Eldritch Horror Theatre

Who are you, man?

Fu Qian looked at the extremely excited man in front of him.

A white clerical collar, a shirt, trousers, and a brown outer robe. If he had been holding a book, he would have looked exactly like a standard Priest.

Judging by the crowd’s reactions, this Priest held considerable prestige here.

Following his sudden exclamation, Fu Qian felt everyone’s gaze turn instantly fervent as they stared at him.

”Is it really Dragon Communion? The sequence that disappeared decades ago?”

The woman in the trench coat looked at the Priest, her expression terrifyingly grave.

”Believe me, Countess, there is no mistake. Fine, round blue scales, starting from the limbs and torso...”

The Priest’s voice was trembling.

”After so many years, a sequence has finally returned!”Gasp!

The trench-coated woman, addressed as the Countess, took a deep breath.

”I think it’s best to confirm it. Let’s not celebrate prematurely.”

”Yes!”

The Priest nodded heavily. Staring at Fu Qian with fervent enthusiasm, he addressed him in a tone that left no room for argument.

”Please, come with me.”

Dragon Communion? Sequence? Returned?

Escorted by the Countess and the others, Fu Qian followed the Priest, inexplicably reminded of the classic trope about the three-year term being up.

Although he had only caught fragments of their conversation, he managed to piece together some context.

A sequence likely referred to a specific path of power, and he had awakened one of them, called Dragon Communion.

Judging by the Priest’s words, this Dragon Communion sequence had not appeared in decades. It was a rarity.

His awakening effectively marked the return of this lost sequence, and they were extraordinarily thrilled by it.

The Priest probably had some method to verify its authenticity and was leading him there now.

I shouldn’t be in any immediate danger, Fu Qian concluded silently.

Of course, there was one more thing—technically, he had just broken out of prison.

Even though no one had cared about that fact thus far, it was hard to say how they would react if they actually realized it.

Fu Qian decided on quietly observing changes.

Under the respectful gazes of the crowd, the group followed the Priest and soon arrived in front of a building that resembled a Church.

Passing through a long porch and making their way inside, Fu Qian looked at the stained glass windows lining the hall and spotted the exact shapes of those colored clusters from the sky.

As expected, it’s a related faith.

”The rest of you wait here. The Countess and I will take him up.”

The Priest led them to a staircase on one side of the hall, signaling for the rest of the group to wait.

The others decisively stopped in their tracks. The Countess remained silent, gesturing with her eyes for Fu Qian to walk ahead.

A few minutes later, the three of them reached the upper floor of another Tower Building, finally stopping in front of a large brown door.

The Priest first bowed in reverence, then pushed the double doors open.

Behind the door lay a spacious hall. Seven stone Statues stood arranged in a ring, each possessing a distinct form.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

”This is the Radiant Hall.”

The Priest gazed at the Statues one by one, an indescribable devotion and fervor in his eyes.

”Come with me.”

Following his gesture, Fu Qian stepped up to one of the stone Statues.

The outward appearances of the Statues were quite different from the auroras in the sky; for the most part, they still retained human silhouettes.

However, unique mutations were visible in certain areas.

The Statue in front of Fu Qian, for instance, had its body entirely covered in fine scales that looked shockingly similar to the ones on his own arm.

By comparison, his own condition was still very mild. Other than the scales, the rest of his body remained completely normal.

The stone Statue looked far more hideous. Not only did it have a lizard-like face, but it even had wing-like appendages growing from its back.

Following the Priest’s instructions, Fu Qian pressed his hand against the stone Statue.

Under their nervous gazes, streaks of golden texture slowly seeped through the stone Statue, shining with brilliant radiance.

Almost instantly, Fu Qian heard two heavy intakes of breath.

”It is true Dragon Communion!”

”Although the Rank isn’t high yet, it’s real!”

The Priest looked at the Countess, his face full of ecstasy.

The latter was finally moved as well.

”Seven Lights preserve us, this is everyone’s hope!”

”Yes, I will go announce the news immediately!”

I have no problem with you announcing the good news, but do you guys really not care how I got out?

Fu Qian looked at the two extremely excited people.

”Excuse me, could you explain a bit?”

”Explain?”

The Priest gave him a confused look, but then realization dawned on him.

”Did your previous colorless state affect your memory? How much do you remember?”

”Barely anything.”

Since the Priest had already found an excuse for him, Fu Qian decided to go with the flow, answering with utmost sincerity.

”You must at least know about Dragon Communion, right?”

The Priest pointed at his body.

Fu Qian shook his head.

”Ah...”

The Priest looked Fu Qian up and down, letting out a long sigh.

”It’s understandable. Undergoing an awakening while afflicted by the colorless curse must have come at a tremendous cost.”

”But it’s fine. Now that you’ve become part of a sequence, you won’t have to worry anymore.”

”That’s not bad.”

”We can talk as we walk. Let me give you a brief rundown of the situation first.”

The Priest pulled Fu Qian along as they headed outside.

”This Radiant Hall houses the Statues of the seven Sequence Kings. They also represent the ultimate manifestations of power for the seven sequences.”

”The seven sequences correspond to the eternal and inextinguishable Seven Lights, which are the very foundation of this world’s existence.”

”Unfortunately, the lineages began to wither many years ago. For some sequences, an awakened one never appeared again—and Dragon Communion was among them.”

”As of right now, we only have awakened ones from three remaining sequences.”

The Countess chimed in from the side.

So that’s how it is.

”This is why your awakening is so inspiring. The return of an ancient sequence represents the greatest hope.”

”The citizens outside have lived in fear for far too long.”

Understood.

”But what about color loss?”

”You don’t even remember that?”

This time, even the Priest was shocked.

”I only remember being in immense pain for a while, my physical senses and memories slipping away bit by bit. But as for anything else, I have no impression of it at all.”

”Yes, that is the colorless curse.”

The Countess’s voice was low and somber.

”Everyone who hasn’t entered a sequence remains under the threat of the colorless curse. Once infected, their life gradually dims until it dissipates completely.”

”In fact, there hasn’t been a single awakened one in almost a year. At the same time, the number of Colorless keeps multiplying. As we investigate the cause, we’ve had no choice but to lock the Colorless away in prisons.”

”You are the only person known so far to have survived while afflicted by the curse.”

”In short, your remarkable feat has given everyone hope.”

The Priest’s eyes welled with tears, his emotions almost impossible to contain.

Bearing peerless talent, saving the world from the depths of despair.

What an incredible Chosen One vibe!

Having grasped the general situation, Fu Qian sighed in amazement.

I never expected there’d be a day where I get to play the overpowered protagonist.

[Current task completed. Objective updated.]

[Investigate the cause behind the increase in the Colorless.]

Just as Fu Qian was marveling at the thought, a voice rang in his ears—his long-awaited task had finally updated.