A Witch Without an Orb — Meilin

Strange…

Celeste shouldn’t have known our names, other than Himari and me. Ruri only met the two of us, so why would she know who Jianyun, Haruki and Yulan were?

Is she a mind reader?

I must’ve held an intense stare at Celeste, hoping that would give me some answers, as Celeste asked with an awkward smile, “Is something the matter?”

I shook my head. Everything about this witch was strange, from the glasses that were too big to the gown that was too long. Even the decorations she chose were weird. The flowers that came from different regions were all in full bloom, an unusual sight, since those flowers weren’t supposed to bloom in the same environments and conditions.

Not to mention the reeking smell that has been bothering me since we arrived, which seemed to come from the pot Celeste was stirring. Initially, it had a sweet aroma, but the more she stirred, the more it began to stink.

Celeste had asked to inspect my orb, which Yulan at first refused to let me hand to her. But considering she was the mentor of a friend, and that we had two experienced warriors with us, I removed the wish orb from the top of my staff and gave it to Celeste.

“Quite a beautiful gem indeed,” Celeste remarked, handling the orb carefully. “I suppose you have a wish in mind?”

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze fell on me. I felt the pressure crushing me, sewing my mouth shut. Celeste seemed to notice, a sharp one she is, and asked to talk to me in private, leaving mooncakes for the others to enjoy.

I want one too…

I reached out my hand to grab a snack, but was dragged away by Celeste into a smaller room. 

My mooncakes…

Celeste stared at me with a tiny smirk on her face, “So you have not decided on a wish? Most wish orb users have ambitions as impossible as hoping to ride a horse in the sky to be awarded a wish orb. They say the orb chooses its owner. You haven’t set your mind on a wish, yet the orb flew into your hands”

I fidgeted with uneasiness. She was simply stating I shouldn’t be the one to have such a powerful orb. “I do have a couple of wishes in mind…”

“A couple?” Celeste scoffed, “A greedy witch you are.” She whispered in my ear in such an intimidating way that it sent a shiver down my spine, “You know, the more you let this sin drive you, the more likely you will be corrupted.”

“I dislike orbs. Actually, I dislike the system of Elysium.” Celeste went on, rambling about the way Elysium worked. What sheer courage this woman has. As if criticizing the creation of a god, Elysium isn’t a sin. If a deity had heard her words, they would probably strike her down right away.

Celeste mentioned how the corruption of orbs always bothered her. The people who owned orbs were also significantly more potent than non-orb users. Having an orb was a privilege; most people who possessed one were either important figures or wealthy individuals. And of course, witches and wizards. Elysium was a place where orbs restrain magic. It was unfair that people who don’t have a chance of using orbs cannot play with magic.

"Take Ruri, for example, she has such a keen interest in casting spells, but couldn’t because she didn’t own an orb."

The scent of the mixture Celeste was making kept getting more putrid, to the point I almost puked. “Oh. I must’ve mixed the potion for too long.” Celeste sighed, dumping the whole mixture in an enclosed box. The stench disappeared.

A potion? So that was a potion all along?

I questioned Celeste about potion making, in which she replied to me with shimmering eyes, as if it were a topic she had wanted to discuss for a long time. “Since orbs are so rare, I wanted to make something to replace them, something that wouldn’t cause corruption and be easily accessed by everyone.” Her mouth spread into a large grin as she ushered me to a room, which I assume is the kitchen.

Potions didn’t exist in Elysium.

Ha, you would expect something like that to exist in a fantasy world, since spells already exist, but that was not the case in Elysium. Instead, potions existed in the neighboring world—Sapientia. Celeste learned about potions from a book that was said to originate from Sapientia. Despite not having an orb, she was called a witch because of her ability to manipulate magic with the help of potions.

She traveled to various regions of Elysium to gather the necessary ingredients for producing the potions. Of course, not all of them worked; in fact, a lot of them had failed, resulting in scars across her limbs, which she hid under her long gown.

But as the mad scientist—or I should say, mad witch Celeste was, that didn’t stop her, and she had already discovered a lot of effective potions.

“Like this one, drinking it or rubbing it on your skin can make you invisible,” Celeste said eagerly, holding out a spoonful of the potion for Meilin. Meilin edged away, but found herself pinned to the wall by Celeste, with a grin spreading across her face.

How do I get out of this…

I kept flailing my hands, and Celeste seemed to misinterpret that as me pointing at a potion set in the corner of the kitchen. “Oh, this one? I just recently discovered it. Wanna try?”

I politely refused and questioned her about the effects of this potion.

“This allows you to know certain information about a person just with a glance. Like their name, interests, height, weight—”

“Is this why you knew our names without needing to ask?” I asked, finding myself peering at the potion curiously. I wonder how much she knows.

Celeste nodded, “But it’s still in the testing stage. I’ve gotten a few headaches from that…”

“You don’t have any healing potions?” It seems that Celeste hasn’t gotten to the stage where she’s experienced enough to produce potions with healing effects. Healing was one of the most complex magics to master, hence most people resort to traditional ways—using medicine or herbs. Healing orbs were also highly rare and highly sought after.

I gave Celeste the bag of herbs the doctor gave me earlier, in case the after-effects of potion testing get worse.

“Seems like I got carried away by potions.” Celeste sighed, noticing the time. “What were we talking about before this…oh yes! Your wish.”

Wish.

I was deep in thought, and Celeste interrupted my thinking by stating, “The wish orb would be the only orb a potion couldn’t replace.”

Why is that? It would be because the wish orb doesn’t have limits. Any wish is possible. Even the most potent potions’ powers would be restrained within Elysium, but the wish orb wouldn’t. “If it were up to me, I wouldn’t make a foolish wish that other solutions could solve. Make a wish that only the wish orb can grant.” Celeste began stirring another pot of potion,

Only the wish orb can grant…Would that be seeing Haokei again? Or would that be returning to Earth?

There’s only one answer.

“Is there a way to meet someone who has passed on without the use of a wish orb?”

Celeste scratched her chin thoughtfully. “The person you’re speaking of is from Earth, am I right?” Is she just that intelligent, or is this an effect of the beta-potion? “If they are from Earth, there’s a chance that person is in Elysium right now.”

I gasped softly.

“I wouldn’t risk wasting a wish just to find out that person was in Elysium all along.” She chuckled. “As for your other wish—this potion is working especially well today—would be to return to Earth, correct?”

Now I am even interested in trying that potion.

“Though I do not know your reasons for returning to Earth, I think that would be the more obvious choice of the latter. I mean, other than the wish orb, there would be no way for you to return, unless you die in Elysium again. However, the chances of you being reincarnated on Earth are slim, and the likelihood of reincarnating as the same person you once lived as is even slimmer."

“No potion can help you with this wish, but for the other one—” Celeste reached out for a pot, “This can give you an illusion of the person you desire to meet again. It won’t be exactly accurate, since it’s built up from your memories. So instead of the real person, it would be the person you remember.”

Good enough.

“But I will have to warn you.” Celeste looked at me with wide eyes of sympathy, “A little bird friend of mine told me something about your friend—Haokei, is it?—She might not be as kind as you think she is.” Celeste sprinkled something into the potion, “This will help you uncover the truth.”

Huh?

Uncover the truth? What did she mean?