Hate Me, Witch!-Chapter 102: From Now On, This Is True Love
Chapter 102: From Now On, This Is True Love
The argent-blue brilliance in The Argent Witch’s eyes rippled, and an uncontrollable flush spread across her breathtakingly beautiful face.
Only now, at this very moment, did Sylvia’s fragmented memories finally piece themselves together, allowing her to fully recall that night in its entirety.
And everything Xia Ya had done for her.
Even by today’s standards, Xia Ya had once believed he had merely stepped into a Historical Echo.
Yet within that Historical Echo, he had fought with everything he had—for Sylvia.
At the very end of everything—
Pale-faced and drained, Brother Xia Ya had still forced himself to stay strong, whispering careful instructions to her.
And in the end, unable to leave her behind in worry, he had expended his very last sliver of mental energy to cast one final "Tsukuyomi" upon her.
That scene played over and over again in Sylvia’s mind, like an unending loop.
“Brother Xia Ya…”
That melodious, wind-chime-like voice rang out once more, but this time, it carried a trace of heartache.
Just then—
A deafening boom echoed from the far reaches of the sky.
Following the source of the sound, Xia Ya turned his gaze and finally noticed the anomaly.
This small, tranquil courtyard was, in truth, just a minuscule fragment of the world they currently inhabited.
They were inside a colossal tower, its structure entirely composed of White Chalk stone.
And everything—the flower-filled courtyard, the bright moon, the starry night sky, even the waves of the Grandet Sea—
They were nothing more than an illusionary landscape, meticulously constructed within the tower’s walls.
Not just in reality—
Even within her inner world, Sylvia had built this towering White Chalk Tower.
And then, she had imprisoned herself within its lightless confines, day after day, year after year, until the end of time itself.
“This tower… is your Heart’s Landscape, Sylvia?”
“That’s right, Brother Xia Ya.”
Sylvia sat beside Xia Ya, their shoulders touching as they both gazed upon the pristine, towering structure before them.
For a fleeting moment, time rewound itself by more than five hundred years—
They sat in a courtyard, YoLeMei milk tea cups in hand, watching the flowers sway gently in the breeze, idly chatting under the night sky.
“When I was young, I once imagined that if I could one day lift the curse upon me and become normal again…”
“…I would definitely go and see the vast world you always spoke of, Brother Xia Ya.”
“I would see the Three Sages’ Snow Mountains of the Far North, the Golden Plains, and the depths of the Sagewood Forest.”
“Back then, when we parted, you also told me…”
“…that I would have a far more dazzling and beautiful life ahead of me, one filled with encounters of all kinds.”
“But.”
Sylvia let out a silent smile.
“That’s not how things turned out at all.”
“You lifted the Twilight curse from me, even restored my divinity, allowing me—though late in my journey—to possess talents and ascension speeds beyond the reach of any Beastmaster.”
“But then, I broke through the Sixth-Ring, reached the Legendary Tier…”
“The places that once felt so distant and unattainable… I could now traverse them with ease.”
“But it was only when I stood atop the Three Sages’ Snow Mountains, when I beheld the Golden Plains with my own eyes, when I ventured deep into the Sagewood Forest and spoke with that Legendary Beast known as the ‘Forest Sage King’…”
“…that I realized—those places truly were breathtaking.”
“Breathtaking enough to steal one’s breath away… but they weren’t what I had been searching for.”
“The reason I wanted to go to those places… was simply because I wanted to explore them with you, Brother Xia Ya.”
“The most important part was never the sights at the journey’s end—”
“—but the person walking beside me throughout the journey.”
She tilted her head slightly, letting a few strands of silver-white hair fall against Xia Ya’s shoulder.
“The Era of Cataclysm was truly dark and chaotic…”
“So chaotic that when I awoke to see the peaceful Western Continent, I thought I must have slept not just for five hundred years, but for an entire epoch.”
“In that lightless world, my hatred for you, Brother Xia Ya, was what drove me to survive and grow stronger.”
“Later, when I became Legendary and uncovered the missing pieces of my memories… that lingering hatred transformed into an obsession.”
“An obsession to find the truth, to see you again at the end of time.”
“So I built this White Chalk Tower, burying both my soul and body within it.”
Sylvia turned her head slightly, gazing silently at Xia Ya’s profile.
“Self-imposed sealing slumber is excruciating.”
“The soul and mind wither from prolonged dormancy, eventually leading to complete oblivion—even losing oneself.”
“In the countless moments when my soul’s flame nearly flickered out, it was only this illusory world that kept me holding on.”
“And even though the time I spent with you, Brother Xia Ya, was but a drop in the vast ocean of my long years…”
“…those moments were my most precious memories.”
“They never faded with time—instead, they only etched themselves deeper into my very being.”
“They were my only reason to keep living.”
“That’s why, in this five-hundred-year-long wait…”
“…I was terrified.”
“Terrified that you had died that night, Brother Xia Ya.”
“Terrified that our promise to meet again was nothing more than a lie you told me, just to give me a reason to live.”
“…Just like how adults don’t tell children that their parents are dead, but only that they’ve gone somewhere far, far away.”
Her argent-blue eyes lowered slightly.
“But, thankfully.”
Her voice quivered ever so slightly.
Thankfully—on that day, Brother Xia Ya did not betray her.
Thankfully—this five-hundred-year-long wait had finally borne fruit.
And so—
Sylvia, the girl who had lost her purpose, found meaning in existence once more.
And so—
The world that had long been shrouded in darkness was illuminated once again.
BOOM——
BOOM——
The rumbling grew louder.
It was the sound of Sylvia’s entire inner world resonating.
The White Chalk Tower was collapsing.
One by one, massive white bricks tumbled from above, raising clouds of dust that filled the air.
The entire tower was crumbling apart. Brilliant sunlight pierced through the widening gaps where the bricks had fallen, illuminating the once lightless world within.
Sylvia watched in silence as the tower collapsed amidst the deafening roar. Sunlight spilled through the cracks, casting a golden glow over her silver-white hair, as if she were draped in a veil of light.
Xia Ya listened to Sylvia’s words, and his heart ached.
After confirming the truth about the Historical Echo from the Shadow Council, he had imagined their reunion countless times.
Perhaps she had long forgotten the Brother Xia Ya from five hundred years ago.
Perhaps, as someone of supreme status, she would merely nod indifferently upon seeing an old acquaintance from her youth.
Or perhaps, she would simply offer a polite, fleeting smile before moving on.
But never—never had he imagined this.
She should have been standing above all, revered by the world as the Master of the White Tower.
Applause, flowers, power, and glory—Sylvia could have embraced everything that humanity pursued.
Yet instead, she had buried herself within a tower of white bricks, clutching onto blurred memories and a long-faded promise of reunion, spending her days and years in a world without light.
Without thinking, Xia Ya reached out and gently ran his fingers through Sylvia’s argent-blue hair, just as he had done so many times within the Historical Echo.
Her silky strands were soft and smooth, carrying a faint lavender scent.
Sylvia made no move to resist.
As if, in this moment, she was no longer the same Throne-tier powerhouse who had just slain a Legendary-tier Summoned Beast with a single Judgment Edict—
But simply the girl from the Grand Ducal Estate, listening to Xia Ya tell her stories.
BOOM——
BOOM——
The final white brick shattered.
The massive tower—like a tomb—was no more.
Only a field of ruins remained, bathed in brilliant sunlight.
“Now, Brother Xia Ya, it’s time for you to answer my second question.”
That wind-chime-like voice rang out once more.
No longer trembling, but carrying a faint trace of anticipation.
“In your heart, what exactly am I to you?”
“A sister? A passing stranger you once saved… or—”
“None of the above.”
Xia Ya’s words cut Sylvia off.
He met her pure silver eyes head-on, without a trace of hesitation.
And he spoke, word by word.
“I like you.”
“And not as a brother to a sister—”
“But as a man to a woman.”
As he spoke those words, Xia Ya also examined his own heart.
At the very beginning, what he had felt for Sylvia was more of pity and sympathy.
Sympathy for her circumstances.
Pity for what she was about to lose.
But as day after day passed within the Historical Echo, that sympathy and pity gradually evolved into affection and familial warmth.
Yet there was no denying it—deep within his heart, there had always been a lingering fondness for Sylvia.
That feeling…
Perhaps it was born from the guilt he felt for that single slash amidst the Night Orchid Sea on the Morning Star Hills.
Perhaps it stemmed from the heartache of knowing how Sylvia had clung to her pain for five hundred long years.
Or perhaps…
Perhaps it had taken root long before either of them had ever realized it.
Sylvia lowered her gaze.
"Brother Xia Ya, you really are greedy… You already have Miss Ailora, yet you can still say such things to another woman without flinching."
“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that.” Xia Ya leaned back against the steps, gazing at the sunlight pouring over the ruins. “That’s just the kind of insatiable person I am.”
“…Still, hearing you say that…”
“…makes me really happy.”
Sylvia’s final whisper was so soft that no one heard it.
“Then, compared to Miss Ailora, how much do I weigh in your heart?”
Here comes Death Question No. 2.
Might as well just ask me directly—if you and Little Ai fell into a lake, who would I save first?
Xia Ya felt like his soul was about to leave his body.
He didn’t answer aloud—
But his emotions bled out in waves.
And within Sylvia’s inner world, she sensed them clearly.
She understood the answer.
Sylvia silently absorbed the emotions Xia Ya had released—
Not towards her—
But towards another girl.
She felt their bond, from their childhood friendship, to the Ceylan Catastrophe, where they had fought side by side—
Where they had stood by each other through life and death.
After a long silence, Sylvia finally let out a soft sigh.
"Miss Ailora… is truly fortunate."
There was a hint of envy in her voice, but not much resentment.
It was only natural.
Compared to the brief time she had spent with Xia Ya, that girl had been through so much more with him.
If anything, after witnessing everything between Xia Ya and Ailora at the banquet, Sylvia had already known the answer in her heart.
She was just… envious.
Envious of that golden-haired girl, who had stayed by Xia Ya’s side from beginning to end—through sorrow and joy alike.
While she, Sylvia, could only linger alone in that cold, lifeless tower, drowning in memories, reliving them over and over again.
Xia Ya remained silent.
If it were anyone else, they would have been ecstatic to receive the favor of a Throne-tier Beastmaster, desperate to prove their devotion—cutting ties with all other women in an instant.
After all, this wasn’t just taking a shortcut—this was skipping hundreds of years of struggle entirely.
But Xia Ya…
He couldn’t even bring himself to utter a well-intended lie to Sylvia.
Because he didn’t want to hurt Little Ai.
And more than that—because he knew he simply wasn’t capable of doing so.
If he were, then back at the banquet, he should have played along with the Borgia family’s engagement first—not fired that shot in front of everyone.
Before him, The Argent Witch took a small step back, lowering her argent-blue gaze.
"Brother Xia Ya."
"I owe you… and Miss Ailora… an apology."
"An apology?" Xia Ya frowned. "For what?"
"Because only now—after the White Tower within my inner world has collapsed—do I finally understand."
"For the past five hundred years… the feelings I had for you were not love—but dependence."
"Time has the power to warp emotions."
"In those endless years, I clung to my memories of you like a beacon in a dark world. I relived them, over and over, letting them ferment and distort."
"By the time I finally awoke… my emotions had already become twisted—warping into obsession and an overwhelming need to possess you."
"And that is why, when we reunited, I couldn’t control myself and kissed you."
"But back then, in my heart, I never saw you as a lover."
"To me, you were just… a treasure that belonged solely to me."
"I didn’t want anyone else to even think about taking what was mine—so I had to declare my claim."
Sylvia clasped her hands behind her back and smiled faintly.
"Using your words, Brother Xia Ya… I suppose you could call it yandere."
"It wasn’t love—it was just a sick kind of possessiveness."
"I must have caused a lot of trouble for both you and Miss Ailora."
"...Is that so…"
Xia Ya exhaled.
A part of him felt relieved, but another part felt… regret.
But then—
His eyes suddenly widened.
Because—
That cold, soft sensation brushed against his cheek once more.
Unlike before—unlike the forceful, domineering kiss of possession—
This time, Sylvia’s kiss was light.
Barely a fleeting touch.
"Sylvia… Miss Sylvia?"
Xia Ya was utterly confused.
Just moments ago, she had said her feelings weren’t love—only a twisted obsession.
And yet now—
As the master of her inner world, Sylvia easily sensed Xia Ya’s confusion.
"In the past five hundred years, the emotions I felt for you were not love."
"They were a sickness—a desperate need to cling to something that kept me sane."
"...Mm…"
Sylvia leaned down, her clear silver eyes locking onto Xia Ya’s.
"But starting from this moment—"
"—this is real love."
The golden glow of dawn reflected in her eyes, like a vast sea of stars at twilight.
She had indeed arrived five hundred years too soon—
And had waited five hundred years too long.
But in the end, her wait was not in vain.
No longer separated by a Historical Echo.
No longer distanced by the vastness of time.
But in reality, where they could truly reach out and touch each other.
Reunited.
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Understanding each other once more.
And then—
Falling in love.
"Compared to me, Miss Ailora is far ahead."
"But since the journey isn’t over—nothing is set in stone."
"And that, Brother Xia Ya… is what you once taught me."
The witch smiled.
A brilliant, radiant smile—
Like the first light of dawn.
"Well then, Brother Xia Ya."
"From now on—please take care of me."
