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The night was as dark as ink, shrouding the entire city in thick darkness.
The bustling streets of the day had fallen silent. Only a few scattered oil lamps swayed in the wind, casting mottled, shifting shadows.
Ian quietly returned to the surface through the hidden exit of the ancient Egyptian library. The wisdom and warnings within those ancient books and records still echoed in his mind. He did not rush back to the city. Instead, he walked slowly through the shadows on the outskirts, trying to sort out his thoughts.
Just as he passed through a narrow alley, however, the corner of his eye caught a vague figure.
It was a thin person wearing a dark gray cloak, moving lightly and cautiously. The figure crouched in front of a household's wooden door, holding a slender magic pen and stealthily drawing something in the shadow of the doorframe.
It was the posture of someone clearly up to no good—sneaky and mysterious.
The person's movements were frighteningly skilled. In only a few breaths, he had "visited" every doorway along the street.
Moonlight poured over Memphis's stone-paved roads like murky beeswax while Ian silently followed the suspicious figure.
The man was not drawing random graffiti but an extremely complex set of interwoven runic lines linked together in loops with a tiny hexagram star chart embedded in the center.
After finishing one mark, he quickly stood up, moved to the next house, and repeated the same action.
"Marking every door in the middle of the night?" Ian frowned deeply. "This is definitely not normal behavior. If he isn't scouting for thieves, then it must be the prelude to some kind of ritual."
Alarm bells rang loudly in his mind.
The recent series of disappearances, the bizarre corpse of the maid, the abnormal seal at the temple, and the imitation Eye of Ra...
Scene after scene surfaced in his thoughts.
The person before him was clearly acting suspiciously.
Ian silently closed the distance between them. Just as the man was about to turn onto the next street, Ian suddenly stepped out of the shadows.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
A pale, off-white beam shot from the tip of his wand, striking the man squarely in the back.
The body beneath the cloak instantly stiffened, freezing mid-crouch before falling forward.
Ian's surprise spell attack was extremely effective.
The man was completely immobilized, as if frozen by invisible frost. Only his eyeballs could move slightly, revealing shock and terror.
"Don't move. Tell me... what are you doing? What are these marks?"
Ian walked forward slowly with his wand aimed straight at the man's chest. His voice was cold and stern as he questioned the man.
Although Ian was a study tyrant, he did not understand every magical system. The system the other man was using was beyond Ian's knowledge, so he could not immediately decipher its purpose.
The cloaked man struggled to roll his eyes toward Ian.
When his gaze touched the faint magical fluctuations emanating from Ian's wand, his pupils suddenly widened. The color drained from his face. His voice, distorted by the Body-Bind Curse, trembled as he forced out a few words:
"Leg… Legendary… mage? How could one be here?"
He was clearly a wizard with keen perception.
Ian's heart stirred. He lowered his voice deliberately, adding a trace of mystery and authority.
"Why I am here is none of your concern. I only ask you this: Who do you serve?"
"These runes… are they guiding something, or preparing for a sacrifice? I'm interested in the abnormalities surrounding the temple in this city. Now answer my question."
Ian raised an eyebrow and deliberately produced a few sparks from the tip of his wand.
He stared at the man as an invisible, legendary pressure spread outward, making the cloaked figure feel as though a mountain were pressing down on him.
Ian removed the petrification from the man's throat yet kept the rest of his body restrained.
"Wait! You're not from the Temple? You came to investigate the Temple's abnormalities?"
Upon hearing this, the cloaked man's tense expression suddenly loosened. The shock in his eyes faded, replaced by a sense of relief.
He struggled to breathe, as if confirming something. His voice still trembled, but now it carried a hint of hope.
Ian remained expressionless and said coldly, "Answer my question."
He knew that, in unknown situations, a poker face was the best disguise to prevent others from reading his thoughts.
"I'm a member of the Twilight Hermits Society! These markings are protective runes; they're not meant to harm people. They're meant to resist the 'predators' that appear at night!"
The cloaked man suddenly became agitated.
Clearly, he knew about the black shadows, too. Judging from his reaction, he was not one of the Temple priests unless he was an exceptional actor.
"The Twilight Hermits Society? That doesn't sound like a very respectable organization."
Ian raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of such an organization, though he slightly eased the pressure of his wand.
"We're not villains!"
The cloaked man broke into a sweat, anxious, but unable to move.
"The Hermits Society exists all over the world. It's composed of wizards and scholars dedicated to maintaining peace between the magical world and ordinary people!"
"You...you couldn't be the 'Shadow Mage' from the legends, the one who has lived for a thousand years, could you?"
Because of his youthful appearance, the mysterious cloaked man clearly assumed Ian was an ancient wizard in disguise. This was understandable; after all, a legendary mage in his teens would be far too shocking.
"I've heard enough nonsense. Explain it clearly, or I won't hesitate to leave you in this position forever."
Ian narrowed his eyes and examined the symbol carved into the doorframe under the moonlight. It was a complex design made of three nested triangles with tiny runes decorating the edges. He recognized several of the runes as defensive.
This truly had nothing to do with dark magic.
However, even after realizing that, his vigilance did not lessen. Among ancient wizards, Dark Wizards had hearts far too filthy. He remembered that the famous Dark Lord Voldemort would have been considered one of the relatively decent Dark Wizards in ancient times.
"Yes, yes, yes! The Twilight Hermits Society is a secret organization composed of wizards from all over the world. Our headquarters are located in the far western land at the 'Tower of Twilight.' Our purpose is to maintain the world's balance and stability and prevent disasters caused by ancient evil arts, forbidden experiments, or the abuse of divine authority. Our members are spread across major cities, operating in secrecy and unknown to the public."
The cloaked man gave an extremely detailed explanation, clearly afraid that Ian might kill him if he became displeased.
Ian feared him, but he feared Ian just as much. In this era, ruthless people were not limited to dark wizards. White wizards could sometimes be even more decisive than dark wizards when they acted.
Especially the legendary ones who had lived for a long time.
"Well, that does sound a bit less like a villain organization," Ian said, stroking his chin as if thinking.
In reality, he had already begun probing the man's mind.
"Of course we're not!" Karan almost shouted, his face flushed with excitement. "We are guardians! We don't create chaos; we stop it! The runes you see are preliminary markers for a 'Warding Barrier Against Evil.' We draw them with specially prepared ink. They interfere with the perception of low-level evil spirits and prevent the spirits from latching onto the residents. Recently, there have been frequent disappearances in the city. We believe a dark force is operating in secret. And the temple..."
He lowered his voice.
"The temple's reaction is far too abnormal. They aren't investigating the culprit; they're covering something up. All we can do is protect the innocent residents as best we can and prevent them from becoming the next victims."
Clearly, these so-called righteous people did not truly know what was happening inside the temple. Most likely, their magical ability and manpower were inferior to those of the Temple.
Ian felt a stir in his heart.
It faintly matched the clues he had obtained from the Black-Robed Woman: the Temple was concealing something, and someone else was resisting in secret.
"Prove it."
Ian lifted part of the Body-Bind Curse, though he still pointed his wand directly at the man's heart.
Because the man had mental protection methods, Ian could only glimpse one or two fragments of his mind.
Now...
Ian needed him to open his mind willingly.
The cloaked man struggled to pull a bronze badge out from under his robe. Engraved on the badge was a pyramid beneath the glow of a setting sun.
When Ian lightly touched the badge with his wand, it immediately projected a three-dimensional image.
Countless figures wearing similar cloaks appeared in different parts of the world, casting spells. Some reinforced houses against werewolves, some guided lost ghosts, and some healed Muggles injured by dark magic.
These were recorded deeds from the past.
Ian examined them carefully and realized that they were real.
"Interesting," he said before finally removing the spells completely.
"So, you discovered something was wrong with Memphis?"
He questioned them.
The cloaked man rubbed his stiff shoulders, stood up, and pulled back his hood to reveal a face no older than twenty-five with a lightning-shaped scar beneath his left eye.
"I'm Kalan, a junior observer from the local branch," he said in a lowered voice. "We noticed abnormalities in Memphis three months ago, but the temple's defenses are too tight. We could only determine that the problem originated there."
Ian noticed that, as he said this, Kalan unconsciously touched the leather pouch at his waist. A faint magical fluctuation came from within; clearly, it contained many charms.
"Are you protecting the residents with just those runes on the doorframes?"
Ian asked in surprise.
"Not just runes."
Kalan took a small bottle out of the pouch. Inside was silver powder that glimmered.
"It's used with a nightmare repellent. Those 'things' seem to search for prey through dreams."
He suddenly shivered.
"Last night, we lost two companions. They tried to approach the temple."
His voice was filled with grief.
"How much do you know about the temple?" Ian asked.
Karan shook his head, a flash of helplessness and anxiety passing through his eyes.
"Not much. Our branch is only a grassroots unit, so the intelligence we can access is limited. We only know that a certain power is rising inside the temple. It's related to the ancient rituals of the 'Sun God,' possibly involving 'divinity grafting' or soul transformation. We suspect the maid's death was part of this ritual. She wasn't killed; she was 'chosen.' But we cannot penetrate the temple's core. All we can do is report to headquarters and wait for higher-level investigators to arrive.
"And what about that blue crystal fragment?" Ian asked cautiously.
Karan was stunned. "You... you know about that?" It's a fragment of the 'False Eye of God.' It's a medium used in the ritual to guide the soul into the 'Blissful Illusory Realm.' The real Eye of Ra grants light, but this imitation only leads people to their death while they bask in false joy. We're investigating its origin as well. We suspect someone inside the temple is secretly refining it."
Ian fell silent.
Karan's words matched the forbidden books Ian had seen in the library: the Divine Grafting Technique and Guide to Training Artificial Gods.
The temple was attempting to create an "artificial deity."
The maid had been the first sacrifice to be "transformed."
The strange smile on her face was an illusion produced by the False Eye of God. Before she died, she believed she was entering the divine kingdom.
"Why are you waiting for headquarters?" Ian asked.
"Because..." Karan's voice grew low. "The temple's power is far beyond what we imagined. They possess powerful priests and may have already touched upon true divine power. Members like us from the local branches are, at most, mid-level mages. Acting rashly would be like moths flying into a flame. Only the 'Night Watchers' sent by headquarters can stand against them."
Ian slowly nodded, finally understanding Karan's situation.
He raised his wand and softly spoke the counterspell.
Karan's body gradually regained sensation. He moved his stiff limbs and looked at Ian with gratitude.
"Thank you. I thought I was going to die here today."
"No need to thank me," Ian replied calmly.
"I'm only pursuing the truth. Your organization may be the allies I need."
He spoke softly.
Just as the other man was about to become overjoyed, a sudden cracking sound of stone echoed from afar.
Kalan's expression changed drastically. He grabbed Ian and pulled him into the shadows of a wall.
"They're here!"
Ian followed his gaze.
At the end of the street, under the moonlight, three blurry, human-shaped figures slowly moved forward. Their movements were unnatural, like broken puppets. The edges of their bodies appeared strangely blurred.
Most unsettling of all, was when one of them turned its "head," revealing nothing but a flat patch of skin where a face should have been.
"Faceless Ones."
Kalan's breathing quickened.
"They're the Temple's hounds. They search for the guilty and bring them to the temple. This hunt has been officially authorized."
Clearly, such hunts had happened before.
In addition to the Black Shadows released by the mysterious embryo, another kind of hunting operation was officially sanctioned.
Perhaps the living human sacrifices used earlier had come from these hunts.
"Are they afraid of the dark?" Ian observed keenly. As they walked, the creatures deliberately avoided areas of deep shadow where the moonlight could not reach.
He was not surprised that the authorities had approved the hunting of criminals.
After all...
From what he had learned last night, it was clear that the entire city was facing a significant threat. If people didn't want to die, the city's rulers would naturally turn to the Temple for help.
They were only criminals.
The authorities certainly wouldn't care.
In fact, even if some innocent people were harmed, desperate nobles would still turn a blind eye.
The subsequent actions of the Black Shadows proved that the higher-ups could not have possibly failed to notice these events—they were simply pretending not to know.
"No, the moonlight is guiding them," Kalan said, grabbing a handful of silver powder from his pouch.
"Look."
He gently blew the powder away.
In the moonlight, the silver dust formed clear paths in the air. These invisible "paths" connected precisely to every unmarked house.
The three Faceless Ones moved along these luminous tracks and stopped in front of a particular house.
"Damn it! The mark on that house was washed away by the rain"
Kalan was about to rush out when Ian grabbed his shoulder.
"If it's a criminal, there's no need to save them," Ian said calmly.
Honestly, he did not feel much disgust toward the actions of the Faceless Ones. As one of Hogwarts' exemplary students, he disliked vicious criminals too.
"But..."
Kalan swallowed, about to say something.
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass came from the other end of the street.
One of the Faceless Ones had smashed through a window and broken into the house.
(End of Chapter)