Modern World Warlock

While Vesnia and Trinity kept talking on the phone, they began coming up with their own theories as to why the shack had been seen in different parts of the world.

Trinity believed that the witch was able to teleport her entire house, but Vesnia refuted her statement, explaining that such a spell didn't even exist in Terra, so it was unlikely that a witch from Earth could do it.

Vesnia, on the other hand, theorized that the shack was able to move on its own, comparing it to all the vehicles she had seen during her time on Earth.

After a few hours of talking, the night got colder, reaching a low temperature of -20 degrees Celsius with strong winds, prompting Vesnia to turn on her body-heating system.

As the cyborg got closer to the fire pit, she extended her hand and produced a small flame to make the camp a bit warmer. However, she sensed a presence behind her that made her stop and look around with wariness.

Vesnia's magic detection was quite advanced, though she didn't reach the level of someone like Dante or Wolfram, but it was still good enough to detect any fluctuations of magic nearby.

"Who's there?" Vesnia said, staring into the darkness coming from the forest beside her.

Right at that moment, the zipper from the tent opened up abruptly, startling the cyborg and making her look back with horror, only to see Dante groggily leaving the tent.

Vesnia couldn't tell if Dante had woken up from the noise she made or from the fluctuation of mana that was slowly approaching them. Still, she felt a bit safer knowing that he was awake.

Not even thirty seconds later, Megan also exited the tent, wearing a thick coat and a scarf covering her nose and mouth, protecting her from the freezing winds.

"There is 'something' out there…" Vesnia commented while staring into the woods' darkness.

Dante didn't reply. Instead, he also kept his sight fixed on the forest's horizon, waiting for the unknown entity to approach them.

Suddenly, a gust of wind struck their camp with force, accompanied by translucent projectiles that flew straight at them.

The warlock raised his hand and accumulated umbra on it, deflecting the almost invisible projectile away from him. However, both Vesnia and Megan weren't lucky enough.

They couldn't sense the attack, and by the time they noticed it, they were already being struck in the chest, making them kneel on the snow.

Megan grasped her coat as her breathing got heavier, while Vesnia seemed to struggle to move her body.

"Not bad!" The voice of a woman echoed in the distance, praising Dante for being able to deflect her attack.

"Even some of the strongest mages struggle to detect it…" She continued as her steps dragging on the snow became louder.

When the woman's silhouette became visible, Dante detailed her and noticed that she looked like the description of the supposed witch in the South Pole.

She didn't look over forty years old, and the warlock could see strands of her white hair peeking out from her black hood.

After a few seconds of intense silence, the mysterious woman raised her head, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Dante's face.

"Unbelievable…" She muttered, extending her hand to the side and prompting a wooden staff to appear out of thin air.

As the woman tapped the ground with her staff, the magic that was preventing Megan and Vesnia from moving utterly dissipated, leaving the pair confused but glad that they could move.

"Come on in. It's cold out here…" The woman commented, nonchalantly walking to the hut's entrance.

Before unlocking her door, she crouched down and patted the heads of the five arctic foxes who had guided the trio there, then, without even looking at the door's frame, the woman extended her hand and produced a small glow that prompted the entrance to slowly open for her.

Megan and Vesnia were a bit skeptical of the invitation, but Dante didn't hesitate and began walking on the frozen lake towards the house.

With seemingly no other choice, the pair followed Dante, shaking off the snow from their boots before entering the shack.

Even though the house looked small from the outside, it was at least double the size on the inside.

It was only one room, with a bed beside a window, a fireplace in the center with a couch and a plush seat in front of it.

In the corner, there was a small kitchen facing a bookcase that was filled with old tomes.

Moreover, as soon as they entered, they noticed the temperature inside the shack was roughly 20 degrees Celsius, which was quite warm for all the winter clothing they were wearing.

Dante noticed that it was a spell that kept the temperature in the shack from being influenced by the climate outside, believing it was quite a difficult spell to cast. Still, he kept quiet.

"Take a seat. I'll make us some tea…" The woman said, removing her hood and showing her face to the group.

"Are you Baba-Yaga?" Megan asked before taking her coat off.

"That's one of the names I was given. So, yes…" She replied.

Contrary to the people's beliefs and legends, Baba-Yaga wasn't an ugly, old crone. Instead, she looked like a beautiful, mature woman.

There was a modest air of elegance in her movements, and her voice was slightly deep and serene—The complete opposite of the description they gave her in recent urban legends.

Feeling a bit confused, the trio got comfortable, removed their coats and winter gear, and sat on the couch before the fireplace, waiting for the witch to brew the tea.

They weren't sure how to react since they were expecting some kind of resistance from the witch, but her friendly demeanor and actions had them stumped.

"I haven't had visitors for a long time. Though I wasn't expecting that 'you' would ever come here…" Baba-Yaga said while brewing the tea.

"What do you mean?" Dante asked, gazing at the witch in the kitchen.

"Give me two minutes, kid. You got questions and so have I…" she replied without taking her eyes off the tea-infuser.