Sorcerer’s Handbook

Sylin drove the dagger into his throat, but instead of piercing the windpipe, he dragged it downward, halting at the waist.

He sliced through the dense undergarment, drawing a straight line of blood that neatly divided his upper body in two halves, left and right.

Ashe’s countenance changed, “You’ve changed your mind.”

“Yes.”

Sylin tossed aside the dagger and gathered his long hair behind his ears, reclaiming the elfin grace. With a serene expression and a gentle voice, he said, “Imprisoning you was my naive wishful thinking. You are the ‘Tactile’ that Heath summoned through great difficulty. You even escaped from Shattered Lake Prison. How could I possibly confine you?”

“So many uncertainties in this world, as long as the Four Pillars watch over you, those uncertainties are enough to breach all my arrangements.”

“I can’t imprison you, nor can I kill you, I can’t even hand you over to the Sin Hunter’s Hall, and I certainly can’t delay. The power of the ‘Tactile’ could enable your escape at any moment.”

“So, I’ve come to a conclusion.”

The elf extended the middle and index fingers of both hands like hooks, inserting them into his chest along the bloody line he had just cut.

Ashe tilted his head slightly, “In my understanding, ‘purify’ sounds a lot like ‘heal’…”

“Purify means to expel the impure, to destroy the invaders, to obliterate the parasites!” Sylin’s aquamarine eyes became brighter, as if emitting light. “And you, the half-formed ‘Tactile’ dwelling in Heath, are the very subject that needs to be purified!”

“I was originally going to use this miracle to destroy Heath… but I never dared, always in fear, thus becoming Heath’s puppet, thus committing so many mistakes. Tactile, I thank you, for you have given me a chance at redemption.”

Ashe narrowed his eyes, “But aren’t you essentially killing me as well? Once I die, the Ritual will be complete—”

“That’s why I’ve resorted to this Taboo Miracle.”

Sylin was glowing.

His green pupils, his blood, his black hair, his skin—every color on him was emitting a radiant luster; he was practically… becoming a painting.

“Not just ‘you’, but every arrangement of the Four Pillars within you, every trace Heath has etched onto your body, will be expelled without a trace. Everything that does not belong to this body will be thoroughly Purified.”

Ashe took a deep breath: “Sylin, you’re just a Golden Two Wings Sorcerer, do you really have that much power?”

“Of course I don’t, but… the Virtual Realm does.”

Sylin suddenly revealed a shallow smile: “You attended my lecture on ‘Ancient Ritual Factions’ a couple of days ago, didn’t you?”

Ashe’s pupils shrank, “Taboo Ritual…”

“There was something I didn’t mention at the time.” Sylin spoke as if lecturing in a classroom: “If a special method is used to force a Golden Two Wings Sorcerer to be a Sacrifice, at most, one could Pray for a full-force strike from a Quadruple wings Sorcerer.”

“But if a Golden Two Wings Sorcerer volunteers for the highest level of Taboo Ritual, that sincerity will be recognized by the Virtual Realm, and one could even Pray for a power from the Virtual Realm that surpasses Quadruple wings!”

“Under the protection of the Blood Moon Sovereign, the Four Pillars can at most grant you a ‘blessing’ at the level of Quadruple wings.” Sylin revealed a blissful smile: “Destiny still favors me, in Kaimon City, only I can aptly remove you, the ‘Tactile’.”

Ashe’s thoughts raced, and he quickly tried to persuade: “We don’t need to reach a point where it’s you or me. Now that I know you’re also compelled, I won’t trouble you anymore. I was actually planning to leave the Blood Moon Kingdom. How about you help me leave the Blood Moon, that way I leave, and you don’t have to sacrifice your life—win-win, how about that?”

“Tactile, who do you think I am?”

Sylin scoffed: “Chairman of the Elven Rights Association? Councilor? The shadowy figure behind a gang? Professor? A self-serving opportunist? A cowardly immortal?”

“I am already 203 years old. When I was born, the Blood Moon Tribunal hadn’t even started; after reaching adulthood, I participated in the Hunting Festival of the Outer Realm; I have traveled across the entirety of the Blood Moon, witnessed the downfall of the old cities, and the rise of new ones; I’ve seen and even experienced all the sufferings and entertainments of this world.”

“Do you really think I would cling to this old, withering life?” Sylin’s eyes were filled with mockery: “If it weren’t for death being unable to defy Heath’s commands, if it weren’t for the law prohibiting suicide, I would have longed to step into Blood Moon Heaven!”

Ashe was taken aback: “Immortality Syndrome? Has the Beacon of Hope in your heart been extinguished?”

“Immortality Syndrome? No, I don’t have a Beacon of Hope in my heart, because there is something warmer and more beautiful that exists.”

Sylin smiled, with the huge, vibrant Blood Moon behind him, its gentle light draped over him like a blessing from a divine being.

“I’ve long wanted to perish alongside Heath, but I can’t resist him. I have been waiting for this opportunity, not to seek revenge, but to prove…”

“That I still deeply love this Blood Moon.”

“Ritual Miracle. Origin Taboo Ritual of Virtual Chromatic Painting.”

Snap!

Sylin’s hands, inserted into a bloodline at the center, suddenly pulled apart, ripping open his chest like a curtain!

What Ashe saw was not crimson blood and purple innards, but colors!

Bursts of colors, gushing from Sylin’s chest, flooded over Ashe like a river!

“The floral languages of iron Begonia and water lily both signify loyalty,” he said softly.

At that moment, Ashe’s mind suddenly recalled Valcas—since Sylin was not voluntarily pursuing Ashe, why would Valcas, who failed in his assassination attempt, be despised and hated by Sylin?

Sylin did not despise Valcas because he failed to complete the task.

It was because Valcas ‘wanted’ to complete it that Sylin despised him!

Earlier, Sylin had mentioned that Valcas’s reward for the task was ‘reunion with his biological son’.

Valcas accepting the task meant he had not repented, still wishing to rebel against the laws of the Blood Moon Kingdom! This was an unforgivable mistake for the Follower Sylin—the law is the will of the gods, the rules are the desires of the gods, Valcas was akin to desecrating Sylin’s faith!

“As I pass away, let the flaying twins strip away my skin, let the crimson maidens draw out my blood, let the nightshade priests arrange my bones, let the blessing angels guide my Soul…”

Sylin closed his eyes, softly reciting his own prayer.

He thought he would see the messenger come to guide him, but what emerged in his mind was a page from the past.

A young Sylin sat cross-legged on a wooden floor, watching a clumsy Elven toddler crawl towards him, arms outstretched for an embrace. He laughed, picked up the child, and wiped away the drool with a handkerchief.

“Repeat after me, Val-cas-“

“Valcas?”

“No, I am not Valcas, I am Sylin.”

“Sylin?”

“Yes, you are Valcas, I am Sylin.”

“Sylin!!~”

“…and I shall eventually reunite with you in the promised land.”

As the last burst of color was thrown, the robe of the disembodied Elven Scholar gently fell to the carpet.

Moonlight fell on the pure white fabric, casting the most innocent shade of blood.

In the vast study, Ashe and Heath were left alone.

Without the supply of arcane energy, the tree that trapped Ashe quickly withered and decayed, turning into brittle remnants at a touch.

Ashe looked down at his own hands, his eyes filled with confusion.

“It seems… I’m alright?”

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