【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

【Second moment】

The crimson brilliance flows through the gap in the paper door into the slightly dark room, forming a narrow strip of light. The void where the orange and dark red overlap sees a silent sadness, and the obscure breath flows in the three sitting opposite each other. between people.

In the end, Granny Mu Nai was the first to ask about the boy's injuries, but the other party, as a junior, just answered calmly, with little sense of grief or frustration in her words.Could it be that the blow was too big and caused a mental disorder?

"Okay, the injuries on your body were left at that time, right? How are you doing now?" Although the mother-in-law suppressed her emotions, it was easy to hear her anxiety.The room was not only dark, but also filled with a bitter smell of medicinal herbs.

"I'm fine. It's just a minor injury. You don't have to worry about it." The tone of the good person was not ups and downs. It was difficult to judge his thoughts just by hearing the voice, but I could clearly see the cold expression on his face at this moment behind my mother-in-law.

Perhaps because he noticed my gaze, one side of his gaze met mine inadvertently, and the corner of his mouth instantly showed a slight arc without warmth.

I was startled, subconsciously avoided his sight, and looked elsewhere aimlessly, but a chill slowly moved up my spine.

…What does it mean?

Why do you show such an expression when the family encounters such an accident?

And he deliberately concealed his heart in front of Mu Nai's mother-in-law?

He... doesn't want his mother-in-law to know his thoughts, but he doesn't mind being seen by me?Or, he didn't pay attention to me as an "outsider" at all...

"The burn of miasma is difficult to heal, you can't be too brave..."

"Yeah. I just got scratched, so it's okay."

"...Okay...you must treat it with your heart...don't have anything..." At this point, the mother-in-law finally choked up, raised her hand to cover her face with her cuff and lowered her head, her trembling body seemed a little unsteady.I hurriedly leaned forward, ready to support her, but at this moment, the boy opposite made a big movement for the first time.

He only felt a faint cool wind blowing by his side, and his figure was already close to his eyes, and he stretched out his hand to support Granny Mu Nai on one knee.Only then did I clearly see that the boy in the long unlined garment not only had injuries on his head, but also had bandages wrapped around his exposed wrists and ankles, so his movements seemed somewhat unnatural.

What my mother-in-law said just now made me feel inexplicably anxious.From that tone, it seems that the boy in front of him is the only hope of the family...

Originally thought that the brothers of the Ma Cang family were all here, but judging from the current situation, this is not the case.

What about Asakura leaves?Could it be that something unexpected happened to him, but he always felt that something was wrong...

"I understand, I made you worry. I will still participate in the next 'Selection Day', and I will never forget the mission of the family."

After hearing this sentence, the mother-in-law seemed to be stunned suddenly, and after a while she sighed quietly: "Would you hate us? ... There are other people ... all of this ..."

"What are you talking about?" The young man answered with his head slightly lowered, his expression was hidden in the shadow of drooping bangs, but his tone was calm and peaceful: "We have known it since we were born... as I am not the only one who shoulders the mission as the successor of the five families."

"...It would be great if you really think so..." After saying this thought-provoking sentence, the mother-in-law paused for a moment, held the boy's hand and whispered: "Don't give up hope, okay. Your grandfather said before, This time the ceremony will deviate from the original preset track. Although it did evolve into such a situation, it is not the end, and their efforts will not be in vain. There is no "accident" in this world, but only "absolute necessity". All these sacrifices must have a meaning, you must understand."

"Yeah, I think so too."

When the clear voice is deliberately lowered, it does not bring me a sense of peace of mind and stability.The young man's dark red pupils reflected flickering flames, like fire brewing in the abyss.The strong and dangerous atmosphere is spreading in the dark, but the surface is as quiet as a pool of deep water. I don't know if my mother-in-law is aware of it?

I fell into deep thought because I noticed this weirdness, and I gradually ignored the two people who continued to talk. After a few minutes, I brought my attention back again because the boy clapped his hands lightly, and the sound of pulling the paper door came from behind. the sound of.

A servant walked into the Japanese room, saluted the mother-in-law and helped the long-haired boy by the arm to help him stand up.I hurriedly followed behind my mother-in-law who stood up immediately, and walked towards the door together.

It seems that they are not going to send us away, so where are they going?

The four of them turned into the long corridor on the right side of the sleeping hall one after another, surrounded by the shadow of the pitch-black forest, only the thin crimson moonlight glowed on the tips of the treetops, and the many twists and turns of the long and narrow corridor made it even more impressive. Feel the depth of the road.

There is only a candle lamp far away from the pillars of this aisle, and a layer of yellowed paper is placed on the lamp stand. The faint glow is still and only trembles when our footsteps approach. It looked extremely lonely and gloomy.

After walking out of the promenade, there is a section of stone-built mountain road. The forest is very dense, so even the moonlight is covered and it becomes a completely dark space. Only the intermittent light spots leading to the depths of the darkness like fireflies guide passers-by.

The lamp in the servant's hand can only illuminate a few meters around us, so I was really surprised when I saw the figure of the priest on duty wearing a gray robe suddenly appearing in the dead darkness.They stood silently on the side of the road, and the dim light from the stone lanterns was not enough to outline them who were all dressed in gray from the thick darkness.The uniforms of those people are different from the attendants around the dormitory where the boy was before. They belong to the priest organization directly belonging to the five royal families, and the more they move forward, the more people there are.

Thinking about how far away he was from his destination, he looked at the young man walking ahead.Although being supported by others made his movements a little slow, he walked straight into the depths of the road without any disorder.

About 10 minutes later, the outline of a side hall gradually appeared in the darkness. It was small in scale and built alone, standing silently in this small open space deep in the Forbidden Forest.A dark red glow floated above the light-colored sandstone, facing the direction of the moonlight appeared the main entrance with the huge shimenawa tied together.When you get closer to it, you can see more exquisitely shaped stone lanterns, which seem to be arranged around the building in a certain shape, and there are quite a few priests stationed here.Judging from the architectural pattern, this place is not a place for people to live in, but more like a place where some important sacrificial utensils or artifacts are kept.In the process of approaching, the change in air density and the degree of stagnation of the airflow made me realize that there is a more dense and complex barrier than the outside of the shrine. I am afraid that any slight change will be immediately noticed by the priest on duty.

The priests directly in front of us noticed our arrival, saluted one after another, and then retreated to the sides to make way for a passage.

The young man turned his head and saw that Grandma Mu Nai had stopped a little, so he gestured for us to enter.

"It's here." The young man's voice in the dim light was as thin as a cicada's wings, and his attitude was completely different from the attitude in the bedroom just now.Even the footsteps of walking on the ground were carefully suppressed, as if he was afraid of disturbing something, he held his breath and concentrated.

Granny Mu Nai and I followed behind him and entered the hall.

The layout here is indeed different from the hall of worship and not the hall of sleeping. There are no extra furnishings. Stepping on the platform and passing through the outermost curtains and doors is an empty hall.There is a plain screen with dark lines facing the line of sight, and the scent of incense diffused from the celadon incense burners on both sides softly fills the cool air.After bypassing the screen surrounded by three sides, the indoor scene is displayed in front of you instantly, and you are instantly stunned by the unexpected dazzling scene.

There are low brackets around the dark floor of the inner hall, and dozens of candles are lit on each side of the top surface at equal intervals, and the halos are spaced out with small fluctuations.The flickering bright flames are scattered like starlight but more dazzling than stars, illuminating the high and far-reaching dark space, and although not thorough, the extremely soft light covers the middle ground.

Surrounded by the radiance is a young man in a plain white singlet (note). The thin, soft and wide hem is spread out, like a floating flower floating on the surface of deep water, pale and ethereal.He lay there quietly, with dark brown shattered hair hanging down his cheeks and the ground, expressionless on his face, as peaceful as if he had just fallen asleep, but this was obviously not the case.

The ground around the boy faintly reveals traces of auras that have cast a powerful barrier, which is a spell used to isolate various influences from the outside world and protect objects within.On the skin that was so fair and transparent, there were very fine and ominous bruises, which were embedded deep like the texture on porcelain, and there was a black haze under the tightly closed eyes.More importantly, no sign of breath flow or life pulsation can be seen in the nose, lips or chest and abdomen.

Nerves tightened a bit, and a slight numbness spread to the fingertips, but the warm smiling face from many years ago appeared in the suddenly pale mind, overlapping with this peaceful sleeping face.

Is this... Asakura leaf?

He is dead?

No... this state is a puppet that only leaves its body but loses its soul...

It's not alive, it's even worse than death...

Even though I have long been used to responding to all kinds of changes in front of me with an indifferent expression, I can't deceive my heart.When I met him in the next month, I did have a little expectation, and I also thought very clumsily about how to apologize for my previous indifferent behavior if I saw him, even though that is what I am least good at...

Just because the casualties did not hear his name, I let my thoughts wander so needlessly, I never thought that I would meet again in this form at this moment.

The long-haired boy and Granny Mu Nai both knelt and sat down beside him, staring at the boy in the middle.

"Ye, are you still sleeping?" The mother-in-law stretched out her hand and gently held the boy's right wrist, but the person who was called never responded.

In the silence, the mother-in-law raised her head and looked at the emptiness and darkness around her for a moment. She was not only angry, but there was not even a trace of spiritual power flowing in the darkness.The room seemed to have passed a considerable period of time in this state of solitude and isolation.

She sighed wistfully: "I was told half a year ago that something happened to Ye, and I have never been able to accept it. Although as a priest, I have long been prepared to dedicate my body and mind to the gods, but Ye... seems to just fall asleep That's all..."

"I also believe that Ye will wake up, one day." The voice of the long-haired boy was still low and soft.Although his tone was somewhat sad, it also seemed to contain self-confidence and calmness for no reason.

"Okay, although the priests of the five families have tried various methods, the old woman of mine still doesn't want to give up. And Anna is here too, she is very capable, let's give it another go now."

"Yes, mother-in-law, you don't have to be so modest. I have already ordered people to prepare for the spiritual seance ceremony, which can start at any time."

The candles in the room were extinguished one by one, and only one was left, which was placed on the west side of the enchantment. The altar utensils needed for the seance were completed and the windows on all sides were opened.Hao Ping withdrew the servants, ordered the guarding priests to retreat a few meters away from the hall, and retreated himself.

I knelt and sat in front of the screen in the inner hall, praying and watching my mother-in-law performing spells.

Although I have been recognized, my ability is still not comparable to her at this stage. All I can do is to assist when necessary.What is going to be performed now is the spirit summoning ceremony, and the magic circle set up around the sleeping boy in the middle is more complicated than I have ever seen before, and the mother-in-law is determined to give it a try.

The vibrating sound of the rosary beads is light and clear, and gradually trembles and spreads in the dark night that candlelight cannot penetrate, and then turns the sound into a channel to open another world, and with the flow of spiritual energy, the call is sent to the infinite and far-reaching void .

one as father

mother of two

The three are hometown brothers

Awakening this time, turn back to me

……

★★★

Spiritualism is an important branch of Yin Yang.The magician summons the soul to appear in this world through spells. Those with profound mana can not only summon the floating spirits who are still in the world, but even the souls that have gone to the eternal world can be called back for a time.

However, it is not the dead spirits summoned by Grandma Mu Nai, but the soul of Ma Cangye who is in a state of "fake death".Unfortunately, the seance that day was not successful.In the end, we got the same conclusion as other priests: Ma Cangye’s soul does not exist in the human world in the state of floating spirit, but it is not known whether it has passed through the gate of Hades to the far-reaching place in the eternal world; or, he His soul was devoured by evil spirits, lost in the land of roots that no one could seek, and then no one could bring it back.

The reason for this starts from the day when the Ma Cang brothers were selected as candidates for the main festival of the Siyue Festival.It has been a long time since I heard these contents. I passed the test and officially became the head priest of the Asakura family.

The people born in Yuejian bear the inescapable fate and guard the gate of the underworld for generations.This is not so much a duty as a crime.Once you leave, you will fall into the curse of death, the stagnation will continue to gather, and the cycle of sorrow will never stop.People exist as sacrifices enshrined in the root country, and are forever trapped in a barrier isolated from the world.

Unable to find the "knot" at the beginning that has been lost in the long river of time, the descendants can only move forward according to the established track, constantly weaving a spiral of sorrow.

In the Tsukiyomi Shrine at the junction of the ordinary world and the present world, a crimson full moon hangs forever in the night sky here.The phase of the moon is always the same, but its crimson luster will change with the aura fluctuations in the cracked world.When the fluctuation of the spirit increases and the spiritual path is about to open, the crimson moon's light will reach its brightest, and the moonlight will change from dark red to pure crimson. That is the moment when the Moon Sacrifice must be held.

Using divination methods handed down from ancient times, the heads of the five families of the five families will witness the name of the chosen "Son of God" together on the "Selection Day".The chosen ones have always been the direct priests who inherit the family blood. If they are women, they will be honored as "Moon Priestess", while men will be called "Moon Princes".The Son of God will undertake the mission of offering sacrifices. One year before the ceremony, he will accept the first ceremony, enter the Tsukiyomi Shrine, practice purification, and prepare to dedicate his body and mind to the gods, and then welcome the arrival of the ceremony.

This kind of ritual has been going on for hundreds of years on the island. Although there have been failures, it can finally maintain the seal with various compensations and subsequent rituals.However, the unchanging wheel of fortune had an unexpected situation at this time. The names of the twins of the Ma Cang family appeared together in the results of the divination.

There are two people who are chosen, which is a situation that has never been experienced before.The priests and elders searched the classics and history books, and sought help from other Shinto institutions. After many twists and turns, they finally found a clue, which was a legend about a small village that had disappeared into history.The village that has a similar background to Oki and guards the gate of the underworld has a very high chance of twins being born, and the sacrifices they hold have always been done by twins.

Although not sure, the five families still unanimously decided to use that method to complete the main sacrifice this time.

The Asakura brothers were informed of the content of the ceremony shortly after entering the Tsukiyomi Shrine, and neither of the two brothers, who had been raised as priests since childhood, raised any objections.But one day half a year later, Ma Cangye suddenly disappeared from the sight of the priests.Two days had passed when people found him. The boy fell deep in the Forbidden Forest without any trauma on his body, but he never regained consciousness, because what was left here was just a body, and the boy's soul was nowhere to be found.

The young man with only a sliver of vitality was sealed in an enchantment that isolated all external influences. Coupled with the role of the permanent entrance world itself, which slowed down time infinitely, time almost stopped on him.The priests of the five families tried their best to find the boy's soul, but all failed.

At that time, the long-haired boy who was unable to accompany his younger brother because of a meeting with a visitor lost control for a while, and then stayed by the side of the unconscious boy for several days without sleep.And Ma Cangye, the servant who saw him last, replied, "Master Ye just said to go for a walk, and he will be back soon."

What happened to the boy, no one knows.

Because Asakura Ye was unable to participate in the main festival, his elder brother Yoshi Asakura accepted the ceremony as the only "Old Son of the Moon".And this ritual, which was not done according to the revelation, failed halfway.

After the seal was broken, the temporary seal built by several head priests finally pushed back the imminent "eclipse", but the miasma Ling'e that gushed out from the gate of the underworld still caused extremely heavy casualties.

According to the records of Yue Jian, once the ceremony fails, the selection will continue in the next year, and the ceremony will be held again within four years, otherwise the "eclipse moment" will definitely come to the world.

★★★

After all, Mrs. Ganzi and Master Ganjiu failed to wake up again, and passed away shortly after entering May.

During the days of vigil, the cicadas kept singing, and it was already boring and impetuous even though it was not yet the hot summer season.The raindrops that have not fallen for a long time gather in the air, condensing into a shadow that cannot be dissipated.

The huge mansion of the Asakura family is still shrouded in sadness and gloom. Although there are still people going back and forth, their eyes are full of panic and bewilderment.

Although the townspeople outside continued to live peacefully without knowing it, the clansmen could not immediately break free from the grief of losing almost all the important family members, nor could they hide their strong anxiety about the ominous future.

Asakura took up the important role of head of the family, but because he was injured by the miasma and could not be cured, he stayed in the Tsukiyomi Shrine with a barrier.The various affairs of the family were once in a state of standstill, and had to rely on the assistance of the other four families.

Granny Konai is about to leave for Mount Osor.As a "city child" with a mission, she cannot stay here forever.

I stayed at the Asakura house instead of her, assisted the new head of the family in handling various affairs and continued to practice until I became the head priest a year later.

And after that, during the two months I traveled between the closed town and the world of Evernight, I witnessed the hardships of this island of exile that has lasted for so many years.

There was no initial discomfort when I stepped into the barrier of the Forbidden Forest, and I finally integrated into the life of Tsukimi in my own way.

On Oki Island, the seasons change and the colors change. When the flowers are blooming in the Omine Mountains and then when the mountains are full of red leaves, the beautiful scenery that has never been seen before can’t erase the sadness deep in my heart. It’s like looking up at Shimokita’s dark night sky when I was young. The fine snow, cold and dazed, lonely and silent.

Crimson Moon's brilliance is getting fuller day by day, and Yue Jian is also gradually approaching the point of divergence that determines her own destiny.

Note: Unlined clothing, the inner garment of a hunting garment, usually wears a white garment underneath.