The Witch Hat's Story

Chapter 23 The Witch Hat's Story In the somber atmosphere of the room, Kailey and the witch hat sat in silence, each absorbed in their thoughts. After a prolonged silence, The witch hat decided to continue the story. "When I finished examining the place, I explored the other halls and eventually stumbled upon the entrance of this ruin but found myself unable to go beyond the entrance. My naivete and curiosity compelled me to try and break out of what I felt was a cage. For the first few months, I remember I would constantly ram through the entranceway only to be pushed back into the ruin. After a month or two of persistence, I realized I must have been a soul bound to the location or the lingering corpse of the woman who wore this witch hat." Intrigued by the story, Kailey found a comfortable position and casually spread her arms and legs, much like a child settling in for a bedtime story. Seeing that Kailey was trying to get comfy, the witch hat paused her story so Kailey could find a good resting position without worrying about missing the details. It felt like she was a mother reading a child a story and bringing warmth to her soul. Once Kailey had settled down, the witch hat continued with her story. "After several decades, I thought I had explored almost the entire labyrinth. One day, while studying magic from the spell tomes I had found during my exploration, I accidentally fired magic at a random wall, triggering a mechanism within the labyrinth. This mechanism caused the wall to rotate, revealing a hidden passage. When I managed to squeeze through the slight opening, I was astonished to have discovered a collection of tomes and writings presumably belonging to the person who wore the witch hat. The numerous scrolls in the room had information on theories and studies on soul research, which I studied for many more decades. As I delved deeper into the nature of souls, I discovered a way for a soul-bound entity to leave its bounded area. This discovery led me to create more golems, and the one you disassembled was one of my first creations as part of my research into soul-infused bodies research." Kailey felt guilty after hearing the witch hat's last remark, lowering her head sadly. Seeing that Kailey felt down because of her mentioning the golem, the witch hat apologized, saying, "I'm sorry if my words upset you. I truly apologize."