At this moment, not only is the natural light suppressed to its lowest, but even the moonlight energy itself tends towards heaviness and secrecy, interfering most strongly with spiritual power and energy perception, significantly weakening the alertness and perceptual range of the guards.

This day coincides with such a moment of profound darkness.

The night sky is like a heavy velvet drenched in ink and dark red dye, with only Shaar’s moon emitting an oppressive dark red glow, as if capable of siphoning away the soul’s light and warmth.

Under such eerie moonlight, the contour of Moonwatch Castle is indistinct, like a great beast lurking in the shadows.

The gentle moonlight energy emitted from the castle itself seems to be suppressed by Shaar’s power, dimming into obscurity.

The air is thick with the cold, damp breath of the night and a faint metallic tang peculiar to Shaar’s moon.

Duke, clad in a dark green guards’ uniform that blends seamlessly into the night, as usual, forms a squad with three other members, following a predetermined patrol route. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Their route passes several key points around the perimeter of Moonwatch Castle, with one segment coming very close to the high platform situated in the rear of the castle where the Moonwatch Platform is located.

That area is a forbidden zone; the patrol team is only allowed to traverse the designated outer edge of the corridor, tens of meters away from the high platform, strictly forbidden from stepping a foot into its area.

The patrol proceeds according to a set rhythm. The team members are silent and focused on sensing the surroundings.

The influence of Shaar’s moon makes everyone feel a bit oppressed, noticeably shrinking their range of perception, forcing them to rely more on their sight and the tacit understanding between comrades.

When the squad reaches the corridor closest to the Moonwatch Platform, Duke quietly injects a sliver of extremely faint spiritual power into the Thousand-Faced Instrument he carries closely at his chest.

This level 3 witchcraft artifact vibrates slightly, emanating a barely detectable wave-like frequency very close to Shaar’s shadow energy.

In the subconscious perception of the other three team members and the distant fixed posts, the presence of Ying Ye seems to blend more transparently and reasonably into the background shadows and Shaar’s moonlight; his breathing, footsteps, and even minor energy undulations sync with the ambient noise.

Unless someone is directly staring at him or there’s a violent energy clash, his brief detachment from the team, under the artifact’s influence, has a high chance of being subconsciously ignored.

Opportunities are fleeting. Just as the squad is about to round the corner of the corridor, where their view will be momentarily blinded, Duke’s footsteps naturally slip half a step behind, his form masked by the shadow of the corridor pillar and his teammates’ silhouettes, like a drop of ink sliding into water, silently departing the patrol queue to merge into the shadow of an area of meticulously trimmed but particularly eerie ornamental shrubs under Shaar’s moonlight.

The entire process is as smooth as cloud and water, causing no energy disturbance, not even a hint of airflow seemed to betray his actions.

The three team members remain completely unaware, continuing along their route, their footsteps gradually fading.

Duke lies still among the cold soil and shrub roots until the patrol team’s footsteps fully disappear at the other end of the corridor, and the gaze from the distant fixed post conveniently turns in another direction.

He takes a deep breath of cold, moist air, immersing his entire consciousness into the state of lurking.

The target is the base area of the Moonwatch Platform, near the specific jade stone that Isela uses for daily meditation.

Through prolonged observation and occasional hints from Lilandra, he has already mapped out an extremely hidden narrow path leading from this shrub thicket to the rear of the Moonwatch Platform’s base, used by gardeners to maintain the ancient tree’s aerial roots and moonlight moss.

This path is concealed by dense low plants and hanging aerial roots, rarely used, especially during the deep night of Shaar’s moon.

Moving slowly and more cautiously than he did in the trial forest, he meticulously chooses each step to ensure that the soft soil and fallen leaves underfoot make no unintended sound, ensuring his body does not brush against any branches or leaves that might sway.

He conceals his own aura as much as possible, relying entirely on the innate affinity and control over the shadowy environment bestowed by the Blood of the Dark, and precise calculations of the energy flow and physical structures around him by his psychic core for navigation.

The dark red glow of Shaar’s moon became his best cover.

This glow not only fails to illuminate but devours other light sources, blurring and chaos-infusing the boundaries of shadows.

Like a fish swimming in dense ink, Duke deftly weaves through the interstices of light and shadow, avoiding areas rendered strikingly prominent by the moonlight of Shaar, only selecting paths rich in dark attribute energy for his progression.

He climbs over slick rocks, slips through curtains of hanging aerial roots, staying close to the cold, rough base wall of the castle as he moves.

In the air, Shaar’s moon’s energy and the suppressed pure moonlight energy radiated from the Moonwell of the Moonscar Eye intertwine and clash, forming patches of perceptual blind spots and energy turbulence.

Carefully he aligns his own aura with these turbulent flows, as if he himself is merely a part of this chaotic energy field.

The target draws closer.

Already he can see through sparse gaps in the foliage, the outline of the Moonwatch Platform’s base rising several meters from the ground, constructed from alabaster moonlight stones.

The surroundings of the base are empty, with only a few embedded stone lamps on the walls casting faint moonlight, all appearing subdued and feeble beneath Shaar’s red glow.

The platform is silent and still, Isela evidently absent.

His target is the east side of the base, near a particularly ancient shadow gauze tree wrapped in aerial roots, beneath a crevice by a jade stone said to be regularly used by Isela for meditation.

The final stretch is the most dangerous.

This area lies beyond the cover of shrubbery and complex topography, an open section paved with fine white pebbles, small but fully exposed to the potential sightlines from observation windows high up in Moonwatch Castle and the distant watchtower.

Duke doesn’t rush blindly out but quietly bides his time behind the last curtain of aerial roots, patient as the most meticulous hunter, conducting one final round of timing and observation in his heart.

Counting the beats of his heart, sensing the subtle pulsing of energies around him, capturing the faint sounds of wind, insect chirps, and the almost breathing-like energy flow of the castle itself.

He seeks a rhythm, a window where all perceptual factors align most favorably to his actions.

Time passes moment by moment. Shaar’s moon gradually shifts, subtly altering the angle of its dark red glow.

Now!

As a slightly stronger night wind sweeps over the castle heights, rustling leaves into sound, and a distant watchtower’s detection crystal flickers for a brief moment due to energy tides, and the energy turbulence from the Moonwell of the Moonscar Eye in his perception sweeps across the pebble-strewn clearing in front of him, he moves.

No mad sprint, but a light, drifting movement like a leaf swept by wind, slipping from cover.

His form almost leaves a trailing afterimage under Shaar’s red glow, yet wondrously integrates with the surrounding light and shadow.

He doesn’t directly dash towards the target stone, instead taking a slight arc, maximizing the use of the shadows cast by the base itself and the dappled shadows formed by the ancient tree’s aerial roots on the ground.

In mere moments, like a phantom, he clings to the side of that warmly-rounded meditation jade stone.

The surface of the stone is cool, exuding a faint, pure moonlight aura kindred to Isela’s, not entirely obscured even under Shaar’s moon.

Leaning against the stone and the base, Duke withdraws into the narrow shadow formed between them, minimizing exposure.

His heartbeat is steady, breath nearly stilled, all senses heightened to confirm no anomalies around.

Then, in a manner almost ritualistic in its slowness and precision, he raises his right hand.

At some point, the tip of his index finger has caught that phase-fold beacon, thin as a cicada’s wing, its color nearly synchronized with the surrounding environment.