A Premature Breakup, Universal Joy (New Book Seeking Support)

Inside the dark, damp cavern.

Pale candles emitted a dim light, casting the shadows of a dozen figures in black robes, twisting and writhing hideously against the rock walls...

"Mother of Nature, Queen of the Forest, Source of ten thousand lives!"

"I offer sacrifice to you with fanatical devotion, offering the blood of enemies, the flesh of prey, and the bones of ancestors!"

"Please grant me a bountiful harvest, please grant me youth, please grant me strength..."

The leading figure prayed aloud, using a silver dagger in his hand to slice a piece of succulent venison, offering it upon the stone altar.

On the altar lay large, mottled patches of blood, viscera, intestines, and several pale, bleached bones.

Drops of dark red blood trickled down through the crevices of the stone platform.

Bloody, terrifying, mysterious...

Everything about it was as if some cultists of an evil god were performing a sacrifice.

Aaron Sothoth wore a devout expression, following the crowd's movements with mechanical precision, though his heart remained completely calm—he even felt a slight urge to laugh.

Sixteen years since I transmigrated, and I am certain, absolutely certain, that this region possesses no supernatural power, including this primitive worship of the Sothoth Family—the Foreign God—[Grandmother Green Banyan].

Of course, in this barbaric age where such religious habits are deeply ingrained, it would be foolish to rashly reveal oneself as an unbeliever. When in history has a religious reformation not resulted in deaths? Even in another world, it's the same!

What's more, the high priest of the Sothoth Family is the father of this body I inhabit, a rigid aristocrat, and I am merely the second son. To go against him, to claim the gods are nothing but a delusion... is that not courting death?

Besides, I must admit, religion is quite useful for numbing the masses and consolidating feudal rule.

Therefore, even if it was just an act, Aaron Sothoth had to play his role as the lord's second son well, just like everyone else around him.

He had a head of jet-black, slightly curly hair, and light purple eyes that seemed to contain infinite wisdom and mystery. His lips, beneath a high-bridged nose, often carried a faint smile, and his tall, slender physique made it easy for others to feel a sense of affinity upon first meeting him.

Although Aaron occasionally mocked the Sothoth surname, he was still very grateful to have been reincarnated into an aristocratic family.

After all, in this ancient society where infant mortality was extremely high, civilian literacy was abysmal, and one could die at any moment from a rainstorm or an infected wound, being born an aristocrat meant at least not starving to death and having the opportunity to receive an education.

Because he had lived two lives and possessed a cautious nature, Aaron had lived quite well despite being a second son, and he had maintained a strong physique through consistent exercise out of a fear of dying from illness.

While his mind wandered, he followed the large group of black-robed men—who were, in reality, the high-ranking officials of the Sothos Territory—as they finished the ritual, and the party walked out of the cavern one by one.

Whoosh!

Fresh air rushed to meet them, making one involuntarily want to take a deep breath.

Aaron looked back and saw that the cavern was situated beneath a massive banyan tree. Its enormous canopy blotted out the sun, and numerous aerial roots hung down from the branches, thousands of rootlets burrowing deep into the stone walls to form a bizarre state of symbiosis.

In the distance, the sun was bright, the blue sky was cloudless, and at the end of a road filled with mud and gravel lay a cluster of European-style buildings constructed primarily of logs. Some of the logs, not yet fully stripped of their bark, still bore a few vibrant, budding sprouts.

A gentle breeze blew, and black ravens circled overhead, emitting hoarse, unpleasant cries.

An exceptionally spirited black raven, with a cylinder tied to its leg, landed on a window of the castle tower at the very center of the complex, a structure built from massive rocks.

"The cry of a raven, an omen of misfortune. But in this world, ravens are merely used as messengers for the lord; there isn't really such a superstition..."

"The arrival of a messenger raven—it seems something has happened in the castle."

Aaron thought idly.

"We return to the castle!"

The leading figure in black, the high priest who had presided over the ritual, also removed his black robe to reveal a gray wolf-skin coat underneath. There was a longsword slash mark on the wolf-head portion, and he wore deer-skin boots. His face was resolute, like granite, and his deep purple eyes also gazed toward the direction of the castle.

This was Theodore Sothoth, Aaron's father, the Protector of the Lower Green Forest, the Lord of the Sothos Territory, and a stern ruler.

He gave the order in a low voice and tossed his black robe to Aaron without even glancing at his son, before mounting his warhorse.

The group departed quickly. Among them, a twenty-something youth with golden hair looked back, seemingly offering comfort, though it also carried a hint of showing off and smugness.

He rode a pure white steed, staying close behind Theodore, as if to proclaim his status as the heir to the territory.

Aaron acted as if he hadn't noticed; after all, he had no real affection for his half-brother Colin, so he simply waited until the end.

He could sense Colin's faint hostility toward him, but it wasn't much, likely because he posed little threat.

After all, as someone who had transmigrated as a fetus, acting cute and coquettish as a child would have felt incredibly awkward, and all affection requires investment and cultivation.

One might even feel closer to someone else's son raised for a dozen years than to a biological son who had never been nurtured.

As a child, Aaron had found it truly difficult to grow close to a stranger.

Over time, Theodore's indifference and distance toward Aaron had become a matter of course.

However, Aaron did not regret it.

A threatening heir would only provoke Colin more; his third brother, who had broken his leg falling off a horse, was a perfect example.

Hm, this third brother was born to the third wife Theodore had taken. His first two wives had died—one in childbirth, one from illness—and this third wife, Sonia, had not only borne him a son but also a daughter.

Aaron skillfully mounted his own packhorse and followed the group back to the castle.

At the castle gate, a group of people was already waiting.

At the head were Theodore's wife, Sonia, and his sister, Ginny. Beyond them stood the castle steward and the scholar.

At this moment, the scholar was holding a letter in his hand.

Theodore took the document and scanned it quickly, his expression turning grim as he said in a low voice, "The Davis Family of the Upper Green Forest intends to annul the sacred marriage contract signed Under the Banyan Tree. This is a declaration of war!"

Aaron immediately saw the look of pride on Colin's face shatter, as if he had been struck by a blade.

Hmm, after all, it's Colin who is engaged to the Davis Family... It's not me, the transmigrator, getting my engagement annulled? That's unscientific! Although... I don't even have a fiancée...

He muttered a sarcastic remark to himself, looking at Colin with a touch of sympathy.

Even for some transmigrators living a second life, having an engagement annulled would be a profound humiliation, let alone for an ordinary youth?

Starting a new book! Please follow, bookmark, and recommend. I hope to make this story even more exciting!