Chapter 355

Chapter 355 The True Observatory

A week ago, atop the tower in Emanas.

The stone door before the observatory seemed to slightly open, then struggled to close again, returning to its ordinary appearance. If one were to enter through this barely opened door, they would find themselves in what was once a library filled with bookshelves. However, inside this usually serene observatory now stood three figures in confrontation, with distorted phantoms swirling about, transforming into various faces or mist, creating an eerie scene.

“Unbelievable, Agatha, you’re still alive.”

Chris and Night Mistress stood together, encased in a transparent mercury orb that shimmered between clear and opaque.

“Yes, I’m still alive,” Agatha covered her mouth and smiled, her laughter tinged with tears and bitterness.

“Seeing you two take Dorothy’s place, sitting atop the tower overlooking all of Emanas, such feelings are deeply etched,” her originally enchanting voice had turned hoarse.

“I’m sorry,” Night Mistress whispered, but offered no further explanation.

“Haha, I never thought you’d stay hidden within your own book, opening its entrance right here on this ordinary stone door,” Agatha’s tone gradually softened.

“Scared, or perhaps filled with guilt, you’ve stayed hidden for so many years.”

“I have no regrets for what I did back then; if you want to hate me, then hate me,” Night Mistress remained seated on the high wooden chair, her gaze fixed on the book in her hands, her voice unexpectedly calm.

“Yes, how could you regret anything? Your two students nearly conquered the entire continent, realizing your ideals to the extreme.”

“Who will remember Oz Country or the witch Dorothy from the time-space?” Her voice grew cold.

“Agatha,” Chris frowned slightly.

“Night Mistress has her reasons, and Dorothy’s ideals weren’t perfect.”

“Do imperfect things not deserve to exist?”

“Yes.” Night Mistress finally lifted her gaze from the book, her voice icy.

“Hasn’t a third of life been twisted and lost? Isn’t that price too great? We can’t risk the rest on such perilous stakes.”

“None of us can bear such a cost and responsibility; neither you, nor I, nor Dorothy.”

Her chest heaved violently, as if she was releasing years of pent-up emotions.

“Is this why you aided in the destruction of your former friend? How laughable,” Agatha clearly disagreed.

“You may not agree, but I stand by my choice. Because I was friends with Dorothy, I understand her pursuits better. It’s not something beautiful.”

“But machinery, electricity, and other technologies can free humanity from Earth’s constraints and lead them back to the stars,” Agatha argued.

“It won’t work. Without surpassing the speed of light, we cannot escape the sun’s grasp. The Echeca path is sealed; we must start anew.”

“Even a witch like Dorothy couldn’t establish a lasting space-time passage to other star systems. Ancient people relied on the Echeca path to cross the stars. Once it was sealed and shattered, we lost our shortcut,” Night Mistress shook her head.

“But restarting the Echeca path would solve everything,” Agatha said angrily.

“The angels won’t allow it, and demons and dragons would hinder such suicidal actions,” Chris slowly stated.

“You know the history in the ruins. If not for the last two gods sacrificing themselves due to conflicting ideologies, we witches wouldn’t exist,” Agatha continued.

“Things even gods couldn’t do, how can we mere fragments of divinity accomplish?”

“Just because it didn’t work in the past doesn’t mean it won’t in the future,” Agatha slowly said.

“Like these phantoms, once considered the most chaotic existence, aren’t they now obediently following my commands?”

“How pitiful, among the children of the gods, there’s a traitor like you,” Chris looked at the phantoms entwined around Agatha, her tone filled with disdain.

Agatha pointed at a phantom, which transformed into a student’s face, then another student’s face. These faces showed a mix of joy, sorrow, and indifference. “Yes, I am despicable and tragic. So what? This despicable me has finally gained the power to retaliate against you.”

“The chaotic you are destined to live only briefly. The ancient remnants are an unfathomable abyss,” Chris closed her eyes, unable to bear the sight.

“But they are far more adorable than you. At least they don’t betray me. Even if they are consumed, so what?” Agatha looked at the floating phantoms, speaking calmly. Chaotic phantoms lacked reason, and their supposed obedience was akin to feeding flesh to eagles; eventually, she too would be devoured.

“There’s nothing left to say.”

Chris opened her eyes, a brilliant silver light emanating from them. As her pupils shifted, clean mercury mirrors appeared behind her, reflecting the room’s scenes and light. Hundreds of identical scenes appeared from different angles in these mirrors.

As she slowly raised her hand, hundreds of her reflections in the mirrors did the same, while Agatha’s figure began to distort.

Just as Agatha was about to be torn apart by an invisible force, she let out a mocking laugh. Then, Chris felt a blur before her, and the figure instantly dissipated into mist.

“What you see in the mirror, what is written in the book, is not real.”

Agatha’s voice echoed in the observatory, but neither Chris nor Night Mistress saw her. Soon, the chaotic phantoms began to fly and walk, and the scenes in the mirrors started to warp.

These phantoms continuously attacked and approached the mercury shield Chris had established, causing the magic and powers within the shield to gray and twist.

Chris frowned slightly, the mirrors transforming into tiny particles like water vapor, piercing and dissipating each phantom. Following this, Night Mistress turned a page in her book, pure white flames bursting forth, burning the twisted chaotic phantoms.

Screams and wails filled the room. Soon after, all the chaotic phantoms were burned away.

As the observatory gradually returned to tranquility, a burst of laughter brought forth another group of chaotic phantoms, filling the space anew.

“Almost forgot to mention, the ingredients for these chaotic phantoms come from your students. You should know what happens to those burnt students, right?”

As Agatha’s words fell, Night Mistress’s face paled, her hand trembling as she paused turning the pages.

(End of Chapter)