Chapter 61 - 60: Song of the Red Demoness
Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Song of the Red Demoness
Half a minute had passed since the sharp, inhuman shriek.
Though the three of them were somewhat relieved to know their companions were awake, they still clutched their blankets tightly.
They lay frozen in bed, not daring to move a muscle.
The room was pitch-black. While the starlight coming through the window allowed them to make out vague shapes, it wasn’t enough for them to communicate. Lip-reading was a skill none of them possessed.
Zhang Ruliang cleared his throat and nervously tried to make a tiny sound.
"Whaaat... dooo... weee... dooo?"
South Wind and Gu Hao, who were listening intently, caught the sound immediately.
Gu Hao carefully lifted a corner of his blanket.
He gestured, carefully pointing to the Door.
Only then did the other two realize that the house’s Door might have once had a lock, but it had long since broken with age and was now just pushed shut.
Ghosts in movies always ignored doors and windows, but securing it would be a small comfort. Besides, who knew if this was a ghost or something else entirely?
Meanwhile, Qin Xiaoxia, who had begun weaving the Secret Realm, never expected that the so-called first phenomenon, the "Wail of the Demoness," would actually come from his own mouth.
Caught completely off guard, he had let out the cry before he could stop himself.
As the wail—imbued with Magic Power and the guidance of order—rang out, the Sealing Technique on the ground instantly lit up.
In that same instant, the Magic Power already boiling inside Qin Xiaoxia seemed to resonate with the demoness’s wail, merging as one with the entire Sealing Technique.
Purple Magic Silk Threads, originating from Qin Xiaoxia, began to appear from the edges of the Sealing Technique, seemingly ignoring the laws of space, like strands of hair filling the air.
As more and more threads appeared, the vibrations of Magic Power grew increasingly intense.
Qin Xiaoxia felt his entire body go numb, unable to even stand steadily. He couldn’t help but move away from where he stood.
After moving just over a meter away, he felt as if he had broken free from a bubble, his pores instantly relaxing in relief.
He saw Doudou, far outside the range of the Magic Silk Threads, hugging a pillar with their mouth agape, staring blankly in his direction.
At that moment, a realization dawned on Qin Xiaoxia, and he abruptly looked up.
Before him, a translucent red figure had appeared at some point, now standing exactly where he had been moments before.
The figure’s eyes were closed. Its long red hair shimmered with a crystalline light, and its ears were as translucent as a cicada’s wings, sparkling like Crystal adornments.
Exquisite, elegant, and enchanting. It was humanoid, yet not quite human!
It remained perfectly still.
It was dressed in a sea-blue robe, its hands crossed over its chest in a posture that suggested it was about to break into song at any moment.
’The Red Demoness!’
The second phenomenon was supposed to be the "Low Hum of the Red Demoness," but neither Doudou nor Qin Xiaoxia had ever seen anyone else weave a Secret Realm. They never expected a Shadow of the Red Demoness to actually appear.
However, the Secret Realm was already activated, and the shriek had already caused a commotion. Unless Qin Xiaoxia was willing to abandon his preparations and waste all this Magic Power, he had no choice but to continue.
Qin Xiaoxia had reason to believe that the coming phenomena would not be contained by the Technique, despite what Doudou had said.
Fortunately, the Dawn Association had always had a penchant for constructing its buildings in remote locations. This house was surrounded by farmland, with a country road that saw barely any traffic, and the nearest market was at least a ten-minute walk away.
For this to be the case in a modern, developed coastal region spoke volumes about just how godforsaken the location was.
As for the three greenhorns in the other room, Qin Xiaoxia couldn’t spare them a thought. Once the Secret Realm was active, there was no getting out of the house anyway.
Having settled his thoughts, Qin Xiaoxia belatedly felt a sense of control over the entire Technique.
It was as if he had grown countless sensitive fingers.
His Perception felt as if it had transformed into innumerable hands knitting a sweater.
Clearly, the amplification from the Technique had begun.
"Doudou, get ready!"
After shouting to Doudou, Qin Xiaoxia stood opposite the "Red Demoness," closed his eyes, and began controlling his Magic Power output with the most delicate manipulation he had attempted since it first awakened.
The light from the Magic Silk Threads grew brighter, and they began to nimbly intertwine.
It was a fantastical scene. From Doudou’s perspective, it was breathtakingly beautiful, like the graceful dance of butterflies among flowers.
The starlight in the empty hall was gradually consumed by a faint purple hue. Water-like ripples covered the entire floor and, as the weaving accelerated, began to creep up the surrounding walls.
If anyone had been taking a late-night stroll through the fields, they might have noticed a faint glow emanating from a part of the old house the villagers called haunted.
Qin Xiaoxia’s mind, Perception, and even his body seemed to merge with the Technique, slowly extending outward as one.
Then, at a certain moment, the figure of the Red Demoness moved.
She slowly opened her eyes, revealing beautiful, sea-blue pupils.
She first gazed quietly at Qin Xiaoxia, then swayed, her red hair flowing as she stretched her sculpted body.
Her lips parted gently.
A rhythmic and elegant chant emerged softly from her lips.
The heavenly song was suffused with Magic Power. It had no actual words, yet anyone who heard it could understand its meaning.
"O, Red-haired Sea Siren, born on the Gorgeous Sea Shore~~ My song guides the lost travelers~ Seeking by the shores of truth. O, truth of order, when can I become ’human’...? My longing fades with the river of time... The so-called ’hero’ who took my heart and eyes now carries my wish to ’see’ the world... O, Red-haired Sea Siren~ I sing for myself one last time~ Comir’s answer~ so impossibly distant..."
The song spread slowly, captivating Qin Xiaoxia’s mind. The weaving of the Secret Realm suddenly accelerated, increasing at a nearly visible rate and rapidly "painting" the entire building in an invisible color.
The longing and sorrow in the song made tears stream from Qin Xiaoxia’s eyes, even though they were closed.
Doudou, hiding behind the pillar, was an even bigger mess, tears and snot streaming down their face.
Meanwhile, in another room, South Wind, Gu Hao, and Zhang Ruliang had just finished barricading the Door with a table when they heard the wondrous, melodic tune.
Because their Soul Essence and physical fortitude were far inferior to that of Qin Xiaoxia and Doudou, they instantly fell into a type of Illusion Realm.
It was a power hidden within the Sea Siren’s song, one that showed them a scene from a long-forgotten age.
(A vast, brilliant ocean shimmered with a light that echoed the stars. Beyond the distant horizon, the beautiful Sea Sirens of legend made their home.
They had sea-blue hair and equally magnificent eyes. Their voices could pierce the ocean’s depths, a delight to the ear, but they could also bewitch travelers and lead them into deadly traps.
They were the darlings of the ocean, and also bore its Curse.
One day, a dazzling demoness with red hair was born among the Sea Sirens.
Just as the song described, curiosity and longing drove her to seek a way to walk upon the land. She pleaded to Comir, hoping to become an Elf. She guided lost travelers with her song, seeking their aid.
The ending was not a happy one. The Red Demoness’s plea for Comir’s truth, however, would echo along the shore for eternity.)
In the Illusion Realm, the travelers the three of them saw were not creatures from the Otherworld, but images of humans conjured from the depths of their own minds.
It was like a fairy tale, one with a dark and tragic ending.
The three of them wept without realizing it, sobbing and sniffling under their blankets.
It was just a simple story, so simple that any random made-up tale from the internet could have easily outdone its plot.
But what this song of Magic Power contained was the Red Demoness’s pure emotion. Even in the moment her eyes were gouged out, they still held nothing but longing.
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My child came down with a high fever yesterday morning, and it wouldn’t break even with medicine. We’ve been to the hospital several times and just got back from the emergency room a little while ago.
I will slowly make up for the missed Chapters. I’ll release another one later tonight and will try my best to release three tomorrow.