Chapter 2: The Wordless Tome and a Sudden Transformation

Turning the pages one by one, Bai Yu was astonished to discover that the book contained not a single word; every page was utterly blank.

“What in the world? A wordless heavenly tome?”

He found himself pondering whether ancient Western cultures possessed any legends of such a “wordless tome.”

Yet, as his fingers continued to turn the blank pages, one particular leaf abruptly seized his attention.

A furrow appeared between Bai Yu’s brows.

“What is this?”

Unlike the pristine emptiness of the other pages, a strange… black tumor-like growth marred the center of this one.

Bai Yu struggled to find the right words to describe the object before him; it resembled desiccated flesh, shriveled and withered, seemingly fused directly into the page, with dark, vein-like patterns spreading from its edges.

Abruptly, the grotesque flesh twitched, sending a jolt of alarm through Bai Yu.

“Is this alive?”

Under normal circumstances, Bai Yu would have instantly hurled the book away and contacted the authorities.

Yet, in this peculiar moment, an inexplicable fascination drew him towards the growth, and by some bizarre twist of fate, his finger, almost of its own accord, reached out to touch the tumor.

“Eh?!”

Before he could fully register his actions, it was already too late; his skin had made full contact with the pulsating flesh.

A chilling sensation, piercing to the very core of his being, surged through him.

The piece of flesh, as though imbued with its own malevolent life, tore through the skin of Bai Yu’s hand and burrowed directly into his body.

“What in the world is that!!!!”

Bai Yu instinctively flung the book away, but it was already futile; the black tumor had completely assimilated into his being.

“What the hell!”

Bai Yu frantically examined his finger, only to find nothing amiss; not a single mark or blemish marred his skin.

Had his eyes deceived him?

However, the very next instant, he violently dismissed the thought as an excruciating pain erupted, coursing through his entire body!

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

The agonizing, bone-deep pain threatened to plunge Bai Yu into shock, causing him to collapse onto the floor.

This torment enveloped his entire being, radiating from within to without, piercing to the very marrow of his bones, as if his essence were being torn asunder from the inside.

In that moment, he yearned desperately for unconsciousness; even death seemed a distant, unattainable luxury.

Coexisting with the agony was an infernal heat, as though his insides had ignited, threatening to boil him alive.

His vision blurred into an indistinct haze, and he was consumed by profound regret for his recent actions; indeed, the adage “curiosity killed the cat” was no mere exaggeration.

Bai Yu lay prostrate on the floor, enduring the excruciating pain as he crawled, worm-like, towards the kitchen.

Never before had he cursed the spaciousness of his own home; that short distance now felt as insurmountable as a ten-thousand-meter peak.

‘So much pain, so much heat, such intense thirst,’ Bai Yu’s mind screamed amidst the torment.

He yearned to plunge into a cold shower, then drink until his thirst was quenched.

But all was in vain; he felt death’s cold embrace, convinced that everything was drawing to a close, that his brief life was destined to end here.

‘Perhaps this was for the best, yes, for the best.’

Bai Yu lay sprawled on the floor, his body silently commencing a profound transformation.

Lost in unconsciousness, he seemed to perceive the soft murmurs of a woman.

‘Embrace the shadows… Accept the illusion…’

‘This form is a treasure… this state, truth itself…’

‘As moon phases turn… the secret rite is revealed…’

‘Weave the threads of fate…’

‘Listen… to the ballad of blood and starlight…’

‘Beauty, a sharpened blade… elegance, a potent poison…’

‘In the stillness… seize dominion…’

‘What is this? So loud. Can’t even death grant me peace?’

Lost in a haze of pain and confusion, Bai Yu’s grasp on time and his perception of the physical world utterly dissolved.

The cacophony persisted, a resonant hum that reverberated until Bai Yu finally succumbed to unconsciousness…

‘Stars… birth and death…’

‘Order… illusion…’

‘Crawl… before eternity…’

‘Dimensions… folds…’

‘You… are also dust…’

‘Hunger… devour…’

‘Witness… the end…’

****

Within the room, the ethereal form of a silver-haired woman, clad in a witch’s robe, abruptly materialized, her gaze resting gently upon the boy on the floor—no, it would be more accurate to say, the girl.

Bai Yu lay in a deep coma, their formerly tall and sturdy physique having undergone a complete transformation from head to toe, now rendered exquisitely petite.

They appeared to be less than one hundred and fifty centimeters tall.

Their messy black hair had been entirely replaced by a cascade of silvery-white locks, reaching to their waist.

Their once handsome face had softened into an utterly adorable visage, their fair skin so delicate it seemed one could pinch water from it, complete with a hint of youthful plumpness.

Observing this profound change, the woman murmured softly.

“So, it has finally returned? To think the inheritor of the witch’s destiny was originally a male. It seems he truly is special.”

The woman reached out, desiring to caress the girl on the floor, but as a mere phantom, she found herself unable to touch her.

“Ah, perhaps this is for the best.”

The woman’s ethereal form dissolved, transforming into a streak of light that soared into the forehead of the girl, who was now Bai Yu.

****

An indeterminate amount of time had elapsed; the sun had traversed the sky in a full cycle, and now the twilight of the second day descended.

A faint flutter stirred her pristine white eyelashes, and then the girl slowly opened her eyes.

She pushed against the floor with effort, rising to her feet, her silvery-white hair cascading down her back.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she resembled an ethereal angel.

Her bewildered gaze swept across her surroundings, absorbing the fading warmth of the twilight as her consciousness gradually returned.

“I’m so thirsty. Am I… in heaven?”

Bai Yu surveyed the familiar environment, pondering how heaven could so perfectly mimic her own home.

After a prolonged moment of stunned disbelief, she finally acknowledged her current state: she was not dead; she was alive once more.

Recalling the utterly terrifying pain she had just endured, a shiver of dread ran through her.

To think she had actually survived such an ordeal.

“Ah, it seems life must continue.”

As Bai Yu spoke, her hand instinctively rose to scratch her head.

‘My hair?’

She quickly gathered a handful of hair from behind her; silken, silvery strands flowed through her fingers, incredibly soft to the touch.

“What in the—”

However, her attention was instantly drawn to other unsettling discrepancies.

“My voice?”

Alarmed, she uttered a few more words, only to hear a soft, sweet, and undeniably cute voice emanate from her throat.

“Wait, wait, I’m not dreaming, am I? Or have I truly arrived in heaven?”

A terrifying realization dawned upon her, and she bolted towards the bathroom, not even pausing to quench her thirst.

Then, with a soft thud.

The adorable silver-haired girl promptly tumbled to the floor.

“What the heck! That hurt like crazy!”

Bai Yu grumbled in frustration, only then noticing that her pants were ridiculously long.

“What’s happening? Why have my pants become so long?”

She distinctly recalled her pants fitting perfectly before.

Even now, she had yet to entertain the most dreadful possibility.

She hastily rolled up her pant legs and scurried into the bathroom.

“Why has the sink become so tall too? I can’t even see myself in the mirror!”

Bai Yu, fuming, stomped her foot, then quickly located a small stool and climbed upon it.

There, reflected in the mirror, was the most exquisite face she had ever witnessed in her entire life.

She couldn’t deny it; though the face was still undeniably youthful, its perfection was absolute, beyond any conceivable flaw.

Had it not been her own reflection, she would surely have paused to admire its beauty at length.

“So, what in the world is happening?!”

Bai Yu utterly collapsed, dissolving into tearful sobs while perched on the small stool.

‘This had to be a dream. How could her male body have vanished? How was any of this possible?’