Midnight in Leman Town, Fabro City.

The Full Moon Festival in Leman Town had just ended. The crowd had dispersed, leaving the town square eerily silent. Two lonely figures stood in the empty plaza. The shorter one was Trainee Patrol Officer Rudolph. The taller one was a pyre.

A charred corpse, once a sorcerer, had become one with the blackened stake, indistinguishable from the burnt wood. The executed sorcerer was pitiful, reduced to nothing but a scorched husk. But Rudolph was just as pitiful—having to come so late at night to confirm the death and collect the remains.

A faint light flickered to life—it was the small flashlight clamped between Rudolph’s teeth. The air was heavy with an unpleasant stench. The woodpile had long since burned out, leaving behind only the acrid scent of ash mixed with the sickly, greasy smell of charred flesh. The combination made Rudolph’s stomach churn, but he forced himself to endure it as he filled out the Execution Confirmation Report on his clipboard.

First section: Identity Verification of the Executed.

Rudolph lifted his head. The flashlight beam cast sharp shadows across the sorcerer’s face, emphasizing its grotesque, uneven surface. The raised areas were cracked, blackened skin. The hollowed-out parts—his eye sockets and mouth—were nothing but deep, empty voids. The sorcerer had been tortured before his execution—standard procedure for the Inquisition, the organization specializing in handling dangerous individuals. They were thorough. Sometimes excessively so. Rudolph had no idea where the man's eyes had gone.

It had only been two weeks since Rudolph arrived in this world. He still wasn’t used to such gruesome sights. Under the cold moonlight and the dim glow of his flashlight, he quickly lowered his gaze and wrote on the form:

"Identity confirmed. The executed individual is the sorcerer captured during the witch hunt two weeks ago."

Rudolph would never forget this sorcerer’s face—it haunted his nightmares. Because of that same witch hunt, his predecessor had died. And he had woken up in this body, becoming the new Rudolph.

He had searched through his predecessor’s memories and discovered that the original Rudolph had been a lively, reckless 17-year-old trainee patrol officer.

The vast night sky was filled with double images of the stars. Did he just trip so hard that he gave himself astigmatism?

Rudolph hurriedly shut his eyes, hoping to let them rest. But to his surprise, when he closed his eyes, another starry sky appeared in his mind.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

This starry sky felt profoundly unreal—like an abstract oil painting. Rather than a true night sky, it looked more like a star map. The glowing starstone he had just picked up seemed to act as some kind of switch, connecting him to something beyond reality.

Unlike the real sky, this star map was dim and lifeless. The moon, planets, and stars were all a dull gray, as if they were hidden behind a layer of frosted glass.

As Rudolph tried to make sense of what he was seeing, the starstone in his hand suddenly vanished.

In the star map within his mind, a bright meteor streaked across the dark sky and struck the faint moon that hung at the center of the celestial chart.

In that instant, the gray moon was no longer dim—it began to glow softly, just like the real moon. The surrounding stars remained dark, making the moon’s newfound radiance stand out even more. At the moment of impact, a flash of brilliant light burst forth from the moon, flickering for just an instant before fading.

From the glowing moon, tiny fragments of stardust drifted down, eventually settling onto the ground of the star map.

Rudolph’s consciousness approached these floating lights and discovered that they were three small, suspended stars. Within their glowing light, faint words could be seen:

"Whisper of the Full Moon"

"Calamity of the Moon"

"Enchantment of the Night"

What is this?

A cheat ability granted by his transmigration?

Some kind of lottery system?

Most of the stars in the celestial map remained dark. Was he supposed to illuminate all of them? What kind of superhuman would be able to pull off such a ridiculous task?

Ignoring the overwhelming scale of the star map, Rudolph focused on the three floating stars before him.

"Enchantment of the Night"? Sounds like something meant for women… not for him.

"Calamity of the Moon"? That just sounds ominous—better not risk it.

"Whisper of the Full Moon"? …This one seemed marginally better than the others.

The moment Rudolph’s consciousness touched the star labeled "Whisper of the Full Moon", his mind exploded with voices.

"Blood is so sweet…"

"Awaken, my little darlings…"

"Let me out…"

A torrent of whispers surged into Rudolph’s ears.

He clutched his head, pressing his hands tightly over his ears—but it was useless.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally managed to climb back to his feet. The whispers had faded into the distance—except for one.

"Let me out."

It lingered in his ears, endlessly repeating, like a phantom echo of tinnitus.

Rudolph felt utterly miserable. Astigmatism, tinnitus, auditory hallucinations… what a night.

—

Meanwhile, as Rudolph continued on his way, far away in the Kingdom’s Royal Observatory, the Royal Astrologer was rushing toward the palace.

In his hands was the prophecy he had just received:

“A ghost from beyond this world has pierced the celestial sphere of the night.

The sealed star map has fractured, and through this rift in time and space—

The star map has returned to the mortal realm.”