Dago realized why becoming a Formal Wizard required another Formal Wizard to guide the way; the Wizard Alliance actually had another purpose.
That other Formal Wizard was the second executioner.
They were responsible for clearing out wizards who failed to advance, preventing their souls from being corrupted by the Seven Deadly Sins Demons and wantonly destroying the real world.
“After I die, let the flood come.” Dago rolled over and sat down at the table in his room.
He took out the mysterious box from his Storage Ring, input his Spiritual Power, and with a click, the box split open.
Inside were a greenish-blue egg with faded spots, a rhomboid transparent crystal with brilliant colors flowing within, and a letter.
“If you are reading this letter, first, congratulations on becoming a Half-step Formal Wizard.”
“I trust you have gained knowledge about Spirit World - Level Two at Aynak Wizarding Academy. Remember, do not let that old ghost of a Dean become your guide.”
“The Hailam Family can allow you to safely descend to Level Two without the intervention of a guide.”
“You must have seen the egg stored in the box, right? This is the first gift the family bestows upon you—it is the egg of a Spirit World creature, the Mist Raven.”
“Incubate it with your Spiritual Power; it can hunt down demons that invade your Spiritual Space for you.”
“There is also a crystal inside, which records the coordinates of the Hailam Wizard Family in the Silver Sea. That is the stronghold established by generations of Hailam Wizard Family ancestors in the Silver Sea.”
“I believe you are wondering how to descend into the Silver Sea within Spirit World - Level Two. The answer is simple: meditate under the Origin Moon’s illumination at night and continuously call upon its holy name, Artemisia.”
“Origin Moon Artemisia is the projection of the Silver Sea in real space, symbolizing ‘the Moon Mother who gives birth to all extraordinary beings’.”
“Finally, I will be waiting for your arrival at the Hailam stronghold in the Silver Sea.”
Dago sat expressionlessly at the table, finishing the letter, and quietly looked at the scenery outside the window.
Winter was advancing, the sun was just right, and the snow on the trees in the courtyard outside the window had thinned to a layer.
Closing his eyes and exhaling, Dago couldn't predict his own fate. “Do you think I can reach the other shore?”
When he opened them again, only the deepest calm remained in his blue eyes.
Charge, he must charge. The first thing to do now is to incubate that Mist Raven egg and see why the Hailam Family is confident Viser can survive the demon invasion.
A gray halo circulated in Dago’s blue eyes, and his vast Spiritual Power transformed into tendrils, probing into the egg.
In an instant, the Spiritual Power vanished, like a stone thrown into a lake.
He continuously increased the power, then increased it again, until it was all gone.
He was not convinced. He meditated to restore his Spiritual Power, then input Spiritual Power into the Raven egg again. By the third time, Spiritual Power could no longer be poured in.
The Raven egg floated in the air, gradually becoming transparent, until with a pop, it disappeared into the void.
Following a sensation from the depths of his soul, Dago knew it had gone into his Spiritual Space.
Its weak consciousness conveyed that it was still very fragile and could not exist in the real world.
Closing his eyes and beginning to meditate, Dago’s soul body in his Spiritual Space awakened.
Inside the gray sun, a grayish-white light flowed, and a ball of dark gray fluff was trembling slightly.
As Dago reached out, something gently pecked his fingertip, so lightly it felt like a feather landing on his skin.
It was a raven that had just hatched less than half a day ago. Its eye membranes were still covered with a translucent grayish-white film. It stretched its bare neck, using its beak to explore the “giant” that had suddenly entered its vision.
“Hungry?” Dago’s soul body casually grabbed a handful of gray powder swirling around him in the center of the gray sun, placed it in his palm, and slowly offered it.
The little fellow tilted its head, its fluff still clinging with undried egg membrane. It hesitantly approached, first touching Dago’s fingertip with its beak, as if to confirm whether this warm thing was safe.
When the gray powder drifted into its nostrils, it suddenly plunged its entire head into his palm, its crop moving as it swallowed.
Halfway through eating, it suddenly stopped, its wet beak rubbing against the web of Dago’s soul body’s thumb and forefinger.
Dago’s soul body expressionlessly gently stroked the fluff on its back with his fingertip. The fluff was softer than imagined, like crushed dark clouds.
Perhaps the touch was too comfortable, for the little fellow suddenly folded its wings (which actually looked more like two undeveloped fluff balls), shrunk into his palm, and burrowed its head into the warm skin.
Even its pecking slowed, and a faint “coo” sound, as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, came from its throat.
The trembling beneath his palm gradually subsided, replaced by even breathing.
It had fallen asleep leaning against his finger, its beak still stained with a bit of powder, like a child who had snuck food and not wiped his mouth.
Dago remained in that position, looking at the small Spirit World life form in his palm, dependent on him.
“Coo-coo, I’ll call it Coo-coo from now on,” Dago’s soul body thought.
He then exited his Spiritual Space and returned to the real world.
After finding a nearby restaurant and eating his fill, Dago walked down the plain white street.
He looked up at the sky; the biting cold wind was beginning to howl across the Town’s horizon again. He wondered if he would see the Origin Moon tonight.
“Oh well… if not tonight, then tomorrow. Eventually, there will be a day I see it.”
Returning to the Wizard Hall, he first went to the courtyard to visit his old friend Mariko and tell him about recent events.
Then he returned to his room and began a new round of meditation. A young raven chick was already flapping its wings and flying around his soul body.
“It seems Spirit World life is even more wondrous than I imagined. Its growth rate cannot be measured by the common sense of the real world.”
Dago’s soul body thought this, then grabbed another handful of gray powder.
He fed it to the young Mist Raven that had landed on his soul body’s shoulder. It affectionately rubbed against Dago’s neck.
After feeding all the Spiritual Power generated from this meditation to Coo-coo, Dago then exited his Spiritual Space.
This cycle continued until evening approached, and the great sun gradually disappeared in the west.
The Town at night was far more elegant than during the day, without a lifeless atmosphere.
There was no muddy filth on the streets, no noisy clamor, and no pedestrians walking about.
All that remained was a quiet Town, adorned with scattered lights like jewels on her grand attire.
Sitting in the courtyard, Dago looked up and saw two moons hanging in the sky. It seemed his luck wouldn't be too bad today.
Leaning against a tree in the courtyard, Dago finally let out a long breath, panting slightly.
Only then did he finally dare to relax a little, no longer keeping his heartstrings taut.
Relaxing his tired body, he began to meditate. The changes in “Coo-coo” within his Spiritual Space had already exceeded his expectations.
A giant raven, its body constantly shrouded in morning mist, with a wingspan of nearly three meters, was happily tumbling and soaring in the black clouds outside the gray sun.
Its feathers were not solid but countless flowing wisps of mist fibers, pale gray near the wing roots and gradually turning inky black towards the tips.
When it flapped its wings, it would kick up fine particles of mist. On its head stood three slender feather crests, the tips of which were always wreathed in a wisp of thin mist. These were its sensory “Spirit Tentacles,” which would gently tremble with surrounding energy fluctuations.
Most peculiar was its head: its beak had a translucent obsidian texture, with cold light gleaming along its edges, as if it could peck open any enemy that dared to offend it.
When it was still, its body would gradually merge into the surrounding mist, leaving only two points of red light suspended in the air, like blood moons in the depths of the fog.
And when it cried out, ripple-like mist patterns would appear in its throat, and wherever the sound waves reached, fine mist would emerge.
As Dago’s soul body slowly awakened, Coo-coo immediately rushed into the gray sun, gradually shrinking its size, and “flapping” down onto Dago’s shoulder.
It was no longer the little fellow that needed to hide in his palm for warmth, yet it loved to cling to Dago even more.
“Coo-coo.”
The familiar sound echoed by his ear. Dago turned his head to look at it, and saw the Mist Raven staring motionlessly forward with red eyes, as if it were his most loyal guard.