As midnight approached, the wind howling through the forest grew even colder.
In the clearing before the cabin, the whispers had nearly faded away. Then, with a distinct crack, a fissure split open in the black cocoon at the center of the Ritual Matrix's black light. The cocoon shattered into flakes of ash that drifted to the ground, and Doctor Schneider, who had been wrapped inside, fell out and dropped to his knees without moving.
The Ritual Matrix, which had originally emitted a deep, eerie glow, now seemed to have completely stalled and no longer operated. The surrounding light returned to normal, and the stars and Moon once again illuminated the woodland. Seeing that the doctor did not react, Shade cautiously walked over.
Suddenly, blue light burst from the book cradled in the doctor's hands, and the hunter carrying two swords and wearing the same expressionless face appeared once more.
"Does this count as a success? Is the doctor all right?"
Shade asked.
"One final step remains, but it was a success."
The hunter spoke to Shade as they stood together, looking at the motionless middle-aged man:
"I entered his mind just now and showed him some of the events that occurred during the Third Epoch. His courage and resilience are worthy of praise, so I agreed to grant him the hunter's power. But this is not the end of his story. It is the beginning.
"Passing this trial merely gave him a ticket to the future. As for what that future holds, that depends on the two of you."
Shade took out the Demon Hunting Seal he had found in Gregory Village together with the "Demon Hunter's Handbook":
"There is actually something else I wanted to ask."
"But I no longer wish to answer. Your question would have been