Shade instinctively stopped walking and even held his breath. He could not immediately find the right words to depict the witch gazing at the moon in the spirit temple. All he knew was that the music had stopped.
Vanessa Benanis beneath the moonlight turned around, lowered her head somewhat shyly, and touched the Moonlight Ring on the finger of her left hand with her right. Then she raised her head with a gentle smile and looked at Shade. She was much calmer than before:
"Shade, you found me. I wish to offer you a dance."
"What dance?"
"In the southern countries, there is a traditional dance-offering ritual during the Moon Dance Festival. It is an autumn festival, and I do not think you have seen it before."
The wind stirred her long robe, and her shadow swayed across the ground. Though there were no lamps or flames, the moonlight had already illuminated this place. Two shadows slanted across the moonlit ground. The sacredness of the past had long vanished, leaving only desolation and bleakness.
"Please allow me to offer you the Moon Dance, Shade Suellen Hamilton."
She spoke softly, then raised her right hand forward and upward while lowering her head. When her right wrist drooped down, she closed her eyes and suddenly tipped her head back to face the moon.
The dance music began again. Her bare feet leaped lightly, making her seem like an elf dancing beneath the moonlight. Her steps were elegant and fluid, accompanied by music like the cold, dripping sound of a hidden spring. Her body seemed to blend into the tranquil moonlight of the night.
As the music flowed on, her dancing became ever more beautiful and captivating. Her arms stretched toward the night sky as though touching the moonlight; her pale bare feet