Forest of Witches
Al and Joe led Mi on a stroll through the forest, introducing her to the various plants along the way. A vine tightly intertwined with the Tree of Consciousness bore enormous blossoms: "This is the witch's restorative place. Every witch, whether injured or uninjured, can slumber here. We now call it the Hibernation Flower. My guide said that many witches initially appeared within Hibernation Flowers, hence the name 'Newborn Flowers.' At some point, the locations where Newborn Witches appeared became strangely varied; some would crash down with tremendous force, while others would quietly ponder alone in the forest for a long time."
"Like me?" Mi asked.
“Hmm, it’s not quite the same. Back then, there were many witches. A new witch was like a newborn child, and in the eyes of the witches, she was more beautiful than the whole world. Every new witch would have many witches who wanted to be her guide.” El thought for a moment, “But the choice was in the hands of the new witch. So even if the presence of a new witch was sensed, as long as the new witch did not want to be discovered, the Witch Forest would protect her from being discovered.”
"Then what use are these flowers?" Mi couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a forest full of witches, with colorful clouds floating everywhere.
"Later, these flowers gradually became a resting place for witches who went out and returned. Wounded witches would slumber in the flowers and also contemplate whether to continue going out. That's why these flowers were renamed Hibernation Flowers. Once, these flowers were filled with witches who were afraid of the outside world."
"Is the outside world very unfriendly towards witches?"
“I don’t know. Before I went out, I always thought the Witch Forest was wonderful. Kind elders, beautiful forests, free will, and boundless life.” El’s smiling expression revealed her longing and nostalgia for that time. “There was no distinction between genders, no need to worry about what to eat tomorrow, no hard labor, no scolding. There was only freedom and love, like being forever bathed in gentle spring sunshine. If there really is a heaven, the Witch Forest is heaven.”
"Then why did you go out again?"
“Humans are probably such a strange species,” Al replied. “Even when they are surrounded by their own kind and there is no pressure to survive, they still can’t help but want to run away. It’s like a child who has grown up and always wants to flap its wings and leave.”
"Will you regret going out?"
“I don’t think so,” El thought carefully. “Perhaps it’s a trait of witches. I can clearly sense my own heart and never hesitate about whether to stay or leave.”
“Is it possible that the Witch Forest provided you with a way out?” Mi slowly observed the purple flowers. “When people have a way out and there’s no danger, they’re always willing to move forward. The worst that can happen is they have to come back.” Mi paused for a moment. “But without confusion and the unknown, does your journey still have any meaning?”
“Mi, you must understand that the essence of witchcraft is observation, perception, and insight, and these become purer after abandoning the most basic pursuits of being human.”
“Your words remind me of those artists who have no burdens in life, pure beauty, pure senses, pure pleasure. Without the pressure of survival, without the pressure of reproduction, and without confusion or loneliness, it’s too ideal a state.” Mi paused. “Accepting that you are a witch, learning how to become a witch is really too difficult.”
"Do you want to rest for a while?" Joe asked worriedly, looking at his fellow townsman from more than a hundred years in the future.
“No need, let’s continue,” Mi shook his head. “What can we do with unsolvable problems except put them aside? I don’t want to get to that so soon.” Mi had a clear-headed awareness of being in a cage. “The grass here—” Mi looked at the ubiquitous grass in the forest, “What is that?”
“To be honest, I don’t know,” El looked down at his feet. “These grasses don’t bear fruit. In the Witch Forest, the flowers and fruits are the ones that have any practical use. The guides don’t teach us about things that have no use. It’s as if these grasses are just naturally occurring things, only they’re more inconspicuous and less likely to be asked about.” El looked up at the bracelet on his wrist. “It was only after Joe came that she started weaving so many grass bracelets, since there weren’t many witches to play with her.”
"Can these grass rings be taken outside?"
“Yes, it is,” El thought for a moment, “but it won’t last long. No matter how many grass wreaths we take out, they will all eventually dissipate before we leave the Misty Forest.”
"Go?" Mi looked at the vast forest. "Do I need to measure the size of that forest on foot? There's no spaceship to take me there, and there's no physical connection between this place and the outside world?"
“Uh, I meant walking—” El hesitated briefly, “You know that a witch’s walking is the expansion of her consciousness, not her actual feet. The Misty Forest is a passage connecting to the outside world. Anywhere you want to go will appear outside the Misty Forest, including Blue Star, including your home.”
“Another passage? You might as well say that the Misty Forest is also composed of different consciousnesses, connecting different worlds and observing different experimental boxes,” Mi muttered. None of them noticed that the clouds above their heads were churning rapidly again, trying to break through that patch of sky.
El led Mi to the clusters of green fruit: "These are called 'Heavy Fruits,' you don't need them now. Every witch who returns to the Witch Forest needs Heavy Fruits to rebuild themselves."
"Remodeling again?"
“Yes, a witch who returns from the outside world, no matter which world she went to or how she returns,” Elton paused, “a changed witch will reshape herself; it’s a process of reconstruction. You see, these fruits are made up of two connected circles, one circle representing one time. If you’ve reshaped your body twice, when you come here again, there will be a string of three green fruits, where there used to be long and short green fruits.” What did the witch suffer that caused her to reshape her body again and again?
“Have you remodeled it?” Mi stared at El.
“No, I don’t understand what reshaping is all about,” El shook his head. “I spent enough time in the Witch Forest before I decided to go out, and the elders told me all sorts of stories. When I decided to go out, I fully understood what kind of witch I wanted to be. I was vigilant enough, and I was ruthless enough.”
Mi was stunned. Joe gently tugged at Al's sleeve: "Al, you're good. You've always been good."
El smiled and patted Joe's head: "I don't think I need to be reshaped. The day I became a witch, I decided on my appearance and I'm proud of it." El touched his face. "This is what I look like. My father and mother were both born ordinary. I don't know why I'm different from my brothers and sisters. But because of my appearance, my parents have always favored me. Only my sister would look at me with worry and say that my appearance would bring me disaster."
"Your sister?"
“Yes, my sister, eight years my senior, was also offered to the chief.” El’s eyes deepened. “She didn’t escape the fate of sacrifice because of her ordinary appearance. She was just a little luckier than me; she wasn’t used by the chief as a reward for his subordinates.” El reached out and wiped away a tear. “Look, crocodile tears, the pot calling the kettle black.” A string of glistening teardrops drifted through the witch’s forest and then clung to her hair ribbon.
Mi couldn't help but step forward and embrace the beautiful girl. Life had left indelible marks on her, yet she was desperately searching for a way to forget. Reconciliation is a process, long and without end. For an individual, whether or not they reconcile, everything will vanish at the end of life. And how could the witch, a species with such a long and endless existence, complete this process of reconciliation? In the end, this girl couldn't escape the shackles of being human; every step she took was fraught with thorns. At this moment, Mi understood why El repeatedly indulged in pleasure—it was both an aphrodisiac and an antidote.
“Have you ever thought about temporarily forgetting that you’re a witch?” Mi asked, watching El regain his senses and stand up straight. “To be a real person.” Mi recalled the image that appeared with the poet’s staff; not every witch chooses to be a bystander. Some witches intervene in their world and become heroes sung about. Being sung about might not be what witches need, but being understood and respected is, and this is especially important for humans. El smiled noncommittally and walked in another direction.
El squatted in front of the leek-like plant: "This is called 'Solid,' an item that witches must use when creating a body. It ensures that you can live like a human in the outside world. 'Solid' makes you appear to outsiders as a real person with a physical form. 'Solid' absorbs and digests the energy from the food you eat. After all, witches don't need to eat, and if you don't eat, aren't you just obviously telling others that you are different and waiting for them to come and capture you?"
Is there any world that embraces being 'different'?
“That depends on what makes you different,” El said, looking at Mi. “If people think you’re a monster, you probably won’t be accepted in any world. If you’re not afraid of being dissected and studied, go ahead and try.”
"What a spoilsport! Couldn't you have said, 'A gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity, while a petty person seeks uniformity but not harmony'?"
"If you just say whatever you want to hear, will you never leave the Witch Forest and never return to Earth in this lifetime?"
"El, you've lost your jokes again. Is it because of Joe?"
"Why do you, a girl, have so many questions?" Qiao stood up angrily. "Can't you just listen properly?"
"What right do you, a man hiding in a woman's body, have to talk to me?" Mi sneered. "A guy who can't even admit it himself, of course he can't stand people asking questions." Mi took a step forward. "Because you can neither discover nor solve the problem, and you don't want to admit you're a coward. You just hide in a woman's body and comfort yourself with the idea that 'girls should know nothing, girls should know nothing, girls should think nothing, girls should ask nothing, girls should—'" Mi paused, "'Girls should be like you, doing whatever the leader says, without needing to think for themselves, without needing to—'" "Your own existence. 'What are you afraid of, or rather, Joe, what are you avoiding?'" Mi took another step forward. "You're afraid that El will pay more and more attention to me, you're afraid that El will spend more and more time with me, you're afraid of your own distrust of El. You're just a coward who can't admit himself! The only thing you dare to do is stand on this high ground and criticize me like this. Do you think that's brave? It's just that you think I'm new here and have to listen to everything you say. Let me tell you, ignorance is bliss, only true ignorance is bliss, because I'm not afraid of any consequences." After saying that, Mi turned around and strode out.
Joe was trembling with anger. Her lips quivered as she tried to explain, then she turned helplessly to look at El, tears welling up in her eyes and blurring her vision: "El, El, is this how you see me too?"
El looked at Joe tenderly: "Joe, I knew what your true form was like the first day I saw you. I know your thoughts, and you know mine. Joe, I've never hidden anything from you, and I've always respected your decisions. If you don't want to grow up, I can hold your hand forever; if you want to grow up, I'm willing to accompany you through this step."
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