After the intense exchange, the witch turned away with a cheerful smile, her black dress flowing behind her as she said, "Come along, both of you. My home is quite far from this place."
Leo raised an eyebrow, glancing at Lyra before replying with a casual, "So?"
The witch gave no answer. Instead, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers.
In an instant, the world shifted. The dark jungle vanished around them, replaced by a quiet clearing surrounded by mist. The air was cooler here, and the sky above was shrouded in a silvery fog. Leo stumbled slightly, trying to catch his balance from the sudden teleportation.
"Where… where are we?" Leo asked, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
"We're close to my home now," the witch answered softly.
Ahead of them, nestled into the base of a jagged hill, was a cave with strange markings carved into the entrance. The witch hurried toward it, her voice echoing lightly as she called back, "My name is Lili, by the way. And this… this is my home."
Leo stared at the cave, unimpressed. "A cave? This is your home?"
Lili turned with a playful smirk. "What? Were you expecting a crystal palace?"
Leo blinked. "…Honestly? A little bit, yeah."
Lili laughed and gestured for them to follow her inside.
As Leo and Lyra stepped into the cave behind Lili, their eyes widened in disbelief. From the outside, it had looked like nothing more than a cold, damp cavern—but inside, it was a proper home.
Warm lanterns flickered against the stone walls, casting soft light over shelves stacked with ancient books, wooden chairs, a small table with candles, and even rugs to cover parts of the uneven floor. On the left side was a small adjoining room, where Leo spotted three neatly arranged beds.
Leo blinked in surprise. "Wait… did you already know we were coming?"
Lili turned back with a casual shrug. "No, I didn't. But once we got here, I made two more beds."
He nodded slowly, still taking it all in, then looked toward Lyra. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. "She doesn't seem bad… right?"
Lyra, who had been holding his hand tightly just moments ago, gave him a small smile. "Mm-hm. I think she's okay now."
Leo let out a breath of relief. Seeing Lyra a bit more relaxed eased the weight on his heart.
Then, with a snap of Lili's fingers, three cups of steaming tea appeared on the table. "Come, sit. We'll talk first," she said, taking her place at one of the chairs.
Leo and Lyra sat with her. As soon as Leo took a sip, he looked at her with curious eyes. "So… when do we start learning magic? And how long will it take?"
Lili leaned back, thinking for a moment. "The kind of magic I plan to teach you," she said thoughtfully, "for a normal person, it would take twenty years to master. For a genius… ten."
Leo's face instantly dropped. "Ten years?!"
She chuckled. "And for a kid like you… also ten, at the very least."
Leo slumped forward with a groan, disappointed. "That's too long…"
Seeing his reaction, Lili tilted her head and smirked. "Hmm… but there is a way to speed it up."
He immediately straightened, eyes wide with hope. "Really?!"
The way his face lit up made Lyra giggle, and she couldn't help but smile beside him. Lili glanced between them, caught off guard. Their smiles… they were genuine. Warm.
For a moment, Lili just stared at them in silence. Strange, she thought. I've always hated humans. I only brought these two here because I saw their past. The suffering they went through… it moved something in me. I thought maybe I'd teach the boy a little magic, then send them on their way toward the capital.
Her gaze softened.
But now… why does it feel warm in here? Their smiles... they're different. Maybe these two aren't like the rest. Maybe... just this once...
She took a deep breath, her mind made up.
I'll give them a chance. I'll teach Leo everything.
After a warm dinner and some quiet conversation, the night settled gently over the forest. The soft crackling of the lanterns filled the cave with a peaceful glow. Leo yawned, stretching his arms.
"You both should rest," Lili said, fluffing the pillows on the newly made beds. "Tomorrow, we start your magic training."
Leo and Lyra nodded, exhaustion finally catching up with them. As they lay in their beds, side by side with Lili humming some old tune in the background, sleep took them quickly—gentle and deep, as if the forest itself was letting them rest.
The Next Morning
The early morning sun filtered in faintly through the cave entrance, casting golden lines across the stone floor.
Leo groggily opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his face. "Ugh… morning already…"
To his surprise, Lili was already sitting at the table, legs swinging like a kid and a big smile plastered on her face.
"Good morning, sleepyheads!" she chirped, waving both hands dramatically.
Leo blinked. "How long have you been sitting there?"
"Oh, just a few minutes," Lili replied with a grin that made it very clear it was not just a few minutes.
Lyra stretched and joined them, and together they stepped out into the crisp morning air outside the cave.
"Alright!" Lili declared with hands on her hips. "Let's begin with—"
"Wait," Leo interrupted, suddenly remembering something. "Why don't monsters ever come inside your cave? I mean, we were walking through the jungle for days, fighting beasts nonstop, but none came near your home. Isn't that… weird?"
Lili's smile widened mischievously. "Aww, you finally noticed!" she said, then laughed out loud and whap! playfully patted Leo's back.
Leo stumbled forward, making a gloomy face. "Oi… What was that for?"
"Did you really think I'm weak and dumb enough to live in a regular ol' cave without protection?" she giggled. "This entire area is under my barrier. Nothing gets in unless I allow it."
Leo blinked in disbelief. "Wait… really?"
Lili puffed her chest proudly. "Of course! This cave is more secure than the royal castle!"
"…I kinda thought monsters just didn't like caves," Leo mumbled, scratching his cheek.
At that, Lili froze mid-laugh, her expression breaking. Slowly, dramatically, she turned and walked to a nearby tree, slumping down underneath it with a fake cry.
"He thought I was that weak…" she mumbled, pretending to sob. "All this time, I've protected them, fed them, gave them tea… and he thought I was just lucky…"
Leo stood there, arms crossed, clearly unamused. "Oi… you're the one who hit me!"
Lyra, trying to hold back a laugh, walked up to Lili and gently patted her head. "It's okay… He's just… you know… like that."
Lili sniffled dramatically and looked up with big fake tears. "R-Really? You don't think I'm dumb?"
Leo groaned. "This is going to be a long training day, isn't it?"
Lili immediately jumped to her feet, her sadness gone like it was never there. "Yup! Let's begin!"
Following Lili through the forest, Leo and Lyra walked for a few more minutes, the soft rustling of leaves underfoot the only sound accompanying them. Eventually, the trees opened up to reveal a gentle, glistening river hidden within the jungle—its surface shimmered with the reflection of the morning light, and the air around it was cool and refreshing.
Leo looked around in awe. "I never thought… there'd be a river all the way out here."
Lili stopped at the edge of the riverbank, stretching her arms lazily. "Nature has more secrets than most people bother to discover," she said with a wink.
Then she turned to Lyra, her expression softening. "Lyra, do you want to learn magic too?"
Lyra hesitated for a moment, looking down. "I… I'm not that strong," she admitted quietly. "But… yes. At least basic magic. Enough to protect myself. And enough… to protect the people I love."
Hearing those words, Lili's eyes sparkled with something deeper. A soft smile crossed her lips. "Hmm… that's a good reason," she said gently. "Alright, then. I'll teach you."
She took a few steps back and, with a playful spin of her hand, snapped her fingers. With a puff of sparkling mist, a second figure appeared beside her—it looked exactly like her, except this version had a comically oversized wizard hat and a slightly bouncier walk.
"Meet my lovely clone!" Lili beamed, proudly placing her hands on her hips.
The clone did a dramatic curtsy and gave a thumbs up. "Reporting for magical babysitting duty!"
Leo blinked. "Wait, what?"
"You both need separate training," Lili explained, stretching. "You'll learn faster if you're not distracted by each other. My clone will handle Lyra's training."
The clone turned to Lyra and cheerfully gestured. "Come on, kiddo! Let's get you some magic juice!"
Lyra giggled softly, her nervousness melting a little. She looked at Leo. "I'll be okay."
Leo gave a small nod, then looked back at Lili. "Is your clone really… safe?"
Lili smirked. "Oh, don't worry. My clone is me. Just think of it like I'm in two places at once. She's got all my skills, all my magic—minus the sarcasm, sadly."
The clone frowned and crossed her arms. "Hey! I can be sarcastic too, you know!"
Lili patted her clone's head like a scolding sister. "Not as good as me."
Leo sighed. "Yeah… this is gonna be a weird day."
Lili laughed. "You better get used to it. Training with a witch isn't like your average school lesson. Now…" She turned to him, her eyes sharpening with purpose. "Ready to begin?"
Leo stood straight and firm, eyes locked on Lili. "Yes," he said, ready to begin.