"Huff, huff, huff..."
Beneath the crimson moon, a young man was running for his life through the streets of Tingen City.
He wore a respectable suit, and the expensive silver-inlaid agarwood cane in his hand had almost become a frenzied pendulum as he sprinted with all his might.
A matte, dark-red employee badge flickered in and out of the light as his chest heaved.
A closer look would reveal a name engraved on it:
"Julian Albrecht, assistant professor, Department of Physics, Khoy University."
Will this ever end? I've been out of Lenburg for so long! How can the Church of Knowledge's enforcement team still track me down here?
Julian cursed inwardly.
His original name was Li Ang, and he was a transmigrator from China. The body's original owner was a direct descendant of the Jacob Family, a graduate of Azshara University's astronomy department, and formerly a Sequence 7 Keeper of Knowledge of the Reader pathway.
Three years earlier-in June 1346-during a botched ritual, the man had somehow been corrupted by a mysterious entity from the depths of the cosmos called the Colour Out of Space and died on the spot.
When Li Ang woke up in Julian's body, his Keeper of Knowledge Beyonder Characteristic had already separated out, and some unusual knowledge had appeared in his mind.
It included information about ritual magic and the cosmos, along with a Sequence 9 potion formula.
The potion was called "Four-Color Seer." As the name suggested, it gave a person cone cells capable of perceiving four colors, rather than the three an ordinary person could perceive.
Julian had tried taking the Reader potion again, but strangely, seemingly because of the corruption, the Beyonder Characteristic in the potion separated out at lightning speed the moment it entered his body.
It was not just the Reader pathway. He had tried potions from other pathways as well, with exactly the same results.
It was as though the Colour Out of Space rejected every Beyonder Characteristic that entered his body, leaving him only one option: becoming a Four-Color Seer.
To make matters worse, perhaps because they had detected the cosmic corruption within Julian, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom's enforcement team soon set its sights on him.
Before he could be captured, Julian had been forced to change his identity with the help of a secret organization called the Hermits of Fate, flee Azshara, and come to Tingen to teach optics in Khoy University's physics department.
All the while, he had been gathering ingredients for the Four-Color Seer potion. Yet today, just after he had finally collected everything and before he could brew it, the Church of Knowledge somehow learned his whereabouts and came after him again.
Clang!
Just then, Julian felt a sudden stab of pain on the right side of his neck. A moment later, a black iron drainpipe a short distance ahead rang out, as though something had struck it.
A crossbow bolt?
A chill ran through Julian.
The Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom faced severe restrictions on its missionary activities in the Loen Kingdom and had no law enforcement authority there, so its attempt to capture Julian was a clandestine operation.
As such, they did not dare use firearms or offensive supernatural powers. They could only use quiet but deadly weapons such as crossbow bolts.
Fortunately, this shot had missed its mark. Otherwise, Julian would already have been a corpse!
My carotid artery's been cut...
As Julian ran, his blood circulated faster and faster, making his wounded neck bleed even more heavily.
His right hand was completely soaked in blood, and even his crisp suit was stained red.
Cold sweat beaded across his forehead. Julian felt his vision growing increasingly blurred, and even his steps became heavy, as though his legs were filled with lead.
Just then, a string of Loenese words suddenly appeared before his eyes.
"Red Moon Street."
Red Moon Street... Red Moon Street...
Julian bit his lip and struggled with all his might to seize the inspiration that had flashed through his mind and was about to vanish.
...That's right, Saint Selena Cathedral is here!
As long as I get inside and take refuge, the Church of Knowledge's people won't dare follow me in!
Although the Church of the Evernight Goddess was also a church of an orthodox deity, Julian would most likely come to no good end if he rashly entered its cathedral while carrying the corruption of the Colour Out of Space.
But considering that the Evernight Goddess was a survivor from the old era, Julian decided to give it a try.
It was his only remaining option!
Whoosh!
Just as Julian rounded a corner and the stained-glass windows of Saint Selena Cathedral came into view, a sharp pain struck the right side of his back.
The pain soon spread throughout the right side of his chest. Julian felt his breathing grow increasingly labored, and the excruciating agony threatened to swallow him whole.
My right lung's been pierced...
Despair, defiance, and an intense desire to survive surged wildly within him.
For the first time in his life, Julian began praying inwardly to that honorific name:
Evernight Goddess, higher than the cosmos and more ancient than eternity, Lady of Crimson, Mother of Concealment, Empress of Calamity and Fear, Lord of Slumber and Silence!
With the lost age and the glory of bygone days as witness, I beseech Your protection. I am willing to pledge my allegiance to You.
At the apocalypse, I am willing to...
At that moment, whether it was his imagination or not, Julian suddenly felt the shadows around the corner of Saint Selena Cathedral grow denser.
Both the moonlight and the footsteps behind him weakened at that instant, almost disappearing entirely.
Julian's heart jolted. Guided by the last lingering image before his vision failed, he leaped with every ounce of strength he had left, holding the silver-inlaid head of his cane in front of his chest.
Crash!
Glass shattered, and Julian felt himself land heavily on the floor.
The crimson moon outside the window shone once more upon his dying body. His smile, uglier than a grimace of tears, held a trace of bleak joy.
He made a contemptuous gesture toward the window, then passed out a moment later...
When Julian woke again, he was lying in a hospital bed.
White sheets and curtains filled his vision, and beyond the window, Zouteland Street basked in pleasant sunshine.
"Professor Albrecht, you're awake?"
Julian struggled to turn his head toward the concerned nurse, then gave a slight nod.
"Who brought me to the hospital?"
He voiced the question.
"A priest from Saint Selena Cathedral... Please,
"don't speak for now. I'll go get the doctor."
Hearing that answer, Julian felt a weight lift from his heart.
He nodded slightly, then closed his eyes again.
After the doctor finished examining him and instructed him to rest, the ward door suddenly opened, and two men and a woman walked in.
The police officer was around thirty, with a prominent nose and gray eyes whose indescribable depth resembled a seldom-visited lake in an ancient forest.
The other man had black hair at his temples and green eyes. He was handsome, with a poet's romantic air.
The woman had white hair and black eyes and was around thirty. Her features were quite ordinary, but her bearing was exceptional, calm and serene.
All three wore the insignia of the Awwa County Police Department on their shoulders, and Julian recognized them at a glance.
They were Dunn Smith, captain of the Nighthawks, and his teammates Leonard Mitchell and Seeka Tron.
"Officers... is something the matter?"
Julian raised his eyes slightly and spoke.
"Professor Albrecht, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Dunn Smith, head of the Seventh Squad of the Awwa County Police Department. These are my colleagues, Leonard Mitchell and Seeka Tron."
Dunn delivered the customary introductions.
But a moment later, his calm gaze became scrutinizing, and his words took another turn:
"Of course, as you know, we're also called the 'Nighthawks.'"