Kara stands at the window. Her wings rest easy on her back, and her brown hair blows all around her. She seems enraptured with the scene that lies beyond the hole cut into the tower's stone walls, but Tommy knows that she will sense anyone coming towards her. For this reason, Tommy and Wilbur stand compliantly on the other side of the room. Wilbur is browsing the bookshelves with his eyes, not daring to touch a single tome, but Tommy's attention is brought back to his teacher no matter how hard he tries to pull his eyes away. She is the one detail about this room that is completely different from The Ender Prince. She is his tether, reminding him that the reality he exists in is not the reality he read about so many years ago.

Kara turns around. Tommy meets her eyes unflinchingly. She smiles discreetly at him. Her wings wrap around her shoulders, a habit she's had since Tommy first met her. Putting herself at ease, Kara waves her hand. Wilbur notices the movement from the corner of his eye, and he snaps to attention like a foot soldier in the presence of their general. Tommy stifles his laugh. Kara does not repress her amused expression. Wilbur blushes with embarrassment, but no one verbally comments on what occurred.

"Right now, we are standing in the Enchanting Tower. This room is reserved only for the imperial family. As your teacher, I have been given temporary, limited permission to enter this tower and more importantly, use the enchantment table for a demonstration," Kara explains to them solemnly, her amusement dying away as she speaks about important matters. Tommy folds his arms behind his back. He knows all of these details from chapters in The Ender Prince, but it feels a lot more profound coming from Kara. The weight of this room's history compounds on Tommy's back alongside the general heaviness of the overflowing EXP.

"This tower was built on the intersection point of two leylines. A leyline is a ring of EXP that naturally flows through the world like veins in the body. As the intersection point, this room is exceptional at storing EXP from the natural world, increasing the rate in which spellcasters can pull forth the EXP and use it for various purposes. Likewise, the stones used to make the tower and the specific altitude optimize the results. It is easier for a weak caster to perform high-ranked spells in this room. For this reason, along with some historical relevance, this tower is only to be accessed by the imperial family and those approved," Kara continues to explain, gesturing around the room. She places her fingers along the small, light-colored stones that make up the window frame whereas the rest of the wall is made from a larger, darker-colored stone.

"Another reason why this room is protected is because of the enchanting table itself. It is a device created by the Ancient Builders. Prince Theseus, remind me who the Ancient Builders are," Kara says, pointedly staring at Tommy as she forces him to recall one of their previous lessons. Wilbur is also looking at Tommy, so the blonde hurriedly summons all the words he can think of that even vaguely associate with the Ancient Builders.

"The Ancient Builders were a race of people that populated the land prior to the known, established countries. Their title comes from the intricate structures and unusual machinery they left behind. It is unknown why they went extinct, but the most common theory is that the Ancient Builders used up all the resources around them. There is another theory that the Ancient Builders summoned a creature incapability with the world. Either the creature destroyed the Ancient Builders, or the gods did," Tommy explains. Kara did not give her opinion on what she thought happened to the Ancient Builders. That was probably on purpose since Tommy would have taken her word for fact. Instead, she made him ponder about the question himself. Tommy still hasn't drawn an appropriate conclusion.

"Correct. The Ancient Builders were also the ones who discovered and documented everything we know about enchanting and potions," Kara explains, gesturing towards the books. "These are known as enchanted books. They allow a caster to focus EXP using runes. Depending on the runes written in these books, the enchantment they place on objects has a different effect. Additionally, each book has a different ranking. The strength of the enchantment is dependent on the book, not the caster. We have reason to believe the Ancient Builders had far more enchantment types than we do today, but we have made do with what we can."

Kara looks down at the enchantment table. Tommy allows his attention to slide over to it as well. He feels Wilbur grab his hand as they watch white runes float off the surface of the floating book in the center. "No one has ever been able to read that book or even lift it off the pedestal. It is necessary to the enchanting process, in any case, so it would be unwise to carelessly entangle oneself with it."

Kara switches her attention to the wall opposite of the enchanting table, right beside the door. There is a desk there, off the wall enough for Kara to slide between the wooden lip and the stones. She gestures for Tommy and Wilbur to follow her. Still holding hands, Wilbur goes first, leading Tommy over. Tommy stares at the alchemical equipment on the desk. It is made from stone with places to hold glass vials, but there is also a glowing gold rod emitting a simmering heat hot enough to blur the air around it. Kara is careful not to touch the rod, but she doesn't wince when her fingers get close to it. Tommy doesn't recognize what the rod is, but he feels like he should. When Wilbur whispers "Blaze rod," Tommy has a feeling he's right.

"You are correct, your imperial highness. This is a blaze rod. It traditionally comes from a creature in the Nether known as a Blaze. They are creatures of fire and light with rods like this one floating around their main body. It is perhaps due to your constitution as half-Netherborne that allows you to sense the purpose of the device. The Ancient Builders discovered that a blaze's rod could be used to create potions. The presence of a blaze rod is one of the necessary ingredients for any potion," Kara tells them. Tommy blinks owlishly at the contraption in front of him. He finds it fascinating that he could know what the Blaze rod was just because Kristin was a Netherborne. Tommy doesn't know a single thing about genetic memories, but it seems to be a true fact about this world.

"Another key component to potions is an ingredient known as Nether wart. As the name implies, it is from the Nether. It is a plant that can only grow in the Nether, and as such, our realm is no longer able to harvest them," Kara tells them as she places vials of water into the brewing stand. Wilbur tilts his head in confusion. Tommy doesn't know what's going on, either, but he trusts Kara's seemingly useless actions. Kara rewards the two of them for their patients when she notices that the water starts boiling. She looks at them both, a half-smile forming on his face. "Witches are distinctly different from mages or other spellcasters. For one, a witch is limited to curses. Although their curses are naturally more powerful than other spellcasters, they are unable to perform any other type of magic.

"The other reason witches are classified differently is because of their blood. A witch is able to use their blood as a replacement for Nether wart." Kara pulls out a butterfly knife. She flicks her wrist, and the blood quickly unsheathes itself. Kara places the blade against her finger. She draws a small line, and blood slides across the metal surface of the knife. Kara pulls the butterfly knife away to let her blood drop into the boiling water. Instead of getting a rosy tint, the water remains clear and starts bubbling even harsher than before. Kara picks up a piece of a red melon with a golden rind. She cuts a small chunk of it to drop into the potion. After a few seconds of boiling and brewing, the melon seems to disperse into the water, allowing it to become a pink-red color.

Tommy leans against the table to get a better look at the potion. He breathes out slowly, feeling hope surge inside of him. He knows what potions are pink-red. Tommy is proven correctly when Kara dips her bleeding finger into the potion. When she pulls her finger out, her skin is smooth, as if the cut never happened. Her skin isn't even a tint of red as it should be if someone stuck their finger into a boiling liquid.

"This is a healing potion. It can be made using Nether wart or witches' blood and glistering melons," Kara tells them. Wilbur stares with surprised, happy eyes, but Tommy feels something stir inside his chest. This potion is his salvation. His healing magic hasn't been coming along. He's going to need as many of these potions as he can get. Unfortunately, Kara made it clear that he was going to need an impossible to find ingredient or a witch's blood to get what he wants. He could probably coerce Kara into making him one potion, but he's going to need a whole lot more. Were there any other witches in The Ender Prince?

"Potions come in three forms: consumption, splash, and lingering. The potency and duration of the potion is affected by its form. Lingering will last the longest, but it is the weakest. Splash is the strongest, but it does not last very long. Consumption is the medium ground," Kara continues with her lesson. "Likewise, there are additional ingredients that can be used to increase the potency or duration, but this always comes with the consequence of a reduction of the opposite. Making potions is all about gains and costs."

Kara plucks the vial she had been working with out of the brewing stand. She sets the healing potion aside, gesturing to the other two bottles that are boiling without any additional ingredients. Kara nudges a box at her feet with the toe of her boot. "I want the two of you to add an ingredient to these bottles. Whichever one you want."

Wilbur and Tommy share a look. The brunette moves first. He walks around the desk, leaning down to pick something up out of the box. Several emotions pass across Wilbur's face until his eyes light up. He picks up a material, cupping it in both of his hands. Tommy glances at it. His nose scrunches up when he notices that Wilbur is holding a membrane of some sort, the off-white color giving into a powdery blue shade around the edges. Wilbur gently places the membrane in the potion, letting it slide out of his hands.

Tommy bites the inside of his cheek. He walks around to the box. He wants to make a healing potion, but there are no glistering melons in the box. Tommy doesn't know what any of the other ingredients do. He internally sighs, picking up an odd tear-shaped crystal. As Tommy peers into the glassy surface, he feels a wave of sadness race through his body. He exhales sharply, tears burning in his eyes. He almost wants to throw the crystal down, but he decides against that. He picked this crystal for some reason. It spoke to him, so he would power through the sadness. Despite his conviction, Tommy hurries to put the crystal in the water before the tears slide across his cheek.

Kara eyes both of their half-made potions thoughtfully. "Prince Wilbur, you picked a phantom membrane. A phantom is a creature that exists in our world. It is elusive, though it has been known to attack sleep-deprived individuals. Prince Theseus, you have chosen a Ghast Tear. A ghast is a creature from the Nether, and they are known for being particularly depressed and violent. By your reaction, it seems you connected with the lingering emotions of the ghast who shed that tear."

Kara uses her butterfly knife to cut her finger again. She doesn't even wince as she lets her blood drop into the bottles. Wilbur's potion turns a sickly yellow-gray color while Tommy's potion turns a dark red-purple. "The phantom membrane has created a potion of slow falling. It weakens the pull of gravity on the body and nullifies any damage that would come from fall damage. The ghast tear has created a regeneration potion. It is similar to the healing potion, except that it takes a little longer. However, as I said earlier, since it takes a little longer to finish the healing, it is slightly stronger than a healing potion of the same quality."

Tommy stares at the regeneration potion. He wonders what compelled him to pick up the Ghast Tear, what let him have a potion that is slightly better than a healing potion, even if it takes longer. Tommy huffs under his breath. The universe is toying with him again.

"How does one become a witch?" Wilbur asks, looking up from his potion to stare into Kara's eyes. Tommy glances up as well, interested in the question, but he finds himself choking on his breath. He doesn't want to draw the comparison, but it is hard not to when Kara and Wilbur are wearing the same expressions- intrigued, curious, questioning. Tommy forces his lips shut. There is so much more happening in this world than The Ender Prince ever touched on, and The Ender Prine was long enough as is.

Kara's wings pick up off her shoulders. She pulls down her dress a little to show the prince's a set of ink feathers inked onto her collarbone. Although they look like tattoos, there is an iridescent sheen to the ink that makes Tommy hesitate in calling them something as man-made as tattoos. Kara runs her fingers along the top of the feathers. "In a moment of intense negative emotion- usually rage, sorrow, or agony- a Witch's Mark will manifest. This mark will poison the blood, making it impossible for a witch to use EXP. This is traded off with a witch's speciality with curses and potion-making."

Tommy wants to snort. By Kara's description, far more characters in The Ender Prince should have been witches. In fact, Tommy should be a witch right now. He has gone through plenty of agonizing emotions.

"Can anyone become a witch- even a man or someone as magically gifted as the Imperial Mage?" Wilbur asks. Tommy smiles when he notices how pleasantly surprised his teacher is. Tommy assumes he got his curiosity from Wilbur, if they didn't both get it from one of their parents.

"It can happen to anyone, regardless of gender, race, social standing, health, or any number of factors that are regularly used to separate groups. It is incredibly rare, however. I could not tell you why. I know several people all over the continent that are far more qualified than I was," Kara tells them. Her wings come back up to cover her shoulders and her Witch's Mark. "I was angry with my parents when my mark manifested. A child's rebellious stage is not normally the inception of a witch."

"I disagree, teacher. I know you well enough to know that you would have only gotten angry over a grave injustice. Even if it wasn't drastic, the insult or betrayal of a parent is plenty powerful," Tommy explains, trailing off as he begins thinking about his original parents. He would have been a witch if they existed in his previous world. Even without his untimely, painful death, he didn't have the best life. If Kara got her mark from the soured relationship with her parents, Tommy surely would have been dealt the same hand by life.

"Perhaps you are right," Kara amends, smiling softly at him. Tommy smiles back at her. Kara shakes her head, her smile fading away to a neutral expression. "This concludes the lesson for the day. I will permit you to keep the potions you have made, though I request that you not attempt to make more potions, even if you come into possession of Nether warts or witch's blood. I would not want you to make a potion that does more harm than good. I will clean up here. You two go ahead."

Tommy wishes to stay for a little longer, but Wilbur is already heading out the door. Tommy goes after him, waving goodbye to Kara as the avian begins cleaning up the area around the brewing stand. Wilbur is down the first flight of stairs. His slow pace allows Tommy to catch up. When Tommy does, Wilbur whirls around to face him. He places both his hands on Tommy's shoulders with a heavy look on his face. Tommy's eyes widen in surprise as Wilbur whispers, "Our parents love both of us very dearly, Theseus. If you are upset about anything, please know that I will be there for you, no matter what it is."

Tommy's lips part wordlessly. He then realizes that Wilbur is misconstruing Tommy's earlier words. Tommy does not blame Wilbur since the prince doesn't know Tommy is a reincarnator with negligent parents in his past life. Instead of explaining that fact, Tommy leans forward to hug Wilbur. His brother responds immediately to hug Tommy back. The blonde lifts his head off Wilbur's shoulder to whisper softly, "I know, Wilbur... I know."

Wilbur pulls back. The two of them start walking down the stairs again. As they near the bottom, Wilbur opens his mouth. Tommy waits patiently for his words, but they are both cut off by a surge of intense heat. Tommy closes his eyes, grabbing Wilbur's arm. Wilbur is less surprised. He stares at Sally, meeting her unamused face without even a wince. Sally huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are never allowed to go to that room again. The wards against elementals are far too thick. You know I don't like being separated from my contractor for long. You could be in danger, and I wouldn't even know about it!"

"I apologize, Sally. I did not mean to worry you. Unfortunately, I will be returning soon to continue my lessons," Wilbur explains sheepishly. He opens the door for Sally to float through and Tommy to talk through. They step into the fresh sunlight at the edge of the imperial gardens. The guard around the door nod respectfully at the princes. They resume their stagnant positions, though Tommy notices Sally being thrown a few looks. No one was joking when they said fire elementals were rare.

"Please do not worry, Sally. Marchioness Kara is there to protect both myself and Theseus. She is an avian and a witch, and her friendship is highly prized by the Captain of the Imperial Guard," Wilbur assures his elemental after noticing her displeased face.

"Wilbur is correct," Tommy pipes up. Kara has an invested interest in Tommy as his teacher and the biggest supporter of his curiosity, so she will do what she can to protect his life. Tommy would even dare to say Kara has taken a liking to Wilbur. Tommy is not quite sure where the positive impression came from. It could be their shared inquisitive nature, but Tommy does think back to the Ender Prince. Kara and Wilbur really did look similar to one another when they were side-by-side. Perhaps Kara sees Wilbur as something of a nephew.

Tommy shrugs to himself. His teacher was never one for believing baseless rumors.

----

"I was cursed by a witch," Lady Katherine says idly, taking a sip of her tea. Ranboo nearly chokes on his. He looks up at the lady in front of him. She raises an eyebrow towards him. It takes her a long moment to realize Ranboo wants more information but cannot bring himself to ask. She laughs, moving her hair away from her shoulder. "There is no need to be so shocked. Witches are quite known for their curses. They are unforgiving of even the smallest slight against them."

"I don't- I've never-" Ranboo shakes his head, unable to say what he wants to say.

Katherine smiles cooly at him. There is something icy building up behind her eyes that Ranboo has come to expect from everyone in Kinoko but mistakenly believed that someone as kind as Katherine could not have. She puts her chin in the palm of her white gloves, staring so intently Ranboo feels the urge to squirm. "I presume you have been to the Great Divide before."

Ranboo nods slowly, remembering the giant crack in the land that seemed to split Kinoko into two different halves. Katherine nods alongside him. "It was formed the day of my birth."

Ranboo chokes on his breath. He puts his cup of tea down. His fingers splay out across his thighs as he tries to school his emotions and regulate his breaths. Katherine takes another sip of her tea. When she lowers the teacup, she smiles humorlessly at Ranboo. "The people blamed me for the catastrophe. In a way, they are not wrong. A witch cursed me the day I came into this world. The Great Divide is a consequence of the powerful curse she put on me."

Ranboo feels light-headed. He doesn't want to talk about this anymore. He wants Tubbo to show up. He wants Beau to come back. He would even take Olive at this point, despite their status as a noble. Katherine either doesn't notice his discomfort or doesn't care because she keeps talking. "No one knows what the curse is. Other than myself, of course, because why would I allow myself to be tainted by darkness without knowing the source? Do you want me to tell you what nasty spell that witch put on me?"

Ranboo doesn't know how to answer. He doesn't want the answer, but refusing seems like a breach of etiquette, a weakness Katherine might exploit. Asking to be told doesn't seem right, either. Katherine might laugh at him or assume that he wants to know her secret, wants leverage on her. Ranboo hates these pathetic games.

Katherine laughs again, her voice surprisingly light and twinkling as she speaks. "Oh, do not worry so much, my dear Ranboo. I am not meaning to upset you. I will not tell you the contents of the curse if knowing ails you this much. I can assure you that it will not affect you."

Katherine's smile does not disappear, but her eyes do harden considerably. "Unless you're infected by the darkness."