Free Web NovelChapter 2010: Chapter 2010: The "Invitation" Beneath the Starlight
The full moon of March hangs over, and the small altar on Heart Lake Island flickers with a strange light. Behind the two of them, two wheels of Eleven-Ring Life Rings appear, then fuse into one. A gigantic Eleventh Rank Golden Stairs extends upwards from behind them level by level, piercing through the Life Ring, reaching higher into the starry sky.
Under the moonlit night, the sound of drums and flutes comes from nowhere. The drumbeat is unclear, but the flute sound is exceptionally distant. The stars in the sky are brighter than Bizard has ever seen on any night, and three enormous moons seem on the verge of falling to the ground.
The wind is celebrating for them, and the land beneath is cheering for another advancement of the "Son of Edwards." The girls holding hands slightly raise their heads. Although Shard cannot see their faces directly, he believes they have closed their eyes.
Stone pillars surrounding the altar emit a dim golden light, and the ritual base formation, with the Holy Emblem of the [Chaos Witch] at its core, gathers the light upon them.
Thus, silently and without a trace, the rotating Life Ring becomes ethereal, slipping into the Steam Mist. Once it re-solidifies, it has already reached the Twelve Rings. At the peak of the Eleventh Rank Golden Steps, new steps extend higher, as the ethereal steps absorb the starlight bit by bit, becoming solid. This also signifies that they have touched a higher realm.
The late spring wind is gentle, the Star River and the Moon seem to be rejoicing for them at this moment. The light draws back into themselves, needing no applause from anyone. The silent transformation represents the strange twin souls reaching the most harmonious and perfect state with this world.
The Life Ring disappears, the Golden Steps scatter, and when the starlight falls once more, the sisters, holding hands in March, turn around as if embracing and spinning together, but finally look at the young Outlander who has just stepped onto the altar.
Their identical faces show a serene smile, and the starlight and moonlight make her skin appear whiter than ever. Beneath slightly curved eyebrows, her enchanting golden eyes are filled with the image of Shard.
"Knight, am I beautiful?"
Megan asked.
"As beautiful as Audrey."
"Knight, am I beautiful?"
Audrey asked.
"As beautiful as Megan."
"Then, Knight, are we beautiful?"
They asked together, and Shard affirmed:
"Of course, you are beautiful. There is no one in the world with the unique beauty that you have at this moment."
They both burst into smiles but did not immediately extend an invitation to Shard.
Megan slightly turned, lifting Audrey’s chin, and in the latter’s smile, gently kissed the corner of her lips—this, for them, was equivalent to kissing their own hand back:
"Knight, before the Battle at Green Lake, you refused me. Will you still do so now?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Audrey allowed Megan to press close to her face, while she herself looked at Shard and asked.
Without expecting Shard’s response, she and Megan turned outward, the sisters back-to-back, dressed in robes. They clasped each other’s hands, their straight legs tight against one another’s.
The brown hair fused into one under the night light, then began to grow like a waterfall, eventually spreading over the ground beneath.
The two faced Shard sideways, also sideways looking at him under the moonlight.
"The Battle of Green Lake is over; you no longer need to worry about dying tomorrow. You must face a new life."
He stepped forward again, and the spreading hair had already reached his feet. The Outlander asked earnestly to the sisters:
"Megan, Audrey, are you sure you want to choose me for your future lives?"
"Yes, even if you are an unruly man."
"Yes, even if you are greedy and want everything."
"Yes, even if you refuse to move to this island to live with us."
"Yes, even if you attempt to collect the entire Witch Council in your grasp."
The hair on the ground formed a soft carpet, and the two, back-to-back, gradually "melted" into each other’s bodies. In the gentle light, they reunited into one, leaving only the sole Grand Witch of Wisdom and Knowledge, facing Shard.
She tossed him the robe still warm from her sister’s body:
"Knight, from now on, you are another lord of Green Island, just like us, a master here."
Shard gazed at her, lightly sniffing the robe, and the witch showed a satisfied expression. Her golden eyes gleamed with charm; she boldly beckoned Shard with a finger:
"Tonight, you may do anything here."
"Honestly, I wish there were a bed here."
And so amidst her cascading waterfall-like hair, there suddenly appeared a wooden double bed.
The brown hair on the ground surged, its strands condensed into several black hands, which crawled onto Shard’s body, helping him remove his outerwear, take off his tie, and even lightly caressing his back and arms.
Clothes were thrown off the altar piece by piece, and arms formed from hair pushed Shard toward the witch sitting at the bedside under the moonlight.
She sat there with her head tilted, examining the standing Shard closely, her eyes scanning up and down. When her gaze finally settled on his face, a faint smile appeared:
"Not bad."
Beneath the moonlit night, her robe dissolved into specks of light in the starlight. She extended her right hand to Shard, but as Shard grasped it, he distinctly felt a lick on his palm.
The witch pulled forcefully, drawing Shard to her side. As Megan’s left hand wrapped around Shard’s back, another body that held her left hand appeared behind him. Shard felt a warmth and, gazing at the smiling face in front of him, sensed another head resting on his shoulder from behind. His nose was filled with the intoxicating scents of Megan and Audrey’s perfumes:
Thus, he made a final request:
"Actually, I prefer indoors; under the moonlight, isn’t this a bit...?"
"It’s not up to you, Shard. Please, use your harmless Arcane Technique and play with us once more."
Shard looked at Megan’s face in front of him, feeling Audrey’s pale arm slowly trailing downwards as she embraced him. They seemed to be glowing; though it might sound disrespectful, under the moon, this must be what the goddess is like:
"But my harmless Arcane Technique is only the [Soul Whip]..."
Surrounded, Shard was pulled down with the tugging and pushing. The Twin Witches, having ascended to the Twelfth Rank, were about to emulate the Red-Haired Duchess and once again challenge the Outlander’s strength on behalf of the witches.
By the lakeside, Miss Jill Holly, holding Mia, observed the three entwined figures on the island’s altar, feeling as if it were a peculiar ritual under the moon. Yet, under the tranquil moonlight and twinkling starlight, everything seemed so sanctified.
Meanwhile, Mia, forced to be held by a strange maid, looked up at the moon, or more precisely, the silver moon:
"Meow~"
The call couldn’t travel far; at least Shard, dealing with unprecedented complex situations on the island, couldn’t hear it.
(Luviya dreaming...)
Early Monday morning, heavy snow like goose feathers swept through Tobesk City again. When the Duchess opened her eyes on the over 50-square-foot (about 4.6 square meters) bed in the manor outside the city, the first thought was not about the heavy snow outside the window but how she was no longer accustomed to waking up alone. She looked longingly at the empty pillow beside her and felt inexplicably sad:
"When I’m done with this busy period, no matter what, I must make Shard stay at the manor for a week."
"Miss, you’re awake."
Tifa’s voice came from outside the drapes, and the Duchess, who was not quite in the best mood that early, responded. She then heard her Head Maid say:
"Miss, Miss Edwards has visited."
"Megan? Why’s she here? The Shard Family basement... Tifa, when did they arrive?"
"About twenty minutes ago, at 7:50."
"Have her wait in the dining room first. Really, can’t this wait until afternoon tea if there’s something to discuss? Disturbing my sweet dreams."
Thus, Galina Cavendish took some time to wash and dress. By the time she entered the manor dining room, it was more than half an hour later.
At this moment, the brown-haired witch was sitting at the dining table reading a newspaper, with the late spring snowfall visible outside the window behind her. When she put down the newspaper upon hearing footsteps, Miss Galina noticed she looked remarkably well:
"Have you ascended to the Twelfth Rank? Also, how many breakfasts should we prepare for you? One or two?"
The manor’s hostess asked courteously, while Tifa led the maids to start serving breakfast for both the hostess and her guest.
Megan stopped pondering the series of reports in the Tobesk Morning Post about the interrupted negotiations at Green Lake, showing a broad smile to the Red-Haired Witch:
"One breakfast will do. Your senses are quite sharp; yes, I’ve ascended to the Twelfth Rank, the Council’s fifth member at that level."
"I say, even if you’ve ascended, you didn’t need to come so early to flaunt it to me, did you?"
The Duchess remarked, watching Tifa drop sugar cubes into her teacup. She twirled the ring on her left hand with her right, looking particularly languid:
"Did you come through the Shard Family basement? Why didn’t you call Shard to come along? I happen to know he gets up at half past six every morning to feed the cat. At this time, if it wasn’t for the end of the Green Lake battle, he’d have been up and running around already."
This description amused both herself and Megan, even bringing faint smiles to the maids serving the witches their meals, making for a very harmonious breakfast atmosphere.
The wise Grand Witch shook her head with a smile:
"Shard had things to attend to this morning. He went to the Green Lake Train Station to see off his friends. As you know, his priest friend, doctor friend, oh, and Durut Giles and Laster. Even though they’re not parting for long, just returning from Green Lake City to Tobesk, Shard still felt it necessary to bid farewell."
Miss Galina showed a peculiar expression, noting something amiss, such as how Megan seemed so keenly aware of Shard’s whereabouts. Without waiting for the Duchess to ask, Megan eagerly revealed what she’d been holding in her heart all morning, right there in the Duchess’s manor:
"He truly cares for his friends. Audrey and I were together in his embrace this morning, asking him not to leave us so early, but he insisted on going to bid farewell to his friends... Have you ever lain in Shard’s arms, watching the starry sky and dawn with him? Oh, he truly is a heartless man~"
