“He… he was swallowed by the sun…”
Movila didn’t say Loren was dead, she didn’t believe Loren could die, she only said she saw Loren being swallowed by the sun.
“What exactly happened! Is Master Mentor all right!”
Anna’s eyes widened, red veins visible in her eyes.
At that moment Anna roughly grabbed Movila’s collar, her unfamiliar ferocity made Movila feel fear.
“Anna.”
Mirrorheart called Anna, and Anna snapped back, releasing Movila’s collar:
“Sorry.”
“There’s a small island nearby. Let’s land and rest first, then we’ll talk.
“When that thing leaves, you go check the situation.”
Mirrorheart helped Movila up and began arranging the next steps.
“What exactly was that thing?”
Naclis asked, she had just seen the Angel of Light, and clearly the Angel’s power wasn’t that strong.
“The God of Light and Fire.”
Mirrorheart said the sun’s identity calmly, then maneuvered the ghost ship to surface.
“The God of Light and Fire?”
Naclis repeated, a strong unease swelling in her chest, unwilling to think about what would come next.
“Mirrorheart, are you hiding something? Are you just stalling so we don’t go back and get ourselves killed?”
“……”
Mirrorheart didn’t answer, she only continued to control the ghost ship as it rose.
Her silence answered Anna’s question.
But she still clung to a shred of hope—ever since she could remember, Loren always seemed to be in control, as if nothing could stump him.
Loren had planned against the Orthodox Gods long ago; it was unthinkable he died at their hands.
“Movila, send your other copies over to check. If the God of Light and Fire has already left, we go back immediately.”
“All right.”
“No need, the God of Light and Fire has already left.”
As they surfaced, everyone happened to see the sun rising, and Mirrorheart continued to explain:
“Light plus fire is the sun. The sun we see is the God of Light and Fire. If the sun has reappeared, it means He has returned.
“And He cannot descend again within a short time. While He was away, the Outer Gods caused Him a lot of trouble.”
“Then let’s hurry back.”
Anna urged, though she still felt torn.
She was terrified of knowing the truth. If she couldn’t confirm Loren’s death, she could still deceive herself.
If it was confirmed, she could no longer lie to herself.
Everyone fell into a terrifying silence. Soft sobs could be heard in the cabin; Movila and Paqina had already begun to cry.
Luna kept her eyes shut to hold back tears.
Lilith stared at the ceiling in a daze, as if she hadn’t yet grasped what had happened.
Starnight curled up in a corner; this was her first time staying among people in human form.
“I only just revealed my identity…”
Starnight buried her head between her knees, her voice breaking. Anna stepped forward and patted Starnight’s hair.
Scarlett was still unconscious, so the Scythe of Harvest hung on Anna’s back; the Requiem hung at her waist, and her other hand stayed on the hilt, ready to draw the blade at any moment.
Just like Loren used to.
They didn’t wake Scarlett so she could remain peaceful a while longer.
Scarlett was the weakest under pressure among them; if she learned about Loren, she might collapse completely.
Naclis and Reflection stood together by the door, both silent to the point that it was impossible to tell which one was the reflection.
“We are still too weak. Even now, we still need Master Mentor to care for us.
“The Church wants to kill us. Master Mentor protected us because…”
One of the Naclises said this. Anna thought it was the original speaking, but then she watched the speaker gradually turn into a shadow and continue to spread.
The real Naclis didn’t speak, evidently agreeing with the reflection.
The other witches bowed their heads; they agreed as well.
“It’s getting to dinner time. Do you want to eat?”
Mirrorheart’s words broke the stillness. The ship was nearing shore; they could see the big pit Loren had created.
The pit was now filled with seawater, the surface calm again.
No one answered Mirrorheart, not even Anna.
“Are you hungry, Anna?”
Mirrorheart moved closer and asked with concern.
Anna sat in a corner, holding Requiem in her arms, but did not reply.
Eventually Mirrorheart fell silent and concentrated on guiding the ghost ship forward.
…
They didn’t speak a word until the ghost ship reached shore. Even Anna’s stomach growled loudly—she had never mentioned hunger once before.
As they approached, they finally saw the shore clearly: the sand had been burned into glass by intense heat, the glass reflected light painfully.
They landed successfully. Without a word, they began searching for Loren, combing every corner, even underwater and every crevice.
They searched from day into night and back into day. Mirrorheart caught plenty of fish, but no one chose to eat; they mechanically dug into the earth.
The forest had long been burned down; everything was exposed to view. After searching everywhere and finding no Loren, the witches began to dig as if to plow the ground three feet deep.
Scarlett woke once, heard the news about Loren, and fainted again. Now she was up digging for Loren; her hands were covered in wounds from digging, and eventually she passed out from exhaustion.
When she woke, the ground had already been turned over by the others.
A turning point came on the third day. A group of Church members arrived. Enraged, Anna used Requiem to sever their limbs. The desperate Church members then revealed why they had come.
Loren had died at the hands of the God of Light and Fire. The Church suspected Loren’s witches would return here looking for him, so they sent troops to clear out the remaining witches, only to find the witches had no strength left to resist.
Everyone had suspected this outcome, but this was the first confirmation.
Anna finished them with a single blade, sheathed Requiem, and walked away without looking back.
“Anna, where are you going…”
Mirrorheart asked softly as Anna’s figure receded, a motherly concern in her voice before departure.
“To kill.”
“Don’t slaughter innocents.”
“You want me to teach you?”
Anna snapped into fury at those words, spun, and struck the ground with her blade. Instantly the earth split into a dozens-of-meters-long chasm leading straight to the sea; seawater rushed in.
“Sorry…”
Realizing her loss of control, Anna crouched down and wiped her tears with her sleeve.
“Remember our master’s teachings…”
“Mm…”
Mirrorheart gave Anna one last instruction. Anna answered and left.
The other witches were in no better shape than Anna. Mirrorheart sighed.
Behind her, Scarlett shakily opened the Box of Sin.
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