"By my true name, O invisible darkness from the bottom of the world, feast on the bait I have prepared for you, and serve me forever. ”

Twenty-six years ago, the lion king was in the capital, snowy night

The witches who had just arrived in this remote kingdom didn't have the same dwelling full of magical traps and magical blessings as they do now, so it was just a dilapidated house in the slums that no one cared about. And after its previous owner finally died of poverty and disease, the dilapidated sanctuary had two new owners.

A huge soup pot large enough for two adults is the only piece of furniture in the cottage, and there isn't even a chair or bed for resting. And now, as the contents of the soup pot tumbled and bubbled under the heat of the flames, the two figures were also pulled by the flames to be extraordinarily narrow.

"Mother, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, are we really in a position to provide for the Shadow of a Wizard in such a place?" said Aemia, who looked the same as she is now, but with a little less poise, to the other man. Perhaps because she had just fled here, the witch was wearing only a long coarse cloth dress with patches.

"Don't worry, my dear. Greene, who threw some strange ingredients into the soup pot, replied to her daughter in a calm tone, "You have to believe that the future is full of hope. Don't worry about things that you can't know for sure yet. ”

"But the others won't let me go, they won't tolerate defectors!" Excite, Emia shouted hysterically. If it weren't for the soundproofing enchantment in this room, I'm afraid her voice would have been enough to wake people in the neighborhood from their dreams.

"But we've escaped, haven't we? They say no one will leave the witch colony alive, but here we are. Now we must increase our strength to prepare for their pursuit. Greene's face was still calm, as an older witch, she had already experienced too many life and death situations, so even in the face of the threat of not knowing when, she could still live calmly.

The mother's words calmed Emiah, who knew that the extra nervousness now would only become a beacon of bad luck. The young witch bowed her head and was silent for a long time.

"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't need to leave the Witch Order at all. And if they come after them...... I'll turn myself in, please don't summon such a dangerous thing, I don't deserve it......"

Greene looked at her tear-stained daughter and smiled.

"There's never anything worth it, dear. You're too close to those mortals, don't let their values influence you. Remember, we are witches, and nothing in this world is qualified to take away our lives, not even our kind. ”

The flames beneath the pot grew larger and larger, and at one point, the red flames sprang up like an erupting volcano, engulfing an entire cauldron.

"Well, here it comes. Looks like my old bone at least didn't misremember the spell. Greene said with a smile as she looked at the huge fireball in front of her.

Only light can breed darkness, and the brighter the light source, the deeper the shadow in the corner. Under the red glow emitted by the fireball, Greene's shadow grew longer and larger. At the same time, the outline of its edges no longer matched the shape of the witch, first the two hands, then the feet, and the shadows reflected on the walls began to appear in shapes that did not belong to their owners.

As the flames that engulfed the pot faded, Greene's shadow slowly returned to its original state. But when the witch's shadow faded, a full humanoid shadow remained on the wall. As if because her shadow had been partially separated, a line of blood flowed from the corners of Greene's mouth, and her face was much paler than before.

Amia hurried to hold on to her mother, but was gently pushed away by the old witch, who was not weak enough to be supported. Greene turned around and said as she looked at the shadow on the wall that didn't belong to anyone.

"You were born from my shadow, so you must obey me. Carry out my commands, keep me safe, strangle my enemies, and I will give you bait to keep you in this world. ”

"I, obey. The shadow on the wall nodded its head. Then its entire head poked out of the wall, and the featureless face cracked open what could be called a mouth, and a hollow sound came from within.

Twenty days ago, the witch's abode

Greene lay in a large armchair and watched the flames in the fireplace in front of her swallow the firewood and crackle.

“...... The above is the state of the families in the royal capital recently. Jason, who was standing respectfully behind the witch, stood still after his routine briefing.

But unlike usual, the witch did not let Jason leave after listening to the report, she gently tapped the arm of the rocking chair with the index finger of her left hand, and made a regular sound, and said.

"Jason, how long have you been summoned by me?"

"Exactly twenty-six years by tomorrow, master. ”

"Really...... Has it been so long? Yes, Kolanty has grown that big. Greene seemed a little shocked by the passage of time, but then relieved, and she continued, "So Jason, tell me, do you like the world?"

"I don't know what you mean, what do you mean by liking?" the humanoid shadow tilted his head, although he knew that the witch could not see this movement, but living in human society for a long time had given him a lot of physical habits.

"All this, my shadow. And by liking I mean all of them, the sky, the land, the rocks, the flowing water, the cities, and the people. ”

"It's better than where I came...... Colorful. After a pause, Jason replied.

"Oh, my Jason, hahaha..." Just when Jason thought he had answered the wrong answer, the witch's laughter stopped.

"Of course, the place you're coming from is just a dark mess. ”

After saying this, there was a long silence between the two, and the old witch looked at the fire with a distraction, and Jason did not dare to leave first without the master's order. It was as if they had frozen in frame, and they remained motionless in one position for a long time.

"Are you scared to go back? Jason, go back where you came from. Greene said suddenly.

"If that's what you want. Shadow said.

"No, don't worry. It's not time yet, it's not time yet. The witch's voice grew softer, and soon, the sound of calm breathing indicated that Greene had fallen asleep.

Jason looked at his master's figure in the recliner. No one knew what he had thought when Greene had asked him if he was afraid to go back to where he had been called. Just like most people don't think that Wizarding Shadow has a separate personality. They just think that these shadows, summoned from the unknown darkness, are simply imitating what they see.

When the sun lit up the royal capital and Kelanti pushed open the door to her grandmother's room, Jason was no longer there.