Sorcerers, individuals with supernatural abilities capable of performing unimaginable feats; among the many sorcerers in the world, a trio of extraordinary girls rises above the rest: the group called Trio Encanto. These sorceresses are world-famous for being the only level five sorceresses in existence.
They are famous for two reasons: their unmatched power and for being the defenders of Star City from the villain called Warmonger, a fearsome aberration.
For everyone, Trio Encanto is the personification of righteousness and truth; they often quote famous inspirational phrases like, "You can achieve your dreams," or, "If you work hard, you can certainly achieve anything," but all of that is a lie; everyone is deceived by Trio Encanto; I was too.
Until that day...
******
It was Friday afternoon, and the atmosphere was full of mystery. I was excited for one simple reason: this day I would meet the person I admire more than anyone. Katrina Erlenbaugh, the leader of the Trio Encanto. She and I agreed to meet at a specific location to have a private conversation.
Imagine one day you get the chance to have a one-on-one talk with the person you admire the most. Fun, right? Then you can guess how excited I was.
However, this wasn't the first time I had met with Katrina; in fact, it was the third time. It's a long story...
What I didn't know was that this meeting with Katrina would turn out to be different—different in a way that I wouldn't have anticipated.
The meeting place was in a run-down, abandoned building. Naturally, upon seeing the facade of that old building, I thought that there must be some kind of mistake in the address Katrina provided; however, upon carefully scanning the building with my gaze, I felt something calling me, so without further ado I entered through the deteriorated door of the building, a little afraid but still hopeful of being able to meet with the person I held in the highest regard.
As I stepped into the building, I found an old room full of dirt and dust. There was so much filth that I had to cover my nose, but when I saw clearly what lay in the room, I trembled with fear.
There were children, men, and women of all ages and races, trapped inside cylindrical structures, which were held by a metal bar that ran all the way around the room. The people inside those structures were floating in a faintly glowing purple liquid, as if in a state of rest. There were so many of these structures that it was impossible to count them.
"W-what is this?" I said, mumbling. The fear made my voice crack and my hands tremble; still, I was able to get my phone out and snap a photo.
Then, a dark feeling took over me, as if something dangerous was observing me from the shadows.
"..." I looked in all directions, worried, but I didn't see anyone; just then, I heard someone speak, and the feeling was as though death itself was whispering in my ear.
"I was waiting for you, Mila Vellerth." The voice came from behind me—calm and menacing; it was a voice I recognized immediately, so I slowly turned around.
Standing there, dressed in a long black skirt with two katanas around her hips, was Katrina Erlenbaugh. Her sharp gaze made my fear grow; upon seeing her, I didn't notice her usual kindness and sincerity, for which she was known; instead, there was a cold and dangerous presence.
"K-Katrina... H-have you been waiting for me?"
Upon hearing my question, she nodded, though she still had that cold, venomous smile on her face. "Of course, we had an appointment at this place, remember?"
"R-Right!"
I felt a brief feeling of joy upon hearing her words, but it was soon changed to a feeling of fear. Something wasn't right; Katrina was acting weird and looked like another person, and of course, the sight of the people in those structures made my uneasiness increase even more.
"K-Katrina, but these people... What is this place? Oh! I get it. Warmonger is behind this, right? You called me here to help rescue these victims, yes? Then we must act quickly!"
I thought that Katrina's face would change upon hearing my words; however, her smiling face did not change. What did change was the aura surrounding her, becoming darker. "It's fine, Mila Velerth. "These people are where they belong." As she spoke, one of her hands tightly gripped the hilt of her katana.
"What?" My entire body froze in fear while my mind was desperately searching for a reasonable explanation for Katrina's words. "Is this the place where they belong? W-What do you mean?"
"This is the place where all the people who want to stand out end up," Katrina said with her voice full of malice, and after smiling slightly, she added, "These are the people who threaten the Trio Encanto's fame—people like you, Mila Velerth."
No... T-this... This must be a nightmare! I couldn't believe what I'd just heard, but when I looked at her expression, I couldn't find a hint of hesitation in Katrina's cold gaze. "Stop joking, Katrina. "It's not funny."
I looked once more at the people around me and thought, 'Will I end up trapped in this room too?'
However, Katrina scoffed; she responded as if she guessed my thoughts. "No, Mia Vellerth, you will have a much worse fate compared to these people."
Before I could process Katrina's words, she swung her sharp katana toward my direction; it was so fast that I couldn't anticipate it, and it grazed my left cheek.
"Ahhh!"
Katrina approached me slowly, with threatening and calculated steps like a beast ready to devour its prey. Seeing her, I began to back away as blood poured from the cut on my cheek, but I tripped on the many cables that were scattered around the ground.
"K-Katrina! What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"
Katrina chuckled softly, although her eyes remained firm and emotionless. "Your teacher told me how obsessed you are with sorcery, Mila. At first I thought you were just a reckless girl, but that day we met, when I looked into your eyes, I saw her..."
"Her? Who are you talking about?"
Katrina ignored me completely and kept talking: "If I let you live, I have no doubt you will reach level five without problems! No... You could even reach level six." After a brief pause, Katrina added in a sarcastic voice, "But don't worry, Mila Velerth, before I take your life, I'll let you say your last words; after all, I like to show gratitude to my beloved fans."
I was confused; my mind was a mess filled with fear and panic; everything I believed about the trio Encanto and Katrina Erlenbaugh was a lie. The reality I believed in was falling apart.
In the midst of that overwhelming situation, a thought flashed through my mind: 'I can't die here! I must do something!'
I desperately took my phone and pointed it at her: "Stay away, or I will go live and show everything in this room if you don't stop!"
Katrina replied, "So? Go ahead, do it; who will believe you? It will be your word against mine!"
Crap, I hate to admit it, but she's right; it will be the word of the city's celebrated heroine against a nobody like me.
Tears began to flow from my eyes as I realized the reality: The Trio Encanto was not a group dedicated to fighting evil; it was quite the opposite: these three girls were only fighting to maintain their status and eradicate as much competition as possible, in other words, a monopoly.
Now that I think about it, it's obvious why these girls are the only level five sorceresses.
Suddenly, upon looking at Katrina once more, I noticed that she had her katana raised, ready to deliver the final blow. I instinctively closed my eyes, preparing for the worst, but at that moment I remembered a well-known phrase.
"Never meet your heroes."