Looking at herself in the mirror, Altair's heart was a mess of emotions.
If she and Vivian hadn't known each other inside and out, she'd have sworn Vivian was mocking her on purpose.
'From man to woman'—as if driving the blade deeper into her heart just to watch her squirm.
Altair turned to Vivian beside her and smiled. 'From the moment I was born, my fate was sealed. Live an ordinary life, or pay the price to become a Beyonder—and the price is the face you see now.'
'You and I both know it was inevitable.'
After saying that, Altair added, 'What, don't you like how I look?'
'Of course not.' Vivian frowned. 'As you said, I know the cost of drinking the Witch potion. After all, you're my past.'
'Whether I like your appearance? Just know I like you for who you are.'
'And don't forget—I already changed my name last night. I'm Vivian Sheffield now.'
'I'm only curious why you're prettier than me. Did you take some beauty tonic? Tell me where to buy it; I want some too…'
The first half of Vivian's words touched Altair; the second half left her speechless.
While she was still silent, Vivian crept closer and grinned wickedly.
'I'm dying to know how you'll handle me from now on.'
'Don't forget—extraordinary items exist. I only need to find one with the right power.'
Altair had already thought of a solution: get a Beyonder characteristic from Faceless or Rose Bishop and craft it into an item.
While it couldn't turn her back into a man, it could reshape her flesh.
She changed the subject. 'Vivian, when you drank the Witch potion and advanced, did you hear countless whispers?'
'Absolutely.' Vivian nodded casually. 'No need to worry—hearing whispers is normal. After my own advancement I asked Mother. She said it's a test set by the Primordial Demoness.'
'What the test is, I don't know; Mother didn't say, and I didn't dig.'
'My advice: drop it. Don't investigate anything involving a true god. For people like us, knowing too much can be worse than knowing nothing.'
Altair agreed. In this world, knowledge wasn't always "poisonous," but once it touched the transcendent, high beings, or outer gods, it certainly was.
After all, this place was modeled on the Cthulhu mythos; too much knowledge was lethal.
What she should focus on now was how to play the role of "Witch."
But the Western stereotype of a Witch made her head ache.
A scrawny crone, hunched and wrinkled, with a hooked nose, beady eyes, wiry gray hair, pointed black hat, tattered robe, riding a broomstick of dead branches.
Skilled in curses and poisons, bringing disease, disaster, even death.
Luckily, she had a former Witch beside her—she could simply ask Vivian for tips.
'How did you act the part of Witch?' Altair asked.
Vivian smirked. 'Simple. The Sect long ago popularized the Impersonation Method for this Sequence. "Witch" puts "woman" first, so you must fully embody femininity.'
'Dress, speak, behave, even your aesthetic—live as a woman in every way, or you'll lose control. In short, the closer the better.'
'As for the "Witch" part, just act a little mysterious, show off some uncanny powers in daily life.'
'But remember: "Witch" also means calamity, so keep spreading disaster.'
After that, Vivian added, 'My advice: when you go to Bridge District, pick a few thugs no one will miss, take their blood, and work long-term curses.
'You'll train your new powers and fulfill your role—kill two birds with one stone.'
Hearing the method, Altair nodded.
Inside, she thought: The Demoness Sect is ruthless even to its own, spreading a gutted Impersonation Method, demanding total femininity without warning that it's only a role and your true self remains male.
It was a setup: let some Demonesses sink so deep into the female identity they lose themselves, until their psyche collapses and the Beyonder characteristic devours them.
No wonder, in the future, Madam Sharon would be driven by Sealed Artifact 008, the Quill of Alzuhod, to risk death by draining Councilor Maynard to digest her potion.
Yet Altair also understood the law of conservation: within adjacent Pathways, the total amount of Beyonder characteristics is fixed; more high Sequences means fewer low ones, and vice versa. Each Pathway has a strict rank cap.
If they didn't cull people and all reached high Sequences, low Sequences would vanish and the characteristics would eventually be exhausted.
It seemed not just theorthodox churches but the heretic cults worked to limit Beyonder numbers and Sequences.
One side hides the Impersonation Method, the other spreads a broken version; both want only true geniuses, not expendables.