key
Mi continued digging from where she had found the poet's walking stick. Now, she could not only part the soft grass but also grasp thick tree roots; more precisely, everything in this forest could shift its position according to her will. Mi found the dark dagger in the soil. The blade still gleamed coldly, and its slightly curved head revealed a small, sharp point—a deadly weapon.
“We’ll continue with our lessons today,” El said, handing the poet’s staff back to Mi and leading her on a walk through the forest. “This is World Grass. Each leaf allows you to pass smoothly through the barriers between two worlds without getting hurt. Remember to take it with you when you leave.”
Mi squatted down, put down her cane and dagger, and fiddled with the "five-leaf clover" she had once named, sighing, "Is there anything useless in this forest?"
“Whether something is useful or not depends on how you define it,” El said, bowing his head in thought. “If we’re talking about usefulness and uselessness, then many things in this world shouldn’t exist. What use do you think witches are? We travel through world after world, bringing nothing with us, and we don’t know what useful things we’ve left behind. What does a long life give us besides endless loneliness?”
“I actually quite like this state,” Mi leaned comfortably against the Tree of Consciousness. “I enjoy watching all sorts of strange and wonderful lives unfold. I love how each vibrant life blossoms in its own way, whether good or bad. The suffering and happiness I witness keep me from becoming obsessed. It’s nice to observe other people’s lives, except that sometimes I just can’t control my mouth.” Al and Mi both thought of Joe at the same time, exchanged a smile, and then looked away.
“Maybe you’re right,” Al stood up. “Sometimes I wonder who built this world, what it’s for, where it came from and where it’s going, and I gradually fall into the illusion of nothingness.”
El reached out and pulled Mi's witch's headband. This time, Mi could finally see the thin, light gray headband clearly. The ends were decorated with simple patterns, outlined with just a few strokes. A simple sword—Mi immediately recognized it as her practice sword, without even a tassel at the end, because Mi found it too troublesome. A musical note resembling a cane—Mi felt this note was silently mocking her tone-deafness. Next to the note was a small dagger; Mi recognized it as the hero's dagger. The dagger was no bigger than a palm, its blade sharp and gleaming coldly, clearly having drunk much blood. Mi looked down and realized that the cane and dagger at her feet were gone. Even the guiding stone she had been clutching in her hand had flown into the witch's headband, displaying a teardrop pattern with a pointed tip at the other end, beneath which was a blue planet.
El handed the headband to Mi. This time, Mi caught the headband. Its soft texture and smooth, ribbon-like feel made it seem alive as it wrapped around Mi's wrist.
"Congratulations! Now you can create your own witch body. With the witch body, you will be free." El encouraged Mi with a smile.
What caused this turning point?
“When your guiding stone merges into the witch’s headband, when you can catch your witch’s headband,” El looked at the witch’s headband on Mi’s wrist, “this is how the Witch Forest acknowledges you. Only when you can produce your own witch’s identity symbol—the witch’s headband—are you a true witch.”
“Who gets to judge this?” Mi stared at El. “I still consider myself a person, and even,” Mi looked up at the forest sky covered by leaves, “I even consider you all to be people, living people, not witches with long lives.”
“I don’t know. At first, I was just like Joe, obediently accepting the guide’s teachings without ever thinking to ask ‘why’.” Al tilted his head and looked at Mi, who had already become a human figure. “The ecstasy of being given a second chance at life overwhelmed me. As for Joe, he just suddenly found that he had found something to rely on. Neither of us has ever truly moved on from our own lives.” Al had Mi pick a handful of “real” seeds and led Mi to a cave deep in the forest.
"How come I've never noticed this before?" Mi stared at the cave that had suddenly appeared in front of him. Mi had wandered through this forest where time did not pass countless times. It could be said that Mi knew even the shape of a blade of grass in this forest when it changed shape.
“A key is needed here. The witch’s headband is the key to the Fountain of Life, and the witch body created in the Fountain of Life is the key to the Witch Forest,” El said. “The only connection between here and the witch is the witch’s headband.”
Mi followed El through a long, narrow passage that was indistinguishable between darkness and illusion. The passage seemed so long that Mi felt she had already left the Witch's Forest. Tiny points of light shone within, dazzling yet indistinct. This was a world of light, without shadows; for the first time, Mi realized that being surrounded by light felt the same as being in complete darkness. A cool, chilly breeze blew through the passage, very light and cold. For the first time, Mi truly felt that there was indeed a passage here.
The passage was silent, yet not the kind of stillness found in the Witch's Forest. Mi followed quietly behind El, sometimes feeling utterly alone. Mi thought, "This is like life. Even though I have people with me, I know clearly that I'm walking alone. My companions are within reach, yet we can't communicate. It's bright here, but all I see is the darkness and pessimism in my heart. This path leads to rebirth and departure, yet I feel I'm one step closer to the end. I so eagerly anticipate the day I leave, yet I'm so genuinely afraid of it all. I'm afraid of the unknown, even though this is the path I chose. I'm moving forward, and at the same time, I'm afraid. My courage was exhausted when I made the decision."
After an unknown amount of time, at the end of the narrow passage came a spring. Mi arrived before the spring, or rather, calling it a spring wasn't quite right. It was an icy spring; the steam rising from the spring condensed into ice above the springhead, and within the ice were countless fine white needles, each shimmering with countless stars. Surrounding the spring was a small stone cave, its walls glowing with a cold, dark light.
Mi stretched out her hand and scattered the seeds of the fruit from above the ice spring. The white fruits merged into the ice spring, and wisps of white light seeped out from the ice spring and wrapped around Mi's witch's headband, enveloping her in circles.
Mi saw tiny, pulsating waves of consciousness, like tadpoles swimming around. Slowly, the external world began to change. Light appeared, mountains and oceans emerged, and life appeared—enormous, indistinct creatures. Some cried out, some remained silent, some flew in the sky, and some swam in the water. Sometimes, these waves of consciousness could penetrate the bodies of these creatures, only to be quickly ejected. Later, these enormous creatures suddenly evolved, beginning to multiply. The variety of creatures increased, and the waves of consciousness became more active, lingering and evolving within them… Gradually, some of the smaller waves of consciousness grew larger. These larger waves began to consciously capture equally enormous waves of consciousness, and the overlapping and surging of these waves formed a sea of consciousness. The space beneath this sea of consciousness began to take shape: a gigantic tree of consciousness, its entwined vines blooming with enormous purple flowers of consciousness, and tiny buds sprouting from its branches…
The first shaman was born in the forest, an image of a gigantic ancient creature, which slowly faded away. The outside world continued to change; monkey-like humans began to leave the forests and caves and venture onto the plains. A branch of reptiles developed that allowed them to walk upright, a branch more suited to the parasitic infiltration of these consciousness waves. Humans acquired fire, tools, tribes, language, and thought… Consciousness waves became more active, swirling around humanity.
The number of witches in the forest gradually increased. At first, there were reptiles and giant plants, but later the newly born witches were only human: masculine witches, feminine witches, independent witches, passionate and beautiful witches... Later still, there were more and more witches with female appearances, and even male witches like Joe with female appearances, like a strange transgender market. Then, some witches returned, and many went mad, shouting and crying wildly in the forest. Giant purple flowers gently enveloped them, putting them into a deep sleep, so that the next cycle could begin.
Mi awoke from her trance, gazing at the smoke surrounding her. Within the smoke, her image materialized. A petite, not particularly voluptuous figure, her breasts beginning to sag, a slender waist, newly developed muscle definition in her arms and legs, fine pores on her slightly loose skin, and freckles and fine wrinkles on her face. An ordinary middle-aged woman from Earth, Mi lacked the smooth, radiant skin of youth, yet also possessed neither the weariness and aging of old age. Like a flower that had just bloomed in its full glory, she was imbued with the wisdom of time, yet still retained her charm.
As Mi watched her body being gradually repaired and restored, it was a strange feeling. It was as if Mi was looking in a mirror, scrutinizing herself: "Am I that old?" The image in the mirror immediately became younger, with more elastic skin and a rosier complexion... Oh no, no, this isn't me, Mi screamed in her mind: "So what if I'm old?"
The body in front of her opened its eyes and stared at Mi, as if asking, "Are you sure this is you?" Mi nodded, unsure of what to do.
"Give her your witch's headband," El's cold voice rang out.
Mi reached out her hand, and the witch's headband flowed as if it were alive, wrapping around Mi and her fresh body. Cool and warm sensations intertwined, like a gentle current flowing with the undulating waves. Mi felt the wind, felt the heat, heard her heart thumping, and heard the clear, strong sound of blood flowing in her pulse. Mi felt as if she had come back to life.
Mi opened her eyes, and El was smiling at her from across the room. Mi looked down at her naked body and arched her back slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable. As Mi felt uncomfortable, the witch's headband transformed into a white robe just like El's.
Mi tentatively took two steps forward, her bare feet touching the cool ground. This time, she was standing on solid ground, which felt very reassuring. She asked, "Is that all?"
“Yes, your clothes—” El tilted his head, “You can have whatever you want, try them on.”
Mi thought of her usual shirt and trousers, and soon an ordinary middle-aged woman appeared before her. Her forehead was slightly broad with age, and her receding hairline still held a gentle curve. Her shoulder-length hair was smoothly tied up, with a few strands of silver interspersed among the black strands. Mi had gentle eyes, slender eyebrows, and nearly bald eyelashes. Her small nose and slightly pale lips combined to create the image of a gentle, middle-aged woman. The black shirt made Mi look slightly stiff and aloof, while the khaki trousers softened her coldness, giving her a distant and detached air. The hem of her black shirt was tucked in, revealing her soft, slender waist, which gave her a forbidden allure and sexiness.
"Welcome back." Al reached out and hugged Mi.
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