Royal Crown University, King’s Campus.
Inside a small, cramped room within the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge’s gathering place, Nephthys sat on a chair. Across from her, separated by a table, was a young man.
The man appeared to be in his early twenties, with short blond hair and glasses. He was intently focused on the large sheets of paper spread out on the table in front of him. Upon closer inspection, one could see that these were test papers filled with questions, each of which had been answered in detail.
The questions on the papers were all related to the novel “The Procession of the Hive Queen.” After carefully reviewing all the questions and answers, the young man nodded and looked up at Nephthys.
"Excellent, Miss Boyle. Your answers are perfect. It seems you’ve thoroughly studied Mr. Thorn Velvet’s collection," the young man said with a smile. Nephthys placed her hand over her chest and replied earnestly.
"Of course. To better understand Mr. Thorn Velvet and to get closer to him, one must seek his wisdom through these books. Reading Mr. Thorn Velvet’s collection is a duty every member of our society should fulfill, Mr. Eli."
Nephthys addressed the young man as Eli. He was also a member of the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge and one of Thorn Velvet’s most fervent followers. He had idolized Thorn Velvet for a long time and was among the first to finish reading The Procession of the Hive Queen.
Initially, Thorn Velvet had managed the society himself, but after starting some work in the Inner Area, he delegated most of the society’s management to Eli, his most loyal follower. Eli was responsible for conveying Thorn Velvet’s orders to the society and assessing members who wished to enter the Inner Area. Now, he was evaluating Nephthys.
After the written test, Eli conducted an oral examination, asking Nephthys about various details and content from the first four volumes of The Procession of the Hive Queen. Having read all four volumes, Nephthys answered fluently and flawlessly, easily handling Eli’s questions.
"Very impressive, Miss Boyle. You’ve passed the test. It seems you’ve grasped the essence of Mr. Thorn Velvet’s collection. You are now qualified to take a step closer to Mr. Thorn Velvet…"Eli smiled as he spoke, and Nephthys responded sincerely.
"It’s an honor to be able to get closer to Mr. Thorn Velvet."
Seeing Nephthys’s attitude, Eli nodded and then said to her, "Follow me now."
With that, Eli left the room and entered the main hall of the gathering place. Nephthys followed closely behind. They soon arrived at the end of the hall, where a long corridor densely covered with spiderwebs awaited.
This was the Web-Lined Corridor. Passing through it would lead to the so-called Inner Area of the Eight-Spired Nest.
Eli stopped at the entrance of the Web-Lined Corridor and took out a small, exquisite box from his pocket. Inside was a tiny vial. He poured out a small, transparent pill and handed it to Nephthys.
"Take this, then imagine yourself as one of the insects from the book. Recite their lines silently, and you’ll be able to pass through here."
Nephthys hesitated for a moment after receiving the pill but eventually swallowed it.
Once Nephthys had taken the pill, Eli stepped forward and began walking into the depths of the Web-Lined Corridor. Nephthys followed closely, silently reciting the lines of the insects from The Procession of the Hive Queen and imagining herself as one of them.
In this manner, Eli led Nephthys forward until they finally passed through the Web-Lined Corridor. They arrived at the end of a hallway, where a broken stone statue lay in several pieces on the ground. Beside the statue was a staircase leading downward.
It was clear that the statue had once been used to block the staircase, but it had been moved and shattered, revealing the entrance to the underground.
"This is…"
"This is a secret discovered when the Scholarly Society of Mystical Knowledge was first established. Beneath this school lies an ancient ruin. The society was originally formed around this secret, but it was later sealed off by the school, and many of us forgot about it. It wasn’t until Mr. Thorn Velvet arrived that it was reopened."
Eli explained as he began descending the staircase. Nephthys followed closely behind.
As they descended the stairs, illuminated by gas lamps, they walked for quite some distance. Just as Nephthys began to feel uneasy in the narrow space, a horrifying scream echoed from ahead, startling her.
"What… what’s happening up there?"
"Don’t worry. Keep moving forward, and you’ll see soon enough."
Eli chuckled lightly and continued forward. Nephthys swallowed hard and followed.
As they walked, the screams grew louder and more frequent. There were both male and female voices, all different, echoing through the dark passageway. The sounds sent chills down Nephthys’s spine.
Finally, Eli led Nephthys to the end of the passage. After passing through a stone door, they entered a vast underground space.
The underground chamber was about three to four meters high and over ten meters long and wide, supported by several round stone pillars. Lanterns hung from the pillars, casting a bright orange light that illuminated the dark space.
Scattered throughout the chamber were many broken and unrecognizable statues. Beneath the stone pillars, makeshift wooden partitions had been set up. Inside these partitions were torturers and their victims.
The victims, both men and women, wore bloodstained rags. Most were tied to racks, being whipped until their flesh split open. Others were being beaten with sticks, their bodies covered in bruises as they tried to escape. Some were bound to chairs, being pricked with needles or having their nails torn off…
The sounds of wailing, screaming, and begging echoed throughout the underground space, mingling with the torturers’ maniacal laughter and curses. Blood was splattered across the floor and walls. Nephthys stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.
This was nothing short of an underground torture chamber. While Nephthys didn’t recognize the victims, many of the torturers were members of the society—those who had read the four volumes of Thorn Velvet’s collection and become his loyal followers. Now, they were filled with madness, using their tools to torment the prisoners, their bodies splattered with blood, completely devoid of the scholarly demeanor they had shown outside.
The brutal scene struck Nephthys deeply. She had never imagined that the Inner Area would be a place dedicated to torturing others.
"What… what is this? Emma, Bernie… they’re torturing people. Why are they doing this?"
Nephthys muttered in disbelief. Eli, standing beside her, calmly replied.
"They are cultivating. They are striving to walk the mystical path and become true Beyonders. Mr. Thorn Velvet has said that for us, the loyal members of the society, he is willing to guide us on the path to becoming Beyonder."
"To become a true Beyonder… do they have to torture others like this?"
Nephthys asked incredulously. Eli continued casually.
"Yes. According to Mr. Thorn Velvet, to become a Beyonder, one must accumulate something called spirituality. This ‘Fear Torture Method’ can accumulate a type of spirituality known as ‘Shadow.’”
"After mastering this method, by torturing others and making them fear and dread you, Mr. Thorn Velvet says that ‘fear’ is one of the most important expressions of ‘Shadow.’ Thus, when you are feared and dreaded, you can accumulate Shadow spirituality within yourself. The greater the quantity and intensity of the fear, the more Shadow is generated. Once enough Shadow has been accumulated, one can ascend to become a Shadow Beyonder."