As the first rays of dawn painted the sky, I was awakened by the sound of the door creaking open. I glanced over at Yuma, who was still fast asleep, so I assumed no one else was awake and the door had simply been blown open by the wind.

However, after a few seconds, Roam stepped into the room. He looked at me and said, "You're awake, huh, Orano?" Then, he added, "Well, that's good. We have a lot of work to do."

A lot of work to do? What was he talking about?

Before I could ask, he said, "Follow me."

We stepped outside, and the cold morning air sent shivers down my spine. Roam, however, seemed completely unaffected by the chill as he continued walking. We eventually arrived at the storage area for the logs.

"Since you're just starting," he said, turning to me, "you'll be carrying these small branches." He pointed to a bag filled with thin branches. I still didn't understand the purpose of this task.

I asked, "Mr. Roam, why are we doing this? Why do I have to carry these branches?"

He seemed unfazed by my familiarity with his name. He slowly placed his bag on the ground, picked up five or six large logs, and turned to me. "Even if you're here for a week or a year, you need to understand that you must be prepared for any situation. We will work together to find a way out for you, but there will be times when I can't protect you. So it's time to take on the responsibilities necessary to achieve your goal successfully."

He added, "From now on, you'll be under my training. First, we'll train your mind and body for all kinds of situations. After that, we can move on to actual training."

As he began to walk, he paused before entering the forest. "But while you're here, you can be whoever you want to be. After all, you'll need to choose a good profession to investigate yourself, as there will be times when you'll need to investigate on your own."

His words reminded me of what Yuma had said about Creature Hunters having permission to go anywhere. All of this combined in my mind, forming a clear objective: I was going to find my way out, no matter the cost. And I realized I wanted to become a Creature Hunter.

When I caught up to him, I asked, "But what are we going to do with these logs?"

"We have to deliver them to a witch who requested them weeks ago," he replied.

"Is that your job?" I inquired.

"It has been my job for years. But now I dedicate myself to it completely," he said.

"Did you have a job before?" I asked.

He didn't answer my question and continued walking.

We walked through the forest for an hour, our steps muffled by the soft earth. We finally emerged into a bustling city.

"We are now in Belimore," Roam said. "Stick with me, Orano. The people here aren't very friendly."

His words made me a little nervous, so I followed him closely. The city was teeming with witches and sorcerers, potion shops lined the streets, and cobblestone roads led to different parts of the city.

We weaved through the crowds and turned down several streets. After a fifteen-minute walk, we arrived at a small wooden shop near the center.

Roam approached the door, knocked, and waited. A witch with long, dark blue hair and piercing blue eyes opened the door, her expression filled with confusion. She wore glasses, a witch's hat, and a long robe.

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After taking a good look at us, she smiled and greeted us, "Ah! Mr. Roam! You're finally here."

Roam replied, "I'm sorry. I had a lot of business that got in the way. Because of that, I wasn't able to bring these to you earlier."

"That's no problem at all," she said, still smiling. She then turned to me and asked, "Who is this young man?"

"He's under my protection for now," Roam replied.

"Under your protection?" she asked, her voice laced with confusion. "Actually, there's something I need to ask you about him. Since the other witches would think I'm crazy if I told them, I thought I could trust you."

"What is it?" she asked.

"This kid came out of a vortex, right in the middle of Rawara. Do you know anything about a spell that can do something like that?"

The witch thought for a moment. "I really don't know. There might be a very powerful spell I haven't read, but I can't remember anything."

Roam's voice trembled slightly as he continued, "I don't want you to be angry with me, but do you know anything about the wit-"

The witch immediately cut him off, her voice filled with anger. "Roam!"

"I'm sorry," he replied. "But I have to find an answer for him."

She sighed and said, "I'm sorry, but I really can't help you with that. You'll have to find answers on your own."

"Then I'll leave the logs near the front door," Roam said as he slowly turned to leave.

"That's alright. If you need anything else, please let me know," she replied.

We walked outside, and I couldn't help but feel confused. I asked Roam, "Roam, who is the witch you were talking about?"

Just then, another witch heard us and said, "If it isn't Roam."

We turned to see her. She had long, silver hair, piercing blue eyes, and stood almost six feet tall. She was dressed similarly to the other witches, but her clothes looked more expensive, and she exuded an air of authority.

She approached us and said, "Why are you here again?" Her voice was harsh, and she seemed irritated by his presence.

"I'm just here for a simple job, and that's none of your business, Rosa," Roam replied, his voice filled with annoyance.

"So that's it? Don't worry, Roam," she said smugly. "The Royal Society has granted us the right to live in our own kingdom, so we don't interfere in the affairs of people like you."

Roam's anger flared. "Is that why you threw one of your own people out like a useless piece?" he demanded.

She scoffed. "Can you really think a dark magic user could continue to live freely among our people? She was crazy and on the wrong path, that's all. And your words are nothing but delusions."

He turned his back to her and said, "Before calling my ideas delusions, you should examine your own."

He then looked at me and said, "Come on, Orano, let's go. Our job is done here."

The woman glared at us, and after a few seconds, she turned and walked away. I was confused about the animosity between them and had no idea who that witch was.

We continued walking and eventually arrived back at the house. I followed Roam and helped him carry the logs. We entered the house, and I went to my room.

At night, Yuma's mother came into the room and prepared the beds for us. She smiled and said, "Goodnight, kids."

I thought it would be a quiet night, but as soon as Yuma's mother left the room, he jumped out of bed and called out to me, "Tatsumi! Hey! Tatsumi! Wake up!"

I turned to see him standing by my bed, motioning for me to follow him. We slipped out of the house and walked a short distance away.

Yuma stopped and whispered, "Look at what I've learned! It took me a while, but I finally did it!"

He opened his hands and began to point them at each other. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then snow crystals started to appear from his hands. They slowly merged, forming a small snowball.

It was just like the movies I had seen, but this was happening right before my eyes, and it was a truly magical sight.

Yuma smiled and said, "See! I did it! I've been trying to do this for a week!"

"But how are you doing this?" I asked, still staring at the spell with amazement.

Yuma replied, "Remember the spellbook I showed you? I learned this from there. Elemental spells are the easiest to learn, and since I love winter so much, I decided to learn this one."

As I continued to admire the spell, it suddenly vanished, and the air grew colder.

Yuma looked at me and said, "Well, let's go to sleep now, it's getting cold. We can discuss and learn new things tomorrow."

Before we went inside, I said, "Uh! Yuma!"

He turned around and looked at me. "Yeah, what about them?" he asked, confused.

I looked him in the eyes and said, "I want to know more about Creature Hunters. I need to know."

Yuma smiled and replied, "Well, let's go inside and find out, shall we?"

We spent the rest of the night talking about Creature Hunters, and I finally discovered my path.

For a moment my life had changed and I wanted to adapt to it because it made me who I wanted to be. And so Roam began to train me for the person I wanted to be.