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Sophia stepped through the black door, its silver knob cold against her palm, and emerged on a windswept beach under a starless night sky. To her right, an unstable ocean roared, its waves crashing against jagged rocks with a relentless fury, spraying mist that stung her skin. To her left stretched a forest of towering rubber trees, some thriving with glossy leaves, others withered and dry, their branches clawing at the darkness. The air was crisp, laced with salt and sap, and a chill wind wrapped around her, forcing her to hug herself tightly. This wasn't the grand hall she'd expected, with Zodiacs judging from a towering podium. Instead, the beach's raw beauty—wild and untamed—felt strangely fitting for a trial, though its purpose eluded her.
The ground rumbled beneath her feet, a low growl that sent pebbles skittering. Thirty paces away, a gaping hole yawned open in the sand, its edges pulsing with an eerie purple light. Sophia's blood magic hummed in response, unshaken by the anomaly. "I guess I'll have to jump in," she murmured, narrowing her eyes. She paced forward, then back, biting her fingers—a nervous habit when memory failed her. "What's that spell again?" she whispered, then snapped her fingers. "Ha!" Her eyes lit up, glowing a deep purple as she bit her thumb, blood welling instantly. Droplets hit the sandy ground, sizzling as they sank into the earth. Blood magic demanded sacrifice—the *blood for blood* rule—where the spell's power hinged on the caster's offering. For a spell this grave, a few drops would suffice.
"*Inal al'tahal*," Sophia intoned, her voice steady, her eyes blazing purple. She stepped toward the manhole and leapt, but instead of falling, she floated, the spell suspending her in a gentle descent. Blood magic couldn't grant true flight—not at her current level—but this shortcut would do. She glided down the hole, drawn toward a blinding light at its end.
Beyond the light lay a place she'd buried deep in her heart—a soccer field, its stands nearly full, the air electric with anticipation. Players lined up on the pitch, they wore robes that fluttered signaling the match's imminent start.it was a game where young witches showed thier magic prowess by manipulating the centre item a large round ball like equipment with wings that allowed it to fly momentarily when thrown into the air. The scene was achingly familiar, a memory Sophia had fought to forget. Her chest tightened, her blood magic pulsing erratically.
"Familiar, isn't it?" a voice purred behind her. Sophia spun to face a striking woman with dark hair cascading like a midnight river, her purple dress shimmering with an otherworldly sheen. She floated, swerving around Sophia with a predator's grace, her eyes glinting like twin obsidians.
"Which Zodiac are you?" Sophia asked sharply, her voice edged with defiance.
The woman smirked. "Calm down, tigress. I am Vyxen, you may know me as Virgo. What troubles you?"
Sophia's gaze hardened. "Why bring me here?"
"I didn't," Vyxen replied, her voice a low hum. "You did. This is your past, a memory you can't escape."
"I wish I could," Sophia said, her tone heavy with self-pity, her eyes dropping to the sandy ground.
"What happened here?" Vyxen asked, her hair—flowing behind her.
Sophia's voice trembled. "It's the day my brother died. Because I messed up a spell."
The memory unspooled like a wound torn open. It was a championship match between two magical federations: Potions versus Blood Magic, each team boasting twenty players of mixed genders. Sophia, then fifteen, and her red-haired brother, Elias, were forefront stars of the Blood Magic team, their robes adorned with their coven's crimson emblem, hers with a pointy hat, his with a vizor. The game awarded points for goals and magical prowess, with exceptional spellwork earning extra accolades. That day, Sophia had planned a bold display—a blood spell to amplify her team's speed, a showcase of her prodigious talent.
But ambition outstripped control. As Elias sprinted toward the goal, Sophia cast *Sanguis Acceler*, a complex spell requiring precise blood offerings. She'd miscalculated, drawing too much blood from herself, her vision blurring as the spell spiraled. Instead of boosting her team, it unleashed a chaotic surge, a purple haze that enveloped the field. Elias, closest to her, convulsed, his blood magic reacting violently to the overload. He collapsed, his body drained, his life extinguished before the healers could reach him. The stands fell silent, the match abandoned. Sophia's mistake had cost her brother's life, and the guilt had haunted her ever since, etching self-doubt into her every spell.
Tears welled in Sophia's eyes, her blood magic flickering. "I killed him," she whispered. "I was too reckless"
Sophia's breath hitched.
'this is your verdict miss Sophia, until you forgive yourself you won't be able to walk the true path set for you, you have friends now, find solace and comfort in them, let go of your self guilt" with this Vyxen, fluttered her fingers and Sophia's vision clouded up into dark as she fell into a trance.