Suspended before the Window Lattice illuminated by the blood moon, Aelia's fingertip crystallized into ice, entwining with the Star Sand rising from Luna's Cradle to form a chain.
As the last piece of the Defensive Barrier returned to its place, a deep rumble echoed from within the depths of the Magic Castle, the sound of a dragon folding its wings, causing Qin Si to drop three wax tears from the Silver Candelabra he held.
"Madam!" The Maid knelt to catch the falling parchment, "This is indeed the Contract for the Dark Witch that Master has kept outside." Her skirt was stained with Cellar Moss, and her sleeves bore traces of some Purple Pollen—exactly what Luna had marked on the treasure map with her saliva, indicating the location of a hidden chamber.
Aelia stroked Luna's feverish Soul Devouring Mushroom Mark, as the infant in her arms gnawed on the Remnant Page of the First Generation Fortress Master with her Milk Tooth.
Ice Blue Eyes reflected Mother’s graying hair at the temples, those silver strands born from magical exhaustion being dyed back to black by the Xing Hui flowing through the baby.
"Go fetch the Long Blood Ink from the third floor of East Tower." The Madam suddenly lifted her daughter to eye level with the Star Chart Device, watching as Luna's chubby little hands pressed against an ancient rune.
The previously stagnant Twenty-Eight Constellation Magic Patterns suddenly began to Reverse Rotation, projecting a three-dimensional map of the Magic Castle filled with red crosses onto the wall.
The moment Lucius burst through the door, both the Dragon Scale Pendant and Star Chart Device emitted a buzzing sound simultaneously.
His Left Eye, covered in frost, suddenly materialized into a Demon Shadow, its claws pressing down on the spot marked "Big Brother's Room" by Luna.
The boy stumbled and knocked over a Bronze Candlestick but was frozen into an Ice Sculpture by his sister’s Loud Cry just as flames were about to engulf Shan Na’s Magic Circle Diagram.
"Mother, look." He gasped as he tore away his blood-stained Neck Scarf, revealing an eye totem resembling Luna’s on his Collarbone. "Grandfather's Jade Pendant is resonating; it says in Geomancy that these red crosses marked by Sister indicate…"
"They are seven weak points in the Defensive Formation destroyed by the Dark Sorcerer three hundred years ago." Aelia's fingertip brushed over the flickering bedroom area on the Three-Dimensional Map, where Eldest Son was shown entangled by a curse on his bed.
Frost spread across her Skirt like a mirror, reflecting Luna spelling out Ancient Elvish Language with Star Sand—exactly what was recorded in Breaking the Curse Record regarding Counterspell.
A heavy object fell from above, and Qin Si rushed in holding a Secret Silver Box covered in Spider Webs.
As Long Blood Ink dripped onto the Remnant Page bitten by Luna, a torn Warning revealed its latter half: "At the opening and closing of Judgment Eye, the Heir of Shuang Sheng Magic Pattern must use pure Xing Hui as a guide to cause the curse to backfire upon its Caster."
The wheelchair of the Eldest Son rolled over the moonlight in the corridor, the armrests inlaid with Magic Crystals flickering intermittently.
He gazed at the three-dimensional image of the Magic Castle suspended in the Nursery, noticing his room's location emerging entwined with a Thorn and a Skull Mark—exactly where he had accidentally triggered the Curse Totem three years ago in the Dark Night Forest.
"Sister..." The disabled Mage suddenly coughed violently, blood from his palm evaporating into golden mist upon contact with Luna's swirling Star Sand.
As Aelia began to chant the Frost Spell in reverse according to the Star Map, inverted Hexagrams suddenly emerged around the Eldest Son's wheelchair, and the black mist that had long gnawed at his Meridian shrank back into the Underground.
Luna suddenly grasped her brother's trembling fingers, her Milk Tooth biting down hard on the Old Scar at his ring finger joint.
As blood dripped into the Long Blood Ink, the Skull Mark in the three-dimensional Star Map exploded with a thunderous sound, and the Magic Circuit that had lain dormant on his knee for three years erupted with an Emerald Color glow.
"My legs..." The Young Mage incredulously touched his knees, now reawakened to Temperature, while the crystal ball on the wheelchair armrest reflected his Long Shadow faintly visible in the moonlight behind him.
The magical power that had once been consumed by the curse flowed continuously into his chest's Family Crest along the counterclockwise Rotating Star Map.
Lucius suddenly pressed down on his twitching Left Eye, as a Demon Shadow twisted into chains within Xing Hui.
The Dragon Scale Pendant at his Waist suddenly flew toward Luna's Cradle, transforming into Liuguang amidst the laughter of the baby.
In the depths of the attic, there was a rustling sound as ancient books turned their pages automatically; some long-sealed Forbidden Technique was awakening with the movement of the Star Chart Device.
As Qin Si disappeared around a corner of the secret passage with new evidence, Aelia lifted her daughter to the edge of the terrace.
Under Blood Moonlight, seven flickering Dragon Language Runes emerged from the Outer Wall of the Magic Castle, perfectly aligning with the Rotating Star Map in the Nursery.
In Lord Leonard's Separate Courtyard, where he kept Dark Witches, a wall hiding a secret ledger suddenly became covered in frost.
In a shadow on the terrace unnoticed by everyone else, Second Brother clutched a Magic Contract signed under deception by his close friend, his Fingertip absentmindedly brushing against the Star Sand Bottle Luna had given him during her daytime play.
A sudden, long-suppressed laugh echoed from the East Tower, causing the young man to lower his gaze at the flickering Magic Radiance within the bottle. A warm force seeped through the Bottle and into his cracked Magic Core.
Moonlight coalesced into shattered silver flakes between Second Brother's fingers, as the Sincerity Seal left by his dear friend on the Contract Parchment oozed a Purple-Black viscous liquid.
Leaning against the hidden door of the library, he listened to the laughter from the East Tower, which shook loose the Dome's Spider Web.
The Star Sand Bottle in his Palm suddenly grew hot. When Luna had shoved the bottle into his hands during the day, Ailya's White Nails had left a cross-shaped Star Trace on his palm.
"Second Young Master, watch out!" a maid's startled cry rang out from the corridor.
Second Brother swiftly dodged a falling chandelier, and as shards of the Crystal Lamp Shade touched the Star Sand and Magic Radiance, they suddenly hovered in mid-air.
His Pupil contracted—reflected in those facets shimmering with moonlight was the memory of his dear friend pressing his hand onto the Contract three years ago, revealing the Barbed inner side of Leonard's Serpent Ring on his ring finger.
The hidden door behind the bookshelf swung open unexpectedly, and Second Brother stumbled into the dusty Astrology Room.
The Astrolabe that Luna had knocked over while playing during the day now projected a spinning Zodiac Chart, with drool marks left by an infant perfectly covering Scorpio's tail needle on the Velvet Blanket.
Compelled by some unseen force, he inverted the Star Sand Bottle at the intersection of astrological houses. The Purple Powder ignited into Qing Yan upon touching a certain Dark Compartment.
"This is..." Second Brother trembled as he pulled out Ankeli's yellowed scroll. The long-lost Magic Contract Deconstruction Technique, claimed to be missing by his dear friend years ago, lay quietly at the center of a Mold Stain.
The edges of the Parchment bore remnants of Purple-Black Stain identical to that on the Contract. Suddenly aware of something, he seized the Star Sand Bottle and smashed it against Zhi Xing Yi's Base.
Emerald Flame surged from Shan Na, while Iris on the scroll slithered like a living snake into the Star Map.
Second Brother watched as his friend's Contract floated in the flames; those Contracts encrypted in Dragon Language revealed their reverse effects under Qing Yan's scorching heat.
A sharp pain pierced through the magical fissures on his left chest. The mark of Poisoned Wine he had consumed three years ago bulged on his skin but transformed into an illusion of butterflies fluttering when it came into contact with the smoke of Star Sand.
The sound of metal clashing echoed through the West Training Ground as Brother San's Leonard's Sword was deflected by the wooden post for what felt like the umpteenth time.
He gasped, wiping the Dragon Blood Vine Juice from his forehead—an "accident" from when Chen Lu had spat milk earlier, now seeping into his disordered Magic Circuit along with his sweat.
"This isn't right... it shouldn't be like this..." The young man stared at the Energy Crystal embedded in the hilt of his sword, which displayed the same readings as when he had awakened three years ago.
Suddenly, the stone wall of the Training Ground revealed Luna's handprint left from her playful antics in daylight, and a certain Ancient Elf Rune pressed down by an unaware infant made his temples throb.
Memories surged back like a tidal wave.
Three years ago, his mentor had exclaimed in shock while pointing at the Energy Crystal: "Rare Destruction Affinity!" This had made him overlook the subtle Ice Cracks on the Crystal Base.
At this moment, Luna's handprint conveniently covered that very crack, and moonlight refracted through the crystal onto the wall, revealing altered Ancient Runes.
"So that's how it is..." Brother San suddenly smashed the Energy Crystal in a fit of rage, shards flying and cutting through Luna.
Blood dripped onto the Bite Ring that Luna had left behind during her playtime, automatically activating the hidden Star Chart within.
In his pupils reflected the true talent assessment array—a Healing Totem that should have been swirling with an Emerald Color Halo.
The young man trembled as he tore open his sleeve embroidered with Dark Patterns, revealing Ailina's Burn left by misguided attempts to forcibly practice destructive magic.
Luna's Crystal Pacifier suddenly rolled out of his pocket and unfolded into a Micro Purification Array upon hitting the ground.
As he extended his scarred arm into the array's center, those stubborn dark purple blemishes began to fade away like receding tides.
"Third Young Master!" The Old Butler rushed into the Training Ground holding a lamp but was stunned by the sight before him.
Brother San was surrounded by a faint green Ying Huo, and the shattered Crystal Residue formed a swirling Healing Star Map in midair.
The young man picked up Luna's Bite Ring and pressed it against Mei Xin. The imprint of the baby's Milk Tooth suddenly glowed, transforming the Lei Yun accumulated over the years at the top of the West Tower into Healing Rain.
Lucius dashed along the Nursery's Outer Wall, the Demon Shadow from his Left Eye dragging a slender chain in the moonlight.
He held in his arms the swaddling cloth that Luna had kicked off during her nap, the Fabric speckled with Star Sand resonating with the Dragon Scale Pendant resting against his chest.
As he turned the corner of the Emerald Corridor, the boy suddenly crouched down to avoid a passing owl, his Fingertip brushing against the Wall Tile Gap—there, remnants of Starlight Powder embedded from Luna's scratching yesterday remained.
"Just as I thought…" he chuckled softly at the suddenly Emerging Entrance of a hidden passage.
The day before, when Luna had smeared her food all over the map, he had noticed that her handprints coincided with the location of the "Dragon Vein Eye" from castle legends.
The boy wrapped the Swaddling Cloth around his Wrist, and the Demon Shadow suddenly shrank into a dagger shape, precisely piercing through the disguised barrier of the hidden door.
The Star Chart of the Underground Altar perfectly overlapped with the Projection from the Nursery. Lucius gasped as he looked at Leonard's Sword, suspended in the center.
The Sheepskin Scroll that Luna had torn during her full moon Zhua Zhou now projected rotating Twenty-Eight Mansions at the sword's hilt.
He pressed the Dragon Scale Pendant onto the formation's eye, watching as the Demon Shadow was entwined by Star Sand and infused into the Sword Body, causing Ice Cracks to form.
"Third Young Master Lucius has quite a skill," Qin Si said as she emerged from another hidden passage holding a candlestick, her maid's Skirt stained with moss marked by Luna’s spit-up.
She shook a bottle containing Long Blood Ink. "Miss spilled her Ink Bottle this morning and intentionally dripped the last three drops onto the ledger's directory page."
The two exchanged smiles and simultaneously tossed their items into the center of the altar.
Stardust Swaddling collided with Long Blood Ink, igniting an Emerald Flame that burned away the black mist seeping from Leonard's Sword and Ice Cracks into Ashes.
Suddenly, Lucius felt relief from the pain in his Left Eye as the Demon Shadow transformed into a Silver Dragon within Xing Hui, clutching the Crown of the First Generation Fortress Master Xu Ying and merging into Geomancy.
Suddenly, Luna's loud cry echoed, and the sound wave rattled the century-old colored windows of the Castle West Wing.
The contract in Second Brother's hand transformed into a white dove in Qing Yan, while Brother San's Healing Rain seeped into the gaps between the floor tiles.
When Lucius and Qin Si returned to the ground with the altar's starlight, the entire Magic Castle's defensive formation suddenly emitted a hum reminiscent of Longyin.
A cold wind swept across the observation platform atop the North Tower, revealing half a line of tiny inscriptions on a frost-covered secret letter under the moonlight.
The dark raven raised by Lord Leonard circled anxiously above the separate courtyard, and in the backdraft created by its wings, a faint metallic tremor signaled the rejoining of Star Trail.
As Leonard crushed the secret letter delivered by the third dark raven, frost spread in an eerie manner across the window lattice of the separate courtyard.
He waved his silver serpent scepter to disperse Han Qi but found that what had condensed at the tip of his staff was not the usual black mist but ice crystals shimmering with Xing Hui—this unmistakably bore the aura of Aelia's Frost Snow Curse.
"My lord!" The Dark Witch Leader burst through the iron door of the secret chamber. The Zilin Powder that fell from his hood sizzled upon touching the family ledger. "The energy monitor of the Eastern Ley Line shows that the sealed defensive formation is self-repairing." From beneath his black robe, vine-like tentacles extended, wrapping around a monitoring crystal ball that reflected flickering dragon language runes on the outer wall of the Magic Castle. Those Guang Wen, which had dimmed three hundred years ago, now shone as bright as molten gold.
The lord kicked over a moonstone table inlaid with cursed gems, soaking Leonard's concubine's selling contract signed last month in dark red wine.
He suddenly squinted at the southeast corner of the secret chamber—on the surface of the dark compartment that concealed the Dark Witch Contract, his hand-drawn concealment symbol was fading.
When his fingertip touched the ice-crystal-covered bronze lock, a scent combining baby incense and star sand made his temples throb.
The star chart device in the Demon Fortress Main Hall emitted a roar unheard for a century, and projections of the Twenty-Eight Mansions enveloped the nursery.
Aelia lifted Luna to align with the rotating star map. The infant laughed as she playfully tapped Scorpio's tail needle, and from her wrist, a soul-devouring mushroom mark oozed star sand, completely purifying the remnants of black mist on her elder brother's knee.
The young mage steadied himself against the now-brightened magic crystal and shakily stood up; his wheelchair transformed into powder amidst Xing Hui.
"My father's study..." Lucius suddenly pressed down on his left eye and whispered.
The Silver Dragon Emblem transformed by the Demon Shadow danced on his collarbone, while the boy lay with the Silver Bell that Luna had grasped this morning—at that moment, it revealed the fluctuations of a monitoring array in resonance.
Qin Si silently handed over a Feather Pen stained with Long Blood Ink, watching Third Young Master Lucius quickly sketch the counter-Tracking Spell on the surface of the bell.
A thunderous sound of chains breaking echoed from deep within the cellar as Second Brother ascended the Spiral Staircase, holding the ashes of a burnt Contract.
His damaged Magic Core flowed with an emerald-colored halo, leaving Healing Runes made of Star Sand on the Stone Steps with each step he took.
As he passed by Brother San's Training Ground, the young man paused to gaze at the ground covered in Crystal Fragments, which formed a complete Healing Star Map under the moonlight—those once misled by destructive talents were now transforming at the top of the West Tower into spring rain nourishing the Ancient Vine.
When Leonard cut his palm and smeared blood on the cover of the Gold Leaf Ledger, he suddenly realized that the ink was being rewritten by some force.
The numbers recording the Dark Witch's transaction counts twisted into marks resembling a baby's scratches. When he furiously summoned the Contract Spirit, what emerged was not what he expected but rather the Astrology Dice that Luna had clutched during the Full Moon Feast.
Suddenly, hail wrapped in Xing Hui crashed down upon the Separate Courtyard Dome, freezing the Poison Mushroom Flower Field that the Dark Witches had painstakingly cultivated into translucent Amber.
Aelia's Frost Snow quietly crept up to the drapes of the Four-Poster Bed in the master bedroom, condensing into a Warning Bing Ling on Lord's favorite Iris Pattern.
Luna turned over in her Cradle, and from her Soul Devouring Mushroom Mark seeped Star Sand that painted a new Formation Diagram on the Velvet Blanket—this just happened to be a track for awakening ancient Dragon Souls during the Waxing Crescent Moon.
As the final piece of the Defensive Formation clicked into place, a bell tolled throughout the Magic Castle. A Dark Raven that had slipped through was flying through a crack in the North Tower, its wings trailing light patterns shaped like Baby Palms in the night.
Comment 0 Comment Count