Legend has it there was a young, genius witch named Black Cat. As a witch, each part of her body carried a portion of her existence. Different parts carried different aspects; for example, the brain carried reason and identity, while the heart carried emotions and feelings. Among these, Black Cat disliked the part of herself carried by her legs the most.
Yes, she disliked her legs, always feeling they were the lowest of her body parts, having to touch the ground and carrying her least noble and elegant components. Moreover, since learning to fly, walking with her legs was no longer necessary. Black Cat felt she needed her legs less and less.
One day, Black Cat had a sudden idea to cast a spell to separate her legs. She knelt on a Persian rug with iris patterns, and moonlight slid down her shins like a ribbon of silver silk. Crushed medicinal herbs in a crystal mortar oozed juice, forming sigh-like dewdrops along the edge of a porcelain dish. "As gently as untangling tangled hair," she murmured to herself, her fingertips drawing runes in the air five inches above her knees. Ancient characters that appeared on the parchment suddenly curled into rings, gently encircling her legs coated with the medicinal herbs. The crackling sounds of cedar wood in the fireplace abruptly ceased, and even the flames solidified into amber flowers.
When the separation spell took effect, Black Cat's legs stood in the diamond-shaped light cast by the window frame, the starlight at the severed points dripping like molten silver into Black Cat's glistening eyes. "Come out," she whispered, blowing a gentle breath at the cut surfaces, her eyelashes casting trembling shadows on her cheeks. The individual existences of her legs were drawn out by Black Cat, transforming into little sprites that sprouted from the cut surfaces, forming two little girls, each seemingly with only one leg. They stretched as if facing the world for the first time, and received their respective names: Siren, the right leg, carrying Black Cat's overly sweet (she only wanted her noble and elegant self) and timid parts; and Alisa, the left leg, carrying Black Cat's curious, rude, and playful parts.
The legs had independent personalities and awareness, but still maintained a connection with Black Cat, so their actions, emotions, and feelings continued to affect her. In particular, some of Black Cat's "sunken" desires flowed into her legs, then were expressed by Alisa and Siren in childish ways.
For example, if Black Cat were to choose shoes for herself, she would definitely pick the most elegant Mary Janes to make herself look dignified and noble. But she also had a desire to show off, wanting to wear sandals to display her feet, even with sexy and provocative thoughts. Black Cat didn't want to admit this part of herself, but her legs took over the traits she "discharged," transforming into two innocent little girls who loved to dress Black Cat's feet in cute sandals.
Every morning, when the morning mist still clung to the window panes, Alisa would draw smiley faces and rainbows on her exposed left heel and the side of her foot, tiptoeing and skipping about. Meanwhile, Siren would quietly squat down, shyly tucking newly picked beautiful flowers between the toes of her right foot, peeking out from her sandals, decorating dreams of princesses. When Black Cat called her little followers, they would rush to her skirts, wearing sandals covered in joy.
"Can't you be a bit more dignified? Why not try these elegant and refined shoes?" Black Cat gently protested, trying to get her little followers to wear the shoes she wanted them to.
After a moment of grumbling, Alisa and Siren would always accept Black Cat's suggestion, covering their limbs with stockings and leather shoes. But as soon as Black Cat left, they would change back into their favorite outfits.
Even though Black Cat's legs acted independently, the sensation of wearing sandals still transmitted to her, as if she were wearing them herself. Black Cat wore elegant and dignified clothes, but her feet wore sandals she didn't admit wanting to wear, her heart a mix of frustration and excitement. She felt her playful companions and herself simultaneously. She wanted to explore herself through these conflicting emotions, but couldn't let go of her pride to fully accept them.
One day, Black Cat was invited to a witch gathering. Not wanting to bring her legs, she entrusted Alisa and Siren to her friend Jack's care. "Please take care of them," Black Cat said, slightly uneasy. Alisa and Siren were having fun, and they liked being with Jack. Black Cat looked at their bare feet in sandals in front of Jack, her heart a mix of unease and complicated feelings. Of course, she knew that even if she asked Alisa and Siren to change into more formal attire, it would be futile once she left. With a sigh, Black Cat said goodbye and set off.
Black Cat arrived at the venue, chatting with other witches and discussing their newly developed magic. Black Cat was the most powerful witch at the gathering, as well as dignified and elegant, earning her much respect. Suddenly, she felt her legs getting closer, and she panicked. Black Cat didn't want the other witches to see her legs wearing sandals. But her friend Jack had brought her companions to the vicinity of the venue, and when the other witches saw them, they invited them in.
Black Cat's witch friends saw Alisa and Siren. "Oh my, are these Lady Black Cat's shadow sprites? The moonstones on their anklets are cut so beautifully," said a witch waving a dragonblood tree branch, expressing her admiration of Black Cat's legs.
Black Cat felt her ankles as if they had been thrown into a blizzard, the sandal straps tightening under the gaze of everyone present. When a young sorceress wearing a malachite circlet praised the curve of her instep, the words felt like hot resin dripping onto her skin—she clearly saw her reflection in the other's pupils: childish toes in playful sandals peeking out from under her dignified black dress.
The witches generally found the childish appearance of Black Cat's legs cute, but it didn't match her image, seeming out of place as a part of her. "Is this a new form of human transmutation?" a witch surrounded by mist asked, as if with a question mark. "But it's so unlike your usual demeanor..." She trailed off, making Black Cat feel as if she were about to be torn apart.
Black Cat was extremely embarrassed and angrily questioned Jack why he had brought her legs. Jack said he had no idea Black Cat was there; he was just playing with Alisa and Siren and ended up there without realizing it. Alisa and Siren said they didn't mean to come; they just felt a pull to go there while playing. Black Cat's reproachful gaze made them cry. Some witches offered explanations, suggesting that the separated parts of Black Cat were drawn to the main body, unconsciously moving towards it. An old witch with frost earrings tapped her staff on the floor, poetically stating, "The severed moonlight will eventually flow back into the night sky." Her withered eyelids blinked slowly. "The more they become complete individuals, the more they yearn to return to their origin."
Hearing this, Black Cat suddenly felt sorry for her legs. She knew that whether she accepted it or not, they were always a part of her. She slowly and carefully reached out her trembling hands, hugged Alisa and Siren, and gently apologized to them.
Then, Black Cat took a deep breath and made up her mind. She cast a spell on Alisa and Siren, who were in her arms, returning them to her body. Black Cat placed her forehead against the sprites' overlapping palms, letting their hair take root in her veins. After a flash of light, Black Cat's legs reappeared beneath her body, firmly supporting her. The moonlight streaming through the hall suddenly gained weight, causing her to stagger and fall back into her special throne—the vessel of Alisa and Siren, now supporting the long-lost perfect witch.
The first sensation to return was to her instep. The sandal straps rubbed against her flesh, each touch conveying the legs' love letter to the main body. Black Cat leaned against the crystallized tree wall, trying to take a step, moving forward under the gaze of thirty witches. She took clumsy, irregular steps, and her newly reconnected leg bones sang out in joy. Jack watched the little ones he cared for achieve their most desired wish, his eyes filled with tears of satisfaction, witnessing Black Cat's most complete form.
"Would you like to try this dance?" A witch wearing a rainbow on her head blew away the galaxy in her pipe, the stars descending into patches of light on the floor. Black Cat's left foot had already started tapping to the beat, while her right foot trembled slightly in its effort to follow the melody. As the first dance step crushed the illusion of Mary Janes, the shooting stars trapped in amber at the top of the tree hole suddenly turned in unison, showering her with never-fading starlight.
As the music ended and farewells faded into memories, in the thickest darkness before dawn, Black Cat walked alone across the mirror lake. Her reflection still held up her skirt, but the truth contained in her feet now dyed the reflected sandals with moonlight. Alisa's lingering laughter tickled her heel bones, while Siren's gentleness transformed into the graceful arch of her foot. She deliberately disturbed her shadow until all the ripples learned to breathe with a new rhythm.
Black Cat still secretly cherished the image of her perfect self, but she knew that not all perfection was worth preserving. She gazed at her uncovered feet, urging them forward, carrying her into the distance.
Epilogue
After the highly dramatic self-confrontation and reconciliation, Black Cat returned to her daily life. She remained the perfect witch, with no obvious changes. However, compared to before, she more often allowed her legs to return to her body, walking on her own feet. Although her legs were completely covered by stockings and Mary Janes, Black Cat still felt the two feet rubbing against elegance with each step. Yes, those ankles, those insteps, those heels, those toes, all were so vividly delicate and beautiful, how could they be despised and rejected?
Sometimes, Black Cat wanted to relax. She submerged herself into the lake of her inner world, where she released her feet. The freed feet manifested the outlines of Alisa and Siren, eagerly escaping the constraints of elegance, changing into unrestrained self-expression. Black Cat watched her feet, which had switched from Mary Janes to nude-colored sandals, feeling a hint of relief amidst the incomplete freedom.
Black Cat remained silent, simply allowing herself to reunite.
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