“Will you sign a contract with me—become a Witch?”

Sham laid out the offer slowly; Mizuki’s mind went white, like frost swallowing a window.

“That… what does that even mean?”

Sorry, but Miyuki Kiseki was an ordinary girl; the Underworld was a map she’d never seen.

That was normal. If she knew, she wouldn’t be ordinary. Anyone who knows is tangled with the Underworld no matter how they deny it.

People like Yun Shi and Sham weren’t rare. Underworld folk lived on common streets, like shadows at noon. Only when big events hit did they remember who they were.

But Mizuki—she was truly just a high school girl.

“Right. You not knowing is actually the normal part.” Sham’s smile said she expected this.

“You know I’m a Witch’s agent. I’m not a real Witch, but I carry a Witch’s power. Our job is to assist our contracted Witch, guide her, teach when needed. We live off each other.”

“An agent only becomes an agent after signing with a Witch. No contract, no title. A Witch without an agent won’t gain Mystic Power, and won’t have any real fighting strength. To become a Witch, a girl must be acknowledged by a Magical Stone. Only the girl a Magical Stone itself chooses can sign a pact with an agent.”

“Don’t belittle Witches. Their power is fierce. Attributes vary, but in a fight even the Clan Head’s people may not come out ahead.”

Sham was patient, her words like lanterns on a foggy road. Mizuki listened, brow tight; whether she followed was another question.

“How strong they get, I can’t pin down. But a Witch grows by growth itself. My other pact-bearer surged fast; right now she’s miles ahead of most Witches.”

“As for you—when I felt your Magical Stone react, I knew. You’re the master of the Soul Gem—an appointed Witch. Signing shouldn’t be hard. Once you become a Witch, we buy time. Maybe carve a sliver of victory.”

“So, let’s sign the contract.”

Power sounded like a key in a locked door. If she could break today’s stalemate, then getting out alive—what did ‘becoming a Witch’ matter? Mizuki didn’t hesitate.

“Think it through. Once you become a Witch, your world is gone. From then on, you belong to the Underworld.”

Sham’s gaze stayed steady, the spaces between words whispering one truth: the Witch’s world was ruthless.

“Kiseki, I won’t force you. Whether you become a Witch is up to you. But understand—our Underworld is full of darkness. Step in, and you can’t step back. What you saw today is only one corner. After this glimpse, do you still want to walk into our world?”

“I…”

“Yes. The Underworld never stops fighting. Especially the Clan Head—power wars are a headache that never heals. If you become a Witch, you join the Magic Institution. It’s safer, relatively. But it won’t guarantee you won’t meet something awful. Steel yourself first.”

Sham laid it bare. She wanted her to understand the Underworld wasn’t simple. Dragging her in against her will would only seed hatred. Before any decision, Sham wanted her to think.

“Darkness…?”

Mizuki’s voice drifted, like a leaf circling a drain.

The Underworld was dark. If she stepped inside, today’s chaos might become daily weather. In that place—how do you live? That was the knot.

“The choice is yours. Think carefully. Do you become a Witch, learn our world, then choose your path? Or do you refuse, and wait for my pact-bearer to come save you?”

“One reminder. We’re in danger now. A fight could spark any moment. If you leave it to fate, I won’t stop you. If you want strength, I can give it. But you’ll cut ties with your old world.”

Sham’s logic rang clear, a bell in rain. She wouldn’t force her, but indecision had teeth too.

It was a forked road with no U-turns. Pick Witchhood, gain power, change everything; lose the life she knew. Refuse, and trust the sky to choose.

A magical-girl scenario had landed on her head. Mizuki almost laughed, bitter as tea leaves. It sounded simple—sign and done. In her skin, it wasn’t. She was fifteen. Asking for a life-shaping choice felt cruel.

When a storm really arrives, there’s nothing light about it. It brings only deep unease.

What do I do…

She truly didn’t know. A breath ago, she’d hated her own weakness and prayed for power to change things. But to trade it for her life…

Sham watched the struggling girl in silence, face calm, like a lake under cloud. Whatever Mizuki chose, Sham wouldn’t object.

“I’m just ordinary. There’s nothing special about me. If there is… maybe grades and where I come from…”

Mizuki steadied, like a heartbeat finding rhythm.

She began to recall her life, sinking into her own room of memories.

Her world held her friends. One was restless, never not troublesome. She was earnest, but a lily-girl at heart; Mizuki didn’t mind. They were friends, after all.

Another was gentle, polite, a little timid. She’d always been kind to Mizuki.

The one in front of her too—always laughing, never reliable, thoughts a mess. Yet today, she’d risked everything to save her.

And him—the boy prettier than girls, a bristling cat of a teen.

Mai, Mizusaki, Sham… and Yun.

At home, they were normal. A warm mother. A laid-back sister. A father always on business trips.

She’d never had some special saga. She grew like any child, sheltered by family hands. She had friends. She had family. Nothing lacked. Her life felt happy.

When she cried as a kid, her sister charged out like thunder to face the bully. When her favorite doll broke, her mother’s gentle hands fixed it, like sunlight stitching fabric.

She remembered a picnic long ago. Her father cradled her on the grass. He let her sit on his shoulders and be silly. He always smiled; he granted every small wish.

Thinking it through—she lacked nothing. She grew in a house of happiness.

But she couldn’t lean on them forever. One day she’d step into a wider world. Today, she truly had to set out.

She didn’t know what kind of place she was going to. But she felt it—this place would change fate. She had a hunch she would meet something there she couldn’t do without.

“Let’s sign, Sham.”

After a long moment, Mizuki’s resolved face came into view like dawn.

“No regrets? Remember, there’s no medicine for regret in this world.”

“I know. But if I don’t, I’m just waiting to die, right? I don’t want my fate decided by someone else.”

She was still wrestling with fear, but resolve rose like a blade through cloth.

“I don’t know what I’ll become. I don’t know how I’ll turn out. But I don’t want to die. I want to go back, whole, to my friends and family. I’m scared… but I have reasons I can’t yield. So, please—lend me power. Help me change everything!”

She still trembled, like a flame in wind. But her eyes held iron, and people choose to trust iron.

“Kiseki, I have to say—you truly were chosen by the Soul Gem.”

“…”

“I knew before this you were its master. That’s why I dared say ‘become a Witch.’ Now I’m certain. You have the right. I wasn’t wrong.”

“Then…”

“No problem. From today on, you’re my second pact-bearer, Mizuki—Sham Einafel’s partner. Let’s work well together.”

Between them, a circle bloomed like a magic sigil, inscribed with circuits, turning and turning.

“In the name of an agent, awaken the sleeping Magical Stone. Hear my prayer—”

The necklace at Mizuki’s throat burst with light, scattering spark-dust like fireflies.

“The Artifact Spirit of legend, awaken now. Open your eyes and greet your master—”

Sham sat cross-legged, eyes closed, whispering the rite. Light dust spilled from her skin like petals melting.

“From today, you truly change.”

Mizuki watched, calm as a still pond. Strangely, there was no regret, no panic. Only quiet.

“Mystic Power circuit, complete. Seal!”

A surge of Mystic Power poured into her body. The necklace shook, restless, and Mizuki faltered, a little lost.

“Don’t worry. The Mystic Power’s shaping your attire. Once it’s done, you’ll have your battle garb, Kiseki… no—Mizuki.”

Sham’s confident smile steadied her. Mizuki nodded, faintly dazed.

…

At the same time, a girl in a black cloak ran through the building like a shadow on rails. Suddenly, she stopped cold.

“Mystic Power fluctuation. That density only shows during a Witch contract. Don’t tell me…”

Under the mask, Yun Shi’s face tightened, like steel catching frost.

…

When the circuit spun to completion, orange-red light wrapped Mizuki. Breath coiled around her like smoke.

A white robe settled over her. Inside, an orange blouse and a gray skirt formed the core.

She opened her eyes. The necklace that had hung at her throat floated before her, poised in midair, a firefly smiling.

She reached out to take it—but the next moment made her hand fall.

“Hello, my master. My name is Elana~”

…

Mizuki’s brain blue-screened again. Sham’s face mirrored hers—stunned, like statues blinking.

“Th—the necklace is talking—aaaaaaah!”