When Dia opened her eyes again, she felt the world had transported her and saw this was true. The room she was in was dark. The only light source came from the purple flame-lit candles on the walls. Across from her was a balcony.
The skies outside were black and void of stars. Veils of dark purple curtains danced in front of her eyes, showing only a glimpse of the person sitting on the other side.
"Who are you?" asked Dia. The person sitting on the other side wore an all-black attire. With a black veil over her head, she presented the image of a grieving widow. Dia was still pondering the woman's identity when the mystery person opened her mouth to speak.
"I am the manifestation of the magic that resides within you. In other words, I'm your Familiar." The woman spoke in a calming, gentle voice, soothing to Dia's ears, erasing any lingering fear that may have resided in her heart.
"Familiar? What's that, some type of guardian angel?" asked Dia.
"Not quite. Familiars are a manifestation of a witch's magic. When a witch awakens her true heritage, their magic becomes sentient, guiding and aiding their destined witch onto their true path," the voice patiently explained, giving the young girl a few seconds for all this new information to sink into her head.
"So wait... you're telling me... THAT I'M A WITCH!?" Dia exploded, unable to take in such shocking news.
"You inherited your witch blood from your mother, who comes from a coven of witches. Witches tend to only give birth to girls, though there has been one rare exception. It's ninety percent possible that it was a witch who cast a spell on you, locking the memories of your parents' incident. The strain and grief must have been too much on your young mind."
The woman remained calm as she explained all these thoughts to Dia, but she was still in shock. Her mind only came up with one person who could have done such a thing.
"You said my mom comes from a line of witches, correct? My mom and aunt are sisters, meaning she too is a witch, right?"
"You are correct."
"So that means my aunt could've been the one to cast a spell on me?"
"I can not say. You must ask her yourself."
"I can't believe this... First, my memories were sealed, and now I discover I'm a witch. Just how many more things were they hiding from me?" The hurt and betrayal made her feel numb, and the person sitting on the other side could sense these feelings.
"Now is not the time to fret. You must first focus on your friends who desperately need your help." The voice reminded Dia that Lisa and Alice were both badly injured and that the scary vampire who put them in that state was still out there and could kill them at any second.
"You're right." Dia slapped her cheeks, telling herself she would dwell on those things later because her friends needed her more right now.
"How can I help them?"
"Trust in yourself and listen. Beneath all that fear and apprehension is a strong girl. Stand on your feet, Dia. Do not allow your fears to overcome you." The command of the woman's voice fueled Dia with confidence that she had never experienced. Her brown eyes glowed with determination.
"I want to protect them, so please give me your power!"
Beneath her veil, black painted lips smiled. "My power is yours. And please, call me Lilith."
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The vampire cursed at the pillar of energy that concealed the girl. Nowhere in his wildest dreams did he think that one of Alice's little pesty human friends was a witch! Even though he believed she was no match for him, seeing how she was a hatchling. Witches were unpredictable and proved to be annoying!
'Why must they always 'awaken' in such a dramatic fashion?! That should only be reserved for someone as beautiful as me!' the vampire grumbled as the pillar of energy reshaped itself into a sphere and began to recede.
"Someone has gone through a major wardrobe transformation," the vampire teased as Dia was no longer wearing her party dress. Instead, she was dolled in a short black bridal gown stitch from the blankets of the night skies with a train that touched the ground. The bodice of the dress hugged the upper portion of her body. The attire itself was adorned with roses , skulls, and silver cross accessories.
"Your foolishness will stop now." She was just like a maiden married to darkness, face serene as she pointed her brown eyes at the vampire. A black crown sat upon her head, and a veil was attached to it.
"A witch, huh? A member of a small, insignificant race. Do you think this will be enough to stop me?" The boy swung his rose thorn whip at the girl, only for her to snap her fingers and issue a ripple of black magic that severed the vine to the boy's shock.
"W-What the...!!!"
The vampire's fearful eyes watched as black magic began to form in the witch's hands and constructed itself into a bow.
"This is payback for what you did to my friends. Darkness Strike!" A swirl of black magic constructed itself into an arrow, which she launched at the enemy with super speed. The vampire barely had time to blink as the arrow impaled his shoulder. A raw scream of pain ripped from his mouth, just in time for Dia to shoot another, but in the other shoulder.
"You stupid bitch! What have you done to me?!" The pain in his shoulders had the vampire blinded by rage. With the vampire unable to defend himself, Dia's transformation came undone, and she returned to normal.
'It's over now, right?' Strength drained from her body, legs no longer able to support her when a pair of hands caught her. With the last of her strength, she looked up and smiled at the familiar face that peered down at her.
"So it's you, huh?" she whispered before falling unconscious.