December, 2032. The Return.

Fifty years had never passed by so slowly in her life, and Ophelia’s bright violet eyes scanned the changed world as she entered this new city. Everything had changed since 1982, when she went into the mountains. Now… Now she was ready for society again, but society had changed. The most contact that she had kept with the outside world was a radio and an occasional pigeon letter or two to tell him she was alright and what kind of progress she was making with her condition. But the return letters had stopped ages ago, which always had her worried. However, now, on December 18, 2032, Ophelia was finally ready. Nearly fifty years of progress and she had overcome the darkness… Bonded with it, and now it didn’t ever try to control her without her will. She controlled it now.

Brushing her fingers through her long locks of chocolate colored hair and tugging her thin jacket over her arms some more, she looked around at the steel city. She recalled steel being mass produced a while back… about twenty years, but she never imagined that the cities would have changed so much in comparison to how they were. Cities were once full of life and warm, but now they were callous and cold. The snow barely compared to the vibes she was receiving as she walked down the empty streets, her old leather boots protecting her feet from the layers of snow. Her jeans barely kept her legs warm and she dreaded not having a proper winter coat now. Still, the mountain had been warm… At least in the small cottage she had been in.

Her knapsack was full of supplies and soon she noted the men and women in body armor in front of every major building with some type of scanner, and she raised a brow, but kept on. She would need to get inside soon, but she had a track on her necklace… And the person she had given it to. She couldn’t wait to see him again, she had been down from the mountains for three days now, and she had been closer to him now than she had been in years. A ring rested on her forefinger, one of a similar make of the necklace she had given to him. It was how she had been able to track him, but her thoughts had been interrupted when she went to enter what she believed to be a mall. There were guards near the entrance and she was stopped.

“Identification please.” The woman asked, her voice stolid and Ophelia raised a brow. How would she play clueless now? She quickly thought it over and she pointed at her ear and then at her lips. The woman nodded and spoke slower, and took up Ophelia’s hands and looked at her and Ophelia took her hand back and backed up. “She doesn’t have a code.”

“Then she must be human. You know these new readers don’t always read right. Besides, most witches have stayed away from the cities after they warned us that the others will retaliate. Witches and their prophecies.” He chuckled, and Ophelia continued to watch their conversation.

“But this reads dark magic. The witches said all of the dark witches were dead and if were to ever come across one then it was bad news.” The woman said, and Ophelia backed away again. “Ma’am.” The woman reached for her again and Ophelia sighed.

“So, I’ve not been entirely honest with you.” She spoke and they both looked at her. “You see, I am a witch… And I am very much so…” she stopped, her eyes turning from violet to black. “Dark.”

With that the guards drew weapons, but with a snap of her fingers, Ophelia had a large gust of wind and snow blowing them back into the wall, and she darted down the street. The feeling she had was getting stronger. He was close. He was close to her, and she only prayed he had stayed out of reach of these humans. She turned, but she saw more guards surrounding her, and she looked around, hearing a police scanner… At least that was what she assumed it was… And she heard the code.

“All units to Silver and Elm, we have a 1456, Dark witch in sight. This is not a drill, I repeat. Capture alive.” It said, and Ophelia looked around as a few groups closed in and she closed her eyes.

“Alright… Let’s see how well this works.” She mumbled to herself and she brought her hands up, almost like a surrender, and the guards continued to point their guns at her as she walked. She took in a deep breath and soon fire came into her hands and she threw the growing balls of fire and the moment the groups scattered, she ran and turned down an alley. “Where are you?” she grumbled as she ran, but soon she felt something hit her neck and she ripped it out… A tranquilizer?

Her vision began to blur as she ran, but she whispered and incantation as she fell and hit the cold ground, unconscious. One of the armored men tried to touch her but was burned, visibly and he looked down at her body as fire began to creep around the snow, melting it as it encircled around her. A sort of defense mechanism the darker parts of her had worked in so that she couldn't be harmed it seemed. Though she had bonded with it, it often acted on it's own, and now she could only hope that the man with her necklace would find her. He had been really close. Very, very close.