“Chapter 20 ‘May we both sink into darkness together.'”

"Chapter 20 'May we both sink into darkness together.'"

"Intervene?"

"Fei Yi's mind flashed with the face of Rafael from the Holy Army."

"Having just narrowly escaped death at the hands of a high-level holy warrior, she really didn’t want to get involved with the forces of light again."

"But as she looked at the red Fire Elemental Crystal on the table, she couldn't help but feel that there was more to the situation than meets the eye."

"In this kingdom beneath her feet, everyone worships the Deity, making the monastery's status extremely high, with authority even surpassing the local government."

"Among them, the monks skilled in magic are the most common 'staff' of the monastery, also representing one of the nine major professions in 'Divine Demon Continent' – the 'Support Specialist'."

"After reaching level 30, monks can choose their most compatible element to harness as their power."

"—And thus, the Grand Elemental Mage is born."

"Elemental Crystals are essential for every monk during their class change."

"However, these crystals aren’t common due to their complex formation conditions, making them quite expensive."

"Especially the more potent elements like fire, water, lightning, and ice, their prices can soar to around 40,000 to 50,000 gold coins each."

"The crystal Yarvis had must have taken him great effort to keep for his own class change."

"The fact that he was willing to use it for his wife's treatment speaks volumes about their strong relationship. Despite disliking the arrogant monastery, Fei Yi didn't have an aversion to people like Yarvis."

"'Is this thing really valuable?' Winna asked cautiously, almost as if she feared a skin-eating ghost would crawl out of the stone."

"'Quite valuable,' Fei Yi played with the crystal, watching the flames dance within, 'But if he's willing to give up such a treasure, why not seek help from his colleagues?'"

"Although Ninui Town wasn’t large, it wasn’t small either. Was there really no one in the vast monastery capable of dealing with a Skin-Eater Ghost?"

"'Keep an eye on things,' Fei Yi tossed the crystal to Winna, 'I'll go have a look.'"

"At the end of the letter, Yarvis, with a glimmer of hope, left his home address, anticipating a slim chance of rescue."

"Well, since she was already here."

"Under a moonlit, starry sky, Fei Yi moved through the alleys like a stealthy wildcat, silent as the night."

"She arrived unnoticed at Yarvis' house, moving directly to its vicinity."

"The monk's living conditions seemed quite comfortable, with a tiled-roof house and a yard filled with a variety of vegetables."

"However, due to neglect, weeds had gradually overrun the vegetable garden, casting a forlorn atmosphere."

Light spilled from the house as the undead carried Faye, approaching the shadow beneath the building.

"Don't worry, I've found a reclusive master alchemist to help us. My dear, you will recover, our precious daughter is still waiting for you."

Intermittent voices emanated from inside the house. Through the window, one could see Alvis raising his hands high, continuously casting healing magic on the person in bed... Calling the bed's occupant a "person" was a stretch, as the woman had lost all human form.

Large patches of her skin were gone, her body covered in red and white sores. The fascia and capillaries were clearly visible, and pain twisted her body violently, resembling a thick red worm.

Without skin for protection, even opening her mouth would tear new wounds.

The bed canopy was draped with layers of soundproofing gauze curtains and boundary stones for casting barriers, and the "Floating Feather" artifact that kept her suspended in mid-air, preventing the horrific scene from being seen afar.

Faye struggled to suppress her nausea. She couldn't believe the monk's wife was still alive in such a state; it was inconceivable.

But seeing the warm glow of the magic, she suddenly understood.

Perhaps Alvis had spent all his magical power sustaining his wife's life.

Although the healing magic was ineffective against the wounds caused by the Skin Eater, it still worked on Deborah's body, at least keeping her alive.

"Ah!" A faint scream echoed from inside the house.

It turned out Alvis's magic had finally depleted, and the healing spell ceased.

Listening to his wife's painful moans, Alvis's eyes reddened. No longer young, his prolonged exertion had left him looking as though he'd just crawled out of a grave.

"Why..." he stared blankly at his beloved, "why, after I killed the Skin Eater... do you still suffer so terribly... why won't anyone help us... why take advantage to extort me..."

"Really?" Faye's eyes widened in disbelief. So it wasn't that the monastery had no cure, but that those who could cure sought to extort money from their own monk?

How outrageous! Were they a group of holy mages or vampires?

But... he said he had already killed the Skin Eater?

Faye cautiously peeked, noticing some of the woman's wounds were definitely fresh.

Suddenly, a series of uniform footsteps approached from afar.

The emblem signifying the highest authority of the Ninihui Town Monastery shone brightly in the night sky.

"It's Lord Luke!"

Residents from the surrounding houses, upon seeing and hearing, hurriedly ran out of their homes and knelt along both sides of the road.

The one known as Luke proudly raised his head, walking past these people without a sideways glance.

His demeanor suggested a status even more revered than Hill Wyatt, as if a deity himself had graced the place with his presence.

Faye's gaze sharpened as she silently leapt out of the yard, concealed by the night.

——He was a Level 40 Wood Mage, specializing in healing. Though a support class, his level still overwhelmingly surpassed hers.

She couldn't afford to be discovered.

"Enhanced hearing, no sound can escape my ears."

First, she cast an ancient spell to boost her hearing, and suddenly, the sounds of insects, vegetation, wind, and voices flooded her ears.

Faye strained to filter out the noise, focusing solely on the sounds from Alvis's house.

“Lord Luke...” Alvis, dazed at the sight of the man before him, ultimately knelt in humiliation.

“Don't look at me with that face,” Luke dismissed his attendants and entered Alvis’s house alone.

He behaved as if he were the true master of the house, casually inspecting everything here and there.

Finally, his attention rested on a family portrait hanging on the living room wall.

Luke took a deep breath, his gaze sliding over Alvis's daughter like a snake.

So beautiful.

Her pale cheeks, star-like eyes, slender neck, arms so delicate they seemed they might snap, and those gradually full lips...

Luke couldn't help but lick his lips. A girl just of age, her fresh scent emanating even from the portrait. Even in the big cities, girls of such quality were rare.

Although he had seen her only once three months ago, he was utterly unable to forget her.

Luke believed that even he was so enamored, the lord in Elbirel City — the one in charge of his promotion and escape from this godforsaken place — would surely be pleased.

This girl would make the perfect gift.

"'Lord Luke, what brings you here in the dead of night?' Yarvis' voice was muffled, unable to hide his emotions just three days after Luke refused to help and extorted him."

"'What, can’t I check on my subordinate’s well-being?' Luke smirked, lazily returning to the bedroom door, casting a glance at the 'person' inside."

"'Oh dear, your wife looks so different from her portrait, doesn’t she?'"

"Yarvis clenched his fists tightly, his knees aching as he knelt on the ground."

"'Don’t be mad, it’s just a joke,' Luke said, settling into a chair leisurely and pouring himself a glass of water."

"However, the neglected glass was dirty, and he frowned in disgust, 'This cup is filthy, why hasn’t anyone cleaned it? Yarvis, is this how you treat me? Where’s your daughter? Have her make me some tea.'"

"'My daughter isn’t here; she's staying with her elderly grandmother for now,' Yarvis spoke even more softly."

"'Oh, worried she can’t handle seeing her mother like this?' Luke squinted, 'You must be very close to your daughter, right?'"

"Without waiting for a response, Luke continued in an understanding tone, 'Don’t hate me, Yarvis. I have my difficulties too. The price is fixed; if I make an exception for you, others will come begging for discounts. What then? The monastery's rules will be in chaos, and my prestige will diminish.'"

"Yarvis bit his lip hard, his eyes red with fury."

"Luke: 'But you must understand, we are all servants of the Deity, part of the same body. How could I not help you? Here I am, rushing over as soon as I had the chance. Yarvis, your wife can be saved.'"

"'What?!' Emotions swirling, Yarvis suddenly looked up, frozen in place."

"'You, you mean…'"

"'Yes,' Luke's smile deepened, 'I mean, your wife can be saved.'"

"'My lord!!' Yarvis, overwhelmed with emotion, knelt forward but stumbled due to exhaustion, falling to the ground. Luke hurriedly helped him up, noticing tears welling in his eyes."

"'Don't be too excited, listen to me first,' Luke said, dusting off his robe, 'In Elberil City's Silver Tin Monastery, our direct superior, Deputy Bishop Quincy, is currently selecting a new nun. Each town can recommend only one, and the chosen one will receive 500,000 gold coins.'"

"Yarvis felt his blood boil with excitement!"

"Nuns, only possessed by Silver-ranked monasteries and above, were positions only pure-hearted girls could hold."

"They too were servants of the Deity, primarily responsible for cleaning the Deity's statues and spiritual tablets, concocting holy potions, and so on. They held a revered status, were few in number, and represented the most desired role for all young girls."

"'They've started selecting a new nun already?!' Yarvis was extremely excited, having been completely focused on his wife recently and unaware of this development."

"Lord Luke...! Thank you so much! I'm so grateful!"

"Hey, hey, no need to kneel anymore. I didn’t say for sure that your daughter would be chosen," Luke said, giving him a deep look. "But after all, it’s an opportunity. I've already submitted her name, and the results could be announced as soon as the day after tomorrow. However..."

He looked Alvis up and down, thoughtfully adding, "Given the turmoil in your home and your wife's condition, you needn’t make the trip to the monastery. I’ll give you a few days off to stay home and be with your wife. As for the announcement results, I’ll have someone deliver them to you."

Alvis stammered, "But, but I'd like to see the official document from the Silver Tin Monastery with my own eyes..."

"No, no, no, no, don't you understand?" Luke waved his hand, his voice full of persuasion. "Given your current situation, it’s not suitable for you to be involved in this. Your wife has been afflicted by dark forces. Is it possible that your daughter hasn’t been touched by the dark aura?"

"If she really is chosen and someone with intentions sees her and reports it to Elbirel City, do you think you’ll still have a chance?"

Alvis trembled, "You’re right! Lord Luke, I misunderstood you before!! You truly have our best interests at heart!"

Faye, overhearing everything, was dumbfounded. The selection of a nun? If she remembered correctly, Rafael was from that Silver Tin Monastery.

With all ten of the Holy Army dead, including a senior Holy Spirit warrior, how could the Silver Tin Monastery have the capacity to select a nun amid such turmoil?

She began to understand why Alvis's wife continued to suffer from the Skin Eater's harm, and why no one in the vast monastery was willing to help.

Luke walked out leisurely, a look of smug satisfaction on his face as he turned his back to Alvis.

He concluded, "Make sure you stay at home these next few days and wait for my message. If your daughter really gets selected, any trouble that comes your way, I'll handle it."

"Lord Luke..." Alvis finally broke down in tears.

As the luxurious caravan slowly departed, Faye watched in silence as the foolish Alvis placed several more barrier stones in the yard, completely isolating his home.

"Such a rare case of low intelligence," Faye coldly remarked, turning to leave.

Now that Alvis had fallen for Luke's trap, just like someone roped into a pyramid scheme, he probably wouldn't believe anything anyone else said and might even rebuke those who told the truth.

After all, in his eyes, Luke was a savior, and others were likely just jealous.

Faye had no interest in dealing with such a fool.

But his daughter was innocent.

The girl was only sixteen or seventeen, a renowned beauty in Ninihui Town.

"Fei Yi, once a struggling orphan, had only seen such a nun from a distance."

"Truly beautiful, like a goddess incarnate, and very gentle. She would bring her homemade candies and pastries to the orphanage, distributing them to the poor children."

"It was said that she saved for the ingredients herself. A child as warm as the sun."

"So it was no surprise that Marian was desired by many, and Fei Yi even suspected that the Skin-Eater Ghost devouring Yarvis’ wife was part of Luke’s vile plan."

"Otherwise, how could a Skin-Eater Ghost invade a monk’s home in the monastery? It was like a thief deliberately moving into the house of a newly appointed law enforcer to steal money."

"It was too far-fetched."

"Moreover, the sum Luke demanded was suspicious – he needed exactly 500,000 gold coins for treatment. And coincidentally, the endowment for being selected as a nun was also exactly 500,000. Even the news of the nun selection arrived just when Yarvis was about to give up and approached the potion shop."

"Could there really be such a coincidence in the world?"

"Fei Yi was no saint, but she couldn't stand by and watch Marian, a flower-like girl, be dragged into the mire due to her father's folly."

"She stepped back and blended into the night like a wisp of black mist."

"The next day after class, Fei Yi hurried to the senior students' area and, at the entrance of the library, found the person she was looking for."

"'What? You want to learn divination?' The short-haired senior munched on a cookie while clutching a stack of old books she had just borrowed from the library."

"First-year students couldn’t enter the library, as it was uncertain how many would survive to the end, nor did they have enough magical power to assimilate the knowledge within. Therefore, Fei Yi borrowed what she wanted to read from the short-haired and curly-haired seniors."

"The book 'Advanced Ancient Curses Explained' was one such borrow, from which she learned a very rudimentary ancient space curse, as the advanced ones would certainly not be openly published in books."

"In return, she had offered a pair of boots purchased from Ninui Town — 500 gold coins, level 30, with added magic power, very useful."

"Indeed, one must have money (strike that)."

"'Yes, I’d like to learn divination.' Fei Yi handed over a small bag of marinated beef jerky, a popular new snack among the people, 'Can you help me, dear Mei?'"

"'Oh wow, sure!' Mei, with short hair, eyes shining, exclaimed, 'But my divination skills are average, Nana is much better. Nana, it’s all yours!'"

"The curly-haired senior, Nana, rolled her eyes dramatically, 'I can’t with you, but…'"

"She looked down at her shorter junior, 'Such great talent and so eager to learn, much better than someone else.'"

Oblivious and content, someone happily followed behind, munching on beef jerky.

They found an empty classroom, where Nana cast an "Enclosure" ancient spell to prevent disturbances.

Sitting down, she clasped her hands together, "There are many types of divination. Since you're a beginner, I recommend starting with the most basic: Smoke Divination..."

"No, senior," Faye interjected, covering Nana's hands with her own, her eyes intent, "I want to learn [Image Divination]."

Nana frowned, "How do you know about Image Divination? That's not taught until the third year."

Indeed, it wasn't taught until the third year, and it was quite challenging. Just the initial casting took an exceedingly long time, reminiscent of a game loading screen.

In reality, it probably translated to an exceptionally lengthy ancient spell.

But it was indeed a very useful skill.

In the game, few players were willing to endure such a long cast time just to see a brief glimpse of a foreseen image. After all, in a game, one could just rush in since death was not final.

Thus, it was a very unpopular skill.

However, Faye had mastered this skill to a high level, often using it to discern bosses' weaknesses. This tactic saved her considerable time in strategizing boss fights and was key to her topping the combat power rankings.

"I overheard it by chance," Faye earnestly requested, "Can you teach me, senior?"

"Well, that's not a problem... You'll surely progress to the next level and learn it in your third year. But..." Nana looked overwhelmed, "I can't memorize the Image Divination spell either. The textbook is here; maybe you can try it yourself?"

Faye replied, "...That's perfectly fine."

She braced herself for the lengthy spell, but upon opening the textbook, Faye fell silent.

It was incredibly long!

Who would create a spell spanning three whole A4 pages?!

Does one really need to recite it every time they cast it?! That's madness!... Still, considering she would eventually need this skill for more secure boss battles, Faye reluctantly opened the thin-cover book and began to copy.

Another late night fell, the moonlight slyly shining as most of Ninihui Town slept soundly.

Alvis was no exception. He had obediently stayed at home for the past two days, not even visiting the potion shop. He continuously used healing magic on his wife, sustaining her life while waiting for news from Lord Luke.

This undoubtedly left him in an increasingly fragile state of mind, and even in sleep, his rest was fitful and uneasy.

The night was hazy and silent.

Suddenly, a small shadow appeared at the foot of Alvis's bed.

Faye, like a ghostly apparition, quietly placed a handful of dried herbs beside the monk's face.

It was sleep grass from the Curved Forest, a type of shrub. When dried, it had the effect of curing insomnia, being non-toxic and odorless, making it a first choice for many potion makers and physicians.

To avoid being affected by it, one could hold a piece of snapdragon leaf under their tongue.

Soon, the sleep grass took effect, and Alvis's furrowed brow slowly relaxed.

Faye nudged him slightly, getting no response. She rolled her eyes silently and began to chant an exceedingly long ancient spell.

Image Divination is a type of foresight that turns premonitions into visual images, with the duration of the image depending entirely on the caster's magic power.

Faye gave it a try, and with her current level, the image lasted only about five seconds after casting.

Moreover, she had combined this with a dream-entering spell. Adding both together, the divination might be interrupted without revealing much.

Hence, she had made thorough preparations beforehand.

Running low on magic? Just take a potion!

Her base was a potion shop, stocked with seventeen or eighteen bottles of mana potions. If running low on mana, just drink up, aiming to show Alvis a coherent and real vision of the future in his dream.

Soon, ripple-like translucent waves began to spread out, and the monk furrowed his brow again, finding himself standing in the monastery's corridor, flanked by familiar deity portraits.

But there was no one else around.

"Why am I here?" Alvis looked at himself in surprise. His body was semi-transparent, like water in a bottle, "Is this... a dream?"

Suddenly, there was a noise behind him. Instinctively turning around, he saw a familiar figure.

It was Lord Luke! Luke, beaming, welcomed three members of the Holy Army into the building. These soldiers were clearly from the Silver Tin Monastery, as their armor bore the familiar emblem on their chests.

Alvis was very close to them, but none seemed to notice him.

"This really is a dream."

"At that moment, the leader of the Holy Army spoke, 'Have you prepared the 'gift' for Bishop Quincy?'"

"Bishop Quincy? Yarvis was well aware of this infamous name."

"He was the Deputy Bishop of the Silver Tin Monastery, the fourth in command, a renowned earth element grand mage. Also, one of the overseers of several small town monasteries, including Ninui Town, wielding considerable power."

"Such a person would never appear in their small monastery; even sending a representative would only happen for major events."

"Wait, major events?"

"Yarvis felt a surge of excitement. Could it be about the selection of a nun? Did the presence of the Holy Army here mean his Marian had been chosen?"

"Before he could hear more, the scene before Yarvis suddenly dissolved. Like a stone thrown into a lake, circles of white mist enveloped him."

"The next moment, he found himself back at his home. Under the moonlight, his beautiful daughter Marian, cloaked and her face hidden under a hood, silently followed the three Holy Army soldiers out and stepped into a carriage at the doorstep."

"It was a remarkably inconspicuous carriage, one Yarvis would normally never notice unless he saw it with his own eyes."

"Then, he saw himself."

"That familiar face rushed out, speaking in a tone full of humility and respect, 'Is it really impossible to take me along? I wish to see off my daughter. My lords, I thought—'"

"An impatient Holy Army soldier pushed him aside, 'She belongs to the Silver Tin Monastery now, do not interfere.'"

"With that, the vision shattered."

"Yarvis was jolted back to reality, forced to switch scenes again."

"This time, he found himself in Bishop Quincy's home."

"In the lavishly adorned corridor, servants bowed their heads cleaning, with portraits of Quincy himself lining the walls."

"Through the pristine windows, he could see a carriage concealed by the night outside."

"It was the same carriage Marian had just boarded."

"Why was the carriage at Bishop Quincy's house, not in the Silver Tin Monastery?"

Alvis's heart was filled with doubt when suddenly, he saw an inconspicuous door open in front of him, and his daughter, unconscious, was carried in by two Holy Army soldiers.

Alvis watched, stunned, as they hurried past him and stopped in front of a room.

"Bishop Quincy, the 'gift' has been delivered."

Gift?

A wave of indescribable apprehension swept over Alvis.

He was about to rush forward, but the scene changed again.

This time, the setting was Bishop Quincy's bedroom.

Alvis witnessed a scene he would never forget.

His daughter, his precious child whom he had cherished since birth, the little girl he and his wife had loved dearly, lay naked on the carpet, while Quincy loomed over her like a colossal bull, surrounded by scattered instruments of torture.

Alvis's eyes seemed to be glued shut with his daughter's blood, as he stared in shock. Rage erupted within him like a volcano, spewing molten fury in his mind.

More images enveloped him.

Alvis saw Quincy, after indulging himself, tie Marian like a dog to his bedpost. With a grand gesture, he promoted Luke to a more affluent town's top position.

He saw Luke's room filled with gold coins, his face splitting with joy, but he denied Alvis's request to visit his daughter.

"Marian is now the holiest of nuns. If you rashly visit her, wouldn't that expose your wife's past affliction by dark forces to the entire Silver Tin Monastery? Then your daughter will be expelled. Aren't you considering her future?"

He also saw Luke personally selecting confidants to build a two-story house next to his new monastery, complete with a hidden basement filled with neatly arranged, sealed boxes.

"Wonderful," Luke said with a gleeful smile, looking over the boxes, "Who says dark creatures are useless and must be killed on sight? See, if used properly, they can be the most efficient servants, hahaha!"

In the dream, everything was vivid and clear.

Alvis saw clearly that the sealed boxes were labeled with familiar names.

[Skin Eater (Tamed)], [Brain Snatcher (Tamed)], [Hermit Spider (Tamed)], [Nightmare Creature (Untamed·Dangerous)]...

In that moment, it felt as if someone was gripping Alvis's heart tightly, his veins constricting.

Anger, frenzy, regret, hatred, fear — myriad emotions tore through him, causing everything in his sight to violently shake.

"The scene fragmented like broken glass, each piece disappearing as it hit the ground."

"The last thing Yarvis saw was a pair of immense eyes looking down at him from the sky."

"Those eyes, covering the entire dream world, with dark purple pupils, stared emotionlessly at him, like an omnipotent deity beyond defiance."

"Tears streaming down his face, Yarvis fell to his knees with a thud."

"'Tsk, so emotionally shaken after seeing the future? Even the dream shattered,' Fei Yi's face was deathly pale. She struggled to lift her hand to wipe her mouth, her last vial of blue potion fully depleted."

"'Still too weak... can’t even handle a few scene transitions...'"

"The wraith swiftly moved forward, carrying its unconscious master, slithering out through the window like a snake."

"No sooner had it vanished than the person on the bed abruptly opened their eyes."

"Gazing at the familiar ceiling and inhaling the scent of grass and wood, Yarvis' rigid body finally began to relax."

"'Was it a dream...?' But why do the anger, fear, and regret feel so real?"

"Everything in the dream was so... real?"

"The monk couldn’t fall back asleep. He put on his robe and went to his wife’s room, weakly restarting the healing magic."

"Meanwhile, he began to reexamine every detail of the recent series of events."

"The more he recalled, the more terrified he became."

"His wife was suddenly attacked by a Skin-Eater Ghost half a month ago, and the night before the accident, Yarvis had just received a double candlestick from Luke in the name of the monastery."

"Luke always seemed to be inquiring, intentionally or not, about his wife’s condition."

"He sought healing items, but the monastery’s storeroom was temporarily closed due to an unexpected incident."

"Several monks with high magic power recently took leave due to accidents."

"Three months ago, Marian, delivering lunch for him, accidentally encountered Luke in the monastery. Luke, usually known for his temper, didn't get angry that day. Instead, he graciously escorted Marian to Yarvis' room."

Cold sweat broke out in layers on his skin.

Trembling, Alvis rose and slowly approached the double-candlestick on the table.

He remembered after killing the first Skin Eater, he had thought his home was safe. The ineffectiveness of repeated healing spells was attributed to his wife's severe injuries.

It never crossed his mind that another Skin Eater might still be lurking in his home.

The ornate double-candlestick was moved to another room, and Alvis, staring intently, took out the last bit of holy water from the monastery and poured it over without hesitation.

"Roar!" A shrill scream erupted, and a gaunt, brown-skinned Skin Eater, nothing but skin and bones, was forced to reveal itself!

Alvis's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He quickly placed a barrier stone next to the candlestick!

The Skin Eater was trapped, frantically slamming against the barrier.

The monk slowly retreated, lacking the strength to kill another.

He gasped for air like a drowning man, his mind filled with images of his daughter, crushed under Quincy like a rag doll... That wasn't a dream, definitely not.

It was reality, everything in the dream was a future that was going to happen!

That bastard Luke was plotting against his most precious daughter!

Enraged, Alvis leaped up, intending to confront the scoundrel. However, his steps halted abruptly at the front door.

What to do after a confrontation? Luke was the highest-ranked at the monastery, powerful and robust in magic. He could easily make Alvis silently regret and perish.

Write a letter to report higher up? But Quincy was the fourth in command of the Silver Tin Monastery; he wouldn't allow such a letter to be seen by others.

Secretly send Marian away? But he and his wife had close blood ties with Marian; any high-level bloodline magic could easily reveal her location.

Suicide...?

No! If he died, Marian would be even more unprotected!

Alvis frantically tugged at his hair, crying out like a dying animal.

Who else? Who else could help them? Anyone, anyone at all! His Marian... his little angel...!

Wait a minute!

A bolt of lightning suddenly struck through Alvis's mind!

He abruptly remembered what someone had once told him—

"If the deity cannot hear your wishes, why not try other possibilities?"

Right... there are other possibilities...

Make a wish to a witch.

Alvis leaped up from the ground, rushing into the moonlight, and frantically pounded on the door of the potion shop in the dead of night.

Winnas was startled, calming her undead creature and opening the door a crack with her magic lamp.

Outside stood Alvis, his face contorted like a demon.

"You know how to summon a witch, don't you..." his eyes red-rimmed, "You said that to me before, you definitely know how to summon a witch, right?!"

Winnas paused slightly, "What are you talking about? Please, calm down, sir. I think you are currently..."

"Bang!" Alvis burst in and locked the door.

"Please, teach me," he slid to his knees, "Teach me how to summon a witch... No matter the cost, heart, liver, skin, skull, or even my soul! Anything the witch desires, as long as she can help me, help my Marian, save my wife, punish those worse than pigs and dogs! I am willing to give it all to her!"

"Boom!"

Deafening thunder ripped across the sky, and blinding lightning tore through the dense night.

A sudden downpour hit without warning, white mist rising from the ground, swirling like tumultuous waves.

It was like the wrath of the gods.

The potion shop fell into a deathly silence.

After a long while, the dimly lit girl slowly revealed a smile.

"I understand your intention, Mr. Alvis. If your wish is sincere, the witch will hear it."

"May we both sink into darkness together."