Lunar Eclipse Ritual
On February 28th, the new moon rose in the sky.
Sherlock was quietly reading the Grimoire in a corner of Iver's room. Meanwhile, Iver was preparing for this unique Promotion Ritual.
The reason he was chosen to guard Iver's Promotion Ritual was because Lily's separation had reached its most critical moment.
The full moon will fade and wither as the lunar phases change. Just as a flower transforms into fruit, it nurtures new life with its very existence. And that fruit is the new moon... Ovum of Lightlessness.
It will eventually grow by consuming the light, and with sunrise and sunset, it will become the next full moon.
The "Ovum Moon Grimoire" describes the techniques of lunar phase changes and self-division and self-gestation.
Therefore, the birth of the "new self" must be completed on the night of the new moon.
At this moment, Lily is alone on the second floor, preparing to split herself.
Therefore, the only one who can help Iver guard the Promotion Ritual is Sherlock.
"Is everything alright?"
Sherlock stared intently at the Grimoire, then suddenly asked, "Do you need my help?"
"It's already finished."
Iver sighed, "You should have asked sooner."
"If I had asked earlier, I would have really helped you, my friend."
Sherlock smiled slightly and replied, "How about I conserve my energy and protect you as you complete the ritual?"
"I knew you wouldn't come to help, so I didn't even ask you in the first place..."
Iver pursed his lips. "Anyway, keep an eye on my body. Don't let anyone get close to it."
Don't worry.
Sherlock looked down at his book and casually remarked, "No one can hurt you unless I die."
It seems as casual as if it were just a way to fool someone. But since it came from Sherlock Holmes, it might actually be credible.
Iver a soft hum and began the ritual.
—This is unlike any Promotion Ritual in the past.
Instead of preparing nine different symbols, Iver only prepared three.
White doves. Dark blue fish. Green snakes.
They respectively symbolize the sky, the ocean, and the earth, and what they have in common is that they are all creatures that live with scales and feathers.
He placed each of the materials into a ring, connecting the three rings to form an equilateral triangle. He then prepared a bottle each of Life Potion, poison, and anesthetic, placing them in three slightly smaller rings, connecting them to form an even smaller equilateral triangle. He then overlapped these two triangles to form a somewhat irregular six-pointed star.
Iver used a special ritual this time—fasting.
Ritual practitioners believe that, aside from the torment of illness and suffering, the weaker a person's body, the stronger their soul. Therefore, a person's soul is at its strongest around the age of fifty, which is also the strongest age for ritual practitioners and sorcerers.
If it's delayed any longer, people will start to get sick. The pain and anxiety brought on by numerous chronic illnesses will gradually erode the luster of the soul. Then, people will age rapidly because the weakening of the soul will be reflected in the physical body... At the same time, severe wear and tear on the brain will also have a converse effect on the soul.
Therefore, when performing serious and potentially dangerous rituals, the ritual master usually begins fasting for a period of time beforehand. This is to ensure that their body is weak enough so that the soul can remain in a more stable state during the ritual.
Iver had fasted for five days, abstained from sleep for one day, and abstained from water for a day and a half. For an ordinary person, this would be a level of weakness that would require them to be bedridden. But Iver was still able to handle the ritual alone... at most, he would feel a little dizzy when he got up.
At this moment, Iver clearly felt his body sinking into a state of weakness. A "cold burning" sensation ignited beneath his skin, like a high fever. Compared to the pain of a low-grade fever, a high fever brought a sense of tranquility, as if he were immersed in the ocean. Iver's mind, however, became even colder and more rational, as if he were controlling his body from a higher perspective.
This was also the first time that Iver had performed a ritual step by step, following taboos and rules, just like a ritual master.
After completing the first part of the Ritual Array, he began to write the Second Layer using seawater. Then he wrote the third layer using snake bile, and finally the top layer using bird blood.
After finishing writing everything, Iver stood in the very center of the Ritual Array.
"I beseech the Lord of Scales and Feathers, the God of the Sacred Number Six."
"God of Scaled Feathers, a god with a thousand garments and myriad appearances—"
Iver raised his hands and sang loudly. "I praise the birds and the fish, and the crawling creatures with a hundred claws and a thousand scales on the ground!"
"I praise the medicine, the poison, and the things that cannot distinguish between medicine and poison!"
"I will praise three times, and worship three times. I will soak my eyes in the bile of serpents, and smear my whole body with the blood of birds. I will bathe in the sea! In the dark woodlands, I will grow wings and scales—"
As Iver chanted, the jewel on his chest suddenly shone with a vibrant emerald light.
As he chanted, a sudden gust of wind swept through the room, its doors and windows tightly shut, extinguishing all the light. In the pitch-black space, only a single emerald star rose slowly, radiating a sharp, cross-shaped light.
"The eight are absent—"
Iver's voice became increasingly muffled amidst the raging storm: "I walk alone—"
The oncoming storm made Sherlock close his eyes and shield them with his hands. Since he was indoors, he wasn't wearing a hat, and his hair was being constantly blown about, being pulled into various shapes.
Facing the wind, it was difficult to breathe and get enough oxygen. Sherlock gasped for air, feeling an increasingly intense sense of suffocation. The jumbled objects in the room trembled, tipped over, and became a chaotic mess, but none of them approached the Ritual Array beneath Iver. Any that came near would be blasted away by a gust of wind.
—The next moment, Sherlock suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
It felt like a gaze swept over me.
He had experienced that feeling before.
The last time was back in Eagle Cape Village, when Iver performed the "Ritual: Trial of Odin" before him. The moment that bolt of lightning struck, Sherlock felt that same fear for a fleeting instant. His body trembled uncontrollably, his limbs shaking weakly.
"Gaze" has power; for example, some exceptionally perceptive people can even clearly sense the gaze behind them.
When the Pillar God cast their gaze upon you, their gaze itself is like a spell that influences the mind.
—As Sherlock gradually recovered from the tingling sensation on his scalp, he saw that Iver was still standing in the very center of the Ritual Site, frozen in a silent state.
The wheelchair that Iver had prepared and placed next to the Ritual Site was never used. It had simply rolled away to a distant location during the storm.
But he didn't immediately faint on the ground.
Instead, it was fixed in mid-air by an invisible force.
He hung his head, his feet off the ground. His knees were slightly bent, and his hands were wrapped around his abdomen. Except for not being able to curl up completely, he looked just like a baby.
"... Does Iver really need me to protect him?"
Sherlock murmured.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a grand Promotion Ritual —even the Pillar God himself had come to see him.
Never mind, let's pack our things first.
He shook his head, got up and closed the "Fool's Eulogy Grimoire," and patiently tidied up the clutter scattered all over the floor, making the room look like it had been burgled.
Meanwhile, Lily looked up at the moonless darkness. "The time has come..."
Her eyes shone with a crimson light, and beside her lay a glass of red wine—containing a drop of Iver's blood.
She tilted her head back and drank the wine in her glass in one gulp.