The moment his small hand touched the seventh statue, it suddenly transformed into a mass of shadows, all of which entered Richard's body. In that instant, Richard felt as though his head was on fire, his brain boiling with agony. The pain, directly affecting his soul, almost drove him insane, but he could not pass out. At the same time, icy currents spread throughout his body, clashing violently with the intangible heat enveloping him, making him feel as though every bone and muscle in his body was fracturing!

  Richard gritted his teeth and endured. The resilience and stubbornness he had cultivated since childhood manifested at this moment, and he managed to hold on until all the shadows had entered his body. When the last strand of shadow was absorbed, his mind finally relaxed, and his vision blurred. The goddess’s temple gradually faded from his sight.

  In the blurred vision, Richard saw his mother’s beautiful and concerned face. He finally let go of his tension and lost consciousness.

  "I’ve gained two abilities. Mother will be proud of me," Richard thought subconsciously as he drifted in the darkness.

  In the attic, a clear crack appeared on the Moon Goddess’s altar. This rare altar had been damaged during the ritual. Ilene’s face went pale, a trickle of blood staining her lips. She didn’t notice, too focused on checking Richard’s body. When she confirmed that he was unharmed and his body was intact, she felt a bit of relief. However, when she saw a small patch of shadow hovering in the center of Richard’s forehead, her face changed once again.

  There was light from the lamp and moonlight in the attic, yet neither of these light sources could cast a shadow on Richard’s forehead. The shadow, like mist or smoke, moved slowly, yet it was unable to dissipate. To ordinary people, it would have been invisible, but Ilene, still carrying the power of the Fifth Crescent Moon, could see it. She trembled as she reached out to touch it. Her fingertip felt a faint coldness and a prickling pain—an indication of the conflict between the shadow’s energy and the power of Elucia.

  “Shadow creature?!” Ilene gasped. She gritted her teeth and thrust her finger into the shadow on Richard’s forehead, silently reciting a prayer she hadn’t uttered in years. It was the divine art of Foresight, a power she had never mastered. But in this moment, her heart was in turmoil. Only this divine art could possibly explain the shadow lingering at Richard’s brow. Even if the hope was slim, she had to try.

  Since losing her position as High Priestess, she had lost the Goddess’s favor and all of her divine arts. It had been a desperate act, a random gesture, but Ilene didn’t expect that Foresight would succeed against the odds.

  A vision unfolded before Ilene’s eyes—a scene of endless void and darkness, filled with chaotic energy. There was no moon, no stars. In the chaos, large shadows moved slowly, their seemingly random trajectories eventually converging on a single point, targeting one clear destination: little Richard!

  The vision flickered and vanished in an instant, and the brief glimpse of Foresight drained all of Ilene’s strength, leaving her too weak to move even a finger. Even with her full physical strength, what she had seen filled her with an overwhelming sense of despair.

  The shadows were not the same as darkness; they were an intangible energy, inherently spatial in nature. Shadow creatures came in countless varieties, most wandering between planes aimlessly, feeding on the chaotic energy that existed between them. They were cunning, dangerous, and powerful—creatures both feared and coveted by mages. Shadow summoning was a highly developed spell, capable of being enhanced from level six up to level nine. However, there was always a small chance of failure, in which case the summoned shadow creature would become uncontrollable, and mages with magic would become their prime prey. This was why incidents of mages being devoured by summoned shadow creatures occurred every year across the continent.

  The shadow on Richard’s forehead showed signs of life, but it was not a complete living being. The shadow’s energy was not strong, and even an ordinary priest could purify it. In fact, its role was akin to that of a lighthouse, marking a position in the vast, complex multiverse, calling forth large numbers of shadow creatures into this plane. This was the very scene Ilene had seen in her vision. Now, even if the shadow was purified, it was too late—the terrifying shadow creatures had already received their coordinates and were on their way.

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  And little Richard was the anchor and the coordinate for their entry into this world.

  When the shadow creatures began to invade the plane, Richard faced two possible outcomes: either he would be destroyed in the violent clash of energies, or he would be possessed by the strongest of the shadow creatures, losing control of his body forever. At that point, he would become a vessel for the shadow creatures.

  The laws between planes were unpredictable. The shadow creatures might take centuries to complete their journey, or they might arrive within a month.

  “How could this happen…” Ilene muttered, holding Richard tightly in her arms, tears falling uncontrollably.

  She suddenly looked up, gazing through the skylight at the Fifth Crescent Moon still hanging high in the sky. She saw that the moon’s surface now bore a mark, like a dried bloodstain. It was the mutated energy of the Crescent Moon that had caused the disruption in the Enlightenment ritual. But if she were still Elucia’s High Priestess, this ritual wouldn’t have been altered.

  Was this Elucia’s punishment?

  Ilene bitterly thought to herself, completely lacking the strength to complain about her fate or wallow in self-pity. She gently laid Richard on the bed, covering him with a blanket. In his sleep, Richard furrowed his brows slightly, yet he smiled frequently, clearly dreaming of many happy things. He was a very handsome boy, his childish features beginning to fade and already showing some handsome traits. Ilene quietly gazed at her child, the focal point of her life for the past ten years. Though ten years was a short time to someone like her, it felt like an entire lifetime. Little Richard was growing fast, though still a bit immature compared to other boys his age. This was only because of his bloodline. With half Silvermoon Elf blood, Richard also possessed nearly five hundred years of natural life. His appearance blended the rugged strength of humans with the delicate beauty of Silvermoon Elves. Only Ilene knew why.

  On Richard’s small face, the tiny shadow continued to swirl and play.

  Ilene sighed softly and kissed Richard’s forehead before leaving the room. She sat alone in the living room, gazing at the night sky, while memories flowed through her mind like water. Those few nights had condensed the intensity, hatred, and passion of her entire life! And now, she was forced to relive them.

  Outside, the blood-streaked Fifth Crescent Moon slowly drifted away, and the Sixth Crescent Moon, shining with a unique golden light, rose in its place. When the Seventh Crescent Moon appeared over the horizon, the day would soon break.

  The light from the Seventh Crescent Moon finally poured through the window, illuminating Ilene’s face. She had aged considerably, but her beauty had grown even more striking. The mirror on the wall reflected an incredibly beautiful figure. This was her true form—the one that only Silvermoon Elves could possess.

  She stood up carefully, took out a piece of magical paper adorned with star-like patterns, and spread it across the table. Then, she took out a sealed magical pen, checked it, and found that the ink, made from griffon tail feathers, was still intact. This ink was crafted from unicorn blood, and though there were only a few drops left, it would be enough for the letter she had to write.

  But the once-light pen now felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds in her hand. After holding it for a long time, she still couldn’t bring herself to write a single word. When the first rays of sunlight shone through the window, she smiled faintly and muttered to herself, “The one who could destroy the Elven Court should be able to handle the shadow creatures. Besides, it’s been ten years…”

  Finally convincing herself, she began to draw a delicate magical array at the top of the starry-patterned paper, then wrote a long name:

  Gordon Isaiah Satanistoia Akmond…

  The moment the name was finished, the pen trembled. The entire name began to glow, emitting a faint red light, like burning flames. When the flames extinguished, the long name was left as a faint, almost invisible mark. The mark, though faint, was deeply imprinted on the magical paper, and it would only disappear if the paper itself was destroyed.

  As a former High Priestess, she understood the secrets of bloodlines very well. The burning flames meant that the name she had written had activated the laws, and the owner of the name could sense it. From now on, everything she wrote would transcend space and time, directly reaching its recipient.

  The pen hovered in midair once more, and the hand holding it trembled gently. The earlier signs confirmed a fact: this was indeed Gordon’s true name. Although she had never doubted it, this was the first time it was confirmed. With this knowledge of his true name, she could curse him with just a small amount of magic, and even though Gordon had become a legendary figure, he would be powerless to resist the curse. The true name was one of the most important secrets of certain bloodlines.

  This guy actually gave his true name so casually…

  She couldn’t help but think, but her brief reflection was soon overtaken by memories of a burning, collapsing forest. Her hand grew cold, but it no longer trembled. She wrote a few short lines, then paused, and with elegant strokes, signed her name:

  Ilani Moonsong.

  The magical paper burned fiercely, turning to ashes in an instant, and the information it carried was transmitted through the ancient and mysterious laws, reaching its distant destination.

  When she set down the pen, Ilani also set down all her sorrow, becoming calm and beautiful once more.