The Witch Sees You as the Sun

“Boom—”

A deafening explosion echoed from outside.

It was a high-level fire magic spell, a firework soaring into the sky and bursting at a single point.

The dazzling flames even illuminated the night.

In Allenson City, the mages under the three great divine churches—the Fire God, the Blacksmith God, and the Harvest Goddess—were continuously unleashing various powerful spells to showcase the might of their deities.

Every year at this time, the divine churches would subtly compete with one another.

Whoever emerged victorious would gain more followers in the coming year.

“Boom! Boom!”

The intense sounds of magical bombardments in the distant sky interrupted Xu Xi’s memories.

He glanced beside him, where the young witch, Krisha, looked lost, clutching a necklace and a gold coin, her expression still empty and quiet.

The magic outside was too dazzling.

So dazzling that its light seeped into the room.

It illuminated half of Krisha’s fair cheek, her smooth silver-gray hair, and her delicate, softly curved nose.

As well as her hands, which unconsciously continued to fidget with the necklace.

Krisha seemed to want to wear the necklace, but she didn’t know how. In her tragic past, there had only been pain and torment, and her understanding of necklaces was limited to seeing them.

Her slender, pale fingers brushed over the necklace’s loop, clumsy and cautious, lightly touching it before quickly pulling back.

Afraid of accidentally damaging it.

Her movements were awkward, her fingers unsure, evoking a sense of pity in anyone who saw her.

“Krisha, let me help you.”

“…Okay.”

Xu Xi extended a helping hand, taking the sapphire necklace from the girl. He walked behind her, grasped the mithril chains at both ends, and gently draped it around her neck.

As he did so,

Xu Xi’s fingers brushed against the girl’s neck.

It was a strange sensation, making Krisha feel a little ticklish, a little warm, and… a little fond of it.

She instinctively rubbed her neck, causing the chains to jingle pleasantly.

But she quickly realized that this might cause unnecessary trouble for Xu Xi.

So she straightened up again.

Feeling his warm hands part her hair, he crossed the two mithril chains at the back of her neck, then pressed the silver clasp with a soft click, securing the sapphire necklace in place.

Outside, snow fell heavily, and the streets were alive with noise and excitement.

Under the man’s gentle care, the mithril necklace embedded with a sapphire rested securely around the slightly warm neck of the young witch.

Why was it warm?

Krisha didn’t understand.

This was an experience she had never had before.

“Not bad, not bad,” Xu Xi stepped back, looking Krisha up and down with satisfaction.

“Just as I imagined, this necklace suits you perfectly, Krisha.”

Xu Xi smiled.

His praise was sincere.

Winter was harsh and cold, and even on a lively New Year’s Eve, that didn’t change.

But at this moment, right now,

Xu Xi felt he had witnessed something beautiful enough to melt the winter’s chill.

Her silver-gray hair lightly covered her snow-white neck, the scars of the past now replaced by softness and smoothness. The emotionless witch lowered her head, her hands holding the sapphire necklace that hung from her neck.

Reflections.

Glimmers.

Mirrors.

As Krisha gazed at the sapphire necklace, the hazy, dreamy blue light swayed and reflected in her empty eyes.

At a glance, her eyes seemed to regain their sparkle.

Even if only for a fleeting moment.

It soon faded as the light became unstable.

But Xu Xi still felt that this moment was incredibly radiant.

He felt a sense of pride, a thought that filled his heart: My witch is truly beautiful.

Then, Xu Xi asked the expressionless girl, “Krisha, how does it feel? Do you like it?”

The girl nodded gently. “I like it.”

Then she added politely, “Thank you.”

…

The night deepened.

It was time to part on New Year’s Eve.

After giving her the New Year’s gift and some money, Xu Xi left the kitchen.

He headed toward the study, planning to meditate and break through his mental limits before going to bed.

After he left, Krisha sat alone, lost in thought for a long time.

A long time, longer than all the memories she had.

A chaotic time, more tangled than the turmoil in her heart.

When Krisha finally came back to her senses,

she realized she had unconsciously cleaned up the dishes and returned to her room.

She sat curled up in the corner of her bed, hugging her knees, and remained motionless, lost in thought for a long while.

“A gift…”

“I… also have my own… gift…”

Her faint voice echoed in the air.

Flat, without any emotion.

Even now, Krisha still felt that someone like her, who could be discarded at any moment, didn’t deserve to receive gifts or her master’s affection.

An object should know its place.

It shouldn’t crave things that don’t belong to it.

But.

Obeying her master was a must.

Since her master told her to accept it, she couldn’t refuse. Krisha held the deep blue necklace in her hand, her eyes filled with confusion but also a hint of something stirring.

I like it…

I really like it…

I love this gift.

The weight of emotions continued to build in her chest, growing heavier, more chaotic, but she couldn’t understand what it was.

For a witch who had lost her emotions, understanding these feelings was too difficult.

But it wasn’t a big problem.

Krisha had her own way of dealing with it. She didn’t need to understand or express it. She just needed to stay by Xu Xi’s side, listening to his words and following his instructions.

Rustle—

The sunlight streaming through the window caught Krisha’s attention.

Only then did she realize she had been sitting in her room, lost in thought, all night, unaware that the sun had risen.

The first day of the new year.

The sunlight was more intense than ever before.

It forcefully pierced through the curtains, landing on the motionless witch, much like the salvation the man had brought her two months ago.

“Praise the great Sun God.”

“May the Sun God forever protect us all.”

Outside,

the citizens of Allenson City gradually stepped out of their homes, praying to the Sun God on this first day of the new year, hoping for his protection.

The sun…

Krisha lowered her head, burying her face in her knees.

In a voice only she could hear, she whispered:

“Thank you, sun…”

Not thanking the gods.

But thanking the one who had burst into her world, pulled her out of the pit of despair, and brought her light and hope—the one and only ‘sun’ that belonged to her.

In the countless cries for help she had made, only he had heard her voice and extended a warm hand.

That warmth.

That affection.

Had been deeply engraved in the witch’s heart, impossible to forget.

From now on, the witch would live only for her “sun.” If she lost that gentle light, if she lost the gaze that watched over her, the witch would lose all meaning of existence.

And fall into an abyss even she herself would fear.