Jessica smashed her fist into the vase next to the hospital bed with unbridled anger, her teeth grinding and clenching against each other as the rest of the girls gathered around her, the burns on their hands, bodies and feet still healing even after three days of rest.

“You’re telling me that there’s no trace of Taeyeon at all, not even in the remains?” Yoona fidgeted at the agitated look on Jessica’s face, swallowing tentatively. They had just came back from a meeting with Jiyong about the incident, one which Jessica could not attend, due to her more extensive injuries from being so close to the explosion. Nonetheless, their king was not happy about the situation, and with the lack of Taeyeon and her usual calming effect on him, he was entirely out of control.

The evidence in their meeting room was clearly an example of his lack of control, for instance, if they were to bring up an example. The wooden table and chair were all but completely destroyed, shattered into pieces, to Seohyun’s horror. Precious items made from rare ores and rare woods destroyed by the hand of their dear destructive king, desperate and anguished by the loss of his Queen.

Yuri passed a hand across her face at that troubling thought. If they didn’t find a single trace of Taeyeon within the remains of the crime scene, it was of no doubt what Jiyong would do---a hammer of self-righteous would crack down on all the slaves and citizens of Silver Hollow, unquenched till the secret behind this attack was completely unearthed and exposed out.

“There were traces of magical energy within the blast.” Jessica’s words interrupted Yuri’s own trend of thought, a spark of hope and horror filling the depths of her heart at the impactful words of her bedridden girlfriend.

“You smelt it?” Jessica nodded grimly in agreement to Yuri’s words.

“If it is what I think it is, then we’re gonna have a huge trouble on our hands. Afterall, witches being our enemy is more of a troubling source than some rampant lycanthrope oldies.”

~~~~
Taeyeon stirred groggily awake, her head pounding at the bright light being shone into her eyes.

“W-where..am I?” The cloth covering her rustled, and fell away lightly as she struggled to sit up, rubbing her bleary eyes with a slight yawn. A clang of candlelight, originally held by a tiny hand, was set sturdily down beside her, the flickering light tracing it path up to a familiar but horrifying face of the tiny girl that had blew up in the town square.

“AH!” Taeyeon instinctively shrieked, scooting backwards in fright at the sight of the girl’s dull silvery eyes and sewn mouth. “Oh god, no.” Her eyes squeezed shut at the sight of the girl staring at her, peeking lightly after a while through trembling eyelashes.

“You’re being mean.” A childish voice echoed inside the cave room, and Taeyeon heard the rustling sound of young feet pattering to jump up onto something, and the clatter of metal boxes scattering all over the floor. She lowered her hands, straightening slowly as she turned towards the direction where the sound came from, exhaling lightly as another young child sat on the metal boxes next to where she was laid, clutching onto a broken and fraying teddy bear. The girl had feathery light blonde hair, and the same haunting silvery eyes as the girl that had sewn shut, dressed in a floaty one piece that draped around her thighs, a lost look to her tiny face and her long lashed eyes.

“I’m sorry.” Taeyeon scooted forward tentatively, watching as the tiny blonde hair with wafting hair moved forward curiously, the girl whose mouth was stitched sticking closely to her back, as though blankly protecting her, like some sort of machine. “Is...she yours?” She pointed fearfully at the girl behind her, whose eyes stared at the ground blankly, as though she had absolutely no notion that they were talking entirely about her. The young blonde haired girl’s head whipped around slightly, her bright eyes settling on the girl with sewn and nodding delightedly.

“She’s mine.” The girl bent forward slightly, playing with her toes. “They gave her to me after she died, and I made her alive again!” She brightened visibly, as though seeking for praise from Taeyeon. Taeyeon swallowed, noticing the chains that bound the young girl’s feet.

“Are they...forcing you to do this?” The girl shook her head vigorously, picking at her fingers this time.

“Oreo’s nice.” She tilted her head. “He asked me to take you away though, and blow Lily up in the town center. I didn’t want to, and then his father hit me.” She showed Taeyeon the cut on her cheek that was still healing. “His ring was sharp.”

“So…”Taeyeon moved forward a little more, reaching forward towards the girl with a tentative smile on her face. “Which race are you?” The little girl frowned deeply, tilting her head.

“Oreo says I’m a witchy.” The young child sniffed, the air around her wafting blonde hair flickering slightly. “So I guess I’m a witch?” She tilted her head as Taeyeon gave a side glance at her wafting hair and smiled. “What’cha laughing at?” She crossed her arms, huffing lightly.

“You can stop making me think your hair is blonde, you know.” Taeyeon chuckled lightly. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” She held out her palms gently. “If you’re not sure, I can,” She grunted as she tugged a spare pair of steel cuffs on the bedside, closing the lock firmly over her wrists with a loud clang. “Lock myself up so prove that I won’t attack you.”

The young girl nervously bit her bottom lip, her bright silvery eyes staring at the steel cuffs clearly cutting into Taeyeon’s hands.

“You’re a dummy.” The air around her rippled with magic, and the illusion of the blonde haired and silvery eyed girl distorted, before disappearing, revealing a dark haired but silver eyed child, her right hand holding a teddy bear that dragged on the floor, clearly dirty and worn from use.

“You didn’t hafta lock yourself.” She played with her fingers, propping the teddy bear on the counter before reaching over to take Taeyeon’s hands curiously in her. She ran a finger down the chain and the shackles, dirt clear under her fingernails. “Its not like mine.” She tapped the shackles lightly, and Taeyeon momentarily gaped in surprise as she snapped her fingers, the shackles cracking open to release her hands, before crumpling to the ground in a pile of twisted metallic mess.

The girl stared at the corroded metal, ducking her head slightly.

“Sorry.” She muttered, reaching back for her teddy bear just as Taeyeon reached out to pull her into a gentle hug. The contours of her body reflexively tensed, the unfamiliar feeling of being affectionate to someone taking the young child clearly by surprise.

“No, its fine. Thank you. My name is Taeyeon.” She smiled, gently cupping the child’s face for a moment before releasing it.

“T-tae-yon.” The little girl made an effort to correctly pronounce her name, with much difficulty.

“Tae-yeon.” Taeyeon patiently repeated gently after the girl, watching with a light smile on her face as the witch girl scrunched her face deeply together in concentration.

“Tae-yon.” The poor girl looked up at her blinking back confusion. “It sounds the same.”

“Well…”Taeyeon sighed lightly, lifting her fingers to pull back strands of mangled hair from the girl’s young face. “You can call me anything you’d like.”

“Tae-tae!” The young girl beamed back at her instantly, cheerily turning back to look at her. “Tae-tae?”

“Yes?” Taeyeon chuckled, smiling softly at the delight that spread all across the contours of the lonely child’s face.

“Are you gonna stay with me?” The young girl attached herself to her