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Turning Chapter 772
🕑 Added 2024-01-02 04:56:12 +0000 UTCChapter 772
"It just occurred to me that the day you had a bad dream was also the day when 'the aftermath of the imbalance' caused a crack to open and monsters to appear. It might be an overthought, but still."
As if a massive stone had been cast into an already stormy lake, a second wave of shock surged through Yuder's heart.
Kishiar's words held truth. The day of his nightmare coincided with the appearance of a strange crack above the Cavalry's southern branch. But could there truly be a link between these events?
It sounded absurd. However, even Kishiar, acknowledging it as 'overthought,' couldn't resist voicing the thought, suggesting multiple implications.
If he had truly believed the possibility to be zero, he would not have spoken at all.
Struggling to comprehend, Yuder looked into Kishiar's eyes and hesitantly spoke, "When you say the nightmare was the… touch of the Black Moon, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"In the early days, when I had just settled in Peletta, I often had disturbing dreams. The elders there said such nightmares were like the misty touch flowing from where the Black Moon hides, inescapable but eventually disappearing with the sunrise. It was their way of offering solace."
This bore a striking resemblance to the scriptural tales of monsters born from the blood of the Black Moon.
The power of the Black Moon, once pervasive, had retreated, eclipsed by those who manifested the Sun God's power. Yet, its cursed blood remained, infiltrating the world through cracks, manifesting as monsters.
Everyone, including Yuder, had always believed this to be true.
Seeing Yuder's furrowed brow, Kishiar broke the silence, "Shall we delve deeper? If monsters are born from the cursed blood of the Black Moon, where does this Black Moon reside?"
"Perhaps beyond this world... if it indeed exists."
"Exactly. The Black Moon's power has withdrawn into eternal darkness. The continuous emergence of monsters through cracks could be evidence, as the First Duke Tain speculated, of something beyond our world. Remember what we found in the torn pages we found in the ancient tomb a while ago? He used quite unique descriptions."
"I'm not certain about the specifics."
Yuder remembered the summary Kishiar had provided from those torn papers but couldn't recall every exact phrase.
Nodding, Kishiar began reciting without hesitation, "Some ‘cursed beings’ had the ears of a rabbit, the wings of a bird, the tail of a dog, and the claws of a mole. Others bore the eyes of a cat and the scales of a fish. 'The Word of God' speaks of these mixed beings as coming from the world of the Black Moon... This part, specifically."
Emphasizing 'The Word of God,' Kishiar's voice resonated with Yuder, who then remembered the moment. A vast catacomb hidden among ancient burial grounds, filled with the stench of age-old dust and littered with monster corpses.
"The Word of God is indeed the scriptures. But the standard scriptures we read don't explicitly mention the 'world of the Black Moon.' I've verified this since arriving in the South."
“But isn’t the meaning itself almost similar to what we know?”
"Yes, It could have been merely a summarized expression, but what if it's not?"
Silence followed, ponderous and deep.
"People think deeply about the scriptures being almost the only records from ancient times before the Great Destruction. However, few know that the current scriptures have undergone about three revisions over time. The priests did this mainly to soften the cruel content and simplify complex words and meanings for everyone's understanding."
Kishiar noted that only the Grand Temple held the original, unedited scriptures and they were not immediately accessible. But his intent was clear.
"So, the term 'world of the Black Moon' might have been altered and lost through this process to the meaning we know today?"
"That's right. The meaning is indeed similar to what we know. Yet, when you think about it, it could also be completely different. Like you answered earlier, guessing that the Black Moon is vaguely somewhere outside our world is one thing, but referring to that outside world as the Black Moon's realm is quite another."
With that, Kishiar steered the conversation to the main point.
"Let's reconsider, changing the words we use. The ancients thought that nightmares flowed from the world where the Black Moon hid. Just as monsters flow from the blood that falls through the cracks, they thought the same of nightmares. In fact, they seemed to think that all sorts of bad things come along with monsters in this way.”
Yuder slowly nodded in response to Kishiar's query about the common superstition that touching freshly spawned monsters could transfer misfortune or madness.
Just as some viewed the byproducts of hunted monsters as symbols of fortune, many believed that newly appeared monsters brought all kinds of ill-fated curses.
"But now we've learned that these cracks could originate from what the Southerners call 'imbalanced lands,' and even human intentions might lure monsters. If a significant nightmare suddenly visited you in such a situation, it's not too far-fetched to think there might be a connection between the two, right?"
Kishiar didn't know the specifics of Yuder's dream.
The earlier mention of a mist-like touch had eerily reminded Yuder of the white gloves and their tactile sensation in his dream, yet it seemed unrelated to the dream itself. Nevertheless, the expressions Kishiar used felt like they were piercing the core of Yuder's nightmare.
Breathing deeply, Yuder conceded, "That could be possible."
"Of course, you've only had such a bad dream once. To confirm the speculation of a link between nightmares and strange cracks, similar occurrences would need to happen more often. I hope they don't, so let's consider my words as mere premature speculation."
Kishiar's sincerity was palpable in his hope. Unsure of what to say, Yuder remained silent, lips pressed firmly together. Observing this, a slightly bitter smile crossed Kishiar's face.
"But seeing your expression, it seems I've troubled your mind. Don't worry about remembering this conversation if it bothers you. Forget it. My overconcern might have led me to speak needlessly."
Upon hearing the words 'overconcern,' Yuder made up his mind.
Even if it seemed rational to speak about the dream only after uncovering something, by then Kishiar would have already suppressed his worries countless times. Despite seeing numerous times that Kishiar's outward indifference was not genuine, was he really going to rely again on his patience?
Of course, Kishiar would endure, no matter the pain. That was his forte.
Yet, that wasn't the right answer.
It made no sense for Yuder to be the one to repeatedly tell him not to hold back, only to force him into silence yet again. He didn't want to do that.
Yuder forced his unmoving lips to part, as if prying them open.
"No. Commander, you haven't worried excessively. You said what needed to be said. Please don't talk like that."
His voice, uncharacteristically strained, emerged with difficulty, carrying a faint tremble. Kishiar remained silent.
"..."
"The reason I couldn't speak about the dream was because in that night's vision, I saw the former Commander... or rather, his hand."
Comments
Gianne Midori
God, or rather, Author! I love the deconstruction of this world!
Shrak Prince
The black moon brings calamity and all sorts of bad things huh. That's eerily similar to real life religion and rumours too XD
