— Xanilia?! I turn my head towards the eccentric woman behind me, only to see her closing the door and locking it either with a key or with magic. What are you doing here?! How did you manage to enter my house?! I ask with a desperate and terrified look, extremely shocked that the witch has entered my own room.

— Oh, Jonathan, my dear... did you really think I didn't know where you live? I told you we would fight, but I changed my mind in the end. Not only that... I managed to take the other four crystals from your friends; I only need yours, and then I'll be powerful enough to become the true empress of hell! The woman starts to laugh sadistically, looking into my eyes with infernal superiority.

She slowly walks towards me, holding my chin with a finger, staring at me like a snake about to devour its prey.

— Are you aware that it was extremely easy to take the crystals from your friends? Why would you be any different? The witch manages to snatch the necklace from my neck, transforming into its crystal form. It was so easy, much easier than I anticipated.

I had nothing to do; I couldn't do anything! All of this is happening so suddenly that I can't react, just stare in terror at the she-devil in front of me, looking at me with eyes full of hatred and superiority.

It's enough for her to give me a shove against the wall, during which I look at her completely helpless. I watch as the woman laughs sadistically while the crystals revolve around her.

— Now I've become invincible... she says, amused by my suffering.

But her joy doesn't last long, as the crystals begin to shake and fall to the floor, rolling around.

— How on earth is this possible? She wonders. Did I not perform the ritual correctly or what? She snaps her fingers, conjuring a black and red book that she flips through.

— What are you doing there? I ask her puzzled.

— Wait a moment... she says, reading from the book, only to see her face turning red as fire. She slams the book against the wall and destroys it with a burst of black magic.

— Please don't hurt me! I say, putting my arms in front of me defensively.

— Stay calm... she sighs gently. I have nothing against you; I have an issue with your grandfather, I mean your dad. He lied to me... and foolishly, I believed him.

— What do you mean? I ask her confused, only to see her on the verge of tears.

I almost feel sorry for her, and I probably would feel even worse if she didn't attack us like that.

— And did you do anything to my friends?

— Oh no... don't get me wrong. I just cast a spell to make them fall asleep, nothing more. Unlike dad, I have mercy...

— So, are they okay?

— Yes, the redhead gave me a bit of trouble. She refused to fall asleep, but in the end, she did, and I took her necklace.

— Then why did you act foolishly earlier? Why did you say that your dad deceived you?

— Simple, a long time ago, I fought with my dad for the throne. He cheated, and I lost. He said that if I had used these crystals, I would have surely defeated him, only to find out now that they can only be used by their rightful bearer. I had to realize he lied and said that just to get rid of me, and now I have nowhere to go...

— What do you mean? I ask her.

— It means that I'm banned from returning to hell if I don't manage to defeat him with the crystals. I made a deal; I'll talk to your mom if she lets me live here, although it's unlikely.

— You're lucky my mom is forgiving, because I already told her that I ran into you.

— It's clear, she puts her hand to her head. I'll stay here for a few days... and I'm really sorry for what I did to you; seriously, I apologize.

— Apologies are accepted, as long as you didn't harm me or my friends, everything is fine.

— I did throw you against the wall, though... are you okay?

— I've been through worse; I'm friends with Lyna. It's not the first time I've been slammed into a wall; I'm used to it.

— Okay... I'll go to your mom tomorrow; by now, you've already talked to her. We'll talk later! The witch unlocks the door as she exits the room.

I pick up the crystals from the floor, including my crystal that transforms back into a necklace as soon as my hand makes contact with it. I grab my bag and put the crystals inside. Luckily, it's still summer, and we don't have school yet, so I can meet my friends anytime to return their magical prisms.

Several hours pass while my aunt talks to my mom. I hear voices downstairs, only to see Xanilia coming into my room all happy.

— She agreed to let me live with you! She tells me happily, trying to hug me, to which I push her away.

— I'm sorry, I'm not used to it...

— It's okay; I didn't want to bother you. You know what's strange? A few hours ago, I wanted to destroy you, and now we're like friends, weird, isn't it?

— Yes, very strange! I respond to her, and she approves. I think I'll go tomorrow; you've already talked  mom, and it's getting dark. I'll take a cold shower and come back.

— I understand, my aunt says approvingly.

I enter the bathroom and lock the door behind me as I undress and step under the shower, turning on the icy-cold water that starts falling on my body. I really needed this relaxation; I need to think more about what happened. Nothing today has been normal; so much has happened in such a short time, and I haven't had time to breathe, let alone think about everything that has happened so far.

I seem fine, and nothing affects me, but I'm affected at an extraordinarily high level. I see magical crystals, demons appear, I find out I'm a demon's son... there are so many things that make me wonder if I'm just dreaming or if I'm somehow crazy. Please tell me that today was just a nightmare from which I will wake up tomorrow! Please, God, have mercy on me and let me live like a normal teenager. If so many things affected me in just one day... I have no idea what will happen next...

Something tells me that tomorrow will be an even longer day in which I will find out even more details. But we'll see, considering that... now the "fun" begins.