Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “Okay, okay!”

  As the bell for dinner rang, Charles rose and waited excitedly for the cell door to open. But after a long while, no one came.

  It was silent.

  There was the sound water dripping. Viscous liquid dripped from the unmaintained ceiling. Charles felt something wet on his neck and looked up in confusion. Reaching out, a drop of red liquid fell onto his palm.

  Something screeched.

  “Not again…” Charles murmured. His vision went black and all energy left his body. He held onto the railing and practically collapsed. Bending over, he vomited. “F*cking again…” He listened as drip drops sounded around him. When he looked back, the entire room was dyed blood-red.

  The carcasses clung to the blood and grinned at him. Some hung from the ceiling beams, their legs kicking happily. Others lay in bed, blood flowing from their slit wrists into a trickling stream.

  The cell door had opened without him realizing. At the door, a rotting skeleton looked down at him. It seemed to be Constantine.

  “Charles, time for dinner.” He reached out to pull him up but the hand weathered in the air, turning to dust. The skeleton crumbled and existed no more.

  Bodies were scattered in the hallway. They seemed to have died during a dramatic change. The souls seemed to still be frozen in the air. Horrible screams echoed one after another.

  Chaotic scenes appeared and disappeared endlessly. Sometimes, they were strict guard pacing the hall. Sometimes, they were countless furious prisoners. Other times, they were prisoners being strangled to death in their cell, their features twisted. But mostly, this place was empty—still as death.

  Faint figures moved through the halls. They were of all genders and ages. They could not sense each other but were enveloped in this dazing hallucination.

  “Fake…all fake…”

  The broken shadows seemed to sense his distress and started laughing mockingly at him.

  Charles cradled his head and tried to plug his ears. But when he raised his head, he saw a pair of eyes in the chaotic scenery. There seemed to be looking at him quietly from the lowest level of the cruel scenes, deeply buried under his memories, in a forgotten corner. Her face was far away and blurry but the red hair was right before his eyes. The color was like burning ashes.

  It was as beautiful as a curse.

  “Mom…” Charles froze, staring at the figure. “Why…are…you here?”

  The figure stared back. After a long while, she turned and left.

  “Don’t leave!” Charles stumbled forward and chased after her. He ran through the corpses, trying to stop her. “Don’t go—”

  In a daze, he seemed to touch the wisp of her hair for a moment. But then the figure disappeared.

  Everything collapsed and fell into the abyss.

  The darkness swallowed everything.

  -

  After who knew how long, Charles shot up with a scream. He stared at the sunlight in confusion. The noon sun shone radiantly into the cell. It fell on his face, chasing away all hallucinations. It seemed that nothing had happened.

  Charles looked around in confusion. Nothing had changed but he had fallen asleep without realizing.

  “You awake?” Hearing his yelp, his cellmate looked over. “You really sleep whenever you want and can’t even be woken up. If the doctor didn’t say that you were sleeping, I’d think you were dead.”

  Charles smiled awkwardly. He didn’t know how to reply. In silence, he looked down at his clenched right hand. Between his fingers was a strand of hair. It was dark red like burning ashes.

  -

  Soon, he was startled by a loud noise. The ground shook and the clouds in the sky broke apart. An invisible wind swept from far away, whistling toward them.

  Charles looked out the window in shock. Amidst the cacophony, a beam of red light shot up into the sky. It dyed the sky red as if blood was bubbling.

  “No way. Again?” he murmured. But he quickly realized that this was not a hallucination. Everyone else was surprised as well. An alarm went off in the prison.

  “What is that?” He looked curiously at the red beam of light.

  Across from him, Constantine looked up and his eyes grew mocking. “Probably…the new morning call that the Sacred City created.”

  436 Projection of the Originator

  Two hours ago, martial law began in the Central Church of the Holy Resurrection Church.

  “It should be starting soon, right?” The Silent musician smoking outside looked toward the Central Church. Under the grating of iron, the steel walls opened slowly. Gears spun and opened. Layers of machinery unfurled, extending toward the sky. It was like a giant rising and reaching out.

  After the rail machine finished preheating, hot steam ran through the copper tubes with the low whistle of raging wind. The stops adjusted and six layers of keyboards opened. Two thousand and four hundred pipes pierced through the wall and into the sky, spitting out air, preparing a heart-stopping sound.

  The next moment, the hymn began. The sacred choir began to sing in unison. The hymn spread through the air. Under the joint effort of six musicians, the organ burst with music as if it wanted to drag the solemn music to heaven. Scalding steam suffused the air, creating colorful rays of light.

  Inside the Central Church, it was silent save for the solemn melody. All the spectators were sitting in their seats, staring intently at the vast array. Ye Qingxuan stood in the aisle of the last row and squinted.

  A ray of light fell from the ceiling, falling onto Samuel’s body. He was sitting within the alchemy array. He allowed the hot copper nails to pierce into his bones one by one and connect with his veins. Blood flowed from the thin nails and into the mercury, spreading quickly. He had become one with the alchemy array.

  Something seemed to come out of the old man’s body. It followed the countless lines and flowed into the alchemy array. It connected with the Central Church, binding Samuel to the entire Holy Resurrection Church. Now, the church had become his body. It helped him bear the immense pressure.

  Samuel took in a deep breath and opened his eyes. Behind him, the six musicians beside the large organ had been forced back by the pressure.

  The six-layered organ shook. Under Samuel’s control, it roared deafeningly. Chaotic aether flooded out into all directions. However, under the music theory’s restriction, the aether converged. It crashed in every inch of the air, evolving toward the final point. The vast array expanded, absorbing the aether flood. The symphony of predestination rose slowly within it. It should be insubstantial but now, the symphony was tangible.

  Countless music notes flowed within. Intervals formed, the music theory was constructed until, finally, it transformed into an immense and dazzling three-dimensional music score. It was like a cruel melody echoing through the dark church in the long night. The eerie melody, devoid of any gentleness or pity, resounded. It called for the aether, distorted the temperament, and tore reality apart.

  Thus, a gaping hole opened above the vast array! The nonexistent aether sea became real and flowed through. The aether sea had appeared!

  Ye Qingxuan held his breath instinctively. His eyes widened, greedily sensing the aura that was spreading. His interpretation method operated at top speed.

  “It’s starting.”

  Boom! Under the rising organ melody, the symphony of predestination shook. The eerie melody resounded, changing the aether sea. Samuel was ‘falling’ toward the depths of the aether sea…the lowest level… Finally, the boiling silver light disappeared suddenly. It was as if an invisible wall had been shattered.

  He had entered the aether world!

  That moment, everyone sat straighter involuntarily and looked forward, studying the territory around Samuel. It was the aether world that only existed in theories and philosophy. It was an indescribable territory of miracles. Some scholars believed that it was the lowest level of the aether world, the foundation of the world. Everything was built upon it.

&nbs
p; Others believed that this was the truest appearance of the material world. However, it was beyond a man’s eyes and sensory organs. Just as one could not describe colors that one could not see, they could only use aether to get a glimpse of an observation.

  The priests said that this was the final resting place, creating a sea of souls. Explorers strongly believed that it was the source of all mysteries and that the truth was hidden within it. Countless musicians were willing to sacrifice everything to see what it looked like.

  Now, Samuel had finally destroyed the wall that stood between the material and aether world, opening a new territory that belonged to himself. All was blank here; it awaited Samuel’s creation.

  To those who did not understand music theory, it was empty here. Nothing had happened. However, to musicians, everything was different. Everyone observed something different through their different music theory and sound of hearts.

  Some saw the original darkness of the universe. The vast starry sky grew out of the darkness and shot out. Others saw elements changing dramatically. Earth, wind, fire, and wind boiled in a giant cauldron…

  But through the emptiness, Ye Qingxuan saw the faraway cemetery—it was the lost scepter of the Ye family inside the aether world. Guided by Jiu Xiao Huan Pei, he once again saw the insubstantial world.

  Then, the emptiness opened up. In the emptiness, different music theories created elements. The first was ‘blood.’

  A strand of blood floated out of Samuel’s body. Under the melody and music theory’s expression, the existence of the ‘original blood’ was carved into the aether world. Next, the solemn music theory entered and an endless music score opened.

  The grandmasters present let out sharp gasps. No one had ever completed the first step so successfully. It was clear that Samuel had put all his blood, sweat, and tears into the ‘original blood.’

  Next, the music score opened up. The ‘inheritance’ element followed. Using the original blood as foundation, the music theory was inherited, opening up the future path. Everything operated smoothly until countless music scores converged.

  Before dumbfounded stares, the upper element that represented ‘life’ converged successfully in the wild aether waves. The old Samuel changed instantly. It was as if time had turned back. His graying hair turned black, his wrinkles faded, and his muddled eyes sharpened.

  Instantly, the ailing musician at the seat no longer existed. Instead, he was a coldly handsome and young noble. His lips were red as blood and his eyes had a magnetic pull.

  The symphony of predestination was at its climax.

  Under the glorious melody, the legend of the ‘blood tribe’ was completed. It was fully written into the aether world. As Samuel transformed into the first blood musician of history, the scepter’s solidification reached the most critical point.

  Within the aether world’s blurry projection, something huge appeared.

  In a daze, Ye Qingxuan seemed to see a giant vortex. The black thing seemed to come from the deepest part of the world, pulling everything into it. But in the next moment, he saw a blazing sun. It was radiant and seemed to radiate with endless light and heat.

  The two contradicting feelings combined into two sides of the same object that kept changing. The spectators all felt a sharp attack to their sanity. It was as if a thought was constantly being overwritten and their heads would crack apart.

  Ye Qingxuan paled considerably. Capillaries emerged in his eyes.

  Wolf Flute reached out to his shoulder. Wolf howls sounded in Ye Qingxuan’s mind suddenly. The illusory beastly nature entered his consciousness, forcing him to stop observing.

  “Don’t look!” Wolf Flute murmured. “That’s the projection of the Origination. If you’re not at the level, looking at it is more harm than good.”

  Snapping out of it, Ye Qingxuan breathed heavily with sweat rolling down his back. Even if he did not look with his eyes, he could sense the large projection descend from the depths of the aether world. It converged here and melded into the element. Finally, the majestic symphony of predestination evolved into the beautiful crystallization of the legend.

  The music theory collapsed and the entire music score solidified. It looked like a red ruby with a beautiful sheen. It was Samuel’s scepter! The crystallization was complete!

  Everyone let out relieved sighs and murmured praises. Starting today, there would be a new scepter in the Sacred City and there would most likely be a new saint in the world. What name and instrument would be given to him?

  Just as everyone was deep in thought, a horrible scream sounded. Within the alchemy array, the bloody mercury bubbled, evaporated, and rose. Under the layers of tubes, Samuel screamed. His blood seemed to be boiling. Blue veins emerged under his pale skin, making him seem ugly and monstrous.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Under a series of loud booms, the copper nails popped out of his body. Hot bloody vapor suffused the air with a rotting odor. The scepter had melded into his body but it seemed that Samuel was being stabbed by countless swords. He struggled and twisted in pain. Extremely thick blood light shot from his body, transforming into a beam of scarlet light. It pierced the ceiling and shot into the sky.

  When Ye Qingxuan snapped out of his shocked daze, he felt a chilling freeze. Even he could see that the music theories on the newly created scepter were struggling. It was as if strong acid and base were poured into the same beaker. They fought each other, about to break apart!

  “There’s a problem!”

  437 Look at the Sun

  Samuel roared painfully and his entire body squirmed. The uncontrolled music theory spread, sweeping from Samuel’s surroundings to other places. The blood-red scepter melded into his body, changing his blood and flesh. He swelled without warning and withered. Countless tumors spontaneously grew out of his body and then rotted away instantly, leaving behind gaping sores. They healed under his vibrant vitality before starting a new round of torment.

  He seemed to have become a blight farm. The abnormal flesh continuously appeared and disappeared; his body changed drastically. During this, Samuel curled in his seat, screaming with his mouth wide open. Sharp canine teeth sprouted from his gums.

  The worst expected scenario did not happen—the scepter did not collapse before completion. However, no one had expected that the music theory would go crazy at the end. It was as if Samuel was controlling his scepter to self-destruct. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

  Samuel…could not control his own scepter?

  No, the scepter was rejecting him!

  The moment it went into his body, it clashed with his music theory. It instantly destroyed his music theory; his symphony of predestination collapsed quickly as it tried desperately to escape from his body. The scepter shook. No matter how Samuel tried to control it, it upended him again and again like a wild horse.

  His own scepter…was fighting against him?

  Unbelievable!

  All observing grandmasters snapped out of their shock. They rose and wove their music theory. Disordered music thundered and cast toward Samuel. The organ in the Central Church changed quickly. It began playing a hymn again. Layers of territories wove together to seal Samuel in!

  Rays of light fell and tied Samuel up. They seeped in bit by bit. All music theory in their path was stopped forcefully. This was the reason why so many grandmasters came to watch and why the ritual was inside the Holy Resurrection Church. If the sublimation failed, the grandmasters and saints would work together to force the wild music theory down and soften the damage.

  However, under the grandmasters’ shackles, Samuel’s scepter kept shaking. It tore at the restrictions, wanting to break free. Every struggle caused much of Samuel’s blood to evaporate, hurting him even more. Inside the alchemy array, he had become a frail old man. All his white hair had fallen out.

  The scepter…was sapping his vitality!

  “Impossible…” He reached out, digging into his chest, and grasping the crystallized
scepter. He yelled, “There shouldn’t be any impurities!”

  The scepter shook and cracked. He screamed. His entire body swelled and his skin cracked. Huge bat wings sprouted behind his back. Ghastly white bones were covered in bloody cartilage. They shook in pain.

  Ye Qingxuan gaped at the scene. The scepter was controlling Samuel? It seemed to have come to life and was absorbing the master’s life. It ate at his flesh to turn him into what suited it best. It was like an ill-fitting shoe forcing the foot to grow!

  “There’s a problem…” Amidst the chaos, Ye Qingxuan reached out. Moonlight perception threads shot from his hands. They snaked past the music score, through the shell of the alchemy array, and connected to the core.

  The wild music theory was there.

  Ye Qingxuan’s interpretation method spun quickly, deciphering the array’s operation principle. The large array contained hundreds of music scores and divided into four regions. It would be almost impossible to completely analyze it.

  However, Ye Qingxuan did not need to look at all the details. He skipped past them and went straight to the main theme. No matter what part it was, he only looked for the abnormal section.

  As the scepter lost control, the alchemy array would definitely be affected. It was possible to find it by seeing it as a black hound in a flock of sheep.

  In an instant, he had deconstructed the first layer—the outer music note portion!

  Next, he deconstructed the music theory operation and construction portion.

  And then he deconstructed the elemental construction portion.

  Finally, Ye Qingxuan found the problem in the ‘activity portion.’ It was the original blood! The elemental foundation of the scepter had revolted!

  Amongst the red elements, something that was definitely not Samuel’s was growing rapidly, sucking at his vitality, and forcing the scepter to change… It was as if a dying snake woke up in the arms of a farmer and bit him, injecting poison.