“Summer, the decision is yours.”
“...”
After hearing the explanation, Summer couldn’t speak for a while. It wasn’t a decision that anyone could easily answer.
Fey, frustrated by Summer’s silence, irritably approached and grabbed Summer by the collar.
“You said you absolutely had to go back. Is there anything left to think about?”
“But that method…”
“If you’re hesitating about the conditions, it means you’re still feeling comfortable. Fine, I’ll give you time to think.”
Fey released Summer with a toss and raised her chin haughtily.
Summer looked up at Fey with blurry eyes, her face pale from the shocking news.
“How much time?”
“Until dawn. You need to give me your answer before then.”
“And if I can’t answer by then?”
“I’ll leave you in this world. Forever.”
Although Fey’s words were a complete bluff, Summer believed them wholeheartedly and was terrified. Being left alone in this world was horrifying.
Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to agree to the method just yet.
Time slowly ticked by. Fey pretended to be relaxed but was tapping her fingers nervously.
Summer sat on the bed like a marionette with cut strings, thinking and thinking.
Barely able to last thirty minutes, the impatient Fey spoke again.
“If there’s anything you’re unsure about, just ask.”
Summer seemed to hesitate briefly before speaking slowly.
“What happens if it fails?”
“There’s no failure. I’m the most competent witch among all witches.”
Fey puffed her chest with pride.
“But if by any chance the method fails?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll find another suitable place for you.”
Summer’s face turned grave as she understood the meaning behind Fey’s words.
“In this world, or in my world?”
“That would never happen, but if it does, you’ll have to stay in this world. But remember, even without using the method, you’ll stay in this world until you die.”
“...”
Time continued to pass.
To Summer, the time felt too fast, but to Fey, it was excruciatingly slow.
“Damn it! Is this really something to ponder? The great witch Fey is offering to help you, and you’re still hesitating?”
“I’m sorry.”
Fey yelled and ruffled her hair furiously.
Summer flinched at her outburst. Whether it was this way or that, it was equally frightening.
Seeing Summer’s state, Fey forced a gentle tone and extended her hand.
“Alright. I understand. You came from another world, so you might not know how amazing witches are, and among them, how exceptionally amazing I am. You might doubt me!”
Nodding repeatedly, Summer acknowledged Fey’s tirade. It was indeed hard to believe in someone like Fey.
The black forest, described in the novel as home to strange things, was mentioned, but Fey was not a character in the novel.
Without information, it was natural not to trust.
“Here, shake my hand first. As I said, my name is Fey. What’s yours?”
“I’m Summer Lindsey.”
Summer shook Fey’s hand with a puzzled look.
It was strange because Fey knew Summer from the beginning and Summer knew Fey’s name was Fey.
Seeing Summer’s reaction, Fey smirked as if she expected it.
“Oh, black-haired soul. You must have another name.”
Fey smiled kindly. Summer, looking dazed as if she had been struck, suddenly burst into tears.
Right. She wasn’t Summer Lindsey. But,
“I can’t… I can’t remember.”
Her real name didn’t come to mind. South Korea. Yes, she had lived in South Korea with her black cat and parents. What did her parents look like?
Friends? Did she have any friends? What about the school she attended? None of it came to mind.
Despite everything, what about her name?
It didn’t come to her. No matter how hard she tried to recall, all she could remember was that there was another world.
Fey’s expression grew serious upon hearing Summer’s words.
“That’s a big problem. It means your soul is gradually integrating with this body.”
It was likely due to the black-haired soul’s intense resistance to adapting to Summer’s body that it had lasted this long.
But it seemed the fusion of body and soul had progressed considerably.
At this rate, the black-haired soul would soon forget who she was and become Summer Lindsey entirely.
So, if possible, quickly.
“Then what should I do?”
Summer, crying hard, rubbed her tear-stained cheeks. Fey awkwardly sat next to her and patted her back.
It was a big problem indeed. A name held the significance of one’s existence.
Given the current state, the time left for her to return safely to her original world was approximately,
“About half a year.”
“What’s half a year?”
“The deadline to return to your original world. It’s half a year.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
Summer, who had been sobbing and making hiccuping sounds, suddenly lifted her head. Fey, without a hint of surprise, opened her eyes wide with an innocent look.
“Because I just found out about you now?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything…”
“I know. Just keep crying.”
Apologizing, Summer collapsed back onto the bed. Fey sighed as she quietly tidied up Summer’s disheveled hair.
“Do you really hate that method so much?”
“Of course!”
Summer shot up and yelled. This witch had zero empathy.
How could she suggest such a method and act so shamelessly?
“But there’s no other way.”
“I know. But knowing it in my head and accepting it in my heart are different things.”
“Why are they different?”
Summer let out a deep sigh at the witch’s naive question.
Just thinking about that method made her fingertips go numb from the cold. It felt like her blood ran cold.
She wanted to go back to her original world.
More fundamentally, she didn’t want to lose herself.
This wasn’t just a wish; it was a desperate plea filled with anxiety and fear as if her life were at stake.
She didn’t want to lose her name. She didn’t want to lose the 25 years she had lived, clawing her way up. She wanted to live.
Yes, *I* want to live.
The witch had entered through the window out of nowhere.
The only method she had given Summer to return to her original world was...
Death in this world.
* * *
Fey was exceptional among witches.
As a leader among witches, she knew the most efficient way to repair the broken rift.
To restore nature to its original state, that young, adorable soul had to be settled in a single body.
There were two ways to settle her.
Either she fully assimilates into this world, or she is sent back to her original world.
“Will it hurt a lot?”
“Where’s all that determination you had earlier, saying you’d do anything? Were you just talking big?”
“That’s not it, but…”
But was it necessary to explain all this to the black-haired soul? Sometimes, to persuade someone, it's better not to mention parts that could be disadvantageous.
Fey’s purple eyes gleamed in the light.
“When you say ‘die,’ you mean literally stop breathing, right? Completely?”
“Yes. Only then can I send you back to your original world and place Summer’s soul back in that body.”
Fey answered nonchalantly and swung her legs from the bed.
Summer burst into tears at those words. Fey was puzzled by her crying. Didn’t she want to go back?
Witches didn’t fear death.
So, she couldn’t understand why Summer was crying so much.
Yet, because she still needed Summer, she awkwardly patted her back, trying to soothe her.
Before she completely lost it, she had to calm her down a bit.
After a long while, Summer, exhausted from crying, fell asleep. Fey transformed back into a cat and nestled into her arms.
‘It does feel somewhat warm.’
“It’s not your fault that this world is broken.”
Fey’s eyes fluttered shut, and soon, she fell asleep, purring softly in Summer’s arms.
She needed to watch over Summer to catch her soul and send her back to her original world when the time came.
Fortunately, Summer seemed determined to go back.
‘Not bad.’
That was Fey’s first impression of Summer.
* * *
“Fey? Fey!”
Waking up, Summer was startled to find Fey wasn’t there and called out.
From under the desk, a black cat—Fey—approached, yawning lazily.
“What is it?”
“I thought… I thought you had left.”
Summer’s voice cracked.
Fey had a vague sense of why Summer wanted to leave this world so quickly.
The black-haired soul who had lost her name was afraid.
‘Well.’
Even to witches, this world seemed a bit strange.
“Have you decided? The dawn has already passed, and morning is here.”
“Well,”
Just as Summer was about to answer with a resolute face, the door opened.
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