The night wind stopped.
As if to cooperate with this ritual full of feudal superstition...
No, this sacred and solemn advancement ritual, even the usually boisterous sound of the waves became a bit gentler.
Elias crouched on the gravel ground in front of the wooden cabin, fiddling with the items in his hands with a serious expression.
Following Edmond's instructions, he used silver powder to draw a pattern on the ground that was roughly a triangle.
At the three corners, he placed mercury symbolizing spirituality, salt symbolizing warding, and the photograph of the Rockland siblings symbolizing the passage.
"Is this the formation?"
Elias knelt in the center of the pattern, a rag cushioned under his buttocks, his knees aching from the pressure of the gravel.
"No matter how I look at it, this looks like a cult sacrifice scene. Are you going to sacrifice me in a moment?"
"Less nonsense. Sincerity brings results."
Edmond's voice echoed in his mind, carrying a solemnity as if about to witness history.
"Also, we generally aren't that superstitious."
"This is called a Spirit Rail!"
"Fine, fine, Spirit Rail."
Elias didn't argue with him and picked up the antique candle he had found in the basement, which looked older than his great-grandmother.
Only a small stub of this candle remained; the wax had turned yellow and black, and the wick was basically a charred matchstick.
"Can this thing even be lit?"
Elias was deeply skeptical.
He pulled out his flint and struggled to strike a spark a few times.
Sizzle—
Unexpectedly, that candle, which looked like it was on its last legs, actually lit up with a single strike.
A cluster of eerie blue flames instantly shot up, then transitioned into a steady orange-yellow.
The candlelight didn't flicker at all; it stood straight up as if fixed by some invisible force.
There was no wind tonight, and it was as stable as a static image.
Everything was ready.
Elias took a deep breath and picked up the colorless spirit vision potion in front of him.
It looked just like a bottle of water.
But upon opening the bottle, a rank herbal smell wafted out.
"Are you ready?"
Edmond asked.
"After drinking the potion, immediately recite the prayer with me."
"Do not hesitate, do not pause, and especially do not talk nonsense!"
"I know, you're so naggy."
Elias gritted his teeth and steeled his heart.
He tilted his head back and downed it in one go!
Gulp.
A cold, viscous liquid with a nauseating, fishy sweetness slid down his throat.
It felt like swallowing a live slug.
"Urgh..."
Elias almost vomited on the spot.
Immediately after, not daring to delay, he followed the voice of Edmond in his mind and recited the prayer:
"To the Waxing Moon phase, the Maiden of Spirituality."
"To the Full Moon phase, the Matron of Warding."
"To the Waning Moon phase, the Herald of the Passage."
As the incantation was recited, the silver powder pattern on the ground began to emit a faint fluorescence.
The light was not dazzling, but it carried a mercury-like texture, flowing slowly along those crooked lines and finally converging toward Elias in the center.
"Guardian of the spirit world and the moon, guide of the spiritual tide, Moon Lord of three-phases-in-one..."
He continued to recite, his voice growing louder.
He just felt a bit of cringey chunibyo embarrassment.
"I pray here for the clarity of spirituality, the integrity of warding, and the connection of the passage;"
"With the bond of blood relatives as proof, I seek Your gaze and approval here."
The moment the last syllable fell.
The world went silent.
Before Elias could even carefully ponder the content of the prayer, a shock at the level of consciousness descended.
Crack—
It was as if countless mirrors had shattered.
Following that, he felt the massive spirituality perched in his mind seem to break free from some physical shackle at this moment.
Like a spring compressed to the extreme suddenly snapping open.
An unspeakable sense of expansion began to spread in all directions.
If there were an onlooker at this time, they would see an extremely eerie scene:
The scruffy-faced Elias was kneeling in the center of the ritual pattern with his eyes rolled back, a trace of unknown liquid hanging from the corner of his mouth.
And around him, the silver powder, candles, mercury, and even that photograph were all glowing with a cold, silver light like moonlight.
"So comfortable!"
Elias let out a heartfelt sigh.
It was truly comfortable.
Even the psychological shadow left by being hunted by monsters these past few days was smoothed over.
Is this what it feels like to be on drugs... no, to advance?
However, this cloud-like pleasure didn't last long.
The next second.
He felt the white light in front of his eyes flash violently.
The original sound of waves, the wind, and the pain in his knees all vanished.
In their place was a deathly silence.
No, not deathly silence.
It was tranquility.
Elias opened his eyes blankly.
He found himself standing in a deep woodland.
"Where is this?"
He subconsciously looked around.
Everything was incredibly clear.
The mud beneath his feet was moist and soft, emitting the fragrance of rotting leaves;
The surrounding trees were lush, and the veins on every leaf were clearly visible;
The breeze blew across his cheeks, carrying a hint of coolness; he could even feel the humidity in the air.
Elias reached out and touched a tree trunk beside him; the rough texture of the bark was so real it gave him goosebumps.
He looked up at the sky.
There, three moons hung high.
They corresponded to the three moon phases.
Waxing gibbous, full moon, and waning moon.
For some reason, the Waxing Moon phase, symbolizing 'spirituality,' seemed brighter than the other two.
He shook his head, wanting to confirm if this was an illusion.
But the real physical feedback made it impossible for him to deceive himself.
Do all transcendents have to go through such an audience?
Elias couldn't help but mutter in his heart.
This seemed to be a serious mismatch with Edmond's description!
What happened to the 'vague outline'?
What happened to 'only seeing clearly at a high Scale'?
Elias suddenly thought of a terrifying possibility.
"Damn it, the materials that old ghost got from the basement couldn't have expired, could they?!"
He really had to consider whether supernatural materials could expire.
"Elias!"
Suddenly.
A call interrupted his wild thoughts.
The voice was crisp and ethereal, seemingly coming from deep within the woodland.
Elias's whole body jolted.
"Who is it?"
No one responded.
"Elias!"
The call rang out again.
Elias stepped forward blankly, walking in the direction of the voice.
Many fireflies were flying in the forest; they were like some kind of guide, floating slowly in front of him.
The hooting of owls came from the treetops from time to time.
This part matched up.
Elias felt a little more at ease.
At least this element was something Edmond had mentioned.
"Elias!"
The calling continued, getting closer and more urgent.
What exactly was this?!
Was it a divine summons?
Or some kind of trap?
The further Elias walked, the more he felt something was wrong.
If this followed a Lovecraftian plot, he should be seeing a pile of indescribable flesh or a lump of meat covered in tentacles calling his name.
But here... it was too beautiful.
So beautiful it was like a fairy tale.
And this, precisely, was the greatest horror.
As he followed the movement of the fireflies, the originally dense trees on both sides began to gradually part, like two slowly opening doors.
Finally, after passing through a thick thicket.
The fireflies led him to an open area.
Everything opened up.
It was a lake.
The clear lake water reflected the three moons and the stars in the sky.
The water and sky were the same color, the stars and moons shining together.
Countless fireflies gathered here, and nightingales sang on unknown branches.
Then he looked by the lake.
A small figure was standing there.
It was actually a... girl?
Elias stopped abruptly, his eyes widening like copper bells.
She looked about twelve or thirteen years old, wearing a pale yellow classical long dress, with long black hair like a waterfall.
Black hair!
In this otherworldly place where everyone had blonde hair and blue eyes, black hair was a rarity!
This seriously contradicted Elias's Lovecraftian fantasies of the gods of this world.
This art style was all wrong!
He originally thought there might be three-eyed owls, six-legged wolves, or various mutated animals.
But he never imagined it would be like this.
"Is... is this the Moon Lord?"
Elias stood where he was, facing the girl whose back was to him, a bit afraid to act rashly.
Who knew if she would have a face full of tentacles when she turned around?
Or if she would simply be a faceless monster?
What should one do if they see a sight they shouldn't see during an audience?
Would their sanity hit zero and they'd become an idiot on the spot?
Waiting online, it's pretty urgent!
That old Edmond didn't explain things clearly enough!
"Um... hello?"
Elias tentatively moved forward half a step and whispered a greeting.
The girl turned around abruptly.
"Holy crap!"
Elias jumped in place, startled.
However.
No tentacles.
No bloody maw.
It was a face as exquisite as a porcelain doll, with large, bright black eyes that held a sense of liveliness and... anger?
"The item is wrong!"
The girl raised her delicate eyebrows, her cheeks puffed out, looking absolutely furious.
She moved her small figure in the pale yellow dress and walked toward him aggressively.
"What?"
Elias stood dazed in place.
How did this kid start talking in riddles the moment she opened her mouth?!
As expected, the Riddler should just get out of Gotham!
Look, human-to-human transmission has already occurred!
Elias's thoughts raced in his mind.
This was also a psychological defense mechanism of his, or rather, Jiang Huan's.
The more panicked he was, the more his thoughts ran wild.
It was just like when he saw the dream demon and the carapace husk; his first reaction was to let his thoughts wander wildly to reduce his panic.
Now was no exception.
"I said!"
The little girl walked up to him and stopped.
Although she only reached Elias's chest, her aura was overwhelming.
She raised her hand, pointed a fair finger at Elias's nose, and said word by word:
"The—item—is—wrong!"
"The offering you presented is incorrect!"
Rate on N.U.
