Jolted awake by the alarm, Sky rubbed the sleep from his eyes and briskly prepared himself for an exploration into the ancient castle's main structure. His goal for the night was simple yet daunting: to venture through one of its mysterious doors.
The castle's grand entrance, guarded by heavy bronze doors, stood ajar. Due to their considerable weight and the rusty locks - a testament to their age - Sky had left a small passage open when he departed yesterday afternoon, just wide enough for one person.
The night was enlivened by a crescent moon suspended in the vast sky, casting a faint glow against the ink-blue backdrop. Its light, intermittently hidden by passing clouds, lent a mysterious and elusive charm to the cool lunar shine. The gentle night breeze rustled the leaves in the distance, their whispers like ethereal sprites conversing in the calm of the night.
As Sky peered into the dim innards of the castle through the partly open doors
, he recalled the mission's hint from "The Door": "It becomes truly lively here after nightfall." A chill ran down his spine at the thought. Steadying his nerves with a deep breath, he equipped his flashlight, ready to brave the castle's nocturnal mysteries.
But then, a woman's piercing scream shattered the night's tranquility from deep within the castle. The scream echoed through the corridors, setting off a series of eerie echoes. It was mingled with the sounds of crashing dishes and bottles, as if an unseen force was wreaking havoc inside the ancient structure.
Soon, the creaks of aged floorboards and heavy, urgent footsteps from the direction of the spiral staircase intertwined with the screams, as if fleeing from something horrifying.
Frozen in place, Sky gazed towards the staircase. The dim moonlight barely outlined the scene within, intensifying the atmosphere of terror. At the peak of this fear, a shadowy figure hurtled down from the second-floor staircase at an incredible speed, its form a mere blur.
Defying the laws of physics, the figure descended the spiral staircase in a flash, crossed the deserted ground floor, and headed straight for Sky. In that split second, Sky could only discern a white, humanoid creature, arms outstretched, lunging at him.
Instincts from his last transmigration as a gene warrior took over. Sidestepping, he grabbed the creature's arm, yanking it to the ground, eliciting a surprised yelp from the assailant.
Sky quickly mounted the creature, his hand reaching instinctively for the chainsaw sword typically holstered at a gene warrior's waist. His movements were fluid, bypassing conscious thought.
Coming back to reality, he realized he was an ordinary man in this world, grappling with an unknown being, possibly a ghost or monster, and there was no chainsaw sword at his waist. Yet, as this realization dawned, something materialized in his hand – a sword hilt.
A voice in his head announced: "Player's first use of item [Soul Sonata No.12] in this plane. Activation complete, consuming 50 source energies and 250 rule fragments. Insufficient local energies and fragments substituted with universal ones."
Sky inwardly cursed. His attempt to save universal energies and fragments by opting for automatic plane transmigration had led to an unexpected expenditure on his very first night.
But there was no time for regrets. An immense force from beneath him flipped him over. Even with enhanced player attributes, his body in this plane was merely human, no match for supernatural forces.
The white entity lunged again, crashing into Sky's chest, nearly breaking his ribs. In the moonlight, he got a clearer view of his attacker. It was covered in pure white fur, shimmering silver in the moonlight, its sleek form exuding agility and strength. Long white hair fluttered, covering most of its face, with only the fur shimmering eerily in the light.
Gripping the short sword [Soul Sonata No.12] tightly, Sky aimed for the creature's midsection.
"Landlord, landlord, you scared me to death!" the creature in his arms exclaimed in a familiar voice.
His sword paused mid-air as Sky asked, puzzled, "Lumiya?"
The creature looked up, revealing a face mostly human beneath the fur, unmistakably Lumiya's, though her ears had transformed into wolf-like, covered in white fur, twitching nervously. Her nose, now black and slightly moist, gleamed healthily in the moonlight. Those large grey-blue eyes, unmistakably Lumiya's but now brimming with tears, looked terrified.
Sky, in shock, asked, "How did this happen to you?"
"There's a horrifying woman in red inside the castle, a ghost. She scared me so badly I reverted to my true form," Lumiya replied with a whimper.
Sky was bewildered, trying to make sense of the situation.
"A ghost in the castle? I thought you weren't afraid of ghosts. What exactly are you – a person or something else?" Sky questioned, trying to prioritize his queries amidst the confusion.
Lumiya, still shaking, explained, "Ordinary ghosts don't scare me, but this one is different. The moment I saw that red-dressed ghost, my fur stood on end. My instincts are never wrong. A ghost that can scare me is extremely, extremely dangerous."
Sky decided to focus on the immediate issue, "Before we deal with the ghost, I need to understand what you are."
Lumiya glanced at Sky, a mix of guilt and pride on her face, and proudly declared, "I'm a demon dog, a highly talented one. A genius among my kind, according to my master."
Her expression was a plea for praise, her ears flattening against her head in a canine gesture of seeking approval. Her behavior reminded Sky of her initial action, akin to a scared animal seeking comfort from its owner.
Sky said with a wry smile, "Could you please get off? You're pressing down on me, and I'm pinned down here." The tension easing, he began to feel the pain from where Lumiya had bumped into him.
"Perhaps we should look for a hospital when it gets light?" he mused.
Realizing her position, Lumiya sheepishly sat up, sticking out her tongue in embarrassment.
Right at that moment, the air around us took a sinister turn, the temperature dropping rapidly in a rather eerie manner. The cold seemed alive, clinging onto us, seeping into our bones relentlessly.
Lumiya let out a low, threatening growl from deep within her throat, indicating her alertness and unease. Her ears stood up straight, swiveling back and forth, while her nose twitched occasionally as she sniffed the air. Her eyes, a striking shade of grey-blue, darted around, scanning the surroundings. I noticed her fluffy, snow-white tail - a stark contrast to her tense posture - slowly rise, a clear sign of her earlier fear.
"What's up, Lumiya? Has that ghost lady followed us?" I asked, my own anxiety mounting.
Without warning, Lumiya leaped up, turning to face the moon, shielding me behind her. Her voice was grave as she spoke, "Master, stay on your guard. If you get a chance, make a run for it."
Following her gaze, I saw the crescent moon, now bathed in an ominous red glow. A faint, blood-like scent filled the air, stirring a mix of fear and restlessness deep within me.
Beneath the blood-red moon, a dark figure hovered,
its massive bat wings unfurling, casting an intimidating shadow. It flapped its wings rhythmically, a menacing presence in the night sky.
I picked myself up, looking up at this bat-winged being, and couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. "Just like the mission description said, things get really interesting here after dark. But this scene feels a bit too real for a mere mission."
Suddenly, the figure in the sky dived, its bat wings beating powerfully, speeding towards us.
Undaunted, Lumiya stepped forward, her fingers morphing into claws, nails extending into deadly points. She positioned herself masterfully, ready to intercept the creature, her stance reminiscent of the Chinese Kung Fu I had seen.
With a deep roar, Lumiya's hands became a blur of motion, aiming a lethal strike at the creature – one hand at its throat, the other at its heart. Her hands glowed with a mysterious light, forming tiny ice shards in the air, turning them into a swarm of deadly blades targeting the creature.
I was astounded. This was beyond any Kung Fu I knew – was this some kind of unique demon magic? A dog demon with Kung Fu skills and magical abilities?
As Lumiya's icy assault launched at the creature, it made a sharp turn mid-flight, evading her attack and heading straight for me.
Reacting instinctively, I braced myself against the oncoming threat. I wasn't one to give up without a fight. Gripping my short sword, I struck at the creature with full force.
"Huh?" The creature sounded genuinely surprised, dodging my attack with agility.
Hovering again, it spoke, "Human, are you bewitched by werewolf magic? Fear not, once I deal with this odd werewolf, I will free your mind."
The creature's voice was feminine, melodious like a mountain stream, strangely familiar to me.
Lumiya, furious, retorted, "You vile bat demon, thinking of snatching the landlord away to devour him, aren't you?" Her right hand glowed even brighter, swiftly forming a 1.5-meter-long ice spear, ready for battle.
"Don't think your ability to fly makes you invincible. Take this!" With a fierce battle cry, Lumiya hurled the spear with precision, the ice weapon whistling sharply as it soared towards the bat-winged adversary in the sky.
Meanwhile, I yelled up at the creature, an epiphany striking me, "Wait, hold on! I remember now. You're the one who called to book a room yesterday afternoon!"
I could clearly recall; since arriving in this realm, I had spoken to only two people.
Indeed, it was quite the eventful night.