One-Eyed Monster

There are always signs before a blizzard, and Wizard Reed felt he had given enough warning. Now, those on the mountain—whether hidden or exposed, whether lying dormant or already stirring—will have to endure the storm he is about to unleash. He must complete his mission; he has no other path to take.

All that should be revealed has been revealed! Of the remaining less than two-thirds, he must bring it all out... In his mind, those few so-called shortcuts must be fully unleashed as well. The current situation does not allow him to hide anything anymore.

He is not stirring up the storm just to fulfill a mission; he will also prove himself. He will show these impressive figures how a Dark Wizard can shake this place into chaos. He will prove that the Power of Darkness will be the ultimate power to rule the world!

So, what he is about to do next will take a long time to prepare. He won’t carelessly release the Malice Spirit Entities he has gathered with great difficulty, as he did just now. Like preparing meticulously before climbing the mountain, he will shroud this place in sheer, fearsome darkness.

Wizard Reed closed his eyes. Hidden deeply, he is not worried about being found; even if he is found, he still has ways to escape. The Guru Mountain scroll—he must take it with him, so he will spare no effort to unleash the final madness.

Just wait, you feeble men, quivering in the face of darkness. You will endure the baptism of darkness, ultimately becoming Slaves of Darkness.

Wizard Reed’s heart had gradually lost its original solitude, replaced by a continuous surge of resentment. He was completely dominated by darkness...

In the moments before a blizzard, no one feels excited by the oppressive atmosphere; instead, many find themselves sinking into a state of listless powerlessness. Kadi suffered from it severely. He could no longer feel the usual freshness and spirit of the Moonflow Stream. Normally, nights here should resonate with unending songs that not only soothe the mind but also help one forget the day’s troubles.

But where was it now? He couldn’t see the moon’s reflection; vast dark clouds pressed down from above. It should be a night with the moon hanging high. Speaking of which, Kadi felt that ever since entering the Slumber Room, he had never truly experienced daylight, living entirely in a perpetual, gloomy dimness. Igor had created a sun once before, but that, after all, was artificial and couldn’t be considered real. Without the moon, there was no true light. Even with the white snow reflecting what little there was, the surroundings remained dismally unlit.

It seemed darkness occupied everything. The falling snowflakes were different from before, though Kadi couldn’t pinpoint how. He just felt these snowflakes no longer danced; they seemed to fall merely for the sake of falling.

Regardless, the atmosphere here was oppressive now, as if Moonflow Stream were hiding something. Kadi would normally have been thrilled to see Kevin. But now, unfortunately, Kadi felt no excitement at all. He seemed defeated by Moonflow Stream’s current state; he didn’t want to see it like this.

Moonflow Stream without its songs was utterly desolate. Thinking of this desolation, Kadi couldn’t help but shiver. Are we about to run into some kind of trouble again? he secretly wondered.

Kadi quickly observed his surroundings. I’m always so slow on the uptake, he thought. If even I sense something abnormal about a place, it must have definitely entered an unusual state, and everyone else surely noticed it before me. However, when he managed to shift his gaze to the others, he found this wasn’t the case at all. In the dimness, thanks to Stan Sol’s Battle Pet Fiery Blaze, one could still make out some details.

Whether it was Igor, Kevin, or even those from the Alchemy Workshop who had climbed the mountain, they were all captivated by the new creature Stan Sol had captured. They were engrossed in studying it, discussing it from time to time, and paying no heed whatsoever to Moonflow Stream’s abnormal state.

Am I overthinking this? Kadi scratched his head. No, I can’t be. I know every nook and cranny of Guru Mountain; how could I be overthinking? Moonflow Stream is definitely not its usual self. No matter how powerful an intruder is, they couldn’t possibly transform a mountain’s inherent nature, right? Besides, this is Moonflow Stream, a place where the singing always continues as long as there’s moonlight. Even though thick dark clouds are shrouding the moon now, moonlight can’t be completely blocked. So, the singing here shouldn’t stop. But now... the singing is intermittent, like a mournful dirge!

Kadi felt he couldn’t let this continue. He had to inform everyone that things had changed here; it could very well be a trap set by the enemy.

”Hey!” Kadi shouted at the top of his lungs. This is the only crude way to snap them out of it, he thought. They’re all mesmerized by that new creature. I don’t have any other special skills, but causing a ruckus is my specialty. Only by doing this can I get their attention. Only then can I voice my concerns.

His loud cry successfully drew everyone’s attention.

”What’s wrong with you? Are you sick?” Kevin was the first to rush over. He touched Kadi’s head, showing his usual concern for the little fellow’s every move.

”Don’t you guys notice that Moonflow Stream has changed?” Kadi was surprised. How can they not sense anything, not even Kevin?

”Hmm, yes, this place just went through a fight—not a huge one, but a fight nonetheless. It’s certainly not as peaceful as before,” Kevin said dismissively. He thought it was perfectly normal. After all, the recent battle hadn’t exactly been minor; Thunder and Electricity had struck multiple times. How could the area not be in disarray?

”No, you don’t understand what I mean!” Kadi was getting anxious, unsure how to express himself clearly.

”What are you trying to say?” Igor also walked over at this point. Frankly, Igor had never seen Kadi so agitated.

”The song! Its signature song!” Kadi exclaimed loudly. ”It’s intermittent, as if it’s afraid something is coming!”

”The song?” Hearing Kadi say this, Kevin and the others grew thoughtful. Moonflow Stream was indeed renowned for its song. Now, as they focused on listening to it again, they finally realized something was indeed wrong.

The singing had become very weak and sporadic, something that had never happened before. Even during the earlier attacks of Thunder and Electricity, the singing hadn’t been this feeble... This singing seemed to be evading something; the melody was broken... No, it was trembling, as if... as if the songs themselves were dreading something!