With panic building in her chest, Indigo sprinted towards the distant tower that housed the council chambers. It was a fairly distinct building; a tall gothic tower poking up from between a huddle of tudor and romanesque buildings that comprised The City.

From the outside, The City was a total misnomer - the buildings were old, and only numbered a few dozen. From a distance, they seemed small and insignificant; just enough to fill a city block, let alone a whole city. But, like everything else in the Department of Witchcraft, appearances were deceiving. If one actually tried to navigate through it, they’d quickly find themselves in an endless maze of streets, alleyways, and buildings that earned The City its name. One might assume it was bigger on the inside, but that wasn’t entirely accurate either.

For size was not the only thing that made this magic city unique. The buildings that had housed thousands of people over the centuries, filled with life, death and everything in between, were no longer just structures of wood and stone. No, they had taken on a life of their own, imbued by empathetic magic that defied the laws of reality itself. The ‘city’ was practically an entirely new lifeform, unknowable and alien, both bigger and smaller than it appeared and one that shifted and responded to the emotions of its residents. And if a witch was feeling particularly stressed or emotional, it… reacted.

Indigo had run for nearly twenty minutes before she started to notice that something was wrong. She had taken this route to the Council Chambers many times before, and knew it well - but as she moved the tower on the horizon that housed her objective hadn’t gotten any closer. The street she was running along somehow felt… wrong. The usual students and porters that could be seen bustling about were nowhere in sight, and the usual buildings looked slightly… different.

Indigo’s pace quickened as her fear grew, racing through the old streets and alleyways that had suddenly grown strange. It was little things at first; an old sign pointed the wrong way, or a doorway in a place it didn’t belong. But the further she ran, the worse it became; the houses that lined her route became more and more unfamiliar, twisting into strange alternate versions of themselves. The sun’s lighting began to draw long shadows despite being midday, and an eerie silence settled over a city that was now completely unrecognizable. It was like the world had transformed into a dream of itself; alien, yet somehow familiar at the same time.

Indigo’s stomach dropped out as she came to a halt in a small brick and moss alleyway. She was lost. Of course she was. Only a blindly panicked rush could have caused the city to react to her like it did, warping her path and dragging her completely off course.

“Damn… damn damn damn. Oh Indigo, you fool…” she muttered under her breath. She didn’t have time for this; she needed to find that letter and fast.

She almost never had trouble navigating The City before. Indigo had only ever gotten lost twice before; once after running away from a fight with Aqua as a young child, and the second time when she returned home from an exam she had studied for nearly three nights straight. Neither experience had been inherently dangerous; after running away, she found a beautiful secret garden where she hid and cried till she felt better. The second time she ended up in a storage room full of nothing but mattresses and pillows. But the true danger revealed itself when she returned home; on both occasions, her passage of time had been completely warped. After spending three hours in the garden she came home to find she was only missing for twenty minutes - but her short nap in the pillow room had turned into three weeks outside The City.

And right now, time was the last thing she could afford to lose.

“Come on, please… please let me through…!”

Indigo’s stomach lurched as her hands began to tremble; a sure sign that a panic attack was on its way. But she didn’t have time for this; Indigo forced herself to ignore the sensation and staggered forward. She’d be safe at the campus archive if she reached it in time; the more people passed through a building, the more grounded in time and space it stayed.

Hitching up her robe, Indigo continued down the narrow alleyway that only seemed to be constricting more and more as she progressed. Doubling back would do her no good; the path would’ve already changed. Her only option was to press forward, mentally willing her destination to appear. It was like the campus was actively trying to resist her, closing the walls in around her as she tried to concentrate on her breathing to control her rising panic. She- she could do this. She had to do this.

The alley was now so narrow that she had to wriggle sideways, her clothes catching on the English ivy that clambered up impossibly high above her. Her breath caught in her chest and she was forced to remove her lovely, comforting hat and hold it sideways as she wriggled from side to side.

Come on… come on! Take me to the archive!

The threads of her dress were catching on the rough brickwork as her breasts were painfully squeezed into her chest. She couldn’t even face forward anymore; her head was forced to the right as her antlers caught the ivy and dragged it with her.

Let me go… Let me GO!

Just when she thought she was about to be squeezed to death, the alley suddenly ended. A bright light blinded her for a moment as she thrust herself out of the crack and she fell to the ground. But she didn't hesitate; scrambling back to her feet, she saw she had stumbled into a rough and overgrown courtyard that contained nothing but a green door.

Indigo paused for but a second before rushing over and throwing her weight against the door. It gave way almost immediately, and Indigo stepped through-

*CRASH!!*

Her foot went straight into a bucket and she tripped, falling onto a clean checkered marble floor. A pile of brooms, dusters and various other cleaning implements came clattering down onto her head, seemingly from nowhere.

Indigo lay sprawled on the checkered floor, staring up at a distant but familiar atrium ceiling. She recognized the room as the main entrance of the Council Chambers - close to where she needed to be. She was in the right place- what was the time though? Thankfully, the enormous old mechanical clock on the far wall told her the same hour, of the same day, of the same month, year and lunar cycle. It was a very detailed clock.

Indigo allowed herself a small smile; she had made it. Whether through sheer determination or pure luck, the city had released her from its maze and dropped her right where and when she needed to be. Looking back, Indigo realized the green door had sent her through a broom closet hidden under the large U-shaped staircase that spiraled to the floors above. The magical cleaning implements she had knocked over were far from happy; a feather duster was frantically trying to beat her over the head while the broomsticks had haughtily returned to their places, radiating as much judgement as a broomstick could.

Sighing, Indigo pulled herself to her feet and cleaned up the mess she made, apologizing profusely to the feather duster until it was satisfied enough to return to its hook. She pulled her hat back on and hurried to make her way up. But just as her boot touched the first step, a distant voice brought her to an immediate halt.

"I am quite confident in her. The poor thing seems a bit traumatized, but that's nothing a bit of love and attention won't fix."

Indigo's blood froze as the cheery voice of Lady Snow echoed down the staircase.

"Hmm, but it is thoroughly unusual. Is the child not too old to have serious potential?"

The deep rich voice of Lord Goldenrod followed closely behind. From the sound of it they were at least two stories up, but descending steadily.

“Of course not. In my mind, age is merely a superstition when it comes to recruiting novices. Besides, if I were you I’d waste my time worrying about Aqua’s ‘protege’ rather than my own little pet project.”

Shit. Shitshitshitshit

The panic surged back up into Indigo’s chest, stronger this time. She choked, staggering back from the stairs; Snow’s snide comments were the last thing she needed to hear right now.

"Aren’t you worried about how things are going? The Caeruleus Sect is about to fall apart from within. Their ‘elders’ have already decided to throw the anweiran out." Snow's tone of mild concern was doing a poor job of suppressing her glee. “I knew he’d never last.”

Wait… what? How does Snow already know about the trial…?

"Be as it may," answered Goldenrod. "She is still the current leader of her sect. It would not do well if someone were to hear you speculating about her authority."

A clear peal of laughter echoed down the stairs, growing ever closer. “My dear Lord Goldenrod, you have always been a stickler for the rules! But I think there is no harm in predicting the inevitable, is there?”

Were- were the elders planning this the whole time? Was Snow… helping them?!

Indigo’s panic intensified and she suppressed a groan as her stomach cramped horribly. Her body was shivering- sweat pouring off her brow as she felt far too hot and far too cold at the same time. The pain spread, sharpening as it climbed into her chest; it was like a knife had buried itself into her lungs, preventing her from breathing. She staggered back down the steps as the voices slowly grew closer. She needed to hide- to get away.

The sound of Goldenrod sigh growing closer urged Indigo to move faster, back to the maze hidden behind the closet door. Anything was better than being here right now.

“Your confidence will be the death of you, Lady Snow. You should take more care,” answered Goldenrod eventually. “Regardless of that situation, I still have concerns over your ‘pet project’. Could you even look after her?”

Snow snorted. "Every biological woman has a motherly instinct. I certainly hope you’re not doubting my capacity for love?"

Goldenrod snorted in return - they were already at the top of the last flight of stairs. “Please don’t ask me such a foolish question. You already have your hands full with the military contract. How are you going to take care of a child at the same time?”

Indigo rushed back to the closet door and pulled it open, only to have her heart drop out as she was greeted by nothing but a wooden wall where the green door had just been. For whatever reason, The City had shut the way behind her.

“Military contract…?” For the first time, Snow’s voice sounded hesitant. “Y-yes, the military contract. It should be nearly complete. I plan to show it off in a demonstration soon.”

Indigo’s escape had closed off. But it was too late to run elsewhere; she couldn’t afford Snow or Goldenrod, or anyone else to see her in her current state. She clambered into the closet.

Goldenrod’s voice sounded surprised. “A second demonstration? Did you make changes to the formula?”

“A-a second?” answered Snow, her tone now openly confused. “N-no, the formula… required changes, but… why?”

“I have no idea,” replied Goldenrod. “But you’re diverting the topic yet again. What are you trying to achieve, adopting some random child?”

Their voices were now right above Indigo’s head. She tugged on the door but the hinges were off balance; it caught in the floor.

Snow’s tone immediately switched back to a confident one as she answered.

"I am serious about her. She seems to have been through quite a lot. I believe it's only natural that I look after that girl. But I also want-” Her voice suddenly dropped, almost conspiratorially. “I need her to reach her potential. Aqua is gone, and yet her ghost still lingers here, especially with that sick boy of hers wandering about. I’m tired of hearing about how wonderful Aqua’s so-called ‘protege’ is. Don't you think it's time we stop letting a few individuals tell us what we’re allowed to think? To wash out these old fashioned ideas about people that the old guard propagated?" She sighed. “It’s just like what Cerise said when she reformed the Imperial government; ‘You have to get rid of the old to start with the new.’”

"So you’re looking to steer witchcraft to a place of your own designs," said Goldenrod. “But there are plenty who will disagree.”

Their voices had already passed over Indigo as she desperately tried to pull the door shut, but it remained stubbornly open, forcing her to yank at it in increasing desperation.

“Let them,” answered Snow. “We can’t keep living in the past all the time, Lord Goldenrod, terrified of our powers because of what might happen.”

"How many times have I warned you about your ambitions Snow?" replied Goldenrod. "If it wasn't for your developments in biological research, I would have led an investigation months ago. Be careful that your words are not misinterpreted as violating the code, or-" his voice cut short as the closet door finally came loose, slamming shut with a bang.

"Is someone there?" called out Snow, a hint of caution in her tone.

She hurriedly descended the rest of the stairs with Goldenrod as Indigo held her breath. But it was pointless now; they knew where she was. Her mind raced- she needed to get out of here. She swallowed, trying to contain her anxiety for but a few more moments. She needed a way out; a door out of the closet, yet the only one here led to Snow.

Wait...

Quietly, ever so quietly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of chalk.

Snow approached the closet door slowly, her caution rising despite the silence in the room.

"Whoever is in there, you can come out. I won't be mad." She called out, her voice switching back to a pleasant tone. "I just want to make sure you weren’t hurt."

Indigo leaned against the inside of the door, her hand scribbling away with the chalk as quickly as possible. Gone was the careful precision and caution she had used earlier; now her hand moved with swift and sloppy movements.

Snow crept slowly closer, her right hand curling up as it prepared a spell. Goldenrod hung back, seemingly uninterested in Snow's investigation.

No! I need more time!! thought Indigo as the sound of Snow’s shoes clicked and clacked closer and closer. Feeling desperate, Indigo did the only thing she could think of: she leaned in and whispered quietly into the door. The humidity in the closet suddenly dropped and the sweat on Indigo’s brow dissipated, but the wood let out a creak as its shape changed ever so slightly.

Snow's other hand reached out for the handle and slowly twisted it. Readying herself, she gave a violent tug as she prepared herself for the eavesdropper to come tumbling out.

But to her surprise, the door stayed stubbornly stuck, refusing to budge. She tried again, and the door creaked but refused to give in. She tugged again and again until it suddenly relented, bursting open to reveal…

An empty broom closet. Snow snorted and stuck her hand in, waving it about until she was sure no one was hiding with an invisibility spell.

"Are you finished interrogating a broom closet?" asked Goldenrod. "We're going to be late for our meeting with the President."

Snow hesitated, but Goldenrod’s impatience pulled her away before she could notice the intricate chalk drawing swiftly turning to smoke on the backside of the closet door.