"..."
Edward froze; the word "bloody hell" jammed right in his throat.
Little Snake, you traitor!
You really sold me out this time!
He immediately pulled out a gold coin and tossed it for a divination. The result confirmed—she was telling the truth.
Krismona continued calmly, "I'm quite familiar with Zaratul as well. So when you impersonated him and pretended not to know me, I realised right away that something was off."
She glanced at the sofa. "Shall we sit down and talk?"
Edward drew in a slow breath. "Please."
"Thank you."
She quietly took a seat. Compared to yesterday, her expression carried a trace of unease—a faint stiffness that hadn't been there before.
For a long moment, silence filled the room. Then she finally asked softly, "You're Edward, right?"
"Yeah. That's me."
"And your relationship with Lilith is…?"
Edward countered, "What's your relationship with her?"
Even though he was sure she'd come on Little Snake's referral, that didn't automatically mean her intentions were friendly.
Krismona met his gaze steadily. "My name is Krismona…and I call Lilith my mother."
"???"
Edward's eyes flew wide open. "You—you're Lilith's daughter?!"
For a moment, there was only one thought in his mind:
WHICH BLOND BASTARD DO I NEED TO KILL?!
"And…who's your father?"
Krismona lowered her voice. "Alista Tudor."
"???"
Edward shot to his feet, stunned. "Wait—wait—that Tudor? The one who made hotpot?"
"I'm not sure what you mean by that."
"I mean the Red Priest from the Fourth Epoch?"
"Yes."
"But wasn't he supposed to be Cheek's lover?"
Then it hit him. "Wait, so Cheek hates Lilith so much because Lilith…stole her man?!"
"…"
Krismona was speechless for a moment before replying, "No. My biological mother is indeed Cheek. Mama is simply…my mother."
Edward blinked in confusion.
"It was Mama—Lilith—who raised me and saved me from Cheek's hands. To me, she's my real mother."
Ah, that explains it. Edward exhaled, finally feeling relieved.
Krisman then asked again, "So, back to my earlier question—what exactly is your relationship with Mama?"
Edward's expression turned awkward. "…In a sense, Lilith can be considered…my daughter."
Back in the future, his whole "fathering Bernadette" incident had been a misunderstanding—but who could've guessed that here, in this past, he'd accidentally become a grandfather for real?
Talk about indescribably awkward…
Krismona, on the other hand, looked even more mortified.
Last night, I actually tried to charm Mama's father…Thank goodness it didn't work! If something had really happened, when Mama returned from the Mirror World…
She didn't dare finish that thought.
Although this could technically be called a "family reunion," both of them fell silent at the same time, the atmosphere growing terribly awkward.
After a long pause, Krismona finally took a deep breath. "You…how can you prove you're really Edward?"
To be fair, after her talk with Little Snake, she was already mostly convinced that this Edward was indeed the person her Mother had always been so concerned about. But still—words alone weren't proof.
Edward drew his wand. "You should know Lilith possesses another type of mystical ability—a form of magic. Spells like Transfiguration, Stunning Charm, Shield Charm…"
As he spoke, he demonstrated each spell one by one, casting them fluidly into the air.
"As far as I know," he added, "in this world, only Lilith and I are capable of using magic. Is that sufficient proof of my identity?"
Krismona's eyes lit up, her expression instantly softening. "Yes. That's enough."
Edward lowered his wand and straightened his posture, his tone turning serious.
"Then can you tell me now—where did Lilith go?"
"The Mirror World."
"The Mirror World?"
He couldn't help but freeze for a moment. In the original story, there actually wasn't much description about the Mirror World. It was merely mentioned that, in mysticism, mirrors were often seen as symbols of passage to another "realm," and usually associated with things eerie and terrifying.
Moreover, the Mirror World wasn't truly a world—it was more like a collection of "Doors," connecting different mirrors and various mysterious realms. If one were to lose their way inside, they might end up in the Abyss, or even among the stars themselves.
After advancing to Sequence 4, Edward too could hide within an illusory spatial door to isolate himself completely from harm, but that kind of "world" was simply an independent space.
Hearing his question, Krismona explained, "For Beyonders of the Witch pathway, the Mirror World carries far deeper meaning. It's actually equivalent to the other side of the real world. Mama once said that the Mirror World and the Real World are like the yin and yang of existence—one cannot exist without the other."
"The promotion ritual for a Sequence 3 Demoness of Unaging is to reconcile with your mirror self within the Mirror World. But that is only a reflection—a shallow layer of that world. The place Mama went to, however, is the deepest layer of the Mirror World—where terrifying things that influence the entire world are hidden."
Hearing that, Edward couldn't help but ask, "If it's that dangerous, why did Lilith enter the Mirror World?"
"She only said it was for the sake of resurrection," Krismona replied softly, "but never explained what she intended to do inside."
"Resurrection?"
Edward quickly pressed on, "Then what state is Lilith in now? And what method does she intend to use for her resurrection?"
After a long silence, Krismona shook her head. "I'm sorry, Edward. Even though I've mostly confirmed your identity, I still can't tell you these things. Not even the slightest chance of threatening Mother's safety can be allowed."
She looked at him seriously.
"I actually shouldn't have come to see you before Mother's return. But according to the Snake of Mercury, you likely wouldn't rest until you got an answer. To prevent unnecessary misunderstanding, and so that Mother can meet the most important person to her the moment she returns, I decided to come."
Edward didn't seem to mind and continued asking, "What I want to know now is—how can I enter the Mirror World to find Lilith?"
"Entering the shallow layer of the Mirror World isn't difficult," Krismona said, "but the deeper layers…I'm sorry, that's beyond me. I can't cross the barrier that separates the shallow and deep layers—that ability should belong only to the Primordial Demoness. The Snake of Mercury must have told you—Mother seized part of Cheek's authority, the very power that governs the Mirror World."
"So, although the deep Mirror World is dangerous, it poses little threat to Mother. In fact, she even brought with her a sealed item—a silver mirror that can answer all questions—to serve as her assistant."
"You mean…Arrodes?"
She blinked in mild surprise. "You know it too—ah, silly me. If you really are Edward, of course you'd know."
"…I actually went through all kinds of trouble trying to obtain it, just so I could find Lilith," Edward said helplessly. "Never thought it was already in her hands long ago."
Krismona smiled faintly. "Then you and Mama truly are in sync."
After a pause, Edward asked, "Back then…what exactly happened between Lilith and Cheek? Why did their relationship turn from good to bad?"
Krismona spoke coolly, "At the top of the divine pathway, there's only room for one. The temptation of godhood is irresistible. Had Cheek not chosen betrayal, she would've remained a Sequence 2 angel forever."
"Only Mother at that time would've been foolish enough to trust Cheek unconditionally—treating her as her dearest friend and sister. Even when Cheek struck, Mama still thought it was some kind of joke."
"…"
Edward's chest tightened with a sharp pang—he could almost feel Lilith's despair and heartbreak.
The anger welled up inside him, uncontrollable. He blurted out without thinking, "Cheek…I'll kill you one day."
No—
Not one day.
Right now.
This very moment, he wanted to rush into the Astral World, find that damned traitor, and avenge Lilith—
Even if he couldn't win, he'd at least disgust her to death!
Krismona, seeing his unstable emotions, frowned slightly.
"Mr. Edward…are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
Edward took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"Then…how did she survive later?"
Krismona shook her head.
"I don't know. Back then, I also thought she had fallen. Until the moment Cheek turned her blade on me—Mother suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and took me away. We've been in hiding ever since."
"???"
Edward blinked. "Wait—you just said…Cheek is your mother, right? Then why did she want to kill you?"
"Not just me," Krismona replied quietly. "Every female Witch was her target."
She went on, "To achieve a certain goal, Cheek would not allow the existence of any female Witch. That's why, in the following millennia, the Witch Pathway gradually became one dominated by men. Part of it was the Demoness Sect deliberately promoting this change, but more importantly, under Cheek's influence, women who were once best suited for this pathway became the ones most prone to losing control."
So that was the reason…
For a long time—both Klein in the original timeline and Edward influenced by that knowledge—had thought it was simply Cheek's perverse hatred, a twisted act of revenge against those who came after her.
But thinking about it carefully, that made no sense.
A god who had advanced to Sequence 0—could such a being really be ruled by mere psychological spite?
And even repeat the same act, over and over again, for thousands of years?
Still...Wasn't the Primordial Demoness supposed to be the "mother" of all witches? Then why would Cheek so mercilessly hunt down female witches—including her own daughter? What purpose could justify that?
"Do you know what her true goal was?" he asked.
Krismona hesitated for several seconds before answering softly, "I'm…not entirely sure. But last time, in the catacombs beneath Trier, Mother mentioned Cheek's ambition…"
"She wants to become—the Primordial."
"The Primordial???"
Edward sucked in a sharp breath.
"The Primordial—as in the Oldest One?!"
———
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