Pillar of Yita

”It seems a celebration was held here, Brother Ade,” Gita replied softly, her gaze sweeping across the square.

In the center of the square, a statue of a horse rider held a flag aloft, its marble surface solemn and pristine. Beneath the statue, a structure had been set up, appearing as if a stage had been arranged there before everyone left.

But under the cold moonlight, the stage also lay empty.

The deserted square was surrounded by colorful drapes, with long tables set up and covered with tablecloths, atop which sat plump barrels of wine. It seemed that just by turning the spigot, fragrant wine would gush out, filling wooden cups and wafting its aroma everywhere.

However, the guests had long since departed, and under the night sky, the square lay silent and uninhabited.

Some low sighs echoed around the square, and Fang Hong turned his head, feeling a sense of something. It seemed as if various gazes were coveting from around the buildings, but a deep-rooted thought told him that it was all an illusion.

”Miss Tata, can you feel anything?” he asked in his mind.

”You are very tense, Mr. Knight,” Miss Fairy replied calmly. ”The magicians of Tarot School are most adept at Illusion Technique, which they believe serves to manipulate the mind, so you must first overcome your own fear.”

”I am not afraid, just a bit confused, Miss Tata,” Fang Hong said, frowning as he looked at everything around him. Anyone would feel unsettled in such an ambiguous environment—Dolifen’s Phantom Realm was already hard to explain, let alone their bizarre encounters tonight.

”Confusion has made you hesitate.”

”But…”

”When people move forward, they can see more of the landscape, and staying in one place, hesitating, does not help in difficult situations,” Miss Fairy’s voice was very reassuring. ”Self-doubt is futile, Mr. Knight.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Hong suddenly felt enlightened. Miss Fairy’s composure seemed to have influenced him, and he let go of Gita and walked slowly towards the square.

”Brother Ade?” Gita asked cautiously, tugging at his sleeve.

Fang Hong patted her hand, signaling her to wait here. ”Don’t worry.”

He looked up ahead and sighed lightly, ”This must be the scene before Dolifen encountered disaster, but why does the Phantom Realm repeatedly show these fragments to people?”

Gita, not quite reassured, followed him, adjusting her glasses. As she caught up to Fang Hong, she asked softly, ”Was Dolifen hosting this celebration right before the disaster seen in everyone’s dreams? Could something have happened during the celebration, Brother Ade?”

”That’s very likely.”

Fang Hong walked up to a long table, which, like in all grand celebrations, was filled with fine wines and food, and beneath it, boxes brimming with colorful fruits.

He reached out and touched a black plum; its smooth skin felt cold, as if it was real. Then, a chubby hand reached out from beside him and grabbed the plum, wiping it on the fabric of its clothing.

Then came the ’crunch’ of a bite, the juice of the plum lavish. Parker, holding the plum he just bit into, chewed with his cheeks puffed up while he looked at him, handing him another black plum. ”It’s really tasty, want to try?”

”Thats the Undead’s stuff!” Gita exclaimed in surprise, quickly knocking the plum from Parker’s hand.

Parker looked somewhat regretfully as the plum he had bitten into rolled on the ground, gathering dust. ”But it was quite delicious. I’ve never eaten the Undead’s things before.”

Fang Hong looked speechlessly at the carefree eater.

He saw Parker sneakily stuff the remaining plum into his backpack, and seeing that the other didn’t seem like he was about to die from poisoning, he shook his head and let him be.

At that moment, the others also caught up.

”Found something, eh, Brother Ade?” Hansen asked.

Fang Hong shook his head, without answering. He looked at the statue nearby and walked towards it, when an odd occurrence took place.

Almost instantly, a series of phantoms appeared in the square, pale and hazy, murmuring amongst themselves as they moved between the long tables.

Everyone looked uneasily at this scene, the ordeal of the Lady Tengye inn still fresh in their minds.

Fang Hong looked up, and a slender figure emerged from the statue. Even before that, he felt the gaze from the statue.

That figure seemed to be watching them.

But it did not linger on them too long. Vaguely, Fang Hong thought he heard a low, melancholic female sigh, similar to a voice he had heard in his dreams, but not exactly the same, as if mixed with three or four other voices.

One determined, one sorrowful, one pure, and one more hidden behind the many voices, indecipherable.

”Do you feel regret?”

”Regret?” Fang Hong heard the deep sigh resounding by his ear, slightly stunned by the words.

The figure walked towards him, and he instinctively raised his head, watching it pass through him and move forward. ”Wait, Madam.” Fang Hong turned around, but only saw its silhouette disappearing into the phantom.

The others looked at him with some confusion.

”Brother Ade, what’s wrong?”

”Didn’t you see it?” Fang Hong asked them in surprise.

Everyone shook their heads.

Just then, Fang Hong felt another gaze fall on him, and he slightly startled and looked in that direction. Amidst the interweaving figures, he saw the figure again. It stood there steadfastly, as if waiting for him.