Sleepless throughout the night, Mi Xia spent nearly ten hours grappling with emotions she had never before experienced.
The dim light flickered all night long, and she sat on the bed, her legs drawn up to her chest, intently watching the reflection of the delicate yet strikingly beautiful girl in the mirror.
Every movement she made, every stiff expression, was mirrored precisely by the image, making the experience feel utterly dreamlike—even though she knew such a thing was impossible.
Undeniably, this was the body she now possessed.
A wave of unease swept over her, and when the inevitable exhaustion threatened to pull her under in the middle of the night, she rose from the bed and paced the room, striving to ward off sleep.
She dreaded the possibility of sleeping for months, or even longer, fearing that upon her next awakening, everything might have transformed into something even more bizarre.
Under the crushing weight of extreme mental fatigue, she even entertained a conjecture: perhaps everything happening to her was a severe side effect of her insomnia, causing cognitive and visual perception disturbances akin to hallucinations.
This was the only plausible theory she could conceive, leading her to believe that by simply avoiding another descent into ‘deep slumber,’ she might gradually recover.
She persevered in this cyclical manner until the early hours of the next morning, so utterly exhausted that even opening her eyes felt like an immense effort.
Then, she heard a knock, followed by the sound of a door opening.
Lifting her head slightly, she peered through the narrowest slit of her eyelids, discerning a blurry figure entering the room.
It was the nun from the previous night, identifiable by her entirely black attire.
The nun offered no comment on the scene within the room; she walked to the table, busied herself for a minute or two, and then approached the bed.
Mi Xia struggled to rally her spirits, lifting her head to look at the woman, intent on speaking.
Just as the words formed on her lips, a peculiar jasmine-like scent wafted to her, and her eyelids suddenly grew heavy, as if weighted down.
Before sleep claimed her, she felt a pair of hands gently guide her shoulders back down, simultaneously hearing a voice devoid of almost any emotion,
“There’s no need for such vigilance. Even in Mistfall City (TL Note: A fictional city, literally ‘Thin Fog City’ or ‘Mist City’), at this hour, this place is considered safe. You can rest assured and sleep soundly. I will wake you when the daytime temperature is no longer so high.”
****
When she awoke again, her mind felt significantly clearer.
Slowly sitting up, Mi Xia noticed a silver box on the table, containing the burnt stub of something resembling incense.
The scent still lingered in the air.
This must have been what caused her to fall asleep.
Fortunately, the nun had kept her word, or rather, fortunately, Mi Xia hadn’t succumbed to ‘deep slumber,’ for in that state, nothing could rouse her.
Moving from the bedside to the table, the nun used a handkerchief to sweep the scattered powder into the box.
“Let me first answer your question from last night.” The nun spoke over her shoulder, still tidying. “At precisely eight fifteen last night, as I was returning to my quarters and passing by, I heard a dull thud from the church hall. That must have been the sound of you collapsing to the ground. Upon opening the door, I found you before the Goddess’s statue.”
“And you watched me at the church entrance, waiting three hours and forty-two minutes until I woke up?” Having donned her shoes, Mi Xia responded, seated.
It wasn’t an accusation, merely an expression of profound bewilderment.
Considering the provision of food and overnight accommodation, this nun, at least for now, did not seem like an indifferent person.
She was unlikely to abandon someone who had collapsed, their fate unknown, for over three hours.
“Yes.” Having finished clearing the incense ash from the table, the woman pulled out a chair and sat gracefully opposite Mi Xia.
“This is Solace Abbey, located in Mistfall City. You may call me Sister Anthea, or like the other nuns, you may address me as Abbess Anthea. What is your name?”
‘Abbess?’
Mi Xia’s eyelids twitched.
She had never imagined that this young woman, whose initial impression was one of reserved warmth beneath a somewhat stern facade, was actually the abbess of a convent, regardless of her age.
Mi Xia had expected a cleric to possess a more divine demeanor, to appear less solemn and… less unapproachable—she still recalled the nun’s first greeting upon their meeting last night.
As for the address, she naturally chose the latter.
“Konehl-Ghervil…” Without a moment’s hesitation, Mi Xia uttered the name instinctively.
Her lips remained slightly parted.
This was not her conscious intention.
While she had tacitly accepted the name during her time in Ghervil Cathedral, she had never before used it to identify herself.
Abbess Anthea’s reaction was no less peculiar than Mi Xia’s own.
Her brows knitted tightly, an intensely unsettling gaze fixed upon Mi Xia, yet her facial expression remained largely unchanged.
It felt as though a suspect were facing a seasoned detective, prompting an involuntary surge of nervousness.
Fortunately, after a prolonged stare, her brows relaxed.
“I believe that is indeed your name. So, Miss Ghervil, have you devised a plausible story for your appearance in the church last night?”
“…”
Hearing the word ‘Miss,’ Mi Xia experienced a strange sensation, as if a weight had finally been lifted from her chest.
In the eyes of others, she was also female.
This was not merely a hallucinatory side effect of her ‘sleep disorder’; the situation had become far more intricate.
She also noted that Abbess Anthea had deliberately used the word ‘devise’ rather than directly inquiring about the true reason.
Was this an opportunity for her to clarify that she wasn’t a thief or an intruder?
Or did the abbess already know how she had arrived here?
“If… my story isn’t plausible, will you still send me to the police station?”
“I do not believe you could fabricate a convincing enough reason to persuade me.” Abbess Anthea’s words left her speechless.
“…”
‘What, then, was the point of fabricating anything?’
“Because even I cannot believe or explain a person appearing out of thin air.” The abbess’s subsequent words caused Mi Xia to gasp sharply.
“Even now, in the summer of 1956, in Elefant (TL Note: A transliterated fictional country name), the southernmost city of this nation, such an event is unheard of.”
Noticing her reaction, Abbess Anthea spoke, her tone remaining steady and solemn.
“Your attire does not suggest a child so impoverished or desperate as to need to steal from an abbey.
Combined with your reaction upon seeing me, certain subjective motives can be ruled out.”
“Only twenty minutes passed from the moment I locked the church doors and left, to hearing the disturbance and discovering you.
In such a short time, nothing could have transported a living person into the church, or allowed them to enter themselves, without a key, right under my nose—at least not in any part of this city I know.”
“When I rushed back at the sound, the skylight and all the door locks were intact, showing no signs of being opened or damaged.
There were no other entry points.
From this, it can essentially be concluded that you appeared out of thin air, materializing before the Goddess’s statue without even realizing it yourself.
Of course, I cannot guarantee that the police would believe such an unprecedented anomaly; they might even dismiss it as the ramblings of a madwoman.”
“So, Ghervil, have you decided how you will fabricate your story?”
Mi Xia was utterly speechless.
Watching the woman’s lips curl into a slight smile, a stark contrast to her previous solemnity, a shiver ran through Mi Xia’s body.
After a prolonged moment of internal struggle, she stammered out a few words,
“I… I can’t recall…”
To have appeared out of thin air in another era, in a country she had never heard of—it was almost impossible for her to believe.
Yet, a glimpse of the few strands of white hair at the corner of her eye forced her to accept it.
If even her gender had changed, what else could be impossible?
The truth was, she had simply fallen asleep and woken up here.
If she were to claim that she had woken up with not only strangely colored eyes and hair but also a complete gender transformation, she would most likely be deemed insane, perhaps even sent to a mental asylum instead of the police station.
‘Amnesia’ was a barely acceptable explanation.
Whether the memory loss was long-term or short-term, the fact remained that she had no recollection of how she arrived at this place.
She wondered if it was her imagination, but the corners of the abbess’s mouth seemed to widen, her expression softening considerably.
“Let us conclude this topic here.
My current curiosity lies in the fact that you have not eaten for nearly twenty hours.
Even fervent individuals obsessed with dieting and maintaining their physique would not go to such lengths.
While an overly strong sense of caution is beneficial for a child your age, starving yourself would be a detriment.”
Abbess Anthea slowly rose and walked to the table.
The milk and porridge on it remained untouched.
She picked up the milk, took a sip, and then looked at Mi Xia.
“As you can see, this is merely a common, easily obtainable glass of Holstein milk.
There are no harmful substances within it.
Do I also need to demonstrate with this bowl of rye porridge?”
Silence.
This was followed by a stiff lowering of her head and a shake.
‘It wasn’t that she feared poison; she had simply forgotten!’
Throughout the previous night, she had been caught in an intensely anxious emotional state, her mind racing with countless thoughts.
Moreover, her past reliance on nutrient solutions to replace most of her food intake had accustomed her to unconsciously ignoring feelings of hunger, leading to her current awkward predicament.
“Please wait patiently for a moment. I will prepare a fresh meal for you.”
Upon hearing the door close, Mi Xia finally let out a long breath.
She looked up to see that the porridge and milk had already been taken from the table.
Slipping off her shoes, she lay back on the bed, feeling utterly disinclined to move.
The gnawing hunger made her stomach churn uncomfortably and sapped all strength from her body.
Some matters were simply like that: the person involved wouldn’t notice them, but once pointed out by others, the problem would double in magnitude.
It seemed Abbess Anthea had interpreted her abnormal behavior—forcibly staying awake and forgetting to eat—as a manifestation of excessive caution.
In reality, she possessed little actual vigilance.
Her sleep disorder meant she rarely encountered strangers; those she did meet were typically trustworthy doctors, nuns, and the like.
Furthermore, during her periods of deep sleep, she was essentially a vegetable.
‘Who would plot against a useless vegetable?’ Harboring such a thought, she naturally lowered her guard against her surroundings.
Lying flat on the bed, her gaze swept across the room, allowing her a moment to observe her surroundings.
An old-fashioned tungsten light bulb hung from the ceiling.
The edges of the solid wood furniture were carved with intricate patterns.
In a corner, amidst neatly stacked miscellaneous items, stood several boxes, some strange, rusty, unidentifiable instruments, and a dust-laden candlestick quietly standing guard.
Such a room was an ideal place for quiet rest or study, but it had one drawback: the locked door at the far end of the room.
She wondered if it was a lavatory; she might have to trouble Abbess Anthea again shortly.
About an hour later, as soon as the door creaked open a sliver, a fragrant aroma wafted in.
The wooden door swung wide, revealing a meal trolley laden with a plate of mashed potatoes served with a special dipping sauce, toast spread with jam, and a steaming bowl of meat porridge.
The aroma of the meat porridge was overwhelmingly rich, eclipsing the other two dishes and permeating the entire room.
It smelled incredibly delicious, and she desperately wanted to eat it.
But Mi Xia herself likely hadn’t noticed how her legs had involuntarily pressed together; she was on the verge of losing control.
Pushing the meal trolley, Abbess Anthea came all the way to the bedside.
She paused briefly upon seeing Mi Xia, then retrieved a string of items from the tabletop.
“Before you dine, there’s a small favor I need to ask of you.
Could you check if the plumbing facilities inside are still in working order?
This room hasn’t been used in a long time.
The last inspection was when I accidentally dropped the key down the drain during my routine cleaning.”
What she handed over was not cutlery, but a string of brass keys—or rather, not quite a string, as there were only two on it, one held upright between her fingers, the other dangling below.
‘Was it that obvious?’
She had been wondering how to broach the subject, but now, it seemed she was saved.
‘Perhaps she should abandon her ingrained habit and learn to communicate more proactively!’
“Al… alright…”
Taking the keys, Mi Xia, battling extreme embarrassment, opened the inner room’s door, stepped inside, and immediately closed it behind her, her back to the room.
When her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the mirror just now, she had noticed her face, beneath her snowy hair, had turned crimson.
‘How utterly mortifying!’
Sometimes, a well-intentioned lie didn’t quite achieve its purpose.
‘Ignoring it might have allowed her to hold on a little longer.’
The ‘inspection of the plumbing facilities’ took approximately twenty-five minutes in total.
The first fifteen minutes were no less awkward than before she entered, her immense shame regarding her unfamiliar body preventing her from even basic contact.
She dragged out the time for a full fifteen minutes, struggling to resolve the issue, and took the opportunity to wash herself with soap.
The remaining ten minutes were spent calming herself in front of the mirror, and only when her face had completely lost its flush did she finally exhale in relief.
She hadn’t forgotten to actually inspect the facilities.
The floor and walls were tiled with plain, utilitarian fired white ceramic, rough and not very durable.
Both the water supply and drainage pipes were made of copper and iron, prone to rust, and the water flow was minimal, with no hot water equipment.
In short, it was fair to describe them as rudimentary.
‘These facilities and decorations did not resemble anything from the twenty-first century.
So, it truly was 1956…’
Returning to the bedside with a hint of disappointment, Mi Xia found Abbess Anthea seated on the stool, a polite smile gracing her lips.
The room had been tidied again, the miscellaneous items from the corner neatly placed into boxes.
The food was covered with a heavy, insulating fabric.
Mi Xia felt that some of the solemnity had lifted from the abbess.
“Everything is in working order.”
“That brings me peace of mind.”
Taking the spoon offered to her, Mi Xia glanced at the woman who remained standing, a slight smile playing on her lips as she continued to observe Mi Xia.
It was somewhat perplexing, but Mi Xia didn’t dwell on it.
Hunger compelled her to temporarily abandon all thought.
Her stomach, empty save for stomach acid, and the tantalizing aroma stimulating her taste buds, urged her to quickly dip her spoon into the bowl.
She complied, first scooping a small spoonful of meat porridge and tasting it.
The aroma was rich, likely enhanced by a special seasoning, and the texture was so tender it melted on her tongue.
It had been an eternity since she had tasted anything so delicious.
After such a long acquaintance with medicinal nutrient solutions, she had almost forgotten the taste of proper food.
The second spoonful was consumed with far less restraint, almost gulped down.
Still, she maintained a modicum of etiquette, refraining from lifting the bowl directly to her lips.
One ought to leave a good impression in front of a cleric.
“Do you have any plans for marriage or romance in the near future?” Just as Mi Xia was savoring her meal, Abbess Anthea unexpectedly interjected with the question.
“Pfft, cough, cough, cough…” The porridge she was halfway through swallowing nearly shot out.
She choked on the abrupt question.
“What…?”
“If you become a nun of this abbey, you can eat food like this every day, without paying a single penny.”
Mi Xia suddenly found the food in her mouth losing its appeal.
So, the abbess hadn’t sent her to the police, and had even provided lodging and food, all with this particular scheme in mind.
The question that had made her choke now made perfect sense.
Aside from her willingness to embrace a solitary life, her atheism alone made such a decision difficult; she preferred to believe in physics and science.
Then there was the matter of devout faith and wholehearted religious service, which she found impossible to commit to…
Of course, the most unmentionable reason was that not long ago, she had been a boy!
To ask a boy to become a nun—it was unthinkable.
“The most direct benefit is that it can provide you with a legal identity now.” Abbess Anthea, discerning her hesitation, continued with a smile, “The church’s recognition carries legal effect, and coincidentally, in this city, I possess that authority.
Of course, there are other, greater advantages.”
Mi Xia subtly straightened her posture, gripping the spoon.
She was finally full.
Indeed, a legal identity was crucial for living in an unfamiliar city; without any familiar acquaintances, no one would even notice if she disappeared one day.
With her body transformed like this, there was no one who would recognize her back home… nor was there any real need to return.
But what benefit could be greater than this? She couldn’t immediately think of one, and her curiosity was piqued.
“Becoming a member of this abbey will increase your chances of survival when ‘the Mists’ descend.” The abbess’s next words made Mi Xia’s lips twitch subtly.
‘What kind of benefit was that? If she didn’t become a nun, she wouldn’t survive? Even to convince her, there was no need to lie to such an extent, was there…’
“I am very curious…”
“There is ample time, no need to rush your answer.” Just as she was about to press for more information, the woman in the black nun’s habit, who seemed to have planned to speak only halfway, slowly rose.
She reached out and took the spoon from Mi Xia’s hand, tidied the cutlery, and with seamless motion, turned the meal trolley and pushed it towards the door.
At the doorway, she turned her head back, a slight curve gracing her lips, and met Mi Xia’s gaze with her dark golden eyes.
“I’ll give you one night to consider. You are a clever child.”
Thanks for the chapter!