"Count Yurst? So he was the one calling me?""Wait… he looks like this, could he be imprisoned?"
"Ugh… such ugly symbols. No wonder the call has been so faint. This doesn't resemble the Thorny Rose at all! It's even worse than my handwriting. It's a miracle I could sense it at all..."
In the void, Charlotte's will "observed" Count Yurst, who was praying in front of the blood-red symbol, finally realizing who had been disturbing her sleep these past few days.
It seemed this Bloodborne Count had run into some trouble and had chosen to call out to her, a "mysterious God"!
"Trouble, huh..."
Charlotte's interest was piqued as she extended her awareness, aided by the blood divine power, from Count Yurst to the surroundings.
Soon, she "saw" the scene outside the room.
Yawning guards, a maze of corridors, and solemn stone walls...
This was a grand and imposing castle.
Within the castle, there were many bloodbornes and blood servants. In some rooms, Charlotte even saw familiar Demon Eye symbols.
"The Blood Demon Cult? They captured Count Yurst?"
Charlotte's heart skipped a beat.
Capturing a Bloodborne Count alive was much harder than defeating or even killing one.
Instantly alert, Charlotte spread her consciousness cautiously. To her relief, she didn't sense any overly powerful presence for now.
The guards in the castle weren't stronger than Count Yurst himself, but it seemed his powers had been sealed, explaining his current state.
Of course, the absence of a strong presence was only temporary.
If someone could seal a Bloodborne Count's powers and imprison him, there must be an even stronger—possibly Legendary—being behind it!
After some thought, Charlotte's gaze returned to Count Yurst.
She was genuinely curious.
As a bloodborne of Nez, if captured by the Blood Demon Cult, he should pray to Nez's nobility.
But why did this Bloodborne Count turn to her?
After pondering for a while, Charlotte decided to respond to his call and ask him directly.
After all, this was the first time she had been called by a bloodborne.
With that in mind, Charlotte increased the output of her blood divine power and began a Blood Summoning through the scarlet star representing Count Yurst in the crimson star sea...
...
Count Yurst deeply regretted his actions.
He regretted not memorizing the symbol of that mysterious God, only knowing its concept as the Thorny Rose.
He had thought such a common pattern was ingrained in his mind, but when it came time to draw it, he realized that "recognizing" and "reproducing" it were completely different.
The result was numerous attempts with no response.
Yurst didn't know if it was because his symbols were too off or because he lacked the necessary ritual or altar for resonance, but likely it was both.
After all... even mortals praying to an unknown God need the right holy symbol and a series of intricate rituals.
"Indeed... relying on imperfect symbols and prayers without a ritual or altar won't transmit my voice to the God..."
Yurst felt despondent.
Looking at the symbols covering the floor, he knew his time was running out.
The guards and Elder Maxim could appear at any moment, diminishing his hope.
However, just as Yurst was sinking into despair, a breeze suddenly stirred in the room...
Gradually, the symbols on the floor began to glow and writhe like worms, seemingly coming to life.
With his powers sealed, Yurst didn't notice the breeze or the symbols' changes.
It wasn't until the crimson light grew brighter that it caught his attention.
"Hmm?"
Yurst's heart skipped a beat.
He perked up, hurriedly looked at the floor, and saw the last symbol he drew glowing with a crimson hue, while the surrounding symbols moved towards it like swimming fish!
As the symbols converged, the central symbol became clearer, its twisted outline turning graceful and smooth, eventually becoming identical to the common decorative pattern of the Thorny Rose!
"This… this is… this is the Thorny Rose! The true Thorny Rose!"
Seeing the familiar symbol, Count Yurst was elated. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.
The next moment, radiant light burst from the Thorny Rose.
He felt enveloped in a sea of crimson light, a mysterious force pulling him, drawing his consciousness in...
It felt like crossing endless voids, a sensation of vertigo and weightlessness overwhelming him.
Crimson mist engulfed everything, flooding in like a tidal wave and quickly obscuring his vision.
Yurst felt a moment of disorientation.
When his consciousness cleared, he found himself standing in a misty world.
Next, the crimson mist roiled, and enormous pillars and stone walls rose from the ground, slowly towering amid thunderous noise.
Black reliefs appeared on the pillars and stone walls, faintly outlining a vivid and mysterious mural, adorned with intricate and exquisite thorns and roses.
Yurst watched the rapidly changing scene around him in shock.
When the crimson mist gradually dissipated, he realized he was standing in a majestic and solemn ancient castle, with every decoration perfectly fitting the aesthetics of the bloodborne.
Mysterious, strange, yet subtly exuding a sense of holiness and solemnity.
"This… this is the Dark Night Castle?!"
Seeing the mysterious and solemn architecture around him, Count Yurst couldn't help but exclaim, almost jumping up.
The Dark Night Castle...
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The highest sanctuary where the Bloodborne True Ancestor summoned HER descendants. Although Yurst had only entered it once in his youth, following the duke, he remembered it deeply.
Memories from a thousand years ago began to awaken as Yurst's eyelids twitched, looking at the familiar decorations around him.
But when his gaze fell on the reliefs and murals on the walls, he was quickly puzzled.
Because the reliefs and murals did not depict the bloodborne creation legends and the battles of the Gods recorded in the castle where the Bloodborne True Ancestor resided, but stories he had never seen before.
Within the crimson mist, there were four distinct reliefs and murals.
One depicted an evil yet sacred sacrificial ritual.
A girl bound to a cross, a gigantic sacrificial array, evil worshippers screaming in pain, and hundreds of corpses falling backward...
Another depicted a solemn submission ceremony.
A tall woman sitting on a throne with an indistinct face, a mysterious and majestic thorny rose glowing brightly, and an ardent and longing flame elf kneeling with one knee on the steps below...
Another depicted a vast battle.
A city under the night, a terrifying demon trying to break free from a seal, a Goddess standing proudly in the sky, and the divine sword in her hand, whose mere sight conveyed supreme power, slashing at the demon...
The last one depicted a prayer scene.
A thorny rose standing on an altar, a hooded preacher, a fervent werewolf priest seemingly singing the God's name to his companions, and numerous devout believers listening to the teachings under the holy symbol...
No...
This couldn't be the True Ancestor's Dark Night Castle. The stories depicted here weren't the same, and he hadn't heard of them either.
Looking at the four relief murals, Yurst calmed down a bit and sighed with relief.
The Bloodborne True Ancestor, though a figure of history and legend, still held residual power.
Seeing the surroundings had initially scared him more than being captured by Elder Maxim.
However...
It really looks like it!
Yurst's gaze wandered around, feeling an intense sense of déjà vu.
Apart from the reliefs and murals symbolizing the legends of the God, this place indeed resembled the castle of the True Ancestor in his memory!
"Have you seen enough, Bloodborne of Nez?"
An ethereal and lofty female voice echoed from all directions.
Ethereal, mysterious, mature, with a hint of alluring charm.
The voice was so enchanting, like a divine melody, and seemed to carry supreme majesty, inspiring awe and reverence.
When the voice reached Yurst's ears, he felt his heart stop for a moment, and his blood seemed to boil as if stirred by the ethereal, mysterious voice.
A reverence, from his blood and soul, slowly spread within him...
Such powerful mental strength, able to so easily stir my extraordinary bloodline!
Yurst's heart raced, and he quickly diverted his gaze from the reliefs and murals.
All extraordinary powers originate from God, and God's power naturally suppresses mortal extraordinary powers.
But to so effortlessly shake his bloodline, besides the long-vanished Bloodborne True Ancestor, the nobles leading the bloodborne clans, and the God-King Harald who once waged war against the bloodborne clans, this was his first time!
Yurst's gaze roamed around, trying to find the source of the voice, and after finding nothing, he knelt down respectfully and said.
"Mysterious and mighty majesty! Please forgive Yurst's rudeness..."
He hesitated for a moment, then mustered the courage to say:
"Mysterious and mighty majesty, Yurst... wishes to request an audience and beseech your help!"
Yurst's voice echoed through the solemn castle.
He lowered his head, anxiously awaiting the God's response.
He knew his request might be presumptuous to an unfamiliar God, especially since he hadn't prepared an altar or offerings.
But now, Yurst couldn't care about that.
Yurst had never felt time pass so slowly while waiting for a response.
Every second of silence felt like a year.
Silence brought immense pressure, and just as Yurst grew more anxious and tense, the ethereal voice finally rang out again, like a heavenly melody.
"Come forward."
As soon as the words fell, the castle floor began to tremble, and the crimson mist churned again.
Yurst felt a surge of energy and looked up to see the mist parting to the sides, revealing the transforming ground. Stone slabs, seeming alive, rolled and layered, forming a staircase leading straight ahead...
After a slight hesitation, Yurst stepped forward and ascended the staircase.
At the top of the stairs, he saw a high platform with a majestic and ancient throne surrounded by intricate thorny roses. On the throne sat a woman in a black divine dress, lazily leaning and watching him with interest.
Through the mist, Yurst couldn't see the woman's face, only her mysterious, radiant red-golden eyes and silky silver hair.
Even so, he could feel the woman's divine and majestic presence, ancient and vast, with an unparalleled beauty that even the mist couldn't hide.
Yurst felt this vague figure seemed familiar.
But when he tried to recall, nothing came to mind. After a moment's hesitation, he even forgot what he was trying to remember, feeling only the Goddess' mystery and beauty, even with her face concealed...
Yurst dared not look any longer, fearing to anger the mysterious Goddess.
Taking a deep breath, he respectfully bowed and introduced himself again.
"Yurst Nez, fourth-generation bloodborne of Nez, Bloodborne Count, greets the mysterious and mighty majesty..."
"May your glory always shine upon the world, and may all honor belong to your throne!"
Hearing Yurst's reverent, almost flattering praise, the "Goddess" on the throne chuckled softly.
She shifted her posture slightly, crossing one slender white leg over the other, tapping the armrest of the throne, and smiling faintly.
"Bloodborne of Nez, I understand your request. Call me Dark Night."
Her mist-covered gaze grew profound, and her voice took on a playful tone.
"I always adhere to the principle of equivalent exchange. Since you seek my help, what price are you willing to pay?"