Translator: SumTLMan
After Natasha and Kimberly departed, only Angel and Sparrow Blossom remained in the quiet chamber.
“Big brother, I knew you would come back!” Sparrow Blossom’s laughter resonated with pure joy. The happiness in her voice wasn’t the superficial courtesy she maintained with others. It was a genuine and unadulterated delight that came straight from the heart.
Angel couldn’t help but be moved by such raw emotion, responding with a smile, “You were so sure? Did you never consider that I might not return?”
“I knew you would, I saw it!” Sparrow Blossom declared, a soft glint flashing in her crescent-moon eyes as she spoke.
“Saw it?” Angel recalled Isabella mentioning that Sparrow Blossom too had a special soul. He hadn’t pressed further on her unique abilities at the time, as he had his own suspicions.
“Is it foresight?” Angel queried.
Caught off guard, Sparrow Blossom nodded vehemently, like a pestle mashing garlic. “Yes, it’s foresight. How did you know, big brother? Did Lady Isabelle tell you?”
As expected, Sparrow Blossom’s unique ability was foresight.
Isabella had once said that a special soul’s power either inherits abilities from their past life or is developed posthumously through some fortuitous circumstances.
Given that Sparrow Blossom spent her time after death in a well, it was unlikely she encountered any such opportunities. Hence, the answer was probably the former: she inherited her capabilities from her living days, which was the Laudsourcian’s treasured gift——foresight.
Angel, as it turned out, had already guessed as much.
Sparrow Blossom, in her diary, penned many puzzling phrases with ambiguous meanings. Especially the last entry, which not only depicted an image of her and Natasha departing but also bore a cryptic message: “I’ve seen much, but I must leave to see even more.”
What could she have possibly seen in the depth of that pitch-black, desolate well?
At that time, Angel felt her words had a striking resemblance to the tone of White Bear Hobson.
Indeed, it turned out Angel’s intuition was spot-on. Sparrow Blossom had indeed inherited a foresight ability.
“Lady Isabelle didn’t inform me about your special skill,” Angel quipped with a teasing grin. “Given your foresight, how about guessing how I came to know of it?”
Pouting slightly, Sparrow Blossom said somewhat dejectedly, “My foresight is unpredictable. It doesn’t always give me a clear view of others’ futures. Random visions often pop up, many of which are meaningless. Especially about big brother, I can’t see anything…”
Due to Angel being under the protection of the Blood Night Sanctuary, every time Sparrow Blossom tried to prophesize about him, it was basically met with a dead end.
Later on, the reason she foresaw her reunion with Angel was more of an indirect effect of her foresight ability. She wasn’t looking into Angel’s future, but rather Natasha’s. However, during her glimpse into Natasha’s future, she caught sight of Angel.
It was for this reason that Sparrow Blossom had made up her mind to leave the deep well with Natasha.
Angel pondered inwardly. According to Popoca, Sparrow Blossom’s predictive power was immensely powerful. The mere fact that she could foresee matters related to the Demon God of the Abyss gave a hint of her power.
The present decline in Sparrow Blossom’s foresight was likely due to her losing her physical body as a vessel.
“Can you recall or foresee anything from your past life now?” inquired Angel.
Speaking of her past, Sparrow Blossom’s expression dimmed. She shook her head and sighed, “I still can’t recall. Any memories about myself are shrouded in darkness.”
Angel pondered for a moment before inquiring, “Do you still have that painting on the silk pendant from the necklace?”
Sparrow Blossom nodded in affirmation, “Yes.”
As she spoke, Sparrow Blossom carefully retrieved the piece of silk from her pocket.
Angel’s attention wasn’t immediately on the silk; instead, he curiously observed Sparrow Blossom’s hand, “You can now interact with the physical realm?”
Originally, when Angel had given the silk to Sparrow Blossom, she couldn’t even grasp it. The moment the silk touched her, it would pass through her hand, falling onto the ground. Yet now, not only could she hold the silk, but she could also conceal it with her, seemingly without any struggle.
“I wasn’t able to hold it initially. But one day, I began to glimpse snippets of the future. Since that day, I’ve been able to grasp it. However, anything slightly heavier remains beyond my reach,” Sparrow Blossom explained.
After hearing Sparrow Blossom’s story, Angel deduced that upon awakening her foresight abilities, the essence of her soul had grown stronger, allowing her to influence the material world.
Angel took the silk and spread it open, laying it flat on his palm, under Sparrow Blossom’s watchful and curious eyes.
The silk was quite petite, spanning the width and length of a palm. On its surface was an intricately painted image, depicting a joyful curly-haired little girl and a young boy with his arm around her. The girl was waving her right hand high, a bird with patterns resembling both eyes and peacock feathers was fluttering on her hand. The silk was torn where the boy’s face was, obscuring his features.
The little girl in the painting was undoubtedly Sparrow Blossom, but the boy…
Angel pointed to the boy in the painting and asked, “Do you recognize him?”
Sparrow Blossom nodded gently but soon shook her head, “All I remember is that he’s my brother. I can’t remember his appearance or his name — every detail about him has been forgotten by me.”
She paused, her eyes gleaming with curiosity, “Why did you bring this up all of a sudden, big brother?”
Angel responded, “Aren’t you curious about how I came to know of your foresight abilities?”
“How?”
With a graceful gesture, Angel pointed at a silk painting of a young boy, “It was him. He told me.”
…
Emerging from the meditation chamber, Angel found Sanders seated on a couch in the main hall. Sanders, wearing a delicate gold-rimmed monocle, was engrossed in a hefty tome. Hearing Angel’s footsteps, Sanders looked up, “Have they met?”
Angel simply nodded, “They have.” As he spoke, a mischievous grin curled the corners of his mouth. Without informing Popoca, he directly introduced Sparrow Blossom to the space within his bracelet.
Even now, Angel could vividly recall the sheer panic that painted Popoca’s face upon laying eyes on Sparrow Blossom. Overwhelmed and flustered, Popoca covered his face, turning away from Sparrow Blossom, continuously coughing in an attempt to calm his racing heart.
As for Sparrow Blossom, she was rendered speechless the instant she saw Popoca.
Her face bore a complex expression; glimmers of recollection flashed within her eyes, seemingly bringing forth a flood of memories.
After what felt like an eternity, tears glistened in Sparrow Blossom’s eyes. In a voice, hoarse and fragile, a voice Angel had never heard before, she whispered, “Brother?”
Angel no longer peered into the events that followed.
It was a sacred moment shared between the siblings, and Angel refrained from intruding or prying.
Upon learning of the Siblings Reunited between Sparrow Blossom and Popoca, Sanders gave a subtle nod without delving deeper, instead, diverting to another matter.
Sanders removed his glasses and closed his book, “Isabelle relayed a message earlier. She indicated her preparations are complete on her end; it’s now up to you when you want to deal with the ghosts.”
“Anytime is good,” mused Angel, “Given there’s nothing pressing right now, perhaps it’s best to address it immediately.”
“That works,” Sanders affirmed, “I’ll relay the message.”
Since Isabelle wasn’t present in the Soul Domain, Sanders could only message Kimberly. Shortly, a response was received from her.
“Gather at Black Forest node in ten minutes.”
Not long after Kimberly’s message, Natasha approached them.
“Lady Kimberly sent me to guide both of you,” Natasha respectfully stated.
As they followed Natasha, Angel observed that the corridors of the Soul Domain were bustling with witches rushing about. Their destination aligned with Angel’s.
Clearly, once Angel affirmed his decision to confront the ghosts, the entire Black Castle sprang into action.
Judging by their swift responses and the mass mobilization, it was evident that Black Castle attached monumental significance to this task.
Leaning on the mental link, Sanders teased Angel, “Had you agreed a few days later, perhaps you could’ve pushed back the baseline of Black Castle, demanding more.”
Angel responded with a heavy silence… “You knew this beforehand, you should’ve informed me!”
However, having spoken his thoughts, Angel had no intention of going back on his word.
On the route to the node, Angel inquired Sanders through the mental link, “Has there been any response from Lady Gloria?”
Popoca and Sparrow Blossom have met, completing half of their objective in Black Castle. Now, only the meeting with Gloria remained. As for aiding with the purification of the ghosts, it was an additional task, not counted within their main objectives.
“No response,” Sanders shook his head.
“What exactly are they up to?” Angel was perplexed. According to Kimberly’s prior words, Gloria and Felicia were undertaking some experiments in the ice cavern. What exactly were these experiments?
Did it have something to do with the mishap at Black Castle?
“It’s said to be a ‘feast’ that can completely eradicate the aura of the ghosts from Black Castle,” Sanders replied.