After waiting nearly ten minutes outside the great prayer hall, Klein entered along with the other believers attending the moon mass, guided by the priest.
In the dim and tranquil atmosphere, they were greeted by a neat, ethereal chant:
“The crimson full moon rises, shining upon the land,
“Everyone sinks into sweet dreams, dreaming of themselves,
“Dreaming of parents, wife (husband), and children—this is eternity…” (Note 1)
As the holy and rhythmic sound echoed through the hall, the congregation involuntarily grew calm, as if forgetting the troubles of life, no longer worrying about the world’s problems.
Under the guidance of several priests, they found their seats. Before the altar, Bishop Electra, who was presiding over this great mass, held the “Revelation of the Night” and began a simple sermon.
When this part drew to a close, the priests took up clean water and bread and distributed them to Klein and the others—this was the blessing of the Night, food shared between the living and the dead.
Klein, who hadn’t yet had dinner, naturally didn’t waste the mediocre bread and cup of clean water. He then saw candles lit one by one on the altar; against the darkness, they looked like stars of the night, radiating reassuring light and warmth.
At that moment, Bishop Electra, together with the priests and the entire choir, chanted in unison once more:
“We will raise our heads to look at that night sky,
“Tenderly speak Her name: ‘Goddess of the Night!’
“No other words but ‘Goddess of the Night,’
“May the Goddess, in the intervals of angels singing,
“Gather them along with sweet silence,
“And hold them in Her gentle right hand.
“‘Goddess!’ If She hears, surely She will answer,
“Surely will show a pure smile to the departed:
“‘Come, rest, sleep, My children!’ (Note 2)”
The ethereal voice carried a divine feeling into every believer’s ears, seeming to resonate with all the spirits present. As a Sequence 5 Beyonder, Klein felt as if his spiritual body had been washed, and his spirituality naturally and gently flowed outward.
Then, before his eyes appeared a tranquil darkness, a darkness devoid of sound.
In that darkness, bodies lay, pale but peaceful, as if not dead but merely sleeping.
Klein walked through the darkness with a composed heart, then suddenly stopped and looked diagonally ahead.
In the place where the moon quietly bloomed, several people were sleeping.
They were Dunn Smith, without a hat, covered in a trench coat; Old Neil, still in his black classical robe; and Kornley, a short-statured man who had been painstakingly saving money.
Their eyes were closed in relaxation, there seemed to be faint smiles on their lips, and around them stood gravestone after gravestone, each bearing the same word:
“Guardian.”
Klein immediately shut his eyes, and the holy and ethereal voice sounded in his ears:
“Cross your hands,
“Place them on your chest,
“Offer a silent prayer,
“And cry out in your heart:
“The only home is peace!” (Note 3)
Klein lowered his head, closed his eyes, raised his hands, crossed them over his chest, and silently repeated:
“The only home is peace!”
“The only home is peace!”
…
Over and over, until the great prayer hall was utterly quiet, Klein opened his eyes and raised a hand to rub his temples.
He exhaled slowly, looked around, and by the candlelight saw that most of the congregation were crying without realizing it; even his valet Richardson had lost his composure, letting tears flow continuously without wiping them away.
The moon mass was more like a ritual, a ritual involving Beyonder powers; its purpose was to resonate with each person’s spirit, allowing different individuals to see close deceased ones in the darkness, release their grief, and find peace… Hmm, this wasn’t a phenomenon exclusive to Beyonders; I can rest assured… For ordinary people, it’s just a momentary illusion and an emotional release; they’ll only think the Goddess is great, and won’t suspect supernatural forces… As a Sequence 5 of the Night pathway, one’s control over spirits seems to have greatly increased… Klein withdrew his gaze and made a judgment in his mind.
Soon after, he recalled that darkness and the deceased lying within the moonlight.
Closing his eyes, Klein let his thoughts wander:
“That dark plain, covered in moons, night herbs, and deep slumber—is it a manifestation of the Goddess’s divine kingdom?
“And the dangerous source of the night at the battlefield ruins of the gods—what does that correspond to?”
In Klein’s mind, the cold night scene he had seen at the easternmost part of the Sonia Sea gradually took shape, along with the fog that shrouded the sea surface beneath the night.
Within that fog, there was a black, ancient, pointed church; crows circled above it, as if in sacrifice and mourning. Around the church were ordinary cottages, simple wooden huts, grey mills, and indistinct figures of people.