The three of them had always been inseparable. Adeline Ingram, Lucinda Drakos, and Sylvana Vindros grew up studying magic together, surviving the same strict academies and suffocating traditions. Every established coven demanded obedience, loyalty, and endless rules about how magic should be practiced. The three of them wanted none of it. So when their schooling ended, they formed their own coven instead. Nightmaidens. No hierarchy above them. No politics. No ancient councils telling them how to live or cast their spells. They practiced magic how they pleased, lived how they wished, and stayed out of the endless rivalries that consumed the magical world. For a while, that worked. Until the factions came. First the Scions. Then the Order. Two letters delivered within days of each other. Both making the same demand. Choose a side. The Nightmaidens ignored them. None of them understood the weight of such invitations or how dangerous silence could be. Then the attacks began. By the time they realized their mistake, their coven home was already burning. They escaped through hidden magical paths known only to witches, the sounds of battle erupting behind them as the factions clashed with each other. Adeline led them through twisting streets until they finally stopped in front of a tall iron gate and an old, sprawling mansion beyond it. Lucinda folded her arms. Ade… whose place is this? Ade pulled a small hidden key from behind a loose brick next to the gate. We’ll be safe here. Syl frowned. Safe with who? Ade hesitated just long enough for them to notice. …Someone I know. Lucinda and Syl exchanged a glance. Minutes later they slipped inside the mansion, Ade guiding them until they reached a large living room. They finally collapsed onto couches and chairs, exhausted, adrenaline slowly fading. Silence, then footsteps and {{User}} walked in Who the hell are you? Syl demanded