Kael walked slowly through the silent crowd as if he were crossing a wheat field. The adventurers instinctively moved aside as he passed, forming a corridor of silence, stares, and fear. No words were spoken, no bold steps were taken in his direction. The roar of the fight still echoed in everyone's ears, and the air seemed heavy with the smell of freshly burned magic and restrained fear.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the hall of the Freedom Guild, louder than any cry that could have been uttered.

Kael let out a heavy sigh.

Not from physical exhaustion, but from boredom. From resignation. Like someone who opened the door expecting to see a war, but found only a poorly rehearsed play.

"What a waste of effort," he muttered, adjusting the staff on his back as he pushed the guild doors open with his shoulders.

The late afternoon light enveloped him, golden and serene, contrasting grotesquely with the tension that still pulsed inside the building. The world outside seemed to have no idea what had just happened. Passersby went about their business, merchants shouted out their wares, and children ran across the cobblestones.

Kael walked back across the square, skirting the ashes of the first confrontation without giving them more than a vague glance. The city breeze ruffled the long hair that escaped from his hood, and he made his way toward his familiar refuge: the Raven Bar.

The bell above the bar door jingled as he entered. The familiar smell of burnt wood, sweet spices, and cheap alcohol enveloped him like a cozy blanket. In the background, soft music played from an old enchanted artifact attached to the wall. The normally bustling atmosphere was quiet at that time of day, with few customers and soft light filling the main hall.

Raven was behind the bar, as always, cleaning a glass with a cloth that had seen better days. She looked up when she heard the bell and raised an eyebrow when she saw Kael crossing the threshold like a long shadow.

"You're back already?" she asked sarcastically. "And you didn't blow up half the city. I'm impressed."

Kael walked up to the counter, took the parchment with the Freedom Guild seal from inside his cloak, and threw it on the counter with an irritated gesture.

"Here. A piece of paper that says I'm now officially part of the circus."

Raven picked up the scroll, unrolled it calmly, and read it briefly. Her eyes sparkled with something between humor and concern.

"Hm. Mixed class, support and offense. Temporary C level..." She looked up at him. "And you've already gotten into trouble?"

"Two brothers. One of them stupid enough to threaten a healer in front of everyone. The other wanted revenge. Guess how it ended?"

Raven sighed and pushed the glass she was cleaning aside.

"You know this town is full of people like that. Outsiders. Mercenaries. Fanatics. No one there wants to be your friend, Kael. And many of them see any display of power as a personal challenge."

"I've noticed," he muttered, leaning against the counter and staring into the void ahead. "And now what do I do with this?"

She held the scroll firmly and shook it slightly. "Now, you begin."

"Start what?"

"The boring part. Small jobs, escorts, investigations, rescuing cats from rooftops, killing bandits in poor villages. That's how the system works. Each mission completed gives you experience points with the Guild. You level up, gain more respect... and more dangerous work."

"So they registered me as an adventurer... to become a luxury employee."

"Something like that. But with luck, it pays better."

Kael snorted. "And why would I do that?"

Raven leaned slightly over the counter, his gaze now serious.

"Because, like it or not, this license opens doors. Literally. It allows you to cross the borders of Guild territory without being arrested by soldiers or hunted down as an illegal wizard. It gives you access to protected magical zones, arcane towers, secret auctions, ancient libraries, and even the summoning of ancient artifacts."

She placed the scroll back in front of him.

"Do you want to learn more about your magic? Do you want to know why the hell your staff still responds to you even when you try to ignore it? Do you want to understand why you attract trouble like a magnet attracts iron? Then you'll have to follow their rules. For now."

Kael took the scroll back, staring at the golden seal for a moment, as if it had something to say.

"This is just paper. If I wanted to, I could force my way through all of this."

"You could," Raven agreed. "But how long do you think you'd last? You're strong, Kael. But you're not invincible. And more importantly, you're alone. This world wasn't made for those who walk without allies."

Kael didn't answer right away. He just put the license back in its cover and threw himself onto one of the stools with a tired sigh.

"I'm terrible with people."

"I know. And people are terrible with you. But that doesn't change the game. It just makes it more fun."

She turned to grab a bottle from behind the counter, pouring two glasses with an amber liquid strong enough to set your throat on fire.

"The first mission is to choose a mission, like the one you received today. It's possible that your registration will only take effect tomorrow," she said, pushing one of the glasses toward him. "Early tomorrow, go back to the Guild and go to the board. Choose something simple. Help a village, protect a caravan, anything that doesn't involve killing angry brothers."

Kael took the glass and stared at it for a moment. "What if I refuse?"

Raven stared back at him, without smiling.

"Then you can continue running away from the world. But eventually, the world will stop chasing you. And it will forget you. And you'll end up old, alone, and still without answers."

They toasted in silence.

Kael downed the glass in one gulp, feeling the liquid burn his throat.

"Okay. One mission. Just to see what it's like."

"That's how it starts," said Raven, with a discreet smile. "One mission. Then another. Before you know it, you're neck-deep in ancient wars, dark pacts, and poisoned princesses."

"And then it's too late to turn back," said Kael, already regretting it.

"Exactly," she replied, satisfied.

He looked toward the bar window, where the orange sky was beginning to give way to the first stars. Outside, the world turned, indifferent to the decisions of men. But inside that bar, Kael had taken his first step—not toward glory, but toward the long and uneven road that would lead him to it... or destroy him along the way.

"Tomorrow, then," he said, rising from his chair and cracking his shoulders.

"Go early. The best jobs go fast," Raven said, already cleaning another glass. "And the worst ones?"

"Those... find you on their own."...

[Inner Garden]

The sky above the witches' realm was perpetually covered by lilac clouds, interspersed with golden sparks that slowly descended like stardust. In the heart of the Shadow Realm, the training garden stretched out in perfect circles—a maze of dormant carnivorous flowers, floating root trees, and living statues that watched with stone eyes.

In the center of the garden, three female figures stood side by side. No longer children, but imposing young women, each with a presence that distorted the air around them. Irelia exuded a cutting aura, as if her mere presence were enough to shatter glass. Amelia was a well of silence and focus, shrouded in a cloak of contained dark energy, like a hurricane inside a bottle. And Sylphie... Sylphie floated slightly above the ground, her eyes shining with ethereal blue, a soft smile on her lips that hid something deeply unsettling.

Behind them, Elion stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on his students—or perhaps, on his creations. Her long hair was tied in a meticulously braided plait, and the black tunic she wore seemed to absorb the light from the room.

"I thought things would be easier," she said, with a slight tone of frustration, her eyes fixed on the three. "But it seems their potential was too great. Greater than any projection I made."

"And does that bother you?" asked Eleonor, her mother, in a calm but stern tone. Her voice sounded like the wind whistling through old glass windows. "Or are you afraid they will surpass you?"

Elion glanced at the queen of the witches, but did not answer. Her mother's words were not a provocation—they were a statement of fact.

Next to Eleonor, Exelia watched with calculated attention. Her blue eyes moved slowly between the three girls, analyzing gestures, small tremors, muscle tensions. She was more rigid than Elion.

"Irelia has developed an absurd aptitude for physical control magic," Exelia said, almost to herself. "Her body is not only strong... it is malleable at will. She can harden bones, bend muscles, accelerate recovery. Like a weapon made flesh. In addition to the Magic Cutting Ability."

"And Amelia?" Eleonor asked.

"Ice. Pure and complete. She channels True Ice at no cost. Her Will is so sharp that the icy magic itself is mastered absolutely. A child who turned silence into strength."

"And Sylphie?" Elion added.

Exelia hesitated for a second. Then she replied:

"She... sings with the Wind. But there's something strange about her. The energy flows as if the whole world is rooting for her to blossom—and afraid of what will happen when she does."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Eleonor stepped forward, her hands still clasped, observing with ancient eyes the three girls, now so different, so far removed from the girls who once cried for fear of sleeping in the dark.

"Are you ready for the next stage? I have no choice but to train you myself."