Wind buffeted his back as Ethan and Wine fell downwards. Wine's blood boiled; wherever she looked, it was just darkness; it felt surreal and out of the world. Whereas in contrast, the feeling of falling was as real as it could be, making her heart of hearts realize that everything was real, everything was truly happening. Her life was changing at this precise moment.
And the reason for that was the man hugging her strongly, protecting her in his embrace — even if they were to fall to the ground, he would be the first one to die — whom she was hugging back similarly desperately. Her Young master, her teacher.
A chuckle of happiness was left in the air as she fell past it; her hug got tighter, and noticing, his hug tightened in return.
"How is it, Wine?" he yelled, his voice barely audible against the wind.
"I feel like I am flying!" she yelled back in return.
Ethan laughed lightly, and then, with squinted eyes, focused above, he could see a red light brightening and dimming in the darkness — his heart skipped a beat — the light turned blue; he inwardly sighed in relief.
"Hold tight," he muttered.
Wine's nerves tightened, and she instinctively looked down and gulped — the ground, the rocky ground. Dimly lit, it was visible very clearly to her. Her hold tightened.
Ten meters away,
6 meters,
1 meter!
Wine closed her eyes.
They floated in midair, an inch away from the ground, and their momentum gently halted.
Ethan licked his lips and looked around; it was a rock-padded place, but it was rather dim; he couldn't see much.
Fwoosh!
The torches on the side burned with fire, blazing into life as the surroundings brightened, Wine's cute face felt a hot sensation, and she opened her eyes and blinked at the sudden brightness before looking around and exclaiming in awe, "So this is how it is inside the door!"
The fire on the torches surrounding the room crackled. Ethan smiled and replied, "Yes, disappointed?"
Wine shook her head and looked around; a small rocky room with torches lining its walls and a small door at one corner. She eagerly looked towards it and then at her young master's face, "Let's go and check that out!" she yelled in excitement.
"Hmm…first move away from above me,"
Startled, Wine looked down and giggled; she had forgotten she was still in his embrace. Smiling, she slid out of his embrace to the side and tried to land on the ground — Ethan took hold of one of her hands — her leg couldn't touch the ground; it floated an inch above it, and due to surprise, she fell to the side.
Ethan clasped her hands; she balanced her foot in the air with a bit of struggle and Ethan's help, her forehead perspiring as she looked at him and asked, "You— Teacher, what… is this?"
Floating in the air in a lying posture, Ethan straightened and stood just like her — floating an inch above the ground, and said, "Resonance of the world beads stored inside this area."
"Resonance? World beads?" Wine asked, tilting her head.
He showed her his hands with a smile, and she took it.
"World beads are the same thing as totem beads," he said as they walked towards the door.
"The ones given to the maids by the ancestor?"
Ethan raised his brows, then shook his head, "No, those should be resonance totems, the ones that look like a black line, right?"
"Yes, that's it, Meimei says—"
"It is very expensive?"
Wine looked at Ethan with wide eyes, blinked, and asked in awe, "How do you know that?"
Ethan smiled and opened the door — her curiosity poked. Wine looked infront; it was a long hallway filled with these box things made of iron bars. Empty and devoid of life.
Ethan's nose twitched, the smell of blood…he inwardly muttered, before looking at Wine and saying, "You should hold your nose," tearing a part of his robe's sleeves using his bare hands, "and cover your eyes with this, ordinary people tend to get diseases if they get their eye and nose in contact with the resonances."
Wine nodded and hesitantly agreed.
Ethan smiled, "Don't worry, when coming out, you can see it. I will initiate it for you."
Wine's heart skipped several beats, a smile crept up on her lips, and her dimples were exposed. She looked down shyly and clumsily bound the blindfold around her eyes and put her hands on her nose, meanwhile hiding her smile with it.
Ethan took her by the hand and walked through the hallway; their footsteps and the flickering sound of flame rang as the torches in between jail cells flickered.
He deeply inhaled. The smell of blood was intensifying.
Reaching another door, he opened it with a push, and a creaking sound resounded.
Wine's ears twitched.
He moved into the room, and a maniacal smile naturally found its way onto his face. The smell of blood blasted directly onto his face. A suppressed and pulsating resonance passed by his body, making his skin itch and his goosebumps rise.
He moved into the room and looked at the only important thing, a Wuma altar, black and floating in midair, the size of a dining table, its black marble-like structure stained and dripping with drops of blood from all sides; Then, he followed the dripping blood with his gaze, it was falling into a hole, bigger than the altar and darker than anything before.
The blood drops fell, drop by drop, into that hole that looked like a bloodthirsty beast's maw.
And again, he moved his gaze to what lay above the altar; Bodies.
Human dead bodies, with distorted shapes and poking eyes, all forced into different 1-meter-tall glass vessels, floating two inch above the altar and dripping blood onto it.Their golden eyes were dark with dread and despair.
Ethan's golden eyes shined in reflection — he licked his molars…