Within the mindscape, the Shadow Garden.
On that eternally verdant lawn stood a set of classical Western table and chairs. A white parasol cast just the right patch of shade, a lace tablecloth covered the table, and the tea set gleamed softly in the sunlight.
Echidna, the Witch of Greed, sat upright in one of the chairs, resting her cheek on one hand while the fingertips of the other gently traced the rim of a porcelain cup. She brought it to her lips, took a small sip of the strangely fragrant Dona tea, then slowly raised her eyes.
"Should I say congratulations, or damn it-"
There was a trace of something indefinable in her voice.
"-our Witch of Envy, Satella, actually broke through the seal. Truly unbelievable."
In the distance, a figure in a dark robe slowly approached.
Satella walked at an unhurried pace, each step seeming to measure the boundaries of this mindscape. She wore none of her signature veils, and her long silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, fluttering gently in the imaginary breeze. Her face-that face almost identical to a certain royal selection candidate in the Kingdom of Lugunica-was slightly lowered, as though she were thinking about something.
She walked over to the other chair and sat down.
Echidna stared at her for a good while, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
"To be fair, you two really do look almost exactly alike. I'm starting to suspect you freed your physical body from the seal long ago and sent it out to reincarnate."
"That screen in the sky."
Satella spoke. Her voice was much gentler than Echidna remembered, lacking the madness and shrillness that came from the Witch Factor of Envy's corruption.
"It quietly provided me with a way to break through the seal in secret. But of course-only I, the companion you all knew four hundred years ago, broke free."
She paused, her violet-blue eyes turning toward Echidna, her gaze clear and firm.
"The other 'me'-the negative personality born of the Witch Factor of Envy-is still sealed away. Rest assured, Echidna."
"Tch."
Echidna turned her face away, her tone full of disdain.
"Why would I need reassurance about you? Don't flatter yourself."
Satella did not argue. She glanced down at the tabletop before her-empty, with neither cup nor tea. She gently waved her slender fingers through the air.
A cup appeared on the table-
Iced black tea.
"...What are you playing at?"
Echidna's expression froze for a moment.
"Nothing."
Satella lifted the cup of dark liquid and took a gentle sip, an almost imperceptible smile appearing on her lips.
"I just thought... he would probably like this."
"-Tch."
Echidna snorted coldly, lifted her own Dona tea, and took another gulp, only to frown as she swallowed. She stared at the strangely fragrant tea in her hand, then at the clear, translucent iced black tea in Satella's, and suddenly felt that her own Dona tea-was not quite so appealing anymore.
"That child."
Satella's voice suddenly grew quieter.
"I've met her too."
Echidna raised an eyebrow.
"But we had only just met, and I accidentally..."
Satella did not finish.
She lowered her head, her long silver hair hiding her expression, but Echidna could see the fingers clenched around her teacup trembling slightly.
"Even if it was the other 'me' who did it then... if Subaru-kun hadn't been able to Return by Death, I would have..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, as though she feared disturbing something.
"She really is so much like me."
Satella raised her face, a complicated light reflected in her violet-blue eyes.
"I even wonder whether we might be twins scattered across the world. I'm the Witch of Envy from four hundred years ago, while she's the so-called 'Witch of Glaciation' four hundred years later... but I'm truly grateful."
A faint blush appeared on her face.
"Subaru has always liked me looking like this."
Her smile was slight and faint, yet held an indescribable tenderness.
Echidna watched her, silent for several seconds.
"Should I say that's just like you, or just like both of you?"
There was a hint of helplessness in her tone.
"Even your personalities are exactly alike. Does this world have to produce a sweet, innocent airhead like this every four hundred years? And why is it always this sort of sweet, innocent airhead-why do they always end up being... by him... by him..."
She did not finish.
It had been this way four hundred years ago, and it was still this way four hundred years later.
Echidna set down her teacup, her fingertips tapping lightly against the table.
"And here I thought I had already unraveled the laws of the world, of this so-called 'Od Laguna.' Yet I still failed to anticipate an unexpected turn like this."
"Thank you for the compliment, Echidna."
Satella's smile deepened a little.
"You're making me blush."
"Hey, hey, hey."
Echidna's brow twitched.
"Don't just sit there giggling to yourself. When did I compliment you?"
She pressed a hand to her forehead, rubbing her temple, her voice full of weariness. At that moment, the Dona tea in her hand-seemed to have lost all its appeal.
"I'm going to get angry."
She shoved her cup toward Satella.
"Hurry up and change mine to his iced black tea too."
"No problem."
Smiling, Satella lightly waved her fingertips again.
Iced black tea, filled to the brim.
The two witches each held their cups and took a few sips.
The cool tea spread across their tongues, carrying a slightly astringent sweetness. Echidna had to admit-this drink really did taste better than Dona tea.
Silence.
Soundless silence surged in like a tide, filling the space between them.
A moment later-
"By the way, Echidna."
Satella set down her cup, a trace of unease entering her voice.
"That screen in the sky in the real world... what exactly is it?"
Echidna closed her eyes.
She did not answer immediately. Her fingertips continued tapping lightly on the table, producing rhythmic, crisp sounds. Then she lifted her iced black tea and took another sip.
"There's a force of falsehood."
She spoke softly.
"Huh?!"
Satella's fingers tightened abruptly, almost crushing her cup.
"Do you mean she's behind this?!"
"Easy, easy."
Echidna opened one eye and glanced at her.
"I haven't finished yet."
She took another sip of tea.
"The Authority of 'Vainglory' is indeed present. But-it feels somewhat cluttered. It lacks that perverse purity of hers."
"In other words-"
She set down her cup, folded her hands on the table, and her gaze sharpened.
"She would leave no traces whatsoever. Absolute 'cleanness.' But that screen is already about to expose everyone's trump cards. Though they share the same source, their powers are complete opposites."
"Then what exactly is..."
"Of course it's-"
Echidna suddenly stopped.
She stared at Satella's face, her lips slowly curving into a dangerous smile.
"Wait a moment. Why do I absolutely have to tell you? It cheapens my 'omniscience and omnipotence'!"
"Sorry for the trouble, big sister."
Satella lifted the teapot with both hands and filled Echidna's cup again.
"Let me pour you another cup, big sister-of iced black tea."
"Enough."
Echidna turned her face away.
"Stop making me sick. Do you really know nothing at all, understand nothing at all-about the arrangements that 'husband' of yours made four hundred years ago?"
"Ah! Don't say things like that..."
Satella's face instantly flushed crimson.
"We clearly already... we certainly have consummated our relationship, and we certainly are... but we haven't actually married..."
"-Shut up."
Echidna's face reddened too.
Not from embarrassment, but from-anger? Awkwardness? Or something else that defied description?
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
What sweet, innocent airhead? She's clearly a scheming green tea bitch.
Or had this former friend of hers already had most of her mind eroded by the Witch Factor of Envy? Echidna bit her lip.
After all, even after losing her own Witch Factor of Greed, she would still conduct all sorts of bizarre research because of her overly intense thirst for knowledge, causing many negative consequences.
She could understand.
But that did not mean she could accept being toyed with like this.
"I'm sorry, Echidna."
Satella's voice suddenly grew serious.
"For troubling you. But I really don't know... fighting the other 'me' consumed almost all my mental energy. And as for those plans four hundred years ago... by then, I had already become that other, terrifying personality."
She lowered her head, her fingers gripping the rim of her cup.
"But I truly couldn't live with myself if I blamed everything that was lost on another personality. In the shadows, I also thought about ending it all."
She raised her face, Echidna's figure reflected in her violet-blue eyes.
"So now-please give me a chance to atone, will you?"
Her voice was soft, yet carried a weight that brooked no refusal.
"Please, Echidna-chan."
"-Hah."
Echidna let out a long sigh.
"What kind of ill-fated bond is this?"
She lifted her iced black tea and drained it.
Then she set down her cup, folded her hands, and gazed into the distant void.
"Four hundred years ago, Flugel found a few broken antique mirror fragments in various places throughout the four great nations. For some reason, he couldn't bear to put them down back then, and he even jumped around like an idiot, saying something like-"
She paused, a subtle hint of confusion in her voice.
"'iPhone'?"
"I can sense that this screen has the original form of those antiques. But I've never been able to determine the source of its power. It's too cluttered."
Her voice grew low.
"Your portion of the Witch Factor of Envy's power, some of the power of the 'Sword Saint' Reid and the 'Last Lion King' Farsale are in it too. Did he fleece something out of everyone? He didn't even spare the Witch of 'Vainglory'-"
She looked at Satella, a trace of inquiry in her gaze.
"How did he do it? Combining so many powers, then activating it now-what an undertaking. It must have taken a great deal of effort too."
She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.
"Even if I used to be 'omniscient and omnipotent,' this is all I can manage now. As for the rest-ask him yourself when the time comes."
"What about you, then?"
Echidna opened one eye and glanced toward Satella.
"Now that your airheaded... pure-hearted self has broken through the seal, do you have any plans? Your physical body no longer even exists. But with your power, creating another vessel wouldn't be difficult."
Satella was silent for a moment.
"Although Subaru said himself that he would 'save' me."
Her voice was soft.
"But seeing Subaru now-he has a girl of his own too. I won't ask for my physical body to be resurrected."
She raised her head, that verdant lawn reflected in her violet-blue eyes, along with the cup of iced black tea that had already reached its bottom.
"I only hope to stay by Subaru's side. To become his strength-a strength that can protect him."
Echidna stared at her for a good while.
"Although I know the Witch Factor of Envy is completely incompatible with you, even back then, you already had the power to swallow half the world."
She paused.
"As you are now-"
"I have less than a tenth of my power left now."
Satella spoke calmly.
"It's been like this ever since I was sealed."
"Hey, hey, hey-"
Echidna's brow twitched sharply.
"Have you really become some fox demon's 'Monkey Three'? Less than a tenth of your power? You're saying that with 'not even one-tenth' of your power, your projection in the real world already qualifies as a 'great calamity'?"
She did not wait for Satella to answer.
"I already knew you were strong, but this is still unbelievable. If the Witch of Envy Factor were a perfect match for you, just how far would you go? Wouldn't you become a Human God who stood above even 'Od'?"
"Echidna."
Satella tilted her head.
"I don't understand some of the terms you're using at all. But I don't like the title 'Human God' either-it doesn't sound like anything good."
"Fair enough."
Echidna picked up her refilled iced tea and gently swirled the cup.
"'Human God' certainly isn't a good title."
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, carrying a hint of an intrigued smile.
"The ability 'Return by Death' truly is a miracle."
She seemed to be talking to herself, yet also to someone else.
"If he also had a younger brother named 'Lu Mingze'-perhaps he'd have ended up with a 'Long Aotian' script."
Suddenly.
Satella's hand holding the teacup-shook.
It was not a slight, involuntary tremor.
Her entire arm was shaking violently. Iced tea splashed out of the cup and landed on the tablecloth, spreading into a dark stain.
Then her whole body began to shake.
The shadows on her face grew heavier and deeper, as though something were surging up from beneath that exquisite face.
"What's wrong, Satella?"
Echidna set down her cup, her brow furrowing slightly.
"That one's projection."
Satella's voice changed.
It no longer held that innocent, harmless tone from before. Instead, it carried something cold, suppressed, and almost spilling over-
Killing intent.
"Found Subaru for me."
Her lips slowly curved into a dangerous arc.
"I'll go-clear the obstacles ahead of him."
Her fingers tightened around the teacup, and the porcelain gave a faint cracking sound.
"Of course, I'll also 'press' that one back down."
"And-"
She raised her head, a power that almost seemed to take tangible form surging in her violet eyes.
"First, I'll wipe out one nasty old man."
With that-
The "Witch of Envy," Satella, turned into a whirlwind.
The tablecloth was whipped away, the tea set swept to the ground, and the iced tea traced an arc through the air, spilling everywhere. The whirlwind spun, roared, and tore at the boundaries of this mental space-
Then dissipated.
Leaving a mess behind.
Echidna sat motionless in her chair.
She looked down at her tea-stained sleeve, then at the empty seat across from her.
"Honestly."
She sighed and reached over to brush the moisture from her sleeve.
"Leaving in such a hurry, spilling tea everywhere."
Then she picked up her own cup-only to discover that it had long since emptied.
She set the cup down, leaned back in her chair, and looked up at the sky, which was slowly healing after being torn apart by the whirlwind.
"Then our tea party-ends here."
Her voice was very soft, as though she were talking to herself.
"Perhaps this was the last tea party exclusively for the two of us."
The wind swept across the lawn, lifting her long, silvery-white hair.
"But who knows-what will actually happen in the future?"
She closed her eyes, a faint, inscrutable smile appearing on her lips.
"Perhaps the threads of fate have already begun weaving in another direction. Perhaps in the future, the two of us will still have an opportunity like this-to hold a tea party just for us."
The mental space.
On the empty lawn, only that table, those two chairs, and that overturned cup of iced tea remained.
And-
A "Witch of Greed" sitting alone.