No.
That was definitely not a dream.
The moment she got a clear look at the person before her, Xili drew the dagger from her waist and thrust it fiercely toward the girl’s chest.
However, the resistance she expected from the blade piercing flesh never came; even her right hand gripping the hilt passed straight through the girl’s chest.
Another phantom. If she wanted to kill her, she’d have to find the real body.
She glanced into the stone coffin—empty, nothing inside.
Not in the coffin, then where…
“Stop wasting your energy.”
The girl’s delicate voice entered her ears. Xili looked up and met the smile at the corner of the girl’s lips.
“I’m just a projection right now, you can’t touch me.”
As expected, withdrawing her right hand, she realized she couldn’t even make contact, let alone get rid of her.
Still, if she could find the real body, there’d be a way to finish this.
But there was nothing in the tomb. If the real body wasn’t here, could it be… Remembering everything that happened in that dark space, Xili had a bold guess.
“Hey, there’s nothing else here, and also, don’t just stop and go all silent on me.”
The girl’s dissatisfied voice echoed in the tomb. Looking up, Xili met her gaze.
“As you can see, I’m just a projection right now.”
The girl jumped down from the stone coffin and walked straight through Xili’s body. There should have been no sensation, but as the girl’s body passed through her, a strange feeling rose in Xili’s heart, one she couldn’t quite describe.
The white-haired girl landed lightly, but the little feet clad in white stockings didn’t touch the ground—instead, she hovered a few inches above it.
“As for my real body… well, it’s gone. There’s only a remnant soul left, and it’s residing inside your body now.”
Inside her body…
The most unbelievable result had come true.
Her earlier premonition had not been wrong.
But things weren’t over—not at all. In fact, this was just the beginning of being haunted. She wondered if finding a priest at the church to exorcise her could force the girl out of her body.
“Of course, I was just careless in your consciousness space just now. That’s the only reason you got the upper hand.
But don’t think this is over. When the time is right, I’ll still take over your body.”
In the consciousness space… No wonder she could pull off what she did while struggling free from those black thorns—if she tried that in reality, she’d be dead for sure.
Still, a new problem had appeared.
A stranger’s soul was now dwelling inside her, ready to snatch her body at any time.
Not only had the curse not been lifted, she’d been entangled by such an existence. Talk about the worst luck imaginable.
But at least she was still alive.
As long as she was alive, there was infinite possibility.
“Hey, human, don’t just stay silent.”
“Stop calling me ‘human’ all the time…”
“Oh?”
The girl raised her eyebrows, “You’re right. Let me think… I’ll call you Yuri. How about that name?”
Not great. Besides, she already had a name.
“After all, Xili doesn’t suit you at all now.”
Wait… how did she know her name? And what did she mean by ‘doesn’t suit’?
“Seems you haven’t noticed your changes yet.”
A crisp snap of fingers echoed in the quiet tomb, and a mirror of water instantly appeared before Xili.
In the mirror’s surface, she saw her current self.
With just one glance, it was as if she had been struck by lightning, her whole body frozen in place.
The person in the mirror was no longer that black-haired, thin, weather-worn boy.
But a girl.
A waterfall of black hair cascaded down her back, smooth and silky as satin, reaching her waist.
The tough, angular lines of the boy were gone, replaced by gentle facial curves. The face reflected in the mirror was so unfamiliar even to her that she could only vaguely discern traces of who she once was.
The girl’s skin was pale to the point of translucence, her features exquisitely delicate as if carved by a divine artisan. In all her years as an adventurer, Xili had seen many beautiful women, but when she saw the face in the mirror, all those memories paled into insignificance.
Was that… her?
Looking further down, her once flat chest now had a subtle curve, though due to her current clothing, she couldn’t see the exact body shape. Still, her frame had shrunk a bit—the once snug clothes now hung loosely.
In terms of figure, she had definitely become more petite.
“So, do you still think your old name suits you now? Hmph~”
Hearing the voice at her ear, Xili frowned.
Her current appearance was far too conspicuous. For someone carrying a curse and always acting in secret, it could only cause endless trouble.
“Change me back.”
“Eh, but you’re so cute like this.”
“Change me back.”
“So, you mean you don’t want this body anymore?”
The girl’s voice took on a teasing tone, “I can’t turn you back. Since you don’t want it, why not obediently give it to me?”
“I never said I didn’t want it.”
So what if she stood out? It was still better than dying here.
As for Xili… Looking back, that name had carried her through a lot of suffering.
Those painful memories she didn’t wish to face—she’d buried them deep in her heart, wanting to forget them forever.
If she gave up her old name, could she bury those painful memories with it?
Staring at her reflection, she could barely recognize any trace of who she’d been.
Was this new face a sign of a new beginning?
She didn’t know.
Until she turned back, until she could face her past with ease, she’d let that name and its memories be buried for now.
She hoped this new beginning would bring a new outcome.
“Hey, that’s enough looking, isn’t it?”
A crisp snap of fingers broke Yuri’s thoughts, the water mirror vanished, and a pouting little face appeared before her.
“Alright, you must be curious about who I am, right?”
“No. And it would be best if you just left my body.”
“Not a chance. I don’t want to stay sealed in that cold stone coffin any longer.
Aren’t you at least curious why I was sealed here?”
If it would help lift her curse, she was interested. Otherwise, not at all.
“Hey, what’s with that look? Don’t you believe if I tell you my name, you’ll be scared out of your wits?”
“I don’t.”
“You, you… Listen up! Ahem…”
She rose up on tiptoes, but at about a meter and a half tall, the girl was still shorter than her, so she climbed up onto the stone coffin, looking down on her from above.
“Let me introduce myself. I am Iris Mortifis, the [Abyssal Predator], a god from beyond the stars. Of course, in the past, those weak humans also called me an Evil God.”
“Abyss…”
Catching the keyword, Yuri’s face changed, but Iris seemed to misinterpret it. She put her hands on her hips, striking an overconfident pose.
“Hmph~ Pitiful human, to be my vessel for resurrection is your greatest honor~ Come on, hand your body over obediently.”
But Yuri did not react as Iris had hoped; there was no fear or shock on her face.
She just gave an indifferent “Oh,” and said, “Never heard of you. And a so-called Evil God who died and now needs a human body just to come back? Sounds… pretty weak to me.”
“Ha?”
The proud, superior look on Iris’s face instantly shattered. After a brief moment of shock, she erupted like a fluffed-up little white cat.
“What did you say? You ignorant, foolish, insignificant human!”