(Extra chapter for 1,000 votes)
Yaluolan's threat left Hosenam staring at her coldly for a while. At last, she nodded. "This time, we'll settle things."
"I hope so." Yaluolan smiled faintly and stepped back half a pace, leaving Abner and the Queen of Calamity to it.
Their exchange had left Abner with plenty of questions, but he set them aside for now. Looking at Hosenam before the throne, he asked, "Can we begin?"
"Yes... First, give me our descendant's blood." Hosenam, with her glossy black hair and gentle features, nodded slightly and held out her fair right hand.
Abner took out a bottle containing the Red Saintess Margaret's blood. After removing the seal on it, he handed it over.
"There's no problem with it..." Hosenam examined it carefully, then said, "The Song of Calamity ritual can begin."
"All right!" Abner answered. With a thought, Alvin, far away in Whistling Town on the Southern Continent, signaled Shatas and the Great Elder Emily.
Shatas and Emily understood at once. They directed the elves, who had rehearsed for two days, to dance around great cauldrons of boiling water in which various kinds of blood curd floated.
The elves danced with light, supple movements, weaving past one another like butterflies among flowers. They performed one difficult move after another without a hint of disorder.
As they danced, six Elf Singers led by Shatas raised their voices in an ancient song about the Queen of Calamity.
With their song, wind and clouds surged across the entire South Sunia Sea.
On a ship bound for East Balam, Captain Alanson was drinking and swapping tall tales with the passengers, as usual.
Suddenly, his intuition stirred. He turned toward the sea without thinking.
But apart from waves that seemed a little higher, he noticed nothing unusual.
They