Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 538: Moon, Window, and Purple Eyes

The leaf had been before his eyes for over a minute before Shard took it down and tucked it back into his pocket watch. Now, he had two leaves in his hand, but he still owed Dorothy one to "prove his innocence."

"So, it makes sense. The Witch Council probably knows too—it makes sense..."

He muttered.

"What's happening?"

Luviya asked, as they continued along the small path of the courtyard, walking toward the garden at the back of the manor.

"Killing a formal Chosen One with one's own hands, although you won't inherit their powers, you can obtain a door through certain means, a door that leads to a space left behind by the corresponding Ancient God."

Shard said:

"The special White Mist Space left by the Ancient God Crawling Darkness is the Dark Dungeon. To enter such a space, you need at least three conditions: a Spirit Rune, an Artifact, and Spell Words. Besides, some spaces require you to find the exact location of the door, like the one in my basement, and the Witch Council that needs singing. The Dark Dungeon also has a door in a fixed location that needs to be found. However, special methods can bypass finding the door, bypass the restrictions of the Spirit Rune and the special Artifact."

Luviya slightly furrowed her brow, seemingly thinking of something.

"There are actually many methods, but basically, they are impossible to achieve. This includes personally killing the Chosen One to obtain the Gate of Darkness, which requires a rather complex ritual and assistance. However, I don't know why, but the Impermanence Card seems to have a trait that directly absorbs the door. Now, the door to the Dark Dungeon is right here."

Shard shook the card, then furrowed his brow:

"However, wasn't it Iluna who personally killed Daknis? How did it end up being credited to me?"

"That doesn't matter, but it's unexpected that the witches are also concerned about these spaces."

"It's probably not of particular concern. Miss Galina said that the Council only asked her to take action as much as possible, but it wasn't mandatory."

"Can you go in now?"

Luviya pointed to the card, and Shard shook his head:

"The card merely contains the door; I need to choose a location and 'place' the door there to enter the Dark Dungeon. I plan to place the door in the basement of my house since there's a passage of the Time Corridor right across the stairway wall, so I'll place the Dark Dungeon on the wall to the left."

Shard summarized the information, and together with Luviya, they looked up at the moon in the courtyard:

"The Dark Dungeon's functions are somewhat complex, very dangerous, but also very useful. When we have time, you and Iluna come over to my house, and I'll explain… But at last it's over, after the last incident of late summer, I'm really exhausted."

Shard said with a smile.

The two continued through the withered rose bushes, and Luviya nodded, taking out the Ever-Youth Leaf from her pocket wanting to return it to Shard, but he declined:

"Keep it, I still have plenty of leaves in hand."

"Shard, once again, it was you who solved the trouble."

As they walked and looked up at the moon, Luviya said in a low voice.

"Why would you think so?"

"The one who defeated the Silver-Eyed One was you, the one who found Daknis in Coldwater Port was you, the one who killed the Chosen One in the Dark Realm was also you... I couldn't do anything."

"How can you say that. If not for your information and divination, what could Iluna and I have achieved?"

Shard asked while looking at her profile, farther away was the manor's glass greenhouse. However, Luviya shook her head, her expression sorrowful as she looked towards the starry sky:

"Sometimes, I really feel as if I... am useless. Even though I make up my mind to achieve objectives, it's always you who takes the risks."

"Luviya, you should be happy now, what's wrong?"

Shard stopped walking, and just in front of them was a grape arbor. It was unharmed by whatever impacted other plants, almost retaining its original appearance under the moonlight.

"We just completed our second objective, shouldn't we celebrate properly? Look, the moonlight is beautiful, and so is the starry sky. Would you like to dance with me under the moon?"

But Luviya just shook her head, the air in the outskirts was exceptionally good, the Star River seemed right above their heads, magnificently spectacular.

"Don't think about comforting me, I was just thinking about what it would have been like if I hadn't reached out to you in the carriage back then."

"The past won't change, there's no need to think too much about it."

Shard said, intending to comfort, but Luviya's face showed an even sadder emotion:

"It's alright, I just... hearing that phrase, 'the past cannot change'... I don't know why it makes me so sad."

"Indeed, the past cannot change, that's why we must create the future. Luviya, please look at me honestly and answer this question—what do you think about the death of Ivan Daknis?"

"I am very happy."

Luviya adjusted her state, the two under the moonlight gazing at each other. Far away in the garden, servants were working, but no one looked their way. The path was illuminated by the faint light of gas lamps, with the dim moonlight and starry sky shining down on them.

"I felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from my heart. Shard, I don't know if you can understand, but this feeling, it's like knowing the date of your own death, only to find out that the date has changed. Yes, I should be happy, today is indeed a day to be happy, we really did it."

Luviya's analogy was a bit odd, and for a moment, Shard didn't know how to respond. Before he could speak, those purple eyes looked at him:

"Thank you, Shard."

The timing of this thanks made the atmosphere even stranger.

"I told you, I would stay with you till the end. After midnight tonight, it will be the Month of Harvest in September. The night might be a bit chilly, let's go back."

"Alright."

So the two of them turned and walked back to the mansion, all the way to Luviya's temporary guest room. The girl with the purple eyes adjusted her mood well, she knew she should be happy now:

"Next, it's the turn of the third Chosen One."

The room was not lit, only the moonlight streaming in through the open window. The two stood on the carpet, Luviya with her back to the window facing Shard:

"After we find the Human Pus tomorrow, I will start preparing for the Divination."

"Maybe you could rest a bit, Luviya, you've been really tired lately."

"But..."

"There are no buts, Luviya, be careful not to lose control."

Shard looked at those purple eyes, her emotions had fluctuated greatly tonight:

"Iluna and I are both very worried about you, you seem to be carrying some responsibility, relentlessly trying to move forward, as if scared of being overtaken by something behind you. Although you don't want to share your secrets with us, at least let us move forward with you. And now, take some time to rest, Luviya, take some time."

Luviya bit her lip.

"Maybe you've noticed, every time I face a problem, the Chosen come into play. This shows that the most important part of a stage is the audience. As long as this audience doesn't run about everywhere, without any witness, the main characters who are the Chosen would not appear."

Shard began to joke:

"I'll be joining the Big City Player next. After the Big City Player ends, we'll discuss future plans."

The two looked at each other. Shard was mesmerized by those purple eyes — although Luviya was charming, her appearance was still not as extraordinary as those transcendently charming witches. But no other eyes had ever attracted Shard as strongly as hers did.

Luviya, in turn, saw herself in Shard's gaze—the anxious and unsettled version of herself. Somehow, she felt a bit scared to look directly at the man in front of her.

Suddenly, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath:

"Alright then, I will rest for a while, the council also has a lot of work that needs my attention. After the Big City Player ends, we can plan for other things."

Only then did Shard breathe a sigh of relief:

"Among the three of us, Iluna is in charge of suppressing the Chosen and fighting, you're responsible for Divination and providing information, and I handle the day-to-day actions. So, don't blame yourself for not being able to do everything."

"Hmm."

She nodded gently and then opened her arms to embrace Shard.

The Mia on her shoulder was forced to jump onto the bed, then delightfully watched as the soft bed bounced it back up, unlike the beds at home which weren't this bouncy.

Shard embraced her too, Luviya with her back against the window stood under the moonlight; Shard faced the moonlight, but stood in the darkness where the moonlight could not reach:

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"It's okay, I will always be with you. This was already promised, until the very end. To witness the thirteen Chosen and to open the gate that decides everything."

"Will you regret it? Because of me, being dragged into all this."

"Even without you, I somehow had this premonition."

Shard released his embrace and Luviya did the same. He placed his hands on the girl's shoulders, looking into her eyes, they were so close:

"Even without you, I would have been involved in all this. I am outside of fate, but just outside of the original fate. When I first decided to step out from No. 6, Saint Delan Square, when I nervously opened my hands against the door and saw everything in this world, I understood—"

He slightly furrowed his brow, his gaze firm and strong:

"I had stepped into a new torrent of fate. This world, this era, this realm, I had arrived here, I cannot escape... The Four Elements, Circle Sorcerers, Sublimation Incantation... The Steam Age was destined to have my presence, and I am destined to be involved in these world-affecting events because I must do so. Luviya, it's not I who helped you fulfill your wishes, you helped me."

"Helped you with what?"

"Helped me step onto this path."

Moonlight shone on Shard outside the window, and his body seemed to be glowing slightly. Luviya looked up at Shard, her heart filled with countless words she wanted to say at that moment, but when she opened her mouth, she somehow couldn't speak any of them.

So, she tiptoed and gently kissed Shard's lips.