God said, "Let there be lights in the sky to separate day from night, to serve as signs, to mark seasons, days, and years.
Let them shine in the sky and give light to the earth." And so it was.
So God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night—and the stars.
He set them in the sky to give light to the earth.
They rule over the day and the night, and separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
There was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day of creation.
How long have I been asleep? Why are my fingers and body so cold? Everything is pitch black, and I can't speak.
Why?
Am I dead? Am I in heaven or hell?
I want to see my father. I want to go to heaven.
Weakly opening her eyes, Ivina felt her body was numb and unable to move. Whether she opened her eyes or not made no difference; her eyes could see nothing, and her body was tightly enveloped in darkness.
There was the sound of dripping water beside her ears. Gently clenching her hands, Ivina felt that everything around her was wet and sticky, and even the air had a damp, musty smell.
Grasping the rock-like object beside her, she struggled to lift her frail body.
She had to leave this place. The darkness around her filled her with fear. Slowly taking steps toward the endless darkness, Ivina suddenly recalled her dream.
Walking alone, endlessly?!
Was she still in her dream? This sense of loneliness made her wish she were still dreaming.
"Ivina, my Ivina, you're finally awake. Come here." An old voice came from behind her.
"Ivina, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and come here."
The voice was clearly impatient, urging her hesitant steps.
Perhaps there was someone here who could lead her out of this darkness. The owner of the voice knew her name, so he probably wasn't a bad person.
Ivina felt her way toward the source of the voice.
Despite her caution, she tripped over something unfamiliar.
As she was about to lose her balance, a hand quickly grabbed her wrist.
She felt that it was dry, withered skin.
"You've been in the human world for too long; your eyes probably can't adapt to this environment quickly. Now, close your eyes tightly and follow me in reciting this."
A strange tone emerged from her throat, awkwardly uttered. Then, a flash of light like sparks filled her vision.
Startled, she opened her eyes. What she saw before her made her body tremble.
The light was still dim, but she could vaguely see that the rocks she was touching were oozing foul-smelling污水.
She quickly withdrew her hand and looked down, only to see that the "strange object" that had tripped her was actually a huge python!
She gasped and backed away in fear.
What surprised her even more was the old woman in front of her. Her silver hair was disheveled and scattered across her shoulders, her withered face as gray as death. She was short, hunched over, wrapped in tattered cotton cloth, and dressed oddly.
And she was the old woman from her dream, twisting her face and pleading with her... now staring intently at her.
"What's wrong with you, Ivina? This is your home. Why do you feel so unfamiliar here?"
Home? Ivina scoffed.
Since her father's death, her true home had vanished along with him. Now, this stranger was casually mentioning "home" in a place that filled her with dread.
"How do you know my name? I don't know you. Why did you bring me here? What do you want to do!"
The damp, musty smell made her feel nauseous.
It was the first time she had ever spoken so rudely to an elderly person, perhaps because she was too afraid.
"No one forced you to come. I didn't use any sweet talk to persuade you. From the moment you swore your oath, you made an unbreakable promise with me, the immortal Niditara witch. Your coming here was actually your own request, the voice of your heart."
"No, you're talking nonsense! I have my own home, my own life… Old woman, if you could bring me here, you must be able to send me back…"
Ivina's voice grew weaker. The old woman's words were so true.
Did she really want to come here? To escape the coldness of the real world, did she choose to come here?
No, it was even colder here.