After a long journey and intense emotions, the traveler's chest under her cloak heaved violently. She knelt in front of the coffin, removing the sand, stones, and weeds on top, and with her fingertips, she recited the delicate and elegant Etnans letters on the knight's footstone:
"Sir Knight, if thou dost gaze upon this inscription, thou hast traveled far, yet 'tis not too late to return. Thou must be aware that here lies Vasili Martin Anganas, enemy of the empire and first of the fire thieves. Flames once wreathed his sword, but now they no longer entangle his heart. Passing knights need not pay heed to this tomb, nor should thou make boast of it to others. Remember: towards life, towards death, cast a cold eye. Sir Knight, pass by! "
The traveler read the characters several times with excitement, her fingertips pausing on the name in the middle, checking several times. She slowly withdrew her hands to her legs, maintaining her kneeling position, letting the wind toss her braided hair. When her emotions calmed down, she slowly stood up, walked to a nearby flat ground, took off her hood, revealing a head of white hair that fluttered in the wind, and a right eye that was blurred by fire marks. She looked around with her pure gold left eye, and the forest looked like a group of black beasts, afraid to approach the shining white hair like a torch, only wriggling in the wind. The girl untied a glass bottle from her waistband and sprinkled the liquid inside onto the exposed grass around her. The ugly weeds seemed to shrink like being burned by fire, and the fragrance of jonquils, lavender, thyme, and sage floated in the air.
Then, she drew a circle on the ground with a charred stick, using herself as the center. When the circle was completed, the wind in the circle stopped suddenly, and the white hair fell gently. Afterwards, she walked towards the northeast, south, and northwest corners, and cut out an inverted triangle within the circle.
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The girl took out three tightly wrapped parchment papers from the leather bag and spread them out in the center of the circle. They contained three types of poisonous plants: castor, aconite, and blood-root, with green leaves, purple flowers, and red fruit. She ground them into a brown liquid with a stone and added water to dissolve them.
"All souls who have died in war, the living bear witness to your bravery. Please accept her blessings and witness her dedication." She took a raven skull from a sheepskin bag and placed it in the northern arc.
"All souls who have died of plague, the living bear witness to your suffering. Please accept her blessings and witness her dedication." She took a dead rat and placed it in the southeast arc.
"All souls who have died, the living bear witness to your fate. Please accept her blessings and witness her dedication." She took a pair of snake fangs and placed them in the southwest arc.
After paying respects to the deceased from all directions, the girl returned to the center of the circle, took a deep breath, and lifted the wooden bowl filled with brown liquid high. With a clear and loud voice, she declared:
"Greadadh, hear my call. You are the noisy fighter, the manipulator of rats, and the guide of the dead. You spread fear, but also bring peace and mercy. I offer my courage to enter your hunting ground. Please kindly receive me, and let me leave unharmed after satisfying you. I give everything to you! Invincible God of War, Plague, and Death!"
After finishing her words, the girl drank the brown liquid in one gulp. The wooden bowl slipped from her hands, and she clutched her throat, gasping in pain and futility. Then she stumbled and fell to the ground, her body tilted forward, and she hit the ground, stopping her breath.