Chapter 1: Witch's Wish

The hospital room was clean and organized, but no matter what, a feeling of dread always lingered there. Everyone who entered the hospital had that strange feeling inside, but no one could name it.

Alice could. It was death. She had seen many people get their second chances after being treated, while others never left the hospital alive.

She was one of them. Her life was about to truly start, with Alice living alone in a small apartment near her college. She wanted to study, work, and perhaps find a boy to fall in love with.

That was what she dreamed of. That was what she needed, but it never happened. Alice was 19, and she was dying.

"I am so sorry, Anastacia. We tried everything but…" the doctor said in a somber tone.

"Leave me alone with my daughter," Anastacia pleaded, her voice trembling. "Please, doctor."

"Of course," the doctor said, walking up to the door and opening it. "I will be in the hallway if you need me."

The doctors had tried everything, but nothing worked. It was an unknown disease, and it would take Alice's life. The only reason she was breathing was because of the machines.

Alice grabbed her mother's hand, using all of her strength to say a few words. "Mom, don't be sad. This is not your fault, or the hospital's."

"It won't end like this. It won't!" Anastacia cried out.

The daughter had accepted her fate, but it seemed that her mother had not. She did not want to resort to that sort of thing, but if medicine could not save her daughter, she would!

Anastacia had tears streaming down her face as she said, "My dear. Remember what I told you about our family? This will be what will save you."

"Save me? Witchcraft? Don't bring up this nonsense again, mom. Magic does not exist!" Alice said.

She was about to die, and instead of a goodbye, her mother spoke about crazy things! Alice was angry, sad, scared… No one knew what the afterlife was like, and she felt too young to die.

"Even if I can't have you here with me, I will be more than happy to know you're alive… Take care of yourself, my sweet baby, and may we meet again. I love you so much," Anastacia said, kissing Alice on the forehead.

Anastacia grabbed the necklace that had always been with her since the very first day Alice came into the world, and put it on Alice's neck.

"Spirits of nature, accept my life essence, that is equivalent to 19 years of age, and give it back to my daughter for her to live in the same world my family came from thousands of years ago. Protect her the best you can," Anastacia grabbed Alice's hand again and said, "May the spirits be with you."

Alice could not understand what her mother said, and instead replied, "I love you too, mom. I always will!"

The machines that kept Alice alive were turned off, and as her vision blurred, something extraordinary happened! A light at the end of the tunnel.

"What…happened?" Alice wondered.

Alice opened her eyes and noticed that the light she saw was just the sun hitting her face. It was warm, but she did not remember leaving the hospital window open.

It took her a while to gather her thoughts and recall what her mother had said.

"Was it all true?"

That couldn't be. Witchcraft? Magic? Another world? Those things came straight from a fiction book, and Alice did not believe they were possible.

She got up from her king-sized bed and moved toward a mirror standing in the corner of her bedroom. Alice looked at it and saw that her face was exactly like the one back on Earth: a gorgeous blonde woman with blue eyes.

Alice walked around her bedroom, mesmerized by its appearance. The furniture was unlike anything she had seen on Earth; it looked more like something from the Middle Ages.

It was beautiful enough as it was, but when Alice looked through her bedroom window, she was speechless! She saw a green plain with many trees, a crystal clear river in the distance, and many birds flying and singing.

She realized she was inside a castle tower, staring at the scenery from the top!

"Am I a princess or something?" Alice wondered.

That was what she hoped for, but her luck couldn't be that great.

Someone knocked on the door, and Alice went to answer.

"Lady Lila," a man said, slightly bowing his head.

"What is it?" Alice asked.

Apparently, they knew her by the name Lila. She was glad at least her appearance remained unchanged.

"Your husband is coming! I saw him moments ago! Please, hide your witchcraft book, or he will kill you! Remember, this must remain a secret or the church will burn you!" the man warned.

Alice gasped after hearing that. She was a witch, and apparently, being a witch was something they despised.

"Ok, thank you!" she said quickly.

The mysterious man left after warning her about it. Alice frantically searched inside her room, finding a mysterious book on her desk near a bookshelf.

It was a thick book with an unknown symbol on the cover. The cover was all black, and the pages looked old. Alice browsed the first pages, seeing many spells, rituals, and things she had never seen before!

"I need to hide this, but where?" Alice thought.

Alice followed her instincts and decided to look for a hidden compartment inside her desk. She found a fake drawer within her desk drawer.

"Good job, Alice!" she praised herself internally.

After hiding the book, Alice returned to her bed. She waited for a few minutes until she heard footsteps outside her door.

The man did not knock and opened it with force.

"This man must be Miller, my… husband?" Alice wondered.

Alice felt no attraction for that man, and judging by the way he acted, perhaps the original owner of that body did not either.

"Lila, aren't you sleeping too much? Come on, let's eat breakfast." Miller said in a commanding tone, one that Alice disliked.