In a room of an abandoned castle, sunlight shone through the gaps in the thick curtains, illuminating a pitch-black coffin.

Suddenly, the lid of the coffin made a rustling sound and slowly moved to the side.

With a thud, it fell to the ground.

After a few seconds, Azik Eggers sat up with a confused expression.

At this moment, he was wearing the loose pajamas that were popular in Rune a few years ago, just like a nobleman who had woken up in his own manor.

After a pause, Azik narrowed his eyes slightly and looked around with a confused look as if he didn't know who he was.

He then saw the bright sunlight shining through the cracks, the dust particles dancing in the sunlight, and the letters scattered on the table, on the ground, and next to the coffin lid.

They were like giant snowflakes, covering half of the place.

Azik walked out of the coffin, bent down with a puzzled look on his face, picked up a letter, opened it and began to read.

As he read, the confusion on his face disappeared a little, as if he remembered many past events.

Azik immediately found a chair and sat down, letting all the letters fly in front of him, overlapping like a mountain.

He opened and read letter after letter, pausing from time to time to ponder for a long time, as if he was seriously recalling something.

The sunlight that came through the gap in the curtains gradually dimmed, and after a long time, it shone in again.

At this time, Azik finally finished reading all the letters and completed long "meditation"-like thinking again and again.

He glanced at the letters that were already piled on the table and sighed slowly and deeply.

Then he found some writing paper, a pen, and some usable ink, and wrote gently:

“…I have woken up and received all your letters, which made me remember who I am, who you are, and many things in the past.

“Your experience, both in terms of complexity and brilliance, has exceeded my imagination, and has made me understand some of my previous doubts.

“From these letters, I can feel your happiness, your tiredness, your hope for life and the heavy responsibility you put on your shoulders.

"I can probably guess why you made that choice in the end. If it were me, I probably wouldn't have made such a decision.

“You have been a guardian since the beginning, from imitating others to being imitated.

“Next, I will start a journey to trace more of the past and witness the changes in this world.

“You seem to be still asleep, but never mind, I will write to you of the interesting things, customs, and people I meet with.

"I think that I can send these letters to you by offering sacrifices..."

The golden pen tip reflected the sunlight, slid across the white paper with a rustling sound, and continued to write more content.

…………

Backlund, inside the sun room of a townhouse.

Melissa walked in holding the hand of a little girl who was obviously less than ten years old.

"Auntie, Auntie, why here?" the little girl asked in confusion, "In the stories I heard, mysterious ceremonies were all held in the basement."

Melissa, with her hair tied up and glasses on, smiled and said:

"That is an irregular occult ritual."

She then pointed to the altar that had been set up in front of her and the candles that had not yet been lit and said:

"You may begin now."

"Really?" The little girl turned her head to look at the bright sunlight shining in from the window, "Should we draw the curtains?"

"No, this is fine." Melissa answered and smiled as she watched the little girl imitate her usual rituals in an extremely clumsy and unskilled way.

During this process, she gave instructions from time to time and even did it herself, finally allowing the little girl to complete the preparations for the ceremony.

“Okay, repeat after me.” Melissa took a breath, and her expression gradually calmed down.

"Yeah." The little girl also tried to make herself look serious.

Melissa looked at the candlelight on the altar for a few seconds, then slowly spoke in ancient Hermetic language:

"A fool who does not belong to this era..."

"The language of catching water means a single drop of joy will come..." The little girl had never learned ancient Hermetic language. Although she tried her best to imitate her aunt, she still didn't know what she was saying.

“The mysterious ruler above the gray fog…” Melissa continued to read.

"The holy honey that breaks bones can be used to boil debts..." the little girl followed seriously.

"The yellow and black king who holds good luck..." After Melissa finished reciting each sentence, the candle flame at the top suddenly expanded to the size of a human head without waiting for the little girl to imitate.

In this huge ball of fire, a slippery tentacle with faint evil patterns on it, which was difficult to see clearly, stretched out hesitantly, and its movements were extremely slow.

The little girl was stunned for a moment, and she stepped back suddenly and hid behind her aunt.

Melissa pursed her lips and said with a gentle smile:

"Don't be afraid, go say hello to him."

The little girl timidly poked her head out from behind her aunt and saw the scary, slippery tentacle swaying gently in the bright sunlight coming in from the window, as if wiping off dust, or waving to herself.

"Go ahead, don't be afraid," Melissa repeated.

The little girl finally plucked up the courage and stood in front of the altar.

She mumbled some spells of her own invention, then smiled sincerely and raised her hands.

The slippery tentacles with the patterns disappeared paused for several seconds, seeming hesitant and unfamiliar.

Then it rose gently, curled up slightly, and descended inch by inch.

In the sunlight, it clapped its hands with that little hand.

(End of the book)

PS: I feel like I've been drained out. I'll finish this post tomorrow at noon.