An ordinary village, with about fifty or sixty dwellings—all round, thatched huts—arranged neatly in a circular pattern, radiating outward. In the center was a large plaza, and in the middle of it stood a long pole, some thirty or forty meters tall.
"Is this really the Unreal Covenant?"
I asked, and Earthly Soul nodded.
"Ethan Zhang, what do you think will happen to us? There’s only one month left—our last chance. If the Deathbane Aura Blade fails, we may lose everything."
Afterwards, Earthly Soul told me that among the ingredients used by the Dark Banquet to create the Dark Heart, there were some components he'd never seen before. But it was only a tiny part—a single grain of sand inside the heart. When the heart was brought here, he felt a strong pull from two other places.
"He’s here—the Endbringer."
I immediately stood up, alert and ready to summon my Specter Web, but Earthly Soul quickly stopped me, shaking his head.
"Get inside one of the houses. Hide all your presence as much as possible. If you have the Spirit Snake, use it to mask your aura."
"All we can do is wait here for those Dark Banquet people to show up."
I hummed in response and walked over to the wooden pole in the center. It was so tall, and there were no giant trees nearby. I reached out and touched it, but felt nothing special. (Homunculus remnants were rumored to be buried beneath these poles, according to local legend.)
We wandered around the village for three days, but found nothing. Wraithshade didn’t show up either, but Earthly Soul said he definitely would.
We kept watch in the village plaza, day after day. It’s been ten days now, and nothing has changed.
Earthly Soul leaned blankly against the pole, head tilted upward.
"Ethan Zhang, what do you think will happen to us? There’s only one month left—our last chance."
I shook my head, unable to answer Earthly Soul’s question. He gave a bitter smile, then suddenly stood up, excitement flashing in his eyes.
"He’s here—that guy."
I immediately stood up, alert and ready to summon my Ghost Network, but Earthly Soul quickly stopped me, shaking his head.
"Get inside one of the houses. Hide all your presence as much as possible."
Earthly Soul and I each went into a house on opposite sides. I hovered by the window, turned sideways, and completely concealed my presence, watching quietly.
Time ticked by, and my heart grew uneasy. Suddenly, with a whoosh, someone landed in the center—it was Wraithshade, carrying a huge black sack on his back.