A few moments later she finally stopped.

"We’re here."

Instantly everyone turned forward.

Then Liam froze.

His jaw slowly dropped.

Every thought vanished from his head.

For several seconds he simply stood there staring.

The tunnel opened into a massive valley hidden between towering mountains that stretched toward the clouds. The sight was so breathtaking that it felt unreal, as though someone had painted a fantasy world and somehow brought it to life.

Towering peaks surrounded the entire settlement on every side like natural walls created by giants. Their snow-covered summits glittered beneath the sunlight while waterfalls poured down the mountainsides in silver ribbons that shimmered like liquid crystal.

The air alone was enough to leave Liam speechless.

He inhaled deeply.

The difference was immediate.

The air felt cleaner than anything he had ever experienced before. Not city-clean. Not countryside-clean.

Pure.

Every breath filled his lungs with cool freshness that made his entire body feel lighter.

For the first time in years there was no smell of pollution.

No smoke.

No chemicals.

Nothing.

Just nature.

Just life.

Above them, birds soared through the sky.

At least Liam assumed they were birds.

Some of them looked unlike anything he had ever seen before.

One had wings that reflected rainbow colors whenever sunlight struck them.

Another possessed a tail nearly twice the length of its body, trailing behind it like a flowing ribbon as it glided through the air.

Farther away, a flock of silver-feathered creatures circled above the valley. Their feathers sparkled so brightly that they almost looked metallic.

"What the hell..." Liam whispered.

Tatiana’s mouth was open too.

Irina wasn’t much better.

Even Leonid looked completely stunned.

The settlement itself seemed woven directly into the landscape.

Small homes stood throughout the valley, built from smooth stone and polished wood that blended naturally with the surrounding environment. Colorful flowers grew everywhere. Crystal-clear streams flowed between pathways. Strange glowing plants lined certain areas, providing soft illumination despite the daylight.

People moved throughout the settlement peacefully.

Some were gathering herbs.

Others were carrying baskets.

Several witches stood near a garden discussing something while floating small objects through the air as casually as people would wave their hands.

Nobody seemed rushed.

Nobody seemed stressed.

The entire place radiated a feeling of harmony that felt completely alien compared to the chaos of the outside world.

Then Liam noticed the children.

Groups of kids ran through the settlement laughing and playing games.

One little girl chased glowing butterflies that floated around her head.

Another boy appeared to be levitating several pebbles while trying desperately to impress his friends.

A few of them spotted the newcomers.

The games immediately stopped.

Curious eyes turned toward Liam’s group.

Whispers spread.

Pointing fingers followed.

The children stared at the strangers for several seconds before apparently deciding they weren’t interesting enough.

Then they simply returned to playing.

Liam couldn’t help laughing.

"They judged us and moved on in less than ten seconds."

Mary smiled slightly.

"Children."

Liam slowly turned in a full circle, taking in the entire valley once more.

The mountains.

The rivers.

The strange birds.

The beautiful settlement hidden from the world.

The pure air.

The peaceful atmosphere.

Everything.

For the first time since, he finally understood why the witches had gone through such ridiculous lengths to hide this place.

If word ever got out...

The entire world would come looking for it.

And standing there at the mouth of the cave, surrounded by sights that seemed pulled straight from a fantasy novel, Liam honestly couldn’t blame them.

Liam did not wait.

The moment his boots reached the edge of the tunnel and the vast settlement opened before him, he stepped out ahead of everyone else.

One step.

That was all it took.

The reaction was immediate.

Every sound vanished.

The laughter of children disappeared.

The conversations between villagers stopped mid-sentence.

The distant chopping of wood ceased.

Even the strange birds circling high above the valley suddenly scattered from the sky as if some invisible force had passed through the settlement.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Liam froze halfway through his second step.

His eyes moved slowly from left to right.

Dozens of people had stopped what they were doing.

Then hundreds.

Men.

Women.

Children.

Elderly witches leaning on walking sticks.

Young apprentices carrying baskets.

Everyone.

Every single pair of eyes was fixed directly on him.

The silence stretched longer and longer.

Liam looked over his shoulder toward Mary.

"Did I activate something I wasn’t supposed to?"

Before Mary could answer, another voice spoke first.

Irina.

"What happened to letting Mary walk out first?"

Liam blinked.

Then glanced at her.

Then glanced back at the crowd.

Then back at Irina.

"Look at them."

"What?"

"Look at them," Liam repeated.

Irina frowned slightly and finally turned her attention toward the gathered witches.

Liam spread his hands.

"Do they look angry?"

Irina paused.

Because he was right.

Not a single hostile expression could be seen anywhere.

No fear.

No suspicion.

No outrage.

Nothing remotely close.

Instead, the villagers looked almost...

Welcoming.

Like people who had been expecting visitors.

Like people seeing something they had been waiting a very long time to see.

Liam shrugged.

"See?"

Then, before anybody could stop him, he simply started walking.

No destination.

No plan.

Just curiosity.

His hands rested casually inside his pockets as he moved through the settlement, looking around at everything with open fascination.

The villagers parted naturally wherever he went.

Not because they were afraid.

Quite the opposite.

Many smiled.

Several nodded politely.

A few older witches even looked oddly emotional.

Liam noticed it immediately.

That only made him more confused.

What exactly were these people looking at?

He wasn’t sure.

But he definitely knew they were looking at him.

As he walked, he met people’s eyes directly.

He never avoided eye contact.

Never looked away.

When somebody looked at him, he looked right back.

That simple habit created an unexpected side effect.

Several younger women immediately turned red.

One nearly dropped the basket she was carrying.

Another suddenly found the ground extremely interesting.

A third looked away so fast that Liam almost laughed.

He knew exactly what was happening.

Unfortunately, somebody else noticed too.

Tatiana.

She was walking several steps behind the group.

And her expression wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Her eyes kept moving between Liam and every blushing woman nearby.

The more it happened, the tighter her lips became.

Liam, meanwhile, acted completely oblivious.

Or at least pretended to.

Mary eventually walked past him and took the lead again.

"Follow me."

The simple command immediately brought everyone’s attention back to the reason they were here.

Liam fell into step behind her.

Irina followed.

Then Tatiana.

Then Leonid.

As they walked deeper into the settlement, Liam began noticing something strange.

Every time they passed a villager, that person would place a hand over their heart.

Not a salute.

Not a bow.

Not exactly.

It was more respectful than either.

A gesture filled with quiet sincerity.

The first few times Liam thought it was coincidence.

By the tenth person, he realized it definitely wasn’t.

By the twentieth, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

Every witch.

Without exception.

Hand over heart.

A silent greeting.

Or perhaps something more.

Liam found himself returning the gesture once or twice.

That earned several warm smiles.

The group continued through winding pathways between homes built from stone, wood, and materials Liam didn’t even recognize.

Eventually they arrived at a large building near the center of the settlement.

Mary pulled aside a heavy curtain serving as a doorway and stepped inside.

The others followed.

The interior was surprisingly spacious.

Wooden beams crossed the ceiling.

Shelves lined the walls.

Several lanterns glowed softly despite having no visible flame.

The atmosphere felt warm.

Comfortable.

Ancient.

Mary finally turned toward them.

"The ceremony begins in one hour."

Nobody interrupted.

Mary continued calmly.

"Use that time however you wish."

Her gaze briefly swept across the room.

Then her voice became slightly quieter.

"Enjoy what may be Earth’s final peaceful breath."

The words hung heavily in the air.

Even Leonid looked thoughtful.

Irina folded her arms.

Tatiana lowered her eyes.

Only Liam seemed unaffected.

Mary simply nodded once.

Then turned around and walked back outside.

The curtain fell closed behind her.

For several seconds nobody spoke.

Then Liam suddenly moved.

He walked after Mary.

Irina raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?"

Liam didn’t answer.

Instead, he stopped at the doorway and pulled the curtain aside just enough for his head to stick through.

Only his head.

Nothing else.

He looked outside.

The villagers had already returned to their daily lives.

Children were running again.

Adults were working.

Conversations had resumed.

The settlement was alive once more.

Liam watched for several moments.

Then quietly whispered,

"I never thought there would be male witches."

Irina nearly rolled her eyes out of her skull.

"Yeah."

Liam glanced back.

"Yeah what?"

"The same way you thought witches were old hags flying around on broomsticks."

Liam immediately straightened.

"Hey."

Irina crossed her arms.

"Hey what?"

"Why are you saying that like it wouldn’t be the first thing anybody imagines after hearing the word witch?"

Tatiana couldn’t stop a small laugh.

Leonid looked away to hide his own smile.

Irina stared at Liam for several seconds.

Then shook her head.

"You are unbelievable."

"No," Liam replied confidently.

"I’m realistic."

"You thought witches rode broomsticks."

"Historically speaking, that’s a fair assumption."

"Historically speaking, you’re an idiot."

Liam pointed at her.

"See? This is exactly why people think werewolves are angry all the time."

Irina looked genuinely offended.

"Werewolves are not angry all the time."

"You say while sounding angry."

Tatiana’s laugh became louder.

Even Leonid finally chuckled.

Irina stared at all of them.

Then sighed.

"You know what? Forget it."

Liam grinned victoriously.

"That means I win."

"There wasn’t a competition."

"There is now."

Irina opened her mouth.

Paused.

Then slowly closed it again.

Because somehow, against all logic, arguing with Liam always felt like voluntarily walking into a trap.

And judging by the smug smile spreading across his face, he knew it too.