The Sleeping Witch

Xu Xi had spent four years with the witch.

During these four years,

he had watched the witch grow up.

About the witch, about Krisha, Xu Xi believed no one knew her better than he did.

Yet, despite this familiarity, Xu Xi had rarely taken the time to truly observe Krisha's eyes.

How should one describe them?

The bonfire burned in the darkness, warmth and faint light intertwined, the weather turning cold, breath visible as mist, her bright yet fragile eyes blinking softly.

Those eyes were not as beautiful as the descriptions of protagonists in novels and biographies.

They lacked the mysterious and dazzling colors.

They lacked the fearless determination and decisiveness.

They lacked the purity and kindness.

Those descriptions, those emotions, had no connection to the emotionally detached witch.

All Xu Xi could see were hollow, lifeless eyes, devoid of any vitality, untainted by any emotion, like inanimate objects with no presence.

Only in the moment of blinking could one sense that the owner of those eyes was alive.

"..."

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, the moisture on the surface of her eyes magnifying the calmness and indifference under the light of the bonfire.

Xu Xi was curious. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, so what kind of soul did Krisha have?

He stared, looked closely, examined carefully.

But no matter how he observed, all Xu Xi could see in those eyes was his own reflection, and nothing else.

This was natural.

After all, Xu Xi was making eye contact with Krisha, so naturally, Krisha's field of vision was filled only with Xu Xi.

"It seems that saying is false."

Xu Xi felt a slight regret.

He had failed to see through the witch's heart by looking into her eyes.

Not wasting any more time, Xu Xi began to carefully observe the intertwined gold and black in Krisha's eyes.

The two colors intertwined and mingled, like stars reflecting each other in the night sky, merging in a way Xu Xi could not comprehend, inseparable and inseparable.

It was not beautiful; in fact, it was somewhat frightening.

The twisted colors caused psychological discomfort.

"Krisha, can you tell me when your eyes changed?" Xu Xi asked.

"It was before you returned," the girl replied in a calm tone.

Regarding the mutation of her eyes, the witch herself was not clear.

But through her explanation and the various questions Xu Xi asked, he quickly understood the root cause of the eye mutation.

"Despair and sorrow..."

"No, more specifically, it's an overly intense and stimulating emotion."

"Krisha's eyes are pale gold because she has half-demon blood. So, from another perspective, could the change in her eyes correspond to a change in her bloodline?"

Looking at the motionless, doll-like girl,

Xu Xi fell into deep thought.

He had considered many possibilities, but among the countless possibilities, the demon bloodline was the most suspicious.

Thus, Xu Xi reached out his hand and gently covered Krisha's head, rubbing the spot where her horns had been removed.

It felt rough.

There were some bumps.

There were slight signs of regrowth.

"So it's like this..." Xu Xi's speculation was confirmed.

The sound of wind howled in his ears, and as the night deepened, the evening wind grew fiercer, but it was all blocked by the magical barrier.

Only the sound echoed unwillingly.

Regarding demons, Xu Xi did not know much.

He had only read a few fragments from the Mage Association's books, such as how demons were born without the ability to use magic but possessed powerful physical bodies, and were considered world pests hated by the gods.

These records were too subjective and lacked detailed information.

Therefore,

Xu Xi could not determine whether Krisha's changes were good or bad.

"Krisha, do you feel any different?" Xu Xi dispelled the light spell and asked the owner of the eyes.

She shook her head.

Her silver-gray hair swayed with the motion.

"Teacher, I don't feel any different," Krisha answered truthfully.

She neither felt any physical discomfort nor any improvement. Apart from the change in her eye color, everything remained the same as usual.

"Is that so..."

The bonfire burned fiercely, and Xu Xi gave up his investigation of the eyes.

His knowledge of demons was too limited, almost nonexistent. With such a lack of information, neither the wisdom of an observer nor that of an ordinary person could provide much help.

To uncover the truth behind this,

he would have to travel to other cities, consult more demon-related books, and observe the girl's daily changes.

Fortunately, this change did not bring Krisha any pain.

The only issue was that her eyes looked unsettling.

Xu Xi didn't mind, and Krisha didn't care, so there was nothing to worry about.

...

In the time that followed,

Xu Xi and Krisha sat around the bonfire.

Protected by the warm barrier of the fire, no strong wind could enter, nor could it extinguish the temporarily built bonfire.

It was a subtle feeling.

Sitting quietly inside, sipping warm water, watching the roaring natural winds not far away, it felt as if they were isolated from the world, transcending the boundaries of life and death.

Looking up, they could see the starry sky.

Looking down, they could see the vast wilderness.

Glancing to the side, they could see the burning Alenson.

"Teacher... Teacher... Teacher."

In such an environment, Krisha, as usual, occasionally wanted to do something for Xu Xi.

Like boiling water, or organizing the items in the spatial ring.

She couldn't stay idle.

She always wanted to help Xu Xi with something.

In the end, it was Xu Xi who spoke up, telling the girl to sit down and rest, before she finally settled down.

"Krisha, we're not in Alenson anymore. You can relax a little."

"...Yes."

Seeing the girl still somewhat restless, Xu Xi decided to tell her some stories to distract her.

He spoke a lot, and it was a mix of topics.

There were myths from Earth, tips and techniques for practicing magic, or simply some leisurely daily life of ordinary people.

Krisha listened attentively.

Was it because the stories were truly interesting, or because it was Xu Xi who was telling them?

Or perhaps... neither?

Halfway through his storytelling, Xu Xi noticed that the girl had already fallen into a deep sleep.

Her breathing was steady, her sleep peaceful, emitting soft snores. Her delicate features, illuminated by the moonlight, had a unique, cold beauty.

"She's still just a child."

Xu Xi smiled helplessly.

He stood up, walked over to the sleeping girl, and covered her with a thick, warm blanket.

As if sensing Xu Xi's movements in her dream,

the girl murmured something incoherent, looking utterly adorable.

To be honest, when Xu Xi first met Krisha, he had never imagined that the frail, mud-covered girl would grow into what she was today.

"Is this a life simulation game, or a little girl raising simulator?"

Under the starry sky,

Xu Xi summoned the simulation panel and fell into deep thought.