Chapter 2: Apprenticeship Accepted

Mayari took a breath before she twitch the knob and open the door. She finally entered Adolf's office and close the door behind.

"What do you want, Mayari?" Adolf asked while looking at his big glass window as he holds a glass of wine and suck a cigarette.

Mayari took a step closer.

"I want to quit the organization" Mayari goes straight to the point.

Then in anger her father immediately face her and throw the glass of wine towards her. Mayari can easily dodge it, but she didn't instead she received it, she knows it will only make her father more angrier if she dodge.

The glass shattered in Mayari's head, scarlet blood then drip after but she didn't mind it, like nothing happened.

"Remember this Mayari, you can only leave the organization if you have left this world! Therefore, you can never leave unless you die!" Adolf loudly said enrage, "Understood!?"

"Yes, Father..." she replied.

She then turned with her heels and walk to the door.

"Don't even think about running away, you know how powerful my organization is, you'll be in hell in no time" Adolf threatened, while she only replied with silence.

She then grabbed the knob once again, open the door, and left right away that she didn't notice the evil smile that her father sickly wear.

Mayari is now in her bathroom, treating the wound in her head. She stared at herself in her mirror and then she sighed.

'you can never leave unless you die!' his words echoed in her head like thunder.

She took a minute staring at her reflection, gazing intently right through her dark chocolate irises with not a single light of hope linger in her deep dead eyes.

Mayari's pupils fell to the sink below her, and with a sigh she opened a drawer. Inside is a gun, she then took it in her hand and immediately pointed it to the side of her head.

She slowly entwined her finger to the trigger and watch herself once again in the mirror with a numb expression. But even how hard she forces herself, she always ended up letting go of the gun.

Then she woke up.

Her eyes shot open and zoomed in to the unfamiliar ceiling before her. She slowly sat up, and scanned her surroundings.

She can clearly see that this isn't her room, the bedroom she's in had an old fashion style painted with a luxurious theme color of white and gold. A beautiful chandelier is hanging from above and all furnitures are expensive with well designed character.

She thought at first that this must be his father's belongings but she then came to a conclusion that this couldn't be his property since he have a different taste in design and wouldn't allow such flowerly elegance burn his eyes in rainbow.

Mayari then pinned her stare to her bed and reach her hand to hold her head while she tries to remember what happened last night. Memories then flashed before her eyes like lightning as she recalled everything.

She was about to pull her shirt up, then she realize that she is wearing an unfamiliar long silky white nightgown.

She is very positive that she don't have this kind of clothing before, and she isn't very familiar of the place as well.

She trace her fingertips to her abdomen expecting a wound but surprisingly there are no bullets, wounds nor scars, it is like nothing happened.

"Oh, You're already awake." Mayari heard a familiar voice.

She immediately turned her head to the owner and saw the same middle age woman that accidentally bumped her at the parking lot.

The woman came in and close the door behind her.

"Good morning." She said with a warm smile as she pulled a nearby chair and sat.

"Where am I?" Mayari asked.

"Your in my manor." Came her reply.

"How did I get here?"

"Well, you threw yourself to the ocean and I happened to use my magic to bring you here."

Mayari is now certain that what happened between her and her father wasn't just a made up dream, but what bother her the most is what happened to her wounds.

"Am I wounded when you brought me here?" Mayari asked once more.

She nodded.

"How long am I out?"

"Just a night."

"Then how are my wounds fully healed?"

"I just healed your wound last night."

"Don't throw jokes at me, there is no medicine that heal a deep gunshot wounds overnight." Mayari stated while getting out of bed.

"It is no medicine, dear, it's magic." She reasoned.

But Mayari don't believe in stuff like magic, unicorns, or fairytales, she only focus herself on things that she saw through her own life that is blood and money so she thought she was bluffing.

"Drop the act, it's nonsense." Mayari commented. "Just tell me where I am exactly and I'll be on my way."

"I'm not joking, it is really magic," She insisted, "and you can't leave yet, I still need to speak to you."

"I have no time for this." Mayari was about to walk out, but the door suddenly disappeared infront of her, leaving only thick hard wall.

"Our conversation is still not finish." She told, "Please have a seat."

Mayari was shocked, an entire door just vanished in a blink of an eye but not wanting to let any weaknesses leak, she immediately regained her composure.

"This is only a trick of an eye." Mayari looked at her and reasoned. "Tell me are you the one pulling the strings? Or is their someone with you?"

"That is still the wrong answer, dear." The woman then opened her palm and a ball of fire was then formed above her bare hand.

"You see, the world your in, isn't your world anymore." The fire then burned away to ashes as a ball of water then immediately replace her empty palm, and then freeze into a hand-size snowflake.

The snowflake suddenly disperse and turned into a gush of wind that formed a tornado. The tornado then stopped and slowly turned into a fist of rich dark soil.

The soil then slowly formed a floating hill and on top grew a little sapling. The woman blew on the little plant and it rapidly cultivate long lively branches that stretch from her hand to Mayari.

Evergreen leaves then sprouted from the branches and softly brush Mayari's cheek, this is the proof that what is Mayari seeing isn't just illusions.

"I save you for a reason and I want you to just hear me out, Mayari." She closed her hand and everything disappeared into dust of glitters, just like how the door vanished to thin air.

"How do you know my name?" Mayari asked with a sturdy tone but in her head, mixed expression of surprise and confusion are in collide.

"I know everything about you, even the fact that you are a notorious criminal that is specialized in assassination." Came the woman's reply, "Now, have a seat so we could have a proper talk."

Even how many times Mayari deny the phenomenon she just witness, it all looked real and she couldn't see any trick nor any mechanics that reveal it's false.

This is no kid's magic show, and most of all the woman fully knows her identity.

Half convinced and in an extreme alert, Mayari fulfilled her request and sat on the bed, where they view each other face to face.

"What do you want?" Mayari immediately asked after sitting down.

The woman smiled genuinely and said, "I want you to be my apprentice."

"And why me? I don't think an assassin is a good thing to have as an apprentice." Mayari stared in disbelief.

"Yes, it is but you are different. I sense a strong magical ability in you, perfect for my apprenticeship." She explained. "You are also in another world now, you can start over again, fresh and no casualties."

"So that is why you save me from death."

"Yes, and I expect you to repay me with gratitude by accepting my offer."

"What if I refuse?"

"You will miss a limited time great offer and I will immediately sent you back to your world," the woman responded, "but I don't recommend that idea though, considering your blood stained name."

"If I accept?"

"I will teach you magic and give you freedom in my supervision. You will never live a life of murder and bloodlust ever again." She gleefully answered, "The choice is all on you, dear, I will respect whatever you choose."

Even how you flip it, back and front, left and right, it is very obvious of what choice is the best. Mayari knew very well that an opportunity like this will never ever come in her way again if she let this go.

"Do you need time to think?" The woman asked.

No, Mayari already made up her mind and with a rational mind intact, she then stretch out her hand and accepted the offer of the sorceress.

After all, she never have freedom nor have happiness in her home world. Maybe in this world, it will be different, she have longed for change and finally, here it came.

"We have a deal."

"As thought, you will choose the best choice." The sorceress smiled with all warmth and accepted her hand. "Thank you."

With that handshake that contract have been sealed. A glowing, transparent chain then appeared, shackling them together and then vanished afterward.

"That is the sign that we are now binded together," she explained, "this will continue on 'till I die or teach you everything I know and by then your apprenticeship ends."

"I can't escape it in any other way, can't I?" Mayari coldly questioned.

"No, you can't." She shook her head.

The woman reach her free hand and stroke Mayari's cheek with all gentleness. The sun's ray from a nearby window then gleamed brightly on the woman's feature with delicate warmth that correspond her loving smile.

"I'm Helen Revinyr and starting now, I'll be your teacher, Mayari." She spoke with a welcoming tone.