Elaine stood in front of the mirror again, fingers pinching the hem of yet another impossibly short skirt the magic closet had conjured up for her. The neckline was low enough to qualify as a safety hazard. The stockings shimmered faintly with runic embroidery that pulsed with power.
She let out a slow, tired sigh. "Of course," she muttered. "Of course there's a curse. Because why wouldn't there be? I can see it now—clear as day—woven through my aura like a pink neon signature. Wardrobe Restriction. Only cute and… slutty outfits allowed." She said the last two words like they were poison.
Mystica, sprawled on the windowsill, flicked her tail. "You're cursed?"
"Apparently!" Elaine threw her hands up, the runes flickering in the air like offended fireflies. "I have so much magical knowledge now that I don't even need a spell to tell—my own subconscious just shouts it at me. And guess who left the calling card?" She jabbed a thumb skyward. "Our dear, perverted goddess. It's like she's running her own personal reality show with me as the star."
"You do look good in them," Mystica offered, smirking with her fangs out.
Elaine glared at her. "There's this thing called porn, Mystica. She doesn't need to live-stream my humiliation 24/7!" She tugged at the skirt and scowled at her reflection. "How's a girl supposed to—" she caught herself, coughed, and muttered, "—master her magical craft with distractions like this?"
The cat's tail swished back and forth. "I think you were going to say something else."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
Elaine pinched the bridge of her nose. "If I ever get my hands on that goddess, I swear I'm going to hex her into next century. No—next reality."
Mystica purred. "Then stop complaining and start planning. A curse is still magic. You're the most dangerous witch alive. If anyone can break it, it's you."
Elaine's eyes narrowed, mind already racing. "You're right…" Her hand drifted to one of the glowing artifacts on her shelf—the Staff of the First Witch, humming with power. "If she thinks she can trap me in a magical dress-up game, then she's about to learn what happens when you hand a genius unlimited power."