"Wait, what? What do you mean you have to kill us?" asked Sarah.

  "You're not talking seriously, right?" asked Giovanna.

  Ursu and Lily were dead silent.

  Angelo expected such a reaction. How else can you react when you hear that your friend has to kill you? Nobody ever expects that.

  "I'm afraid this is precisely what Mr. Ovid told me to do," said Angelo. "But don't worry. I might have an idea that should keep us all alright."

  "What pn?" asked Ursu.

  "It can work, but I'll need your help."

  "Hold on, first I want to know what even made you accept such a mission," said Sarah.

  Angelo knew that Sarah could demand answers. It was a difficult question to answer, but Angelo decided not to hide it.

  "It's a long story, but it's about my family," said Angelo and began his story.

  It all started years ago when Angelo's family got infected with a deadly disease. At the time there was no cure known and the only hope was for them to cure on their own. Angelo couldn't accept that fate. Especially since there was a real chance of not everyone surviving. He just hoped for some kind of miracle that could cure them.

  And fortunately or not he found a chance.

  One day Angelo met a strange man. He seemed to know Angelo's situation creepily well.

  "You have met with an unfortunate fate, haven't you?"

  "Who are you?" asked Angelo.

  "I am a man who wishes to help you, my boy. You can call me Mr. Ovid."

  "What do you mean by helping me?"

  "Simple. I've heard about the little infections in your family."

  "What?"

  "Don't worry. You see, I am what you might call a genie."

  Angelo couldn't believe Mr. Ovid at the first time. "Don't fuck with me, okay? Genie?"

  "I expected you to think I'm a fake. But I can assure you I ain't."

  "Then what? You will fulfil my three wishes?"

  "Precisely. Although, as you can guess, not for free."

  At first Angelo didn't even want to think about Mr. Ovid's offer. No matter how much not to refuse it was in the words of the genie. Precisely because of the fact that Angelo found genies fiction.

  "Sorry, but I refuse. And you better leave us alone."

  "Oh, don't you worry," said Mr. Ovid. "I'm pretty sure we'll meet again."

  For a while Angelo managed to forget about the strange encounter with the self-procimed genie. However with time he started to think about him more and more. What if Mr. Ovid really could cure his family? What if it was a real chance for them?

  It was harder and harder for Angelo to ignore the possibility no matter how unreal it sounded. He started to believe in it. And he wanted to meet Mr. Ovid again.

  And after a while they did cross paths.

  "So it seems you have considered my offer."

  "Yes. But you did say that it won't be for free, right?"

  "Would you look at that. What a clever boy you are."

  "So how will it be? You heal my family and what would you like from me?"

  "Good question. You see, as a genie I can take care of the business of humans. But I have a small problem with taking care of the business of magical creatures. So my human clients usually take care of requests from my magical clients."

  "So you say there are more such creatures?"

  "Of course. You have no idea how many requests I have taken from fairies for example. Especially after the mafia took control of them."

  "Okay, so you will grant three wishes for me and I will grant three wishes for you? Have I understood right?"

  "Not quite."

  "What?"

  "Well, magical requests are much harder to grant then non-magical. Even if from magical creatures."

  "Then how many wishes do you want from me?"

  "Let's say thirteen."

  "What?"

  "As you heard. Thirteen."

  "Sorry, but if you think that's a fair amount then you need to rethink your deals."

  "So you say that you refuse?"

  "You bet."

  Mr. Ovid didn't seem particurly upset about failing his conversations. "Oh, don't worry. Third time's a charm as they say. And I can wait."

  With time however it became clear that there was little hope for Angelo's family. And then his father fell into the state when it was just a matter of time until he would die. And that was the final straw. Angelo gave in. There was no room for denying that working with Mr. Ovid was Angelo's final hope.

  "Alright, I will do it," said Angelo after he found Mr. Ovid for the third time.

  "Oh, what do I hear."

  "I just told you."

  "No, no, no. I want to hear you saying the whole sentence," said Mr. Ovid like a sadistic English nguage teacher. "Say it, I desire the pleasure of hearing that."

  Angelo sighed out of frustration at the genie's attitude. "I will accept your deal. Three wishes for me and thirteen wishes for you."

  Mr. Ovid let out a chaotic ughter. It was obvious that he loved what he heard.

  "You done?" said Angelo.

  "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

  "But don't get cocky just yet. First heal my family. I'll only start doing jobs for you after I see that done."

  "Is that your first wish?" Mr. Ovid asked with glee.

  "Yes, you can call it that."

  "Very well. My boy, tomorrow morning you will see your whole family as fit as a fiddle."

  In the morning everybody woke up feeling healthy. And actually perfectly healthy. Not even a cough could be heard. Not long after even Angelo's father got discharged from the hospital. That prompted the family to actually visit a doctor and examine themselves again. But they were all perfectly cured.

  It meant that Mr. Ovid actually made Angelo's wish come true.

  And it meant that it was Angelo's time.

  After a few days Angelo had a call from an unknown number.

  "Who's that?"

  "It's me, my boy. Your lovely genie, Mr. Ovid."

  "Oh, I guess it's time for my first job."

  "Precisely. You're one clever human."

  "So what should I do?"

  Angelo thought that he would be ready for everything. But he was not ready for Mr. Ovid's first job.

  "First of all, I need you to move to a little city called Oftenhides."

  The very first job and Angelo already was frozen. After saving his family he had to leave them.

  "You're not serious?"

  "Oh, yes, I am."

  "But why?"

  "You see, that city is a pce where magical energies are particurly strong. Magical creatures often visit it and a great amount of events in the magical world happen there. I simply want you to be in the centre of the events."

  "But I can't do it. I can't leave my family."

  "Oh, should I remind you that it still can leave you?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "If you decline our deal I will be under no obligation to not reverse your wish."

  Angelo was devastated. There was no way to avoid Mr. Ovid's order. Angelo didn't want to leave his family after such a hard time for them.

  But Angelo couldn't avoid it. The best he could do was to make the best of the situation.

  "Alright, I'll go. But before that I want my second wish fulfilled," said Angelo.

  "Alright. And what will that be?"

  "Allow my family to live a carefree and stable life even after I leave them."

  Mr. Ovid made a pause of contemption. "How funny. Of all the people I did not expect you to wish for money. Sure, it's the least selfish money wish I've ever heard. But it's still in its essence a money wish."

  "Will you do it or not?"

  "Yes. Of course. Don't you worry."

  A few days ter both Angelo's father and mother won a lottery. It allowed them to receive a considerable amount of cash from the organiser each month for the years to come. They could both essentially quit their jobs and they would still make more than before.

  That was the moment when Angelo left. Over the phone he told Mr. Ovid that he would leave his home during the night. He didn't want to see his family worried nor trying to stop him.

  It was the st time Angelo saw his family city.

  "And that's how I met Giovanna," said Angelo to lessen the tension.

  Giovanna knew the story already, so she just sighed. Ursu has heard so many details for the first time, so some tears appeared in her eyes. The most moved were Sarah and Lily who heard the story for the first time.

  "So that's why you want to kill us?" said Sarah.

  "No, don't get me wrong. I don't want to," said Angelo.

  "Then what do you want to do?"

  "I have a pn, trust me. But I'll need your help."

  "Wait, can't you just use your third wish to skip this job?"

  Angelo made a hiss. "Yeah, my second job was a battle against a powerful cait sith. I squandered that wish to get my crossbow."

  "Oh no…"

  "But don't worry. I have a pn."

  "Oh yeah. I think it's time we hear it," said Lily.

  Angelo became more enthusiastic. "Okay, the pn is simple. I'm gonna fake your deaths using blunt quarrels and fake blood. And I'll show Ovid your photographs."

  The girls were blown away by how simplistic the pn was. It seemed almost too simple.

  "And that's seriously gonna work?" asked Lily.

  "I hope so."

  "But what if it does not?" asked Ursu.

  "Well, I haven't thought of that," said Angelo. "Although I might have an idea."