Chương 6: The Witch's Deal

"Thank you, Miss Elise!" Winifred said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It's fine! And don't call me Miss Elise—just Elise, okay?" Elise said with a slight smile.

"Oh… yes!" Winifred replied, smiling back.

"Winifred, you must be thirsty and hungry, right?" Elise asked.

Winifred suddenly realized just how thirsty she was. "Oh… yes, Elise! But how did you know?" she asked curiously.

"Because of the Fate Circle. People who are transported from one world to another through the Fate Circle often experience the same symptoms—they feel thirsty and hungry. I read about it in a book, so I figured you must be thirsty too," Elise explained.

"You can drink water from this river. It's clean," Elise added.

"Oh… okay," Winifred said.

She walked over to the river where Elise had been sitting earlier. "Oh wow, the water is so clear," Winifred said. She started drinking the water and also splashed some on her face to freshen up.

"Ah… I feel so much better now," Winifred said to herself.

"So, tell me—what are you going to do next?" Elise asked.

"I… I don't know. I mean… what should I do?" Winifred said, hesitating.

"I understand. If I were in your place, I wouldn't know what to do either," Elise admitted. "But tell me, Winifred—what do you want? What are your dreams? What do you want to become?"

"My dreams… what I want to be…" Winifred trailed off, deep in thought.

"Yes! Once you figure that out, we can decide your next steps. I can help you, so think carefully," Elise encouraged.

Without much hesitation, Winifred declared, "What I want is to be happy. I want power—power to protect my happiness, to protect my loved ones. I want power because I know how important it is. That's what I want, Elise."

"Hmm… you want power so you can be happy, huh? But bad people also seek power to protect their own happiness or to get what they want. What makes you different from them?" Elise asked.

"I know! But I want power because I understand how important it is. I used to be weak, and everyone left me—not just because I was weak, but because I couldn't protect what I cared about. I want to be happy, but I know you can't achieve happiness by doing bad things. Still, without power, you can't live a happy life either. You can't protect the people you love. You can't even protect yourself. For me, not having power makes me sadder than anything else," Winifred said confidently.

"You're not entirely wrong, but you're not completely right either. Still, that's enough for me to understand what you want and why you want it," Elise said with a small smile. "So, you know what you want, right, Winifred?"

"Yes!" Winifred said firmly.

"Good. To gain power, you'll need to learn magic. You'll have to become independent, and right now, you have nothing," Elise explained.

Winifred's expression faltered. "Yes… that's true," she admitted with a hint of worry.

"Here's the deal, Winifred. I'm a witch, and I can teach you magic. Do you want to learn from me?" Elise asked, smiling warmly.

Winifred was momentarily stunned. Her eyes widened, and she smiled. "Yes! Can you really teach me magic?" she asked eagerly.

"Of course! If you want to learn, I can teach you," Elise replied with confidence.

"Yes! I want to learn. I mean, what other choice do I have?" Winifred said with a smile.

"Exactly. Right now, you don't have many options," Elise said, smiling back.

"But why are you doing this for me?" Winifred asked, curious.

"Because you're alone here. You don't have anyone or anything. You came from another world, and if people find out, it could be dangerous for you. I'm a good witch, so I want to help," Elise said with a kind smile.

"Oh… okay. Thank you so much, Elise," Winifred said gratefully.

"It's fine," Elise said gently.

"But… where will I stay? I don't have a home," Winifred said nervously.

"Don't worry. Since I'm teaching you, you'll live with me from now on," Elise said with a reassuring smile.

"Oh, thank you again for everything!" Winifred said.

"It's no problem. But just so you know, I'm not doing this for free. You'll need to help with the housework. That's our deal. Do you agree?" Elise said, smiling.

Without hesitation, Winifred replied, "Oh, yes! Of course! You're doing so much for me—I'd be happy to help."

"Good. Let's head to my house. It's nearby. This place looks safe, but it's not," Elise said.

"Oh… okay. And… do you think I can learn magic? I mean, in my world, there's no magic," Winifred said hesitantly.

"What? Really? No magic in your world?" Elise asked, surprised.

"Yes. Magic doesn't exist in my world," Winifred said, her voice tinged with fear.

"That's impossible," Elise said firmly.

"What…?" Winifred asked, confused.

"Magic exists everywhere, in every world. Look here, Winifred—did you come from this world?" Elise asked as she conjured an image of the solar system in the air. It showed a bright sun surrounded by planets, including Earth.

Winifred gasped in shock. "Yes! That's my planet, Elise! But how do you know?" she asked.

"Good news: like I said, magic exists everywhere, so you can learn it. Bad news: some people in your world have been hiding it from you," Elise said with a touch of anger.

"What…?" Winifred said, her shock turning to anger.

"Yes. Your planet is famous across different worlds. We call it 'Emph,' which means 'hidden' in our language. Thousands of years ago, there was a great war on your world. After the war, a powerful magic king rose to power. He was evil and wanted absolute control. To achieve that, he divided the world into two parts—his kingdom and the rest of your world. He ensured that the people in your part would forget magic so no one could challenge him. To this day, his descendants rule your world from the shadows, keeping magic hidden to maintain their power," Elise explained, her voice filled with fury.

"So… magic still exists in my world?" Winifred asked, her anger matching Elise's.

"Yes, Winifred. Magic exists everywhere," Elise affirmed.