The Black Card

2233 Words
--- Someone brought six barrels of wine, breaking the deadlock atmosphere. When the sealed wine caps were pried open, the sweet liquid melted the coldness of the night, and the pre-departure revelry officially began. A bright silver moon hung in the sky, accompanied by a few starry lights, slowly rising. The emerald green canopy accumulated a snowy crown, and most people came prepared. They wore light white gowns, adorned with laurel crowns on their heads, and carried polished silver wooden bows on their backs, perfectly recreating the moonlit evening attire of goddesses. If the full moon symbolizes perfection and maturity, it is the night of fulfillment for the great witches; while the crescent moon, with its cat-like pupils, represents imperfection and yet twinkles with vitality, making it a night of revelry for young girls. The goddess of the crescent moon is youthful yet fierce, her entire being transparent and flawless like fresh spring snow. A silver bow adorned with the emblem of purity and hunting is slung across her back. She takes the form of a crescent moon maiden, racing between the forest and streams, sheltering the helpless fledglings and children; while her silver bow always hangs high in the night sky, guiding lost travelers towards hunting and journeying goals. Now, the young girls are about to embark; this is their last night of the new moon spent in the Miller Valley. In the future, they will traverse countless dark nights alone until they sever the head of the demon wolf in hunting, so at this moment, they dance the most uninhibited dances with pure bodies, praying to the goddess of the new moon for direction, strength, and victory. Like a graduation ball. The rich aroma of the wine made Cilantro forget the mud on her body, and she couldn't help but smile. Originally feeling somewhat uneasy, Cilantro's brain was split in half as the alcohol took effect, with one half immersed in intoxicating fruitiness and charming moonlight, seamlessly blending into it; while the other half observed everything with utmost clarity, feeling out of place, constantly reminding Cilantro of who she was. She heard Gwen shoot her target with her bow, drawing cheers from the crowd. Subconsciously following the path of the arrow's shadow, she happened to see the silver bow of the new moon hanging high on a straight branch; the treetops were covered in snow, glistening like silver, resembling a poised silver arrow on the moon's crescent, with a lone star adorning the tip of the branch. With a mouthful of intoxicating fruitiness, Cilantro thought that with just a little effort from the goddess, the shooting star would turn into a wish and descend to earth, and her wish was simple, just needing a small star to come true. "This is getting drunk in the summer dreams." A girl dressed in the attire of the new moon sat next to Cilantro, her honey-brown curls lazily cascading down, and her oak barrel was already half-empty. "Summer Dream, brewed once every hundred years by the Clearsea, when Lady Pelenn discovers it tomorrow, she will catch us like drunk chicks, seal us alive in barrels, and let us brew for a hundred years." Her pet parrot perched on her shoulder cleverly echoed, "Chicks, chicks." On the side, Helen, who was already drunk, heard this and immediately spat the wine back into her cup, causing the other party to burst into laughter, and the parrot also joined in with clear laughter. Cilantro hadn't gotten very drunk yet, and she recognized the person beside her instinctively, "Kristina." Kristina, wearing a thick green cloak to cover her thin white gown, her beauty had fully bloomed, the green outerwear accentuating her dark brown hair and rose-colored lips; she was also the oldest among all the girls, having been the one to set rules when playing games before, and now she exuded charm with every move she made, like a ripe fruit. Perhaps because they were both bird summoners, Kristina had been exceptionally close to Cilantro recently. The girl tugged at her cloak and drove the parrot down to play with the large white goose, one colorful and one white, tilting their heads to look at each other, which was quite amusing. "A bottle of Summer Dream plus a good-looking face, the most commonly used love potion by the commoners along the Jinyu River." Although Kristina struck a pose of being the only sober one among the crowd, her mouth was still overflowing with her own secrets. "It should have been my mother or father, anyway, it's never a good thing when a commoner hooks up with a noble. If, by chance, his spouse finds out, lucky for us, Lady Pelenn passed by here, the person would use a bottle of Summer Dream to beg her to take me away. Until now, I believe that whenever I have good wine to drink, something bad is bound to happen. You see, after drinking this glass, we will be off to meet our deaths tomorrow morning." Cilantro no longer felt the warmth of the wine, and there was a moment of tension in the atmosphere, but it was soon broken by a more spirited voice. "Then let's drink a few more sips of wine before we die." The alcohol made the deadly Bea become soft and harmless. However, this girl from the south, even though she was drunk, danced with enthusiasm and grace, her dark brown skin glistening with honey-colored sweat, and a beautiful iridescent serpent pattern faintly visible, appearing lifelike. However, Cilantro soon discovered that it was a real snake, and the dangerous summoner was tightly wrapped around the girl's waist at the moment, lest her mistress lose her balance and fall. The black-haired girl now dared to assert that she was the only sober one present. "Mmm." Kristina put down her wine glass, drawn by Cilantro's movements. "The dressing case." Cilantro finally had the chance to admire her birthday gift box. In the center was a painting full of exotic charm yet extremely familiar. The golden bronze sun ring was bordered with palm leaf motifs, and in the center, a red werewolf was holding a beautifully shaped wooden stringed instrument, trying to charm a dark-skinned girl. The exotic hair and skin colors remained unchanged, but the vigilant and murderous intent remained thick. "Isn't this Lord Mida's grand allegory?" Bea, who knows when she came over, sang in her wet hair, her honey-colored skin sweating profusely, and her white gauze robe seemed to glow. Cilantro unconsciously moved back a safe distance, as Bea always approached people silently, and from time to time, she would give them a bear hug, nearly suffocating them in her embrace. Bea particularly liked the petite Cilantro, and the black-haired girl reminded her of a velvet mouse she had raised when she was young, a rare creature from the East Coast, small and black, a small ball that made people want to hold and love it in the palm of their hand; this also led to Cilantro being "strangled" by her "snake" several times, almost suffocating in her arms. She didn't notice Cilantro quietly moving away as Bea happily pointed to the painting above, "H aha, a red wolf, I bet this is from Lord Bobelter's grand allegory. The 'Scarlet Poet' loves the beautiful girls there. My aunt used to tell me every night how he would slowly eat people starting from their fingers and then write a funeral poem on the spot for that person after finishing eating." Bobelter is the most famous port in the southern shore. Bea was excited and started singing "Night of the Werewolf," the opening song before every grand allegory game. As the familiar melody played, even Kristina put down her wine glass and joined in with enthusiasm, followed by Helena's low voice sounding like a mosquito. What surprised Cilantro was that even Gwen put down her bow and arrows and joined them. Anyway, it's better than getting drunk until dawn. "At sunset, when the night breeds evil, the werewolf sheds its human skin and begins its hunt. Close your eyes, close your eyes, don't be deceived by the pure white wolf, for a black heart is also pure; cover your ears, cover your ears, don't believe the sweet words of the red wolf, for disaster will spew forth; run away, run away, the black wolf will pursue relentlessly, and you can only walk towards death." The popular folk allegory only has four rough character divisions. The precious thing about the box in Cilantro's hand is not just its gorgeous exterior. When the box is opened, the scattered porcelain tiles are colorful and form a complete map of Vittokvano. The black iron knight wielded the flag of the church, dutifully guarding the unarmed villagers, and the only weapon was Kaowolson's wolfhound; only the silver-armored paladin is qualified to wield the silver sword and kill the evil wolf. The silver-eyed moon messenger crossed the black starry night with the holy beast, searching for hidden monsters; while the green fairy beloved by the villagers, who believed in the three goddesses of nature, roamed the cradle plains covered with enamel flowers; and the storm-wielding sea witch hid in the turquoise sea, sheltering the innocent sacrifices and the distressed. Opposing these bright and colorful divine envoys are three black cards; The first card resembles a lone moon in the dark night, with a silver beast shape set with a pair of bright green eyes, shining brightly against the moon witch card. The flawless silver wolf was once revered as the messenger of the gods, and was even worshipped on totems by human tribes in ancient times. Their beautiful human forms can easily infiltrate the crowd and deceive fools, so human cities have always been their safest havens, and large numbers of bound werewolves are willing to serve these "noble beasts." The second card is like a red fire burning in the dark night, with a bright red agate shining brightly. The mysterious red wolf is always elusive, and the most famous "Scarlet Poet" wanders in the south of Bobelter, his human form usually that of a passionate and talented musician. The Scarlet Poet politely waits for humans to invite him as a guest, then selects a child from the host's family to eat directly, and finally leaves behind an ominous poem with his mouth covered in blood, and the disasters described in the poem will all come true, so he is more like a messenger of calamity sent by disaster. As for the third card, it is all black, with nothing on it, just a pair of golden cat's eye stones flashing with ominous beastly light. The moon witch believes that the pitch-black wolf, like the eternal night, is the demon of the eclipsed moon, inherently evil and unworthy of a physical form, and has long since merged with the darkness. Perhaps, just like that poem, faced with the relentless pursuit of the black wolf and the darkness surrounding him, death is the only way out, and no living person has ever described the true appearance of this demon. Cilantro saw Kristina secretly throw the black wolf card back into the box, after all, it was not good to have such ominous symbols appear before the pre-departure party. The lifelike porcelain tiles instantly won the love of all the girls, who wholeheartedly threw themselves into the game, playing each role with dedication. The surrounding spectators grew more and more numerous, and every time a werewolf was caught, it would set off a wave of cheers, and the captured werewolf would even be pasted with sticky blackberry pie to replace the internal organs dug out after beheading. The girls were covered in red and purple bruises, but their faces were adorned with radiant smiles, as if they had truly succeeded in hunting werewolves, and the innocent cruelty was also the impression people had of the witches. Cute yet terrifying, this is my little paradise. Cilantro took a satisfied sip of wine, her wooden barrel cup long ago replaced with sour-sweet green plum wine. The grapes from the Juilliard River were indeed full of ripe beauty in the sunlight, but after a long time in the mouth, there was a choking heat. She couldn't help but take out the birthday wine Amber gave her and have a small sip. The clear salty-sweet taste of the sea instantly washed away the cloying taste in her mouth, and Cilantro felt invigorated. She didn't lose a single round in several consecutive games; on the other hand, every girl beside her had a face full of blackberry pie, while Bea directly held a piece of broken biscuit and dipped it in the blackberry sauce on her nose to eat. As they played on, everyone became increasingly tipsy and didn't bother to follow the rules seriously, drawing a card whenever they got one. Bea solemnly vowed to use the grand allegory to predict the future, but she ended up drawing the moon witch card, believing it to be a sign of the goddess's favor, and happily got up to dance a whirlwind, her pure white skirt lifting the arc of the moon. Cilantro applauded for her, also laughing and drawing a card. A black card face, faint golden eyes, and the ominous black wolf stared straight at her in the night.
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