Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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After stepping out of the portal, I found myself in a meadow, surrounded by ancient-looking trees. The chirp of birds filled the space, and based on the bright sun above and absence of clouds… I was not in Paris or nowhere near it.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the crisp clean air that was tinged with sweetness from the wildflowers that speckled the ground.

"This way…", Vesper said and gestured in the direction I should move.

"Why are we here?", I asked while walking after Vesper.

"You expected something else?"

"Uhm… yes.", I admitted. "I assumed that we will be in a place where people are."

'So that I experience fear and control my pheromones. Those guys in the bar looked scary enough.', I added in my head.

"You have two goals for today. Your first task is to control your pheromones to acceptable levels regardless of what you encounter here."

'Here? What kind of scary situation can I experience in this sunny meadow?' No matter where I looked, this was a nice little clearing with dense forest providing privacy. If Duke is here, it would be romantic.

"And second?", I asked.

"You are not going back until you collect for me ten Bleeding Snaberries.", Vesper said and threw me a brown pouch as she continued to walk toward the nearest tree.

I recognized the herb-collecting pouch, and when I opened it, the partitions inside confirmed that it's the same type as the one Krob carries when he collects plants from the indoor garden. Its small size is deceiving because it can store a lot. Krob explained that it's something related to bending space, and that these pouches have features of preserving the plant for days in the same state by slowing down the decaying process. Just like Krob's pouch, this one had a small trowel inside.

I closed the pouch and moved after Vesper. She must be joking, right? "You want me to collect herbs for you?"

"Aldus mentioned that he is teaching you things. Collecting some plants should be easy. Consider it as a payment for me teaching you how to control your pheromones."

"Payment?", I snapped. "I thought my father paid already…" My voice trailed off when I saw Vesper's expression darkening.

What exactly happened between the two of them? I shooed those thoughts away, as I had other challenges to tackle. I was stuck in the middle of nowhere with a witch who wants me to collect plants!

I plastered a smile on my face while mentally flipping through the books that have information on flora. It would be easier to ask Vesper, but her attitude rubbed me the wrong way, and there was always a chance that she will conceal some information.

Ah, found it! Bleeding Snabbery.

Flowers of Bleeding Snaberry are known for the sleep-inducing effect, while leaves calm the nerves. The broken stem will release dark red liquid which can make one hallucinate upon skin contact. Its roots are sweet, nutritious, and regenerate quickly. Many animals like to nest there, such as fire ants and venomous snakes. It grows in a dark and moist environment, mostly under tall bushes full of thorns...

I paused when the realization hit me. We were in a warm and sunny meadow, NOT dark or moist, and that meant only one thing… "We are going into the forest?"

Vesper smirked. "YOU are going into the forest."

I was sure that my ears malfunctioned. "Me? What about you?"

"If I go with you, it might interfere with your results.", Vesper said and sat on the ground with her back against the tree. She closed her eyes, like she is enjoying the sun, and I wished to wipe that smirk from her face.

Vesper adjusted her head into a comfortable position and added, "The measuring device stores readings for the last twelve hours, so I will get to see it when you return.."

It was obvious that the witch had no intention of helping me.

Oh, how I wished Krob to be with me now.

"Where can I find the plant in question?", I asked Vesper, secretly hoping that she will give me a map with little x-es on it.

She waved randomly toward the forest. "Ten of them. Roots included."

Well, the sooner I start, the sooner I will finish.

Plants are growing in moist soil, and I have a trowel to dig them out. As long as I don't break the stem, I will be fine. How hard can it be?

As soon as I stepped into the shadow of the trees, I noticed the layer of fog covering the ground and the humidity was tangible.

It's not a mystery why it's called Misty Forest.

I tried to pick a direction, but wherever I looked, it was the same. Thick tree canopies blocked the sunlight, enveloping dense forest in darkness and the chirping of birds started sounding ominous.

My legs refused to move.

Other than the herb-collecting pouch, I have my purse which has the spiky measuring device, cell phone, paper tissues, nail clippers, lipstick, and a sanitizer. I already guessed that the cell phone has no signal, so unless I want to sanitize or beautify forest creatures, I'm practically defenseless.

"Are there any dangerous animals in this forest?"

Vesper chuckled. "What do you think?"

"Shouldn't you give me a knife or something?"

She opened one eye to peek at me. "Will you use a knife on a bear or on a venomous spider?"

Well, she had a point there, but... "Do you expect me to go in the forest empty-handed?"

Vesper clicked her tongue. "While you were practicing in my dark room, Aldus didn't speak much, but whenever he did, he would talk about you. He said that you are smart and a fast learner. How about you show me those smarts, Seraphina? Maybe you can use your looks to charm a snake or two."

Suddenly, a realization hit me, and I blurted out, "Are you jealous? Aldus is my father and there is nothing going on between us. If you want to pursue him, I am not in your way."

Vesper scowled at me. "I didn't bring you here for love advice. Start moving if you don't want to spend the night in the forest. I will leave at sundown with or without you and I don't know if I will feel like coming back here tomorrow. After all, even if I return, there won't be much of you left by morning."

I glared at her as she looked at me smugly, and for some time we were locked in a ridiculous staring contest.

"Don't get lost, princess.", Vesper said sarcastically, without breaking eye contact. "Oh, and make sure your pheromones don't cross eight, or I will have another task for you tomorrow, assuming that you are around to handle it."

"Bitch!", I said under my breath and walked into the forest.

"It's witch, not bitch…", I heard Vesper saying after me.

With my every step deeper in the forest, the amount of light was decreasing, and the humidity became uncomfortable.

Bleeding Snaberries are low plants that will probably be completely lost in the low fog that was covering the ground, so I focused on finding bushes with thorns and checking under them. If I'm lucky, I might find one bush hosting ten plants of Bleeding Snaberries and I can return swiftly. Well, one can hope.

I tried to keep my spirits high by focusing on the positives. I don't need to worry about hunger or thirst no matter how long this takes. I'm wearing flat shoes and my A-line dress ends at my knees, so it will not hinder my movements…

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