Moon Child Form of Iver (Third Update)

Sherlock frowned, though he seemed to believe it in his heart, he still stubbornly insisted. "What kind of dream are you having? You can get Golden Entry when you go from second to third grade? You're not trying to say that you were personally blessed by the Pillar God, are you?"

"Hey, I really was blessed by the Pillar God."

Iver smiled smugly, "Let me show you—do you have a mirror?"

He really wanted to give it a try—having obtained Golden Entry, he had to practice, otherwise it would feel like something was missing.

"Give."

Sherlock pulled a small mirror from his Ritual Treasure Bag at his waist and handed it to Iver.

He casually retorted, "A ceremony presided over by the Twin Mirrors?"

"Right."

"That's quite a pity, His Highness is not here."

Sherlock with some regret, "She was very devout in her faith in the Twin Mirrors."

"...I'm so glad she wasn't here," Iver remarked.

Otherwise, that would be too shameful.

No, I should say—otherwise she would be in too much danger.

"?" Sherlock looked at Iver in confusion.

"What I mean is... this is, after all, New Moon Ritual."

"I always felt that's not what you meant."

At that moment, following the ritual knowledge granted by the Twin Mirrors, Iver raised the mirror and closed one eye.

He saw three blurry figures in the mirror.

One is exactly like himself, and the other is exactly like "Beard".

The third was a little girl about the same age as Sherlock.

Iver can freely reflect any of these three forms.

... Three forms.

A thought struck Iver.

--so good?

He had originally thought he could only become the Child of the Moon version of himself, or simply become No. 14 —judging from the Twin Mirrors's attitude, she seemed quite satisfied with Iver's performance.

Surprisingly, you can choose from three different forms.

Transforming into the Child of the Moon version of himself was probably the original effect of the ritual; and his ability to transform into Beyard was likely due to the close contractual relationship between Shadow Fiend and himself.

As for No. 14... that can only be a gift from the Twin Mirrors.

He probably thought something like, "That's good, have some more."

... But putting everything else aside, if managed properly, it's practically like having three extra identities.

At least the identity of "Miss Aleister" seems to have really been solidified... Bayard can be used to play such a "bad woman".

Therefore, this identity is the most suitable for a first meeting with the shrunken Sherlock.

With heartfelt gratitude to the Twin Mirrors, Iver whispered a prayer:

"I beseech the Twin Mirrors! Sacred Number God of Two, the God of No Eyes and No Self, the God of pure beauty and flawlessness—"

"I am you..."

As the mirror revealed its radiance, the image of Iver reflected in the mirror and the Iver outside the mirror were reversed.

Another voice, overlapping with his, rang out: "You are me—"

It's as if reality has become somewhat distorted.

His shadow became real, while his body became a bubble.

There were no special effects, no transformation process. It was as if nothing had changed, as if the previous Iver was just an illusion—yet Iver had unknowingly become someone else.

He had long, black hair that reached his waist, a slender build, and clear, emerald-like eyes. He was about the same height as Sherlock in his current teenage form.

Her appearance is pure and lovely, yet she possesses a captivating, mature charm. Just looking into her eyes, one can tell she is far from an innocent girl her age.

It was the Fourteen in the form of the Child of the Moon.

She tilted her head slightly, looked at the astonished Sherlock, and smiled with pleasure.

"—Surprised, great detective?"

The cool voice from No. 14 rang out. "Why don't you give me a name now?"

Unlike the soft, ambiguous tone of Iver when she played No. 14 in her dream, she now spoke clearly with a standard Glass Island accent. She sounded like a proud and composed noblewoman.

"... What kind of strange ability is this?"

Sherlock was stunned for a long time, incredulous. "Become someone else? And a woman... Is this also a golden trait?"

"Certainly."

Iver said with a smile.

Immediately afterwards, the green pupils turned a dangerous scarlet.

—In that instant, Sherlock felt as if he were being watched by a predator, his body suddenly drenched in cold sweat, and he instinctively took a step back.

"... Dracula?"

He unconsciously uttered the word from the ghost story.

The next moment, Iver disintegrated into bats, each jet-black with scarlet eyes. They screamed and pounced on Sherlock — Sherlock should have been able to remain calm, but ever since he saw those scarlet pupils, he couldn't help but tremble, a strong sense of fear constantly surging through him, making his brain feel numb.

The swarm of bats that rushed towards him made his legs go weak, and he almost fell to the ground.

Just then, a hand emerged from behind him and supported Sherlock's body. Then, it gently patted Sherlock's shoulder from above, helping him to steady himself.

"Stand still, detective."

The voice suddenly turned male again—it became Iver's voice. "That was just the [Gaze of Fear]."

Compared to Iver's usual gentle, polite, and clear tone, his voice became deeper and more magnetic, with an undisguised arrogance and a hint of madness.

Sherlock instantly resonated with the Tao.

A fleeting deep blue flame flickered in his pupils, and he instantly calmed down.

Even so, the fine sweat on his forehead could not be wiped away instantly.

With lingering fear in his eyes, Sherlock turned around. He found that the bats that had coalesced into a new form were no longer the beautiful girl from before, but rather Iver, with her usual long, flowing blonde hair.

At this moment, Iver had already walked to the window. With his back to Sherlock, he stood before the window, which was covered by red window paper and let in a scarlet moonlight.

Iver turned his head slightly—when he looked back, his pupils were no longer the usual azure blue, but a dangerous scarlet.

He smiled, and a pair of fangs gleamed from his lips.

"... Child of the Moon?"

Sherlock racked his brains and finally came up with the idea of this race, which was merely a legend in Avalon.

He sounded a little nervous, "You've been transformed into Child of the Moon?"

His first thought was, if the ministers became the Child of the Moon, would the entire Round Table Hall eventually be infected?

"How could that be? I don't have the adaptability for the Path of Love."

Iver smiled and spoke in a calm, deep voice. "Novels are just novels. The real Child of the Moon are not like the vampires in novels who can gain companions simply by drinking blood."

This time, Sherlock was confirmed—in this form, Iver's voice was indeed deeper than usual.

"Your mindset has changed, have you realized it?"

Sherlock couldn't help but walk over and remind her.

But in the next moment, his collar was suddenly grabbed by Iver.

"Of course I know."

Iver, in his Child of the Moon form, held little Sherlock and squinted as he examined him closely for a while. Feeling the surging desire within him, he said softly, "I actually have a vampire urge... This form is pretty comprehensive. And I should actually be able to drink blood, although I didn't directly learn the Child of the Moon spells."

"... Heh, take a closer look. This kind of impulse is nothing special. Those Child of the Moon are truly useless; they can't even suppress this level of instinct."

He gently set Sherlock down, then raised his right hand to his eyes.

His right hand transformed into a scarlet dagger in the blink of an eye. It was as smooth as a mirror, even reflecting Iver's pleased face.

Then the dagger transformed back into his right hand. He clenched his fist, confirming the powerful life force and dense Blood Energy surging from the depths of this body.

—Aside from being fragile and unable to be damaged... I've basically gotten a free part-time job as Third Level Child of the Moon.

The Twin Mirrors are truly generous.

Let's pay our respects tomorrow.

That being said...

"It's about time to change back."

Iver clicked his tongue and picked up the mirror. He showed no lingering attachment to the power of the Child of the Moon.

— He could see clearly that what was fake was fake.

But even if this form is fake... its power is real. And what it can do is also real.

Just like Iver himself.

Whether he is real or not, he is alive here. He has the power to change the fate of many, altering his own destiny and that of the world—

That's enough.

"Thanks, Twin Mirrors."

Iver picked up the small mirror and thanked him softly again.

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