Circle of Inevitability Chapter 356 - 356 Scar

356 Scar

As time ticked away, Lumian sensed his body temperature slowly dissipating. Even the blazing sun outside the public carriage window couldnt stave off this change.

His thoughts dulled, and the skin on the back of his hand turned a pallid white.

At last, Lumian made it to the market district.

As he disembarked from the public carriage, his limbs seemed to stiffen.

Just as he turned onto Rue des Blouses Blanches, a man who approached him was taken aback. He let out a quiet gasp, his eyes filled with fear.

Lumian instinctively glanced to the side, assessing his reflection in the cafes glass window.

His blonde-black hair appeared as if it hadnt been washed for days, and his face had turned a sickly shade of pale blue. There were purplish-red patches and signs of decay on his neck, and his eyes mirrored the cold emptiness of a corpse that had lain dead for many days.

Lumian smirked at the man and remarked, Well, what do you think? Have I convincingly transformed into a zombie?

He noticed his voice adopting a colder tone, reminiscent of Hela.

The gentleman silently cursed and bypassed the fellow who appeared ready to attend a masquerade ball.

Lumian knew the corruption consuming him was worsening. He quickened his pace and reached the safe house he hadnt yet turned over.

Swiftly, he arranged the altar, unfolded a piece of paper, and penned a brief letter to Madam Magician.

Ive fulfilled Madam Justices mission and acquired the spring water of Samaritan Womens Spring, but Im also succumbing to corruption. Its worsening. How can I eradicate it?

After neatly folding the letter, Lumian summoned Madam Magicians messenger.

The doll messenger materialized above the blue candle flame and gave Lumian an approving nod.

Im quite fond of your current demeanor, though your hair is too greasy.

The aura of near-death? Lumians urge to mutter was weaker than before.

After watching the doll messenger depart, he set a fifteen-minute time limit. If Madam Magician didnt respond by then, hed have to explore other avenues to rid himself of the corruption. One possibility was to perform a ritual and beseech Mr. Fool.

Tick, tock. The needle on the pocket watch borrowed from Salle de Bal Brise maintained a steady rhythm. However, Lumian had previously noticed that it was nearly ten minutes slow. It was as if the closer he came to the Samaritan Womens Spring, the slower it ticked.

Suddenly, starlight materialized from the void, forming a mysterious and ethereal door.

The door swung open, and Madam Magician emerged, dressed in a brownish-yellow gown. Beyond the door, there was a profound darkness adorned with starlight.

The Tarot Clubs Major Arcana card holder glanced at Lumian and gave a gentle nod.

Pray to Mr. Fool for an angels purification.

Ill still have to pray to Mr. Fool? Lumian didnt probe further. He proceeded with the ritual at the prepared altar.

He lit the candles in the correct sequence and let the extract drip. After burning the herbs, he stepped back, gazing at the candle flames, and intoned in a deep voice, The Fool that doesnt belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck...

I implore you,

I implore you to cleanse the corruption within me...

Once the ritual concluded, Lumian once again saw an angel formed from light, surrounded by twelve pairs of luminous wings.

With only his peripheral vision remaining, he felt the chill in his body dissipate, and his body temperature quickly returned to normal.

Before long, the angel departed. Lumian looked at the full-length mirror in the room and realized that his complexion, hair, and eyes had completely returned to normal. The purplish-red livor mortis had vanished entirely. Only a few traces of decay remained, but there were no signs of deterioration. It seemed that these remnants would heal with time.

Lumian expressed heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Fool and concluded the ritual.

As he turned to Madam Magician, a sudden recollection struck him, and he hastily raised his right hand to inspect his palm.

The wound from the corrosion of the Earth Blood ore was still there. Though it was no longer as vividly red as when it first fused with the rust, it hadnt faded either. It appeared as if he had marked his palm with a few scars using blood.

Sensing a faint undercurrent of madness and violence emanating from his right palm, Lumian furrowed his brow in confusion.

Cant this be cleansed?

Madam Magician fixed her gaze on his right palm for a few moments but didnt provide a direct answer. Instead, she spoke, Share the details with me.

She took the initiative to pull up a chair and sat down, showing no inclination to continue the conversation standing.

Lumian settled into a chair at the wooden table, beginning with Madam Justices assignment and recounting how he and Hela had each extracted a third of a canisters worth of Samaritan Womens Spring water.

He narrated the encounter with the colossal, frenzied figure and the bizarre power. Simultaneously, he didnt omit any details about Monettes appearance and actions, as well as the curious return of the Earth Blood ore.

Madam Magician listened to Lumians account in silence before letting out a chuckle.

Its quite challenging for truly formidable figures to die completely. Even without Beyonder characteristics, bodies, or souls, they often leave behind mental imprints, death marks, residual auras, and other remnants. When the right conditions align, they may find a way back into the real world with a suitable vessel.

Like the Oldest One, the Creator? Lumian grasped the gist of Madam Magicians explanation and inquired further, So, who is this figure?

Madam Magician took a moment to reflect and replied, Its likely the Blood Emperor of the Fourth Epoch, Alista Tudor.

The Blood Emperor? One of the Four Emperors? Lumian had heard this title and name mentioned by Gardner Martin.

Alista Tudors empire once spanned what was present-day Intis. The Trier, submerged underground, had served as His capital.

According to Gardner Martin, the Blood Emperor was a true deity who grasped the Hunter pathway, signifying that He was a Sequence 0 Red Priest!

Thats correct, Madam Magician affirmed. The War of the Four Emperors was a genuine conflict among gods. Alista Tudor met His end in the submerged Fourth Epoch Trier, which also caused the capital to sink underground. He had long descended into madness and committed numerous atrocities. Rumor has it that He nearly entombed all the deities who participated in the war alongside Him. Even now, many remnants of that war lie buried beneath Trier, profoundly shaping some aspects of the Fifth Epochs history.

The Fifth Epoch, the epoch in which Lumian and his companions resided, was often referred to as the Iron Age.

Nearly burying all the deities who participated in the war? The Blood Emperor was truly deranged... Lumian mused, genuinely intrigued.

What occurred during the War of the Four Emperors?

Im not entirely certain either, Madam Magician admitted with a shrug. Ive only heard about it from two beings who personally witnessed the war. Even They dont possess the full picture. After all, one should not look directly at a god. Remember, never look directly at a god, even if its an incomplete Mythical Creature transformed from a Sequence 4 saint.

Beings who had personally experienced the War of the Four Emperors and still survived to this day? To have participated in such a divine conflict, they must be at least angels... Could they be the two angels beside Mr. Fools throne? Yes, the Holy Bible mentioned that Mr. Fools Angel of Time was an ancient angel, and one of them could be this figure? Lumian pieced together the information he had and ventured a guess.

Having heard Aurore mention the concept of Mythical Creatures and their associated complexities, Lumian had no doubt about the admonition never look directly at a god.

Eagerly, Lumian asked, So, after the Blood Emperors demise, His mental mark, death mark, or residual aura remained sealed within the Samaritan Womens Spring?

That would likely be a death mark, but I suspect its intertwined with a mental mark, residual aura, and even some lingering spirits left behind for reasons unknown. Otherwise, Blood Emperor Alista Tudor wouldnt persist in a combative state within the spring. Heh heh, combat can indeed be considered a Hunter trait, Madam Magician speculated.

As Madam Magician spoke, she extended her hand into the void, disappearing from Lumians sight.

After a brief search, she reappeared, holding a tempting glass of Kirsch.

Didnt your sister teach you? When you have a guest, remember to ask if they want tea or wine, or perhaps offer snacks, Madam Magician chided playfully as she took a sip of the light red wine and shook her head.

How could I remember at a time like this? Where did she get her wine? Only then did Lumian realize that he had forgotten to ask about the most important thing.

He sincerely acknowledged the lesson and then raised another query.

Whats the origins of the strange power that dragged the Blood Emperor back into the spring?

I dont know, Madam Magician replied candidly. Even a true god might not know. All I can be certain of is that it has no connection to the War of the Four Emperors.

Lumian decided to put this matter aside for now and turned his attention to his right hand, where the mysterious traces remained.

What are these marks? Cant Mr. Fool cleanse them?

If this isnt corruption, it cant be cleansed, Madam Magician explained while sipping her Kirsch. Its more similar to a mystical item embedded in your hand. It will bring about certain adverse effects, and these effects cant be cleansed unless the item itself is removed.

A mystical item... Whats its purpose and what dangers does it hold? Lumian hadnt anticipated this revelation.

Its useless. Madam Magician chuckled. I mentioned its similar, but not equivalent. It certainly isnt a direct source of power enhancement. Rumor has it that in the underground of the Fourth Epochs Trier, there are numerous treasures left behind by Blood Emperor Alista Tudor in various hidden locations. Only those with the Tudor familys bloodline can unlock them. And now, you can unlock them as well.

So, its like my palm contains some of Tudors blood and aura, unrelated to Beyonder powers? Lumian tried to probe the bright red scars on his right palm with his consciousness.

As soon as the two connected, he was abruptly engulfed by a surge of frenzied, violent, terrifying, and dominating aura. The entire room, and even the entire apartment, quaked uncontrollably.