After hours of walking, Erik found himself deep into the woods, the first light of dawn illuminating his path. His breath was shallow.

At first, he had only run away due to his outburst of feelings. Erik felt sorry for going against his mother’s expectations and said things he shouldn’t—however, they were not lies.

‘I really can’t go back, right?’ he asked himself, despite knowing that he couldn’t—or rather that it would be way too embarrassing to do so.

Erik had decided to look for the Witch that lived in the woods. Perhaps with her help, he could achieve something greater. Bring back normality to his family, and leave the shameful life he was leading. Become powerful. Anything was better than things staying how they were now.

After a few more minutes of walking, Erik stopped below a tree. The ground below it wasn’t full of snow so he sat down, leaving clouds of white air as he breathed harshly.

“It's March and… still so cold,” he muttered, before breathing a flame into life on his hands. The embers were tiny but they felt like burns on his blue fingers.

At the very least, Erik could be proud of his magic proficiency. It had become much better since his father died.

Then, a sound came from behind the trees some couple dozen meters ahead of him.

“Hey…?” Erik called out, uncertain of what it could be.

A few moments later, a being jumped to where it could be seen.

Erik yelped before his eyes could fully set in on the figure.

It was a green being that seemed to be made of snot, its body was see-through, almost translucent. It didn’t seem to have any organs or internal structures.

It was a being that couldn’t be alive.

“What are you?!” Erik asked, feeling threatened, and as he did so, his fire intensified on his hands.

The creature's surface rippled upon the light of the flame, casting dancing reflections on the snow.

Erik had never seen anything like this before. His mind raced through the stories he had heard about the forest's inhabitants, but none matched the description of this strange being.

“What are you?” he asked again, this time more softly.

The creature didn’t respond, instead jiggling as if acknowledging his question. Its surface opened into a smile-like formation.

“Well, I’m guessing you’re friendly,” he wondered out loud as he got closer to it, his flame making the being shine and ripple.

After a few moments of studying the creature, Erik stretched out his arm and clenched his fist in front of it. “Come on, do something.”

A few seconds later, the being extended an arm of its own and bumped into Erik’s. It felt warm and sticky.

“Now, that’s something…” Erik muttered, but suddenly his vision began to blur.

He took a step back, his head feeling heavy and his legs weak. It was hard to keep his balance, and his limbs felt like they were made of lead. Panic flashed through his mind—had the creature poisoned him? No, it couldn’t be. This sensation felt oddly natural to Erik.

Erik dropped to one knee. All his strength had vanished. That’s when he noticed his flame had flickered out.

“I’m out of mana…” he thought, just before everything went dark.

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Erik groaned. His body was heavy and up against something too hard to be comfortable, yet it wasn’t cold so it wasn’t that bad. He slowly opened his eyes, noticing he was lying on a bed inside a rustic wooden cabin. The place was filled with an array of jars, dried plants, and strange objects. There was a strong scent of herbs in the air.

Sitting in a worn armchair by the fire was an old woman. She wore a black gown. Her pointy, long nose, long black hair, and long nails were unusual. She looked to the bed as Erik stirred, her expression unreadable. Was she the witch? She honestly didn’t look like his father at all though.

Her body was skinny and tall, almost looking sickish. Even her eyes were of an amber hue instead of his red ones. She was completely different from him, but well, Erik also was nothing like his mother so he couldn’t judge.

"You're awake," she said. "Why did you seek me out? This place is dangerous."

‘I see, so she’s the witch. That creature must’ve dragged me here, or she luckily passed by. Damn, this was a close one either way,’ Erik sighed as he realized he most likely just avoided dying from hypothermia by a hair.

Erik sat up slowly, his head still swimming from exhaustion. "I’m your grandson, Erik," he began, "and I thought you could help me."

She raised her brows, frowning at them. “Are you the son of Kaf and Alice?”

“Yes, I sure am—”

Just before he could finish, he felt a dreadful sensation coming from her. The witch muttered something indiscernible, and just a moment later a black mist sprouted out of her hand and—

—It attacked Erik faster than he could process, the kid barely managed to dodge by moving his head to the side.

“Impressive,” she clapped, her long nails still emanating some of the mist. “You really are Kaf’s son.” The woman peered into his face before talking again, “And look at that. You’re just his face.”

Erik couldn’t take this so lightly, however. He held his chest as his heart was pounding, his forehead getting sweaty. “Were you… planning to kill me?” he asked between breaths.

“Oh, not at all,” she laughed at his question. “That spell has quite the ominous feeling, right? Well, in actuality, it is just a 2nd tier spell that will make you feel sick, but it's not lethal,” she waved her hand, dismissing the case.

Erik was very confused yet curious about what she meant. Did spells have tiers? Besides, he wondered how it would be if he could cast something like that. As his heart calmed out, a grin appeared on his face.

“Teach me everything!”

“No, tell me first why did you need my help? Why did you decide to meet good old grandma who never bothered to visit?” she scoffed with a hoarse voice.

“Well…” he brought his hand to his face. “It's a long story honestly.”

“Come on, tell me, not like I have much of a talk with my familiars,” she pointed at the green glob that was hiding in a corner below a chair. So he was indeed with her. “The name’s Katherine, by the way, but only ever call me grandma,” she proceeded to smile that felt weirdly ominous.

Erik then proceeded to explain what had happened, from when he awakened his mana core to his job and him running away—however, he didn’t mention his mother’s illness. ‘I don’t want to bring shame to our family,’ he thought.

"That's a lot to take in, boy," Katherine sighed, shaking her head. "You’re in quite the mess right now. You know, you should just leave the life of crime, it’s not worth it," she said in a serious tone. "Sooner or later, you and your group will get caught. If you're not with them, someone will talk about you, and you’ll be arrested. If that doesn’t happen, someday you’ll cross the wrong person. It’s a game you can’t win."

Erik looked down, his hands gripping his knees. He knew it was wrong, knew it could end horribly, but what other choice did he have? "It's the only thing I can do."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"Why do you say that?" Katherine asked. “From what you said, even though the war ended the business became harsher, but that doesn’t mean you have to live like this. Why don’t you try to get help?"

The last sentence stuck Erik like a fist. He could’ve done that, he could’ve accepted help, but he didn’t. It was because of Zac, right? That was certainly the reason Erik couldn’t accept help from the dude. Somehow, Erik couldn’t believe himself.

"Well..." Erik began, remembering the kind of people they were. "They’re scary. Especially the leader. He has these weird powers... kinda like what you showed me, but he uses them to punch people," he said, tingling his fingers and pressing his nails into his skin.

Katherine's eyes narrowed. "So, he uses magic to enhance his physical attacks?"

"Yes," Erik nodded. "He’s really strong. No one in the gang dares to oppose him. But if you teach me magic, I could leave the gang without risking them coming after me or my family."

"Even if I were to teach you... would you actually stop doing crimes?" Katherine asked, her gaze firm on the boy as she carefully watched his reaction.

Erik opened his mouth to say yes, but the words wouldn’t come out. Deep down, he knew that even If he became stronger, he could keep doing his petty robberies without repercussion.

Nothing would change as it was the easiest path for him.

"I had a guess but hoped you’d prove me wrong," Katherine sighed. "I’d go back to the village to help you if I could but…" she glanced at some pots on the shelves, filled with a green liquid. "Let's just say that I’m bound to this place, I can’t leave my house for long. It's thanks to my familiars that I can keep going."

Erik couldn’t blame her for not wanting to teach him, it wasn’t the most righteous living after all. He sighed.

“Hey, I don’t want to see that face, kiddo," Katherine chuckled at the sad look spreading across Erik's face. "Look, it’s not exactly what you came here for, but I’ll give you something almost as good as magic. If you master it, you can use it for self-defense and even sell it to make money."

Erik's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward eagerly, almost falling off the bed in his excitement. "What is it?"

"Potion Making," she said with a sly grin.

"Wow, Potion Making?!" Erik said, grinning widely. But then, his expression shifted to confusion. "Wait, what is that?"

Katherine burst out laughing. "All that excitement, and you don’t even know what it is?" She wiped tears of joy from her eyes. “Well…” she brought her finger to her chin. “Making a potion is a bit like cooking. You pick many plants, add some magical materials into it—be it plants or something else—mix it, cook it, and you have a potion.”

“Oh so, like the thing that adventurers use?” Erik remembered when his father talked about his teenage years to him. He was an adventurer for a while, and he said that potions saved him from life-or-death situations many times.

"Exactly," she nodded. "I’ll teach you what I know and in no time, you’ll learn how to be a wizard in the kitchen.”

Despite not being what Erik originally wanted, it still seemed exciting. “When can we start?”

“Wait a bit. There’s something you gotta do,” she said with a sly grin before clapping her hands.

“What do you mean?”

She got up from her armchair and got closer to him. Before anything else, her sharp nails were digging into his skin as she pinched his cheek. “I can’t believe you left your home and didn’t even say where you were going, Alice must be so worried,” she said as she punished him, her nails going deep into his flesh. “Tell her you’ll stay at grandma sometimes.”

“Okay okay, let me go now!” he screamed at her, trying to not tear up. This was without a doubt the world’s most painful pinch.

“Glad we could get a deal!” She moved to pat his head before he could even finish wiping his tears. “Oh and just one thing,” this time, she looked into his eyes. “You better not keep working as a thug or our deal is over,” her devilish smile spoke all about the punishment she’d give him if that was the case.

"Fine, fine, you old hag," Erik muttered under his breath, rubbing his sore cheek.

"What was that?" she pinched him again, just as hard.

"Nothing! Nothing at all," he yelped, trying to wriggle free but her hold just wouldn’t cease.

With a satisfied nod, she let him go after a few moments. "Off you go then, and don’t keep your mother waiting. She must be dead worried by now."

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Erik walked through the dense forest, guided by one of the Witch's familiars, a black crow that flew from tree to tree, ensuring he didn't get lost. Erik was eager to begin learning with his grandma, but he was also worried about his family, they must’ve been freaking out by now.

As he got closer to the edge of the woods, Erik spotted a familiar figure running toward him. His younger sister, Anna, her face streaked with tears. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his chest and bawling into his shirt.

"Erik! We were so worried!" she cried, her voice muffled against his clothes. "Mom spent the whole night looking for you in the forest. She even asked some villagers for help, but they couldn’t find you and gave up just a while ago. So I… I decided to come find you."

Erik hugged her back after breathing his feeling of guilt away. "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn’t mean to worry you or Mom. I just... I needed to find someone who could help us.”

Eliza sniffled and looked up at him with wide, teary eyes. "Who did you find?"

"I found the old Witch of the Village, Grandma," he replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "She’s going to teach me how to brew potions. It's not magic, but it’ll still help us a lot."

Anna’s eyes widened, and she stepped back. “Wait, really? When can I meet her too?”

“Well, don’t worry about it now, let's get to the village,” he extended his hand to her. “Walk with me. Since spring is close, some dangerous animals could return to these parts so you shouldn’t even have come here alone.”

She laughed and pointed at the bow in her back, but still grabbed his hand in the end.

Together, they walked toward the village, crow still following from a distance—and only turning back once they were close enough to the village.

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Alice’s feet ached, and her breath came in ragged gasps, but she didn’t slow down.

She had been searching for Erik since he disappeared, her worry growing with each passing minute. She had searched through the village, asked the neighbors, and even searched the outer edges of the forest.

Nothing.

Each step she took, only deepened the fear she felt within her heart. Her frail body wasn’t suited for such exertion, but she pushed herself forward, driven by a mother’s desperation.

After a long time, she had to sit down in the forest, her aching body way past its limit. The forest was dangerous. What if he had gone there? What if something had happened to him?

But as the thoughts swirled in her mind, she saw him—Erik, standing at the edge of the path with his sister, Anna. They looked tired and dirty, but unharmed. Relief flooded through her, and without a second thought, she called out to him.

“E-Erik!” Her voice trembled, the sound barely more than a whisper as it caught in her throat. She rushed towards him, her vision blurring with tears as she got closer and closer. Her exhaustion had been replace by a fiery drive to do what’s right.

She threw her arms around him, holding him as tightly as her weakened body could manage. Tears streamed down her face, soaking into his shirt, but she didn’t care. All that mattered was that he was safe, that he was here with her.

“I’m so sorry…” she began, her voice choked with sobs. “I know I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. You’ve been working hard… for so long while I just kept being in bed… and not doing anything.”

She clung to him, her body trembling from the strain and the overwhelming relief. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps, and she could feel the cold sweat on her brow, the way her body protested against the exertion. But she ignored it all. She had to make this right.

“And I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” she continued, her voice barely more than a whisper. “I thought the worst of you… my own son committing crimes. What a stupid mother I was… please forgive me… just don’t leave again.”

Erik’s expression was one of shock as his eyes widened, his mouth slightly opened, and he gasped.

“I…” he muttered for a moment before stopping himself. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but then he hesitated, and the moment passed. Instead, he smiled slightly and helped her to her feet.

“It’s okay, Mom,” he said softly, his voice trying to soothe her. “I shouldn’t have run off either. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

Alice took a deep, shaky breath, her tears finally slowing as she looked into his eyes. There was something there, something he wasn’t telling her, but she didn’t push. Not now. She was just grateful to have him back, to know he was safe.

“I’m just glad you’re safe, Erik,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”

There was a moment of silence as Erik and Anna comforted her.

“Mom, while I was out there, I found someone who can help us.”

Alice’s heart skipped a beat, it was hard to imagine he could meet anyone in the forest. “Who did you find?”

“Grandma Katherine,” Erik said, the name startling her. “The Old Witch of the Village.”

Alice stared at him, her mind racing. She hadn’t seen Katherine in a very long time, she wasn’t even sure if she was still around. “You found her? But she hasn’t been seen in years!”

Erik nodded, his expression serious. “Yeah, she’s been living deep in the forest. I talked to her about our struggles, and she agreed to teach me how to make potions when I visit.”

Alice gulped down her pride, hearing that her son had to tell his grandma about how the family had been struggling and needed help. “Potion… brewing?” she managed to say.

“Yes,” Erik continued, his voice gaining strength. “With her help, I can learn to make useful elixirs for us, and we can even sell some potions to earn money. Can I become her apprentice?”

Alice felt a warmth spread through her chest, a pride she hadn’t felt in a long time. Despite everything, despite the struggles and doubts, Erik was still trying to find a way to care for them all. She couldn’t help but smile, her heart swelling with love and admiration for her son.

“Of course,” she said softly. “You have my support, Erik. I’m so proud of you. You’re growing up to be such a dependable and caring young man,” Erik had always been like this. Ever since the day Kaf died, he took the role of keeping things together. Alice just never fully appreciated it.

Before she could say more, Anna suddenly appeared, grabbing Erik’s hand with excitement. “Come on, let’s go tell Ben about the witch!” she said, her voice full of enthusiasm.

The siblings said a quick bye and ran to their home, Alice watched the entire situation with a smile on her face.