I ran as fast as I could in the direction of the house where my pupil lived. I remembered the horrible vision, how I never was able to find out what happened. I ran harder as I was reminded of all the scenarios that my brain had created to satisfy my curiosity.

I reached the dreaded home, not hesitating to throw open the door. There, on the floor, lay John, bleeding severely from a wound on his forehead and clutching his gut. Some meat-head was standing over him, holding a plank of wood. He swung down and hit my friend right on the lungs, knocking the air out of him. He swung down again and hit him on his head for a second time, this time knocking John unconscious. I cast a spell on the intruder, causing him to fly back into the wall behind him and leaving him incapacitated. I was about to run to help my wounded companion when I noticed the horrible sobbing behind me.

I spun around to see that the old witch was towering over her daughter, a whip raised in her right hand and a handful of the girl's hair in her left. She tried desperately  to escape her mother's wrath, three furiously blood-red lines on her cheek, arm, and back already telling of what she had endured.

I am not entirely sure what happened next. It seemed that I had teleported from where I was to across the from how instantaneous my appearance was. Red blinded me, but I didn't need my vision to grab the woman's right hand and hit her with a closed fist. Pain shot through my knuckles, but it felt alarmingly good to make crimson run from her nose like a river. She let go of her daughter's hair and fell, dropping also the whip.

Somehow I went from standing above her, whip in hand, to being a few feet away, bringing down the whip with such fury that I forgot my surroundings. The distance allowed me to inflict more pain on the old hag, the sting of the thin tip of the malicious weapon drawing blood instead of welts on her disgusting skin. 

I managed to get no more than six lashes to scar her back when I became aware that Rapunzel, the sweet girl, was pulling at my arm, begging me to stop. So I did, panting and seeing nothing but a blood-red cloud over everything. It took a moment for me to realise that my pupil was saying something to me. Without giving permission, my mouth asked her to repeat herself and my ears listened.

"Father is dead."

I turned so suddenly Rapunzel almost fell down, but I caught her and looked into her eyes to be completely sure she was telling the truth. There were tears in her eyes, either from the pain or her loss. Her hands had blood on them, her fruitless attempt to revive he who was already gone evident in the cherry red. I looked over to the unconscious man and then ran to him, holding my finger to his neck. There was no pulse, the warmth of his body leaving swiftly. 

My memory here becomes even more unreliable. All I remember I was suddenly holding the child, then running, running from the terrible place as fast as I possibly could. I remember suddenly being in a clearing, far away from civilization. I cast a spell, the most powerful I have ever cast if my memory is to be trusted. There, in the middle of the clearing, hidden from everyone, was a tower. 

Exhausted with my efforts, I set the child down and collapsed. The last thing I heard was a cry of surprise from Rapunzel as I planted my face into the lush, green grass.