South Tivian, Bishop’s Square.
On a cold New Year’s night, in a small alley at the edge of Bishop’s Square, the translucent pale spirit of Barrett Despenser hovers above a soul-summoning ritual. The ghost, bearing the appearance of his death, wears a vacant expression under the ritual’s constraints and answers the questions posed by Dorothy without resistance.
“As expected… the Mirror Moon Goddess depicted in the statue is indeed the Pure-Color Deity of the Shadow path. My earlier guess was correct. And Barrett actually managed to dig up the Shadow holy symbol! It’s in the research chamber of his mansion!”
Huddled against the cold wind on the street, Dorothy feels a surge of excitement upon hearing the news of the holy symbol from Barrett’s ghost. The Shadow holy symbol she had been searching for finally had a concrete lead!
Calming her excitement, Dorothy takes a deep breath and continues to control the corpse marionette Brandon to ask Barrett’s ghost further questions.
"So, Your Grace, where exactly is your mansion located? And where in the mansion is the Mirror Moon Goddess holy symbol hidden?"
Under Dorothy’s control, Brandon continues to question Barrett’s ghost. After a slight pause, the ghost responds.
"My mansion is located in the southwestern outskirts of Tivian, north of Shield Hill and south of Gray Grass Avenue. The artifact suspected to be the Mirror Moon Goddess’s holy symbol is stored in the research chamber of the mansion. The entrance to the chamber is at the end of the corridor west of the drawing room on the first floor.
"To activate the hidden entrance, you need to open the clock face on the wall at the entrance. Set the hour hand to 12, the minute hand to 3, and the second hand to 6. After that, the clock will reset to the correct time, and the chamber entrance will open. The holy symbol is in the top-right drawer of the main table in the chamber. The drawer isn’t locked."
With a still-vacant expression, Barrett’s ghost speaks slowly. After hearing such detailed information, Dorothy nods in satisfaction. With such precise guidance, she can save a lot of time when searching for the item later.After obtaining the most critical information, Dorothy has Brandon ask Barrett’s ghost a few more key questions.
"Your Grace, do you remember how you died? What exactly happened inside Blue Weave Street No. 1 at the time of your death? Did you see the person who killed you?"
Brandon asks these questions, and Barrett’s ghost falls silent for a moment before responding.
"The situation was very sudden and chaotic. I’m not entirely sure what happened. I remember standing in the hall, protected by guards, admiring a painting. Then, I suddenly heard a scream from behind. When I turned around..."
Just as Barrett’s ghost is about to continue, his spirit suddenly becomes extremely unstable. Like a poorly tuned black-and-white TV, his image begins to flicker, stutter, and distort. His voice also becomes fragmented, mixed with static, making it impossible to understand.
"What’s happening? Why did he suddenly become like this?"
Seeing the anomaly with Barrett’s ghost, Dorothy asks Nephthys, who is conducting the ritual. Nephthys, who is currently possessed by a fragment of Uta’s soul, responds in a calm tone.
"My soul fragment is about to give out. I told you earlier that this soul-summoning ritual, conducted with just a fragment, can’t last long. My ability to hold onto this spirit is weakening, while the other ritual summoning him hasn’t stopped. The other ritual’s pull on this spirit is still active.”
"In simple terms, because my hold is weakening, the other ritual is now competing with me again. Since the two pulls are roughly equal, the spirit is becoming unstable."
Nephthys, possessed by Uta’s soul fragment, explains to Dorothy. Hearing this, Dorothy recalls that Nephthys had mentioned earlier that this soul-summoning ritual, conducted with a soul fragment, though still high in rank, is unstable and lasts much shorter than a normal ritual. That’s why Dorothy had prioritized asking the most critical questions first.
Due to time constraints, the pull of Nephthys’ ritual has weakened, while the Eight-Spired Nest’s ritual, though unsuccessful in summoning the spirit, has been ongoing. Now that Nephthys’ pull has weakened to the same level as the Eight-Spired Nest’s, Barrett’s ghost is being affected by the two competing pulls, causing instability and making it impossible for him to answer Dorothy’s questions properly.
Moreover, the inability to answer questions is a minor issue. The more serious consequence of Nephthys’ weakening pull is yet to come.
"So… if our side’s pull continues to weaken, Barrett’s spirit might be pulled back by the other side?"
Dorothy has Brandon ask Nephthys, who nods slowly and responds.
"Yes… my pull is weakening continuously, while the other side’s pull remains constant. So, it’s inevitable that I’ll lose control."
"Is there any way to strengthen our side’s pull? If not, can we at least stop the other side from summoning him?"
Brandon continues to ask, and Nephthys, with a hint of exhaustion, replies.
"My soul fragment can’t hold on much longer. Even if I try to provide a stronger pull, it won’t work. The ritual will collapse soon, and the spirit will be pulled away.”
"But if we’re just talking about stopping the other side from summoning him, I do have a method. I can transform the ritual, using the power of a shaman to connect to the Great Soul and create a pathway in the River of Shadows. I’ll turn the soul-summoning ritual into a Soul Burial ritual, sending this spirit deep into the River of Shadows, close to the Great Soul.”
"The Great Soul constantly exerts a pull on all souls. For the living, this pull is so weak it’s negligible, but for the dead, it’s very strong. It’s this pull that guides souls into the River of Shadows and back to the Great Soul.”
"The deeper into the River of Shadows, the closer to the Great Soul, the stronger this pull becomes. Near the Great Soul, this pull is overwhelmingly powerful. The spirit will be drawn back by the Great Soul, and no mortal’s pull can compete with it. Not even mine."
Nephthys, possessed by Uta’s soul fragment, speaks wearily. Dorothy immediately understands her meaning. If they can’t win the tug-of-war over the spirit, they can transform the ritual into a Soul Burial while they still have control, sending the spirit deep into the River of Shadows. Once the spirit is close enough to the Great Soul, its pull will be irresistible, and no mortal ritual will be able to summon it back. Once the spirit returns to the Great Soul, any summoning ritual will become ineffective.
By doing this, neither Dorothy’s side nor the Eight-Spired Nest will be able to summon Barrett again. Barrett will take the secrets he hasn’t yet revealed back to the origin of souls.
"Alright, then please proceed with the Soul Burial ritual and send this spirit to the Great Soul."
With his hands behind his back, Brandon, under Dorothy’s direction, speaks to Nephthys. Nephthys nods slowly.
Then, Nephthys’ expression hardens. She extends her hands over the ritual circle and begins to make a series of intricate gestures, silently chanting incantations in the language of spiritual seals.
"Ah… Origin of Myriad Souls… Finality of All Spirits… Eternal Order of Life and Death Cycle… In the name of the Shaman of the Burial Grounds, I seek your guidance in the River of Shadows… Guide me to the bridge that leads to you…"
As Nephthys continues to chant, Barrett’s ghost within the ritual circle begins to change. His flickering, distorted state gradually stabilizes, and his spirit takes on a calm, peaceful demeanor. In this tranquility, the vacant expression on Barrett’s ghost fades, replaced by a serene, natural look.
Finally, with this serene expression, Barrett’s ghost becomes increasingly transparent until it completely vanishes into the air, leaving behind only an empty ritual circle and Nephthys, who stops chanting.
"The spirit has embarked on his final journey to the Great Soul. He is now guided by the Great Soul, and no mortal power can alter his path."
Sitting in front of the ritual circle, Nephthys, still possessed by Uta’s soul fragment, speaks with exhaustion evident in her eyes.
"Thank you for your hard work. You’ve been a great help to us."
Facing Nephthys, Dorothy has Brandon bow and express gratitude. Nephthys shakes her head in response.
"You helped Kapak persuade Sado and the others to return, sparing our tribe from unnecessary harm. This is the least I can do to repay you… Now, I need to rest…"
Still possessed by Uta’s soul fragment, Nephthys speaks, then turns her gaze to Kapak and adds.
"Kapak, remember to bring everyone back soon. Don’t stay there too long, or something else might happen."
"Understood, Teacher. I’ll arrange our return tomorrow."
Kapak responds solemnly to Uta’s soul fragment within Nephthys. Nephthys nods slightly and closes her eyes.
Then, a faint shadow separates from Nephthys’ body and retreats into the pipe she holds.
After Uta’s soul fragment departs, Nephthys, now back to normal, opens her tired eyes. She looks at the scene before her and lets out a long sigh of relief.
"Huff… It’s finally over… I’m so tired…"
As she speaks, Nephthys stands up unsteadily. Due to her exhaustion, she stumbles forward as soon as she rises. At the critical moment, Dorothy has Brandon step forward and catch Nephthys before she falls, then asks with concern.
"What’s wrong, Miss Thief? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah… Thank you for your concern. I’m fine, just extremely tired and dizzy. I think I’ve used up almost all my spirituality."
Nephthys, caught by Brandon, quickly regains her footing and responds. Hearing this, Dorothy understands her current condition.
Nephthys is likely suffering from overuse of her abilities. She had just advanced to the Black Earth rank and immediately used her powers to bind with Soulwhisker, spending hours searching the city. After using Soulwhisker in battle, she then summoned Uta’s soul fragment to conduct the soul-summoning and Soul Burial rituals, both of which drained her spirituality.
Having just advanced and then overusing her abilities, along with conducting two rituals, has left Nephthys completely drained of spirituality and energy, hence her extreme fatigue. Dorothy has experienced similar exhaustion after controlling the maximum number of corpse marionettes in battle.
"Miss Thief, you should go back and rest now. You’ve worked hard today."
Brandon says to the visibly exhausted Nephthys, who nods slightly. Brandon then turns to Kapak and continues.
"Shaman Apprentice, please escort Miss Thief back to the East District. After that, gather your tribesmen and make arrangements for your return. Scholar will help you with the preparations."
"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Miss Thief gets back safely. And please thank the Scholar for his help on my behalf."
"Alright, then I have a mission to attend to now. Goodbye, you two."
After bidding farewell to Nephthys and Kapak, Dorothy controls Brandon to leave the alley. Kapak and Nephthys clean up the ritual site and then depart as well, leaving the quiet alley to return to its usual peaceful state.
Meanwhile, in the distant night sky, the sound of rushing wind grows louder, approaching rapidly.
…
Bishop’s Square.
A cold night wind howls across the square, its high-pitched, eerie sound echoing into the distance.
On the outskirts of Bishop’s Square, by the roadside.
Dorothy sits by the road, rubbing her hands together and shivering slightly. She keeps looking around, glancing down the road in both directions, as if waiting for something.
After a while, Dorothy seems to spot what she’s been waiting for. She suddenly stands up from the roadside steps and walks to the center of the sidewalk, waving toward the distant end of the road. There, Gregor is running toward her under the streetlight, panting heavily.
" Huff… Huff… Sorry, Dorothy. There was some trouble at the square. I’m late…"
Gregor reaches Dorothy, gasping for breath as he speaks. Dorothy tilts her head slightly and asks.
"What happened at the square just now? I heard a loud noise over there. Was it glass breaking?"
" Huff… Huff… I’m not sure yet. It might have been a gas explosion. Anyway, it’s not safe here right now. Let me take you away from this area."
Gregor says this to Dorothy, who nods obediently without asking further questions.
After being sent by Dorothy to play the role of an injured person, Gregor was quickly carried away by Dorothy’s corpse marionettes to a secluded spot to change clothes. Just as Gregor was wondering what the point of coughing a few times as an injured person was, the violent wind erupted inside Blue Weave Street No. 1.
For a while after that, Gregor, having just changed clothes, acted on his sense of duty as a Hunter and rushed to the square to help maintain order and assist the injured. He only just managed to find time to return to Dorothy after the situation at the square stabilized.
At this point, Gregor still doesn’t know exactly what happened. He only knows that an unusual mystical event has occurred, and he needs to get his sister to a safer place.
"Gregor, are you taking me home?"
As they walk away from Bishop’s Square, Dorothy asks Gregor, who glances back at the square and replies.
"No, it’s too late now. Going back would be inconvenient. I’ll take you to a nearby inn. You can stay there for the night, and we’ll go back tomorrow."
"Do you have something else to do, Gregor?"
"Yes… I ran into some colleagues from the company earlier. The unexplained explosion affected some of our business, so I might have to work overtime."
Gregor says this, having already heard the rushing sound in the sky earlier. He also noticed a high-pitched, eerie wind sound coming from Bishop’s Square.
He knows that the Serenity Bureau has arrived at the square. They are summoning all the Hunters in the area who had gone home for the New Year. The eerie wind sound is the Bureau’s special summoning signal.
As a Hunter, it’s time for him to return to duty.
“Ah… It’s been a while since my brother had to work overtime. Go ahead, and after you leave, I’ll have to work overtime too.”
Hearing Gregor’s words, Dorothy thinks to herself. The exploration of Barrett’s mansion can’t wait. She needs to act quickly.
For Dorothy, this New Year’s Eve isn’t over yet. She still has some overtime work to do.