章節 15: Ritual of Shadows
Stretching out his right hand, Xander reached for the mysterious relic. As soon as his fingers touched the scroll, a warm sensation spread across his palm, traveling all the way up through his arm.
Xander felt his fingers tingle as his whole body warmed up. It was as if he was standing in front of an open fire. He could feel a powerful magic energy emanating from the relic, but it wasn't something he was familiar with.
Relics were extremely rare items that could either be obtained by completing objectives or purchased from shady merchants roaming the veiled realm.
Both the Chronica and the Amulet of Life were also relics, just like the scroll. And unlike the cards and mystical weapons, these relics could be carried back to the real world.
Having walked the path of the Dreamwalker for almost two years, Xander wasn't a stranger to these unique artifacts, but this was the first time he had acquired a relic that was marked as 'unidentified'.
Xander tried to unfurl the scroll, but it refused to open. It was protected by a powerful sealing incantation that prevented any unwanted eyes from reading its contents.
After a few more failed attempts, he finally gave up and shoved the scroll inside his jacket's inner pocket. "A relic that refuses to work. That's just great!" he scoffed.
Before Xander could ask his system more about the scroll, a faint light source appeared in the distance. It was no bigger than a candle but somehow illuminated the whole room, bathing it in a dim red aura.
Soon after, three flickering silhouettes materialized in the room. They were all seated around the candle, forming a triangle.
Xander inched closer to get a better look and hid behind an old barrel of rum near the stone pillar on his right. From here he had a clear view of those three.
The mysterious figures were all robed in black and their faces were shrouded by oversized hoods. One of them was chanting a strange incantation while another was grinding something ashy inside a white pestle.
The one seated the farthest from Xander was pouring a red liquid from a glass jar onto a stone bowl carved with glowing inscriptions.
During his time as a Dreamwalker Xander had witnessed quite a few strange incidents, but he had never seen something quite like this. It looked like the three mysterious men were trying to perform a ritual.
Xander opened his system panel, but it didn't show any new objectives. Swiping left, he accessed his Mystic Profile. All his skills were still available, along with the two extra skill points.
However, all the upgrades were greyed on the glowing white panel.
With no cards in his inventory and no clay tablets at hand, Xander knew he wasn't ready for combat.
The only weapon that he still had with him was that dagger with the ivory handle. It was sharp enough to cut through skin and cloth, but the blade looked too fragile to be used for stabbing.
When Xander was least expecting it, a new objective popped up before him.
[The Dreamwalker has entered the House of Living Death]
[New Objective: Stop the Ritual of Shadows.]
Those last words made Xander's blood run cold. The Ritual of Shadows wasn't just any cryptic ritual. It was the second dark ritual described in the forbidden texts and was said to grant the summoners the power to summon the three damned generals from the bowels of the Nightscape.
It all made sense to him now. This wasn't a memory at all, but a vision of things to come. Everything he had seen so far were fragments of the same. However, the scenes had been playing out in reverse.
The first fragment was a glimpse of the destruction wrought by Shamura's generals. The second was a vision of humanity's first battle against the Ethereal army under Shamura's command. And the final vision brought Xander back to where it all started—the ritual that had summoned the dark deity's generals into the real world.
"Just who are these people?" Xander mumbled to himself. "What kind of madmen would want to call a murderous deity into our world?"
Over the years, there had been plenty of isolated incidents of cultists performing strange rituals and offering sacrifices to appease the dark deity. But none of them had been stupid enough to try and summon her into the real world.
Xander wondered if this was some new cult or if the old cultists had finally lost all their marbles. Whatever it was, stopping the ritual was of paramount importance.
Though this was merely a vision, and preventing the dark ritual on this side would have little effect on the cult's activities in the real world, it would help the Dreamwalker obtain more information about the cult.
Just like nightmares and dreams had memories trapped in them, visions had clues about a person's future motives and aspirations.
Steeling his nerves, Xander took a deep breath and clutched the steel dagger tightly inside his sweaty palms. The room had already started filling up with the smell of incense, and the chanting was growing louder with every passing second.
Xander knew he couldn't wait any longer and decided to strike from the shadows while he still had the chance.
With his heart thumping inside his chest, Xander vaulted over the barrel and jumped at the nearest cultist with his ivory dagger in hand.
The pointy edge was inches away from the cultist when he suddenly turned around and pointed his open right palm at the Dreamwalker.
Xander was lifted off his feet and pushed back several paces. He desperately tried to get back on the ground, but his legs kept dangling mid-air.
"I knew you'd be coming," the mysterious figure whispered, pulling his hood back to reveal a hideous face riddled with scars. He was blind in the left eye, and all his teeth were grimy black.
"What the hell are you freaks up to?" Xander frowned, desperately trying to break free from the cultist's grasp. "Who are you guys?"
The cultist smiled at this and replied, "My name is inconsequential, Dreamwalker. But I think you already know what we are up to. Our world is plagued by sin. It is time for it to be cleansed by the Dark Deity's blessing!"
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