Chapter 3 The First Flight to a New World

That evening, Yura's mother - Odelia had to go out to buy more milk. Yura sat in her room, trying to focus on her homework, but her mind kept circling around the strange events that had happened recently. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, making Yura feel uneasy. It had been a long time since anyone had come to their house. She hesitated for a moment before stepping out to open the door.

The person standing at the door was the blind old woman she had met this morning.

Yura froze. A strange feeling rose in her chest. How could a blind person find her way here on her own? What was her purpose? Should Yura invite her in? Or offer her a drink? But before Yura could politely greet the old woman, she spoke first:

"It's nice to see you again," she said, with a mysterious smile.

Yura swallowed hard. "You... you're not blind?"

The old woman tilted her head. Her eyes were pale and lifeless, yet a dark, eerie shadow flickered within them. "I don't understand what you're saying."

Yura took a deep breath, trying to stay calm, but something about the old woman's expression made her feel deeply unsettled.

"I haven't even spoken yet. How did you know it was me who opened the door?" Yura asked, suspicion creeping into her voice.

The old woman chuckled, and her wrinkled face twitched unnaturally as if losing control.

"You're quite sharp. But right now, the wiser choice would be to run." Her voice grew hoarser, more distorted with each word.

A cold chill ran down Yura's spine. She instinctively took a step back, keeping her eyes locked on the old woman's every move. Something was definitely wrong.

Before she could react, the old woman suddenly split into three identical figures right before Yura's shocked eyes. It felt like the ground beneath her feet was shaking violently. Yura immediately slammed the door shut, her breathing ragged and erratic.

Her instincts screamed at her...

...RUN!!!

Her heart pounded so hard that her steps became clumsy. Behind her, she heard the old woman's eerie laughter mixed with an echoing voice that filled the entire house:

"What a delightful little girl."

Then came the sound of the door bursting open, followed by the loud crash of objects falling to the floor. Yura sprinted with all her might, desperately scanning her surroundings for a safe place to hide. But there was nowhere.

The old woman's whispering voice seemed to echo from every corner. Yura had never felt such fear before.

In her panic, the bracelet on her wrist slipped off and rolled under the table. She knew it was there, but there was no time to retrieve it-escaping was her top priority. With no other option, she ran upstairs, but just as she reached the threshold of her bedroom, she tripped.

Pain shot through her body as she crashed to the floor. She lay there, struggling to get up with a twisted ankle.

At that moment, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and yanked her upright. Her heart nearly stopped. She braced herself for the worst-would the old woman abduct her to some distant, desolate place? Or was she a witch, planning to use Yura as a sacrifice? Or perhaps she would kill Yura on the spot?

The hand pulled her into her bedroom and slammed the door shut.

Yura squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself. But when she cautiously opened them, it wasn't the old woman standing before her.

It was her mother.

Odelia hurriedly flung open the wardrobe, pushing aside the neatly arranged clothes to make space. Then she grabbed Yura's arm and tried to shove her inside.

"M-Mom..."

Odelia didn't answer, too focused on her task. She finally created a small space in the wardrobe and turned to Yura.

"Get inside," she whispered urgently.

"M-Mom, just now... there was a blind old woman... no, she..."

"Be quiet, my love," her mother cut her off, her face grave.

Yura was overwhelmed with questions but couldn't bring herself to voice them. Odelia gently stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. Yura could feel her mother's hands trembling-her lips, too.

"My love, stay here. Don't come out until I return."

Then, before Yura could protest, her mother turned and strode toward the door.

Yura grabbed her arm, not wanting to let her go. She knew the old woman was dangerous. She was terrified for her mother.

But Odelia pried her fingers loose and slammed the wardrobe door shut, locking it from the outside.

As Odelia's footsteps faded away, a dreadful explosion erupted inside Yura's mind. She slumped against the wooden wall, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.

From inside the wardrobe, Yura heard the sound of a fierce battle. She covered her mouth, suppressing any noise. She was too terrified to think clearly.

What was happening?

Who was her mother fighting?

Who was that old woman, really?

Did she have any connection to the beastmen world that Alyssa had mentioned?

And why was her mother, an ordinary woman, daring to confront such a terrifying figure alone?

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness struck. Everything blurred.

Then, Yura gasped awake.

She was still sitting at her desk. The room was just as it had been. The lights were still on. Her geometry homework lay unfinished before her.

She opened the wardrobe; the clothes were hanging neatly inside, their order unchanged, just as they had been the last time she opened it.

She looked down at her feet. Her legs were unharmed. No pain. No injury.

A weight lifted off her chest-it had only been a dream.

Yura exhaled, sinking into her chair. She had never had a dream like that before. Maybe she was simply exhausted from studying too much.

Just then, a knock at the door made her jump.

She turned - and saw her mother standing there, holding a steaming glass of milk.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course, mom."

Odelia stepped inside, placing the milk on the desk next to her books. Yura studied her carefully.

Odelia took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat off Yura's forehead.

"Are you feeling hot?" she asked gently.

Without warning, Yura threw her arms around her mother's waist, sniffling.

"It's nothing... I just love you, Mom."

Her mother smiled. "I love you too."

She kissed Yura's forehead before leaving the room.

Yura picked up the glass of milk-but suddenly, she realized something.

Her bracelet was missing.

Her heart pounded as she frantically searched her desk, but it was nowhere to be found.

She blinked, trying to remember. And then-

She had dropped it... in the dream.

No... that was impossible. Yura shook her head, refusing to believe it. If it was just a dream, then where was her bracelet?

Determined, she took her milk and went downstairs. Her mother was tidying up the dishes.

"Do you need something, sweetheart?"

"Uh... the milk tastes a bit bland today. I want to add more sugar."

"Oh, the sugar jar is right here," her mother replied, smiling as she pointed to it.

Pretending to scoop some sugar, Yura knelt down and peeked under the table.

Her bracelet was there.

Cold dread crept up her spine as she picked it up and shoved it into her pocket. For a moment, her mind went blank.

If it was just a dream... why was her bracelet here? And where had the old woman gone? Had her mother... killed her?

She turned toward her mother, her expression complicated. But her mother just smiled as kindly as ever.

She was hiding something. Yura was sure of it. But why? And why was her memory of what happened starting to blur?

She didn't know what to do anymore.

Yura carried her glass of milk upstairs, trying to continue studying, but her mind kept circling back to what had happened. The math problems in front of her became blurry. She briefly thought of Alyssa, but her thoughts were immediately pulled back to the old woman.

Suddenly, there was a tapping sound on her window. She jumped, turning her head to see a pigeon pecking furiously at the glass.

She knew it was Alyssa.

Trying to calm herself, she got up and opened the window. The bird immediately flew in, landing in the middle of the room. Then, after a swirl of shimmering mist, it transformed into Alyssa.

"Why couldn't you come in?" Yura asked, remembering how Alyssa had vanished before without needing to open a door.

Alyssa frowned. "Something like a spell was blocking me."

"A spell?"

"Yes. Someone has placed a barrier to prevent other magic from entering this house." Alyssa stared at Yura as if suspecting she had been the one to create the barrier.

Yura fell silent. In her mind, the images of the old woman and her mother resurfaced. She thought carefully. She was certain the old woman was connected to the shape-shifting Therian world, and she was equally sure that the magical barrier had something to do with her mother.

Meanwhile, Alyssa curiously looked around the room, picking up a book from Yura's desk.

"This is a human book? Look at these symbols-they're so strange."

Alyssa's voice pulled Yura out of her thoughts.

Yura chuckled. "That's geometry. It's really complicated. I have a lot of homework to do today."

"These subjects have such odd names. Are you good at them?"

"They must sound odd to you, and they're very difficult. What do you study? Do you have schools in your world?"

"Of course we do."

"Really?" Yura was intrigued, imagining a school for shape-shifting Therian. Did those strange creatures sit in classrooms and listen to lectures just like humans?

"Our schools don't have teachers. We only have scholars who research new magic. We study on our own using the available materials."

Yura's eyes widened. "Self-study? All of you? No tests or grades? That sounds amazing!" she said, admiration shining in her eyes.

Alyssa laughed. "We don't need diplomas to get jobs. Therian don't seek stable jobs-we seek exciting adventures."

"Then how do you know if you've learned a subject well or not?"

"Why would we need tests? Tests just make humans chase numbers instead of enjoying the journey, even though the journey is what matters. Tests also make you compare yourself to others-it's terrible."

Yura pondered. "But because of tests, I know where I'm lacking so I can improve."

Alyssa shook her head. "Adventures do that for us. There's no better test than a real adventure. Scores don't define who you are. Human schools are foolish. When I was two years old, I studied the Art of Flight, but the seagulls also learned the Art of Swimming. Of course, not all birds can swim. Just because I can't doesn't mean I'm incompetent, but human schools would call you incompetent if you got a low score."

Yura listened intently. The art of flight? The art of swimming? Those were subjects she had never heard of before.

Alyssa grabbed Yura's hand and pulled her toward the balcony. "Come on, I'll show you how fun our schools are."

"Go? How?" Yura asked, confused.

Alyssa smirked mischievously-then suddenly shoved Yura off the railing.

Yura almost screamed. She thought she was about to crash painfully onto the ground, breaking every bone in her body-

But then she landed on something soft and feathery.

She was on the back of a giant phoenix.

The phoenix spoke with Alyssa's voice: "Since I'm not a real phoenix, I can only maintain this form for two hours. Now, hold on tight!"

With that, Alyssa flapped her wings and shot into the sky at an incredible speed. The wind roared past Yura's ears. She clung tightly to the phoenix's neck and looked down-houses and gardens shrank into tiny glowing dots before disappearing altogether as they soared higher.

She lifted her head. She had never seen the sky so vast before. The endless bands of stars stretched infinitely. The moon was enormous and so close that she felt like she could reach out and touch it.

"Alyssa, what kind of bird were you when you were born?" Yura asked, her voice barely carrying over the rushing wind.

"A white pigeon," Alyssa replied.

"Not a phoenix?"

"No. If I were a phoenix, I would be an Ethereal Kin. I can only take this form for a limited time. This phoenix form is just an optical illusion-it's a chapter from the Visual Magic course I studied."

"An illusion? I won't fall, will I?"

"Of course not, as long as you hold on tight."

Then Alyssa accelerated, diving through a blinding beam of light so bright that Yura had to shield her eyes.

For a split second, everything disappeared.

Then, as the light faded, Yura lowered her hands-

And before her was a breathtaking, truly magical sight.