Darkness’ Pull

The bright glare of the Sun illuminated the Cloud Kingdom, the rays filtering down to the world below the clouds. Bell relished the feel of the warm sun rays on her face as she strolled on the clouds. The Cloud Kingdom was a magical and peaceful city up in the clouds. The citizens of the Cloud Kingdom were protected greatly by a barrier, filtering most of the rays, sending harmful rays of heat and blinding light down into the ground.

Bell, a 15-year-old girl, lived for rainy days. On those days, it was actually washing-up and cleaning day, which happened really often as pollution from water vapour and… other things would come up and stain the normally snow-white buildings a stormy grey colour. Sometimes, at a certain part of the year, the temperature would drop dramatically and the dirty water would get tossed around, freezing into what Bell heard was called “snowflakes” before dropping them down. Occasionally, the kids would play a game called “ice balls” where they would grab multiple snowflakes, mush them into a ball of ice, and pelt it at the ground, trying to hit someone. That practice was quickly put to a stop though, as the citizens heard that people were getting injured. The “ice ball” games were then only allowed to proceed very rarely, but the older children played some more by sending bolts of magic down and laughing at the loud noise it made. The adults somehow found out, knew some people were getting killed, and told the children to be more careful, but didn’t stop it altogether.

With the good must come bad and so occasionally there were reports of black magic in the kingdom. The king dealt with it by throwing the practitioners off the clouds, where they would plummet down to the ground, and die. Most of those practitioners started off as bored teens who resented adults for restricting their play, thus most of the adults usually let the teens do whatever they want, provided they didn’t stray to the dark side.

That fateful day, Bell tossed back her golden-brown hair and strolled to an abandoned place blocked by clouds and mist. That special place was her very own space where she could relax. As she was shaping the fluffy clouds beneath her, a noise caught her attention. Immediately, she stood up in a defensive position, afraid for her life. To her surprise, an old, haggard woman hobbled out of the shadows (were there any in the first place?) and stood in front of her. Petrified, Bell stood her ground.

“Darling, you are Bell, are you not? Bell, the youngest Princess of Cloud Kingdom?” the wizened old lady asked.

Shocked, Bell could do nothing but stand and stare. How did an old lady know everything about her at a glance? Was she a witch?

“Yes, I am a witch, but black magic’s not what you think it is. It’s a struggle for power, not anything bad. It’s all for the greater good. There are only 2 types of people in this world. There are those that seek power and those who are too weak to. I know your oldest sister, Melody, is going to be the next queen, but if you join me, I can ensure that you will be the one who has total control over all,” The lady replied.

“Even those at the ground?” Bell asked, intrigued.

“Yes,” came the hissing reply.

Bell accepted, and a feeling of power enveloped her. Her enchanting jade-green eyes darkened, and she felt more confident.

“This is awesome,” she whispered, eyes glinting with greed and awe. “And this is only the beginning?”

After receiving a positive response, she started her training. Day by day she got more immersed, and soon she was staying in that secret space almost 24/7, torturing little birds that happened to fly up to her spot. Her appearance was also changing dramatically, her once jade-green eyes now a dark green, almost black colour. Her skin became increasingly pale, soon reaching the same shade of the clouds she was standing on. On the 2nd month of her training, the witch presented her with a chalk-white snake with crimson-red eyes.

“This is a highly venomous snake;” she began, “Regardless of magical blood, this snake’s venom will kill anyone instantly, except for you. This snake will also enhance your powers.”

Respectfully, Bell dipped her head as she received the snake. It immediately slithered under her clothing, wrapping around her neck and chest, so it was almost invisible. Bell’s dark brown hair shielded the snake too, providing some protection. She cast some of her usual spells, and they were more powerful than usual. Just as Bell was about to thank the witch, a group of soldiers burst into the clearing.

“We know that you have been practicing black magic for at least a month now,” the head announced, then brought Bell and the witch to the palace. The king arose from his throne to see the witches. Upon seeing Bell and the witch, he stopped dead in his tracks.

“Bell, Cassandra, is that you?” the king muttered in a choked up voice.

“Cassandra? Wasn’t that the name of my mother?” Bell thought in horror.

“I would never have expected for you two to end up this way. I’m… so sorry” the king said, a look of deep sadness briefly crossing his countenance, before his face hardened, and he said, “Throw them off the tallest tower.”

As Bell was thrown off, she felt a strange sense of calm envelop her. Of course! She could use what little powers she had left and use them to cushion her fall slightly! The white snake in the shirt had not been spotted, and she could draw on the little magic inside it to perform her last magic spell, before she became an ordinary human!

The king paced around the room, heart aching. It hurt him greatly to kill his wife and youngest daughter, but he had to do what had to be done. He peered in a magical glass, and found Bell and Cassandra’s bodies, badly torn and scratched, on a rock. He sighed, and returned to his normal duties.

Meanwhile on the Ground Below:

Dark green, almost black eyes flashed open, the ghost of a smirk touching her lips.

“It worked,” she said.