Versatile Mage

The weather outside the home that night was eerily cold. They felt as though they had entered a huge freezer even though there was no breeze. It gave the impression that the dim moonlight was primarily to blame for the frost-covered trees, eaves, and stones.

“We’ll go to the Sacrificial Mountain,” said Lingling.

“I’ve been to the Sacrificial Mountain. It’s true that the Red Demon gathers its massive evil energy from the Sacrificial Mountain that allows it to ascend to become an emperor. However, the Sacrificial Mountain is like a fortress. It cannot be destroyed by using brute force. Besides, it’s too close to the West and East Guardian Towers. If the evil energy spreads outside, it will turn thousands of people into tyrannical demons,” said Mo Fan.

The evil energy was massive. After all, during the moonless night, the Red Demon prepared for its ascent by gathering bad energy from many corrupted and evil places throughout the world.

The Sacrificial Mountain was like Pandora’s box. Even Mo Fan dared not simply “open” it. Mo Fan could only appear and attack the Red Demon when it believed that time had come for the energy to be transformed into ascension power.

Before the moonless night, if they had come into contact with the evil energy, it would have been no different than them murdering the residents of the Twin Guardian Towers.

…

They reached the Sacrificial Mountain. There was a white stone path in the dense bamboo forest that led to the torii gate of the Sacrificial Mountain.

Mo Fan and Lingling visited the Sacrificial Mountain in the middle of the night. They noticed the plain white silk that hung off the tree branches by the roadside along the mountain path, all the way up to the temple. There were even white knots tied around the stone piers that were shaped like statues of spirits to welcome guests to the temple.

They exchanged glances. When was the Sacrificial Mountain decorated in this manner? Why did it look like a mourning festival?

They continued forward. Soon, Mo Fan saw a monk and a few workers standing guard over the entrance. It was nighttime. They looked busy, but they were vigilant. They tried to avoid making any sort of sounds at all.

Mo Fan and Lingling walked up to them. The monk smiled and watched the pair approach.

“What are you doing here?” asked Lingling.

“The festival is around the corner,” answered the monk.

“Is it tomorrow?” asked Lingling.

“Yes, tomorrow is the day.”

“Tomorrow is the eclipse,” said Lingling.

“Yes, it’s the eclipse. Most people are unaware of the Einherjar Spirits on the Sacrificial Mountain. The Einherjar Spirits are like the ancient night watchers who silently watch over the families. Hence, we, especially the young people, will pay tribute to them every year during the eclipse of this month,” said the monk.

“But why did no one mention this before?” Mo Fan asked in confusion.

“Why do they have to mention it? Everyone has an Einherjar Spirit they respect. Every year, the young people will tell us something they’ve done in the past year on the festival night. It must be something that they have summoned their courage to do after they were inspired by the great Einherjar Spirits, or the lessons they have learned from the Einherjar Spirits. Before being made public during the event, these things are typically kept a secret. As a result, they won’t discuss anything prior to the festival. But I think they’ll remember it for themselves.” The monk smiled softly.

“Only the young people?” asked Lingling.

“Yes. Those beyond the age of twenty-five don’t have to participate in the festival any longer. After all, they are full-fledged adults by that age. Their personalities are basically set. This festival is prepared for the young who are prone to getting lost, falling into depravity, or going astray,” said the monk.

“In other words, young people below the age of twenty-five of the Twin Guardian Towers will gather here tomorrow night?” asked Lingling.

“That’s right. Everyone will come. Nobody will skip it,” said the monk firmly.

“Could you be a little more specific?” Lingling asked with a sense of urgency.

“I suppose you’ve seen the spirit tablet arranged inside the temple. Each spirit tablet represents an Einherjar Spirit, and each Einherjar Spirit represents a type of spirit. The Einherjar Spirits are role models for the young. When they are young, they worship Einherjar Spirits in their hearts. They learn about the Einherjar Spirit’s past and about their essence. They even try to emulate the praiseworthy things that the Einherjar Spirit has done…,” said the monk.

Lingling frowned. ‘Learn about the Einherjar Spirit’s past and about their essence… and follow the examples of the Einherjar Spirit’s praiseworthy actions.’

“I got it! I understand why the visitors of the Sacrificial Mountain on the name list died one after another!” said Lingling.

“Were they affected by evil energy?” asked Mo Fan in confusion.

“They are affected by evil energy and also by the Einherjar Spirits. Originally, the Einherjar Spirits served as the young people’s role models. However, the Red Demon brings in massive evil energy. As a result, Einherjar Spirits are ingrained in the young people’s minds. They would do everything they can to accomplish their goals even at the cost of their lives,” said Lingling.

Lingling and Ozawa checked the visitors’ name list. Many people were dead, and the reasons for their death looked “reasonable”.

At that time, Lingling could not figure out if these people were affected by the Red Demon’s magnetic field, or if it was due to their own problems. Thus, she could not reach a conclusion. Upon hearing the monk’s words, Lingling finally understood the reason!

Their deaths were in line with the essence of the Einherjar Spirits! They followed the example of the spirits…

“Grand Master, did you lose a Einherjar Spirit tablet from the temple recently?” asked Lingling.

“How did you know that?” the monk cried out in surprise. He stared at Lingling for a moment before explaining. “That Einherjar Spirit tablet sparks controversial issues. Hence, I didn’t pay much attention to it when it disappeared all of a sudden.”

“Got it! Thank you, Grand Master. Can I join the festival tomorrow night?” asked Lingling with a smile.

“Of course, you can. I wish you a bountiful harvest,” said the monk.

…

Dusk arrived. The plain white silk swayed under the breeze. The Sacrificial Mountain was different after the decoration. The adornment gave the mountain a hint of color, however it did not make the peak appear very colorful.

On the white silk, there were black ink scribbles that appeared to be lantern riddles for people to solve.

The young people went up to the Sacrificial Mountain. They dressed in plain kimonos. Their kimonos were plain. The majority of them, including the kimonos for women, were in pale colors and hardly had any patterns.

They were mostly young folks. They hardly ever saw inhabitants of the Twin Guardian Towers who held influential positions. It seemed to have been something that had been agreed upon.

They went up to the Sacrificial Mountain. in front of the temple, there were a lot of futons. Since they had arrived first, they took their seats in front of the Einherjar Spirit tablets of the temple.

They weren’t very serious, really. They conversed casually.

They stopped grinning, though, when the shelf containing the Einherjar Spirit tablets was carefully pushed outside the temple and turned toward the people.