My teleport destination happened to be midair, in front of a large water source. I had no way out of this situation. A small scream escaped my lips before my forced swim. As I was falling to the bottom, I felt something grab me... pulling me up. 

"Are you okay?" I heard a young female voice.

The leaking water made my eyes sensitive and difficult to open. The water in my eyes blocked my vision until it disappeared or dried. I was drenched, so I couldn't get the water out of my eyes for the next few minutes until my hands dried. I couldn't tell where I was or how the person in front of me looked.

"Yes, I'm good," I said a few moments later with closed eyes. "Are you the one who pulled me out of the lake?"

"I pulled you out as soon as I noticed you drowning," a young female voice said.

"I can properly swim!- even so, thank you," I thanked her because it was proper conduct.  

Despite unintentional harsh words, remembering and using good manners towards kind people was vital. Though I could have easily swum up, I appreciated the help.

"It's very rare to see any visitors in this forest except me. Did you come here because you wanted to be all alone?" she asked.

"Yes. I wanted to take a break from everyone," I lied, with my eyes still closed.

"Why are your eyes closed?" she continued to question me.

Upon explaining my physical condition, she used a dry cloth to gently wipe the area around my eyes. Though unpleasant, my vision quickly returned to normal after a brief period. I disliked being touched, particularly by strangers. I took the cloth from her hands and did the rest of the drying off myself.

The girl who helped me was younger than me. She was a lot smaller and slightly thinner than me. Her black hair, long enough to reach her hips, highlighted her big, black eyes. She enhanced her naturally pretty face with a skillful makeup application, but her fashion sense was odd. Her outfit consisted of a red corset and a dark red dress. Although that clothing was traditionally worn by witches for special occasions, I detected no magic emanating from her or our vicinity. She wasn't a witch.

"Your dress is pretty," I said my first thought.

"Thank you," she said with a big smile. "Your styling is nice, too."

"Were you going somewhere special since you're so dressed up?" I asked.

"No. I don't think there is anything wrong with a girl dressing up just because she wants to be cute," she answered.

"I agree, but why witch clothes?" I asked again.

"Because it matches my fashion sense," she quickly said. "It's a style both of us like, judging from your looks."

"Yes, I like these clothes the best," I said with a smile.

"I actually came here to feed my ducks." 

She pointed out to the big bag full of bread near her. 

"But I can't see them. Your lake jump might have scared them."

As she looked around the lake, searching for her ducks, I surveyed my surroundings as well. We were standing near the shore of a large, murky, gray lake which was surrounded by a beautiful evergreen forest whose viridescent leaves and needles blended perfectly with the emerald color of the grass. It was in its perfect, natural shape, untouched by humans.

It was my first time at this place, but it felt like the black-haired girl and I were the only ones there. I saw absolutely no signs of human activity whatsoever. Perhaps we were far into the woods. Based on what I saw, I had no idea where we were. It could have been any place. There were no special features that would tell me what region I was in. I had to rely on someone to tell me where I was and point me toward the nearest town.

I found it odd that she thought of the witch style clothing as a fashion style, but there was nothing wrong with that. Individuals should express themselves freely through their clothing, however, if girls without magical abilities adopt this style, it will diminish the unique appearance of witches. For a non-magical human, there was no way to tell if a girl was a witch or not until he saw her casting magic, but witches could sense magic around them. 

She gave up on finding her ducks and went back to where I was standing. I was just going to ask her for directions when she surprised me with a suggestion.

"Your makeup is gone dune to the water. If you'd like, I could fix it for you?" She said as she carefully looked at me. "Don't worry, I'll make you cute. My house is nearby."

"Thank you. I'll kindly take you up on your offer." 

I felt we could get along and maybe even become friends. Originally I didn't wear any makeup, but it was just a little white lie. 

"Great!" she said with a smile. "You'll also have the chance to dry completely at my house."

Her kindness, a stark contrast to my recent misfortunes, pleasantly surprised me. Making a friend during my travels wouldn't hurt. I may even pick up some helpful make-up application tips. Usually I struggled to put it on properly. I made a real effort to use it on special days. Her generous makeup offer, and her amazing skill, considering her own flawless makeup, was too good to refuse.

"By the way, my name is Rheya," she said cheerfully.

"My name is Calytrix. I'm a witch on a journey," I said. "Nice to meet you!"

"A witch! That sound so exciting," she said energetically. "You'll have to tell me all about magic in the house!" 

Fifteen minutes later, we found ourselves before a small forest house. Built of old, discolored brick, the house was remarkably sturdy. Surrounding it was nothing but more untouched nature. I was surprised that anyone went to the trouble of constructing such a sturdy structure in the wild. Perhaps Rheya's family needed to hide for a specific reason. They could be bandits or something like that. I, as a witch, had no fear of criminals. I can flee if it becomes unsafe, but I must find out the name of this place. 

"There are no other houses in the area, but you surely don't live alone?" I asked. "Is your family here?"

"I live with my grandmother." 

Rheya smiled as she opened the door, beckoning me to come in. 

"It's just the two of us, but she's currently away." 

Girly items overflowed the small house: cute and formal clothes, casual wear, makeup, fashion books, and stuffed toys. A young girl's aesthetic was visible in every direction. Judging only from the style, it was as though she lived alone. Her grandmother's tolerance was impressive, given that she let her granddaughter decorate the entire place to her liking. The room contained minimal furniture: a bed, a desk, and a few chairs. At the back of the room, I saw a door, suggesting a kitchen and other small rooms beyond.

Judging from all the stuff she had here, they weren't poor, but I don't think they could make any profit or even shop where they lived. Maybe another family member brought them all the stuff they wanted.

"Sit down, please," Rheya said."I'll make you pretty like a princess."

She pushed me to sit down on the chair and started mixing her makeup tools. For some reason, she was pushy, but I let her be.

"A princess?" I said. "But I am a witch, so that wouldn't be fitting."

"What are you saying? With such a beautiful face as yours, everybody would consider you royalty," she said cheerfully. "Real princesses would be envious."

Thrilled by her compliment, I instantly became too shy to thank her properly. 

"But I am a proper witch," I said.

"You mentioned it before, but is it really true? You can perform magic?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. I can show it to you." I said proudly. "Dona mihi fugatur spirituum flamma, virdi, caeruleus, flavus, purpura." 

I called forth colorful flames and focused on making the flames dance around the room in all directions.

"What do you think?" I said, smiling.

Rheya looked at me with a disappointing look on her face.

"I was expecting something exciting, even dangerous," she said with a strange look on her face.

"Something different..." 

I completely immersed myself in my thoughts about other magic spells I could show. 

"Something dangerous... dangerous spells... Rheya, you should take magic seriously," I said worriedly. "It could do some irreversible damage." 

"You're too kind. With your attitude, you're supposed to be a princess, Calytrix. Not a witch!" she exclaimed.

Rheya put down her makeup and gazed at me, which made me quite nervous. Her pushiness and her sudden insistence on a princess style disturbed me, but she was just complimenting me. Maybe she got angry because I didn't respond to her compliments too well.

"The first eye is done. I'll move on to the next now," she said cheerfully. "Stay still."

I felt relief because Rheya was just focusing on the make-up. Her seriousness could be the reason she did it well. One shouldn't take important things lightly.

"I noticed a heart tattoo on your left hand. Is it for your sweetheart?" she asked.

I instantly glanced at my left hand. A heart tattoo replaced the magical contract circle. It was a small magical camouflage in front of others. Akios at least did one helpful thing. A contract sign wasn't something that was supposed to be shown to everyone. This means that I can show my hand to others without worrying.

"You look sad," Rheya said sympathetically.

Her misinterpretation of my situation was, surprisingly, beneficial. I really didn't want to discuss what happened at Leo's mansion with anyone. My intention was to tackle everything on my own. I couldn't fully understand some aspects of what happened, but I will confront them eventually.

"I think I heard somewhere that witches had a fiancé decided, just like princesses. Do you have one too?" she inquired.

I immediately gazed down. Leo was. He is... the last time I saw him... his eyes seemed dead, but that could have been just my imagination. He must be doing fine. I did nothing wrong. I just wanted to help. He should be fine. Nothing happened to him. Leo probably went on living as usual. Just like everyone else in his mansion. He is probably working hard to make his family prosperous, and that is a good thing. I hope he is happy.

"I'm sorry. You seem hurt. I didn't want to prey nor reopen wounds on your heartbreak," Rheya said softly.

She misunderstood me again, but it was for the best. I knew Leo barely at all. Rheya's perception of our relationship was completely off. What I witnessed at the mansion just before the end troubled me. Although magic influenced him, he is probably alright.

"No, it's okay. We do have a fiancé decided, but we're not forced to actually marry," I answered.

"That's great news. You can choose whomever you want." 

"By the way, what did you fiance look like?" Rheya continued questioning.

"I don't know. I didn't meet him," I lied."It isn't required."

"Maybe it's better you don't know. You could have been paired up with some prince looking like a barrel with the worst possible personality," she said.

The specificity of her example made it sound unusual. It's possible she knew of a woman with a terrible fiancé. Rheya lived in a forest, but that didn't mean that she didn't go out of it or met with others.

She started laughing suddenly.

"I just thought of something funny. Wouldn't it be exciting if your tattoo was actually a camouflage that hid your demonic contract?" she said.

I also laughed to hide my emotions.

Rheya was almost on point. While magical, the contract wasn't genuinely demonic. I wasn't happy about the contract because I didn't know what will happen from it. I must meet up with Akios again and talk about it, but since he teleported me here, Akios indicated that he'll come and see me when he needs to. 

"You're too big of a goody-two-shoes to do something like that," she remarked.

I didn't want to ask Rheya about Akios. If he sent me here with her knowledge, Rheya would already mention it. And that was okay because I'll probably learn more about Akios and his master as I journey. He mentioned saving the world. That sounded nice, but too abstract. I had no knowledge of the danger facing the world or its specifics. What did saving the world mean? I need to find it out before they extract magic from me.

"Okay. It's done. What do you think?" Rheya asked me as she handed me a hand mirror.

It was wonderful light pink makeup with golden sparkles that looked very nice. I was very happy with her work.

"I noticed that your clothes are damaged and burned in places. It's improper for a young girl to walk around in torn clothes.  I'll give you a spare dress," Rheya said as she looked at the faults in my dress.

After she examined my dress carefully, Rheya looked through her dresses in the back of the room and chose a magnificent pink ball gown. The long sleeves were made of pink tulle, see-through, with open shoulders and flowers at the ends. Similar to a corset, the top half fit snugly against the body. Tiny, shiny, sparkly details embellished the light pink gown. A flowery belt divided the upper and lower sections, the latter elegantly layered and wavy.

"Put this on," the tone of her voice sounded like one of a strict teacher.

"I can't," I said, flustered.

The dress was too grandiose. I couldn't walk around it through the forest or in towns. It looked like something reserved for special occasions, something only royals would wear.

"Put it on! You can't walk in your tattered clothes," she elaborated. "The fabric is barely holding together. You don't want to have an accident where they would rip off completely as you're walking."

"Maybe you could let me borrow a needle and thread," I said.

"You can't use magic to fix your clothes?" she asked.

"In theory, I could, but it's very delicate. I usually end up using too much power and ripping the fabric," I explained.

"I have no needles in my house," she interrupted me."I'm being really kind here and you're being difficult."

"Thank you for your concern," I started, but then she started taking off my clothes forcibly.

"Stop!" I said.

Rheya ignored my protests. Before I could react, she swiftly untied my corset.

"Don't touch me!" the displeasure was too much for me to handle.

"I won't stop until you agree to put it on yourself. Either way, it has to be that dress," she insisted.

She was getting pushier and pushier, with no sign of stopping.

"I'll put it on myself!" I shouted as I gave in.

"Good," Rheya said, satisfied.

After I put on the dress, Rheya threw my clothes in the back like they were meant to be discarded.

"Oh my. Look at the time. Grandmother will come back soon. I have to clean up," she said.

"I'll help," I offered.

"No! I don't allow guests to do housework. Go outside for a walk and come back later," Rheya said as she pushed me.

She forced me from the house and locked herself inside. The events left me a little shocked and angry. I wanted my old clothes back, but I could only get them through force now. Using my magic to interfere in other people's lives was against the rules for a witch like me. I already got called out by the witch's guild in the palace, so I ended being pushed around this time. 

I returned to the lake. Ducks were nowhere to be seen. At this point, I asked myself whether Rheya really went to feed the ducks. The water was still so murky that I couldn't see the bottom or any fish. Birds high in the trees were the only animals I've seen until now. They flew and sang happily.

My chance to ask Rheya about our location slipped away, and I didn't feel like going back there after I was forcibly pushed out. She was quite an odd girl. I didn't get her at all.

I decided to use some tracing magic. If a human passed by here lately, I could retrace his or her steps to find a way.

"Invenies signa in hominum actione," I chanted.

The spell succeeded, yet only Rheya and I showed signs of human presence. My only option was to wander, hoping to quickly find a man-made trail.

The contract sign on my left hand was back in its original form. The heart tattoo camouflage activated only when I was near people. I examined the text closely, but it was in an unfamiliar language. None of the magic books I read contained anything comparable. Akios mentioned his magic was different. Perhaps his gender played a role. His alleged source of magic differed from mine, which seemed improbable to me. Magic not bestowed by the elemental spirits... I couldn't imagine it, but if it really exists, I'd love to learn more about it, although I kind of doubt he would be willing to explain the details.

A gust of cold wind swept past. The birds fell silent and I could sense faint magic. Intrigued, I headed in its direction. It wasn't Akios's magic. His magic was now recognizable to me, thanks to my direct contact with it. This time, it could be an actual witch.

I went towards the source, walking through the woods. The magic fluctuated in intensity; sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker. The source seemed to flicker in and out of existence. I walked without encountering any signs of human habitation again. I navigated the tall grass, bushes, and animal trails in the forest. At some point, the magic disappeared. It was completely gone, although I am sure I followed its path correctly.

I gave up on searching for the magic source. It was too unstable. Instead, I decided to look for a road or any kind of human civilization. I didn't know which direction to go, so I just went left from where I was standing.

I stumbled on some weeds while I was walking. It was embarrassing, but at least no one was watching. While I was adjusting my dress, I saw the magical contract transform into a heart-shaped tattoo. It indicated the presence of other people, but I didn't see anyone around. Akios had exceptional magical abilities. It couldn't have been a mistake, someone must be around.

"Hello! Is anyone out there?" I called out.

There was no answer, only silence, which was interrupted by the songs of forest birds.

"Hello!" I called out again.

I checked all around, yet I sensed no one's presence again. Only forest animals passed by. A cute, snow-white rabbit hopped along. I wanted to chase it, but since I couldn't take it with me as a pet, so I didn't want to disturb it. Coming to the forest had some perks. Seeing the bunny made me happy.

I looked at the ground to make sure that there were no more weeds that would make me trip again when I noticed something odd. Polished wood was underneath. After clearing the vegetation, I found a lath. I finally found some signs of human activity. Someone was inside. That's why my contract sign reacted.

I checked the lath more closely. It wasn't too heavy. I could open it without a problem. 

The inside must have one of two specific types of people. It could be a bandit or some similar criminal hiding, or someone held captive by them. I leaned my ear on it and heard some sounds.

"I am so hungry and I'm tired of standing up all day," I heard some disturbing words.

"Endure it, mistress will surely come," another young female voice said.

"Remember the time when she left us all alone for a day? I thought I was going to starve," the first voice said.

Somebody was holding the two girls captive, which was terrible. I immediately opened the latch and looked at the dim candlelight that was coming from the inside. I should free them now when the criminals aren't around.