No. 6 St. Delan Square, the boundary land on the third floor. As a black wind howled forth, Miss Karina stood at the very front, protecting Tifa and Luvia behind her. Simultaneously, the three of them gained the same spiritual rune, a black whisper—[Death].
And behind the door, in the place known as True Death, a light appeared that should not have been there.
It was a warm firelight, and the crackling sound of the burning wood was deeply comforting. The three ladies located in Tobesk also saw the scene behind the door at this moment.
They could not see the starlit waters, but they could see the bonfire and the circle of people sitting around it. Luvia and Miss Karina were both startled
"Why are there so many people? Is this place just open for anyone to enter?"
The sound of the door opening also drew the attention of the circle of people sitting by the bonfire.
"Shad, why is only your form completely clear, while everyone else is just a blurred shadow?"
Miss Karina asked again. Shad stood up with a smile
"Who these people are isn't important. However, I am truly glad to see you now. Good evening."
He waved with a smile, and the witch thus refrained from asking about the identities of the others, instead breathing a sigh of relief
"Detective, you really know how to find trouble for me, actually running off to a place like this. Is it over? I'm still waiting for your story."
"It's not over yet, but it's close."
He signaled for everyone to stand and leave.
However, once Shad left this place, the already weak "Tree's Kiss" bonfire would immediately extinguish. He no longer had the strength to deploy the Maze Lock again; the Church's "Mark of the Holy Tree" would shoulder all the sealing tasks.
"Good evening."
Iluna also greeted her teacher. Only upon hearing the voice did Miss Karina realize that Iluna was also here.
Iluna looked outside the door and asked somewhat hesitantly
"Where will we appear after we leave here? St. Delan Square? Then what about the matters at Midhill Castle?"
"Do not worry. Although I do not know how this door opened in Shad's home, due to the nature of the Gate of Death, we must return to where we came from. Of course, choosing to return to St. Delan Square is also an option," the priest said; he knew this door very well.
This put Iluna at ease, while the witch urged from outside
"Hurry up. If this door stays open any longer, I'm worried that by the time Shad gets home, his house will actually become a ghost realm. Detective, are you really not considering moving?"
"I'm not considering moving for the time being. Iluna, go on. Next, you have to perform the ritual and then face the final great battle of Midhill Castle."
"What ritual?"
The witch outside asked, while Luvia behind her widened her eyes slightly as she understood
"Iluna is the fourth-rank candidate?"
"What? Can one person inherit two identities?"
Miss Karina turned to look at her.
"One identity can naturally only belong to one person, but Iluna can acquire a portion of the power. The Chosen of Death is the second candidate; this was already decided—not by me, but by the Nun."
Sister Devlin, who had not yet risen from beside the bonfire, smiled and shook her head slightly, though unfortunately, Shad did not see it.
Iluna stood before Shad. Shad solemnly handed her the [Night Watchman] in his hand, looking into her somewhat apprehensive eyes
"Take this and go defeat the undead aggregate formed by the Interstice. When the Church performs the final steps of the 'Mark of the Holy Tree,' you will hold this sword and act as the final executor of the ritual. Leaving this sword at the core of the ritual can maximize its effect. While it won't seal the Interstice permanently, it can at least extend the seal by a century."
He patted Iluna's shoulder. The brown-haired girl asked
"If you give this sword to me, you..."
"I'm exhausted today and don't want to participate in any more battles against the undead, so you'll do it. Iluna Bayes, you are the Chosen, aren't you?"
Shad said with a smile, pretending to be relieved. Then, he gave Iluna the bone whistle left behind after the Nun had incinerated Barton's corpse
"A vessel for the power of the Ancient God [Ancient Reaper], take this. I'm actually quite curious as to what the function of this whistle is."
Iluna nodded seriously, stood on her tiptoes, and with a blushing face, kissed Shad's cheek
"You don't have to do everything, Shad. This time, I will resolve everything."
She hurried toward the opened stone door, as if worried others would see her flushed face. However, Iluna did not appear at the boundary land of St. Delan Square behind the door, but instead went to the cathedral in the Interstice.
"Do not forget, after this is over, you are to accompany me to the Order's headquarters."
Sister Devlin stood up, mentioning this for the third time.
"Alright, Sister. Go on; the identity of the Chosen of Death now belongs to you."
The Nun nodded slightly to Shad, picked up the kerosene lamp that no longer had a flame, and then touched her eyepatch
"This is an ornament crafted from the mithril of the Ancient Reaper Cult."
She waited a moment, calculated the timing, and then walked toward the gate and vanished.
Priest Augustus was the third to stand. He came to Shad's side, clutching the severed arm in his hand
"I say, Detective, don't always involve yourself in such dangerous matters. While young people have drive, you must also prioritize safety. See, if I hadn't helped you this time, you would have been in danger."
The old man tucked his pipe into his breast pocket
"Well then, I'll see you in Tobesk. I expect to be back by the end of the month and will bring you souvenirs."
Calculating that the time since the first two left was about right, he patted Shad's shoulder and also walked toward the door.
Shad finally looked at Joey Barton and Ms. Marilyn Handel; the two supported each other as they stood up.
"You will come with me to Tobesk, and then leave from there."
They had both entered death through the natural cathedral of the Interstice, but they certainly could not return from there now.
"Thank you..."
Mr. Barton tried to speak, but Shad interrupted him
"There is no need to thank me; everything comes with a price. Even if we helped you bring this lady back to life, from now on, the curse of death will entwine your lives. The numbness of the soul and the fragility of the flesh will gradually make you realize that perhaps being alive is not a good thing. Mortals must eventually die; you can only make the process more meaningful. But I hope that when you return here again..."
Shad pointed to the ground beneath his feet
"...you do not regret today's decision."
Mr. Barton bowed deeply. He no longer bore the image of a small, deformed child; his appearance was becoming increasingly normal. Having lost the status of the Chosen, it seemed his soul had also shed all the influences of his previous life
"Regardless, Mr. Watson Hamilton, you are the most important friend of my life."
"But you are no longer my friend," Shad said, seeing the bonfire at his feet had gone out. "Remember to do many good deeds. Perhaps in twenty years, thirty years, or even fifty years. One day, I will come looking for you. If you are still alive, then you can tell me about the things you've done over these years."
Mr. Barton's soul held Ms. Handel's hand
"Aside from meeting her, the luckiest thing in my life was probably meeting you."
"No need for such pleasantries. Once we reach my home, go and tell the ladies of my house the story of tonight. Then, stay away from all of this, away from the conflict. I wish you luck; I hope you don't return to these flats too soon."
"Is that Joey Barton? Weren't they enemies? Why has this turned into a tragic opera?"
The witch outside asked Luvia suspiciously. The purple-eyed girl shook her head
"But looking at Shad's expression, is he planning to do something big tonight as well?"
"Nothing big. In a moment, I have to go to Midhill Castle to find two people in reality."
As Shad spoke, he stepped out of the Gate of Death, followed by Ms. Handel and the undead she held. Both had grey patterns on them—the marks of the curse.
The stone door closed behind them, but the relic instability caused by the death invasion and the unrest of the entire boundary land were far from over.
If not handled properly, No. 6 St. Delan Square might truly become uninhabitable.
(Dorothy is rushing the draft.)
Midhill Castle, the Interstice between life and death. In that thick fog, a sudden gale arose.
The nearly frenzied evil spirits in the Interstice, carrying the terrifying elements of the whisper, launched a final attack toward the three passages. But as this strange wind appeared almost simultaneously at the foot and the waist of the mountain, the undead actually ceased their movements.
Then, whether in the Interstice or reality, everyone saw two pillars of pure white light descending from the sky, one after the other. Even the thick fog could not hide their color, and even the whisper elements could not mask that nearly materialized miraculous power originating from an Ancient God.
The resurrected Iluna Bayes stepped out of the natural cathedral in the Interstice, and Sister Devlin, carrying the fire, stepped out of the passage on the mountainside.
The pure white pillars of light enveloped them, as if transparent feathers were scattering upon the earth. Under the gaze of the Church's Ring-Wizards, the witches, and everyone in Midhill City who could look toward the sky, thirteen golden points of light appeared in the white-mist-filled sky.
"The Chosen Ritual... but wasn't Bayes already the Balance... Hm? Why is there another pillar of light on the mountain? And it appeared later than ours? Hm? Why did Bayes land? Is it not the ritual?"
Mr. Lando, the Twelfth-Ring Wizard of the Peace Church, asked in surprise.
"The Chosen Ritual... it really is Devlin. Although the Spiritual Cult does not belong to the Council, now the Council finally—Hm? Why is there another pillar of light at the foot of the mountain? And it was earlier than ours? Hm? Why did the light at the foot of the mountain go out again?"
Miss Aurora asked in surprise, looking toward Grandma Cassandra beside her.
A brilliant golden hue erupted from Sister Devlin on the waist of Mount Sicar in the Interstice. Her feet left the ground, and as she ascended in the beam of light, the Nun opened her arms. The massive Eleventh-Ring brass wheel behind her resonated with the golden spiritual light.
The pure white pillar gradually transformed into a golden hue, and the thirteen-point ritual array merged with the Life Ring behind her. The brass wheel became a blur in its high-speed rotation, leaving only thirteen stable points of light. Then, within that nearly chaotic radiance, the thirteen points distributed in a circle converged inward, forming a scythe-shaped pattern.
A golden shockwave expanded outward, the points of light vanished into the Life Ring, and the original brass Life Ring now evolved into a dark-golden scythe.
Power that seemed to have traversed from eternity, power from a more primitive era, swept across the entire Interstice at this moment, centered on the mountainside.
The Chosen of Death had officially completed the ritual. Although the story wasn't perfectly flawless, it still represented the complete closing of the third section of the "Whispering Poetry."
Miss Aurora tossed her long hair, watching Sister Devlin gradually descend in the wind. A smile appeared on the dashing witch's face
"So what if it's the Church of the True Gods? The Truth Society is just a bunch of clowns. It seems the Council is the victor this time. Nun, once the upcoming battle is over, let's talk about deep cooperation between the Spiritual Cult and the Witch Council. Haven't you always wanted to see the real Council?"
(End of Chapter)