Chapter 112: Light and Dark (Part Nine)
“But… Sister… Ailei hasn’t—”
“Aili.”
I turned my head to meet the confused gaze of the little girl.
“Listen to your sister, okay? Tell the Saint to hurry over here.” I paused and flashed a smile at Aili, “This is… a very important matter.”
Aili’s little face looked even more bewildered.
She didn’t quite understand why, but hearing my serious tone made her hesitantly nod anyway.
“Okay… then, Sister, you must find Ailei!”
“…Mm.”
Seeing me agree, the little girl beamed before scampering away.
Watching her fade into the distance, I turned back to face the high wall and let out a quiet breath.
Alright…
Actually, I can’t say for sure.
Because even now, I couldn’t feel any trace of the Abyss. I wasn’t entirely convinced that the little girl was from the Abyss, but the odds were pretty high. I needed to let Margaret know about this as soon as possible. If it’s true… then this church, the safest place in the whole city, would instantly become the most dangerous and terrifying spot.
So no matter what, Margaret needed to take action right away…
But before she arrives, I had to meet that little girl named Ailei, confirm the situation, and keep her calm.
Then… I wanted to have a little chat with her.
The blue brick wall ahead stood nearly three meters high. I adjusted my loose nun’s robe, rolled up my sleeves, warmed up my wrists and ankles, twisted my neck, bounced on the spot a few times to check my physical state, then bent my knees and jumped.
I leaped over the wall, landing gracefully on the other side, and raised my head.
Here, I had entered the rear hall of the church, the most ornate and exquisite sanctuary that ordinary people weren’t allowed to enter. The floor was a black-and-white striped marble, with colorful stone mosaics adorning the walls—intricate designs bursting with color, exuding an ancient and stunning vibe that hit the nose with its historic charm.
On either side, octagonal columns carved with dense runes stretched along the arched corridor leading into the hall. The circular archway to the inner hall was wide open, revealing a spacious area with a ceiling towering seven or eight meters high, adorned with magnificent ceiling paintings.
“Caw—”
A pitch-black raven screeched, spiraling down from the sky, flapping its wings as it crossed the corridor to land on my right shoulder.
I ruffled the bits of fluff on its head.
“Goat cheese…”
“Caw—”
The raven replied.
It tilted its head, fixating me with its solitary eye, a dark shade of scarlet. Its glossy black feathers were dense and full, and a short tuft of downy feathers on its throat stood upright, with an unopened message tube attached to its leg—it was my goat cheese, not some Abyss imitation.
Though, it seemed to have gotten a bit chubbier…
I removed the message tube from the raven’s leg, hesitated for a moment, and tucked it into my robe.
Now was not the time to read the letter…
“When did you come back?”
“Caw—”
“Are you… here to find someone familiar?”
“Caw—”
Sure enough…
This bird recognizes people. It must have returned to the Royal City before me but found I wasn’t at the residence. Instead, it must have found someone else familiar and decided to stay put until I arrived… So, who could that familiar person be with the goat cheese?
“Pepé! Pepé—”
“…Where is she?”
“Caw—”
The raven flapped its wings and flew to the altar just ahead, about ten meters away, decorated with gold and silver, swirling around the rows of candle flames before landing on what looked like a coffin—a rectangular stone slab.
It opened its beak wide again and let out a hoarse caw: “Liulish—”
Ha…
Bingo.
I quickly walked over.
Then I found something surprising beneath the altar. The slab should work like a door; maybe there’s an activation mechanism that opens it, leading to a chamber below. Judging by the marks around it, this place should have been opened often, but it seemed no one had come to check today.
But now, I didn’t need to stress over finding a mechanism, because a large hole had already been chiseled out of the slab. Below it was clearly a decent-sized space, but it was pitch dark—nothing could be seen.
Goat cheese stood at the hole, silly and tilting its head to look at me.
This big hole was clearly newly chiseled, just big enough for a child to crawl through. Bits of rubble lay scattered around the slab. I picked up a stone and tossed it into the hole… expecting a deep sound, yet almost immediately, I heard a series of thuds.
Thud… thud thud… clatter…
The stones seemed to bounce a few times before rolling away and going quiet.
Looks like steps.
“Is anyone there…” I called softly at the hole.
“It’s me… Peilo! I want to talk with you!”
Want to talk…
Talk…
Aside from a faint echo, no one responded.
“Idiot—”
“Shut up.”
I shot a glare at the goat cheese, thought for a moment with my head tilted, and then hesitantly called into the hole, “Then… I’m coming in…”
I then jumped onto the stone slab, crouched down carefully, and stretched one foot into the hole, gripping the edge of the slab with both hands, teasing my toes down, then slowly letting my body down until I felt a solid surface.
Ah…
So shallow…
I quickly dropped my other foot, releasing my grip on the slab, bending low as I crawled into the hole and stepped forward.
…Just as I suspected, stairs.
I relaxed and walked ahead.
Clump, clump…
The sound of my hard-soled boots striking the stairs echoed sharply.
Everything around me plunged into total darkness, and I couldn’t see a thing ahead. But after a few steps, I could straighten up again. The stairs declined, the passage widening gradually, and the air in the chamber felt damp, heavy with the earthy smell that made it feel stifling.
“Hey…”
I whispered.
“It’s too dark, I can’t see. I just want to create a light, no other intentions…”
I wasn’t sure if the other person could hear me, but just in case, I gave a heads up. After waiting for a moment without a response, I raised my right hand, a bright icy glow flickering as several faintly glowing ice spheres formed above my head, floating in mid-air, illuminating the space around me slightly.
But it was still hard to see…
At least I could make out some vague outlines.
This should… be directly under the main altar, right? The stairs spiraled down steeply, but there seemed to be a larger space below… the church chambers were typically dedicated to deities or heroes… something like that? Perhaps some of the past heroes of Ethanbel were worshiped here, still receiving blessings in the afterlife.
Why would she be in a place like this…
“Hey…”
“Is anyone there?”
“It’s Peilo here…”
“Can we talk?”
As I slowly walked forward, glancing around with the flickering light, I casually yelled a few words, hoping the other person would know I had arrived, that I was Peilo. Yet even after reaching the base of the stairs, there was still no reply.
“Caw—”
The goat cheese squawked, hopping onto my shoulder.
“Shh!”
You almost scared me to d*ath…
“Keep it down, you dumb bird!”
Dumb bird… dumb bird…
The distant echoes filled my ears.
This chamber was really spacious, just too dark. With the faint light from the Frost Order, I could only see things within a five-meter radius, but couldn’t make out what lay ahead, not even touching the walls.
I could only tiptoe forward… oh wait, there’s still the black flame!
Duh…
I smacked my forehead and hastily recalled the Frost Order. As the ice balls shattered and hit the ground with a ‘whoosh’, the black flames burst forth from my right hand. I raised my arm in front of me, letting the dazzling white light illuminate the entire space.
What a large area…
But before I could get a good look at my surroundings, a moment later, a pair of red lights flickered in the distance.
“Oh no…”
I felt a jolt in my heart, realizing something was off. I quickly averted my gaze, trying not to stare at that light, but it seemed like it was already too late.
Suddenly, everything in front of me turned white.
Then, flames burst forth like a sprawling dragon, igniting the rows of hanging candles along the weathered walls, reaching all the way to the depths of the darkness.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
My view exploded into brightness, and I instinctively squinted.
Cursed…
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding environment had morphed dramatically, and I found myself back in that familiar yet strange place—the dim, narrow passage from the dream.
…This ability is cheating!
“Hey!”
I looked up, yelling into the vast passage.
“Stop playing!”
“I don’t want to play this game!”
“Didn’t you want to find me? I’m here now! Even though I forgot a lot… Could it be that the little girl is mad at me because I didn’t actively seek her out?”
Thinking of this, I immediately raised my voice again, “Don’t be angry at your sister! When I woke up, I forgot a lot… I really forgot… Can you talk to me, can you tell me?”
“……”
No reply.
You always go quiet, and it makes me anxious…
“Liulish…”
Suddenly, the scene before me shifted.
Zzzzz…
It sounded like an old television losing its signal. Accompanied by that noise, the walls around me twisted rapidly, the floor beneath me began to shake, the ancient walls decayed and cracked, echoing with a rumbling sound as the ground suddenly gave way beneath me.
“Ah!”
As the sensation of falling hit me, once again, everything turned white.
Headache!
In the next instant, I was standing on a grassland filled with emerald waves.
The sky was blue, rolling hills dotted with patches of silver flowers surrounded me. A gentle breeze swept over, the natural fragrance was intoxicating.
In front of me, a young girl with silver hair suddenly turned, her delicate doll-like face beaming with joy.
“Sis, Sis! Look at these flowers; they are so beautiful! So beautiful~”
The girl bounced through the flowers, chasing butterflies, her slender dress flapping in the wind like a little sprite, her voice ringing with cheerful laughter.
“Liulish…”
Zzzzz…
After the white light faded, the scene abruptly changed. A cold beam of light shone down from above, forcing me to shield my eyes. In the pitch-black room, the stench of medicine and bl**d filled the air, and on a rusty operating table, the silver-haired girl’s eyes were swollen, mouth repeating “It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t hurt, not at all…” as shadowy figures in black thorny cloaks moved around, bloody syringes hovering ominously nearby.
“Liulish Aili… close your eyes.”
“March 16th, 8:49 PM. Third bl**d dilution, fourth bone marrow extraction, organ implantation… Prepare… three, two, one… Injection successful…”
The syringe pierced in, and the little girl silently widened her mouth.
Zzzzz…
The scene shifted once more.
In a damp room resembling a prison cell, there was no moonlight outside. I sat on a cold, hard white bed, and before me stood the silver-haired girl, blinking her eyes. She wobbled a donut in her hand before me, her dry, cracked lips slowly curling into a smug smile.
“Sis… I… I behaved so well, and this is… what they rewarded me with… Hehe, I know… I know you like it…”
That adorable little face loomed larger before me, then twisted.
Zzzzz…
