“Sir, it seems this truly is the final farewell.”
Grace, dressed in her white gown, seemed to shed all her burdens in this moment. She looked at her hand, which was gradually becoming transparent, then turned to look at Shade amidst the converging rain of light.
“Though we are loath to leave, and truly do not wish to, our mission is complete... we must depart.”
She took her sister's hand. Helen’s blue eyes gazed at Shade, a regretful smile upon her soft face.
“Sir, I had hoped for more stories with you, and wanted to see your life. I didn't expect that, in the end, we would only have this brief meeting.”
She tried to embrace Shade with her left hand, only to find her hand passing right through his body.
“Everything you did for us was truly wonderful. We were merely ordinary twin girls; though we experienced so much and crossed such a vast stretch of time, you remain the person we cherish most. Because your help was the only kind that asked for nothing in return.”
Streaks of red light flew from their bodies, entering the small path leading to the starry sky, soaring toward the boundless sea of stars overhead. Along with their souls, and alongside the Star Whales, they walked together toward the end.
The night wind by the cliff was cold. Shade’s expression was completely frozen. He seemed to have saved everything; even Joey Barton had recovered his beloved. But the Outsider had failed to save the only one—the girl who had been waiting for him since the story of Mi-burg began.
He turned to look at Sister Devlin, who was quietly watching the scene by the campfire, but the nun only shook her head slightly. She was powerless in this matter.
“You said you wanted to help those girls who were more than sisters? Please, accept this.”
Grace and Helen joined the red butterfly pendants tied to their waists and handed them to Shade. The pendants remained physical, for they were the gifts bestowed by the God of Vampires at the end of the banquet.
“Give this to them. Having followed us for so long, it has also become a relic. If each holds one half, they can reunite for one full day every 21 days—a cycle of 22 days. This is equivalent to a Sage-grade relic.”
The transparent girls kissed Shade on each side of his face, one on the left and one on the right, but Shade felt no sensation at all.
He saw the tear stains on their faces; transparent droplets slid down their similar cheeks, vanishing before they could hit the ground.
“Our first thanks to you were our hair ribbons; now, our thanks are our pendants. Compared to what you gave us, these are not nearly enough.”
“Do you... truly wish to leave?”
Shade asked. Their departure was not only because their mission was complete, but because nearly a quarter of their essence had been stripped away by the God of Vampires. The injury was far more severe than Shade had imagined.
Grace looked at Helen, and Helen looked at Grace. Together, they shook their heads and embraced one another.
“If possible, I wish to stay with my sister forever, until the end of eternity.”
Shade was very worried that the two of them would kiss each other right in front of him.
“Even if we must suffer the pain and torture of the cycle again, we want to be together... truly, we want to, we really don't want to leave, don't want to part...”
The color of their bodies faded completely, their crimson souls huddling together, weeping. Red butterflies filled the sky, staining the starry firmament with extra color. The butterflies following the path of shattered light toward the stars added a touch of vivid reality to this scene beneath the moon.
【Are you not going to do something?】
“She” asked with a smile.
Shade sighed.
“Grace, Helen, I can make you stay. But you must know there is a price. For me, I must pay with power; for you, I do not know what will happen. But I do indeed have a way.”
The two weeping crimson souls separated and looked at Shade standing before the campfire. White light and shadow surrounded him, the warm yellow fire illuminating his silhouette, while the silver moon overhead seemed to drape a thin veil over him.
“You...”
“Since I wanted to help you, and I've already done so much, helping one more time is nothing. Consider it a thank-you gift for helping my friend.”
He turned to the nun.
“Something might happen in a moment...”
“I am blind; I see nothing,” Sister Devlin said softly.
Shade nodded and casually patted Mia the cat's small head, only then noticing a ring on its tail—a very familiar ring.
“Hmm? [Vampire Ring]? Where did this come from? I remember those nine relics were on the Evil God. After I defeated him, did those relics scatter into the mountains and forests, and Mia happened to pick this one up?”
He was utterly astonished, while the tiny cat meowed triumphantly. It was truly very proud of itself.
The white rain of light followed him. The thank-you gifts from the souls were converted into the purest Spirit, and this powerful energy began to influence physical space in the form of Enlightenment.
A steam whistle roared, and bells tolled. Within the thick, scorching steam mist, a massive brass Fate Ring manifested in its entirety.
The thank-you gifts from the vast souls trapped in the Interstice for several epochs influenced the essence of Shade's soul. The pure Spirit that could not be contained transformed into brass-colored Enlightenment light. That light radiated across the entire mountaintop with unprecedented intensity, to the point where a brass-colored sun seemed to appear above Mount Sicar.
Even the Ring-casters fighting the undead behemoths above the city saw the light once more.
“What happened now? Just how many things are happening tonight?”
Fortunately, they were temporarily too busy to fly over and investigate.
With every step Shade took forward, the cliffside scenery of the night transformed into a magnificent palace hall.
Sister Devlin, by the campfire, looked down “at” the red carpet that had appeared beneath her feet at some unknown point, then looked up “at” the walls hung with silver and green tapestries. The silver tapestry depicted the moon, and the green one depicted a giant tree.
“Maze Lock.”
“Sleeping Princess.”
The huddling Grace and Helen also noticed the changes in their surroundings, realizing that for some reason, they were positioned slightly higher than Shade.
Shade stepped upward, stairs appearing one by one beneath his feet. As he trod upon the carpet and ascended the seventh step, he arrived before the girls.
The magnificent palace was so warm that even the transparent souls regained their color. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was the snowfall of the town at night; further away, in the center of the sea of trees, the giant tree stood like a parasol, swaying in the night wind under the silver moonlight.
For some reason, seeing Shade walking toward them, Helen, dressed in her black gown, subconsciously took a step back. Only then did they notice that a massive ice coffin had appeared behind them.
On the lid of the ice coffin, exquisite butterfly patterns were engraved. The blood-red patterns looked as if the ice had been stained by blood. Inside the coffin, soft cushions had already been laid; the size of the casket was enough for two people to lie within.
“I must confirm one thing,” Shade asked as he ascended the steps in the palace. “If I suddenly kiss you, will I be punched by both of you?”
The usually composed Grace was amused by this question. She shook her head slightly.
“Helen and I truly do not know how to repay you.”
“I don't need repayment. But have you truly thought this through? Not only must I pay a price, but you will have to pay a price as well.”
Helen Black wiped away her tears, and Grace White composed her expression.
“No matter how much the cost, I am willing to be with my sister forever. This was our wish when we met you, and it is our wish now.”
“Very well.”
Shade nodded and pointed to the ice coffin behind them. Thus, Grace picked up her shy sister by the waist and placed her in the ice coffin; then, Helen, sitting in the coffin, pulled her sister in as well.
The two lay side by side, their bodies gradually losing color and returning to the state of souls about to depart. Shade stepped forward, embraced them, and kissed them.
【Outsider, Spirit Rune “Red Moon” has changed to an unavailable state.】
【Note: This state may potentially be changed, but you must find the method yourself. If the unavailable state cannot be changed, you cannot learn occult arts related to it, nor can this Spirit Rune be used for advancement requirements.】
This was the sacrifice Shade made. Compared to the truly dormant Miss Fiona Drago, the situation of Grace and Helen was far worse, so he had to pay more.
“This sacrifice really is a bit steep...”
The Enlightenment light rewrote the story of the Maze Lock's master. The vast Spirit, through this kiss, transformed into a miracle of the mortal realm, allowing two souls who had endured long ages and were about to depart to remain once more.
Shade did not know what price the red butterflies paid, but he clearly saw two red butterflies land on his shoulders before silently vanishing.
【A long wait, mutual torment, a kinship transformed, a bitter love. From the moment the twins met the Outsider at the God's banquet in the Fifth Epoch, to this kiss atop Mount Sicar in the Sixth Epoch. The story has finally reached its conclusion. The story of the red butterflies spanning two epochs—Outsider, only you and I shall know it.】
【You have learned the story of the relic “Red Butterfly Twins”; you have touched the Whisper.】
However, it was not a Spirit Rune, for a voluntary sacrifice cannot yield a reward greater than the cost.
【Outsider, you have obtained the Curse-Art: Red Butterfly Avatar. Transform your body into a swarm of dancing butterflies to move. It cannot be used for long periods, otherwise, you will lose your sense of self. The loss of a small number of butterflies will not cause self-injury.】
【You have obtained the Curse-Art: Red Butterfly Illusion. Use dancing butterflies to create illusions.】
【Since the Curse-Arts derive from the truest power of an Angel-grade relic, they can bypass the influence of most relics.】
A swarm of blood-colored butterflies emerged from his shoulders, spreading across his entire body until Shade was dyed in the color of red butterflies. There was indeed no Spirit Rune, but a special power flowed back into Shade's soul through the [Sleeping Princess]. Regardless, the shadow of the red butterflies was now branded upon his soul.