Dawn broke.
The community doctor, Li Ya, yawned as she opened her door.
As usual, there weren’t many people.
As a community doctor in the Lower City, she was used to it.
The Witches here were all mentally unstable in their own way, yet every single one of them believed they were perfectly sane.
This created a very bizarre sort of balance.
“Ha, looks like I can slack off for another day.”
Li Ya held a cup of hot coffee, a look of pure satisfaction on her face.
To her surprise, the wind chime above the door frame rang at that moment.
‘Oh? A guest?’
“Welcome—ack, wait!”
Saying “welcome” to a patient was a bit macabre for a doctor.
Today’s first guest was quite peculiar.
She wore a black robe that completely concealed her face.
One could only vaguely tell she was a young woman.
Strands of black hair occasionally fluttered from beneath the hood.
Li Ya caught a faint, cold scent of spider lilies clinging to her.
As the hem of the black robe shifted slightly, the silhouette of a Black-Red Katana flickered into view.
Most strikingly, the blade’s surface was covered in dense, web-like cracks, giving it a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
Li Ya completely ignored the newcomer’s abnormalities, a professional smile spreading across her face.
She already had a sales pitch ready.
The woman looked incredibly frail; Li Ya happened to have just the right medicine for that.
“…”
The black-robed figure ignored her, walking over to the medicine cabinet to inspect the contents.
One box of medicine caught her attention.
Li Ya glanced at it.
‘Ha, so she’s looking for mental health medication.’
She used to prescribe that exact one to a very beautiful, white-haired little Witch.
Unfortunately, that little Witch hadn’t visited for a while, which Li Ya found rather regrettable.
“Under the factions of Sequence 6, Destiny, most people only know of the Hall of Destiny. Very few know that another faction also belongs to that Sequence.”
“The Qiqiao Physicians. They view destiny as the ultimate disease and believe all people are merely patients of fate.”
“They use causality as thread and space-time as medicine. Calling themselves physicians, they weave the destinies of others to help them escape their predetermined fates, achieving what they call a full recovery.”
Li Ya listened quietly, the smile on her face never wavering.
“If all our destinies are predetermined, then what is the meaning of our lives? We are all patients. You are, and I am too. I simply want to use this diseased body to treat all of you.”
Li Ya shrugged, her tone remaining light and cheerful.
“But you crossed the line.”
In the dimly lit room, a black and red blade-light flashed.
The katana, covered in cracks, was suddenly pressed against Li Ya’s throat.
Li Ya could even see her own reflection in the shattered surface of the blade.
“Is that so? I simply saw a patient whose condition was extremely severe.”
Li Ya ignored the long blade before her.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she looked at the black-robed figure with great interest.
“Twenty years ago, when you and that Empress chose a predetermined destiny for that little one, did you ever consider if it was unfair to her?”
“This is our family matter. You have no right to interfere.”
“But I am a doctor. How can I sit idly by when a patient is right in front of me?”
Li Ya’s expression gradually turned serious.
“I don’t care what you’re planning, but she is innocent. She shouldn’t have to shoulder a destiny that doesn’t belong to her just for your sake.”
“…”
The black-robed person remained silent.
The atmosphere became stiflingly heavy.
“One last question. Who exactly is she? Is this your doing?”
“Ha! To think a mother would ask a stranger who her own daughter is! Hahaha!”
Li Ya couldn’t help herself and burst out laughing.
However, sensing the unrestrained killing intent radiating from the person in front of her, she quickly stifled her laughter.
She spread her hands.
“I’m not capable of something on that scale. All I did was take pity on the poor little thing. I nudged a few threads of causality so that the people she encountered would be easier to get along with.”
Whether it was Sister Jing, Ji Lingyuan, Wen Ruyu, or Yun Guang, they were all results of her nudging the threads of destiny.
Of course, these were all people Su Ling would have eventually met anyway.
Li Ya simply felt so much heartache for the poor girl that she allowed these destinies to arrive early.
“Sigh, I just didn’t expect that I would mess it up.”
Li Ya looked somewhat annoyed.
When she tried to manipulate Wen Ruyu’s causal threads, she was nearly killed by the backlash.
She knew then that she had touched something she shouldn’t have.
As she expected, she had invited a world of trouble.
She looked out the door.
Usually, there would be one or two little girls sweeping the streets early in the morning, but now the street was deserted.
Even though the sun was high in the sky, the air was thick with a murderous chill.
“To be honest, I prefer the way she is now. The previous one… ha. If I were you, I wouldn’t want to admit that thing was my daughter.”
Li Ya seemed to be trying to provoke the person in front of her, speaking with a smile.
However, the guest was more patient than she imagined.
The woman actually sheathed her blade.
“Whether she is my daughter or not is not for you to judge.”
The black-robed woman’s voice was cold. But just as she turned to leave, she let out a muffled groan.
“Tch, stubborn as a mule. Ignoring your wife and kid just to go pick fights, and then acting tough while you’re injured.”
“Catch.”
A box of medicine was tossed over.
The black-robed woman caught it, looking slightly stunned.
“I’m a doctor. I can’t stand seeing a patient,” Li Ya sighed.
“Also, if you don’t go now, you’ll run out of time~”
*Boom!*
As if to prove her words, a dull, heavy explosion echoed from the distance before she could even finish her sentence.
“Sigh, they started fighting after all.”
—
“Lady Empress, take care. Please look after K423 for me…”
“Hah!”
Su Ling’s eyes snapped open.
She sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.
It was her familiar bedroom.
Su Ling didn’t know whether she was happy or sad.
‘Was it a dream? It felt so real…’
“Sister?”
Bai Miao, who had been in her arms, was startled awake.
Her eyes were bleary with sleep.
Su Ling hugged Bai Miao tightly.
Feeling the warmth of the small girl in her arms, her heart calmed down slightly.
“It’s nothing. Sister just had a nightmare…”
But that dream had been far too vivid. It felt as if she had really gone back, as if she had truly seen her mother.
Yet the dream was also terrifying.
Insects, a hive, an Empress… all of it felt like a massive mountain weighing down on her, making it hard to breathe.
“Don’t be afraid, Sister. Miao Miao is here. Miao Miao will protect you.”
Bai Miao looked up, her small face incredibly serious.
Su Ling was amused.
She pinched Bai Miao’s cute little nose, her eyes full of doting affection.
“Yes, yes. I know Miao Miao is very strong. I’ll rely on you to protect me in the future.”
Having such a sweet and lovely sister was truly the greatest luck of her life.
After spending a few moments with Bai Miao, Su Ling got out of bed.
As expected, the others were still asleep.
Su Ling yawned and stretched.
Just then, she noticed an exquisite Pink Doll in the corner.
Initially, Su Ling was startled.
But when she saw that the doll was standing perfectly still, was only about the size of a palm, had hollow eyes, and a pair of thin wings on its back, her courage returned.
“Oh, it’s just a doll. It’s so realistic, though. It looks just like a real person.”
Su Ling boldly picked it up and examined it closely.
The doll felt like real skin to the touch, but it lacked any life.
‘It probably belongs to one of them,’ Su Ling thought, looking at K423 and Ji Lingyuan sleeping soundly on the sofa.
She shook her head and tucked the doll into her large pocket before heading toward the kitchen.
She might as well prepare breakfast.
*Boom!*
At that exact moment, a massive explosion rang out, followed by a violent tremor.
Su Ling lost her footing and collapsed to the floor.
“Aaaah! Earthquake!”
K423 was jolted awake, screaming frantically.
In an instant, everyone was wide awake.
Su Ling’s expression changed.
She rushed back into the bedroom, bumping into Bai Miao and immediately pulling the girl into her arms.
“What earthquake…”
Ji Lingyuan rubbed her eyes.
Then, another tremor shook the building.
This one was even more violent than the last.
Outside, Su Ling could already hear many Witches cursing and shouting.
Almost simultaneously, everyone in the building had woken up.
Su Ling held Bai Miao and looked at Wen Ruyu and Su Yao as they stepped out of the bedroom.
They all looked at one another, none of them knowing what was happening.
“This is…”
Su Yao began.
But suddenly, Ji Lingyuan’s face paled.
“Watch out!”
She lunged forward, pushing Su Yao away just as she was about to reach for Su Ling.
In the second after she was pushed, the ceiling suddenly ripped open.
The next moment, a sharp, tearing sound shattered the silence.
Dust and debris from the bricks exploded into the air, and the glass windows vibrated with a deafening hum.
Su Ling froze in place, watching helplessly as a straight, cold, shimmering crack tore through the ceiling and floor without warning.
The fissure grew at an impossible speed, moving too fast for anyone to breathe.
Wind, carrying dust and grit, rushed in, stinging her cheeks.
Su Ling instinctively looked up.
Through the gray sky, she saw a Witch holding a long blade, looking down at her with cold indifference.
Su Ling suddenly realized the truth.
That Witch had sliced the entire building in half!