Part 3: Fire and Fangs

  Yuri walked uncertainly, following Kayla through the gray, desolate wasteland. The hand she had held just moments ago now hung limply at her side, stiff. She still didn’t trust her. Not the woman, not this world.

  "You’re strangely calm for someone who’s just been catapulted into another reality," Kayla commented, glancing at her sideways, enigmatic.

  "Maybe I'm still hoping to wake up. Or maybe you're the result of a bad dinner."

  Kayla smiled, but didn’t reply.

  A howl shattered the silence.

  Yuri froze, shivering. A second howl, closer now. Then a growl.

  From the blackened rocks ahead of them emerged three creatures: dogs with scaly skin, eyes as red as embers, and jaws dripping with saliva. Their fangs seemed carved from solidified lava.

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  "What... what are those things?!" Yuri exclaimed, instinctively stepping back.

  "Infernal dogs," Kayla answered calmly. "Common predators in these lands. They react to the scent of mana... and you, stranger, are emitting quite a lot of it."

  "Great. So not only am I in some crazy dream, but I'm also a buffet for these things."

  One of the dogs lunged forward. Yuri screamed, but before the beast could reach her, Kayla made a simple gesture with two fingers.

  A blue flame formed in front of her, concentrated and precise. She hurled the sphere at the flying dog, which exploded in a silent burst, dissolving into black smoke.

  "What was that?!" Yuri's eyes went wide.

  "Second-degree elemental magic. Controlled fire. One of the simplest."

  "Simple? You just disintegrated a nightmare version of a rottweiler with a mental lighter!"

  The other two dogs charged at Kayla. This time, she snapped her fingers and the ground rose in sharp little spikes, impaling one of the creatures. The other was swept away by a gust of wind, flung dozens of meters away.

  "How... how do you do that? Who are you really?" Yuri asked, unable to tear her gaze from the residual flames.

  "I told you. I’m a witch. And this world... works by rules different from yours."

  Yuri watched the ashes slowly fall to the ground.

  For a moment, her cynicism wavered. This was no longer just a dream.

  It was something much bigger. And much more dangerous.

  "So... if I want to stay alive..."

  "You'll have to learn. And quickly," Kayla concluded, walking ahead without turning back.

  Yuri paused for a second, then followed. Her s

  teps, this time, were a little more determined.