FALLEN ORACLE

**Chapter 11: The Buried Book (2)**

A shaft of moonlight pierced through the bamboo leaves and fell across Lisa's face.She smiled. "You really are the same Chen Yi I know. To be honest, given my situation now, you're the only one I can tell this to.""You probably think I grew up in an orphanage, just another pitiable child in a chaotic world. But that's not true. I was born into a magical family.""I only learned that when I was ten. That year, someone sent a ring to me at the orphanage."She showed Chen Yi the ring on her left hand. "This one. It's called 'Memory.' A very powerful psionic ring.""But that was all that came. No explanation. No return address. The messenger only knew it was for me.""This ring originally belonged to a legendary mage from three thousand years ago—Grandmaster Gu Tong.""Yes, I can see it on your face. Even you, for all your reading, have never heard that name.""Grandmaster Gu Tong was a master of psionic magic. Before he died, he cast a powerful spell on himself—let's call it 'Memory Inheritance.'""This spell was deeply etched into his bloodline. It allowed all his descendants to inherit a fragment of his memories.""And I am the last descendant of Grandmaster Gu Tong."Chen Yi was speechless. He knew that everything—*everything*—was tied to Gu Tong's memory. What memory was so unforgettable that he needed his descendants to carry it forever?Lisa continued, "I awakened that memory this morning. That's how I learned a shocking truth."She pointed at the red star in the sky. "Those who live in the upper realm are not gods. They are people just like us.""Three thousand years ago—the time of Grandmaster Gu Tong—we fought a long war against those from the upper realm. Unfortunately, we lost.""After our defeat, we were forced to accept their rule. But they still feared we might rise again. So they began using various means to strictly control the magic we could learn.""You might not believe this, but Divine Communion is actually a specialized spell—one that allows magic to be transmitted between people. With it, if you're capable enough, you can learn any spell from someone willing to teach you.""There's another language called the Arcane Tongue. It can describe even the most mysterious spellcasting processes in a uniform way. Once you master it, anyone can learn magic efficiently from books, rather than groping around aimlessly on their own.""After the upper realm's rule over the continent of Alpha began, the Divine Communion spell and the Arcane Tongue were strictly banned. The gap in magical knowledge between the two worlds widened.""Of course, that wasn't enough to fully control us. Embers of resistance still smoldered. So the upper realm came up with a better method to tighten their grip—manipulating our memories.""Every so often, they use an unimaginably powerful psionic spell to modify our memories. Our memories of war, our understanding of key magic, our knowledge of the upper realm—and everything connected to those—are erased."Chen Yi was stunned. "This 'every so often' thing you're talking about... could it be...""Yes. You're still as sharp as ever." Lisa nodded. "The triennial Rongqi Rite—when we pray to the 'gods.'"Chen Yi said, "No wonder the Church's Knights' Order always conducts its searches right after the Rongqi Rite."Lisa said solemnly, "Yes. Erasing memories alone isn't enough. They have to destroy all written records related to the truth as well. Every knight who comes to search is under a high-level psionic control spell to ensure they never betray.""And so, through their monopoly on Divine Communion and the High God Church they installed, they gradually became 'gods,' while we became mere mortals—incapable of even the slightest thought of resistance."---Having heard this shocking truth, Chen Yi quickly asked the question that concerned him most. "But how does this relate to you dying? If we don't tell anyone, how would the upper realm know?"Lisa's face darkened. "You forgot? Divine Communion.""Divine Communion can't just be about kindly teaching magic. The real Divine Communion spell has no side effects. Yet every time we go through it, we're left abnormally weak. They must be doing something to us.""Likewise, why do we always appear in the same scene during communion? Is it really just us and the 'god' teaching us?""Clearly, every Divine Communion is conducted under their strict surveillance, to ensure that the 'god' doesn't accidentally reveal anything they shouldn't.""To maintain their control, they must also read the memories of every mortal who participates in communion, to ensure we haven't learned the truth.""People like me—who learn the truth through special circumstances—will be eliminated without mercy.""Think about it. Why am I the last descendant of Grandmaster Gu Tong? Why did my parents leave me only that ring and abandon me at the orphanage?""That's also why I'm telling you this—and only you. Chen Yi, you have extraordinary intelligence and willpower. The truth will be safe in your hands.""Most importantly, you've never had to endure Divine Communion. So you're relatively safe."---"Pfft. I thought it was something serious." Chen Yi forced a light laugh. "Lisa, you've let this truth scare you out of your wits. Now that you've given it to me, you can just use the Forgetfulness spell to make yourself forget all this.""As long as they don't find any trace of the truth when they search your mind during Divine Communion, they won't harm you."Chen Yi was startled to see that Lisa's expression hadn't changed. She also didn't say a word.Clearly, as smart as she was, she had already thought of this. But she had no intention of doing it.A sense of dread crept into Chen Yi's heart.