Genre: Adventure, Fantasy, Fluff, Romance

Summary: Healing Potions-- that was all Kim Minju did her entire life as a witch. As her world lacked the variety of ingredients to brew different kinds of potions, she travels to the world of mortals, causing her to meet the self-proclaimed Water dragon God.

Word Count: 16987

Hashtag: #JinjooFiestaS3_WaterDragonGod

The Water Dragon God

A/N: Chuunibyou - a Japanese term that refers to people who believe that they possess super powers or abilities.

Boil 1L of water into a medium-sized cauldron. Drop the ingredients all at once. Mix continuously for as long as needed until the mixture has reached the desired thickness and stickiness. Prepare the sterilized bottles and pour---

Minju sighed before deciding to crumple the piece of paper torn from her older sister's notepad. She has lost count as to how many times she has seen, read and done the same procedure. Naturally, the results were the same every time.

Distasteful and nauseating. Not even the most powerful mage could defeat the pungent odor and extremely unpleasant aftertaste of the infamous sticky, black liquid created by Minju's kind. Surprisingly, not a single soul had the audacity to complain to the witches since the beginning of time. After all, despite its unforgettable flavor, it serves its purpose to heal and rejuvenate the consumer.

"Our world would not last a generation without the witches' creation," the celestial, Vulcan, would say.

It was the pride of Minju's clan-- their potions. The celestials granted them the ability to provide what the saviors of their world needed the most, and she was beyond thankful for that. She was. Not until she was accepted to one of the most prestigious universities in their world.

Minju expected to broaden her knowledge on different recipes. Minju expected adventure—that a new world of potions would unfold in front of her eyes. Instead, the excited young lady was greeted with a big explosion of disappointment. Her graduation was scheduled to happen next year yet the feeling of satisfaction and pride was nowhere to be found. It was as if she was reliving the same day for three years.

While the warriors were built their own field to freely swing their swords at each other, the witches were given an isolated cooking area in the middle of the forest, where the Professors claimed it to be the perfect location for them to easily obtain their brewing materials. While the mages had their monthly evaluation to show off their improvement with handling their flashy elemental abilities, the witches were in the background tasked to prepare and distribute the healing potions like what they always do.

Minju threw the crumpled paper into the cauldron and continued mixing it nonchalantly while watching its particles disperse along with the various ingredients. It won't affect the result anyway, she thought.

As she was brewing, her eyes slowly traveled to the frail woman lying at the room right beside the kitchen. If only the university taught them more potion variations than what they already knew beforehand, maybe the chances of preventing her loved ones from contracting incurable illnesses were higher. The healing potions prevented the disease from worsening her mother's condition for a while until it couldn't anymore. According to the elder witches, her mother lacked nutrition, which was one of the main causes of death in Vulcan, their world.

Minju attempted to create recipes of her own but the available ingredients they had were very limited that there was almost no possibility of brewing a potion that is yet to be discovered.

"Blugh!" Minju exclaimed as the tip of her tongue touched the edge of the giant spatula. What was she expecting from the combination of a toenail of a frog and half a liter of octopus ink anyway? "Ah, that was refreshing though." A droplet of the potion was more than enough to restore the stress and fatigue she experienced the past days.

"Minju!" Sakura, her older sister with the strawberry short hair, shouted from the living room of their hut. "Are you really going?" She asked with worry painted on her entire face.

Minju nodded, "For Mom," her lips formed into a smile in attempt to calm Sakura. They discussed about this a couple times already with the other members of the family and Minju's decision never changed.

"They say that the mortals are ruthless. It's going to be dangero—"

"Unnie," the younger one grabbed her sister's hands, gently squeezing it. "I will be back."

Sakura sighed in defeat, "Everyone's waiting for you outside." The last thing she said before leaving the kitchen.

Minju grabbed her wand from the pocket of her hooded robe. "Extingio!" One word and the blazing fire from the bottom of the cauldron was gone like magic. As soon as the potion stopped boiling, she hurriedly packed three bottles of it and threw it all in her yellow bucket bag which Sakura once charmed with a spell that allows anything, or everything, to fit in it.

Minju ran to their living room after packing everything she would need. In the middle of the room stood her supportive Father while his slightly glowing wand was pointed towards the floor. It was then that she noticed the gradually growing gleam of light on the ground. It started out with a small black hole, slowly progressing into a medium-sized spiral full of stars, and finally, an unknown world that Minju's yet to explore unveiled inside the enormous spiral portal.

The Land of Ceres. It was the world that Ceres, the goddess of agriculture, built. There hasn't been a lot of record about what was in the planets away world as beings from different worlds aren't allowed to coexist but according the very few History books the witches own, Ceres has showered the mortals, her people, the greatest gift mankind could receive: a world with an endless variety of good; ingredients, animals, and nature itself.

On the other hand, Vulcan, the celestial who forged Minju's world, gifted his people the greatest weapons and the abilities that none of the other beings in the world could possess. It would help them win a war against other worlds effortlessly if ever there was one however, in terms of daily lives, the lifespan of a person who lives in Vulcan was significantly lower than those of the ones in Ceres due to the lack of nutrition.

As the elder witches believe, it was the obscurity of ingredients that prevented their people from developing more types of potions. If only they could get their hands on more ingredients, if only.

Minju's father wiped his forehead after creating the portal. It was four times the difficulty to open a portal to another world than the ones that are already existing in their world. He faced his daughter, patted her shoulders and handed her the almost worn out notebook full of drawings Minju has never seen before. There was the ball-shaped red thing, a crescent yellow ingredient, and many more.

"Two weeks from now, we will open the portal at the same place and at the same time. You have to come back before Vulcan and Ceres finds out." Elder witch Yoonbi informed. The trusted elders from their allied clans were also present to send off Minju. Despite the danger of this mission, they knew someone eventually had to do it if they want to progress as a clan.

Minju nodded. She stepped forward closer to the portal—her pointy hat almost flew away from the strong wind coming from it. Before stepping into the unknown world, Minju took a glance at the people behind her. Her sister, her father, the elder witches, and her mother.

Minju swore that the witches would rise higher when she comes back.

***

"Bread! Freshly baked bread for sale!" A deep yet sweet voice blended in among the busy street market of Cereste. It was almost impossible for the small bakery stall to attract costumers early in the morning, or any time of the day. The location wasn't ideal as it was sandwiched by bigger and more visually attractive stalls. Thankfully, they have the most adorable saleslady in the city, Ahn Yujin.

Everyone in the city loves Yujin. Her round puppy eyes, her trademark blue, braided pigtails, and the peculiar outfit she wears every day—one would have a hard time looking for her almost nonexistent flaw. She approaches everyone with ease and leaves an unforgettable warmth deep in their hearts. She was the daughter Mothers wished they had and the innocent, sweet girl that reminds teens of their childhood crush.

"If happiness was a person, it would be Yujin", the townspeople would say.

"Good morning, Yujin!" A regular greeted.

"Good morning, Mrs. Jo!" Yujin flashed the sweetest, most genuine smile. "The usual?"

Mrs. Jo pressed her palms on her chest while watching the worker prepare her order. "You truly know what I like. Yuri could learn a thing or two from you. That brat never pays attention to her mother.”

Yujin chuckled as she handed the paper bag with two cheese-filled croissants and two cups of latte. "Three thousand won please, Ma'am."

Mrs. Jo handed the payment she prepared beforehand. "Have a great day, Yujin. See you again tomorrow!"

The scene wasn't unfamiliar to Yujin. It was almost every morning that Mrs. Jo, and other costumers as well, would vent out their disappointments in life to the worker, as if it a part of her job was to be a counselor. But never did Yujin once think of it as a nuisance. In fact, she treated it like a blessing, one that only she could possess among the hundreds of stalls in the food market of Cereste.

"Aigoo! My back hurts!" Mrs. Jang stretched her back outside her famous barbeque store that was thrice as big as the Blue Berry Bakery, Yujin's stall. "Haru-ya! Mommy will just buy something, okay?"

Hours had passed by and Yujin wouldn't have noticed it was lunchbreak already until she heard Mrs. Jang's voice from outside her tiny stall. It was the daily routine of the barbeque store owner to buy fresh sushi at the seafood stall a block away from theirs every 11 a.m. which is why it eventually became her version of the school bell.

Yujin slumped her back against the only chair in the stall. The tired girl only has half an hour for her break but like always, she would rather take a nap than eat her homemade bento box.

It was a Sunday, which caused the increase in costumers they have than usual. The Ahn family would never have expected for their business to prosper. The Blue Berry Bakery stall was her late mother's idea. It wasn't until Yujin turned eighteen and took over the shop that people started swarming. Her grandfather would often say that she is the lucky charm of their family and their only pride.

Despite slowly drifting off to sleep, Yujin was still aware of the surroundings; the gossiping session between the ajummas next to her stall, the laughter of the students who clearly ditched school, and the faint smell of something burning nearby.

Yujin instantly rose from her seat when the gossips and laughs turned into screams for help.

"Call 911! Call 911!”

The busy food market was in a state of panic when Yujin went outside to check what was happening. The ajummas and the nearby stall owners stood in front of the barbeque stall as they watched it being engulfed by fire.

"Did Jang-ssi forget to turn off the stove?" An old lady asked, trying to take a peek at the inside of the stall.

"Please don't spread, please don't burn my stall too," the owner of the fried chicken stall pleaded with her hands rubbing off each other, not even bothering to hide her selfish desires.

Yujin glanced at her. She couldn't blame Mrs. Choi for praying what would only benefit her. Afterall, most of the business people in the area could only rely to their stalls for their financial stability.

Yujin prayed in silence that there would be few to none casualties in this unfortunate accident. But it seemed like God had his own plan, one that would (not really) help Yujin shine in her own way.

From afar, Mrs. Jang came running in with a plastic bag in her arms. The content of the sushi box was surely ruined into pieces already. "Aigoo, aigoo! What happened?!"

The ajummas approached the frantic lady. "You tell us, Youngwon-ssi. Did you leave a stove on for a long time?"

Mrs. Jang's eyes grew wide, her limbs trembling as a certain face appeared in her memory. "H-haru. Haru-ya!" She insisted to enter the stall to check her three-year old pet but failed to escape the grasps of the older ladies.

"I need to save Haru!" The middle-aged woman shouted before fainting into the arms of Mrs. Choi.

There was one person who remained quiet all this time. Yujin glanced back and forth at the poor woman and the burning store. The fire had spread to more than half the store while the commotion was happening. One more minute and it might fall down into ashes, along with everything inside it.

"Eomonnie," Yujin approached the cocktail store owner who was in charge of contacting the emergency department. "How long until the firefighters arrive?"

"About two minutes from now," Mrs. Lee answered thoughtlessly but immediately regretted when she faced the bread store owner whose eyes were burning with passion and reckless bravery. "Y-yujin-ah.. I-I don't like that look."

"Everyone!" Yujin stood proudly in the front of the store as the sun shined at her like the universe agrees that this moment was meant to be hers.

"Oh, Lord. Did nobody check if she was here? I knew this would happen," the townspeople whispered to each other.

"Yujin, whatever you are thinking, don't do it. Please!" Mrs. Choi shouted, the other bystanders also tried to persuade Yujin that the firefighters were arriving soon but the innocent girl pretended to not hear the murmurs of both pity and worry.

She cleared and raised her fist in the air, pushing away the weak, old ladies who attempted to stop her. "No one can save Haru except for me. After all, I, Ahn Yujin, am the Water Dragon God’s Inheritor!” Yujin shouted before running in full sprint towards the fire monster in front her.

The ajummas sighed altogether as they watched Yujin's back slowly being eaten by the flames. "Aigoo, that kid will hurt herself again."

Everyone in the city loves Yujin. Her round, puppy eyes, her trademark blue, braided pigtails and the peculiar outfit she wears everyday—the purple and black striped dress covered by the black robe, the pointed pair of shoes that matched her black stockings, and finally, the tall and pointy hat identical to her dress that rests on her head all day and night. Everyone loves Yujin.. except for when her chuunibyou side comes out.

***

"Who are you?! And who sent you?!" The young lady pointed the wand-looking object, that resembled the branch of the centuries-old trees in the forest, to the blazing fire in front of her. As expected, she received no response.

After seconds of silence, Yujin grabbed the pitcher of water on the table. It was insanely hot but Yujin endured the burning sensation and threw it to the wall, "Water bomb!" her special ability barely did any damage to the fire monster.

"You're quite strong, eh?" She coughed a few times before remembering the mission she had given to herself. "I will deal with you later. My priority is the safety of my people."

Yujin inspected the surroundings, strengthening her senses to search for any signs of the poor dog. "Haru? Are you there? Haru-ya?"

Majority of the tables and chairs were either covered with black powder or completely burned to ashes. The air was suffocating and the ground felt like lava but the person who claimed to be the savior of the world was unbothered, or pretending to be. Yujin's neck was starting to feel stuffy as she inhaled more ashes. Despite the uncomfortable atmosphere, she continued searching the places free of fire but no traces of Haru were to be seen as if..

Yujin's eyes widened as she remembered the overused sentence she used to hear from the incompetent police officials every time a burglar steals from the neighbor's stalls.

"The culprit disappeared out of thin air."

Yujin's cheeks reddened as the thought passed through her mind. She gritted her teeth before pointing back her wand to the wall. "How could you kill our precious Haru?! Have you no feelings?!—Oh right, monsters are heartless, ruthless, and evil! Evil! You are evi—" the furious hero's monologue was interrupted when soft whimpers entered her ears.

"arf... arf..? arf..."

"H-haru?" Yujin followed the weak voice while covering her nose to prevent inhaling more smoke. She stopped in the counter which she forgot to check. The poor puppy continued squeezing itself to the corner of the counter table while its tail was wiggling nonstop. "Haru!"

Yujin took the dog into her arms and hid it inside her black robe while gently patting it. "It's okay, baby. Everything's fine now.," She coughed. "I'll bring you back to your.. Mo...mmy" Yujin coughed once again, and again, and again, until she can't stop anymore. Her legs were losing its strength but her arms tightly held onto the dog she just saved, making sure its skin would not touch the extremely hot ground as they fell together.

Before losing consciousness, the young lady gathered all her remaining energy to point at the fire monster one last time before chanting a spell with her last breath, "W-water bomb.."

***

Minju plopped her bottom on the collapsed tree without minding the crawling insects on top of it. The tips of her long sleeve robe were dripping with sweat as she continuously used it to wipe her forehead.

She took her notepad out of her bucket bag, raised it in the air, and stared at the unknown drawings with wrinkled forehead. There weren't any names written to identify the things drawn but it was understandable since her father just compiled the ones on the history books as described by the witches who previously came to this place.

"What are you and where can I find you?"

It's been two days since her arrival to the Land of Ceres yet she has not made a lot of progress on her mission. Her Father created a portal that teleported Minju to a secluded forest as it is where he assumed the ingredients that they were looking for would be. Unfortunately, it only made his daughter's life harder.

In a span of 48 hours, all that Minju acquired were pieces of herbs and a plastic bag full of umbrella-looking objects that weren't abundant on their world, mushrooms. Other than that, she still has to search for the ones on the notebook.

Minju sighed, silently praying that someone would show up. There wasn't a single soul that the witch could ask for help while on the way, aside from the animals who only stared at her funny or angrily.

She forced herself to drink half a bottle of the healing potion that she packed before getting up from her seat. Minju continued walking down the unfamiliar road in the middle of the forest while occasionally checking the tall trees and grass for usable ingredients.

She was standing in front of an old oak tree, carefully inspecting its properties, when a peculiar sound echoed through the vast forest, not only one but multiple sounds rang simultaneously. To the traveler, it resembled the wails of the dragons except that it didn't seem like it was produced by a living soul.

Plus, dragons do not exist in Ceres' world.

The mysterious object from afar piqued the young witch's interest. Without a thought, Minju ran towards the source of the sound while imagining that she was on a hunt for a wild beast. Like the usual hunt, the faster the predator chased, the farther the prey escaped.

Huff.. huff.. Minju stopped in her tracks and panted with her hands pressed on her knees. She was caught by surprise as it never came to her that the mortals had creatures as fast as a flying dragon. The unknown creature was faster than any wild animal she encountered before.

Witches were never good at battles but if there was one thing that they excelled at besides potion making, it would be hunting. Minju straightened back before sprinting faster than ever.

"Praise the celestials!" Minju exclaimed when the sound gradually got louder, and louder, and there it was.

From the entrance of the forest, Minju observed the huge, four-wheeled vehicles about 500 meters away from her, with lips slightly parted as she couldn't fathom those weird objects to sound so similar to their dragons. But what caught her attention the most was the red light that was blinking nonstop on top of them.

"Is that.. fire?”

The witch had obviously never seen an electric light before. She squinted her eyes, observing the several mortals who stepped out of the vehicles as fast as they could. The young witch was reminded of the times when the rebellious mages would cause troubles in the market and the warriors would arrive to once again save the day.

Minju chucked when a silly thought passed her mind. "Eyy, there couldn't be any rebellious mage here when they don't even have dragons."

Questions piled on top of her mind but she decided to focus on the reason why she came to the Land of Ceres. As she was about to turn her back, a dark smoke slowly rising to the sky caught Minju's attention. It was growing bigger and bigger every second that Minju couldn't help but think, "But what if.." As a witch, she was never trained to fight but as a loyal creation of Vulcan, she has the responsibility to do everything in her power to lessen the rebellion's forces.

Thoughtlessly, again, Minju sprinted towards the community. She followed the people who came out of the fire trucks and ambulances, assuming that they had the same duties to save the needy like the warriors in her world, until they led her to a stall made of wood that it almost reminded her of their home.

Minju positioned herself in the farthest left of the crowd, hoping that she wouldn't attract any of the townspeople's attention but obviously failed when she realized a lot of pair of eyes were diverted towards her instead of the burning stall. The people threw her weird stares yet the witch decided not to mind them.

"Now, now. Which one of you caused this incident?" Minju whispered while tapping her chin with her index finger repeatedly. In their world, only pyro mages have the ability to control fire with their staff. Witches could spark a fire but it wouldn't be enough to burn an entire wood down. There were also cases of arson in their world, and most of them were sparked by the rebellious mages.

She was discreetly observing the people when a panicked voice caught her attention.

"Miss! Miss! Please save Y-yujin!" A middle-aged woman begged in front of a woman wearing an orange jumpsuit.

The firefighter glanced at her colleagues, then at Mrs. Choi. "Ma'am, please calm down. Is there someone inside the stall?"

Mrs. Choi nodded almost aggressively. "A young girl and a dog." The fried chicken stall owner was used to Yujin's recklessness yet it didn't mean that she stopped getting worried every time the kid involves herself in something as dangerous as this. She would always think to herself that if she was a bit younger, and a bit stronger, maybe she could stop Yujin from putting herself in danger.

Minju released a deep sigh after her eavesdropping session. More than half of the stall was already engulfed by the fire, it would be impossible for someone to escape from it unscathed.

Unless she does something.

The witch reached for the wand hidden in the inside pocket of her robe. Just as she was about to pull it out, her Father's last words before she stepped into the portal stopped her from doing so.

"Never show your wand to the mortals."

Minju's breathing became uneven. Her eyes shifted quickly between the burning stall and her wand. Was she going to act like her help wasn't needed?

"Yujin!" The people screamed when a big portion of the roof fell to the ground, spreading more fire to the grass and to a few neighboring stalls. The fire spread like wildfire, literally.

Everyone, especially the affected stall owners, screamed louder than before. A lot pleaded, a lot prayed, while some ordered the firefighters to move faster.

It was now or never. The firefighters were ready to fight off the fire and at the same time, the witch pointed her wand to the damaged area while making sure that it was not visible to any of the mortals. She closed her eyes before whispering a familiar spell, "Extingio."

Sorry, Father, but you never said not to use it.

"Oh, thank God!" The old ladies simultaneously exclaimed.

Meanwhile, the firefighters were confused at the situation that unfolded in front of them. The fire extinguishers only started to work when the fire magically vanished. "Eh?" Fortunately, the relieved stall owners cared more about the source of their livelihood that no one noticed anything peculiar.

Minju sighed in relief. Her eyes traveled to the stall turned into ashes in front of her to search for the souls she just saved.

In the middle of the ground laid a young lady whose eyes were slowly giving up but before it finally did, it met a pair of strange yet calming eyes whose owner was filled with shock and most of all, confusion.

What was a witch doing in this world? And to take it further, why does it seem like the mortals have known her for a long time?

Minju had a thousand questions in her mind yet she only had one conclusion.

She had to meet this Yujin girl again.

***

"A-ah!" Yujin winced in pain when she tried to reach for the glass of water with her injured right hand that was wrapped in thick bandages. She mentally pinched herself for doing something so embarrassing and dumb. It was her third day being admitted in the neighborhood hospital yet she still wasn't used to restraining her actions.

"Yujin, I told you to tell me if you need something!" Mrs. Jang scolded Yujin. She handed the water to the girl who saved her beloved pet along with a newly peeled and cut apple.

"Thank you, Jang ajumma.."

The middle-aged lady replied with a smile, sparking a warm feeling in Yujin's heart. Yujin was beyond thankful that Mrs. Jang stayed beside her since no one else could. As she grew up with only her grandfather as her only family, Yujin has stopped expecting for someone to stay with her. Sadly, even the old man didn't have the strength anymore to get out of bed and take care of her.

Her mother passed away years ago while her father irresponsibly left them since she could ever remember but Yujin was never bothered about growing up alone. The self-proclaimed witch believed that it was another ploy planned by fate, like most superheroes in the films. Don't most heroes, and villains, receive motivation from that one horrible, traumatizing experience during their childhood? It serves as their source of passion and the same could be said about Yujin. The girl has gone through a lot with only herself to rely on.

"Ajumma," Yujin called out, "I want to go out for some fresh air. Can I?"

"Oh, why not?"

Mrs. Jang immediately prepared the wheelchair and carried the tall girl over to it. The lobby wasn't crowded when they went out of the room, a few nurses here and there and a number of patients resting by the cafeteria.

They were waiting by the elevator when two voices called Yujin's name. She glanced at her right to see two nurses approaching them with big smiles painted on their faces.

"Yujin! How are you feeling?" Nurse Hitomi asked—she was the famous nurse in the city known for her friendly and approachable aura, and of course her out of this world visuals.

"A lot better thanks to you two.. hehe.." Yujin lowered her head. She sounded like a shy girl talking to her crush, except that none of the two was her crush. Surprisingly, the popular bread store owner wasn't the best at meeting new people outside the street market.

"That's good to hear. Don't hesitate to ask us if you need help, okay?" Nurse Chaewon, the short haired girl with the most heavenly voice, reminded. Yujin would often hear the nurse sing at night to the patients in the lobby. According to the patients, listening to her voice would shoo the nightmares away.

Ding! The elevator has arrived. The two nurses let Mrs. Jang and Yujin inside first before getting in.

Nurse Hitomi stood beside the buttons. "Which floor is Miss Yujin going?"

"Rooftop, please." Mrs. Jang answered while brushing Yujin's untied blue hair. The woman chuckled as she remembered how Yujin would always claim that her hair magically became blue one day when in fact she voluntarily went to the salon to change her natural brown hair color. It was Yujin's happiness-- thinking that she was undergoing through some evolution, or that her powers were starting to be awakened to its maximum potential, which is why Mrs. Jang and the other ajummas would often let her be.

"Thank goodness I didn't have to deal with the crazy lady today!" Chaewon sighed in relief, her clipboard was pressed near her chest. "I almost hated going to work because of her. Imagine, she screamed every time the sliding door opened, or when the ambulances would alarm. Plus, her outfit! God, does she attend a costume party every day?!"

Nurse Hitomi glared at her best friend—signaling about the patient behind them who also wore an outfit suitable for a costume party on the day she was admitted. Chaewon pursed her lips as she glanced Yujin, who pretended to not hear anything.

"It looked pretty though, to be honest." Hitomi complimented with the most genuine voice she could, trying to save her bestfriend.

"It did.."

Ding! The elevator doors opened when they reached the rooftop.

The two nurses paved the way for their patient. "Yujin, you can go ahead first. Don't forget to go back to your room in a while for your medication."

The four people exchanged bows before Mrs. Jang pushed the wheelchair out of the elevator. They were greeted by the fresh smell of soil carried by the wind when they stepped out to the open area. The view was a feast to the eyes. It was planted with greens and colorful flowers in full bloom—after all, spring has arrived.

Yujin requested to be near the edge of the building so she could watch over her beloved city. There wasn't a lot of patients in the rooftop either. It must be because the sun was in its peak. Despite the burns and wounds all over body, Yujin still prefered the natural sunlight that sent warmth to her over the suffocating white four walls.

Half of the city could be seen from their position. The forest on the left, the main village at the right, and the peaceful beach in the middle. "Ajumma, do you ever wonder how many people out there are screaming for help?" Yujin started the conversation. Her eyes were glimming with love and care while watching the hundreds of houses from a far. "How many people are begging to be saved from a hopeless situation? How many people are in a tunnel that's far too deep and far too dark that they can't seem to find the light anymore?"

Mrs. Jang kept silent as she listened to the young girl who was expressing her concerns. She has known Yujin for a number of years already. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she witnessed the girl grow up. Yet somehow, she realized just now that she never really knew Yujin that well.

Mrs. Jang, and all the other ajummas, have always thought of Yujin as a kid, a literal kid mentally. She wasn't the typical teenager who loved hanging out with friends or the type who would do anything just to fit in with the society's norms. Yujin would either spend her free time alone creating new recipes for her bakery or if there was trouble in the marketplace, Yujin would be the first one to offer help even if it meant sacrificing her body, like what just happened. Hearing her speak more maturely than most adults sparked an emotion inside Mrs. Jang.

"I want to save the world someday, Ajumma. I will save the world."

Mrs. Jang smiled and brushed the girl's untied hair which had been flying along the wind since earlier. Unlike today, her blue hair wasn’t tied in her favorite braided pigtails.

"I know you will, Yujin."

"Really?!" Yujin's eyes gleamed with joy. "No one has ever told me that! People would usually laugh at me like I'm crazy or something." She pouted.

Crazy.. Saying the word crazy reminded Yujin of what she heard from the two nurses in the elevator earlier. Mysteriously, she was curious about the lady who, according to Chaewon, attends a costume party every day.

She slightly tilted her neck, attempting to make an eye contact with Mrs. Jang who was standing behind her. "Do you know something about the lady whom Nurse Chaewon and Nurse Hitomi talked about?"

A light bulb appeared on top of Mrs. Jang's head. "I was just about to ask you. Do you have a friend or.. a sister who is also a.. witch?" She asked with a hint of hesitation towards the end.

Yujin tapped her lower lip with her index finger. "Hmm, I am not quite sure about that. You see, Mrs. Jang," she adjusted her position on the wheelchair to confidently say, "I am the only witch in this world. The Water God blessed me, and only me, to inherit his power.”

Mrs. Jang pursed her lips, not sure as to what to reply to the young lady. "Well, maybe you might not have crossed paths with a fellow witch yet?"

‘That is indeed plausible,’ Yujin thought, ‘how awesome would it be to be meet another witch. We would fight monsters and dragons and save the world together!’

Unknowingly, her lips were already grinning ear to ear and her eyes were sparkling like stars in the deepest skies.

The two were enjoying the calm and refreshing environment when something vibrated in Mrs. Jang's pocket. "Oh, wait a minute, Yujin. My daughter is calling." She informed before walking a few steps behind to answer the call.

Yujin replied with a nod. She was savoring the cool air when she heard something, or someone to be more exact, panting nearby. She followed the sound until it grew louder and louder until it led her to the edge of the rooftop.

It was risky but Yujin's curiosity was already piqued that she had to check what it was. She slowly peeked her head beyond the rooftop edge while not feeling any fear or nervousness despite the risk of falling to the five floor neighborhood hospital.

Yujin was surprised to see a familiar color of fabric worn by an unknown person slowly climbing to the top using the emergency ladder. She could only see the top of the person's head and all she could say was that their hair was brown, long and silky.

On the other hand, the woman who was crazy enough to climb the ladder was none other than Kim Minju. There wasn't a day that she wasn't covered with sweat. Her stamina was about to be depleted yet she couldn't give up. Most especially not now when her goal was already visible and in her reach:

The rooftop and the blue haired lady who was confusingly staring at her.

‘Isn't she going to offer me some help?’ Minju thought, even the voice in her brain was gasping for air.

"Yujin!"

Minju almost let go of the ladder in shock when someone suddenly shouted.

"What are you doing?! You might fall down!" Mrs. Jang scolded Yujin, afraid that the hospital bill might double-- Nah, worried that Yujin might break her bones this time.

"O-oh, it's nothing, ajumma! I was just admiring the uhh view.."

‘View?! Me?!’ Minju’s eyes almost fell to the floor.

Mrs. Jang's eyes narrowed but she chose to shrug her shoulders. "Wonyoung's classes are done so I need to go and pick her up. Should I bring you back to your room or would you want to stay here longer?"

"I can stay here," Yujin smiled at Mrs. Jang's kindness. The middle-aged lady had other matters to take care of yet she still made time to visit Yujin every day and Yujin was beyond grateful for that.

As soon as they finished bidding their goodbyes, another being appeared beside Yujin from the rooftop edge. Minju gasped for air as if she had been drowning under the deepest oceans.

"Oh, Vulcan. Save me." She reached for the potion inside her bucket bag and gulped the entire bottle instantly. "Kyaa, that was refreshing!"

Yujin asked curiously, "Who are you? And what was that?"

Minju faced the stranger when she finally calmed herself down. The witch was confused as to why her fellow witch was still covered in bandages even though three days have already passed since her admittance to the hospital. 'Does she not know how to brew potions?' Minju asked herself.

"It's a healing potion. Do you want one? It will cure your wounds instantly." Minju was about to reach for another bottle when Yujin immediately shook her head.

"Pain is part of being human, and I, Ahn Yujin, would prefer if my wounds heal naturally." She explained when the real reason on top of her head was that the stranger in front of her might be sent by someone from the dark forces whose mission is to assassinate her. More so that the woman was beautiful, her entire aura radiated innocence that of an angel, which makes Yujin more suspicious. She would be lucky enough if the woman hands her a legit healing potion and not a poison.

Meanwhile, Minju blinked twice at the smooth introduction made by her fellow witch. "And I'm Kim Minju. It's nice to meet you, Ahn Yujin." She introduced herself, ignoring whatever the blue haired lady said.

Minju was suspicious of Yujin as well for not accepting the potion but she tried to understand that they were in the mortal world. And she was educated by the elders that mortals are worlds different from them which obviously meant that she shall refrain from doing anything weird. Maybe Yujin wasn’t taught how to brew potions, or maybe she was allergic to one. Minju wasn’t one to judge others, anyway.

Yujin eyed suspiciously at Minju who was a big mess. Her untied hair was flying all over the place and her black robe had some holes most especially on its sleeves. Yujin assumed that the woman stayed a lot on the forest because of a few leaves hanging all over her body.

Yujin didn't care enough to tell Minju about how her head looked like a literal bird nest. Instead, she just asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a while now.

"Why didn't you just use your broom to fly up here?"

Minju was baffled. "Broom? Fly? What?" Tons of question marks flew on top of her head.

Yujin's eyebrows furrowed, "Don't tell me you don't know how to fly?" She asked, almost making fun of the woman she just met. "Are you really a witch?" She added before pursing her lips to stop herself from letting out a chuckle.

In addition to the confusion, Minju was also slightly, verryyy slightly, offended. That was a sentence she never imagined someone would tell her.

"Are YOU really a witch?" Minju retorted with her arms crossed and an arched eyebrow.

Yujin squinted her eyes and pointed an index finger at Minju. "No one doubts the Water Dragon God!”

"W-water dragon what? Is that what you call yourself? How cheesy!" Minju attempted to suppress her laugh by covering but failed to do so, making Yujin's cheeks blush in annoyance.

"Be grateful that my elemental abilities aren't working right or else you have been a dead meat already."

"Witches don't own elemental abilities, you fool." Minju was quite surprised that the last word came out of . She wasn't the type to enjoy teasing someone. In fact, it was usually her who was on the other end but somehow, seeing how adorable the younger one was when flustered erased all the worries she had the past few days.

"Give me the healing potion and I'll show you my true powers. You better not regret it!" Yujin proclaimed confidently.

A grin formed on Minju's lips, "Ooh, how scary. Makes me not want to give it to you anymore," despite that, she threw her bucket bag to Yujin's lap. "I'll give it to you for free if you can find it."

The latter stared at the peculiar bag, puzzled. 'How dumb does she think I am?' She muttered, unaware that another world lived inside the small, handy bag, minus the living creatures of course.

"In return, I need your help."

Yujin looked up to see that the stranger was suddenly on her serious mode. The brunette took out something from the inside pockets of her robe which Yujin thought to be a notepad. As someone asked for her help, Yujin couldn't help but feel the adrenaline rushing all over her body. The thought that this stranger climbed up five floors to specifically ask her for help made Yujin's heart beat irregularly. God, how desperate must she be to do that!

'And I'm the only one capable of helping her..' Yujin smiled to herself, feeling proud of what she has become that people voluntarily reach out to her already. Word must have spread to the city about her achievements and how many people she has saved, that's what Yujin wants to believe.

Suddenly, all her suspicions about the woman who claims to be a witch vanished. The dark forces did not send her nor does she have any evil intentions. She was after all just another hopeless, helpless soul!

"Wellll.. If you really need my help, then I guess--"

"Yujin-ssi! It's tim