Release that Witch

Roland was a little surprised to see Lan, although he had somehow predicted that she would come. He asked, ”Who are you exactly?”

”A person who needs help,” Lan said while looking around. ”I understand you have a lot of questions for me. We can sit down and have a chat. Let’s sit over there by the window.”

”Don’t we need to go to Room 302?” Roland asked as he watched Lan take the seat.

”The reason I asked you to meet me here is to avoid curious ears. Since nobody’s here, just take a seat you like,” Lan said casually. ”By the way, as this is a coffeeshop, can I have an ice coffee?”

”I thought you were disclosing a big secret to me, so I’ve been very cautious, making sure that nobody will overhear us.”

”A secret will only become a secret when the eavesdropper recognizes its value. I monitor the Erosion underground every day and do need to take a break from time to time,” Lan said gracefully. ”One ice coffee, please.”

Roland gazed at her for a second and then grumbled, ”I only have instant coffee here.”

”That’s fine.”

Roland was a little frustrated to see Lan act as if she were the owner of the shop. He added some milk to the coffee and put two ice cubes in it. His eyes were glued to Lan during the whole process.

”Rest assured. I won’t disappear,” Lan said while shrugging.

”I don’t know about that,” Roland said, his eyes fixed on Lan resolutely. ”I once asked Garcia to contact you and went to the Prism City twice, but you vanished. Why didn’t you talk to me? Why did you just leave me a note?”

Lan lapsed into a short silence before she answered on a sigh, ”Because we weren’t ready yet at that time, child.”

Weren’t ready? A little astonished, Roland pursued, ”You mean you’ve been waiting for me to find out about the Bloody Moon, well, the Erosion myself?”

”You’re quite smart. I now expect more from you.”

”Expect what from me?” Roland grunted. ”You don’t look like a person who needs help.”

”Then what should I do to convince you? Do I have to beg and cry for your help? Or you want a reward from me?” Lan said while shaking her head. ”No, I don’t think you’d trust me even I did so. That’ll only push you away.”

Roland wanted to joke around, saying ”You never know”, but somehow the words abandoned him. Lan was much older than Garcia. She was the Chief Disciple of the Defendender of the Martialist Association, the senior of his senior. If she was really the person in the Reflection Church, she was probably 700 to 800 years old, a historical figure, so to speak. At this thought, Roland put up a more serious look.

”Alright...” Roland said as he sat down across the table, and went over the questions he had in his head. ”Were you a member of the Union?”

”I have nothing to do with your world,” Lan replied. ”I was born here and will also die here, although it’s won’t happen until many many years later.”

”But I saw your portrait in the Reflection Church — ”

”That’s nothing,” Lan interrupted Roland. ”It’s just a historical record that doesn’t really say anything.”

”But what are the odds that you and the person in the picture look exactly the same!” Roland argued while knitting his brows.

”If you think further, there are many coincidences in the history. Compared to dwelling on something in the past, you’d better focus on the present.”

Roland knew Lan might be pretending. Without Nightingale, he could not tell whether she was telling the truth or not. There was no point in keeping arguing with her, so he immediately changed his question.

”So, what’s magic power exactly?”

Lan’s lips curled into a smile. She said, ”You probably have already known it. Nothing in this world could explain it because it doesn’t belong here. Low lives don’t have the capability to understand higher animals. What we know now is that we can use it. Therefore, you could view it as ’a power we obtain by accident’.”

From Lan’s words, Roland judged that magic was like the Force of Nature, or perhaps simply another form of the Force of Nature. Because of magic power, the Dream World became the way it was. Roland thus asked, ”So the book, ’Raison d’être’, you mentioned in your speech during the orientation in the Prism City, and your deduction were all true?”

The most two pressing questions Roland had now were the nature and origin of the Erosion and the reason for the endless Battle of Divine Will.

”Not really, but you could think that way,” Lan said quickly.

”I want to know the truth.”

”It’s beyond the scope of your understanding, and it’s impossible to describe it in your language,” Lan said after sipping the coffee. ”Plus, everything I do is under God’s watch. If I give away any information that’ll potentially endanger Him, both of the two worlds will be destroyed. Hence, please remember that the truth is what you understand.”

Roland twitched his lips in amusement. Lan could have directly told him that she would rather lie than tell the truth.

”He can destroy the two worlds?”

”That’s why we call Him God. It’s the closest word to describe Him in your language.”

”What does He want?”

”To keep the Battle of Divine Will going.”

”What’s your relationship with God?”

Lan fell silent and then replied hesitantly, ”I betrayed Him.”

”Betrayed?”

”Yes. The war will continue, and I don’t want to be stuck here forever. A new cycle means another round of loss. God will eventually exhaust His power. By that time, both worlds will be devastated.”

Roland stared directly into Lan’s eyes before he asked, ”So, why did you come to seek me?”

”I need your help, child,” Lan said and gazed at Roland. ”I want you to stop the Battle of Divine Will and put this cycle to an end.”

”You mean to win the war?”

”No, that’ll start a new cycle,” Lan said while shaking her head. ”I want you to stop everything and replace God!”

Roland was astounded. He had never anticipated that.

He took a deep breath and said, ”Sorry, I’m afraid I can’t help you.”

”Why?” Lan asked. Her expression finally changed.

”I don’t know whether you’re telling the truth. You admit that you could only give me some evasive answers to avoid raising God’s suspicion. Sometimes, one single word could mislead a person. What if you lie to me? You betrayed God once, and you can certainly betray me,” Roland said while spreading out his hands. ”I’m not good at taking risks. So, look for someone else to replace God.”

”If you could help me — ”

”Don’t,” Roland interrupted. ”You said there was no reward. You told me a reward would make things worse.”

Lan fixed her eyes onto Roland for about 10 minutes before she conceded, ”No, I changed my mind.”

”I’m determined,” Roland said as he rose and poured himself a coffee. ”An empty promise doesn’t mean anything, although it sounds pretty nice.”

”You should at least let me finish.”

”I’ve told you — ”

”I can bring Ashes back to life.”

”Crash!”

Roland was aghasted. The glass in his hand slipped through his fingers, fell on the floor and broke into pieces.