Thirty

The witch's house was rather spacious and she scrutinised me carefully. She looked at me with curiosity and interest, and she seemed to notice something unusual about me. 

"Show me your wound, please," she said, in a gentle and polite tone. She asked me to take off my T-shirt, so that she could see my stomach, where the wound was. She wanted to examine my wound, and to see how bad it was.

I took off my T-shirt, and I showed her my stomach, where the wound was. It was a large and deep wound, and it looked very painful. It was the result of Lila's sword.

The witch touched my wound, and she removed the bandages covering it. She was very gentle and careful, and she didn't hurt me. She used her fingers, and she felt the wound. and she scanned the wound.

She wanted to see how the wound was healing, and to see if there was any infection. She wanted to see if there was any magic involved, and to see if there was any curse.

She made a little face, and she frowned. She looked at me with concern and pity, and she shook her head. She didn't like what she saw. 

"Well, even if I heal it, it will leave a scar," said the witch, in a regretful and apologetic tone. 

A scar wouldn't bother me, it's not as if it's on my face either. I didn't care about having a scar, and I didn't care about how it looked. I didn't care about being beautiful, and I didn't care about being perfect. I cared about being alive, and I cared about being strong. 

"I don't mind having a scar, as long as I don't feel any pain," I said, rather confidently. 

"Well, if you say so," said the witch, in a doubtful and skeptical tone. She didn't seem to believe me, and she didn't seem to agree with me. 

She started to use her magic, and a green energy came out. She raised her hand, and she made a gesture. She chanted a spell, and she created a light. She directed her magic towards my stomach, for a few seconds, then stepped back to admire her work. She expected to see my wound healed, and to see me relieved. She expected to see me smile, and to see me thank her. She expected to see me happy, and to see me satisfied.

But when I looked at my stomach, the wound and the pain were still there. Nothing had changed, and nothing had improved. The wound was still open, and the wound was still hurting.

"Are you a demon ?" asked the witch, surprised that her healing spell hadn't worked. 

"I'm half demon,," I said, in a hopeless and resigned tone.

"Don't worry, I can heal you, but I'll need an ingredient that can only be found in this forest," she said, in a hopeful and determined tone. 

She left for a room, and she came back with a sheet of paper that she gave to me. It was a list of the ingredients that she needed, and had a map of the forest too. It showed me where to find the ingredient, and it showed me how to get there. It also showed me the dangers and the obstacles, and it showed me how to avoid them. It was a very detailed and helpful paper, and it was a very useful and valuable paper.

"These are the ingredients I'll need," she said, pointing at the list. She explained to me what each ingredient was, and what it did. She explained to me how to collect them, and how to preserve them. She explained to me how much she needed, and how fast she needed. 

I turned my gaze to Julie, who immediately understood what I was going to tell her. I wanted her to come with me, and I wanted her to help me. 

"No, I'm not coming with you this time, and you can manage without me," she said, before handing me a bag and opening the door to let me out.

"Good luck" she said before closing the door.

Once alone in the forest, I looked at the map and the ingredients I needed to find. 

List of ingredients: 

- Red-eyed wolf's teeth

- A moon flower

- A medicinal plant found at the top of a cliff

Each time there was a drawing to help me find these three ingredients. They were essential for the potion;

I looked in the bag Julie had given me and there was only a dagger and a bottle of water. There wasn't even a torch and it was really dark. The moon was hidden behind the clouds and the only light came from the stars and the fireflies. I could hear the sounds of the forest, the rustling of leaves, the chirping of crickets, the howling of wolves. 

I sighed before starting to walk in the forest, I intended to start with the wolf's teeth, which I supposed would be the hardest thing to get. I remembered when we arrived some wolves had attacked us, but did they have red eyes? I didn't remember. Julie had killed them with no problem.

"Well, I'm going to find all these ingredients and then one day I'll make Julie pay for everything she's put me through," I shouted into the forest, as if hoping Julie would hear me. 

I walked quickly and smartly to the entrance of the forest, where we had come across some wolves earlier. I watched carefully for a few minutes as I walked and saw some wolves enter a cave. The entrance was hidden by rocks and is large enough for the wolves to enter and exit easily. The wolves had eyes as red as blood, it must surely be these wolves that I was looking for. They looked fierce and hungry, ready to tear apart anything that crossed their path. 

"It must surely be their lair," I said as I took the dagger out of the bag. It was a silver blade, engraved with runes and symbols.

All I had to do now was wait until one of the wolves was alone and I could kill it and get the tooth back. I was already rubbing my hands together, because this was going to be child's play for me. I had killed many people in my life. I was now a cold-blooded killer, and a wolf was just another target. 

About ten minutes passed and then a wolf came out of the den. It was a large male, with a thick fur and a scarred face. It sniffed the air, as if sensing something was wrong. I decided to follow it, without making a sound. Killing people had accustomed me to being skilful, discreet and I could move without making any noise. I was like a shadow, a ghost, a phantom. 

I approached the wolf with the dagger, ready to strike. I aimed for its neck, hoping to sever its jugular vein and end its life quickly. But before I could do that, suddenly 10 wolves came out of the bushes at the same time and ran towards me. They had heard the noise, or smelled the blood, or sensed the danger. They were angry, protective. They were a pack, and they would not let me harm one of their own. 

"Fuck, I can never do anything without being disturbed," I said, shouting in frustration. I was outnumbered, outmatched, and out of luck. I had no choice but to fight, now. I raised the dagger, hoping it would be enough to save me from the jaws of death.