Sitting at the table covered with a floral-patterned cloth, Clary stared at the familiar Tarot Cards and murmured, "These were drawn by my mom."
"Yes, they were a gift from her," Rosie replied casually, eager to avoid any involvement in the 'Valentine' affair. "Now, let's see which card chooses you."
Sensing Rosie's reluctance to engage further, Clary extended her right hand and slowly hovered it over the Tarot Cards.
Nearby, Li Ming crossed his arms, watching with interest as one of the cards inexplicably floated up and attached itself to Clary's palm.
As Clary turned the card over, an image of a cup appeared before everyone.
Rosie glanced at the card in Clary's hand and said, "The Cup card."
Lance leaned in and added, "That's the Angel Cup."
"So what?" Clary asked, utterly confused. "What does this card mean?"
Rosie shot an annoyed look at the talkative Lance. As a neighbor—and one who got along well with Clary's family—she truly didn't want Clary dragged into dangerous affairs. Rosie thought for a moment and decided to let Clary return to normal life before danger arrived.
Perhaps staying away from Shadowhunters would keep her safe? With that in mind, Rosie shot a disapproving glance at Lance and said to Clary, "Ignore him."
Before Rosie could finish, Lance interrupted, "That's an Angel Instrument—one of the three sacred relics of our people. What connection does Clary's mother have with it?"
Lance's words bluntly told Clary, Your mother is connected to the Angel Instrument. This piqued the curiosity of Clary, who had already encountered strange events one after another. She asked, "What does the Angel Cup have to do with my mom's disappearance?"
Noticing that Lance had successfully stirred Clary's curiosity, Rosie shot him an annoyed look. She sighed inwardly before calmly explaining, "Your mother was a Shadowhunter." She pointed at Lance. "Just like him."
What? My mom and this blond kid are from the same clan? Clary was stunned. After a brief pause, she couldn't help but retort, "No, my mom was just a painter."
"She never talked to you about this?" Rosie asked, puzzled.
"All I know is that my mom disappeared," Clary said helplessly. "And I don't even know where to start looking for her."
Rosie seemed to understand something, roughly guessing that Clary's memories had been sealed by her mother.
But this meant Clary would be completely unaware of the dangers ahead.
Rosie lamented how irresponsible Clary's mother had been—she could have at least prepared Clary for potential threats, but instead, she just sealed her memories.
If Clary encounters danger completely unprepared, she's doomed. Rosie thought it over and decided that letting Clary know what dangers she might face could help her mentally prepare. She said, "Let me read your mind."
Just as Rosie began using Mind Reading on Clary, Li Ming picked up the Tarot Card engraved with the image of the sacred cup, carefully sensing the seal on it.
If all he wanted was to obtain the cup, Li Ming had plenty of methods—like simply pocketing the Tarot Card. He doubted Rosie would dare to protest.
Even if Rosie warned Clary that the cup was inside the card, Li Ming had no shortage of brainwashing spells.
As for extracting the cup from the Tarot Card, that wasn't a problem for Li Ming either. He knew countless sealing techniques—nested seals, mirror seals, and more.
If he focused on studying the card, he could stash the cup in his shoulder bag in no time.
But—
Li Ming didn't just want some meaningless collectible. He wanted both the cup and to understand its abilities.
This made him hesitate.
If Lance's faction or the academy's headmaster, Mr. Hodge, knew the cup's functions, then things would be simple. If not, Li Ming would be completely in the dark if he took the Holy Grail now.
After hesitating, Li Ming ultimately decided to follow the plot, because in the end of the movie, the main antagonist, Mr. Valentine, who had studied and experimented extensively with the Holy Grail, would appear at the institute.
At that time, Li Ming only needed to capture Valentine to extract all the information about the Holy Grail from his mind.
Thinking this, Li Ming casually placed the Tarot Cards back on the floral-patterned table.
On the other side, Rosie, who had been reading Clary's memories, ended her spell and sighed helplessly, "Sorry, something has sealed your memories."
As she spoke, Rosie opened the door, signaling that Li Ming and the other two could leave now. She turned to Clary and said, "I guess your mom specifically sought out someone with powerful magic to seal your memories to protect you. I can't help you."
"Protect me from what?" Clary asked, puzzled.
Rosie speculated, "Maybe from your own memories."
"Why?" Clary couldn't understand her mother's actions and said blankly, "What memories would my mom not want me to remember?"
Rosie shrugged, indicating she didn't know.
Just as Clary felt her brain turning to mush, she suddenly heard footsteps coming from upstairs.
Thinking it was the kidnappers who had taken her mother returning to the scene, Clary froze for a moment, instinctively looked up at the ceiling, then grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed back upstairs, ready to teach those audacious criminals a lesson.
Watching Clary and Lance hurry upstairs, Li Ming leaned against Rosie's door and asked with a smile, "How much do you know about the Holy Grail?"
Rosie instinctively glanced at the Tarot Cards on the floral-patterned table and shook her head, replying calmly, "That's a sacred relic of the Shadowhunters. I'm just a Witch, and my knowledge of it is limited to the legends everyone knows."
Li Ming followed Rosie's gaze to the Tarot Cards, scratched his head, then took an Amulet from his shoulder bag and handed it to Rosie. With a look that said 'I see right through you,' he said, "In the past, I would've just extracted your memories. But before I change my mind, tell me everything you know, and this will be yours."
Rosie's heart raced, but her expression remained calm as she glanced at the Amulet. She could tell Li Ming was far more powerful than her, and the Amulet before her held an irresistible allure.
She had never seen such a high-level Amulet before.
After a moment of silence, Rosie resisted the urge to take the Amulet and slowly said, "Legend has it that the Crusaders summoned an angel—Raziel. Raziel poured his angelic blood into a cup, and the warriors who drank it became half-angel, half-human beings."
"To use the Holy Grail, one must first pour their own blood into the cup, allowing it to be infused with the angel's power. Then, they must drink the blood—now carrying a trace of the angel's power—back into their body."
Pausing for a moment, Rosie slowly reached out for the Amulet and whispered, "An angel's blood inherently contains immense power. If a human were to drink angel blood directly, even if their body could withstand the tremendous impact, their soul would become tainted by the angel's essence and drive them mad."
Clutching the Amulet in her hand, Rosie spoke with slight excitement, "Legends say the reason those warriors could drink the blood, gain immense power, and still retain their self-awareness was because the Holy Grail separated Raziel's will, preserving only the most primal power."
"Rumors claim the Holy Grail's purpose is to sever Raziel's consciousness," Rosie said as she carefully closed the door, glancing around cautiously in case Lance suddenly appeared. She warned, "But these are just legends—I can't verify their truth."
At that moment, spotting Clary hurriedly descending the stairs with Lance and another boy, Rosie quickly shut the door.
Li Ming scratched his head and turned to Lance, asking, "What are you guys doing? Are there still Demons upstairs?"
Lance glanced at Li Ming without stopping, speaking rapidly, "She said she's looking for Luke."
Seeing Li Ming join the group as well, Lance hesitated for a moment before explaining, "Maybe Luke knows why her mother disappeared, or perhaps he has clues about the Holy Grail."
So that's the real reason you're following Clary, huh? Li Ming shot a sidelong glance at Lance, then leisurely reclined on a dark cloud in his invisible state, asking the newly joined boy, "Kid, what's your name?"
The boy, who had just witnessed Li Ming turn invisible, looked utterly bewildered and said, "I'm Simon. And you are...?"
"Austin, a Mage," Li Ming introduced himself.
A Mage? Simon stared dumbfounded at Lance: first a Demon hunter, and now a Mage? What's happening to this world?
Luke's place was quite far. By the time Li Ming had gotten familiar with Simon, the group finally arrived at Luke's house under the pouring rain as night fell.
Clary looked at the tightly locked front door, then at Luke's car parked by the roadside, immediately concluding that Luke must be home. She waved for everyone to enter through the back door.
With no answer to their calls, the car parked outside, and the terrible weather hinting at danger at Luke's place, Lance stopped Simon out of caution, saying, "You stay here."
Simon was about to protest when Li Ming grabbed him. While casting a spell to dry the drenched boy, Li Ming rubbed his empty stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Do you have any money?"
One moment soaked, the next completely dry, Simon was momentarily stunned. By the time he regained his senses, Clary and Lance had already entered Luke's house.
Feeling his own hollow stomach, Simon patted his pockets and reluctantly nodded. "I've got some change left. I'll go buy some food to tide us over."
As he spoke, Simon turned to look around, shielding his head with both hands as he dashed through the rain toward a convenience store.
Just as Simon ran toward the store, a police car suddenly stopped in front of Li Ming.
The scent of a Demon... Li Ming frowned, raised his Shield, and whistled at the officer stepping out of the car. With a grin, he asked, "Hey little thing, do you know where your Valentine is?"
Whether the officer couldn't see Li Ming or the Demon possessing him was an idiot, the cop completely ignored Li Ming, peering toward Luke's house instead.
Li Ming scoffed, his palm igniting with a thin layer of hellfire as he grabbed the Demon by the throat and snarled, "I asked you a question—where's Valentine?"