Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Robert rejoiced that the two patrol team members dealing with him had also been affected by Padre Cali's scream.

He didn't know what had happened to his lover, nor could he confirm it. Enduring the swelling in his head and the pain in his eardrums, he rushed towards the altar.

Pfft!

Rhea's arrow struck the pile of clothes, but that wasn't Robert's destination—it was quite a distance away.

After landing on the ground, he rolled and hid behind the altar.

Rhea drew the bowstring again, but she didn't release the arrow immediately.

Robert's body was completely blocked by the altar, making it impossible for her to aim. As a devout believer of the Eternal Blazing Sun, it was also impossible for her to use the hunting bow's unique abilities together with Raging Blow to directly shatter the altar.

Witnessing this, Camus, knowing his revolver's power was insufficient, leaped over the shattered stained-glass window and sprinted towards the altar.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Rhea raised her hunting bow and shot an arrow wrapped in lightning into the air.

The arrow flew high into the air before swiftly descending, bypassing the altar's obstruction and landing behind it.

Since she hadn't been able to aim properly, the arrow grazed Robert's body and struck a crevice between two stone slabs. A sizzling electric current dissipated, creeping over Robert's body and temporarily paralyzing him.

After breaking free, Robert abandoned the idea of retrieving his spirit channeling ingredients. He had no intention of saving his lover, Padre Cali.

He planned to bite the tip of his tongue again and complete the spirit channeling. With the special ability of the natural spirit, he could escape back to his plantation, where he still had plenty of spirituality-rich ingredients for backup.

At that moment, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Camus's light-colored pants and leather shoes with holes. He felt a whip formed by electric currents appear in his mind.

The whip struck his soul,

and Robert, crouched behind the altar, felt his knees buckle, and he collapsed, trembling as extreme numbness and pain surged through him simultaneously.

Whip of Pain!

Interrogator's Whip of Pain!

Camus rushed to Robert's side, leaned down, and delivered a left hook—one that more or less bore a personal grudge.

Bang!

Camus, skilled in interrogation techniques, inflicted pain on Robert without going overboard. Robert fainted, yet suffered no substantial harm.

After restraining Robert, Camus glanced at the naked man and selected nearby clothes to cover his private parts.

He then picked up Robert and returned to where Lumian and the others were.

At that moment, Lugano had already retrieved the bullet that had struck Amandina's shoulder, allowing the wound to contract and heal.

…

Padre Cali was dreaming of the interior of Saint-Sien Cathedral.

Dressed in a white robe with golden threads, he knelt before the altar, muttering with a pained expression, as if repenting.

Amandina, clad in a black hunting suit, approached Padre Cali down the aisle between the pews. Remembering Louis Berry's instructions, she asked, "What's the origin of this special dream?"

Padre Cali looked up, his face contorted as he replied, "That… that strange tomb."

"Tomb?" Amandina suspected the Dream Festival she had just attended was a sham.

What tomb?

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration flickered.

"That colossal, black boulder?"

It's actually a tomb?

Padre Cali nodded.

"Yes."

It's really a tomb… Intrigued, Amandina asked proactively, "Whose tomb is that? Why is it so special?"

Padre Cali remained kneeling, shaking his head.

"I don't know. Even the gravekeepers don't know. They only know their mission is to guard that strange ancient tomb."

"Gravekeepers? Who are they?" The more Amandina asked, the more she felt she didn't know about the Dream Festival.

Padre Cali looked up at Amandina and said, "The elders of the forest tribe."

"I see…" Amandina's mind raced with questions. She picked one and asked, "Did you take Robert to Twanaku's house to sleep and allow him to maintain his lucidity? Then, you took him to the ancient tomb where he obtained superpowers?"

"Yes." Padre Cali lowered his head, facing the altar, his voice laced with pain. "I'm sinful."

Just as I thought… Amandina inquired further, "How did you know you could obtain superpowers there? And how did you maintain lucidity? You've only been in Tizamo for about five years, and I grew up here," Amandina inquired further.

Blood vessels bulged from Padre Cali's neck. "Twanaku, Twanaku, bewitched me."

"He used his body to tempt you?" Amandina suddenly felt a surge of excitement.

Padre Cali was taken aback.

"He saw through my desire for status and recognition and gradually demonstrated his abilities. He also told me there was a way for me to quickly and easily obtain strength. And with great strength, I could do more for the Church and receive more rewards and recognition… That demon!"

Amandina asked in disappointment, "You were bewitched just like that?"

Padre Cali nodded slowly. "That's right. Twanaku needed someone to help him monitor the changes in the dream and host the Dream Festival after he left Tizamo. First, he got me to sleep at his house. Then, during the Dream Festival, he took me to that strange ancient tomb."

"Did you also obtain superpowers by touching that tomb?" Amandina asked casually.

Padre Cali shook his head again. "No, Twanaku opened a crack in the tomb and let me reach in…"

"What did you touch?" Amandina couldn't help but urge upon seeing Padre Cali's pause.

"I touched a hand—a cold hand without temperature. Then, I fainted. When I woke up, I had superpowers. I did it three more times during the subsequent Dream Festivals, eventually becoming a Wraith." Padre Cali recalled the situation, his face filled with uncontrollable fear—both of the cold hand and the ease with which he had obtained superpowers.

"The hand of the corpse in the tomb?" Amandina quickly reviewed what Padre Cali had said and thought of a problem. "Didn't you say there were gravekeepers? Why weren't we stopped when Robert and I went?"

Padre Cali's voice deepened.

"People who have lived in Tizamo for a long time often have a projection formed by suppressed emotions and desires in this special dream. They usually hide in the chaotic area brought by the tomb, at the edge of the dream. They watch over the ancient tomb with the gravekeepers to protect it from others.

"When the Dream Festival begins, these projections will return to their true forms, forming complete Dream Festival participants who can no longer suppress their emotions and desires. As for the gravekeepers, it's unknown where they go."

Strange… Amandina was puzzled by the gravekeepers' whereabouts. She was a little worried.

After a moment of contemplation, she asked with concern, "Do I have a projection of emotions and desires in this dream?"

Padre Cali shook his head.

"No. You don't spend enough time in Tizamo every year. Even for those who originally formed a dream projection, once they leave this place long enough and stop suppressing themselves, the corresponding projection will gradually fade until it disappears.

"Those who can remain lucid in this dream will have their corresponding projections gradually dissipate over time. details."

"However, this lucidity isn't absolute. After the Dream Festival begins, everyone will have a tendency to flaunt their emotions and desires—including those who maintain their lucidity. However, they won't completely lose control like those who have fused with their dream self. They can continue restraining themselves like normal, their desires revealed in some details."

Amandina recalled her performance during the two Dream Festivals and revealed a look of enlightenment.

Initially, she believed that because this place was a dream, as long as no one died, it was equivalent to a game. That was why she appeared more self-centered and unrestrained than in reality. She didn't expect this to come from the effect of the Dream Festival.

Thankfully, I've always had self-control… Amandina had ticked off most of the questions that Louis Berry wanted clarified, leaving only those that the Padre Cali himself wasn't aware of. Thus, she changed the subject.

"You've already become a Wraith, yet you still dare to preach and host Mass…

"Aren't you concerned that God might notice you and unleash His wrath upon you, purifying you into ashes?"

Being in the Southern Continent, Amandina knew the power of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church better than many gentlemen and ladies in Trier. She had no doubts about the existence of God.

Moreover, over the past year, she had been diligently obtaining mysticism knowledge from Robert and the various sources she could come into contact with. She knew that the Rose School of Thought, the key characters of various terrifying rumors, was renowned for its numerous Wraiths, and Wraiths were most afraid of sunlight that came with purification.

Padre Cali sighed and said, "I had such concerns, but Twanaku told me he had a way to help me hide a Wraith's power. Unless God watches this place personally, I won't be discovered."

"What is it?" Amandina asked curiously.

Padre Cali replied truthfully, "After touching the corpse in the tomb and obtaining superpowers, don't rush to leave. Touch the tomb itself again, the black boulder.

"This concealed all my superpowers. The effect will last for more than a year."

That's possible? What would happen if I touched the black boulder and then touched the corpse's hand? Amandina pondered for a moment and asked a question of personal concern, "How did you entice Robert? Why did he become your lover?"

Amandina sized him up but couldn't find anything about Padre Cali that attracted Robert, other than his strength.

Could love truly be blind?

Padre Cali fell silent for a moment before saying, "I ignited his desires, dismantling his self-control."

"You've never displayed such abilities…" Amandina hadn't noticed Padre Cali arousing any desires in the battle before.

Padre Cali's voice was once again tinged with pain. "I'm sinful. I'm praying to the Demon Twanaku mentioned…"

Before Padre Cali could finish, the entire dream suddenly trembled and collapsed inch by inch.