Chapter 2: The Secret of the Full Moon Night

Alex returned to the town when the sky was completely dark. He was panting, leaning against the door of the tavern, trying to calm his heartbeat. The tavern was still dimly lit, and the townspeople were talking in low voices, seemingly unaware of his arrival. Alex pushed open the door and walked into the tavern. The bartender looked up and saw that he was covered in dust and looked disheveled, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

"You're back?" the bartender's voice was low and calm.

Alex nodded, his voice tired: "I need a drink, and... can you tell me more about the old castle?"

The bartender was silent for a moment, then took out a bottle of aged whiskey from under the counter, poured a glass, and handed it to Alex: "The old castle is a taboo for the town, and no one is willing to talk about it. But since you've been there, maybe you should know more."

Alex took the glass and drank it in one gulp, then placed the glass heavily on the bar: "Tell me, bartender. I need to know the truth."

The bartender sighed, leaned against the bar, and spoke in a low voice: "The old castle was the former residence of the De Morton family, who were the masters of this land. But hundreds of years ago, a disaster occurred in the family, and since then, the old castle has been cursed. The townspeople believe that the castle is inhabited by the spirits of werewolves, which will awaken on full moon nights and look for new victims."

"Werewolves?" Alex frowned, "You mean those murders were done by werewolves?"

The bartender nodded: "Yes, every full moon night, someone disappears. The next day, their bodies are found with signs of being torn by wild beasts. The townspeople all know that it's the werewolves doing it."

"But why doesn't anyone stop them?" Alex asked.

"Because the werewolves are part of the curse, and their power is invincible." The bartender's voice was filled with helplessness, "And the townspeople are afraid to touch the taboo, fearing that it will bring even greater disaster."

Alex was silent. He thought of Isabella, the woman who claimed to be a witch, and the silver magic she cast in the darkness. He realized that the town's secret was much more complicated than he had imagined.

"Do you know Isabella?" Alex asked.

The bartender's eyes flashed with surprise: "How do you know her name?"

"I met her in the old castle." Alex replied, "She claimed to be a witch of the De Morton family and said she was a guardian."

The bartender was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Isabella is the last heir of the De Morton family. She has been guarding the secrets of the old castle, trying to prevent the curse from spreading. But no one knows her true identity, and no one knows what she's really doing."

"Can I find her?" Alex asked.

The bartender shook his head: "Isabella's whereabouts are unknown, and no one knows where she is. Maybe she'll only appear on full moon nights."

Alex sighed, knowing that the bartender might be right. He decided to put aside his pursuit of Isabella for the time being and start with other clues. He took out the anonymous letter from his pocket and read it again carefully.

"For twenty years, every full moon night, there's been a strange murder. The victims were all found near the old castle, with signs of being torn by wild beasts..." he read the content of the letter in a low voice, and suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind.

"Bartender, do you know who the missing people are over the past twenty years?" he asked.

The bartender nodded: "I can help you check the town's archives. But you should know that these things have been a long time ago, and it's hard to find complete records."

"That's okay." Alex said, "I need to know all possible clues."

The bartender nodded, turned around, and walked into a small room behind the tavern. After a while, he came out with an old notebook and handed it to Alex: "This is the record of missing people in the town over the past twenty years. Maybe it can help you."

Alex took the notebook and opened the first page, which recorded the name and date of the first missing person. He read each record carefully, trying to find some pattern. At this time, he noticed a detail - the date of each missing person coincided with the full moon night, and their identities seemed to have a common point.

"Bartender, are all the missing people young people from the town?" he asked.

The bartender nodded: "Yes, most of them are young people. The townspeople believe that werewolves choose young people as victims because they have stronger vitality."

Alex's heart moved, and he realized that this might be a key clue. He continued to flip through the notebook, trying to find more useful information. At this time, he noticed a name - Lucas De Morton.

"Lucas De Morton?" he read the name in a low voice, and a sense of unease arose in his heart.

"Do you know this name?" he asked.

The bartender nodded: "Lucas is the last male heir of the De Morton family. He left the town when he was a child and never came back. But recently, someone saw him around the old castle."

"Old castle?" Alex frowned, "Why would he go there?"

The bartender sighed: "Maybe he wants to regain his family's past. But the old castle is a dangerous place, and no one wants to get close to it."

Alex was silent for a moment, then continued to flip through the archives. He noticed a land contract in the archives, which recorded the land ownership of the De Morton family in the late 19th century. He read the content of the contract carefully, trying to find some clues.

At this time, he noticed a line of small characters on the back of the contract, which seemed to be crossed out by a pen. He took a closer look and found that it was a combination of numbers and letters, like a password.

"What's this?" he asked.

The mayor looked at the contract and then spoke in a low voice: "That's the land coordinates from the late 19th century, which may be used by the De Morton family to mark a secret location."

"Secret location?" Alex's heart moved, and he realized that this might be a key clue.

"Do you know what that place is?" he asked.

The mayor shook his head: "I don't know. The De Morton family's affairs have always been mysterious, and no one knows their true intentions."

Alex was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Thank you for your help, Mayor. I'll continue to investigate."

The mayor nodded: "You should be careful, Mr. Journalist. The town's secrets are dangerous, and you've already touched the taboo."

Alex smiled, but his heart was filled with doubts. He realized that the town's secret was much more complicated than he had imagined, and he must find the truth, even if it means facing greater danger.

The night fell again, and the town of Eldria was shrouded in silence. Alex stood in front of the ruins of the old castle, holding the yellowed land contract in his hand. His eyes were fixed on the coordinates on the back of the contract, which he had found in the mayor's office. He knew that this coordinate might point to a secret location hidden under the old castle, and this location might be the key to unlocking the town's curse.

He took a deep breath and walked along the outer wall of the old castle, trying to find an entrance. The wall was covered with ivy and moss, telling an ancient story. Alex's eyes scanned the wall, and suddenly, his foot slipped, and he lost his balance and fell forward.

"Be careful!" a voice sounded behind him, and a warm hand supported his shoulder.

Alex turned around and saw a familiar figure standing behind him - Isabella. She was wearing a black robe, and the moonlight shone on her face, making her look mysterious and beautiful.

"You're back." Isabella's voice was filled with a hint of blame, "Why didn't you listen to me and leave?"

Alex shook his head, his eyes fixed on her: "I couldn't just give up. I know that the town's secret is hidden here, and I must find the truth."

Isabella was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Okay, since you're here, I can take you to a place. But you must remember, once you step in, you can't go back."

Alex nodded: "I understand."

Isabella turned around and walked towards a hidden corner of the old castle. She squatted down and pushed away the ivy, revealing a hole covered by stones. She took out a silver wand from her pocket and tapped the stones a few times, and the hole opened, revealing a staircase leading down.

"Follow me." Isabella spoke in a low voice, stepping into the hole.

Alex followed her, walking down the stairs. The stairs were narrow and steep, and the air was filled with a damp and rotten smell. They walked down until they reached a huge underground room. In the center of the room was an ancient stone table, covered with intricate symbols and patterns. Around the table were several stone chairs, as if this was a place where rituals were held.

"What is this place?" Alex asked in a low voice.

"This is the De Morton family's sacrificial room." Isabella's voice was filled with reverence, "For hundreds of years, it has been used to seal the curse's power."

Alex's eyes were fixed on the symbols on the stone table, and he noticed that one of the symbols was surprisingly similar to the coordinates on the land contract. He looked up at Isabella: "What do these symbols mean?"

Isabella walked to the stone table and gently touched the symbols: "This is an ancient seal symbol, used to mark the core of the curse. According to these symbols, the curse's power is sealed in a place under the old castle."

"A place?" Alex frowned, "Do you know the specific location?"

Isabella nodded: "I know. But to unlock this secret, we need a key."

"A key?" Alex asked.

"Yes." Isabella took out an ancient silver badge from her pocket, engraved with the De Morton family's crest, "This is the family's heirloom badge, also a key to unlock the seal. But to completely unlock the curse, we need another key."

"What's the other key?" Alex asked.

Isabella was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "The other key is the De Morton family's heirloom silver chain. It's hidden somewhere in the old castle, but no one knows the specific location."

Alex's heart moved, and he thought of Lucas De Morton. If Lucas was the last male heir of the De Morton family, would he know the location of the silver chain?

"Do you know where Lucas is?" he asked.

Isabella shook her head: "I don't know. Since he left the town, there's been no news of him. But I know he's connected to the curse."

Alex was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "Maybe we should find him. He might be the key to unlocking the curse."

Isabella nodded: "I have the same feeling. But to find Lucas, we need to unlock the secret under the old castle first."

She walked to the stone table and placed the silver badge in the center of the symbols. As the badge was placed, the symbols on the stone table began to glow, as if responding to an ancient call.

"This is the power of the seal." Isabella spoke in a low voice, "It will guide us to the core of the curse."

Alex's eyes were fixed on the glowing symbols, and his heart was filled with expectation and unease. He knew that they had already stepped onto a dangerous path, and the end of this path might bring the town's salvation or greater disaster.

"What should we do?" he asked.

Isabella took a deep breath, then spoke in a low voice: "Follow the guidance of the light, and it will take us to the answer."

As the symbols glowed brighter, a crack suddenly appeared on the wall of the underground room. Isabella and Alex looked at each other, then walked towards the crack. Isabella touched the crack with her hand, and the symbols' light flowed into it, making the crack expand and reveal a passage.

"This is the path to the core of the curse." Isabella spoke in a low voice, "Let's go."

Alex nodded, following her. They walked down the passage, which was narrow and winding, as if it had no end. The air was getting damper, and Alex felt a sense of oppression, as if something was watching them in the darkness.

"Are we almost there?" he asked in a low voice.

"Almost." Isabella replied, her voice filled with tension, "I can feel the power of the curse ahead."

Finally, they reached a huge stone door, engraved with intricate symbols, the same as the ones in the sacrificial room. Isabella placed the silver badge on the symbols, and the door began to glow. The stone door slowly opened, revealing a huge underground room.

The room was filled with a dazzling array of crystals, and in the center was a huge crystal ball, surrounded by a circle of silver symbols. The crystal ball glowed with a faint light, as if telling an ancient story.

"What is this?" Alex asked in a low voice.

"This is the source of the curse." Isabella spoke in a low voice, "For hundreds of years, it has been sealed here, but as time passes, the seal's power is getting weaker."

Alex's eyes were fixed on the crystal ball, and he could feel a strong power emanating from it, as if it was calling something.

"What should we do?" he asked.

Isabella was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice: "We need to find the heirloom silver chain and use it to reseal the curse. Otherwise, the town will fall into greater disaster."

Alex nodded, knowing that they had no way back. He must find Lucas, find the silver chain, and unlock the ancient curse.

"Where should we start?" he asked.

Isabella looked up, her eyes filled with determination: "From every corner of the old castle."