Chapter 52: The forest

Lucy and Charlotte wandered through a strange forest, a place unlike any they had seen before. The ground was covered in soft bluegrass, and the trees towering above them were a deep shade of blue. The leaves rustled gently in the breeze, making a sound like waves crashing against the shore.

Lucy's eyes sparkled with excitement as she gazed at the blue trees and bluegrass in the forest. She had been searching for the magic apple for over a year now, hoping to find a cure for her curse.

Charlotte, who had been her constant companion throughout her journey, noticed Lucy's excitement and smiled at her. She had grown to love Lucy like a sister over the past year, and she knew how much finding the apple meant to her.

Together, they walked deeper into the forest, the blue grass crunching under their feet. They searched high and low, looking for any sign of the magic apple. But as the sun began to set, they realized they were running out of time.

Lucy's excitement turned into worry as she looked at Charlotte. "We have to find it," she said, determination in her voice. "We can't give up now."

"Yeah, it would be a waste to come all this way just to head back now."

As Lucy and Charlotte walked through the forest, they stumbled upon a large lake. The water was a bright, shimmering blue, and the surface was almost perfectly still, reflecting the surrounding trees like a mirror. As they approached the water's edge, they noticed something peculiar: small, glowing blue orbs floating just beneath the surface. As they peered closer, they realized that they were tiny jellyfish, their delicate tentacles trailing behind them.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte extended her hand and concentrated her magic, creating a small barrier between her palm and the water. She cautiously extended her hand and sensed the soft suction of the jellyfish's tentacles on her skin. The jellyfish appeared to be pulsing with pleasure, and its blue light grew even brighter. Charlotte experienced a warm feeling that spread throughout her body, filling her with a sense of amazement and reverence for the world's beauty.

"We should get a pet jellyfish!"

"Why a jellyfish? They don't know how to do any tricks or anything."

"Because it's so cute!" Charlotte laughed and continued to pet the jellyfish.

Lucy couldn't help but sigh. She knew that finding the magic apple was their top priority, but she couldn't help but feel a bit envious of Charlotte's carefree attitude at the moment.

As Charlotte laughed and played with the jellyfish, she suddenly heard a strange noise. Looking up, she saw blue webs being shot from the top of the trees. Lucy immediately tensed up, gripping her wand tightly in her hand.

"Lucy, what's happening?" Charlotte asked, noticing the serious expression on her friend's face.

"I don't know, but we need to be ready," Lucy replied, her eyes scanning the surrounding area.

As Charlotte continued to play with the jellyfish, Lucy knocked it out of her hand with a swift motion of her wand. "Charlotte, we need to focus. We don't know what's out there," she said, her tone urgent.

Charlotte's expression turned serious as well, and she nodded. "Fine but after we do this I'm taking one of the jellies."

A purple aura surrounded her hands, gradually extending to her hair. The white strands of her hair glimmered with purple streaks as if the magic she possessed was infused into her very essence. After taking a deep breath and composing herself, she sensed the strength of the protective shield she had conjured.

"I know I'm not much of a fighter like you and the others but I can hold my own," Charlotte said, her voice steady and resolute.

The two girls heard a soft thud on the ground. They turned to see a young girl lying on the grass, her body wrapped in blue webs. Her silky blue hair shone in the sunlight, and she had multiple eyes that blinked rapidly. She wore a blue and white outfit that looked almost like a spider's web itself.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your quest to cure your curse but we should have a chat."

"What do you want? Are you from the fucking demon army?" Lucy barked.

"I'm glad you figured that out fast. Now I don't have to explain much anymore."

"I'm guessing this was a trap the whole time?"

"Yep. There was never an apple to cure you. But let's hurry up and fight already I'm getting bored."

Lucy fired the massive ball of fire at the kid, Charlotte quickly erected a barrier around the two of them. The ball of fire hit the kid, causing her to swing away with her webs. However, the force of the impact caused a shockwave that rippled through the barrier, causing it to become painful to Lucy. She gritted her teeth and shouted at Charlotte to take it down.

Charlotte quickly complied, the barrier fading away into nothingness.

"Does every one of your spells have to cause others pain?"

"I'm sorry- but we need to focus on that kid already!"

The kid landed gracefully beside Charlotte, her hand with sharp webs still around her. Charlotte glanced at Lucy, and Lucy could tell she had a plan. Lucy understood and stood back, giving Charlotte room to maneuver.

"Move and she dies."

"That's a little brutal for a kid to say," Lucy said trying to hide her anger.

"I'm older than you trust me. Now if you want your friend to live put down the wand."

Lucy hesitated for a moment, her wand still aimed at the girl, but then slowly lowered it. The kid smiled, her eyes gleaming.

Charlotte quickly focused her magic and created a barrier between her neck and the blue webs, sending a surge of purple energy through them. The kid recoiled, detaching her webs from her hand and cradling it in pain. Charlotte took the opportunity to slip out of the kid's grasp and step back, ready for any further attacks.

As the kid laughed maniacally, she flicked her wrist and shot a web at Lucy. But before it could reach her, Charlotte quickly reacted, creating a barrier with her hands and blocking the web. The kid's expression turned from amused to angry as she realized her attack had failed. She flicked her wrist again and shot another web at the two, but Charlotte was quick to block it once more.

Charlotte charged at the kid, her fists glowing with a purple aura. She aimed a punch straight at the kid's face, and it connected with a loud thud. The kid's face turned purple when Charlotte hit her, and she stumbled back, dazed.

Charlotte didn't give her a chance to recover. She lunged at the kid again, throwing another punch. The kid tried to dodge, but Charlotte was too fast. She landed another hit, this time on the kid's stomach.

"I thought you would hesitate to hit a kid Charlotte."

"If she was truly a kid I wouldn't have hit her. This is a demon taking the form of something resembling a kid which is why I won't hesitate to kill it," Charlotte said with bloodlust.

The kid began weaving webs around her right arm, twisting and turning them until they formed a long spear-like shape. The webs glinted in the sunlight, reflecting off the shiny blue and white strands.

Lucy fired the blast at the ground, the force sent her flying into the air. She quickly regained her composure and fired again, this time propelling herself toward the kid. However, the kid was fast and agile and managed to dodge them out of the way at the last moment. Lucy, now out of control, hurtled towards Charlotte, who was taken by surprise and knocked off her feet by the impact.

"I've played with my food long enough. Now I think I'll just end this fast."

The kid swung from tree to tree, her speed gradually increased until she was a blur of blue and white. She suddenly stopped and launched her right arm forward, which had now transformed into a sharp spear made of her webs. Charlotte quickly reacted and created a barrier with her purple glow, but the spear managed to pierce through the barrier slightly, causing her to wince in pain.

Lucy's gaze flickered between her wand and Charlotte as her mind raced. She thought about how they had been searching for a cure for so long only for there not to be one.

Lucy's tears fell down her face as she dropped her wand to the ground. She knew that this was all a trap and that there was no cure for her curse. She looked over at Charlotte, who was still struggling to defend herself against the kid's attacks.

Lucy wiped away her tears and took a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. She closed her eyes and focused her energy, summoning a black sword made entirely out of energy. It appeared in her hand, crackling with dark energy.

" There is no cure for my curse therefore no longer shall I be a mage but rather a user of the sword."