"We are the guardians, yet also a group of pitiful creatures constantly battling danger and madness." Duan's words echoed within the old Neil's house, resonating between the floors, walls, and ceiling showing signs of corrosion, lingering in Cai Ren's mind and soul. Never before had any moment struck him with such vivid clarity as this one. He felt certain he would never forget this sensation, not even when he eventually returned to Earth. Amid the nearly frozen atmosphere, Duan moved toward Neil's "corpse," knelt halfway down, and from the pocket of his black coat, withdrew a white handkerchief, placing it over the dark red, translucent, painful eyes. At that moment, Cai Ren, in the periphery of his vision, noticed the piano keys ceasing their spontaneous jumps, and a nearly transparent figure beginning to emerge faintly there. This—Cai Ren, who had been able to perceive spirits since outside the door—was momentarily stunned. He had never noticed this strange presence before! Was it the interference of Old Neil's spirit, or the effect of his own uncontrollable abilities after losing control? Caine watched the nearly intangible figure rapidly fade, completely vanishing from his sight, and suddenly began to grasp something. Amid the heavy, suffocating sensation, he heard the captain instruct, "Search thoroughly through Old Neil's home for any possible clues." "Yes," Caine replied, but his voice made him pause for several seconds—so hoarse, so low, as if he had caught a severe cold. "Yes," Luyao responded as well. Her voice condition was similar to his—both nasal passages completely blocked. Caine glanced at his usually expressionless teammate, as though seeing her for the first time. He placed his staff on the umbrella stand in the foyer, stepped around the seal "3—0611," and entered the living room with a heavy, deliberate gait, ascending to the second floor, room by room, searching for clues. Old Neil regularly hires temporary staff to clean the rooms, so there's no clutter typical of most single men—everything is neat and well-organized, as if there truly is a mistress in residence. Half an hour later, in the bookshelf of Old Neil's bedroom, Caine found some manuscripts, haphazardly recording certain strange and eerie rituals: "Life forged." "Materials required: 100 milliliters of spring water from the Fountain of Elves (the Golden Spring on Sunya Island), 50 grams of star crystal, half a pound of gold, 5 grams of vital spirit, 30 grams of hematite, and—significantly—large quantities of living human blood." Below the entry on human blood, Old Neil added a note: "Consider drawing my own blood, accumulating it gradually, and preserving it through ritual magic." Consider drawing my own blood... Caine closed his eyes, fingers crumpling the manuscript slightly. Thursday morning at nine o'clock, at the time of the moon, the Raphael Cemetery. Klein stood quietly in a corner of the cemetery, dressed in a pure black suit and shirt, holding a silver-handled cane. A neatly folded white handkerchief was tucked into his chest pocket, and in his hands he held a solemn, serene deep sleep. At that moment, Dunn, Fley, Leonard, and Coen黎 carried the black coffin containing the "body" of the old Neil, stepping steadily toward the monument and silently placing it into the prepared grave. As the golden-brown soil was gradually covered one shovel at a time, Rosan, dressed in a black dress and wearing a white hat, softly wept, murmuring, "Who can tell me this is all true?" "Why must we lose control? Why must we take the potion? Why must we become extraordinary? Why must we carry ghosts, why must we be monsters? Why can't there be a safer way? Why? Why? Why..." Kaine listened silently, until the coffin of the old Neil was buried beneath the earth, until even his traces of existence were fully swallowed by the grave. "May the goddess protect you," he murmured, drawing a crimson moon on his chest, then stepped forward a few paces, bending to place the bouquet of deep sleep at the foot of the monument. "May the goddess protect you," Dune and Fley and the others simultaneously pressed four times in a clockwise motion on their chests. Kaine raised his head, straightened up, and saw the black-and-white photograph on the monument: The old Neil wore his classic black soft hat, his hair streaked with silver, his eyes slightly hazy, the deep red gaze clouded with time. His face was calm—no sorrow, no pain, no fear. Etched below the photograph is a epitaph drawn from Neil's most recent journal entry: "If we cannot save her, then let us accompany her." The cool morning breeze gently swept through, infusing the quiet, serene, and steadfast atmosphere of Rafael Cemetery into every presence present. ........ At noon, Caine carried the signed form from the captain and walked toward the armory. He pushed open the partially closed door and saw Bright seated behind the desk, his thick black beard prominent. Caine paused noticeably before finally handing over the request form: "Fifty standard rounds." As he spoke, his gaze swept across the silver-plated tin pot on the desk, and for a moment, he seemed to smell the rich aroma of hand-ground coffee, and hear again the softly spoken words laced with quiet humor: "Why wait until you have extra funds? You could simply submit a request to Dunn and have him approve the expenses!" "...Brett glanced at Caine's expression and sighed, 'I can imagine how you must feel. I myself can hardly believe that old Neil has simply left us. At times, I even think this might have been a dream orchestrated by the captain.' 'This may well be the fate of many watchkeepers,' Caine replied with a wry smile. Since this incident, he had grown increasingly disillusioned and resentful toward the higher echelons of the Church who had long concealed the truth about the 'acting method.' 'I hope such tragedies grow rarer, and may the goddess watch over you all,' Brett murmured, drawing a crimson moon on his chest. Holding the claim form, he rose and walked into the weapons store at the back. ... "Sparring isn't about hurting yourself," Gao Wen said, his slightly hazy, deep green eyes fixed on Kline, his voice steady. "I'm sorry, sensei, I've been in a bad mood today." Kline exhaled, adding a brief explanation. "What happened?" Gao Wen asked calmly, without any ripple in his tone. Kline thought for a moment, then replied briefly: "One of my friends passed away suddenly." Gao Wen remained silent for a few seconds, then gently touched the golden strands of hair at his temples, which were beginning to gray, speaking with a slightly wavering tone. "I've lost 325 friends within five minutes—among them, at least ten were the kind who could fully trust their backs to me." Kline sighed, a sense of clarity dawning. "That's the harshness of war." Gao Wen glanced at him, then suddenly chuckled with a touch of self-mockery. "The most painful part is that I'll never be able to avenge them, never fulfill their wishes—I'll never be able to." "And you still have this opportunity. Though I don't understand exactly what has happened, I know you are young—you have many more opportunities ahead of you." Kline remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, steadying himself and saying, "Thank you, Teacher." Gavon nodded gently, without any visible expression, stating, "Rest for ten minutes, then redo the previous exercises ten times." "...” Kline found himself at a loss for what expression to make. ………… Friday morning, in the Night Watchers' Recreation Room. Kline, Xica T'ang, and Fleur sat around the circular table, yet none of them were playing cards. One was reading the newspaper or magazines, another was gazing out the bulging window, lost in thought, while the third held a pen, trying to write something down, but kept falling short. The room was so quiet—no one spoke, no one joked—the atmosphere was nearly still and solemn. Huff. Caine exhaled, set down the newspaper, and intended to focus on reading through the various materials. At that moment, Dunning Smith entered, glanced around, and said, "Caine, come with me for a moment." What could it be? Caine stood up with a quiet sense of anticipation and followed him out of the lounge. Dunning stopped at the entrance to the stairway leading down to the underground, turned to him, and said, "The Hall's people have arrived." The people assessing me have come, then? Caine's spirit instantly tightened.