Mystery: Good Witch

Chapter 1422 The Ascetic

The pale white mist in the basement dissipated without anyone noticing, and the flames of the ceremonial candles, which were emitting a strong fragrance, flickered for only a moment before settling back down.

The gaze that Christina had vaguely sensed just now seemed to have never appeared.

The space, filled with worshippers kneeling on the ground with their faces covered by hoods, fell into an eerie silence.

Was the ritual a success or a failure? Nothing happened to Dorothy or me, and we weren't "sacrificed" to any strange place... But what was that vague gaze? Did some god really respond to the ritual and even glance at me, the sacrifice? But I've never heard of this god, and how could I possibly sense a distant gaze...? Tina's eyes darted around, first landing on Dorothy, who looked on with curiosity and had even forgotten to take out the Mirror of Arodes, then on the middle-aged man holding a dagger and a small metal vial from which dark red blood was still dripping.

The latter was stunned. The echo of "the great and uncertain mist" lingered in his ears, but the ritual seemed to have ended. The blood, which he had bought at a high price and contained spiritual power, was consistent with the description in the book that recorded the name of the great being and the process of the sacrificial ritual. It had been swallowed up by the mist that had just appeared and sacrificed to the god to whom the ritual was directed. But what happened next was beyond his expectations.

Shouldn't that great being receive the offerings from the altar and grant me power at the same time...? For a moment, he doubted whether there was something wrong with the ritual he was presiding over, but the mist just now denied that.

The "Uncertain Mist" must have noticed my plea, but He doesn't like these two offerings. But it doesn't matter, I have a backup plan... The man gripped the dagger in his hand, glanced at the other believers kneeling around him, not daring to raise their heads, and a sense of mission, which he didn't know where it came from, filled his chest.

He poured out the precious spiritual blood again, letting it fall into the circular pattern on the ground, and chanted in ancient Hermes:
"The desires of all living beings, the father of demons, the lord of other creatures, the eternally unceasing roarer, the god of the lost heart."

“Great Mother Tree of Desire, I beseech your response, I beseech you to accept the offerings I have made for you, and to bestow your blessings…”

This is also a great being recorded in that ancient book. He governs the desires of all living beings and is the Lord Father of all demons. He was once a great being worshipped by a non-mainstream faith in the Southern Continent. His believers have long been suppressed by the Church of the True God, and recently he has disappeared without a trace.

Now, he will use the two offerings before him to pray for the blessing of this great being!
Suddenly, the light of the three ritual candles dimmed, and a dark mist seemed to envelop the surroundings. From the shadows cast by the believers in the corners, a tide of shadows surged out, almost filling the entire basement.

Another great being responded to him.

Strangely, the shadows emerging from all directions did not immediately enter the altar to collect the sacrificial offerings. Instead, they carefully bypassed the two girls enclosed within the circular pattern and instead passed by each kneeling worshipper in turn.

Immediately, it receded like the tide, returning to the shadows, to the corner of the basement.

The ceremonial candles shone brightly again, illuminating the astonished expression on the officiant's face.

He clearly sensed that the Great Tree of Desire had cast its gaze upon him and given him some response, but why did it not accept the offerings, not bestow any power, and simply leave quietly?
Moreover, unlike the "unstable fog" just now, this deity does not seem to come from the vast starry sky, but from the shadows, from the ground.

This is not quite what the book says, and it has already failed twice... He composed himself and noticed that several believers who had been gathered here, either having contributed money or effort, were looking up at him. He quickly put on a confident expression, while inwardly pondering how to end this situation.

Oh, and there are the names of several other great beings… He hesitated for a moment, then made his decision.

……

As Tina watched the man in front of her grow increasingly flustered, his movements shifting from fluid to hesitant, she became even more puzzled.

She could sense that the other party truly wanted to offer herself and Dorothy as "sacrifices" to some god, but the repeated failures made the ritual increasingly seem like a joke.

Because he had gradually moved from the initial "Uncertain Mist" and "Mother Tree of Desire" to the "Ring of Destiny" and the "Higher Dimensional Overlooker," and each deity seemed to respond to some extent, but they disdainfully rejected the two girls who were offered as sacrifices, either quickly averting their hazy and uncertain gazes or picking and choosing before ignoring them altogether.

There was even a great being known as the "Super Star Ruler" who didn't react at all; it was unknown whether he was asleep or dead.

No, gods should be called "fallen"... she thought to herself, staring at the man in front of her holding a dagger and a small metal bottle, and once again uttered the name of a great being:

"You are the symbol of the end of all things, the end of the river of time, the master of decay and corruption, the irreversible entropy..."

"Great, decadent king! I beg for your gaze, I beg for your arrival..."

Compared to the initial fervor, the prayer now sounds weak and listless, as if even the person praying doesn't really expect a real response, but is merely going through the motions and trying every possibility one by one.

Of course, Tina still couldn't understand the ancient Hermetic language used to pray to the gods; all of this came from the translation of the "genie" in her mind.

Moreover, she noticed that the genie did not simultaneously transmit the content translated into Rune to Dorothy. After her initial shock and panic, Dorothy had quietly taken out the Mirror of Arodes, but had not yet found an opportunity to use the sealed object while surrounded by hooded followers.

Tina stealthily moved closer, shielding her sister with her body so that she could take advantage of Arrodes. Moreover, if the ritual succeeded, she could also protect Dorothy from immediate harm.

Fortunately, this "declining king" only glanced at them casually, and after seeing that the offerings were just two worthless young girls, he did not respond to the believers' prayers.

Seeing that no more drops of blood could be poured from the metal vial in the host's hand, Tina secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then became nervous again, worried that the host would use the dagger in his hand to draw blood from her body and continue to pray to other gods.

Her premonition immediately came true. The man holding the murder weapon changed his expression and, as if he had convinced himself, walked toward the circular pattern drawn on the ground and stepped into the altar.

Why hasn't anyone come to save us yet? Didn't I already make a wish...? Is the way the "Wishing Lamp" grants wishes the way to make the ritual fail...? Tina thought to herself, taking two steps back to shield Dorothy behind her.

Just then, the man with the fierce look in his eyes stopped in his tracks.

In his dimly lit eyes, illuminated by candlelight, tiny blood vessels stood out, some even bursting and bleeding. Deep within his pupils, a pair of grayish-white eyes with pale yellow pupils were reflected, as if some being were looking at reality through his bleeding eyes.

The next second, the man's entire body swelled up, his shirt and trousers were stretched out from the inside, forming a rounded arc like a fully inflated ball. His exposed face and the back of his hands instantly turned bluish-black. His skin first had a moist and translucent appearance, and then quickly rotted, oozing pus and emitting an indescribable stench.

His expression remained a mixture of excitement and hesitation, but his eyes had lost their luster, and the reflection of his pale yellow eyeballs, which symbolized decay and death, had quietly disappeared.

*Thud*... The man, who seemed several times heavier than when he was alive, so much so that he became a giant, lunged forward and fell in front of Tina. The dagger and the empty metal bottle slid far away and hit the knees of the hooded believers kneeling on the other side, making them realize the strangeness of the sacrificial ritual.

"It's...it's divine punishment!"

"Quickly, someone continue the ceremony; the sacrifice cannot be interrupted."

"I... I was forced into it, please don't punish me..."

"Run!"

These believers, who were not devout or did not understand what they were doing, immediately fell into chaos. Some tried to pick up daggers to continue the sacrifice, some covered their heads in confusion, and some ran around in a panic until everyone reached a consensus and ran towards the only exit of the basement, a passage that had been lit by oil lamps but was now pitch black.

One by one they disappeared into the darkness, as if swallowed by some monster, and no longer made a sound.

Tina and Dorothy watched in disbelief as the "robber" who had been about to harm them a moment ago collapsed to the ground.

"Genius, what's going on?"

Tina asked in her mind, but received no response.

"This guy's playing dead again. He did the same thing in the church..." Tina muttered, looking towards the quiet exit. She was about to pull Dorothy away first before making any further plans, when she noticed a figure slowly emerging from the darkness. It was a black-haired woman whose age was indiscernible and whose features were extremely ordinary. She wore a linen robe with patches and seams, and a rough belt made of bark was tied around her waist. Her feet, covered in dust and scars, were bare, just like Anne's, whom Tina had only recently parted ways with, and she walked on the damp floor without making a sound.

As the woman walked out of the passage and came to her, Tina's panic and wariness vanished instantly, replaced by peace and tranquility.

She then realized that the person she had wished for, the one who could help her escape the "kidnapping," had finally appeared.

Without a doubt, those evil god followers who fled into the darkness and disappeared were also dealt with by this woman with smooth black hair, bare feet, and an inexplicable sense of security.

"Hello," she said politely, "my sister and I were kidnapped by those people. Are you here to rescue us?"

The black-haired woman slowly shook her head, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

“No,” she replied in a gentle tone. “You do not need to be saved. In fact, the ritual of offering sacrifices to the evil god has failed. The officiant is dead, and all the other believers have fled. You have already saved yourselves.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the corpse lying face down on the floor, which was covered with intricate patterns. The corpse had one hand outstretched and its legs spread apart as if pointing into the distance, and its appearance was swollen and bluish-purple.

Without her making any move, the corpse vanished as if erased by an eraser.

Tina took a deep breath and slowly stepped back a few paces. She calmed down after realizing that only the corpses had disappeared and that she and Dorothy were not among them.

It seems that those who escaped the believers also disappeared in this way... Are they dead? Tina pondered, both excited by the deaths of those who kidnapped and even planned to sacrifice themselves, and somewhat saddened by the sudden disappearance of more than ten lives.

As if noticing the change in her emotions, the black-haired woman took two more steps forward, her bare feet stepping onto the circular pattern that served as an altar, and continued in that emotionless but very gentle tone:

“Those people are not dead, they have just been ‘hidden’ and will be dealt with according to the crimes they committed after investigation.”

Secrets…is this some kind of extraordinary ability? Tina racked her brains for the occult knowledge she had only learned today, but she couldn't recall the source of this power. However, Dorothy beside her seemed to react, hesitatingly asking in return:

"So, you are a follower of the goddess of night? A 'night watchman'?"

Oh right, the goddess worshipped by the "Church of Eternal Darkness" is called the "Mother of Secrets"... So the Goddess of Night is the pinnacle of the extraordinary path that this lady in front of her is at? Tina quickly realized.

Sure enough, the black-haired woman nodded slightly and said:
“Yes, but I am not a member of the ‘Night Watchers,’ but a hermit. You can call me Ariana.”

"I've never heard of her before, but seeing how easily she made more than ten people disappear, she might be a Saint, a high-sequence Extraordinary... Tina, who has never seen many Extraordinary beings, speculated. Dorothy, holding the still-unactivated, dusty silver mirror, bowed again and thanked her:"
"Thank you for your help, Ms. Ariana."

“I’ve already said that I didn’t offer any help in this matter,” Ariana’s smile widened. “Besides, you were innocent victims caught up in the evil god’s sacrifice, and helping you is the duty of all churches.”

Sure enough, those tongue-twisting and strange names were all evil beings… Tina thought to herself, and was about to ask for more details when Ariana explained further:

"The man who just died was a down-on-his-luck local merchant. In order to make a comeback and gain power and wealth, he gathered a group of people with similar motives and formed an underground association. They had used this crude and flawed sacrificial ritual to sacrifice some valuables or livestock, but of course, it was to no avail. Therefore, they decided to use a living person for the sacrifice today."

"They chose to kidnap innocent people on the street as sacrifices to avoid being found out about their public identities. It's a pity that this is the result of their first sacrificial ritual."

"What a coincidence! We just arrived in the Southern Continent and were randomly selected as sacrifices and kidnapped..." Tina opened her mouth, unsure how to comment.

To ease the awkwardness, she changed the subject and asked:
"Do those gods and evil spirits they sacrificed really exist?"

Names such as "Uncertain Mist" and "Goddess of Fate" still lingered in her mind, as well as a string of honorifics symbolizing different powers.

Ariana glanced at Dorothy, then looked back at Tina and nodded:

"They truly exist, but not on this planet we inhabit; they reside in other corners of the universe. Even twenty years ago, uttering their names and forming corresponding concepts in one's mind would attract the attention of evil gods, leading to immense danger."

"But now, our world is protected by more than one great being, and even these evil gods dare not cast their gaze upon us casually, nor dare they harm anyone."

"Especially certain special individuals."

Special individuals? It can't be us, right...? No wonder I felt being watched more than once, but it all disappeared quickly. It turns out our world has always been protected by gods, and those evil gods don't even dare to glance at us... Why did the man who presided over the sacrifice die? Could it be that some evil god couldn't stand the harassment, or felt that his sacrifice was a bit like "fishing," so he killed him? Thoughts popped into Tina's mind, then disappeared like bubbles.

"Is the Goddess of Night such a great being?"

She couldn't help but ask further.

“Of course it is the goddess,” Ariana replied, pointing to the stars on her chest with her slender fingers. “And not only her, but also Mr. Fool, the Goddess of Calamity, and several other great beings are protecting our world.”

That's how it is... Tina thought of the "Church of Fools" and the "Church of the End Times" that she had entered today, and for some reason, she felt a little happy.

Seeing her smile, Ariana smiled back and then asked:
"Are you planning to rest at the nearby church, or do you have somewhere else to go? I can give you a ride."

For a moment, Tina was tempted by the option of "going to the church to rest" and almost nodded in agreement. However, remembering that she still needed to help the "genie" grant a wish, and that she had already made one wish to help herself and Dorothy escape, she sighed regretfully and said:
“We would like to go to the nearby city of Kukva. It would be even better if you could take us on the steam train.”

"Ideally, they could reimburse my train ticket," she added to herself.

Ariana, whose features were ordinary yet combined to create a serene beauty, nodded and extended her right hand, spreading her fingers as if to caress Tina from afar.

The next second, Tina and Dorothy's bodies were erased inch by inch, like a sketch being erased, until they disappeared from the spot.

The basement, barely illuminated by candlelight, suddenly blurred before their eyes, as if shrouded in a dark mist. Then, this blurred scene rapidly changed colors and outlines, sometimes showing layered houses, sometimes a vast, empty suburb.

Before they could react further, the surrounding scenery returned to bright and clear.

They stood on a street lined with houses, either detached or in rows, that were distinctly characteristic of the southern continent.

Without needing Arodes's divination or the "genie's" explanation, Tina understood that they had arrived at Kukva.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the dimly lit basement, watching two familiar yet youthful-looking girls being "hidden," Ariana looked up at the ceiling, as if gazing at something from afar, and slowly nodded, as if greeting someone.

Then, His figure disappeared as if it had been erased.

(End of this chapter)