“Oh, you two know each other?” the teacher exclaimed, clapping his hands with a beaming smile. “That’s perfect! Xia, why don’t you take that empty seat right next to… um, Luo Tianlian, wasn’t it?”
The Golden-haired Girl—or rather, Xia Luohua—gracefully settled into the seat beside Luo Tianchen. With a gentle smile, she offered, “It’s a pleasure to be in your care, Luo Tianlian.”
Luo Tianchen parted his lips, poised to ask a question, but she swiftly pressed a finger to them. “If there’s anything you wish to discuss,” she murmured, “let’s save it for after class.”
‘This girl, she must have already figured out who I truly am,’ Luo Tianchen thought.
‘Well, no matter. This is certainly not the right moment.’
As the class dragged on, Luo Tianchen’s mind was consumed by the events of yesterday, pondering how he should navigate his future. Not a single word the teacher uttered registered with him.
It hardly mattered, however, as the lessons were merely a review of old material. He endured the morning until lunch break, then seized an opportunity to pull Xia Luohua onto the school’s rooftop, locking the door firmly behind them.
“Now,” Luo Tianchen said, “no one can disturb us here.”
“Hold on, the way you’re talking… are you plotting something nefarious against me?” she teased playfully.
“Plotting something nefarious, my foot!” Luo Tianchen retorted, his voice bristling with indignation. “In my current state, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t! Besides, even in my original form, I couldn’t beat you!”
He continued, “I only dragged you up here because a crowd of students was surrounding you. There are some things you wouldn’t want others to overhear, after all.”
Yet, Luo Tianchen mused, while he could understand Xia Luohua being mobbed—she was, after all, a mysterious transfer student comparable to Ye Siya—why had he also been part of the spectacle?
“Indeed, you have a point,” she agreed cheerfully. “Well, I’ve more or less guessed what you want to ask.”
“…Why,” Luo Tianchen said, his face clouding over, “did I turn into a girl?”
“That’s a long story…”
“I don’t mind a long story. It’s lunchtime, so you have two hours to tell me. The more detailed, the better.”
“Well, it all began in ancient times, when myriad demons roamed the land…”
“Wait, you’re jumping way too far back!” Luo Tianchen interrupted, exasperated. “And ‘ancient times,’ seriously? Why not just say the Cretaceous period while you’re at it?”
“Didn’t you tell me to start from the beginning?” Xia Luohua countered.
“…Fine, just give me the short version.”
“In short, it’s because of the seed you swallowed yesterday.”
“The seed? Wasn’t that a legendary gem that could grant any wish? Why would it turn someone into a girl?” A sudden chill of dread swept through Luo Tianchen. ‘Could it be that I secretly wished to become a woman, and that’s why I’m like this now?’ No, it was impossible. He shook his head vigorously, attempting to banish the thought.
Xia Luohua seemed oblivious to his turmoil, shaking her head. “How to put it… if we’re talking about granting wishes, it does possess that ability, but with significant limitations. Your physical transformation stems from a more fundamental reason.”
“And what is that?” Luo Tianchen breathed a sigh of relief.
“Tell me, have you ever heard of witches?” she suddenly asked, changing the subject.
“Witches? Are you referring to those things magical girls turn into after they die in *Puella Magi Madoka Magica*?” Luo Tianchen recalled an anime his sister had recommended, answering accordingly.
“…If you truly wish to revert,” she said, her voice laced with warning, “it might be best not to joke at a time like this.”
“My sincerest apologies!”
When it came to witches, aside from some peculiar settings in anime and games, in reality, there were only Western sorceresses, witch hunts, and…
“The Witches’ Game…” Luo Tianchen unconsciously uttered the phrase he’d heard from the Driver.
“Hey, where did you hear that term?” Xia Luohua’s gaze sharpened, turning frighteningly intense.
“Huh? I just said it casually…” Luo Tianchen was startled by her extreme reaction. Instinct told him it wasn’t the best time to reveal the truth about the Driver, so he subtly omitted that detail.
She stared at Luo Tianchen for several seconds, seemingly unable to discern the truth in his words, then sighed. “If you don’t want to say, then don’t. Allow me to tell you, then. So-called witches are lifeforms that possess an appearance similar to human females, are extremely adept at disguising themselves, and wield extraordinary abilities.”
“Wait a minute, weren’t we discussing myths and legends? Why are you suddenly talking as if it’s all real?” Luo Tianchen felt utterly bewildered.
“…These aren’t myths and legends,” she said softly, unveiling a world hidden in shadow. “Witches have always existed throughout human history, from ancient times to the present day.”
“Huh? But, but…” Luo Tianchen found himself struggling to process her words.
“Just as a coin has two sides, and light casts a shadow, this world also has its visible and hidden facets. People in the surface world believe in science, disregarding gods and ghosts. Though wars sometimes erupt, they generally lead quiet, peaceful lives. The hidden world, however, is teeming with various lifeforms forgotten and feared by humanity. Witches are among the most powerful and terrifying of them all.”
“…Are you saying that all those mythical monsters actually exist?” Luo Tianchen wanted to laugh, but no sound escaped him. Experience told him this was all fantasy, yet his reason whispered that her words were credible, otherwise, they couldn’t explain the bizarre phenomena he’d experienced yesterday.
“It seems your capacity for acceptance is quite strong,” she remarked, a hint of surprise in her tone.
“What else can I do?” Luo Tianchen replied with a wry smile. “Science certainly can’t explain what’s happened to me.”
“Well, once you accept this fundamental premise, everything else becomes much easier to explain. Witches have existed in this world for a very, very long time. Traces of them can be found even in humanity’s most ancient records; they’ve practically witnessed the entire history of human development. But they are not good neighbors.
“Witches possess extremely long lifespans, and they generally remain within their own domains—places we refer to as ‘Void Realms,’ only venturing out occasionally. However, each of these seemingly innocuous outings, akin to our leisurely strolls, invariably brings utter devastation upon humanity.”
“W-why?” Luo Tianchen found himself utterly captivated by her story, swallowing hard.
“Because the power witches wield is far too immense, and their beauty is utterly captivating. Each time they appear, countless humans, desperate for their power and allure, flock to them. As I mentioned, witches are not human; they possess a mindset incomprehensible to ordinary people.
“While their thoughts are perfectly normal to themselves, in our eyes, they are nothing short of madwomen—madwomen capable of effortlessly destroying the world. For instance, there’s a recorded instance of a witch who once declared, ‘If you wish to obtain my love, then you must die.’”
“W-what in the world is that?” Luo Tianchen gaped, utterly dumbfounded.
“It’s hard to grasp, isn’t it? For humans, death signifies the end of everything, but for witches, it’s not so. They believe in karmic cycles, that all things have a destiny, and death is merely the conclusion of a journey.”
“So, what happened next?” Luo Tianchen wondered. No matter how he thought about it, no one could possibly die for some unknown ‘love.’ How could there be such foolish people in the world?
“As a result, nearly half the world’s population died at that time.”
“What?! How is that possible!”
“Because she possessed the Authority of ‘Lust,’ which could make any creature who saw her fall madly in love with her, willing to sacrifice everything. Afterward, the witch fulfilled her promise, constructing a mobile palace using the skeletons of the dead as its framework, their skin as its canopy, and their flesh and blood as its walls. This history was ultimately concealed by the people of the hidden world, and the witch was driven back into her own realm and sealed away.”
If her words were true, the mere thought of a palace built from the corpses of nearly half the world’s population evoked a pungent, bloody stench. And at its heart, a stunningly beautiful girl would recline on a throne of bone, sneering down at mortals.
“Truly, a hellish sight,” Luo Tianchen murmured, a shiver running down his spine. “But you mentioned a sealing? How could an entity capable of annihilating humanity with a single word be sealed away?” he questioned.
“I told you before, didn’t I? Everything has an opposing side. Because witches exist, there are also people like me, who inherit power through our bloodlines, safeguarding the order of the surface world.”
“You? You mean…”
“Demon hunters, monster hunters, exorcists—these are all names outsiders use for us. You can call us whatever you like, but I prefer you use my true profession.” Xia Luohua offered a slight smile.
“Your true profession?”
“Then allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Alaina Christian. My Chinese name is Xia Luohua. I am a Witch Hunter.”