I stood still for a long moment.
The small purple coin pouch still in my hand.
Had I really…
just met Amity?
And not only met her—
I had already changed the script.
On the very first day.
A nervous laugh escaped me.
"Well…"
"So much for the plan of not interacting with the main characters."
Wonderful.
I looked inside the pouch.
Coins.
More than I had expected.
My lips curled upward.
Maybe…
this day was going pretty well after all.
Then my smile vanished.
Wait.
I was alone.
In the Boiling Isles.
No home.
No food.
No magic.
And surrounded by monsters.
…
Okay.
Maybe not going that well.
I pulled my hood back up and continued walking through the strange market streets.
Now that I had money, there was one thing I needed first.
That potion.
I returned to the goat merchant's stall.
Miraculously, he hadn't vanished.
He shot me a hostile look.
"You again."
I forced a smile.
"This time, I can pay."
I placed the coins on the table.
His attitude changed immediately.
"Ah… now you're a customer."
What an opportunist.
I leaned closer.
"I'm looking for a concentration potion."
He narrowed his eyes.
Then turned, searched through several vials…
and pulled out a small bluish bottle.
The liquid glowed faintly.
"Rare."
"Expensive."
"Dangerous if misused."
Perfect.
I took it.
Studied it.
This might be my first real step toward magic.
My own path.
Not Luz's.
Mine.
I paid and quickly left.
The reddish sun was slowly sinking.
The streets grew darker.
More unsettling.
I needed a place to sleep.
Fast.
I turned into an alley when—
a raspy voice echoed.
"A human…?"
I froze.
Bad news.
Very bad.
Three figures stepped out of the shadows.
Teenagers.
Demons.
And they did not look friendly.
One of them grinned.
"Looks like we found someone to rob."
…Ah.
Local thugs.
Perfect.
The biggest stepped forward.
"Hand over the pouch."
I backed away.
One hand on my potion.
Heart pounding.
I had no magic.
No weapon.
And probably no chance.
Then—
I remembered something.
In my pocket.
The cards.
A slow smile formed on my face.
The demon blinked.
"Why are you smiling?"
I pulled out the deck.
Let a card spin between my fingers.
And said calmly—
"Want to see a magic trick?"
Silence.
They looked at each other.
Confused.
Perfect.
The bluff had begun.
The three demons looked at me as if I had
lost my mind.
Perfect.
That was exactly the effect I wanted.
The biggest one crossed his arms.
"A magic trick?"
He scoffed.
"You're about to die and you're telling jokes?"
I spun a card between my fingers, keeping a calm face while inwardly…
I was completely panicking.
Okay.
Improvise.
Fast.
I pulled a card from the deck and raised it before them.
"Watch closely."
The demon rolled his eyes.
"This is going to be pathetic."
I smiled.
Then—
I threw the card.
It shot toward an old lantern hanging above them.
CLANG.
The lantern crashed down.
Oil spilled everywhere.
The three demons flinched.
"What—"
At the same moment, I grabbed a handful of dust from the ground and threw it toward them.
"FLASH!"
…Okay.
There was no flash.
But they didn't know that.
Instinctively, they shielded their eyes.
And I—
ran.
"HE'S GETTING AWAY!"
I dashed through the alley at full speed.
Footsteps behind me.
Damn it.
They were actually chasing me.
I turned left.
Then right.
Then—
dead end.
…
No.
No no no.
I turned around.
The three approached slowly.
Smiling.
The biggest cracked his knuckles.
"Nice magic."
"Now hand over the pouch."
My back hit the wall.
Trapped.
My heart pounded violently.
Think.
Think!
Then suddenly—
my eyes fell on the blue vial in my hand.
The potion.
A crazy idea crossed my mind.
I opened the vial.
And drank a mouthful.
The three stared.
"…What did he just drink?"
Good question.
I had no idea either.
If this works…
The concentration potion was supposed to allow thoughts to be transferred as writing or drawings onto a surface.
Back on Earth, I had read about it on a fan site dedicated to the series.
They analyzed background objects and explained their uses.
And it had even been confirmed by the creator herself.
Only problem…
I had no idea how it would react with a human.
For a second…
nothing happened.
Then—
a burning heat flooded my body.
My veins seemed to light up.
The world around me slowed.
What the—
Symbols.
Inside my mind.
Shapes and patterns.
Like glyphs.
My breath caught.
Impossible.
The largest demon charged at me.
And without thinking—
my hand traced a circle in the dust-covered wall.
A symbol.
Instinctively.
The glyph glowed.
A burst of blue light erupted.
BOOM.
An explosion blasted the three demons backward.
Silence.
Everyone froze.
I looked at my trembling hand.
Then at the smoking glyph.
…
I had just cast magic.
Real magic.
The demon on the ground raised his head.
Terrified.
"A… a witch…"
They got up—
and ran.
Without looking back.
I stood alone in the alley.
Breath ragged.
Hands shaking.
Then slowly…
a smile appeared.
Not a small one.
A real one.
Almost mad.
"I did it…"
I looked at my fingers.
Still glowing faintly.
My heart raced.
This wasn't just Luz's story anymore.
This was my adventure.
And that night…
in an alley of the Boiling Isles…
I learned my first spell.
But deep in my mind—
a thought sent a chill through me.
That glyph…
it wasn't one I remembered.
So then…
what exactly had I just used?