Chapter 11: The Witch and the Black Cat
What needed to be done, had to be done. Even without experience, a bit of common sense sufficed. She wasn’t so stubborn as to insist on standing, which would only be self-defeating.
Diye sighed softly, lifting her skirt, then realizing with surprise that the shameful, triangular piece of black lace required undoing the straps to be removed.
She didn’t bother praying for forgiveness. The gods no longer paid her any attention anyway.
“As long as I don’t think of myself as a woman, it’s fine, right? Even squatting…” Diye made the necessary preparations, finally confronting the mystery within the mystery, the shame beneath the shame, the allure veiled by allure.
Diye, who was supposed to remain abstinent her entire life, finally saw a beautiful woman’s ultimate secret. But it was her own.
…
Diye exited the stall, her heart still unsettled.
The feeling constantly reminded her of the fundamental shift that had occurred. Just a simple, insignificant change in posture had eroded much of her gender-based confidence.
Of course, being born a woman wouldn’t preclude confidence. But Diye couldn’t. She, with twenty-some years of life and the experience of battles and a life full of dramatic events, couldn’t maintain the pretense of confidence between the sexes in this situation, where she had to cautiously guard against being peeked at, against being attacked by monsters with intentions beyond mere killing.
Diye passed by the bathroom door, glancing at the feminine bronze plaque. Soon enough, she would have to face this as well.
“If I truly had confidence, I should face my present self calmly, instead of constantly comparing it to the past. What I had then, I don’t have now, or even lack in a negative way. But so what?”
Acknowledging her weakness in this aspect, facing everything head-on, was what a man… Diye blushed, unwilling to even think the word in her mind, was true courage, wasn’t it?
A soft yet captivating meow echoed from the darkness.
Diye turned to see the black cat again at the end of the corridor. Its gleaming eyes seemed to fix on her for a moment before it turned and ran.
“Black cat?”
For some reason, Diye was drawn to the enigmatic feline. She followed in its direction.
Through the corridor, at the end of the passage, she saw the black cat again, running ahead. It would take a few steps, then turn back to look at her, its tail swaying.
Was the cat trying to lead her somewhere?
The night was deep, and Diye’s heart was still in turmoil from the events of the day, feeling empty. Curious where the cat was going, she followed.
Following the cat, which occasionally disappeared into the darkness, she passed through several tunnels. The surroundings were no longer the rock walls of the cathedral’s passages, but bare earth and rock.
Unknowingly, Diye found herself back in the cavern with the magic crystal ores.
“Isn’t this where Master Diluowei brought me earlier today?”
“Hmm?”
Diye looked around, but the black cat was gone.
There didn’t seem to be any obvious path ahead.
“Why did the cat bring me here? Or was it just a coincidence?”
Diye was puzzled. She recalled Diluowei’s guidance earlier.
Diluowei had said that most people don’t awaken their elemental perception instantly; it requires continuous sensing, searching for that spark of insight.
“My elemental perception is average. Since I’m here, I might as well practice it,” Diye thought.
“Hopefully, the earlier experience won’t affect my state of mind.”
Diye’s mental control, especially regarding cultivation, was very strong. She quickly dismissed distracting thoughts and focused on practicing elemental perception as Diluowei instructed.
However, when Diye closed her eyes, it was still darkness, endless, impenetrable darkness.
“How can this be…” Diye’s resolve wavered. “Is my magical aptitude truly incomplete? Although there’s still time, what if it really takes me months to sense the elements? That won’t do.”
Diye couldn’t wait.
The witch selection wouldn’t wait for her.
And without magic, without holy power, her body weakened, even if her swordsmanship returned to its peak, she wouldn’t be able to reach her former strength.
“If I truly had no affinity for magic, it would be fine. But the Goddess of the Night granted me an excellent elemental affinity body, yet I lack the corresponding perception? This is truly frustrating…”
It was like everything was falling into place, yet she couldn’t break through the final barrier.
“Could this be another of Cerise’s cruel tricks?” Diye felt a deep sense of frustration, bending down, her hands supporting her knees.
“I didn’t expect to find such a diligent girl so late at night. Or are you just lost?” a mature, deep, and magnetic female voice, laced with a hint of nonchalance, echoed through the cavern.
From the shadows, a tall, voluptuous witch with a large black hat leaned against the cave wall. Her ample bosom, illuminated by the faint light, formed two silvery curves.
“Who? You are… Master Shartha?” Diye turned around.
Shartha, one arm across her chest, her robe-clad body swaying alluringly, walked towards her. “Does someone need big sister’s help?”
Shartha was slightly taller than Diye, even more so with her witch’s hat.
“Ah, I know you. You were the girl kneeling before the Moonstone earlier.” Before Diye could speak, Shartha had approached, appraising her from various angles, her gaze seemingly comparing Diye’s chest to her own, then looking intently into Diye’s eyes. “Judging by your expression, you seem troubled.”
“Master Shartha, I’m learning magic from Master Diluowei. Although I believe I understand her guidance, perhaps I’m not as adept at learning magic as she expects…” Diye said, shaking her head. She knew Shartha was the chief witch of this underground church. Although Diye didn’t truly consider herself one of them, she still respected such a powerful and wise figure.
“What is magic?” Shartha took another step closer, her shapely legs moving gracefully.
“Eh?”
Shartha inhaled deeply. “Is magic the fleeting breath that brushes past, stirring the heart? Isn’t that also a form of magic?”
“Master Shartha…” Diye was confused, but she could already feel the warmth radiating from Shartha’s tall figure. A scent of magical potions clung to her.
“Magic is also…” Shartha took Diye’s hand and wrote an unknown script on her palm with her finger.
Although Diye couldn’t understand the meaning of the script, the feeling of Shartha’s finger tracing across her palm was almost unbearable. She tried to pull her hand back, but Shartha held it firmly.
“Clearly, the spell I wrote has no power, yet it makes your hand, strong enough to wield a greatsword, tremble? Isn’t this also a form of magic?” Shartha tilted her head, her gaze like water.
“Chief Witch, I… I want to know…”
“Are you sure your strength is inferior to mine?” Shartha asked, her alluring figure closing in, her words cool yet her presence radiating warmth. Diye involuntarily stepped back, unknowingly being pressed against the cave wall.
What was this chief witch, Shartha, doing?
“But why do you keep retreating? Can you explain what kind of power this is?”
“This… I can only say it’s a power that transcends nature, inexplicable yet tangible…” Diye turned her head away, looking at the faintly shimmering crystals.
“Hmm, I’d say…” Shartha’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. “Diluowei’s expectations of you are not misplaced. I can sense the hidden power within you… and the attraction. Of course, it’s an attraction to the elements.”
“Perhaps there’s still hesitation in my heart. Master Shartha, how do you eliminate distractions during magic training? If you have any methods,” Diye turned back, now very close to Shartha, perhaps the closest she had ever been to a woman’s face.
But she faced her bravely, facing her sweet fragrance, even in her female form. She yearned for true knowledge. She might not be obsessed with magic, but she had a destiny that compelled her down this path.
Shartha’s gaze deepened. Her chest was almost touching Diye’s, but she stopped short, taking a few steps back.
Turning around, she looked at the mesmerizing crystals. “Why do witches obsess over magic? Or rather, why become witches?”
Diye couldn’t answer this question.
“Some witches live in poverty, but frankly, developing an interest in nature and knowledge requires a certain level of education. Many girls, before becoming witches, had decent lives, some even quite privileged.”
“Why risk trial and execution to seek magic? To seek true knowledge?”
“Is it for power and desire?” Shartha turned back, scrutinizing Diye. “Indeed, there are sources of desire in this world. But many witches don’t enjoy fighting, even after they gain power.”
“What power drives them to risk being abandoned by the world, to pursue things considered taboo and terrifying by others? What is the appeal of those things?” Shartha looked at Diye.
However, this question, which resonated with many young witches, left Diye speechless.
She didn’t know.
She had never walked the path of a witch, never considered these questions.
Diye began to worry. Had Shartha seen through her disguise?
Shartha shook her head slightly. “Confused?”
“Why do we become witches? Is it worth enduring the world’s condemnation and the Empire’s cruel punishments? Wouldn’t it be better to be an ordinary woman, following the path laid out for you by the world?”
“I can tell you, Diye, not only can you not answer, but I can’t answer you either, not now.”
“Perhaps, it’s simply because we like it.”
Shartha’s gaze held a dark emptiness. “Drawn to that mysterious power, perhaps it’s the light of escapism when disappointed with reality, or the uncontrollable yearning for something forbidden when dissatisfied with the status quo. Or perhaps, it’s the pursuit of something different from the world’s common sense, something different from what others have instilled in us, preached to us—different explanations, a different world.”
“There’s no reason. Our bodies, our minds, are simply drawn to those mysterious things. Some say it’s the devil’s temptation, but it’s our true selves… emanating from within.”
“Perhaps this is the meaning of our existence.” Shartha walked towards Diye, placing her hand gently on her shoulder. “Not drifting along a predetermined path, not content to merge into a world defined by our predecessors, not letting the truths set by higher beings confine our thoughts, losing… our own ability to think.”
“Miss Diye, what is the world’s true knowledge, magic, the self? Have you ever considered it yourself?” Shartha’s purple eyes gazed intently at Diye.
“Whether it’s learning magic, adventuring, or anything else…”
Shartha’s hand casually brushed Diye’s chin, stirring something within her. She turned and walked towards the cave entrance, her slender waist and rounded hips swaying gently beneath her robe.
“We just want to be ourselves,” Shartha said, tilting her large witch’s hat, standing at the entrance, her profile, as pale as the moonlight, outlined against the darkness behind her.
The world, magic, the self…
Have you ever considered it yourself?
Shartha swayed her alluring figure and disappeared.
Leaving Diye alone, leaning against the cave wall, in the dimly lit cavern.
“Have I ever considered it myself?”
This seemingly simple question plunged Diye into deep thought.
What was the world? Yedi certainly knew.
But was this knowledge her own?
Not necessarily. Although Yedi had believed it wholeheartedly until now, this truth, this essence, came from the Holy Church, from the teachings of the Temple Knights, from the Empire’s official history.
Had she ever considered it herself?
Diye wasn’t afraid of being alone here. Instead, she felt a comforting silence.
A profound silence.
She closed her eyes.
Darkness, endless darkness, descended once more.
“Perhaps I have exceptional elemental affinity, but am I fascinated by magic? Can my yearning for the truth behind these mysterious powers compare to other witches, even the most ordinary peasant woman seduced by darkness?”
“I never had any interest in magic…”
“Forced to learn magic, simply seeking a chance to change my fate…”
“Perhaps I’ve been too arrogant.”
“I am fundamentally different from them. No matter how strong I once was, I never questioned the fundamental nature of the world and the self. So how can I perceive something I’ve already rejected?”
“Magic.”
What exactly was magic?
Was it right to question the established world, to contemplate the self?
“I can’t answer, but I want to know more, to see more with my own eyes, before I make a judgment.”
“I want to know the secrets of magic.”
“I want to know…”
“The truth.”
The Goddess of the Night couldn’t guide those who couldn’t open their eyes in the darkness.
Diye, though her eyes were closed,
In her mind, it was as if she had opened them.
Darkness, still darkness, endless darkness.
Just as she had seen before.
“What’s going on?”
“Are my thoughts still wrong? Why can’t I see anything? Is it because I’m not truly a woman that the Goddess of the Night doesn’t guide me?”
…
“No.”
“I understand.”
“I finally know what I’m seeing.”
“I’m seeing darkness.”
Diye, her eyes still closed, took a step forward, as if aware of her surroundings, walking towards the center of the cavern.
She finally understood why, no matter how hard she tried, all she sensed was darkness.
It wasn’t because she lacked aptitude.
Perhaps she had distracting thoughts, hesitation, but these didn’t affect her perception, but rather her… perspective in questioning and understanding the world.
Diye suddenly realized!
“What I’m sensing is the boundless dark element.”
Perhaps the dark element was particularly dense in this underground cavern, and Diye’s perception of darkness was excessively acute.
The incredibly dense, potent dark element almost completely obscured all other elements in the cavern, which was why Diye couldn’t sense them.
The other elements were hidden within the endless darkness.
Darkness didn’t represent nothingness.
Perhaps darkness could encompass everything. When everything perished, it returned to darkness. And within the embers of darkness, did the rebirth of all things exist? In that case, could everything also originate from darkness?
At this moment, Diye gradually became aware of the omnipresent dark elements, their power, their patterns.
Almost guided by her perception, she tentatively used her mental will to control the dark elements, making them flow slowly, searching for the hidden elements within.
In the pitch-black world, a faint, water-blue light flickered.
A tiny, orange-red spark ignited.
A golden elemental light shimmered…
Gradually, more and more elemental lights flickered in the darkness, various colors, some bright, some dim, some vibrant, some pure…
Floating, surrounding, comforting her, flickering, endless, seemingly transcending the boundaries of the cave walls.
Like a starry sky of elements twinkling just for her!
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