The Beginning

Larkin stood in the middle of an abandoned campsite in the woods nearby her apartment, surrounded by candles and various occult objects. She had been preparing for this moment for weeks, researching and practicing the intricate ritual that would grant her immense power.

She had everything she needed such as candles, herbs, and a pentagram, and had spent hours studying the ancient texts to ensure that the spell would work perfectly. She had even gone so far as to draw a protective circle around herself to ensure that nothing would interrupt her during the ritual.

But fate had other plans.

As she stood in the center of the abandoned campsite, the candles flickered and cast eerie shadows on the surrounding trees. The air was thick with the scent of burning herbs and incense, and Larkin could feel the weight of the ancient magic she was invoking.

She began her incantations ensuring each step precisely timed and executed to ensure that the magic flowed smoothly and powerfully.

As she was in the middle of the ritual, a burst of laughter interrupted her concentration. She looked up to see a female clown with pink hair and a red nose floating down with a huge balloon in one hand and a bottle of seltzer in the other.

Her name was Strider, and she had grown bored of her circus travels and decided to venture out into the world to find new friends. She stumbled upon Larkin's ritual in the forest and, intrigued by the candles and eerie atmosphere, decided to take a closer look, gliding down with her balloon, waving and giggling at Larkin, completely oblivious to the unwelcoming social cues being sent back at her.

Larkin rolled her eyes and returned to chanting the ancient incantations of the spell, but Strider was not taking no for an answer. As she leaned over to greet her new friend, she lost her grip on the balloon strings and tumbled towards Larkin. Before she could stop herself, Strider tripped and fell onto Larkin, pushing them both onto the pentagram and spilling seltzer all over the ingredients.

The mixture erupted in a massive explosion of purple and pink light and smoke, and engulf the two woman as they laid on top of each other within the active pentagram. Both Larkin and Strider began feeling light-headed and weak before quickly falling into a deep sleep as the corrupted magic took hold.