Prologue (1)
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“I wish to be pulled to your side like the moon is drawn west by the Earth…”
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No matter how breathtaking a sunset, the beauty meets its demise as the fading sun disappears behind the mountains.
No matter how radiant the dawn is, the destiny it meets in the end is to be swallowed by the darkness.
Dusk is but a prelude to the night where ebony shadows and a vexing moon reside. There the fragile moonlight can never drive away the darkness.
I stand in front of the city gates peering into the distance, yet I don’t know what I’m looking for. With wandering thoughts, I took out my notebook and added another stroke to the many scribbles. The feeling was no longer as profound as when I wrote the first.
Today, Hui Shi still hasn’t returned.
“Lord Luo Shi, we are ready to depart.”
“Hmm.”
I packed up my notebook and fixed my expression until it was no different than it usually was.
“Let’s go.”
Hui Shi always told me that I shouldn’t mind my status, that I should just have fun like other children.
My hand gently brushed against a jade plate hanging from my waist. Looking past my name carved on the plate, I caught a glimpse of the red tassel hanging beneath. With a slight frown, the usually tense feelings tightened even more.
Only five people in the Eastern City are given jade plates with the name “Shi”.
Among the five, only my tassel is the common red.
“The people sent from Luo Yue1 this time aren’t especially strong. We should get it successfully.”
Following my left, this person probably didn’t bear any ill intention when saying that. It still made my mood worse nonetheless.
“If it was Yin Shi, Ling Shi, or one of the others who came, you’d be more at ease, wouldn’t you?”
I didn’t mean for it to sound so prickly.
I wish I could be more honest. If I were, maybe more people will like me?
Although I think that, I still cannot do it.
“I’m… I’m sorry! Lord Luo Shi, that’s not what I meant!”
After hearing the terror-filled apology, I ignored that person and silently continued.
This world is called Huan Shi2. When I was born, “Chen Yue”3 has already existed for a long, long time.
In the beginning, the Eastern City and the Western City discovered “Chen Yue” together. As an artifact of the gods, Chen Yue possesses unbelievable power. It can attract the wandering souls of other worlds, create paths that lead them to ours, and give new life by providing them with new bodies. Our two cities take turns greeting these people and allow them to become part of the community as New Residents.
New Residents are important human resources. In recent years, the welcoming process gradually became a battle as neither city wants to see its enemy growing stronger. Whether it be Luo Yue’s turn or ours, those despicable people from Luo Yue hogged the New Residents. Thus, whenever news of a new soul arrives, we would both send crack troops to wait at the pathway’s exit. It typically ends with a bloodshed to obtain the soul. The time we have to defeat the other troop is when the soul’s body is still forming, before the person walks out of the pathway.
The troops who come to snatch the newcomer always prepare a spell4 to teleport themselves home. Since both The Eastern City and the Western City can do this, whoever catches the person walking out of the path first and teleports, wins.
The pathways of Chen Yue usually open when the moon is at its zenith. And only during this time would the area surrounding the pathway be safe for humans to enter. That is why they chose to depart at dusk. When they arrive, it will be the perfect time for entrance.
“Lord Luo Shi, the people from Luo Yue have also arrived.”
I heard the report from my comrade, nodded, and looked to the field across from us.
The place was lit only by the faint threads of light from the pathway’s exit. As long as we can see our enemy’s numbers and appearance, that bit is enough.
I knew they can see us as well. The light reflected from the swords waving for battle is truly stinging. The already horrible mood worsened again.
“Prepare the spell!”
Apart from the talismans used to teleport home, there are also other ones for offense and defense. As for me, I direct a group of attackers.
I hoped to vent my feelings of irritation and emptiness in this battle.
Desiring destruction, I also took out seals for attack and gazed at the people across from us.
I’m always searching for you, always waiting for you to return……
Next: Prologue(2)
Return: Main Page
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1Luo Yue (落月) : descending moon
2Huan Shi（幻世）: The character “Shi” for the name of the alternative universe is different from the names of the characters, Luo Shi/Ling Shi/Hui Shi (侍). 世 means “world”, while 侍 means “one who serves”. Also keep in mind that “Shi” is pronounced as “Shih”, not “Shee”.
3Chen Yue (沉月) : sinking moon
4Spell: The closer term is actually “magic circle”. It isn’t too clear so far, but it is more likely that they use a talisman to create a spell. And at the same time, using the talisman also means preparing a magic circle.
Translator: Nuddle
Proofreader: Aindra, Roniz, Xeleio
