The Crystal Ball seemed to float in the darkness. Its spreading radiance reflected half of a woman's gaunt face—her cheeks were deeply sunken, her complexion pale as a specter. She pressed her lips tightly together, and those frighteningly thin lips looked like a slit cut into dry skin with a knife. The shadow of her embroidered hood covered her eye sockets, while her deeply set pupils emitted a faint, feline glimmer in the pitch-blackness.
She remained expressionless. Soon, another face emerged from the darkness opposite her. It was also a woman's face, but this one was plump and full, belonging to a well-fed matron. The woman slowly walked out of the darkness, her face sweet and her eyes narrowed as she greeted her with a smile: "Long time no see, Kurul."
Between the two of them, only a sparkling Crystal Ball remained, radiating a strange brilliance. The light scattered in all directions, gradually merging into the darkness.
The silence lasted only a moment. Anwei had probably already guessed that the other woman would not answer her, so she smiled faintly. "You know, I'm waiting for your answer. Secrets can't remain hidden in the forest forever. The Moon of Magic will rise one day."
"What answer, Anwei?" Kurul raised her head. Her hollow eyes resembled two whirlpools—the Eyes of Insight. When divining, the witches of their clan could see through the currents and traps of time, clarifying the mysteries of the future and past. But only the heir of the Moon of the Sword possessed a true pair of eyes capable of parting the mists. Legend said those eyes had been taken from the giant serpent Kukulor, granting the power to foresee the future. The witch's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, sending chills through the air. "You