Uh…yes. Behold, I am the Witch!

Puck was genuinely concerned about his daughter's mental health after she got that nasty whack on the head. She'd been acting super strange ever since. Seriously, she even threw up. And, okay, it was gross, but she had a knack for knowing where that thief was.

But the weirdest thing? She POKED her own boobs.

Is this puberty? God, he hoped not. He definitely didn't want to have the TALK anytime soon.

Right now, they were sprinting through the slum area of Luginica, dodging trash piles and jumping over stray cats.

"Daaamn!" Lia panted. "This chick has no stamina at all!"

Chick? Puck glanced around. There wasn't any poultry in sight.

"And these things are reaaaly troublesome." She POKED them again.

"Lia, are you sure this is the right direction?" Puck asked, trying to keep up.

"What? Oh yeah, cat," she said, not even looking back.

That one stung a bit. He wouldn't mind if anyone else called him a 'cat,' but Lia? Ouch.

They finally reached an old, beat-up hut. Lia started banging on the door like a madwoman.

"Oi! Open the door, old man!" she yelled, her voice echoing in the narrow alley.

"For a rat?" came a gruff voice from the other side.

"Just open the door!"

"No password, no entry."

"What the f—"

"Lia!" Puck snapped. "Language."

"Tch," she rolled her eyes so hard Puck thought they might fall out. "Oi! If you don't open this door right now, I'm calling the police!"

"What?! Who're you, lady?" The voice sounded confused and a bit scared.

"Alright, here it goes—" she said, backing up a few feet. She stretched out her hand at the door and yelled, "Kaaaamehaamehaaaa—!"

Puck was regretting letting her decide their next move after she got hurt. This was getting way out of hand.

"Lia," he began calmly. "I think you sh—"

But his eyes widened when he sensed the energy building inside her. He hadn't noticed it earlier, but her Gate was almost shattered. She should be dead right now, but somehow, energy was coursing through her gate.

The amount of energy she was about to release could obliterate an entire army.

At this rate, she'd end up in the dungeon prison of the castle before nightfall. Becoming the queen? Yeah, right.

"O-okay!" The person on the other side, a giant by the sound of it, was smart enough to open the door quickly. He eyed her warily. "Now talk."

"Great!" she exclaimed. "Get out of here!"

The giant blinked. Puck blinked.

"Are you robbing me?" The giant's voice was laced with confusion.

"What? No, of cooourse not!" she said hurriedly. "Now, get away from this place or death awaits you!"

Was Lia actually threatening to kill someone?

The giant froze, his eyes wide with fear. Without another word, he stepped aside and then bolted, his heavy footsteps echoing down the alley.

"Lia," Puck said, his voice steady but strained. "After we get our insignia back, we're going to have a long talk."

"Yeah, yeah," she shrugged, brushing him off. Was this some kind of rebellious phase? "Now listen, here's what we're going to do."

Subaru or whatever she was calling herself now, was definitely losing it. But at least she had a plan. Puck could only hope it wouldn't involve more magical outbursts or threats of police intervention.

oOo

Subaru grinned to himself, feeling a surge of confidence. This should do it. He settled by the counter, trying to strike a pose that screamed nonchalant coolness. He leaned his elbow on the wooden table, his chin resting in his palm. He tried to channel his inner Ayanokouji Kiyotaka—calm, collected, and in control.

Meanwhile, the cat, Puck, was hidden just behind the door, ready to back him up if things went south.

Moments later, there was a knock on the door.

"It's open," Subaru said, trying to lower his voice a bit. He aimed for a mysterious, sage-like tone but ended up sounding more like he had a sore throat.

The door creaked open, and Felt stepped in, eyes darting around suspiciously.

"Who the fuck are you?" she demanded, her voice full of attitude.

Subaru tried not to flinch. "I am Subaru Natsuki, the Great… Sage."

"Great Sage—my ass," Felt snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Talk business. Where's old man Rom?"

"He, uh, went to fetch… tea," Subaru improvised, mentally cursing his lame excuse.

"Tea? Like 'tea-tea'?" Felt echoed, her disbelief clear.

Subaru cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure. "Now, I believe you have something that belongs to me."

Felt's expression turned wary. She took a step back, her hand moving to her chest protectively.

"The Insignia," Subaru clarified, his eyes narrowing. He knew the killer was prowling around, and he wanted to wrap this up quickly.

"How do you know I stole an insignia?" Felt asked, her tone defensive. "I don't imagine the one who requested it would have leaked it, and I only just stole it. It certainly isn't the sort of thing you'd just happen to hear."

Subaru smirked, deciding it was time for the big reveal. He pulled off his cloak with a flourish, trying to channel his inner Light Yagami. His face was smooth, his smile calculated.

Felt's eyes widened, and she took another step back, clearly thrown off by his sudden transformation.

"...Because," Subaru said, pausing for dramatic effect, "I am the witch." He placed his silver hair above his pointy ears, showing them off.

There was a moment of stunned silence. Subaru could almost hear Puck facepalming behind the door. Felt's expression shifted from confusion to something more guarded.

"The witch, huh?" she said, trying to mask her fear with bravado. "You're crazy, you know that?"

"Crazy or not," Subaru replied, trying to keep his smirk from turning into a full-blown grin, "you're going to give me that insignia."

"Psh," Felt snorted, crossing her arms. "You're all just talk."

"Really?" Subaru shot back, his face lighting up with a mischievous grin. He brought his palm in front of her, eyes narrowing as he focused. "Rasengan."

A moment of silence passed, and then, to Subaru's surprise and Felt's bewilderment, a ball made of ice appeared on his hand. It wobbled precariously, almost slipping off.

"...Are you supposed to throw that at me?" Felt inquired, one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"Uh…no," Subaru stammered, trying to keep the ice ball steady. "But the point is, I can curse you so bad that you wouldn't want to mess with me. If you want to know how bad, you'll have to see for yourself. So, give me my insignia back."

Felt's eyes flicked to the door, then back to Subaru. "And if I don't?"

Subaru's mind raced. He hadn't exactly planned this far ahead. Desperation fueled his next move. He grinned widely, making a Tiger seal with his hands. "Domain Expansion: Malevolent Sh—"

Before he could finish, a seductive female voice interrupted from the entrance of the hut.

"Ara~ ara~," the voice cooed, dripping with menace. "Are we fighting here? And I thought it was supposed to be a normal deal."

A woman stepped into the light, revealing her long black hair, pale skin, and crimson eyes. She wore a revealing outfit that accentuated her curves, and a dangerous smile played on her lips.

"Well, no problem," the woman continued, her tone chilling. "I was supposed to kill everyone anyway…"

Subaru's heart leapt into his throat. He knew they were in serious trouble. "Puck, now!"

Puck sprang into action, appearing from behind the door with a burst of energy. The small cat transformed into his larger, more formidable form, a great spirit exuding an aura of icy power. He launched a barrage of ice crystals at the woman, who merely smiled and dodged with inhuman speed, her movements a blur.

The woman's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Oh, a spirit! How delightful!" She lunged at Puck, her blade flashing in the dim light.

Puck met her attack head-on, summoning a wall of ice that rose between them. The woman's blade sliced through it effortlessly, but Puck was already on the move, flanking her with a flurry of ice shards aimed at her vitals.

The woman twisted gracefully, dodging most of the shards, but a few grazed her skin, drawing thin lines of blood. She licked her lips, her smile widening. "Impressive, little cat. But you'll need more than that to stop me."

Puck hissed, his eyes glowing with determination. "You'll regret underestimating me!" He summoned a massive ice spear and hurled it at her with incredible force.

The woman's reflexes were lightning-fast. She sidestepped the spear, which embedded itself deeply into the wall behind her. Without missing a beat, she closed the distance between them, her blade aimed at Puck's heart.

But Puck was ready. He summoned a protective barrier of ice around himself, the blade shattering against it with a resounding crash. He retaliated with a wave of freezing energy, enveloping The woman in a blizzard.

The woman laughed, the sound eerie and chilling. "So cold! I love it!" She broke free from the icy prison with a burst of power, her movements more frenzied and aggressive.

Subaru watched the fight, his heart pounding in his chest. He knew he had to do something. He couldn't just stand there. Summoning every ounce of courage, he focused on the insignia in his hand, willing it to activate. A faint glow emanated from it, but nothing more.

The woman noticed the glow and her eyes narrowed. "Oh? What do we have here?" She changed her trajectory, aiming for Subaru.

"Lia, look out!" Puck shouted, his voice filled with urgency.

Subaru's instincts kicked in. He ducked just in time as the woman's blade slashed through the air where his head had been moments before. He rolled to the side, clutching the insignia tightly.

Puck seized the opportunity. He unleashed a powerful blast of icy wind that caught the woman off guard, sending her crashing into the wall. Ice formed around her limbs, holding her in place.

"Oh!" The woman smiled, struggling against the icy restraints. "I want to see your bowels!"

Puck floated down to Subaru's side, his form shimmering with residual energy. "Lia, we need to go. My time is almost up Now."

Subaru nodded, still shaken but determined. He glanced at Felt, who was pale and trembling. "Come on, we're leaving."

She dumbly nodded and followed them.

They hurried out of the hut, leaving the woman trapped but not defeated. The night was dark and full of dangers, but for now, they had survived. As they ran through the slums, Subaru couldn't help but feel a strange mix of fear and exhilaration. This world was deadly, but he wasn't alone. And with allies like the cat— Puck, maybe, he had a fighting chance.

"Ara~ ara~ leaving so soon?"

Sybaru froze. This is...

Before he could react, he felt a cold sensation on his back.

TBC