Conversation and Reunion

“So… you were essentially ‘ripened’ by the power of an evil god? And that’s why your physical body and soul are out of sync?”

The doll tapped her forehead, her gaze on Annelise a peculiar one.

“What, what are you looking at? I only came into contact with an evil god when I was a foolish child. But ever since then, my memories have become a bit hazy. When I look at myself, it’s like I’m someone else. Even though I act according to my own will, it doesn’t feel like it’s truly me… It’s a super strange sensation, really.”

The tall loli, having just received a stern lecture, sat obediently across the table, recounting her feelings with downcast eyes.

“Like yourself, yet not like yourself? Could it be a third-person perspective, as if in a puppet-like state…”

“No, not at all.” Annelise shook her head, her brow furrowed in rejection. “Compared to a third-person perspective, it’s more like… more like, ah, yes! It’s like someone is guiding me hand-in-hand, never leaving my side, always present, and I act under their constant tutelage.”

Annelise’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she exclaimed.

“Never leaving your side? Guiding you hand-in-hand? And without going against your own will? Hmm, I believe I’m beginning to understand something…”

The doll pushed up the small, gold-rimmed spectacles on her nose, concealing the complex gaze behind the lenses, before continuing.

“Be grateful for your ancestors’ blessings, you fortunate little one.”

“?”

“That is the protection of heroic spirits, a grace bestowed upon you by your ancestors.”

“Ancestral grace?” In her soul form, a bewildered expression flickered in her ethereal blue eyes.

“Well, if you don’t know, never mind… But just to confirm, if I’m not mistaken, your family actually doesn’t have, hmm, any direct male relatives?”

“How did you know?!” Annelise gasped, her small mouth agape in utter astonishment at the doll revealing information she had only learned from the evil god. “But then again, the gatekeeper of hell would naturally know such things…”

However, a moment later, she seemed to grasp the situation, nodding in understanding.

“Heh, little one, you are unexpectedly infuriating. When did I ever claim to be the gatekeeper of hell?”

The doll reached across the table and playfully pinched the cheek of the bewildered little one, who still hadn’t grasped her current predicament.

“Then… who else could you be? A guide to heaven? That’s impossible, I’m a vampire.”

‘This idiot still believes she’s in hell…’

The doll shook her head with a resigned sigh, spreading her hands towards Annelise. “Alright, little one, let me explain your current situation.”

“Firstly, you are indeed dead, so what’s with the triumphant attitude? However, you didn’t go to hell; this is my domain! It’s not that chaotic, sulfur-smelling world! Likewise, I am not some gatekeeper of hell. I rescued you from the mouth of that tentacled monstrosity! You are still in the living world!”

“Then what is this place…?”

“As I said, this is my territory, my domain, my world! In other words, you can consider me the god of this place.”

The doll shrugged, a look of utter nonchalance on her face.

Seemingly oblivious to the tall loli’s bewildered disbelief, and even the pity in her eyes after hearing such wild delusions, the doll softly spoke to the air: “I say, let there be grass!”

From the doll’s center, a vibrant green spread outwards, like emerald paint splashed across a white canvas, swiftly transforming the sea of white flowers into an endless expanse of verdant land.

Annelise watched the scene unfold, utterly dumbfounded.

“I say, let there be a sun!”

The celestial orb of the moon was instantly replaced by a golden sun. The somewhat dim sky transformed in a flash, becoming as clear and blue as if freshly washed. The utterly realistic sunlight made Annelise recoil slightly, and while astonished by such immense power, she couldn’t help but feel both fear and longing for the doll who wielded it.

‘Heavens, what level of power is this…?’

“Let there be lakes, let there be mountains, let there be…”

The doll continued, and with each declared object, it materialized as if painted onto a canvas, covering the original backdrop and standing within the space, incredibly real, without a trace of artificiality.

Of course, this was not true world-creation. Though a Saint, Sally was still a hundred and eight thousand li from being a true Creator God. However, within her own domain, especially her Nightmare Barrier which possessed the attribute of [Fantasy Made Real], conjuring a dreamlike world almost indistinguishable from reality was certainly achievable.

In less time than it took to steep a cup of tea, the doll’s space had undergone a monumental transformation.

In the cerulean sky, a few white clouds drifted leisurely with the breeze. In the distance, beyond the mountains, a golden sun blazed brilliantly, emitting a light too intense to gaze upon directly, yet it adorned the lush green peaks with a breathtaking golden fringe.

Closer by lay a lake, its surface like a mirror, reflecting the azure of the sky. The deep blue, the lighter blue, and the sky’s reflection merged so perfectly that, when one tilted their head, it seemed as though the very boundary between lake and sky had dissolved.

The table where the doll and Annelise sat was now nestled on the vibrant green grass beside the lake. The blades swayed gently in the breeze, and Annelise could even detect the earthy scent of soil and the sweet fragrance of fresh grass.

“…This, this, this…”

“Do you believe me now, little one?”

‘Still surprised, are we… Hmm, the tea’s gotten a bit cold. It’s no fun always brewing it myself… Perhaps I should hire a professional tea-making maid in the future?’

Over the rim of her teacup, the doll watched with amusement as the flustered loli, barely five feet tall, swiveled her head with an audible creak to face her.

In Annelise’s eyes, the doll, now illuminated by the golden sun, appeared utterly majestic and solemn, like a divine being from the highest heavens. Her presence was as profound as an abyss, sacred and inviolable.

“Are you… God?”

Pfft…

“Ahem, ahem. Why do you assume I am that fellow, Jehovah?”

The doll wiped a speck of tea from the corner of her mouth, casting a wry, exasperated glance at Annelise.

“But your creation of the world-like feat…”

“This is merely a technique most Saints can employ. Besides, what does Jehovah have to do with creation? Though he is the chief god of the Light Pantheon… Oh, I understand now. It must be the deliberate concealment of history and propaganda by certain interested parties that led to this break in tradition.”

The doll tapped her chin with a slender finger, instantly comprehending the situation. After all, even before Sally was sealed, the inflated rhetoric of the Church of Light was already rampant.

Considering a millennium had passed, it was indeed enough time for such things to occur.

“Then… how should I address you?”

Annelise watched the doll cautiously, her awe now mingled with a profound wariness.

Beholding her cautious and reserved demeanor, the doll inexplicably felt a sudden surge of irritation.

Clearly, the doll preferred their earlier, lively banter over this relationship marked by such a vast disparity in status.

“From now on, there’s no need to address me with such formality. You can call me Sally, or simply Sally…”

Miss Doll stepped forward, moved to Annelise’s side, and leaned down to gently ruffle her soft, long hair.

Annelise clearly felt the gentle benevolence emanating from this great being beside her. Calming herself, she realized that even the previous ‘ordeal’ had been mostly playful teasing, and furthermore…

Annelise looked with a hint of surprise at the Cainhurst Ring on this being’s left middle finger.

Having just witnessed the astounding ‘creation’ that challenged her very worldview, the tall loli suddenly found that her reaction to seeing the ring was merely a mild surprise.

“May I ask… if I could know your identity?”

“I told you, no more honorifics with me!” The doll playfully pinched Annelise’s delicate, upturned nose.

“You saw my ring, didn’t you?” Seeing Annelise nod, the doll mused for a moment, then spoke in a rather peculiar tone: “Actually, by lineage, I am your grandfather.”

“What?!”