The pendant, a small wooden lotus flower, was unremarkable at first glance. Unlike typical accessories, it was crafted from willow wood, not cherry.Most people would overlook the pendant on the chain. If not for Verona's identity, Aria might have missed it too. Verona, an artist known for her unique style, typically avoided wooden pendants with her attire and preferred Nobeetan art, which rarely featured lotus flowers."Wait," Aria called out after her. Verona looked back immediately, surprise in her eyes. As long as Aria wanted her to stay, she would have cause to hope.Fiona found that strange, though. She knew Aria quite well, and her daughter was not one to have someone else stay without reason. "What's wrong, Aria?" Fiona asked so as to make it easier for Aria who might want to ask Verona something. Aria smiled. Her mother knew her well. "I want to look at the pendant you're wearing, Ms. Ander. It looks great and is reminiscent of period fashion. It will inspire my futur
Aria scrutinized the pendant with a wary eye. Since ancient times, accessories crafted from willow had been deemed ill-suited for human use. The willow's drooping leaves had long been associated with death and sorrow, often planted in cemeteries and featured on gravestones in the southern regions of Farshya.For a lotus pendant, a symbol of peace and purity, oak or mahogany would be the preferred woods, with poplar as a secondary choice if the others were unavailable. Willow was never considered—its use in crafting was said to herald disaster or summon malevolent spiritsThe lotus pattern on this pendant was unsettling, twisted in a manner that provoked unease in those who gazed upon it.Tobias had once told her that there were countless Pristine deities. To follow the Pristine religion, one needed to be certain of their devotion to a genuine, legitimate figure. The Pristine religion and its myths originated from Durin, a land with a deep history, where some illegitimate figures
Why had Mindy given her such a sinister pendant? What was she plotting? Verona's back was drenched with cold sweat, and a chill shot up her spine. She didn't keep anything from Aria, asking her directly, "Hypothetically, just hypothetically, what would happen if someone was sniffing this blend for a long time?""This concoction impacts both your physique and spirit, and you'll eventually get addicted to it," Aria said seriously, "You'll gradually become the most loyal believer ever, and you'll lose the ability to form your own opinions about certain matters."Verona's clutch fell to the ground with a thud. Suddenly, everything started to fall into place. Mindy had approached her deliberately. Knowing Verona's struggles with sleep and her desire for Fiona's recovery, Mindy manipulated the situation to make Verona gradually accept her.However, Mindy was only nine years old when that happened.Verona's first reaction was that there was a misunderstanding. However, when she met Ar
"It's not that serious yet." Aria tossed the necklace to Sam. "The adverse effects tend to manifest themselves gradually. I'll go to your house and see what's happening."Sam liked the pendant. The black fog smelled tasty, but he couldn't eat it because Aria forbade him. He was fine with it, though, because the beef at the buffet tasted great too. Sam decided he shouldn't make any more excessive demands, for his salary would be cut, and he would be forcibly sent to school. So, Sam behaved better than ever.…Aria hadn't realized the full extent of Verona's situation, but now that she was aware, she thought it best to investigate. More importantly, she might be able to discern Mindy's school of thought from the items at Verona's place.She hadn't forgotten the important information Nyx had given her. She had Landon take note of the CCTV footage. She wanted a comprehensive list of whoever had entered the room at around half past eight, including the waiting staff.Landon didn't as
The banquet would be ending soon. In order not to make everything seem too out of the ordinary, Fiona and Aria's three brothers mingled with the crowd while Aria checked the CCTV footage. She inspected the footage repeatedly and concluded that the Wagners and Furlers were the only people who had come in during that time of day. Philip was also among them. As he was occupied by certain matters, he'd had no time to go to Aria.This was different from what had happened in her dreams. Aria's sixth sense told her that the person she sought had never come to the banquet.Should Aria stop thinking of her dreams as reality? Or had something occurred today that had altered the scenario, preventing the person from appearing?Aria pressed her finger against the coin. Nyx was still perched on her shoulders. "I picked up on that person's scent, my lord."If Nyx and the twins had sensed the person's scent despite being absent, that meant only one thing—the Furlers and Wagners had met that pers
The fog was invisible to the average person, as was the strange fortune that had suddenly altered the surrounding area.However, arcane seekers of the highest level could sense it, including Homer, who was in the middle of discussing with Lysander how to convince Aria to join the Dracotigris Order. He suddenly stood up straight. "Something's wrong in the west side of the city."That feeling had come and gone swiftly, and Homer had an abrupt realization. "Someone's changing their fate!" This was strictly forbidden for arcane seekers, but Homer could feel that the other party was using magic from his own faction, causing his expression to darken.The clear skies suddenly became dark and cloudy. The moment Aria left the hotel and got on her bike, it started raining.The rain made her uneasy, and the night sky was shrouded in clouds and fog.…Toto was in bad shape. He was completely unconscious, and only a fragment of his soul remained when Aria found him."He'll die soon, my lor
Aria said seriously, "Yes. Some doctors are truly dedicated to saving the injured and sick. There's a saying that not many people know—'medicine is the art of fighting death; the doctor is its warrior.'""Good doctors can protect Toto." Aria made a call. "Hello, Dr. Lowe? It's me, Aria. I have a patient here who's very young—only four years old. He's very weak now and needs to be hooked to an IV."Yes, I'm right across from your hospital. I'll have his mom take him there. When he's there, please monitor his heart rate and breathing constantly. I'll take care of the rest."Abraham didn't quite understand what Aria meant by taking care of the rest. As a doctor who had devoted his whole life to saving others, he immediately became anxious upon hearing about Toto's condition. He was eating lunch after a surgical operation, but after only a few bites, he set his meal aside and rushed to attend to Toto.Verona looked at Aria, who asked if Toto was allergic to anything, and her shame al
Aria raised a brow. "Aren't all manifestations like this? For the ordinary person, your manifestations felt like another world too."She hopped onto her bike. "Hang in there. I'm driving this in." She revved the engine. If anyone else had been there, they would have noticed how the black-and-red bike vanished as it entered the villa.Outside, nothing seemed to change when Aria barged in. Only one corner of the villa emitted black fog, as if an invisible door had briefly opened and closed.Whenever she sought out the missing fragment of a soul, Aria always brought along an object deeply connected to the person—a token of familiarity or attachment.Noticing that Toto clutched a small rubber duckie, a cherished companion in his unconscious state, Aria snatched it without hesitation and tucked it into her pocket.Entering a manifestation typically required utmost caution; any disturbance could send the spirits within into a frenzy, especially when the conjurer was startled. Yet, n