【Good Leaf】Eclipse of the Crimson Moon

【Siyue Festival】

"The moonlight is bright and clear, and its beauty is intoxicating. However, the silver brilliance is like frost and snow, and the chill is bitter."

This is what that person once said, and he deliberately recorded it and passed it on to future generations, presumably he has a deep obsession.It is also because of his willfulness that the cursed clansmen who inherited his blood have been facing the crimson moon that seems to be soaked in blood for generations.

Even though it is as red as a flame, it still has no temperature, which is ironic.

The month is cold, but I have leaves, which are different from you.

I hugged the sleeping person tightly in my arms, and looked up at the full moon in the sky.

Although it remains the same except that the brightness changes with the age of the moon, people in this dark world still often involuntarily pay attention to it, just because it is the only light.So when Yep asked if he liked it, I was noncommittal.

When we are outside (note), we often look up at the starry sky with him.The valley where the town is located is surrounded by mist all year round, and it is rare to encounter beautiful nights with a bright moon and few stars. Those days have also become a corner of precious memories.After coming to this world, I miss the twinkling starry sky more and more.No matter how magnificent and gorgeous the dazzling halo in front of him is, it is always filled with ominous crimson light.

Although I understand this, I still see him staring at it in a daze.Ye, who can laugh no matter what kind of situation he faces, also became a little silent after coming to Tsukiyomi Shrine. Tonight, without saying a few words, he murmured "sleepy" and fell into my arms. Curled up half sideways like a kitten.

The ends of the extremities that were soaked in the night dew and felt cool gradually felt the warm current slowly spreading from the chest. It was really warm, Ye.

This is Tsukimi City behind Oki Island, a small town surrounded by ocean and mountains.

Although it is a small place where only a few thousand people live, the history of people taking root and multiplying here is very long. The records in the history books can be traced back to the Nara period.The outside world that has already stepped into the age of technology is full of colorful temptations, making people who are obsessed with material desires gradually forget their beliefs, but it does not have much effect on this closed town.

If it is an ordinary mountain village, it will either disappear or be transformed and assimilated with the changes of the times, but Yuejian just maintains its own pace and is separated from reality.

The reason is that, on the one hand, the town itself has formed a self-sufficient operating system since ancient times. The townspeople engaged in agricultural sidelines and the nobles who have managed the land since ancient times have established a relationship that can be said to have nothing to do with the outside world. In the country, even today, the government (||) government still delegates management (||) power (||) to the hands of the five royal families who are descendants of nobles.In fact, even though the belief in the gods has faded, many people still care about good or bad Feng Shui. Few outsiders are willing to stay for a long time on this island known as the "Island of Exile".

This layer is only the superficial cause, and the understanding of ordinary people ends here, and it becomes the so-called "weird talk" if it goes deeper.

"The people of Yuejian must not move out of Oki Island, otherwise they will be condemned by the gods" is an ancient saying that has been passed down on the island for a long time.Occasionally, there are daring and disdainful people who try to break the taboo. Of course, none of them can escape the curse, and the end is either sudden death for unknown reasons or being involved in inexplicable accidents.Therefore, the deep-rooted Shinto beliefs and worship of the Yuwujia in the hearts of the islanders are not without basis.Especially young people, most of them are pragmatists, and they will not pay respect if their own interests are not really involved.

As a result, the old people gradually aged and died, and the vacancies were replaced by new life. Occasionally, outsiders would come to settle here, and then gradually integrate into the town and become a part of it.I often wonder about their hearts, have they heard the ominous anecdotes about Yuejian before deciding to stay?Including my married father, who was not originally a resident of Yuejian.

The town is located in a relatively gentle place in the Dafeng Valley. The sky above is covered with thick clouds and mists all the year round, and there are very few clear blue skies.From the eyes of my dual-skilled person, the situation is even more ominous.The spiraling spiritual energy gets thicker the closer it gets to the sky above the Western Mountain. In the middle, it almost condenses into black clouds that cannot see through the sun, rolling and gathering toward the center of the spiral, falling like a huge tornado, or like the sky collapsing, just like the end of the world scene.Even I couldn't stare at the huge turbulent spiritual power flow for a long time, as if if I didn't pay attention, even my own soul would be shelled and taken away by it.

The place where they go is the forbidden place that is sealed in the depths of Mt. Omine-the "Gate of the Underworld", the divergence point between Changshi, Huangquan Hirazaka and the present world.The dead who have been selected go to the ordinary world, but the souls that cannot rest with strong obsessions cannot go to that blissful world and cannot enter reincarnation. They will only be attracted by stronger obsessions and gradually lose themselves, leaving only The strong emotions you had when you passed away.

Occasionally, they will break away from the shackles of the spiritual path and enter the present world, but more often they are absorbed by the strongest will and fall into the country of roots together, which is said to contain all the darkness in the world, all the sorrow, pain, hatred, and despair It continuously precipitates and condenses in the depths, turning into absolute "darkness" that even light cannot penetrate.Then, when the power of the seal is weakened, there will always be people who want to summon more ominous spirits to pass through the gate and come to the world, bringing disasters of destruction, that is "eclipse".

This name has been passed down for a long time, but most of it has something to do with Scarlet Moon in the mezzanine world.

The full moon that has been hanging in the world of Evernight is not the "moon" understood by people in this world. It is just a part of the structure of this world between illusion and reality. According to my understanding, if the mana is strong enough to change this illusion , then it is not impossible to eliminate it.

The basis of Yin-Yang Dao is Yin-Yang, and it is mentioned in the part of the theory of celestial phenomenon and the generation of the universe that the sun is Yang and the moon is Yin.The sun also represents enthusiasm, life, and strength, while the moon, which is cold, illusory, and soft, is yin. The moon also represents spiritual existence, such as the soul.

Scarlet Moon in Evernight is such an existence that dominates the flow of souls.If "eclipse" occurs, the soul will be swallowed by dark pollution, leaving only the body, which is not much different from "death".

In order to avoid the disaster brought by the moment of "eclipse", Yuwujia has been guarding the seal of "gate" for a long time.

There are several "fields" where spirits accumulate in various places in Japan. The surrounding space of the "field" is easily distorted and cracks are formed. This is how the Gate of the Underworld evolved.The ancestors set up seals and set up forbidden areas where these spirits were easy to emerge, and they stayed there to guard them for generations. In this regard, the duties of the warlocks seen in the moon are no different from those in other places.

As for the "God's Punishment" that makes people talk about it, although it is a bit cruel and unbelievable to ordinary people, it is not unique to Yue Jian.It should be noted that ominous atmosphere will accumulate around any spiritual place, and it is not uncommon to be involved in a spiritual event that kills someone if you are not careful.Priests and warlocks can only do their best to maintain the seal, but to protect the safety of everyone, even no one can do it, let alone the modern age where nature is gradually being swallowed up by cities, civilization is gradually replacing faith in gods, and human footprints are everywhere. society.

The annual Siyue Festival and regular festival celebrations hold sacred events to exorcise evil spirits and avoid disasters, and pray for safety; manage and coordinate the big and small matters of the Moon Festival, from public security to the economy.Thanks to the protection of the five families, Yuejian can continue to prosper, and the people are deeply blessed, so the respect and gratitude are inspired from the heart.However, there is uneasiness hidden behind the peace. The "hidden spirit" incident that occurs every year, and this prison-like island that can never be left, make people who occasionally think about it feel suffocated and unable to let go.

They don't know the existence of the Tsukiyomi Shrine, nor the heavy mission of the Yuwujia, which is a real curse that cannot be shaken off for thousands of years.A forbidden ceremony that cannot be known to the public, a sealed door that can only be appeased by offering a living sacrifice.

The so-called Siyue Sacrifice and Main Sacrifice is a ceremony held when the lunar cycle is full, and it is a major sacred event related to the survival of the entire moon.The ceremony does not allow participation by anyone other than a specific priest, nor does it allow its details to be divulged orally or in any other way.The location is in the imperial garden of Tsukiyomi Shrine, right below the Senkishi there is the entrance to the gate of the underworld of Tsukimi.In each lunar phase cycle, someone from the chief priest family will become a sacrificer, offering himself according to the ritual handed down from ancient times to appease the screaming gate of the underworld and avoid the arrival of "eclipse".

This part of the content is something that Ye and I have been familiar with since childhood.

As descendants of the Asakura family who were born with powerful spiritual power, both Ye and I had the possibility of being selected as "children of God", so we were trained as priests who would dedicate our body and mind to the gods since we were sensible.

The official sacrifice is a very serious sacred matter, not only the requirements for the ritual procedures, but more importantly, the qualifications of the sacrificers.

Even if the destiny is known from divination, the sacrificer must have the ability and awareness commensurate with it to be competent.If you have distracting thoughts, it will definitely lead to the failure of the ceremony.So, in a sense, the officiant priests who successfully held the ceremony are all martyrs who have given up on themselves and no longer have the slightest nostalgia for this world.I've always wondered if I could do that, though I've never worried about my abilities.

I learned that the specific steps of the ceremony were when I was 13 years old. In the divination with the participation of the five patriarchs, the names of my brother Ye and I appeared, which means that we will become the chief priests and participate in the main sacrifice one year later.

The crimson moon in the mezzanine world replaces the phases of the moon with luster, and the cycle from dark red with the weakest light to bright crimson is roughly three to five years, and it is often affected by factors such as spiritual path changes and seal effectiveness. , and the ceremony is chosen to be held when it is full, that is the moment when the Yin power of the moon reaches its strongest, the power of the soul resonates, and the sealing effect is the weakest.

The ceremony is called "lunar eclipse".

A double barrier was set up in the middle of the imperial garden illuminated by the dazzling crimson light, and the chief priest of birth (note) stood in front of the thousand stones, and when the door was first opened, he sacrificed himself to the gushing disaster And the gate of the underworld of miasma.The sacrificial body will be torn apart by the strong spiritual power, and the remains will be swallowed by the gate, and the blood of the priest will dye the shimenawa on the thousand stones red, which is the last step to re-apply the seal.

The ritual performed according to the correct steps can successfully reseal the door, until the next time when the crimson moon is full, Yuejian can get a short-term peace.The priests who have passed away will not leave anything to their relatives and friends. That is a true "hidden spirit", and they will not even leave their souls behind.No one can summon their souls, and it is said that they will always be imprisoned in the door, turning into "sons of god" (Note) to guard the door.

Ye and I have already prepared ourselves for the possibility of being selected as the chief priest, and we have been practicing with this goal, but this does not mean that I agree with the practice of constantly offering living sacrifices in order to continue the effectiveness of the seal. .

Is this a show of respect for the gods of Yuejian and the ancestors in the underworld?

wrong.

This is not guarding, but obeying the mercy of fate and becoming a puppet that dances with it.

It's ridiculous.My respect for the kind of "god" who is constantly devouring life before giving charity is very limited.

Ye didn't say anything, but it didn't mean he didn't have any ideas.At least, he hates living people as sacrifices more than I do.

I can't accept this practice, and I don't understand why this practice can last for thousands of years.However, we cannot change the status quo.If there is a stronger power, maybe it will be able to resist fate?If so, I need strength!Powerful enough to cut off the wheel of fortune!

Generally, the priests selected in divination will be adults above. On the one hand, he can leave offspring for the family to inherit his blood and will; on the other hand, only priests who have accumulated enough practice can be qualified for the post of priest.So when Yeh and I were selected, everyone was very surprised.This kind of situation will not happen once in decades, and the elders are extremely disturbed, thinking that there are many people who think this is extremely ominous, but they can't disobey the result of divination.

Yeh and I will part, and one of us will go to the other side of the door, never to see each other again.I knew it right away when I heard the news.

However, after accepting Hatsugi into the Tsukiyomi Shrine, the content of the ceremony we were told was not the content of the previous main festival.

That was the beginning of pushing me, my twin brother Ye, the priests of the five families, and the whole Yuejian into the abyss.

No, in fact it all started thousands of years ago.But now, it's just acting step by step according to that person's script, and all of us are just puppets controlled by him.

Note: The outside refers to the Tsukimi in the outer world, while the Tsukiyomi Shrine and the Forbidden Forest are both called "in".

Note: Shengzhuo, Zhuo is a substitute for suffering disasters, sometimes made into dolls or other forms, here refers to living sacrifices.

Note: Son of God, the clergy obtain the soul power close to that of a god by sacrificing their bodies to the gods, and guard the seal.