After a good rest, we finally continued our journey in the afternoon.
I had slept quite soundly last night, and their food was delicious. I guess my teacher must have spent a good amount of money to rent two very comfortable rooms, as well as the fine meals.
"You spent quite a lot of money, Teacher," I said.
"Don't worry about it, hahaha..." She replied and laughed. Well, she probably does have a lot of money, I thought.
We were both inside the horse-drawn carriage, sitting opposite each other. From the windows to my right and left, I could see the houses along the roadside, and many people walking along the edges.
We had just left the inn; we were still on the city road. The scenery and atmosphere in this city were quite pleasant; the city was prosperous.
Then I thought, why would a figure like The Wife from yesterday appear in an area like this. I asked my teacher and she then answered.
"It is because this area is exactly as you see it," she said.
My teacher started with a cigarette; she pulled it out of her pocket and lit it. Her left arm was folded under her right, supporting the hand that held the cigarette.
"What you see is the surface," my teacher said.
"A figure like The Wife appears when a region has a surface like this."
A region with a surface like this? I was still processing what my teacher meant. She said it was because the surface was like this.
The surface of this area is like this... perhaps my teacher meant that this city is prosperous but only on the surface, or only what is visible.
My teacher then continued, "The surface looks calm and peaceful. Many vows and promises are made here, and a figure like The Wife is drawn to that."
Ahh... I understand now. "So, a place that is actually this comfortable is very much liked by The Wife, is that what you mean, Teacher?"
"Yes, that's it. But ironically, her arrival and attraction actually expose the falsehood beneath the surface, just as we witnessed yesterday at the inn."
"So, Teacher, do you think this place is bad underneath its surface?" I asked.
"No place is entirely good, and vice versa." My teacher then gently stroked my head with her palm.
"Good cannot exist without bad. The surface of this place looks this way because it is supported by what is bad underneath."
———
The next day, the third day of our journey, we were back on a forest road. But this time the forest was very strange, in my opinion.
Ever since entering the forest, I kept glancing around.
The trees here all look the same, I thought. They are all the same height.
My teacher seemed to notice something. She ordered the coachman to stop. My teacher got out while forbidding me, "You stay here with the coachman." My teacher then ordered the coachman to get inside the carriage.
She walked to the middle of the forest road, standing there as if waiting for something to arrive.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became silent. The air grew thin and seemed to freeze. The colors of everything around us became strange.
Then, without a sound, the silhouette of a throne floated out from behind the forest trees. Upon it sat a woman in magnificent attire.
Her clothes looked like a royal gown, or perhaps even a queen's attire, complete with a crown.
My teacher cast a spell, her hand pointing at the carriage window. Instantly, the glass shattered and vanished into dust.
Why destroy the window? I was just confused and curious as to why the window was destroyed, and then, what and who was that figure floating with the throne.
The coachman with me crouched in fear. He held his head and shivered in terror.
Meanwhile, I stared at my teacher who was facing the woman, who had now descended from her throne.
I wondered if they were old friends meeting again, but it didn't seem so. My teacher reached into her pocket; she was about to take something out.
She pulled a cigarette from her pocket and lit it. Then she said, "Nothing is finished here," speaking as she lit the cigarette in her mouth.
"Only I am finished. And the other two only have potential."
The female figure in front of my teacher listened, tilted her head, and only made a "hmm..." sound.
What does that mean? I thought, confused. My teacher then took a drag from her cigarette and exhaled. "There is nothing for you to finish here," she said.
"Go away. This is not a place for you to finish anything," my teacher ordered the woman to leave.
The female figure returned to her throne, but not to leave. Instead, she approached me. She came right up before me, separated only by the broken window of the carriage.
I could feel a strange sensation starting to well up. Her eyes were so sharp, staring at me as if she couldn't blink.
She touched my face with her hand, as if checking for any wounds or scratches. She removed my hair tie and let my hair down. I don't have lice, I thought. Strangely, even though she was touching me, I felt no discomfort or reluctance.
After she seemed satisfied, she simply left without doing or saying anything.
My teacher returned. She repaired the broken glass window, making it like new again.
"Okay, she's gone. Mr. Coachman, you can get back to work," my teacher said. She entered the carriage and sat in her seat.
"How do you feel?" my teacher asked casually. I replied, "Feel about what?" answering spontaneously without thinking.
"A face-to-face encounter with one of the entities in the book," my teacher said. Then she ordered, "Try opening the book, page 003."
Okay, I opened it and checked the page as instructed.
APPELLATION: The Absolute Empress
TITLE / EPITHET: The Final Edict, Queen of the Frozen Mirror, Wielder of the Throne of Permanence
CLASSIFICATION:
* Primary: Mythological
* Status: Active
* Scale: Cosmic
* Tier: Abstract
ORIGIN: In the beginning, reality was endless chaos—constant change with no purpose or conclusion. From this infinite sea of possibilities, a single cosmic desire was born: the desire to be "finished," to reach a perfect and eternal end. This will for order, finality, and perfection crystallized and became sentient. She is The Absolute Empress, the embodiment of the universe's desire to stop changing.
FORM / ESSENCE: Her essence is Conceptual Stasis. She is the principle that all things have a single, most perfect, and ideal final form. Her existence is the assertion that evolution and potential are merely temporary paths toward an immutable destination.
APPEARANCE & PERCEPTION: Her presence is marked by a supernatural silence and order. The air becomes still and frozen, dust ceases to dance in the light, and all sounds vanish. The colors around her become saturated and flawless. A mirror's reflection will show the most idealized version of you, without wrinkles or scars. Her manifestation is a regal figure seated on a throne, with a perfectly symmetrical face and posture, radiating an aura of finality that makes you feel as though your life's story has reached its final page.
DOMAIN & INFLUENCE: Her domain is the concept of finality and perfection. Her primary power is the "Absolute Edict." By observing and judging something, she can declare it has reached its pinnacle state.
* An artist who has just completed their masterpiece can be "finished" by her, becoming an eternal statue merged with their work, forever trapped in that moment of perfection.
* A kingdom that reaches its golden age can be "finished," becoming an eternal kingdom where there is no more birth, death, or change—only the endless repetition of perfect days.
She is a curator of reality, turning everything into a frozen and permanent museum exhibit.
VULNERABILITIES & COUNTERMEASURES: Her absolute nature is also the source of her weaknesses.
* Blindness to Potential: She is conceptually blind to anything that is in a state of being "unfinished" or just beginning. An ungrown seed, an unanswered question, a rough draft of a story, or a newborn baby—all of these are "invisible" to her as they lack a form to be judged. The chaos of creation is the best shield against her.
* Paradox of Imperfection: She can be repelled by an act that consciously chooses imperfection. A king who chooses the "wrong" but beloved partner, an artist who intentionally adds a flaw to their masterpiece, or a person who rejects their "glorious" destiny—all of these are logical paradoxes to her essence and force her to turn away.
* Endless Cycles: Her throne is the anchor of the concept of an "end." She is weak to anything that is cyclical and without a true end, such as temporal paradoxes or beings who live and die in an eternal cycle. The existence of these cycles erodes the foundation of her power.
ECHOES IN HISTORY & MYTH: The tale of the "Eternal Jade Empire" is the most famous echo of her influence. An emperor obsessed with perfection prayed to stop time at the peak of his dynasty's glory. The Absolute Empress answered him. Instantly, his empire became perfect: no crime, no disease, harvests always succeeded. However, there was also no children's laughter, no new songs, and no new stories. The entire civilization became a beautiful, frozen, and silent living artifact.
WHISPERS & FRAGMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE:
"Never show her your best work, or you will become a part of it forever."
"Perfection is the most beautiful prison, and she is its warden."
"In her palace, there are no entrances or exits, for everything within has already reached its final destination."
Scribe's Note: While researching this entity, I felt two things simultaneously: terror and temptation. The terror of losing potential, of a story being forcibly concluded. Yet, there was also a whispering temptation: a world without struggle, without failure, without chaos. An absolute and eternal peace. I must admit, there were moments when I wondered... how quiet it would be to live as the final sentence in a perfect book. This temptation is her greatest danger.
"It records a figure known as The Absolute Empress here," I said, my gaze still fixed on the page.
I looked up and asked, "So, that person wasn't an old friend of yours, Teacher?" I asked casually, teasing my teacher a bit.
My teacher replied, "Well, she is an old friend of mine, and she also has the same interests as you." She used her cigarette to point down towards my "fishnet underwear."
Damn it, she brought it up, using my own joke as material to bring it up again. "I'm not wearing them right now," I argued.
"Oh wow, how bold of you. Aren't you cold?" She just ran with the opening my argument gave her.
"Teacher..." I said, exasperated.
She just laughed. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." She apologized, though she didn't look genuinely sorry at all.
"Now read it again, and tell me what you don't understand," she said seriously.
The one thing I didn't understand and was most curious about was when she said that she was already finished. I asked about that and my teacher answered.
"Unlike you, who are still so young and full of potential, I am already very beautiful and this is the final result," she said with confidence.
She was so confident about it. I sharpened my gaze at her as if to say, without words, "I'm being serious."
Sensing my sharp, serious cue, my teacher replied, "Yes, that's right." She asked me, "Try looking at the influence and vulnerabilities notes."
As she ordered, I looked.
DOMAIN & INFLUENCE: Her domain is the concept of finality and perfection. Her primary power is the "Absolute Edict." By observing and judging something, she can declare it has reached its pinnacle state. An artist who has just completed their masterpiece can be "finished" by her... A kingdom that reaches its golden age can be "finished"...
From this, I concluded that it was dangerous to present her with something that was finished in its process. I might be turned into the book I'm writing, I thought.
VULNERABILITIES & COUNTERMEASURES: Her absolute nature is also the source of her weaknesses.
Blindness to Potential: She is conceptually blind to anything that is in a state of being "unfinished" or just beginning.
Paradox of Imperfection: She can be repelled by an act that consciously chooses imperfection.
Endless Cycles: She is weak to anything that is cyclical and without a true end...
"Regarding the weakness section, I don't understand." My teacher then explained, "She is blind to something that is still in potential form, like you, who are still growing, innocent, and full of curiosity."
After that explanation, I understood a little, but "what about you, Teacher, and the coachman?" I asked.
"Well, in that case, the coachman was lucky to be hiding under the seat. As for me, I reject perfection by smoking."
"So, the two you meant were me and...?" I asked, pausing before continuing, "...and what do you mean by smoking?"
My teacher replied, "The two I meant were you, and that horse, hahaha..." She laughed, then stopped and continued, "My body is healthy, and that is a final form." She was serious this time, it was clear from her calm way of speaking. "I smoke and reject my health, which causes a paradox."
"A paradox?" I said, interrupting.
My teacher continued and answered, "Yes, a paradox. She can be repelled by an act that consciously chooses imperfection."
She took a cigarette from her pocket. "A paradox of perfected health."
My teacher lit her cigarette and took a drag. "By harming a healthy body with smoking, The Absolute Empress gets confused," she said.
Hmm... so she was avoiding a fight, I thought. Then I said, "Why not just fight her? You're strong, Teacher."
My teacher sighed and answered, "She is not an aggressive figure." She pinched my cheek and said, "She came with water, so why should I answer with fire?"
I smiled doubtfully. "Really? It's not because you couldn't handle her?" I said, teasing.
"Hmm..., I could," my teacher replied confidently. "So who would win?" I asked.
"Who knows? What do you think?" My teacher sat back in her seat, releasing my cheek. She closed her eyes and fell asleep, as if to say, figure it out yourself.