- My eyes!!!

You know, witnessing real magic is somehow a pretty good cure for boredom. I was enraptured and my attention fully grabbed by the deeds performed and sights to behold during the ritual.

Especially at the blood mixture in the bowls, Partially in a guessing game to entertain myself, seeing which bowl would start to display a reaction first.

I also noticed those that brought weapon held onto them quite tightly and assumed a ready stance. The bow wielders even nocked their arrows.

Looking to Muriel for the reason why, she simply playfully wiggled her eyebrows.

Knowing her fondness for morbid jokes, I hope this is safe.

Hope its just because those armed guards are just as new and nervous as me. I can empathize readying a weapon in such a bizzare scenario.

Where is an RPG launcher when you need one?

After the eighth night dweller, a grey haired skinny uncle consumed the stuff in his bowl until two young cultist were left with 'blood bowls'. The weapon wielders began to relax and loosened their grips.

Guess they got used to the magic juju stuff. I'm still quite scared though. Usually in movies, the monsters show up and kill the victims immediately after they calm down...

Fortunately, I was wrong and no monsters or evil ghosts showed up and attacked us.

***

Not long after, finally the last ritualist ate from his bowl and my mind paused as I notice his hair turning grey at a shocking speed. Wrinkles formed on his skin and black spots formed.

"Ugh!" Muriel grumbled, "Just my luck! Looks like most of the goods to be cleansed are moonlight cursed"

At my confused look, Muriel further explained, "If you actually have spirit vision and activated it, you would have noticed the volume of curses moving from the plants to the night dwellers.

Also note, even without spirit vision, you can see that only James showed visible progress in his aging. For reference, if at least half of the goods to be cleansed were twilight cursed, usually at least three guys will suffer rapid aging.

Remember. The twilight curse and moonlight curse seldom both occupy the same plant. Which means the leftover plants not cleansed by this ritual are probably moonlight cursed."

The current night dwellers conducting the ritual begin standing up, some begin chanting and others wielding a sacrificial dagger and motioned cutting the air.

Muriel explained that they were spiritually sealing the area to minimize futher contamination from the outside.

After they were done with their actions I do feel that somehow the whole cavern felt a little less... Eerie? Less heavy? Like somehow the atmosphere felt a bit muted.

Wet towels was passed around to clean and freshen up, and everyone took a break in relative silence.

***

The preparations for the second cleansing was initiated by simply cleaning the area and placing straw mats haphazardly, to the front of the obelisk. A long, rectangular, wooden table was placed in between us non-participants and the ritual area.

On the table were placed cages of rodents, probably trapped from the forests and village, and buckets full of crustacean. Mostly palm sized crabs. A few lobsters too. All still alive and crawling.

Huh. Let me guess. Animal sacrifice.

How barbaric dot jpeg.

Muriel and nine others assumed kneeling positions around the altar and waited.

The initial ten in charge of the moonlight cleansing ritual gathered. Then chanted and used their sacrificial dagger to lift the veil or seal that they initially casted.

Goosebumps filled my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

Ugh. The creepy feeling is back.

Then Muriel's group started chanting. But the chants were quite quick, a minute at most, then they stopped and started kowtowing at the obelisk. The cavern soon was filled with whispers, as if a crowd of thousands were quietly discussing with one another before the play in a theater.

I looked at the porters, guards and attendants, basically the non night dwellers and they do not seem to react to the whispers.

Do you need spirituality to listen to rap? That's wierd...

The group of night dwellers from the twilight cleansing ritual twitched and begin to close their eyes and start to cogitate.

On the other hand, Muriel's group stood up from their kotowing position and started swaying from left to right in a daze.

Man. That's the lamest rave party ever...

And all of them are so old... It'll be hilarious if one of them suddenly broke a hip...

The whispers got much louder but after reaching a certain decibel started to slowly turn quieter. After about a minute or two, the whispers were so soft even a slight breeze might disturb it.

Silence soon arrived, and it was interrupted by loud shrieks. Muriel's group seem to be possesed by anger as they screamed incoherently. They then turned their direction towards the table placed behind them. The table placed in between us and them, with living critters on it.

The old and decrepit group betrayed their feeble look as they ran with vigour and rushed towards the table. Random critters were grabbed and brutally killed. The necks of squirrels and rats were twisted. They were the fortunate ones as some were actually bitten half to death. The crabs legs were plucked out despite clawing back and some were smashed on the ground and stepped on.

Moans of pleasure escaped from the bloodlust filled group. After killing or torturing a number of innocent critters, some of the ritualist started panting while taking shallow breaths.

What happened next made me want to tear out my eyes out of their sockets with my bare fingers.

The ritualist started pleasuring themselves and soon...

...

...

Long story short, I witnessed for the first time in all my lives a bunch of wrinkly old farts having an orgy.

***

A few days after I stood staring at the sunrise. Unfortunately, the events of the night was still in my mind and I gagged and dry heaved in disgust.

There should be an age restriction for the moonlight cleansing ritual! No one above a certain age should be allowed! I don't mind milfs but grannies is where I draw the line! I'll never scrub the grotesque image from my mind!

Oh wait, do they actually look old because of the twilight curse?

...

Fuck this shitty island and whoever cursed the plants! If I ever find out who did it... I'll report you to the church of the Eternal Blazing Sun and let them burn you to ashes!

Gilf mating is blasphemy of the highest order!