Early morning, the next day.
Adrian lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His eyes were wide open, dark circles hanging beneath them like he hadn't slept even for a minute.
"Couldn't sleep all night… thinking about what will happen next will he be able to learn magic from Esther and Ayana or just any of them or I have to make alternate plans." he muttered to himself.
"Damn goddess bitch. If only she went a bit easy, I wouldn't have to worry about this at all."
He sighed and finally sat up. His small four-year-old body felt heavy from mental exhaustion even if he hadn't done anything physical. He dragged himself to the door, grabbed the wooden handle, and tried to push it open.
Click… thud.
The door didn't budge. Only then he noticed—a thick wooden bar had been placed across the door . Even if he jumped, he wouldn't reach it. It was simply too high for his tiny body.
"Tch… unbelievable."he muttered standing on his toes trying to reach for the bar.
Opening it with magic was also not an option. He didn't have fine enough control yet. The wooden bar was held in place by two iron shackles mounted on both sides of the door frame, and the whole setup was secured even more with ropes tied to the walls using tight, layered knots. It wasn't something he could undo casually.
He could only sigh again.
His options were simple: either accept defeat and go back to bed, or start shouting to wake up the old woman so she could open the door.
He chose the first option. With nothing better to do, he dragged himself back to bed and lay there again, staring at the wall with lifeless eyes.
---
Same time – Mikaelson house
Esther had already woken up before the sun had fully risen. She stepped outside with a wooden bowl of water to wash her face. As she leaned over, splashing water onto her skin, the liquid suddenly rippled unnaturally.
Ayana's face appeared in the reflection.
Esther didn't panic. She only froze for a second before understanding—it was just a simple spirit-message spell.
"She's calling me," Esther whispered. "Did she find a clue about that boy?"
Her eyes sharpened with curiosity.
She quickly returned inside her house. Mikael and the children were still in deep sleep, unaware. She glanced at them once, then stepped back out and pulled the wooden door closed from the outside to keep animals from wandering in.
Then she rushed toward Ayana's home without wasting a second.
Unknown to her—right after she left—Mikael opened his eyes.
---
Esther moved swiftly through the village paths. Early villagers had just started waking up, greeting one another and lighting morning fires. Some of them tried to greet her as she passed, but Esther ignored all of them.
Something important was waiting at Ayana's hut—and she had no time for small talk.
Her pace quickened.
Finally, she reached Ayana's small hut. The door was wide open, and she stepped inside without knocking. Ayana was already awake, sitting comfortably, humming a tune while grinding herbs in a stone bowl. She looked like she had been expecting Esther for a while.
"Oh, you arrived," Ayana said casually without even looking up.
"Did you get any clues about the boy?" Esther asked immediately, eyes sharp.
Ayana didn't reply. Instead, she simply looked up—and smiled. The smile slowly widened, as if she was enjoying keeping Esther in suspense.
Seeing that expression, Esther narrowed her eyes. "From the look on your face, it seems to be positive news."
"No, I didn't get any clue," Ayana said bluntly.
Esther's face darkened instantly—but Ayana continued after a dramatic pause:
"But… I got the whole answer."
Esther exhaled, tension releasing from her shoulders. "You're in a teasing mood, so that means the news is good for us."
"So, tell me. What is it? Speak quickly," Esther demanded, clearly impatient. "This mystery has been bothering me too much."
Ayana set aside the stone bowl, wiped her hands, and instead of answering, asked:
"What do you know about the first witches ever?"
Esther frowned. "What does that have to do with the boy?"
"Just answer the question," Ayana said calmly. "You'll understand by the end."
Esther reluctantly replied, "From what I know, many years ago a half-god stole a spark from the gods and granted it to his villagers. That spark became magic, and those villagers became the first witches."
"Wrong," Ayana cut in immediately. "Magic is a fundamental energy of nature and the universe itself. Since when do gods—who are bound by the very laws of nature—have the authority to grant or restrict magic?"
Esther stared at her in disbelief. "But that story is told all over the world. That was even taught to me when I was a child."
"Yes, but that story is only partially true," Ayana explained. "What the half-god stole wasn't magic—it was a spell. A healing spell. He only wanted to heal his lover, so he gave that spell to the witches in his village."
She continued, voice steady, "Inspired by that one spell, more spells were later created. Magic itself was always part of nature, but before that, witches could only use it crudely without structured spells."
Esther slowly nodded. "Now that I think about it… that actually makes more sense."
"But this still doesn't answer anything about the boy," she snapped suddenly. "Get to the point already—I don't have patience for riddles."
Ayana smirked. "Alright, alright. Last question."
She leaned forward, eyes mischievous.
"If magic wasn't granted by the gods—then how did the first witches come to exist at all?"(be aware of the cliff hanger.)
:: I may have altered the lore a little which will not cause any problem in the actual story I actually think this should have been like in the canon but the writers were stupid anyway but please enjoy the story.