NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 290:
Chapter 290: The Witch’s Silent Pursuit:
“How should I put it…?”
“Nostalgia?”
“Remembrance?”
“Or just simple boredom…”
The empty room felt like a suffocating cage, its doors and windows sealed shut, trapping the silence within. There was no light, no warmth—only the howling wind echoing through the darkness.
Xu Xi raised his palm, summoning a power similar to Krisha’s but lacking the vast, law-defying force she wielded.
“Purify.”
Instantly, the biting cold wind ceased.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a soft halo over the floor. The room looked clean again, but that was only on the surface. The decay within the walls and the scars left by time remained untouched—unchanged by Xu Xi’s magic.
Not because he couldn’t fix them, but because he saw no point in doing so.
“Now then…”
Xu Xi scanned the room. It was far too empty, without even a chair to sit on.
Luckily, he still had an old companion.
With a soft click, he walked to the corner, pulled out a folded wheelchair, and effortlessly unfolded it before sitting down.
Applying slight pressure to his arms, he spun the wheels, moving forward with a faint creak. The sound repeated rhythmically as he maneuvered through the room, stopping in front of the window.
The moonlight bathed both the wheelchair and Xu Xi, stretching their shadows long across the floor, blending into the darkness like ink on a canvas.
The house was silent.
Xu Xi let out a soft chuckle, but it quickly faded into something more complex—something closer to nostalgia.
“In the past, I always wanted to get out of this wheelchair, to walk on my own two feet again.”
“But now… I find myself reminiscing about those days.”
Sitting in the chair, he looked just like he had when his legs were injured, watching the outside world from a window.
He stared at the neon lights of the city, at people talking and laughing as they passed by, feeling the faint traces of life’s warmth.
It was peaceful.
And lonely.
Why had he come back here tonight?
Perhaps it was the influence of his teacher and A’Niu. Watching his former teacher and old companions move toward their bright futures had stirred something in him—an emotion woven from the threads of time.
“The simulated world, the real world…”
“The accumulation of all these simulated experiences has shaped my mindset.”
Night had fallen.
The cold wind whispered.
Xu Xi pushed open the window, letting the freezing air rush into the room.
He let the chill brush against his face, skim past his neck, the sharp sting a stark reminder that this world was real.
This wasn’t self-punishment.
He just wanted to see the world clearly.
But someone didn’t want him to.
From the shadows behind him, she emerged. Her steps were silent, her movements precise. Before Xu Xi could react, she had already closed the window.
“Master, this isn’t good for your health.”
Her calm voice echoed through the room, as soft and steady as a flowing stream.
“…I won’t do it again, Krisha.”
Xu Xi hesitated for a moment before turning to look at her—the silver-gray hair catching the moonlight, blending into its glow.
In the end, he couldn’t resist asking:
“Krisha, why are you here?”
“I watch over you, I listen to you, I sense you. I am always here whenever you need me.”
Her answer was simple.
She had been keeping an eye on Xu Xi at every moment, never letting her guard down, never allowing a single second of negligence. As long as he needed her, the witch would always be there.
But even after hearing her response, Xu Xi still had doubts.
“I blocked my spatial traces and concealed my presence. How did you find me?”
Krisha remained silent for a moment before raising her hand and pointing at the necklace around his neck.
The Supreme Coronet.
A gift from the Supreme Witch.
“You’re using… my power.”
Xu Xi fell silent as well.
Very well. Very powerful.
He had overlooked this.
He had planned to spend the night alone, quietly reminiscing about the past. But now, that plan seemed impossible.
“Sit down, Krisha.”
Xu Xi gathered the moonlight in his hand, preparing to shape it into a chair using light magic, but Krisha declined.
“Master, I can stand.”
Her silver-gray hair fell quietly over her shoulders, a few strands brushing against Xu Xi’s neck.
She stepped behind him and gently placed her hands on the wheelchair’s handles, steadying it.
It wasn’t necessary.
But she did it anyway.
Her expression was calm, her actions precise, her posture impeccably upright. To any observer, she would look like the most devoted servant.
“You don’t have to do this, Krisha.”
“Yes, Master.”
She understood. But she wouldn’t stop.
At times, Krisha could be unexpectedly stubborn—like now, when she refused to sit and instead insisted on holding the wheelchair steady. Even though Xu Xi’s legs weren’t injured and he had only chosen to sit for nostalgia’s sake, she wouldn’t change her mind.
Xu Xi had no choice but to let her be.
“Master.”
“Why did you come here?”
The empty house remained silent as Krisha pushed the wheelchair forward. Her voice was calm, but there was a hint of curiosity in it.
She didn’t understand why Xu Xi had left his courtyard just to return to this old place.
She didn’t understand why he chose to sit here and watch the world outside.
It made no sense to her.
“There’s no real reason, Krisha.”
Xu Xi smiled, his gaze shifting back to the lively streets beyond the window, watching as people bustled through the snowy night.
“I just wanted to see it.”
“If I had to explain why…”
“Maybe… I’m just reminiscing about the old days.”
The old days?
“You mean before you awakened your abilities, back when you were just an ordinary person?”
“Not just that. Also, the times with Moli. The times with you. All of it… everything.”
Krisha tilted her head slightly, confused.
She never cared about the past.
She never missed what had come before.
As long as she could see him, as long as she could be with him, then the darkness of the past would transform into the light of the future.
She only needed him. Nothing else mattered.
“The shadows exist to follow the light.”
“…Do you want to visit Ellenson City?”
She wasn’t interested in most things. But if it was something Xu Xi wanted, she would make it happen.
She told him that during the process of Earth’s transformation, the magical world had been split into many dimensional ruins—one of which contained the remains of Ellenson City.
Xu Xi’s expression shifted from surprise to laughter.
“Hahaha—”
“No need, Krisha.”
“I appreciate the thought, but Ellenson… it’s not the same anymore.”
The magical city of Ellenson had once suffered divine punishment orchestrated by the gods themselves. Though it was later rebuilt, it was no longer the place he remembered.
Of course, with Krisha’s abilities, she could restore Ellenson to its original form.
But even then, it wouldn’t be the same.
Remembering the past didn’t mean he needed to relive it.
Xu Xi smiled, his gaze softening.
“Still, thank you, Krisha.”