Chapter 3: The Unveiling of a Witch’s Destiny

‘No, no, this has to be a dream. Yes, absolutely, it’s just a dream.’

Bai Yu frantically tried to convince herself, attempting to make it as if none of this had happened.

[It’s no dream, sweetie. You’re permanently changed, hm-hm.]

The voice of a mature woman echoed in Bai Yu’s mind.

“Who is it! Who exactly are you!”

This sudden intrusion startled Bai Yu, causing her to leap from the small stool, looking left and right as if facing a formidable enemy.

‘Could it be a ghost?’ A knot of unease tightened in Bai Yu’s chest. What was happening now had entirely transcended her understanding; there seemed to be no other explanation besides a haunting.

‘Or perhaps this was all part of a movie shoot, and she was merely the target of a prank? Yet, what kind of makeup could possibly transform her body into its current state?’

‘Nothing made any sense!’

And she could distinctly feel it: her ‘little brother’ was utterly gone!

It had utterly vanished! Her ‘little brother,’ which had been with her for over a decade, had met its end before ever even having a chance to be used!

[Hm-hm, was that thing truly so important to you? It was merely a useless appendage.]

The voice in Bai Yu’s mind spoke with disdain, its tone dripping with contempt.

“It was absolutely not useless!”

Bai Yu puffed out her cheeks, and the white cowlick on her head stood erect.

Yet, she had no outlet for her frustration. She had no idea where the voice originated, only that it seemed to emanate from within her own mind.

“Who exactly are you, and where are you hiding!”

[I’m right here in your mind, hm-hm. Isn’t that simply marvelous?]

The Woman chuckled, her melodious voice almost causing Bai Yu to lose herself for a moment.

“Did you turn my body into this? Change me back at once!”

Bai Yu yelled furiously. She absolutely refused to be a girl!

[No, I didn’t transform your body like this. Rather, this is how you were always meant to be.]

“You’re lying! I was a perfectly normal guy before!!”

Bai Yu put her hands on her hips. ‘Don’t think just because you’ve turned me into a girl that I’ve become stupid! My mind is sharper than ever right now!’

[That was merely an illusion. You were born with the destiny of a witch, and regardless, this transformation is your true calling.]

The mature female voice continued to murmur in Bai Yu’s mind, and this unsettling, mystical sensation was becoming unbearable.

Just as she was about to erupt in frustration, a sudden knock echoed from the door.

A clear, youthful female voice drifted into the house.

“Bai Yu, are you home? Why didn’t you come to school today? The teacher called your Mother, but she didn’t answer. What happened? Are you sick?”

The girl’s voice held a note of urgency, interwoven with a hint of worry.

‘Lu Xingyao? Why was she here? A whole day of school missed? Hadn’t she only just fainted a moment ago?’

Bai Yu’s heart was filled with astonishment. Lu Xingyao was her childhood friend, her current neighbor, and one of her few original friends.

[Oh, I forgot to mention, you’ve been asleep for an entire day. It’s now the evening of the second day.]

“What? I’ve been asleep for a whole day!”

Bai Yu instantly grew anxious, rushing to the door. Just as she reached out to open it, she suddenly realized her current appearance.

‘How could she possibly face anyone looking like this? Tell them she’d somehow turned into a girl? No one would ever believe such a thing!’

‘What should she do, what should she do!’

Bai Yu was frantic, pacing in circles by the door.

Another series of knocks echoed.

“Bai Yu, are you asleep? Seriously, you’re not even replying to messages!”

‘That’s right! Her phone!’

Bai Yu instantly felt as though she had grasped a lifeline, hurrying back into the room to grab her phone.

She had to tread carefully, fearing that any noise might alert Lu Xingyao.

Bai Yu, bare-footed, tiptoed across the room, then practically dove onto the bed to retrieve her phone.

She skillfully attempted to unlock it with her fingerprint.

[Fingerprint authentication failed.]

“Damn it!”

Only then did Bai Yu realize: her fingerprints were different!

She let out a whimper. ‘How was she going to live now?’

Quickly, she used her password to unlock the phone and tapped into Green Bubble.

Immediately, a terrifying screen full of red notification dots greeted her; Lu Xingyao had sent her hundreds of messages.

She hastily began to reply, her small hands typing frantically, almost blurring with speed.

[I’m so sorry, Xingyao. My body aches too much for me to get up and open the door. Could you please ask the teacher for a leave of absence for me tomorrow? Thanks!]

She tapped ‘Send.’

‘Phew~’

‘That should be fine, right?’

Just as Bai Yu was about to let out a sigh of relief, Lu Xingyao sent a lengthy 60-second voice message.

Seeing this, Bai Yu jumped. As she opened the message, the girl’s anxious voice instantly filled the entire room.

Startled, Bai Yu quickly lowered the phone’s volume.

“Oh no, she couldn’t have heard that, could she!”

Bai Yu knew there was no pretending anymore. From the sound of Lu Xingyao’s voice, it seemed she was about to break down the door.

‘She had never realized her childhood friend cared so much for him.’

‘What should she do, what should she do? Maybe she should just hide. Yes, hiding was the solution.’

At this moment, Bai Yu’s usually clever mind had completely shut down, and all her previous boasts immediately came back to haunt her like a boomerang.

The Woman in her mind simply watched the scene unfold, smiling faintly without a word.

Bai Yu yanked open the wardrobe door, squeezed her entire body inside, facing the interior, and promptly shut the door.

At that very moment, a tremendous bang erupted from the main door, a terrifying sound as if something had been kicked clean off its hinges and slammed violently against the wall.

“What’s going on? The door’s open? How is that possible? It’s a security door!”

Bai Yu huddled inside the wardrobe, trembling uncontrollably.

With a single kick, Lu Xingyao had burst open the front door. The iron door, crafted from several centimeters of steel plate, was sent flying by the girl’s foot, crashing heavily against the wall and leaving a massive dent across its entire surface.

Yet, the girl who had performed this astonishing feat showed no expression whatsoever, her face cold as she stepped further into the house.

Her brows furrowed deeply. She detected a spiritual aura that did not belong to Bai Yu.

“Damn it, I should have come sooner. I never expected something like this to happen!”

Anxiety and sorrow intertwined in the girl’s heart, but her rationality dictated her primary objective now.

The spiritual auras within the room were convoluted, yet she still managed to discern the one that didn’t belong to Bai Yu.

She descended into the basement, picking up a book and a necklace from the floor.

The unknown spiritual aura emanated from these items.

“These are… Soul Artifacts and Mystical Items. How could Bai Yu, a mere ordinary person, possess such things?”

Lu Xingyao couldn’t help but feel bewildered. In her impression, Bai Yu was an utterly ordinary individual, completely unrelated to anything mysterious. Moreover, she lived right next door; how could she not have sensed the aura of these two items before?

‘No, I must find Bai Yu immediately. He’s in grave danger right now.’

Lu Xingyao instinctively sensed Bai Yu was in peril and quickly searched the house for any sign of him.

“How can this be? How could an ordinary person’s room possess such a dense spiritual presence?!”

Lu Xingyao couldn’t comprehend it. The spiritual energy in the room was so abundant it was almost coalescing into a liquid. How had Bai Yu managed to conjure such things?

“No, the spiritual energy hasn’t spread outside the house. Bai Yu must still be here.”

Convinced that Bai Yu was still present, Lu Xingyao immediately dashed upstairs.

However, at this very moment, Bai Yu was still cowering inside the wardrobe, clutching her head and ceaselessly praying not to be discovered.

‘Though she had no idea how Lu Xingyao had gotten in, if she were found, everything would be ruined!’

‘If anyone discovered that he had inexplicably turned into a girl, he would surely be taken away for research.’

‘She didn’t want to be dissected! Help!’