Sothoth Castle.
The current Count of Green Forest, Grand Duchess of Frost Wolf, and protector of the Green Forest and the Northland—Ginny Sothos—sat at her desk, leafing through the books Aaron had left behind.
"Big brother really was a man of great wisdom. So many novel inventions and ideas..."
Ginny marveled, "Even just a few of these could change the whole world... But for now, let's make some things that can improve daily life..."
She feared that changes that were too drastic might threaten the nobles' rule and standing, so she only planned to create a few everyday conveniences to improve people's lives.
Then Ginny turned her attention to the mysterious texts.
By candlelight, her pale, delicate fingers turned the pages, trembling slightly.
"All things possess spirits. This is the foundation upon which the extraordinary path exists..."
"The Dark Meditation Method..."
"An Overview of Rituals and Divination..."
"So Aaron didn't gain his powers from Grandmother. He walked the extraordinary path..."
"No wonder those people couldn't earn her protection, no matter how much they worshipped her..."
A faint smile touched Ginny's lips. "Aaron was always like that, even as a child. You could never figure him out, and he loved playing tricks on people..."
As she read on, Ginny's expression grew increasingly grave, even... tinged with fear.
As a legacy for the family, Aaron had left behind the Secret Lore of 'Dark,' 'Underworld,' and 'Shadow.' He had only briefly mentioned 'Crimson' and 'Chrysalis,' whose descriptions were so overwhelming that people might not be able to bear them.
Even so, what little he had written made Ginny break out in goosebumps.
"The extraordinary path has never been a fairy tale... Bloodshed, madness, obsession... You must use reason to fight the Beast within!"
As Ginny read Aaron's warning, she recalled what he