virian,” Rose said, “the church. All of the church. You’d be hard pressed to find a single clergyman in all of Atrican.”

Virian turned his whole body to face Ivy and looked down at her. She couldn’t meet his eyes for some reason.

“Ivy, is this true?” She said nothing. “Ivy?” She still couldn’t look at him. She couldn’t bare what she might see on his face. The disappointment, the disgust, the horror. “Ivy…no. Tell me you didn’t.”

“Maybe I should tell him how you felt through all of it, huh, Ivy?” Rose asked. “How you loved every second of it. How you’ve always loved to kill. How the feel of your knife as you drive it into the back of your victims gives you such pleasure.”

Virian took a step back from Ivy, and finally she pulled her eyes off of the floor. Everything she had feared was plastered all over his face.

“Virian…I—”

He held up a hand.

“Ivy, tell me honestly. Is it true?”

She supposed there was no point in lying now. If she couldn’t be accepted for who she really was, what was the point?

“Yes. Everything.”

Virian flinched as though struck.

“How could you?”

“They would have done the same to me!” Ivy screamed. “Worse! They would have tortured me!” She pointed down at Rose. “Just look at what the people you’re feeling sorry for are capable of! Was I supposed to sit back and do nothing? Wait for them to capture me again? No one else was going to stop them, so why shouldn’t I? Don’t you dare judge me for doing what you couldn’t!”

“I…I don’t—”

“What? Virian? Got something to say? Spit it out!”

He looked pained, almost like he was going to be sick.

“You murdered hundreds of people, Ivy!”

“I eliminated hundreds of enemies. Is it any different than the wars of the mundane? Witches are at war with the church from this point on. I will not sit back and let them slaughter us any longer.”

“You can’t just eradicate an entire group of people! That’s not for you to decide!”

That sounded quite a bit like what Rose had said to her in the past.

“And who does get to decide? Who gets to decide whether I’m supposed to die or them? Is it you, Virian? Do you want to control me, too? I take you to bed once and you own me?”

“That’s not it, and I think you know it. And I can even understand why you did it. I just…I don’t know if I can stomach it, Ivy. I’m sorry, but—”

Ivy stopped listening and looked down at Rose. The bitch wore the smuggest smile Ivy had ever seen. She won, and she knew it. She had probably always known it.

“Fine,” Ivy said, “I guess you two know best. Good luck dealing with the mess I left behind.”

She called on her power and fled from the palace as fast as possible.