Leaving Purple Spiral Valley, it was already the second day, and this time Tilan left with Mel.
"Grandma told me to accompany you and said it would be good for my training," Mel explained.
After receiving the letter of recommendation and the list, Tilan did not set out immediately. She first returned to Yuanting Academy to prepare for a few days, and then departed.
The first stop was Tri-Phase Moon Academy, this special witch academy was also the most prestigious and mysterious amongst the academies in the north.
Having identified her target, Tilan looked up the address of Tri-Phase Moon Academy and found that the location of this academy seemed deliberately chosen to avoid crowded and bustling areas, positioned on the very periphery of Northern First District, accessible by only one train line.
"Are we leaving today?" In the morning, upon learning that Tilan was getting ready to depart, Mel quickly got out of bed and changed her clothes.
"Yes, Mel, are you ready with your washing up?" Tilan asked, smiling at the girl whose hair was slightly bent from sleep.
"Ugh, I need a bit more time; I have to wash my hair," Mel said, pressing down her tousled hair with her hand, and ran back to her room.
"I'll wait for you for half an hour," the young girl's voice followed Mel.
"I got it," Mel replied loudly, and then hurriedly took off her outerwear and went into the bathroom.
Seeing her owner in such a hurry, the grey moon cat in the corner of the room stretched lazily, leapt out of its cat bed, looked around, and then came to rub against Tilan's ankles.
"Did I wake you up?" The girl picked up the cat and sat in Mel's dormitory to wait, occasionally flipping through her personal terminal for information about Tri-Phase Moon Academy.
Speaking of this academy, one cannot help but mention the once-famed 'Witch Sect' of the Transcendent Faction. They followed and emulated the witches from ancient legends.
"Three-Phased Moon, Star of Stars, Alanxiluka, Minetelan Hua." This prayer or secret phrase of the Witch Sect was actually an acronym of the names of the most famous Great Witches of the past.
"The Three-Phased Moon" included the Blood Moon Witch 'Julis', the Purple Moon Witch 'Selene', and the Underworld Witch 'Hecate', while "Star of Stars" referred to that legendary miracle witch. The subsequent "Alanxiluka, Minetelan Hua" were the names of ten Great Witches, with the first "A" representing the Fruit of Fertility Witch 'Atatis', and each subsequent letter representing one of the Great Witches.
The secret phrase encompasses a total of thirteen witches, and the number thirteen had a special meaning within the 'Witch Sect'. In the old fairy tale 'Sleeping Beauty,' the king, to celebrate the princess' birth, invited the twelve most powerful witches of the kingdom to bless her, leaving out just one, as there were only twelve golden plates for the guests.
The thirteenth witch, who was not invited, felt insulted and thus cast a curse, saying the princess would die from pricking her finger on the spindle at the age of fifteen. By that time, the first eleven witches had already offered their blessings, some blessed the princess with impeccable beauty, others for her gentle and kind nature, and all sorts of flattering words were bestowed upon her. No one anticipated such a calamity, but fortunately, there was still one witch left to give her blessing.
The last witch stated that the curse was too powerful, and she couldn't lift it, only able to transform it, declaring that the princess would not die immediately upon touching the spindle but would sleep for one hundred years.
In ancient beliefs, sleep and death were considered closely related concepts, allowing for the possibility of transformation between the two. By replacing death with sleep, one could survive the curse until it was realized and released.
The source of transcendent power is the Aijieka Particle, which is also the medium through which the spirit interferes with reality. Spirit, in turn, is comprised of various concepts and impressions, among which "fairy tales," "myths," and "folk stories" are the deepest expressions. These represent a fantasy between reality and magic, immensely charming and thus condensing the concepts around it.
Later, some scholars hypothesized that the birth of witches could have originated from these legendary concepts. Otherwise, why, among so many Crown Fragments, did only some awaken to become witches?
The civilization of the Transcenders' era was not an ancient society but a highly developed interstellar Milky Way civilization. Logically, mechanical and electronic concepts should have been more prevalent. Perhaps the lack of mechanical and electronic witches born in the Third Era was because people at that time had no concept of such things, and the related concepts were not activated or manifested to awaken into witches.
Although difficult to prove—since the era when the Federation was established no longer witnessed witches—this hypothesis is still tantalizing, given the historical evidence of witches' power.
Later, an unceasing number of people followed this powerful and captivating existence, which was the opportunity for the 'Witch Sect' to be born. They were scholars, those seeking power, or enthusiasts of some mysterious force. For similar purposes, these people gathered together, and through long and dedicated study and emulations, gradually revitalized the techniques and abilities of ancient witches, eventually rising to great prominence.
As Tilan flipped through the material, her gaze scanned over each image and text. Unnoticed, time slipped away, and Mel finally finished her preparations.