"Lyn!"

Cydney shrieked as the tall redhead collapsed onto her. She staggered at the sudden weight, but she managed to hold onto Lyn and lay her on the floor gingerly.

"Lyn, wake up!" Cydney begged, shaking Lyn and tapping on her cheeks.

Lyn mumbled some incoherent babble under her breath but remained deep in sleep.

Cydney's hand rested on Lyn's soft, warm cheeks. The way Lyn stirred under her touch, with a face so peaceful and lovely, caused her heart to crumble into a million pieces.

Cursing at herself, she looked around to figure out what she could do. There was a half-opened bag next to the three healers. She rushed over and began rummaging through the bottles inside.

They were a range of strange colors, from bright green to pastel pink. Each bottle was labeled with tiny, hieroglyphic-like symbols that Cydney did not understand. She let out a frustrated groan. Why weren't they labeled in words instead, with proper descriptions and instructions? Why were things never ever user-friendly here?

From the corner of her eyes, she noticed that Raph, slumped over Millie in an uncomfortable position, seemed to be holding onto something. She quickly dragged him off of Millie, and confirmed that he was gripping onto a vial of clear liquid—this must be the stronger antidote that Lyn had been asking about!

Delighted, she yanked the bottle away from the healer and ran back to the auburn-haired woman. She was about to feed it to Lyn when a voice startled her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Cydney spun around, and her eyes widened.

Sauntering towards her was a tall, elderly woman in a green, elegant gown. Her braided platinum hair wrapped around her head like a flower crown. She peered downwards at Cydney with a pair of serene grey eyes that matched her hair. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"It's never a good idea to be ingesting something you don't know, my dear."

Cydney had never seen this woman in her life, but the overpowering and imposing aura that exuded out of her was enough for Cydney to recognize her as Sybil Dalman—the leader of the Witches, the subjugator, the person who made everyone fall asleep.

Without hesitation, Cydney summoned her emerald sword to her palm and lunged towards Sybil.

As she swung her weapon at the nonchalant witch, another woman appeared in front of her, blocking the attack. Cydney staggered backward and gasped at the sight of the newcomer: fierce, cat-like eyes, sharp cheekbones, and wielding a curved blade in a stance that resembled a samurai. Was she...O-Ren Ishii from Kill Bill?*

Instinctively, Cydney lifted her hand to her neck and gulped.

The Lucy Liu look-alike wasted no time in going on the offensive. Plunging towards Cydney, her sword slashed around like a whirlwind of blades. It had been a while since Cydney had faced an opponent this skilled, but it did not matter—this woman's abilities were still leagues away from the person who trained Cydney.

Dodging and blocking all incoming attacks, Cydney kept her eyes out for an opening. As expected, after a few powerful strikes, the woman let down some of her defenses. Cydney took the chance and lashed out, her blade hitting the woman's sword hand. With a cry, the woman let go of her sword which clattered to the floor with a stringent clang.

Immediately, she scrambled backwards, glaring at Cydney while maintaining her distance.

"Having some trouble, Freya?" Sybil said as she leaned against the wall, her hands folded. She seemed too relaxed despite the tension in the air. "Want some tips?"

Freya scowled at the offer but nodded anyway.

Sybil smirked. "Use elemental magic."

Cydney's heart skipped a beat. Before she could figure out what Sybil meant by that, Freya was already next to her, grabbing her sword with her bare hands.

"What the—" Cydney shrieked as her weapon burst into flames. She dropped the sword and then watched helplessly as it crumbled into dust. In the span of just five months, she had lost yet another one of her precious materials... She could not afford to keep losing materials like this!

While she was panicking, Freya picked her weapon back up and charged towards her. Cydney had no choice but to run around, dodging the attacks like a child avoiding a beating from their mother. She picked up Jason's sword and tried to block some of Freya's attacks, but without her enhancer magic, the blade snapped like a twig, and she had to resort to scampering around once again.

Soon, Cydney was backed into a corner, with Freya's sword hovering next to her neck.

Sybil ambled next to Freya as she scanned Cydney up and down. "I'm impressed, I've never seen a fighter like you before. But then again,"—She tilted her head to the side knowingly.—"you're not from here, are you?"

"I'm- I'm not American..."

A throaty chuckle escaped from the witch. "Come on, you know that's not what I mean."

Cydney's heart skipped another beat. How much did this woman know about her?

"I- I don't know what you mean..."

Before Sybil could respond, a tall man with long, silky hair dashed to her side. "Sy, I've confirmed that everyone's down. We're safe now. Should we go?" He stopped abruptly when he noticed Cydney. "Wait, who is she? And why is she still conscious?"

"Oh, it's because my magic doesn't work on her," Sybil said with a shrug.

The man's jaw dropped. "What? Why? How?"

Freya shifted her sword closer to Cydney's neck. "Should I kill her?"

"There's no need." Sybil placed her hand on Freya's shoulder and gestured at the man. "Clay, bind that redhead."

Clay nodded. He lifted his hands and clenched his fist. Following that action, a cage of shriveled vines burst from the ground and wrapped around Lyn. The hairy, spiky stems floated dangerously close to her skin.

"What are you doing?" Cydney exclaimed. "Don't hurt her, please!"

"Don't worry, she's safe." Sybil smiled as she leaned towards Cydney. Her lavender breath tickled Cydney's neck, sending chills down her spine. "I see you're not from around here, so I'll explain. Those plants are known as 'Vines of Death'. It means that if she touches the thorns on the vines, she'll die. But she's not moving now, so she is safe."

Placing her hand on Cydney's cheek, she continued, "However, if you try to hurt me or my companions, then Clay would tighten the vines around her. So, be a good girl, and your girlfriend won't die, got it?"

Vines of Death? What the hell? These witches were as cruel as Lyn had described.

Cydney clenched her fists. She had been in countless life-threatening situations in the past seven years, but, as she stared desperately at Lyn's trapped body, she had never once felt this powerless before.

Gritting her teeth, she growled, "What do you want from me?"

Sybil's eyes glinted with amusement. "Follow me."