Chapter Text
THE SUN KISSES Coco to wake up from her slumber. Light breeze brushes against her face, she hums as she lets out a big yawn and scratches her eyes. Still groggy, Coco blinks as she tries to regain her consciousness. She lets out a squeak, realizing where she's at right now: in the sky and not at home.
Memories flash in her mind and her eyes widen when she remembers everything that had happened last night. She traced a spell from the picture book she got as a kid and it petrified her Mom into a lifeless, cold statue of stone. All because of her curiosity and love for magic. Her memories were supposed to be erased, but that never happened from that tragic night.
Instead, the witch who saved her had told her that she will learn the ways of magic, and that Coco will become a witch. She will be under his wings to learn the beauty of witchcraft. She remembers his name: Qifrey.
Coco turns her head to the right, and she sees that Qifrey is asleep, he lets out soft snores with clenched fists. Unable to fall back asleep, Coco decides to look outside and enjoy the view. She never flew in the sky before, so the scenery in front of her leaves her breathless and amazed.
The sky has beautiful shades of blue that feel so tranquil and soothing, there's also rocky mountains covered in transparent mist right below Coco, she had never seen the top of mountains before in her life, and that brought sparkles in her eyes. The gust of wind feels reposeful as it plays with Coco's hair; she didn't care for she's too amazed by everything.
"I'm going to become a witch…" Coco thinks to herself. A sense of hope makes her heart flutter. "Don't worry, Mom, I'll find a way to save you."
Cracking of bones fills her ears, Coco turns her head and sees Qifrey stretching out his arms. They let out a sigh of relief and their eyes widen at the sight of Coco awake before smiling fondly at her.
"Ah, you're up quite early. As you can see, I hailed us a pegasus carriage," he informs her, Coco nods her head. "You must be extremely exhausted by all of this. Sorry for that. You also slept with only your pajamas on, so it must've been quite a chilly night for you."
Coco tucks her hair and replies, "It's alright, I don't really mind at all, after all, last night was…everything happened so fast, y'know?"
Qifrey hums in response, "Indeed it is. This doesn't happen often, so it does feel strange to process everything all at once."
Staring at the view, Coco ponders about what her future awaits. Endless possibilities that will happen. Coco always wished to become a witch one day, ever since she was so young and filled with love and passion for magic. This almost feels like a dream come true, but it came with it came at the price of her mother due to her curiosity. Something inside of Coco's throat chokes her as tears escape her eyes.
Qifrey notices and asks, "What's the trouble?"
"I promised her…" Coco's breath is shaking as she lets out choked sobs, "…I promised her that I'd never leave her on her own. That I'd never abandon her."
Qifrey gazes at her with downturned lips and reaches for his pocket. Coco's tears stains her nightgown as she grips it tightly. A small nudge grabs her attention, Coco stares at a handkerchief given to her, she takes it and blows her nose.
A hand makes way to Coco's back and she feels small, soft pats. She relaxes her shoulders, still feeling gloomy but more at ease with Qifrey.
"Please don't blame yourself. You had no way to know," his voice soothes Coco, just like the magic spring water that ripples against her legs back at home.
She lets out a shaky breath from her trembling lips. Qifrey carefully guides her head to rest on their side, and all the pain in her chest suddenly feels lighter than ever with him.
"Do not worry, Coco. I'll be sure to guide you in your path in becoming a witch." He brushes his fingers through her hair. "I'm sure someone like you will do magnificent wonders with magic."
Coco's ears perked up from that comment he made. She'll do wonders?
"You really think so?"
They grin, retracting their hand from Coco's head and grabs something that she couldn't see. After a quick second, she sees that they have a pen and a small little spellbook (she assumes that's what it is) that fits their palm perfectly. There's sparkles of curiosity in Coco's eyes as her mouth agape. Is it what she thinks is happening? Surely not! But oh—! She cannot contain her excitement!
Qifrey chuckles at her excitement, "I believe so. Now, how about a little magic trick for you? You are my new apprentice after all."
His hand begins to draw quick and steady on the little spellbook. Coco could feel the concentration behind their eyes while drawing magic. On the spellbook, Qifrey draws something that looks very peculiar in Coco's eyes; this must be something she'll learn in the future. They're drawing tiny symbols are all around the circle and there's a bigger one in the middle. Finally, Qifrey grins at Coco as they draw a perfect circle and completes it.
Emerging from the spellbook is something Coco has never seen before: a beautiful, intricate rose made out of water. Coco squeals as she watches how the rose swirls around in the air. Watching Coco's fascination with the beautiful water spell, Qifrey offers her their spellbook.
"Quite a sight to see, no? Want to hold my palm quire yourself?"
Coco nods her head and Qifrey gladly gives it to her. She quickly thanks him and becomes mesmerized by the beauty that's in her hands. The sunlight reflects on the water with a glittering light, and she can hear the softest sounds of waves coming from the rose, like it's singing to bring inspiration to others. And Coco, having so much love for magic, would one day make a spell just like this, because magic is a miracle that makes the world more vibrant.
"I can't believe I'm going to learn—"
SWOOOSH!
"Woah there! Easy girls, steady!" The man controlling the carriage yelps.
The carriage sways harshly, causing Coco to drop the tiny palm quire, water spills onto the floor. Coco and Qifrey lose their balance as their bodies strikes against the carriage, quickly clinging onto the windowsills for some stability.
Coco's ears perks up at the swooshing noises being much more clearer. Her eyes travel to the sound, something peculiar enters her vision: flowing, white pennants surrounding the carriage, like a spider spinning its web to capture a fly to devour. She sticks her head out of the window, looking at the direction from where those pennants came from.
Piercing, deep red eyes that stabs through Coco's soul, as if they're trying to set her on fire by their gaze alone. They're wearing a red, pointed hat decorated with wings, and a uniform colored in red and black. Coco has so many questions to ask: Who are they? Are they also witches? Why are they doing this? What's going on—
Something yanks her from behind, giving her no time to scream or yelp. Coco realizes that Mr. Qifrey has her in his arms rather protectively, and—
"Don't let go!" He shouts.
Next thing she knows, Qifrey jumps out of the window at full speed. Coco feels something tangling against her skin, but Qifrey hastily rips it apart before it can consume them both. Distant neighing, shouting, and crushing falls into deaf ears for Coco. She didn't quite understand what's happening, but obeying his words, Coco hugs Qifrey, wrapping her arms around his neck and rests her chin on his shoulder.
"What—What's going on?!" She screams, looking back and forth from those terrifying people to Qifrey.
"No time to explain! We need to get away from these people now!
Qifrey quickly plummets them down to the forest, scrunching his face as the wind hits him. Coco can feel the strong breeze pricking at her exposed skin, almost as sharp as the tiny sewing needles her mother used. Coco feels like a shooting star with how fast Qifrey is hurtling them in between the sky and the earth. Becoming Qifrey's eyes on the back, Coco sees that multiple people are charging towards them as quick as lightning.
"They're gaining on us!"
"Not for long they won't! Trust me!"
SWIIIIISH!
Something almost strikes them! Coco catches a glimpse of white on her left. Her heart is punching her chest and her breathing is causing her lungs to almost explode. She buries her face into Qifrey's neck.
"Don't worry, I got you!" Qifrey screams, he dives towards the forest, holding onto Coco protectively.
From flying in the morning sky to descending into the boundless forest, the rush of the new environment is certainly an experience. There's so much that the forest has to give, from the earthly beauty of tall, thickened trees; aroma of unique wildflowers painted in the grass; and wild creatures singing in their native languages, everything would be a sight to behold. But with Qifrey zigzagging his way through the forest, there's no time to appreciate it, because there's people tailing from behind and above them, who have the intentions on capturing Qifrey and Coco in a cold cage with no chance to break free.
Coco frantically looks around and notices some flashes of red and black from the glimpses of trees. She squints her eyes, trying to get a better look than from the blurs of the uniform and trees clashing against each other. A few seconds pass by, and the trees became more thinner and thinner, and that's when she notices that it's the same person from when she stuck her head through the window earlier. The same red eyes with such dangerous and fierce devotion to hunt her down until she's caught in a trap, vulnerable and scared.
The wooshing of fabric makes Coco turn around to the other side. Her heart jumps when she sees two people wearing the same uniform that the other has on. They both glare at Coco so intensely that she feels a sword had been pierced through her heart. With an increase of hunters trailing them through the untamed forest, Coco hides in Qifrey's gentle hold, in h he can ease her worries.
She whispers in his ear in a frantic pitch, "There's more people chasing us!"
"I won't let them get us, I promise!" Qifrey reassures, taking a sharp right turn. Coco hears something crash into some bushes, hopefully they're not alright.
Coco peeks out of her little hiding spot and to her relief, all she saw were trees and bushes. The weight on her shoulders suddenly feels a bit lighter. She takes a moment to look up at the sky, wanting to at least enjoy the view. But instead, she notices something flying above them. Coco tightly grips Qifrey's shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Qifrey asks in a panic.
"They're above us! They're above us, Mr. Qifrey!" Coco hides her face.
"What?!" Qifrey turns his head up, and he is greeted with three different people hovering over them with scowls painted on their faces.
"What's gonna happen to us?" Coco chokes out, tears forming in her eyes. They stroke Coco's hair lovingly.
"I swear to you, nothing is going to happen. Just hold on tight; I need my hands for this!"
Coco responds with a nod, and trusts that Qifrey would do anything to protect her. He grabs something from his pockets: a piece of cloth and his wand. A perfect, almost completed circle is created, and he continues to draw some symbols in the middle and around it. The three hunters inch closer and closer at their prey, and Qifrey bares out their teeth, like a scalewolf threatening anyone who dares to get near their pup.
Completing the circle, Qifrey throws the cloth above them, not stopping for a moment as he breaks into a run. The cloth gathers water and forms spirals, launching itself into every direction. It strikes the hunters, making them cough and gag. Qifrey smirks as they lose control of their flight and tightens his grip on his palm quire, readying for his next spell.
"Is it over?" Coco whimpers.
Qifrey rests his chin on her head, "Almost over, dear. I just need a bit more time, so forgive me."
Looking behind, he notices that nobody is following; it should ease the tension on their shoulders, but their gut is telling them otherwise. Even though the forest looks at peace, from the plants swaying softly, animals communicating with each other, and the nearby river creating soft trickles, Qifrey still senses danger lurking where he can't see. He knows they're still waiting, patiently analyzing his every move to capture the two in a trap, something to keep them both caged and defenseless.
Keeping his guard up, Qifrey treads the forest at a steady pace with his palm quire and wand clenched in his hand. He keeps a look out for anything out of the ordinary, but all he sees and hears is the tree branches rustling against the soft wind, with birds perched on it while chirping. Coco lifts her head up and surveys the forest with uneasy eyes, holding Qifrey's cloak in a firm grip. Qifrey's kind hand guides her head to lay down on his shoulders, and she feels all the tension in her body evaporate.
Qifrey pushes away the overgrown vines and branches as he makes way to the nearby river glistening from the morning sunlight. Hovering over the edge, he looks down at his reflection, but listens carefully for any trace of the hunters, a frown etched on his face. With a final glance behind, Qifrey lets out a deep breath and pats Coco's back.
"I believe that it'll take a while for them to find us here."
Coco sighs in relief and holds her chest, "Oh thank goodness. What do we do now, then?"
Qifrey points to the river in front of them, "A little break seems plausible. Besides, I bet you're thirsty from all of this; you need some rest."
He holds onto Coco's waist and carefully puts her down, her feet meeting the muddy ground with a small squish. Walking to the river, Coco crouches down, scoops the cold water in her hands and drinks, letting out a satisfied sigh. Going for another sip, Coco hears rustling from the bushes nearby. Snapping her head to the source of the sounds, Coco gets a glimpse of hooves protruding from the bushes. A deer emerges and it seems too busy to notice Coco smiling at them, focusing on lapping at the water as well.
From behind, Qifrey stands on a stone drawing spells in his palm quire. He stills his wand when he hears a gasp nearby. Looking up, he sees Coco gawking at the deer, squealing about how adorable it is. Chuckling, he's reminded once again that children are always amazed by the simplest things. Yet, it's admirable to appreciate the ordinary, a joy lost to the troubles of the world.
"Mr. Qifrey?" Coco's voice catches his attention.
"Yes, what is it?"
Coco stands up and twiddles her fingers, avoiding his gaze, nervous smile painted on her face. Mumbles comes out of her mouth as she tries to form a sentence. Qifrey could tell what she's thinking about.
"From what I'm assuming by your body language, you're wondering about who those people are that chased us earlier, am I right?"
Coco nods her head. Qifrey motions their hand for Coco to come forward. Once she sits next to him, she waits for him to answer.
Qifrey adjusts his glasses and stares at the river with an unreadable expression.
"They call themselves the Knights Moralis—or, more properly 'The Order of Moral Spell-Casting' are witches who sworn to uphold to principles on the Day of the Pact."
Coco watches how Qifrey's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and hears a small, discreet "tsk" coming out of his mouth. He makes eye contact with Coco and she feels as if time stands still.
"Their duty is to wipe the minds of those who unearth the secret of magic…and minds of witches who dabble in forbidden magic. They carry our their duties dispassionately. No debates. No discussions."
Coco saw Qifrey's face darken as the light leaves his eye. He continues but the air around them feels a bit colder now.
"In their hands, you would lose more than just your memories. They would erase your passion for magic as well."
Her heartbeat pounds against her chest as Coco's throat tightens, making her unable to breathe for a second. Erase her passion for magic as well? She has already discovered the secrets and known that her memories could've been erased not too long ago, but this is all crumbling beneath her feet now. Her memories and passion for magic? The very thing that inspires her every day and brings joy to her life? Coco never wants that to happen to her.
Something pats her shoulder and she looks to see Qifrey leaning over her with tender smile, washing away her fears away.
"You're a good girl, Coco. I can see that you have a great love for magic. The fact that you uncovered the secret was my fault, not yours."
Before Coco could do anything, a long, white pennant shoots out of the forest, making the deer scurry into the woods for safety. Coco hides under Qifrey's cloak as he quickly closes the circle from his palm quire. The river reacted, suddenly forming a large, howling tsunami that crashes into the direction of pennants. Wasting no time, Qifrey grabs Coco and launches them towards the other side of the forest, leaving a trail of mist.
The Knights Moralis come out of the shadows with drenched clothes and hair, glaring at their prey that's escaping from their grasps. One of them pushes past the others and chases Coco and Qifrey like a savage animal, clutching their pennant in a vice-like grip.
"Don't let them get away!"
Following their command, all five of the Knights trail behind them as everyone makes their way to restrain Coco and Qifrey. Pennants are thrown at Qifrey, but he effortlessly dodges with precision. Coco watches as the Knight Moralis repeatedly tries to seize them, but all their efforts keep drowning in failure. Qifrey feinted to his right, throwing off some of the Knights—two of them crash into prickly bushes while the others remain in pursuit of their chase.
Flipping through his palm quire in search for a specific spell, Coco ensures that Qifrey doesn't lose his focus on hightailing away from the Knights Moralis; she tells him where the pennants are aiming and he heeds with urgency. The pennants keep wrapping itself on tree branches, logs, stones, and more—infuriating that trying to capture the two is almost impossible. To make matters worse for the Knights, Qifrey found the spell he was looking for, finishes the circle, and points it behind him.
The air suddenly forms a strong gust of wind that pushes the Knights Moralis off course, while accelerating Qifrey and Coco. Most of the Knights drag themselves out of range, but one of them gets propelled and crashes into a tree. The remaining three nod at each other and go in different directions: one remains behind, one goes left, and the other goes right. Coco spots this and warns Qifrey.
"They're trying to corner us!"
Qifrey glances at the two Knights getting dangerously too close for his comfort. Their pennants looks far too eager to tether itself tightly onto Qifrey and Coco. A quick peep from behind and he sees the other one trailing behind like a savage animal snarling at him.
"You won't escape from us this time! NOW!"
The two Knights aim their pennants at Qifrey and Coco. For a moment, time slows down for Coco, she could see the pennants coming closer, resembling a snake coiling around its prey. And if they catch her, they'll erase her memories and her passion and her Mom—
"Please no! I don't want to—"
SWIIIIISHHH!!!
Coco fearfully stares at the Knight Moralis becoming smaller in her view and catches a glimpse of the two accidentally wrapping themselves in their own pennants and falling to the ground. She feels Qifrey supporting her weight as he flies away into the sky. A hand tucks her hair away from her face and they stare at each other with wide eyes. Coco leans onto his hand for comfort as tears start to swell up.
"Don't worry, Coco. Everything will be okay, I just need to—aaaugh!?"
Qifrey feels something yanking his entire right foot, he looks down and sees someone's pennant. He squirms from its tight grip and tries to shake it off but nothing's working. Coco wraps herself around Qifrey for dear life and hides her face on his chest. Qifrey grabs his components and was about to draw a spell until the pennant forcefully pulls him and Coco to the ground, causing him to drop his pen.
This frustrating situation makes Qifrey's blood boil as he struggles to break free. He quickly takes Coco off of his chest and puts her behind his back. She clings onto his shoulders and neck as he bends down to loosen up the pennant. It's stopping his blood from flowing and he desperately tries to rip it off. However, the pennant yanks his boot off, causing Qifrey and Coco to plummet into the forest as they both let out blood curdling screams.
Thinking fast, Qifrey grabs Coco from behind to shields her as gravity pulls them back in rapidly.
CRACCKKK!
Qifrey's body slams onto something sharp, causing him to screech out loud the birds fly away. They both begin to tumble down a steep hill, making them roll uncontrollably. One of Qifrey's arms hold onto Coco, while his other arm flops around. Every impact makes them choke out air from their lungs as they slam against a thick, long tree.
Their bodies are covered in grass stains, mud, and bruises, along with tattered clothes and a broken pair of glasses. Both twitching as they try to catch their breaths. Coco rolls onto her back, choking out groans, as she feels her head pound while her right ankle swells. Then, an extremely bright light burns her closed eyes that makes her hiss. Her arm weakly covers the brightness as her heartbeat slowly goes at a normal pace.
Groaning is heard from her left side and she turns her head sluggishly. Opening her eyes, she’s met with blood is oozing out of Qifrey's dislocated, swollen arm. His body remains limp as he wheezes out loud. His vision is blurry but he knows that blur of green is Coco. He adjusted his cracked glasses and tries to talk to Coco but his voice is hoarse.
"A-Are you okay?"
Coco gives him a weak thumbs up and tries to smile, but she whimpers and curls into a ball. Her heart starts to drown into a deep ocean of despair and grief. There's so much happening this morning and Coco can't recollect her thoughts and emotions properly. She tries to wipe her tears and snot away, but her body overwhelms her like a tsunami forcing her to suffocate. Coco wants to learn magic with Mr. Qifrey— she wants to learn how to create magic and bring the world joy.
But she's dragged into this frightening chase by people who want to erase her memories because she's not a witch! A—And her Mom! Petrified and unable to embrace Coco with her warm presence anymore. Her Mom won't be able to wake up in the morning to work at the shop, talk to customers, have conversations with Coco, cook food with her, kiss her goodnight, and more. Those mundane memories with her Mom will soon be forgotten and Coco would be left wondering who she is in this big world abandoned and alone. But she's not going to give up—she still has to push herself towards the path she wants to walk on.
For Qifrey, his mind goes back to everything he worked so hard for since he was just a boy left to drown in a coffin on that stormy night. Those bruises on his frail hands grew over the years and learn how to wield a wand and bring life to magic. Qifrey despises water and still does, yet he practiced everyday so that he has control over the thing that brings him unpleasant nightmares. Qifrey had nothing left in his past life, but he’s now living as the witch he cultivates himself to be—and he's not going to let the anyone take it away.
Qifrey stutters, "C-Coco, we need to get up now. The Knights Moralis will get us if we don't find a place to hide."
Both slowly pushes themselves to sit up properly. Qifrey leans onto the tree and winces in pain, covering the bleeding of his upper arm. Coco scoots over to him and widens her eyes at how butchered it is up close.
"I'll be fine. We just need to lay low for a bit so the Knights Moralis won't get us."
Both try to push themselves off the ground, but Coco winces in pain as her ankles gives out and Qifrey's arm flails around. Coco gets up again, pushing her left leg up to give her support and successfully stands up. Hopping to give Qifrey a hand, Coco pulls him up and makes sure he can stand on his own now. They were about to enter the forest, they hear people shouting and rustling coming close. Qifrey frantically searches for his wand, the same one guiding him through the attacks, but he was only met with searing pain and empty pockets. He had nothing. Coco tries to drag Qifrey to somewhere they can hide before—
FWIIISHHH!!
Pennants slither around Coco and Qifrey, forming a spiral cage before binding itself onto them. Qifrey hisses at the pressure squeezing his injured arm as Coco tries to break out from it. Their backs are against each other and the pennants takes them off the earthy ground. All of the Knights Moralis have different expressions painted on their faces: from smirks, scowls, and just staring at them with an unamused looks.
One of them moves closer to Coco and Qifrey, holding their pennant in an iron grip.
"Out of the both of you. Who was it?" The Knight Moralis demanded, tugging the spear-like rod to tighten the white ribbon, a hiss escapes Qifrey's mouth.
"Are any of you in a hidden alliance with the Brimmed Caps?"
"'Brimmed Caps?' What are they talking about?" Coco frowns, looking at Qifrey for an answer but sees him baring out his teeth at them.
"We have no positive relationship with the Brimmed Caps!" Qifrey seethes, his icy-blue eye glaring at them. Easthies takes this moment of distraction to pull in the other adult in white, closer to him. Face-to-face. Eyes-to-eye.
"Then why—pray tell—did we receive news about a forbidden spell? That took place in a small village.” He inquires, while the rest of the Knights Moralis present all have menacing looks. All waiting for the child and witch to confess their wrongdoings.
Qifrey mirrors their distasteful expressions and then looks back at Easthies. Who continues to interrogate, "An unfortunate Outsider was victim of forbidden magic; petrified and unable to live as flesh and blood oncemore."
Eyes trail to Coco, silently crying as she clenches her fists. Easthies' face darkens as the guilty one already outed herself of the sin she had done. He pulls away from Qifrey and glares at Coco and that sends chills down her spine.
"I see now. So you were the one. An outsider as well," he accuses and something dangles on his finger. This makes Coco nervous about what he's going to do. "Someone like you should have never learned the secrets of magic. I'll deal with you in a moment; I need to deal with this enabler first."
He turns his head to one of the Knights who nods their head and retracts their pennant, pulling Coco and Qifrey away. Coco starts to squirm uncomfortably and pleads with her eyes for Qifrey to do something, but he's having the same problem. The pennant soaks his blood and Qifrey is being dragged closer to Easthies again. No matter how much he tries to fight his way out Easthies hardens the grip to make Qifrey submit to him.
"You deliberately broke so many rules, Qifrey; disobeying what the Day of the Pact was made for. Letting an outsider know the ways of magic and to teach them a forbidden spell?" Easthies tilts his head and raises his hand with a spell, pointing it at Qifrey who backs away.
"Get away from me! I'm not letting you take what's rightfully mine!" His screams do not go through the Knight Moralis' ears. They all remain motionless and watch as Easthies starts to raise his hand that has a spell.
"Stop! Don't do this to him! He's only doing this to help me save my Mom!" Coco begs, kicking her feet.
Easthies turns his head scoffs at her feeble attempts of pleading for mercy. An Outsider begging for forgiveness when they are the ones who committed this sin? She should've lived her life away from the world of magic, but here she is, an anomaly the Knights Moralis must get rid of, along with this traitor that calls himself a Witch. Ignoring the Outsider's cries, Easthies examines Qifrey, who squirms under Easthies' control and refuses to make eye contact with him.
Putting his hand closer and closer to Qifrey's vulnerable state, Easthies whispers in a chilling tone, "For this unforgettable crime, you are hereby relieved of your memories."
"NONONONONONONONO—GET AWAY FROM ME! I'm not letting you take away my memories! Don't you dare! I worked too hard for this to all go down the drain! I still have a life to live!"
Wriggling to free himself off the pennants is useless; Qifrey's is in no position of power to fight against Easthies' dreadful hand getting closer. The memory erasure pushes itself off from the circle, crawling to consume Qifrey's memories. Qifrey hastily glares at the Knight Moralis and Easthies who do not react to his struggles. He gets a quick glance at Coco writhing and screaming to let them go—and he couldn't help but feel immense guilt of seeing how cruel this world is.
He feels the memory erasure touching his forehead—it's cold and slimy—but all Qifrey could think about is—
"OLRUGGIO—"
Once the spell reached into his mind, there were no more memories. No more love, sorrow, regret. There's nothing left of Qifrey anymore.
She shakes her head furiously and tries to kick Easthies away as he drags Qifrey's unconscious body, but the pennants slither around her legs and stiffens any movements. Tears pour down her face as Coco's voice lets out screams of horror and chokes on her own saliva. Easthies ignores everything that Coco is doing and he raises his hand while letting the memory spell spell creeps towards her face.
"There's nothing you can do but forget everything you know about magic. You are hereby relieved of your memories."
"STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP STOP PLEASE! NO! I can't lose my memories! I need to learn magic! I don't want to forget my—"
"MOM—"
She groggily opens her eyes and groans at the pounding in her head. She wipes her face, feeling dried tears and snot, which makes her wonder what kind of nightmare she had last night. Holding her head, she closes her eyes and tries to recall what happened before waking up. A few seconds pass by and there's nothing appearing in her head to help her remember. Letting out a frustrated grunt, she pushes herself off of the ground but immediately winces at the pressure on her right ankle. She kneels down and rubs her hands on it.
She squints her eyes, "H—Huh?"
There's a lot of questions running through her pounding head.
How did she break her ankle?
Why does her face have dried tear stains and snot?
Why did she wake up in the middle of nowhere?
How did she ended here in the first place?
What happened last night?
She examines the area she's in, hoping anything she sees can refresh her blurry memories. From what she can see, there's tall mountains and one of them is extremely higher than the others. Does she live in the mountains?
There's some splashing noises nearby and she turns to see a huge ocean. The breeze is extremely cold and pulls her hair, she rubs her arms for warmth.
"Ugh…where am I?"
Searching for clue seems to get her to nowhere, so she figures maybe exploring this mysterious place could help. Despite her injured ankle, she manages just fine by walking without putting too much pressure on it.
Her journey is put to an abrupt stop when she hears someone moan in pain. Following the sounds, she spots someone laying on the ground holding their bloody arm. Treading lightly, she finds herself standing above that person's head who's hair is white like snow. They stirred and shakes their head, opening their one, visible eye.
"H-Hello?" They croak.
She replies, "Hello, do you need help?"
They nodded their head weakly and so she pulls them up from the ground. She almost falls but catches herself and the stranger feels the blood rushing into their head. The two quietly examine each other's face, tilting their heads and opening their mouths to speak but are unable to say anything.
"Do I know—"
"Are you—"
Both stuttered out quick apologies, and the stranger motions their uninjured arm and asks, "Are you…someone I know?"
She taps her chin, "I don't think so? I can't remember anything that happened yesterday. Or was it today?"
They shook their head and chuckled solemnly, "I have the same problem as you do. I find my mind blanking every time I try to recall any events."
"Do you remember anything that happened the day before yesterday? Or after? Last week? Month?"
"No, no, no, and still no."
"What…what about your name?"
They snap their fingers and opens their mouth, "It's—It's…oh…um…no. No, I can't remember my name. Can you?"
She scratches her neck and thinks really hard, like really, really hard—but nothing comes to her mind. She sighs, "No, I don't think I know my name. And…I guess we're both just clueless strangers."
Both turned their heads at the splashing waves, crashing water onto the rocks.
The stranger laughs sardonically, "Our memories are probably sinking over there."
