It’s been three days since the incident. The witches decided to close the Isle to everyone until they build it back up again. I'm not only talking about the Isle itself, I'm also talking about the witches trying to forget the pain and trauma they had for a very long time. The healing process might take a while, but I'm pretty sure they'll be fine in the end.

As for us, we decided to stay on the Isle for a while. Try to find our footing first before we start on our journey again. Rein on the other hand is preparing herself to join us on our travels. It looks like our team is expanding, I better make sure that all our adventures would be memorable.

[Birds chirping]

*Murmur* *Murmur*

“What a beautiful day it is to start a morning stroll,” I thought to myself while sniffing the fresh air of nature.

I woke up early and decided to walk around the street and maybe after that, I'm gonna visit Rein at her house. Komraad and Fae are still sleeping in the inn so I left them there to rest.

Some of the witches that I encountered on the street thanked me for saving them. Some of them are even offering me food and gifts.

“I'm glad people appreciate me but it's kinda tiring hearing things over and over again. I better get going and see Rein already.”

I arrived at the head witch's house where Rein is in her room preparing.

“Hey Rein, you're still not done preparing?” I asked her.

“Oh Ms. Ina, good morning.” Rein greeted me with so much joy.

“You look so excited. You really are looking forward to traveling with us, aren't you?”

“Of course, Ms. Ina! All my life I never left this Isle. Finally, I'll be able to see the world and learn more magic. I'm also gonna be able to see you every day so I'm very happy. Tee-hee.”

“Me too Rein, I'm super happy and excited that you're coming with us, but aren't you packing too much?”

“I actually think this is still not enough.”

“Aah, I guess I'll just let her be. It's her first adventure after all.”

After Rein prepared everything, we came back to the inn and put her baggage in our carriage. After that, We stayed on the Isle for a few more days, got to hang out with the other witches, and soon after, we prepared ourselves to depart for our next adventure.

Before we leave for good, the witches called us in for a surprise. As a thank you from them, they upgraded our carriage and made it so that we'll be able to carry more stuff with us and travel more efficiently.

It's the day we say goodbye to the Witch's Isle. Everyone said their farewell, especially Rein.

“Are you guys sure you'll be alright?” I asked the witches before we leave.

“Thanks for the concern but we'll be fine, don't worry. Just focus on your grand adventures. We'll stay here and open the Isle again one day to everyone. We love serving people with or without magic. If you need our help we'll always be here,” one of the witches answered.

“How about the head witch? Are you guys fine with her here?” I followed up.

“Yes, we'll make sure she'll pay for the crimes she did. After all, she's powerless without a wand.”

“I see, then take care. We'll be going now.”

“Yes, wishing you all the best of luck.”

The witches said their final goodbye.

“Where to next?” Komraad asked.

“I still want to learn about myself. I feel like I have forgotten something that I must remember no matter what.”

“Figures,” Komraad said as he took the map behind our carriage for us to use.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

We looked at the map together to decide on our next course.

“Ms. Ina, I have a suggestion,” Rein mentioned.

“What is it?”

“You said you want to learn more about yourself right? If that's the case then I think you might need a clairvoyant. I don't know any but I believe the biggest kingdom is where we can find one,” she suggested.

we looked it up and it's not that far away.

“You're right Rein. This is the best option we can take.”

“So it's been decided huh?” Komraad asked excitedly.

“Yeah, to Vermine Kingdom.”

…

It's been hours since we left the Isle when I suddenly thought of something.

“I forgot to ask someone to help me learn magic. The sole reason why I came to that Isle was to help me grow accustomed to my magic so that I won't mess up in the future.”

I was contemplating when Rein and I suddenly crossed eyes.

“That's it! Why didn't I think about it sooner? Rein can use magic, I'll just ask her to mentor me.”

“Uhm... Rein?”

“What is it, Ms. Ina?”

“Can you help me learn about magic? You see, I'm still new to it. I don't even know the basic fundamentals of magic. All I do is feel it and my body just remembers how to do it, but sometimes I just wish I can use it without having to rely on my instincts.”

“Really Ms. Ina? You want me to teach you magic?!?”

It was obvious that she was very excited to talk about magic.

“Yes, I really need your help with this one,” I begged her.

“Let's start right away Ms. Ina!” She answered as she opened her book about magic.

“So, before we learn the basics of magic, we must first learn its origin. Everything in the environment is born with mana. The trees, the ocean, the mountain, the skies, everything. Just like the environment, all the other races can use magic because they're also born with mana, including us humans. Unlike other races who can cast magic at the get-go, we humans can only cast magic with wands or magic items because we need something to circulate our mana and convert it into magic that’s why we’re powerless without one.”

“I see, then why can I use magic without using any wands or magic staff? I mean I can turn into a human right? Does that mean I'm classified as another race?” I asked her in the middle of the discussion.

“I don't know either Ms. Ina, but we've never seen any race like you.”

“how about Komraad though? I've never seen him use magic.”

“We are different of course,” Komraad answered.

“We use aura instead of magic. My race, the Beastkins can use aura to boost their physical capabilities to the fullest. Strength, durability, speed, regeneration, all of it,” he added.

“Oh, that's why Komraad was so strong and can heal so fast.”

“I'm curious about the other races, how many are there?” I asked out of curiosity.

“Each race can command a certain element with their magic while humans can use all,” Rein answered.

“The Beastkins, just like Mr. Komraad can produce aura using their mana. The magic that I'm using is from the Sea folks who can command all forms of water. There are many others, like the Featherlights, Dwarvans, Dragonscales, Faries and etc... But just like them, they can only command a certain element,” she added.

“I see. How about the demons? Where are they classified?”

“They aren't. They're an enigma, an error in the world. It was said that they were born from the hatred of a certain God but no one really knows their origin. Anyway, now that we're done with the origins of magic, let's learn about the basics.”

“I'm excited, why don't we stop for a while? I would understand it more if you demonstrate it.”

“Sure Ms. Ina, let me prepare first.”

We stopped for a while and parked on the side of the road. We were able to find a wide field to practice magic.

“So, Ms. Ina. I only learned it in the book that I was reading since I was little but I'll still teach you everything that I know. Rest assured that there are more things you can learn about magic.”

“Yeah, let's get started,” I answered her and focused with my full attention.

“Oh, before we start Ms. Ina. A quick reminder, we can't just cast any element even if you know how to cast magic. You must first connect with the specific element before you can actually use it and once you've connected, you can create your own spells and cast them.”

“Oh, so spells are born from the imagination of the caster?” I asked.

“Yes, though there are already spells created by previous magic users and they recorded them in books for other people to use. You can always create your own spell depending on your desired outcome.”

“I see. Then can I cast a spell beside a straight-up energy beam?”

“Yes, Ms. Ina. Just imagine how you'll like it and it'll happen just the way you want it.”

“Let's learn new spells right here right now Ms. Ina. Techniques are important in a magic battle. No matter how strong your attacks are if it's plain and predictable then they can easily dodge it. Creating your own techniques will help you become more well-rounded and practical. Sometimes a battle to the death is determined by who outwits their enemy first.”

“Yeah, Rein is right. I experienced it firsthand on the Isle. I couldn't use the most powerful attack I know because I might end up destroying the whole place.”

“Now that we finished discussing, let's get started, Ms. Ina. So the only magic you can use is a beam, right? Your affinity must be around energies. It’s a good attack in general so why don't we just improve it by adding new commands? You haven’t connected to other elements after all.”

“What do you mean?” I asked in confusion

“Imagine your beam changing trajectory. That way it can catch your enemy off guard.”

“I followed Rein's instructions and it worked. The trajectory changed but it was coming toward us. Thankfully, Rein was able to create a barrier in time.”

“That was close.” Rein and I sighed in relief.

We laughed together. We were enjoying ourselves learning new spells. Fae and Komraad on the other hand were supporting us from the sidelines, giving us the inspiration to push forward.

“Ms. Ina, you can do it!” Fae shouted from afar to cheer me up.

“Oh, Rein before we Continue, I have a question.”

“What is it, Ms. Ina?”

“Remember how you defeated the head witch? I heard you saying ultimate magic, what was that all about?”

“Oh, that. It's the highest form of magic that is unique to every magic user. You must first learn the basics of magic and connect to the element before you can cast it. It takes a lot of practice and dedication to achieve such a spell but some are born prodigies and can use it from the get-go. I actually thought it wouldn't work because it's my first time and I didn't practice it at all but I guess lady luck was on my side.”

“Can I use that too?” I asked her hoping I could get a positive response.

“Yes, Ms. Ina, but you need a lot of practice and knowledge about magic before you can use it,” she answered.

“You can only use it once every battle because it uses all of the remaining mana in your body,” she added.

“I see, it's like a double-edged sword. I wanna learn it too as soon as possible, it might help a lot in times of crisis.”

“Shall we continue?” Rein asked as she gets herself ready for another session.

“Yes, bring it on,” I answered with a lot of fighting spirit.

I continued learning magic and more techniques as we traveled closer to our destination. With Rein’s help, I was able to understand more about magic and master a lot of techniques that might help me in the future. After a week of traveling and learning, we finally arrived at our destination, the Vermine kingdom.