Chapter 4: Reality

In the instant his small hand touched the seventh deity statue, it suddenly transformed into a shadow, wholly infiltrating into Aiden Gray's body. Aiden Gray felt as if his head was on fire, his brain boiling; the pain that directly affected his soul nearly drove him to madness, yet he couldn't faint. Threads of icy coldness flowed towards every part of his body, violently colliding with the invisible heat that enveloped him, making Aiden Gray feel as if every inch of his flesh and bones was cracking!

Aiden Gray endured with great effort. The toughness and competitiveness forged through years of training manifested at this moment, and he actually endured until all the shadows entered his body. After absorbing the last trace of shadow, Aiden Gray's spirit finally relaxed, his vision blurred, and the goddess's temple gradually faded away.

Through his blurred vision, Aiden Gray saw his mother's beautiful and concerned face. He finally relaxed and lost consciousness.

"I've obtained two abilities. Mom would be proud of me!" In the drifting darkness, Aiden Gray subconsciously thought.

On the attic, a conspicuous crack appeared on the altar of the Moon Goddess. This rare altar was damaged during the ceremony. Elan's face was pale, with a trickle of blood flowing down her lips, yet she was unaware. She frantically examined every part of Aiden Gray's body and only let down her worry a bit when she saw that his body was intact and hadn't suffered any damage. However, her face changed again when she noticed a small patch of shadow swirling above Aiden Gray's eyebrows.

There were firelight and moonlight in the attic, and Aiden Gray was lying on his back. Neither light source would cast a shadow above Aiden Gray's eyebrows. That small patch of shadow was like mist, slowly swirling but not dispersing. It was a shadow that ordinary people couldn't distinguish, but Elan, who still retained the power of the fifth crescent moon, could see it. She trembled as she reached out to touch it, feeling a faint chill and a sensation on her fingertips. That was the sensation brought by the conflict between the shadow energy and Elucia's divine power.

"A shadow creature?!" Elan exclaimed in disbelief. She gritted her teeth and once again probed her fingers into the shadow above Aiden Gray's eyebrows, silently reciting a prayer that had become unfamiliar to her. It was a divine foresight that Elan hadn't mastered even in the past, but at this moment, her heart was already in turmoil. In her knowledge, only this divine foresight could unravel the origin of the shadow above Aiden Gray's eyebrows. Even if the hope was slim, she had to try.

Since losing her identity as the High Priestess, she had also lost the goddess's favor and all her divine abilities. It was originally a desperate and random act, but Elan didn't expect that the divine foresight would unexpectedly succeed.

A scroll appeared in front of Elan's eyes. It was endless emptiness and darkness, with only chaotic energy, no moon, no stars. In the chaos, massive shadows were slowly swirling, seemingly moving in disorder but ultimately converging onto one trajectory, pointing directly at the clear destination—Aiden Gray!

The scroll flashed and vanished. The brief foresight had exhausted all her strength, leaving her without even the strength to move a finger. Even if she was full of energy, what she saw once again made her feel deeply despairing.

Shadows were different from darkness; they were an energy without substantial existence, inherently possessing spatial properties. There were countless species of shadow creatures, most of which wandered aimlessly between dimensions. The chaotic energy between dimensions was their natural nourishment. They were cunning, dangerous, and powerful, hence species loved and feared by mages. Shadow summoning was already a mature spell that could be enhanced from level six to level nine. However, this spell had a very small chance of failure. When that happened, the summoned shadow creature would lose control, and mages with magic power were one of the most delicious foods for them. Therefore, every year on the continent, there would be several incidents of mages being devoured by summoned shadow creatures.

The shadow lingering above Aiden Gray's eyebrows showed signs of life but was not a complete life form. The shadow energy it contained was not powerful; even an ordinary priest could purify it. Its role was actually similar to a lighthouse, marking a position in the infinitely complex universe of dimensions and summoning a large group of shadow creatures into this dimension, which was exactly what Elan saw in her foresight. Now, it was too late to erase and purify this shadow. That terrifying group of shadow creatures had obtained the coordinates and had already set out.

And Aiden Grey was the coordinate and anchor point for their entry into this dimension.

When the horde of shadowy creatures began to assault the dimension, Aiden Grey faced two possible outcomes: either being destroyed by the intense energetic conflict or being possessed by the most powerful shadowy creature, forever losing control of his body. At that point, he would become a container for the shadowy creature race.

No one could explain the laws between dimensions. The shadowy creatures traversing might take hundreds of years to complete their journey, or they might arrive at their destination just a month later.

"How could this happen..." Elaine held Aiden Grey in her arms, murmuring to herself, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

Suddenly, she looked up through the skylight, gazing at the fifth crescent moon still hanging high in the starry sky. She noticed a new trace on the moon's surface, resembling a dried bloodstain. It was the mutation of the crescent moon's power that had caused the change in the enlightenment ceremony. But if she were still the High Priestess of Elucia, the enlightenment wouldn't have mutated, would it?

Was this Elucia's punishment?

Elaine thought bitterly. She had no strength left to complain about fate or to indulge in self-pity. She carried Aiden Grey downstairs, carefully placed him on the bed, and covered him with a blanket. Aiden Grey, asleep, slightly frowned but often smiled, obviously dreaming of many happy things. He was a very beautiful boy, his little face just beginning to lose its childishness, already showing some signs of being handsome and charming. Elaine gazed silently at her child, who had been the focus of her life for ten years. Although ten years were just a short time for her with a long lifespan, it now felt as long as a lifetime. Aiden Grey grew up quickly, just appearing a bit more than human boys of the same age. This was only because of his bloodline. Aiden Grey, who possessed half of the Silver Moon Elf's bloodline, also had a natural lifespan of nearly five hundred years. And his appearance blended the ruggedness and masculinity with the exquisite beauty of the Silver Moon Elves. Only Elaine knew why this was.

On Aiden Grey's little face, that small shadow was still swirling and playing.

Elaine sighed softly, kissed Aiden Grey's forehead, and left the room. She sat alone in the living room, gazing at the night sky, with the past flowing through her mind like water. Those few nights had condensed almost all the intensity, hatred, and love in her entire life! And now, she had to recall them again.

Outside the window, the bloodstained fifth crescent moon quietly moved away, and the sixth crescent moon, shining with a unique golden glow, had already risen. When the seventh crescent moon emerged from the horizon, it would be dawn.

Finally, the light of the seventh crescent moon shone through the window, illuminating Elaine's face. She looked much more haggard and also much more beautiful. The mirror on the wall reflected an incredibly beautiful figure. This was her original appearance. For ten years, she had almost forgotten this face. This was the demeanor that only Silver Moon Elves could possess.

She stood up, carefully took out a piece of magical paper adorned with star patterns, and spread it on the table. Then she took out a well-sealed magical pen, checked it, and fortunately, the ink's magical power preserved in the magical pen made from the griffin's tail feathers was still intact. This was ink made from unicorn blood. Although there were only a few drops left, the letter she needed to write was not long, so it was just enough.

However, the originally lightweight feather pen felt as heavy as thousands of kilograms in her hand. She held it for a long time but couldn't write a single word. When the first ray of sunlight shone through the window, she smiled and whispered to herself, "Someone who can destroy the Elf Court should be able to handle shadowy life, especially after ten years have passed..."

Finally convincing herself, she began to draw a delicate magic circle at the top of the star-patterned paper and then wrote down a long name: Gavin·War Song·Isaiah·Settanistolia·Archimonde...

The moment the name was written, the magical pen suddenly vibrated, and the entire name began to shine, emitting a faint red glow like burning flames. When the flames extinguished, the long name had already faded to a barely visible imprint. Although the imprint was faint, it was deeply etched onto the star-patterned paper. Only when this precious star-patterned paper was completely destroyed could the imprint be erased. As the former High Priestess, she was also well-acquainted with the secrets of bloodlines. The burning flames represented that the name written with magic had touched the laws and had been perceived by its owner. Then, everything she wrote next would traverse through countless dimensions of time and space, directly transmitted to the owner of the name.

The magical pen hovered in the air again, and the hand holding it trembled slightly. The signs just now also indicated a fact, that this was indeed Gavin Warsong's true name. Although she had never doubted it over the years, this was the first time it had been confirmed. With the advantage of knowing his true name, she could cast the most vicious curse on him with just a little magic, and even if Gavin Warsong was now a legendary powerhouse, he would be powerless to resist the curse. A true name was originally the most important secret of some bloodlines.

This guy... actually casually tells his true name to others...

She thought involuntarily, but her slight sentiment was immediately replaced by the memory of vast forests burning and collapsing. Her hand became very cold but no longer trembled. She wrote down what she wanted to say in just a few lines, and then it was time to sign. She hesitated for a moment, and finally wrote down her name in her elegant handwriting as always: Elia Silvermoon Moonsong.

The star-patterned paper burned fiercely and turned into ashes in an instant. The information written on the paper had been transmitted to the distance through ancient and mysterious rules.

When she put down the magical pen, Eliya Silvermoon also let go of all her melancholy, serene and beautiful.