<p>Chapter 4: First Meeting</p>
<p>Woman?</p>
<p>Shaya was slightly taken aback, subtly sizing her up and finding himself forming a few guesses.</p>
<p>She wore a somewhat tattered black gauze skirt, with a pair of translucent, white jade-like feet peeking out from under the hem. Her figure was graceful, and her appearance resembled that of a flawless goddess not of this world, capable of driving all men into madness.</p>
<p>Aside from that, there was no sense of pressure or terror typically associated with those forbidden beings; she merely seemed like an extraordinarily beautiful ordinary woman.</p>
<p>The woman in the black dress was lost in her own world as she gently reached out toward a spot where the shade of the tree did not reach.</p>
<p>“Tweet—”</p>
<p>A small bird, seemingly called forth from nowhere, circled above a few times before cautiously flapping its wings and landing on the tip of the woman’s outstretched hand.</p>
<p>After playing with the bird for a moment, the woman in black finally noticed an uninvited guest had appeared in the palace and looked over.</p>
<p>She didn’t seem surprised but instead gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled: “Human?”</p>
<p>Her bright and light smile felt somewhat out of place in the cold, lifeless grand hall.</p>
<p>As Shaya’s gaze met her deep black eyes, he suddenly felt his heartbeat quicken. The woman’s smile and voice were like a pair of gentle hands, softly caressing his cheek and drawing him into her embrace.</p>
<p>It was a feeling similar to being moved, almost causing him to fall into a stupor.</p>
<p>“Come here.”</p>
<p>Seeing Shaya in a daze, the woman in black laughed softly. With her right hand still resting on the small bird, her left hand beckoned Shaya over.</p>
<p>Shaya swore she was absolutely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in this life and the last.</p>
<p>“What are you standing there for?”</p>
<p>“Come here…”</p>
<p>“Come here…”</p>
<p>“Come quickly…”</p>
<p>The woman in black wore a gentle and calm smile, her whispers echoing in Shaya’s ears, as if possessing some kind of enchanting magic.</p>
<p>His pupils dilated slightly, and the color in his eyes began to fade.</p>
<p>Shaya abandoned his thoughts, and under the influence of her gentle murmurs, took a step toward the tree in the distance.</p>
<p>One step, two steps, three steps…</p>
<p>As he got closer, wisps of black mist floated like fine threads in the air, extending towards the surface of Shaya’s skin.</p>
<p>It felt extremely cold, but lost in the warmth of the woman’s gentle voice, Shaya didn’t realize his body was growing uncomfortable.</p>
<p>At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.</p>
<p>Walk over, and then do something with this woman.</p>
<p>As he drew closer, the distance between him and her narrowed, and the black mist wrapping around his body grew thicker.</p>
<p>But just as Shaya was about to step onto the marble steps leading to the lawn, a soft reprimand echoed unexpectedly from behind.</p>
<p>“Stop.”</p>
<p>The voice was melodious yet carried a chill that seemed to repel people from a distance.</p>
<p>Shaya’s body trembled slightly, and his once dull pupils immediately regained their luster.</p>
<p>Once he came to his senses, that unpleasant cold sensation overwhelmed him, and he looked down to find his skin had turned devoid of color.</p>
<p>Is this the curse from the witch?</p>
<p>After a pause, Shaya turned to look and found another woman in a black dress holding a book, having appeared behind him at some unknown point in time.</p>
<p>She wore the same black dress and walked barefoot, possessing the same unmatched beauty.</p>
<p>But the difference was that she now exuded a distinct chill, her expression calm.</p>
<p>Shaya glanced at the gentle woman under the tree not far away and then at the cold woman behind him, feeling some confusion.</p>
<p>Aside from the difference in aura, they looked identical.</p>
<p>What’s going on?</p>
<p>Shaya fell silent for a moment before addressing the woman in black behind him: “Excuse me, are you the legendary witch?”</p>
<p>“If you mean the sinner sealed by the gods, then yes, it is I.”</p>
<p>The cold woman nodded gently, her expression unchanged.</p>
<p>“And this one is…”</p>
<p>Shaya looked toward the gentle woman under the tree.</p>
<p>The cold woman did not answer directly but waved her hand lightly.</p>
<p>In the next moment, a sudden change occurred!</p>
<p>The gentle woman instantly transformed into a deep and malevolent black mist, which seemed to possess life, wrapping around the small bird that had not managed to escape in time, before swiftly surging and stirring as if consuming its vitality!</p>
<p>The little bird chirped and struggled as its feathers and body visibly withered.</p>
<p>Until finally, it turned to dust and blew away with the wind.</p>
<p>But the incident did not end there.</p>
<p>After devouring the small bird, the black mist still seemed unsatisfied, rapidly expanding itself and sweeping toward the giant tree behind and the surrounding limitless green grass!</p>
<p>Like an exquisite landscape painting splashed with ink, the black portions spread quickly, consuming all beautiful things.</p>
<p>In a brief instant, the surrounding flowers and trees decayed, losing their vibrant colors as if they had just suffered the ravages of a great fire, crumbling to ashes with the lightest touch.</p>
<p>The cold woman in black gently closed her eyes.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, she waved her hand again.</p>
<p>Amid Shaya’s astonished gaze, the surrounding scenery rapidly receded like a tide, revealing the original appearance of this place, the ancient and solemn palace coming back into view.</p>
<p>Upon closer inspection, in the center of the hall stood a life-sized stone statue.</p>
<p>The statue depicted a woman in a tattered gown, seated on the steps, her legs crossed and placed to the side; dark shackles bound her wrists above her head, connected to chains that stretched into the abyss.</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind automatically filled in the image of Yuuki Asuna.</p>
<p>The witch’s cold voice echoed from behind again: “That is my sealed form; you just heard her murmurs and were entranced.”</p>
<p>Sealed form?</p>
<p>So this witch before him, capable of moving freely, is similar to a soul or spiritual thought?</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind began to conjure guesses.</p>
<p>Indeed, after saying this, the witch, holding the book, walked directly toward the steps in front of Shaya, brushing past him like an ethereal projection and arriving beside the statue.</p>
<p>Although only a spiritual thought, she symbolically tidied her long gown before quietly sitting on the steps and opening the book in her hands.</p>
<p>“You are the first human to arrive here.”</p>
<p>As she looked down at the book, the witch spoke softly.</p>
<p>Her tone was calm and indifferent, making it hard to discern any emotions.</p>
<p>“I am your follower,” Shaya said, glancing at his current attire.</p>
<p>He did not elaborate much on how he arrived here, nor could he clarify.</p>
<p>Just a brief mention, and let her take it from there.</p>
<p>“Follower…”</p>
<p>The witch’s small hand paused as she mulled over the word softly.</p>
<p>She looked up at Shaya without speaking.</p>
<p>After a while, the sound of pages turning echoed again in the hall.</p>
<p>An air of brief silence enveloped the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Looking at present, the witch did not seem to be a killing type, nor had she expressed any specific animosity toward him.</p>
<p>In that case, it would be better to engage in a bit more conversation.</p>
<p>Shaya glanced at the quiet reading witch, contemplated for a moment, and then initiated an inquiry: “Your Excellency, what would have happened if you didn’t stop me earlier?”</p>
<p>“You would have unraveled the seal under her influence.”</p>
<p>The witch replied calmly.</p>
<p>“She?”</p>
<p>Shaya caught onto the awkwardness of that remark.</p>
<p>It was as if the sealed form and the spiritual thought were completely distinct entities.</p>
<p>“The murmurs are the subconscious sounds from the sealed form.”</p>
<p>With this explanation, Shaya understood.</p>
<p>The rationality and thinking ability resided within the spiritual thought, yet it did not mean the sealed form was merely a lifeless body; under the urging of the subconscious, the sealed witch still held the power to influence reality.</p>
<p>However… was the witch’s subconscious really as gentle and amiable as that?</p>
<p>He glanced at the witch sitting quietly on the distant steps, his expression somewhat strange.</p>
<p>As if sensing Shaya’s internal thoughts, the witch, without raising her head, spoke淡淡: “The form you see is constructed from your innermost desires by the murmurs.”</p>
<p>Uh.</p>
<p>Alright then.</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head, clearing any strange thoughts about the witch from his mind.</p>
<p>But looking at it from another angle, it meant that the witch deeply wished to be released from her seal.</p>
<p>Needless to say.</p>
<p>Anyone sealed within a statue for countless years would surely long for freedom.</p>
<p>But the question remained, why did the representative of rationality, the spiritual thought witch, stop him in the end?</p>
<p>After all, he was the first human she had ever met, meaning he might never have another chance to release her seal.</p>
<p>“Would you not want to free yourself from the seal?” </p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Shaya asked.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The witch did not speak but quietly turned a page in her book, keeping her gaze fixed on the text.</p>
<p>After a while, she softly responded: “Do you wish to free me from the seal?”</p>
<p>“If so, what must I do?”</p>
<p>Shaya did not agree or refuse.</p>
<p>“Those with fervor must shed their blood upon the statue, only then can the sealed one be liberated.” The witch raised her head, her pale face completely calm, “And this is merely the fundamental seal binding my body.”</p>
<p>“This palace, this space, is the ultimate seal set by the deities, and cannot be undone by human power.”</p>
<p>In other words, even if Shaya was swayed by the witch’s subconscious and broke the seal on the statue, it would only grant her physical freedom.</p>
<p>In this space, she would have no way of escaping.</p>
<p>If that were the case, the spiritual thought could also freely move within the palace, so there seemed little reason to break the seal.</p>
<p>In Shaya’s view, the seal on the body seemed more like a test of sorts.</p>
<p>Shaya continued to ask: “What does it mean to have fervor?”</p>
<p>“A person who sincerely wishes to free me from the seal… perhaps.”</p>
<p>The witch’s response bore no particular reaction.</p>
<p>No coercion.</p>
<p>No temptation.</p>
<p>No deception.</p>
<p>It had to be someone who willingly sought to free her from the seal; only then would the blood they shed hold any power.</p>
<p>Shaya contemplated, nodding thoughtfully.</p>
<p>Then he asked the question he was most concerned with: “What will befall me after helping you break your seal?”</p>
<p>The witch looked at him without concealment: “Dying under the curse.”</p>
<p>In other words, to lift this so-called “fundamental” seal, one must find a willing person who truly wants to free her from the seal, using their life as a cost for her liberation.</p>
<p>This was already quite absurd.</p>
<p>The most absurd part was that the witch had stated earlier she was the first human to appear here in many years.</p>
<p>This unsealing rule felt more like a jest from the deities, intending to offer her a small glimmer of hope amidst endless solitude, yet ensuring that day would never come to fruition.</p>
<p>But Shaya’s eyes lit up.</p>
<p>Such a good deal?</p>
<p>Wonderful!</p>
<p>After having navigated through so much, he eventually arrived at his true purpose for coming here today: to be killed by the witch.</p>
<p>Although it seemed that this cold-witted witch did not present as a villain.</p>
<p>Shaya clasped his hands over his chest and spoke sincerely: “If the cost is merely so negligible… I am willing to be the one to unseal you and release you from your imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, the witch gently closed the book in her hands: “The moment the seal is lifted, the curse upon the body will erupt; I will be unable to control it.”</p>
<p>“In other words, you will die.”</p>
<p>She seemed to think Shaya hadn’t heard clearly and reiterated.</p>
<p>After all, the cost was his life.</p>
<p>Although to the witch, Shaya’s soul was pale and trivial, for him, nothing was more precious than life itself.</p>
<p>“I understand.” Shaya nodded, trying to change the subject, “But Your Excellency will be able to obtain freedom from the seal, right?”</p>
<p>This statement sounded so casual, as if he believed his life was far less valuable than the witch’s freedom.</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, the witch’s delicate fingers holding the book trembled slightly.</p>
<p>She raised her head, for the first time seriously scrutinizing the Shaya before her, as if wanting to recognize this young man anew.</p>
<p>After a long silence, the witch suddenly asked: “Am I beautiful?”</p>
<p>Shaya was momentarily taken aback before he sincerely replied: “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, she nodded gently, seemingly finding the answer: “If your actions are merely driven by impulse and desire, then it would be best for you to leave.”</p>
<p>“The teleportation passage at the palace entrance, I will reopen it, and send you back to your original location.”</p>
<p>It was evident that the witch had misunderstood Shaya’s initial motivation for doing this.</p>
<p>And after hearing her words, Shaya grew anxious.</p>
<p>After spending so much money to come here, whether the ticket price was worth it remains a question—now she wanted him to leave?</p>
<p>That wicked woman!</p>
<p>Shaya took a deep breath and spoke again: “It is not such a shallow act, as I mentioned before, I am your follower; it is only right that I rescue you… never mind, rather than speak, why not prove it with action.”</p>
<p>With that, he shook his head and directly walked toward the statue not far away.</p>
<p>The follower excuse was indeed just a pretext, but genuinely wanting to save her was true.</p>
<p>After all, getting killed after saving her was something the witch had explicitly mentioned.</p>
<p>The remnants of the black mist wafting around seemed to be drawn closer, wrapping around him, causing Shaya’s complexion to pale slightly.</p>
<p>If he were to be killed by such a curse, he would definitely level up.</p>
<p>With that thought in mind, Shaya briskly approached the statue.</p>
<p>The witch’s pink lips parted slightly, and she slowly stood up with the book in her arms, wanting to say something but hesitating.</p>
<p>Shaya’s actions were somewhat beyond her expectation.</p>
<p>But before she could speak, Shaya bit into his index finger, large drops of fresh blood falling onto the surface of the statue.</p>
<p>The droplets did not drip down to the ground but swayed gently a bit before slowly merging into the statue, vanishing without a trace.</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>The witch silently watched the spot where the blood dripped.</p>
<p>A brief silence ensued.</p>
<p>Moments later, a series of soft sounds echoed through the empty grand hall.</p>
<p>The statue showed faint cracks, accompanied by the sound of its surface fragments breaking off, spreading out across the entire statue.</p>
<p>This was a sign of the impending unsealing!</p>
<p>And this scene clearly indicated that Shaya had indeed acted with heartfelt intentions to rescue her.</p>
<p>Not out of desire and impulse, nor mere conventional words.</p>
<p>The witch gazed deeply at Shaya, an unknown thought brewing in her mind.</p>
<p>As the cracks continued to spread, the thin stone pieces fell off at an accelerating rate, revealing the fair skin of a woman within.</p>
<p>“Crack, crack, crack…”</p>
<p>In Shaya’s shocked gaze, the pieces of stone quickly peeled away, revealing a flawless and graceful body before him.</p>
<p>The form of the sealed body, identical in appearance to the spiritual thought witch, had her eyes tightly shut, as if lost in slumber.</p>
<p>But the most severe issue was, the body was entirely unclothed!</p>
<p>Had time passed so long that the gown had turned to dust?</p>
<p>Shaya gasped, looking at the spiritual thought witch beside him, but she seemed disinterested in his moment of desecration, her gaze focused on the shackles binding her hands.</p>
<p>There lay the cracks, densely packed.</p>
<p>“Clang!”</p>
<p>In the next second, with a crisp sound, the dark shackles shattered under their gazes!</p>
<p>The alabaster body lost its support and softly fell into Shaya’s arms.</p>
<p>He instinctively reached out to embrace the witch’s form, but the spiritual thought witch was one step faster, transforming into a faint shadow and merging into the physical form.</p>
<p>An unseen force suddenly arose, holding her aloft in mid-air.</p>
<p>Her long lashes trembled slightly before she gently opened her eyes.</p>
<p>The witch… had awakened.</p>
<p>The palace surrounding them seemed to sense some intense premonition, trembling slightly.</p>
<p>Then, a powerful yet haunting presence began to rise, as if some forbidden existence was slowly awakening from slumber.</p>
<p>At the same time, black mist, in a series of ominous waves, emanated from the snow-white skin of the witch, swirling chaotically around her like a fierce storm, rapidly expanding outward!</p>
<p>The black mist coiled around her like a long snake, adding a deadly charm to her cold demeanor, creating an incredibly intense sense of oppression!</p>
<p>In just a moment, the entire grand hall was enveloped in layers upon layers of black mist, reminiscent of storm clouds before a tempest, filled with an aura of destruction!</p>
<p>Terrifying!</p>
<p>Oppressive!</p>
<p>Despairing!</p>
<p>As he beheld the scene of a dark god revival before him, Shaya’s pupils dilated slightly.</p>
<p>In the center of the black mist, he felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss, his very breath on the verge of freezing.</p>
<p>This was an accompanying aura of death, as if the evil deity was whispering in his ear, urging his life toward its end, the will of the weak possibly succumbing to madness.</p>
<p>The curse surged around him, and only then did Shaya understand what kind of sensation that little bird must have felt before it died.</p>
<p>The black mist, like worms, crawled into Shaya’s body from every angle; it was not poison, yet it caused his bodily functions to quickly deteriorate, his temperature to plummet, and signs of withering to appear on the surface of his skin.</p>
<p>No matter who you were, no matter what you had done, as long as you came into contact with this black mist, you would inevitably meet a deathly end.</p>
<p>This was an absurd form of equality among all beings.</p>
<p>But Shaya had no time to contemplate this; his thoughts were dissipating, his body was like porcelain full of cracks, and his legs could no longer support his weight.</p>
<p>Finally… could he level up?</p>
<p>With this thought, Shaya felt a pleasant exhilaration, as death was but a step away.</p>
<p>Taking great effort, he raised his arm, reaching out toward the woman high above, attempting to absorb more of the curse’s power to hasten this process.</p>
<p>From an observer’s perspective, he looked like a fervent believer in pursuit of faith.</p>
<p>As his consciousness began to fade, he met the witch’s gaze.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The witch waved her hand, conjuring a tattered black gauze dress upon her bare body, exactly like the one worn by the spiritual thought.</p>
<p>She slowly descended from the air, her toes touching the ground, and stood before Shaya.</p>
<p>In the face of such a powerful curse of black mist, Shaya was far too weak to resist, ultimately leading him toward death.</p>
<p>Looking at the pale-faced Shaya, the witch remained silent.</p>
<p>She had countless questions she wanted to ask him.</p>
<p>For instance, where he came from.</p>
<p>For instance, why he would risk his life to save her.</p>
<p>But the black mist would not grant her much time to ask each one, as that young man was soon to perish.</p>
<p>Finally, the witch whispered: “Do you have any wishes?”</p>
<p>“Your… name… what is it?” </p>
<p>In his last moments, Shaya haltingly inquired.</p>
<p>“……Agnes.”</p>
<p>The witch looked down at the dying Shaya and softly spoke the taboo name that had not been mentioned for thousands of years.</p>
<p>Her delicate face was pale and withered, nearing the end of life.</p>
<p>“Is there anything else?”</p>
<p>Realizing that asking her name seemed to be his heart’s desire, Agnes paused for two seconds and then asked again.</p>
<p>At this moment, darkness enveloped Shaya’s vision, and even his consciousness was about to fade away.</p>
<p>For some reason, upon hearing the witch’s cool and melodious voice, the scene he witnessed as he entered the palace resurfaced in his mind.</p>
<p>Under that tree, the gentle woman in black smiled at him.</p>
<p>So with the last bit of strength he could muster, Shaya spontaneously said: “Then… you… might as well smile more…”</p>
<p>Shortly after, his consciousness completely dissipated.</p>
<p>Death.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The black mist swirling fiercely within the palace continued for a long time.</p>
<p>After an unknown duration, it finally returned to calm.</p>
<p>Throughout, the witch had quietly stood in place, wordlessly watching the spot where Shaya had vanished.</p>
<p>A long silence ensued.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>At last, she expressionlessly diverted her gaze, opened her palm, and a thick book and a feather quill materialized in her hand.</p>
<p>She flipped open one of the pages of the book, which contained many strange dates, most beginning with the words “Abyss Calendar.”</p>
<p>Due to her long-term sealing here, she had lost her sense of external time, thus creating a calendar of her own to measure the dates.</p>
<p>It appeared this was a diary for recording daily trivial matters.</p>
<p>The witch writes a diary, too?</p>
<p>If Shaya were still here, he would certainly find it very novel.</p>
<p>Following the already written sections, the witch searched down until she found a blank space.</p>
<p>The previously written content was notably consistent, mostly summarizing daily events with the phrase “Nothing happened today.”</p>
<p>The witch gently picked up the pen, remained silent for a moment, then wrote a line of text under the most recent date.</p>
<p>“A strange human came.”</p>
<p>“He is as weak as an ant, yet upon seeing me, he did not display fear or disgust like other humans.”</p>
<p>“To free me from my seal, he acted without hesitation, even at the cost of his life.”</p>
<p>“And the result shows that he indeed is one who has fervor.”</p>
<p>“For the first time since my birth, I have met such a human.”</p>
<p>“Before dying, I asked him for his wish, but all he wanted was to know my name.”</p>
<p>“He also said… he hoped I would smile more.” </p>
<p>“What is ‘smile’?”</p>
<p>Woman?</p>
<p>Shaya was slightly taken aback, subtly sizing her up and finding himself forming a few guesses.</p>
<p>She wore a somewhat tattered black gauze skirt, with a pair of translucent, white jade-like feet peeking out from under the hem. Her figure was graceful, and her appearance resembled that of a flawless goddess not of this world, capable of driving all men into madness.</p>
<p>Aside from that, there was no sense of pressure or terror typically associated with those forbidden beings; she merely seemed like an extraordinarily beautiful ordinary woman.</p>
<p>The woman in the black dress was lost in her own world as she gently reached out toward a spot where the shade of the tree did not reach.</p>
<p>“Tweet—”</p>
<p>A small bird, seemingly called forth from nowhere, circled above a few times before cautiously flapping its wings and landing on the tip of the woman’s outstretched hand.</p>
<p>After playing with the bird for a moment, the woman in black finally noticed an uninvited guest had appeared in the palace and looked over.</p>
<p>She didn’t seem surprised but instead gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled: “Human?”</p>
<p>Her bright and light smile felt somewhat out of place in the cold, lifeless grand hall.</p>
<p>As Shaya’s gaze met her deep black eyes, he suddenly felt his heartbeat quicken. The woman’s smile and voice were like a pair of gentle hands, softly caressing his cheek and drawing him into her embrace.</p>
<p>It was a feeling similar to being moved, almost causing him to fall into a stupor.</p>
<p>“Come here.”</p>
<p>Seeing Shaya in a daze, the woman in black laughed softly. With her right hand still resting on the small bird, her left hand beckoned Shaya over.</p>
<p>Shaya swore she was absolutely the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in this life and the last.</p>
<p>“What are you standing there for?”</p>
<p>“Come here…”</p>
<p>“Come here…”</p>
<p>“Come quickly…”</p>
<p>The woman in black wore a gentle and calm smile, her whispers echoing in Shaya’s ears, as if possessing some kind of enchanting magic.</p>
<p>His pupils dilated slightly, and the color in his eyes began to fade.</p>
<p>Shaya abandoned his thoughts, and under the influence of her gentle murmurs, took a step toward the tree in the distance.</p>
<p>One step, two steps, three steps…</p>
<p>As he got closer, wisps of black mist floated like fine threads in the air, extending towards the surface of Shaya’s skin.</p>
<p>It felt extremely cold, but lost in the warmth of the woman’s gentle voice, Shaya didn’t realize his body was growing uncomfortable.</p>
<p>At that moment, he had only one thought in his mind.</p>
<p>Walk over, and then do something with this woman.</p>
<p>As he drew closer, the distance between him and her narrowed, and the black mist wrapping around his body grew thicker.</p>
<p>But just as Shaya was about to step onto the marble steps leading to the lawn, a soft reprimand echoed unexpectedly from behind.</p>
<p>“Stop.”</p>
<p>The voice was melodious yet carried a chill that seemed to repel people from a distance.</p>
<p>Shaya’s body trembled slightly, and his once dull pupils immediately regained their luster.</p>
<p>Once he came to his senses, that unpleasant cold sensation overwhelmed him, and he looked down to find his skin had turned devoid of color.</p>
<p>Is this the curse from the witch?</p>
<p>After a pause, Shaya turned to look and found another woman in a black dress holding a book, having appeared behind him at some unknown point in time.</p>
<p>She wore the same black dress and walked barefoot, possessing the same unmatched beauty.</p>
<p>But the difference was that she now exuded a distinct chill, her expression calm.</p>
<p>Shaya glanced at the gentle woman under the tree not far away and then at the cold woman behind him, feeling some confusion.</p>
<p>Aside from the difference in aura, they looked identical.</p>
<p>What’s going on?</p>
<p>Shaya fell silent for a moment before addressing the woman in black behind him: “Excuse me, are you the legendary witch?”</p>
<p>“If you mean the sinner sealed by the gods, then yes, it is I.”</p>
<p>The cold woman nodded gently, her expression unchanged.</p>
<p>“And this one is…”</p>
<p>Shaya looked toward the gentle woman under the tree.</p>
<p>The cold woman did not answer directly but waved her hand lightly.</p>
<p>In the next moment, a sudden change occurred!</p>
<p>The gentle woman instantly transformed into a deep and malevolent black mist, which seemed to possess life, wrapping around the small bird that had not managed to escape in time, before swiftly surging and stirring as if consuming its vitality!</p>
<p>The little bird chirped and struggled as its feathers and body visibly withered.</p>
<p>Until finally, it turned to dust and blew away with the wind.</p>
<p>But the incident did not end there.</p>
<p>After devouring the small bird, the black mist still seemed unsatisfied, rapidly expanding itself and sweeping toward the giant tree behind and the surrounding limitless green grass!</p>
<p>Like an exquisite landscape painting splashed with ink, the black portions spread quickly, consuming all beautiful things.</p>
<p>In a brief instant, the surrounding flowers and trees decayed, losing their vibrant colors as if they had just suffered the ravages of a great fire, crumbling to ashes with the lightest touch.</p>
<p>The cold woman in black gently closed her eyes.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, she waved her hand again.</p>
<p>Amid Shaya’s astonished gaze, the surrounding scenery rapidly receded like a tide, revealing the original appearance of this place, the ancient and solemn palace coming back into view.</p>
<p>Upon closer inspection, in the center of the hall stood a life-sized stone statue.</p>
<p>The statue depicted a woman in a tattered gown, seated on the steps, her legs crossed and placed to the side; dark shackles bound her wrists above her head, connected to chains that stretched into the abyss.</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind automatically filled in the image of Yuuki Asuna.</p>
<p>The witch’s cold voice echoed from behind again: “That is my sealed form; you just heard her murmurs and were entranced.”</p>
<p>Sealed form?</p>
<p>So this witch before him, capable of moving freely, is similar to a soul or spiritual thought?</p>
<p>Shaya’s mind began to conjure guesses.</p>
<p>Indeed, after saying this, the witch, holding the book, walked directly toward the steps in front of Shaya, brushing past him like an ethereal projection and arriving beside the statue.</p>
<p>Although only a spiritual thought, she symbolically tidied her long gown before quietly sitting on the steps and opening the book in her hands.</p>
<p>“You are the first human to arrive here.”</p>
<p>As she looked down at the book, the witch spoke softly.</p>
<p>Her tone was calm and indifferent, making it hard to discern any emotions.</p>
<p>“I am your follower,” Shaya said, glancing at his current attire.</p>
<p>He did not elaborate much on how he arrived here, nor could he clarify.</p>
<p>Just a brief mention, and let her take it from there.</p>
<p>“Follower…”</p>
<p>The witch’s small hand paused as she mulled over the word softly.</p>
<p>She looked up at Shaya without speaking.</p>
<p>After a while, the sound of pages turning echoed again in the hall.</p>
<p>An air of brief silence enveloped the atmosphere.</p>
<p>Looking at present, the witch did not seem to be a killing type, nor had she expressed any specific animosity toward him.</p>
<p>In that case, it would be better to engage in a bit more conversation.</p>
<p>Shaya glanced at the quiet reading witch, contemplated for a moment, and then initiated an inquiry: “Your Excellency, what would have happened if you didn’t stop me earlier?”</p>
<p>“You would have unraveled the seal under her influence.”</p>
<p>The witch replied calmly.</p>
<p>“She?”</p>
<p>Shaya caught onto the awkwardness of that remark.</p>
<p>It was as if the sealed form and the spiritual thought were completely distinct entities.</p>
<p>“The murmurs are the subconscious sounds from the sealed form.”</p>
<p>With this explanation, Shaya understood.</p>
<p>The rationality and thinking ability resided within the spiritual thought, yet it did not mean the sealed form was merely a lifeless body; under the urging of the subconscious, the sealed witch still held the power to influence reality.</p>
<p>However… was the witch’s subconscious really as gentle and amiable as that?</p>
<p>He glanced at the witch sitting quietly on the distant steps, his expression somewhat strange.</p>
<p>As if sensing Shaya’s internal thoughts, the witch, without raising her head, spoke淡淡: “The form you see is constructed from your innermost desires by the murmurs.”</p>
<p>Uh.</p>
<p>Alright then.</p>
<p>Shaya shook his head, clearing any strange thoughts about the witch from his mind.</p>
<p>But looking at it from another angle, it meant that the witch deeply wished to be released from her seal.</p>
<p>Needless to say.</p>
<p>Anyone sealed within a statue for countless years would surely long for freedom.</p>
<p>But the question remained, why did the representative of rationality, the spiritual thought witch, stop him in the end?</p>
<p>After all, he was the first human she had ever met, meaning he might never have another chance to release her seal.</p>
<p>“Would you not want to free yourself from the seal?” </p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Shaya asked.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The witch did not speak but quietly turned a page in her book, keeping her gaze fixed on the text.</p>
<p>After a while, she softly responded: “Do you wish to free me from the seal?”</p>
<p>“If so, what must I do?”</p>
<p>Shaya did not agree or refuse.</p>
<p>“Those with fervor must shed their blood upon the statue, only then can the sealed one be liberated.” The witch raised her head, her pale face completely calm, “And this is merely the fundamental seal binding my body.”</p>
<p>“This palace, this space, is the ultimate seal set by the deities, and cannot be undone by human power.”</p>
<p>In other words, even if Shaya was swayed by the witch’s subconscious and broke the seal on the statue, it would only grant her physical freedom.</p>
<p>In this space, she would have no way of escaping.</p>
<p>If that were the case, the spiritual thought could also freely move within the palace, so there seemed little reason to break the seal.</p>
<p>In Shaya’s view, the seal on the body seemed more like a test of sorts.</p>
<p>Shaya continued to ask: “What does it mean to have fervor?”</p>
<p>“A person who sincerely wishes to free me from the seal… perhaps.”</p>
<p>The witch’s response bore no particular reaction.</p>
<p>No coercion.</p>
<p>No temptation.</p>
<p>No deception.</p>
<p>It had to be someone who willingly sought to free her from the seal; only then would the blood they shed hold any power.</p>
<p>Shaya contemplated, nodding thoughtfully.</p>
<p>Then he asked the question he was most concerned with: “What will befall me after helping you break your seal?”</p>
<p>The witch looked at him without concealment: “Dying under the curse.”</p>
<p>In other words, to lift this so-called “fundamental” seal, one must find a willing person who truly wants to free her from the seal, using their life as a cost for her liberation.</p>
<p>This was already quite absurd.</p>
<p>The most absurd part was that the witch had stated earlier she was the first human to appear here in many years.</p>
<p>This unsealing rule felt more like a jest from the deities, intending to offer her a small glimmer of hope amidst endless solitude, yet ensuring that day would never come to fruition.</p>
<p>But Shaya’s eyes lit up.</p>
<p>Such a good deal?</p>
<p>Wonderful!</p>
<p>After having navigated through so much, he eventually arrived at his true purpose for coming here today: to be killed by the witch.</p>
<p>Although it seemed that this cold-witted witch did not present as a villain.</p>
<p>Shaya clasped his hands over his chest and spoke sincerely: “If the cost is merely so negligible… I am willing to be the one to unseal you and release you from your imprisonment.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, the witch gently closed the book in her hands: “The moment the seal is lifted, the curse upon the body will erupt; I will be unable to control it.”</p>
<p>“In other words, you will die.”</p>
<p>She seemed to think Shaya hadn’t heard clearly and reiterated.</p>
<p>After all, the cost was his life.</p>
<p>Although to the witch, Shaya’s soul was pale and trivial, for him, nothing was more precious than life itself.</p>
<p>“I understand.” Shaya nodded, trying to change the subject, “But Your Excellency will be able to obtain freedom from the seal, right?”</p>
<p>This statement sounded so casual, as if he believed his life was far less valuable than the witch’s freedom.</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, the witch’s delicate fingers holding the book trembled slightly.</p>
<p>She raised her head, for the first time seriously scrutinizing the Shaya before her, as if wanting to recognize this young man anew.</p>
<p>After a long silence, the witch suddenly asked: “Am I beautiful?”</p>
<p>Shaya was momentarily taken aback before he sincerely replied: “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”</p>
<p>Upon hearing this, she nodded gently, seemingly finding the answer: “If your actions are merely driven by impulse and desire, then it would be best for you to leave.”</p>
<p>“The teleportation passage at the palace entrance, I will reopen it, and send you back to your original location.”</p>
<p>It was evident that the witch had misunderstood Shaya’s initial motivation for doing this.</p>
<p>And after hearing her words, Shaya grew anxious.</p>
<p>After spending so much money to come here, whether the ticket price was worth it remains a question—now she wanted him to leave?</p>
<p>That wicked woman!</p>
<p>Shaya took a deep breath and spoke again: “It is not such a shallow act, as I mentioned before, I am your follower; it is only right that I rescue you… never mind, rather than speak, why not prove it with action.”</p>
<p>With that, he shook his head and directly walked toward the statue not far away.</p>
<p>The follower excuse was indeed just a pretext, but genuinely wanting to save her was true.</p>
<p>After all, getting killed after saving her was something the witch had explicitly mentioned.</p>
<p>The remnants of the black mist wafting around seemed to be drawn closer, wrapping around him, causing Shaya’s complexion to pale slightly.</p>
<p>If he were to be killed by such a curse, he would definitely level up.</p>
<p>With that thought in mind, Shaya briskly approached the statue.</p>
<p>The witch’s pink lips parted slightly, and she slowly stood up with the book in her arms, wanting to say something but hesitating.</p>
<p>Shaya’s actions were somewhat beyond her expectation.</p>
<p>But before she could speak, Shaya bit into his index finger, large drops of fresh blood falling onto the surface of the statue.</p>
<p>The droplets did not drip down to the ground but swayed gently a bit before slowly merging into the statue, vanishing without a trace.</p>
<p>“…”</p>
<p>The witch silently watched the spot where the blood dripped.</p>
<p>A brief silence ensued.</p>
<p>Moments later, a series of soft sounds echoed through the empty grand hall.</p>
<p>The statue showed faint cracks, accompanied by the sound of its surface fragments breaking off, spreading out across the entire statue.</p>
<p>This was a sign of the impending unsealing!</p>
<p>And this scene clearly indicated that Shaya had indeed acted with heartfelt intentions to rescue her.</p>
<p>Not out of desire and impulse, nor mere conventional words.</p>
<p>The witch gazed deeply at Shaya, an unknown thought brewing in her mind.</p>
<p>As the cracks continued to spread, the thin stone pieces fell off at an accelerating rate, revealing the fair skin of a woman within.</p>
<p>“Crack, crack, crack…”</p>
<p>In Shaya’s shocked gaze, the pieces of stone quickly peeled away, revealing a flawless and graceful body before him.</p>
<p>The form of the sealed body, identical in appearance to the spiritual thought witch, had her eyes tightly shut, as if lost in slumber.</p>
<p>But the most severe issue was, the body was entirely unclothed!</p>
<p>Had time passed so long that the gown had turned to dust?</p>
<p>Shaya gasped, looking at the spiritual thought witch beside him, but she seemed disinterested in his moment of desecration, her gaze focused on the shackles binding her hands.</p>
<p>There lay the cracks, densely packed.</p>
<p>“Clang!”</p>
<p>In the next second, with a crisp sound, the dark shackles shattered under their gazes!</p>
<p>The alabaster body lost its support and softly fell into Shaya’s arms.</p>
<p>He instinctively reached out to embrace the witch’s form, but the spiritual thought witch was one step faster, transforming into a faint shadow and merging into the physical form.</p>
<p>An unseen force suddenly arose, holding her aloft in mid-air.</p>
<p>Her long lashes trembled slightly before she gently opened her eyes.</p>
<p>The witch… had awakened.</p>
<p>The palace surrounding them seemed to sense some intense premonition, trembling slightly.</p>
<p>Then, a powerful yet haunting presence began to rise, as if some forbidden existence was slowly awakening from slumber.</p>
<p>At the same time, black mist, in a series of ominous waves, emanated from the snow-white skin of the witch, swirling chaotically around her like a fierce storm, rapidly expanding outward!</p>
<p>The black mist coiled around her like a long snake, adding a deadly charm to her cold demeanor, creating an incredibly intense sense of oppression!</p>
<p>In just a moment, the entire grand hall was enveloped in layers upon layers of black mist, reminiscent of storm clouds before a tempest, filled with an aura of destruction!</p>
<p>Terrifying!</p>
<p>Oppressive!</p>
<p>Despairing!</p>
<p>As he beheld the scene of a dark god revival before him, Shaya’s pupils dilated slightly.</p>
<p>In the center of the black mist, he felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss, his very breath on the verge of freezing.</p>
<p>This was an accompanying aura of death, as if the evil deity was whispering in his ear, urging his life toward its end, the will of the weak possibly succumbing to madness.</p>
<p>The curse surged around him, and only then did Shaya understand what kind of sensation that little bird must have felt before it died.</p>
<p>The black mist, like worms, crawled into Shaya’s body from every angle; it was not poison, yet it caused his bodily functions to quickly deteriorate, his temperature to plummet, and signs of withering to appear on the surface of his skin.</p>
<p>No matter who you were, no matter what you had done, as long as you came into contact with this black mist, you would inevitably meet a deathly end.</p>
<p>This was an absurd form of equality among all beings.</p>
<p>But Shaya had no time to contemplate this; his thoughts were dissipating, his body was like porcelain full of cracks, and his legs could no longer support his weight.</p>
<p>Finally… could he level up?</p>
<p>With this thought, Shaya felt a pleasant exhilaration, as death was but a step away.</p>
<p>Taking great effort, he raised his arm, reaching out toward the woman high above, attempting to absorb more of the curse’s power to hasten this process.</p>
<p>From an observer’s perspective, he looked like a fervent believer in pursuit of faith.</p>
<p>As his consciousness began to fade, he met the witch’s gaze.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>The witch waved her hand, conjuring a tattered black gauze dress upon her bare body, exactly like the one worn by the spiritual thought.</p>
<p>She slowly descended from the air, her toes touching the ground, and stood before Shaya.</p>
<p>In the face of such a powerful curse of black mist, Shaya was far too weak to resist, ultimately leading him toward death.</p>
<p>Looking at the pale-faced Shaya, the witch remained silent.</p>
<p>She had countless questions she wanted to ask him.</p>
<p>For instance, where he came from.</p>
<p>For instance, why he would risk his life to save her.</p>
<p>But the black mist would not grant her much time to ask each one, as that young man was soon to perish.</p>
<p>Finally, the witch whispered: “Do you have any wishes?”</p>
<p>“Your… name… what is it?” </p>
<p>In his last moments, Shaya haltingly inquired.</p>
<p>“……Agnes.”</p>
<p>The witch looked down at the dying Shaya and softly spoke the taboo name that had not been mentioned for thousands of years.</p>
<p>Her delicate face was pale and withered, nearing the end of life.</p>
<p>“Is there anything else?”</p>
<p>Realizing that asking her name seemed to be his heart’s desire, Agnes paused for two seconds and then asked again.</p>
<p>At this moment, darkness enveloped Shaya’s vision, and even his consciousness was about to fade away.</p>
<p>For some reason, upon hearing the witch’s cool and melodious voice, the scene he witnessed as he entered the palace resurfaced in his mind.</p>
<p>Under that tree, the gentle woman in black smiled at him.</p>
<p>So with the last bit of strength he could muster, Shaya spontaneously said: “Then… you… might as well smile more…”</p>
<p>Shortly after, his consciousness completely dissipated.</p>
<p>Death.</p>
<p>…</p>
<p>The black mist swirling fiercely within the palace continued for a long time.</p>
<p>After an unknown duration, it finally returned to calm.</p>
<p>Throughout, the witch had quietly stood in place, wordlessly watching the spot where Shaya had vanished.</p>
<p>A long silence ensued.</p>
<p>“……”</p>
<p>At last, she expressionlessly diverted her gaze, opened her palm, and a thick book and a feather quill materialized in her hand.</p>
<p>She flipped open one of the pages of the book, which contained many strange dates, most beginning with the words “Abyss Calendar.”</p>
<p>Due to her long-term sealing here, she had lost her sense of external time, thus creating a calendar of her own to measure the dates.</p>
<p>It appeared this was a diary for recording daily trivial matters.</p>
<p>The witch writes a diary, too?</p>
<p>If Shaya were still here, he would certainly find it very novel.</p>
<p>Following the already written sections, the witch searched down until she found a blank space.</p>
<p>The previously written content was notably consistent, mostly summarizing daily events with the phrase “Nothing happened today.”</p>
<p>The witch gently picked up the pen, remained silent for a moment, then wrote a line of text under the most recent date.</p>
<p>“A strange human came.”</p>
<p>“He is as weak as an ant, yet upon seeing me, he did not display fear or disgust like other humans.”</p>
<p>“To free me from my seal, he acted without hesitation, even at the cost of his life.”</p>
<p>“And the result shows that he indeed is one who has fervor.”</p>
<p>“For the first time since my birth, I have met such a human.”</p>
<p>“Before dying, I asked him for his wish, but all he wanted was to know my name.”</p>
<p>“He also said… he hoped I would smile more.” </p>
<p>“What is ‘smile’?”</p>
