novelraw Chapter 68 – Last year
Chapter 68 – Last year
Why is it that every time Xu Xi wakes up, he always hears Krisa's greeting first?
Why is it that every time he opens his eyes, the first face he sees is always Krisa's?
The answer is simple.
So simple it's astonishing.
Every time he falls asleep, every time he drifts into slumber, after watching Xu Xi lie down, Krisa quietly sits by the bedside, accompanying the passage of time with a small wooden chair.
Sitting silently, until the sun and moon rise and fall in the sky.
Waiting, until the seasons of the world change.
Krisa accompanies in silence, waiting in her solitude, sitting motionless, her eyes only reflecting that increasingly aged figure.
Is it painful?
Is it boring?
Krisa doesn't think so.
Because when that figure falls silent, the world the witch sees becomes nothing but gray. She feels no vitality, sees no color, she actively blocks everything out.
Until Xu Xi awakens, the witch's dead world starts to turn again, regaining its normal colors.
"I have always, always been waiting for you."
Sunlight streams into the bedroom through the window.
Due to the angle, it creates a beautiful layout of half light and half dark.
Xu Xi, now 85, shows signs of aging. He lies on the bed, positioned in the bright side, every wrinkle, every strand of white hair clearly illuminated.
And not far from Xu Xi, at the bedside.
Krisa sits in the shadows, quietly poised, her hollow eyes reflecting the light.
Her calm, delicate face is expressionless, yet as her light gray-silver hair gently sways in the wind, it seems as if countless emotions are bursting forth.
Waiting for you.
Always waiting for you.
Krisa Christina says so.
She is a heartless witch, without her own joy, without her own sorrow, her life is to obey her master's commands as an "object."
So, the witch always stays by Xu Xi's side.
Waiting for Xu Xi to awaken, waiting for Xu Xi's next command.
That is her only reason for living.
Facing such a Krisa, facing a witch who has waited countless days and nights.
For a moment.
Xu Xi doesn't know whether he should criticize and educate the witch, telling her to stop such meaningless behavior, or praise and commend the witch, applauding her unwavering persistence.
In the end, Xu Xi neither criticizes nor praises.
Because it doesn't matter.
He gently takes the witch's hand, grasping her slender fingers, bringing them into the sunlight.
"Take a walk with me, Krisa. I've been lying in bed for so long, I feel like my body is losing sensation."
"…Yes."
Krisa is very obedient, very compliant.
She walks with Xu Xi as he gets out of bed, through the silent, empty corridors, finally entering a sunlit, green courtyard filled with flowers and trees.
Xu Xi walks slowly.
A feeling of weakness spreads from within, gradually reaching his legs.
It's a subtle feeling, with each step, he can clearly feel the sluggishness of his body, like a performance that could end at any moment.
"It's so beautiful."
Suddenly, Xu Xi stops.
In front of him is the lush courtyard tended by the witch, with intertwined branches and fragrant flowers, clusters of red Dragon Blood Grass swaying in the wind like small waves rising and falling.
"Krisa, you've managed it well, I'm very satisfied."
"Thank you for your affirmation."
Xu Xi looks to his side, where the witch with long gray-silver hair stands quietly. She is so indifferent, with an indescribable emptiness, as if isolated from everything in this world.
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This is exactly the same as when Xu Xi first met her.
But the once frail and pitiful girl.
Has long grown into a reliable adult.
Looking at the courtyard, the flowers and plants, the gentle sunlight, and the grown-up witch.
Xu Xi slowly closes his heavy eyelids, feeling the sunlight on his body, warming his loose, sagging skin, bringing him a bit of warmth and reassurance.
He has nothing left to worry about.
Thud—
[You walk in the courtyard with the witch]
[Everything in the courtyard, including the Dragon Blood Grass you care about most, is well managed by Krisa]
[Even if you managed it yourself, you couldn't do better]
[In a daze, you recall the witch's childhood, comparing it, you find the grown-up witch is outstanding, no longer needing your supervision and guidance]
[Perhaps it's time to end your duties as a mentor]
[You are relieved, you sigh, you chuckle softly, from long ago, you've always worried about the witch's future, and now, you can be sure that even without you, the witch can live well]
[The worry that has kept you waking up repeatedly disappears]
[Your consciousness suddenly quiets, your aged body falls forward, nearly collapsing to the ground, but the witch catches you in time]
[You, who have been awake for less than an hour, fall into slumber once more]
"Mentor! …Mentor!"
The cry echoes in the darkness.
Xu Xi is very tired, so tired that even though he hears the voice, he cannot respond.
Like a small boat in a stormy sea.
His consciousness, his soul, his thoughts, are swallowed by endless darkness, assimilated into eternal peace.
Only a small part of himself remains, stubbornly existing.
...
[Simulation Year 72, you are 86, Krisa is 78]
[Since the day you fainted in the courtyard, you have been asleep for a year, but show no signs of waking]
[Krisa remains silent, just sitting by the bedside, waiting for your return]
[She witnesses another cycle of seasons within the room]
[Simulation Year 73, you are 87, Krisa is 79]
[You are still asleep]
[Krisa maintains her eternal 17-year-old appearance]
[This year, Krisa's power reaches the limit of a Saint Domain Archmage, she attempted to break through to Demigod, relying on divine power to heal you, but she failed]
[The previously invincible balance couldn't help the witch break through, she is stuck at Saint Domain Archmage]
[Simulation Year 74, you are 88, Krisa is 80]
[Some furniture has begun to age, becoming less useful, the witch ignores it, she still waits in your room]
[Simulation Year 75, you are 89, Krisa is 81]
[The witch is still waiting]
[The witch continues to wait]
[The witch persists in waiting]
[Simulation Year 79, you are 93, Krisa is 85]
[Your spirit remains asleep, but your body has aged beyond recognition, time has left indelible marks, taking away everything you once had]
[Your face gradually becomes unrecognizable to the witch, skin dull and full of wrinkles, like rough, unsightly bark]
[The witch no longer sits silently]
[She gently holds your hand, feeling its branch-like texture, again and again, calling out to you, praying for your return]
[You open your cloudy eyes]