It was Saturday morning. The crimson sun hung high in the sky, shining brightly and casting long shadows behind the pedestrians moving along the road. Despite the light, the weather remained chilly—as it often did during this time of March—and soft snowflakes began to fall one by one, quietly announcing the arrival of snowfall.
Laughter echoed through the streets. Young children ran about in the snow, some playing together, others darting between corners in games of hide and seek, their voices carrying clearly through the crisp air.
In the Ward Family household, Cornerstone 21, Lumian was still fast asleep on his bed. The crimson rays slipped through his window, stretching across the room and gradually illuminating his face.
He stirred.
After a moment, he turned slightly and rubbed his eyes, still heavy with sleep. A faint grogginess lingered as he lay there for a few seconds longer, before finally pushing himself up.
...
Using that momentum, he walked into the bathroom, washed up with steaming water, and changed into his black coat, this time pairing it with gloves.
He was just about to open the door when, suddenly, he found himself back on the bed again.
Lumian sat upright, confusion flashing across his face.
What… Didn't I just wake up?
He looked around, then pinched his arm. A sharp pain shot through him.
Ouch... It's not a dream... could it be my side effect... Lumian thought with uncertainty, as he looked at his hands.
He remembered what the captain had once told him before about sorcerers and curses.
Sorcerers begin turning into something like a curse the moment they take their first potion. The only thing that keeps their sanity intact is constantly resisting that corruption.
But Lumian knew that the captain didn't yet know the concept of Laws, but Lumian had already realized something with that statement.
He realized that even though one perform thier roles, and get a Law, they can still get side effects, and when they continue with that side effect, they naturally become a curse. It was rather a step-by-step advancement, to being a curse.
The only way to survive this corruption was to advance, and move to another phase, having different side effects, and altering the previous one.
I need to perform that spirit dance quickly.
Lumian exhaled slowly, feeling a mix of tension and clarity settling in at the same time.
He stood up again.
This time, he didn't take his black shirt. Instead, he chose a blue one and paired it with his black coat.
...
He combed his hair forward, still slightly damp from his bath, then walked toward the door. As soon as his hand touched the knob, he hesitated.
A faint uneasiness crept into his chest.
He still wasn't completely sure whether he was dreaming or not.
Not wanting to repeat the same sequence again, Lumian slowly withdrew his hand and turned away. Instead, he walked over to his desk and sat down.
The crimson sunlight streamed through the window, falling across his face in a quiet glow.
He remained there for some moments, unmoving, until he suddenly remembered something.
Wait, I totally forgot to perform the prayer that Mr. Hayes instructed me to do... In that moment, fear gripped Lumian's heart as he suddenly shifted his gaze and looked out his window.
Outside, children laughed and played in the snow, their carefree voices drifting faintly into the room.
For a moment, Lumian watched them. Then, he let out a soft sigh. I'm not sure Mr. Hayes knows I've not performed it... or could it just be that he has some patience, and his waiting? The thought didn't comfort him as much as he hoped.
Leaning back slightly, Lumian shifted his focus to something else.
It was the matter of ghost Quin, from yesterday.
...
He let out a long sigh and rested both hands on the table, absentmindedly fiddling with his pen.
He had returned home around seven in the morning and only gotten up by ten, so the events of yesterday were still fresh in his mind.
Mrs. Quin, ghost Quin, Admiral Natty... hmm, but what I'm more curious is on that term "Admiral." I remember Mr. Revenger mentioning that the God of Rivers, also had Angels which are mermaids and have human forms... could the Abyssal Current Order, make someone in phase 4, serve the God?
I don't really think so, because in the end they're still sorcerers, who just reached phase 4, and have not embodied thier Order yet.
But I might be wrong with this theory, because Quin, actually wanted to kill the God of Rivers, does that mean she actually wanted to rebel, to put a stop in the ritual of people from the Abyssal Current Order serving him.
Heh, so if I'm correct, that means that the God of Rivers, actually chooses an Admiral from the Abyssal Current Order and naturally turn them into his Angel, or should I say mermaid, while the others that get rejected turn into those other mermaids Mr. Revenger mentioned, the mindless ones.
But the real question that should be important is; why did Quin not leave the house, what's exactly her true goal.
Lumian leaned back slightly, the pen still turning between his fingers as the chill from the window grew.
...
He suddenly stood up, a small smile forming on his face.
But I think I've figured another mystery out.
Lumian began piecing it together in his mind.
When she revived, she probably didn't realize she was a ghost. Her memories hadn't fully returned, so she lived like a normal person—built a life, became wealthy, and eventually met James. She even used her old name… but only Quin Pirch, not Natty.
Something might have triggered it. Could it be the event of her killing James. Maybe it reminded her of death, and her situation of being dead.
But that raised another question.
Before she hurled the glass at James… what exactly did she say, to make James so frightened?
Lumian paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, his other hand resting on the doorknob, as he had already walked towards the door.
Almost absentmindedly, he spoke Inwardly to his Eidolon. Or what do you think about this matter?
To be frank, Lumian wasn't expecting any response, from the lady inside his head, but unexpectedly, she spoke up with her smooth and honeyed voice.
Why are you even asking me? The voice said with a sigh and continued. Your thoughts are very messy, honestly, they're chaotic.
Wait she can hear my thoughts also... Lumian Inwardly said with an awkward chuckle.
Of course I can hear your thoughts dumb**s. I'm literally in your head... The honeyed voice replied with slight annoyance.
Lumian resisted the urge to argue. Skywalker… why did I end up with such an aggressive eidolon…
Excuse me? the voice replied immediately, a hint of offense slipping through its tone.
Lumian chuckled but didn't respond. Instead, he turned the knob and opened the door.
The door opened, as he smiled. He finally confirmed that this was a dream, and not a loop.
With that, he stepped out and followed the faint aroma of food drifting from downstairs.
...
Meanwhile, in a spacious living room, Elizabeth sat to the left of Aethera, quietly reading a newspaper.
After a moment, she spoke, her tone slightly cautious.
"Madam Aethera… there's been a murder."
Aethera, dressed in a long gothic black gown, calmly sipped her tea before reaching over to take the newspaper. Her eyes scanned the article briefly.
"Hmm… brutally sliced and arranged into a shape…" she murmured, a faint smile forming. "Interesting."
This situation reminds me on how i first got this body. Heh, but, however I already knew this would happen, if all goes well, the plan can be done... Aethera added Inwardly with a chuckle.
Suddenly, Elizabeth took the newspaper from her hands and placed it on the coffee table, between, before looking at Aethera more seriously.
"But Madam Aethera… when are we going to pray to the True God?"
...
"We will pray to Her," Aethera said calmly. "As I told you before, we only do so when the moon turns crescent in the night."
Elizabeth, her white hair resting lightly on her shoulders, nodded. She glanced out the window at the crimson sun hanging in the sky, then asked,
"But Dorothy and I have been wondering… why don't we pray to Her when She's already there?"
Aethera, the faint stitches along her forehead barely noticeable under the light, took another slow sip before replying,
"Because She does not wish to feel observed." She said, as she lowered the cup to the table.
"You only pray to Her when her gaze is turned away, when the Pale Moon Goddess draws Her attention elsewhere."
Hearing that, Elizabeth suddenly giggled. She tapped her left chest, then her right in a strange, ritualistic manner.
"Praise the Lady behind the Crimson… praise the True God!"
Her eyes shimmered with fanatic devotion. After a moment, she exhaled softly and turned back to Aethera.
"Madam Aethera, I forgot to report something important. Yesterday, I saw someone chasing the person you gave the St. Mary text to. Should I track them… or eliminate them?"
Aethera calmly took the cup up again and brought it close to her mouth, before replying with an unchanged expression.
"No. Do neither."
She took a slow sip before continuing,
"That would not align with her will. She would never expect such crude actions from us."
She set the cup down gently. "Besides, I never truly needed that text to begin with. As you know, after returning and taking this body, my power has declined. I'm currently at Phase Six."
"But if you remember our true objective, you'll understand… the text was never essential."
"I already understand plenty things there, what I need now is to advance."
Elizabeth's lips curled into a smile of admiration.
"Our lady is as cunning as ever."
...
Lamenti, Moonlight Watchers Faculty.
Lumian soon arrived at the Moonlight Watchers Faculty. He looked up at the tall black building, its roof and window edges dusted with snow, and slowly shook his head.
He couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for whoever had to clean it.
After a brief pause, he stepped inside.
As expected, he immediately saw Lury behind the counter—black hair, brown eyes, and as always, already at work.
Even on a Saturday…? Lumian thought inwardly. You should really take a break sometimes… maybe come in later for once.
Despite the thought, he stepped forward and greeted her with a small wave.
"Good morning, Lury."
She looked from her phone. "Oh, your here. Good morning Lumian."
Lury stood up, placing her phone on the table before continuing.
"I saw the payment you made yesterday. The captain asked me to pass along his congratulations. Vincent too."
She gave a small chuckle.
"And well… mine as well. Congratulations."
That's actually really nice of you… Lumian thought, a bit surprised.
Outwardly, he smiled.
"Thank you very much, Lury."
At that moment, Vincent and Hargreaves stepped through the partition.
Vincent noticed him immediately and raised a hand in greeting.
"Good morning, Lumian."
...
Lumian smiled. "Good morning, Vincent."
Then, turning to Hargreaves, he straightened slightly and added more politely,
"Good morning, Captain."
Hargreaves nodded with a faint smile as he stepped down from the upper level. As he approached, Lumian's eyes were immediately drawn to the large, worn black book in his hands.
Remembering that the Captain and Vincent went out yesterday to retrieve the text, Lumian pieced the answer in his mind.
It is really St. Mary text!
The two of them stopped in front of him.
Hargreaves let out a small chuckle. "We finally got it. Honestly, when Vincent and I went there yesterday, we didn't expect much. But we searched anyway… and somehow, we actually found it."
Lumian felt a surge of emotion.
Excited wasn't enough to describe it, he was practically over the moon.
Truthfully, he hadn't even believed the text could be recovered.
He let out a quiet breath, unable to hide his smile. "So, Captain… now that we have it, what's the plan?"
"I'll be relocating it. And while I'm at it, I'll be changing the storage locations of other important items as well." Hargreaves replied.
Lumian nodded in reply and said Inwardly. Yes that's good, and that makes sense... the captain is truly wise and cautious.
Then Hargreaves continued,
"And Lumian, later tonight, you and Vincent should head to Azamthal Street. Check on that 'Jugga Jugga woman' Tom mentioned."
He paused briefly then continued. "Or you won't be free today again?"
Lumian quickly shook his head. "No captain, I'll be free."
Hargreaves gave a short nod, already turning away.
...
With the pale moon now up in the sky, illuminating the entire neighborhood of Azamthal, Lumian and Vincent had already slipped into the quiet compound using sharp acrobatics.
They had gotten the house details from Vincent, who had come earlier to confirm the exact location of her building.
They soon reached the door.
Vincent was just about to slice it open with his feathers, but then paused, considering the possibility that the woman was still inside.
He raised his hand.
Poof!
A black feather suddenly materialized in his fingers. He bent down and began picking the lock instead.
Meanwhile, Lumian scanned the surroundings. The environment was quiet, the compound fenced on all sides, with no sign of movement.
Just then, Vincent finished unlocking the door.
They stepped inside.
The moment they entered, they were greeted by a brightly lit house—all the lights were on.
Hmm… could she not have left yet? Lumian wondered as he quietly closed the door behind him.
He looked around and soon spotted a portrait on the wall.
The person in it had silver hair and delicate features, making her look like an innocent college student.
Lumian turned and noticed another portrait.
This one… exposed her front accessories slightly. I hope Mr. Tom didn't actually mean "jugga jugga" for big jugs.