City of Witches

A week had passed.

Amelia and the young Siwoo enjoyed a peaceful daily life.

The former never forgot to give the latter five drops of the potion given to her by Duchess Keter every day.

She took care of him just like her master had done for her/

Amelia didn’t do this with the intention to seek for his forgiveness when he regained his memories.

Instead, she acted out of her affectionate feelings towards him and her desire to pass on the love she had once received to another person.

The fact that she could do something for him, along with the fact that he trusted and relied on her, filled her with overwhelming happiness.

Her efforts might have played a role in this positive outcome.

Initially, he used to feel scared whenever he saw her, but gradually, he became more used to her presence.

“Ms. Amelia.”

“Have some cake, Siwoo.”

Siwoo, who was diligently scribbling something on his desk in his room, jumped up from his chair and greeted Amelia as soon as he saw her.

Day by day, his body was undergoing an astonishing growth spurt.

While it was common for children to grow rapidly, his case was an abnormal one.

Apparently, he was gaining around one centimeter of height everyday. Not only that, his memories were also gradually returned.

In particular, his recollection of magic, which was recovering at a rapid pace.

“Thank you.”

“If you need more, just tell me. I’ll bring it to you.”

“No, this should be enough for me. What about you, Ms. Amelia? Would you like some?”

“No.”

Amelia placed the cake on his table and casted a quick glance at the paper he had been scribbling on.

He seemed to have organized his fundamental knowledge of magic in his own unique way.

“How are your studies going?”

“Everything feels strange. It’s as if I’ve already known all these things about magic…”

“…Probably because your memories are gradually coming back.”

“I have a question, Ms. Amelia. Why does this formula appear in this manner? I tried to come up with an answer by myself, but it’s a little hard…”

“Let me take a look.”

Amelia carefully examined Siwoo’s answer, which covered the entire paper without leaving any empty space.

What he was working on was advanced level magic.

Specifically, it was the first law of the ‘Yesod Magic Field Law,’ a law known as the essence of force field engineering, created by Countess Yesod.

Even considering that his memories were gradually returning, this was a particularly complex and complicated formula. Back when Amelia was his age, she wasn’t even qualified to touch it, let alone trying to prove its authenticity.

“…”

So far, whenever Siwoo asked her questions, she had always provided him with highly appropriate answers.

Instead of giving him all the answers, she’d examine how far he got on his own and give him clues to help him come up with an answer by himself.

This time though, Amelia didn’t even know how to start.

This was a well-known magical equation, even Amelia herself had solved and documented her answers countless times.

However, when she tried to analyze Siwoo’s answer halfway, he presented a completely different interpretation than her own approach.

She felt a sense of familiarity from it.

It resembled the sensation she experienced when she first laid her eyes on the magic circle sketches that he had created in the past.

Only Siwoo herself could understand the theory behind it. Amelia could only understand the faint outline of it.

Although his answer this time wasn’t as distinctive as it was back then, it was clear that it was rooted from the same source.

“Ms. Amelia?”

Siwoo’s innocent eyes looked at her with a perplexed expression.

She stared back at him, slightly confused.

“Why did you write it like this?”

“I simply wrote down whatever came to mind, just like what I’ve been doing. Oh yeah, this approach suddenly came to my mind when I was gazing at that tree over there.”

Siwoo pointed his pen towards the fractal tree he had intricately carved.

The magic circle had strayed so far from the norm that Amelia struggled to comprehend it.

If there was one thing that she understood…

It was the fact that his memories were returning quicker than she thought.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Would you like to take a short break, Siwoo?”

“What? Why? I was enjoying it because I happened to come across something I didn’t know…”

Amelia calmly comforted Siwoo, who was expressing his dissatisfaction.

“If you focus too much on just one thing, it may actually decrease your efficiency.

“Okay…”

“I’ll lay out a mat in the garden. Let’s enjoy some tea together. I’ll also bring some cakes.”

“Okay!”

Amelia stepped out of the room first to calm her confused mind.

She had to prepare the mat and the black tea for him to enjoy with the cake she had just mentioned.

As she rummaged through the cupboard and readied the teapot, she let out a deep sigh.

“Phew…”

It felt as though she had awoken from a sweet dream.

The reality she had momentarily forgotten weighed heavily on her chest.

If she were asked to choose her happiest recent memories, she’d undoubtedly choose these past few days since it was the moment when she felt truly happy.

Observing Siwoo’s rapid progress in mastering magic, witnessing his height increasing day by day and feeling their relationship growing closer with each passing moment. She found solace in overcoming some of the loneliness and isolation she had felt in the past.

Strolling through the garden while having various conversations, sharing meals together, relishing their favorite Kipushi’s cake, falling asleep side by side… Every moment she spent with him brought her a small, yet precious joy.

Siwoo placed his trust in Amelia and followed her lead.

His face would light up with a smile whenever he caught the sight of her.

When they slept together, he’d hold her body tightly.

And most importantly…

He didn’t hate her.

Amelia understood that everything was merely a fleeting moment brought by magic.

Because the past hadn’t faded away. The reality she feared still lingered, waiting for the right moment to jump at her.

The warmth of those days compelled her to forcibly forget the harsh reality, but when she saw what Siwoo was doing earlier, the illusion she was burying herself in was completely shattered.

Five years had passed since their first meeting.

Siwoo’s deep-seated resentment had persisted for a long time.

And she was responsible for that.

She wasn’t delusional enough to think that these past few days of them living a happy life together would suddenly change their relationship.

It was just, she wanted to savor those moments.

This moment where she experienced the warmth of the family for the first time since her master’s passing. The coziness of the peaceful days she was living and the sheer joy over the fact that she wasn’t alone anymore.

But those would soon come to an end.

She reached into her pocket and took out the potion that Duchess Keter gave her.

About a fifth of its content had already been consumed by Siwoo.

This potion acted like an hourglass, determining the duration of this illusion she found herself in.

But, at the same time, she had the power to disregard it completely.

‘What if I don’t give him the potion?’

‘Won’t that prevent his memories from returning?’

‘Will that prolong the happy moments we share together?’

Such selfish, despicable and repulsive thoughts appeared in her mind.

A surge of impulse born from her twisted desires.

“Ms. Amelia!”

As Amelia made her way to the garden, she heard Siwoo’s voice calling out to her.

It seemed that she had taken longer to prepare than she expected.

His bright and friendly voice momentarily dissipated the dark thoughts that clouded her heart.

She briefly glanced at the bottle in her hand before carefully placing it back into her pocket.

It wasn’t the right course of action.

She realized that her current hesitation stemmed from her impulsive desire to escape.

Something that she had always been doing.

She decided that she wouldn’t fall in the same hole twice.

After all, Siwoo had taught her that she couldn’t keep running away.

“I’ll be there in a moment!”

2.

The day came to an end.

Amelia looked up at the stars hanging on the edge of the horizon and took out a neglected violin from its place in the corner of the room.

It had been meticulously stored in a case with a preservation spell.

Magic was a field of study that was worthy of being called a fusion of knowledge.

Due to the nature of the witches who were required to have artistic knowledge, Amelia had once diligently practiced the violin.

While her master played the piano, she played the violin.

Mozart, Saint-Saëns, Bach, Kreisler’s Chausson Poem.

She didn’t care about the piece’s composer. As long as her master collected the sheets of the pieces, she’d play them.

This was also one of the happiest moments of young Amelia’s life, as she used to despise magic.

“…”

She rested her chin on the chinrest and grasped the neck of the violin.

It had been so long since she played it, the sensation she felt was unfamiliar.

Although preservation magic was casted on it, it only prevented visible decay. The violin was out of tune.

She adjusted the position of the bridge, adjusting the tightness of the strings, finding the correct pitches as she progressed.

-Zing!

The violin, untouched ever since she became a witch, cried out as if showing its resentment towards its owner, who had been neglecting it for so long.

Her fingers that had once moved freely to play it became stiff. Even her posture became awkward.

Yet, as she plucked the strings a few times, an old memory stirred within her. Her body still remembered how to play.

Her quivering fingertips resonated through the strings.

A beautiful melody echoed in her ears.

Things that she had forgotten resurfaced.

She didn’t know why she suddenly found the courage to play the violin again.

Nevertheless, she surrendered herself to the memories and continued playing for a long time with closed eyes.

“Wow…”

When she heard that sudden noise, her eyes involuntarily opened. She saw Siwoo peeking his head next to the door.

He apologized with a disappointed expression on his face as Amelia cut off her performance.

“Oh, Ms. Amelia… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to disturb you…”

“No, it’s okay. The sound I made felt off anyway. I was thinking about stopping.”

Siwoo entered her room in a more casual manner than before.

He didn’t even bother to ask for her permission.

Amelia felt a little proud as she felt their relationship had grown closer.

However, a tinge of sadness crept into her heart.

“Are you feeling tired?”

“Yes. I was too immersed in my magic study…”

It was getting late.

Just by looking at Siwoo’s half-closed eyes and the pajamas he was wearing, Amelia could tell that it was close to midnight.

“I’ll tidy up. Do you want to wait in bed first?”

Siwoo had been going to bed with Amelia.

Usually, the latter was struggling to shut her eyes, but when Siwoo was with her, she fell asleep with ease as if it was the most natural thing to happen.

“But, before that…”

Siwoo paused, contemplating for a moment before settling down on the couch in front of Amelia.

“I’d love to hear more of your plays, Ms. Amelia. It was so beautiful.”

“You think so?”

The simple conversation between the two of them felt both unfamiliar and nostalgic to AMelia.

It helped to fill the void in her heart that had been created by the fragments of what she had lost.

She drew closer to Siwoo, gently caressing his head.

“Is there a song you want to hear?”

“I’d be happy with any piece. I don’t know much about music…”

Seeing him sitting upright, ready to listen to her, Amelia gracefully moved the bow again.

But this time, the melody she let out failed to reach her ears.

‘If only this moment could last a little longer.’

This moment would linger in her thoughts, reminding her of a gentle breeze.

But, by that point, she would only be able to reminisce about it. Over and over again.