After nearly seven hours of uninterrupted walking, the group’s pace had naturally slowed. Even though none of them were weak, constantly navigating an unfamiliar forest under the gravity of this strange world was exhausting in its own way. The trees seemed endless, stretching across the landscape like an ancient kingdom that had existed long before humanity ever took its first breath. Their roots rose from the ground like walls, forcing the travelers to weave around them repeatedly, while thick vines hung from branches high above like ropes abandoned by giants. The sounds of distant creatures echoed from every direction, sometimes close enough to raise caution and other times so far away that they felt like little more than background noise.

Then suddenly Leonid stopped.

His movement was so abrupt that Gregor nearly walked into him.

Everyone froze immediately.

Tatiana’s heart jumped into her throat.

Her eyes instantly snapped toward Liam, who was still unconscious on Leonid’s back.

"Did something happen?" she asked quickly.

Irina had already stepped closer, her gaze locked onto Liam’s motionless body.

But Leonid wasn’t looking at Liam.

He wasn’t looking at any of them.

Instead, his head was tilted slightly upward, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled deeply.

The vampire remained perfectly still for several seconds.

Then his eyes narrowed.

"I smell smoke."

The entire group’s attention sharpened immediately.

Smoke meant fire.

Fire meant civilization.

Before anyone could speak, Leonid took another breath.

"And people."

A grin spread across his face.

"I smell a settlement."

The effect of those words was immediate.

Everyone visibly brightened.

Even Gregor’s normally stern face softened slightly.

After spending hours wandering through an endless wilderness filled with monsters they barely understood, the thought of finally meeting intelligent life felt like a blessing.

"We finally found people?" Irina asked.

Leonid nodded confidently.

"Definitely."

For the first time all day, genuine excitement spread through the group.

Their pace immediately increased.

Nobody needed encouragement.

They all wanted the same thing.

Food.

Shelter.

Answers.

And most importantly, proof that they weren’t completely stranded in the middle of nowhere.

As the others focused on the possibility of reaching civilization, Tatiana found herself distracted by something else entirely.

For the past few hours, she had been stealing occasional glances toward Agatha.

Not enough to be obvious.

At least she thought it wasn’t obvious.

The elderly witch walked near the middle of the group with calm, measured steps, her long silver braid swaying gently behind her with every movement. There was something mysterious about her that Tatiana couldn’t quite explain. Ever since Agatha had described the terrifying creatures she had seen in visions, curiosity had been growing steadily inside her.

She glanced at the older woman again.

Then quickly looked away.

A few minutes later she did it again.

Then once more.

Suddenly a voice spoke beside her.

"What is it that you want to know about her?"

Tatiana nearly jumped.

She turned her head instantly.

Mary was walking beside her.

The witch wasn’t even looking at her.

Her eyes remained fixed on the path ahead.

Yet somehow she had spoken directly to her thoughts.

Tatiana blinked.

For a moment she genuinely didn’t know what to say.

"How do you know I was curious about her?" she asked quietly.

Mary smiled faintly.

"I’m a witch, Tatty."

Tatiana almost stumbled over a root.

Two things shocked her immediately.

The first was the nickname.

Tatty.

Only Alina ever called her that.

Hearing it come from someone else felt strangely unexpected.

The second thing was far more concerning.

Mary had sensed her curiosity.

Which led directly to another realization.

Tatiana’s eyes widened slightly.

"If you knew..."

Mary’s smile grew.

"Then Agatha probably knew too?"

Tatiana nodded.

Mary chuckled softly.

"Yes."

Tatiana immediately looked toward Agatha.

The elderly witch was still walking peacefully ahead as if nothing unusual had happened.

Which somehow made the situation even more embarrassing.

Mary finally looked at her.

"Relax."

Tatiana rubbed her nose awkwardly.

"This is embarrassing."

"No it isn’t."

"It kind of is."

Mary laughed.

Then she nudged Tatiana lightly with her shoulder.

"Just ask me what you want to know."

Tatiana hesitated briefly before deciding there wasn’t any point hiding it.

"A month ago," she began, "when you explained how you found this world, you said the portal only stayed open for a fraction of a second."

"That’s true."

Mary stepped over a fallen branch.

Tatiana jumped over it beside her.

"Then how was Agatha describing everything earlier like she’d actually been here before?"

Mary remained silent for a moment.

Tatiana continued.

"The giant creatures."

"The dragons."

"The dangerous regions."

"She spoke like she’d seen all of it."

Her brow furrowed.

"There’s no way someone learns that much in less than a second."

This time Mary’s smile became noticeably wider.

Now she finally understood what had been bothering Tatiana.

"Oh."

Her expression softened.

"So that’s what’s been on your mind."

Tatiana nodded.

Mary looked ahead toward Agatha.

"For every generation of witches," she began slowly, "there is always a Seer."

Tatiana tilted her head.

"A Seer?"

"Yes."

Mary’s voice carried genuine respect.

"Agatha is ours."

Tatiana remained quiet as she listened.

"A Seer is incredibly rare. Some covens go centuries without producing one. They are born with gifts that allow them to glimpse things others cannot. Sometimes they see possibilities. Sometimes they see warnings. Sometimes they see fragments of the future itself."

Tatiana’s eyes widened.

"So she can actually see the future?"

"Not exactly."

Mary shook her head.

"It isn’t that simple."

She brushed aside a vine hanging across the path.

"Visions are rarely clear. Most come as symbols, emotions, impressions, fragments. Understanding them is often harder than receiving them."

Tatiana nodded slowly.

That made more sense.

Mary continued.

"Every major decision our council makes is guided by Agatha’s visions. Every dangerous expedition. Every important ritual. Every prophecy."

There was genuine admiration in her voice now.

"You have no idea how comforting it is knowing someone has already seen the storm before it arrives."

Tatiana looked toward the silver-haired woman again.

This time her curiosity felt different.

Not curiosity about a stranger.

Curiosity about someone extraordinary.

"So when the portal opened..."

Mary nodded before she could even finish.

"She connected with this world."

Tatiana blinked.

"Connected?"

"Only for a moment."

Mary’s eyes became thoughtful.

"But that moment was enough."

Tatiana listened carefully.

"Afterward she spent weeks receiving visions. More pieces came over time. Places. Creatures. Landscapes. Dangers."

Understanding finally dawned on her face.

"So she wasn’t describing things she physically saw."

"Exactly."

Mary smiled.

"She was describing things she saw afterward."

Tatiana finally understood.

The realization made everything click into place.

Agatha hadn’t visited this world.

Yet in a strange way, she almost had.

Through visions.

Through glimpses.

Through fragments scattered across time.

Tatiana found herself looking at the older witch once more.

Only this time there was no embarrassment.

Only admiration.

The silver-haired woman continued walking through the forest completely unaware—or perhaps perfectly aware—of the conversation happening behind her.

———

The smell of smoke grew stronger with every passing minute until it no longer drifted faintly through the air but surrounded them completely.

It mixed with the scent of burning wood, cooked food, damp earth, and fresh morning dew, creating an aroma that felt strangely comforting after spending nearly an entire day wandering through an endless forest filled with unseencreatures that wanted to eat them.

Above the treetops, the first rays of the morning sun slowly climbed over the horizon, washing the sky in soft shades of orange and gold. They had walked through the entire night without realizing just how much time had passed, and now a brand-new day greeted them in this unfamiliar world.

Even someone as energetic as Irina couldn’t hide the exhaustion settling into her muscles anymore. Her steps had become noticeably slower over the last hour, and although she wasn’t the type to complain, the thought of lying down on a bed sounded like heaven. Gregor and Agatha remained composed as always, but even they looked ready for a proper rest after maintaining a steady pace for so long. Mary rubbed the back of her neck absentmindedly while continuing forward, and Tatiana had to fight the urge to yawn every few minutes. The only member of the group who looked exactly the same as he had ten hours ago was Leonid.

His breathing remained perfectly steady.

His posture never slouched.

His footsteps never slowed.

Liam still rested securely across his back as though carrying another full-grown adult for more than ten hours weighed absolutely nothing to him.

Tatiana stared at him for a while before finally moving closer.

"Leonid..."

He looked at her.

"You aren’t tired?"

Leonid blinked once.

"No."

Tatiana glanced toward Liam.

"You’ve been carrying him this whole time. Let me take him for a while."

Leonid simply shook his head.

"I don’t need the break."

Tatiana frowned.

"You’ve been walking for over ten hours."

"I know."

"Your shoulders don’t hurt?"

"No."

"Your legs?"

"No."

Tatiana looked genuinely confused now.

"You really aren’t tired?"

Leonid smiled faintly.

"I don’t get tired."

She stared at him.

"You mean..."

"My body doesn’t require rest."

Tatiana looked even more surprised.

"So... you don’t sleep?"

"I can."

He shrugged casually.

"But I don’t have to."

She couldn’t hide her curiosity anymore.

"So it’s some kind of burden?"

Leonid tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

"You never get to sleep."

Tatiana’s voice carried genuine sympathy now.

"I’d hate that."

Leonid chuckled quietly.

"I don’t."

She blinked.

"My body has no need for sleep anymore."

He glanced briefly toward the sky before continuing.

"The only reason I sleep nowadays is because I’m bored."

Tatiana didn’t know whether to envy him or pity him.

Sleeping was one of the simplest pleasures in life.

The feeling of collapsing into bed after a long day.

The warmth.

The dreams.

The comfort.

Living forever without actually needing any of that suddenly sounded far lonelier than she had imagined.

Before she could ask another question, Leonid suddenly stopped speaking.