《The Demon's Apprentice: A Journey in Red and Blue》


 Chapter 1: -The Forbidden Library And What It Holds-

    ¡°The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.¡±


    ¨D W.B. Yeats


    Chapter 1


    -The Forbidden Library And What It Holds-


    <hr>


    The sound of the ATM expelling the last droplet of my savings account is one excruciating to hear. All the money I got from my last two jobs is summed up to that after paying the last of my debts with the orphanage, just enough to buy me a cigarette and, with luck, pay for my move to the last bus station in my plan. Somehow, taking buses without caring where they would end up was not one of my brightest ideas, and it was fun until it wasn''t.


    Damnit, this freedom is not exactly what I hoped for. But not many options were presented to me; after all, I just completed eighteen, so it was either to get a job with one of the associates of the orphanage, or, more specifically, one of their friends from the local church. The problem is, I would make a terrible nun, I''m sure. Or I could just leave to try my luck elsewhere; the choice that I took without thinking twice, I don''t want anything to do with them if possible.


    The darkened old LCD screen displays a message: "Thank you for your preference; have a wonderful day.". Grabbing my wallet, I rest the money in between the leathery peeling folds, gazing at my objective, the gas station store on the other side of the street, just waiting to take my money.


    I look both sides, making sure to see if no cars will appear from the darkness of the street; ''it''s midnight'', I remember. This makes things easier, keeping in mind that the streets will be empty and so will the bus station; that gives me the possibility to take five before moving on. In any case, if the need to sleep becomes too much, I can sleep on the bus; I just have to be careful not to end up in another ''god knows where'' location.


    After crossing the street mindlessly, I walk to the welcoming, bright, white lights of the convenience store. One push and the glass door opens, making an annoyingly loud bell hang atop the door ring, making sure to trigger in my tired brain an immediate response of nausea that is somewhat alleviated by the gentle AC blow.


    The clerk, a man about my age, is on his phone, only glancing at me as I step closer to the cash register, where he sits on an old and uncomfortable-looking office chair.


    "Welcome to the Cots Store; is there something I can do for you?" The young man asks in a trained speech, hiding his boredom with a forced clerk smile.


    I grab the money and put it in front of him¡ªthe exact quantity I need for the cigarettes I''m looking for. "You have any Rosa cigarettes?"


    "Yes, but first I''ll need to see some ID, Miss."


    That''s about what I was expecting, so without losing any time, I hand him the ID that was just baked some hours ago, so I can still see my tired face in it. He examines it, looks at me, and then back at the thing before grinning and returning it to my hands. "Just at the nick of time. Were you waiting for midnight to strike?"


    "You could say that," I answer, trying to brush away his poor attempt to strike up a conversation. Taking the cigarette and stuffing it into my backpack, I look around for a bus map or something like that, finding nothing at first glance. "The nearest bus station; can you tell me where it is?"


    "You know where the train station is?" He waits for me to nod my head or shake it, and once I let it be clear that I don''t, he continues. "Follow the field path until the end, and then find the dirt path; once there, walk forward until you end near the train rails; the bus station is on the path from there to the village."


    "Thanks," With my wallet and things in the right places, I adjust my backpack and stretch my arms. "Good night."


    "Good luck, miss; I can see you''ll need it." These are the last words I hear before stepping outside; in a strange and almost mocking tone, there was no need to be an asshole because I didn''t entertain his boring shift. I let it slide away as my focus become solid on getting to where I need to go¡ªout of this hell hole.


    Green fields extend all over me as I walk; the path I follow is a little less boring the moment I climb the low stone wall and try to keep my balance, with arms extended like a bird to keep me from falling. The moonlight reaches and illuminates little of the way forward, not enough to give me a proper vision of all my surroundings. No streetlights, no Wi-Fi on my phone, no service too¡ªwhat is this end of the world? I put my phone in my pocket and turn on the flashlight mode, which helps me with the task of going forward on the wall.


    One thing bothers me though: the cold wind makes my hair stand on the edge, forcing my paranoia to scream, which makes me turn around. The gas station that I just stepped out of five minutes ago is gone on the horizon; the bright light it emanated is gone like it never existed. Wasn''t it supposed to be open until a little later? Not that I need to be bothered by it, but it''s just straight-up creepy. The lack of street lamps here makes it all the worse.


    What is more creepy than that is what happens when I try to return my eyes to the path ahead. For a single second, I could swear bright red circles like eyes were staring at me, and that''s all I needed to lose my footing.


    *Thump*


    The grass and flowers do little to ease my fall as the sock of the impact against the solid dirt reaches my head, feeding my headache some more. Vision becomes blurry, my arm hurts from withstanding my whole weight and the height I fell, the recipe for the worst luck possible, and to add to it, my phone stops producing light, just to add some salt to my disaster.


    I force myself to my feet painfully, cleaning the dirt hugging my long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. In the process, I grab my phone to check on it, and, not to my surprise, the screen is looking like a poor attempt at art made by a seven-year-old. If only I had heard the store seller who sold me it when they said to add a screen protector to it. This makes me wonder if I should turn back now; maybe there is still time to take a bus back and accept their deal to work as a nun.


    "No, there''s nothing there for us." I start talking to myself to calm my nerves as best I can. "Besides, we can do this; we just need to keep going, and I''ll think something out; I always do."


    ... "There is nothing there," the wind whispers, too realistic to think it is a trick of my tired mind. My instinct makes me try looking rapidly at the sound source, but upon doing it, something hugging my leg stops me forcefully.


    Black, gooey something climbs my leg, and in the moment I try analyzing it, forcing my vision to get used to the dark as fast as it can, the multiple, impossible, uncanny red eyes of the creature open, as well as a smile with more than normal teeth to seem like an animal. "...Stay; you don''t need to think-"


    The slap I give the creature is one that surprises even myself, and upon being given five seconds to rethink, it surely was not one of my greatest decisions; it flies away a few steps before stopping completely, going full silence. Without losing time, I use the chance to start running aimlessly away from it, as I won''t risk my life on the pretense that I''m getting crazy this early on; I''m only eighteen.


    Feeling the cold air against my skin as I run is refreshing; the freedom it entices, as I could just jump and take flight from far, far away from this devilish country, is a dream I always had. This time, unfortunately, the way my heart rate increases, the river of sweat that builds up on my forehead, and my breath getting out of control only serve to be nightmare fuel for my now utterly scared mind.


    I don''t even get the chance to think if that was real or not, as the creature from before rises from between the trees that I just passed, only now much bigger and pissed off than before, like a hungry wolf made of slimy liquid with red eyes hunting me down like the last rabbit in the world. I''m forced to dodge when the creature leaps at me, clearly making sure to let me know it is faster than I could ever be. The bite I was supposed to get misses by a few inches before it collides with a tree, splashing like a ballon before slowly getting back together in a disgusting display of horrors beyond my comprehension.


    To my relief, a big house makes itself known from between the trees, and once my eyes fall on it, I run as fast as my legs can with all the pain. I try stopping myself before reaching the door, but it''s like stopping a car at high speed; I crash against the door and feel it not moving even an inch, unlike I was hoping. Hollywood lied to me; of course, it isn''t easy to force a door open with your hurt shoulder and slim build.


    My recomposition comes quick as adrenaline shoots up in response to the creature''s distorted howl nearing once again. With my fist, I knock on the door desperately, trying to open it and kicking its bottom for good measure, but all turns out to not be in vain. The sudden shadow projected against the door tells me that something is blocking the moonlight from reaching me, and that something is pretty obvious behind me.


    Before I turn around, though, the door I''m leaning against opens without notice, making me fall on my back half inside the place. The sound of a cane draws my attention off the thing and redirects it toward the mysterious figure standing beside me. Eyes red as a bleeding heart, unlike the beast''s, this one doesn''t carry a promise of danger¡ªat least not one I can feel.


    But focusing on the person''s face is something that surprises me. At first, it looks like a mask made out of a raven''s skull, but that is until I look more closely at its eyes. That''s no mask.


    "Spirit of the night, hunter of the lost; lose yourself in the night, away from this soul, once lost, now found." The ''person'' recites poetically, the air coming from the forest shifts. It lunges, the creature tries to grab me regardless of those words, only being stopped as the air thickens and shoves it back to the forest, at first little by little, then completely, stealing its form away until all that''s left is that initial glob of black mass I saw before.


    "Girl with the smell of freedom, your luck stands tall on this unholy night," The monster offers their white-gloved hands to me, locking their eyes on me curiously; at least, that is what I prefer to think instead of going with the ''found my dinner'' alternative; that is one future I''m not looking forward to.


    In the end, the choice between running away back to where that thing can skin me alive or facing the one who, at least for now, doesn''t seem to want to kill me is one easy to decide on. Firmly, I grip the monster''s hand and allow them to pull up to my feet.


    "I..." Should I ask what just happened? I don''t know; maybe it''s not the best time. "Thank you." I settle for those two simple words, permitting the truthful smile to bend on my lips.


    "Hum..." The monster seems to become fascinated with me, looking at my hand before I take it back and place it securely in my pockets, where it can warm up. "Curious little thing, allow me to offer you the hospitality one deserves after a terrible encounter with the unforgiving night."


    There are moments in life when you find yourself without a road to follow. This is me right now; the adrenaline from before leaves my body and, quickly, forcefully, a cold pain settles in my bones. This is to be afraid, for real. Even if I wanted to try my luck to reach the next bus stop, I''m sure I wouldn''t be able to do so safely. Oh, world, one more choice to take from me, and yet, nothingness is what you give me back.


    "I''ll accept your offering... um, mister?" I leave it at that to see if they can offer me an answer.


    "Yes, I forgot; humans grip themselves strongly to the concept of gender. Excuse me," They reach a hand for my hair and yank out a strand of it. It doesn''t hurt as much as it surprises me; it only worsens my surprise when they take the strand and simply eat it, like literal nothing.


    Instantly, the raven skull that is their head begins to become ash, ash that dirties the old wooden floor of this place and hides itself in the cracks of the wood, becoming part of this place probably forever, or until someone deep cleans the wood. A face emerges from the ephemeral skull, sharp yet soft facial features, eyes still red as roses on Valentine''s Day, and small, thin black horns adorning the tied-up hair, which is the same color as the eyes. Now that I stopped to really look at them, they use a lot of red in their clothing, like the long wine-red overcoat paired with a black scarf resting behind the coat lapel; the scarf with on its end a strange type of symbol; black formal pants and a white formal shirt beneath a red button-down vest the same color as the coat.


    I notice a cravat wine tie holding a shiny ruby in the middle; it reflects the light of the light bulb illuminating the front entrance of the place. Her clothing is the type of formal that screams royalty; it even makes me straighten my posture in her presence.


    "You can call me Milesian, human; now, if you crave a bath to revigorate yourself, you''ll find a room on the upper floor that you can take for tonight; the only door near the end of the attic leads to the bathroom; I''ll see to getting you a warm meal in the meantime."


    The choice to refuse her kindness is not given to me as Milesian takes her leave and walks downstairs, giving me a moment to study this place before going for the promised bath. A library, is what this place resembles; to my right, a small couch with a coffee table stays near a bookshelf filled with books and some flowers; to my left, a librarian''s desk, with no one standing behind it to ask me if I want a library card.


    A bifurcated staircase in the center guides me downstair, to more bookshelves and doors unbeknownst to me, leading to places I can only imagine at this moment. The smell of old books is something that I didn''t know I missed before this moment; it reminds me of the small and uncared-for books in the orphanage. I remember the day they gave them away to the church and how I cried, begging them not to do it. No one listened, of course, and so what I did to spend my free time was gone.


    Finally, with all I can see without actually moving in my brain, I decide to let the information sink in as I take the stairs up.


    Cozy but filled with dust, heavy-looking boxes trap the way leading to the window. About furniture, there isn''t almost any in this attic; the only one is a table paired with a wooden chair. I decide to look around for the bathroom, finding it as instructed at the end of this place. Placing my backpack down, I take out my extra pair of clothes and slowly open the door, being careful with any spiders or bugs as, clearly, this place hasn''t seen a broom in some time.


    The pitch black is over as I blindly hit the switch in the wall. Small and simple, the wooden-designed bathroom for now doesn''t show me any bugs, so I take a deep breath before placing my new clothes atop the sink, sliding down my pants, and soon undressing myself fully and putting the dirty clothes near the door folded neatly.


    Warm water fills the bathtub as soon as the knob is turned; it takes a second to really work, but when it does, it''s like magic; steam rises and enters my nose, cleaning my nostrils and granting me a true deep breath for once in some time. Bliss is all I can describe when I place my aching feet in the water, dipping them down enough to feel the slippery surface below¡ªsomething that helps me when the wait to drown myself in it becomes too strong.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.The water climbs up until it reaches a stopping point in my shoulder blades. Muscles relax, my heart slows, and soon I feel like I could just let myself sleep here. I fight the tiredness, placing my knees up close to me and seeing the scrapes on my knee, covered by drops of dry blood that stop more from escaping my body.


    A soap bar, my eyes fall on the object near the bathtub corner, and without hesitation, I take it and thoroughly wash the wound, soaking in both the water and the comforting silence. The process takes about five minutes, then five more to wash my hair, but shortly I''m able to finish my bath and get that promised feeling of relaxation I sought.


    My wet feet wet the floor. I step on as I move towards the sink, grabbing, in the process, a towel resting near the door¡ªsomething I hadn''t noticed before. I wrap myself in the towel and wipe the steam from the mirror so I''m able to see my face. It''s only the first day, and I get what Sister Frida said about how the world would get me down to my knees and make me beg for mercy. It wasn''t to be taken lightly; I''m only noticing it now that some of the light has returned to my brown eyes, making them look less like dry mud; that or being away from Sister Frida made me healthy. Damn life sucker, she always knew how to ruin the moment.


    What takes more time to dry is my hair. It has grown much since last year, when I was still working in the construction zone and had to cut my hair to look like a boy so I could avoid being harassed by those creepy dudes. The worst part is that I liked how it felt after some time, but the shoulder-length cut suits me more. At least with my body now all warm by my clean clothes and only some droplets of water in my hair remaining, I leave the bathroom and go back downstairs, even if I don''t want to prey more on the kindness of Milesian; I also don''t want to risk pissing her off, so I won''t say anything against either.


    Back at the library, I look around in search of Milesian but find no one around, so I make myself comfortable on the couch and find some books resting atop the coffee table. With nothing to do, I decide to pass some time by organizing them in alphabetical order. Taking the time to read the names, most seem to be about biology, astronomy, and one or two are about romances involving knights and princesses; someone is classy, it seems. One, though, stands out among the rest; it has no name on the cover, and only a number adorns its detailed spine: V, or at least I assume it is from the Roman numerals.


    A strange feeling involves me; I don''t know if it is because of the calm ambiance of the quiet library that compels me to be on a reading vibe or if it is something else completely; regardless, I lose no time in thoughts and focus my eyes as the tip of my fingers bathes on the texture; they feel like bedsheets that have been coated and stiffened with starch, old, ancient even, like an authentic Shakespearean book; those aren''t even my words, but the ones from a librarian I''ve met when I was fifteen and on the look for a job; she loved to talk about books, sometimes for hours in a roll; maybe that''s why I started loving reading stories and learning things I would never have otherwise, to begin with.


    Words, all scrambled and hard to read, and yet, I''m able to see a path between the gaps, where the words connect when my eyes unfocus even in the slightest. Moving my gaze around the pages like a practiced dance, I''m able to find one thing that I can read without risking vomiting over the book; the title reads: ''Queen of the Faeries''


    "Come follow, follow me; a grain of rye, a grain of wheat; within this circle on the green, hand in hand, let''s dance around; come follow me, your queen."


    I mutter the words to myself as I read, as I always did since I found that reading to yourself makes you lose yourself more easily in a good story; the blue light otherwise is something that never happened before; it sways and flies around me, alluring me to the touch, bringing a shine to my eyes I never felt since I was a small child, watching stars through a dirty window. I extend my hand to the light, allowing it to rest atop the palm of my hand instinctively. Once it does stop, the light starts taking form; it reveals itself to be a small creature, having eyeballs as black as fresh ink and a red, glowing iris in each. It also reveals a pair of bird-like feathery wings attached to its shoulder and a pale shade of blue as its skin color; it feels cold to the touch, like holding on to an ice cube.


    Bob hair with bangs hiding one of its eyes, the creature yawns slothfully, rubbing its eyes with their small hands before, finally, looking at me curiously.


    "Were you the one who called me here, miss?" The creature, resembling a small girl, asks while making herself comfortable on my palm. It hurts to hold her, burning for the first few seconds as the Tinker Bell-like creature moves. Once she finally finds a comfortable position to sit with her legs crossed, the pain diminishes.


    "I would like to believe so, because if I did, this would be awesome. To summon a cute thing like you¡ªnot just that, but to see a fairy firsthand¡ªthis means magic is real." With my free hand, I reach for the top of her head with my index finger and attempt to gently pet her head, something that she allows, even resting her small head against my finger. "Holy, this is the strangest day ever¡ªmonsters in the forest, a lady with a skull head, and now I''m holding a fairy."


    The fatigue of the day seems to get to me; my eyes become heavy, and my skin feels cold, so much so that I start shivering even if a second ago it was warm. I hug my clothes close to me and brush away my fatigue, if only for a moment, choosing to focus on the magical being in front of me.


    "You''re so warm, miss; I''m glad. Now we can sleep together through the whole season." The fairy yawns and lays her head against my finger, using it as a pillow so softly that I don''t even feel her moving; actually, I don''t even feel the burning from before anymore.


    Footsteps become loud in my ears, making me try looking at the source, and I find my body not cooperating as much as expected. Her form is distorted, like seeing through distorted glasses.


    *Crack*


    With her hands, Milesian breaks the thing that was distorting her form, giving me a look at the area around me. Flowers of ice grow on the couch, and some ice shards keep me comfortably seated down, holding my body in place. The lack of feeling from before now makes sense; my whole body is numbed by the cold.


    Milesian looks at the table, grabbing the trapped book from the frozen surface, exactly at the page where I was reading. She looks at me with no real expression on her face, as once again I gaze at the raven skull with red, piercing eyes.


    "If this is her first spell...Not bad." She seems to mutter something to herself that I can''t quite understand by the sound of my teeth shivering, and before I can even attempt to say anything, my vision withers away, giving in to a tiredness I never felt before.


    Time seems to pass¡ªnot enough to cure the sleepiness that takes over me completely, but at least the warmth I feel soothes my muscles, providing me enough energy to open my eyes. A window near me indicates that it is still night as moonlight shines through. I feel my body against a surface so soft and warm that I''m unable to not snuggle close to the warmth... Strangely, it feels awfully like I''m sitting on a person''s lap. As I move my lazy eyes to check, a voice speaks, reacting to my movements.


    "Your actions, although not smart in nature, are impressive on their own, girl." She speaks, looking at me with her raven skull head so closely that I can feel the red light in her eyes reflect on mine, as I can''t help but feel embarrassed and slightly shy to react more than freezing in place¡ªan action so unlike me that, for some seconds, steals part of my thoughts.


    "Wha, what happened? I felt so tired all of a sudden."


    "The fae you summoned, you lost control over your magical energy and overfed her; that''s the reason why you felt tired; all of your energies were transmitted to her." I watch as Milesian takes the fae from my shoulder and places her on the coffee table. Now I see that we are still on the couch from before. "She will sleep now that she has enough energy stored for hibernation."


    Focusing my eyes beyond the fae reveals to me the blooming winter flowers on the wood cracks and the ice shards embedding the sides of the couch, stabbing the fabric to the point that it looks like a wild cat tried to make it its new toy. "I''m sorry for reading your book without asking for permission, and sorry for your couch too."


    "Your worries about this matter are not needed, nor are your apologies. I''m sure Loa will enjoy the excuse to sew the damages."


    "I have only one question left," I feel Milesian hold on to me as my ability to feel things slowly returns. She holds me close enough so I can feel her curves against mine. "Why are you holding me like this?"


    "What do you mean? When humans feel cold, sharing body warmth is a common practice, isn''t it?"


    "Well, yes, but it too can be perceived as a very... intimate action between two... close individuals."


    Milesian seems to take a moment to think before rising to her feet, still carrying me like a child in her arms, something that manages to make me even more embarrassed than before. She takes the stairs down and walks closer to a bookshelf among the many circling these walls. Her hands linger on a book before pulling it out, revealing its title to me: Mountain of Eternal Winter by J. Rowe. Her fingers leaf through the book until she stops on a specific page, showing it to me.


    ''The blood moved along her body, leaving the extremities and traveling to its last destination, the center of all remaining warmth resting in her chest. The blood moved as if it were alive, like a creature following the script of life: instinct. With no live creature miles from her to hear the screams her frozen throat wishes to be able to let go, she finishes her cigarette, throwing at the snow and watching it disappear, one more thing stolen by this mountain alongside her engine; she returns to the car; that was her last cigarette. Slamming the door shut and taking once again her daughter in her arms, securing the sleeping baby in the warm motherly embrace, providing the most effective way to keep a creature as tiny as a newborn from the unforgiving cold¡ªthe only thing that she can do at this point. The smoke from before provided enough warmth to restore part of her ability to speak, and so she hums, her voice cracking and clicking, and yet, the peaceful melody serves to keep the peace of her child and the sanity of her mind away from the winds who seem to bash against the windows, begging to enter, offering eternal sleep with nothing but darkness beyond the veil.''


    "You know I''m not a kid, right?" I ask, unable to hide a small grin from forming on my lips, finding that now, with a little more context, I am less embarrassed and more grateful, seeing that the nature of her action comes from a good place.


    "I understand that you are what they call an adult in your species, correct?"


    I nod my head, climbing out of her arms and feeling the soles of my feet against the floor, as well as the slight weakness in my muscles because of what happened before.


    "Come with me; the soup made for you should still be warm enough." Milesian walks me towards the other side of the stairs, an open place resembling a living room¡ªa big one. There are lots of bookshelves here, as expected at this point, as well as two sofas on the edges of the room and six chairs alongside a long, dark wood desk with, atop it, a bowl with a steaming liquid.


    I make myself comfortable on the chair in front of the bowl, and Milesian takes the opposite seat, grasping a teacup in her gloved hands. It''s strange the way she drinks; she needs to open her beak and slowly fit the cup in her mouth, tipping it downwards so the liquid washes down, allowing her to drink. The soup smells delicious, and with no time to waste, I dig in, taking the spoon beside it and doing my best to appear composed in front of her, but with little to no knowledge of eating etiquette, I probably look like a kid.


    "As I stated before, you conjured a spell most would take years to be able to, and you didn''t need to use an item to connect yourself to the roots of the magic. Too, your magical energy seems to be dense enough to allow that and to regenerate at a rate faster than expected from a human." Putting down her cup, she stares at me with such focus that it makes me drop my spoon into the rest of the soup. Luckily, it is not enough to fully be engulfed by it, allowing me to take it out easily. "I''ve never met a human that wasn''t appointed to spy on me before, and not one as interesting as you. I believe you have enough potential to be worth the trouble. If it is in your interest, I would like to make the offer to teach you magic, and in return, I''ll only ask you to stay here with me."


    A strange request, that''s for sure; if it were anyone else, this kidnapping scam would be obvious, but the situation and the way she speaks¡ªa mature and emotion-devoid voice¡ªfor some reason, I don''t feel any bad intentions from her. From a thing with horns, I would expect a contract that would take my soul or, worse yet, give away my humanity.


    Lowering my head, I lock my gaze at my reflection on the soup. A no-one, good-for-nothing child, ungrateful brat¡ªthat''s what most people used to call me. I was never something; I was always just an average kid in school, poor in heart and in money. Who would give me even the chance? That''s why I stopped trying to be something. A feeling never felt before; even the emotionless voice in her still holds meaning; she thinks I''m something. If she''s lying to me to take my organs or whatever, I can''t tell, but I either risk this or I can try braving the dark streets that, now with the knowledge of what lurks in them, make me uneased and, perhaps, a tiny bit afraid.


    "Perhaps you would like some time to think about the deal." Milesian finishes her tea and nods her skull head to herself. "If so, feel free to stay the night, and tomorrow I''ll show you around the village to help you see what this revolves around. If, in the end, you decide not to accept the deal, I can arrange a ticket so you can take the train to the city and have not wasted your time."


    "Yeah, I would like that." I give her a small smile and finish the soup, putting the bowl to the side.


    "Then it is settled; please do rest for the rest of the night; I''ll retire too. If you need me, I''ll be down here enjoying a book." Milesian rises from the table and gives me room to breathe, something I''m grateful for; it allows me to let my thoughts organize themselves. I decide that for now, it''s best to take my leave and rest before the sun rises, so without losing time, I walk past Milesian as she grabs a book and returns to the living room. Up the stairs, back to the attic, I locate a mattress on the floor with a flat sheet bigger than it, allowing some of the material to pool around itself and be softer, as well as protecting me from the cold floor if I move around too much in my sleep.


    I grab the two pillows and adjust them before kneeling down on the mattress and simply falling to my side, not even having time to think before the darkness revolving around my sleepiness takes me away.


    <hr>

 Chapter 2: -To Become Something You Need To First Crawl-

    Chapter 2


    -To Become Something You Need To First Crawl-


    <hr>


    Sun comes from the attic''s round window, falling exactly atop my closed eyelids and shining through them, producing a feeling of comfort to the point of making me want to take the whole day and spend it here, even though I know that I can''t because I promised to let Milesian show me around the village. I take my phone from my pocket in a practiced move, ready to check the time and complain that it''s too early, but the memories from yesterday come like the twist of a knife as my eyes spot the shattered screen, so instead of lazing on the comfortable sheets as I would prefer, I force myself to my feet and spontaneously stretch my arms while allowing a yawn to escape my throat.


    Going to the bathroom, I take my shoes and the extra pair of socks from my backpack, using the sink as a seat to allow me to put them on. My eyes travel around the bathroom in search of my dirty clothes, but they are nowhere in sight¡ªsomething that for now I keep in mind to later ask. With my palm, I check my breath, and when the smell of yesterday''s soup hits me, I groan and take from my backpack my toothbrush and toothpaste kit. While brushing my teeth, I make sure to wet my fingers and rub my face, getting rid of the dark circles around my eyes as best I can, and cleaning my skin in general with the cold sink water, removing some of the still hanging dirt that yesterday''s bath wasn''t able to take care of.


    Soon, with all of that done, I look presentable enough to go out, leaving just my wild hair as one thing to take care of, which I do by tying it up in a low bun to postpone it, leaving the bangs taking the side of my face in whatever way they want. In the end, with my backpack with me and a good night''s rest on my system, I''m ready for the day ahead of me, I guess.


    I take the stairs down, wandering my eyes around as the natural light permits me to have a better look at the library as a whole, and I have to say, it''s almost dreamy. Books everywhere, ranging in type even more than I thought yesterday, and somehow, even with all of that, I don''t spot much dust around, unlike how the attic was. I stop by the couch I almost destroyed yesterday, and there, I see that the ice shards were broken off and the ripped material was stitched together so well that, if not for me knowing there were holes in it, I wouldn''t notice.


    The little creature too, who was resting at the coffee table, is still nearby; the only difference is that she was moved to a small birdhouse hanging alongside others, varying in four color types: red, blue, green, and brown; there are five of them in total with an extra blue. As I reach a finger to touch one of them, a figure sneakily moves to my side, stopping me in mid-action, and when I inevitably turn my attention to her, I notice she is holding a small wooden box with a letter on top. I get a little spooked by the sudden appearance but play it off with a cough. Looking at this person, it''s clear they are not Milesian, so that leaves me curious.


    At first, what calls my attention is her unusual hair, messy and white, tied up in a ponytail, leaving two long bangs that reach for her shoulder, hugging the area near her ears and highlighting her sharper facial features; then, her white skin like the snow¡ªliterally, if you take a piece of paper and place it beside her, it would be the exact color match. When I move my eyes up, orange, serious eyes move from the birdhouses to me; they glow like a furnace, making me stop and admire them for a second.


    The young woman with the uniform resembling a maid''s offers me the box, which I take without saying anything at first, choosing instead to give my mind time to process her existence by reading the letter. Unfolding the carefully treated paper, the letters inside are revealed:


    "My dear guest, I''m sorry for not being with you at this moment to fulfill my promise to show you around the village. An important business that requires my undivided attention arrived this morning, and so I had to leave hurriedly.


    If you feel like exploring, please do take this medicine with you, and if you can do me this favor, deliver it to the house number written below. I promise that my business won''t take more than a few hours, so I''ll be back soon. Safe travels.


    -Milesian"


    The house number stays at the bottom of the letter, ''twenty-nine'', alongside a small map drawn by hand to give me directions; there isn''t a real reason to not accept the request, especially as I need a breather anyway, and this way the pressure to take the decision is lessened on me; maybe this can be fun even.


    I notice that I''ve ignored the girl in front of me for more than I intended, probably looking rude, so I look back at her with a simple, friendly smile. "Thank you; I''ll make the delivery; can you just point me in the general direction?"


    With a bow of her head, the woman doesn''t say anything; she only walks to the window and points towards what I remember to be that dirty path I saw yesterday, the one leading to the village start. I hug the wooden box securely near my chest and copy her gesture, bowing to her as well and walking towards the exit. On the way out, I look at the library one more time, taking in the scent of old books before pushing the door open and stepping outside.


    Now that I''m outside again and I''m not being followed by a night glob creature wanting to kill me, I have time enough to appreciate the library from outside as well as its surroundings. An old dirt path leads from the forest to the village, hugged by a broken stone wall extending as far as I can see. A garden with a small river resides and brings life to the left side of the library, as on the right, the windows of what looks like a greenhouse seek to blind anyone who is courageous enough to stare at it long.


    So much green takes over my surroundings; sometimes I forgot how summer feels outside; it''s hot, and not all the blowing air is cold, but it''s at least enough to keep me from sweating much. The sound of my shoes against the dirt ground accompanies me on the lonely journey. The box and its contents shake at every step I take, so I do my best to keep a steady and calm pace to avoid breaking its contents. The countryside is so much calmer than the city; there are no sounds of cars or their loud horns on traffic every morning; there is no one on the road to give me dirty looks or hateful gazes, forcing me to hide my face on my hoodie even on hot days; this is something I didn''t know I missed, even if I had never been to a place like this.


    I consult the small map in the letter as I leave the forest area, seeing that the mountain valley far to my right is beautiful, but even more so is the flowery field encircling the dirt path. I can even see the part where I fell down as I pass by the poor flowers that sustained my fall. Little by little, from the ups and downs of the fields, some of the village houses start to peak from the distance, allowing me a mesmerizing scene with the sun in the distance, still taking its time to go up.


    Time still passes by, to the point that I find myself walking on a road more suited for cars to drive in; small old houses made out of stone take on the scene, all so aesthetically interesting, that in my pursuit of the number twenty-nine, I appreciate the way they were constructed. Their numbers stay on display on a wooden plaque easy to spot near their doors, so it takes me no time to find the one I need to get to. Number twenty-nine, a house just like the others, the only difference being the chalk drawings on the wall near the entrance door.


    I stop and kneel down, putting my hand near the forms in pink¡ªflowers in the ground, two adults, and an old lady standing next to a child¡ªor at least that''s what I can make out of the drawing, seeing that one part of it is smudged like someone tried to wipe it away with their fingers.


    "Lily? Sweetie, what are you doing outside?" A crispy yet gentle voice asks. At first, I just rise to my feet, ready to make the delivery. That is until I notice the old woman looking straight at me. "Are you off to visit that Sunny boy? I told you, he is no good."


    "I''m sorry, miss; I''m not Lily." Awkwardly, I bow to her instinctively.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, dear; my eyes have not been the same lately. Is there something I can help you with, then?" She asks sweetly, making the grandma pose with her hands clasped together near her chest and a cracked-lip smile, forcing the flacid skin of her cheeks to accompany the motion of her lips.


    "I have a delivery for you, from Lady Milesian; it''s some medicine." Extending the wooden box to her view, I wait for the old lady to take it.


    "Oh, how foolish of me; I almost forgot. Lily''s medicine." She takes the box carefully, holding on in her weak hands for dear life and shooting it a relieved smile before giving me the same. "Thank you, young lady. Why don''t you come in? I can make you some cookies."


    "I would gladly take the offer, but I want to explore the village before I probably head out."


    "Well, then please wait a moment; I''ll be back in a second." She walks back to the house slowly, clearly having trouble walking, then, in less than a minute, returns with a basket half filled with vivid blue-violet grapes. "Take these with you; my husband got them not an hour ago, but as hardheaded he is, he got more than I can cook, so it is best if you could take them. I''m sure you find some use for them, and it saves me from dumping the rest when it goes bad." She leaves me with not many options; I would feel bad to reject and pass the wrong message, so after a quick breath to prepare a smile, I take the basket, bowing deeply for her.


    "Thank you; then I''ll accept your kindness."


    There is a second of silence before the old lady puts her hand on my shoulder, seemingly to comfort me. "Don''t let me hold you here; I''m sure you have a lot to explore. Please do come back some time; you and Milesian, dear, are always welcome for dinner."


    "I''ll let Lady Milesian now; bye, miss..." I try to recall her name from the letter until I remember that it was not in it.


    "Rose." She stops and waits for me to give her my name in return.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation."Noma. Have a good day, Miss Rose."


    "You too, Noma, dear; please do stop by to keep this old lady some company if you come to explore again." Nodding my head, I turn around and adjust the basket on my arm; it doesn''t feel too heavy, and the aroma it produces is nice, so with that out of the way, I should look around some more before going back and making my final decision.


    I walk in the road, seeing more and more houses extending on this hill and a river running down in the middle of the village that has a stone bridge made just for crossing it; for some reason, an unspoken will takes over me. I walk to the side of the bridge and carefully climb its side; it''s not too high to be dangerous, and focusing my eyes on the river below, I spot some fish going around, some small and others not so much. The clear water provides me with a view of the bottom which is filled with rocks, a sight I''ve never seen before. That''s one of the perks of growing up in an orphanage your whole life; everything is kinda new.


    "Be careful, miss; the waters are rather cold below." A voice gets me back to reality, making me move my gaze from the river to the man walking towards me from the same side of the bridge I came from. Of all of his features, the one that immediately calls my attention is his priestly clothes, including a white cleric collar.


    Upon noticing that, I start quickly climbing down the side of the bridge. "I''m sorry, I was just looking at the river."


    "That I could see, but please do be careful; the stone can be rather slippery." He offers me his hand as he notices my difficulty climbing down with the basket, so with an awkward smile, I take it gratefully. Once I''m back to the safety of the bridge''s middle, the man who looks just a little older than me smiles, focusing his dark blue eyes on me. "I don''t recognize your face; are you one of the elder''s granddaughters?"


    "No, I actually was just passing by to take the bus to the next town yesterday night, but I hurt my ankle, and a nice woman helped me, and she offered me to stay at her house for the night." Not exactly a lie, but telling him a raven skull lady saved me from a monster in the forest would be harder to explain, so that version it is.


    "Really? That''s good; the elders from around here can be a handful at times, but they have their hearts in the right place." He sits down on the bridge''s stone wall and pets his side, gesturing for me to sit beside him, something I do. "I assume you''re going to London."


    I let out a dry laugh and nod my head. "Is it that obvious?"


    "I''ve seen a handful of lost travelers come and go on the central church there when I was doing my ''internship'' to become a priest, and because of that, I can sense the aura of a lost young soul. Are you Catholic by chance?"


    "No, but I came from a Catholic orphanage." Something I can''t hide from my face is the sadness that comes to me from remembering, and the priest seems to perceive it.


    "I sense a long story; and not a happy one."


    "Yeah, but let''s not talk about it, please." I dangle my feet, focusing my eyes on the stone ground, to relax the muscles on my face by brushing the memories away.


    "Certainly, just know one thing, young lady: I know your experience was a harsh one, but please don''t think twice if you need any help; the church at the end of the village has always room to help those in need if you find yourself in a bad situation."


    "Thank you, priest," Bowing to him, I force myself back to my feet and look at the priest, noticing him blow a bang of his short black hair out of his brows. "Do you know the time? My phone is broken."


    At my question, he takes from his clothes a pocketwatch and looks at it for a second before looking back at me. "Five minutes until eight."


    "It''s best I return then; Lady Milesian should be almost back. Thank you for the company-"


    *Whoosh*


    With a grip strong enough to hurt, he takes my wrist and stops me from moving; on his face, an expression unlike what I wouldn''t expect from the way he acted five seconds ago, he looks serious and a bit angry. "It was Milesian who sheltered you."


    "Yes, can you please let go of my arm? You''re hurting me." I try pulling myself away from him, but to no avail; he maintains an iron grip on my wrist.


    "I need to get you out of here right now. What was that demon thinking, breaking the law like this?" He rubs his face with his free hand, turning away and pulling me beside him. "I''ll explain things later; for now, just let us get out of here."


    I struggle to walk, still trying to free myself from his grasp, and, at the same time, to avoid falling, I divide my focus on that and not tripping. From the edge of my vision, something moves quickly towards us; the priest reacts fast but not as much to dodge what happens. A raven dives down and cuts the top of his arm, forcing him to flinch in pain and lose grip on me, which, in consequence of how abruptly it happened, makes me be pulled forward and start to fall.


    A white-gloved hand pulls my shoulder and balances me, saving me from meeting my nose with the stone bridge ground; that hand, to my surprise, belongs to Milesian, who simply appeared out of nowhere.


    "John, it has been a while since our last encounter." Milesian comments emotionlessly, adjusting her coat and placing her crane on the ground; her hand stays on my shoulder, keeping me beside her.


    "Milesian, what do you think you''re doing? Breaking a strict law from the church like this?" John, hugging his bleeding arm, takes a step closer to us, stopping just close enough to look at her with disappointment. "What you''re doing is something I can''t help you with. If anyone from the church comes here, I''ll have to report this."


    "I know the law very well, John."


    "So you know that you''re not allowed near humans, and worse yet, you got out of your way and housed one in your forbidden library."


    "Can I say something?" I ask, and both of them turn their attention to me. "I''m sorry, priest; I lied about what led me to this. Yesterday some creature was trying to hunt me in the forest, and so I ended up in front of Milesian''s house; she just helped me, that is all."


    John''s expression for a second goes between different stages until he stops at a sigh and a tired expression. "So this is your game, Milesian; you allowed a human to enter the library''s territory?"


    "What do you mean?" I ask, confused by what I''m hearing.


    "Not just anyone can find the forest library; you need to be allowed to by the mage living there." Milesian still stays silent, only watching the conversation¡ªthat is until John forces her into the conversation again. "I''ll ask once again: Why are you breaking a church law? And why now?"


    She seems to ignore the man''s question and instead turns to me. "I see you delivered the medicine to Miss Rose; thank you. The little time you had to explore the village, have you had time to make your decision?"


    "I-"


    "What decision? I demand you tell me now, Milesian, in the name of the oath you took." John almost screams that, firming his footing on the ground.


    "I see some magical potential in this girl; that''s why I decided to offer her a place to explore that potential as part of my family."


    ...


    Family? Is that what she wants¡ªme, as her family? No one ever wanted anything to do with me before; this is something that plays on my heartstrings painfully, to the point that my mind becomes clouded by thoughts. That... is an opportunity I should take, no? I can wander on London''s streets and try my luck, fighting the cold, hunger, and people, or I could accept to stay. While I''m lost in thoughts, John and Milesian continue their conversation.


    "You can''t; the law says specifically that you can''t have any involvement with humans on matters of friendship, research, or expose them to the magic, meaning that taking her as part of your family is a breach of the law."


    "There is one thing you''re forgetting, priest boy."


    "And what is that?"


    Once again, Milesian turns to me and extends her hand, snapping me out of my thinking state. "So, what will it be? You take my hand now, and I can show you a whole world you don''t know, one in which your responsibilities in the modern world are not real, one in which you can make your own path towards your goals, and more than anything, one in which you don''t need to face the world alone."


    Milesian''s eyes glow a deep red like she''s manipulating me, seeing through somehow, striking all of my weaknesses, and making me feel like accepting without a second thought. But does it really matter if she''s using me?


    John, in the meantime, checks on his bible in search of the meaning behind Milesian''s words, which he seems to find as soon as I make up my mind. "Girl, think about what you''re about to accept; they are not offering what you think-"


    "I know. I know she is probably lying, or at least manipulating me by telling me what I want to hear, but... if only a part of what she said is true, if she''s willing to take me as family, I... accept."


    Milesian puts her hand on my shoulder, petting it for a second, making me lock eyes with her. Her serious and emotionless expression somehow is not one of a monster; even in her skull-head form, she looks at me, and her face goes to that of yesterday, the human form. "Know one thing: I''m not lying to you; my words are truly meant." Once again, she waits for my hand, and in the moment I take hers, she looks at John. "In your church''s law, I''m entitled to have a relationship with any type of being, supernatural or not, so here I present to you my apprentice, my wife."


    The words are stolen from me, and worst yet, when she takes me in her arms, the same seems to happen to John; he stops and almost drops his bible from shock. He regains his posture after a quick set of coughs. "Excuse me, I have to report this to my superiors at this moment." John walks away, taking from his clothes a phone which he quickly dials something as he disappears in between houses.


    Milesian, still holding me in her arms, turns around and starts walking out of the village. "Let us return. Loa must be waiting for our return; I assure you, you won''t like to see her mad."


    That is one of the things that makes the ''perks'' of coming from an orphanage away from the normal world look more problematic; there isn''t a single way my mind finds to react but to keep quiet and enter quiet panic mode. The walk back to the library is quiet and peaceful, even with the circumstances being... unusual.


    <hr>

 Chapter 3: -A First Lesson of Sorts: The Existence of Magical Creatures-

    Chapter 3


    -A First Lesson of Sorts: The Existence of Magical Creatures-


    <hr>


    Our peaceful walk ends as we reach the library. Milesian, who carried me all the way back, places me down on the couch and grabs a chair, sitting on the opposite side of the coffee table. Still, unbeknownst to me exactly what to say, I decide not to act weird about what just happened and proceed as I would without thinking about the fact. It''s when I rest the basket with the still-fresh grapes atop the surface of the coffee table, making sure to not place it accidentally on a book, that Milesian talks.


    She leans close to the basket and takes one of the grapes out. "A present?"


    I watch as Milesian goes back to the same raven skull form of hers; now in the light, I can see that it transforms like smoke; it surrounds her face to make that ''human'' face she can choose to have. "Yes, it was Miss Rose''s; she asked us to have it as they would probably go bad otherwise."


    "A kind gesture; I''m sure Loa will find a use to these. Have you had the opportunity to meet her?"


    Nodding my head, I take a moment to look at the window near me, focusing my eyes on the forest as a soft breeze passes by, shaking the leaves and making some lucky rays of sun peak from between them. "Yes and no, we didn''t have the chance to talk much. I only asked her for directions when she handed me the letter and box."


    "You''ll have the chance to get to know her more since you''ll be staying with us. A fair warning, though. Her capabilities to talk and hear are compromised; the way she understands is by lip reading, so when talking, look directly at her." Milesian comments, taking the grape she was holding and eating it. "For now, to start your studies, I would like to take you outside for a field exploration, but first, let us eat breakfast."


    A moment of excitement runs through me; exploring the forest seems fun. Well, if we manage to not find anything wanting my blood, that will be a plus, but I can''t imagine how many creatures exist out there¡ªmagical creatures. It can''t be that only monsters reside out there in the shadows of the night.


    We both rise to our feet, and Milesian guides me downstairs, where we walk straight up until reaching the central bookshelf. Once there, we go right, where a curtain serves as a door that is slid open as she takes her cane and uses it to do so. A small but comfortable kitchen stands proudly with white, creamy walls and a ceramic design. In the center, there is a dining table with four wooden chairs. It has everything a normal kitchen would normally have: a fridge, dishwasher, oven, and so on. The smell of something sweet grabs me by the nose and enters my nasal path, traveling down to its resting point in my lungs.


    It is only now that I notice something about Milesian I didn''t before; on her back, a pair of small black demonic wings stay quietly and unmoving, only swaying by her motion as she walks, until there isn''t one anymore, as they seem to disappear to make it easier for her to sit down. Loa stands facing the countertop, putting on a plate what is the source of the good smell: pancakes. I walk beside her, and she seems to notice my movement, turning to face me immediately with curious eyes. I open my mouth to talk but decide not to once again, only allowing a polite smile to take on my lips as I raise the basket with the grapes for her. Instantly, she seems to perk up like a kid on Christmas and look at me with a renewed shine in her eyes, almost as if asking for permission to take them, and of course, I nod my head.


    She takes the basket, bowing her head two times rapidly before opening the fridge and taking what looks like homemade whipped cream and putting it atop the pancakes, seconds later sprinkling some grapes in it too. Milesian taps her cane on the ground, and, as if it were a call for her attention, Loa turns her head towards the source.


    "From this day onward, this girl, Noma, will be staying with us in the library as my apprentice; please do treat her as part of the family," Milesian says so emotionlessly that the fact she just said my name almost passed by me. I look at her confusedly, but before I can even let the question escape me, she answers. "When you were at the village, I had one of my ravens follow you to make sure nothing would happen that could compromise your safety, like yesterday. Now more than ever, I have to reaffirm that your safety is of the utmost importance to me. As your master, my job is to keep you safe, even before you accepted the deal." As she says that, on her hand, she demonstrates what she is talking about by summoning a raven from seemingly nowhere, but a closer look reveals that it came from inside her clothes, first without form, just like smoke.


    The raven jumps from her shoulder to the table, and for some seconds it only stares at me creepily before making a loud, raspy caw; its eyes are deep black, barely looking like anything alive, showing me that, even if it mimics perfectly a raven, it doesn''t exactly seem to be one. Soon after, as Loa places the breakfast atop the table, it stealthily steals one grape from Milesian''s pancake and disappears back to her body, like smoke in the air.


    Loa, who was waiting for this display to end, nods her head at the earlier comment and looks at me with a determined face. Then she puts a hand on my shoulder and sits me down on the chair before redirecting herself to the counter and starting to make more pancakes. This gives me time to look out of the window again, seeing and understanding more of this place, even if slowly, by bits and pieces at a time. The back of the library seems to be built on a lower part of the hill in this forest, so even on this floor there is a door leading to a veranda connected to something I can''t quite see seated down, but even so, it entices me to discover later.


    There is a strange feeling of sitting down with people to eat breakfast; this isn''t something I''m used to, so I awkwardly look at the table as if the wood is the most interesting thing there is. Almost on point, a book is slid across the table and reaches my vision, one resembling an old leather diary; my attention is peaked. I raise my vision and only find Milesian looking at me. "If you feel uncomfortable, why not read for now? This diary has information relevant from the forest, something I think you''ll find useful when we go out to explore."


    There isn''t much to say but, "Thank you."


    I grip the diary in my hands and slowly untie the rope closure, seeing it pop open from the overwhelming number of pages that far surpass what it was designed to have. Yellowed and old, my eyes lock on the first page as the name of the owner is written in ink, Ayla.M. Turning the pages, the second one is filled with writing along with a sketch of a small, round sheep with a name on top of their head: Woo.


    ''This small version of a sheep has a thick coat of white magical wool that makes it look spherical. Its small head pokes out of the front of the wool, along with two short horns. Woo''s eyes have yellow sclerae, black irises, and white, horizontal pupils. Two large ears are visible behind gray strings of wool that resemble braided pigtails. Woo''s wool covers its entire body and most of its short hooved legs, along with a tail that is barely visible on its rear end.


    They are sometimes hard to come by, but with a little bit of work, they can be domesticated, as they possess the intelligence compared to a dog. If you find one, my recommendation would be to feed them magical energy and take some of their wool; you just need to reach out and pluck it like cotton candy. Their wool is very valuable, and its magical properties can be used in the making of magical items as well as some medicine.''


    As soon as I absorb all the information from this page and try to move on to the next, Milesian''s gloved hand stops atop the diary and guides it down back to the table, bringing my attention to a gaze locked on me. Loa rests the plate with my breakfast on the table and crosses her arms, tapping her feet rhythmically on the ground as she waits impatiently for me to eat the food she just made. Her eyes glow with murder intent.


    "Oh, I''m sorry," I shift in my seat and slide the diary back to Milesian. Straightening up my back, I force myself to remember that I''m a slow reader, so what looks like it takes a minute to read for me can be five. "Thank you, Loa."


    My awkward smile brings a smile of her own¡ªsmall and somewhat hard to spot, but still there. She only bows her head before taking Milesian''s plate, which, on a closer look, is clean; not even a fraction of her food resides on the clean, white porcelain. With my only option now being to eat, I gladly dig in the sweet breakfast. The way the grapes add a layer of flavor to the pancakes and cream is divine, like it was always meant to be this way.


    This goes for a while as I take my time to eat, but the minute I''m done with the breakfast, Milesian loses no time in rising to her feet and looking at me, giving me the nod I was waiting for¡ªthe one that signals we are going out now. "Loa, while we are out, can you get the attic in a better state? You can take some of the furniture from the storage if needed." Loa nods her head and grabs a broom from the side of the fridge before redirecting herself in the direction of the attic.


    We take the door out of the kitchen and step onto the veranda I was observing before. To my right, it continues all around the library, with a small stair leading back to the main entrance. In the distance, I spot the same river from before resting nearby in a tight hug with the forest; all the water runs near a big pond just a little down in front of us that is accessible by a stair in the veranda''s center. My guide starts moving, and so do I, shaking off my clear, mesmerized state so as not to stay behind.


    "Before I show you the surroundings, how is your head with all that transpired?" She stops midway to the left side of the library, the place that, if I remember correctly, was a garden. "I''m sure this morning was busy for your head."


    I nod my head, surprised at her sudden question. "Yes, even if everything happened a little too quickly for me, I think this was somehow inevitable. Of the choices I had, this one is the least risky, and besides, what you said back there about protecting me even before I accepted to be your apprentice brought me a little bit of peace about my decision. So thank you."


    "There isn''t a need to mention it, but regardless of that, I''ll accept your kind words. It takes a weight off my shoulder to see your head in the right place." She pats my shoulder two times before we resume our walk. "For the little time you spent here, what are your thoughts on the library? Does the place suit your comfort, or would you like to suggest a change?"


    "Oh no, the place is magical; tons of interesting books, various places to lay down or sit while reading, the attic is nice, and the tub is very comfortable."


    While talking, we reach the garden. Flowers of all types stand across this field, coexisting with a small, controlled grass. The river takes part of it as it makes its way through the garden, maintaining the soil with a natural source of water where some of the roots grow to drink, clearly visible on the edge of the dirt.


    My curiosity grows too great, and the question I was holding escapes me. "That priest said something about a church law, one that you are prohibited from having any contact with humans; why is that?"


    "The reason as a whole would take some time to explain, and it would bring too much unnecessary information that would only serve to hurt your head."


    "I''m sorry for asking."


    "There''s no need to be sorry; perhaps with time, we can have this conversation. Now, let''s focus on the exploration." She raises her cane and points towards the big flowers in the field, a pair of sunflowers. "Tell me, do you see any movement coming from there?"


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.I look at the direction she''s pointing, and for a second, nothing. Then, upon really focusing, I see something moving, like a cotton ball rolling towards us at high speed¡ªso fast that it becomes impossible to dodge. The thing hits me straight up in the chest and makes me fall down; it doesn''t hurt to be hit, and strangely, not falling as well. It takes me a few blinks to realize why. Curious white horizontal eyes stare at me, taking a serious second to focus on my face. I feel what I think is a tail swish around near my leg as it lays on my chest without a care.


    Below me, exactly what I fell on top of is another of these little sheep; it lays flat on the ground while a butterfly rests on its nose, not even acknowledging my weight atop it. The concentration on the little thing is admirable. With a gentle hand, I reach for the face of the one on my chest and gently caress it with my index finger, not because it is too small; they are about the size of a basset hound, but just to test the waters. The woo sniffs my finger at first before nuzzling its face in it; there''s a strange static feeling that takes over my hand before it goes away.


    "Their reaction to you is interesting to observe; they are not usually this friendly. Most of the time, you need constant work on their trust to get to this level of touch." Milesian, to demonstrate what she''s talking about, reaches for the one atop me, and as soon as her fingers graze the little sheep''s side, it retracts its limbs and rolls away. "Maybe you have a natural affinity for some magical beings; we should study that further later on. For now, there''s only one more creature I would like to show you that lives around the house and you''ll probably interact with during your time learning basic spells and the way around magical medicine."


    By turning her head around, Milesian propels me to look in the same direction as her; on the other side of the flowers, further from the river, a creature walks among the blue of the petals, painting part of the grass. A cute, horizon-blue elephant a little smaller than the woos irrigates some flowers devoid of the capability to reach its roots near the river; its big ears flap around happily as it does so, exposing the small caramel rocks growing on the edge of its ears and the bridge of its nose.


    "Topah is what I call them," the witch comments with a distant look in her eyes. "They are a spiritual successor to Thophyni, a mage who roomed the earth in the first era of magic; they were someone whose love for flowers was so great that they are responsible for most studies about them. I never had the chance to meet them, but a person I know was quite fond of them; that is why I house them in this forest, as there aren''t many of them in the world, at least not anymore." She taps her cane on the grass, and the thump sound makes the little elephant raise its eyes toward her, and upon noticing its summoner, excitedly runs to her meeting like a dog to its owner.


    The little angel thingy stops by Milesian''s leg after a full sprint and trumpets happily at seeing her; the witch looks at the small elephant, gesturing with her hand for it to sit before looking at me. Just before she starts talking, though, I sit down in the grass like the topah and watch as the creature stumbles closer to me until it, with some difficulty, climbs my lap cutely. "To start your studies in truthfulness, I''ll take you to a workshop that belongs to a friend of mine so we can get you tools and more appropriate books to help your learning process. But just like the creatures here, you''ll have to learn most things by yourself; a mage''s path is one that must be taken individually. All I can do is help guide you in the right direction. Your instincts will be your best friend."


    She takes one long look in the distance, lasting for about ten seconds, before looking back at the library. "I''m craving a good book at this moment; if you wish, you can stay outside for some more time, as I''ll be in the living room for the time being."


    Milesian disappears into the library, leaving the door behind her half-open, probably for me, as I put the topah on its feet and look for a tree to rest my back against. On the far side of the library, near the uncomplete and uncared-for dirt path leading to the main one, I find the perfect spot. As I walk towards it, the little elephant stays by my side, using the opportunity to jump around. Even if their jumps are not high, the energy in them speaks volumes to communicate their excitement to walk.


    Upon reaching the tree, I put my backpack on the grass and rest my back against the trunk, allowing my lungs a deep intake of air as gravity makes me slide down, making my butt hit the grass ground gently. When I open the backpack, the emptiness of it is almost depressing. On the bottom, my sketchbook rests, hiding in its shadow my pencil and half-used eraser. Too, the cigarettes I bought stay there waiting for me to smoke them¡ªsomething I have to fight against.


    The wind caresses my cheek as it passes by, shaking the flowers and leaves, even taking some in their journey far away. My hands move in an overly familiar gesture as my fingers grasp the sketchbook and pencil, pulling them out of their rest in the backpack''s shadow to the light that reaches my hand through the path in the leaves atop the tree.


    The topah, in an exaggerated movement, raises its trunk and yawns, resting its soft, floppy ears in my lap and placing its head on my leg before slowly closing its eyes to the sleepiness that takes over. I concentrate my eyes on the small sheep roaming the field; there are three in total: one chases a butterfly around, stumbling and falling in failed attempts to catch it; another rolls around in a circle, only stopping as dizziness reaches their head; and the last watches me from the distance before rolling somewhere that I don''t take note of, as the other one''s actions inspire me to sketch.


    Graphite marks the cleanliness of the white paper, and as time passes, I build the creature''s form, starting geometrically, then giving it more details until I''m left with a pretty good sketch of the first one chasing the butterfly, maybe just a little overly cute, but still close to the real fluffiness they possess. What was supposed to be a quick sketch turns into an hour, during which I make the drawing of the woo rolling and of the topah sleeping, but little by little, the comfort of the situation and the nature ambiance sound of the forest makes me crave for a little nap, one feeling that, upon trying to ignore, only grows in strength until I can''t resist anymore.


    ...


    Milesian''s POV


    "From all of the spells, to end up conjuring this one... perhaps I''m seeking a reason where there is none."


    After a long examination of the spell book, I let go of it on the coffee table and turn my head to look out of the window, seeing Loa already looking outside; the reason why is Noma. Resting against a tree in the distance, the human sleeps soundly, surrounded by magical creatures. More and more, the events I witness in front of me entice my curiosity. I''m sure not all humans can manage to attract or befriend creatures in this way without any challenges or losing a great deal of time, but maybe some can trigger this reaction in them. It becomes clear that my choice was the right one.


    I tap my cane on the floor and get Loa''s attention. "She is a mystery, isn''t she? The way the creatures are swarming over her so affectionately is rather interesting; I''m sure Marlowe will enjoy meeting her."


    At the comment, Loa tilts her head in a silent question.


    "Yes, we will be going to her meeting tomorrow, so as usual, please keep this place safe in our absence." As she nods her head, I finally decide to feed my lingering curiosity and go to wake up the sleeping princess.


    Noma''s POV


    At the sound of footsteps approaching, my instinct slowly forces me to wake up. I try to move my body to adjust my back, but I find myself unable to do so because of the magical creatures from earlier. ''I must have fallen asleep without noticing'' I think, checking the sketchbook in my hand with the drawings all finished up.


    As I notice that the one approaching is Milesian, I rub my eyes to wake up some more. "I was out for how long?"


    "About two hours; it''s midday at this moment," She kneels down and takes one of the woo''s, seemingly studying the sleeping creature before placing it back down and shooing them away. "How are you feeling?"


    "I''m feeling refreshed; the soft pillows made sure to make the rest comfortable," I say, petting the still-sleeping topah on the head, earning a sleepy groan from the creature. "I didn''t notice I needed a nap this much."


    "I''m relieved to see that''s the case, but please do come with me back to the library; Loa will make lunch shortly." With a gloved hand, Milesian offers me help to get on my feet, which I appreciate and take without a second thought. The moment I''m up, the topah wakes up to the sudden movement, and with its cute eyes, it searches for something until its gaze stops on me. Happily, the creature trumpets and, with that, starts to walk back to the flowers. "Talking about Loa, she finished the cleaning of the attic. Feel free to rearrange anything you feel like and make yourself feel at home. If you wish to request anything more to add to the place, talk directly to Loa, and she will arrange it for you."


    "Oh, okay. I feel like I didn''t say that before, but thank you. The opportunity to learn magic, your words, and offering me a place to stay."


    "This transaction works for both sides; believe me, you''re offering me more research material than I ever had before; that makes us even. And too, your lack of fear about my appearance is appreciated; it makes it just easier to communicate."


    "Well, you kind of saved me, so it would be unfair and extremely rude to fear or have any type of disgust towards you." With a gentle smile on my face, one specifically made for this moment, we go back to the library.


    No more words are exchanged as she takes her path downstairs and allows me to check on the attic room before joining her.


    One good thing is that the smell of dust is gone; now instead, the natural smell of the library takes over the room. Near the round window rests the table and chair I''d seen early this morning. On the side of it rests a tall chest of drawers and a small, empty bookshelf. Stuck to the wall by a small support, string lights make their way behind the desk, around the bookshelf, and on the wooden ceiling support atop me. Their light is weak at this time of the day, but, as there aren''t many windows here, it helps maintain a good light level and ambiance. Taking the unnecessary weight of my backpack from me, I lay it on the wooden chair and start checking the drawers from the desk; some office supplies fill the drawers, but the one on the bottom, pencils, sharpeners, white paper, and so it goes.


    After closing the drawers, I look at the other side of the room; now, instead of having to lie on the floor on some sheets among a sea of boxes, a dark wooden bed frame holds a comfortable-looking mattress for me, the size not big, not small, enough for one person or two if they snuggle together. Lying on its feet is an old trunk chest with a note on top; it reads, ''The library storage has no spare clothing options, so on tomorrow''s travel, we will buy you some.'' The handwriting is carefully done and pretty, with an air of various layers of training.


    A gentle knock on the wall near the stairs grabs my attention. The standing figure, Loa, with her glowing eyes, looks at me, expecting something, probably to follow her. "Just one second," I run to my backpack and, on the side pocket, grab one of the most important things there is to me: an omamori charm.


    I walk back to the bed, stopping in front of the posts of it and wasting a good second in deep thought before, finally, placing the charm the charm on it and seeing it stay there securely. Now this feels more like home.


    With all of that out of the way, I finally follow the waiting maid to the lower floor; maybe this is the good luck you wished me, Mother.


    <hr>

 Chapter 4: -Magical Trains and the Secret in Londons Streets-

    Chapter 4


    -Magical Trains and the Secret in London''s Streets-


    <hr>


    The rest of yesterday passed like a blur after lunch; I just remember bits, but at least I had a good night of sleep. With Loa''s help, my clothes were cleaned off and ready to be used for today''s trip, and even as my mind tells me not to bother Milesian with new clothes, she made it very clear that she believes it''s her duty to ''provide at least the basics for her apprentice''. It''s strange, since yesterday she didn''t mention anything about the ''wife'' thing; maybe it was just her way of guaranteeing my stay above the church''s law. Still, that does not leave me as relieved as I expected.


    On the outside, we walk side by side in the cold of the morning in the direction of the train station mentioned by her before. My gaze lingers on her for a second; her clothes are exactly the same, and of course, she uses her ''human'' face, a good choice regarding that if someone saw a person with a raven skull in the place of their head, it would be either general fear or someone could mistake her for a cosplayer, which on thought would be the best out of the two, but maybe she would disagree.


    The same dirt path with the same stone wall guides us forward, but in the distance, the top of an old and rusty metal arch perks up, breaking the monotony. It is only upon getting closer that I''m able to see that the metal structure is actually a small bridge going over the rails that allows us to safely get to the other side of the tracks.


    On the other side, a broken stone building stands tall against the corrosion of time, held only by sheer will and maybe the vegetation taking over its side, with flowers blooming from between the small gap of the construction.


    "Is the place..."


    "Abandoned? Even if it looks like it, I can assure you that it is not." Milesian reassures me, pointing with her cane towards the old stone platform where the train should stop. "The humans from this village are shut off from the bigger cities; the only thing from outside that comes here are relatives seeking their elders. Even so, the human sentiment towards the locomotive made it the perfect spot for spirits that disguise themselves as humans; they copy human behavior, and so they control the train from city to city. Always on point, as you''ll see."


    Timely, hints of smoke rise from the end of the tracks as it travels downwards a mountain. The sound is unfamiliar but still so close in memory that it manages to strike a certain chord in my heart from the times I watched the movies passing late at night.


    "Our schedule will be to first visit the workshop and get your mage kit, and then we will buy you some clothes. We should be returning in time for lunch if everything goes right according to my plan."


    We cross the bridge, and the train passes below us, stopping slowly until it does completely. The moment our feet hit the platform and we approach the locomotive, its doors creak open for us. With the little time I have to look at the windows as we pass by them, I can''t spot anyone inside, so I assume the train is empty, or at least it seems. On the door, a man as tall as the ceiling bends down to look at us and to not hit his head on the ceiling; the way he bends his spine to do so is what nails down Milesian''s words about the train being managed by spirits.


    "Welcome to Spirit Express; please do come with me. I''ll show you two your seats." He says with a melodic voice. Something about his voice and glowing eyes has a strange, deep effect, like hearing an old man''s voice, even if his appearance is young.


    Milesian bows her head and enters the train, with me going right behind her as she takes hold of my hand to pull me delicately. At first, we pass rows and rows of couch-like seats, all empty and looking the same, some even having traces of old newspapers resting atop them; when I try to take a good look at one, we end up getting past the carriage. Now a different one is presented to us; instead of rows of seats, this one holds separated rooms with two seats in front of each other. Milesian, still guiding me, pulls me to one of them as the man bows to us and leaves quietly. She settles herself on the opposite side of me and rests her cane between her legs as I sit down and put my backpack at my side.


    "It should take some time for us to arrive there," she comments, letting her eyes wander over the outside view the round window presents as the train starts to come to life. After about thirty seconds, she reallocates her eyes to my face. "If there''s anything you would like to ask, please don''t refrain yourself from doing so. And don''t say you have nothing to ask; I can see clearly on your face that you''re bothered by something."


    "I''m not bothered," I answer with a low tone, being careful not to sound accusatory. "I''m curious but didn''t want to touch on a topic I shouldn''t."


    "There is not a topic or question you can''t ask me; as my apprentice, you have the duty to ask anything magically relevant so you can learn, and as part of my family, you can speak to me freely about any type of personal thing you wish."


    Her words make me look down at my feet to hide my troubled expression. She''s right; I should try to at least be more myself with her. "You and this person we will meet; how did you meet each other?"


    "Oh, that''s indeed a good question; let me see if I remember correctly." Milesian expresses something in her face besides emotionlessness, deep thought, and a hint of something more. "I believe it was about fifty years ago when I met her for the first time. I remember walking in an interesting field of wheat as golden as the midday sun. I was traveling in search of a specific beast whose feathers could help make medicine to help a client of mine, but I knew nothing of the beast and had the luck to find a young woman who was in search of the same thing as me. Ayla Marlowe."


    "The one from the diary?" I ask, allowing some of my excitement to escape me in my tone as it regains some of its sparks.


    "Yes, back then she, as her own words stated, was in search of a purpose greater than magic, something to connect herself to that would make her complete. We walked kilometers of forest, fields, and mountains before we reached the beast we were after; the problem was that the conditions weren''t the best. The beast was on its last string of life due to old age; we didn''t know at the time that it was a rare thing to find one and that only a few existed in the world due to a bad adaptation to modern times. Our luck was that it had laid an egg, so when we got there and found the beast taking its last breath atop it, Ayla was devastated. I got the feather I needed, but Ayla had not gotten what she wanted. Her determination, though, was admirable; she used the fact she had helped me get there to ask me something in return. She begged me to take the egg back with me and take care of the little yet-to-be-born beast, in hopes that one day it would become an adult and have a chance in life. That was a promise I kept; the beast grew well, and once the time had come to part ways, it flew, and to Ayla''s surprise, it flew right to the window of her workshop a few days after she bought the place."


    "You trained the creature to do it?"


    "No, magical creatures are beings of freedom; they do what they want and live their own way. It chose to go to her on its own behalf."


    After the conversation, the silence takes over. I look at my hands, taking in deep breaths to create the courage to do what I''m about to do.


    "You know, you can ask me things too if you want." I force a smile on my lips to hide my anxiety, telling myself that this is only fair after she opened herself to me to allow me to get to know her better. "I can''t promise to answer them all; there are things I''m better off remembering, but I feel like hearing you makes me know you a little better, and I want you to know a little about me too."


    Milesian, instead of asking anything as I expected, lays her cane on the seat and gets up; she takes my backpack and moves it to where she was seated before taking the now empty space beside me. Her hand caringly stops on my shoulder as she takes a moment to study my expression.


    "It''s true, I don''t know much about humans, but I studied enough on how emotions work to know that what you''re doing is more for my sake than yours. Rest assured, once you''re ready, I''ll ask you the world, but for now, I''m satisfied with what I see."


    The expressionless face, the unemotional eyes¡ªin a different situation with another person, I would say they are trying to manipulate me or at least create a false connection, but maybe she''s just this way; she just looks devoid of connection but in reality seeks it slowly. With a nod of my head, I place my hand atop her and smile, for real this time.


    "Thank you," I whisper, and so a comfortable silence is interrupted only by the train moving on the tracks. Sometimes in the travel, I feel her knee pressed against mine as I notice how close I am to her; something about her smell too calms me down, so it helps me not shy away as much.


    The rest of the trip is uneventful. Milesian spent her time reading a book as I just glued my eyes to the outside of the window, watching as we passed by abandoned railroads and long tunnels before, finally, approaching the so-famous city of London. The train seems to stop at one level below another train station, and as Milesian and I leave the train, our surroundings are of an abandoned subway-like project. We don''t take much time lingering around the not-so-lightning place and climb a set of stairs behind a metal door. Once we get up, as the door opens, it reveals lots of busy people all dressed up to work walking all around, too occupied to notice Milesian and me appearing from a clearly restricted area.


    "The witch''s workshop is a walk away from here, in a more calm area of the city." As she states that, the woman grabs me and pulls me into her arms in a clear movement to carry me like yesterday. "While we transit this area, to avoid getting separated, please bear with me for the time being."


    "Wait, wait, wait, there''s no need to carry me."


    "There is... not?"


    "We can just lock arms, you know, get less attention to ourselves."


    Milesian seems to stop for a good second, analyzing the others on the platform and their ways, and once she concludes her study, she nods her head, allowing me to step back and locking arms with me. "If this method is the most common, then I thank you for the warning."


    I nod my head, feeling the soft lock of her arm with mine as she starts to move, making me move alongside her in the process. There is a certain feeling of safety it brings that I bathe in without noticing how it makes my chest less heavy and helps my anxiety not to go to the roof amidst the sea of people that never seems to end when once I would be having a panic attack. The cold air coming from the outskirts of the city, the sound of cars moving all along in the busy streets, the people all around us walking past without even batting an eye¡ªthat''s how every city is¡ªjust people too busy with their lives to care about anything or anyone else, something I appreciate at the moment.


    "Can I ask you another question?" I keep my voice low, something that makes Milesian lean her head closer to me to hear. Something I''m noticing just now as well is that she''s always been very tall compared to me; it seems that every time I really stop my eyes on her, I notice something new.


    "Like I stated before, you have the permission to do as you please."


    "What the priest said, aren''t you like, not allowed to walk among humans too?"


    "Ah, yes, the law. Well, the best way to oversimplify it for you is that I''m not allowed near humans if it''s to interact or interfere, but if I''m delivering medicine, I can very well do so, but only to the extent of the request. If I need to run errands or anything that requires more contact with people, I used to rely on the church to do so, but now with Loa, things are simpler to carry on. The church can be very keen against my existence, but even being a demon, I have some of what you call ''human rights''."


    "And about the law..."


    "What about it?"


    "I just don''t get it. For all I''ve seen from you, you''ve been doing good to people, like Miss Rose, so why do they treat you like a caged animal?"


    "Fear is the strongest human sentiment related to the unknown. If being a demon was not good enough, I''m a witch too; to them, my potential to do harm is greater than my potential to do good. And too, I''m the last of my kind to stay among humans; most demons migrated to the spiritual realm, abandoning their bodies to live in peace. Just don''t get me wrong; I don''t hold any resentment; I understand their reasons and even believe they are right about wanting me on a tight leash."


    "It... must be lonely, to be the last one and all."


    Milesian stops out of nowhere, breaking the conversation in the middle. At that moment, I wait for her to talk, thinking I touched a sore spot, but she only turns to me and nods her head. "We are here."


    In front of us is a simple store that, at first glance, doesn''t seem to have anything special about it¡ªjust one more in a sea of various shops we passed by on the way here. Like a cube, the door is circled by white walls with the lettering indicating the name of the store: Ayla''s Goodies: Materials and Repairs. Atop the store, just like the other shops, lies a red brick, two stories tall apartment from what it looks like from the outside.


    My thought about not being anything special, though making sense, lasts about half the minute we use to cross the road, open the door, and get inside; once we step in, a flying something approaches my face, and before it hits me, Milesian holds the thing. I blink two times before focusing my eyes on the culprit, who is revealed to be a beetle made out of crystal, and yet the thing seems alive.


    On a counter across from us, a woman raises her head from below and prepares herself to apologize before noticing who entered. Upon recognizing Milesian, the woman perks up with a wide grin. "Great, you caught it." The woman wearing a witch hat with the inside colored orange jumps over the counter and sprints closer to us with a small golden cage tightly in her hands. She opens the small door of the cage carefully before taking the beetle and placing it inside the containment, which, on a closer look, has a small fauna of more crystal insects that are only visible through the cage''s door, not the outside. "Thank you; this one has been a real pain lately. It entered its rebellious phase."


    "Ayla, it''s been a while; I''m certain."


    "Thirty years, to be exact, Mili." It takes me a few seconds as I remember the dates she told me. Fifty years ago was when they first met, according to Milesian, but looking at the woman in front of me, she looks no older than twenty-five. The same woman turns her head to me, making a sunset orange curly of her hair move out from inside her hat where it rested and sway in front of her left eye, which she resolves by blowing some air and resting it behind her ear. "What do we have here? It''s rare to see you accompanied by anyone who isn''t from the church or that maid of yours." With her green eyes, the woman looks closely at my face with the same grin from before, only now more flirty, approaching ever so slightly. "My, oh my, you''re an interesting thing, human. It seems someone woke up and chose to get over the church."


    I don''t say anything, choosing only to stay quiet and remain motionless, as Milesian has other plans. Her hand pulls me closer to her and away from the witch in a hurried action, like pulling a child away from the fire. "I talked to John yesterday, and I believe at this moment the church must be reviewing their laws once again to make sure the mistake I exploited in it was real."


    "Wait, I want to hear the full story. I can''t help you if you kidnapped a girl from her home; humans are not like stray dogs for you to feel sorry and take with you, you know."


    "She was being chased by a Lost Hunter; the options she had were limited, and so were mine."


    The witch looks at me curiously before looking back at Milesian with a more serious face, even letting out a sigh, preparing herself for a long conversation. "Let us talk more privately in the back, just the two of us; I''ll need a cigarette for this one."


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.Nodding her head, Milesian turns to me and pushes me towards a chair out of nowhere, so quick that I almost fall before reaching the chair. She lowers her head to my level and stares at me with her empty, red eyes. "Stay here; I''ll be back shortly."


    "Geez, she''s not a dog, Mili; I''m sure she understood what I said." The witch, Ayla, comments with another sigh, not managing to make Milesian budge as she continues to stare at me, waiting for a response.


    "I''ll stay put; don''t worry."


    "Good, now excuse me." Adjusting her clothes, Milesian leaves towards the door leading to the back of the shop. As Ayla gives me one last curious look, it seems she waited for Milesian to go first to ask something.


    "You okay, kid? You look burdened."


    "Please don''t worry about me; I''m fine."


    My answer seems to convince her much as I watch her squint her eyes in suspicion. From her hand, a small pinkish crystal starts to form; it glows and starts to take form. First, it forms a tail, then a body, and soon it ends as a finished product: a dark gray lizard with crystals and mushrooms growing and glowing on its back. "Theo, keep her company while I''m occupied."


    The lizard only sticks its tongue out, which seems to make Ayla put it down. Glowing pink eyes stare at me as the magical lizard crystal thing makes its approach. Ayla just disappeared in the midst of the situation without more words or looks. It climbs my leg without a worry in mind before placing itself on my lap like a guard, looking from side to side attentively, prompting me to do the same without noticing.


    The store is filled with strange items; some glow, others move inside glass jars. If there is a thing here that doesn''t seem like it would kill me, I can''t really see it. They all look like materials of some sort, probably what she uses to make spells or something. Not a usual repair shop, I''m sure, nor a normal goods store.


    She commented I look burdened; why? I mean, I wasn''t in the best situation before finding the library and Milesian, but I should be fine now; something I wanted and sought for a long time is happening before my eyes, and yet, there is a tiredness that takes me behind the eyes that I can''t explain. It''s hard to not ask myself what I''m doing and why; the reasons seem to leave my mind, leaving only doubt and strangeness.


    I shake my head to push the thoughts away, focusing instead on caressing the lizard''s head in a desperate attempt to regain the calmness from before in the station. At first, the creature looks at me without understanding what I''m doing, but soon it starts making some strange noises that sound happy, at least I assume, and so I continue, watching it close its eyes and move to the center of my lap. My eyes stop at a clock in the wall ticking and ticking infinitely in repeat; its hands don''t seem to move, forever stopped at a time I can''t tell. I should have learned to read those. Even the sound doesn''t seem to disturb the deep rest of my scaly friend.


    Seeing the creature so relaxed for obvious reasons makes me do the same; the darkness that comes upon closing my eyes is not one that brings tiredness. A song comes to me, one old, sung by someone whose face I can''t remember anymore; it pushes me towards humming the tune out of the moment.


    Every time I try to remember her face, only a shadow comes to mind. I know so little about her; it was told to me that she liked to take care of plants, that she was good at painting, and that her singing voice was out of this world. It is a shame I never got to know her before... That happened.


    The sound of the cars outside blurry until there''s nothing to be heard by myself; the ache in my legs from walking here dilutes into numbness. It''s one moment I try to appreciate, even if it brings me the promise of a headache in the near future. Time passes by at a rate I can''t even tell as the ticking of the wall clock disappears, but it is interrupted when someone forcefully grabs my wrists and pulls me away from the peacefulness.


    "This is exactly as I told you," Milesian comments with an emotionless tone, pulling me to my feet forcefully and without minding her own strength, making the lizard jump to my free arm so as not to fall. "I am rather relieved that this time it is only crystals; I wouldn''t want her to almost freeze to death."


    I wake up back to my senses and look at Ayla with drowsy eyes, seeing an expression I would never in a million years expect; her face turns into a deep frown as she takes a step back, minding her step not to step on something that upon a closer look is frightening. Crystal flowers grow all around my feet, using their roots to climb my legs and crystallize parts of my shoes in the process. On my side, sitting in a crystal chair, lies a faceless person holding a baby in their arms and looking down at it without an expression. My eyes widen in terror at first; unfortunately, the moment to get surprised is not given, as the tone of a voice ringing manages to cause me more fear.


    "Milesian," The witch gestures for her lizard to get back to her, something it does in another jump as fast as it can. "What in the world is this... thing?"


    "That is a question we both share; all I know is that she''s definitely human, even if not exactly the usual type."


    "I..." I try taking a step forward, and I''m met with Ayla stepping back from me. Her reaction is so genuine that it hurts; there is hate in those eyes, and they scare me back. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to do any of this."


    The witch seems to realize her facial expression as she touches her face with her free hand, stopping for a moment and shaking her head. "No, who should be sorry is me. It''s easy to forget that humans age accordingly when you live so reclusively; you''re just a child. After what Mili told me, I should have guessed this would have happened." She steps closer to me and puts a hand on my shoulder, forcing a smile to take on her lips. "Look, this is not a bad thing; I''m sure some creatures will like the treat."


    "Treat?" I ask confused, both by her sudden softness after the storm and her words.


    "Yes, those crystals are filled to the brim with magical energy, and that makes them the perfect treat for any magical creature or spirit." She kneels down and takes one of the flowers, breaking it off the rest and taking my palm, allowing her to place it in its center. "Try to give it to Theo."


    The moment the flower is on my palm, the crystal lizard, upon hearing its name, perks up and looks hungrily at it. I only move my hand closer to it before Theo shoots its tongue and grabs the flower, eating straight up.


    "You see? This is what I meant." The witch looks at Milesian and points with her head to the place they had gone before. "Come on, let me at least offer you two some tea."


    Amid the walk, Ayla looks at me curiously. "Say, Milesian told me you have some charm with the magical creatures; if you want, I can give you a copy of my diary."


    "Uhum, Milesian already showed me one copy she has of it."


    "That''s just the first one I''ve made; I have two more regarding other species."


    "Oh, okay. I guess I''ll accept it then if it isn''t much trouble."


    We reach a living room one stair up, where the apartment part I saw before rests. This area holds both a wooden-decorated and old-looking living room that smells of dirt after rain and a kitchen separated from here by a wall. A long sofa with two armchairs on the side is where I''m pulled by Milesian. I try to sit down on the sofa like normal, but Milesian acts first and pulls me to her lap before I can.


    "I can see you are nervous; please try to calm yourself; there is no need to be on your guard, I assure you. If there was, I would protect you regardless."


    The witch claps her hand, and at the sound, her lizard jumps down to the ground, sprinting towards the kitchen. She sits down on the armchair and crosses her legs. Timely, the lizard returns with a silver tray on its back holding three steamy tea cups; it brings to the living room a new fragrance of citrus and sweetness.


    "Do you mind a lemon honey tea? Unfortunately, as the notice was not given, I didn''t have any time to buy other options." Ayla asks with a smile, taking one tea cup from Theo''s back and gesturing for it to walk toward us. The lizard does as told and bows its head, leaving the tea cups for us to take.


    "No, no, it''s fine for me." I accept the refresher and cup it in both my hands carefully. The hot porcelain, paired with the steam invading my nose, makes for a comforting sensation. "Thank you."


    "So, Milesian told you about me before bringing you here, I''m sure." She nods to herself and grins in a friendly way. "That means I deserve to know you some too, don''t I?"


    I take a moment of silence. My eyes focus on the waves in the tea cup going round and round as I start to unwittingly hit the ground in a newfound cycle. A smile comes to my lips, a forced, horrible one that does not convey what it was supposed to, leaving me looking like I''m about to cry. It''s at this moment that Ayla opens her mouth to take her question back, but I don''t allow her to.


    "You''re right, I just don''t know what to say; my story is pretty boring. I''m an orphan, which means I grew up in a place I didn''t want to be my whole life, but that was fine, I guess, for some time. Until the day it wasn''t anymore. I worked in some places when I was sixteen to cover for my stay there, as I was constantly threatened with being thrown to the streets if I didn''t cooperate back for all the years I abused of their good intentions. I just turned eighteen two days ago and was able to pay them fully for their wasted time with the money I had made in those two years working; then I decided to take some buses across the country and see where I would end up. If I died or not, it would be a coin toss. That was when I met Milesian, who helped me not be mangled to death in the forest.


    "There are things I don''t want to talk about or get deeper into, so I hope that was enough to pay you back," I say, bitterly looking at the tea in my hands before gulping it down, not even allowing the taste to coat my tastebuds in the process.


    "I''m sorry if I touched on a sensitive topic; it was not my intention to leave you feeling like you had to tell me anything if it was against your will." The witch replies, awkwardly sipping on her tea.


    Well, damm; I just made the table awkward. Good work, me.


    Ayla rises to her feet, and as she walks towards me, her eyes quickly move somewhere else, specifically in the direction of the stairs, where she frowns. "Good, what are you doing here, priest boy?" At her words, John appears from the stairs with the rapid breathing of someone who ran a distance to get here. "Didn''t I tell you before that in my place, your people are not welcome?"


    The priest sighs and puts both hands on his knees to get some breath. "I know; I''m sorry. The church has sent a request for Milesian to take care of, and they wanted me to be on mail duty today because of a certain someone''s midlife crisis." He gazes at Milesian with a frown before it washes away.


    Too, the witch sighs and gestures for him to sit down. "Sit and drink some tea; I''ll give you the room." She says that and walks to me as she was about before, placing her hand on my knee gently and kneeling down so she can have a clear look at my face. "Look, kid, you seem to have your heart in the right place, and I know you just entered this world, so my request can come across as unfair, but please do try to share your worries and pains with those you trust. I know things need to happen at the right times, so take yours, okay? My door will always be open if anything happens. Your mentor isn''t one to have many people around them, so keep that in mind, because right now they seem to care about you."


    Milesian guides her head down to join in the talk. "What are you two talking about?"


    "Nothing about which you need to be concerned," Ayla responds with a smile, getting herself back to her feet and walking away as John gratefully sits down on one of the armchairs.


    "Uf, now that''s a little better." He reaches for the tea and stops before taking a sip. "Witch, this tea, had you not taken it?"


    "What? Are you afraid of an indirect kiss with little old me, boy?" Ayla replies midway through her exit. "Some would be honored to have the opportunity." Even if I can''t see her face, I can tell she''s grinning.


    "More afraid of getting cursed, that''s for sure." He uses a clean cloth he pulls out of his pocket to clean the cup brim before drinking the liquid. He makes sure that Ayla has left the room before turning his attention fully to Milesian. "I''m sure you knew that already, but the higher-ups are not happy with your choice of... wife. They requested from you one of your medicines." He finishes his words and tries to sip on the remains of the tea, finding none reaching his tongue.


    Milesian takes her untouched tea cup and slides it on the table for the priest, who doesn''t think twice before refreshing himself. "Allow me to guess; they want the same item I refused to make last year."


    "Yes, that or they are threatening to talk with the witch''s academy to inform them of your new-found interest in teaching."


    Her face, as always, stays the same, but this time there is a feeling of discontent behind her eyes. "If that is the card they want to play, then communicate to them that their request was accepted."


    "Look, I know you aren''t happy about this outcome, but know that I tried to talk to them to ease your punishment, and this was all I could do. It was either this or they would have taken the girl away from you." He says, getting up to his feet and stretching his arms tiredly.


    "I appreciate your help, John." Milesian comments, locking her eyes on the priest.


    "Don''t mention it; now go enjoy your day. I''ll have to run back to the church; my train is bound to leave in ten." He says, taking a clock out of his pocket and checking it with a deep sigh before moving his gaze to me and nodding his head, finally acknowledging my existence. "Remember, the offer still stands. A good day to you two." Without waiting for anything anymore, he starts taking the stairs down and sprinting away on the streets that I have a glimpse of from the window to our left.


    Milesian taps my shoulder to get my attention back to her, using her free hand to turn my legs more towards her to an almost in-her-arms position. "When we return, I''ll need to get this request out of my way. If you wish you could come with me, it can be a good thing for you to learn more about those who live alongside us in the forest. I''ll respect your decision If you want to stay at home instead, then you can practice your knowledge in spells."


    I take a moment to think about this decision; it makes sort of sense to go with her to learn more about what this world can offer and all, and yet, there''s a lingering feeling in my mind that I''m messing up things. I''ve created a problem for her in the priest''s words, forcing her into a corner of accepting something she explicitly didn''t wanted. If I go, the chances I fuck it up more increase by a large chance.


    Lowering my gaze to my knees, I shake my head. "I think it is best if I stay in the library."


    Milesian''s eyes study me for a good ten seconds or so before she nods. "Very well, then when we return, I''ll leave you to your studies and take care of the request. Please remember that if anything appears that you might need assistance with, you can count on Loa''s help."


    The decision is made; I stay quiet for the rest of the conversation that happens when Ayla returns; I don''t intrude in their talk as they simply comment about the kit materials.


    "Okay, so I''ll get the books ready today along with some extra items that she can use to build her own workstation; do you know which area she will aim for?" Ayla asks while scribbling on her notepad.


    "For now, she will practice all just to be sure, and then with time and experience, she can make the choice."


    "Great, just leave the rest to me then." Ayla rises to her feet, and so does Milesian, who compels me to do the same. "Expect the package tomorrow morning."


    "Will do." The two witches shake hands and turn their attention to me, with Ayla being the one to say something.


    "Hang in there, kid, and know that I''ll visit to see your progress when I can." Her smile is simple and sincere.


    I simply nod my head and keep quiet; Milesian then takes this as our time to leave, something we do without more words, leaving the witch to her work and us in the way of the station to take the train back home. Now, thinking about it, we both completely forgot that she said we would go clothing shopping.


    <hr>

 Chapter 5: -An Opportunity to do Right is One to Suffer For-

    Chapter 5


    -An Opportunity to do Right is One to Suffer For-


    <hr>


    Words and words, without end or start; my eyes scan the pages of the book as I carefully rest it against the wooden baluster near me. I read while I lay on my sides in the middle of the bifurcation landing of the staircase, the most comfortable option I found. Around me, only three sounds resonate: one coming from the chandelier on the ceiling moving as gasps of wind uninvitedly come to say hello to the library through an open window, another from the wood creaking from time to time as I move to another position to try once again to focus, and the last one is quieter, nearly impossible to notice when focused: the footsteps of the silver maid as she dances around the library with her duster, making sure not a single spot atop or behind the books on the bookshelves goes unnoticed as she provides her divine justice against anything that dares to dirty the surface of this place. Now that I think about it, Milesian has been away for some time now, or at least it seems in my bored mind.


    Like the maid, I swipe my thoughts away and try giving in to my studies one more time in hopes of learning something useful¡ªsomething I can do to repay at least a bit of Milesian''s kindness. Impatiently, I travel between pages in search of anything that makes sense for me to do, and that might not cause something to be destroyed like it did before with the fae. Abruptly, my hands stop atop Milesian''s copy of Ayla''s diary, which hides itself in the shadow of the pile of books I stacked, most still untouched.


    "She did say I seemed to have a strange connection with the magical creatures." I ponder with myself in a low mutter as my fingers caress the leather cover of the diary. I raise it to my lap amidst the movement I do to sit up instead of keeping laid down. The idea renews some of my energy, and so I use it to search more thoroughly; maybe I can find a creature that can, like the woo, be domesticated and provide some material for Milesian''s medicine.


    One thing I notice at first as my fingertips glide across the first page where Ayla''s signature rests is that there is one page stuck in another, so as gently as I can, I manage to separate both, revealing four different symbols on the hidden page of the book. A sun, a snow globe, a blooming flower, and a pumpkin; at the bottom of each is written a season and a page number to guide me to reach each. As some of the meaning behind the symbols comes to me, I guide myself to the summer beings part of the diary, more specifically to the page right before the one I''ve read about the woo.


    ''Across time, witches were associated with many animals; Greeks and Romans believed witches could turn themselves into owls, and in this form, they would come to suck the blood of babies; but in reality, no witch was ever recorded to do that; instead, many stories indicate that in old times, they would bond with lost owls that couldn''t find their way on the heavy winter, deep in the forest. They helped those creatures survive in exchange for their assistance in the hunt for live materials in the forest, such as insects or small rodents.


    Cats, too, are often associated with witches; some feared them and thought they indicated the presence of evil or that they were the Devil himself, as often they were found as companions of witches in the old times. In truthfulness, during the black plague, most common women, mourning their partner''s death that happened on the battlefield or to the plague, would take in wild cats from the street and care for them to help in the healing process of their broken hearts, as the loyal cats would in return catch any mouse that would dare to try making their human family sick.


    And the last one that is associated with witches is the rabbit. According to folklore in the United Kingdom, witches can transform into rabbits and hares, and in many cultures, they are seen as harbingers of both good and bad luck. They are often found as companions of those who have a heart filled with curiosity and lust for adventure; they make great companions in the winter, especially as some rabbits can grow to great sizes.


    These three animals are the most common type to be seen as companions to both mages and witches alike. Unlike magical beasts that need to be tamed, companions need only to be summoned; they are your spiritual guide, a being connected to your soul according to your real persona. There are different types, but in this diary, I''ll only document magical beasts; maybe the next will be about companions as I resume my travels.''


    After reading this part, I start to question if perhaps that is why Ayla wanted to give me the next copy of her diary. I focus my eyes once again and jump to the page after the woo''s description, seeing a sketch of a creature resembling a rat-like thing with three round horns on its head, one small on the forehead, and two on either side of the triangle formation. Its body reminds me more of a cow, having four cylinder-shaped legs and a tail half its size with some fluff on its end. On the sketch, its name is indicated: The Little Prince.


    ''Only today I was able to spot a specimen of it, as it rarely makes itself known in the wilds. I questioned Brigitte about what she could inform me regarding the creature, and I had to pay the price for the information. My savings were almost all spent by her in the bar today just to get it; who knew a woman her size could chug down three full-size beers in thirty seconds.


    What she informed me was that there isn''t much registered about it, as expected, even though I truly wanted to satiate my curiosity soon. The creature is rare to find, but at least the money spent was worth it, as Brigitte took me to the location where she last saw it, giving me a moment I''ll never forget. It too was informed to me that the little prince in theory, supported only by a weak analysis made by a non-trustworthy source, can be of help to synthesize magical matter, allowing one to produce higher quality medicine with the use of fewer materials thanks to the creature''s roots as a forest dweller, but most in this area find the effort to be much compared to the little reward, so I guess I''ll follow up and do the same for now; maybe when my travels end I can try researching more about it.''


    At the end of the page, words are written in red with a more refined lettering, reminding me of the words in Milesian''s letter. ''Location: Deep forest near the library, across the river on a small patch of grass between twin trees whose roots entangle over the grass.''


    Wait, did Milesian find one nearby? The words seem more like a reminder to me, so there is a chance she wanted to do as she did with the topah and bring it here to the garden. Finally, this is something I can try to do that can help her somewhat, even more keeping in mind what the diary said about the help the creature can provide with whatever means synthesizes magical matter.


    Quickly, I rise to my feet and, in a big hug, take as much of the heavy pile of books with me as I can while climbing up the stairs, being careful to balance myself to avoid falling in the process and facing a future not so desirable. Upon reaching the coffee table, I carefully place the pile atop the surface to forget about it and move to grab my backpack that is unmoved and just waiting for me on the sewed couch, only to, in my unthinking movement, hit my knee on the edge of the furniture, making the books all slide off and find their final rest in the four corners of the table. The pain climbs up my spine, causing me to hold on to a groan as I quickly rub my knee. I take a moment to breathe and calm myself off my nerves before, finally, holding on to my backpack, stuffing the diary in it, and throwing it over my shoulder as I place my arms through the shoulder straps.


    In one single movement, I adjust the straps while paying attention to my surroundings to make sure Loa is still occupied with cleaning; I can''t risk her stopping me from going out. For a moment, I don''t spot her, and by instinct, I let out a relieved sigh, thinking she must have gotten to another part of the library where she can''t spot me, but in my mindless walk towards the exit door, I overlook her standing there as I collide my body with her shoulder. It stuns me only for a moment as I guide my eyes to meet hers, finding her crossed arms and an expression full of suspicion.


    "Uhm... Hi, Loa," Not a great start, as I find myself unable to not stutter and try to hide my nervousness behind a smile that was supposed to be calm, but it comes out awkward. She taps her feet rhythmically against the floor as if waiting for me to explain myself, and so I do. "I''m just going out to take a bit of fresh air, give my head some rest... and all."


    By the way the silver maid eyes me, I can tell she didn''t fall for that; I can''t exactly risk telling her what I''m going to do, especially as Milesian ordered me to stay here till she came back and probably asked her to look after me, but I can tell a half-truth.


    I sigh, relaxing and attempting the best serious face I can produce at the moment, which isn''t that hard to be sincere, only somewhat difficult when Loa keeps looking at me with her glowing eyes as if she could spot the truth a mile away. "Look, I''m not all okay right now; my head is kinda messy, and I think a walk around would help to cheer me up, that''s all."


    She doesn''t budge, as expected; she only gazes at me, arms still crossed tightly against her chest, making parts of her Victorian maid uniform to become wrinkled. But I keep my eyes on hers regardless, attempting just a bit more to make her budge, and that, surprisingly, seems to do the trick.


    Loa sighs herself and gestures for me to wait a moment, and so I do, even if confused for a few seconds as I watch her take the stairs down and disappear into the kitchen. It passes through my head that maybe this could be the perfect moment to leave; at least this way, nobody would be able to hold her responsible for what I''m about to do. The thought itself takes all the window of opportunity to do so, as, just like she promised, the maid returns, holding in her hand something metallic.


    At the moment, I turn to say something but am unable to do so as she takes one of my hands and places the object in it, dragging out of me a shiver at the sudden coldness it possesses. On a closer inspection, I notice it is a filled metal canteen bottle. Confused, I look once again at the maid, only to find permeating her face a small and delicate smile¡ªone that manages to leave me stunned even more than the bump from before that is only broken as she bows her head and, like nothing happened, turns her back to me and resumes her work, picking up her duster resting on the librarian''s desk.


    She doesn''t even give me the chance to thank her, but I''ll do better, succeeding in finding the little prince and making this not a waste of both our time and her kindness. With a quick nod of my head to reassure myself, I push open the library''s door and leave the protection it provides to explore the unknown forest.


    On the outside, I lose no time starting my walk towards the river, as the only hint I have to discover where this deep forest lies is the keywords from before. While doing so, I also allow myself to look around the garden, almost dancing to not accidentally step on a flower, which in the end makes me spot the topah doing as it was doing when I first saw it, watering the plants further from the river. The small elephant trumpets happily as it works; I use the sound it''s making to try walking to the other side of the river without calling its attention. Even if it would be fun to give the little thing some love, I still need to keep my focus on the gold pot.


    The river walls in this part are not so close to each other, making the corridor somewhat thin but still proposing some challenge to jump to the other side, so I take a moment to really think through my options. I could either attempt the jump or walk down the river''s path and see if I find a safer way to cross. Remembering the scene from before in the library, as I failed to make a sneaky exit, I determine that today isn''t my day to be doing these stunts, so instead I lock in the safer option and start walking beside the river, watching as the sunlight reflects on the running water, revealing some fish swimming against the current to keep on going towards whatever is their goal, with too the reflection of my face as I lean in to look at them and it stares at me back.


    More and more, I start descending the hill behind the library, being attentive not to slip in some wet mud or anything like that. In my vision, the forest seems to thicken as I further dare to dwell and explore its secrets, with some parts shadowed and neglected by sunlight by the heavy foliage of some more bulky trees. Birds fly from the grass blades as I walk past them, revealing in between the plants a different and more non-magical fauna, composed of frogs jumping from one side of the river to the waters as I approach, squirrels with their long tails running to rest atop the trees and staring at me curiously, and some colorful butterflies flying around, one even stopping at my shoulder for a moment as it almost collides with me on its path.


    It''s a breath of fresh air to be away for a moment from one world and delve into another. The forest was always a second home to me, from the nights I ran away from the orphanage and used the trees as guides to find my secret hideout composed of an old blanket and some sticks that held it up, where I would hide myself and draw until late in the fragile and wrinkled pages of my sketchbook, to the days the nuns would take us to explore the park, where I would always find myself away from the other kids, studying and chasing anything that I considered cute, making it a subject worth my time and attention.


    My thoughts flow easily as they are accompanied by the sounds of the living beings around me; yet, something, a shadow mirrored on the waters of the busy river, calls upon me, beckoning me ever closer to other memories hidden beneath walls I so carefully built with time. I ignore the calling, massaging the underpart of my eyes to uncurse them from the sting so familiar to me.


    From the waters of the river, I guide myself up further until I reach an area with rocks peaking from underneath the waters, like pillars that extended themselves to provide for those who wish to cross, having a flat shape atop just on point to be able to step on them and not fall; perfect for me to use. The first one, though, rests a jump distance from me, so to get started, I''ll need to jump and not miss, or else I''ll get my backpack wet and all that is inside¡ªsomething I can''t afford.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.There''s no time like the present, so with that in mind, I take two steps back and start reassuring myself; after all, there''s no way this can go wrong, right? My shoes print the dirt as I carefully sprint forward, holding on to my backpack straps so that, just in case I fail, I can try throwing it back to safety.


    The wind rushes against my face as my feet leave the ground at the perfect speed. My heartbeat reminds me once again of the adrenaline that makes me feel alive. The jump lasts only a second, and once I find myself hitting the soles of my shoes on the rock and balancing myself, it feels like a weight was taken out of my shoulders. Now, with all that rest being to move forward, I start doing so, extending my legs to reach the next rock, and so on.


    I keep my eyes on the rocks while I move, only stopping once or twice to look around¡ªsomething that pays off. Almost hard to notice, resembling a sphere of water reflecting the sunlight, creatures swim mindlessly from side to side, some splashing water on the others, and the rest floating around, seemingly enjoying the river''s current. In my curiosity, I take out Ayla''s diary and start searching for what this could be; with the tip of my fingers quickly, the pages are turned, stopping only as I notice a fact I hadn''t before about the diary going further in. Of all the pages that make it, the grand majority are, truly, tales of Ayla''s travels, with only some reserved for creatures, making it wrong my previous thought that it was filled with all the types of creatures, even if it still holds information about many others.


    My search brings no result, as it seems this creature was not documented by Ayla. In truth, no creature that lives in the waters seems to have been from all I can see in the first thirty pages, so in the span of the moment, I decide to do it myself. I return the diary to my backpack and grab, in its place, my sketchbook and pencil so I can study the little creatures.


    It isn''t the most comfortable of places to sit, as the rock is, well, a rock, but it at least gives me the opportunity to rest without getting myself wet. Practiced movements take me over as I start to sketch the creatures, and surprisingly, they are very easy to draw given their simple shapes.


    They have head ferns like an axolot, the strange smile and eyes of one too, but with a body shape more round and small, a round tail at the end of their body, and four tiny legs that they use to wiggle around and swim. In my deep concentration, I miss one of them swimming in my direction and staring at my face. Still, once I finally give the little creature attention, it gulps air and produces a hiccup-slimy sound that, at first, is strange, but looking at the little dumb face of the creature starts sounding funny. It manages to drag a laugh out of me, and so I extend my hand to it to see what the creature will do.


    "Are you a friend?" I ask in a high-pitched tone like one would speak to a domestic animal.


    For a few seconds, it does nothing, making me tilt my head curious; as I deduce, it may not be able to get out of the water, but before I move my hand away completely, it jumps to the center of my palm. It bounces like gelatin, which makes the creature''s dot-like eyes dislocate to the sides of its body before returning to their original position.


    I put my sketchbook on my lap and cross my legs so I can give the creature all of my attention. "So, friend, what is it exactly you do?"


    In response to my question, the creature reforms its body, making it upside down on my hand; it wiggles its legs super fast. ''So, like I thought, it doesn''t understand me.''


    Nodding my head, I reach my fingertip to the creature''s belly and slowly rub it, dragging out of it more hiccups that, for now, I''ll assume serve to show that it''s happy. After some seconds of that, I place it on my knee where it makes itself comfortable as I return my gaze to the sketchbook, putting the information of its description like Ayla''s notes and ending up with a similar product, only missing a name.


    I scratch my head, thinking of the best options. "It needs to be something that makes sense. Maybe Squishy? No, it doesn''t exactly feel like a name for a species. Gloop? Wait, Glob!" With a smile on my face, I turn to the little creature. "What do you think? Do you like the name Glob?" The glob tilts its head like I did and only keeps its smile before making that same sound. "I''ll take it as a yes, then."


    With that out of the way, I place the name atop the sketch and feel somewhat satisfied. The glob starts to move towards the river, climbing down my knee as its form seems to lose its consistency, so to help it out, I cup my hands together and grab some water before pouring some around it to see if it helps. Interestingly, the water disappears almost instantly as the creature sucks it from the surface by extending its form flat to get as much area as it can, regaining its previous full, happy form, and so it takes one last look at me with the two dots that are its eyes before jumping back at the water and going back to the other globs.


    I rise to my feet, dusting off my pants and storing my sketchbook on the backpack; readying myself to continue on. At least I''ve learned something from this; perhaps I can continue Ayla''s diary, I can''t lie, it is fun to document these creatures.


    Jumping off the last rock, I stand on the other side of the river, staring at the dark forest in front of me as the wind provides me with a bad feeling. Even so, I push on into the unknown. The path is an attack on my anxious mind as the familiar sound of the river is replaced by silence, a silence so dense that I swear I can almost see it. My eyes swim around every corner they can, though with just a little sunlight around me, it unravels to be harder than expected, so for now I focus part of my brain on finding the ''twin trees'' that should be the holder of my objective.


    How can a forest be so quiet? No birds sing their sweet melodies to calm me, no insects make themselves visible on the trees or grass, and there is nothing roaming around to make a sound in the bushes; at least there''s no indication to believe the contrary. To calm myself from my paranoia, I hold on to my backpack straps so I can keep myself grounded on what is actually happening instead of what can happen.


    The moment I close my eyes to take in a deep breath, I forget to stop walking, so it spooks me less when I find myself tripping on something.


    *Thumph*


    "Agh!" A groan leaves me as my body comes into collision with the firm ground, leaving an echoing vibration in my head as a result.


    Using my hands as support, I sit up and look at myself to see the damage; there are some light scratches on my arm, but the fall didn''t cause much more than that, so that''s a win. More, I gaze around to see what I tripped onto: roots crawling over the dirt and overlapping in a tight hug, coming from trees the exact shape and size, so close together that the space in between both resembles a passage without a door.


    Light finds its way to the spot I am sitting on, bathing bright yellow flowers that bloom quietly amidst the shadows surrounding the rest of the premises. Upon a more careful analysis of my surroundings, I spot a small creature hiding in between the flowers, only daring a look from the safety of where it is. The creature is obviously scared by the way its little body expands and deflates while hyperventilating. I manage to compose myself quickly, seeing that I''ll have to calm the creature or risk it running away.


    "Hey, it''s okay; I''m not here to hurt you." I attempt to move closer by extending myself further with my back, avoiding getting up, and, in the middle of the task, I watch it move slightly away from me in fear. Learning that, I place my hands atop my knees and cross my legs, giving it a warm smile. "If you don''t want me to get close, that''s fine too." I feel like an idiot to attempt to talk to it, but even so, I need to give it a shot. "My name''s Noma, and you''re probably wondering why I intruded here in your spot. Well, I wanted to take you with me... Now that I''m saying that out loud, it sure sounds bad. I don''t want to forcefully take you from your place; I''m just kinda out of options."


    My eyes fall to my lap as my mind questions itself about what we are doing here. "You see, I''m scared too, even if I don''t want to admit it." I hug my knees closer to my chest, resting my head on the surface it provides. "These last days were really something on my mind, and I''m not sure the choices I''ve made were the right ones; I mean, I always dreamed of being free; that is why I left in the first place; but now, I think I''m messing people''s lives as a consequence of this ''freedom''."


    ...


    The track of time is lost to me as my eyes stay locked onto the flowers in front of me in an attempt to fight off the battle that starts in my head, but it all is interrupted as the flowers move, bringing my attention back to reality. The little prince makes its approach, smelling the air and staring at my face; it squeaks like it''s trying to talk, but in the end, I can''t understand. I think the creature notices; somehow, its eyes communicate to me that it is thinking, or at least it seems to be.


    But the moment is interrupted for both of us as, from the silence of the forest, a growl comes to life, close enough to be worrisome.


    "Dumb...Child." The once growls turn into a voice, a voice very familiar as it''s literally mine. It seems to mimic words I already said before in my life, as they come out like a recording playing specific parts. "To...return...without...your...lady."


    Red eyes make themselves noticeable in the darkness, and a body made of black goey liquid further invades the spot; so similar to the thing that first hunted me in the forest when I first got here that all I can do is assume that it is. As its impossible teeth come into view, the little prince squeaks in fear and jumps to me, hiding in between the strands of my hair that extend themselves like vines on my shoulder.


    "What do you want from me?" I ask, my adrenaline so high that it, against my will, comes as a scream.


    "...Leave."


    "I will; you don''t need to worry about that." I take a step backward without daring to take my eyes off the beast.


    It growls loudly, stopping me mid-step. "Leave...creature...here..."


    As the creature corrects itself, I look at it and shake my head. "No, I can''t just-"


    My words are interrupted as it loses no time leaping forward, its goal being to bite my leg. So in an instinctive move, I raise my leg and let it come down on its snout, feeling the slimey substance that composes it splash on the flowers below. I learned from my lesson last time, so with the little time I''m given before it reshapes, I use the advantage to run.


    The forest proves once more that it does not want me to see anything, as even when I try following the path from before, it challenges me further, especially when I keep getting scratched by branches and can''t avoid tripping once in a while. I keep on running, feeling the muscle on my leg burn, begging me to stop¡ªone wish I can''t risk granting.


    In the path, I see a light, an indication that I''m about to leave this place; at the same time, the growls return and approach with an unthinkable speed, closing in on me in no time. I reach the light, but instead of being met with the river from before, I find myself having to force my body to stop running, almost sliding off a great height as the information down on me. "How? I didn''t change directions, did I?"


    The fall in front of me isn''t just a straight way down; it''s curved, and then it leads to a bunch of treetops. Not exactly a good idea to fall, as I can''t see myself getting out of that alive.


    Once again, the growling approaches without end, and the countdown begins for me to make a choice, as even if I tried to go back now, the hard-to-navigate forest would swallow me whole. There''s no way I could fight the thing, and even if I could, I would just be able to buy some time before the inevitable destiny of being mangled alive came.


    In a quick movement, I throw my backpack to the ground and use my winter coat to fluff the insides as best I can, and with that done, I extend my palm to the little prince. "Come on, you''ll be safer inside."


    At my words, it reluctantly jumps to my palm and enters my backpack, so I wrap it in the coat and leave a space for it to breathe. "Just stay there, okay? I''ll get us out of this, I promise." That''s all the words I can muster to calm the creature before closing the backpack and wearing it once again, only now inverted so the back part stays in the front.


    I dare a glance down the cliff, gulping down all the courage I have before kneeling and placing my hands on the edge, lowering myself as much as I can, so maybe I''ll slide down instead of rolling and falling. This way, at least, I''ll have some control over the speed and where I''ll land.


    Pain rushes down me as the beast manages to get a good bite of my hand, forcing me to let go of the edge a little too early. The time to scream isn''t given to me as my back hits the sliding surface in a matter of seconds, and so it starts my descent.


    Rocks peaking out the side of the cliff cut through parts of my pants to reach my legs, sinking into my flesh and ripping parts off as the gravity still doesn''t let go of me. Some roots that too make themselves presentable from the cliff come to view at the perfect moment. With my unlucky spree, I end up missing the grab and keep on falling, watching as the cliff starts to end in my view. As a last effort before giving up and accepting that, this time, I ran out of the luck I so rely on with my bad plans, I attempt to grab one root as it just comes into view, managing to do so in the exchange of my shoulder as the speed and descent managed to almost dislocate it.


    I hold on to the pain and force myself to tank it all, gritting my teeth and letting gravity force my head down so my eyes are locked on the trees. They appear further than they really are in my mind, that''s for sure. With the seconds I have before my strength finally runs out, I find a spot more suited for me to land on, and so my hand gives up.


    My back hits one branch, and then another, and so on until the pain becomes too much and I pass out, only managing to, in the seconds before, make sure I''ll fall on my back and keep the creature in my backpack alive¡ªthe only thing that matters now.


    <hr>

 Chapter 6: -The Existence of a Deep Forest and What Lives In It-

    Chapter 6


    -The Existence of a Deep Forest and What Lives In It-


    <hr>


    Time: ??:??


    <hr>


    I blink once, twice, thrice, and slowly, my senses start to return. The numbness I feel in my body slowly begins to give way to an old and familiar feeling: pain, the worst kind. Like the gnawing pain in my shoulders, writhing like worms and festering like maggots. I''m lying face up in the middle of a forest, in a bed of broken branches and crushed grass, reminiscing slowly but surely about all that had happened. I must have gone through the foliage and lost consciousness due to the pain because there lies a pool of dry blood that still warms my clothes underneath me. I can''t tell how much time has passed due to the little sunlight that reaches me, making the dark part of the forest I was in look a lot brighter in comparison, so instead of waiting around for some help that won''t come, I try rising to my feet.


    It hurts; my body fires up in pain like someone had repeatedly beat me up with a sledgehammer and then impaled my legs. My best is not enough, but I manage to at least get back to my feet, having to hold on to my tongue so I don''t scream, or worse, cry in dismay. From the backpack safely resting on my body, the one thing I tried to protect at all costs jumps off a small opening on the zipper, revealing itself unscathed by the whole thing, staring at my face in what looks like a quick study of my state, and then finding its way up to my shoulder.


    "Hey-" My throat hurts, and a hot liquid quickly climbs my gullet in a warning I''m about to vomit, so obeying my body without any other option, I lean my good shoulder on a nearby tree and allow the disgusting puke to flow out, only to find in the place of half-digested food the one thing my body needs to keep on going and has limited supply: blood. Strangely, after letting it all out, the feeling that I''m at my worst possible, lessens, to the point that I feel I can, maybe, walk. "It''s good to see you''re okay." I complete my failed attempt, my voice coming out beaten up and breathless as I constantly need to sharply intake air.


    The mouse squeaks at me before suddenly climbing down my clothes and running further into the forest, in a single moment disappearing from view. I find myself so weak that I don''t manage to gather enough strength to react on time; I only watch it run away to god-knows-where. My hands, though, moved by a frequent feeling that comes to me in bad situations, travel toward the bottom of my backpack, tightly grasping the only thing that could manage to help me now. A cigarette tightly held in between two fingers and a lighter in the other¡ªsomething that was hidden in the side pocket of my backpack for a good reason¡ªto avoid returning to my bad habit of running away.


    Before I can light it up, the sound of something being dragged on the grass calls my attention, stealing my eyes from the forming flames of the lighter. A long stick seemingly moves towards my feet by magic¡ªthat is, until the tail of the hard-working creature behind the act comes into full view. After using all its strength to drag the object to me, the small creature rests its head atop the item and chirps tiredly, now sounding just like I am now.


    It takes a moment for me to react as I come back to my senses, finding my body betraying my own promise, so instead of putting the cigarettes back in my backpack, I throw them at the ground and use my trembling feet to smash them again and again, until all that is left is too broken to be of use, with the lighter going back to my bag, where it should be left to be forgotten like an old, bad memory.


    I attempt to smile at the creature as I kneel down with some difficulty to pick up the branch it brought me. Now, looking up close, it''s perfect to be used as a walking stick; the fact that it fetched me the thing manages to surprise me more than the creature''s understanding of my need. In the process of taking it in my hands, I too gently cup the mouse in and let it take the so-deserved rest on my shoulder, where it lies lazily and grateful, still scared at all that happened, but, just like me, trying just a bit more.


    Testing the stick against the firm ground, I determine that it''ll probably last long enough so I can find a way back, but pushing it too much can make it break midway. Painful, unbalanced steps are all I can muster in the state I find myself, slowly guiding my body forward without a true direction; the silence and lack of events allow me to analyze my damages to know if I broke anything, with the results coming as unsurprising at this point. My legs still carry the cuts from before; only now are they revealed as not so deep as they felt at the time; my left shoulder is at a breaking point, barely being able to perform as my right one is less damaged, only aching slightly from the fall; as my back holds the worst, it hurts like hell, and it makes sense; this was the part that most sustained the damages in the whole way to the ground.


    "You know, it would be a great time to transform into a prince with healing magic. No pressure, though." Jokingly, I comment to my companion, finding it looking at me not entirely amused for all I can tell¡ªsomething that isn''t reliable at all as I may be projecting some personality in it. "Relax, it''s just a joke... sort of."


    The distance I travel becomes impossible to keep track of when, most of the time, my body begs me to stop for a quick rest or my legs almost give up in a, until now, failed attempt to make me look stupid in front of the creature. At least, all the pain and suffering seem to pay off as my eyes spot from behind some bushes, something resembling a house. The cabin, as it''s revealed further by my approach, looks abandoned; vines grow on the sides of its firm wooden walls, reaching its body on the stable surface provided by the inclined rooftop, where it blooms to life with flowers and moss. It looks small, having the size of what you would expect from an abandoned place in the woods.


    It''s not exactly good news, because if I had followed the right path, I should instead be finding the small river of the village or one of its houses, so in reality, this finding only furthers the bad feeling I''ve been having for a while now that I''m actually delving deeper into the forest instead of out of it. I guess at this time all I can exercise is that quote about not looking at a gifted horse''s teeth or whatever.


    The sigh I let out drains all of my remaining energies. I manage to get to the cabin''s door, but just the slight thought that maybe I can rest kills off my adrenaline, putting me in motion towards hitting my face against the door¡ªsomething my body complies with. Timely, the door opens, and I watch as a shadow, clearly surprised by what''s happening, reacts fast and moves to hold me. I feel the safety of someone''s embrace easing my fall, the words of a confused person ringing in my ears who refuses to decipher them, and soon after, the figure''s hands firming as they get under one of my shoulders and start to guide me to the insides of the cabin.


    There isn''t much to be done in the current situation, so I let the unknown person take me to a simple-looking living room. As we reach the place, I''m lowered until all I can experience is the homely feeling only a good sofa can provide.


    "Stay," A harsh, commanding voice rings, ordering me as I try looking around. "Keep an eye on her while I get something; do you know if there are any herbs left?" As she starts talking with someone else, I force myself to at least sit up straight so I can stay more comfortable and, too, have a view of the two people in this living room. One bark echoes as a response to her question. "Good, I''ll get the remedy ready now."


    The woman steps further away, which leaves me with no other option but to look around. A fireplace stays some steps in front of me, smelling of recently burned wood; to my left, a clear vision of the forest outside, not interesting by the fact there are just more of the trees I''ve been fighting off to navigate; to my right, the door I entered and two beds that were placed next to each other to serve as one. I start to move so I can have a look at the direction that woman has gone, directly behind me, only to be stopped by a sudden woof, successfully stealing my attention towards the one making the sound.


    A dog with a long face and covered in a wavy white, blanket-looking coat with hints of golden stares directly at my face with its curious eyes, sitting on the floor like a guard watching my every movement but still maintaining a friendly pose. A curious thing is to see white daisies growing from their fluff, sharing space with the moss and grass that, too, cover the dog''s body, especially its tail, which is made mostly out of grass.


    The time I spend studying the dog''s curious appearance is enough for the woman to return with a cup that holds a bluish liquid. "Drink."


    "What is it?" I ask in my weak voice.


    "A special tea; it will help you recover." She grabs my hand forcefully and places the cup in it. "Now drink."


    Obeying her order, I raise the cup to my lips and tilt the container, feeling the sweet, fruity flavor descend my throat and settle on my stomach. As I lean to place the cup on the coffee table directly in front of me, it''s easy to notice my movement becomes a little less stiff and somewhat pain-free.


    "It won''t close the wounds completely; you''ll still need to let your body heal naturally, but for the moment, that will allow you to move and talk."


    "Uhm, thank you-"


    The woman shakes her head and loudly places her feet atop the coffee table as she settles herself comfortably on the armchair. "Don''t thank me; just tell me what exactly you''re doing in this forest and why you look like someone ran you over with a tractor."


    "I..." Before the words can come out of my mouth, I stop to analyze whether I should tell the truth or not. On the one hand, she helped me, but on the other, she can be a bad person; witches that live in cabins in the forests are not exactly to be trusted, according to my knowledge of movies. Even if I doubt this claim, from what I can tell, her dog is the same as Ayla''s lizard, a summons of a witch, and even if that makes little sense, I''m more inclined to trust someone who has a cute dog rather than a snake as a pet.


    My thoughts are in vain as the white-haired woman leans closer to me, making her long ponytail get over her shoulder as she gives me a good look at her washed-out blue eyes, which look serious and not up for any bullshit. "I want the truth; I am not in the mood to hear made-up stories."


    There isn''t much to do but sigh and nod my head. "All right, I think first I should introduce myself. My name is Noma; I''m Lady Milesian''s apprentice."


    "Oh, so you''re the brat that everyone is talking about; continue."


    "Well, I wanted to help her out with anything I could and found information about a creature in the forest that I think she was after." Using my hand, I get the diary out of my backpack, and with the other, I cup the little prince and bring it out of its hiding place between my hair strands.


    The woman only takes the diary from my hand, studying for a good two seconds or so before moving her eyes to the words at the bottom of the page. "I see now, you''re an idiot for thinking you could brave the deep forest alone." She sighs and closes the diary before throwing it back in my hand. Her words are harsh, but something in her eyes shows a hint of something else as her gaze falls on the creature in my palm. "Yet, here you are. Holding in your hands a creature that no one else would want to tame."


    "Wait," I tilt my head, curious at her words. "Why is that?"


    "It is simple, kid, in this world we live in, there is only a handful of witches and mages that care for wild magical beasts; and why, you''ll probably ask judging by the face you''re making right now." She points it out with a tired expression and rubs the bridge of her nose. "The answer being that nowadays, this type of knowledge is not worth the risk it brings; most prefer to spend their time in the discovery of new spells or the deciphering of old ones lost to time and translation from the safety of their homes." Her hands move to her pants pocket, where she takes out a cigarette. "One reason more my classroom are empty nowadays; you mind?" I shake my head and watch as she lights up one and takes a long drag of the smokes, holding on to them for a moment before blowing them out.


    I stop to think about her words, as one thing she said sticks with me. "You teach about magical beasts?"


    "Yes, my mother used to research about them as well, so I just took over when she stopped."


    A little too excited, I grab my sketchbook from my backpack and hand it open to her. "I''ve been studying about them; Milesian commented that I seem to have an affinity with them." As she starts looking at my drawings, I keep talking. "You know, their existence is very interesting, especially for someone who, until some days ago, didn''t even think their existence was possible."


    "I understand what you mean; I too didn''t learn about all of this until I was fifteen, just ten years ago." She closes my sketchbook and hands it back to me, still with a serious face but somewhat more friendly-looking. "One thing, you still didn''t tell me how you ended up as harmed as you were."


    "Yeah, sorry. The thing is, when I found prince and talked to it, a wolf made of black liquid came after me, the same thing that tried to kill me when I first arrived. After running away from it when the creature started to talk creepily, using a copy of my voice, I ended up on a cliff and had to face a choice: run into the forest and lose myself, or try sliding down the cliff''s side and use a tree''s foliage to lessen my fall. I think you could tell which one I chose and that my plan failed miserably."


    "I think I know about the creature you''re talking about: the lost hunter."


    "I remember Milesian calling it that too."


    "Yes, there isn''t much anyone knows about it, but once they find a target, they will keep on coming after them every time they lose themselves, so next time don''t go out exploring alone." The woman pulls a phone from her back pocket and checks the time. "It''s getting late," She rises to her feet and gestures for me to get up. "Come on, I''ll take you back to Milesian before she thinks you''re dead, or worse, comes to bother me."


    Now able to walk, I follow the woman as she leaves the cabin with the dog, who, instead of following her, stays by my side to make sure I accompany them.


    On our way, I learn that I wasn''t so far from the village''s river; I only needed to turn right at some point as its path goes down the dark forest towards somewhere. We follow up the river and, within minutes, find ourselves at the feet of the village, where some people walk around and park their cars after a day''s work. I shield my eyes from the sun, allowing them some seconds to readjust, and in the end, I find it almost switching shifts with the moon.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.We walk in silence the whole way, which gives me some time to have a better look at the woman. Her gray tank top leaves her muscular arms on full display, something that I notice everywhere in her; even if she holds a slim-like build, she is quite muscular. She walks in a manner similar to what you would find a military person doing, rhythmically, making sure her boots hit the ground in the correct pattern.


    The woman notices me looking and finishes her cigarette; the amount of smoke that leaves her lips creates a cloud that lasts only a second, hiding her eyes from view. At that moment, I change my focus to the dog near my leg so I don''t look like a creep for staring too long and, in the process, notice the dog walking tiredly, like an old housedog would after so much time without going out for a walk, and yet, it ports itself as gracefully as it can¡ªsomething that makes me unable to not attempt to pet them.


    With one hand, I reach for the dog''s head courageously and gently scratch the side of their face, finding it losing some of its composure as they let their tongue out and breathe happily. Their reaction is enough to make me smile too, and it seems my action calls the attention of the witch.


    "Hades is not one to be friendly with everyone, but it seems he likes you." She forcefully adjusts the speed of her walk so, that instead of walking ahead of us, she''s with us. "I didn''t tell you my name, did I?"


    I shake my head, and the woman nods to herself. "You can call me G-"


    "GREY." From the distance, a voice screams; at a quick glance at the path ahead, I spot Ayla''s iconic witch hat. She waves at us as Milesian stands beside her, just like a statue, without holding a real expression on her raven skull face, only locking her eyes on my form as she spots me. As we approach further, Ayla steps closer to the woman who brought me here, whose name I''ll assume is Grey from Ayla''s calling out. "Sweetie, it''s good to see you again."


    I watch as Grey has to look down at the witch because of their height difference. "It''s good to see you too, Mom."


    "What happened? Why is Noma with you?" Ayla asks, stepping away only so she can look at my shame-filled face.


    "She ended up at my cabin''s door, half alive, after falling off a cliff because of a lost hunter that chased her down." Grey snitches without mercy, something I can''t even get mad at knowing I truly did something bad. "I gave her the blue herb tea; she''ll be fine after a good rest."


    Hearing the story, I can''t even focus on Ayla''s reaction as Milesian makes her approach towards me; the lack of expression on her face is something that makes this just so much harder and even a bit scary. The shadow of her hand as she raises it up makes me instinctively shield myself, as one memory, in particular, is triggered in my head. To my surprise, I''m taken off my feet and, in an action that is starting to become too familiar, am held in her arms.


    "You''re okay?" Milesian asks emotionlessly, getting her face so close to mine that it is impossible to hold back a blush. Even if some days ago I would run at the sight of a skull-faced demon lady, I now find myself even blushing as she stares at me so dearly with her glowing eyes. All I can muster in response is a nod, as I fear my voice will fail me at the moment. "Then let us get back home."


    Milesian''s attention travels to the mother and daughter. "If you still wish, I can ask Loa to make you and your daughter some tea."


    "Oh, well, I am one that always accepts a good tea," Ayla comments with a smile before it is washed away by Grey pulling her shoulder.


    "I think you two already had enough adventure for a day; go home; I''ll take my mother back to her shop," Grey says, without leaving space for a debate, something that makes Ayla pout like a child; it becomes hard to say who is the mother. "Before you go, just take this." The witch hands me a card that she takes out of the cigarette box she has. "It has my number in it. Next year, I''ll try to get enough students to form my classroom, so if you find yourself interested in developing your knowledge, call me, and I''ll make a recommendation letter to my boss."


    As I take the card, I can hear Milesian''s disapproval breath, even if for a single second, almost unnoticeable. "Thank you for the help today and this."


    "Don''t mention it. Just do me a favor and don''t go jumping any cliffs again; and unless important, don''t come to my doorstep." After she lets that be clear, she whistles for Hades to follow her and starts walking towards the train station with Ayla, who waves us goodbye.


    No words leave Milesian after that; she just carries me back to the library. I feel relieved that she doesn''t appear angry at what I did, and perhaps she''ll be happy that I got the little prince in the end, or at least I hope so, or else all I did was for naught. It takes only a minute for us to reach the safety of the library, and another for her to enter and puts me on my feet.


    "I believe a talk about today''s incident is in need," she says as she places herself on her armchair. "Don''t you think?"


    "Yes, I think so too." I walk to the coffee table and sit on its edge, so Milesian and I aren''t far apart. "Look, I know that what I did was risky and dumb, but I swear I did it for a good reason."


    "If that is true, then please enlighten me with your reasoning."


    "About what John said, I understand that taking me in brought you only problems until now, so I wanted to be of use, to repay your kindness in any way I could." I take Ayla''s diary out of my backpack and hand it to her. "Then I found your note in here and knew what I had to do." From my shoulder, I once again offer the prince my palm and show her that I did it. "All the pain was worth it; I did succeed."


    "Noma, come here." She taps her lap, a clear gesture for me to sit in it¡ªsomething I reluctantly do. Once done, she guides my hand to the coffee table, where the little prince climbs down and starts to explore what it can do. "There is nothing in this world that is worth putting your life or health in danger; you need to understand that if something you did required any kind of retribution, I would have told you."


    "but-" I try reasoning, only to be stopped by Milesian''s cane tapping the floor.


    "No buts, you made a bad choice, guided by the darkness settled on your shoulders. What transpired with John is over; your worry about that is not in need. What I need is for you to stay safe, to continue feeding your curiosity about this world, but never to go over your limits to prove to me or anyone else that you are pulling your own weight." Milesian places her skull face on my shoulder so she can have a look at my face. The feeling is strange; it weighs somewhat, and the texture of the bone is unpleasant, yet somehow it is comforting. "I believe you staying here instead of going with me was a bad choice, both mine and yours, so next time you''ll stay beside me."


    She takes the diary for a moment and points at her words. "Your actions, although dangerous and reckless, were of help in the end, so for that I thank you; just don''t confuse these words of mine with my approval of your actions in any way."


    I place my hand on the page of the diary and turn my head to look directly at Milesian. "Why did you need it for?"


    "It was to be a gift. I conducted my own studies about this creature''s magical proprieties and learned that it can be a conduit for those who aren''t blessed by magic, people like Loa." The feeling of her glove pressing against my hand makes me react. She runs her fingertip along the path of my index finger to my wrist. "In your veins and in mine, magical energy flows freely like a river; some have it dormant, some awaken it prematurely, but only beings who were created by nature can hold or produce this energy, and Loa, who was created by my own hands, is an outsider of this rule. I wished to make her hard work less heavy on her shoulders; that was the reason behind my interest in the creature. Unfortunately, my appearance is not one that many find pleasant, so to tame or befriend anything is hard to manage on my own."


    Her words are emotionless, yet I resonate with them; my bad habit of projecting takes me over, and my body makes a move instinctively. Arms throw around her shoulder as I move in her lap, burying my face in her neck and trying to envelop her cold form with some warmth. The hug, even if one-sided, as Milesian only stays frozen like a statue, is easy to find solace in, at least for me.


    I end the hug and gaze at Milesian''s face, still finding no real reaction or anything there, but instead of feeling down by it, I place a smile on my lips and talk softly. "You want to give Loa her gift, then?"


    "In a moment, for now, I only wish to stay like this. Consider it a way to make up for the worry you caused me today."


    I can''t help but let out a laugh. "Sure thing," Even if I don''t think these words of hers were for this reason, they manage to clear some of the fog in my head; this is a better way to repay her than falling from a cliff, that''s for sure.


    It is only after a good five minutes that we end up going to the kitchen so we can find Loa; on the way there, I notice the little prince curiously following us without me needing to put it on my shoulder this time. Now in the kitchen, the sound of utensils being used can be heard clearly. Loa stands near the stove, preparing some kind of good-smelling stew.


    "Loa," Milesian calls the maid, who turns toward us with a, at first, relieved expression that soon turns to a frown once her eyes fall on me. "We are back."


    Crossing her arms, the silver lady approaches me and, in a moment, loses her composure as she studies my wounds. Quickly, she urges me to sit down and moves toward the kitchen counter, where a medical kit rests, seemingly prepared beforehand by her. After grabbing it and turning back to me, she starts to wet a piece of cotton with alcohol to clean my wounds. Of course, I groan as the alcohol burns in my wounds, making me stay at the edge of the wooden chair to hold on to my tongue and swallow a curse.


    Her eyes concentrate on the task so much that she appears to enter a trance where words don''t reach her anymore, but as proven by the little prince, her eyes are very observant still. For a moment, she changes her gaze to the creature, who stares at her curiously, a look she shares with the mouse.


    "It is a gift for you," Milesian comments, standing by my side and putting a hand on my shoulder. "I was supposed to tame it last winter. Unfortunately, though, I was not able to do it, so in her quest to do something for me, Noma ended up doing something for us both. Now you should, in theory, be able to utilize the naturally produced magical energy of the creature to help you with tasks around the house, as you, in return, shall provide food and protection to it if it comes to accepting you as its master."


    Loa''s eyes travel around, from Milesian to me, and then to the creature once more, where she takes from the table beside us a piece of bread, making the prince, enticed by the possible treat, climb from my legs to my arm so it can find itself on the furniture. She slowly and carefully lays the piece of bread in front of the creature, who at first sniffs it and observes the silver maid, still unsure if she''s a threat or not. But when its search ends, it slowly approaches the treat and starts to eat it.


    There is a certain sparkle in Loa''s eyes when it happens; it glows a shade of orange so strongly that I fear it would change colors. One thing that only now calls my attention in her uniform is that some parts of it are made of metal, like the leather boots she wears that are strapped with metal, like armor from medieval times, or the metal gauntlets that climb their way to her armpit, proudly displaying the two spikes that reach her shoulder area. The reason I notice them now is because they too, like her eyes, glow like something inside has heated up, resembling an item just fresh from a blacksmith''s furnace. Actually, I can even feel the heat coming from her, warming the environment.


    The creature, after eating the treat fully, lowers its head, mimicking a bow, an act that seems to firm up the acceptance. "It has accepted you; good work, Loa." Milesian comments, and the maid, with a small, polite smile on her face, attempts to hug me, only to be stopped by Milesian, who grabs her hand and pulls her up a bit, almost to her feet. "Loa, cool down first, or else you''ll burn her."


    Loa stops, widening her eyes for a moment before closing them, taking in deep breaths as the colors in the metal parts of her uniform subside until the heat coming from her almost dies out. To help the process, Milesian touches her armor parts and waits until it cools down, not caring if she''ll get burned; one thing that I learn by observing is that she apparently can''t be burned, or at least it seems by how she can touch the maid and be fine.


    Time passes, and once Milesian gives Loa the green lights, the maid rushes to hug me; her embrace is so tight that I start to feel my wounds again, so much so that it too resurfaces the tiredness the tea was pushing away from my system. My eyes dive into the darkness as I let out one final painful groan and pass out from exhaustion.


    Time: 21:30


    <hr>


    Slowly, I open my eyes. It feels like time passed when I closed my eyes. From behind my bed, the circular window of the attic only shines with moonlight, giving me a hint as to what hour it must be. With a groan, I sit up on the bed and feel a weight pulling some of the blanket that was atop me. It takes about five blinks to focus my eyes on the shadowed figure seated on the edge of my bed; the white hair of the silver maid flows as a sudden wind coming from the half-open window blows past her. At my movement, she turns her head to face me, those glowing orange eyes in the dark enough to scare anyone, but strangely, not me at this moment, as I notice they hold some guilt.


    "I passed out, I presume," To my words, Loa nods her head. "Yeah, I figured. After everything that happened, that was bound to happen, I guess."


    My eyes travel to a weak steam rising from an item in Loa''s hands; she secures a bowl with some of the stew she was making before this happened. Noticing that, I tilt my head. "Is that for me?"


    Quickly, the maid nods her head and hands me the bowl, only rising up to turn on a bedside lamp nearby before sitting back down again.


    "Thank you," I try taking the spoon from the bowl, finding my body too weak to do it. Loa, as if expecting it, gently takes the spoon for me and gathers some of the food in it, bringing it to my lips with the intention of feeding me. There is not many options in my state; I''m still beaten up and super hungry, so without looking away, I accept her help.


    Everything after that passed by like a movie with missing scenes; she fed me, urged me to go back to sleep, and stayed with me till she was sure I was out like a light.


    <hr>

 Chapter 7: -Preparations For a Long Trip-

    Chapter 7


    -Preparations For a Long Trip-


    <hr>


    This morning things are... different, to say the least; many sounds tell me that the library seems to be very alive today, something that serves as a red flag out of the bat, and descending from the attic after bathing myself and changing clothes to one that doesn''t pass the vibe like I was stabbed, I learn why. The first thing that happens when my feet reach the last step is that a broom, walking around and dusting the floor, passes me by, something that puts me in a state of curiosity. Inevitably, to go towards the kitchen, I pass by it, and without mercy, the object collides with me when it tries to move. It''s strange to watch a broom furiously bend itself to try to appear taller than me; it waits for something, forcing me to think and act quickly.


    "I''m sorry?" I kind of apologize and watch as the broom returns to normal, only giving me a weak push so I move on, as if telling me to ''be more careful''.


    Unfortunately, that incident isn''t the last, because the moment I get down and try to push the curtains to enter the kitchen, something passes by me rapidly, almost managing to get me off my feet¡ªa wrong step forward¡ªand I nearly do fall, saving myself the pain as a helping hand balances me. The silver maid and its companion that rests on her shoulder both stare at me, with Loa holding an apologetic expression.


    "Morning," I say to Loa, looking around the kitchen and finding Milesian sitting on a chair with an open letter in her hand as she seems to think profusely about something. Too, the objects that almost knocked me to my feet reveal themselves as ceramic jars that stop atop the breakfast table and settle themselves. Flowers grow from within them, giving the jars roots at the bottom that they use to walk, and on the side, four wasp wings that help them fly; interestingly, one is bigger and has a smiley face, while the other is smaller and doesn''t have an expression, only two round eyes that look like welding goggles. "Did something happen? Why are there so many new things around here?"


    The maid, without a possibility to answer, gazes at Milesian before urging me to sit down, and once doing so, she walks back to the kitchen counter to finish preparing breakfast. With nothing much to do but wait, I extend my hand to touch the walking flower vase. Seeing my approach, the smaller one ignores me completely, as the taller one does the same as I, the only difference being that instead of a hand, it tilts itself to the side slightly and extends a root to my meeting. The sensation is really one I expected, with the interesting part being how it grasps my index finger and curiously shakes it, acting as if I were the one strange thing in this place. The thought alone drags a smile to my lips as I return the peculiar handshake.


    It takes a minute, but eventually, Milesian rests the letter on the table and acknowledges my presence. "Good morning, Noma. Was your sleep helpful to your wounds?"


    I nod my head, returning my hands to my lap. "Yes, I''m feeling a whole lot better now." My eyes stop on the letter she was reading, and in the end, I decide to ask. "Did something bad happen?"


    "Not exactly. This letter comes from an old acquaintance of mine, and the content of it suggests she requires my help." She takes the letter and places it in the inside pocket of her overcoat. "I''ll need an hour to think it over before making any decisions, but you had a question about the new additions to the library, correct?"


    I nod my head. "Yes, it all just came out of nowhere." As I say that, Loa puts a plate in front of me with scrambled eggs and cube-cut waffles, with pieces of strawberry and some grapes as topping, alongside a generous amount of honey. With the delicious-looking breakfast settled down, to complete it, she places on the side a teacup, and once again, to not break the chain of bizarre events, something strange appears. Loa places a ceramic teapot atop the table that has a strange shape; it resembles a dog; on the opening that looks like a mouth, the teapot holds a spoon; it has a blue gem on each side of its ''face'' to serve as eyes; of course, the moment I think it''s just a strange design, the object starts moving. The movement shakes the tea visible on its see-through glass stomach, a yellowed liquid with leaves that fly around it; the object approaches my teacup and jumps excitedly before bowing down and, letting me take the spoon before, through its mouth, letting the tea it carries fill my cup. The groundy smell of the tea and the steam that rises from it make me take in a deep, calming breath. After completing its job, the teapot looks at me expectantly while moving from side to side. I take the clear request with a spoon of salt, reaching my hand to the side of it. I carefully pet the glass side of the object that leaves its content visible and watch as the creature''s movement increases, almost dancing from contentment.


    "Remember what I said yesterday?" Milesian asks, not expecting an answer. "Now that Loa has a way to do magic, she chooses to bring these objects to life so she can easily split her attention into different tasks." At these words of Milesian, the silver maid approaches my side and places her hand on my shoulder before bending down and wrapping her arms like a Christmas gift around me¡ªa hug I''m stunned at first, but soon find myself returning. As it ends, Milesian taps the table and gestures towards my plate. "Eat up, and after you do stay put, I''ll go meet with John to get permission to, if needed, go after resolving this request."


    "Oh, okay," I was expecting her to eat breakfast with me, but I can also understand her situation. She rises to her feet, and as she passes me by, she places a hand on my shoulder out of nowhere that lasts for a quick second before she''s gone, turning into dark smoke and slipping away.


    Ending the breakfast, I move myself to the library center, where I lay myself in the open circle it has; it''s beautiful. On the floor, well-placed tiles compose a detailed drawing of the constellation map; deep tones of blue, purple, and white turn what could be a boring floor into the best place to take my mind off things. Taking into consideration all the things I could be doing, I choose to do nothing, but then that gets boring fast and my body starts begging me to do something instead of lazing around¡ªanything.


    On time, as I roll to my side to grab a book at random from the pile I made, Loa, with a closed book in her hand, taps my shoulder to grab my attention.


    "Loa," I look at the maid and sit up, observing as she squats down, sits beside me, and offers me the book on her hold; the cover leaves the interesting title clear to my eyes: A Maid Reborn. "What is it-" As the question starts to leave me, all the objects she brought to life come around us: The flower vases fly to the staircase behind us and stay on the rails, watching us; the broom that was swiping the upper floor stops beside the bookshelf in front of me and waits, making me swear I can see it moving its body like a nod; as the last one, a set of three teapots made of different materials run from the kitchen and find a comfortable spot near my legs. "Do you want me to read it for you?"


    As the maid eyes me and nods diligently, I find myself unable to refuse her request; it feels like her personal gang of magical household objects are gangsters that are here to make sure I do as their chief wants¡ªa good idea for a book. "Okay, I can read it for you."


    First, I weigh the book; it must have about fifty pages or so by how light it feels, and in a quick calculation to read it all, it will probably take about an hour to end it. Flipping the book so I can study the back cover: ''A young woman walks the path of the legendary maid who was her mother, following the steps her guiding figure once took to make a name for herself. Will she follow her duty or give in to her heart''s desire as a figure from her past returns, bringing with it feelings once buried.''. With the inspection done, I lose no more time to start reading it once I notice the broom becoming impatient, moving from one side to the other slowly, almost hypnotically.


    Time starts to pass, and as I finish one page at a time, the story it tries to tell unravels before me slowly. It isn''t super long; most things happen fast as the woman, at the start of her journey, struggling to survive after her mother''s death leaves her coinless, meets in the streets by faith her childhood friend, once a problematic child who she visited while her mother worked at the imperial city, now the empress of a fictional country in the medieval era. It tells of a fling both had for each other without knowing, which made the protagonist take the job offer as a maid in the empress''s mansion, where she learns her skill with an old maid who worked there, who starts as a person who fakes hating her to show that it was necessary for the protagonist''s growth. In the end, the empress and the maid confess to each other when they visit a place only they know. A classic romance with a happy ending.


    Not a bad read, but not much either. Or so I think, as once I close the book Loa and all the objects around me enter a state of awe, like a child hearing the tales of King Arthur for the first time, everyone but the broom, who seems to play cool. Loa, moving closer to me, places her hand atop the book and smiles as a way of thanking me. I feel strangely happy for being able to do something for her, so I find myself smiling back.


    The time it takes to read the book matches the exact time needed for Milesian''s return; as the library''s door creaks open, every object that was stationed starts to run back to the places they should be. The returning witch climbs down the stairs, her eyes wandering around in search of something, until they fall right on me.


    "I''m home," Milesian announces, approaching the maid and me on the ground. "Unfortunately, my stay won''t be long."


    Tilting my head, I look at Milesian as she stops to stand beside me. "You won''t?"


    "In reality, we both won''t. The request I received earlier is one that I''ll need to solve, and you''re coming with me this time." Milesian inforces, squatting down to my level and placing her gloved hand on my shoulder. "Loa, can you prepare Noma''s backpack for the travel?"


    The maid, with a nod of her head, rises to her feet to do as asked of her, only stopping to look at the witch beside me with a facial expression I can''t read, but apparently Milesian can. "I assume we will be out for a week; still, the possibility exists that we will return earlier; I''ll need you to keep an eye on the library once more." With her question answered, Loa disappears from the center of the library; her rushed footsteps are audible as she goes towards the attic, which leaves me to ask my own questions.


    "You sure that having me with you there is a good idea? I could stay here to help Loa if you want."


    "My words from yesterday weren''t hollow; I''ll show you the world I promised when I offered you to become my apprentice," She taps my shoulder, urging me back to my feet while helping me do so, tenderly grabbing my arm and pulling me up. "But if your preoccupations are with the library, you can throw them away; with Loa here, there isn''t anything to fear."


    "Okay, just one more thing. Where are we-" My words are cut off by Loa rushing downstairs with my backpack, packed with my things and seemingly some more things; too, she hands me the torn clothes from yesterday, all sewed up as best as they can be in the state they were after everything.


    "We will talk more on the train; now come with me, our arrival is expected before midday." Those are the last words we are able to exchange before we are thrown away from the library by Loa, who waves us goodbye and watches us as we leave. I just hope she won''t feel lonely while we are gone.


    We walk through the forest, along the dirt road, and finally reach the train station. Just like before, the train starts to announce its timely arrival with the loud rumbling it produces that shakes the rails and the smoke that takes the skies climbing from between trees in the distance. At least the day is calm; when passing near the village, some of the residents greeted us; others avoided looking at Milesian; but the worst part was without doubt not being able to say my goodbyes to the topah and woos, one thing I keep on my list to do once I return.


    The train decelerates for us, bringing with its arrival a gasp of wind that makes it hard not to close my eyes upon contact. It''s the first time I really stop to look at the train and study it: four compartments, two that I know very well as the passenger area, one on the very front, probably for the staff, and one in the end that keeps its mystery still. The same man from last time appears, bending his spine inhumanely to greet us with his professional expression.


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences."Welcome to Spirit Express; we are glad to be your recurrent choice and to provide you both with this travel." Curly medium hair looking like a wheat field in the summer afternoon, golden like the sunset at the right time; in his face, a beard poorly maintained that gives his general look a vibe belonging to a kind, middle-aged man. He looked younger last time, but now that he has left the bear grow on his face supernaturally in the span of just one day, it seems more natural, almost making me forget he''s not human. "Please follow me; I''ll get you two to your seats at the moment." As we step inside the train and the door closes behind us, he turns his eyes to our meeting to make one last announcement. "As your journey will have a duration greater than the down of the sun and the rise of one moon, we will keep on the location for when the time for your return home comes."


    Our walk once again leads us directly to our seats from before, with the privileged view of the outside world from the clean square window. As I place myself in my seat, Milesian takes my backpack and rests it on the compartment atop me so she can join my side. A little unexpected but appreciated gesture.


    The man looks at us both and bows his head. "If any of you find yourselves in need of water or food, we will gladly provide what we can; just head to the front area and find me. Good travels." Once he says what he wants, he leaves, porting in his face a simple kind smile.


    "I know you''ll want to ask again about the details of the request, but at this moment, do yourself a favor," As she starts talking, the train comes to life, vibrating and preparing itself to begin the journey. "Keep your eyes focused out the window; I believe the scenario will be of your pleasure. We will have time to talk along the way, as the travel will take at least three hours."


    All I can do is obey her words, gluing my eyes to the window as Milesian moves her body close to mine, her skull head resting atop mine, permitting her eyes to observe the same scenario as I: strangely intimate, familiar warmth. As soon as the train starts to move, the strange things Milesian''s words hinted at start to show themselves. For a moment, I think of rubbing my eyes to clear my vision from what I thought to be some remnants of yesterday''s tiredness, but I''m stopped by the confirmation of what my eyes inform me of. The train starts to move, but backward instead of the normal forward, gradually speeding more and more towards what holds the path the train always takes to arrive at us.


    It was a question I had since the first time I saw the train yesterday, so seeing the answer reveal itself in front of me is nice; it climbs the mountain, reaching for rails taken over by vegetation, forgotten by time, having most parts broken or missing, but somehow, even with that, the train makes past the obstacles like they aren''t there. The whole path we start taking is from forest to forest, changing directions seemingly at will to make sure we avoid the cities nearby.


    "The most interesting view will come in an hour; for now, allow me to fill you in on the information," Milesian, without moving or leaving the position we are in, talks. "The letter I received didn''t inform me of why; it only reinforced the urgency of my immediate presence on the island where this acquaintance of mine resides."


    "Wait, island?"


    "Yes, an unmapped island, magically hidden from humans in the middle of the way from Iceland to Greenland."


    "So we will take a boat to get there." I assume, to which Milesian shakes her head in negation.


    "No, but leave it aside for now; it will only spoil what I talked about," Milesian says and moves on. "This friend of mine, Circe, can be hard to deal with sometimes, so make yourself ready; the request can be of extreme importance and so dangerous, or a waste of our time."


    I stop to think of her words, changing my gaze to my lap. "I don''t get it."


    "What is it you don''t get?"


    "If this friend of yours is untrustworthy to the point of the possibility that this request is a waste of time, why go at all?"


    "A good question," Milesian unglues from me just so she can move enough to cross her legs, entering what at this point I''ll call reminiscing mode. "At one time before I was forced to call on a favor of her. This island we will go to is the paradise for beings that can''t hide in forests, away from the human eye, due to their sizes and properties, so they needed to be moved to a bigger place, hence the location I''ve chosen. The favor I asked of her was to go live on the island and take care of the place so no human would accidentally find themselves on its territory, avoiding the exposition of it to the world. Even if it benefited us both regarding her situation at the time, she insisted I would be in debt with her for the trouble, and so she used this opportunity to call me over at this moment. If I had to assume her reason, I would place my bet on an emergency regarding one of her beloved nymphs, but too, it can be about the beasts hidden on the island."


    She moves her face to gaze at me, finishing the thought in her head. "The train possesses a workstation, so while we are still on land, I''ll offer; do you wish to learn how to make one of my remedies? I''m sure it will come in useful once we arrive at the destination."


    I nod a little faster than I expected; the opportunity to learn something like this can make so I''m able to assist her not only in handing the medicine to the people in the village but in crafting it too. "Of course I do."


    "Good, your enthusiasm is a relief to watch," Raising to her feet, she offers me her helping hand, which I take to get on my feet. "Follow me, and find in your backpack a wooden box. Loa should have packed some herbs and stored them in it." Taking my backpack from the compartment, I search and quickly find the box that stands out from my normal stuff and shove it back in the storage compartment before moving on to catch up with Milesian, who initiated her walk before me.


    As I walk more, getting closer to Milesian''s side, I notice the place we are directing ourselves towards is the mysterious back of the train I spotted before. On the way, with my eyes wandering about all the corners it can get a good vision of, I start to spot from time to time small people made of clay, like old toys, climbing seats, and rearranging some boxes to the front part of the train, even passing us by in the process. That happens quick, and too, it ends, with my focus being redirected to the steel door that surges in front of us magically. It twists and opens slowly, allowing us a gradual view of what waits for us inside.


    A whole wagon is presented to us, with boxes piled up atop other boxes that seem to hold materials unknown to me, a workbench with tools taking up the wall directly in front of it, and empty vials and bottles to be used. Milesian turns to me, wrapping her gloved hand tightly around the box I hold and taking it in her hand, guiding the item and me towards our destination.


    The box is placed on the workbench and soon opened by Milesian. Different types of herbs stain the air with their strong scent, which is not at all bad, just a little too concentrated.


    "These three herbs you see can be combined or used individually to make different remedies; all of them grow around the library, so if you end up finding one exploring, remember to collect them." She grabs the first one, a small stem that holds bifurcated paths with even smaller, soft, alternate, blue-green leaves that grow on the ends of it, finely divided, giving it a fern-like appearance. "This one is named Hortus Amicus, or garden friend in Latin, the reason being you can mostly find it near common types of flowers that grow in most gardens; the method to use it is to cut the leaves into small pieces," She starts to demonstrate, laying the herb on the workbench and taking one silver scissor from the wall among the many tools. "Separate the seeds; you''ll use them to make a fine powder out of them." She smashes the seeds, and with that, she places the scissors to the side and takes one of the vials, mixing the seed powder and cut leaves together. "With this mixture, you just need to place it in hot water, and it will turn into a bitter tea that can help heal the common cold."


    She proceeds to take on more of the herbs out of the box, this one having the appearance of a normal flower; its petals are deep, alluring purple, and on its center is a mix of white that takes on the more retracted petals and yellow seeds that are held dearly within the white petal walls. "Dormiens Stella, or otherwise called sleeping star, can be placed on a person''s head when they are ready to bed to help them fall asleep easier when suffering from insomnia, or ingested to put themselves to sleep. Just never eat the whole flower; a single petal will put you in a deep sleep, so if you ingest more, the chances are that you will have a fate like the sleeping beauty."


    Milesian puts it safely on the vial and wraps a small piece of cloth around it, focusing now on the last herb the box holds. A single root strand, red as blood, is brought to my view; the thing seems to pulsate when looking too closely. "Fluitans Sanguis, this one that grows in the lake behind the library, preys on smaller fish that find themselves wandering too close to it, sucking off its blood while sticking itself to the animal''s body with its small needles. The blood it holds is then condensed and tightly secured in its root; you only need to add a small drop of your blood to the liquid, and it can serve to help the badly wounded." Without warning, she grabs my hand and gently places the root in the center of my palm. "This one I want you to make, then keep it on yourself to when we reach the island; if the worst comes to happen to you, this can help you or another someone."


    The pressure she puts on my shoulder at this moment is hard to carry, but there is a certain something in her eyes, in the way they shine in curiosity, hidden behind an unexpressive skull face, for the morbid yet intense tone her tongue slips in; it all makes me want to meet the expectation she places on me. Instructed by her, I grab the root and carefully snap it in half to allow the blood to flow down inside the vial, and it does, like honey, slowly and uniformly finding its way to the bottom of the glass; it takes some seconds for it all to leave the root, but once it does, I throw the empty root aside in the workbench and, with my trembling hands, grab the silver scissor. Milesian seems to notice how my hands can''t keep quiet as I guide the silver tip to my index finger or how my heart beats so strongly against my chest that makes my chest rise and fall rapidly; the anxiety, the anticipation¡ªit all ends once the warmth held inside a glove meets the hand I hold the scissors on.


    "There is nothing to fear, as all the things that could go wrong are not present here; it''s a simple procedure." Her presence holds an important remedy for my brain¡ªone that slows down my spinning world with just words, one that grounds me to my feet, providing me with the confidence I need to do this. She guides my hand, and soon, a cold feeling strikes my chords. The tip of the scissor enters my finger and makes a hole, through which my essence can flow out¡ªa single drop of blood. It falls on the veil, instantly transforming the washed-out red into a vibrant, almost deep blue. "Good work." Milesian praises, retracting her hands to herself, stealing the warmth I wanted so desperately to hold on to. Once it goes away, I find myself almost slapping my face to get back to normal, melting like this is not something normal; not something I should do. I''m getting too used to her presence and touch.


    "I''ll go back to our seat and store this," I grab the vial with the blood and take a step backward. "I need to write all this down so I don''t forget." I lie through my teeth¡ªwell, not exactly. I''m sure I''ll write it down, but I just need to take a breather.


    "That sounds good," Milesian comments, shifting her gaze to the workbench. "I''ll stay here some more; I believe that in one of these boxes, I can find something useful to our journey; I''ll join you in no time."


    I don''t even look at her to nod; instead, to avoid embarrassing myself more, I run back to our seats, keeping my head down and shaking the thoughts away. Once reaching the place, I, in a hurry, try grabbing my backpack just for it to fall atop me, bringing me to the ground with my things. All I can do is let out a laugh at how pathetically I''m acting right now before forcing myself to get back on track, first starting by getting my stuff off the floor.


    In the process of doing so, I notice that Ayla''s diary has fallen a little further away, almost slipping to below the seat, and so I bend down to grab it, finding it open on a page with a lot of writing. Atop the circle words that remind me of that strange spell book from Milesian stands a title to it: calling. Seeking not to get frozen on a sofa again, I close it up and place it back on my backpack before sitting down.


    Things slow down, my eyes unfocus from my sketchbook after I''m done writing things down, and move toward the blurry world outside.


    <hr>

 Chapter 8 Part 1: -A Placid Island Houses Many Things, Even Blind Hate-

    Chapter 8 Part 1


    -A Placid Island Houses Many Things, Even Blind Hate-


    <hr>


    What was once a city turns into a view of the ocean¡ªmiles, and miles of water that extend themselves around the whole world. The unexpected part happens when I look a little more out of the clean glass, noticing we are no longer on land; the train has gone straight over the water, in a rail that stretches magically over the ocean. It is so absurd that I rub the bridge of my nose to get all of my focus back on the world and attempt to gaze outside again. Of course, nothing changes; the view is real.


    Instinctively, I raise to my feet and get as close as possible to the window, almost not noticing Milesian''s return. "I had the feeling you would react like this." The woman comments and sits on the seat, smelling strongly of herbs and smoke.


    Her words make me self-conscious of my reaction, so I do my best attempt to not go over the board, but the questions I have don''t manage to stay still in my brain. "How? I mean, I know this is magically related somehow, but how can rails exist in the middle of the ocean without anyone noticing?"


    "They don''t, in a way," she says, leaving me clearly confused, so she works toward explaining the meaning behind her words. "The train and the rails are one entity, so the capability to build a path to wherever it needs to get to should not be a surprise with this information in mind." She gestures to the front of the train. "If you wish to see the process, you can head to the front cabin, or I could make an illusion to show you."


    "I''ll choose the illusion," I say, as no intention to bother the staff crosses my mind.


    "Well then, allow me all but one second to prepare it," Milesian requests, moving her hands in the air like an artist with a brush, leaving in its way lines; those lines then start to take more complex shapes, building from scratch the figure of the rails and the train. "Focus your eyes on the motion," At her words, the fake train starts to move on the rail lines, and every time it reaches a certain distance, the rails behind it disappear and travel to the front part of the rail, in a loop that keeps building a path along the waters. "Train rails exist everywhere, even on the ocean or below mountains; that is how spirits, witches, mages, and other magical beings travel around the world. Not all do nowadays with the rising popularity of teleportation spells and magical doors, yet the rails still exist." She ends the illusion, and the lines all turn into birds, flying away and leaving a wind that caresses my face placidly. "How the humans don''t perceive it has to do with their incapability to see magical beings, and the train is one in ways."


    Her explanation is good, but like before, one thing remains to bother me. "I never asked, but why do I possess the capability to see all of this?"


    "The answer rests on how illusions work; to those who never saw the ways to make it work, they will always be tricked, but to others, the special ones who can gaze closely at the performance, they open their eyes to all kinds of things." She ends her explanation and gazes out of the window in remembrance. "I like to put it in simpler words: the world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."


    "But if it is like that, then it should have happened to me, but I can''t recall any of that," I sit back down and look down to the ground with a frown, thinking deeply about what she just said. "The creature that followed me, in your words, should only be perceived by me if I had previously ''understood'' the trick, and even so, I stumble across the library; but John said you allowed me."


    Milesian, out of nowhere, leans closer to me, deeply gazing at my face as I think, looking interested in my conclusion¡ªthat, or she''s trying to communicate something. "You''re starting to get it now." Deep red irises so focused on me that I lose my courage to stare back, which helps me focus only on the meaning in her words. "I''ll help you with a piece of relevant information so you can arrive at a conclusion. I didn''t allow you to find the forbidden library, nor did you just ''stumble'' across it; the answer lies in another, perhaps more simple conclusion."


    "Wait, are you saying I was fated to find it?" I ask, utterly confused, to the point where my head starts to hurt. "Because if it isn''t that, all I can think of is that somehow I saw magic before and am not able to remember."


    Milesian backs off for a moment to shake her head, looking slightly disappointed. "Fate is not a real factor in any logic; it is only a way for desperate humans to feel special. No, but your second guess is a good one." She crosses her legs, placing her cane in the space between them, and uses the handle to rest her hands on. "To be fair, the answer too isn''t one thing I have knowledge of, only theories; I believe it has been enough of it for now," she says out of nowhere, caressing my shoulder to get me off my mind. "It was a fun set of questions, but the answer won''t reveal anything important at this moment, and too, your way of acting now is more of what I came to know of you."


    I don''t even get to look at her confused before a hint as to what she''s talking about happens; directly in front of me, a raven stares with its black eyes, looking like it has been there for a long time. "When you ran away, I sent it to keep an eye on you, so I observed that you looked plagued by something." Her simple touch transforms into a more reassuring one as she guides her hand to my head and proceeds to pet my head like I''m a stray she found on the street. "Can you assure me you are mentally ready for what comes?"


    All I do is nod my head; it seems she mistook something, but I''m glad she thought I was distressed instead of seeing through me and noticing that I was a blushing mess. To demonstrate to her that I''m serious and to myself, I take a long, deep breath and get back to normal, in a moment grabbing Ayla''s diary to keep me occupied, and in return, Milesian, strangely, spaces out looking at the outside world, to the ocean that moves accordingly with the train motion, to the sun glistening on the waves in the distance, and to something else, something that lies in her own mind, unknown and inaccessible to me. Sensing that I need to do something, I scoot closer to her until our shoulders are in contact, to maybe help her stay grounded. The effects of my action is not one I notice, as it is hard to read anything from a skull that can''t express emotions, but the way she uncrosses her legs and, in my head, brushes her knees on mine intentionally serves to inform me that maybe the effect was a good one.


    After some time


    Clacking of wheels over rail joints becomes a sound so repetitive in my ear as we reach the third-hour mark of the journey that the moment it changes, turning more into a hard rumbling, my attention is peaked. The breaks hiss and screech as the train slows down to a stop; the movement it creates is a signal of our arrival.


    Milesian takes the clock she always carries with her out of her overcoat''s inner pocket and cheek the time attentively, lightly tapping the metal back of the object timely, matching the passing seconds. "We are on time. Good." She comments and rises to her feet at the sound of the crew member approaching our seats. Instead of joining her, I take a moment to look out of the window, shielding my eyes as the sun reflects on the glass. Similar to the one back in the village, this train station is old and marked by clear hints of time and vegetation; on the horizon, green patches of low grass paint the mountain, hills, and fields, all existing without an exact path to somewhere, just nature, untouched by any hands.


    Even with my focus on the outside, I manage to hear the conversation happening behind me.


    "The door is ready as per your request; in the evening, we will offer the supplies to the one inside." The staff man comments about something I can''t make sense of.


    "Very well, our return is to be expected at night," she says, walking past the men with her hurridly steps, not looking back as she expects me to be already following, something I do by forcing my eyes out of the window, readying myself to face the unknown that is held outside.


    Passing by the man, I bow my head respectfully, watching as surprise paints his face before a smile takes its place¡ªa gentle expression that fits better on his face. "Thank you for the travel."


    "It is my pleasure; have a pleasant journey, apprentice of Milesian," His words sound so fatherly that they''re strange, yet they are comforting in a way. "Do stay safe, miss."


    "Will do; thank you again." This time, I rapidly bow to get to Milesian before she notices I''m not behind her, only looking back to meet the man''s eyes as he waves goodbye politely, holding on to his eyes a certain feeling that makes them look slightly washed out of their color.


    On the outside, I meet with the clean, cold air that invades my lungs and goes out through my throat, leaving on its exit a trail of light smoke, almost not visible. The unexpected cold makes me glad to have my winter coat at all times in my backpack, so I wrap my fingers around it like an old lover, without hesitation, and wear the soft material. Its effect is instant, as it feeds off my body warmth at first and then turns it into a constant heat source.


    "Circe lives on the further end of the island, on the hills that descend to the sand paths, so the walk will take a while." Milesian, without mercy, starts walking forward, leaving me with little time to think of the great promised distance and in a hurry to put my backpack on again and proceed with her. "If, on the way, your body shows any sign that you won''t be able to make it, I will carry you instead."


    Opening my mouth to tell her that there isn''t a need for that, even if it might happen, a loud sound steals my opportunity, like wings flapping loudly, clearly not belonging to a house bird; it is when my eyes can''t help with curiosity and turn to the sound meeting that it all happens. I''m taken off my feet by a large beast; it holds me by my middle with its big mouth that, with no doubt, could swallow me whole; its sharp teeth all but graze my coat, not doing too much damage to it, feeding my surprise, as I''m sure that if it moved its jaw even in the slightest, I would end up pierced and shredded by them like a light snack.


    My vision of Milesian is of her form getting smaller and smaller in the distance as I''m taken away, and then, clouds appear to make sure I don''t see anything down anymore; not exactly appear, as the beast flies us as high as it, to the point that breathing gets significantly harder, but not in a dangerous way, or else I''m sure I would have passed out by now. There isn''t a thing I can do but keep quiet and let the beast take me to whatever it wants.


    Minutes go by, and the beast flaps its wings less, swimming across the air with ease as it lowers from the clouds, permitting me once again a view of what lies below. Tall green fields are divided into two sides by a rapture of waterfalls that extend miles forward, with parts completely taken by forest on one side, sharing space with clean plain fields and a single line that seems to be a dirt path, and to the other side, plenty of water runs from its land and falls down to the middle way, with some patches of grass that peak from beneath it to provide a stable surface for some animals. The cloud of water that rises from the rapture lessens the more forward we get, until it all becomes a steady path to the clean, emerald green water to travel in a constant, slowly moving, if moving at all in some points, hugged by the secure, tight ground. The beast carrying me lowers us to the side of the water, careful enough to station itself down before lowering its head and letting go of me on the grass.


    The effects of the flight start to take hold of me as I find myself somewhat without strength in my feet to keep up without stumbling down, but with a little insistence, I manage to do it.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."Human," The creature that brought me here calls in its deep, roar-like voice, and I gaze at it, seeing its full appearance. A white, giant, talking lizard¡ªthat is, if the thing didn''t possess long wings and golden horns¡ªwhich, with my knowledge of fantasy books, would make me deduce it is a real-life dragon. It sways its long tail as it moves around me like a predator studying its prey. "You are to wait here, and I am to assure your safety for the time being." After moving enough, the large creature lays itself on the grass and uses its tail to create a circle around me, big enough so I can walk around, but with the clear intention of keeping me within it.


    A question lingers in my mind, related to the time I''ll have to wait here; there is almost nothing to do. I could always read more of Ayla''s stories, but at this point, I leave to continue them later. To my luck, the boredom doesn''t last that long, as from behind the dragon''s tail, a creature attempts to jump over it, only to find themselves having to balance atop the slippery scales of the dragon. My eyes focus on the creature, as at first only a pair of small white wings are visible, although the more I look at it, it looks more like a human kid, only with small golden horns growing from its forehead and the wings. The kid''s big white summer dress sways with her motions, and, in an instant, the moment my eyes meet hers, she loses her balance and slips.


    My body moves before my mind commands; the kid whose fate was to hit her face hard against the ground almost does, only stopped by me when I slide on the grass and grab her in my arms, meeting my back with the floor instead. The motion makes me close my eyes, but once I open them, the small kid grins victoriously over me, her yellow, inhuman eyes expressing happiness as if she had brought me down.


    "Oria," The dragon calls upon the kid, who looks at him with the purest contentment, flapping her wings and flying awkwardly to his encounter. "My order was for you to stay put in the cave and wait for me."


    Before they can talk further, I can''t help but look curious at the dragon and the kid. "Wait, is that your kid?" The first question is the easiest, as the second one is harder because of the implications it causes in my mind. "And why does she look half-human? Did you... and a human..."


    "That is a long tale to tell." The dragon states to cut me off, with a clear intention to not progress the conversation.


    "We will both be stuck here for a while, so why not spend the time talking rather than in silence?"


    With its murderous eyes, the dragon eyes me down in anger, which, in a moment, vanishes like it never existed. Something in his eyes changes for a moment before it sighs; its breathing manages to shake the ground on its way out of his mouth. "I learned my lesson once; you humans have an untameable curiosity when you lack fear, so I''ll grant your wish this time."


    He moves his body and uses his tail top to grab the kid and place her on the ground once again, where she sets off to look at me. "Many ages ago, when I still resided in a land far away from this, a ship full of you humans had arrived to try claiming the piece of earth I protected with your spears and dumb rage. I scared the bravest among them away, making the humans either get back to their boats or swim away, all but a single maiden¡ªa woman who was taken prisoner by the barbarians. She and I grew a bond with time; she came to my cave, fueled by curiosity, and then begged me to talk with her and keep her company to set the loneliness in her soul away, brought by the lack of other humans like her in the land¡ªsomething I don''t regret doing. Her options to go back to her homeland were gone, so she stayed in that land with me for some years, and our bond only deepened. But sickness had already claimed her on that ship, and after the year of living by my side, the woman grew ill." There is a certain sadness that comes to his voice that steals part of its dominance. "Her life faded day by day, even with my promise to keep her safe; my strength was nothing to deal with the sickness, so on her last breath, she kissed a creature like me, even in our different species, leaving behind a part of her soul that I carried for many ages until she was reborn from my scales." He points his head towards the kid who ends their approach to me and starts touching my hair, laughing, finding fun in my appearance. "Your curiosity about the world and lack of fear in my presence all but reminded me of her; I just wish you not the same misadventures as her."


    Footsteps echo closer to us; my view from the source is blocked by the still tail of the dragon. "Human, this is where our paths uncross," The dragon raises his head and gazes at the skies, spreading his wings as far as he can, blocking, for a moment, the sun from reaching me. "That the flames guide your way to safety." These are the last words I hear before the deafening sound of his wings flapping starts. Soon enough, in an impressive show of speed, he and his daughter fly away to the skies.


    "So, the girl toys with a dragon''s patience and wins," The voice grows ever so close, a tone birthed from a mix of amusement and intemperance, beckoning me to gaze in its direction, now unblocked by anything but the shadow of the creature as it flies away. "An impressive feat for itself, but nothing out of the expected from whom lives among a devil; isn''t it, devil''s consort?"


    As the shadow disappears and the sun reflects on the person''s face, mere meters from me, I can see the details that form the holder of the mocking laugh. A small woman who holds her head high, with pinkish skin, a young face that possesses no visible imperfections, and ears that extend like an elf to the side. Her hair sways with the wind as if connected to the natural element¡ªa hair impossible to be normal, long and free, colored light pink, carrying in between strands yellow roses. The most apparent feature she has turns out to be her deep, blue-green eyes, which make me feel smaller compared to her, even if, in height, I''m slightly taller than her.


    "''A hard person to deal with''," I remember Milesian''s words, mumbling them to myself so the woman doesn''t hear, which doesn''t seem to work. "Are you Circe?"


    "Yes, the one whose letter was sent to your partner." She smiles and makes sure to step closer at a time, slowly; from behind the woman, it is revealed she isn''t alone, accompanied by three creatures proudly marching near their master. A lion with a majestic, long mane, holding in its gaze a look that makes me almost lose balance in the difference of power, and to her other side, two mountain wolves who growl at me so loudly that it hurts my ears. If her plan is to scare me and put me in my place, she''s absolutely succeeding. "I''m glad to hear they commented about me, not that the words used were kind in any way."


    "What do you want with me? Why separate me from Milesian?" I ask, taking a step away accordingly with the woman''s creature''s advances, noticing the wetter ground that tells me I''m almost without ground to back away from her. "You asked for her help, so why do all of this?"


    "Why, you ask?" The woman laughs as if what I just asked was the most hilarious thing in the world; her simple white dress dances to keep on with her action. "Many years that demon stood alone, and now I hear from the winds talks about a human with nothing special who managed to claim the interest of that creature. You can''t blame me for getting excited to meet the girl from the stories, can you?" A light builds in her hand until, from seemingly nothing, a staff starts to form. It resembles a long, distorted branch that bends itself in the end to hold a small crystal shard whose colors seem to have been stolen, but upon filling the empty space in Circe''s hand, it shines with colors I didn''t think possible, with infinite variants that swim inside it. "I ask of you, girl, are you a pig? Perhaps a lioness? Of course, that is for me to judge, so prepare yourself."


    "Wait, please," I hold my hands high and stop walking away, fearing I''ll end up in the river if I push my luck further. "Can''t we talk? There is no need for this, I assure you."


    "The time to talk will come if your truth is pure like light, but until you''re judged, I won''t allow you to proceed near my nymphs, to corrupt them with your filthy hands and meaningless squeaks." Her staff is raised as high as the crown she wears atop her head, then slightly adjusted in my direction on the premise of causing me unimaginable harm. "I''ll allow you all but one spell; choose yours wisely."


    "But I..." I wanted to say that I''m still learning, that only if I had more time I could do something, but nonetheless, the one in front of me doesn''t care; the eyes that stare me down show hate for all that I am, or rather, all that it assumes I am, so there is nothing else to do but to stand on my own two feet for a moment, to brave that stare. My knowledge of magic is almost none, but the concept is familiar to me, from books and tales long rested on the corners of my brain; it all starts with words that resonate with one being, and then, the hard part, controlling the magical energy to connect with something else, something ancient and powerful. That is all I can work with, and at this time, I can''t count on being rescued; I never did, and I won''t start now.


    Lowering myself to the ground, I close my eyes to the world around me and try projecting in my mind a path so the magical energy can flow in me, from my core to the tip of my fingers, where it tingles to life. The first step goes well, which is surprising. With my hand, I feel the grass blades brush against my palm, the water that it holds from splashes of the water path at its side, all too familiar. Now, in theory, I should say something that resonates with me and the being, which means I''ll exercise my memory to pull a spell cast from my favorite adventure book.


    "Sacred water, please flow and flow, giving life to all creatures you pass by; grant me the strength to overcome this boulder; bless me with your protection against the evils within, as a child of this sacred soil, as a daughter of your rivers."


    The words I throw to whoever is listening echo through my body, passing down to my fingers and sinking into the waters below the soil, traveling to the river''s core, and finding a dormant pulse that hints of life within it, only strangely weak. It helps calm me down for a moment, and so I open my eyes, watching as Circe''s expression turns sour, her smile becomes awkward, and her hands lose the confidence they had in the staff. Sensing something behind me, I turn my head to see what I managed to summon¡ªwhat caused her to have this reaction¡ªand instead of a magical water beast, I meet the expressionless skull face belonging to the only person possible.


    "You still lack the understanding of what the waters represent to be able to make an improvised spell work," Milesian comments and stares at my expression as it returns to the usual, then takes a step forward, placing herself in front of me defensively. "And you lack the good manners to properly treat your guests, Circe."


    "You have an understanding of my rituals when it comes to humans; you should have expected this to happen." Circe loses the awkwardness of her smile and steadies her expression. "Yet, something tells me you had it in mind before you stepped here. Not that it matters; after all, your help here is needed, or rather, your apprentice''s help."


    "Explain your words." Milesian orders, taking a step forward to force the answer out of the woman.


    "It is simple, demon. Ayla''s bad habit of talking alone in her shop has granted me the information that your apprentice, unlike you, has a way of dealing with magical beasts; I just need her to do what should be natural to her skills." Circe turns her back to Milesian and starts walking forward with her animal companions. "Come with me; we will talk it over in my garden, and your bride can stay outside and explore if she wishes."


    With those words spoken, I understand that I might not have a choice here, so instead of saying anything in my defense, I let the silence take over as I''m forced to follow them both.


    <hr>

 Chapter 8 Part 2: -It Was Not Meant That We Should Voyage Far Into Ourselves, Yet We Do-

    Chapter 8 Part 2


    -It Was Not Meant That We Should Voyage Far Into Ourselves, Yet We Do-


    <hr>


    A glass garden, bringing to life all the soil nearby, beautifully standing atop a long hill alone, in the midst of a flowery field whose smell intoxicates, and the colors it blooms cause me to question if maybe it has all the ones I know of or more. I''m sure that what is hidden there is probably a view of many plants unknown to me, only waiting for the gaze of someone eager to give them attention; many types, I''m sure, may not have been seen by another human, and they won''t now, as Milesian ordered me to wait outside, not even using her voice to talk sense to the one who brought us here, planning to use me to fix her problem; Circe denied me entry in the clearest way possible, and that is precisely why I won''t wait around for them to end their talk and seek me out, choosing instead to do something with my time that may prove best.


    Far on the hill end lies a dirt road, a path that leads up to a mountain where I can see the top of a house peaking from there, and down, towards the sand paths Milesian commented. I know going uninvited to our summoner''s house would be a bad decision, so instead I firm my feet on the grass that stabilizes my walk and start moving. On the way, I find myself bothered; unlike before, when my hands nestle on the inside pockets of my coat in a practiced move, I hang my head low as the thoughts swirl hard enough to create weight, planting my attention more on my feet than on what is ahead. I would like to say that I''m not upset, but lying to yourself is harder¡ªmuch harder than lying to others.


    In the heat of the moment, with my legs moving on their own, I start to run, and run, and run. Going all out, putting all my thoughts away, and focusing on my breathing, then on the burn that starts to build in my legs as they tire, and finally, on how difficult it becomes to run as I reach the sand area; all steps I take sink my feet in the grains, pressing me into forcing my way out every time to keep on running. Wind caresses my face, escorting dearly on its body the salt the sea holds, a different feeling than I''m used to, one that alleviates my head enough to the point I manage to look around; seeing that the sand paths are a beach. Sounds ring of the water reaching the shore, rocks peak from the waters like little islands where some birds happily nest, and in the distance a long way continues the beach for what seems to never end. This is enough to make me not notice when a scream tells me to look out.


    *Thump*


    My world spins, and what was just a run on the beach turns into a bad fall as I trip on a piece of torn log peaking out from underneath the sand like an unwanted treasure; it hurts to kick the thing at full speed, and to my luck, the sand is soft enough to make my landing less of a pain, even if the cost becomes clear when the cold water enters my coat and wets my back.


    "Hey, are you alright?" The woman who tried to prevent me from falling extends her hand to me, blocking the sun with her unique big bamboo fisherman hat, helping me get back on my feet. "That was one bad fall."


    In a quick motion, I check my knees and legs for any injuries, finding none in the process, only some pain in my feet that came from kicking something solid. "I''m good, just embarrassed, that''s all." I turn to the woman with an awkward smile.


    "I know the feeling very well. The first time I walked down this beach, I stumbled on a passing duck. The little guy got so angry that it kept quacking at me for hours." The young woman brushes her black hair behind her ear, exposing her green eyes to me, who too shares the embarrassment of an unlucky story. "I assume you to be the guest Lady Circe was waiting on; strange... she told me you had a skull face and were, in her words, not mine, a walking headache."


    "Oh, no, I''m not Milesian," I correct her, holding a laugh as she comments on how Circe too has some strong opinions about Milesian; hearing about them like this makes me almost think they are friends behind all of this. "I''m her apprentice, Noma, a normal human, I assure you."


    "Another human!" The woman exclaims surprised, then, as quick as a rabbit, she holds my hand, shaking them so hard that her short blue dress reveals part of the two-piece swimsuit she wears under it. "By the gods, that''s a relief. To find another human after so long¡ªyou know, dealing with a goddess who only talks of her tales and doesn''t wash dishes and her two nymphs who spoil her like a child¡ªgets tiring at times. Oh, and I''m Nora, by the way."


    "It''s good to meet you, and I don''t know if it helps or not, but I get it, somewhat," I admit to the woman and hold her hand back in hopes she stops shaking it as if wanting to take it with her home. Maybe this is a good opportunity to let out some of the weight on my shoulders. "Milesian can be hard to deal with too; sometimes it is like she understands me so well and provides comfort in her words that no one else could, and at others, it is like she forgets I''m an adult and not a kid."


    Nora, nodding her head, gives me a look of someone who understands; slowly, I feel a little better. "It was like that for me too in the first year I got here, but things got easier after some time and a lot of long talks with her." She looks around, gazing until her eyes stop at four nice-looking beach chairs. "Come on, let''s sit down, and if you want, we can share our stories."


    "Yeah, that sounds nice," I admit with a low tone, following the high spirits Nora to the chairs; we place ourselves at each other''s sides, and doing so, I let out a tired sigh as my eyes focus solely on the sea in front of me as the waves break, causing a calming effect to bloom in me.


    "So, I think it is only fair I start as it was my idea," she says, leaning her gaze onto the same things as me. "Well, it all started when I was out with my family on their boat to commemorate my eighteenth birthday at the strangest party in the middle of the sea; we were planning to fish as I always did with my father, and my mother, as usual, seasick, tried her best not to throw up and keep her smile to hide her anger with the boat. We had plans to catch some fish and go back home before night so I could go bowling with my friends, but the thing I ended up fishing was not a fish, but something bigger. I remember screaming happily to my parents when I saw a strange thing fighting my fishing rod, thinking I had caught the biggest fish possible, meaning I could get a few bucks out of my father, but it turned out that it was no ordinary fish but a creature that, still to this day, I don''t know what it was. It was angry that I tried to capture it, so it started bumping against the boat, so hard in fact that in seconds I was underwater, as my family managed to go away, or so I like to believe." The woman''s eyes turn serious for a moment, but noticing my gaze shifting to her, she smiles once again. "I passed out, and then I woke up on this shore; that was when Lady Circe took me in my deplorable state and helped me with food and a warm bed; she then proceeded to try getting rid of me, promising to get me back to the city."


    "And you didn''t want to go back?" I ask, already knowing the answer.


    "I learned much that day about the existence of something more than college, something better; it was too much of a sweet deal to pass by. Too, back in my city, I was no one; I didn''t know what I wanted with my life so I had to sit by and watch my friends go away; living off my parent''s money like a parasite to go to parties with the friends that were like me, to smoke weed all night and forget about all; that was not a thing I wished for. But believe me, I''m happier here than I ever was; these two years that I''ve been living here, I helped Circe and managed to earn my place in her household." With a friendly punch, Nora steals my attention and gestures for me. "Go on, your turn."


    "Oh, yeah... how do I start?" I ask myself, placing my hands safely between my knees and looking down at the sand. "I come from a catholic orphanage with the worst nuns that ever existed; I lived there my whole life without being adopted, and I left not so long ago, almost a week, if I''m not mistaken; when I turned eighteen, and wanted to seek my ''freedom''. I took some buses around the country, trying to get to London, and I ended up in Cotswold, where I planned to take one last bus to London as it was all my money could get me; but on the way, a monster chased me down the forest and Milesian saved me, then offered me to be her apprentice as she''s not allowed by the church to be near humans. I''m staying with her because that is all a person like me can do; I don''t have any family to seek, good grades to get to college, or a future in sight that isn''t the streets."


    We both stay in silence for a moment; there isn''t much more to say after swapping the stories, but there is at least the comfort in me that I''m not the only one who got into this situation, and hopefully, Nora feels the same. Between us two, she''s the first to break the silence.


    "I think your master is approaching," She points to the left, where I came running from, where I can see Milesian walking towards us with her gaze locked on me. "It was good to talk with you; if you stay for more time, you can always find me on this beach, either walking or fishing." She rises from her chair and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you; it was good to talk with someone who understands." Her smile lasts only a moment, but it carries truth in it. I smile in return to let her know that I share the sentiment, and so, she parts her way.


    Milesian finally arrives at my side and changes her focus to Nora, who walks away; her eyes stay on her for five long seconds before returning to me. "I can see you made friends with Circe''s human acquaintance." The tone in which she comments is strange, to say the least; there is a coldness that makes me question my ears for a moment.


    "Yes, it isn''t every day you find someone who knows how it feels," I comment, already starting to walk along the beach to explore some more, acting a little more like Milesian than I like to admit, only expecting that she would follow. "What does your friend need from me? What happened that she wants me to solve?"


    "In this island lie many exotic creatures; as I said before, one of them is a giant cow who lives deep into the forest in the middle of the island; our quest is to investigate a series of events that have led Circe to believe one of the cow''s daughters was taken by another creature not originated from this island." To my surprise, I''m stopped as her hands tightly grasp mine and pull me back, making me stumble backward and find myself being pressed against her. "Circe has asked us to wait until tomorrow to explore and resolve the problem, so for today we will return to the train."


    There isn''t anything to say against her demand, as at the moment my mind completely comprehends what''s happening, the smoke from Milesian body surrounds me entirely; my eyes lose the ability to see, my ears the ability to hear, and for a moment it feels like all my senses have gone off, but my mind stays on, entering a state of panic, unlike anything I''ve ever experienced. It lasts for a moment, yet when it ends, it leaves a feeling in my mind that makes me hug myself in fear.


    Milesian''s hands turn me slowly to face her as I shake the feeling away as best I can, managing to get rid of the shakes. "I see that the transportation spell affected your mind. How are you feeling?"


    There it is again, a question that is only asked by the fact that she had taken a second to analyze me; she cared enough to place her hand on my arm to help kill the remains of the fear in me. "I''m fine; I was just a little shaken by how suddenly everything happened."


    "Follow me; let''s get you to a seat." She urges, gesturing to the door in front of us; it takes some blinks and a look around to notice that we really did move; we are at the back of the train; there is the workbench behind us; the same smell of herbs and smoke; my head starts to spin as it lacks the will to process the fact we just got from one location to another in the blink of an eye.


    The door opens slowly, and from inside it, a quick gasp of wind passes me by, bringing with it a familiar smell that attacks instantly, one resembling old, time-worn books and dusty corners. A bright flash of light threatens to blind me as we get through the door, but once we step on where it leads, the sight in front of me proves to worsen my head situation. A big living room resembling much of the library in a lot of things¡ªwood floors that creak as we step atop it, filled bookshelves extending as high as the ceiling containing what must be at least a hundred books, and that''s counting only the right side¡ªand to put the final nail in the coffin, my eyes spot a figure with a paper white skin, dusting the ground impatiently with a broom.


    Immediately, moved by instinct, I close on her, trying to wrap it in my head that somehow Milesian must have connected the library to the magical door in the train, but the more I get closer to the figure, the more details distance her from the person I''m thinking she was. "Loa?" I let the question hang in the air in a low, uncertain tone, afraid to be wrong and waiting to be proven as such.


    Orange eyes turn to me, glowing in a bright burn that loses its familiarity as they take my face in an attempt of recognition, clearly failing. A more mature face compared to Loa''s is revealed; with a more slender body too, I notice as the woman takes a step forward toward me and reveals to be long-legged, standing at a whopping one meter and ninety-five. Her black dress hugs the side of her tall body, flowing to her ankles and having a cut on the right side that reveals one over-the-knee black fishnet sock with a set of three knives resting on its elastic cuff, reflecting partially the rays of light from the chandelier atop me; directly at my height, on the middle of her chest lies a white flower that takes up a lot of space, which on a closer look seems to be a tie of sorts.


    The woman tilts her head as she studies me for a moment, letting the crown-like metal accessory she has on her neck be in full view, spikey as the metal armor parts Loa has, matching the same black and whiteness of her clothing. Her expression changes; her lips curve into an upside-down smile that seems not at all friendly and even dangerous. She then clicks her heels together, with a loud sound being produced in turn and making me look away instinctively.


    "The time comes, then," the woman says, her mature and sharp voice taking over the ambient like it belongs to her and her only. The way she presents herself dominantly and how she takes yet another step forward makes me feel little once again, but this time I shoo away my instinct to back off and stand my ground. "You''re far away from home, Master." Her words confuse me for not long as she shifts her gaze onto Milesian''s.


    "A situation demanded my absence from the forbidden library." Milesian comments, clearly wanting to say more before the woman loses no sweet time to interject.


    "That I can tell, keeping in mind that you only visited this place once in a long time. Now inform us of my target, which shall be dealt with at this moment." The woman''s expression changes momentarily, into a seriousness that shows me she''s not someone to mess with, especially when she takes her glove off and throws it into the empty space behind her, prompting a strange event to happen. The glove glows into a dark light, shifting and pulsing before, rising from the light it creates, a body starts to form; at first, it resembles a human form, but then it twists and reshapes, becoming larger and stronger. Two bull horns spring forward proudly as the creature comes to life fully; a dark gray biped stands on his two naked feet; a medium tail plated with an outer shell that resembles many metal plates swishes to one side, scratching the wooden floor lightly in the process; spikey shackles stay on the thing''s wrist, with the chains that connected both broken; on his hands a set of dark nails as sharp as a sword stay ready out of his fingers, clearly meant to kill.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.The beast''s many orange orbs atop his head glow, serving as eyes that he uses to gaze at me. His strangely shaped face with a large, long mouth breathes out the heat of a furnace in my direction, growling wildly.


    "There isn''t a target; the time yet hasn''t come that the library is in danger." Milesian states, and the woman''s face loses the anger and seriousness, going back to her strange, fake-looking smile that steals the ambiance of its heavy feel.


    "If that is true, then I pray I won''t be needed anytime soon," The woman sighs sharply, relaxing her posture and already starting to move around to a door far left of us. "For the moment being, I''ll get your tea ready, and then you can tell me about the current situation."


    Time passes, she returns with the tea and hands it promptly to her master, and in turn, Milesian takes a moment to explain all as she enjoys her drink. I''m able to watch as the woman''s gaze lies on me for more than long seconds at a time, turning the strange smile she has onto an idle expression with the more Milesian comments about me, especially when it''s mentioned of me being a human, and strangely, too, when it is commented of the moment Milesian caught me reading the book for Loa; that alone causes the woman''s gaze to cease for the rest of the conversation, no longer studying me like a fire yet to be started.


    "I understand enough for the moment; for all the time you need to use this space, I''ll serve you dutifully." The woman informs me, holding herself like a knight with a purpose.


    "For now, I''ll stay at my office," Milesian says to us both, then turns solely to me with her red, glowing eyes. "If you plan to explore, don''t leave the train''s premises." Those are the last words she lets out before raising to her feet with the half-filled teacup in her hands and disappearing to a door at the right corner of the room.


    Before the silence can manage to take over the living room completely, the maid moves to my side swiftly, taking Milesian''s seat as she adjusts her braided bun; she then places her hands atop her crossed legs while her eyes lock on mine expectantly, stealing the attention I was about to give to the floor to allow myself to think. "Tell me, young master, have you any experience with any type of blade?"


    "Uhm, no," I admit, studying the woman''s eyes as they travel the surface of my palm in search of something. "I don''t have much experience with lots of things, actually. Why?"


    "Then what do you think about using your free time to train with me?" She asks, but in truth, I can already tell that she''s not just offering more than demanding by the way her eyes light up a hungry fire. "It should prove both useful to you in the future and a good way for us to learn about each other."


    Her words take me to the moment Circe wanted to attack me, to how I was nothing against her, and if it wasn''t for Milesian, anything could have happened; perhaps I need to relink myself to the same feeling I had my whole life, the one that tells me I can only count on myself to manage things and to save myself. I don''t know if the woman sees something in my eyes, but I nod my head, feeling myself lose my expression as her smile turns amused. "Please do teach me."


    "My, oh my, I can tell this will be fun." The maid gets to her feet, prompting me to do the same. "Follow me to the training room, young master."


    While accompanying her, I notice the loud steps that belong to her beast trailing right behind me all the way as we move toward one of the bookshelves at the end of the room. The maid turns her face to the beast and nods her head, a signal for it to do something that, as soon as he reaches the bookshelf, I understand. With his strong hands, the monster lifts the whole piece of furniture without spilling any of the books stored in it and reallocates it to the side with a loud sound, placing the thing down. From behind the furniture, a hidden door comes into full view. It takes no time for the woman to open the door and for us to get inside. A large room reminding me of a gym with a lot of open space is what I see. On the corners of the room, many weapon racks containing all types of combat material stand, only waiting for someone to use them, and in the middle of the room, I see an orb resting atop a small stone pillar.


    "Is there any type of weapon you prefer, or do you wish for me to choose one for you?" she asks, pointing at the many types of swords, lances, shields, and so on.


    "I''ll take on your recommendation," I tell her, as I''m sure she knows a lot more about these things than me.


    Nodding her head, she gazes me up and down in a long analysis, traveling from my hands to my arms, my legs to my waist, and finally from my chest to my shoulders. "Average muscle structure, weak arms, good legs; what you lack in strength, I''m sure you can make up with agility... or maybe in magic." She takes a moment before making her final decision. "A weapon is a part of one''s self; if you don''t know what you want, maybe you''ll learn, or even create." She gestures for me to walk with her, and I do without losing time, observing as we approach the orb in the middle of the room. Placing her hand atop the orb, she turns her face to me. "We will play the slaughter game; once the orb is activated, all the wounds either of us take will turn into points for the opponent, instantly healing, so we won''t kill each other even if we try, I assure you of that. Now place your hand in it."


    For a moment, I stop to consider her words, knowing this will be for real. The thought alone makes me almost back out of it, but I find myself betraying my body as I force my hand to come into contact with the orb. As my fingers feel the coldness of the orb''s material, a tingle runs up my finger, the same feeling of letting my magical energy flow out of me, only this time I''m forced to do it by the magic in the item; once it has taken enough, the grayness of the thing turns a glowing blue, indicating something that the maid turns to explain.


    "Three hits and the game is over; now go stand at your side of the room; and about the weapon thing I talked about, just trust yourself and lean on your instinct; I''m sure something will happen."


    ''That doesn''t help at all'', I think to myself, but to no avail, as the woman assumes her position, but instead of drawing a weapon, I watch with a cold sweat as her beast stands in front of her with all the intentions to end me. What was I thinking? It was obvious that this would be her main way of fighting; nonetheless, a warning would have been good.


    This isn''t going to end well for me, I''m sure.


    I take my position on the other side of the big room, guiding myself by the drawn lines carefully placed on the ground and stopping atop a circle that indicates where I should stand. It takes only half of a second to process what happens next, but it isn''t enough, as the moment the orb beeps and turns green, everything starts to happen. Of course, the beast shows an impressive reaction speed, as he rushes me the moment the orb changes colors. He comes in a straight line, horns pointed at me, ready to stab me down mercilessly, but reacting as fast as I can, I avoid this fate by a centimeter, feeling the sharp ends of its long horns make a cut in my shirt.


    "Ask yourself, why do you seek to fight?" The maid''s voice echoes through the room to reach me, almost stealing my attention from the beast as he uses the moment to turn around and jump at me with his nails ready. "Is it to hurt others? To be able to stand on your own two feet? Or is it to protect what you love?" There is no need for me to think about her question; I already know my answer; in fact, I always did; hurting myself by making my own decisions is a privilege I don''t plan to waste.


    Being her intention or not, the maid enters my mind for long enough so that her beast attack connects; his nails perforate my stomach in the worst pain I''ve ever felt, making me scream in desperation instinctively as it lifts me off the ground easily. Then, cold air fights against my body as I''m thrown into the distance, directly to the woman''s feet, as my back painfully comes into contact with the hard floor. My eyes reach my stomach, expecting a horror scene, only to notice a thin layer of something over where the creature hit me¡ªan elastic magical material that prevented me from being really wounded. Then, the orb beeps to make clear of the point the creature earned as the pain slowly fades away like it never existed.


    Looking up as I get back to my feet, the woman smiles at me and offers me her hand, which I gladly take, noticing the way my back cracks because of the throw, as the magic layer only seemed to block the fatal damage. Once again, orange eyes bore on mine expectantly. "Aren''t you going to do something? If you plan on becoming a mage, you need to use your magic; otherwise, you''re just another, regular human being." I''m pushed forward by her, facing the creature against my will as he waits for a chance to come running at me again. "I''ll help you out." Confused by her words, I only hear another beep ring from the orb as a cold metal feeling rings in my system, mixing with a pain so strong that I get nauseated by it. The only thing that makes me notice the air leaving my lungs involuntary as a knife is stuck to my back and quickly removed; the two hits leave my body in a cold sweat as I enter a state of survival, knowing the next hit will hurt like hell like it just did, even if for just a moment.


    More active, I manage to jump away from the woman as she smiles widely like a demon having gotten what she wanted, but I don''t stop as the beast uses the time to rush me. My mind wanders on ways to avoid getting hit, going from dodging to running, but knowing my energies won''t last that long, a plan comes to mind. Using the fact that the beast is already sprinting at full speed, I bet on my own agility and run to the opposite side, leading us both to the meeting with a solid wall. The beast, only focused on me, fails to notice my plan until it is already too late; the moment I''m about to hit the wall, I fall on purpose, sliding to the side as a loud sound vibrates the whole room. Pushing myself up, my legs tremble in an adrenaline rush, and a smile comes to my face without my approval as I earn one point, but better yet, the bull-like beast stays stuck for a moment in the wall, time enough for me to grab one of the weapons that were shaken off the rack because of the impact, a short sword that fills up my hand perfectly. Easily, I could stab the beast''s side and earn a point; just two swings and it would be over, but looking at the beast, I notice that some weapons from the rack he broke stay stuck to his stomach as he agonizes in pain, bleeding onto the floor as he tries wiggling his horns off the wall. The protection I have, the beast doesn''t seem to share. So that means only the maid and I have the luxury of not being truly wounded in this training.


    The view sickens me; the smile on my face dies down as guilt strikes over my stomach; he looks to be in serious pain. The sword that felt so right in my hand feels heavy now, making me let go of it. I hear the metal claking against the floor as I do so, taking over my hearing. This isn''t what I want; yes, I want to be able to do something, but I wouldn''t want to do this to anyone, not even Circe, and that''s me remembering how she treated me before.


    In my mind, a memory comes to mind, one where an old friend of mine from the orphanage was beating up a kid who had stolen the pendant I had gifted her, and how in a moment I was so angry that I wanted to beat the kid up too, and the opportunity had presented itself when the two friends of the kid had joined in to beat us up. I was so angry that I don''t remember the moment my fists went numb, when my teeth were bloodied because I had bitten one of the thief''s friend''s arms so deep that it left a scar, but I remember how I felt after, like a monster. That day I had promised I wouldn''t hurt others like that again, and I remember the words of my friend.


    "You don''t need to do any fighting; I''ll protect you next time. You''ll see, I will be like that knight from your favorite book. I swear." The words of my first love meant so much, only for her to have been taken away one week later, being adopted by some rich folks, never being able to realize her promise.


    Approaching the beast''s side, I place my hand on his body, feeling the muscles flex under its thick skin, hearing him growl, and almost being thrown off my feet as he wiggles his big body to protect itself, only stopping as I gently run my palm over to his back to calm him down. That''s right, the reason I ran away was so I could choose my own path, make my own mistakes, and find my place somewhere.


    I plant my hands on the beast''s wounds and close my eyes, doing like in the encounter with Circe and focusing my energy on my fingers, connecting myself to the existence in my touch, feeling my own existence flow like roots onto the thing''s body until I manage to find the core that burns so hot in his chest, slightly cracked by the wounds his body sustained, pulsing with rage. My energy surrounds the core, like water wetting a paper, finding the cracks and filling them in, restoring it to the point where no more cracks can be felt by me.


    Ungluing my hands from the creature''s body, I notice how his breathing diminishes as the rage gives room to a calmness that tells me I managed to do a good job; better yet, the weapons that were stuck on his body are now on the ground, and his wound is close, leaving me mesmerized by what I just did.


    "What an interesting outcome!" I notice now that the maid has approached as I heal the creature, standing by my side with her hand resting on my shoulder the whole time. "Presented with the choice to hurt another to win, you choose to carve another path. Good job; you win this game."


    "Wait, what? Why?" I ask the woman, frowning my brows, thinking she is letting me win so I don''t feel bad.


    "Because Taurus doesn''t wish to fight you anymore, don''t you?" She asks the beast, who finally manages to free his horns from the wall. Taurus turns to me, no longer breathing out the heat of a furnace more than the gentle warmth of a fireplace in the winter. He raises his hand atop my head, making me notice how just his hand manages to be a whole lot bigger than mine, before lowering it enough to give a weird, really strong head pat.


    At one point after all of that, I just laid lazily on the couch in the living room to sleep off the night in order to obey my body''s need to rest and heal, as well as deal with the psychological stress provided by the new environment.


    <hr>

 Chapter 9 Part 1: -Thence we moved on, together; two different views, two equal objectives-

    Chapter 9 Part 1


    -Thence we moved on, together; two different views, two equal objectives-


    <hr>


    "Ugh..." My head hurts, my back hurts; in fact, all that I am aches and vibrates painfully; the comfort of the couch allowed me to get at least enough rest so my body healed in parts, so the moment I move to place my feet outside the train to meet Milesian, my body cracks like a snack bar. Outside, the sun attempts to warm me up, only to be overtaken when a cold gasp of wind passes me by, reminding me to close my coat, even more reminding myself of the cut at the side of my shirt; my thoughts, though, are interrupted as to my right I spot Milesian''s figure approaching in steady steps, with a certain someone tailing right behind her like a shadow, hiding behind the stature of the figure, with her obvious pink hair and the face of someone who licked a lemon slice.


    "Morning," Milesian approaches, not hesitant to place her gloved hand atop my shoulder as she eyes me down for something. "I was informed you and Barghest had a combat practice yesterday, so it''s important to ask: are you in a condition to undertake the request today?"


    "She''s clearly in condition," Circe comments impatiently, making sure to add a grunt to the end of her words as she places herself beside Milesian, joining the witch in looking at me, making everything a little more awkward. "Besides, there isn''t time to waste, so she either takes a quick rest or she follows and rests along the way."


    As the silence takes over, signaling that Circe is done with her comments and Milesian is still waiting for an answer, I bring a smile to my lips to ease her worries. "I''m fine, just a little more crunchy than usual." My hands stop atop Milesian''s as I guide them back to herself. "Circe is right; a living being is missing, so as soon as we resolve the situation, the better for everyone."


    "Good, at least you know when someone is right." Circe remarks, something I ignore, instead turning my head to look around.


    "What direction will we take?" My question hangs in the air, obviously directed at Milesian.


    "Behind the hills to our left, the forest where our goal lies rests half the distance to the other side of the island." Her words alone make me project in my mind the distance till there, something that already hurts my legs. "I asked Circe to accompany you; you''ll be able to mount one of her animals to get you there."


    "You aren''t coming with us?" I ask, partially confused about her words, as I was sure she would come and because I was sure Circe would be the one to do something like that considering she hates my existence.


    "Part of Circe''s request is for me to scout the place and make sure that the beast''s location or general direction is discovered first; the timing of my actions should match your arrival at the forest." Milesian raises her cane half an inch from the ground before hitting the soil with a muffled thump. "I''ll be waiting for you both there." As the words leave her mouth, her overcoat trembles and moves like something is trying to escape from them, and then ravens start to make their way out and fly away, and doing so, Milesian''s figure disappears with each one. It is like watching someone turn into many ravens and fly away, which doesn''t seem so far of an observation as even her clothes turn to birds too.


    "Shake off your surprise, human, or I''ll leave you behind." Circe comments while whistling for her lion. The animal replies with a roar as it bows its head down and lowers its body, staying at the perfect height for someone of Circe''s height to get on its back, and as she does so, it passes on my mind that I''ll have to do the same.


    "Can you do that? I mean, you said you needed someone with my affinities, no?" My question comes more from skepticism than the will to anger her, but clearly, she takes it the wrong way as she frowns deeply.


    "Shut up." Is all the woman replies as she gestures for one of her wolves to approach me and turns her back to me, losing no time in starting her journey without me¡ªthe creature rivals me in height, something that doesn''t help one bit; I thought wolfs were more like huskies, but seeing one up close, I can tell why a human would want to tame one in primal times; this animal is a true beast.


    My curiosity takes the best of me, fighting off my fear as my trembling hands travel to the wolf''s head; my action at first brings a deep growl out of it as it opposes my action, something that makes me stop what I''m doing but not retrieving my hand; it sniffs my hand once, taking its time to study me deeply before, surprisingly, pushing its head forward and accepting my touch, yet holding some of its guard up¡ªI use the rare opportunity to its fullest; first cupping its cheeks in my palm, using my fingers to massage its face, earning a growl that at first I thought was a bad sign, but soon find that it actually enjoys the caress. "You''re a good boy, huh?" Then, to end it in the best way, I reach for behind its ears and scratch them good, seeing the big bad wolf melt like a big husky would, hanging its tongue out as it pants in satisfaction with the attention.


    I stop as I notice Circe is already some distance away, so, not wanting to risk getting her angry at me or getting left behind, I move to the wolf''s side. "Can I?" I ask permission to get on its back, watching as it turns its head to me and woofs once, something I take as a yes, and proceed. The feeling is strange; to get on a wolf''s back doesn''t feel like an everyday thing; its fur feels warm and fluffy; and the muscles the animal has¡ªalmost all that composes it¡ªtwitch as it adjusts its paws to sprint; sensing it gives me enough time to secure myself before it does so, avoiding falling out of its back.


    So, we travel the path ahead.


    Half-way point


    To watch the hills extend themselves for kilometers, seeing how they are untouched by humans, is strange; I guess I''ve gotten so used to walking modern streets with their many shops, fast food restaurants, and fast-moving cars that my mind can''t help but observe in awe the abundance of life that isn''t human, having their own separated ecosystems, and growing without worry of any kind in harmony.


    We long passed the first climb, the arduous ups and downs of the land, and finally start to get a single hint of the forest we need to go into, standing only a few more kilometers up ahead. The kind wolf who carries me on its back without even complaining starts to show signs of exhaustion every time it lets out an airy groan. No wonder, considering we are traveling for about an hour now without stopping as the cold air that surrounds us doesn''t help one bit, drying our throats of their moisture as we take in each sharp breath in an unsuccessful attempt to feed our lungs oxygen.


    My eyes scan the surroundings in search of a water source, one clean enough to be safe to immediately consume upon finding, and, without surprise considering how small rivers and rainwater ponds take over parts of the greeny fields, I''m able to find one easily. Gently, I pet the wolf''s fur to steal its attention from the path it is so focused on. "You thirsty, buddy?" My question is met with a tired growl from the animal, a clear affirmation, and with it, I turn my attention instead to Circe, who sits atop her lion, just a few steps ahead of us. "Circe," I call for her, not succeeding at first to get a reaction out of her that tells me she''s listening, so I finish my question. "Can we make a quick stop?"


    As I talk, the wolf, seeing I''m having some problems, carries me forward slightly faster to put me side to side with the goddess¡ªan action that grabs her attention, compelling her to look at my face. "Toughen up, human; the path ahead of us is almost at its end."


    Her comment manages to extract a sigh out of me. "Two minutes maximum, please." Once more, I ask of her, tapping the side of the wolf to gesture that I''m about to climb out of its back.


    As I hit my feet against the soft grass blades, Circe stops her lion and grunts like a child, throwing her hands up in the air exaggeratedly. "Fine, but only two minutes; that I grant you, so be thankful for my generosity."


    "Thank you, my goddess," I reply, making a bad act of a servant as well as tying my words with a hint of sarcasm to avoid her understanding it wrongly, something she doesn''t seem to get as a proud smile grows on her lips.


    "You should have stated you can be a good little pig, girl; it would have saved me breath."


    My ears lose their focus on her words as I reach the wolf''s face with my fingers and soothingly caress its fur. "Follow me; there is water there."


    This time the wolf doesn''t even waste its remaining strength to reply, as it obediently follows right behind me, and Circe, without being able to do much more, does the same as the wolf and accompanies me to the water source. It only takes some steps before the sound of water moving delicately across a tight path sings to us; in meeting with our eyes, a small river runs across the field, reaching all the way to the other side where my eyes can see. I take a moment to observe the water so I can make sure it is potable; it gets easier to do so as I kneel down and take a closer look at the water¡ªseeing that it is quite clean, enough to make me stare at my reflection for a moment¡ªprobably because at some point back it passed down some rocks that filtrate part of it; I won''t risk drinking it, but I''m sure it will satisfy the wolf''s thirst.


    "Drink up; you''ll feel better in no time," I tell the wolf and watch as it bends its head down, taking at first some licks to test the water before growing hungry and forcefully trying to get as much of the river''s cold water as it can. To my left, the once-empty space becomes not so empty anymore as Circe''s lion mimics the wolf''s action, giving itself some time to drink water and replenish its energies.


    "You have good eyes, human; perhaps I was not that right to assume of you as dead weight; not that I was wrong either, of course." Her words, even the unnecessarily last remark, are strange to hear coming from her, and surely I don''t let them pass by.


    "Thank you," I answer with a simple smile, spotting with my eyes her face grows less arrogant and more humane before she turns her face away upon noticing my gaze. "I''ll take a moment to stretch my legs; is that alright?"


    "Yes, you can take your walk, but no more than the minute that is left of your request."


    I simply nod my head, taking the opportunity to walk a little up the river''s stream, so I can get some more of the scenery in my head to later add to my sketchbook. Circe''s figure grows distant as I keep on walking, keeping in mind the minute I have before having to go back to not risk upsetting her. I''m able to relax enough that I find myself humming as I look at my feet, taking one step after the other in a calm manner; unfortunately, the sound of something falling atop the grass near me steals my attention, interrupting my humming session with the scare.


    My curiosity takes over and forces me to investigate. Looking at the grass, I try to locate where the sound came from, seeing that more or less in the direction I heard it lies a pile of moss and red mushrooms that I''m sure weren''t there a moment ago. I do my best to not make much noise as I approach the pile, seeing it start moving the closer I get to it, already signaling to me that there''s something underneath it. To my surprise, the moment I get to its side, the pile reveals itself to actually be a creature, more specifically a white and red cow, with moss growing on its body, leaves on its head almost like a hat, and mushrooms growing out of it; actually, it looks more like part of the creature.


    The cow''s eyes widen, and its body trembles in fear as it tries to stand up as quickly as it can, only to fail due to apparent weakness. Thin, the cow looks like it hasn''t eaten anything in a while, and the bones on the side of the creature push against the shrinking skin as the fragile legs it possesses give up fully. At the moment, what to do becomes the question, one that my mind can''t seem to give me, so I take a deep breath and decide to play on on the little understanding I have.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.In search of something that can help me in this situation, I''m taken back to Ayla''s store in London, right when she looked at me with those hatred-fueled eyes, and what happened after. Her words have stuck with me since then: ''Crystals are filled to the brim with magical energy, and that makes them the perfect treat for any magical creature or spirit'', and yeah, I''m pretty sure this cow can be seen as a magical creature considering the different aspects it possesses. The tough part comes now, as I need to recreate that magic, producing the crystals without even knowing much about what to do.


    Plucking a flower resting near my feet, I lower myself and take a seat on the grass beside the frightened animal, allowing my mind to wander over the little details that made it possible for me to do the trick last time. One factor would be missing when I think of it, as I''m sure Theo had a foot in why I was able to do so the first time. Regardless, I either do this now or find another way to get this cow some food.


    Tightly, I grasp the flower in the palm of my hand, directing my energies through my metacarpal bone and tendons, and then forming a continuous path where it loops on the surface of my skin. Of course, the process takes several seconds to even show signs that it is going to work, but when it does, it becomes surprisingly harder to manage. At first, the magical energy seeps into the flower and overfeeds it, with some of it being wasted on my poor management of the thing, but the second try goes smoothly in comparison, crystalizing the flower from its stem to the petals slowly. I keep in mind the process: ''Is it the great amount of magic that crystalizes the flower or something else?'', and that question stays, for now, unanswered. One more thing to ask Ayla about has been added to the list.


    "Here, eat this." I offer the creature the flower, watching as it wiggles its head in deep refusal as it stays somewhat afraid of my presence, not trusting my intentions, but the hunger it experiences seems to be stronger than the fear it has. As if knowing that it will die if it doesn''t accept the treat, the cow eyes me carefully and reaches its long tongue to the flower, wrapping it like a lizard and stealing the crystalized flower toward its mouth, where it wastes no second devouring the thing. It is strange the sound it makes, like someone chewing glass, and yet, no blood, no wounds, nothing; it just enjoys the thing as if it were candy.


    Immediately, the cow''s body starts to become more mass and less bones, regaining its strength in a matter of moments; timely, many footsteps approach my direction without warning, something not only I notice, unfortunately. I don''t even get the chance to analyze the cow further or even talk to it, as at the moment it processes the sound, it rises to its feet effortlessly and bolts away, jumping across the field and disappearing into the distance as if it had forgotten it was on death''s door mere seconds before.


    "What is taking you so long, huh, human?" Circe''s voice rings in annoyance as she crosses her arms tightly over her small chest, switching her gaze from me to the running creature in the distance. "A forest cow? Care to explain, girl?"


    Getting back to my feet, I nod my head and walk to the kind wolf beside Circe, waiting for us to resume travel. "I''ll explain on the way."


    We mounted our creatures and resumed travel. On the way, I took the time to explain the weird encounter to Circe, earning a strange expression from her, almost as if something had gone according to her desire. I let go instead of asking and risking angering her.


    Indeed, what Circe had said before turns out to be true; the forest lay only fifteen minutes further.


    Tall trees shadow what lies forward in the forest; big bushes don''t help either, as where our view reaches is lessened by them. Wind reaches my face, and for a moment I thought it was coming from the forest, only to turn around and see many ravens landing on the grass and losing their shape, turning into a cloud of black smoke that grows taller, turning into Milesian.


    "You two are here in time," Milesian comments, checking on her pocket watch before turning her eyes to me and Circe. "My investigation has revealed some important information; one I believe won''t be to your liking."


    "Then do tell already!" Circe, upset with Milesian''s slowness, unmounts her lion, places her hands on her hips, and prompts herself forward with a pout adorning her face.


    "I found footsteps leading north of the forest; the size and shape of them resemble human footwear," Milesian''s words manage to change Circe''s expression to pure hatred. "I was able to find three different types of footsteps on the trail."


    Milesian''s words don''t make sense when I stop to think of what she said yesterday on the train. "Wait, you said the island was magically hidden, no?"


    "Indeed," Milesian nods. "One more aspect to make me believe these supposed humans have contact with magic themselves and did not choose this place randomly."


    "They aren''t regular ones," Circe comments, biting her lips to contain herself. "My magic isn''t one so easily remolded; but what group of humans would invade my territory knowingly?"


    "Knowing that, what do we do?" I ask, managing to grab the attention of both. "Should we go after them to ask questions?"


    "We continue on the plan; we are bound to find them if we progress with the request, of that I''m sure." Milesian states.


    "And once we find these ''humans'', I''ll make sure to strip them of their false skin," Circe interjects angrily, summoning her staff to her hands and tightly gripping at its middle.


    At the end of the conversation, I''m the one who starts walking first, so they follow. ''It is strange; what humans would enter this island, and most importantly, why?'', I think to myself quietly as we progress into the forest, dodging the overgrown bushes that surround us and the tree roots that grow even out of the dirt, big enough to make traversing harder.


    At least, it takes little to no time for us to start reaching a path in the middle of the forest, one made of dirt and mushrooms that glow, lighting the path ahead and making it easier for us to avoid the obstacles. More and more, the tight path in the forest expands until it all ends in one location. I push one bush apart so we can get through it, revealing an area with grass like a field, with treetops hiding the sun from reaching it; the sound of animals walking becomes more evident until we get close enough to really see them.


    Cows just like the one I helped before circle our surroundings, all different in various aspects; some hold that same red mushroom coloration as others are yellow and smaller, with less plant growth in their bodies. To enhance my surprise, even some regular cows eat the grass or lay on it. Rocks form a circle around the area, seemingly blocking the other paths from reaching this place, with only ours not being blocked by one of them.


    But all of that is little compared to what I should have expected remembering Milesian''s words; a giant cow lays on the grass, with her body resting at the side of a very tall tree that, now looking closely, is the one responsible for the treetop covering us; it has glowing mushrooms for horns, a pale skin taken over by more of the mushroom that seems to move with each breath it takes. One last thing I''m about to compare is the size of the cow to the tree; it is half the size of it, or more or less five or six of me stacked atop one another; truly something to be mesmerized about.


    Noticing our presence, the big cow turns her head to face us, giving us the attention she had been keeping previously on the smaller cows surrounding her body. One thing I notice when she does it is one smaller and more cautious cow behind the massive body it possesses, one very familiar cow by the way it stares at me from its hiding spot. It moos, making the ground vibrate slightly at the depth and loudness the attempt to talk carries. Circe, out of nowhere, takes a step forward and firms her foot on the ground.


    "Don''t act so surprised; I said I would find someone to help, didn''t I?" Her words make me blink as I make sure to look around to see if anyone has talked, and I couldn''t hear, but no, she not only talks but looks directly at the cow, who once again moos as a way to respond. "Yes, the human girl; the demon isn''t of any use when it comes to delicate matters."


    "Uhm..." I turn to Milesian, using the time Circe takes to talk with the queen cow to satisfy my curiosity. "How is she talking with her? Is there some kind of spell to talk with animals?"


    "No," Milesian answers, and I notice how she holds herself two steps away from us, keeping in the background instead of standing beside me. "Circe as she is has a blessing that makes her capable of communicating with beasts, but not all kinds, only the ones who occupy a category of their own."


    "I see." Not exactly, but for now, my thoughts wonder less about how it is possible; my real concern is with what''s happening with Milesian. I mean, I''m sure it is because of what she said¡ªthat she isn''t suited to deal with these matters because of how scary she looks to most¡ªbut still, it is kind of sad to see how she hides herself, reminding me so much about myself. My body moves on its own, seeking to stand beside her as she always does to me, but before I can even move much, a voice stops me mid-action.


    "Girl, stop staring at nothing, and let us start the search."


    "What?" Circe''s sudden words make me realize that something already happened, and I was just standing in my spot and missing it. "Did you already talk with her?"


    "Yeah, duh, that''s what we came here to do." Circe rolls her eyes and appears annoyed.


    "Okay, uhm, did she have any information to help us?"


    "Of course, she doesn''t; that is why she needs us to resolve things." She looks at me like I asked the dumbest thing there is, placing her hands on her hips and pouting. "Now we go; Milesian will take the left-north area," She points to the rocks that close the paths, and I watch as they slide to the side out of nowhere, clearly having something to do with Circe''s magic by the way she moves her staff. "You''ll take the right path, and I''ll be on the middle one."


    "I think separating ourselves is a bad idea; if we are to assume that humans are behind what is happening, then if Milesian suddenly appears to them or you, they''ll probably do something bad."


    "You don''t think I know that? That is exactly why Milesian will turn herself into a raven once more; to be more precise with the search, I''ll have my animals with me to help track the humans, and as for you, you''ll go through the least probable path so if we find the cow, you can be called upon and reach the location. So be prepared to talk to the humans, or else we will risk the cow''s safety and will have to make a blood festival with the captor''s bodies."


    Just like that, she throws the words at me without caring for the weight they carry and then moves herself to the middle path, followed by her two wolves and lion, soon disappearing into it without even looking back once. Milesian doesn''t even grace me with the time to look at her before it is too late, spotting only the fading smoke left by her transformation at the spot she was standing before.


    "Great." I exhale loudly, rubbing the bridge of my nose and moving my gaze towards the path that awaits me, only to once again be stopped by something, this time being the press of a forehead against my right arm. The cow from before in the fields nudges my arm, succeeding in stealing my attention. It gazes at me; at first, I mistakenly thought it to be expectant, perhaps for more of the crystal flower, but after a few seconds of us both just standing quietly, I see through, finally understanding that it only means to thank me. The situation only calls for one action, and I take the chance, reaching for the top of its head and placing my head atop it as I shine a small smile.


    Nonetheless, even if my wish was to stay here and rest, I know when it is time to act, so I move one step closer to the big cow before bowing my head. "I know I''m not much, but I''ll do my best to bring your daughter back."


    The queen doesn''t moo or anything else; she just stares at me for a moment before nodding its head slowly, giving me the reaction I needed to steel myself and finally go for the path standing to my right.


    <hr>

 Chapter 9 Part 2: -Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil-

    Chapter 9 Part 2


    -Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil-


    <hr>


    Once more, I find myself walking through a dark forest, alone, and questioning myself about my reasoning for doing what I''m doing. The good thing, though, is that there isn''t a slime wolf beast nearby to play with my mind or try hunting me down. These trees, too, are not so familiar to me; they extend high while keeping a strong base, their roots still taking most of the ground, but with the good news of no absurd amount of bushes in sight, so the path forward is in view, making me able to not rely on luck to go anywhere.


    The white noise nauseates me as it starts to bother my head, with the only thing stopping it, providing me with a single second of relief, being the occasional leaves I step on or the sound of my feet against the floor as I have to make jumps to get through some parts ringing in the air¡ªa situation easily mind-consuming, so in an attempt to make this whole thing less aggressive on my paranoia, I mumble to myself along the way. On the ground, a hole stops my moment and almost makes me twist my ankle, only saving myself as I lean against one of the roots climbing from the ground up.


    As a curse builds on my throat, wishing to escape, something catches my eyes as I move them to the hole that almost brought me down in an attempt to check what the heck it is, finding that the ''hole'' isn''t what it first appeared as, revealing itself on a closer look to have more resemblance to a man-made trap that someone tried to make in a hurry with leaves atop to hide it from view, just at the passage of one root segment, so there isn''t one way to really avoid it; it even has some parts of a rope that were used and cut down. Could it be that this trap was...


    It''s most probable that what I''m thinking is the right answer; it doesn''t make sense for a land that has no humans to have traps that clearly were made by one; if the rope was cut, that means they got what they wanted, with it surely being the cow we are looking for. Circe said this was the path less likely to lead to the ones we search, so why is the trap they used here?


    My question doesn''t take much of my attention as the sound of people moving starts to echo around me, forcing me to think fast and squat down, getting behind a tree to get out of view, falling in the process due to hurrying myself and forgetting the damn roots¡ªdirtying my clothes¡ªbut ultimately managing to do so without getting anyone''s attention, I think. The steps grow closer to me, reaching the path I was standing on a moment ago, bounding them to pass by the tree I''m hiding at soon.


    "I don''t believe that should pose a problem as long as we are careful," A deep female voice comments; I''m not lucky enough to hear what started the talk, but I do get a view of the people talking when I lean my head to the side, peeking from behind my hiding spot. "And if it does, we will make of this hunt something to not let Mother down."


    The woman talking is the first one I see, and I freeze at the sight. She''s huge, about two meters tall of pure muscle by the way her back extends, and she wears a weird type of outfit, a combination of leather boots with metal plates tied to them, a protective garment like the ones from medieval books: a gambeson colored black and red, with more leather parts for extra protection on her shoulder and arms. Two swords adorn her back¡ªvery long and dangerously sharp-looking swords.


    While she gazes around to make sure she and the person she''s talking with are alone, adjusting her long, Viking-like, braided ponytail over her shoulder and out of the way of her sword''s draw, the other speaks. "I don''t believe sister Marian or even Mother will be happy with our delay; I say we check the magic signal as soon as possible, after all, the signal approaches our location."


    The second voice is revealed to be a young, short boy with short, spikey black hair, a face that screams ''I''m fourteen and very angry'' and, like the fine example of a Viking woman, carrying two blades in his body, the scimitar kind of sword. In question of clothing, they wear mostly the same medieval style, which is very protective and leathery, with the boy having more of a blue palette with the scarf around his neck and the clothes underneath the fewer leather armor pieces he has.


    "Fine, but if we find a target, I''ll be the one to slay it; my swords hunger." The woman responds with her deep, scary voice, like an insatiable beast looking for prey¡ªsomething I don''t plan on becoming today.


    To my luck, both of them pass me without noticing my presence as I move around the tree trunk, continuing their way forward where I was going. That gives me a hint that the path I was planning to take isn''t the one I should be taking to find the cow; instead, I need to go to where they came from, my right, where they should either be keeping the cow, or the worse option, making it their lunch. Calling Milesian or Circe would be a good idea, but risking an encounter with the sword duo is a no-go; the thought alone makes me not want to be late to save the cow or so slow that they come back, so without giving it a second thought, I start to walk in fast steps in the direction I need to go, fighting once more the terrain as I move.


    My eyes wander on the dirt carefully, methodically, using the stranger''s footprints as a compass to their previous location; on the way, my nose twitches instinctively at the smell of recently cooked food that fills the ambiance forward as I move, indicating that I''m getting close to where they were. It doesn''t take long until I get a visual confirmation of the story the smell tells me: a campfire, very well made, with stones surrounding the dying ambers of charcoal wood. The space itself doesn''t have many trees around; it looks more like a circular field in the middle of the forest, surrounded by it at the same time that it exists within.


    Carefully, I step out of my hiding spot behind a tree and enter the open space. In a single instant, my world is shocked as my legs are swiped off the ground. The feeling of falling surprises me, but it ends quickly, replaced by pain as my back hits the cold grass with enough force that I can almost feel my lungs escaping my throat alongside the precious air they held a second prior.


    Upon opening my eyes, I feel the weight of someone''s knees on my stomach, with their feet positioned at my wrist so strongly that I think they are already weakening due to the lack of blood traveling to the tip of my fingers. Still, worse yet, the sharp feeling of a merciless blade stands at my neck, slightly pressed against my skin as a warning, leaving me with a superficial cut that threatens to become my demise if I move against it.


    The person responsible for all of this gazes at me with a frown, a woman with short and wild black hair resembling a crow and eyes as deep and blue as the ocean. A single line of red paint crosses her nose bridge captures my attention. Like the others I saw, she too wears a mix of protective clothes and armor pieces, but hers is more metal than leather; even her gloves have sharp metal nails that strangle the handle of the sword she holds against me.


    "Who are you and what?" The woman demands an answer, her voice not as deep as the other one but still holding authority like an old friend; her eyes squint as a moment passes, the same one I use to breathe before answering. "My patient is short, so I advise you not to abuse it."


    "I''m-" A cough escapes me, clearing my airway, and in the motion, I find my neck ever so close to the blade. "I''m Noma, a normal, regular girl."


    The woman''s eyes widen with surprise for longer than expected; sure, she didn''t expect to find another human out here, so I continue talking. "Look, I''m sorry for invading your camp, but I''m here to-"


    In this situation, it is expected that her surprise would lead to rage or deeper confusion, and those would make her act accordingly, but instead of being killed on the spot or bombarded by questions, I''m the one who gets surprised when the woman''s lips take hold of mine. A kiss so sincere and desperate that I don''t even have the moment to react before my mind blanks; the taste of her lips lingering with the taste of coffee; her tongue courageously trying to get access to mine in an invitation for a dance¡ªit all reveals too much for me to handle in such little time.


    She separates her lips from mine only when her necessity to breathe gets the best of her; a smile holds her lips hostage, bearing a familiarity that I can''t comprehend until she mutters something. "Akeha?"


    Shock, the name that was long gone from my mind, one that served no purpose to me when I was alone; I abandoned it so long ago that it makes no sense for anyone to know it. How can this woman know? My surprise is taken over by a frown, originated by dread and anger so deep that even the woman''s smile falters upon noticing it. "How do you know that name?"


    The smile that the woman held returns with a sweet laugh, like that of an excited teenage girl; her weight on my stomach and wrists is gone as she moves, sitting beside me and holstering her sword away. "What? Don''t you remember your best friend?" Her words prompt me to think, and it doesn''t take long for my mind to process what is happening. "It saddens me that you forgot about-"


    Before she can finish her sentence, I spring myself onto her, wrapping my arms around her shoulder and almost knocking us both to the ground, but the woman holds her ground pretty well. "Oh my god, there is no way. Maya?"


    "Ha, it''s been a long time since someone last called me that." Maya confesses, returning the hold as strongly as I. "How does something like this happen? I thought I would never see you again, but now, here you are."


    My first love, here in front of me after so long; this is so surreal, but unfortunately, I have to remember why I''m here. I break the hug and sit in front of her, crossing my legs and taking a deep breath to calm myself. "I have so many questions, but there is one I need to ask that is very important."


    "Me too, so please allow me to ask first." She asks for permission, but don''t wait for me to give it to her before asking anyway. "What the hell are you doing here? This place, you should not be able to get here." I watch as the words escape her, stealing her too, from the happiness of this moment to a suspicion that expresses itself clearly on her brows by the way they arch.


    And so it starts. It takes some time to explain it all to her in detail, from all that happened until this very moment, from the orphanage years to Milesian''s doorstep, and finally, to this island. The only thing I leave off is the fact that Milesian is a demon, as I''m sure she wouldn''t want others to know.


    Maya nods her head after listening attentively to the story. "Wow, sure many things happened after I was gone." Her words carry some sadness to them, one that heavys the air and brings quietness to her lips.


    "How about you?" I ask, intending to not let the silence take over this moment longer. "What happened after you were adopted? I mean, sure, you have a good story to be carrying a sword and be dressed like a knight and all; congrats on the promotion, by the way."


    At my words, she lets out a laugh, smiling brightly once more before adjusting her posture to look confident, a sign that she has some good details coming. "Well, to start, when I was adopted by my new family, things were not cool for a week; I hated them for taking me away from you, and just when I promised to protect you, I fought with my new siblings and broke important things, all in hopes of getting back. But then, I learned of their true nature. They pose as a normal rich family with connections to industries and all. Yet, in truth, they are a secret organization that deals with magic in the world, hunting down monsters, helping out folks, and keeping the world and the magic at bay so they won''t mix together, as that will surely mess with the balance of things. So they trained me, gave me a house and food, and only asked in return for me to fight for them¡ªa pretty good deal if I say so myself."


    Hearing her story, one thing stands out, and that is the whole nature of things. "Wait, were you supposed to tell me all of this? I mean, wouldn''t it be better to keep it a secret?"


    "Oh, if it is you, that''s okay; you''re already involved in this whole mess; besides, I''ll take you back with me." Her words are announced with such naturality that they manage to stun me for a moment.


    "Wait a second, what?"


    "Yeah, you''ll come with me, and then I''ll keep you safe; I''m sure you''ll like everyone. The family can act like assholes at times, but they are good people." Maya, seeing the face I''m making of confusion and reluctance, guides her hand to my face, where she cups my cheek and brings my eyes back to hers. "You''ll come, right? I mean, there is nothing for you here, and the witch lady you commented on surely won''t miss you by the way you said how she treats you."


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.My own hand ends up in contact with hers, but only to push them away weakly as my head swirls with emotions and reasons. "I... I don''t know, I still have things to resolve; one of them is to find one of the daughters from the big cow living in this forest."


    "Is that so? Well, you don''t need to get your head so worried; the cow you''re looking for was already extracted; unfortunately, we needed it to be able to craft magical devices and potions for the raids that are soon to come in the future."


    "No!" I exclaim, pushing myself back to my feet and confusing Maya in the process with my sudden outburst. "You need to get her back."


    "Why? And don''t say it is because it is important to that creature; her reproduction rate is so fast that it won''t even miss it for too long."


    "What kind of reasoning is that? If you have five daughters and one goes missing, you would just leave it because you know you can make more?"


    "Akeha, you''re forgetting something very important: these creatures are not humans like us; they don''t have feelings like we do." Her words come across as so genuine that it makes me believe she''s seriously saying that.


    "You can''t be serious; of course they have; I can say this because I saw how they hurt, how they are grateful for acts of kindness, how they-" My screams are interrupted by her cutting me off in the middle of the sentence.


    "No, you''re the one mistaking things here; these monsters can''t feel a thing and only mimic human emotions to appeal to our soft side so they can stab us in the back. I saw many of my friends from the other branches of my family be mangled alive by them, have their children killed in combat, and cry for months until suicide became their only path forward; they are ruthless, wild, merciless; they only deserve the coldness of our blades." She stops giving me chances to argue back as she places her hands on my waist and pulls me closer, stealing my words because of the sudden movement. "It is okay, really; they deceived you and used your kind heart so they could keep you at their side; but this can end now; just come with me; my family will surely take you in, and then you can choose; you can fight beside me and we could clean this world together, or you could study and have a guaranteed future, one where you and I can be together this time."


    It hurts me so much to hear these words coming out of her mouth, to let myself believe in them, to urge myself to take her hand and be happy for once, to allow myself the privilege of being okay, but that is the old me speaking, the Akeha, who was so afraid that she needed to have a knight of her own, to be loved and protected by them, to be able to love without shame. I''m no longer that little girl; I know what is right and will act upon it, trusting myself enough to say I''m right.


    "I''m sorry, but I can''t." My hands, now no longer weak, push Maya away gently so we can truly look face-to-face. Confidence is what I fill my gaze with before speaking. "Don''t get me wrong; I would love to go with you, but you''re wrong about them."


    "Kalyn, WAIT!" Maya screams, but it is too late. Strong hands grab the back of my head and drive my face to the ground so strongly that my whole self trembles with an echoing pain that strikes most of my nerves, giving me instantly the worst headache I ever experienced. The blood that starts to coat my tongue threatens to drown me for a moment before it flows out of the thin path between my lips. "I said wait, dammit."


    "Your ''play pretend'' session is over; the sole reason we stayed on this island for longer than Mother wished was so you could confirm the source of the strange magic our sensors captured; now that we have it, we are to leave immediately." The deep voice commands as her hands push my face deeper into the grass, dragging out a few painful groans. "At least the secondary target is tougher than expected, but that won''t be a problem for long." At her words, she raises my face from the ground and motions to drive my head against the ground once more to knock me out.


    "No, don''t, please," Maya begs in desperation.


    "Sister Marian isn''t one to beg often," The same boy from before makes himself known. "Take it as a bad sign and stop, or else Mom will know of your transgressions."


    The words from the boy seem to strike the tall woman hard, as with a click of her tongue she starts to let go of me, but before all can be resumed to a calm talk, a figure steps out of the shadows, holding a familiar cane on her gloved hand and an inexpressive skull face.


    At the sight of her face, a small smile comes to my lips, and I try getting up with some difficulty, spitting off the blood pooling in my mouth before having my head shoved back into the dirt by a strong boot.


    "Stay put." The woman, Kalyn, commands me with an angry voice and pulls out one of her blades, pointing the weapon''s tip in Milesian''s direction to intimidate her. "You, witch, reveal your identity at once and leave before you find a fight that, I assure you, you won''t want."


    Milesian, at this point, has started her stride towards me without regard to the woman''s threats; her eyes look at the blood escaping from my mouth, and my dizzy expression filled with pain. Something in her eyes changes; the blood red turns bright, glowing like two red suns as her mouth opens to let out a breath so hot that it clouds the air on its way out.


    "What the-" One of Milesian''s ravens dives down the skies and passes by the woman''s face with its sharp claws, ready to rid the woman of her ability to see, only to be struck down by a cold, trained blade. The woman''s face transforms in a second, from anger to surprise, ending in a wide, vicious smile.


    All three of the hunters ready their weapons as the realization dawns on them that a fight is to come. Maya is the first one to step forward with the intention of talking first. "Wait a moment, witch, let us talk this out; there''s no need for a fight."


    "Pitiful humans, you rip off what you want, spread the blood of anyone who dares cross your path, and yet you dare ask to talk?" Milesian talks in her usual inexpressive voice, but this time it sounds more terrifying, deeper, and deathly. "My apprentice, daughter of men as you, bleeds out painfully for what? Your values are not to be trusted."


    "You want to talk values? Have I to remind you of the dark times of magic? Your kind and mine both washed our hands in innocent blood."


    "The human belief that the lesser evil loses the status of being wicked when confronted with a worse being is something that makes me question if it isn''t in your nature to be nefarious. My apprentice and I will return, and you all will be at the justice of Circe for trespassing into a territory prohibited to your kind."


    "No," Maya answers sharply and reaches for something on her belt, pulling out a revolver and pointing at Milesian with a cold stare¡ªone that mimics the lack of humanity present in the witch. "Akeha will be coming with me, away from the likes of you, where I can protect her." Squatting down, Maya reaches her hand to my face and wipes the blood from my lips slowly, allowing an affectionate smile to climb to her lips. She mutters words that I can''t hear as my head rings with pain, too focused on dealing with it, but her expression tells me she''s trying to apologize. "The one thing I vowed to protect; I''m sorry I never had the chance to show you how much I love you."


    Suddenly, a gory sound of breaking bones takes over the ambiance by surprise; the raven, who was struck down, lifts itself up with half its body open, expelling the same black smoke I remember well. Black wings sprout off Milesian''s back, growing in size until they cover most of the background behind her; the skull face transforms as many ravens appear from the trees, turning it darker and pointy. It reaches a point where the thing standing there isn''t Milesian anymore, but something else, something resembling a big monstrous raven with glowing eyes; from her mouth, a good quantity of black smoke is exhaled, turning the surroundings into a foggy mess, one that makes the day look to turn night.


    "Hold on a second; transformation spells cannot turn you into something so big; so that means?" The boy starts questioning himself, his voice becoming more scared and anxious. "What are we fighting agains-"


    His voice turns into a painful scream as the sound of his body being hit echoes; his groan grows distant, like he was thrown far away. Maya and Kalyn join their backs and hold their blades ready for the confrontation, staying silent to try to get the upper hand and using only hand signals to communicate.


    As this happens, all I can think about is getting up so I can help Milesian; whatever is happening to her is not right. But first, I need to think of a way to end this fight without anyone else getting injured or killed. My mind travels in memories, swimming in a lake where all the things I''ve read these past days stay, floating around aimlessly, to be found before sinking down into forgetfulness.


    Kalyn rushes forward when red eyes reveal themselves from the middle of the fog. A shot rings from Maya''s revolver so loudly that it hurts my ears; if it hits or not, I can''t see, but both the red eyes and Kalyn disappear.


    I arrive at a conclusion once I remember about the door at the train and Milesian''s talk about magical ways to transport; the bad part is that I was in such a bad state after her teleportation spell that I was not able to look at it so much. Once more, the lack of knowledge leaves me helpless in certain situations. No, there needs to be a way to do something here, something that makes sense, so let me use my brain.


    Milesian said the island is protected by a strong magic that should not allow anyone outside the permitted people to get here; I''m sure they did not come with us on the train, so they surely used some magic to get here. ''Magical devices'', Maya said something about it; perhaps she has something with her that should allow them to get out of here.


    Pushing myself to my feet with renewed energy, I focus my magical energy and let it flow through my body. If magical energy can make magic happen, surely it can do something to the human body, right? I gather a good quantity in my eyes, feeling an indescribable pain take over me. My eyes pulse painfully, and my vision turns red. For a moment, I believe I did something wrong, but upon looking around to test my eyes, I see that I''m able to see through the fog. I do not spot Milesian or Kalyn, so instead of looking for them randomly, I gaze at Maya, seeing that she stands not far from me. Upon doing so, I see something inside her shirt, hanging from her neck, glowing brightly with magic.


    I take a step forward in her direction, stumbling all the way until she notices me. She puts away her revolver and sprints to my meeting, placing her hands on my waist and helping me stand up properly. "Hey, it''s okay; you don''t need to move."


    "Maya, I''m sorry," I whisper lowly, earning a sigh from her that quickly turns into an affectionate gaze as I place my hand in the middle of her chest. She locks her eyes on mine and shakes her head.


    "There''s no need to apologize; you did nothing wrong." She replies sweetly, almost making me feel bad for a moment for what''s to come. "I''ll get you out of here as soon as we end this."


    "I''m really sorry. I hope we can see each other again."


    "Wait, why are you saying that?" I use her confusion to grab the item hanging from her neck¡ªa small ampule with some sort of device stored inside that pulses with magic. The moment I close my palm and it breaks, a faint light starts to surround both of us, but before anything happens, I shove Maya away, watching as the light stays with her until she disappears.


    With that dealt with, I gaze around once more to find Milesian, finding her eyes locked on mine still in beast''s form, blood flowing off her skull beak as she watches me intently. What did I shove myself into?


    Blood tears leave my eyes as my vision hazes; the price to pay for brute forcing my way through magic, it seems. It really isn''t easy to keep myself calm; a primitive fear strikes my core as I look at the monster, but reminding myself that it is Milesian that is inside it, I do my best to smile.


    There are no words from me; I just stumble close to her form and watch as she accompanies my movements with her eyes, waiting. My head tells me I''m about to pass out, so as my last action to save her too, I place my kind hand on her body and lean my head against her. The last thing I''m able to see is her form smoking away, the return of her gloved hands, and the face I know so well.


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