Beyond a Reflection

Chapter 9: A Chilly Adventure

I will be lying if I'll say that I'm not excited that I am here in Encantum right now. Instead of freaking out after knowing what kind of situation I am in right now, I am delighted that I've got to have a chance to see what kind of world my great-grandmother had created. I wouldn't mind if I'll stay here forever— or maybe not.

I bet my grandmother is now freaking out the moment she knew that I'm missing. I'm the only one she has.

I started walking around to wonder what kind of things I might see in this world. Weird but I'm hoping to see something emerge from the underground like souls or something. Speaking of souls, I just remember the spell that my great-grandmother taught me when I was eight. It is about a charm that can bring back a dead person's soul to life— the charm that I am working on up until now. If my memory is right, it is included in the five most dangerous charms in the world of witchcraft and wizardry, but here I am, finding the procedure how to cast it to bring my late father back from his deep slumber.

But back to the main topic right now, there's nothing that's so "weird" here except for the sparkling tree. If I was asked, they are just the same; the world here and the world in the mortals. Maybe as soon as I continue walking, I could find something interesting. I want to find out what's the world that my late great-grandmother had created.

I want to learn more. I want to learn about her and our family, deeper.

As I continued walking, I can't help but wander my gaze around. I didn't think that it would be this magical. The sky is a variation of shades of purple and blue with white dots serving as the stars. The sky is like one of those aesthetic paintings with the silhouettes of trees from afar. There are two moons and they almost completely overlapped each other, the only difference between the two is that the other moon is an inch larger than the other that's why they are so easy to distinguish.

The grass was also green, like just a normal glass. I saw weird insects flying that resemble fireflies but instead of a yellow light at the end of their body, they produce blue, purple, red, and green that's why it's amusing to watch them earlier like moving Christmas lights and adding the fact that, whenever they flew away, they were leaving white specks of dust, just like a fairy.

Am I in a children's cartoon animation? I felt like my life upgraded to premium in an instant.

I was just wandering peacefully, admiring a not-so-everyday-life scene when suddenly, someone appeared right in front of me, making me take a step back. My eyes widened when she just popped out of nowhere and I didn't even notice her presence! My body automatically moved and made a backflip two times in a row and draw my wand out and pointed it against her whose still not processing what was happening.

Is she an enemy? Should I attack her or just run away? Given in my current state, I'm in no shape for some duels right now. I can't even cast a spell to replenish my exhaustion. I'm tired as fudge.

I saw her eyes widen too, the moment she realized what's the scenario, her face was painted with terror. She looks thin and probably years older than me but she's not older than Isaiah. She has black straight shoulder-length hair with side-swept bangs. She got violet eyes and a thin face also with her thin lips. No offense but she got no curves.

She raised both of her hands as if she was surrendering. Where did she come from anyway? She just sprouted out of nowhere!

"A-A witch? What is a witch doing here?" she muttered in a soft voice and slowly took a step back while fixing her gaze at me.

I noticed that she was about to take a runaway when my body automatically moved and swayed my wand in the air, making an elastic barrier in the direction where is she supposed to run. As a result, she crashed with the barrier that I have made and bounced back while staggering. She looked at me while rubbing her nose. She doesn't look pissed but there's a concern in her eyes.

I held my mouth when I felt that I was about to vomit. This is why I don't like using magic anymore. I can't learn from my mistakes and I keep repeating them over and over again as if there are no consequences. I fell on my knees and dropped my wand while holding my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting since I don't want to look so lame in front of this maiden.

I could feel how my arms and lips tremble.

"Miss Witch! A-Are you alright?" She ran after me despite what I did.

I want to raise my other hand to tell her that I'm more okay than the word "fine" but I have no strength at all. In the end, she got closed to me and didn't even hesitate to caress my back as if she is saying that it is going to be okay.

"Go on. You might not like the result if you don't let that out," she said in a soft voice.

For some reason, my body automatically reacted to her words as if I don't have any control over my own body. I slowly took my hand away from my mouth and blood suddenly gushed out. I didn't feel any pleasure. I only felt pain. Thorns.

"Holy pumpkins... you are not dying, aren't you?" I heard her gasp at what she saw.

I expected her to run away out of disgust as she saw me kept vomiting blood but thankfully, I'm wrong. She looked to the left and right, panicking while her hands were not staying still until she suddenly stopped as if she remembered something and looked to her side and suddenly she took a wooden bottle with vines and flowers attached to it out of nowhere. Literally, nowhere! The wooden bottle just emerged from her side!

She handed me the bottle, expecting me to accept it. With my trembling hands, I took the bottle from her and I'm quite disturbed when I felt the vines were moving but I didn't pay attention to it anymore and chugged it. I tasted a cold liquid with a touch of sweetness. It felts so light inside my mouth. After I drank it, I wiped my mouth using the back of my hand, and I felt so weird. My uneasiness suddenly vanished as if that liquid is like a magic something.

I stood up and this lady beside me too. I unconsciously looked at the blood that I have vomited on the ground. My eyebrows raised when I saw the pit of blood slowly sinking on the ground as if there's a quicksand there somewhere. When the ground finally swallowed the blood, thin white smoke emerges from it. I just shook my head and looked back at the lady who have concerned eyes. I handed the bottle back.

"Thanks," I said.

She was startled and unconsciously nodded as she took the bottle from me and put it somewhere on her side and it suddenly vanished!

Seriously, what kind of magic does she possess?

She suddenly looked at me using her terrified face. Why is she so intimidated? Is it about the fact that I'm a witch or because I am a weakling?

"What? Is there dirt on my face?" I asked her arrogantly, my eyebrows were frowning while I pointed at my face.

Her face became pale as she looked at me and shook her head a few times. I sighed and looked at her who is looking on the other side right now.

"Hey," I called her.

She turned her gaze slowly at me while maintaining the nervous face of hers. She just suddenly looked like this after she helped me. She is acting like there is someone out there to get her or something. Is she scared of me?

"Please don't continue any conversation with me. If you are now alright then I shall take my leave," she hurriedly said and turned her back against me and suddenly vanished into the cold air like a bubble.

"Wait—!" I exclaimed but it was too late, she has already gotten away.

I just blew into the cold air, I could already see smokes coming from my mouth if I'm going to speak or breathe. The temperature suddenly dropped and it surely made me sicker. Weirdly, but the moment I ingested that water that the girl handed me, my state was more stable than after I used my magic.

I didn't feel any side effects at all!

But on the other hand, I should be careful what strangers give to me here. I will never know if someone just handed me poison or explosive bombs. And that maiden... is nice.

I looked up when I feel something falling. My eyes widened with amazement when I saw raining perfectly shaped snowflakes. The purple-blue sky turned into a sky blue one as snowflakes rushed here on the ground, freely flying everywhere. I didn't think that snow can even occur here.

I spread my palm and tried to catch one of the snowflakes. A smile was carved into my face when one landed on my palm. I saw it merge with my palm and I suddenly got chills and goosebumps at the same time. I continued admiring these snowflakes, not minding the chilly temperature when I heard a very light sound which cause me to look in my right, and there I saw a squirrel. A violet squirrel. I was about to approach it when ice suddenly emits from its body. From its tail, the ice rapidly crawl onto the squirrel's face and it completely became frozen.

I blinked twice as I took a step back because of what I had witnessed while my lips were trembling, finally processing how cold the temperature is. I looked around and fear suddenly arouse me when I saw everything around me was frozen. From the trees, plants, insects, and animals. As a result of panic, I looked at my palm where the snowflake dissolved. My heart completely dropped when I saw my fingertips were now frozen and I couldn't even feel it anymore! I hid it inside my sweater as I began to sweat despite the chilly atmosphere.

This is bad... Really bad.

I immediately figured out that the snowflake is the cause of all of this frozen scenario. The moment the snowflake touches something, it will begin to produce some ice. I clenched the fist that I put inside my sweater when I felt my hand was getting heavy. So, all I need to do is to avoid the snowflakes, right?

I wish that was something so easy to say. Snowflakes keep raining from the sky blue sky and there's no way I could avoid them! That's my thought a while ago but the moment my gaze landed on one of the frozen trees, I immediately got an idea. I didn't waste any second and ran under the frozen tree. Dozing from left to right like I am fast as a thunderbolt. And finally, I reached the space under the tree!

It is now super cold and I almost feel that I am inside a refrigerator. I hugged myself while rubbing my hands on my arms. I couldn't help but crouch to save my energy while blowing repeatedly and I could clearly see the smoke after-effects.

I'm not ready to be a frozen statue yet.