The bearded man slumped back into his seat, disappointment etched across his face.
Yarrow stood at the entrance of the tavern, hesitating. If a bear that big had come in, someone would have noticed. It hadn't run inside—it had gone somewhere else.
Stepping back into the alley, his gaze settled on the solid brick wall beside the tavern. A suspicion formed in his mind. Slowly, he reached out, pressing his hand against the rough surface.
"Pseudo-Repair."
He invoked the ability he had copied from Tao Hu, mimicking the magic he had seen before. It was a shot in the dark—he didn't know if Tao Hu's talent worked this way, nor whether the bear had used magic to escape.
Seconds passed. Nothing happened. No reaction, no acquired abilities. Just as he was about to give up and turn away—
A sudden force yanked him forward.
Before he could react, the wall swallowed him whole.
The world spun violently, like being sucked into a flushing toilet. His body twisted, his vision blurred, and then—
Thud!
He crashed onto soft soil. Dazed and unsteady, he groaned, shaking off the dizziness. As he pushed himself up, his eyes landed on an old wooden signpost just behind him. Its surface flickered faintly before dimming into silence.
"A fixed-point teleportation spell… and a bear that knows magic?"
Fixed-point teleportation—an advanced technique. It required setting up two beacon gates, allowing for instant travel between them. Normally, such magic was locked behind a spell-password, accessible only to its creator.
Yarrow frowned. That must have been what he accidentally copied. The alley wall and this signpost were the two linked beacons.
Now, he was somewhere in the wilderness, standing at a fork in the road leading up a mountain.
His fingers curled around the iron shovel that had fallen nearby. Then he hesitated.
If that bear really knew magic… was this even useful?
After a moment's deliberation, he tightened his grip on the shovel and stepped toward the mountain path.
Darkness swallowed the trail ahead. The dense forest blocked out the moonlight, leaving everything pitch black. With a whispered incantation, flames flickered to life in his palm, casting a warm glow around him.
As he walked, his mind raced.
A bear that knows magic… Could it be someone's familiar?
If so, that would be trouble. A powerful magician was after the same treasure, and Yarrow had almost turned their familiar into a beautiful girl.
Great.
Still, he had come this far—he wasn't about to turn back. He needed to see this through.
This felt like the beginning of a horror movie. He knew there was something dangerous ahead, yet here he was, walking straight into it.
The only thing keeping him moving forward? The dream of a seaside villa.
After about ten minutes of climbing, he spotted a cave.
The entrance was narrow, forcing him to duck as he stepped inside. The tunnel beyond was just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Paw prints—large and deep—marked the ground, leading further in.
The air grew warmer. A soft glow flickered ahead.
Then, the passage opened into a vast cavern.
Luminous fluorite stones hung from the ceiling, bathing the space in pale, steady light. The cavern was enormous, yet carefully arranged furniture filled the area—tables, bookshelves, an alchemy workbench. Everything was neat and orderly.
Yet, there was no bed. Only a mattress and quilt on the floor.
Yarrow's gaze swept over the space. A pen holder and framed photos rested on a desk. A glass of water sat beside them. The bookshelves brimmed with well-worn tomes. The alchemy cauldron bubbled with something unknown. Fresh fruit was stored in wooden crates. Paintings decorated the cave walls.
It felt… lived in.
Warm, even.
"The bear… lives here?"
But where was it?
And more importantly—
Where was his treasure?
Yarrow approached the desk. There was no chair in front of it, just a notebook resting beside an ink bottle, a pen still inserted inside. The handwriting was elegant and precise, evoking the image of a quiet, studious girl—perhaps one who wore glasses and spent her days immersed in books.
His gaze shifted to a small photo frame. Picking it up, he realized it didn't contain a photograph but rather a simple, childlike drawing. It depicted a family of three, their stick-figure smiles warm and unguarded. In the upper-left corner, a name was written beside the girl in the center:
"Serena Edson."
A thought stirred in Yarrow's mind. A troubling thought. But he wasn't ready to accept it just yet.
Placing the frame back on the desk, he picked up the notebook and flipped it open. The title page greeted him with the same name—"Serena Edson"—scrawled in uneven, childish handwriting.
He turned a few pages.
A diary?
The pages were filled with entries, nearly half of the notebook already used. Yarrow scanned through them, stopping at the beginning.
Violet Calendar 351, January 17 – Sunny"I'm so happy today! Dad came back from the city and brought me lots of toys and dresses. He gave me this notebook and a pen, telling me to write a diary. He said I can put all my true feelings and little secrets here, and only I will know them! I have so many secrets in my head, so from today on, I'm going to keep a diary!"
January 20 – Sunny"Today, Wendy was showing off her gemstone bracelet again. She's so smug. I wanted to punch her."
January 21 – Sunny"I picked all the berries in front of Mrs. Nowen's house. They were really sweet and delicious… I hope she doesn't find out."
January 23 – Cloudy"Mr. Hood, our history teacher, retired today. A new teacher came—a really pretty woman named Alisa. But ugh, she dresses like a total flirt! She was showing half her chest, and all the boys couldn't stop staring. Shameless!"
January 24 – Sunny"Alisa praised me today, saying I did my homework really well. That's never happened before… but still, she poses like a flirt all the time."
January 28 – Sunny"Teacher Mano wouldn't stop droning on in class today. So, I put a nest of caterpillars in his office drawer. Haha! I could hear the screams from another classroom!"
February 1 – Rainy"They found out about the caterpillars. Dad beat me for it. Ugh! I'm his daughter, but he's siding with that bald, pot-bellied, greasy teacher? Hmph. From now on, I'll only talk to Mom!"
February 2 – Rainy"Dad found my diary. I got beaten again. What a liar! He said I could write my true feelings here!"
February 7 – Cloudy"There's blood coming from my stomach today. I was so scared! But Mom said it's called menstruation and that I'm growing up. Growing up is terrifying..."
February 14 – Sunny"The pain finally stopped! And just in time—school's on break, so I played by the river all afternoon. So happy!"
February 17 – Cloudy"It's freezing today, but the Harvest Festival is coming soon. I can't wait!"
Most of the entries were just everyday musings—childish, playful, mischievous. Yarrow flipped through several more pages, skimming over them until something caught his eye.
October 6 – Cloudy"OH MY GOD! Alisa is actually a great magician! And not just any magician—she's PURPLE-GOLD level! She was hiding in the school to secretly find a personal disciple! This is just like something out of a novel! Damn it, I hope she never finds out I called her a flirt behind her back… I want to learn magic too!"
Yarrow's fingers tightened around the edges of the notebook. His initial suspicion deepened.
Who was Serena Edson?
And what had happened to her?
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