At seven o'clock in the evening, Shade set out from home, arrived at Fort Midhill, and went down the mountain all the way, where he found Sister Devlin who was waiting. She was accompanied by two nuns from the [Spiritual Order], but she finally followed Shade.
The leader of the cult is the only one on the mountain.
The two returned along the road Shade took down the mountain. During this period, Shade also explained that there were other people in Tobesk's home, but they could definitely be trusted, so the nun didn't care.
I don’t know if it was unlucky, but I actually encountered an evil spirit when I entered the mountain. This time, the evil spirit was the image of a headless man holding a hatchet, and his body was engraved with terrifying cipher text. As the inexplicable fog appeared,
It held up a hatchet and rushed towards the two people walking through the dense forest.
Because he entered the mountain at night, Shade was the first to discover the evil spirit with the [Night Watch] in his hand. After two earthquakes, the power of the evil spirit in the mountain had increased to a terrifying level. He was ready to deal with it.
, but before she could take action, Sister Devlin threw a ball of flame in the direction of the evil spirit.
The evil spirit didn't even have a chance to leave any last words, and was burned directly.
"The original fire has an extraordinary effect on the soul."
The nun from the eleventh ring said calmly, and then motioned for Shade to continue leading the way.
At 7:40, the two came to the ruined tower in the mountains and jumped into the basement under the leadership of Shade.
The moonlight shines into the tower from the door without a door panel, and illuminates the [Traveler's Travel Door] located in the basement through the trap door.
"Sister, this is it."
Shade introduced.
The weight of this door is very exaggerated. When it was transported to St. Teresa Square, Dr. Schneider helped to get it to the second floor. When Shade moved it out of the hidden wall just now, he almost lost his breath and was laughed at by the voice in his heart.
"Excessive exercise in the afternoon".
Sister Devlin stretched out her hand and rubbed it on the wooden door panel:
"No problem, I'll be here waiting for you to open the door."
"OK."
Shade nodded, pulled out the key on the door, hesitated for a moment, and then walked towards the wall at the end of the basement. The next process of opening the door by illuminating the wall with spiritual light would be "seen" by the nun. Although this exposed his
It's a secret, but he has to do it for the safety of his family.
The life ring appeared, and under the brass aura of [Time and Space], the hidden wall disappeared.
The nun here "watched" and said:
"So that's it, it's the space maze left by the ancient god."
"Sister, you know this?"
Shade turned his head in surprise.
"The history of the Order is very long. We have recorded some stories from the ancient era. Before the departure of the Thirteen Ancient Gods, they each left a space. Among them, the legacy of the Ancient Space God [Original Crack] is the [Space Maze].
I thought I could actually see it."
Since the nun already knew this, Shade nodded:
"Yes, I do travel between the two places through here. Sister, please keep it a secret."
"no problem."
He then remembered that Luvia had mentioned that the [Spiritual Cult] was actually a branch of the ancient Death Church, so he asked curiously:
"Sister Devlin, do you know what space is left behind by the ancient god [Ancient Death]?"
The nun clasped her hands together in front of her body and lowered her head slightly. Under the silver eye mask, her fair face highlighted the color of her lips. The corners of her mouth were curved, as if she wanted to make a smile:
"[Soul Cemetery]."
He returned to Saint Teresa Square by touching the statue of the ancient god, then returned to the second floor from the basement, picked up Mia, and then went to the third floor corridor with Luvia.
Shade rarely uses the third floor, but Luvia has been doing horoscopes here for the past month or so, and Mia also likes to take a walk on the third floor, so the place is not too deserted.
Because the [Traveler's Travel Door] would cause big trouble when used in abnormal space areas, Shade moved in Room 1 on the third floor, which Luvia had determined would be absolutely fine, which was also the astrology room temporarily occupied by Luvia.
key.
With a clicking sound, Shade took two steps back, and together with Luvia and the cat being held by Luvia, they saw the shape of the door extending around the key suspended in the air.
After the engraved metal base was completely formed, Sister Devlin opened the door and walked out.
Traveling thousands of miles to the city of Tobesk did not make this nun show any expression. On the contrary, she first noticed Luvia, who was also curiously observing this nun who also had divination abilities.
For a moment, both of them froze at the same time. To be more precise, Luvia froze, while Sister Devlin just stood there motionless. Shade didn't know what she was thinking. She had always been
That's right.
The countdown to the [Traveller's Travel Door] has begun, but under the moonlight outside the window, the two ladies remained motionless.
Shade hesitated to speak, but felt that this was not a good time to speak. He frowned slightly, guessing that this might be a unique communication method among diviners.
【Probably not.】
"Why?"
【Pay attention to her shadow.】
The shadow of Sister Devlin, who is wearing a black and gray silk nun's robe, is no different, but the shadow under Luvia's feet actually becomes two, and they are exactly the same. This is not the result of optical phenomena, but
Paranormal phenomena.
"What's going on? Huh?"
Just when Shade noticed the shadow, the shadow closed again. At the same time, under the moonlight outside the window, a shadowy figure appeared behind Luvia. It was so blurry that Shade didn't even think he saw it with his eyes.
, but captured with inspiration.
This figure Shade had seen before, it was the shadow of a slightly more mature Luvia. She was really blurry. Even though Shade and Luvia were standing so close, he could hardly see the slightly mutilated figure.
What kind of expression does the figure have?
"What's going on?"
After the figure appeared, it gradually disappeared behind Luvia. Luvia seemed to have just recovered and greeted Sister Devlin in a low voice:
"Good evening, Sister, I am Shade's friend Luvia Anat. I was rude just now, but I have never seen a diviner with such a unique temperament as you. I work in the Oracle Association and I also know some divination."
"Evening, Miss Anat."
As if nothing had happened, Sister Devlin walked out of the room under the leadership of Shade and came to the corridor on the third floor.
The gas lamp in the corridor was on. The style of the gas lamp was a cat's lantern, which Tifa specially selected for Shad.
The nun asked Shade to wait for a moment, then took off her silver blindfold and looked at the empty corridor in front of her. Luvia, who was holding Mia, leaned against the door frame and looked at them. After learning that there was a way to the familiar home,
After entering the entrance to the different space, Shade felt that this corridor had become weird.
After waiting for a full minute, the nun put her hair back together and put on the eye mask:
"There is indeed an entrance to the boundary here. But the scope is very small, only covering half of the corridor. I have seen the boundary between life and death in many places, but this one is the smallest."
Compared with the narrow space that encompasses the entire Sikalberg and surrounding areas, the problems at 6 Saint Teresa Square are minor.
"Is there a way to seal it? Recently, two evil spirits have ran into the house through this entrance, which scared my cat."
Shade asked. The nun thought about it and nodded:
"The scope is small and it is easy to seal. However, sealing is not the fundamental solution. Every two or three years, you have to strengthen the seal."
"Of course that's no problem."
Shade immediately nodded. Maybe in two or three years, he would go to St. Byrons in the far north. But before leaving here, he might be able to inform the church about the problem with the house.
The nun could not stay here for long. While there was still time, Shade asked Sister Devlin to observe the situation on the third floor as much as possible within the scope allowed by the door.
[Spiritual Cult] has a different divination method from ordinary diviners. They believe that all things are animistic and can perceive the world from a different perspective. Therefore, before Sister Devlin left, she gave Shade a suggestion
:
"If this was the house I lived in, I would sell it immediately."
"Why?"
This is the only thing that Shade will never do.
"There is too much tragedy and misfortune here, and the problem with this house is definitely not just on the third floor. I have been commissioned to visit the famous haunted house in Carsonlik, but the level of danger there is definitely not as high as before."
Come here. No. 6, Place Saint Teresa, right? I’ve only heard of its name before, but I didn’t expect the problem to be so serious.”
But no matter how serious the problem is, Shade will not move out. He thinks he knows all the secrets of this house. Now that the problems in the basement and third floor have been solved, and all safety hazards have been checked, Shade believes that living here will help
Quite safe.
Three minutes and 12 seconds came in the blink of an eye. Sister Devlin returned to the ruined tower basement in Sikal Mountain through the [Traveler's Travel Door]. After Shade and Luvia said hello, they also returned to the ruined tower from the basement.
Tower, planning to send the nun down the mountain and then go home.
Sister Devlin is of course much better than Shade, but since it was Shade who invited her to the foot of the mountain, why send her back again? This is considered a gentlemanly behavior.
The Xikal Mountains are quiet and quiet at night. In late autumn, even the nights in the mountains and forests seem to be completely asleep.
On the way down the mountain, the nun dictated to Shad the ritual used to seal the entrance to the small boundary between life and death. The ceremony was not complicated, but some materials were difficult to obtain. But for Shad, who could travel between Coldwater Port and Tobesk.
, this is not a problem.
"There's something wrong with your fortune teller friend."
After talking about the content of the ceremony, we were only halfway down the mountain. It seemed not good to be embarrassed and silent. When Shade tried to introduce a new topic, Sister Devlin said abruptly.
"Oh, I know."
Shade looked up at the starry sky above his head and said softly:
"I've known it since a long time ago."
The nun was silent for a moment:
"Her 'other self' is not normal, and 'she' is haunted by a very terrible curse. This curse is not man-made, it is more like a natural phenomenon, as if the world hates her."
Only the [Spiritual Cult] that advocates animism can easily see this.
"Yes, that's the curse of time."
Shade said softly again, feeling a little melancholy for some reason.
"Then she must have done something that seriously violated the normal rules of time. I can't figure out what she would do to trigger such a terrible curse. The world has never had such strong malice towards a single individual."
After the nun finished speaking, she fell silent, and Shade, who was thinking about Luvia's question, did not think of a new topic. It took him a long time to break the monotonous sound of women's boots and men's leather shoes trampling on fallen leaves. There was a sound in the distance.
The howling of wolves came, and the city below the mountain was lit by gas lamps:
"Sister, regarding Luvia's problem, can you have a deeper perception?"
"She needs to remain still in front of me and let me take off the blindfold and look directly at her. Moreover, that kind of terrible curse cannot be solved by mortals. You at least need to know what she has done before you can know how to break the curse.
.”
"I see."
Shade nodded and sent the nun all the way down the mountain, then turned around and walked into the forest again facing the moonlight.
Walking out of the basement, he found Luvia on the second floor, who was holding a reluctant Mia and looking a little sad.
"Louvia, what's wrong with you? Why do you look in a bad mood?"
The purple-eyed girl stood by the window and looked outside the square. The room was so bright that the glass in front of her reflected her and Mia's expressions like a mirror.
The smart cat also noticed Shade from the reflection in the window glass, and immediately struggled to escape from Luvia's arms.
"It's nothing, it's just that when I saw the nun just now, something strange appeared in front of my eyes."
She turned around, her red lips twitched, and her purple eyes stared at Shade:
"I saw Sister Devlin dying in the flames. Her whole body was covered with red cracks, and in the end even her body was burned to ashes. She handed me a handful of weak fire and asked me to inherit her responsibilities.
, guard the original flame."
"Primal Flame?"
Shade frowned slightly and stopped.
He did tell Luvia that the "reverse" man Joey Barton predicted the death of him and the nun, that is, they would die in the collapsed tower at the beginning of this year and turn into ashes more than ten years later. But it didn't happen.
Due to his promise to keep the secret, he never told Luvia that the fire in Sister Devlin's hand was an angel-level (level 1) relic [Primal Fire].
"Is this a true prophecy made in a flash of inspiration?"
Shade asked, it is indeed possible for a diviner to suddenly see a fragment of the future at a certain moment. But Shade himself did not believe the guess he made. After tonight's communication with the nun, he had no idea about Luvia's situation.
There are already vague guesses, but I’m not sure yet:
"It's okay. Everything in the future may not necessarily develop according to your prediction."
He walked over and hugged Luvia, and then little Mia found the opportunity to "escape" from the embrace:
"It's like, didn't you always think that our group would always be just four people? But I showed up this summer anyway. Oh, I still remember that look on your face when you first saw me at Lakeview Manor."
"Yes."
The purple-eyed girl nodded slightly.
"What you see is just a possibility. Besides, you don't know Sister Devlin at all. Even if the nun really wants to entrust that angelic relic to someone, it can't be you."
"But the future"
"Sixth Era Universal Calendar Year 1853, Late Autumn"
Shade imitated "her" tone and said, then glanced out the window:
".The Red Moon Shines Darkly. Luvia Fiocci Anat, you have once again witnessed the unknown future, but at this moment, standing beside you is not only yourself, but also the person who hides the secret in your heart.
A stranger outside destiny.”
He held Luvia in his arms and looked at her beautiful purple eyes up close:
"Time puts a curse on you, but fate is blessing you. The magnificent epic has begun. After the curtain rises, why are you still confused? You are not walking alone. People who have awakened from blindness and ignorance are by your side.
.When two hands hold together on a midsummer night, you should understand that this is the beginning of an epic, a story between you and him."
Luvia finally smiled:
"What is this? A poem of destiny that you wrote for me?"
"No, no, this is just stating the facts."
Shade said.
"Well, Shade, maybe you are better at pleasing girls than I thought - may fate bless you and me."
As she said that, she put her arms around Shade's neck and kissed him passionately. But when the tender feeling flooded into her mind, for some reason Shade actually felt like she was kissing two people.
"What a weird feeling this is, etc."
He was very puzzled and temporarily pushed Luvia away:
"You haven't told me yet whether Sister Devlin is the first candidate for the Chosen One of Death?"
"She's not, but she has other problems. The first candidate for death should be between Joey Barton, the reborn man, and our friend Priest Rat Augustus. Shade, at this time, ask
Is this really a good question?”
She asked angrily, and then hugged Shade again.
"Meow!"
The cat standing on the back of the sofa barked dissatisfiedly, thinking that it had been ignored by Shade again.
Then, the cat actually saw a double image of the human woman's body under the light of the gas lamp. A blurry shadow almost completely overlapped with her body. Four arms hugged Shade at the same time, and
What kissed Shade were two identical faces.
"Meow?"
Its big amber eyes were full of curiosity, and the cat could not understand this strange phenomenon.
"Shadow."
Purple eyes seemed to contain the secrets of the entire world. Although Shade believed that even though the witches were unparalleled in beauty, Luvia's eyes were still the most beautiful.
"What's wrong?"
Under the gas lamp in the living room, she showed a gentle smile, and the shadows of the two were entangled together, just like the fate that had already been intertwined:
"Can you grant me a small wish?"
"Of course, what wish?"
"I probably have to hold the [Eternal Youth Leaf] in my mouth. Tonight, I want to be a knight."