She Is Not a Witch

As if carrying the essence of distant time, a golden-haired, silver-eyed young woman stood at the door. Though it wasn’t raining, she still held an exquisite black parasol with lace patterns and colorful crystal pendants along its edge. Her beautiful face, seemingly frozen at 17 years old, bore a smile as she quietly stood on the steps.

Loranhil opened the door, looking at this senior witch with slight surprise. The illusory witch, like a night breeze, gently brushed past her and entered the hall.

By the time Loranhil closed the door and turned around, she was already sitting on the sofa by the tea table. The parasol in her hand had vanished, and a teapot and cups had appeared on the table.

“Long time no see, little Loranhil. You slept for quite a while,” Daytis said, looking at the silver-haired girl slowly walking to the opposite sofa.

“Yes, Sister Daytis. Seven years passed without me realizing,” Loranhil replied as she sat down.

“No, it’s been eight years now,” Daytis winked, her silver eyes seeming to contain flowing stardust.

“But what surprises me more is that you, without any guidance, protected and established a country, Cransia.”

“This… this was probably just a coincidence,” Loranhil said, somewhat embarrassed. In truth, she hadn’t thought much about it at the time, just following her heart.

“This is no coincidence, but an inevitability. You just acted too early, which surprised me greatly,” Daytis said slowly.

“Does little Loranhil know about those famous human countries in history?”

“I know some. The first empire—the True Red Empire, then the Mercury Dynasty, the Golden Daffodil Kingdom, the Oz Kingdom, and so on.”

“Yes, but what very few people know is that in the early stages of these countries’ establishment, we witches were behind them, promoting or protecting them.”

“Ah, is that so?” Loranhil’s eyes widened.

“Indeed.” Daytis paused for a moment, seeming to recall many things, her tone becoming somewhat ethereal.

“The brevity of life makes humans pursue survival. Staying alive and reproducing are the goals for most people’s lives.”

“But for supernatural experts, survival and reproduction are no longer issues. They begin to pursue various desires: money, power, romance, fame, and so on.”

“When their strength is great enough to surpass millions of their peers, fulfilling these desires becomes effortless. But even the most favorite food or activity becomes tedious after thousands or millions of repetitions.”

“Fortunately, even powerful supernatural experts can hardly resist the erosion of time. As they slowly age and approach death, they cannot reach the end of desire even if they pursue it for a lifetime.”

“But we witches are different. Our innate powers give us longevity, and the long passage of time and life experiences will gradually make you weary of many things in the world. Both the colorful emotions between humans and those vivid desires will slowly fade in your life.”

“Finally, life seems to become an unchanging gray. Boredom and emptiness like a void will slowly spread in your heart, forcing you to consider what is still worth pursuing.”

At this point, Daytis slowly stopped, looking at the junior before her who had just begun her life. Those clear, pure eyes made her envious. How wonderful it would be if one could remain like that forever.

“The inner void and the meaninglessness of life will torment a person, making their personality strange and bizarre, gradually deviating from normalcy, and finally walking the path of madness and self-destruction,” Daytis softly recounted the sad endings of many witches.

“Is there no solution?”

“There are methods. Some witches will erase their memories, cutting off all past connections, and start anew, like a phoenix reborn. For example, the Witch of Crimson Annihilation—Kurtis.”

“Some witches believe that memories represent the self and one’s life, that the people and events in life are the most precious treasures in the world. They are unwilling to give them up and will calmly face death, like countless mortals, entering the world of rest.”

“Other witches will set greater aspirations and dreams, walking the path of pursuit for a lifetime, until this ideal consumes their very being.”

“For the sake of her kind, humans, the Blood Moon Witch, Julius, who became a demon, brought the Demon Sequence to humanity. After the destruction of the True Red Empire, she was burned to death on the Scorching Sun Altar by the priests of the Wild Fang Empire.”

“The Underworld Witch Hades, who created the Necromancy Sequence and led the rise of the Mercury Dynasty, was imprisoned on the Eternal Dark Island after the dissolution of the Mercury Dynasty, never to leave.”

“The pioneer and master of the Magic Sequence, idol of countless mages, the Space-Time Witch Dorothy, was nailed to the city gate tower when the Verdant Empire defeated the Oz Kingdom.”

“Even today, some witches are walking this path. For instance, the Witch of Creation Dragon Vein, Suqin, who protected and established the Golden Daffodil Kingdom. The Witch of the Sealed Book, Lady Night, who taught students and established Verdant and Western Wind.”

“The initial intentions or ideals of these countries’ establishment are extensions of their own ideals. Their own fates and those of the countries are intertwined, sharing glory and decline.”

Seeing Loranhil gradually sinking into thought, Daytis consoled her.

“But you don’t need to worry too much. Those witches reached that point because in their hearts, apart from their ideals, there was gradually nothing else left. That’s why the destruction of their countries had such a devastating impact on them, making them so reckless.”

“But for you, your life has just begun. There are still many possibilities ahead. Although falling once will hurt, I believe you can stand up again.”

Daytis comforted Loranhil, but in her heart, she regretted not being able to stop herself from discussing such heavy topics. These were matters that witches who had lived for over a thousand years would consider and ponder. Young witches of a few hundred years, who hadn’t even fully enjoyed their own lives yet, wouldn’t concern themselves with such things.

“No need to worry about me. Thank you for your advice, Sister Daytis.”

Loranhil smiled, reassuring her senior. With a life spanning at most twenty-odd years across two worlds, she couldn’t personally experience these things, but based on her past knowledge and thoughts, she realized that what Daytis said was not false.

After solving problems related to food and safety, people spend their lives, consciously or unconsciously, pursuing the meaning of their existence. Some do it consciously, others unconsciously.

Compared to the ordinariness and powerlessness of her previous life, she now had more time and leisure to explore and ponder this question.

So, she decided to set a small goal for herself: to see this beautiful and wondrous world. To witness a world where dragons soar across the azure sky, elves recite ancient poems in forests, sails crisscross the seven seas, the brilliance of magic illuminates the entire night sky, knights’ lances cover hills and plains, and countless banners obscure the sky in their splendor.