Chapter 177: Surprise

"Apollyon." 

Breathing her husband's name the moment she awakened, Luna had opened her eyes and realized it was dark, but she could barely see was shades of orange, green, and yellow.

Luna was surrounded by tall and thin bamboo trees bending towards the center in a flexible bow, hovering above her as they formed some dome, which was the sole purpose of sheltering her.

They didn't break despite that. She thought as she stared at the bamboo ends above her.

Luna had lain on uneven ground, for she had clawed soil on her nails with some pebbles digging unto her skin.

She heard continuous low and unrecognizable sounds—like someone was murmuring incantations—along with the bubbling of boiling water from a cauldron.

Someone was stirring a large cauldron atop the crackles of flames, and it took a moment to sink into her brain, after the constant flat ringing in her ears had faded, that a woman was screaming like a banshee in the background.