Chapter 111
Whoosh!
Then the flames, as if satisfied, blazed up and then shrank as if compressing their body, becoming a palm-sized flame. It maintained its small form while burning vigorously, as if it no longer needed food, and maintained a constant temperature.
Jinseong put the end of the stick into the shrunken flame to light it. Then, with the sound of moisture drying up completely, the end of the stick caught fire.
It was too small to be called a torch, and while it was simply on fire, it had the form of a symbolic flame that people imagine, looking like a staff that old wizards were said to use.
He swung it back and forth, then tapped the ground again with a steady rhythm.
Thud!
Thud!
Then the dull sound echoed again. But as he repeated hitting the ground, the sound changed, becoming similar to the sound of hitting a hollow tree.
Tong!
Tong!
A weak vibration.
A large resonance.
The simple sound of hitting the ground became like the sound of an instrument.
It became a sound that seemed to contain primitive exaltation, and affected Lee Arin's brain. Her eyes gradually lost focus, and thoughts disappeared from her head, entering a state where she only focused on the vibrations and sounds she heard.
When Jinseong confirmed Lee Arin's blank expression, he brought the mistletoe and eagle owl he had floated in the air and held them in front of her. Then he went behind her and hugged her tightly.
The intensity of the hug was enough to make even a trained martial artist feel a little breathless.
"Huh, what?"
Lee Arin, who had been in a daze and suddenly found herself in Jinseong's embrace, was startled.
She reflexively tried to escape from his arms.
But when Jinseong felt her movement, he tightened his arms and said.
"Don't try to escape and focus on the eagle owl in front of you."
"Uh, okay?"
"Hurry."
At Jinseong's firm tone, Lee Arin looked at the eagle owl with a dazed expression.
The sleeping eagle owl was facing her with a stupid expression, and although she watched the eagle owl like this, she couldn't concentrate properly due to the body heat of another person felt on her body.
"Empathize."
"With what?"
Tong!
Tong-!
Jinseong started tapping the ground again while hugging Lee Arin.
Then an even larger vibration and sound echoed than before.
He also made her inhale deeply the smoke from burning white powder on the flame burning on the sessile oak.
Soon after, Lee Arin's eyes began to lose focus again.
Lee Arin's mind was positioned between consciousness and unconsciousness.
She, who had become dazed due to the repeated sounds and vibrations, and the 'special effect' derived from the remnants of the fairy mushrooms, began to perceive external stimuli as if seeing and hearing them in a half-asleep state. Moreover, as her oxytocin levels gradually increased due to Jinseong hugging her and the mushroom powder, her empathy ability greatly increased, and the possibility of reflexive criticism decreased inversely.
Jinseong whispered in her ear.
"Look. There's a warrior in front of you."
"Okay..."
Lee Arin responded weakly to Jinseong's words with half-closed eyes.
"Look at those majestic eyes. Those eyes that pierce through darkness are like a beast roaming the night, no enemy will be able to avoid that gaze."
"Mmm..."
"Look at those ears. They don't miss even the smallest footsteps, and even if darkness as black as pitch is wrapped around like a curtain, no one will be able to avoid those ears. There are no better ears for a warrior protecting family and self."
"Mm..."
"Wrapped in feathered clothes and hidden in darkness, truly agile. Wrapped in light-colored fur that blends with the darkness of night, you can see the enemy but the enemy cannot see you, and being the color of trees, you can become one with the tree and wait for the enemy. But there's something sharp in hand, this is the weapon of a warrior grown with blood."
Jinseong whispered to her incessantly.
"As the sun blazes and light illuminates the world, its form is revealed. The blood-soaked claws shine in the sunlight, and what seemed like tree bark is armor made of feathers. That appearance is the model of a warrior, truly a warrior like a beast."
Jinseong began to wrap the eagle owl with mistletoe.
"Young warrior. There is someone you should resemble over there. Look. Look at the eyes of that great warrior. Those warrior's eyes can pierce through darkness and make night like day. Can you do that?"
"Yes... I can do it..."
"Young warrior. Look at those ears. Look at those ears that can hear even the sound of stepping on dried and withered leaves. Can you do that?"
"I can..."
Jinseong began to attach feathers and fish scales to Lee Arin, who was answering with a blank expression. The raptor feathers were attached to Lee Arin's neck and shoulders, and the fish scales were attached to her nails, forming a shape. The curved and sharp-ended form was similar to that of a raptor.
"Young warrior. There is a feathered cloak made by plucking raptor feathers. If you are truly a warrior, you should have that, do you have it?"
"No... I mean, yes... Huh? I have it..."
"Young warrior. Look at that shining blade. Look at that weapon that can tear the enemy's belly and pierce their head. Do you have something like that?"
"I... do..."
Jinseong whispered in Lee Arin's ear.
"Look. The bravery of the warrior."
With those words, he tore open a blood pack and sprinkled it on the eagle owl. The blood of the same type as Lee Arin dyed the entire body of the eagle owl bright red. Jinseong floated the blood drops that didn't touch the eagle owl's body in the air to make the eagle owl's body completely red without any gaps, and when the eagle owl was completely dyed red, he moved the mistletoe to completely wrap the eagle owl.
That appearance was similar to prey caught by a spider and turned into a cocoon.
Jinseong stirred the burning stick to move the mistletoe again. Then the cocoon-shaped mistletoe began to change its shape little by little. As the mistletoe twisted repeatedly, shapes of arms and legs formed, and a lump that looked like a head popped out.
Personification.
Projection.
Enhanced empathy due to increased oxytocin levels.
Elevated body temperature due to trance state and sun influence.
Brain waves in the form of alpha waves.
The transference of evil, transferring the negative symbols of 'scapegoat' and 'firstborn' that those suitable as sacrifices for Crom Cruach have to the eagle owl.
Everything he was doing was saying.
Here is the sacrifice.
Here is the one who will receive the benefits of the offering.
And, offer the sacrifice according to the appropriate procedure.
And the results must be given!
Jinseong used the sessile oak to put the idol made of mistletoe into the fire. Then the idol knelt down and raised both hands high to the sky as if it were a person. And even as its body caught fire and burned, it maintained that posture straight as if worshipping someone, and only when the mistletoe was completely burned and became a state where the smell of meat was wafting did it slump to the ground.
He thrust the oak he was holding into the idol that had turned to ashes, and the wooden stick instantly turned to ash. And along with the ashes made from the burned mistletoe, it shot straight up into the sky and disappeared, leaving only well-cooked bird meat.
Jinseong picked up the meat, roughly shook off the buried ashes, and brought it to Lee Arin. Lee Arin, who had been wearing a blank expression, suddenly came to her senses when the fragrant smell of meat wafted to her nose, and saw the unknown bird meat placed in front of her eyes.
"Huh, what's this?"
"The ritual is over. Now you just need to eat this."
"Oh... Really?"
"But you have to eat all of this meat by yourself. Can you do it?"
Lee Arin laughed at Jinseong's question.
"I could eat ten of these."
"That's good then."
"Ah, but... Do I have to eat the innards and bones too?"
"The innards should have disappeared without a trace so that's fine. You absolutely must not eat the bones. Eating bird bones could weaken your bones and become poison instead. And you must eat the eyeballs, and the ears... There's a risk of eating cartilage, so just don't eat them at all."
"Okay. So basically, just be careful of the bones when eating, right?"
According to sympathetic magic, it was believed that eating agile and light animals would make one similarly agile.
It was said that eating the eyes of an animal with good eyesight would improve one's eyesight, and eating a strong animal would similarly make one strong.
This was sympathetic magic (homoeopathic magic) that came from the belief that one could partake (Methexis) in the attributes and abilities by eating beings considered to have special abilities.
"I finished eating!"
Lee Arin devoured the whole bird in just a few minutes.
Seeing this, Jinseong nodded and said.
"Let's go."
* * *
"When will they come...?"
On the sofa in the suite room.
A witch with long brown hair was staring at the door, waiting for someone.