Peppy didn't remember her parents, as she was raised by her sister, Jill, from a very young age. The two girls lived alone in an old, abandoned mansion, with ivy climbing up the walls and cobwebs in every corner. Early each morning, Jill left for work, strictly forbidding her younger sister to even peek out of the windows.

The first few years of being confined to the house didn't bother Peppy at all. Why go out when there are so many interesting things inside? The soft light of the oriental lanterns, the aroma of the fresh buns that Jill baked, and — books. Such fascinating worlds opened up on the pages of the dusty tomes, left to rot in the mansion by the previous owners! Gallant knights and their courageous exploits, noble princesses risking everything for true love… Everything was so beautiful in these stories, and the good always won in the end. Often, captivated by another gripping yarn, Peppy would put on a splendid dress and pose in front of a grand old mirror. First, the evil grin of a master villain spread convincingly across her face; then, the puppy-dog eyes of an innocent soul in search of love; then, wielding an old weather vane she found in the attic like a sword or magic wand, she pranced about fending off invisible enemies. Thus the years passed, Peppy grew up, and her acting skills continued to improve.

Then finally, the day came when the girl had an irresistible desire to see the real world beyond the mansion's walls. She waited for her sister to leave, wrote a note, put on her best shoes, grabbed her faithful weather vane and ran out into the street. But where are the princes and carriages? Where is the laughter and gaiety? Why are all these sad people on the streets, begging and crying desperately? The world before Peppy's eyes was very different from the one in the books...

The next moment, a chill of horror ran down her spine as she watched a group of demons ride into the town square on huge, menacing black horses. Behind them, emaciated, exhausted, and bound in chains, walked the inhabitants of the Dominion. "No, the world can't be this bad," Peppy thought, and she resolutely stepped towards the monsters and began her performance.

With their mouths agape, the demons stared, entranced, at the pink flashes of her weather vane. Every gesture and sound the actress made struck them to the core, and they found themselves completely immersed in the world she conjured up. And when the show came to a climax, a cloud of theatrical masks suddenly appeared over the demons' heads. Ta-da, the finale! But instead of riotous applause, there was only a serious of muffled thumps, as the 'spectators' fell dead from their horses. Peppy was unperturbed. With the gesture of a magician, she whipped out the keys from her purse and removed the prisoners' shackles.

That's how she learned the true power of her art. Now she was ready to make the world as it was in the pages of her favorite books.