A world in war, chaos never ending. Different types of creatures were fighting for dominance over the earth. A hooded figure stood on a hill, watching this madness. It was a stormy night. The sky was roaring with thunder, and the clouds completely covered the night.

  The figure looking down saw countless bodies scattered across the battlefields. The rain, as heavy as it was, couldn't wash away all the blood. The figure clenched their fists. How long had this been going on? It seemed like an eternity.

  All this fighting; it was madness. No, worse, it was pointless. “ENOUGH!” the figure screamed. The rain should have drowned their voice out. But it didn’t. Somehow, the figure’s voice was greater than the rain, greater than even the thunder.

  Unfortunately, their voice alone wouldn’t be enough to stop the fighting. But that was fine. The hooded figure brought their hands close together to the point they almost touched. Their hands were curved almost like they were holding something, but there was nothing between them.

  Until there was. A light appeared. A ball of light. It started off the size of a pebble but kept getting bigger until it reached the size of a small ball. The small ball of light was blue in color. It was unstable. Its form kept shifting and shaking, unable to contain itself.

  The hooded figure gritted their teeth. Sweat ran down their face. “Not yet. Just… just a little longer,” the hooded figure grunted. The ball of light became more and more unstable. It shone brightly and generated a large, piercing noise.

  “Now!” the hooded figure screamed. They let go of the ball of blue light, and in doing so, it exploded. But it was no small explosion. It was the biggest explosion in history. It traveled to every corner of the earth in a matter of seconds. The explosion didn’t destroy; it pulsated in blue waves. Its waves slowly joined together and formed a sort of barrier around the earth.

  Then something miraculous truly happened. The earth started to… multiply. When the first duplicate appeared, a species of creatures vanished from the original and appeared on the duplicate.

  Another earth appeared, and the same thing happened to another species of creatures. This continued until there were a total of thirteen earths, indistinguishable from one another except for the creatures they inhabited.

  One earth floated at the center—the original—while the rest orbited around it. The hooded figure had done it. They had ended the war.

  This event would be known as the Great Separation. When peace was given by a single hero. The day the 13 realms were created. The day a single hero brought peace to all worlds.

  The battlefield was now silent. Centuries turned into millennia. The sun and moon rose and fell countless times over the scarred plains where the final battle had taken place.

  Over time, grasses and flowers grew over the battlefield, hiding any indication of the great war.

  Two thousand years later.

  In a grand hall stood a massive statue of the hooded figure. It towered over the halls, giving it an aura of power and greatness.

  A young girl with fiery red hair stood before the statue. She looked at it with awe, her emerald green eyes wide. She gripped the books she held to her chest tightly.

  She then looked down at its base, where an inscription was carved. It said: “In honor of the great mage Morgan. The hero of all realms. Bringer of peace to all.”

  The girl’s fiery red hair framed her face, and her expression turned from awe to one of sadness. Her grip on her books lessened. “Could I ever be as great as you were?” the red-haired girl asked.

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  “As if!” a voice exclaimed. The red-haired girl felt a strong push, forcing her to fall to her knees. Her books scattered all over the white floor. The awful sounds of giggles echoed in the hall.

  The red-haired girl’s hands and feet were bruised. She winced in pain. “Looks like you got injured from the fall. No matter. A simple healing spell should take care of that. Oh wait. You can’t, can you? Despite all your time in the academy, you’ve never accomplished something worthwhile. Have you ever just considered dropping out? Save yourself from further embarrassment,” the voice mocked.

  The red-haired girl gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Tears almost ran down her face, but she held them back. She wouldn’t cry, not for her tormentor. She had already done that enough times, but not today.

  Still on the floor, she turned her head to the one who had pushed her. “Caroline,” the red-haired girl muttered. “Everyone knows my name, Wildfire. However, that doesn’t mean you get to say it. Especially with such disdain. Remember your place. Or would you prefer I put you there?” Caroline said.

  Caroline, despite being so ugly and cruel on the inside, was quite a beauty on the outside. Blonde hair, flawless skin, crystal blue eyes, and not to mention an incredible figure.

  She was accompanied by two other girls: Butthead Number One and Butthead Number Two. Those weren’t their actual names, but that’s what the red-haired girl called them. In her thoughts, of course. Never out loud; that would be suicide.

  They weren’t as pretty as Caroline, which wasn’t a surprise in the least. Caroline would never be friends with someone she thought was better than her at something. It wasn’t like there were many in the academy prettier than her, but if there were, she definitely wouldn’t be friends with them.

  She would no doubt think of them as her enemy. “Answer me when I speak to you!” Caroline shouted. She walked over to the red-haired girl. She brought out her right hand to the side and curled it up, palm facing upwards.

  “IGNI!” Caroline chanted. Then green flames appeared in the empty space on her curled-up hand. She reached the red-haired girl and crouched.

  “I do hate to repeat myself, but lucky for you, I’m in a good mood. So I’ll ask again. Do I need to put you in your place?” Caroline asked in a low tone. She placed the green flame close to the red-haired girl’s face.

  The red-haired girl felt the intense heat on her cheeks. It hurt. Caroline smiled softly, seeing that the red-haired girl was in pain. “I’m sor—,” the red-haired girl stopped herself. Was she about to apologize? After years of abuse from this demon?

  It was always the same. She would always cower when Caroline showed how much greater she was. She frowned at Caroline.

  “Do it,” the red-haired girl said. “What did you just say?” Caroline asked, baffled. “I said, DO IT,” the red-haired girl yelled. “I’m done taking shit from you. So go ahead, burn my face, but you will never hear me beg. Never again.”

  Caroline had a surprised look, and the red-haired girl held firm. Then Caroline started to laugh hysterically, canceling the fire spell in her hand.

  The red-haired girl stopped frowning. She didn’t know why Caroline had suddenly started laughing. “All these years and now you grow a spine. Now!?” Caroline said, still laughing.

  She wiped a tear from her face as she stood up. “I’m gonna give you a present for your newfound bravery because that’s how nice of a person I am. Be grateful.”

  The red-haired girl was in a state of disbelief. Was this really Caroline?

  “I said, be grateful!” Caroline repeated, this time her voice far deeper and louder, causing the red-haired girl to crawl backward out of fear. “That’s better. As for my gift, I won’t be messing with you till we graduate. Well… not as much anyway. We only have one year left in this place after all. So use what time you have left to enjoy as little as you can. There’s no need to thank me.”

  Caroline smiled sadistically as she spoke. The red-haired girl tried frowning once more, but she just couldn’t. Caroline had a power over her she couldn’t overcome.

  Caroline turned back to the girls that accompanied her. “Pacifica! Mandy! Let’s go,” Caroline ordered. Both girls followed Caroline as she walked past the red-haired girl.

  When they had finally left, the red-haired girl slowly stood up. “That could’ve gone worse,” the red-haired girl said.

  She dusted her clothes, picked up her scattered books, and looked at the statue once more. “She’s right, isn’t she? I’ll never be as great as you,” the red-haired girl said. Tears began rolling down her face. She had held them back in the presence of Caroline, but now that she was gone, there was no need.

  She slowly walked away from the statue.

  This is the story of Andrea Wildfire, the witch who would surpass the great hero Morgan.