The two disappeared toward the abandoned house, leaving Liam standing where he was.

Tatiana adjusted her bag and prepared to follow.

Then—

"I flew here."

She froze.

Slowly, she turned.

Liam stood there smiling.

"There wasn’t any traffic."

Tatiana stared at him.

"..."

"..."

"...That was definitely a lie," Liam added.

Her cheeks colored faintly.

He’d figured it out.

Tatiana hesitated before slowly opening the top of her travel bag just enough for him to peek inside.

Liam leaned slightly closer.

Then he saw them.

Cookies.

Carefully packed.

Protected between layers of cloth and containers so they wouldn’t break during transport.

Each one looked delicately crafted.

Made with care.

Made for him.

Liam stared.

Then looked back at her.

"...Seriously?"

Tatiana avoided his gaze.

"You liked them."

"You spent your morning making cookies before potentially leaving Earth?"

"...Maybe."

Liam felt something warm settle inside his chest.

Unbelievable.

This girl really was unbelievable.

His smile softened.

"Thank you."

Tatiana finally looked up.

A tiny smile appeared on her lips.

"...You’re welcome."

Together, they entered the abandoned house.

Inside, it looked exactly as disappointing as the exterior suggested.

Dusty furniture.

Cracked walls.

Old wooden floors.

Nothing magical.

Nothing mysterious.

Nothing that suggested one of the most secretive organizations in the world operated from this place.

Liam glanced around.

"...I want my floating candles back."

Irina ignored him.

Leonid examined the walls.

Tatiana remained close behind.

Then—

"You’re late."

Everyone turned.

Mary sat calmly at an old wooden table positioned near the center of the room.

She looked exactly the same.

Same dark clothing.

Hair loosely tied back.

Plain features sharpened by observant eyes that seemed to miss absolutely nothing.

No dramatic robes.

No glowing staffs.

Just Mary.

She glanced toward Tatiana.

"Traffic?"

Tatiana lowered her head.

"...Yes."

Mary snorted.

"Understandable."

Liam pointed accusingly.

"See? She believes her."

Mary looked at him.

"No."

"..."

"You just look too happy to call her out."

Liam coughed.

Irina smirked.

Tatiana stared intensely at the floor.

Mary rose from her seat.

"Since everyone is here," she said calmly, "it’s time to meet the rest of the coven."

Immediately, everyone’s expressions shifted.

Liam’s curiosity returned.

"The rest?"

Mary nodded.

"We don’t expose our settlement’s location to outsiders."

Even Irina accepted that explanation without complaint.

Mary moved toward the center of the room.

Then she closed her eyes.

The atmosphere changed instantly.

The temperature dropped.

The air grew heavier.

Ancient words rolled from Mary’s lips, carrying a weight that transcended language itself.

"Vaelor thessa mirakai..."

"Nereth il saeva..."

"Thorian vel arkanis..."

"Luneth vae solara..."

"Enora kel thirath..."

"Vaelis mora... vaelis mora..."

"Open."

The final word echoed.

Light exploded.

Lines of silver spread across the nearest wall like roots growing beneath stone.

Symbols appeared.

Circles within circles.

Ancient formations layered upon one another with impossible precision.

The entire house trembled.

Tatiana gasped softly.

Leonid’s eyes widened.

Irina’s expression finally cracked.

Even Liam stood frozen.

Space...

Split apart.

The wall peeled open like fabric being pulled aside.

Beyond it existed only swirling silver light.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody breathed.

Mary opened one eye.

Seeing their stunned expressions, she sighed.

"I told you before," she said. "Opening a portal across galaxies is beyond our capabilities."

She gestured casually toward the glowing doorway.

"But traveling around Earth?"

Her dry expression never changed.

"Easy work."

Liam slowly looked back toward the portal.

Then toward Mary.

Then back toward the portal.

"So..."

He pointed.

"You’ve been able to teleport this entire time?"

"Yes."

"You can just... go anywhere?"

"Within Earth."

"You could’ve led with that."

Mary rolled her eyes.

"You never asked."

Liam looked personally offended.

"Do you understand how much traffic I’ve suffered through?"

Mary ignored him completely.

"I can maintain this indefinitely," she said. "There is no rush."

She glanced toward the shimmering doorway.

"Let’s go."

One by one, they stared at the impossible opening before them.

Behind that portal waited the hidden settlement of the witches.

The people who had spent generations searching for answers.

The people preparing to send them beyond the stars.

And perhaps...

The people holding the first true step toward another world.

Liam adjusted the bag on his shoulder.

Excitement sparked within him.

Irina inhaled slowly.

Tatiana tightened her grip around her travel bag.

Leonid’s pale gaze fixed upon the silver light ahead.

Without another word, they stepped closer to the portal, unable to stop themselves from wondering what kind of place could remain hidden from the entire world for centuries.

Then, together, they crossed the threshold.

The moment Liam stepped through the portal, every sensation in his body seemed to vanish at once.

For a brief second, he couldn’t feel the ground beneath his feet, couldn’t feel the weight of his bag resting on his shoulder, couldn’t even tell if he was standing upright or falling endlessly through empty space. It was a bizarre feeling, one that made every hair on his body stand on end. His stomach twisted slightly as if gravity itself had forgotten what direction it was supposed to pull him.

Instinctively, he tried opening his eyes.

All he saw was white.

Not normal white either. It wasn’t light from a lamp or sunlight reflecting off snow. It was endless white stretching in every direction, so bright and overwhelming that it felt like he had been dropped inside the center of a star.

Then suddenly—

Everything returned.

Color.

Sound.

Weight.

The feeling of solid ground beneath his boots.

Liam blinked rapidly as his vision adjusted.

The first thing he noticed was stone.

Rough stone walls surrounded him on all sides. A narrow cave stretched forward into darkness, the ceiling hanging low overhead. Moisture clung to the rock surfaces, and the air carried the faint scent of earth and minerals. Behind him the portal had already vanished as though it had never existed in the first place.

"What the hell..." Liam muttered quietly.

Even he couldn’t hide the amazement in his voice.

This was his first time using something like that.

Not flying.

Not some strange power from his system.

Actual teleportation.

Beside him, Tatiana seemed equally stunned. Her eyes moved across the cave walls as she unconsciously stepped closer to him. She didn’t even seem to realize she was doing it until her shoulder nearly brushed against his arm.

Liam noticed.

A small smile appeared on his face.

He said nothing.

Mary, meanwhile, looked completely unaffected.

To her, this was apparently as normal as walking through a doorway.

"Follow me," she said calmly.

She reached toward the wall and grabbed a lantern hanging from an iron hook.

The strange flame inside immediately caught Liam’s attention.

It wasn’t yellow.

It wasn’t orange.

The fire glowed with a soft bluish-white light that illuminated the cave without producing any smoke whatsoever.

Mary lifted it casually and started walking deeper into the tunnel.

The others quickly followed.

Leonid moved directly behind her, his curiosity getting the better of him almost immediately.

"Does that thing stay lit forever?" he asked while pointing at the lantern.

Mary glanced back.

"Pretty much."

Leonid blinked.

"Pretty much?"

Mary shrugged.

"It has been burning for three hundred and twelve years."

Leonid nearly tripped over his own feet.

"What?!"

Mary nodded casually.

"We stopped counting after the first century."

For several seconds nobody said anything.

Even Liam found himself staring at the lantern.

Three hundred years.

Just like that.

No batteries.

No fuel.

No maintenance.

Just magic.

Actual magic.

He suddenly had about a thousand questions he wanted to ask.

How did it work?

What powered it?

Could the flame be extinguished?

Could anyone learn to create one?

How much energy would something like that require?

His curiosity was practically screaming at him.

But after a moment he forced himself to stay quiet.

There would be plenty of time later.

For now, he simply followed Mary deeper into the cave.

The tunnel stretched on for much longer than Liam expected. Their footsteps echoed softly against the stone walls while the blue-white lantern cast dancing shadows around them. The further they traveled, the more the outside world seemed to disappear behind them.

Eventually a faint glow appeared ahead.

At first it was barely noticeable.

Just a tiny speck.

Then it grew larger.

Brighter.

Closer.

Liam stared at it for several moments before a grin spread across his face.

"There really is light at the end of the tunnel."

Tatiana immediately covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

Leonid groaned.

Mary rolled her eyes.

Irina looked genuinely concerned.

She glanced at Liam before speaking.

"Do you have a medical condition?"

Liam looked at her.

"What?"

"I’m serious."

"What are you talking about?"

Irina folded her arms.

"Sometimes you’re calm and reasonable. Sometimes you’re terrifying enough to make grown men piss themselves. Other times you’re acting like a complete idiot and won’t stop talking."

Liam considered that.

Then nodded thoughtfully.

"Yeah."

Irina blinked.

"...Yeah?"

"I think you figured it out."

"What?"

Liam pointed at himself proudly.

"That last one is the real me."

Tatiana laughed this time.

Even Leonid couldn’t hold back a smile.

Irina simply sighed.

"Of course it is."

Mary shook her head and continued walking.