Ch. 77 The Two Witches (57)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 77 – The Two Witches (57)
A blank, white space greeted Leo.
A space where it was impossible to tell if it was a confined room or an endless expanse… a pure white void.
If it were his first time encountering such a place, Leo might have dismissed it as a strange dream. But he wasn’t panicked. Instead, he slowly got to his feet.
It wasn’t hard to realize this wasn’t a dream but his subconscious. Estelle had clearly called it that before.
The day he had tried to strangle Josie, he had seen this landscape before. A bitter smile crossed his face.
As he stood up, a sharp pain shot through him, making him grimace.
Perhaps it was the lingering shock from when Beryl had helped him neutralize the Holy Eye before he fell into this place.
The pain was temporary… Leo followed the golden threads emanating from the Holy Eye, guiding his steps.
The pure white space robbed him of any sense of direction, but the only thing he could trust was the path the Holy Eye was leading him on.
He walked aimlessly through a place where time and space had no meaning. Minutes? Hours? It was impossible to tell.
The angel.
A spherical being covered in countless eyes—the angel who had appeared in his dream and bestowed the Holy Eye upon him.
The eyes densely packed on four wheels and the large, shining eye at the center had left even Leo, who had seen depictions of angels, deeply shaken.
As a prince of the Holy Kingdom, Leo hadn’t been particularly devout, so when he faced the angel, he thought it had come to judge him.
If not that, there was no reason for the angel to appear before him. But instead of judgment, the angel had given him the Holy Eye and a revelation.
He would have to face it directly.
There were many things Leo wanted to ask the angel personally.
The power of the Holy Eye, the reason it was bestowed upon him, and what it desired.
When Leo reached the destination guided by the Holy Eye, he stopped in his tracks.
The angel he had seen in his dream was now staring at him in this space that had been empty moments before.
Its form was no less terrifying and grotesque than in his dream.
Yet, its divine and holy presence was paradoxically awe-inspiring. Leo clenched his fists.
“…….”
Now that he stood before the angel, he couldn’t think of what to say.
If he had been more devout, he might not have dared to meet its gaze. But Leo looked into each of the angel’s eyes.
Each eye on the wheels shone with the same light as the Holy Eye, and some sockets were empty.
Those eyes seemed to question why he had come here, and for some reason, that gave him a sense of relief.
So even angels don’t know everything.
[Why have you come to seek me?]
The angel’s voice echoed in his mind, reverberating two or three times.
“I need power.”
[What has brought you to this trial? Has the tongue of a wicked witch seduced you? Or has the sword swung at you blinded your eyes?]
“Neither.”
[Then why do you so desperately seek power?]
The angel continued to question him, as if testing him.
Why did he seek power?
Leo thought of Josie and solidified his resolve.
Josie, who urged him not to waste food, shyly smiling as she held his hand, promising to protect each other as they embraced, falling asleep together in the same bed… He wanted to protect her.
Leo’s answer was already decided.
“I want to protect the one who believes in me. The one who begged me to live when I wished for death. The one who gives me love I don’t deserve. Even if it means… I’m cast into hell. I need the power of the Holy Eye.”
[…….]
The angel fell silent.
One by one, the angel’s shining eyes closed, until only the large central eye remained, staring at Leo.
The silence didn’t last long.
[What is your name?]
“Leo.”
[Leo, what is the force that drives you to speak so?]
Leo thought. The reason he was so desperate for power, facing the angel. The reason he needed to master the Holy Eye.
‘Leo.’
Josie’s voice, which shouldn’t have reached this place, pierced through the angel’s echoing words in his mind.
If Josie wanted to be with him, conflict with the Holy Kingdom was inevitable. And with his current strength, he was far from capable of protecting her.
He wanted to protect Josie. He needed power—power so strong that no one could hurt her.
“It’s… love.”
Leo revealed his true feelings, something he had never shared with anyone.
This burning desire could only be described as love.
Josie, who had fluttered into his heart like a butterfly, had become someone he loved. Even if… he felt unworthy. In this moment, he didn’t want to hide his feelings.
[Look upon the world with those eyes. Choose those who are worthy and guide them. Thus, fill the name of god.]
The angel stirred. Its closed eyes opened wide, emitting a blinding light.
The light stretched toward Leo.
[Until love fades… you shall not die. You shall not fall to the great darkness. You shall not succumb to the temptations of the damned.]
As the light poured over him, Leo felt his consciousness slipping. He struggled to hold on.
There were still so many things he wanted to ask… but the angel was only spouting cryptic words.
He instinctively knew that if he lost consciousness, he wouldn’t be able to meet the angel again.
As if soothing Leo’s desperate heart, information about the Holy Eye began to fill his mind.
How to use it… the source of its power. Along with a massive surge of divine energy that filled his body.
[When the pink starlight falls, love shall beget love. So that love does not turn to hatred. So that love does not betray. See with those eyes.]
“Wait, explain it properly…!”
Even though he now understood how to use the Holy Eye, he was frustrated that he hadn’t been able to ask why it had been bestowed upon him.
Leo couldn’t even finish his last sentence before the flood of light overwhelmed him, and he lost the consciousness he had been clinging to.
“200 years later… in the forest…”
“Yeah… leave it to me…”
Leo slowly opened his eyes as he left his subconscious.
Estelle and Beryl were talking nearby, but he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.
“Ugh…”
His head, eyes, chest—every part of him ached, and he let out an involuntary groan.
At Leo’s groan, Estelle and Beryl turned their attention to him.
“How’s your body? Did you meet the angel?”
Estelle approached the bed and examined Leo’s eyes.
The color of the Holy Eye, which had been altered, had returned to its original golden hue.
Facing the Holy Eye was still unpleasant, but the divine energy within Leo’s body felt even more immense than what she had sensed from Lucia or Carté.
“It just kept saying things I couldn’t understand… ugh.”
“So? What did the angel say?”
“It said… to fill the name of god…”
“Oh, really?”
The nameless god.
Estelle couldn’t understand why the angel had told Leo to fill the name.
Filling the name was something that would happen 200 years later.
For Leo, who would be lucky to live 100 years, it was a mission he could never fulfill.
“What else did it say?”
“Something about pink starlight… I can’t remember clearly.”
Leo placed a hand on his head, trying to recall the angel’s words, but the more he tried, the fuzzier they became.
“Think about it slowly. Let me know if it comes back to you.”
Estelle didn’t press him.
Whatever the angel had said, it wasn’t that important.
Estelle’s knowledge was far more valuable than any prophecy from an angel.
The most important thing was still the Holy Eye.
For Leo to become stronger than others, the power of the Holy Eye was essential.
“What about the Holy Eye?”
“The Holy Eye… it’s resolved. I know how to use its power now.”
“Really? Good. How’s your body?”
If Josie saw Leo in pain, she’d make a fuss again…
Before dispelling the Dream World, Estelle needed to check Leo’s condition.
“I think I’m feeling better now.”
Leo got up from the bed, moving his body to check if anything was wrong, and smiled brightly.
The pain seemed to have subsided, and the groans that had punctuated his speech were gone.
“That’s a relief. Try not to worry us, okay?”
“Huh…? What did you just…?”
Leo couldn’t believe his ears at Estelle’s concerned words.
He’d be lucky if she didn’t curse at him… Her concern felt incredibly unfamiliar.
Was he still dreaming?
He pinched his cheek, and the mild pain assured him he wasn’t.
“If you’re weak, Josie, who’s been waiting outside all day will worry. So even if you’re in pain, act like you’re fine.”
Of course.
Leo let out a sigh of relief and released his pinched cheek.
But wait, she’s been waiting all day?
“How long was I out?”
“…About 8 hours?”
“8 hours…?”
He had only exchanged a few words with the angel, but 8 hours had passed?
The disorienting sense of time left him stunned.
“Thanks, Beryl. I think we’re done here.”
“It’s fine, no big deal.”
Beryl smiled as Estelle thanked her.
Beryl’s Demon Eye gradually dimmed, and the world, dyed green, began to return to its original colors.
“Leo!”
At the same time, the shop door burst open, and Josie rushed in.
Her voice, different from the one in his subconscious, reached his ears.
In an instant, Josie was in front of him, her worried eyes scanning him.
“You took so long, I was worried!”
“I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry.”
“Do you know how long I waited? I couldn’t come in… time just kept passing…”
Josie’s scolding continued for a while, but Leo’s smile didn’t fade.
Even her nagging sounded like the beautiful tones of a choir.
Leo glanced at Estelle, signaling for help, but she just shook her head and waved her hand, as if to say, “Handle it yourself.”
“Leo, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, yes! Sorry.”
Lucent
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