The outskirts of Lumi were completely covered in snow. Pure whiteness as far as the eye can see spread all around us. The sky was gray because new, soft snow was falling. Akios's black hair was completely covered with snow to the point where it looked completely white. My hair was probably completely white too. When I touched my head I could feel a layer of snow on it.

Akios had a very fair complexion but at least he had a bit more color than snow. People in my village used to say I had fair skin but Akios was on a whole different level.

Traveling with Akios wasn't fun at all. I was in pain the whole way because he refused to give back my magic. Although he didn't take away all of my magic, I felt too weak to use the rest of my magic on spell casting. He carried me on his back for half a day and then decided to teleport us to where we were now because he wanted to save as much magic as possible. I tried to get more information from him but I wasn't successful. He was very tight-lipped.

Akios put a black winter cloak on me before we teleported to Lumi. It was pretty similar to the one he was wearing but its size was smaller. The size he gave me was still a bit too big for me. The hood was oversized too and blocked my entire view so I didn't put it on and I just let the snowfall on me because I wanted to clearly see my surroundings.

"It is only a short while until we reach the city gates," Akios said. "You can see the town defense wall."

The massive defense wall was completely covered in snow and ice. It was taller than the buildings and houses. The town's inner look was a mystery from the outside. It was probably a normal snow town as it was described in the books I read but I liked visiting new places so I'm sure I'd find this town interesting too and like it once I see it.

"Why would they have such a massive defense wall this far in the north?" I asked.

"I don't know and I don't really care," Akios replied.

It didn't make sense to me. The weather wasn't hospitable and the town wasn't very rich so I doubt they'd have any attackers. I tried to recollect my history knowledge but I couldn't remember any war that happened here.

As always Akios wasn't somebody one could hold conversations with. He always seemed uninterested about everything. I was genuinely interested in his motives but I knew he'd dodge the question.

"What do you care about?"I asked him.

"You'll find out soon enough," Akios answered.

Akios wasn't very talkative and I also said everything I wanted. We spend the rest of the way to the massive metal city gates in silence.

"Welcome to Lumi, Mistress Calytrix and Master Akios!" Leo greeted us at the town entrance.

He was standing still as the snow fell on him but that didn't seem to bother him. His fiery red hair was barely visible from the snow layer on him. Leo's eyes looked dead. They were exactly the same as the first time I saw him. He didn't show any other zombie signs but his body was covered in layers of thick winter clothes so they could have been hidden.

Akios put me down and pushed me towards Leo. Due to the pain, I wasn't too stable on my feet but Leo supported me and stopped my fall.

"Did you wait long?"Akios asked.

"Only three days," Leo answered.

It was painful to imagine that somebody stood this still for three days in this freezing weather. Judging from what I could see at the entrance the town had a lot of buildings made from massive wood that were all filled with warmth because every chimney had smoke pouring out.

"You did well. I'm sure Calytrix will reward your effort," Akios said, "Take her to a safe place."

"Mistress, I rented a room in the nearby inn," Leo turned his focus on me.

Akios thought that I would be preoccupied with Leo and just walked away.

"Wait!"I called out to Akios."Where are you going?"

"As I said I have some business. It doesn't concern you," Akios said as he walked further away.

"Of course it concerns me. You took my magic! And you'll use it on who knows what," I said.

Akios didn't answer me. He just walked away and made a turn in a far-right alley. I walked after him with a snail pace. The pain was too much for me to use magic or normal physical abilities like running.

"Mistress. You shouldn't force yourself," Leo sounded worried. "It is dangerous. Let's go to the inn so you can take a rest and recover."

"No!"I said. "I need to see what Akios is up to."

I walked a few steps ahead and fell on the frozen stone pebbles but the fresh snow lightened my fall. Leo helped me get up and brushed off some snow from my clothes.

"Master Akios said that it is dangerous and instructed me to take you to the inn." Leo insisted on Akios's orders.

"Who is your true master? Akios or me?"I asked him and looked deeply into his eyes.

For a moment his eyes shone in a golden light and reflected me. It was the proof I was looking for. The person who appeared in the golden light of a zombie's eyes was the master. Akios wasn't lying when he said that he transferred his ownership right to me.

"You are," he immediately answered.

"Than listen to my orders: Go after Akios and find up what he's up to," I said.

"Understood mistress!"

Leo immediately ran after Akios. I also slowly went in their direction as I supported myself on a nearby fence. My every step was carefully planned.

Townsfolk passed by me without taking much notice. The pedestrian path was filled with people but in my current condition, I couldn't walk through the crowd so I had to take the side covered in snow. Everybody was dressed in clothes with a lot of layers and had knit hats or hoods making it difficult to see their faces.

I came across a large frozen space and looked for a way to go around it when someone almost knocked me over. The moment an unknown woman touched me I felt magic. It was a witch. I tried to get a look at her but she was too quick and merged with the crowd. Her magic was almost equal to mine.

"Wait!" I called out to her.

She didn't respond with words but I felt that she was focusing her magic on me and it was a very bad sign.

The witch was preparing a spell against me. I felt menace in the air. She was ready for an attack.

Before I could react I couldn't see anymore. Everything was dark. Completely pitch black.

I lost my sight completely. She cast a blinding spell on me.

I didn't move. The people walking by pushed me towards some side. I suppose it was a street corner. Some of them muttered their complaints about how I was blocking their way. Casting magic was sometimes invisible and the witch secretly cast her spell on me without raising attention.

Blinding spell. It was an easy and a nasty spell. This was my first interaction with a witch if I don't count Rheya and she immediately put a spell on me. As though I were her enemy. A threat. 

The witch blocked my vision for some reason. Was there something going on that I wasn't supposed to see? Or maybe she noticed my connection with Akios and thought I was his ally. Maybe she was in conflict with Akios but that could make us actually friends. It's like Andrezey said: the same enemy makes us friends. I want to break my connection with Akios but I'll do everything in my power to help my world. Akios isn't trustworthy about anything.

A blinding spell was usually of a temporary nature. She didn't cast strong magic on me so my case must also be temporary but that could last for a few days. I can't wait a couple of days to regain my vision. The spell was explained in detail in my grimoire along with ways how to dispel it but I couldn't remember the incantation. I recalled everything about that spell except the way how to remove it.

"Mistress!" Leo came back."I am sorry. I couldn't find master Akios."

Akios surely didn't want me to know what's going on but I must find it out.

"Mistress. Why aren't you looking at me?" Leo asked.

I turned my head to the direction where I heard Leo's voice.

"I am very sorry about my failure, "Leo apologized. "Please don't turn your gaze away from me."

I mistakenly thought that his voice came from the direction I turned my head to. Leo didn't notice that I was under the blindness spell. I remembered the time when I experimented with it on a frog when I was little. The frog's eyes looked the same after I put the spell on it. I surely look normal too, exactly like I did before the spell.

"No need to apologize. I'm sure that Akios took some measures so that you don't find him," I said."Could you please take me to the inn?"

"Right away. The inn is nearby," Leo said sounding happy.

I heard Leo's footsteps ahead but after a few moments, he stopped.

"Why aren't you going?"Leo sounded confused.

At first, I thought I could track the sound of his footsteps but the town was overflowing with all kinds of sounds: the sound of many footsteps,  the sound of shovels that cleared the snow, carts being pushed along the way. There was too much noise for me to focus only on Leo's footsteps and the pain that wouldn't leave me also worked as my disadvantage.

"I'll need some help," I took my time to explain my situation to Leo.

Leo helped me get to the room in the inn. The golden light in his eyes clearly stated that he saw me as a master and a zombie can only have one true master. That's why I knew I could trust him completely. 

I asked him why he called Akios his master along the way to the inn. He told me that it was because Akios was my teacher and that sounded like he was my master so he wanted to pay respects to Akios too.

I noticed that I entered the room when a sudden warmth filled the space. My fingers were almost frozen. It was something I didn't notice until now due to the pain and all the events that happened outside.

I still couldn't remember how to dispel the blindness so I asked Leo to take the grimoire out of my bag and read me the incantation. It took him some time to find my grimoire. I heard a lot of sounds as he searched for it. My bag was full of things but I always managed to find my magic book quickly but maybe for people unfamiliar with the contents of my bag it wasn't a task they could accomplish quickly.

"Caeticas," As soon as Leo read the first word I remembered the spell completely.

Although I was still in pain, being both blind and in pain was something I couldn't withstand so I decided to use the rest of my magic which Akios didn't take away to free my vision.

"Caeticas magis resolvo magnus spiritus!"I chanted.

Using the rest of my magic made my pain more intense for a moment but I dispelled the darkness immediately after the chant. If only I could get my magic back and get rid of this pain everything would be back to normal and I would be ready to face Akios. 

I looked around the room. We were in a big bright red space. A big fireplace in the center of the room and two oil lamps on a desk lighted the space. The room had one big double bed.

"Why is there a double bed?"I asked. "I would have been fine with a normal small single bed."

"I rented this room for you mistress and for master Akios," Leo answered.

"Stop calling him master!"I said annoyed. "I don't want to be in the same room with him."

"I could rent another room, "Leo proposed.

At that moment I felt a fierce clash of two opposing magic spells. I looked through the window but there wasn't anything out of the ordinary. The snow stopped falling and night already came. Stone fire pits lighted the streets. There was no visible trace of magic. The undamaged houses and streets covered in snow looked like a pretty normal site.

"Mistress," Leo spoke but I didn't catch all the things he said because I focused on the magic I spoke

"Don't call me mistress. It leaves a bad aftertaste," I said."Just call me Calytrix."

I recalled how Rheya's slave girls called her mistress. I don't want to be a witch like that. I don't need or want slaves. All of us should be free.

After the magic explosion Akios returned my magic. He used most of it in the magic clash but returned the small leftover traces. I felt instant relief from pain. My magic was back and the rest was used on a spell. It felt like I cast the magic and not Akios. This event also made me realize that Akios doesn't need to be close to me to take or give me back my magic. He could do it from a long distance and that felt very dangerous. Akios could do it anytime, in a faraway place and I would realize it too late.

"Mistress Calytrix," Leo called me again.

"Just Calytrix," I insisted.

"It feels wrong to call you casually. I must show my complete devotion at all times," he said.

"I'm sorry but can we put our conversation on hold?" I politely asked.

I'll need to have a serious talk with the zombie Leo later but I should try to catch Akios now and find out what happened. If I don't act immediately he'll be gone and I'll lose the chance.

"Whatever you wish mistre-Calytrix," he answered.

"My magic is back. I need to go find Akios." I said and left the room in a hurry.

I tried to run through the town to the place where I felt the magic clash. It couldn't exactly be called running. I was half running and half skating through the icy pavement. Everything felt pretty normal but I didn't stop to carefully check my surroundings.

The place where I felt the outburst of magic was a very dark town square. The fire pits had their fire put out.

"Donna mihi flamma ignis spiritus!"

I light up the dark town square. It looked like an ordinary part of the town. All the buildings looked the same. Everything was covered in snow and ice but there wasn't anybody outside. A lone tall figure stood in the center of the square.

"Are you feeling better Calytrix?"Akios asked.

"What happened here?" I immediately pursued the topic I was most interested in.

"This was just a little side job I had to take care of," he answered."You shouldn't concern yourself with it."

"I won't let you walk away without answering anything this time," I said."Donna mihi flamma circulus ignis spititus."

I encircled the entire square with my flames. It was tough to keep up them burning in the freezing cold filled with snow but I wanted to show how serious I am.

"Come on, Calytrix. You're smarter than this. You know you'll inevitably lose if you pick a fight with me," Akios threatened me.

"I'm already losing," I said. "I don't know what's going on around me and you can use my magic as you please."

"If I look at everything from your viewpoint: I guess I would be a little angry," Akios said."I can't ask you to trust me?"

"Of course not!"

"But I gave you a zombie slave. That should make you happy. You can use him however you want." Akios tried to soothe the conflict."Play with him however you want. I won't care if you break him completely."

"I don't want slaves or zombies and I don't want zombie slaves!" I shouted.

I called forth my strongest flames and directed them to Akios but he dispelled them the moment they touched him.

"Ouch. You actually managed to burn me. I guess your magic did improve a little. "Akios observed me like I was an experiment. "But I don't have the time to practice with you now."

Akios chanted in a strange language and dispelled the flames I used to encircle the square.

"Obex!"

I called forth a magic protection wall in front of me.

Akios easily dispelled the protection wall and came closer to me. 

"Donna mihi flamma ignis spiritus!"

I tried to call forth my flames once more but he immediately dispelled them even before they were fully active.

"I think I get it why you're angry. I won't take your magic without asking first. Let's make it a promise." It was probably his version of kindness.

"You aren't kind. There is obviously some kind of a catch," I said.

"I can't be kind. None of us can. Only the ignorant ones can try to do it. The world made me this way," Akios explained, "Well, your answer whether I can take your magic or not won't matter but at least you'll know when I'll take it."

"You're terrible," I said.

Akios quickly chanted a big wall of ice between us and started his teleportation.

"I know but let's meet again soon, my silly pupil."

I slowly walked back to the inn and carefully looked at my surroundings. Everything seemed fine. There were no traces of magic anywhere. There wasn't a single sign of the witch who attacked me. The town was odd. Outwardly it seems like everything was okay but a lot of strange things including casting magic spell seem to be happening a lot.

"Hello there. What's a pretty lady doing all alone at night?" a man asked me.

He was standing in a nearby dark alley with some other men. They all wore hoods over their heads that covered their faces.

"If you're bored tonight you should come with us," Another man suggested. "We'll show you something interesting."

I was a bit confused with the sudden appearance of the hooded people. I didn't know what they wanted from me.

"Mis-Calytrix has business with me." Leo appeared suddenly and engaged in the conversation.

"No fun! She's got a guy with her," I heard their displeasing grumblings as they left.

I looked at Leo who seemed to be out of breath.

"Why are you out here?" I asked him.

"You were outside for a long time so I got worried. Did you find ma-Akios?" Leo asked.

"I did meet him," I answered.

"That's good. But you should be more careful Calytrix," Leo warned me.

"Careful? Why?" I was confused.

"Those men just tried to pick you up and your attitude was too carefree," he explained.

"I'm not sure what they wanted so I thought I'd hear them out first," I said.

"This is exactly what I'm warning you," Leo said seriously."You look, delicious mistress. They probably wanted to eat you."

"That's absurd! People don't eat other people. I've never heard of something like that ever happening." I said.

We resolved our little dispute quickly but Leo started to call me mistress again. He had a hard time adapting to calling me just Calytrix. I noticed how he struggled every time when he tried to call me by my name. I think I'll need to take things slowly. Leo and I both need time to figure out how to deal with a zombie lifestyle. I can't ask him to start acting completely human because he was undead now and that brought a lot of changes in his life.

The way back to the inn was long but Leo and I ended up talking only about food. He brought up the topic first and didn't stop talking about food until we had dinner. Zombies didn't have to eat since they weren't actually alive anymore but maybe his old human memories made him think he was hungry. He could eat everything a human could but he wasn't supposed to feel the physical need.

After dinner, I felt sleepy but Leo didn't. He couldn't feel sleepy because zombies can't sleep. I went to the rented room and Leo said he'd spend the night in the hallway waiting for me to get up.

Leo joined me on my journey but I wasn't ready to leave the town yet. Since Akios transferred the zombie ownership to me I was responsible for Leo. I wasn't sure what to do with Leo so I decided to observe his behavior in the next few days before I make any decisions. We'll stay in Lumi for a while because there are a lot of things I want to investigate and I need to gather information about the witch I saw today.