"Virtual Persona?" The boy couldn't help asking again. "In this world, what's the difference between reality and virtuality? You're here now—what about her?"
"Virtual is virtual precisely because it does not belong to reality." The witch lowered her eyelids and answered softly, "But precisely because of that, two souls can remain safely within the same 'body'... It's just that as I grew, her body became weaker and weaker."
"The stronger I became, the closer she came to becoming completely 'false.' But the longer I stayed in the Illusory Dream Realm, the stronger I inevitably became... To keep 'reality' from disappearing entirely, I chose to sleep for long stretches of time."
At that, the witch suddenly smiled. "Don't you find it interesting? Back outside, she thought about slacking off and sleeping all day, about not having to practice those tedious magic spells... But after coming to the dream realm, sleep became a luxury. On one hand, she struggled desperately to escape this illusory world; on the other, she had no choice but to sink into slumber within the illusion."
Zheng Qing silently listened to this plain yet somewhat cruel story.
"What about now?" His gaze followed the gentle slope to the summit of Kela Mountain. The snow lay shrouded in night, radiating a deep, biting chill. "Why did you wake up now?"
"Because she needs help." The witch's answer caught Zheng Qing somewhat by surprise. "You stayed in that old house for too long—long enough to jolt me awake from my unease... I should have remained asleep for much longer. That I woke now must be Merlin's blessing, a blessing that she may return to the real world."
He couldn't help interrupting. "Do you know the consequences of helping her?"
"Consequences?" She puffed out her cheeks, just like that Little Witch