Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1377 Audrey's Wonderland

Long before Klein was "asleep," after reaching a certain agreement with that Celestial Venerable, he had already mastered the power of the "Source Castle" source essence, gradually merging with it, and becoming "half of the Old Ones" at a speed only slightly slower than Angel.

This means that he also contained the source matter required in the past in a single path, namely the "Fool" path, and was not affected by the spiritual imprint or residual will within the source matter or extraordinary characteristics, thus becoming a monster named Klein who was still that "Celestial Venerable".

Of course, the Celestial Venerable is one of the split personality aspects of the "original creator". Like all the Great Old Ones, he has the characteristics of being immortal and eternally existent. As long as the true Lord of Mysteries is born, he can be reborn by attaching himself to this pillar-level Great Old One. Whether it is thousands, tens of thousands, or even millions of years later, he will always have the opportunity to return from history.

This is the same problem that Angel, and all the ancient Earth beings after him, have to face. The consciousness "Evil Dragon" born from the "City of Calamity" is also immortal, but after being sealed and defeated many times, it is now extremely fragile and can be suppressed by Angel.

Within the source matter such as "Wilderness of Knowledge" and "River of Eternal Darkness," there are also remnants of undying source matter consciousness. Although they have become weaker through the fusion and attrition of generations of Dao Mergerers, it does not mean that the newly born Old Days can rest easy.

Angel speculated that the reason the "God of Steam" was reluctant to accept the Source Matter as the "Demon of Knowledge" was partly because it foresaw a future where it would struggle against the Source Matter's consciousness for thousands of years and carefully maintain a balance. As a god who was hastily promoted in the Fourth Era and only truly digested the magic potion within its body and returned to normal after the "transmigrator" Rosell initiated the Industrial Revolution, Yugos Stiano knew that this state was a torment. Moreover, the "Wilderland of Knowledge" that He needed to accommodate had been suspected of being contaminated by the "Mother Nest," making the integration process extremely difficult and painful.

However, compared to the Source Beings sealed in the Western Continent, whose internally divided consciousnesses from different aspects of the "Original Creator" have been destroyed, the master of the "Source Castle" is the most difficult to deal with.

If Klein hadn't, shortly after becoming a god, engaged in a "Battle of the Source Castle" with Amon, deceiving the "Primordial God" into making certain compromises, and then using this to persuade the "Celestial Venerable" to give up this resurrection opportunity, Klein might have already lost the confrontation with this pillar-level Ancient, or would have only retained the strongest part of his emotions and the deepest part of his humanity, with the rest belonging to the "Celestial Venerable".

Now, Klein Moretti, with Zhou Mingrui's identity and memories, has become half of the Old Days, thanks to the support of everyone on another timeline and the efforts of everyone in this world.

"...In short, I have now fully mastered the power of the 'Source Castle', and during my slumber I actively attempted to merge the two paths of 'Gate' and 'Error'. Although I have not yet truly incorporated the corresponding uniqueness and extraordinary characteristics, if needed, I can become the true 'Lord of Mysteries' at the fastest speed."

Using a gentle voice that was different from the "world" and playful like a "fool," Klein introduced his state, relaxed his body and leaned back in his chair, quite satisfied with maintaining his "humanity."

During this time, he used memories from another timeline told by Angel Gray to create an "old city" that showcased the technology, culture, and environment of the early 21st century. On one hand, he played hide-and-seek with "Celestial," who had also become a character in the dream, trying to influence each other. On the other hand, he used these profound memories to maintain his own humanity so as not to be influenced by the spiritual imprint within "Source Castle" and Extraordinary Characteristics and become a stranger to himself.

After the Celestial Venerable finally compromised, this dream city was also buried deep in the mists of history, becoming a historical fragment known only to him, the "Fool."

"It's a pity I never had the chance to enter that dream and stay with you."

Angel sighed regretfully.

Upon hearing this, Klein smiled and said:
"After the apocalypse ends, you can visit and live here anytime. I can even recreate that history in reality, just like in Yharnam City."

Angel's eyes lit up as she listened, but then dimmed again. She knew that even if the entire old era were recreated, it would be nothing but a false illusion; the people of that era were gone and could never truly return.

Let's treat this as a trip just for the two of us... she muttered, gathering her thoughts and turning to the issue that was currently of most concern to them.

Like Klein, she was only one step away from becoming a true Old One after absorbing the "City of Calamity". As long as she absorbed the power of the "Red Priest" pathway, with the dual pathways as the foundation, she could support the Origin Essence, truly exert the function of all concepts, authorities and symbols, and leap into becoming the "Destructive Catastrophe, the Root of Calamity".

Moreover, the one who currently controls the power of the adjacent pathways is Gray, who is a mirror image of her and has an extremely close relationship with her. They are not two independent individuals, so merging them is much simpler. After merging, Gray can even retain his own consciousness and continue to exist independently as a mirror image of the Old One level.

Unfortunately, unlike the other Great Old Ones, Angel possesses a unique quality that none of the other Great Old Ones have: the First Creator in the Mirror.

In order to prevent the existence of this being, whose status is second only to the creator of everything, from truly being revived, Angel, after becoming the Cataclysmic Destruction, must maintain a subtle "imbalance" rather than the "balance" of gods such as Klein, Grisha, and Amanisis.

Specifically, she planned to incorporate an additional Sequence 1 "Doomsday" characteristic into the foundation of the Old Days, namely, one Sequence 1 characteristic and corresponding uniqueness for each of the two paths, artificially creating a state in which she is the main body of "Witch" and the auxiliary body of "Red Priest," so that the Yin and Yang sides of the Creator in the Mirror could not truly merge.

Of course, Angel has already contained all three "Doomsday" parts, and Gray has two "Conqueror" parts. However, the complete path is to fuse the foundation of the source matter. She can only expel the excess characteristics one by one after truly becoming an Old One, so as to prevent the "imbalance" in her body from eventually turning into "collapse". Her own death is a small matter. If she were to summon the original creator in the mirror, there would probably be a great terror that even the Outer Gods would not want to see.

"But this 'weakness' might become a weapon, making the Outer Gods afraid to truly fight to the last moment. With the symbol of the 'Fourth Pillar' and the threat of the 'First Creator in the Mirror,' our chances of winning are higher."

After introducing himself, Angel spoke carefully.

Angel had witnessed the terrifying power of the fusion of the "River of Eternal Darkness" and the "City of Calamity" long before she became a god, but she always felt that a certain key symbol was missing. She believed that there were some gaps in her research on the ancient sun god, but she was certain that the creator in the mirror could pose a threat to the outer gods.

After all, even the "Celestial Venerable" and "God" compromised because of this possibility. As long as Angel expels the excess "witch" characteristics from her body, or suffers severe injuries in battle and is unable to stabilize her own state, the Creator in the mirror may appear. Even if it doesn't reach that level, after becoming an Old One, she can make limited use of the "Creator's" status to make her own symbol of "destruction" reach a level close to a pillar.

"But it's best not to use this weapon unless it's absolutely necessary, especially when our chances of winning are already quite high..."

Klein frowned as he spoke. He instinctively did not want Angel to use his "fall" as a weapon to intimidate the Outer Gods. Instead, he hoped that after he became the "Lord of Mysteries," he could cooperate with "God" Grisha Adam to defeat the "Fallen Mother Goddess" and the other eight Outer Gods head-on.

Unfortunately, he cannot directly accept adjacent pathways as the Old Ones yet, because the birth of the "Lord of Mysteries" will inevitably drive the Outer Gods mad. According to Gray's memory, the end of that timeline also came early, and it was driven by the "Fallen Mother Goddess". This pillar may also be hiding some means that can shatter the barrier at a critical moment and arrive ahead of time.

The prophecy that "at the end of July, crimson will fall from the sky" likely refers to this final moment.

Without the birth of the Lord of Mysteries and God, the barrier of the Western Continent cannot be broken, allowing the remaining ancient beings to emerge. And the emergence of either the Lord of Mysteries or God, a pillar of the universe, could force the Fallen Mother Goddess to descend prematurely… Thinking of this, Klein was quite troubled. Seeing his silence, Angel prepared to leave the gray fog and return to her divine kingdom to prepare for opening the subconscious of "Justice" Audrey today, lest this Sequence 3 "Dream Weaver" accidentally see something she shouldn't and lose control or go mad. But Klein stopped her:
"You mean, tonight you're really going to show Miss 'Justice' all the memories you've kept hidden in your heart?"

As he spoke, Klein revealed a playful smile.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

As soon as night fell, Audrey took an early bath, using the excuse of being tired. She placed a large full-length mirror at the foot of the bed, then lay down on the soft bed and drifted off to sleep amidst the fragrance of ceremonial candles and essential oils.

Of course, as a saint who was a "spectator," she did not actually fall asleep, but instead arrived in a hazy state at a corridor surrounded by countless mirrors.

The mirror is a witch's signature item, which means that the "Goddess of Calamity" is guiding me into Her divine kingdom?
In her dream, Audrey, still wearing the same elegant long dress she wore during the day, looked around and saw countless versions of herself appearing and fading in the mirror. She realized that she had approached the dream of that deity and was about to enter the subconscious that contained countless secrets and dangers.

Normally, even a Sequence 3 saint like her would have to be extremely careful when entering an angel's dream, as it could easily trigger a subconscious counterattack. The subconscious of a deity is completely isolated from reality, making it impossible to contact them through conventional means.

Of course, this excludes invitations from deities.

Audrey had heard about the pre-divine meetings from Mr. "Star" in the Church of the Night and Mr. "Moon," who is now a high-ranking member of the Church of Mother Earth. She knew that the gods were not completely detached from believers, and that she herself was a member of Mr. "Fool's" Tarot Club. Although she revered the gods, she no longer regarded them as unreachable and aloof beings.

However, entering the gods' dreams so directly still made her somewhat apprehensive, worried that she might see things she shouldn't see.

Although Miss "Queen" assured me there wouldn't be any major problems, I'll just do a very basic "inspection" and then leave... Audrey pondered, strolling through the quiet mirrored passageway, accompanied by her reflections in the mirrors on either side.

Soon, she arrived at a half-open door made of the same full-length mirror.

The Audrey in the mirror, dressed in a brightly colored, extravagant evening gown, stands in a brightly lit, bustling hall, smiling and extending her hand to invite her into the room.

If she had just become a saint and was still curious about everything in her dreams, she would have accepted the invitation. But after experiencing countless terrors, dangers, and traps deep in her subconscious, Audrey was extremely cautious at this moment.

She used her abilities to create a virtual personality, which she then pushed open the half-closed mirror and entered the slightly dim space behind it.

In that instant, Audrey saw her reflection in the mirror with a mocking smile and, without hesitation, severed the connection between herself and her virtual persona.

Audrey, who had stepped into the room with curiosity, disappeared, and the door clicked shut.

This is... a trap? If it had been my real body that went in just now, I'm afraid I would already be...

Audrey took two steps back, unsurprisingly, away from the closed door, only to find that the person in the mirror who had invited her was gone.

In the other mirrors, Audrey watched all this with a faint smile, as if it had nothing to do with them.

This "well-intentioned" onlookers gave Audrey a creepy feeling. Without further delay, she quickly walked deeper into the mirror passage, ignoring the other "Audreys" along the way who either forced smiles inviting her or angrily demanded that she stop, until she reached the end of the passage and stood in front of a pitch-black mirror.

The image in the mirror was no longer of various versions of herself, but of the "Queen" with long, light-gold hair and sparkling purple eyes.

No… His appearance was slightly different, more androgynous, and his features were more defined… Audrey, who had her observation skills at their highest to guard against danger, quickly noticed the difference between the “Queen” in the mirror and the one in her memory, and then superimposed that figure with the silhouette of another Tarot Club member in the gray fog.

Is this Miss "Chariot"? How did she end up in the "Queen's" dream?
Audrey felt a chill run down her spine because the other person, clearly a woman, was sitting on the men's side, and she noticed a possibility she had subconsciously overlooked before:
Just as "the world" is to some extent equivalent to "the fool," is "the chariot" equivalent to "the queen"?
One was the "Witch" Goddess, and the other was the "Red Priestess," both with blonde hair and almost never speaking. She joined the Tarot Club just when the "Queen" Miss disappeared... Clues flashed through Audrey's mind, and she became more and more certain of this guess.

During this process, she discovered that her "Dream Weaver" potion was being digested at a faster rate than she had anticipated.

Normally, a "Dream Weaver" needs to weave a complete and realistic dream for intelligent beings in order to complete the role-playing and digestion of the magic potion to a certain extent. However, she is now in the dream of a true god. Simply confirming the identity of the "Chariot" and seeing the other side of the "Goddess of Calamity" is enough to benefit a saint.

So this is the "clue" that Miss Queen left for me...? Suppressing her excitement, Audrey reached out and pushed open the door made of black mirrors, and stepped into the space behind it.

Her eyes lit up as she walked from the mirrored corridor into a street in the style of Rue. The row houses on both sides looked warm and peaceful in the sunset. Sparse pedestrians walked past her, but did not notice the young lady who suddenly appeared on the street.

Is this Backlund? But I've walked every inch of that city in my dreams over the past two years, and I don't remember having such a quiet street... Audrey looked around and quickly found a clue on the street sign.

This is the Daffodil Street in Tingen!
Could it be... that Audrey was digging out some clues she had secretly collected that had almost led to a terrible mistake and were thus hidden deep in her memory? She looked at a two-story row house on the street.

No. 2 Narcissus Street, Moretti's house.

(End of this chapter)