Enlightenment · Three
By the way, let's have a casual, irresponsible online friendship.
My sword yearns for an opponent.
A corporate slave's journey through anime and manga in an infinite flow, Pure Love God of War a single female protagonist.
—It just doesn't feel right with my art style...
Chapter 214 Enlightenment Part 3
Downward... continuing to decline.
We continued our descent into the abyss, following the massive stone pillar formed from the ancient tree.
The power is expanding.
Perception is being enhanced.
Along the way lay countless adversaries, utterly defenseless yet ready to be devoured. Corpses, mutated creatures, and twisted beings cursed by the power of the abyss, all were buried beneath the ever-boiling Twilight and the Profaned Flame.
The scope of the body's transformation is increasing, gradually expanding from just the head to the neck and chest. It's as if the phenomenon I recently named "the Dao Corrosion Phenomenon" isn't limited to the living things around me. Not only the living, but also the inanimate, and even the very laws governing this world, are within the erosion's reach.
—I am not a god.
Miss Surtr thought to herself.
But God is like me.
Miss Surtr answered herself.
It felt as if some shackles were being broken within her, yet the destruction and rupture were not entirely clear. And in this brief moment of contemplation, her form continued to descend deeper into the abyss.
Go deeper, keep going deeper.
The ruins of Izalith soon came into view. Inside were only cursed toads and wandering demons. She hadn't found the white spider or the witch Clara in similar chambers in the game. But in that chamber, she found the witch's spellbook.
—Was it Clara who deliberately left this place here?
—Did she foresee my arrival? Did she not want to see me?
Miss Surtr picked up the spellbook before her, opened it, and began to read. The words that met her eyes were unfamiliar, yet she could observe and comprehend them. In a daze, she saw the image of Clara. She saw the spellcaster dressed in a black robe with gold trim, whose words were elegant and refined.
She saw the witch hesitating in the ruins.
"—I knew you would come, Surtr. The divination foretold your return, and the words you spoke in the past are now coming true."
"—I sensed your spell...a spell only you know. I do. I haven't taught it to anyone but you. It seems you knew I was here. Well, that makes sense, after all, you foresaw the end of the world."
The witch strolled leisurely back and forth in the image.
—But I don't want to see you.
"—It's not that I don't want to see you; in fact, I miss you terribly... I am a witch, a goddess. A characteristic of our race is that once we've made up our minds, we won't change them. And I... love you."
Her illusory body suddenly leaned forward, almost startling Miss Surtr.
But it was all just an illusion. Even if that impressive cleavage was right on Surtr's nose, it was still just a mirage.
"—At first, I also thought this was very abnormal. After all, you always have a supernatural charm. Men around you are more likely to form a camaraderie with you, while women are more likely to develop feelings of infatuation—it's a bit like a bewitching spell. And that's why I've always kept my distance from you."
"Oh, you haven't realized that yet? If that's true, I'm sorry. But I think you definitely have. Because I saw it."
The witch stuck out her tongue, looking rather playful and cute.
Miss Surtr's gaze also sharpened slightly.
"—But I later realized that seemed to be a mistake. Because you've been dead for so many years... I deliberately came to the ruins of Izalith to minimize external influences, thus avoiding interference with my research. You know, I'm a witch; I can spend a long time researching a technology. And ultimately... I reached a conclusion."
"Your power, your supernatural charm, is merely a trigger. It's actually very weak, far too weak to forcibly shift people's thoughts. The people around you must first develop a liking for you. Then, that liking will gradually amplify over time. And during this period, everything you do will, and will, influence the direction of that liking."
The witch leaned forward, but her feet moved backward. A high stool allowed her to sit comfortably after jumping back. Her slender feet, encased in stockings that would surely be produced even in the apocalypse, bounced up and down in an eye-catching manner.
"It's not uncommon for love to turn into hate. The result of seducing people is often self-destruction. But if many people around you genuinely love you, it only proves that you reciprocated with your own sincerity."
"Clara," she said with a smile, her voice instantly shifting from flippant to serious.
—'But you're doubting this love.'
"—Don't underestimate me, Surtr. What do you think the people around you are? What do you think a witch like me is? A clown who can't even control her own will, who would fall for you at first glance? You're wrong. My love is based on my own thoughts and decisions. I choose to do it myself, and I've proven it over countless millennia."
She raised her hand, across time and space, and stopped Miss Surtr's rebuttal with her finger to her lips.
"Don't ask me how I know—of course I know, because I saw it. Only an idiot like you would treat a lovers' quarrel as some kind of mental pollution. Slap the girl? Let her leave alone to calm down and think things through? Ugh... I almost jumped out and slapped you back for that girl. But since you didn't just leave her there and walk away, I'll let it slide."
"—You underestimate love. I can see you even doubt the feelings those two ladies beside you have for you. You think that's just your own distortion of them. But you fail to consider that Filianore never even met you before. And that lady named Fire Keeper was born after your death—you overestimate your supernatural charm. And you underestimate yourself. Therefore, I will punish your folly."
"—I know why you came. The primal runes... I've always studied those things. And I've recorded all my knowledge in this book. Flipping through it is no different than me explaining it to you personally. And beyond that, my punishment for you is..."
The witch released her grip and gazed at her, though they were separated by time and space. The tenderness in her eyes almost extinguished her flames.
—'I will not see you, Surtr.'
"I wasn't rejected by you, nor was I slapped by you. We never made any promises to each other. But I won't see you. I will cherish these feelings and restrain this infatuation."
"I won't see you. The more I miss you, the more I'll remain hidden. You know I won't die, and you know you can't find me. And that's my proof of this love. Since you question this love, I'll prove it to you, show you that your supposed supernatural allure can't sway my decision."
"—Have some confidence in yourself, Surtr —In the past, you used the excuse that others only cared about your strength to shut everything out. Now you use that charm as an excuse to deny others' affections for you. The root of all this is simply that you don't believe in yourself. But..."
She suddenly lunged forward, the illusory shadow of the past, into Miss Surtr's arms and abruptly traversing the void in a manner consistent with the illusion.
"Even if you don't believe in yourself, can't you at least believe in me, the one who believes in you?"
The illusory shadow suddenly dissipated, and the next moment, the girl's consciousness returned to the abandoned stone chamber.
Time stood still, the spellbook remained in his hand. His gaze darted to the side; the Fire Keeper and Filianore were still in the distance. Only a few traces of residual energy in the atmosphere confirmed that this message wasn't entirely a figment of his imagination.
"Clara," Miss Surtr said softly.
The next moment, she unleashed all her power and was about to leave when she found herself bitten on the hand by the spellbook.
—Don't come looking for me.
On the title page of the book appeared delicate handwriting.
"If you dare come looking for me, I'll go and pass on the torch."
The movement abruptly stopped.