Even though Des Chevaliers is out cold and I’m half dead, Master Simon still can’t resist breaking into a monologue. He blabbers, “Thus, Winterspring Academy’s greatest disappointment of all time lies defeated and broken. You had all the chances in the world boy. Born of noble parents, educated in the finest school, given private lessons from the world’s most powerful mage, and yet you still somehow managed to ruin it all. I have to say dear boy, you almost make failing an art.”

He starts pacing the room back and forth stroking his mustache. He’s clearly pleased with himself right now. “If you’re going to kill me, then just kill me,” I tell him.

“No, no, boy. To the victor; the spoils. I want to etch into your brain just how big of a failure you are. Then as your good master, I shall honor you with one last favor and end your miserable life.”

Out of nowhere a large boom rings out from beneath us causing the entire chateau to shake violently. Master Simon cackles wildly. “Well it seems that my Apocalypse familiar just earned his dinner. But where were we? Ah yes. I was going to tell you about how much of a failure you are. Where should I begin? I guess that I should just skip ahead to the end; otherwise, I’d be chronicling your failures for days wouldn’t I boy?”

He checks the black fingernail polish on both of his hands. I wish that I could just die, but unfortunately I cannot. I have to listen to his arrogant boasting helplessly. He continues, “You know, I could have given you a good position in my kingdom – one just slightly lower than your little friend Sidney Butterfly. Although you yourself are mostly useless, you did bring me back my little songbird that flew away from her gilded cage. I think I’ll make her my wife, or at least one of my wives. I wouldn’t have minded having your servant either, but sadly I had to kill her to make a point to you. A point that you still somehow failed to comprehend. So now you die, the king dies, the Chief Inquisitor dies, and anyone who gets in my way dies. Just as soon as Sidney arrives, the final phase of my plan can begin.”

He cackles some more. I try to pull my hair out, annoyed beyond all measure. Then suddenly, he sees something that surprises him and stops his stupid laugh. “Ahhh Sidney! How long have you been there? Come to your master.”

I look over to see whatever he sees. The same odd dove that had landed on my shoulder in Magali is now perched in one of the semi-oval windows built into the wall. “Sidney?” I ask.

The dove flies down to the floor in between Master Simon and me. I watch in amazement as the little dove grows into the form of Sidney Butterfly. At once, she says, “Master Simon I don’t understand why you’re fighting Souladonis. Isn’t he your student?”

Master Simon shrugs his shoulders. “He was but he betrayed me. Be a doll Sidney and finish these two off for me.”

Sidney turns around and I get to see her from the front. Unlike the dark clothes that she wore before, now all of her clothes are colored a dazzling white. She wears a white one-piece dress, with white gloves, and white heels. Also, she has a white veil resting over her head to conceal her baldness. She practically looks like a different person. Yet there’s one thing that has not changed about her. –Her cerulean blue eyes.

She steps towards me and kneels in front of my face. I don’t know what to think of her new transformation. “Is that really you Sidney?”

She places her hands on my cheeks. Next, she stares deeply into my eyes while her own eyes sparkle. Abruptly, she kisses me on the forehead. Then she sings:

As a boy I knew a girl.

Her hair was black.

We’d smile, and sing, and play

Joke and laugh.

Each shining winter day was better than the last.

But unparalleled joy is never meant to last.

“My song Winter Soul!” I exclaim surprised. “You were awake the whole time?”

She answers, “Don’t worry Souladonis. I’ll take care of everything.”

Placing her hand on the top of my head, she calls out, “Blessing of the Heavens!”

An array of white sparkles illuminates my body. Instantaneously, I feel as fresh as a newborn. I rise to my feet to check on Des Chevaliers. When I start to tell Sidney to heal him too, I immediately shut up because he’s already on his feet returning my confused blinks.

“Sidney what are you?” I ask.

“Good question. I’ll ask Master Simon. You stay back.”

Sidney confidently steps away from me and towards Master Simon. I decide that it’s best to just ride with the situation and huddle against the back wall with Des Chevaliers. Master Simon scowls furiously at Sidney. “What do you think you’re doing? I said kill them not heal them!”

She ignores his anger. “What am I Master? What is this transformation that I’ve undergone?”

Master Simon strokes his goatee. “So you don’t even know yourself? You’re a White Witch: an ultimate class mage.”

“I see,” she says calmly. “Before when I shape-shifted, I became a bat. Now I become a dove. I’ve been sneaking out of my castle cell and following Souladonis around. I heard everything that he told the Chief Inquisitor. You’ve been using me for a long time, and I’ve been greatly hurt because of you.”

“Yes, but look at the power you’ve acquired! This is the potential that I knew you had within you. You should be thanking me!”

“I suppose that I do owe you some debt of gratitude. For that I shall do nothing more than leave here peacefully with Souladonis and Rupert.”

Sidney turns her back on Master Simon and walks away. He becomes so infuriated with her that the sweat on his brow starts to steam. Nevertheless, Sidney ignores him and calls to us confidently, “We’re leaving.”

“Maybe we should go,” I admit to Des Chevaliers.

“No!” Master Simon snaps. “None of you are going anywhere! How dare you defy me Sidney? I made you!”

“No Master. You turned me into something that I never wanted to be. I would have lost myself forever were it not for the kindness of Souladonis and Rupert. They actually cared about me, but you only ever cared about yourself.”

Finally, Master Simon’s temper reaches its boiling point. “Learn your place you hog!”

He juts out his palm and projects a large flaming black Comet like the one that he used to take out Des Chevaliers earlier.

Calmly, Sidney raises her palm and blocks the Comet with a barrier of white mana energy. “White Ice,” she says.

Right away, the fiery comet is frozen solid in crystal-like ice. Next, she pushes her palm forward and the frozen comet shatters into numerous spiky shards. Sidney pushes her palm forward once more, launching the ice shards directly at Master Simon. He covers himself with his arms and puts up a black mana barrier around himself. The ice shards either pass by him or melt against his shield. He’s not hurt, but I suspect that if he grows any angrier, he’s going to pop a blood vessel or something.

“That’s it!” he roars. “I’ll kill you all!”

He points his index finger at Sidney. “Bind!”

A circular ring of magical energy clasps around Sidney’s arms. Now she’ll be helpless. I start to run to her aid, but she leisurely stretches her arms out to the side causing the ring around her to fragment into tiny pieces. “Oh,” I say stopping in place. I return to my spot against the back wall with Des Chevaliers and mind my own business.

Next, Sidney points her finger at Master Simon and casts Bind on him. He wiggles and writhes trying to free himself, yet he’s unable. Screaming loudly, he strains his mana until the ring finally breaks. Completely lost to fury, he retaliates with the Enfeeble spell making Sidney more vulnerable to his magic. Casually, Sidney takes in a deep breath and with a puff of her lips, dispels the curse from herself. As I watch Sidney make a fool out of Master Simon, I almost want to imitate his annoying cackle, but that might make him attack me, so I don’t.

Acting out of blind rage, he casts the Chain Lightning spell at Sidney. Big mistake. Sidney absorbs his lightning into an orb of electricity building at her fingertips. Once he stops firing, Sidney does him one better. “White Lightning,” she says as she propels white-colored electricity back at him.

Master Simon freezes like a scared deer, powerless before Sidney’s magic. The lightning singes him and he winces in agony. After a few seconds, Sidney releases her spell. Traces of white electricity skip all over Master Simon’s black robe and he shrinks to the ground convulsing from the pain. I almost feel sorry for him, but then I remember what he did to Katherine and I want Sidney to fry him some more.

Yet having the compassionate heart that she does, Sidney lets him off the hook. “It’s over Master. We just want to leave in peace.”

“You’ll leave in pieces!” he retorts. He closes his eyes and starts threading his right hand through the air.

I shout, “Sidney look out! It’s the Impaler!”

Right away, Sidney holds out both palms for a new spell. “Heavensent Familiar,” she calls.

In front of her appears a beautiful unicorn, radiant, and glimmering with electricity sparking freely from its body. Sidney hops on its back and it immediately starts running around the room in erratic evasive maneuvers. Underneath its feet a black portal appears. Out of the portal a large black spike shoots up. Unlike the small lances that were gouged into my legs, this spike is large enough to impale a giant. It seems that before Master Simon was only toying with me. This time he’s casting his most powerful spell for real.

The Heavensent keeps moving and the spikes keep coming. The room is only so big, so whenever it reaches a wall, it suddenly has to cut the corner quickly or face a brutal death. Luckily, Sidney’s unicorn is fast and agile. It’s easily the most graceful, most majestic animal that I’ve ever seen. With its white aura it seems like a pure-hearted, gentle creature that would never hurt a fly. Yet looks can be deceiving. It slips past the black spikes, lowers its head, and runs Master Simon through his heart with its horn.

Blood drips from Master Simon’s mouth and the light fades from his eyes. The Heavensent takes a half step back and lowers its head to the ground, allowing Master Simon’s pierced body to slide off of its horn. Sidney descends from her unicorn and gives it a big hug. Then she unsummons it away. Des Chevaliers and I cheer triumphantly and run to Sidney’s side. I catch her in my arms and lift her into the air. After a little spin, I set her down and we hug normally. “That was amazing Sidney. I can’t believe that you beat Master Simon by yourself!”

“Not by myself,” she says running her fingers across my cheek.

“I hate to ruin the moment,” Des Chevaliers begins, ”but we need to go help Maximus.”

Sidney and I nod in unison and we all head for the door. On the way, I notice the ground beneath our feet turn black. “Look out!” Sidney shouts. I panic and freeze.

“Wind Push!” Sidney says. She uses her magic to blow me and Des Chevaliers into the distant back wall while propelling herself towards Master Simon.

“I’ll kill you yet!” he says barely able to stay on his feet. Again, he starts to attack us with the Impaler, but notices a large storm cloud over his head. He looks up puzzled at how a cloud could be inside the building. Suddenly, a tornado forms around him and raises him spiraling into the air between the floor and the cloud. Then out of the cloud a series of white lightning bolts rain down on him setting him ablaze in a white fire. He continues to spin in the tornado while on fire and being struck by lightning for ten seconds. Finally, the cloud dissipates and he falls heavily to the ground burned to a crisp. If Master Simon wasn’t dead before, he’s definitely dead now.

Des Chevaliers and I regain our composure and return to Sidney. “What was that?” I ask.

“My super technique: White Tempest.”

“How did you learn all of these new spells?”

“I don’t know. When Rupert taught me Life Magic, there was a flash of white light. After that I was different. It felt like I had always known these spells. I don’t understand it myself, but apparently I’m a White Witch now.”

I shrug my shoulders. “Works for me.”

We move to the exit. Sidney and Des Chevaliers pass through, but I stay behind to get one last look at Master Simon. Solemnly, I bow my head to say a few last words.

“For all the good things that you did for me, I truly thank you Master. But for everything else, I say, ‘you got what you deserved!’”

I mockingly imitate his cackle and then leave him behind for good.