Chapter 4

The Witch Queen Who Loved a Boy from Another World

This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, events, and settings are either from my imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or real events is purely coincidental.

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Chapter 4: Beginner Spells and Broken Brooms

“Widen your stance. Focus your energy on the palm. Picture the flame. Feel the warmth… then release it gently.”

Haruto squinted, his fingers trembling. “Okay… I think I’ve got it…”

He closed his eyes, focused, and whispered: “Ignis Minor.”

A soft pop followed.

He opened one eye.

Instead of a flame, he’d produced… bubbles.

Celestia blinked. “That’s… oddly adorable. Not quite the fire spell, though.”

Haruto groaned and dropped to his knees in defeat. “I’m never gonna get this.”

They were in the school’s old greenhouse — the one behind the library that no one visited anymore. Overgrown vines curled along the glass walls, but it was quiet and hidden — perfect for magic lessons.

Celestia knelt beside him, brushing a stray leaf from his hair.

“You’re doing fine. Magic takes time, especially for someone born without mana.”

Haruto sighed. “Why do I even need to learn this? You’re already strong. Can’t you just protect me?”

She paused.

“Because I won’t always be there,” she said softly. “If anything happens to me, you need to be able to protect yourself.”

Haruto looked at her.

The serious tone in her voice surprised him. For all her teasing and dramatic entrances, Celestia rarely showed fear. But now, her eyes held something deeper — worry.

“…Okay,” he said, sitting back up. “Then let’s try again.”

---

Later that afternoon

Celestia handed Haruto a short, worn broomstick.

“…What’s this?”

“Transportation lesson,” she said proudly.

“You’re going to teach me to fly? Already? Shouldn’t I master not making bubbles first?”

She smirked. “We’ll start with hovering. Baby steps.”

He looked at the broom nervously. “This isn’t going to launch me into space, right?”

“Not unless you sneeze while casting.”

“…I’m out.”

“Haruto.”

He grumbled, took the broom, and sat on it awkwardly.

“Okay, now focus your energy downward, visualize rising slowly, and whisper: ‘Aerius Glide.’”

He did exactly that.

The broom trembled under him… and then lifted two inches off the ground.

Haruto’s eyes lit up. “I did it! I—”

CRACK!

The broomstick snapped at the base and launched him backward into a bed of overgrown flowers.

Celestia rushed over, stifling laughter.

“You alright?”

From beneath the petals, Haruto muttered, “I hate magic.”

---

Meanwhile, in the Otherworld…

Dark clouds twisted above the ruined sky palace of Eldoria. The massive crystalline gates had long since crumbled, replaced by jagged black spires and pulsing shadow veins that spread across the marble.

Inside, Lazriel stood atop the throne that once belonged to Celestia.

Behind him knelt several cloaked figures — shadow mages drawn from cursed lands.

“She’s begun training him,” said one mage.

Lazriel chuckled, spinning a wineglass filled with silver mist. “Of course she has. She always did believe in lost causes.”

“He’s progressing slowly,” the mage continued. “Still weak. Fragile.”

“Which makes him easy to break,” Lazriel replied. “And when he falls… she will too.”

---

Back on Earth

The next day at school, everything seemed normal.

Classes were boring, the cafeteria served suspicious curry, and gym class once again exposed how little Haruto could run without wheezing.

But underneath the routine, Haruto noticed things.

— His classmates whispering about strange dreams.

— Lights flickering even in daylight.

— A sudden gust of wind that carried faint laughter.

At lunch, he sat on the rooftop again, legs dangling off the edge. Celestia joined him, carrying a tray of glowing rice balls.

“These are soulfruit-infused. Don’t eat more than one,” she warned.

Haruto stared at them. “Why do your lunches always feel like quests?”

“Because your taste buds are too mortal.”

“…I’m not eating that.”

She giggled and popped one in her mouth.

He hesitated, then asked, “Hey… do you miss your world?”

Celestia blinked.

“I mean, you’re a queen, right? With subjects and responsibilities. And you gave that up to come here—for me.”

Her smile softened.

“I didn’t give it up,” she said. “I paused it. For something I wanted more.”

He turned to her. “Why me?”

She looked at the sky, thoughtful.

“Years ago, in the Astral Mirror, I saw a vision of a boy with a quiet heart and a fierce soul. He stood alone, but held a light that never faded. I didn’t understand it then… but when I saw you for the first time, standing on your balcony watching the stars—I knew.”

Haruto was silent.

No one had ever spoken about him like that.

Celestia leaned closer.

“Also, your hair’s cute when it’s messy.”

And just like that, the moment broke.

Haruto blushed, grabbed his drink, and nearly choked on it.

---

After school

Celestia dragged Haruto back to the greenhouse for more practice.

This time, she set up a row of floating orbs.

“Target practice,” she declared. “Hit them with Ignis Minor.”

Haruto took a deep breath. “Okay. Flame, not bubbles. Focus…”

He raised his hand. “Ignis Minor!”

A small spark flickered—and actually hit the first orb.

It popped.

He gasped. “I DID IT!”

Celestia clapped. “See? Progress!”

But then… the remaining orbs began to tremble.

Haruto frowned. “Uh… are they supposed to—”

BOOM!

All the orbs exploded in a blast of colored smoke, knocking them both to the ground.

Haruto coughed. “Progress?”

Celestia’s hair was now streaked purple.

“…Let’s call it chaotic progress.”

---

That evening

Haruto walked home with Celestia under the setting sun. Their shadows stretched along the sidewalk, the sky bathed in amber.

“Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to create a protective barrier,” Celestia said.

Haruto nodded. “Can we skip the exploding stuff?”

“No promises.”

He chuckled.

As they neared his apartment, Celestia paused.

Her eyes narrowed. “Wait.”

A cold wind blew past.

And from the alley beside his building… something moved.

A creature—tall, gaunt, cloaked in smoke—stepped into view. Its eyes were glowing blue flames.

Haruto froze.

“Wh—what is that?”

Celestia pulled him behind her.

“A Shade Servant. Lazriel’s doing.”

The creature lunged.

Celestia raised her arm, summoning a shield of light—but the Shade split into two and darted past.

One raced toward Haruto.

“NO!”

Celestia shouted and threw a barrier between them. The Shade slammed into it and screeched, dissolving into mist.

But not before its claws grazed Haruto’s arm.

He stumbled back, clutching it.

“Are you okay?” she cried.

“I—I think so… just a scratch.”

Celestia checked the wound. Her hands trembled slightly.

“He’s getting desperate,” she whispered. “Sending creatures like this during daylight…”

Haruto looked at her.

“Next time,” he said, “I want to fight back.”

She met his gaze.

And saw the same light she had once glimpsed in the Astral Mirror — steady, stubborn, and real.

---

To be continued…

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