Fag the elegant, unfamiliar dy before him, Ia a flutter of hough he possessed the natural ability to ehis Twilight Zone, he had only entered two other beings within it.

  This dy was the third.

  This was the world of the dead.

  Who knew what kind of identity and past this dy might hold?

  "Who are you?" Ian subtly shifted his stance, preparing to flee if necessary.

  In respoo his question, the dy raised an eyebrow slightly.

  "The pirl, with your wandering friend, went searg for that ridiculous golden apple. How could there possibly be a golden apple in this cursed pce?"

  Her words were ced with a distinct sarcasm.

  A wandering friend?

  Ian quickly realized who the mysterious dy was referring to – his other friend. This friend, like Ariana, was a wandering soul.

  Pandero Natager.

  A very ordinary name, belonging to a passionate young advehis was likely why the mysterious dy referred to him as a "wanderer."

  Even within this Twilight Zone, Pandero had tirelessly explored this world for tless years. Acc to him, he had long since lost track of time.

  Despite likely being a soul that had lived for over a thousand years, Pandero's appearance remaihat of a fifteen-year-old. Perhaps that was one of the magical aspects of this Twilight Zone. Acc to Ariana, when she first met Pandero in this world, he already possessed that youthful appearance.

  It was unclear whether Pandero had crossed paths with this mysterious dy before.

  Had they shared any e?

  If so then what kind of e they shared?

  Ian's curiosity iqued.

  He didn't know much about Pandero Natager. His impression of this friend was that he possessed the wisdom of an elder but retaihe spirit of a young man. Occasionally, he could even be a little foolish.

  Pandero didn't seem to be a character from the inal stories, as Ian had never heard of this name in any historical ats or literary works.

  Ian wondered what kind of obsession had kept Pandero Natager bound to this Twilight Zone for so many years.

  And as for the "searg for the golden apple" mission – it definitely sounded like something Pandero would embark upon. It was also typical of him to involve Ariana in su adventure.

  Ian recalled how Pandero had oedly dragged five-year-old Ian along, deg that they were going to find the notorious bck wizard Herpo, the most infamous dark wizard in the world.

  'Me? Five years old?'

  'Fight the despicable Herpo?'

  Ian still found that memory absurd every time he thought about it.

  "This golden apple... Is it the same kind of golden apple from the fairy tales I know?"

  Looking at the elegant dy in the bck dress before him, Ian tried to keep his demeanor humble, even attempting to feign innoce, using his youth to his advantage.

  "Something that looks impressive but is hollow, do you truly expect a golden apple tree to blossom in this world?" The dy scoffed, her gaze making it clear that she sidered him a fool.

  "The st apple tree, I chopped it down long before I died. Let alohis Twilight Zone could never sustain such a thing," She decred firmly.

  "Is there a golden apple in the real world?"

  Ian was somewhat stunned.

  At that moment, the mysterious dy turned her head, her strikiy suddenly drawing very close to Ian's. She even took two steps forward. A wave of rose fragrance washed over him.

  Ian quickly took a step back.

  The mysterious dy, with her imposing aura ahereal presence, exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure.

  "What do you think fairy tales are? Do wizards t?"

  This questio Ian speechless.

  Looking at Ian before her, the mysterious dy suddenly smiled.

  "Although you're truly a fool, as slow-witted as Pig, who told you that you're not special?" She raised her pale finger and poioward the distant mountain forest, where a castle, barely visible, stood.

  "If you wish to learn magie fihere."

  Ian followed her finger's dire and saw the castle, its appearance weathered by time, giving it an a and eerie air. At once, an epiphany struck him.

  So, this woman was the witch Ariana ofteiohe one from the castle!

  It turned out his desire to flee wasn't born of fear! It was simply a natural instinct for a wizard! Yes, that's it… this must be the innate sense of powerful wizards!

  "What do I o offer iurn?" Ian asked, trying to maintain a sense of reason while remaining cautious in the face of the witch's invitation. After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

  "Hm?"

  The witch looked at Ian in surprise, even stepping around him, cirg him slowly as the bck robes fluttered arourailing through the muddy ground.

  Yet, not a speck of dirt touched them.

  "It seems you still don't grasp how special you are…" The witch scoffed.

  Then, her expression shifted dramatically.

  "Of course, for someone as young as you to uand the rules of the wizarding world shows that you're merely temporarily dull. That's not necessarily a bad thing in the real world either," She tinued, pausieps to look directly into Ian's eyes.

  "If you truly wish to adhere to the principle of equivalent exge, then bring me my magic mirror."

  After saying this, Ian noticed a hint of reminis her beautiful eyes, but sooourned cold again, and the nostalgic look vanished without a trace.

  "Find my mirror and bring it bae… You'll learn the most powerful magic here."

  "A mirror?" Ian furrowed his brows, feeling puzzled.

  The witch didn't respond, only smiling enigmatically.

  "Actually, even if you don't retrieve the mirror, you still e to me to learn," She added with a mysterious smile, making it unclear whether she was attempting to intimidate Ian.

  "Who makes me enjoy pying with little boys?"

  The somewhat sinister words escaped her lips.

  As soon as the witch finished speaking, Iahat his time had e. His st glimpse was of the ch, silently watg him as he gradually became transparent and then disappeared.

  With the sileurning after their versation, the whole town fell bato eerie quiet.

  The witch's expression gradually softened as she turned around. Her high heels clicked against the cobblestoh as she walked into the tranquil forest, returning to the front of her castle.

  The castle stood in the clearing of the forest, with vines ing around its high stone walls. The walls bore the marks of time, and the sharp spires pierced the overcast sky.

  The weather here was the plete opposite of the town.

  It was eerie and heavy, but once she pushed opehick doors and stepped ihe grandeur of the castle revealed itself – a spacious hall with a carved marble table in the ter, covered by a crimson silk tablecloth, upon which gold-trimmed dinnerware was scattered.

  The bzing fire in the firepce cast shadows on the exquisite wall murals.

  The stories of knights and princesses seemed to e alive in the glow of the fmes.

  With each graceful step the witch took, everything around her began to fun automatically from the moment she ehe castle.

  dles lit up one by ohe tablecloth flew from the air aled oable, the silverware was arranged ly, and various dishes floated from the kit, ly pted, and flew onto the dining table.

  Among them was a roasted piglet, golden and glistening.

  The witch merely g it, and in a sudden shift, she murmured softly, "I've already seen a foolish pig today; I don't want to see it again."

  Upon her words, the piglet flew back to the kit, and shortly after, a small mb floated onto the table in the same manner.

  The witch's clothes shimmered with an invisible magical power, being impeccably and . She did but slowly walked to her bedroom.

  "Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, who is the most beautiful woman in the world..."

  In the empty room, the witch seemed to be speaking to herself as she sat at a vanity that cked a mirror, murmuring with a tohat held both self-mockery and plexity.

  (End of Chapter)