The Cornflower Witch

Chapter 80: Aster in Midsummer

The white bee swarm was dense and numerous, undulating and transforming in the air. The collective buzzing they emitted was like the resonant ringing of iron sheets, a dense, crisp sound.

These white bees formed a shape resembling a palm and charged into the temple ruins, searching for any possible living creatures. When Sylutia saw them from afar, she quickly ran, preparing to leave this temple ruin.

But at this moment, it wasn't just behind her; even ahead, there were undulating bee swarms, though their scale was not as large as the one behind.

Numerous bee swarms flew up from the woods surrounding the temple, encircling the entire structure. Sylutia, who had realized the situation was bad, could only retreat step by step, back to the central fountain.

This is not good, the girl thought to herself.

Her current swordsmanship didn't have much killing power against these bee swarms. The only thing that could likely harm these white bees was probably the [Grotesque Black Cat].

Not giving Sylutia much time to think, the buzzing of bee wings, like a signal to charge and attack, heralded their descent. These jade-white bees swept down like bombers, scraping a layer off the stone pillars and walls along their path, turning them into fine stone powder.

Facing the oncoming swarm about to engulf her, a light flashed in Sylutia's pupils. Simultaneously, the black card on her soul's Fate Plate also shone.

Dark light overflowed, countless twisted filaments rose from the card, and the still black cat once again stepped out from the card. Its lemon-yellow eyes opened wide in anger; it arched its back, its fur bristling, and let out a cry.

"Hssss—"The black cat turned from illusory to solid, blocking the path of the bee swarm. It was devoured by these white bees, transforming into a spreading, twisted black mist. This twisted black mist spread like an abyss, turning around to devour the attacking Withered White Bees.

Black mist and white mist tangled and slaughtered each other. Countless jade-white bees fell from the sky, struggled on the ground, became stained with black spots, underwent unnatural bodily mutations, and then died.

Although a large number of Withered White Bees died, the black mist in the air was also constantly being consumed and diminishing. Sylutia wasn't sure if the Grotesque Black Cat could completely kill the swarm before her. She looked around and finally could only choose the pool behind her, jumping into it.

The cool, clear water instantly soaked her entire body. The seemingly shallow pool had a bottom like a bottomless abyss, causing her to sink continuously, while the light above the pool grew farther and farther away.

Sylutia didn't remember learning to swim, nor did she seem to have experience in this life, but she didn't feel uncomfortable in the water. On the contrary, she felt an increasing clarity, and this clarity had a tendency to go overboard.

It was as if she had completely unfolded her entire being. All thoughts and ideas were clear and distinct at this moment. Countless memories surfaced simultaneously. At this time, she could even recall the names of her kindergarten classmates, a lunch she ate back then, the scene of the teacher leading them in games, and the taste and texture of the first time she ate ice cream that afternoon.

Everything that was once blurry became completely clear at this moment, continuously spreading forward, tracing and recognizing the past.

Is this the power of 'Luminous Moon'? The 'Luminous Moon' Aspect within the pure water continuously converged around her as the center, causing her entire body to be enveloped in a faint halo of light. Especially her silver-snow hair, which now resembled flowing moonlight, drifting in the water.

As if a certain switch had suddenly been flipped, her consciousness instantly entered a dream, stepping into the dreamscape completely awake.

...

"Tia~"

"Sylutia."

"Miss Sylutia."

She suddenly opened her eyes, finding herself standing in a sea of flowers. The sun above was bright, the sky azure, clear and magnificent like a gemstone. This feeling of 'cleanliness' and 'purity' in contrast made her feel that her previous life in Scorchstone City was like living in a world polluted by coal dust.

Where is this? She was just about to ponder this question when the answer automatically spilled from her mouth.

"This is Mother's garden." She looked around and saw purple chrysanthemums blooming among the verdant green grass.

The color of these flowers was the pure bluish-purple of the evening sky at dusk; their name was 'Aster'.

The Aster flowers bloomed in layer upon layer under the bright blue sky, swaying in the wind. The fragrance they emitted allowed her younger self to nap peacefully at noon and also protected the weak little her within the flower bushes.

Following the vague impression in her memory, she lifted her small skirt and ran through the sea of flowers. The sunlight was so bright that it made it hard for her younger self to see things in the distance clearly.

Her footsteps passed over the green grass and stepped onto the pure white marble slabs. She found the small path within the flower sea, and ahead stood a white round pavilion amidst the flowers. Inside the pavilion, sitting with her back turned, was a graceful and serene figure.

Forgetting everything in her rush, she ran. Along the way, maids dressed in black-and-white uniforms bent down, forming a fence of black-and-white uniforms to prevent the little princess from falling.

She called out for her mother, then opened her arms, eagerly rushing towards that back, until finally she ran into the pavilion and hugged that warm figure with both hands.

"What's wrong, Little Tia~" came her mother's gentle, serene voice. She wore an elegant long dress with white as the base and deep purple as the secondary color. Her face appeared within a hazy halo of light.

The same silver-snow hair, the same dreamlike, flawless beauty, but she possessed a dignified, composed temperament that Sylutia had not yet attained.

"I..." Sylutia couldn't hear clearly what she had said back then; it was probably something unimportant.

Her mother gently stroked her hair, then held her in her arms again.

"Bullied by Ilythia again, huh? Aren't you two best friends?" she said, smiling as she comforted the young Sylutia.

"But, I can't beat her." This sentence left a deep impression.

"Why fight? It's not elegant for girls to fight, you know~" Mother smiled and lightly pinched Sylutia's cheek.

"But then, you also have powers that Ilythia doesn't have."

"Look~"

As she spoke, her mother's wrist, emerging from her snow-white sleeve, turned lightly. A silver rose appeared, then this rose turned a bluish-purple color, afterwards transforming into a spinning pinwheel, a small ringing bell, scattering, flying butterflies, and a white dove soaring into the sky.

"The moon is the embodiment of dreams, possessing countless possibilities. Although not as great as the sun, it can still give you the power to change and adapt as you wish."

Saying this, she took little Sylutia's hand and simply took a step. Then, the two of them, as if traversing the folds of space, arrived at the center of the flower sea, where Aster flowers bloomed everywhere.

"Does Sylutia like to paint?" Her mother looked up at the sky. She lightly raised her wrist, and all the Aster flowers in the sea of flowers took flight. Countless petals rose into the sky, bit by bit ascending.

"I like watching Mother paint." The young Sylutia answered this way.

"Then you must learn to paint too." Her mother turned her head with a smile. The countless Aster flowers in the sky behind her shattered, turning into a strange purple, as if dyeing the entire sky, flowing in the celestial river.

Then, Sylutia witnessed an incredibly breathtaking scene. The entire sky, like a canvas, was outlined with vivid, lifelike Aster flowers.

These flowers were outlined with the sun's rays as golden threads, filled with soft, serene purple, gradually filling her field of vision. In the end, blooming golden Asters crowded around the sun at the center of the canvas, forming a vast, magnificent, and splendid scroll of a prosperous age.

Finally, this scroll that covered the sky slowly descended, continuously shrinking until it finally spread out before Sylutia.

[Aster Midsummer] (Seventh Tier · Verdant Nectar · Blazing Sun · Luminous Moon)

'Condenses sunlight, captures midsummer, dyes the sky. A miraculous scroll of a prosperous age with unimaginable magic power, sufficient to alter climate, shift seasons, and create seas of flowers and lands.'

"Now, have you learned, Sylutia?"

Her mother's finger lightly tapped the tip of the girl's nose, waking her from this long-ago dream.