A cold wind swept through the forest, toying with withered leaves.
The trees trembled softly, their faint rustling brushing against Ethan’s ears.
He walked in silence, following Luna Heart as she led him toward the witch’s cottage—where the old Vanessa awaited.
After what had transpired between them earlier, Ethan deliberately kept his distance from Luna, wary that she might decide to crush him again on a whim.
The gap he left, however, beca excessive.
After several minutes, Luna turned toward him, irritation plain on her face.
"Stop lagging behind and walk closer. If you stray too far, you’ll lose . This forest is enchanted, as you should already know."
The witches had layered formidable defenses around their territory .. ensuring that no intruder could wander freely.
It was so excessive that Ethan briefly wondered whether they were hiding sothing far more significant within.
Still, he didn’t waste energy dwelling on it. He quickened his pace and caught up to Luna—though he remained slightly behind her, refusing to walk at her side.
"Is this distance acceptable?"
Seeing his continued caution, Luna exhaled.
"Believe , I don’t particularly wish to remain near you either. But we don’t have the luxury of choice."
With a subtle motion of her hand, Ethan felt an invisible force press against his back, nudging him forward until he stood directly beside her.
Gravity magic again.
"Endure it until we reach our destination."
At this point, Ethan decided to ease his vigilance .. at least temporarily. She didn’t seem inclined to attack him again.
They continued side by side.
From ti to ti, Ethan glanced at her.
’She looked like a demon earlier with those terrifying eyes... but now, she appears almost normal.’
’Perhaps I misjudged her...’
Upon closer inspection, Luna was undeniably beautiful.
Her features were calm and sharply defined. Her skin was pale—far fairer than most of the girls he had encountered among the Hearts. Her face was slightly slender, and her eyes large .. so large that when she had glared at him earlier, they had seed almost predatory.
As though she wanted to rip his entrails from his body.
Yet what distinguished her most was her long, midnight-black hair.
Since arriving in this world, Ethan had seen little but blazing red hair among the Heart lineage. Seeing a different shade—sothing more familiar to him .. felt strangely refreshing.
Apparently, he had stared a bit too long.
Luna turned sharply toward him, suspicion flickering in her gaze.
"Ethan Heart... have you made your target now instead of my sister?"
Sensing her mood about to shift once more, Ethan quickly averted his eyes.
"No. It’s just... this is the first ti I’ve seen a Heart with hair that isn’t red. There’s no need to attempt my execution again."
Luna sighed faintly when he ntioned her hair once more.
"It isn’t rare. There are many like within the clan. And don’t worry .. even if I tried to kill you, I doubt you’d die easily."
She was referring to earlier.
"You’ve lost your level, yet you endured my gravity attack. Your body is solid .. far sturdier than that of an ordinary human."
Her observation was accurate.
Ethan knew exactly why he had survived.
The demonic body.
’Because of that ability... my body is far stronger than a human’s.’
He raised his hand before his face and clenched it into a fist.
He wondered about the true extent of this body’s potential.
And about the strange price he had paid for it.
’Loss of humanity... I still don’t understand. What exactly will I lose when that mont cos?’
The question had lingered in his mind for so ti.
He knew he would only learn the answer by pushing himself further—by using this power and witnessing the consequences firsthand.
As Ethan studied his own hand, Luna watched him quietly for a mont before returning her attention forward.
"Stop admiring your body. You may be a bit sturdier than most, but I’m not carrying my staff. My spell’s output was significantly reduced."
"No need to explain that to ," Ethan replied calmly.
"Magic staves are embedded with stones that amplify mana output, drastically increasing the strength of a spell compared to casting without one."
A staff functioned as a magnifier .. channeling and enhancing mana, granting a witch greater power and precision.
"That’s surprising," Luna said. "Despite losing your mory, you seem to have retained your knowledge of such matters."
"To an extent," Ethan replied indifferently.
"But that knowledge won’t help you. You’re a knight, not a mage."
"Even if I’m not a mage, I can still benefit from understanding how they operate. Especially if I have to fight one."
"You’re right..."
Luna lowered her head slightly, embarrassed for overlooking sothing so obvious.
Ethan chuckled softly at her reaction.
She frowned at him.
"What’s amusing?"
"Nothing, nothing. I’m just... mildly surprised."
He added after a pause,
"When it doesn’t concern your sister, you’re just an ordinary girl."
Perhaps even a little naïve.
"What exactly is that supposed to an?" she demanded, her expression tightening.
"Take it as a complint."
Silence lingered between them for several monts.
Then Luna spoke again .. her tone different this ti.
"You... seem different. As though you’re soone else entirely."
The remark ca out of nowhere.
It caught Ethan completely off guard.
"Different? In what way exactly?" he asked, genuinely puzzled by Luna’s observation.
He had spent ti with his squad .. people who knew the previous Ethan intimately—yet none of them had noticed any fundantal change.
And yet Luna, who had barely spoken to him, had struck at sothing dangerously close to the truth.
He wanted to know how she had sensed it.
But she shook her head.
"No... forget what I just said. It must be the side effect of your mory loss," Luna replied lightly before gesturing ahead.
"More importantly... we’ve arrived."
Following her lead, Ethan looked forward.
The forest appeared exactly the sa.
Endless trees. Thick grass. No visible difference.
Except ..
A translucent veil now stood before them.
It resembled an invisible curtain, though its rippling surface betrayed its presence.
Beyond it, the forest seed unchanged.
Yet Ethan instinctively knew that was an illusion.
"A magical barrier..."
Luna nodded.
"Let’s cross to the other side."
They stepped forward together.
Then she extended her hand toward him.
"Hold my hand. Otherwise, the barrier will reject you."
Ethan looked at her for a second.
Then he placed his hand in hers.
His chanical one.
When her fingers wrapped around the cold iron of his prosthetic, Luna hesitated—surprised for a fraction of a mont.
But she asked nothing.
Their relationship was too shallow to justify curiosity.
Silently, she stepped through the barrier .. pulling him along.
And just like that, they entered the true domain of the Heart witches.
The mont they crossed, Ethan’s eyes widened.
Only a heartbeat ago, he had stood in a dark, desolate forest.
Now ..
He had stepped into another world.
Before him stretched a vast green plain, vibrant with life.
Dozens of wooden cottages stood perched upon enormous trees .. trees lush and flourishing, utterly unlike the lifeless ones beyond the barrier.
He saw witches scattered throughout the clearing.
So wandered quietly in contemplation.
So practiced magic.
Others simply enjoyed their ti, unburdened.
But none of that captured his attention as much as what lay above.
Ethan tilted his head upward.
He stared.
And stared.
Until his neck began to ache.
"The sky..." he murmured.
"It’s... blue?"
That was what stunned him most.
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