Chapter 55: Light and Shadow Go Hand in Hand

"Mentor…?"

Her weak and powerless legs seemed as if they would give way at any moment.

She advanced unsteadily, pacing with trembling steps.

Her body was frail.

Her voice was faint.

Klisa's physical condition was very poor; she was so weak that even walking was a struggle. She could only move her feet forward with great difficulty, slowly approaching Xu Xi amidst her ragged breathing.

The scene was silent, yet it carried a power that touched the heart.

The Witch proved one thing through her actions.

In the face of true will…

…a sickly body cannot hinder one even slightly.

The light fell upon the girl, further illuminating her pale, bloodless face. Trembling, she reached out her slender, graceful fingers and rested them on the chair Xu Xi was sitting in.

Using this as a support, the pressure of her movement lessened significantly, allowing her to reach the front of Xu Xi.

Then.

Klisa saw that familiar face, currently deep in sleep due to extreme exhaustion.

"Mentor… is fine…"

She tilted her head and blinked her eyes.

The truth was different from what she had imagined; nothing had happened to Xu Xi. He had simply fallen asleep, and that was all.

"That's good."

Her calm voice echoed in the air.

Within her chest, the accumulated sorrow and anxiety dissipated entirely, returning to their usual empty state.

Next… what should she do?

Klisa was somewhat lost. After confirming Xu Xi was okay, she suddenly didn't know what to do. Should she lie back on the stone slab and wait patiently for Xu Xi to wake up?

Light and shadow go hand in hand.

When light appears, shadow follows closely behind; for once it leaves the range of the light's radiance, the shadow ceases to exist.

So.

When the light falls into silence, where should the shadow go?

Klisa didn't know how to answer that question. In her life, her everything, she had long since grown accustomed to staying by Xu Xi's side.

Aside from that, the Witch had no interest in anything else.

However, given the Witch's current physical condition, even if she were awake, what could she do?

She struggled even to take care of herself.

Let alone anything else.

Thus, Klisa gave up on those impractical thoughts of helping with housework like usual.

With a very quiet demeanor and a calm, indifferent face, she crossed her hands over her lower abdomen and leaned against the edge of the table, silently standing guard by the sleeping Xu Xi.

The room was dim, the lamplight hazy. The blurred and vanishing light seemed like a touch from days gone by.

Delicately and gently, it enveloped the figures of the man and the girl.

The former slept soundly.

The latter stood still.

This was the only thing the Witch could think of doing at this stage.

At the same time, it was the only thing she wanted to do.

Since the light was sleeping, the shadow would stand guard by its side until the light warmed the world once more, providing the shadow with its reason for existence.

However—

How should she put it? The feeling was a bit subtle and strange.

"Mentor's face…" Klisa murmured to herself. She wasn't as tall as Xu Xi. Although she could usually see his whole face, she had never observed it in much detail.

But now, as Xu Xi sat sleeping, the standing girl happened to catch a full view of him.

This was the first time she had observed Xu Xi from such a close distance.

The Witch saw his eyes, swollen from overwork after long periods of reading books.

The Witch saw his fingers, which were still held in a pen-gripping posture even in sleep due to constant transcription.

The Witch saw that haggard face, overworked, with slightly pale lips and a heavy sense of exhaustion.

She saw it.

She saw everything.

She saw the passage of time at his temples and the trembling breath at his nostrils.

She saw how deeply Xu Xi slept and everything he had given for that depth.

Ah…

Ah…

So that's it. So that's how it was.

A heavy feeling seemed to pierce Klisa's heart in an instant, causing her pupils to dilate slightly.

Previously, the Witch thought that if the light went silent, the shadow would lose its place of refuge.

But now.

The facts told the Witch otherwise.

Even if the light falls silent and the sun is briefly extinguished, that lingering warmth still reaches deep into the soul, providing a path for the shadow to move forward.

The Witch didn't know what words or actions would be worthy of that burning and warm light. Her feelings gradually accumulated, her thoughts grew more chaotic, and more and more impulses built up in her chest.

The Witch was too clumsy; she had no idea what to do.

So.

Based on her own understanding, the Witch did the best thing she could think of.

She carefully reached out her fingers and, with the gentlest movements possible, lightly cupped Xu Xi's cheeks. She leaned down, pressing her forehead against his and letting the tips of their noses touch.

Her gray-silver hair hung down, a few strands brushing across the man's face.

"May you be well."

Klisa Christina prayed softly.

In that calm, level voice, for a split second, there seemed to be a crossover of various emotions, but the overly calm words made one wonder if it was just an illusion.

Pressing, touching, feeling the temperature of the light.

Time seemed to come to a standstill.

A mere few seconds felt like an extremely long transformation, as countless feelings she had never experienced before erupted within the Witch's heart.

What exactly was that?

Klisa felt she was guilty. She kept her forehead pressed against his, unwilling to let go of that warmth and intimacy, even though she knew that as a "personal possession," she shouldn't commit such a transgression.

Suddenly.

It seemed Klisa's movements had disturbed the man's sleep.

Xu Xi's brow furrowed slightly as he let out a soft groan. The sound was faint, yet it scared the seventeen-year-old Witch into fleeing in a flurry.

"!!!!!"

Relying on her weak and powerless legs, the Witch actually managed to run at a speed she had never reached before.

She scrambled back onto the stone slab as if fleeing for her life.

She grabbed the bedding Xu Xi had prepared for her.

Jumped in, hid inside.

And curled her body into a ball.

Like a self-enclosed silkworm, she wrapped herself up tightly, leaving no gaps, afraid to leave even the slightest space for the outside world to observe her.

She trembled softly and wriggled slightly, looking quite adorable.

Her heart was pounding wildly, bringing an unprecedented nervousness.

The Witch didn't know why she was so afraid. Although she had transgressed, it was only a simple touch of foreheads, yet her heart was in a state of utter turmoil.

"Mentor?"

She waited for a long time, but there was no movement.

And no scolding from her Master came.

Klisa carefully poked her head out, letting her eyes peek out from the bedding. When she found that Xu Xi was still sound asleep, her nervous mood gradually calmed down, returning to its usual hollowness.

Only…

"So strange… so hot…"

Klisa was confused. She lightly stroked her snow-white cheeks and found that both sides were burning hot.

The Witch suspected she might have a fever. Was this the price for transgressing against her Master?

The Witch's knowledge had increased.

She felt that as long as her Master didn't find out, this price was acceptable.