Chapter 263: Primal Werewolf
In the midst of the raging blizzard, Lily struggled to take another step. The cold seeped inward from her skin, penetrating deep into her flesh and bones. Her body was stiff as a puppet’s, yet a burning desire smoldered within her heart. It was like embers, once ignited and then extinguished, quietly radiating heat and black smoke, scorching her very soul.
Lily felt her blood thicken, becoming like glue or mud. It bound her limbs, entwining her flesh like ropes, turning her into a prisoner. “I am a prisoner trapped within this shell!” she cried internally.
A scarlet flame reignited in the depths of Lily’s pupils. The regret of losing her book, the fury of being provoked by the rabbit, and the loneliness of trekking through the snow alone—all these negative emotions transformed into fuel, scorching her soul and making her blood even more viscous.
The large white rabbit, meanwhile, hopped with incredible agility through the blizzard. Every time Lily was about to fall behind, it would stop and glance back as if in mockery. When Lily felt she was catching up, it would leap away again, causing Lily’s blood pressure to soar.
Initially, her rationality urged her to calm down. But as she chased, her rationality finally gave way, screaming, “To hell with it, just chase!”
However, the external wind was bone-chillingly cold, and her body felt as stiff as wood. Now, just running caused creaking sounds from every part of her body… Her body had reached its limit.
At this moment, Lily subconsciously glanced back. To her surprise, her path behind her had already turned into a stretch of snow devoid of footprints. She looked down and found herself surrounded by a mess of her own footprints, as if she had merely been going in circles.
“How can this be?”
“You are bound by mortal attire,” a ethereal female voice chimed in. “You cannot approach the Night Rabbit unless you cast off your attire.”
Lily gritted her teeth and, without hesitation, stripped off her clothes. Strangely, afterwards, she felt a sense of liberated instinct—a new power coursed through her. Despite shedding her warm clothing, her skin gradually grew warmer. The blizzard could no longer harm her in the slightest.
She once again set off in pursuit of the large white rabbit, known as a “Night Rabbit.” Her body was no longer stiff, and her skin no longer felt cold. After removing her clothes, she ran on all fours like a beast, her body steaming with white heat in the snowy night. Yet, even so, she couldn’t outrun the rabbit.
“You are bound by mortal flesh and blood,” the voice spoke again, like wind chimes or crystals, clear and calm like a spring in a deep valley. “You cannot approach the Night Rabbit unless you cast off your flesh and blood.”
With only the rabbit in her scarlet eyes, Lily continued to sprint. She finally broke free from the maddening loop and lunged at the rabbit fiercely. The rabbit didn’t have time to react and was pinned to the ground. Driven by an intense thirst, Lily bit into the rabbit’s throat and began to drink its blood. The rabbit thrashed its legs wildly, but it couldn’t dislodge Lily. Instead, she held it like a passionate lover, embracing it on the ground and burying her head in snow that reached her knees.
After draining the rabbit’s blood, she began to devour its flesh. As Lily ate, her bones creaked and groaned—grayish-white fur sprouted from her skin, and her beautiful face gradually transformed into a ferocious wolf’s head.
Finally, only a few scattered remains of the rabbit were left. Lily, transformed into a gray wolf, spun around in confusion, her long snout stained with blood. Just then, she saw the rabbit—the large white rabbit was hanging in the sky! She howled at the moon above, intending to leap towards it.
At that moment, wolves began to emerge from the snow, seemingly from nowhere. They joined Lily’s howl, raising their heads to howl at the moon. An overwhelming sense of joy surged through her.
“You are bound by the shadows beneath you,” the female voice spoke for the third time. “You cannot approach the Night Rabbit unless you cast off your shadows.”
Confused, Lily looked down at her shadow. Her blood-red eyes gazed at it, and she instinctively tried to bite her own shadow. But at that moment, several threads emerged from her shadow, binding and hoisting her up. The wolf-Lily struggled fiercely in the bound state, but she couldn’t break free from the gray threads.
As she struggled, she gradually transformed back into human form. The large white rabbit in the sky glanced back at her and then departed towards the other side of the sky. Lily, bound in place, watched the departing Night Rabbit and let out a near-wailing cry, but she was ultimately unable to break free from the gray threads.
As the moon set, Lily suddenly regained consciousness. She was still in the Young Master’s study. Her clothes lay discarded to the side, and she stood in her original spot. There was no large white rabbit in the cage before her; only a book lay quietly within.
“Thank goodness… the book isn’t lost…” Lily sighed subconsciously, only to find her voice had become incredibly hoarse. She paused and then realized something felt lodged in her throat. She couldn’t help but cough, spitting out a wad of blood-stained rabbit fur.
“…Wasn’t that a hallucination?” Lily shuddered, recalling the distinct sensation of chewing and swallowing the rabbit. When she remembered the joy she felt tearing into the flesh, she was horrified to discover wolf hair growing on her skin and her body crouching, ultimately transforming into a gray wolf.
“…Is this the curse of the Wolf Transformation Curse?!” Lily exclaimed, recalling the knowledge from the Witch’s inheritance book. But soon, she realized something was amiss. Unlike the effects of the Wolf Transformation Curse, she seemed to be able to revert to her human form at will.
A thought stirred within her. The wolf hair on her body receded, and she crouched down, only to resume her human appearance. “…The Grimoire of the Path of Love?” Lily murmured, feeling frightened by her loss of control. If she had chosen to cast off her shadow back then, would she have been unable to return?
The desperate urge to devour flesh and blood that surged from the depths of her being after transforming into a wolf instilled even greater fear. “The closer the person, the more I love them, the more I admire them, the more I want to devour them. It’s manageable in human form, but if I transformed into a wolf… if Eivass were right before me, I might not be able to control my bloodthirsty impulses.” This form was too dangerous. She decided to seal it, pretending she had never obtained this ability.
Lily thought to herself. Though she felt a pang of regret. That wolf didn’t seem like an ordinary beast; she vaguely felt she possessed some special abilities… But to avoid succumbing to the curse, she decided to act as if those abilities didn’t exist.
She no longer had the inclination to tidy up, but the worry prevented her from sleeping. She feared that if she accidentally fell asleep, she would have that dream again… transforming into a wolf and returning to the snowy plains. She tossed and turned in bed all night, unable to sleep.
On the other side, Eivass and Sherlock were also awake. Eivass had already prepared the ritual. However, Sherlock seemed to be experiencing some issues.
“How am I supposed to know if we’re orbiting the sun or the moon? In my past life, I never needed to use astronomy—I’m not saying I can’t learn it, but my brain is accustomed to not accepting knowledge that’s useless to me. Of course, I know it’s useful now, but I still need some time to adapt.” Sherlock, exasperated, threw “An Introduction to Astronomy” aside, stacking it with “Beginner’s Astrology.” “Besides, I graduated so long ago, and astronomy was a first-year subject for me…”
“However, my father quite liked you,” Eivass interjected. Here, “father” referred to Professor James. His work, “Celestial Mechanics,” possessed a rare depth in pure mathematics, and few in the scientific community could fault it. In the field of astronomy, James was undoubtedly a top-tier professor.
“How would I know!” Sherlock exclaimed. He sighed and then explained, “I often consulted the professor on astronomy and math problems back then. But that was because I was doing poorly in those subjects, and I just wanted to pass… The professor was indeed very kind to me. When I graduated, he even recommended me to the Inspection Department, but I declined.”
Eivass pondered for a moment. “If you could pass back then, you should be able to pass now.”
“…Perhaps,” Sherlock said helplessly. “But my brain feels foggy, like it’s covered in a haze; I can’t remember anything here…”
“It seems the ‘imbecile curse’ is quite fittingly idiotic,” Eivass commented. “Not spiritual enough.” Sherlock then tossed the two hefty books at Eivass’s head, one after the other, but Eivass caught them with ease, one in each hand.
“Then what should we do?” Sherlock asked, worried. “You’re almost done with your side, aren’t you? I see you’ve been busy for a long time… Perhaps you could lift my curse first, and I’ll reapply it after I finish studying?”
“There’s no need. It seems you really can’t get the hang of it in one night… But it’s okay. I can help you with your current ritual. For the parts you don’t understand, I’ll help you cheat a little.” Eivass replied cheerfully. “However, before your next Ascension, you’ll have to finish these two books. You’ll be performing your Ascension Ritual for your advancement and job change then, and I won’t be able to help you.”
“I will,” Sherlock replied, relieved, swearing, “I’ll definitely finish them before my next Ascension.” The timing of his next Ascension was, of course, still up in the air. Advancing from the Third Tier to the Fourth Tier was not something achievable within a month’s effort. If he weren’t working, he could likely teach himself the basics in about a week. He should have plenty of time.
“Then let’s take these two books with us when we leave,” Sherlock said, not wanting to waste any more time. “I’ll look at them during my investigations… I’ll definitely learn them.”
“Alright. Once you feel you’ve learned enough, come find me, and I’ll give you a test,” Eivass said with a smile. “I’ve been receiving astronomy education since I was young… Let’s go; dawn is approaching.”
“Oh, right,” Sherlock said, following Eivass. “Who are we praying to for the ritual? Is it the Great Philosopher? I’ll bring some offerings…”
“No, bring some black pearls,” Eivass replied. “This ritual is to appeal for Hengwo’s gaze.”
Update complete! Requesting votes at the beginning of the month!
Thanks to Remy w for the Alliance Leader reward!
I’m still feeling unwell, but I can write now… I don’t have a fever. After sleeping for three hours yesterday afternoon, my temperature returned to normal, so I didn’t go to the hospital.
If I hadn’t taken leave yesterday, today’s update would have fallen exactly on the Mid-Autumn Festival. It was supposed to be a perfect alignment, damn it (slams fist)!
