A soft light slowly passed through the wooden bedroom window.
A small bookshelf filled with dusty books could be seen near the wall, along with a few strange objects scattered around the room. Right next to the window stood a bunk bed.
On the lower bed, a figure slept peacefully beneath a slightly wrinkled blanket.
And judging by the expression on his face…
He was clearly having a very good dream.
"Yeah… I'll gladly take your cookies… hehe…" he mumbled in his sleep with a dumb little smile.
Silence.
Then another voice softly echoed near the bed.
"Psst… wake up."
No reaction.
"Come on… wake up."
The figure shifted slightly beneath the blanket before mumbling half-asleep again,
"Five more minutes…"
A small amused sigh could be heard.
Then suddenly—
POOF.
A pillow slammed directly into his face.
"BWAAH—"
I immediately shot upright from the bed in complete panic and confusion.
"THE COOKIE ATTACK!" I instinctively shouted.
Silence.
Then right in front of me…
Luz was sitting cross-legged on the top bunk with a huge amused grin on her face.
…Ah.
I blinked several times before slowly regaining my senses.
"…Why did you attack me with a pillow?" I asked in a still completely sleepy voice.
Luz innocently shrugged.
"Because you wouldn't wake up."
"I was having an important moment with imaginary cookies."
"Necessary sacrifice."
I let out a dramatic sigh before falling heavily back onto my pillow.
Then suddenly my brain realized something.
…Wait.
I slowly raised my head toward Luz.
"Why are you even awake?"
Luz blinked.
"To wake you up?"
"Yes but why?"
Her smile immediately widened.
Oh no.
I knew that smile.
"Because today…" she said excitedly,
"YOU'RE GOING TO TEACH ME GLYPHS."
…Ah.
Yeah.
Of course.
I slowly sat up on the bed and looked at Luz.
Just from the look in her eyes alone, she seemed incredibly impatient already.
I let out another sigh.
"Uh… Luz, give me fifteen minutes to get ready, then I'll come downstairs, alright?"
"Hehe, today I'm finally gonna become a real witch like Azura the Good Witch!"
She jumped off the bed excitedly.
"I'll wait downstairs!"
Then she rushed toward the door at full speed before violently slamming it shut behind her.
"Ah— Luz…"
I sighed once more while getting out of bed and stretching my sore arm.
…So this was the day my future plans truly began.
I needed to reorganize everything.
After all, I had already changed the story so much that unknown variables could start appearing at any moment.
And one of those variables was already bothering me.
That strange group I had seen in the alley after my fight against those demons trying to rob me.
I didn't know who they were.
I didn't know where to find them.
And I definitely didn't know what they were capable of.
Right now… I was weak.
No.
Not just weak.
Very weak.
I had fully understood that during our fight against Fury.
The moment I ran out of glyphs, all I could do was stand there and watch the battle unfold.
I needed to grow stronger.
As fast as possible.
Because next time…
There was no guarantee I'd survive long enough to tell the story.
But honestly, that part didn't worry me too much.
After all, this was the Demon Realm.
There were countless ways to become stronger here.
And combined with my knowledge of this world…
It was only a matter of time before I became one of the strongest witches on the Boiling Isles.
Maybe even the strongest.
I clenched my fist tightly.
"But for now…" I muttered,
"I've got another job to deal with."
…Luz.
I sighed again.
Right now, I didn't want to show her every glyph immediately.
Not because I didn't want to help her.
But because the best thing for Luz would be discovering some of them herself.
After all, Luz was the kind of person who grew through curiosity and discovery.
If I simply handed her every glyph I knew…
She'd eventually become dependent on me for answers.
And in the process…
She might lose the very thing that made her special in the first place.
…curiosity.
And honestly?
That was probably one of the things I admired most about her.
Luz never settled for simple answers.
She searched.
She experimented.
She tried to understand the world by herself.
And that was exactly why she would eventually become incredible with glyphs.
I ran a hand through my hair before fully getting out of bed.
The wooden floor creaked softly beneath my feet.
"Well…" I murmured while looking at the morning light passing through the window.
"First objective of the day: survive."
The moment I finished speaking—
BOOOOM.
The entire house shook violently.
I froze for a few seconds.
…
Then a scream echoed from downstairs.
"EDAAA THE KITCHEN EXPLODED AGAIN!" Hooty yelled.
Another sigh escaped my mouth instantly.
"Yeah…" I muttered while opening the bedroom door.
"This is gonna be a long day."
I slowly walked downstairs while several strange smells drifted up from the kitchen.
Some smelled surprisingly good.
Others… not so much.
Very, very not so much.
When I finally reached the bottom floor, I found Luz sitting at the table with way too much energy for someone awake this early.
Her fingers tapped nervously against the table in excitement.
The moment she saw me, her eyes immediately lit up.
"PIERC."
…Oh no.
That tone radiated danger.
"Look!"
She proudly held up a sheet of paper covered in symbols drawn everywhere.
Circles.
Triangles.
Random lines.
There was even something that looked like a potato surrounded by lightning bolts.
I blinked slowly.
"…What is this?"
"My glyph theories," she answered proudly.
…
She had already started researching before I even woke up.
Honestly?
That was such a Luz thing to do.
I took the paper while she leaned dangerously close to me once again.
"This one could be a fire glyph," she said while pointing at a completely chaotic drawing.
"And this one might be teleportation!"
"Luz."
"Yeah?"
"That looks like a flattened pizza."
Silence.
Then she immediately grabbed the paper back with indignation.
"Art is not appreciated in this house."
A small laugh escaped me despite myself before I sat down across from her.
Eda was calmly drinking something from a mug that was smoking strangely.
Very strangely.
The smoke was green.
I immediately decided not to ask questions.
King was already eating on the table like it was some royal banquet.
"So," Eda said while looking at me over her cup. "Is the mysterious kid finally gonna explain these glyph things?"
Every eye turned toward me.
…Ah.
Pressure.
I took a small breath before discreetly pulling a piece of paper from my pocket.
Well… discreetly.
Luz immediately noticed the movement with the precision of a predator.
"OH OH OH IS THAT A GLYPH?!"
"Yes but calm down a little—"
"IMPOSSIBLE."
…Of course.
I gently placed the paper on the table.
Drawn on it was a simple symbol.
The Light Glyph.
Luz's eyes sparkled instantly.
"That's… it?" she whispered.
"Yeah," I answered calmly. "Glyphs are basically… another way to communicate with the magic of this world."
Luz listened with almost terrifying focus.
Even Eda now looked genuinely intrigued.
"Normal magic uses the magical bile witches have," I continued. "But glyphs… use the magic already present in the environment itself."
Eda's smile faded slightly.
Oh.
She had probably just realized how absurd that sounded.
"Wait a second…" she murmured. "That would mean a human can cast spells without magical bile?"
"Theoretically, yes."
Silence.
Then King slowly raised his head.
"So technically…"
He pointed dramatically at Luz.
"SHE CAN BECOME A WITCH."
Luz froze for a second.
Then she slowly turned toward me.
Her eyes were literally shining now.
"…Pierc."
Oh no.
"Yeah?"
"This is officially the best day of my life."
…
I couldn't stop a small smile from appearing on my face.
Because deep down…
Seeing someone this genuinely happy just at the idea of learning something new…
Was contagious.
I carefully placed the piece of paper on the table.
"Alright," I said calmly.
"First lesson."
Luz immediately leaned forward with absolute focus.
Even King stopped eating for two whole seconds.
Which was honestly impressive.
I gently tapped the glyph with my finger.
Poof.
A soft light instantly illuminated the entire room.
"WOOOOOW."
Luz's eyes widened immediately.
The light floated gently above the table like a tiny star.
She stared at it with almost childlike wonder.
"It's beautiful…" she whispered.
And for a moment…
Watching that light reflect inside her star-filled eyes…
I caught myself thinking something dangerous.
Maybe coming to this world…
Was actually the best thing that had ever happened to me.