What must be done must be done. Though inexperienced, anyone with half a brain could manage it. She wasn’t so stubborn as to insist on standing—that would only invite humiliation.

Tiyi let out a soft, resigned sigh. Lifting her skirt, she was surprised to find the black lace triangle covering her modesty required unfastening straps to remove.

No more prayers for divine forgiveness. The gods had long since turned their gaze from her.

*"If I simply don’t see myself as a woman… would that suffice? Even squatting down…"* Tiyi prepared herself, steeling for the inevitable. At last, she faced the mystery within the mystery—the shame beneath the shame, the allure beneath the allure.

Tiyi, who should have lived a life of eternal chastity, now beheld the ultimate sanctuary of a beautiful woman. But this was her own.

…

Stepping out of the wooden door, Tiyi’s heart refused to settle.

That sensation kept whispering the truth: her fundamental stance in life had irrevocably shifted. Such a simple, trivial change in posture had eroded so much of her confidence in her gender—so, so much…

Of course, those born female could still stand tall. But not Tiyi. Not after twenty-odd years of an epic life forged in battle. How could she feign confidence between the sexes while moving cautiously, guarding against prying eyes, fearing attacks from monsters driven by desires beyond mere slaughter?

Passing the bathroom door, Tiyi stared at the copper plaque carved with delicate feminine motifs. *Soon, I’ll have to face this place too.*

*"If I truly had confidence, I’d accept who I am now—not keep comparing myself to the past. So what if I’ve lost what I once had? Or even lack it now?"*

Acknowledging vulnerability in this realm—to face everything head-on—that was true courage. The word *"man"* made Tiyi’s cheeks burn; she couldn’t even bear to think it.

A soft, soul-stirring cry echoed from the darkness.

Tiyi turned. The black cat reappeared at the corridor’s end, its eerie glowing eyes fixed on her for a moment before it darted away.

*"A black cat?"*

For some reason, Tiyi felt drawn to the mischievous creature. She followed where it led.

Down the corridor, at a fork, she spotted the cat again. It trotted ahead, tail swaying, glancing back at her now and then.

*Was it guiding me?*

The night was deep. Tiyi’s mind, still reeling from recent events, felt hollow. Curious where the cat might lead, she trailed after it.

Following the feline as it darted in and out of shadows, Tiyi navigated tunnel after tunnel. The stone church passageways gave way to raw earth and exposed rock walls.

Before she realized it, she stood once more in the cavern glittering with magical crystal veins.

*"This is where Lady Dilovei and I came earlier today."*

*"Hm?"*

Tiyi scanned the surroundings. The black cat had vanished.

No clear path lay ahead.

*"Why did it bring me here? Or was it mere coincidence?"*

Puzzled, Tiyi recalled Dilovei’s earlier guidance.

Dilovei had said elemental perception rarely awakened at once—it required constant attunement, chasing that elusive spark.

*"My talent for sensing elements is mediocre. Since I’m here anyway, I might as well practice again."*

*"I hope what just happened won’t cloud my focus."*

Tiyi’s mental discipline, especially in cultivation, was formidable. She swiftly cleared her mind and began practicing elemental perception as Dilovei instructed.

Yet when Tiyi closed her eyes—only darkness remained. Endless, impenetrable darkness.

*"How…?"* Doubt crept in. *"Is my magical aptitude truly flawed? I have time, but what if it takes months to sense even a single element?"*

Tiyi couldn’t afford to wait.

The Witch selection wouldn’t pause for her.

Without magic, without Sacred Power, her body weakened—no matter how masterfully her swordsmanship returned, she’d never reclaim her former peak.

*"If I were truly magic-less, I could accept it. But the Goddess of Night gifted me a body perfectly attuned to elements… yet denied me the perception to wield them? This is unbearable…"*

Like nearing paradise, only to find the final gate locked.

*"Is this another of Selys’s cruel jokes?"* A deep wave of dejection washed over Tiyi. She bent forward, hands braced on her knees.

*"Well now… such a diligent girl out so late. Or are you simply lost?"* A mature, low-pitched voice—rich with magnetic warmth and casual amusement—floated through the gloom.

From the cavern’s shadowed edge, a tall, curvaceous witch leaned against the wall. Her wide-brimmed black hat framed a face half-lit by crystal glow. Beneath her robes, the swell of her chest traced two silvery arcs.

*"Who—? Lady Xialda?"* Tiyi turned.

Xialda strode forward, one arm crossed over her chest, her robed figure swaying with hypnotic grace. *"Does someone need big sister’s help?"*

Xialda stood slightly taller than Tiyi; her hat made her seem even more imposing.

*"Ah, I know you. The girl kneeling before the moonstone earlier."* Before Tiyi could speak, Xialda circled her, studying her from every angle. Her gaze flickered between Tiyi’s face and her own chest, then lingered on Tiyi’s eyes. *"Troubled, little one?"*

*"Lady Xialda, I’m learning magic under Lady Dilovei. I believe I’ve grasped her teachings, but… perhaps I’m not the adept student she hoped for."* Tiyi shook her head. She knew Xialda was the Holy Church’s Chief Witch. Though Tiyi didn’t truly see herself as one of them, she respected such power and wisdom.

*"What is magic?"* Xialda stepped closer, her smooth legs gliding forward.

*"Huh?"*

Xialda inhaled deeply, languidly. *"Is it the breath that brushes past you—the flutter it stirs in your heart? Isn’t that its own kind of enchantment?"*

*"Lady Xialda…"* Tiyi felt the heat radiating from the taller woman’s body, smelled the faint scent of magical herbs clinging to her.

*"And magic is also…"* Xialda took Tiyi’s hand, tracing unknown symbols onto her palm with a fingertip.

Though the symbols held no power, the light pressure against Tiyi’s skin sent shivers through her. She tried to pull away, but Xialda held firm.

*"My scribbles hold no magic—yet they make this hand, capable of wielding a greatsword, tremble? Isn’t that enchantment too?"* Xialda tilted her head, eyes liquid.

*"Chief Witch, I… I wish to know—"*

*"Are you certain your strength is less than mine?"* Xialda advanced, her movements sinuous. Her icy breath and the radiant heat from her chest forced Tiyi to step back—involuntarily—until her shoulders met the cavern wall.

*What is this Chief Witch playing at?*

*"Yet you keep retreating. Can you name this force?"*

*"I… can only say it’s unnatural. Unexplainable. Yet undeniably felt."* Tiyi turned her face aside, toward the softly pulsing crystals.

*"Hmm."* Xialda’s long lashes fluttered. *"Dilovei’s faith in you isn’t misplaced. I sense hidden power within you… and an allure. An allure for the elements."*

*"Perhaps my heart still hesitates. Lady Xialda—how do you banish distractions during magical practice? If you ever have any."* Tiyi turned back. Their faces were closer than she’d ever been to another woman’s.

But she met Xialda’s gaze squarely, breathing in her orchid-like scent—even as a woman. She craved truth. She might not crave magic itself, but destiny demanded she walk this path.

Xialda’s eyes darkened. Her chest nearly brushed Tiyi’s—yet she pulled back, stepping away.

She turned toward the disorienting crystals. *"Why do witches obsess over magic? Or… why become a witch at all?"*

Tiyi had no answer.

*"Some witches come from poverty. But let’s be honest—curiosity about nature and knowledge requires some education. Many girls were comfortable before becoming witches. Some, even privileged."*

*"Why risk judgment? Execution? To chase magic? Truth?"*

*"For power? Desire?"* Xialda turned, studying Tiyi up and down. *"Yes, desire exists. Yet many witches dislike fighting—even after gaining power."*

*"What force drives them to embrace what the world calls forbidden? Terrifying? What allure do these things hold?"* Xialda’s gaze pinned Tiyi.

This question, so visceral for young witches, left Tiyi speechless.

She didn’t know.

She hadn’t chosen the witch’s path. She’d never pondered these things.

*Does she suspect my true identity?*

Xialda shook her head slightly. *"Lost?"*

*"Why become a witch? To face the world’s scorn and the Empire’s brutal punishments? Is it worth it? Wouldn’t it be easier to follow the path laid out for you? To be a proper woman?"*

*"I’ll tell you this, Tiyi: not only can’t you answer—I can’t either. Not anymore."*

*"Perhaps… it’s simply because we love it."*

Xialda’s eyes held a hollow depth. *"Drawn by that mystery. Maybe it’s an escape when reality disappoints. Or a hunger for the forbidden when complacency chokes us. Or chasing truths that defy the world’s rules—the doctrines forced upon us since birth. Different explanations. A different world."*

*"No reason. Body and mind simply… ache for the unknown. They call it the Devil’s whisper. But it’s our truest self."*

*"That may be our purpose."* Xialda approached, her hand resting lightly on Tiyi’s shoulder. *"Refusing the life others design. Rejecting a world shaped by predecessors. Breaking free from truths decreed by higher powers—before they steal our own thoughts. Our own minds."*

*"Miss Tiyi—what are truth, magic, the self? Have you ever truly pondered them?"* Xialda’s violet eyes held hers.

*"Learning magic. Adventuring. Whatever path you take…"*

Xialda’s fingers brushed Tiyi’s chin—a touch that sparked something deep within. She turned toward the cavern entrance, her slender waist and the gentle curve of her hips swaying beneath her robes.

*"We only wish to be ourselves."* At the threshold, Xialda tilted her wide hat. Behind her, darkness framed her face—pale as frost under moonlight.

World. Magic. Self…

Have you ever truly pondered them?

Xialda swayed her alluring hips and drifted away.

Leaving Tiyi alone, leaning against the cave wall in the gloom.

*"Have I ever truly pondered them?"*

This seemingly simple question plunged Tiyi into deep thought.

What was the world? Of course Yedi knew.

But did that knowledge come from *herself*?

Not necessarily. Though Yedi had always believed it without doubt, the truth was—this reality stemmed from the Holy Church, from the legacy of the Sacred Temple Knights, from the Empire’s official histories.

Had *she* ever truly pondered it?

Tiyi felt no fear in this solitude. Instead, a blessed quiet washed over her.

A profound stillness.

She closed her eyes.

Darkness. Endless darkness surged once more.

*"Perhaps I possess remarkable elemental affinity… but am I truly fascinated by magic? Does my thirst for the truth behind these mysterious forces compare to other Witches? Even to a simple peasant woman lured by darkness?"*

*"My heart never held true passion for magic…"*

*"I only sought a chance to change my fate. I was forced to learn magic…"*

*"I… may have been too arrogant."*

*"Fundamentally, I am different from them. No matter how powerful I once was—if I never questioned the world or myself, how could I ever perceive what I denied?"*

*"Magic."*

What *was* magic?

Should one question the self? Should one doubt the established world?

*"I cannot answer. But I wish to know more. I must see more with my own eyes before I can judge."*

*"I want to uncover magic’s secrets."*

*"I want to know…"*

*"The truth."*

The Goddess of Night guides none who cannot open their eyes within darkness.

Tiyi’s eyelids remained shut.

Yet within her senses—it was as if her eyes had opened.

Darkness. Still endless darkness.

Just as before.

*"What’s wrong?"*

*"Are my thoughts still mistaken? Why do I see nothing? Is the Goddess of Night refusing me because I am not a true woman?"*

…

*"No."*

*"I understand now."*

*"I finally know what I see."*

*"What I see—is darkness."*

Tiyi’s eyes stayed closed. Yet she stepped forward with serene certainty, gliding to the cave’s center as if sensing every inch around her.

She finally grasped why her meditations yielded only blackness.

It wasn’t due to lacking talent.

Doubts and distractions clouded her mind—but they hadn’t dulled her senses. They’d skewed her *perspective* on questioning the world, on perceiving reality.

A sudden clarity struck Tiyi!

*"What I sense—is an infinity of Dark elements."*

Perhaps the cave’s darkness ran unusually deep. Perhaps Tiyi’s affinity for shadow was simply… too acute.

The overwhelming density of Dark elements drowned out all others in the cavern. That was why she sensed nothing else.

Other elements hid within the endless night.

Darkness did not mean emptiness.

Darkness could embrace all things. When all perished and returned to shadow—might new life still stir within its ashes? If so… could all things also be born from darkness?

In that moment, Tiyi began to perceive the ever-present Dark elements—their power, their hidden rhythm.

Her will followed instinct. Unconsciously, her mind reached out, guiding the Dark elements to flow gently aside, seeking the hidden essences beneath.

In the pitch-black world—a speck of water-blue glow flickered.

A dot of orange-red spark ignited.

A glimmer of golden elemental light shimmered…

Gradually, more lights bloomed in the dark. Colors flared—some bright, some dim, some vivid, some pure…

They floated around her, surrounding and soothing her, flickering endlessly, seeming to pierce through the cave walls themselves.

Like a starry sky of elements, shimmering just for her.