"What took you guys so long?" Myungsoo asked, noticing Taemin, Jieun, and Mino creeping up to them. Taemin only glared at the two, but gave Myungsoo a some-what assuring glance.

"Nothing much. It took a while to find them," Taemin lied.

Myungsoo raised his eyebrows. "Really? Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am. What? Does it seem like I'm lying?" he snapped. Taemin marched onwards, leaving Myungsoo in a dumbfounded state.

Myungsoo turned to the two. He opened his mouth to ask them a question, but closed it when he noticed Naeun following Taemin. He only gave the two a weak smile, knowing that the two had done something to make Taemin mad. 

"Can I ask you two what happened?" Myungsoo asked. 

Jieun and Mino looked at each other. Jieun gave him a curious gaze, as if she was asking him for permission. Mino, knowing that Myungsoo came from their world, nodded his head and encouraged her to ask.

"Myungsoo, can I ask you why reading is bad?" Jieun asked slowly. "Naeun reads maps all the time, but apparently reading text isn't allowed. What makes someone who reads go insane?"

Myungsoo blinked his eyes. "Excuse me?"

"Why is reading bad?" she repeated.

The older boy rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Um, I'm sorry. Can you repeat that one more time?"

Jieun glared at him, annoyed. "Read-ing. What makes it so bad?"

There was an awkward pause. Myungsoo took a while to adjust his mind to the topic. He kept staring at the two in a strange way like they were some kind of aliens from another planet. Myungsoo glanced around, checking to see how far they were from Naeun and Taemin. When he thought that he wasn't too far from them, he leaned close, which caused the other two to come closer into a circle.

"Um, honestly, I don't know what 'reading' is," Myungsoo whispered bashfully. Jieun and Mino widened their eyes. "I've never heard of it. Books? I've only seen one or two, but usually the witches owned them. I don't think anyone else owns books, and if they do, then I haven't encountered any species."

"No way," Jieun murmured. "You said you came from where we lived, right?"

"Yeah, but 'reading' isn't a familiar terminology," he told her. "Sorry. Come, let's catch up with the others."

He trudged his foot along the path while the two quickly followed behind him. Jieun and Mino exchanged weird glances. They were obviously confused. How could Myungsoo not know what 'reading' was?

"I'll try asking Naeun," Mino whispered to her.

"Good idea." Jieun nodded her head. The two slowly crept their way to Naeun's side.

Naeun was distracted. She had been looking down at the map, muttering a few words as if she was trying to figure out where to go. Mino cleared his throat and tapped on her shoulder, causing her to look up and glare.

"What do you want?" Naeun hissed.

"We wanted to know what makes reading bad," Mino said.

Naeun stared at him. "What did you say?"

"Reading." Jieun hopped into the conversation. "We know that reading makes you insane, but why?"

Naeun quickly crumbled the map in her hands and glared at them. She shoved the paper in her pocket and stopped walking. Raising her index finger at Mino's throat, she leaned close, bearing her teeth like a dog growling at its enemy.

"Don't you dare mention that again," Naeun snapped, "or I will kill you with my bare hands. I won't even strangle you out of air; I'll make sure you guys die from running out of air when I choke you."

Without any warning, Mino and Jieun quickly nodded their heads. Naeun leaned back and turned, marching forward. 

"Damn it," Mino mumbled. "Will we never know the reason why?"

"Why can't they just tell us?" Jieun wondered aloud. "I mean, Myungsoo claims that he doesn't know what it is, Naeun gets all defensive, and Taemin just gets mad. What's the big deal?"

"Who knows. This world is strange enough," Mino pointed out. He sighed and looked up at the trees. "I want to go home."

"I do, too, but until we figure out how to get home, we have to stick with these guys," she said.

"I know, I know. I'm the one who convinced you to stay with them, anyway," Mino said. He sighed again. "Man, I want to eat."

"Don't worry," Myungsoo said, overhearing what Mino had said. "I'm starving, too, but I think we're getting close."

"How do you know?" Mino asked, grunting.

Myungsoo smiled at his response. He walked over to Naeun's side, who stopped behind the bush. Grabbing a stick, Myungsoo forced the bush to spread open. As Jieun and Mino came closer to take a peek, they saw a quick glimpse of the village below the mountains. Their eyes widened when they saw different mythical figures walking on the twisted streets and around the lumpy buildings.

"Welcome to our first main stop," Myungsoo said. "West Witch Wonderville. Let's enjoy our stay here for a while, shall we…?"

The village was an absurd place for Mino and Jieun. So many humanoid figures roamed along the streets, distracted with signs and special objects on display. With the money they found from the abandoned villages, they were allowed to explore a bit on their own. Naeun would be busy trying to reserve a spot at the inn, Taemin was looking for some weapons, and Myungsoo was ordered to look for vehicles.

"You two are useless, so go and look around a bit on your own. I feel that if I bring you two along, I won't be able to bribe these witches. Use the money to buy your breakfast or whatever," Taemin had told them before he had taken off. 

After minutes of walking in the village, they found themselves eating apples (it took Jieun minutes to be convinced that it wasn't poisonous) for breakfast. They would encounter other exotic foods and drinks (like grilled pixie wings or "vampure" blood). Other times, they'd see customers trying out special witchcraft items, like a golden sword that could slice wind or a wand that created beautiful ice sculptures.

Jieun noticed that Mino wanted to try out the magical objects, but she kept urging him not to touch anything. The last thing she wanted was for Mino to mess up anything and having them pay large sum of money for some counterfeit item. She wasn't an expert with any of this, and she was sure that Mino didn't read anything in the book that talked about witches.

As the two kept walking, Jieun felt something cold and bony grab onto her arm. She turned around, noticing that a strange figure in a black cloak was cling to her arm. She shivered when the stranger's long, sharp nails tapping against the chubby skin. The way the mysterious person kept clawing onto her arm and trying to pull her back only made Jieun grab onto Mino's shirt.

"U-Um, may I help you?" Jieun asked slowly.

"You have beautiful skin there, my pretty child." It was a woman's voice, but it didn't assure Jieun anything. "You have a beautiful voice, too."

"T-T-Thank you…?" Jieun replied. Her eyes widened she she saw the woman open , showing nothing but her gums and tongue. However, when the woman's hood fell, Jieun gasped. She saw her face in the woman's wrinkled face. It was like the woman was slowly copy-and-pasting her image and using it as her own.

"It'd be selfish of you to have this all on your own… I want some… Will you please donate some youth to this poor old witch?" the lady cried. The witch's back, which was arched forward, slowly began to straighten. Her body fingers found fat and her purple nails were brought back to match Jieun's pink nails. 

"Mino, Mino, Mino!" Jieun cried, panicking as she saw the woman steal her exact look. "Mino, help!"

"I-I can't pull you back!" Mino exclaimed, grabbing Jieun's other arm and trying to pull her away from the witch's grasps. The witch only held firmly onto Jieun's arm, copying her strength.

"Yes… Yes! It's working! The potion is working!" the witch cried enthusiastically. By now, she was starting to sound like Jieun.

Jieun kept her eyes wide. Her heart raced. Her breaths shortened. She began to feel dizzy. It almost hurt her eyes to see the witch bloom into her appearance. 

"Help," Jieun whimpered again. She shut her eyes closed, trying to pull back one more time. Taemin, help!

At that very moment, she heard the witch let out a wild shriek. The witch's cold hand suddenly turned fiery hot, almost burning Jieun's skin. When she felt a blast of heat on her cheek, Jieun took this moment to pull away with Mino's help. She finally opened her eyes and saw Taemin grabbing onto the witch's head. By now, the witch seemed to look like Jieun in her mid forties.

Jieun wasn't sure if she was happy to see the witch burn in her appearance. She liked how the witch was gone, but she didn't like to see how it would look if she were to ever burn in Taemin's white flame. The fire roared, swallowing the witch's thin flesh. The black coat burned pure white while the witch fell to the ground, almost .

"But my pretty child!" the witch cried out. "Why? Why would you do this?"

"Shut up, old hag," Taemin muttered cruelly. "No one likes it if you use dark magic like that."

"But my pretty child! My pretty, petty, pitiful child!" the woman cried. She reached to touch Jieun, but the flames had overlapped her entire body. With one wave of his hand, the fire had disappeared and left the witch's ashes to roam around on the street.

It took a while for Jieun to catch her breath again. She was in Mino's arm, who was trying to embrace her and comfort her. She looked at Taemin, terrified at what he had done. Taemin glanced at her, then kicked the pile of ashes.

"Don't worry, it's not considered murder as long as they were using dark magic," Taemin told her. "Besides, this wasn't a real witch. It's a special type of creature that uses magical creatures as hosts. If it fully took your appearance, you would've been possessed and the witch would've died anyway. I was just finishing up the job."

"O-Oh," was the only thing Jieun managed to say. 

"Didn't I say for you two to stay out of trouble?" Taemin asked. "Why are you in this area of the village?"

"We were exploring, just like you told us to," Mino explained. "We didn't think we'd get into trouble."

"Well, be careful. If you don't see a lot of people around you, then that means that you're entering the more dangerous parts of the village. Anything can happen around these parts," Taemin warned them.

"Then why were you here?" Mino asked, frowning.

"I heard Jieun call me name," Taemin said. He slipped on a pair of new gloves. "Isn't only natural for me to come?"

Mino frowned and looked at Jieun. "You did?"

"Yeah. Why?" Taemin asked him.

Well, I didn't really hear her call your name, Mino thought. "No, nothing. Nothing at all."

Taemin looked at him for a few minutes, then looked away. "Anyway, you two should go back. You're straying too far from the safe area. I can't help you for the next few hours. I have to take care of a small deal with a certain witch. If you get into any trouble, call Naeun or Myungsoo."

Mino nodded his head. Taemin glanced at Jieun for a few more minutes, then at Mino's arms. He gave Mino a judgmental look, which only made Mino tilt his head in confusion. After a minute, he turned and left the two alone.

When Mino was sure that Taemin was gone, he felt Jieun tap onto his chest. He looked down at her, noticing that she was slightly blushing.

"You can let go now," she said quietly.

It took a while for him to realize that he was still hugging Jieun. With a small blush, he pulled away and wiped his sweaty hands against his shirt.

Oh. That's what Taemin was looking at earlier, Mino realized. He cleared his throat awkwardly, his eyes wandering around. He stopped when his eyes spotted a certain sign on a building. Getting excited, he tapped Jieun's arm and pointed at the building.

"Look!" Mino exclaimed. "A fortune teller place!"

Jieun scrunched her nose. "Ew. You believe in those?"

"Well, not really, but I think it's fun. Want to try it?"

"No. It's a scam."

"But we're in a different world. Heck, there's magic!" Mino pointed out. "Plus, it's cheap!"

Jieun groaned. "I don't know…"

"Come on, Jieun. Let's at least spend our money on this," Mino said. "Besides, maybe your question about reading can be answered, or maybe they'll tell us how to get back home."

Jieun's ears perked up at his suggestion. She thought about it for a few minutes, then slowly nodded her head.

"Okay, fine. I think I can try it out," Jieun stated. Mino smiled and led her into the building.

The building was surprisingly plain. The walls had wooden panels while the floor was covered with thick red carpet. However, it was clear that the building was old. The corners were covered with spider webs and every step they took, the floor creaked. 

At the center of the room was what seemed to be some kind of receptionist table. A young woman dressed in a red cloak was scribbling something on a piece of parchment. She didn't lift her head, but she could sense that there were guests.

"Please wait," the woman said without looking up. "Mother will come and come to fetch you."

Mother? Mino and Jieun wondered.

"Please do not judge," the woman said, as if she was reading their minds. "Every thought and action is a consequence that leads you to different paths of your future."

"We're sorry," the two muttered quietly. 

"Mother will see one of you," the woman told her. "Who shall see her first?"

"You go," Jieun told Mino.

"Ladies first," Mino replied.

"You wanted to do this."

"You tell me if it's accurate."

"How can I tell you if it's accurate when we're talking about the future?"

"Mother will see one of you," the woman told her. "Another will see one of you. Who shall see who?"

Another? The two could only presume that she was talking about a sister or an aunt.

"I guess we'll both go," Mino muttered, walking over to the woman.

"Beware," the woman warned slowly. "Be sure not to be too greedy, be sure to go to the right room. Fate will lead you to your rooms."

"Okay, thanks," Mino replied. He looked at the black curtain, and opened it. Mino and Jieun looked into the room, only seeing absolute emptiness. They glanced at each other, worried. "On second thought, maybe we shouldn't go in—"

Before he could say anything else, something grabbed his shirt. He was jerked into the room, losing sight of Jieun. He began to panic and struggle, but the hand wouldn't let go. Rather, it led him deeper into the darkness and into some strange room.

The room was very small and colored in black. He almost felt like he was walking in a small cube of space. At the center of a room was a woman in rich black cloak, blending in with the walls. She was holding onto a fragile sphere, rubbing it ever so slowly like a cat.

"What do you wish to know?" the woman asked in a odd voice.

Mino slowly walked up to her. "So you're 'Mother'?"

"Suppose I am," she said, "suppose I am not…"

He stared at her for a bit longer, confused. Then again, this is a different world. Maybe what she said made sense.

"Um, I want to know about my future," Mino said. He his lips excitedly. "Will I get some powers? What adventure awaits for me?"

"Is power what you greed for?" the woman asked him in a judgmental manner. "Is power all that you would like to claim?" She lifted her head, showing her face. Mino flinched and saw that she had no eyes. "I shall give you power, but you shall pay the price."

Mino looked at her with pure amusement. "Okay. How much?"

"Give me your palm," she ordered. Mino handed over his hand and allowed the woman to trace the lines on his skin. "Hm… You have a beautiful future."

Score! he cheered. "How about my love life? Will I get a girlfriend?"

"Yes, but she is pitiful," the witch murmured. "Ah! So sad! Love is gone!" She closed her hollow eyes. "The one you fall in love with will never look at you but will hold your hand and walk on the same road as you. Ah! So sad, so sad!" A cruel smirk formed on her lips. "You must've remember… You shall not remember… Pitiful! Pitiful, indeed!" 

She suddenly grabbed Mino's wrist, pulling him closer to him. With her other hand, she pressed her thumb on his neck. A burning sensation caused Mino to roar in pain and panic. He tried to struggle out of her grasp, but something forced Mino to kneel before her and to take in the fiery pain.

"Gah!" Mino cried out, twitching. He could feel something mark his neck.

"For the price of an incredible power, I shall take away memories that you will need when precious time comes!" the witch howled. "You shall never remember unless your pitiful love leaves you!"

She released her thumb and her fingers. She quickly covered her face with the black cape again. Before she left into the shadows, Mino managed to see a smug grin appear on her face.

"That is a beautiful mark on your neck," she whispered. Her voice was small and old, like a grandmother ready to die. "Yes, a beautiful mark…indeed."

She disappeared into the shadows, leaving Mino alone in the room. Once she was gone, he quickly turned and exited the room, covering his neck with his hand. As he was running in the dark halls, he managed to find the door out of the halls. He quickly left the building, only to see Jieun waiting for him outside. She turned and smiled at him, but frowned when she saw his pale face.

"Are you okay?" Jieun asked him.

"Y-Yeah," Mino managed stuttered.

"Is something on your neck?" she asked. Mino looked alarmed. "You're touching your neck like you're covering something.

"It's nothing!" he exclaimed. "It's just a bit cold…"

"Oh, I have a scarf," Jieun mentioned. She reached down her bag and handed him a large scarf. "While I was waiting, I saw this and I thought it'd be necessary to have one. Here."

"Thanks," he muttered. He quickly turned around so that Jieun wouldn't see the cursed mark on the left side of his neck. He wrapped the black scarf over his neck, making sure that it covered him. "Did you happen to get some kind of marking as well…?"

Jieun blinked her eye. "What? No. I paid coins and got my 'future' read. She told us that we'd have to wake up in a dream in order to go back home, though. I tried pinching myself thinking it was a dream, but that didn't do much. I think it was just a cheap scam."

"A scam, huh," Mino muttered, touching the left side of his neck. "I hope it is… I damn hope it is."