Bang!
At the exact moment Lumian pulled the trigger, a piercing shriek suddenly echoed through the air.
It rang endlessly in his ears.
The sound was so intense that the very space around him began to tremble. At the same time, the world he sat in started turning completely white, glitching and distorting again and again.
Lumian felt himself sinking, as though he were being pulled into an endless void.
His spirit—once pure white—was gradually turning black.
In the next instant, a gigantic ghostly projection descended upon his fading spirit.
Then, suddenly—
The White Kingdom materialized before him.
But this time, the kingdom looked ruined.
Chairs lay scattered across the ground like rubble, and wild grass had grown between them. The once orderly hall looked abandoned, as though it had been left to decay for ages.
Then—
Whoosh!
A violent gust of wind swept across the kingdom.
The fallen chairs returned to their places. The rubble vanished. The grass disappeared, as if time itself had reversed.
Lumian's body, which had been nothing more than a pale spirit, suddenly became solid once more.
At that very moment, the High Seat materialized behind him. And Lumian slowly sat down upon it.
...
Seated upon the High Seat, Lumian slowly regained his senses. His mind had been dull and heavy, as though it had just escaped a terrible storm.
He rubbed his forehead. Only then did the realization strike him.
The Pale Moon Goddess… tried to kill me.
If it hadn't been for the Eidolon within his mind, he would have died right there in the dream.
Lumian let out a slow breath.
So that's why the Pale Moon Goddess and Aethera have always been fighting…
They both want the St. Mary Text.
Now the text is in Aethera's possession.
But another question immediately appeared in his mind.
Then why did the Pale Moon Goddess choose me to deliver her message?
Lumian rubbed his chin, thinking carefully. After a moment, a possibility formed in his mind.
Because I've always been close to the text.
It started long before the text was stolen… back when it was still inside the faculty.
Even then, the Pale Moon Goddess had already been appearing in his dreams. And now she had brought him once more.
Which means…
The St. Mary Text has been close to me the entire time, that's why she's still contacting me!
...
In the next instant, another gust of wind swept through the kingdom, tearing the scene apart.
A new image appeared before Lumian. Under the crimson sun, a man walked quietly. He wore a black coat, his hair falling loosely over his face. It was Lumian Ward.
Behind him, another man stood watering some plants. His face remained hidden.
So the text was that close…
But who is that man?
At that moment, two realizations surfaced in his mind.
First, the Pale Moon Goddess couldn't use the others around him. They weren't diviners, hence didn't have much connection to the environment or spirituality.
Second, the person in the vision clearly had the build of a man.
Which meant something important.
The St. Mary Text isn't with Aethera yet.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
Another violent gust of wind swept through the White Kingdom, shattering the vision and restoring everything to normal.
Lumian remained seated on the High Seat. Then the wind began to move again, spinning violently in front of him.
Slowly… carefully…
The swirling wind began forming the outline of a face.
A sketch.
Bit by bit, the features became clearer.
Balding hair.
A white beard.
Lumian's eyes widened in shock.
It was Mrs. Theresa's husband!
...
Lumian straightened in the High Seat as the wind slowly dissipated.
Wait… let me think this through properly.
That man was Mrs. Theresa's husband.
He had been an unofficial member of the faculty for nearly four years. Quiet. Loyal. The type no one would ever suspect.
I never expected him to be the culprit.
Mrs. Theresa had even recently given birth.
But could he really be involved?
At first, Lumian believed the text was with the Witches Garden at the moment, but seeing this situation, made him realize they had other plans.
No…
A new thought surfaced.
He must be working with himself not with the Witches Garden.
But then another problem appeared.
How did I completely miss the spirituality of the book?
Lumian rubbed his chin. There was only one possible explanation. He must have used some special ability to suppress the book's spirituality.
He's still a phase 9, It's natural that he wouldn't notice something so subtle. Only he's Eidolon had sensed it.
If my Eidolon can already sense something like that… what will happen when it finally gains full consciousness?
His thoughts continued connecting.
From the vision earlier, the scene had happened about a week before—around the time Lumian was heading to work.
That meant the book's suppressed spirituality must have been slightly leaking at the time, enough for the Eidolon to notice.
And shortly after that…
Lumian and Hargreaves had gone to Patricia's house to deliver the news of Lacey's death.
Lumian's eyes suddenly widened.
Before Lacey died… the book burst in flames and vanished... I thought it went back to the Witches' Garden...
This could only mean one thing.
Lacey must have exchanged the St. Mary Text with Mrs. Theresa's husband, immediately after being killed. And the eidolon felt the spirituality, because it was just the next day after being exchanged.
Lumian slowly exhaled.
Lacey was working for the Witches Garden, if this is the case, they're both connected to the group.
...
Lumian pressed his fingers against his forehead, thinking carefully.
After a moment, he finally made a decision.
He would go and talk to Mrs. Theresa's husband.
Yes… that would seem completely normal. After all, the man had no reason to think Lumian knew he possessed the St. Mary Text.
Lumian let out a long breath.
"Fffff…"
Leaning back against the High Seat, he closed his eyes briefly.
I need to wake up now, he thought. It should already be around eleven. I have to meet Hargreaves.
With that thought, he envisioned himself leaving the White Kingdom.
In the next instant, his eyes snapped open.
He was back in his room.
Lumian quickly put on his coat, grabbed the jar, and hurried outside.
...
Lamenti — near the Moonlight Watchers Faculty
Under the pale moonlight, Lumian walked briskly toward the faculty.
He felt slightly uneasy beneath the moon. After all, he had just rejected the Pale Moon Goddess herself. Still, he knew that gods could not directly interfere with mortal affairs yet, as mentioned by Mr. Hayes.
Even so, as he walked, many uneasy thoughts crossed his mind. He truly didn't know what he would do if the Pale Moon Goddess somehow tried to kill him directly.
Soon, he reached the entrance of the faculty and pushed the door open.
Inside, Hargreaves stood near the receptionist's desk with Vincent, both seemingly waiting.
The soft chirping of crickets echoed faintly in the quiet night. Most of the faculty workers had already gone home, and the rain had stopped, leaving the streets outside damp and reflective.
Lumian stepped forward and gently placed the jar on the floor.
Standing upright, he asked. "Captain, were you able to get Kelly's files?"
Hargreaves shook his head. "Not yet. Something urgent came up that the station captain needed to handle."
Lumian nodded.
He reached into his pocket and took out his amethyst pendant. Carefully, he opened the jar's lid just a tiny bit—just enough to let a trace of the creature's spiritual energy escape without allowing the fly to escape.
At the same time, Lumian released some of his own spirituality into the surroundings to prevent the energy from poisoning him.
He raised the pendant above the jar and quickly entered a state of invigoration, Focusing on the spiritual fluctuations.
Lumian closed his eyes, and activated his mystic eyes.
Moments later, faint blue particles drifted from his body, forming thin glowing lines that stretched outward into the distance.
His consciousness followed those lines. Slowly… carefully… his gaze moved across them.
Then suddenly, one line stopped. It pointed toward a distant house.
Lumian let out a breath and opened his eyes. "Captain," he said, "the possessor is very far away. Near the border leading to Glamar City, close to the edge of the Bonnie Blue Ocean."
Vincent snapped his fingers playfully in front of Lumian's face and grinned.
"Now that's our diviner," he said with a laugh. "I can't believe this order is actually this useful. Maybe I should've chosen it myself."
Lumian chuckled awkwardly.
Hargreaves smiled faintly before stepping forward.
"Then let's get moving."
...
After some time—around one o'clock in the morning—the car passed by a quiet river as they approached their destination.
Looking out the window, Lumian gradually noticed a house.
It had a red roof, its white walls partially covered with creeping vines. In the dim moonlight, the place looked strangely peaceful.
Lumian leaned forward slightly and turned to Hargreaves, who was seated in the front.
"Captain," he said quietly. "It's here."
The car slowed to a stop near the riverbank, and the three of them quickly stepped outside.
Standing upright, Hargreaves clasped his hands and softly recited a prayer.
"O Skywalker, bless me through this trial. Guide me with Your grace and mercy toward triumph."
The group carefully scanned the surroundings. But the area was eerily quiet.
Only the gentle flow of the river and the faint creaking of distant creatures could be heard.
Lumian activated his Mystic Eyes, sweeping his gaze across the darkness.
He noticed they were no drifting silhouettes, no spirits nor any supernatural elements!
He brought the pressure down, as his body began to shiver uncontrollably. Whatever that was inside, prohibited the influence of spirits!
Hargreaves noticed Lumian's reaction and gave a faint smile.
"If you don't want to go," he said calmly, "you can stay outside."
Lumian took a deep breath and pulled out his gun, quickly reloading it.
"Don't worry, Captain."
Vincent chuckled softly at that.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and entered the house first.
Lumian and Hargreaves followed closely behind.
...
Outside, the river danced softly, its gentle current spilling into a pond, leaving the surrounding forest in a strange, uneasy calm.
Inside the house, a man sat in a rocking chair, cloaked in darkness. He rocked back and forth… back and forth… until, finally, he stopped. Slowly, he rose to his feet.
At that moment, the group stepped inside, their torchlight cutting through the darkness.
A tiny fly passed unnoticed in front of them… then suddenly burst into a splash of blood.
Quickly, a shadow moved quickly across the room.
Lumian reacted instantly, raising his gun and firing.
Bang!
The figure blurred, turning shadowy and distorted, until dispersing.
This is a substitution technique, his using the flies!
Lumian quickly shot his right arm forward, targeting intently, as Hargreaves and Vincent each fired.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each intricately ingraved bullet that was shot fell to the ground, as it only dispersed more phantoms.
...
Whoosh!
A gust of wind shot out, as the shadowy figure which was near a table suddenly withdrew his movements, and was nowhere to be found.
Just as quickly, creaking sounds came from above. Hargreaves didn't hesitate—he dashed up the creaky stairs, signaling Lumian and Vincent to stay behind.
As he climbed and reached the first floor, a cold breeze brushed at his back. It was as though someone—or something—had just passed by him.
He spun sharply, elbowing out and firing his gun in the same motion. But all he saw was… a harmless little bunny.
At that exact moment, a fly stung him. Pain shot through his body, and his skin began to darken, moving unnaturally as if something beneath him had awakened.
Ahead, a shadow loomed near another door by his left. Only its grey eyes were visible, fixed intently on Hargreaves.
Gritting his teeth, Hargreaves pressed two fingers to his head, creating a double to share the pain.
Fifty percent of the agony coursed through the clone, and together they charged forward.
...
The first Hargreaves kicked forward, but the figure suddenly disappeared, substituting itself with another fly.
Unfazed, Hargreaves immediately followed the movement and launched a series of attacks.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
But the shadow simply avoided them, meanwhile exchanging blows of his own.
Just as the second Hargreaves fist was about to connect to the shadow, thick weeds burst through the wooden tiles and lashed toward him.
Hargreaves quickly sidestepped, but the vines continued chasing him relentlessly, keeping him in a defensive position, as he swiftly went back to the first Hargreaves side.
Seeing the situation, Hargreaves' lips began moving as if reciting a spell, making the host assume a defensive posture.
But instead of attacking, Hargreaves suddenly tumbled forward, allowing his other self to take the shot.
Bang!
A white, intricately engraved bullet shot forward and struck the man in the shoulder.
Immediately the vines shrieked, as it began swinging around, before hitting Hargreaves duplicate, making him stumble back and crash into the wall behind.
But immediately after that, it shrieked further and decayed before retracting into the wooden tiles.
The man looked at his shoulder in pain but quickly disappeared.
In the next instant, Hargreaves merged back with his double, the shared pain surging through his body.
"Ah!"
Lumian and Vincent heard the cry and immediately raised their guns.
Suddenly, a shadow moved beside them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They fired instantly. Only three flies fell to the ground.
Lumian continued firing while Vincent began reciting a spell.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Moments later, glowing feathers appeared in the air and ignited into flames, shooting toward the shadow, which was by the door.
The man turned and glanced back. In the next moment, he disappeared again.
But Lumian had already anticipated it.
He fired immediately to the left wall.
Bang!
The bullet struck the man's leg, sending him crashing to the floor.