ELSIE HAD THE knack of saying too much more than what was needed. And in a short period, Andy felt like he had already known her for years! He knew her favorite color, favorite dress, favorite pastry, and favorite dessert. She even blabbered about her first word as a baby and the gift she received from her seventh birthday.

Andy need not ask about her family. Elsie voluntarily informed him that her father was the village's chief and her mother worked in the Coven Council.

He looked at her as if she had a loose screw in the head. "You make it seem like family information is nothing. My mama told me not to give any personal information to strangers."

She shrugged. "You're no stranger to me."

"Oh yeah? You don't even know a thing about me."

"Then why not tell me things about yourself?"

A few more minutes went on—with Elsie doing all the talking—before they finally reached their destination. It was located past the buzzing Central Plaza and south of the Coven Hall, where the higher-ups organized their meetings.

The Rainwater's residence was bigger than any houses Andy had seen so far in Hearthstone. It was three-storey high and made of stone, yet it was simple with no trace of elegance that screamed power and wealth. To be honest, it was not the kind of dwelling he expected from a family of an influential village chief.

As it was already off the cobbled streets, the house stood in a remote area. There was a chicken coop beside the house and surrounded by grass patches. A long wooden fence, barely reaching a nine-year-old's chest, denied entry towards the dense forest ahead.

Elsie led him towards the porch as they climbed the stone steps past the banister and three massive archways.

A heavy wooden door stood before Andy. Its topmost part had six square glass panels and had a bronze knocker in the shape of a skull.

She eased the door open, which created a loud groaning sound. "Come on in, Mr. Outlander." Then she entered without waiting for him. Her hat's tip was the last thing he saw before the darkness swallowed her.

Andy was left standing outside, a bullet of sweat trickling past his forehead down to his neck. But he thought of Chip, which alone gave him the courage to take several steps until he was finally inside the house in no time.

He thought the interior was worse than he expected. Andy imagined live bats hanging on the ceiling, their eyes casting an eerie glow, or a room filled with a green light from a simmering cauldron, or a floor with scattered bodies of unconscious children. But instead, it looked just like how a typical house should be: a complete set of sofa and center table for entertaining visitors, closed cabinets and frames, towering shelves of ancient tomes, and potted plants. Andy could even smell the fresh scent of jasmine circulating the air.

The framed photographs showed just how much time had passed on a mantelpiece near the foyer. Each was labeled at the bottom of the years they were taken. Seven years ago, little Elsie was like a pink beach ball with chubby cheeks and fat legs and arms. The following photographs showed the same cheerful girl riding her first broom, holding a wand that sparked colorful lights around her and being hugged and kissed by her parents. At the sight of Elsie's family, Andy felt a sore spot in his heart because he wished to be with his family right at that moment.

As average-looking as it was, there were still visible markings that this house belonged to a family of witches. A long table filled with herbs lined on their respective trays and jars containing green or yellow mash was on the far left corner. An unwashed mortar and pestle were left close to the edge unattended.

Andy moved in front of the rack and looked intently at each broom. He was thrilled to expose its secret to flying when someone blew on his right ear, making him jump and ticklish.

Elsie giggled. "What are you doing?"

"Er, j-just checking if the brooms have boosters or propellers installed."

She tilted her head to the side, her brows furrowed at the unfamiliar words. "What are those?"

He sighed. "Never mind. I just want to get Chip. Where is he?"

Elsie nodded in understanding. She clicked her fingers into a snap, and another one of those blue balls of flame appeared, confining Chip inside.

Andy felt panic rise over his chest. He teetered on the spot to find something to extinguish the fire. Unluckily, the witches didn't own fire extinguishers.

"Oh, no, Chip! Elsie, he's burning!"

The girl rolled her eyes and pointed at Chip inside the blue flame. "Does Chip look like he's burning? He's enjoying the tickles!"

True to what she said, the pug was indeed snorting and grumbling loudly. The dog rolled on his back, exposing his tummy, as the tiny licks of flame took the shape of a hand and tickled him.

As the flame set Chip down and disappeared, Andy knelt down to hug and shower the dog with kisses. The dog put his cold little nose into his face and whined dismally at the sight of his tears.

"Come on, buddy. Let's get out of here." Sniffing, Andy set him down and shuffled his way to the door. He was about to reach for the door's brass knocker when Elsie rushed forth with outstretched arms to block him.

"No. You can't just go back to your world."

"I'll go back if I want to," he spat back.

"It's not that easy. Listen to me first," Elsie insisted, and her eyes told Andy she wouldn't give up so easily.

Andy made it clear that listening was the last thing he would do, especially from a witch. He went back to pick Chip up but was utterly surprised when the dog growled and bared its canines at him.

"He doesn't want to go," she said as she came up beside him.

"No, he does. Maybe you brainwashed him." He scowled at her, looking teary-eyed once again.

Elsie placed a hand on her small hip and pointed at the living room's sofa. "You sit there, please."

"Fine!" he said, but only because Elsie put on a stern face, similar to his mom's. It was the final straw when she squinted her eyes, and Andy finally heeded to her command.

As he sank wearily on the old yellow sofa, Elsie disappeared behind the beady curtains. She returned with a bowl full of fortune cookies and placed it on the center table.

She plopped herself on the adjacent sofa, legs swinging. Her bright amber eyes blinked at him curiously. "I was wondering how you accidentally arrived in our world since it's obvious that you weren't intending to do so."

"I had a little accident back in our—" he swallowed a lump in his throat "—house." Andy picked up a fortune cookie to release some tension in his tired body. He cracked the cookie in half and unrolled the piece of paper inside. It read:

A lifetime friend shall soon be made.

Andy snorted. This is crap, he told himself. No one can determine the future by reading a piece of junk written by literally anyone.

He crumpled the piece of paper and threw it on the carpet. Chip bounded excitedly and ate the paper.

"Ew, Chip!" Andy grimaced and returned his attention to Elsie. "When can we leave?"

Not paying attention to his question, she picked a cookie and read the paper strip inside. Then she squealed. "Hey, listen to this! All the troubles you have will pass away very quickly."

Andy blew a strand of his hair on his forehead and rested his chin between his palms. "Oh, how I wish this too shall pass," he whispered to himself.

Elsie pouted. Seeing the bored look on his face, she immediately discarded the paper, which Chip gladly munched.

"For an Outlander, there are so many things you need to learn, including the entire world of witches—the land of Emerraine. But don't worry! That's why you have me."

"Mmm-hmm."

"You are not the first one who accidentally used the hearth's portal, by the way. There were lots before you."

This caught Andy's attention. His ears perked up. "So, how did they get out?"

A Cheshire grin spread across her face. "The right question is, did they ever get out?"

He gulped. Andy gathered Chip in his arms and enveloped him in a squeezing hug. "W-What happened?"

"Outlanders who land in Hearthstone shall do a favor for the village." Elsie slammed her palms onto the center table, making him jump on his seat. Suddenly, it felt like he was thrown into a horror movie even though he had never seen one. Elsie's voice became hollow when she spoke, "And only when they succeeded shall they be granted exit from this world."

Andy tossed Chip to the side, making the latter growl in disapproval. He leaned on the table, and Elsie had to scoot back to put them some distance.

"I will tend to your parents' garden!" he said in a panic-filled voice. "My aunt taught me all about gardening." And Andy silently thanked Aunt Carol for making him do all those grueling tasks. Now he could finally put it into use, and that was to save his life.

"No." Elsie wagged her pointing finger. "It has to be for the benefit of the whole village, not only of a single family."

"T-Then what do I have to do?"

"You saw that black cloud over the hill, right?" she asked, to which he responded with a nod. "It first appeared as a tiny, harmless cloud five years ago, though each year it grows bigger and bigger. The bigger it is, the more harmful it gets."

She jumped out of her seat and rummaged inside her witch hat. "Tada!" And she pulled out from it a simple pair of glasses with elongated lenses and a dark, mildly large frame, whose only unique feature was the small wing on its sides, surrounded by a couple of little hearts. She put back her hat on, cleared her throat, and started pacing back and forth in front of him, perfecting the look of a strict teacher.

"Would you believe that there was once a mansion standing atop the hill?" she said in a perky voice. "It belonged to the richest family of Hearthstone. As the black cloud got big enough to match its size, it sucked the house through, along with the family of witches living inside. You see, for all these years, our people can't help but get more anxious each passing day because soon, it will be big enough to suck in all of Hearthstone, and no one knows what lies inside."

Andy felt terrible for the village people that he had this crazy idea of helping. Then he remembered that he was only Andy Crow, a nobody. What good could he do to help these people? He only knew how to do Math or build minuscule things. Other than that, he was utterly powerless. And for goodness sake, they were all witches. Couldn't they do anything about it?

"Why are you telling me that story?" Of course, he wasn't dumb. Andy had a growing hunch about why Elsie decided to tell him that story.

"Isn't it obvious? If you found a way to ward off the black clouds from the sky, you'd be doing everyone a favor!" She clasped her hands, and if it was possible to find stars from someone else's eyes, Andy could see one right now.

"And if I don't?" he said in a mock challenge.

Elsie looked down at her feet to prevent Andy from seeing how upset she was. "Sweeping Hearthstone's streets would do no good. Everyone here desperately wants only one thing." She lifted her head high, and determination made her red eyes burn like fire. "You only have a week to last. This world rejects any non-magic entity it detects. So if you are not able to pass through the exits within seven days, you'll cease to exist."

He froze and dared not speak. Andy was simply rooted to the spot as if he had become a robot, and his system had automatically shut down. From what she said, a choice for him was non-existent. It was either he saved the village or ended up disappearing. Of course, he didn't want to disappear, leaving him with only one choice.

Andy closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to think. "I-I am not someone special, Elsie. I don't think I can do this, but..." He clenched his fists so tight they went as white as the tiny stars on his dirt-ridden pajamas. "But I still want to see mama and papa, and... maybe even Aunt Carol too."

"Pft, you don't have to worry. I got you." Elsie had her cold hands wrapped around his, and she smiled at him reassuringly.

He heaved a sigh as a sign of resignation. "Fine."

The young witch couldn't contain her excitement as she let out an ear-splitting scream and did an odd dance that almost made him laugh if only he weren't so worried about his life.

"Hey! I know what we got to do first. Stand up. Come on." She pulled him out of the seat, and Chip followed on his heels. "Let's do the promise bind. All of us in Hearthstone value every promise that if one of us breaks it, misfortunes happen in our lives."

"Er, now I don't think I still want to do it."

"Oh, silly. Nothing's going to happen. Just keep your promise firm, and everything will be okay."

Elsie skipped towards the circular window beside the door where a single pot basked in the morning sun rays. She plucked the single flower in it and left its stem intact. The flower had boat-shaped petals. Small golden grains swam on its center, a pair of antennae sprouted on it, and a golden and white light formed a circular barrier around it.

She pulled her wand from her robe and tapped its tip onto the flower twice. "Wake up, Autumn's Flower. Wakey, wakey!"

From Elsie's palm, it drifted aloft, its wings flapping gently like wings. Its two antennae wrapped themselves on each of the children's pinky fingers.

"I'll do it first, alright? And then, you just follow my lead." She cleared her throat and sucked in a mouthful of air. "Wrap thee in Autumn's Breeze, bind thee with the promise. I, Elsie Rainwater, swear to protect and be your friend for all of our lifetime." The flower's glow pulsed once. She nudged him on the shoulder. "You next. Repeat the first statement, then state your promise."

"W-Wrap thee in Autumn's Breeze, bind thee with the promise. I swear to—"

"You have to say your name."

He blinked once then twice, contemplating if he still wanted to do it. "Do I really need to?"

"Of course!" She crossed her arms across her chest. "Otherwise, this promise binding would be ineffective."

"Okay." He sighed then with a voice much more precise and louder, "Wrap thee in Autumn's Breeze, bind thee with the promise. I, er... Andy Crow... swear to save the Hearthstone Village and be Elsie's friend for all of our lifetime."

The golden and white glow pulsed once, then twice. Its tiny grains popped, releasing an air of sweet fragrance. The two antennae snapped from the flower, wrapped themselves completely on their fingers like strings, and disappeared under their skin.

It was done. The promise had been sealed.