The Book of Eternal Life

"S-Sifa, you're back?"

The big boy clearly hadn't expected Helibel to bring Sifa along. He snatched his hand back in fright. He hadn't forgotten that Helibel's older brother had once been known throughout Enqi Town as a Devil.

"Oh, Sifa, you're getting more and more like Dad." Helibel rolled her eyes and gave him a helpless look.

I'm nothing like him. For one thing, my hairline isn't nearly as high.

Sifa grumbled silently, then stepped between Amanqi and his sister. "So where's Tiness?"

"I'm here." A rather weak voice came from the living room.

Sifa strode in and saw a girl about his sister's age.

Chief Kaoxi's youngest daughter, Tiness, wore a dress trimmed with layers of ruffles. Her flaxen hair had lost its former shine, and her face was pale with fright.

Sifa noticed an ancient-looking book on the table in front of Tiness.

"Are you all right, Tiness?" Helibel's lively voice eased the gloomy atmosphere a little. "Where's the thing I asked you to bring?"

Tiness looked at the book on the table. "Right there. Last night, Yelika performed the ritual exactly as this book described."

Sifa went over and picked it up. The writing on the cover was Hermesian. It meant "Book of Eternal Life."

Just the title sounds like trouble.

Kids these days are far too bold. They'll mess with anything.

Sifa glanced at Tiness, then opened the ancient book. It was written entirely in Hermesian and chronicled the rise and fall of a family. Without reading closely, he quickly turned to the page describing the ritual.

Someone had added translations beside the Hermesian text on that page. No wonder Yelika and the others had been able to understand it and perform the ritual.

The ritual required at least three participants and was best performed in