Purifying the Curse

Kalei clenched his teeth and ignored Xavius's threats, but the farther he ran, the more wrong everything felt. The once-clear sky had somehow become shrouded in dark clouds. The sun had vanished completely, and thick, white fog covered the surrounding forest, reducing visibility to less than five meters.

Kalei quickly called for Big Black to stop so he could assess the situation.

But to his surprise, Big Black paid no heed to his command and continued charging forward like a madman.

Sensing something was wrong, Kalei hurriedly looked down. What he saw nearly scared him out of his wits—somehow, Big Black had turned into a giant Felhound with two thick tentacles!

"Shit!" Kalei yelled, leaping off the Felhound without a second thought.

But the moment he left the Felhound, his surroundings changed again. Everything in sight was shrouded in a layer of red light.

Kalei's scalp prickled at the sight. He knew he had been tricked. That hadn't been a Felhound at all—it had been Big Black.

By leaving Big Black, he had also left the point connecting him to the real world and entered the Emerald Dream. Getting back wouldn't be so simple.

If this were an ordinary part of the Emerald Dream, accidentally entering it wouldn't be a problem for a while. But this place had clearly been corrupted by the power of the Nightmare. He had to escape quickly, or he would eventually be corrupted too and become a twisted monster.

Clutching his staff, he searched frantically for an exit. But no matter which direction he ran, he saw the same blood-red landscape, stretching endlessly in every direction.

Gradually, the colors around him grew redder and redder. The trees, rocks, and even the ground beneath the red light began to twist and rot.

He ran and struggled among the rotting things, slowly sinking into them.

Before long, the rotting things around him began rising one after another. They became enormous, twisted monsters, staring at him without blinking.

Behind them floated a shadow, even larger and more twisted than the monsters. The black shadow looked down at them from the sky—and at Kalei, too.

In the shadow's eyes, Kalei was like an ant: small and helpless.

He instinctively tried to assess the shadow's strength, but saw nothing except a string of question marks. Either the shadow was too powerful to fall within his assessment range, or it wasn't a real creature at all.

Whatever it was, it had to be connected to Xavius. It was probably a projection of Xavius himself.

With his current strength, Kalei stood no chance against Xavius. He could only remind himself that he couldn't let this go on and couldn't die here. He was a transmigrator; he couldn't possibly die so easily. There had to be a way out.

But how? No matter how hard Kalei tried, he couldn't think of a workable solution.

All he could do was struggle in vain, like a clown performing for Xavius.

Gradually, he felt his body growing numb, and his mind growing sluggish. He knew the Nightmare's power was already affecting him.

By then, he was completely out of options. All he could do was pray to Elune.

Pray... Damn it, how could I have forgotten that?

The thought of praying to Elune was like a single star in the darkness, giving Kalei one last glimmer of hope.

He quickly dropped his staff, knelt on one knee, and silently recited a hymn to Elune with more devotion than he had ever felt before.

Once, twice, three times... As the words of his prayer echoed in his mind, a faint beam of moonlight descended from the sky, taking the shape of a greatsword. With one slash, it split open the red prison.

Beneath the moonlight, all the monsters and unnatural horrors quickly vanished. Only a furious, unwilling roar remained: "Impossible! Impossible! Why would Elune show you favor? You're nothing but an ant, a stinking insect, yet she still cherishes you! I don't believe it... I'll find you... I'll find you no matter what..."

As the roar faded away, everything around him returned to peace. A familiar low growl sounded in his ears.

Kalei opened his eyes and found himself kneeling in a thick patch of grass. Apart from Big Black, who was anxiously waiting for him, there was nothing else around.

But Kalei knew that what had just happened had been real. Xavius, the Satyr King, had used some method to project his corrupting power onto him. If Elune hadn't intervened at the critical moment, he would probably have been done for.

Thinking of this, he thanked the Moon Goddess again in his heart and got to his feet.

Seeing him come out of his daze, Big Black let out a few low growls, asking if he was all right.

Kalei patted his head and said with a sigh, "I'm fine. Thanks, Big Black. Let's get going."

Afraid Xavius might attack him again, Kalei didn't dare linger. He climbed onto Big Black and continued toward Maestra.

Perhaps Xavius feared the Moon Goddess's power; he didn't attack Kalei again. Kalei reached Maestra Town before noon.

In the sunlight, the town's outline looked peaceful and serene—a stark contrast to the horrifying ordeal he had just endured.

By now, Thisalee should have already sent word about Fel Fire Valley to the town, and the Sentinel Corps should have deployed.

After thinking it over, Kalei decided not to concern himself with that. He went straight through several streets to the Temple of the Moon.

Most of the Temple of the Moon's priestesses were resting, with only a few on duty.

An acolyte priestess greeted Kalei and asked what he needed.

"Is High Priestess Laria here? I have something urgent to discuss with her."

If it had been anyone else asking to see a high priestess in the middle of the day, the acolyte would certainly have refused. Fortunately, she knew Kalei and recognized him as a hero of the town, so she quickly went to announce his arrival.

A short while later, Laria emerged in a loose priestess's robe. She glanced at Kalei, looking surprised. "Kalei, you look unwell. What happened?"

"Priestess Laria, your eye for detail is as sharp as ever."

Kalei told her how Ordos had placed a curse on him and how he had been attacked along the way. He described Xavius in detail but avoided saying his name outright.

After listening, Laria fell silent for a long while before saying, "Your experience is truly hard to fathom. In particular, the monster that attacked you on the road sounds a lot like a demon from ancient times."

Kalei pretended to ask, "Oh? Who?"

Laria sighed. "That demon was called Xavius. He was the first Satyr in this world and the king of all Satyrs."

"But that Satyr was killed by Archdruid Malfurion in ancient times. How could he have appeared again?"

Kalei said, "So he's the Satyr King. I've heard of that demon too. The stories say Archdruid Malfurion killed him several times. Could he have found some way to escape death the last time as well, tricking everyone?"

Laria paused. "That can't be ruled out. If it's true, then we're in trouble."

Kalei agreed. "Yes, he's far too powerful. He scared me half to death. If not for the Moon Goddess Elune... Gods, I can't even imagine what would have happened to me."

Laria smiled. "If it really was Xavius who attacked you, then you have good reason to thank the Moon Goddess for her mercy." Her smile was reassuring, but there was also a trace of worry she could not hide.

Then she turned and said, "All right, Child of Moonlight, let's leave it there for now. I'll find an opportunity to report what happened with Xavius to the High Priestess. Come with me now, and I'll cleanse your curse."

"Thank you, Priestess Laria."

Laria led Kalei to a small chamber measuring less than ten square meters. It had no decorations, only two cushions in the middle, and the faint fragrance of moonflowers hung in the air.

"The power of a powerful curse gathers in the soul. To cleanse it, you must send your consciousness into your soul and battle the curse's power."

"Sit on this cushion and enter a meditative state. I'll guide your consciousness into your soul and channel Elune's power to help you win the battle."

"Throughout the process, remember this: no matter what your surroundings are like, Elune's power will always be with you."

Kalei asked, somewhat surprised, "Can't you just use Elune's power to purify the curse directly?"

Laria shook her head. "No. An ordinary person's soul is too fragile to withstand the force of Elune's power. Child of Moonlight, you're no exception."

"All right. Let's begin." Kalei sat cross-legged on one of the cushions, closed his eyes, and entered a meditative state.

Laria somehow produced some flowers and scattered them around Kalei. Then she sat cross-legged opposite him and softly began singing a hymn to the Moon Goddess.

The scent of the petals gradually lulled Kalei's consciousness, while Laria's song guided it into the space of his soul.