"Rakina!"
He waved.
Rakina turned, her expression stiffening for a moment before surprise softened her face.
"Shun? What are you doing here?" She came closer, her voice carrying a subtle urgency.
Shun hesitated briefly. Then, deciding there was no reason to hide, he told her everything—Harza, the encounter on the tracks, the address. If it was Rakina, it'd be wiser to tell her the truth.
"Harza approached you?"
Shun nodded, showing her the piece of paper. "He wants me to go to this place."
Rakina's face paled. Her voice dropped into a sharp whisper. "Shun, you must leave. You shouldn't be here at all. If you step into that place, you're going to die! They tricked you!"
Shun tilted his head slightly, inwardly thinking, What does that even mean?
"He doesn't have a reason to trick me," Shun replied calmly. "If he—or whoever sent him—wanted me dead, I'd already be a corpse."
Rakina's eyes hardened. "Shun, listen to me. A man who swears to protect his kingdom is called a soldier. A person faithful to their god is a believer. But you…" she stepped closer, her voice trembling slightly, "accepting help from something beyond this world, yet still walking under your own will… you're a vessel of absurdity."
She looked at him with something between fear and pity.
"You're not supposed to exist. They will terminate you."
"It's okay, Rakina." Shun smiled faintly, almost reassuring. "Even if push comes to shove, I'll just transform and run."
"What if that doesn't work?"
"Then I'll make it work. After all—" he gave her a small grin, "I've got you. You're heading to the same place, aren't you?"
Rakina fell silent for a beat. "…You fool."
She turned around.
"That place is where witches around the world gather."
She walked. Shun followed.
"A safe haven for us," she continued quietly, "when we have nowhere to return to, or when we simply want a rest from worldly affairs.
"The safest place when the curse strikes and we can't control ourselves—when we're on the edge of losing it all."
So basically a hideout for witches, Shun thought, glancing ahead, oddly curious.
They passed rows of coffee shops and small restaurants before stopping at a tailor shop. A fashionable mannequin stood in the display window.
"This is the place."
Shun looked up at the sign.
— Witch's Tailor —
Simple. Almost too simple.
The door slid open on its own.
They stepped inside.
The interior felt warm and personal. The walls were painted in earthy greens. In the center stood a sofa set around a low wooden table.
To the side, a polished wooden rack held neatly folded fabrics and rows of finely hung clothes.
"Follow me," Rakina said.
They walked toward the cashier.
A blonde girl stood behind the counter.
"Two tails, one ripe. Two rots, one dines," Rakina said evenly.
The cashier blinked. Her eyes widened for a brief second, a flicker of recognition—or was it shock? She coughed lightly, regaining composure, and gave a small nod.
Rakina mirrored the nod and led Shun to the fitting room.
She closed the door behind them.
The mirror stirred.
Shun frowned, confusion flickering across his face. Before he could process what just happened, Rakina stepped forward—into the mirror.
Shun stared, awe and bewilderment mixing.
What… just happened?
Then, Rakina's hand stretched out from within the mirror, palm open.
Without a word, Shun placed his hand in hers.
She pulled him in.
His vision flashed white. His sense of space—gone. For a moment, there was no up or down, no ground beneath him.
Then it faded.
Shun opened his eyes.
And it was like he was in another world.
"Woah…"
Floating buildings rose above him. Immediately, he noticed a crowd gathered by the side of the street.
Waiting for a bus? he thought.
But then something else emerged from the ground.
An eel-like creature. It slithered up smoothly and stopped in front of the crowd.
At first glance, it looked like any other giant eel—until a door materialized on its side. The waiting crowd stepped inside. Another crowd exited.
The creature let out a shriek that sounded eerily like a honk before sinking back underground.
Shun blinked.
Looking around, he realized animals were public transport here.
A woman flew by, riding a massive fox.
A man lounged lazily on an elephant's back as it plodded slowly along the path.
And magic wasn't just for combat—it was daily life.
A street vendor used controlled flames to grill skewers.
A mother hung clothes on a line, then dried them instantly with a gust of wind magic.
Laborers lifted heavy beams effortlessly with telekinesis.
Rakina glanced at him. "Welcome to the Witch's Association, Shun."
Shun's eyes widened.
Forget a hideout—this is a thriving society. A whole country of magic!
They kept walking.
"This is incredible," Shun said. "Did you guys build all of this from scratch?"
"Yes. But if not for Aliza—one of the founders of the Witch Association—this would have been impossible. This very space was her creation."
When Shun thought about it, witches never had it easy.
The moment they first stepped onto Earth through the Rift, they were already breaking—losing their minds.
If it hadn't been for a handful of compassionate humans, they might've been erased entirely.
He couldn't help but say softly, "You witches are amazing. Away from your hometown, hurt, agonized, and yet somehow… you still got up. You rebuilt what you lost."
Rakina smiled faintly. "Humanity isn't much different. You survived the first Wave. You kept going until the System appeared, even without magic."
"Well," Shun chuckled, "guess we're both as persistent as cockroaches."
She laughed quietly. "Truly."
Caught up in their conversation, they didn't notice how far they'd gone until Rakina stopped.
"We're here."
Shun glanced ahead.
Students in robes littered the school grounds.
A magic academy.
It was straight out of the webcomics he'd read, but seeing it in person—it was different.
He wanted to explore it, but right now there were more important things.
"Did you study here?" he asked.
"Yes. All witches must attend from the age of six to sixteen before setting off on their own journey."
"Was it fun?"
"Not really."
I guess everyone's got their own version of magic academy, Shun thought.
They walked toward the entrance. But before crossing it, Shun stopped.
"Shun?"
He was staring at the floor tiles.
"They might break."
Rakina followed his gaze, understood instantly.
"...Could you create anything with your magic?" He asked after a falling into a deep thought.
"Yes."
Shun smiled.
***
The hallway inside was lively, filled with chatter—until it wasn't.
Silence fell.
A young girl dragged a sleigh with a rope, and on it sat a young man, wide-eyed, taking in the magic academy's interior like a child visiting a safari for the first time.
Underneath the sleigh, a perfect path of ice stretched forward, forming itself as they moved.
"I can't believe I'm dragging you like luggage," Rakina muttered.
"Would you rather I wreck their precious floors and cause accidents?"
"…Fair."
Some of the passing gazes landed on Shun, filled with curiosity, confusion.
But the gazes directed at Rakina? Some of them carried malice.
"It seems," Shun whispered, "we're not exactly welcome."
"I'm on their death list," she said simply.
"...Rakina, is there something you haven't told me yet?"
She stopped.
"I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Shun replied softly. "Just tell me what's going on."
So she did.
And suddenly the stares made sense.
"You basically walked into the monster's den," he said quietly.
"I'm aware."
She started moving again.
"You're not that different from me, are you?"
Both wouldn't hesitate to be reckless.
"That seems to be the case," Shun admitted.
She accepted it easily. Shun was about to tease her more, but her response caught him off guard.
"I guess we're idiots."
"No," she said plainly.
She didn't argue further.
They reached a massive door. It was so large it looked like a gate.
"So huge," Shun muttered, awed.
The door creaked open ominously.
The air shifted. Heavy. Oppressive.
Shun's instincts screamed. His hand hovered near the trigger of his transformation.
Rakina took a deep breath and stepped forward, pulling the sleigh along.
The room was dimly lit. Shun's eyes took a few seconds to adjust.
Then he froze.
There were presences here.
One in particular crawled under his skin. It unsettled him to the core.
[Divine Symbol: Absurdity of You shields you from Their gaze.]
Unbeknownst to him, his eyes glowed faintly.
A crest shimmered in his irises.