Chapter 93: The Heavy Rain Still Falls
On the west coast, heavy rain poured down.
In the curtain of rain, a black-haired figure slowly walked toward a huge illusion hanging in the sky in the distance.
Behind her, black water flowed between her feet, rising and falling, crashing against the broken stones around her. More and more of it gathered beneath her.
The dark current formed into a tall human shape. Holding a sharp sword, it slashed toward the girl’s neck.
The strike hit her neck directly, but it could not move any further.
“This ends here.”
The girl held a long sword made of black water. Her eyes were firm, without any doubt. With a strong grip, the water sword broke into splashes.
But her expression did not relax. Instead, she looked down at the water with caution.
Bubbles kept rising. The bubbling sounds were like fine raindrops, growing louder and bigger.
Faster…
Faster…
The roaring sound was like war drums, coming at her from all directions.
The water around her suddenly rose up, forming several sword shadows that surrounded her.
“Black water… is this all you can do?”
Whoosh—
Several figures merged together, forming a new sword. Compared to before, this one was even sharper.
In an instant, it attacked her vital point.
She pulled out her sword, threads appearing in her hand, cutting apart the rising black water again.
But soon, the blade was surrounded by the rushing black water, and broke.
Endless black water pierced through her body. Her strength gave out, and she fell to one knee.
The girl struggled to lift her head and saw that mocking illusion in the sky.
“You’ve become weaker. Are you going to give up now?”
“Never…”
“Is that your answer?”
The girl raised her head again, only to find that everything around her was moving backward.
The black water returned to the sky. Sunlight broke through.
She stood in the warm light she had not felt for a long time. In the distance, she saw a figure.
“Hey, little one, is this Blackwater City?”
That figure looked noble. Even though she seemed very tired, her tone was relaxed.
“Kreis?”
“Oh? You know my name. That’s impressive. But you don’t seem to be from here… Miss Witch.”
The black-haired girl picked up the broken sword handle and walked forward seriously.
“That’s right. I am the Witch of Eternal Night. I hope you can kill me.”
Kreis raised her head with interest. “Little girl, asking to die right away isn’t a good thing.”
“Why?”
“No special reason. I just don’t like the word ‘death.’ Since you are the Witch of Eternal Night and you know my name… let me think… you must be from the future. I’ve heard stories about you before. Back when I was in the Calamity Forest, I saw powers similar to yours in some small shadow monsters. It seems the stories were true. Can you really not die?”
“Why are you asking that?”
“Nothing special. I just want to do something big. If you really want to die, I have a way to make you die completely, and also let you see the true nature of this world.”
“What?” The black-haired girl looked confused as she stared at the woman in front of her. “I’ve never heard you say that before. It seems like you can break my cycle curse.”
“No. Your curse still exists. But my name is Calamity. I can tear apart all good things. Your cycle, in front of me, will be like a sail on the sea, swallowed without mercy. I was born for destruction. My existence is to bring a great destruction to this world. But sadly, if destruction is the final end, then I would calmly accept death. Anything that cannot kill me will only make me stronger tomorrow. Since you came back from the future, can I ask you something? What kind of ending do I have?”
The Witch of Eternal Night looked at Kreis. Even though her body looked tired, her spirit was full of energy. Her expression softened a little.
“Destruction. But you defeated a god. You were right. And you were reborn. As for who you became, I don’t know yet. But this is the future I saw through the Reincarnation Crystal. It should be very accurate. What are you planning to do?”
Kreis smiled tiredly. “I won’t do anything. She is innocent. Her life should be decided by herself. Should she complete something even I couldn’t do? Please don’t interfere with her. She is herself, and I am me. Don’t place my burden on her…”
“...The world is big. Flowers smell nice, honey is sweet, and the ground under your feet becomes firm when you walk on it. There are too many good things in this world waiting for her to experience, not to keep carrying so-called fate. Not fearing fate is the real path forward. But I can’t do that anymore. The fact that you can see me means I have already failed.”
The Witch of Eternal Night nodded. “Alright, I promise you. Oh, by the way, my name is Audrey, the true cause of the disaster in Blackwater City. Now that you know the truth, can you kill me? I’m tired of wandering through time. Only my death can end this meaningless game. Those gods will have to pay for everything they’ve done.”
“No.” Kreis shook her head. “I want to help you die because only by resolving your true inner knot can your soul truly rest. The one who plays with your death is also calculating your heart. To break the curse, you must hold onto your true self, not just be carried by outside forces…”
“...Your cycle is not meant for endless repetition, but to help you understand yourself better. Just like when I stood on the ruins of my homeland, I understood the fear called destruction that I carried. I also saw new life growing after death. Because of death, I understood the true value of life even more.”
Audrey did not respond directly. She lifted her head and noticed that Kreis’s body was starting to break apart.
“Are you destroying yourself?”
“You noticed?” Kreis smiled and handed a crystal to Audrey.
“Why?”
“Are you always asking ‘why’? You really like that question.”
“I don’t understand.” Audrey looked at Kreis seriously.
“Since the future me has already died, your so-called cycle is just a tool to trap you in the past and erase your will. I’ve experienced that kind of suffering before, so I understand how long and painful an endless night can be.”
“So you plan to end your own life and forcefully break the chains of fate. But if you do that, it will only speed up the cycle. We will meet again very soon. To say it more directly, your resistance is just a dream. I might wake up and forget everything. When that happens, all your efforts will mean nothing. But you are indeed impressive. Compared to you… I… I can’t break the chains of fate. The curses around me are terrible. They only make countless monsters die and come back to life again and again… and in the end, they kill everyone.”
“So what if I fail? The fact that we have been here at all is already proof that the cycle can be broken. Since you can’t control the power inside your body, then try to make peace with it. You just haven’t learned how to control your ability properly, and that caused the tragedy. Of course, if you have done wrong, you must accept the consequences. Death is not the end. Running away won’t solve anything. Goodbye. Next time, bring me some good news.”
“Kreis…”
Audrey’s figure also began to fade faster. She raised her head and looked at the dark sky. The heavy rain was still falling…
“Well? In this new cycle, you still haven’t figured it out? We were always one. As the part of me that resists the gods, your actions are truly foolish…”
The shadow in the sky kept whispering, and black rain poured down again.
Audrey drew her sword and stood in the rain. “The sins I committed in the past, I will repay them myself. You cannot speak for me!”
“How dare you! Since you wish to die, I will grant it to you.”
Countless streams of black water rushed toward her. Audrey looked at them and remembered Kreis’s words. Instead of attacking, she let the black water pierce through her body.
Unlike before, this time Audrey released the power inside her. She lifted her head with a faint smile.
“It’s time for you to taste what backlash feels like.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“At first, I didn’t understand. Why did you give me such great power but not kill me and take her back? Why let me be drowned by black water? I didn’t understand before, but in this cycle, I think I do now. This so-called black water is actually a way for your power to flow back. By breaking my will, you want me to obey you and return to you. But I refuse. Your plan will fail. As for this power… I’ll take it for myself.”
Audrey gave up resisting and let the black water swallow her.
“No, you madwoman! That kind of power will tear your body apart! You will lose your mind and fall into endless suffering!”
The figure in the sky screamed, like a bird with broken wings falling down.
“I already wanted to die. Why would I fear this little pain? As for my will…”
She looked at the black rain in the sky.
“If the black rain falls, the whole world will be destroyed. So the only one who needs to be destroyed… is me. Let me swallow this black rain and trap it within endless cycles. This is the power you gave me, did you know that? And now, I will break it. Whether my will disappears or my life ends, it is a fate I cannot escape…”
“...If that is the case, I will willingly fall into the night and wait for the one who will awaken me. When that time comes, it will be your end, and also mine. And my will will finally be free. I just hope that by then… I can still remember that the warmth of the sun is gentle… not like this cold, wet rain… so cold, and so unpleasant…”