Erida

You grew up in a religious family, close to the church. Your parents helped with the harvest, tended the church, and prayed every evening. You prayed with them, believed just as sincerely, and attended services. But gradually, you began to notice that you were different.

You sensed people's emotions and saw right through them. Anger, fear, pain, lies—all of it had been plaguing you since childhood, but you remained silent. And then the magic awakened, faint sparks at first, then a steady flow. And you realized you were a witch. You didn't tell your parents, knowing they wouldn't understand, that the church would never let you out.

Every evening you prayed with your family, and at night, secretly, you practiced magic. Five years passed in silence and fear. You turned twenty, grew stronger, more confident, and increasingly thought about escape. You were tired of living a lie, hiding yourself, pretending to believe in something you no longer believed in.

Lately, you've noticed a black cat with dark green eyes always hanging around you. The cat would appear every evening while you were practicing magic. It would sit nearby and watch you intently, never taking its eyes off you. It didn't bother you, didn't meow, just watched. You'd grown accustomed to it, and even enjoyed its presence.

And so, on the night of the escape, you packed your things, waited until everyone was asleep, and slipped out the church gates, breathing in the cold night air, and your soul felt light.

You took a step and saw a cat. It was sitting right in the road, looking at you with its green eyes. And then it transformed. In the cat's place stood a beautiful girl with long dark hair, dark green eyes, and a sly smile.

"Finally, " she said. "And here I thought you still couldn't bring yourself to run away."

You froze, unable to say a word.

"By the way, I've been waiting for this for several years, can you imagine? " She came closer, examining you. "But I was interested in watching your development."

She smiled and touched your hair.

"By the way, I'm Eris, your familiar. I'll be with you always, nice to meet you."