At this moment, Ulrich stopped setting up the candles on the table, which was now in a triangle formation, then pushed Zheng San aside before taking over.

  Big Three: What do you know about this book? Why are you interested in it?

  1999: Are you the interested friend?

  Big Three: Answer my question.

  1999: No comment.

  1999: How do you know about those symbols?

  Reading this message, Ulrich suddenly realized… They don't know about ancient Hermes! If they knew ancient Hermes, why refer to it as 'symbols', rather than directly mentioning ancient Hermes?

  Ulrich was probing, fishing for any useful information he could find.

  With the little amount of time he had left until 00:42, gaining anything or nothing, he was not disappointed. If anything, he could attempt proper communication in the next cycle.

  Big Three: One question, one answer, how about this?

  1999: Alright.

  Ulrich stopped typing, staring at the word on the screen. What question should he ask? From this client's attitude, it is likely that some of the questions will remain unanswered. Thus, aimlessly asking will only result in time wasted.

  After giving it some thought, he decided to raise a question about ancient Hermes.

  Big Three: You recognize these symbols, right? What do you know about them?

  1999: I don't know much. Just that they once existed in the past. Perhaps a lost language in history.

  In the past? Ulrich thought.

  Although his question looked simple, it was in fact two-faced. Firstly, it is established that this person offers no comment regarding what they know about the book, as well as why they commissioned it.

  Thus, rather than asking about the object of his interest directly, he questioned a part of the object of his interest.

  In this manner, his question was no different from asking what this person knows about the book. Of course, this was not a one-to-one response. Some of the details, he had to interpret himself; this was inevitable.

  Big Three: What do you mean by the past? What is this past and history?

  1999: One question, one answer. Remember?

  Ulrich froze, smiling wryly.

  1999: I will ask the same. Where did you get these symbols from?

  He paused to contemplate the question. What should he say? The truth? That it existed in another world? Ridiculous, who would believe him?

  Big Three: Saw it by chance in a library, is that sufficient?

  1999: What is your question?

  Big Three: The same as before. What do you know about the 'past' and 'history' regarding the symbols?

  Nothing. Ulrich stared at the screen, his face blank. At this moment, he glanced at his watch to note the time.

  Finally, after five minutes, that familiar user began typing.

  1999: I don't know much either, just some bits and pieces. The past and history should be one and the same. Hmm… I believe it should be called 'lost histories', though some folks refer to it as myths, or folklore…

  1999: In the past, there were remnant histories, or rather, evidence which stipulated that gods worships and religion were widespread. More importantly, the world was largely covered by water, and beneath, there are countless beasts. It's ridiculous, really. How much such world exist? If that was true, how could the land appear in such a span of time? Where did all these 'beasts go?'

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Ulrich's fingers froze over the keyboard, hovering motionless above the keys. His eyes locked onto the username displayed at the top of the chat window.

  At this moment, Zheng San was playing with the candles and assortments of 'strange' items that Ulrich brought with him, thus, he was unable to notice Ulrich's abnormal reaction.

  Quickly, Ulrich calmed his mind and said.

  Big Three: Indeed, that is true. No wonder why it is considered myths or folklores, it is truly unbelievable.

  Inwardly, Ulrich let out a self deprecating chuckle,

  He continued the conversation, hoping to gain any new information. Unfortunately, this person seems to be quite secretive and cautious, not willing to say much more than necessary.

  Since he was making no progress and there was only slightly over an hour left before 00:42, Ulrich decided to end the conversation.

  At the same time, Zheng San sat up straight and yawned, "Done?"

  Ulrich smiled and nodded.

  Looking back at the pile of objects lying in his apartment, Zheng San had the urge to ask him what he was planning to do. However, knowing Ulrich, it would be a miracle if he wasn't ignored.

  Even then, he couldn't help but be curious.

  "What is all this for?"

  It was as though Ulrich was waiting for his question, because the answer arrived almost immediately.

  "You're about to see,

  He didn't know Ulrich long, but he had a feeling that if Ulrich wanted him to see something, then it wasn't a particularly good thing!

  Without saying another word, Ulrich recalled the steps from Gu Lan's research and repeated them.

  Three candles in a triangle formation, various herbs scattered throughout, as well as numerous 'offerings'. Supposedly, the purpose of the herbs is to calm the mind, while the candle is to worship or 'pray' to a particular existence. As for the offerings, it is to please the targeted entity.

  Ulrich wasn't unfamiliar with this practice; in fact, in Belham and other places, this was a rather common practice for the believers of the Orthodox Churches. Of course, the steps were simpler and less intricate. However, due to this practice of prayers, herbs, and candles, as well as offerings, they were rather common goods for any household.

  If anything, the difference is that people tend to only pray to the known Gods, while lunatics and heretics offer their prayers to unknown entities, being occult practices.

  'It is believed that praying and worshiping any entities beyond the known Gods often results in one's horrifying end.

  If not for this being a dream, even he wouldn't dare to attempt such ominous rituals.

  At this moment, Ulrich lit the candles.

  He stood in the center between the three candles, and all the herbs were lit, filling the room with a pleasant fragrance. At this moment, the only source of light was the three candles, flickering with the slightest movement.

  Right in front of Ulrich's feet is the shadowfin gems, which he took from Gu Lan, and a silver knife, as well as 'offerings'. These offerings were meat of various animals, ranging from beef, pork, lamb, to chicken.

  There was also a container filled with animal blood, a small amount, not enough to override the scent of herbs. Gu Lan mentioned that human blood is more effective, but Ulrich wasn't willing to do so.

  Zheng San watched as Ulrich held the silver knife, then, with a slash, blood began trickling down, falling on top of the black gem.

  He was momentarily stunned, unable to understand this sudden action. In fact, this whole setup looked like Ulrich was about to perform black magic to curse someone!

  However, he remained silent, not interrupting Ulrich, whose eyes were closed.

  "The Great Shadow Beyond The Sky." "He chanted in ancient Hermes. These were given to him by Gu Lan, who probably wasn't even aware that these were chants in ancient Hermes. In fact, even Ulrich didn't know what they meant. He only recognized the symbols and how to recite it, but does not understand its corresponding meaning.

  Immediately, the candles flickered viciously. In this room, there was a lack of wind, how can there be such vigorous movement from the candle flame?

  "The Perpetual Listener."

  "Lady of Twilight And Misfortune."

  Instantly, the flame burst into frenzy. Ulrich opened his eyes, taking a whiff of herbal fragrance, and then saw the blood turning black as it touched the shadowfin gems.

  Slowly, the black gem seemingly came to life as it began to shudder. Ulrich wasn't startled, having expected this reaction. Following Gu Lan's words, he took off his shirt and picked up the black gem.

  With great effort, Ulrich began carving the 'shadow rune' onto his body. It was a triangle with a star at the center, a rather 'simple' shape. However, as he moved, the gem in his palm felt like a piece of molten rock, and each movement, would seared his soul with great pain.

  Even for Ulrich, this left him on the verge of unconsciousness. Eventually, he completed the 'rune', only to be assaulted by a rush of pain flooded his nerves.

  His consciousness became dizzy, and the surroundings distorted. Zheng San noticed something abnormal and called out to him; however, Ulrich was in a daze, unable to elicit any response. It was as though his mind was pulled elsewhere.

  by D. N. Newyn

  He can’t conjure grief, can barely levitate a pebble, and once submitted a stanza instead of a spell schematic.

  Fabrisse Kestovar: aspiring thaumaturge rock collector, confirmed pastry enthusiast, and perhaps the least emotionally competent student in the Order’s seven-hundred-year history.

  PRAXIS NODE, a long-dormant, possibly AI-driven interface that delivers cryptic quests, sarcastic prompts, and calibration objectives measured in light-years. He has a Legacy Token, no combat thresholds, and a growing collection of useless rocks the system insists are ‘historically significant.’

  He’s also the only one who can see any of it.