Eldritch Horror Theatre

‘An actual Moonlight Glade!’

As Serana marveled at the sight, Fu Qian spotted what she was pointing at.

Not too far ahead and to their right stood a bizarre sight.

Pillars of absurdly bright moonlight cascaded straight down from the sky, densely blanketing an entire area. A rough estimate put their number in the hundreds. At a glance, it truly resembled a glade.

Looking closer, distinct traces lay hidden within the glade—what appeared to be the wreckage of some ancient structure.

“Is that the place?”

Fu Qian checked with Serana, and she nodded.

“The glade’s location isn't fixed, but it always appears. Let’s hurry,” she said.

Before she even finished speaking, Serana spread her wings again and hurtled toward their target, swift as wind and lightning.

Only from up close could they truly appreciate the exaggerated size of the moonbeams, their brilliance practically blinding.

“What do you think?”

After a brief moment of awe before the spectacular sight, Serana flashed an eerie smile and asked for Fu Qian’s impression.

‘What are you so proud of?’

Seeing Serana’s smug Amazing, isn’t it? Bet you’re scared demeanor, Fu Qian silently scoffed.

“Seven hundred and sixty-seven.”

A moment later, Fu Qian gave a firm nod.

“...In just that brief moment, you counted all of them?”

For a split second, the ancient magical Blood Clan girl looked absolutely horrified.

“Did I get it right?”

Fu Qian, the professional consultant, smiled arrogantly.

“How should I know if it’s right... The real question is, why would you do something so pointless? Though I admit, you counted rather quickly.”

Serana let out an involuntary growl, unsure of what expression to wear in response to his pointless antics, though she did begrudgingly acknowledge his speed.

“I didn’t count. I just guessed.”

Yet, right after receiving her praise, Fu Qian shook his head as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“I just wanted to see if you had ever counted them. Obviously, in all these years, you’ve never bothered.”

...

Without a word, Serana marched directly into the Moonlight Glade and quickly navigated her way through it.

“I can tell. What troubles you here isn’t some unfathomable mystery you can’t decipher,” Fu Qian remarked easily, keeping pace with her.

Stepping into the glade, the difference from the outside was stark.

With the towering pillars of light and their exaggerated brightness, it felt like standing beneath the shadowless lamps of an operating table.

At the same time, the rate at which the restrictive force accumulated spiked.

“Why are you so sure?”

Skillfully dodging the light pillars, Serana finally couldn’t help but ask.

“If there were truly some unsolvable mechanism here, counting the total number of trees to see if it changes with every visit and looking for a pattern would be the most basic step. But you didn’t do that.”

Fu Qian followed her example, weaving his way through. Each beam of moonlight remained perfectly still; though dense, they were not difficult to avoid.

“Was that your goal just now?”

Serana halted, looking at Fu Qian in surprise.

The more she interacted with this guy, the more terrifying she realized he was.

That seemingly childish nonsense earlier had effortlessly coaxed information out of her.

No wonder Yuan Shan relied on his advice so heavily.

“Hard to say. It’s entirely possible I’m making this up right now, and I really did count them earlier just to share my thoughts.”

Unfortunately, Fu Qian was even more obnoxious than she imagined, even jutting his chin toward the path ahead.

“Count them yourself to see if the number matches. That should confirm it.”

...

Naturally, Serana wasn’t about to be tricked into doing something so tedious. She turned her head away, got her bearings, and continued onward.

“Yes, I’ve always known it was there. But the danger it exudes is simply too immense. At the same time, it feels like an offense to the Progenitor, which is why I’ve never been able to make up my mind.”

Even so, she proceeded to validate Fu Qian’s guess.

“There.”

A moment later, she pointed straightforwardly toward the depths of the glade.

Following her finger, Fu Qian spotted a slightly uneven mound.

To be precise, it was the Ruins of some ancient structure, swallowed by endless silver sand.

It possessed a tilted Spire reminiscent of religious architecture, standing in the fine sand.

“We’re going inside?”

Fu Qian examined it and noticed something resembling a door on the wreckage.

“Yes.”

Serana offered no further explanation. Her figure flickered continuously, landing squarely on the mound. Her expression turned solemn as she looked up.

“I think I know why you haven’t dared to go in.”

Stepping up beside her, Fu Qian could already see the scene inside the entrance.

It was just as desolate and chaotic inside, but a highly conspicuous stone Statue immediately caught the eye.

It possessed massive wings and flowing contours. The expression on its face was gentle and timeless—it was distinctly female.

The pity, however, was that the face was now resting on the ground.

Whether from the erosion of time or something else, the upper half of the Statue had shattered.

At the same time, due to the tilted angle, a single pillar of light shone perfectly from above, illuminating half of the stone face in blinding white, like an eclipsed half-moon.

“Your Progenitor? I have to say, she looks rather kind.”

Sensing a faint, peculiar aura still clinging to the Statue, Fu Qian glanced at Serana.

The head and the moonlight essentially blocked the only path forward.

Intense moonlight meant an intense accumulation of restrictive power—something that could perhaps be endured with gritted teeth.

But if this was truly Annalise’s Statue, Serana would have to step directly over it to enter. For the Blood Clan, extremely particular about hierarchy, such a blasphemous act required considerable courage.

“Yes. I can’t be absolutely certain of the Progenitor’s appearance, but the aura is unmistakably hers.”

Serana confirmed Fu Qian’s guess.

“So you’ve just been paying your respects from out here all these years, never daring to step inside?”

“You don’t understand. For the Blood Clan, this pressure is different.”

Serana shook her head.

“I can clearly sense that the Progenitor does not want us to disturb her. Defying a will like that demands immense effort. The closest I’ve ever gotten was the entrance... If I absolutely had to go deeper, I would likely lose the strength to resist the restrictions in a very short time.”

“Just as I thought.”

Fu Qian nodded.

“So there is a deeper area inside?”

“There is a downward passageway.”

Serana spoke quickly.

“I think it can be used to enter the structure’s interior.”

“Then you’re in luck. This is the perk of having an outside helper.”

Fu Qian chose to volunteer without hesitation.

“I’ll go take a look. Your Progenitor shouldn’t have nearly as big a problem with me.”

“No... I cannot possibly allow you to do that.”

Unfortunately, Serana rejected his enthusiasm without a second thought.

“I am going in with you.”

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