John had a dream that day.
In the dream, he turned into a six-year-old child. The slender boy took his hand and led him to walk through the long corridor of the temple with the adults in robes.
A small bird landed on the window at the end of the corridor, tilted its head and looked at him curiously, John stopped involuntarily.
The boy who was holding his hand stopped carefully, half knelt down, and put a warm hand on top of his head.
"Don't be afraid," said the boy. "Carlos, I'm here. Don't be afraid."
"Where are we going?" the child in the dream asked softly.
"Go to the temple, you will live in the temple from now on, okay?"
"But I don't want to go, I don't want to leave you."
The young man gently kissed the child's forehead: "The temple is where you should go, baby, you were born with the talent of light, do you know what that is?"
Little Carlos shook his head: "I don't know, but my mother said it was a good thing."
The boy smiled softly, and his dark green eyes, which were exactly the same as those of little Carlos, were bent.
The Flaret brothers were ten years apart, but they looked like twins—rare brothers with such a huge difference in age could be so similar.
When Carlos was five years old, his father died young, and his elder brother who had just turned fifteen inherited his title. With the thin shoulders of a teenager, he supported the huge Flarete family by himself. At that time, as the head of the family, he personally sent him into the temple.
"You are our pride and will be an amazing person in the future, and my mother and I will be proud of you."
The child raised his head, showing a slightly confused expression: "But, what if I don't become a great person?"
The mature young Patriarch laughed and rubbed the child's soft, milky hair: "Then we will have to love you forever."
This sentence was like a spell, piercing through all his dreams in an instant.
He suddenly opened his eyes, and the lamp on the bedside table gave off a soft light, casting long shadows on his face, made by eyelashes and bridge of nose. John's lips moved suddenly, and he silently called someone's name: "Chuck..."
When he left the temple, he went home to visit it once, but he only took a look at Flaret Manor from a distance, and he didn't even enter the door, so he started his wandering life alone. For so many years, he stopped and went, dreaming back every midnight, except for the temple, the only thing he could think of and miss was Flaret Manor.
But I didn't expect that this time, it would be a farewell forever.
He hasn't had time to go back and have a look at mom and brother, and tell them that the war is over, before... ask Chuck himself, I really haven't become a great person, I even put the last name to shame , will you still love me forever as you promised
However, more than a thousand years have passed.
John reached out his hand to cover his eyes, and his elbow touched the open "A Brief History Before the Enchantment" on the bedside, and it happened to turn to a page of "Carlos Frarete", on which was drawn A half/naked "bodybuilder", with broad shoulders, revealing a piece of distinctive muscle, the rest of the body is wearing a strange armor, holding a shield that looks like a frying pan in his hand.
As if ready to fight at any moment.
John turned his head and glanced at the "portrait of Carlos", he didn't know how to react, and finally he could only show a wry smile.
That's not me...he thought silently, whether it's written or drawn on it, it's not me.
It was just a character in a story fabricated by later generations with the name "Carlos Frarete", a name that should have been discarded long ago, flat, false... ridiculous.
The Flaret Manor has long since disappeared, and the temple has become a tourist attraction full of tourists. What he remembered, whether it was the people he loved or hated, all disappeared in the dust of history, and in this world... no one even knew his real name.
Maybe it was because of the late night, or maybe it was because of his physical weakness and exhaustion. At that moment, he felt an unprecedented loneliness, and he realized clearly—here, he was really the only one left.
The taste was like someone was grinding his bones with a blunt knife, and it easily made him sleepless.
John... Carlos slowly curled up his body, lay on his side on the bed, opened his eyes expressionlessly under the soft light, and his eyes fell straight on a non-existent point in the dark void.
The face that was always full of vitality during the day, as if there were countless interesting things to say and laugh, became as pale and empty as when he was unconscious, with only a pair of eyes as deep as a pool of water.
Compared with most people in the world, his life is not long, but he has experienced a lot of pain, but he is always willing to believe that these pains will pass one day, as long as he keeps his eyes open for a while, there will always be Good things happen, and they always get better.
This was what his brother Chuck said every day when his father had just passed away, when he was putting him to sleep. For more than twenty years, Carlos had always believed in this, but now, he was suddenly shaken.
He thought of the bustling streets, the happy crowd, the strong festive atmosphere, and all the new and charming things, and knew that these were the "good things" that Chuck said, but when all the hustle and bustle subsided and all the colors were swallowed by darkness, He still needs to keep his eyes open in the dark, trapped in memories that cannot be returned.
When he was on the battlefield, he thought that if he survived, he would be able to see his brother and mother. If he died unfortunately, he could still see his father who always liked to put himself on his shoulders when he was a child. There is nothing wrong with it. .
But unexpectedly, suddenly, no one can be seen.
Even the hardest man's heart will always be struck with a thin and deep crack by the day-to-day longing and loneliness.
"Chuck," he finally closed his eyes and smiled, "I can see your grandson's grandson's grandson's grandson..."
Originally, according to the rules, the hunter who hunted Difu should personally hand over the corpse and the report to the temple for unified collection and storage, but John... well, Carlos, he had a fever the next day because of a cold, and he was listless. Leaning on the bed, weakly flipping through the book "A Brief History Before the Barrier", his voice became hoarse, and he was lazy and didn't like to talk.
Gal, as Evan's mentor, had no choice but to bring this stupid apprentice and the corpse of the abyss jackal back to the temple for business. Before leaving, he was afraid that Carlos would be bored, so he turned on the TV in the guest room and taught him how to change it. tower.
Obviously, the TV program is much more attractive than "A Brief History Before the Barrier". Five minutes later, the former priest threw the book under the bed, and sat under the TV with a blanket wrapped in a blanket, holding his breath. Start watching a TV show about the boring life of urban housewives comparing each other.
… He was so energetic that he forgot to eat and sleep, and he didn’t even hear the voices of Gal and the others saying goodbye and telling him to take medicine.
Gal was worried about how to contact Archbishop Al in the temple, but he didn't expect that the moment they entered the temple, the rotten breath permeating the corpse of the demon-level dirot followed a mysterious The magic circle was connected to the center of the temple.
The elusive Archbishop actually lives in his tomb. Every day, Mr. Goode asks people to prepare exquisite food and enough water, and deliver them to the exit of the underground palace where the four of them walked out that day. They will be killed in a short while. Take it away, and the empty plate will be sent out, but the water has not moved, only a note from Aldo himself, stating that there is enough water in it, don't bother.
Mr. Goode even took this note on purpose, and compared it with the handwriting of Archbishop Alfred in the rare edition of the ancient book, which was exactly the same—this dispelled his last suspicion.
Up to now, no one can tell how many secrets there are in the temple, and neither can Mr. Goode. However, it seems to be alive, and it automatically acts as Aldo's five senses. He understands everything that is happening. Seems to know somehow... just not interested anymore.
The blond man held a blooming rose in his hand, and was always staring at the enchantment core in a daze all day long. Apart from that, he seemed to have nothing else to do. He seemed to have nothing to do with him other than breathing. The statue in the garden made no difference.
Waking up from a long sleep is painful, but as the creator of the enchantment, this is his unavoidable responsibility.
A magic circle next to the enchantment core flashed purple light, and Aldo's light gray eyes turned like a living thing.
"I see." He said softly.
The voice-activated light on the magic circle disappeared. Aldo lowered his eyes, and his eyes fell on the thousand-year-old flower in his hand. The petals suddenly showed thin, extremely delicate and complex circle patterns, and the expressionless face of the blond man finally There was a flash of pain: "Are you really... never going to come back?"
Gal took Evan and the corpses of the abyss jackal all the way to the archbishop's office, but he didn't know where the old guy Mr. Good went to fool around, and there was no one in sight. He sighed and said to Evan: " Forget it, let's go find Louis."
As soon as the words fell, Evan was frightened at the same time.
Gal rubbed his forehead, looked at his stupid look and laughed: "Aren't you brave? Dare to track down the demon-level Difu before the internship period is over. I dare say that you will not be there in a thousand years." Such a daring intern—is he still afraid of Louis?"
Evan: "I... I... I... I..."
Gal asked with interest: "Is Louis more terrifying than the jackal of the abyss?"
Evan continued: "I... I I..."
Suddenly, his voice choked up, and his eyes fell directly behind Gal.
Evan was taken aback and opened his eyes wide: "God! Sculpture, statue!"
Gal turned around immediately, put away his joking face, and bent down in a proper manner: "Your Excellency."
Turning his head, he found that Evan still looked stupid, and immediately glared at him: "Evan, don't be rude, this is His Excellency Archbishop Leo Aldo."
It's a pity that Evan was like a coffin board, staring at Aldo blankly without any response.
Fortunately, Aldo didn't care, glanced at him, and his eyes fell on the abyss jackal: "You hunted and killed the abyss jackal?"
"Oh, no." Although he wondered why the other party suddenly appeared outside the archbishop's office, Gal quickly responded, "It's not me, it's Mr. Evan Gorado and..."