Snow Witch'S Journey
Healing Witch

There is a legend about a witch who wandered and helped many people. Rather than a legend, this was more like a true story that did happen. And for the record, it's not my story.

This story was quite famous in its time, while the present generation may rarely know. Before the war era, before magic began to spread into a common science that could be learned by everyone willing it from the upper classes or not, there was one witch who was quite famous. The witch was known for always helping people she met on the way. Helping from small things such as delivering goods, increasing crop yields, repelling pests, enlivening children's birthday events or preparing celebrations. Killing monsters was also included in his work to help people. If anyone is seriously injured or has a chronic illness, the witch can also heal him in an instant.

A deadly plague in a village disappeared overnight. Healing the eyes of a child who previously could not see the world. Rescue a man on the edge of death by making his heart beat again. All thanks to the magic of the witch.

Because it is famous to cure any disease, people immediately know it as the Healing Witch—one of its names.

When anyone asks what the secret is, the witch always answers the magic and power of hope. However, those in the know, would definitely say that the source of the magician's healing magic came from a beautiful jewel that radiated the color of the ocean. The jewel now hanging on my chest.

I realized that this gem has a very important role. A tool created to save people from misery. Countless people were saved with this gem while it was still worn by the Healing Witch.

I pulled out my necklace to look at the gem. The blue light of the gem that was reflected because the moonlight always gave me a very calming feeling. People usually listen to songs, read books or stare at rain spots to calm the mind. If it were me, I would just have to hold this jewel or look at it would have been enough.

This gem was also the most precious gift from Mother before I began my journey. One day when I finally managed to win from him for the first time in a magic fight, he said in a voice as gentle as the sea breeze in the morning. “Get this, my dear Niva. When you're in a distant place, I can't take care of you, but this gem will take care of you during the journey.”

I still remember the warm feeling on my cheek as it leaned against his shoulder while sitting on the shore and looking towards the endless Frozen Sea.

Sometimes I feel very happy because my dream of traveling around the world is finally fulfilled, but I also feel sad because I will not meet Mom for a very, very long time. I don't know when I'll see him again, I can't promise you that time.

Not usually the cold air at the Frozen Line Edge made me lonely and shiver, even with my thick scarf and gloves. This time, I bent my knees and hugged her on a broom. As my cheek rests on my knee, I look up at the night sky. Wish I could fall asleep for a while and wake up the next morning on my favorite bed in the Witch Cliff.

The broom took me flying under the sky. Just then the sky was brighter than usual, the star spread out like a snowflake that stuck to my robe. Around the moon shining pale in the pitch-black sky, bright streaks of light formed so beautifully as one star shot out of its orbital path. My eyes follow in which direction the star falls. However, my ears caught something else from the bottom.

On a silent night, a loud whipping sound was the only sound heard. The voice crept through the air, coming from a merchant carriage passing through the snow below my feet. It seemed that the carriage was experiencing obstacles, because I saw the driver continue to whip his horse many times but the train did not move immediately.

“Fucking snow! Pull the strong, stupid horse! I have to hurry, know!” the driver shouted, cursing at everything.

Intrigued, I drove my broom down to the merchant train.

“This is what made you long to arrive next,” murmured Aeron was not happy.

“Halo,” my reply to the driver, ignoring Aeron's remarks. I set the broom height so that I aligned with the driver's position.

“Witch? Rarely ...” He looked at me with an exaggerated look of surprise, as if he had never seen a witch before. I can't blame her, witches are indeed rare at the End of the Frozen Line. Maybe it was just me and my mom.

I looked back and saw the four wheels of the carriage drowning in thick snow. The snow had reached the height of the horse's legs and had almost covered the entire carriage's wheels. Forcing his horses to pull the car out would only be free. In addition, this thick snowfield was quite vast, so that in any case, the carriage would still sink if it still wanted to pass through the snowfield.

Then I got the idea. I pointed my broom in front of the horse, then got off the broom and eliminated it. As soon as I stepped on the snow, my feet immediately slumped inside.

“What do you want to do, miss?”

Being stuck in the snow at night is not a good thing. Cold air can cause hypothermia and there is a possibility of encountering wild creatures such as wolves or trolls. I saw it, and I don't think it's appropriate for me to let that driver get stuck in there.

“I'll help get your train out.”

Although I said take out the train, but rather I removed the snow from the train. I aimed my cane to sweep the snow around that held the wheels and legs of the horse, threw it away and spread it into the sky, becoming slowly flushing snowflakes.

After the train was free, I turned to face the road that was still covered with snow. I whisper, “Havinda!” with a voice as gentle as a breeze while pointing the magic wand forward with both hands.

A cool energy gathered to the end of my wand. The wind from all directions flowed gently to unite on my staff. Slowly only the wind flow is thin, but it gets louder and then gathers to form a wind vortex. As soon as enough energy had accumulated, I launched it with all my might. Instantly, a whirlpool of wind balls crashed from my wand. A strong wind blew backwards, waving my hair and my body in jerks. The whirl of the windball shot out like a cannonball, eroding and splitting the snow until it opened a straight path. Then, it faded and vanished after hitting a tree at the end of the road and making the tree collapse.

The driver's mouth was open wider than when he first saw me. “Wow, you're amazing, miss. Thank you." Thank you."

“No need to thank.” I smiled and wiggled my hair confidently. It feels good to be able to get compliments after long enough to hear ridicule from the compass.

Suddenly, from the carriage covered in a white cloth curtain behind the driver's seat, another man with brown hair appeared. “Hey, what happened? Why did the train stop?” The man was angry with the driver. Then, his eyes found me and fell silent. “A witch?”

With a guilty and hasty face, the driver immediately grabbed the driver's rope. “Thank you for the help, miss. But, sorry, we don't have time. A woman was seriously injured and we had to drive her to the hospital in the city.”

That next city means the city I'm going to at the moment. If not wrong, the distance of the city is still quite far from here. There will not be enough time to escort someone who is injured, especially with this cold air temperature.

“Wait a minute!” stop me before the driver drives the horse. “Can I see the condition? I can help.”

Inside the train carriage that was usually used to store trade items, there was the brown-haired man and another man who was holding the hand of a woman tightly. The woman lay unconscious on the wooden floor with blood seeping from her neck. The brown-haired man was seen pressing a bundle of cloth on the woman's neck to stop the bleeding.

“What happened?” manya panic. I hurried to my knees beside the woman.

“This woman was attacked by wolves while searching for firewood,” said the brunette. He was younger than the other man holding the woman's hand.

The woman's condition looked terrible. Bite marks and scratches can indeed be seen on his body, especially on his upper body and face. With the amount of blood coming out so much, it was certain that they would not make it to the city in time.

“Who are you? What are you doing here?” The man who seemed to be the closest person to the woman looked filled with emotion. He was wearing a simple white tunic. Her pale eyes showed sadness and despair as she looked at me.

“Relax, I'm here to help,” I said gently, trying to calm the man down.

“I don't understand what you really want to do, miss. But listen, we don't have enough equipment to conduct operations here. The only way is to take him to a hospital that has more complete equipment.” Even though his hands were covered in blood, the brunette man behaved quite calmly, as if he was used to something like this.

“Just trust me,” I said while holding the hand of the brunette man, hinting him to remove the cloth that pressed the wound.

Though puzzled, the man put away the cloth. There were bite marks on the area of his neck and chest that were badly torn apart. So bad, the flesh, veins, and other tissues are damaged until it can be seen clearly in my eyes. The woman's breath grew weaker with each second.

“Are you sure?” ask Aeron.

“Ya.”

After strengthening myself, I took off my gloves and placed both hands on the woman's chest, as if putting pressure on her heart. Then I closed my eyes and started breathing. A bluish light came from my palm that shone like the brightest lamp. A cool and gentle sensation spread in my palm and I was sure the woman could feel it too. As the light blurred as it absorbed into the woman's body, her flesh and tissue slowly regenerated. As if time was reversed, his severed throat reconnected in the blink of an eye. Then, his skin closed again and instantly all the wounds on his body disappeared, leaving only traces of blood on his shirt.

The woman coughed and finally regained consciousness quickly. Touched, the man who continued to hold her hand immediately hugged her tightly, regardless of the woman still feeling sick or not. While the other man can only silence his own mouth with his hands.

I got out of the train, gave time to the man and the woman. I took the washcloth out of my bag and cleaned the bloodstains on both my hands. Then I put my gloves back on.

Whereas, just a moment ago while I was still in the air, my heart was hot and filled with resentment as if some fire was burning it. But now, in my heart there was only a feeling of happiness and relief, especially when I saw the man and the woman hugging.

“Why are you smiling?” ask Aeron.

As he said, I could indeed feel that I was smiling right now. I held my jewel through the shirt and I could still feel the cool sensation that had not disappeared after I had worn it. “I'm happy to save the lives of others,” I replied.

To me saving others gives me happiness of its own. I was so content to see others happy because something important to them had been saved. That is why the true function of this gem is to give hope to others.

“Nona!” call someone. When I turned around, it was the driver. “I saw what you did. That was incredible. Not only clearing the path, but also healing others,” complimented him with a grateful smile.

“Thank you.” Praise really made my heart soar sky-high.

Then, the brown-haired man came out of the carriage, jumped up and walked up to me. “The condition of the woman is already better than before. No bleeding inside or scars on the skin. His body function, heart rate, and breathing were perfectly normal, and the nervous response worked well as well. It was indeed the most incredible sight I have ever seen in my entire life as a doctor.”

“Oh, it's worth it that you looked pretty calm earlier. Turns out you're a doctor.” That explains a lot of things.

To a doctor, he looks quite young. He may be around 25 or older or even younger. How mysterious. He was wearing a gray coat with gold buttons engraved with a picture of a dog.

Honestly, among the men here, only the doctor caught my attention. Her soft smile was so charming and she said very friendly. His eyes are sharp, giving off a smart impression. The way she dresses and her style is also quite authoritative. All of those characteristics seemed to unite together and form a unique unity of aura from him. I heard such an aura was indeed required by a doctor. Maybe it's a kind of mind game for patients to feel calm because they think there is an angel who is accompanying them.

“That's ...” The memories come back.

Without caring for me, he continued, “I know witches can indeed perform incredible miracles with witchcraft, but I have never seen such magic before. Usually witch treatment is not much different from treatment in general. No instant treatment, but that was ...” He breathed a long breath as if he was trying to digest many things. “At first, I thought you created a new cell that then attached it to a damaged cell. But now I realize. Somehow, your magic is not to make new cells, but to regenerate all the old cells that are damaged in a very fast time, restoring them intact to rebuild normal function. If you can figure out, how do you do it? Is that some kind of time-related magic?”

Wow, that guy really has been thinking too hard.

I took it out and showed her my necklace. “It's because of this gem. This gem gives me the power to heal any wound.”

“Magic jewels?” The man's eyes were wide.

The driver looked up from behind the doctor.

Somehow, revealing my rug felt like it was making the doctor even more burdened. He lowered his face as if he was thinking of something. “So, so. This is so awesome! Regenerative medicine is the treatment of the future. With human technology now, it was still very impossible. However ...” He stopped his sentence and glanced at my jewel. “. The jewel was a very important discovery for the civilization of the world. A cure for all diseases. With that one jewel, thousands of lives .. no, all lives can be saved. I can't imagine how the world would turn in a better direction with the power of that gem.”

“By the way, about precious, how valuable is that gem?” The driver seemed uninterested in the doctor's idea, so he asked another question.

“For now, there is no equivalent value to that gem, but if you harness its healing power for business, you might be able to earn a lifetime of wealth.”

“Really?” Instantly, the driver's eyes were filled with a sparkling light. I can imagine drool dripping from his mouth.

“I don't intend to sell it!” my sergeant while putting my necklace back in his collar.

“Wait a minute!” As if it did not stop, the last man appeared again, exiting the gate while shouting. “I remember now!” he looked at me so enthusiastically. “Witch who wanders and always heals the people she meets during the journey. That must be Miss, right? Miss must be the Healing Witch, right?”

“What?” No, it's not me!

“Healing Witch?” the doctor and the driver said at the same time, and they looked at me with much more surprise than before.

“I also remember that story! It's only fitting that you can heal people.” The driver was excited.

“Yes, it does make sense. But isn't that an old story? I didn't know the Healing Witch was this young,” the doctor said, watching me from my feet and up in wonder.

Hey, I'm still young!

“Maybe he used his gem to make himself young,” guessed the driver.

It has nothing to do with the young me with the power of my gems!

“So, is that true, you the famous Healing Witch?” All the men looked at me with the same desire that I expected to answer their curiosity. But ….

They were too excited to guess.

“I'm not a Healing Witch. I'm the Snow Witch,” I replied aloud to be conveyed clearly to the ears of the men. “The Healing Witch Venefika.” Although in fact, my mother also got the same nickname because she repeated what Venefika did. It can be said as an inherited task. Of course I should mention Venefika as the real Witch Healer.

“Ah, Magic Goddess, huh? If it was, anyway, it just made sense.” The driver man and the simple-chirted man stared at each other and burst into laughter, as if feeling no shame.

These men. Though just a moment ago they were panicking and trying to rush off, but now they were very relaxed. Well, that's a sign they're okay.

Meanwhile, the doctor's eyes were still fixed on me. “Try thinking once more, miss. The jewel could be an important key to people's safety. Can't you see at all how the gem can create a world without anyone dying?”

What did the doctor mean I was told to give my permission? I'm not going to do it at all. Although the future that the man spoke of sounded very beautiful, but I could not give a valuable object that became a link between me and Mother. However, if I look at the other side, I can also save everyone from the rest of the world. If it was Venefika or Mother, they would definitely do it without a second thought. If I ….

“Sorry, I don't think I can do it.” I really can't decide. My personal gain or everyone's benefit? That's really a tough choice.

Maybe later. Yes, maybe later after my trip is over, I will hand over my permit. That's better.

“Once, yes.” The man's expression was gentle, probably because he had already predicted that I would reject him.

“By the way, you're a doctor, aren't you? If everyone doesn't get sick, won't you lose your job?” Aeron suddenly joined the conversation.

“Oh, who is this? Compass that can talk?”

“Ah, she's my travel buddy. Sorry, we didn't introduce ourselves. My name is Niva and he is Aeron,” I replied.

“So much we. I'm Georg, and the one inside is my wife, her name is Sophia.” The simple tunic man spoke first, revealing his name and the name of the woman who turned out to be his wife.

“I Johann. A trader.”

The next person to introduce themselves is the driver.

As if it had become an obligation, people began to take turns introducing their respective names, leaving the doctor who had not. Everyone who had revealed their names looked in the same direction, waiting for the doctor's turn. The doctor chuckled as he was stared at by the people. “Everyone is waiting for me, yes.”

“Of course, we ourselves do not know your name either. We only know that you are going on vacation,” explained Georg.

Going on vacation? Could that be the reason he didn't carry much of his medical equipment?

“How else, I just arrived in your village and suddenly got the news that your wife was attacked by wolves. I didn't get to know the whole community, you know!” The doctor pursed his lips, acting like a little child who was grumbling. “Alright, it's time I introduced myself. I'm Mephaust. I'm a doctor from a country far from here.”

And that's how we introduced each other. Unknowingly, once we got to know each other's names, the chat continued on its own and the know-how lasted quite a long time. We talked about a lot of interesting things about each other's experiences. We laughed quite happily in the middle of the night, as if the cold, snowy atmosphere of the night had not stopped us. After that, I felt a rather strange friendship blossom between us. Somehow, it felt like we became quite familiar friends. Destiny is pretty weird.

Oh, and that woman named Sophia came along in the middle of our conversation. He looked healthy enough to chat, but his face was still pale and needed further treatment. For that, I leave it to Doctor Mephaust.

“Alright, it is time we return to the village.”

“Not to town?” my many.

Then, Doctor Mephaust explained, “Our initial goal to the city was to bring Lady Sophia to the hospital. But, since he has recovered thanks to you, we have no reason to go there anymore.”

“I understand.” In fact, the bond between us that was newly formed made me really want to go to the city with them. And most sadly, they and I must have separated so that I could continue my journey. This is the hard thing about traveling, which is parting with someone or a place that has made me feel comfortable until I do not want to leave.

“Thank you for everything, miss. Good luck with your trip,” said Johann the driver.

“Thank you for saving my wife's life,” Georg said.

“Sorry, I can't give you anything decent right now, but please, accept this apple as a thank you for your kindness that saved me,” Sophia said, he brought a fresh red apple to me.

“Hey, it's apples for sale!” point Johann.

“Actually, you don't have to give me anything, but thank you. I'll take it with pleasure,” I said ignoring the driver and receiving the apple.

“I'm actually wondering what path you chose with that gem. As a person who holds objects that will affect the world, you hold important responsibilities, miss. I hope that burden won't make you regret your decision. That's all I wanted to say. Think of it as a recommendation from a doctor.”

The man smiled. It was a smile addressed by a doctor to encourage his patients.

“Thank you, doctor.”

Then the horse-drawn carriage went in the opposite direction. His shadow and the sound of his horse's footsteps gradually dissipated in the distance, leaving me in the middle of the snow.

Perhaps this was how the Healing Witches felt as they went on their journey of helping people. Perhaps Mother gave me this gem not only so that I could be protected, but so that I could feel and understand what the Healing Witches felt in their time. That way, I know what I am going for and what can make me feel unapologetic later on.