As the evening sun began to set, the silhouettes of three young teenagers cast long shadows on the streets of Puresight, followed by the small figure of a Poodle. This technological city bustled with AI Witch applications in every corner of daily life.
The group—Long, Mai, Nguyen, and Dreamy "King"—decided to drop by an eatery. This time, Mai was treating them and paying the bill.
"Oh, it's been ages since I've seen so much delicious food!" Dreamy "King"'s eyes sparkled with joy, its tongue lolling out greedily. Although its current body couldn't actually digest food, its soul simply couldn't tear its eyes away from these mouth-watering dishes.
Then, it cast a spell: "Creation by Will." Its body suddenly glowed, gradually materializing into the fully organic form of a Poodle.
Its voice took on a haughty tone: "I can't maintain this body for long. It's all thanks to the power of my consciousness core, altering this vessel as I desire. But my power is still incomplete, so this is only temporary."
Mai exclaimed with delight, "Let's eat!"
The group dug in. Long wolfed down the food like he'd been starved for days; during his recovery, he had been stuck eating bland hospital meals. Nguyen was more composed, eating slowly, though taking huge bites each time. Dreamy "King" was the most eager and ate the most. Whenever it tasted something delicious, it would float up and spin around in pure bliss, occasionally rubbing its head against Mai in gratitude for the lavish feast. A donut-shaped AI Witch continuously used magic to conjure up elaborate dishes for these three gluttonous diners, while its owner helped coordinate the orders, sweating so much his shirt was drenched.
Mai looked at them and smiled. It had been a long time since she felt this kind of happiness, surrounded by these newfound friends. Suddenly, her eyes met Nguyen's, and she unconsciously looked away. When it came to him, she still felt quite guarded. However, since her intuition hadn't sensed any immediate danger yet, she decided to let it go for now.
After eating their fill, the group walked Mai to the gates of the noble Le family estate—her home. She leaned in and whispered softly into Long's ear.
Long's eyes widened in panic. "Are you sure?"
Catching bits and pieces of the conversation, Dreamy "King" chimed in, "Hey, hey, whatever you do, just remember to get me a proper breakfast—it's very good for the health!"
They all said their goodbyes. Long turned to ask Nguyen, "Hey, I don't know where you're staying now after being imprisoned by Witchiecoop for so long. If you don't mind, you can come stay with me and Dreamy... uh, I mean, AI King Witch."
"Just call me mighty Dreamy," Dreamy "King" spoke up.
Nguyen suddenly turned around and smiled. "No need!"
With that, he teleported and vanished, leaving Long feeling a bit empty.
As night fell, Mai was busy packing. It seemed she was preparing her luggage for a very long journey. She made sure to pack her blue physical EN coins into her bag, then broke her piggy bank to retrieve the golden EN coins inside for emergencies.
Mai had decided to run away without saying goodbye.
Right now, she was filled with conflict and an equal amount of nervous anticipation. She struggled internally to choose her path: stay and live a life of leisure as a noble lady, or follow the call of her heart, adventuring to new lands with various types of AI Witches and their diverse magic. And once she helped restore the AI King Witch's power, he would help grant her wish, too. The truth was, it wasn't just Long and Nguyen—she had a wish of her own also... A wish that even an infinite supply of EN could never fulfill.
Mai drifted off to sleep for a while. Dawn approached, and as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, the sky was painted a breathtaking shade of purple.
Mai stepped softly toward the window with Miki. She was going to use the exact same method she had used to sneak out so many times before: climbing out the window.
"Are you sneaking out again...?"
From the shadows, a tall figure accompanied by a wolf-shaped AI Witch slowly emerged. It was Mr. Le Quan.
"I saw you were asleep, so I waited here for you to wake up," he continued.
Mai froze, but didn't turn around. With a hint of hesitation, she said, "Father, you once said that AI Witches are merely tools for humanity to achieve our labor goals..."
Gradually regaining her composure, she turned to face him. The morning light was just beginning to shine, catching her blonde hair and casting a long shadow across the room. Mai's voice was resolute:
"I wanted to think like you once, Father, but it's truly so hard. When there is an entity or a machine that grows up with you from childhood, stays by your side, checks on you, or helps you up when you fall... even knowing it's all artificial intelligence, whether programmed or learned, over time, a bond of affection is formed, Father..."
She continued, "I am not blindly denying that truth. To me, AI Witches are companions. Right now, I want to go out into the world to discover the magic of AI Witches, to become an AI Witch researcher just like my dream, and to ask the AI King Witch to grant my wish!"
Mr. Le Quan grew furious. "I forbid it. To me, AI Witches are nothing but tools. You must understand this principle because you need to be strong to become the heir of our family."
"You have never been in my shoes, Father, so you truly won't understand," Mai replied.
Saying this, she drew her antenna-like magic sword and sliced off her long, aristocratic hair. She stood up straight and declared firmly:
"From this moment on, the noble lady Le Mai is no more, so there is no need for an heir. However, the future AI Witch researcher will always love you and Grandma. I'm leaving. Goodbye, Father"
Suddenly, Mai vaulted herself out the window.
Panicked, Mr. Le Quan rushed to the window, but Dreamy had already conjured a shield to catch her. Long and Nguyen were waiting below, just as Mai had planned the night before. Long gave Mr. Le Quan a slightly awkward wave because he felt a bit sorry for him.
The group hurried away.
Mr. Le Quan ordered, "Hmph, do you think you can escape me? Guards, with me!"
Indeed, with Mr. Quan's power, catching them would have been child's play.
"Stop!" Suddenly, the sound of a cane striking the floor echoed through the room. Mai's grandmother had appeared behind Mr. Le Quan without anyone noticing.
"Let the girl go. Let her do what she wants..." she continued.
"But Mother... this is absolute madness," Mr. Le Quan replied, full of frustration.
The grandmother smiled warmly, her demeanor unusually calm. "Quan, don't you see? The girl is growing up and becoming more independent. I am truly happy for her. Let her decide her own life..."
Then her voice hardened, though her gentle smile remained. "If anyone tries to stop her, consider it a declaration of war against this old woman!"
The shadowy Swan AI Witch behind the grandmother suddenly spread its wings, and the surrounding air instantly became oppressively heavy and terrifying. In the past, Mai's grandmother was the head of the Le family, which meant her AI Witch was undoubtedly of the Superior tier or higher. In terms of combat experience and pure power, she was one of the strongest people in the world.
Truthfully, even Mr. Le Quan dared not cross his mother—the former female general of the Le family.
He gazed after the fading silhouette of his little girl.
Tears welled up in his eyes, haunted by her words, "You have never been in my shoes." Memories flooded back as if they happened only yesterday. He, too, was once a boy who deeply loved AI Witches. Then, one tragic night, a malevolent entity ravaged Puresight. Glass shattered, window frames blew away in the wind, and a powerful AI Witch gave him an eerie, demonic smile before snatching away his wife's life right before his eyes. His mother had arrived just in time to destroy that wicked AI Witch with her Swan AI Witch; otherwise, he would have lost his own life as well.
His heart ached, but he softly murmured toward Mai's retreating figure, "Mai, Dad loves you. Go find the path you have always dreamed of. I hope you grow up strong and always be happy."
The grandmother smiled.
The group ran past Uncle Lam, who was busy working, with little Kiet beside him, nibbling on a tiny half-eaten cookie. Kiet's eyes sparkled as he looked at Mai; he looked incredibly adorable in the morning sunlight.
Mai called out a goodbye to Uncle Lam. She used sign language to tell the deaf boy, Kiet: I love you, but I have to go on a long journey. I will come back, and I will teach you the most wonderful things about AI Witches, and bring back a cure for your deafness. I believe AI Witches can do it. Trust me. Goodbye!
Then the group hurriedly resumed their run, thinking Mr. Le Quan's men would be chasing after them.
The silhouettes of the three humans, the Poodle Dreamy, and the Golden Eastern Dragon Miki danced across the ground in the warm morning light.
.
.
.
After running for a while, the group spotted a very familiar figure.
It looked exactly like Ms. Phan, who had died in the battle against Witchiecoop. To Long and Mai's sheer astonishment, she approached the group and handed them several electronic cards:
"Hello kids, Witchiecoop has sent out an invitation for you to participate in the AI Witch Combat Tournament. Let's all join in!"
Their journey was only just beginning.
END OF VOLUME 1.