The Witching Hour Has Arrived, and Magic is Waiting to be Unleashed

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About the Images

A couple of weeks ago, this dress by Belle Epoque was on sale for one of the weekend sales, and I was inspired to create some images of a witch casting her spells. I’m not exactly sure why I was drawn to this dress, though it sort of looks like she’s wearing the souls of the dead. Corny, I know.

Ok, so there are several items of note in these images. Serena’s headpiece (or crown?) is by Magika for the current round of ACCESS. It comes with a HUD and 4 color combinations.

Serena’s eyes are the new Impetuous Eyes by my fave eye maker (that sounds weird), IKON. You can pick up a pack at FaMESHed, and then at the IKON main store.

Now for the makeup. Her dark eyeshadow, eye veins, and lipstick are from Izzie’s. There are several colors in the packs, and they are on sale at the Izzie’s main store for The Bounce. The facial contours are by WarPaint for Satan Inc. Several subtle variations are in the pack, so you don’t have to look as gaunt as Serena does

A couple of gifts can be found in the background. First, the Dark Temple backdrop is by SYNNERGY.TAVIS. It was a group gift for Day 1 of the “25 Days of Halloween” Advent calendar. There is still one more day left in this event, so if you hurry over and join the group, you can pick up all of the previous gifts!

Another gift is on the altar behind Serena: a raven in an iron cage, candles, and Tarot cards. These are by [CIRCA] and can be found at the Halloween Shop & Hop.

Finally, whenever possible, I like to use an older item from my inventory in my images. In this case, I was digging through my inventory for a skin that was quite a bit paler than what Serena usually wears, and I was happy to find Glam Affair’s Londyn skin in the milk tone (for EVOX heads). I checked the Glam Affair website to find out when Londyn was initially released, and it looks like it was a new item for The Saturday Sale back in October 2023 (and again in March 2024). Londyn is aging nicely, though I’ve made her look old and sickly with the makeup enhancements!

As always, complete credits are below the story. Store and event SLurls can be found on the Store & Event Links page.

The Story

In a darkened tower perched on the edge of a forgotten cliff, the witch stood at the heart of her chamber, her pale skin luminous in the moonlight. Her sunken gray eyes, hollow and weary, were focused intently on the glowing orb before her. White hair, wild as the winds that whipped through the room, framed her face like a silver veil, while the black and white folds of her dress swirled around her as if they, too, were alive.

No one ventured to the witch’s tower unless they were desperate, and even then, the villagers never knew whether to fear or trust her. Her power was undeniable. Yet, whether it brought salvation or ruin was a question that lingered with every whisper of her name. The villagers spoke of her in hushed voices, tales of mysterious miracles mingling with stories of curses that had torn lives apart.

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The witch’s bony fingers traced delicate patterns in the air, drawing on magic that hummed with both light and shadow. The orb before her pulsed in response, its swirling colors shifting from icy blues to bright purples. Her chant, a barely audible murmur, filled the air, echoing off the stone walls lined with shelves of ancient, dust-covered tomes. The flicker of candles cast long, crooked shadows that twisted like creeping vines, lending the room an otherworldly glow.

The witch had lived in isolation for many years, her tower a sanctuary from the world below. Her magic had long since blurred the lines between good and evil, her intentions unknown even to herself sometimes. The power that surged through her was neither wholly light nor wholly dark—it simply was. But the villagers feared what they could not understand. Was the witch a force of protection or destruction? They did not know, and neither did she.

Today, the air in the tower was thick with tension. The witch could feel it in her bones, a dark current running beneath the surface of the world. There was a disturbance in the magic, one that hinted at disaster. Someone, somewhere, was tampering with forces they could not control. The storm building in the distance was no natural phenomenon—it was the product of dark magic, twisting nature into something malevolent.

The witch’s eyes narrowed as she focused on the storm. It was still far off, but she could sense its approach. The question gnawed at her: should she intervene? Should she stop the storm before it could wreak havoc or let it play out as a reminder to those who dared to meddle with dark magic?

Her gaze drifted to a book resting on a pedestal nearby, its pages worn and fragile. The spells within were dangerous, even for her. She knew that tampering with such power could have consequences far beyond the storm itself. But if she did nothing, countless lives could be at risk.

Her hand hovered over the book, indecision weighing heavily on her. The storm was growing stronger, a dark mass on the horizon. She could feel it pulling at the edges of her consciousness, beckoning her to act.

With a slow, deliberate breath, the witch made her choice. Her fingers curled around the edges of the ancient tome, and she opened it to a page filled with symbols etched in black ink. The spell was one she had never dared to use before, its outcome uncertain. But the witch had never been one to shy away from uncertainty. She began to speak the incantation, her voice growing stronger with each word. The room seemed to hum with energy, the very walls vibrating as the magic swelled.

The storm outside faltered, its dark clouds shuddering as her power reached out to meet it. The winds, once violent, stilled. But something shifted in the air, an ominous weight settling over the tower. The witch could feel it—something unseen had stirred, something darker than the storm she sought to quell.

Her eyes flickered with an emotion she couldn’t name as she watched the storm begin to dissipate. The magic she had cast rippled through the air, its effects not yet fully realized. Had she saved the villagers from disaster, or had she unleashed something far worse?

Only time would tell.

The witch stood alone in the silence that followed, her white hair falling gently around her pale face. The orb before her dimmed, its colors fading until only the faintest glow remained. She stared into it, her eyes reflecting its dying light.

No one would ever know what she had done, or whether her magic had been a blessing or a curse.

And the witch was left to wonder if even she knew the answer.

CREDITS

Serena

Wings EF0708 HAIR
Magika Heathen Headpiece (@ ACCESS)
Angel Eyes Baby Hair 15 Hairbase
Glam Affair Londyn
IKON Impetuous Eyes Eternal Pack (@ FaMESHed)
Izzie’s Dark Soul Eyeshadow & Eye Veins (@ Mainstore for The Bounce)
Izzie’s Halloween Colors Lipstick (@ Mainstore for The Bounce)
WarPaint Gauntly Contour (@ Satan Inc.)
Vibing Evie Earrings
Belle Epoque Vanessa Nails
Belle Epoque Lajosse

Poses

Secret Poses Wicked

Scene

SYNNERGY.TAVIS Dark Temple Backdrop (group gift Day 1 of “25 Days of Halloween”)
Apple Fall Floral Pumpkin Black
CIRCA Lost Souls Caged Raven & Fortune Decor (free gift @ Shop & Hop)
Consignment Medical Skeleton
Dysfunctionality Creeping Fog
THOR Moon Child Candles

For other items worn, please see About the Characters.
For store and event SLurls, please visit the Store & Event Links page.

The quote, “The witching hour has arrived, and magic is waiting to be unleashed,”
is attributed to Cassandra Clare, author of City of Bones (2007).