Part 1: Ella

Ivelisse

Day 124

Bracus and Dominique call on us with urgency. I quantum tunnel to where Dominique and Bracus summon us.

"Will you stop quantum tunnelling?" Bracus tells me, "You're only several feet away. You might break the universe with that."

"W'at is 'appenin'?" I ask him, ignoring him.

"Naomi's safety has been compromised," Bracus answers to all of us.

I pale. Oh no. This can't be good. Markus's eyes are glowing red and his wings burst out of his back. His face is flat and bitter.

"I will slay whoever leaves a finger on Naomi," Markus growls. His inner dragon peaking.

"So will I," Aelen joins in.

It feels so weird for Aelen to say that shizz.

"I think it's too late," Bracus grimaces. Markus starts to sizzle.

"No. The rest of the coven has been located. We need to rescue them and bring them immediate treatment," Dominique comes in, "Aelen you got Rick, Markus you got Phil, and Ivelisse you got Ella. Bracus and I will get Naomi."

My lips curl when she mentions Ella to me. I miss Ella and I feel the mistake burdens me again. Ella's recent condition will scratch my heart even more. This time, I have a chance to show her that I will redeem myself.

A blue gem manifests out of thin air. It multiplies into three and goes onto our forehead. We can see Naomi's memories of locations of the coven and Naomi's dad. We can also see what Naomi has done before.

Sheesh, she's an active pilot... She was set to spy, not sabotage.

"You now know. Now go!" Dominique orders.

I quantum tunnel to Ella's location. Her mutant-like stares haunt me and they will haunt me forever. What are you doin' in my territory? Her face reads.

"'igh Priestess Ella," I said to her.

She lets out a loud scream, letting out purple shockwaves in all directions. They hit me and my head hurts. My back slams against the wall.

"Ella, it's me, Ivelisse!" I explain to her, "Please, we're not t'e enemy."

She screams again. Goodness, her screams are a banshee's madness. The sound is more terrifying than my momma screaming. She thrashes in her chains.

"I don't want to 'urt you!" I tell her, "Please, stop. Recognize w'o you are."

She stomps the ground, it shakes that I go into the air to not feel the force. She then shrieks again, hitting me against the shaking wall.

She thrashes again and the chains become undone.

This is not good.

She charges at me without a second thought. I dodge to my left.

She stomps on the ground. A powerful shockwave shakes the poor cell. She unleashes another soundwave that slams me to the wall again.

"Ella, please!" I beg,

But she keeps on screaming and screaming with no end in sight. She comes closer. The soundwaves turn deafening. I feel my body forced deeper into the wall.

If she keeps on getting closer, she'll put me in the wall. Literally.

I manipulate the gravity near her. She lets an evil hiss as she drags toward it. I make the gravity wall return to normal, causin' a bounce back. She groans as she falls back.

"Ella, please, knock it off! Please! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

She glares at me and roars. The walls of the cell begin to shake, no longer bearing her screams.

Ivelisse, subdue her! Aelen says to me telepathically, makin' my head spin. Her soundwave plummets me into the wall again. My body and headaches.

I can't, I tell him as my body is stuck to the wall by the insane soundwave.

If you don't, both Rick and Ella will escape. You have to knock her out! He screams back urgently. My head becomes more dizzy. Everything is foggy, only the purple soundwaves stand out.

She's got me cornered, I-I can't. My head is loopy, I tell him.

For Pete's sake, Ive, snap out of it. Use your powers. Remember who-"

His words turn fuzzy, into static. Everything feels static even Ella's powers are a blur.

My whole body loses feelin' everywhere.

I lost feeling myself too, an emptiness. With this dizziness, there is nothing else I can do.

"Nice to meet you, Ivelisse Pardeel," Ella once said to me, smilin', "Welcome to the Nyx Coven. We have an empty room just for you, so no need to cram in here."

"T'ank you, Ella," I said with a blush, "Glad to be 'ere."

Gosh, she looked more gorgeous in person. Her hair was like leaves changing for autumn, red and brown mixed with permed curls tucked back in a ponytail. Her browns were smooth as a sweet. She was in casual jeans and a t-shirt.

I look around in inspiration, "T'is place is nice!" It's much better than texting Ella. She had her own occult group chat, but a secret one for coven members.

"If you need something, just ask. Make yourself at home."

My first step into the coven's library after unpacking and settling in. Oh my goodness! This place is huge and full of knowledge. It was goin' to take me years to read all-

And perform all!

I've read and I've read many occult books. I felt like I was in a different world.

Perhaps, I can experience it, I thought, The Atrium of Dimensions. I can see what's beyond Earth. This was at the back of the library, sealed off in a cage that only Rick and Ella had the key to access.

"No, Ive, that ritual is not recommended for beginners," Ella warned me.

"It's actually dangerous if you screw up," Blathnaid added.

Like all rituals if gone wrong, I thought in my head.

"Can you watch me to see if I 'ave done it correctly?" I eagerly asked.

"No, Ive. I understand you want to do it. Even with our observation, a slip-up is on your own. You need more practice with ghosts, entities, and magic, Ive. Down the road, we'll see," Ella refused.

My fingers curled against the bars, hurt that I couldn't fully grasp it. It wasn't until both Rick and Ella were out at work one day in March. Dominique was looking at the reports for her social media site on her computer. Blathnaid was doing Blathnaid stuff. Renin, Jonas, and Lucas were doing boys things in Jonas's room by playing video games. I swear they were playing a player versus player game just by them playfully arguing with each other.

I didn't know where Aelen was. I snuck into Ella's room and found the key on the top shelf in her closet. It was in a small brown bag under so many spare sheets and excess witchcraft material. I could feel someone behind me when I grabbed it, but once I turned around, no one was there and the watchy feeling was gone.

Gosh! This is harder than I thought. I sighed frustratedly. I had an urge to throw the book, but it's not a wise-idea. The coven was sleeping and I was hiding in the corner of the library, making sure that I wouldn't get caught. I've already failed multiple times.

Woah, this place is beautiful! I thought. My heart stopped as I wandered around Verantuvia for the first time.

I bounced up and down, amped to see all of this. I flew all the way to Gaeriecelleh.

"'ello!" I said to the villagers.

They all stared at me, almost glaring. I was like a ghost. The gravity didn't affect me. I wasn't transparent, nor invisible. They all could see me.

I chuckled and flew around the rest of the planet for hours on end. One place I avoided coming to was the hive area. The people looked more like giant insects than humans.

Of course, I was right.

They probably can't hurt me at all, I thought, debating whether to go down to the Teketa region, I can always fly out if trouble happens.

I passed through the palace. It did not look like a dark hive, but rather out of what professional builders in Minecraft used to create something epic out of obsidian.

When I first landed, the guards stepped back, shocked at my presence. Netedinark was in the distance and he knew I was there. He stopped in his place and turned around to see me.

"Don't worry, I come in peace," I said with a bow, "I am Ivelisse, I come from another world: Earth."

"Are you sure you came from another world?" Netedinark said to me coldly, "You smell lowly like an insect, but beautiful as an Evanitarian."

Rude and who are the Evanitarians?

"Sure, I do. I'm from Earth!" I explained to him with a smile, ignoring that his body language appeared not so open arms. It was more like a hug with claws.

He seems so wickedly grateful for my presence.

"Earth?" He cackled. "Never heard of Earth here!"

"We are from the Sun's solar system, within the Milky-Way galaxy. Perhaps, we're from another galaxy."

He grinned "Never heard of that either."

"Maybe you named the galaxies differently?"

"Lady, we know the whole universe and we have never heard of a place called Earth, Sun, and the Milky Way. Don't think so highly of yourself; you don't name the damn planets. We do."

"Universe?"

I am in another universe?! In another universe! Holy Moly! This ritual was more powerful than I thought! I feel I'm going to scream off the walls when I come back and tell the coven to suck it! I'm glad that I was able to do it successfully this time.

"You should see it!" I recommended it with the friendliest tone I can think of, "It's beautiful."

"As I wish," he said.

"What the hell, Ive, how are you in the cabinets?" Renin shouts, startled.

"Uh-Uh-I don't know," I replied in the same tone, "I-I was sleepin' in t'e bed."

"Stop sleeping in there and go back to bed."

Everyone else stared at me weirdly.

"Ive, why are you fast asleep in the basement?" Rick asked, "You got'ta room y'know?"

"Uh-W'at?" I ask, dazzled and startled about my whereabouts, "I-I don't know 'ow I got 'ere..." The basement was the coldest place in the house and my body somehow decided to sleep there.

"Ive, did you have a history of sleepwalking?" Rick asked.

"Not'in' I know of." My mind is a void of anything.

Coven movie night. All of us were on the couch, watching "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle." This movie is more than four decades old and we still love it. We were chowing down some popcorn. Ella, Dominique, Lucas, Aelen, and Rick are the slow eaters while Renin and Blathnaid are the gluttonous monsters of popcorn.

"Renin, jeez, you already half of the damn bowl," Ella teases.

"Sorry," Renin replies sarcastically, "Blame Blathnaid, she is also shoving a handful in her mouth." Blathnaid stops chewing popcorn and glimpses at us with a handful of popcorn in her hand.

My body heavily exhales without command. I was forced to lie on the ground despite lying against the couch seconds prior.

"Ivelisse, are you okay?" Dominique asked me.

"Y-Yea', I'm fine," I mustered, out of breath, "My body de-decided to give up o-on me."

"Do I need to carry you to bed?" Renin offered.

I blushed a bit. "No-No t'anks."

I got up and my head spun. A total buzz numbed my entire body. My vision turned fuzzy. Suddenly, small branches appeared in my eyesight. They grew small thorns, pluckin' my eyeballs.

If the eyes don't feel anything, I call that bullcrap.

I screamed and heard Netedinark's laughter in my head. Just like that, it was over. My whole body is on the ground. I couldn't open my eyes, but when I did, I was crying blood.

Rick ran some tests and everything came back normal. There was no damage. Nothing to be concerned about, only an invisible anchor tied around my body.

"Get some rest, Ive," He informed me, "Let me take you to your room."

I blinked at him. My eyes refused to stay open any longer.

"She has done the ritual, hasn't she?" Rick asked Ella while I was going by Ella's room at night. Both Ella, Rick, and Blathnaid were there.

"Looks like it," Ella sounded very displeased.

"She's in big trouble," said Blathnaid.

"Deep shit," Ella mumbled.

"'Cause you never think!" Naomi hollered at me.

"Never think!" Her words echoed.

"Never think!"

"Never think!"

Ivelisse! Aelen yells at me, bringing me back to the world. The walls are now covered with cracks and rapidly deteriorating.

I stare at her for a moment. I warp myself into a one-dimensional being. They can't see much of me since I transform myself into a small dot.

It goes like swoosh!

Ella stops and looks around, seeing her opponent has perished.

Now what to do?

C'mon, Ivelisse, think!

How can I save her without hurtin' her? Hmmmm...

Wait a minute, I got it!

I cast a warp bubble, bending space around. Nothing can enter and ruin whoever is inside it, but the person inside it can't leave. Holding that bubble, I warp back into myself.

"'ello, Ella!" I wave cheerfully.

She shrieks, but I can't hear a thing. Feels weird to see her mouth moving with nothing coming out of it.

I do see the purple sound waves. They hit the edges before bouncing back onto Ella from all directions.

She clutches her head, shouting again, releasing more soundwaves. Then, she collapses right onto the ground unconscious.

I remove the warp bubble.

Ive, what if she wakes up? My mind yells at me.

Yeah, I will leave it there just in case. I put it back up.

Ella is unconscious, I said while trying to focus on Dominique.

Well done, Ive, sit tight until the rescue mission is done. Don't attract any more attention, she responds back, makin' my head spin.

As she wishes, I warp back into a tiny 1D dot. Now I need to hope that no one enters.

Get well soon, Ella.