The Ancient Temple in the Swamp

Before leaving, Phini once again carefully surveyed the hidden temple beneath Renard’s house.

Only after confirming there was nothing else of immediate concern did she finally depart. As for the gilded book, Phini took it with her. Although she couldn’t pry the cover open, that didn’t mean she couldn’t simply pick the tome up and carry it.

Certainly, she had numerous reasons for taking it. Yet, there was one point she remained hesitant about: whether or not to give the book to Angela to see if she could decipher it.

Setting aside whether Angela could even read the ancient script, Phini recalled Renard’s dying warnings. Phini dared not directly let the girl examine the book! This artifact undoubtedly held a secret of immense, dangerous significance—one that could very likely plunge Angela into a deadly vortex.

Hence, Phini found herself in a state of indecision.

Clutching the book to her chest, Phini began ascending the long stone spiral staircase. She climbed straight up until she returned to ground level.

Upon stepping out of the ruined hut, Phini realized it was already night.

The village streets were extraordinarily tranquil—a stillness that she found deeply astonishing. Why did she find it so incredible? Because the roars of the ghouls never ceased once night fell.

Not hearing the familiar howling, Phini scanned her surroundings, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“How can it be so quiet?”

Finding the situation profoundly strange, Phini instinctively lifted her gaze to the sky. She saw that the heavens, where the twin moons should have hung brightly, were instead cloaked in a thick layer of dark clouds.

From within the ominous cover, a searing white light occasionally flashed, accompanied by low, booming thunder. Listening to the distant roar, Phini naturally understood this was a prelude to an approaching storm.

However, despite the heavy thunder, she harbored a distinct feeling—a woman’s sixth sense. She felt it was impossible for it to rain. So why was the sky thundering and shrouded in darkness? It likely portended something unnatural.

But what? She had no idea whatsoever. With such a profound lack of clues, Phini found it impossible to piece together the puzzle. Only a strong sense of unease settled heavily in her heart.

Carrying this apprehension, she returned to the dirt street in a daze. It remained devoid of a single soul; not even the shadow of a Calamity Scar could be seen.

The less she saw of the monsters, the more Phini felt a strange sense of incongruity and alarm.

Lost in her thoughts, she unconsciously found herself back at Angela’s house. The property was also eerily quiet.

“Angela!”

Realizing the house was too still, Phini was immediately jolted from her reverie. She quickened her pace, rushing to Angela’s room and pushing open the door!

“?!”

The room was empty. Angela was gone again!

Seeing she wasn’t in her bed, Phini hurriedly left and checked the kitchen. However, Angela was nowhere to be found there either.

Witnessing the girl’s apparent disappearance once more, Phini’s unease began to magnify into dread. She stood rooted to the spot, hesitating for a moment. Seconds later, she suddenly recalled something. She abruptly turned, rushed back to her own room, and pushed the door open.

“Still not here…”

Phini couldn’t find Angela anywhere in the house. Logically, Angela shouldn’t be out at this hour, even if there were no monster roars outside. She would certainly not venture out casually! Fear of the dark was an instinct inherent to those who lived in this village.

Phini felt the situation spiraling out of control. She collapsed onto a chair. However, she didn’t sit for long before impatiently rising and rushing back outside.

“This is truly abnormal…”

Back on the street, Phini closed her eyes and focused her senses. Neither the roars of the Calamity Scars nor the chirping of insects reached her ears. The entire village was silent as the grave. It was like an abandoned ghost town.

After a quick glance around, Phini began walking out of the village. Since no one was left in the settlement, why not search the forest? Perhaps by crossing that ancient boundary, she might find the answers she sought.

With this thought, Phini swiftly moved through the woods. She only began to slow her pace when she reached the edge where the trees met the swamp.

And just as she arrived at the boundary, she finally saw figures.

No, they weren’t exactly human figures—they were the villagers who had been transformed into Calamity Scars. These ghouls were now vying with each other to cross the border, wading deeper into the stagnant waters of the swamp.

Observing this sight, Phini hesitated. Yes, she hesitated about whether to cross this boundary. She certainly hadn’t forgotten Bahazard’s warning. If she hadn’t remembered the dragon’s words, she would have already plunged into the mire.

“…”

After a moment of silence and internal struggle, Phini ultimately decided to take the step, crossing the invisible line at the forest’s edge.

Just as her boot hit the mud, a terrifying, suffocating sensation assailed her, instantly freezing her in place, utterly unable to move.

However, this oppressive feeling lasted only for an instant. A few seconds later, she felt her body regain sensation. With her mobility restored, Phini followed one of the Calamity Scars into the depths of the swamp without the slightest hesitation.

The path was treacherous, filled with numerous mud pits that appeared solid but were actually sinkhole traps. One misstep could easily lead to being submerged in this place of death. Fortunately, the Calamity Scars seemed to instinctively know where to step and where not to, none of them falling into the mire.

By trailing their path, Phini smoothly traversed the swamp and arrived before an enormous structure.

It was a temple hidden within the swamp, and it appeared incredibly ancient. Its age easily rivaled that of the one discovered beneath Renard’s house. No, it should be said its level of antiquity was even greater! This temple was likely a much older structure.

Crumbling stone walls, fallen pillars, statues at the entrance so shattered their original forms were unrecognizable, and a massive stone gate reduced to rubble. All of it revealed that this sanctuary had endured a very, very long passage of time.

Moreover, verdant, rotting vines had completely entwined the abandoned stonework. Despite its dilapidated state, Phini could discern one thing: this place was likely once a grand sanctuary with a multitude of worshippers. But for some unknown reason, it had fallen into disrepair and been forgotten.

As for the Calamity Scars walking ahead of her, they were now entering the ruined halls one after another.

Watching this scene, Phini suddenly recalled a passage she had once seen in Altorias’s notebook during a chance encounter:

[Rituals also exist among the Calamity Scars.]

Recalling these words, Phini immediately thought of the murals in the underground temple at Renard’s house. The murals depicted Bahazard battling something. Could that unknown, ancient Calamity Scar be slumbering within this very temple?

Harboring this unprecedented thought, Phini cautiously made her way inside. Passing through a corridor strewn with rubble, she finally entered the main chamber.

The interior was even more ruined than the exterior. Debris lay everywhere, and the shattered stained-glass windows were completely faded. Vines crawled over the stone walls, and thick moss covered the floor.

Scanning her surroundings, Phini discovered a sunken, pool-like basin in the center of the temple, enclosed by a stone railing. However, this basin had no discernible bottom, or perhaps it was so deep that the darkness simply swallowed the light. The railing enclosing it was quite high. Directly above the abyss hung a thick, broken iron chain. It seemed this chain was once used to suspend something, but whatever it held had long since fallen into the basin below.

What was suspended there? Phini didn’t care at all. What concerned her was what these ghouls intended to do!

She shifted her gaze, sweeping across the shadows, trying to locate the monsters. Before long, she spotted them gathered around a large sundial crafted from metal with a hollowed-out center. Half of the dial was broken off, leaving only a severely weathered pointer.

“What exactly do these things want to do?”

Watching the horde, Phini did not act rashly. Although these Calamity Scars treated her as if she were invisible, that didn’t mean there wasn’t a possibility her actions could alert them or break whatever trance they were in. Considering this, she could only wait patiently in the shadows, her mind filled with questions.

Just as the last of the Calamity Scars entered the temple and gathered around, a small tear in space ripped open in the center of the hollow sundial.

At the exact instant the spatial hole appeared, the oppressive, suffocating sensation she had felt when entering the swamp resurfaced, crushing down on her.

“It seems a little bug has snuck in.”

As Phini struggled to breathe, a cold, emotionless, mechanical voice emanated softly from the tear in space, reaching her ears and deeply imprinting itself in her mind.

“?!”

Through this simple sentence, Phini naturally understood that the owner of the voice had noticed her, unlike the mindless Calamity Scars.

“Don’t be afraid. You and I are kindred spirits. I won’t do anything to you.”

Did it perhaps read her thoughts? Just as Phini’s mind raced for a solution or an escape route, the entity spoke leisurely and calmly to her. It seemed it had no ill intentions.

“Kindred spirits?”

Listening to its words, and realizing it seemed to have no intention of harming her, Phini felt a fraction of her tension ease. However, the term ‘kindred spirits’ truly piqued her interest.