It was 3:00 p.m., Nitean Capital Time. The brewmasters at the Gatekeeper-run apothecary were especially busy. In one of the laboratories, a department of brewmasters was busy with brewing panaceas. Each one had an entire table and cabinet to him or herself. Though there was plenty of movement inside the room, the noise was minimal. Barely any interaction occurred between those working there, for they were too occupied with their own tasks.

Grimelda was the only brewmaster who had a whole section of the laboratory reserved for herself. As the Head Brewmaster, she was not only tasked with brewing the most difficult potions, but also reviewing recipes for new potions and overseeing the work of her fellow brewers. She was in her room, sectioned from the rest of the lab by glass walls, testing a recipe for a potential panacea.

Tap. Her phone tapped her wrist to notify her of a message. She lifted her right hand and glanced at the screen. The Nitea-Paris portal was opening! But none of the Realm Seekers have class right now, she thought. Who was passing through? She glanced at the thermometer. Twenty degrees.

"Apprentice," she called softly.

A young man in plain attire had been observing her from afar, standing near the door to her private lab. He marched towards the table.

Grimelda stepped aside. "Panacea twelve, step one-eight-two, twenty degrees."

The apprentice gave a short nod and took over her work, squinting at the thermometer as he monitored its temperature.

Grimelda removed her goggles and gloves before placing them on a separate desk. Once done, she twirled her right arm. Dark mist rose from her hand and shrouded her figure, transforming her lab coat into a dark tailored suit. Once she had changed her clothes, Grimelda marched out of the laboratory.

She blinked. Fwmm. A force dragged her body as though she was being squeezed through a coin-sized hole. Her feet then felt solid ground. She opened her eyes. In a blink of an eye, she had teleported from the apothecary to the forest that surrounded the pond portal.

Judging from the lack of light coming from under the water, the portal should have closed already. Ripples formed as a figure struggled to swim to the surface. Splash. Water erupted as the pond spat out the figure who had just crossed over to Nitea. A girl. Grimelda scrutinized her from afar, using her psychometry to gather information about her. Name? Michelle de la Fontaine. Age? Sixteen years old. Species? Human. Wait, a human? Grimelda lifted her wrist and opened her phone. She entered the girl's details into the database. No results—she was neither a Gatekeeper nor a Realm Seeker. A trespasser. Grimelda teleported herself to a spot not far from where the human was.

The girl was startled by Grimelda's sudden appearance. The Gatekeeper brushed it off.

"Greetings, Michelle. I am the Prime Guardian of this portal and according to the database, you are not authorized to enter this realm. Let me erase your memories and send you back to Earth."

"Wait, what?"

Grimelda did not bother to elaborate. She lifted her wrist and began scrolling and typing on her phone. Out of the blue, chills ran from the top of her head to the base of her spine. Wait, why am I sensing dark magic? She returned her attention to Michelle and squinted. Her psychometry told her that Michelle was a human, yet she could detect sorcery coming from where she stood. No, the sorcery was not from within Michelle, but from something she was wearing, like a cursed object.

"Is there something wrong with your right hand?" Grimelda asked.

"My right hand..."

Michelle gasped. Her right index finger had transformed into glass.

"A curse!" Grimelda exclaimed. "This isn't good. Quick, you must follow me."

She grabbed Michelle by the wrist and teleported them to the lobby of Gatekeeper Headquarters. Without releasing her grasp, Grimelda led her past the lobby, up the elevator to the hundredth floor, and down the left corridor. After passing through ten doors, they took a left turn and halted at the first entrance they saw. Nailed to the wooden door was a brass plaque, with the words "Master Grimelda Lenotti" engraved into it. The door opened without either of them having to touch the handle.

The inside of the office was warm and bright. Yellow-tinged lamps hung from the ceiling, a wooden desk and chairs occupied the center of the room, and shelves stocked with bottles lined the sides of the office. Grimelda let go of Michelle and gestured to one of the smaller seats.

"Please, sit."

Michelle obeyed without a word. Grimelda closed the door behind her and sat directly opposite the human girl. She took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Sorry for not properly introducing myself earlier. My name is Grimelda and I'm a Gatekeeper, which means that I monitor the portals between Earth and the other realms," she introduced herself. "As a witch, I can detect dark magic in people or objects. That's how I discovered your curse. Now before I help you, do you have any questions?"

The girl shook her head, her face still in a confused state. Grimelda retrieved a thin screen from the top of her desk and began typing.

"Now in order to help you, I need you to answer some questions. First, how did you manage to cross from Earth to here?"

"I, euh, was walking around a library when I saw a wall opening, and then I saw there was a room that was hidden behind that wall," Michelle recalled. "I went inside and there were some stairs, so I went down the stairs and found this smaller room inside. There was a word written on the walls, so I said that word, and after that, the portal opened."

"Were you with anyone when that happened?"

"No, I was alone."

"Did anyone tell you about the portal, or show you something related to it?"

"No. I found it by accident."

"I see." Grimelda continued entering the answers on her computer, still puzzled by them. "And by the way, may I look at your finger more closely?"

Michelle lifted her right index finger. Grimelda leaned a little closer and inspected it. Worn around it was a glass ring, its head in the shape of a rose. The goosebumps intensified.

"There is dark magic in your ring," Grimelda revealed. "How did this come into your possession?"

"I found it, euh, in my backpack. It was a gift."

"When?"

"On Valentine's Day, so 14 February earlier this year."

"And you've been wearing it since then?"

"Yes."

"Strange," Grimelda noted, "so you've been wearing that ring for months, but it did not affect you until today?"

"Yes."

"Who gave you this ring?"

Michelle paused. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I found the ring in my bag, and it came with a letter. It said it was from my 'secret admirer' so until now I don't know who gave it to me."

Grimelda stroked her chin. "I also possess psychometry, which allows me to gather information about anyone or anything through touch or sight. I can find out who gave it to you, but it will take me a while."

Michelle nodded her head in understanding. Grimelda fixated her gaze on the ring and mentally chanted a question: who placed the ring in her bag?

A blurry image entered her mind. From the short hair and body shape, Grimelda could tell that the figure was male. She squinted. The image became clearer, with his facial features starting to show. A small, slender nose; sharp, almond-shaped eyes; and thin, tight lips. He looks familiar, she thought as she concentrated further. Color then filled the image. A golden hue shaded his hair, dark turquoise flooded his eyes, and porcelain white tinted his skin. A golden necklace, glowing a soft red, hung around his neck. Grimelda gasped.

Eddie, the Realm Seeker. Several questions flashed in her mind as she recognized his face. Why would he give her a cursed ring? She knew he could not have cast the curse that was afflicting Michelle—as a human, he was incapable of any magic. Therefore, he should have gotten it from somewhere, but how? And from whom? Did he intend to hex her, or was it an accident?

"Who is it?" Michelle asked.

"I—eh—I'll tell you later," Grimelda said. "I need to gather more information first."

She resumed gazing intensely at the ring. Of all the queries in her mind, she picked one: from whom did Eddie get the ring?

Another male figure entered her vision. This time, the figure's mere physique was already recognizable—he looked like one of her students. She shuddered and concentrated further. A bed of dark brown, tousled hair rested on his head; his wide, closed mouth was stretched into a shy smile; and a pair of small, silver eyes stared back at her. She widened her eyes in shock.

Giorgino. No, it can't be. Her own student created the cursed ring? She had been mentoring him for years. If he had indeed practiced dark magic, she would have detected it by then. Perhaps Giorgino found the ring when it was already cursed, and whoever created it was the sorcerer. She dug deeper into the ring's past, repeatedly asking a question in her head: who created the ring?

Grimelda was hoping to see an entirely different person, someone she did not know—or at least, someone she knew to be evil—yet the only change that she perceived was that the man grew shorter and younger. The same silver eyes still stared back at her.

Giorgino was the ring's creator? Impossible! The nature of light and dark magic had made it impossible for any person to wield them simultaneously. The good could not wield darkness, and the bad could not wield light. Yet Giorgino, who could wield light magic, could create a cursed object? It made no sense at all. But then why was she seeing him in the ring's past, as its creator and distributor? Had he turned to the dark side at some point? And if he did, how was he able to hide it from her? No dark mage, no matter how skilled, could hide their sorcery from a witch like her.

Grimelda snapped out of her trance and glanced at Michelle, whose face was still blank. "I must go somewhere for a while," she announced, "please stay here. If anybody knocks on the door or enters, just say that Master Grimelda is busy for the day."

"Okay," Michelle said.

Grimelda got up and strode towards one of the shelves. Ampoules and vials of potions lined them. She pocketed one of them, left the room, and brisk-walked towards the elevator. She rode it to one of the lower floors and headed to one of the classrooms. Walk straight, third left turn, second door on the right. She halted. A plaque was attached to the door, the words "LM 102" engraved in big, bold letters. A classroom belonging to the Light Magic department.

Grimelda knocked on the door before she opened it. A man she recognized as Master Gilbert was busy lecturing his class, but her entrance made him pause. She glimpsed the room. Giorgino was seated at the back. Concern and curiosity filled his eyes once he took notice of Grimelda's presence.

All eyes were on her, but she did not mind. "Gilbert," she addressed him, "may I borrow Giorgino for a while, please? Code white."

Gilbert nodded and then turned to Giorgino. "Please, follow her."

Giorgino rose from his seat and sheepishly made his way to the door. The two of them left and then entered an empty room nearby. Giorgino pulled two chairs and positioned them so that they would face each other. After they took their seats, Grimelda retrieved the ampoule from her pocket.

"Drink this," she ordered him.

She gave it to him. Inside it was a clear liquid that glowed a faint white. Giorgino sniffed it and gagged, then looked at her.

"A truth serum?" he asked.

"Just drink it."

"But Master, I don't understand—"

"Must I repeat myself?" she said sternly.

Giorgino pinched his nose as he held the container to his lips and gulped it down as quickly as he could. For a moment he covered his mouth with both hands as if he were about to vomit, but he soon returned to his normal state. He shuddered from the aftertaste.

Grimelda unrolled her phone and unfolded it. She made a digital note, ready to type whatever answers her student was going to provide.

"I'm going to ask you a series of questions," she began. "Have you ever created a glass ring?"

He briefly widened his eyes. "Yes."

"Did that ring have a head shaped like a rose?"

"Yes."

"And did you give it to Eddie?"

"Yes."

"Did you know it was cursed?"

"Yes, it was."

"Then why did you give it to him?"

"Because he wanted to give something to a girl he liked and asked me for advice, so I gave him the ring so he could impress the girl. I already cleansed it so the ring wouldn't harm anyone."

The last part of his answer confused her. Cleansing—an act of removing a curse—was something not taught until a light mage had reached the intermediate stage. And even then, they would start with mild hexes, not advanced curses like the one she had detected. Giorgino seemed to still be a beginner, albeit a rather advanced one. She probed him further, "What did you mean by 'cleansing' it?"

"I used light magic to remove the curse from the ring. It took me three weeks, but I managed to remove it."

"So you did not curse ring?"

"No."

"Then who did?"

"My ex-girlfriend did."

Grimelda pressed her right hand against her forehead. Every answer opened up a dozen new queries. She took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me everything that happened involving the ring, from its creation until the time you gave it to him."

Giorgino took a deep breath. "It all started when my then-girlfriend..."

What followed next was a lengthy recalling of events. It began when his then-girlfriend gave him a glass cube for an anniversary gift, telling him to craft his own present since she knew not what to give him. He ended up crafting an engagement ring, which he used to propose to her soon after. She accepted his proposal and became his fiancée. Things went downhill when his "crazy" ex-girlfriend managed to track down his then-fiancée. The ex-girlfriend murdered her out of jealousy and stole her identity in order to win back his love. However, Giorgino saw through her illusion, and they dueled each other to near-death until the police found and detained her. She managed to jinx the ring before her arrest and was sentenced to death soon after. Giorgino then spent the next three weeks trying to cleanse the ring, seemingly succeeding after more than thirty failed attempts. However, he did not have to heart to wear it, nor destroy it. A few days later, his student approached him and asked for advice on what to give his love interest. Giorgino seized the opportunity to get rid of the ring without destroying it.

"...and that is how it went."

Grimelda breathed a sigh of relief. Good grief, that was long. "So you had no ill intent during all those events?"

"No."

"Well, your actions had ill consequences," she said. "The girl who received the ring from your student? She's cursed."

Giorgino's jaw dropped, and his eyeballs bulged out of his skull. "How—"

"You did not remove the curse," she interrupted him, "you made it dormant! This whole time the curse was sleeping on her finger, and the moment she got near the portal it was activated. You should've brought it to a certified cleanser instead of trying to do it yourself."

"She crossed—"

"Yes, she crossed into Nitea. She's waiting in my office right now."

"Oh no. But, can't you remove the curse?"

"I'm a witch, Giorgino. I cast curses, not remove them," she reminded him. "We need a light wizard to remove the curse, but unfortunately most of them are busy."

"Wait, but what about Master Galatea?" Giorgino inquired.

"Master Galatea is currently hospitalized. She and Master Gertrude were attacked while guarding the portal to Tenebrare."

Giorgino's jaw dropped once more. He then asked, "What about Master Gaël?"

"He's currently taking over Galatea's post at Tenebrare."

"And Master Gwen?"

"She's running errands in Parafiso."

"My mom?"

"With Master Gaël, stationed temporarily at Tenebrare. That means your mentor teaching you right now is our only option."

"So the class will be cut short?"

"Pretty much. Now go back, and don't tell anyone what we discussed."

They rose from their seats and exited the room. As they walked, Grimelda said, "Giorgino?"

"Yes, Master?"

"When you mentor Eddie tomorrow morning, don't forget to tell him about the curse."

"I will, Master."

They walked down the hallway and returned to LM 102. Grimelda then urged Gilbert to follow her to her office upstairs. When they arrived, Michelle appeared to have not moved a single muscle. Her body was tense as she sat upright. Grimelda made a hand gesture to show that help had arrived.

"So this is Michelle," Grimelda said to Gilbert in Nitean, "there's a curse on the ring she's wearing that's turning her into glass. Can you remove it?"

Gilbert looked intently at Michelle's finger. "It feels strong," he said, "but I'll try."

"Please do."

Gilbert knelt next to Michelle and hovered his palm over her right hand. A white glow emanated from his palm, and soon a dark mist rose from her ring. Light and darkness danced and dueled as Gilbert focused on the ring, determined to remove the curse.

Bang! A dark wave sent Gilbert flying across the office and slamming against the wall.

Grimelda rushed to his side. "Are you alright?" she inquired.

He massaged his head as he got up. "I am," he told her, "but she might not. The curse is too strong. We need to take her to a hospital."

"Then we shall. Actually, can you take her there please? I'll extract samples from the curse and analyze them while you're taking her there."

"Sure."

Grimelda grabbed three empty ampoules from a shelf and then made her way to Michelle's side. She held up Michelle's hand and uttered an incantation. Wssh. Dark mist flowed from the ring and into the three ampoules, swirling like ink in water. She then motioned for her to stand up.

"Please follow Master Gilbert," Grimelda spoke in English, "he will take you to a hospital."

Michelle nodded her head. As she and Gilbert left the room, Grimelda pocketed the ampoules and headed back to her laboratory. Her apprentice looked up from the work table. He stepped aside to make way for her.

She held up her hand. "No, continue," she instructed. "I have something else to do."

The apprentice nodded and continued to work in silence. Grimelda transformed her outer clothing back into a lab coat, put on her goggles and gloves, and set the three ampoules on a separate work desk. Now she should decipher what kind of curse she was dealing with.

✧ ✧ ✧

Fun Fact: In the original draft of this book, we are introduced to Michelle after she has fully turned into glass. In this version, the curse is far more gradual.

I hope this chapter was interesting for you! If it was, please don't forget to vote! 😉 Thank you so much!