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The refracted morning light shattered Leonard's face into fragments, while the shadow of the Lion Griffin Badge on his chest resonated violently with the Thorned Throne.
Aelia's Moonlight Robe fluttered without wind, and the Starlight Grass embroidered on its cuffs suddenly grew into chains, forcing her struggling husband back onto the throne.
"Mother!" Brother San's Thunderstorm Eye suddenly emerged from his forehead. As the boy stumbled to support himself against the Gilded Column, he saw the guardian star belonging to Father in the Celestial Star Map abruptly dim. "Father's scent is mixed with that of rotting avocado—it's the favorite bait of the Shadow Griffin!"
Luna raised her small hand in Qin Si's embrace, and a Blood Pearl oozing from her fingertip condensed into a miniature Star Trail.
When that beam of Blood Light struck Aelia and Mei Xin, the Lady of the Fortress staggered back two steps—countless Memory Fragments pierced her Mind Sea like swords: Leonard leaving on a full moon night draped in a Dark Pattern Cloak, wisteria flowers cascading from the Outer Chamber's Window Lattice, and that severed fingertip when he signed a Contract with the Shadow Griffin.
"Twenty years..." Aelia's Starry Boots crushed the crystal petals scattered on the ground. Her trembling fingertip brushed against the Ice Crystal Armrest's Griffin Statue. "Every time you said you were going to inspect the Magic Crystal Mine in the Northern Territory, were you actually feeding this bloodthirsty beast?"
Veins bulged on Leonard's neck, and beneath the skin marked by bloodstains from the Starlight Grass chains, scaly patterns began to emerge. "Wasn't it for the Magic Castle! Do you think maintaining the Twelve Constellations barrier comes without a cost?" He suddenly erupted, trying to summon Shadow Magic, but was met by Ailina's Burn from the protective starlight descending from above.
"The cost is letting Third Brother's Thunderstorm Eye go out of control seven times?" The elder brother's Star Trail Wheelchair rolled over the debris-strewn floor. The young man's incomplete Left Leg suddenly glowed with Secret Silver Patterns. "Last Winter Solstice, I forcibly repaired the broken Star Trail, and you mixed Shadow Dust into the Magic Crystal Stone you gave me—did Father know that would trigger a Magic Backlash?"
Luna suddenly emitted a Yiya Sound, and the Celestial Chart surrounding her projected onto the Marble Floor.
Second Brother's Ice Crystal Chessboard flew out automatically, and sixty-four pieces precisely fitted into gaps in the Star Map—when the final king piece landed atop the Griffin Statue, a mournful cry echoed through the entire Magic Castle's Geomancy.
"Father's Study, Third Tile." Second Brother's ice-blue hair suddenly became covered in Frost Flowers as he stared at the dark purple Contract Scroll rising from underground. The old wound left by betrayal from his closest friend began to bleed anew. "You sacrificed Eldest Son’s health, Second Son’s friendship, and Young Child’s talent for this power?"
Aelia's Moonlight Rose Crown suddenly exploded into shards, and splintered crystals cut across Leonard's face.
The Lady of the Fortress raised her hand to steady her three sons' trembling Lucius' Thin Shoulders. The moonlight coalesced into Battle Armor covering her elegantly flowing Silk Long Skirt. "In the name of Lady of the Dark Moon Family, I invoke Soul Judgment."
Qin Si's Gold Glasses Chain suddenly snapped, and the Alchemist retreated three steps while holding Luna tightly.
The Purple Galaxy swirling in the baby's Pupil resonated with the Judgment Altar as inscriptions etched into the foundation of the Magic Castle began to glow one by one, burning away Leonard's shadowy aura with a charred scent.
"You don't understand at all!" Leonard suddenly tore open his luxurious garments; smoke was rising from where his Heart bore the Contract Mark with the Shadow Griffin. "Back then, when Star Trail deviation caused a decline in the Magic Fortress Barrier, those hypocritical elders..."
His defense was abruptly interrupted by Luna's loud cry.
The blood-stained swaddling cloth of the infant fluttered without wind, as Xu Ying of the Twelve Celestial Guardians materialized behind her.
As Capricorn's sharp horn pierced the shadowy Contract Scroll, Leonard slumped on the throne as if his spine had been pulled out, watching helplessly as his hands began to petrify.
When twilight descended, the auxiliary star of the Magic Castle Dome suddenly brightened.
Qin Si stood in the West Corridor, wiping down alchemical instruments, when she overheard several maids whispering under the Rose Window.
Their silver buckets reflected the red glow of the Judgment Altar in the courtyard, and a bold maid was gesturing at Leonard's half-petrified statue.
Luna turned over in the Starry Cradle of the Nursery, her tiny pink feet kicking away the floating Astrology Sphere without awareness.
As a Griffin Emblem Astrology Sphere rolled into the fireplace, Lucius outside suddenly pressed his wildly beating right eye—still bearing the Shadow Blessing granted by Father three years ago.
The Starlight Stone of the Magic Castle Dome shimmered with a ghostly blue light in the twilight. As Qin Si bent down to retrieve the fallen Astrology Sphere from the fireplace, her Gold Glasses Chain and Alchemy Jade Pendant suddenly grew hot.
The Xing Xu drifting from the infant's cradle burned Qing Yan onto Lucius's Shadow Blessing Brand. Third Young Master Lucius stepped back, pressing his twitching right eye and knocking over a silver candlestick held by a maid.
"Be careful!" Qin Si threw out a Dark Purple Thread of alchemy that wrapped around the candlestick before the candlelight could reach the Wedding Canopy.
Flowing Secret Silver Patterns climbed along the Dark Purple Thread, solidifying the wax about to spill into an Ice Crystal Rose.
Lucius gazed at the beads of sweat on the Alchemist's nose and suddenly recalled what Father had said when granting him the Shadow Blessing three years ago—"These eyes will allow you to see the deepest secrets of the Magic Castle."
The commotion from the courtyard shattered the stillness.
Several document officials clutching Magic Scrolls rushed through the stained-glass corridor, their robes dusted with particles from the Judgment Altar. The Lion Griffin Badge pinned to their collars had somehow been replaced with a Dark Moon Rose.
An elderly Astrologer had a crystal fragment cut into his forehead but still clung tightly to a Prophecy Ball that had split in two, mumbling, "Contract Backlash... Geomancy depletion..."
Luna's Yiya Sound pierced through the noise.
The Starry Swaddle held by the baby suddenly elongated, coiling around Lucius's Wrist like a serpent.
As the starry light imbued with Milk Fragrance seeped into the Shadow Mark, Third Young Master Lucius hazily saw the stacked Contract Scrolls in Father's Study Ankeli—each yellowed Parchment bore the fingerprints of his brothers from different periods.
“Third Young Master Lucius?” The voice of Qin Si jolted the dazed young man back to reality.
The Alchemist was using Ice Crystal Tweezers to pick up the Astrology Sphere from the fireplace when the charred Griffin Emblem suddenly cracked open, releasing a dark purple viscous liquid. “These Geopathic Pollution sources must be purified immediately…”
Her words were abruptly cut off by the sudden explosion of fireworks.
From the Southeast Tower, the butler's deep voice resonated through the Magic Transmission: “By order of the Lady, a New Year's Eve Feast will be held in three days!” The cleansing spell of Twelve Rays Emerald Color cascaded over the Emerald Corridor, as Aelia's Moonlight Armor transformed into countless Xing Xu, dissolving the traces of shadow pollution in its wake.
The cinnamon Cedar Fragrance wafting from the kitchen was the first to dispel the oppressive atmosphere.
As Qin Si pushed a floating dining cart laden with Moonlight Berry through the rose garden, she spotted a dozen domesticated Little Sprites wrapping their tails around a Magic Broomstick, sweeping the rubble of the Judgment Altar into a hexagram pattern for blessings.
One daring sprite stealthily licked at a jar of Sugar Coating, only to be promptly tapped on the head by a companion wielding a Pine Branch.
“Need any help?”
The voice of Lucius made Qin Si tremble, nearly toppling the Honey Jar.
At some point, Third Young Master Lucius had changed out of his Dark Pattern Dress, now wearing a simple Linen Shirt, with flour dusting its cuffs. His palm pulsed with a Warm Sun Spell to dry off dishes.
Qin Si noticed that his Right Eye's Shadow Mark had faded to a light gray, as if washed clean by some pure force.
“Could you please chill these Moonlight Wine?” The Alchemist pointed at the bubbling Oak Barrel. The chain of her Gold Glasses Chain swayed with her movement. “It needs to stay at minus ten degrees for exactly fifteen minutes—using Shadow Blessing to control the Ice Element should…” She suddenly halted, recalling that his status was no longer what it once was.
However, Lucius had already raised his hand in a gesture of agreement.
Unlike the usual azure of Ice Magic, a blend of Xing Hui's Silver White Halo enveloped the Oak Barrel, where frozen Frost Flowers blossomed with the patterns of Dark Moon Roses on the barrel's surface.
When Qin Si used the Alchemy Temperature Gauge for detection, he found its accuracy surprisingly superior to that of the Magic Academy's teaching tools.
"Back then, Father forced me to learn the Shadow Manipulation Technique," the young man lowered his eyelashes, ice crystals transforming into a nightingale fluttering at his Fingertip. The nightingale shattered against Qin Si's Lens, and the splattered Ice Mist reflected the Alchemist's suddenly flushed Luna.
A clear sound of crystal shattering suddenly echoed from the Main Hall.
The eldest brother, who was hanging a painting of the Three Friends of Winter, staggered and steadied himself against the Star Trail Wheelchair, his incomplete Left Leg emerging with a peculiar Secret Silver Circuit.
The Second Brother tossed the Ice Crystal Chessboard in hand, and sixty-four pieces formed a Defense Formation in mid-air, catching the Ancient Astrolabe that had fallen from the attic.
"Be careful." Aelia's Moonlight Ribbon wrapped around Eldest Son's Wheelchair, as the new Snowdrop Crown in her hair shed shimmering light. "Go bring out the Shou Sui Jing left by our ancestors; it's time to distribute New Year's money to the Children."
As eighteen Shou Sui Jing embedded with Magic Crystal Stones floated up, Luna's Cradle suddenly drifted to the center of the Mirror Array.
The baby's laughter echoed as it clapped against the mirror, causing those long-sealed Jing Ling to appear one after another, offering various Magic Candies to stuff into the swaddling.
One mischievous Jing Ling arranged Pine Nut Candy into a Little Lion shape, only to be caught by Luna, who tugged its whiskers and pulled it into the real world.
As twilight deepened, warm yellow Halos quietly lit up throughout the Magic Castle.
Aelia stood at the corner of the Emerald Corridor, watching Lucius and Qin Si bump heads in the kitchen. Her gaze swept over their identical Starlight Burn Ointments in hand.
Suddenly, ripples appeared on her Moonlight Bracelet around her Wrist, reflecting a corner of West Side Hall untouched by cleaning spells—where half of a Shadow Pact's Remnant Page still lay hidden.
"Mother?"
Brother San's voice called from above.
The boy crouched on a Dome Warehouse Beam adjusting a Firework Array; at that moment, Thunderstorm Eye was as docile as a Tabby Cat, clutching Luna's Xing Hui Rattle in its paws.
His shadow perfectly obscured Aelia's suddenly serious expression.
"Bring all the Zodiac Candleholders from Dong Ge Lou," the Lady of the Fortress said, her hand brushing over Lucius' thin shoulders. The Star Chart resting on the young man's wheelchair armrest suddenly lit up. "Tonight..."
Luna's Loud Cry echoed through the Emerald Corridor.
The baby's grasp on the Jing Ling transformed into starlight and dissipated, while twelve Shou Sui Jings illuminated the unclean shadows in the courtyard.
But before Aelia could take a look, the butler had already struck the Magic Bell, its deep voice mingling with the sweet aroma of Honey and Honey Roasted Chestnuts:
"New Year's Eve Feast—begin!"
Moonlight mixed with fireworks illuminated Luna's Starry Cradle as the baby rolled over, pressing down on a piece of shadow that had peeled off from the Contract Fragment.
The array of Shou Sui Jings cast overlapping Rainbow Light in the Main Hall, and Aelia's Edelweiss suddenly fluttered without wind. Meanwhile, no one noticed that the shadows in the West Side Hall were quietly swallowing the remnants of a cleaning spell left behind by Xing Xu.
As Lucius brushed away the Sugar Coating from Qin Si's shoulder, a flash of Zi Mang suddenly crossed his Right Eye's Gray Mark—like some lurking beast awakening, opening its first eye amidst the Cedar Fragrance of the New Year's Eve feast.
When twelve Liuli Palace Lanterns lit up in the Main Hall, Aelia's Fingertip was purifying the last piece of Shadow Polluted Floor Tile with gathered moonlight.
The Magical Delicacies hovering above the Gilded Long Table emitted wisps of steam. Just as Qin Si placed a phoenix-shaped Chilled Moonlight Wine on the table, they heard Lucius' Ice Rose, formed from Shadow Blessing, shatter into his wine glass with a crisp sound.
"Three years ago, Father made me use these eyes to watch over my brothers." The young man suddenly spoke, his Fingertip stroking the icy rim of his cup.
His Right Eye's Light Gray Brand shimmered with a mother-of-pearl luster under the reflection of Moonlight Wine. "I never expected that what I truly saw for the first time was Mother’s palm being burned by Xing Mang while she repaired the barrier."
Aelia's Wrist adorned with a Moonlight Bracelet gently trembled as she pushed a Silver Plate filled with Moonlight Berries toward her Second Son.
The Second Brother's Ice Crystal Chessboard suddenly spun on its own, forming a Broken Star Map with sixty-four pieces: "Last year, I was tricked by my dear friend to go to Bing Yuan; it was actually you who secretly protected Heart Vein with moonlight?" Frost Flowers from his Ice Blue hair fluttered down and transformed into warm Xing Xu upon touching the chessboard.
The sudden explosion of fireworks interrupted the conversation.
Brother San hung upside down from the Warehouse Beam, adjusting the beam of the Thunderstorm Eye. The sound of the young boy, Xing Hui, and his rattle was drowned out by the Magic Fortress Leyline's Resonance. "Big Brother, look!" he excitedly pointed towards the Main Hall's East Side, where the Eighteen Faced New Year Mirror was projecting brilliant starry rivers onto Big Brother's wheelchair.
The Star Chart on the Wheelchair Armrest suddenly activated on its own, illuminating Big Brother's incomplete Left Leg with Secret Silver Circuit. "So Father mixed Shadow Dust into the Magic Crystal Stone..." The young man's incomplete Left Leg suddenly emerged in the Earth Vein Resonance, Xu Ying appearing as Secret Silver Patterns entwined around the newly formed flesh. "Mother nurtures Geomancy with moonlight every day; she is actually repairing me..."
Aelia's Moonlight Ribbon suddenly wrapped around her three sons' wrists, while Xing Hui's Dark Purple Thread connected them to Luna's Cradle.
The infant Yi Ya reached out to grasp the light of Capricorn Star that penetrated through the Crystal Dome. The Star Trails projected onto Shou Sui Jing began to self-correct.
When Luna's little feet kicked a Pine Nut Candy sent by a Jing Ling, a Contract Fragment lurking in the shadows of the West Side Hall spontaneously ignited into ashes.
"Try this." Qin Si blushed as she pushed a Honey Chestnut cake, kept warm by Alchemy, towards Lucius. A feather from an Ice Crystal Nightingale had somehow tangled itself in his Gold Glasses Chain.
The Alchemist focused on adjusting the Temperature timer and did not notice Third Young Master Lucius using Shadow Manipulation Technique to arrange the Sugar Coating on the cake into the shape of a Dark Moon Rose.
As the butler rang the Magic Bell for the second time, the Eighteen Faced New Year Mirror suddenly enveloped everyone in Rainbow Light.
The Snowdrop Crown in Aelia's hair shed glimmering dust, and her Moonlight Bracelet flew out Twelve Star Tracks. "After tonight..." Her words were abruptly interrupted by Luna's loud laughter. The mustache that the infant clutched transformed into a Starlight Chain, completely shattering the lingering shadowy essence within the foundation of the Magic Castle.
When Big Brother's wheelchair's Secret Silver Patterns fully illuminated the Earth Vein Core, when Second Brother's Ice Crystal Chessboard completed the final Star Trail Gap, and when Brother San's Thunderstorm Eye dyed the Firework Array a purifying Silver White—Luna smiled sweetly in her warm swaddling blanket. As she waved her little hands, all the worries and pains that everyone had deliberately hidden transformed into Starlight Dew quietly gathering beside the Cradle, refracting countless possible futures in Shou Sui Jing's Rainbow Light.
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