Xia De's words finally found the key point. The unknown, inaudible and invisible god behind the dark curtain high up finally spoke.
Of course, although Shade used the word "talking" to describe it, the sound actually came from all directions:
"not enough."
If it weren't for the wrong tone, he would even have doubted whether the god he saw at this moment was the "old acquaintance" he met in the Sixth Era.
Of course, Shad did not voice his rather blasphemous thoughts.
Since the God of Night did not directly refuse, it means that this matter can continue to be discussed. He gently squeezed Fiona's hand behind him, indicating that this was good news. At the same time, he also felt that Fiona's strength was too great on her own, and he had to use his strength to resist, so as not to be pushed forward directly:
"I wonder what else a mortal needs, what can I offer you?"
"Decorate my palace."
The gods gave their answer.
Xia De clearly felt that the girl behind him became more nervous. After all, they had not thought of this possibility from the beginning. But for Xia De, who had "seen" the answer from the future, he was quite clear about what this meant:
"I wonder if we would have the honor to decorate your temple with that midnight story?"
Xia De asked, and got the answer after a moment:
"Can."
Shade smiled and turned to grab Fiona's shoulders:
"It's okay. I knew it would work. Next, I'll need your help."
"What can I do?"
The red dragon girl asked nervously in a low voice, her face illuminated by the cat-shaped golden light on Shade's chest, and there was a helpless expression on her pretty face.
"When you woke from your slumber, you were given new powers because of my ritual. Don't you remember? In addition to the power of time, there was also the ability to paint in the night."
Shade said, looking into her beautiful big red-gold eyes:
"I will present a story to the Great One. And you will depict that story as a picture and engrave it on the palace of God. Fiona, is that all right?"
"no problem!"
The young witch said that although she was still worried, she believed in Shade:
"I studied painting and have painted portraits for Miss Feliana and Mr. Orlan Nord. May I ask, what is this story about?"
“There is no thrilling adventure, nor a touching separation of life and death. This is a story about a princess and a prince, about meeting and pursuing, and about midnight and blessing.”
Fiona nodded heavily:
"I understand. Should I paint this story right before my eyes?"
She and Shade spoke in whispers, as if they were afraid of disturbing the gods above. But just as Fiona finished her words, a noise came from the walls of the silent Night Palace.
After a while, six huge gray stone slabs flew from behind the two people, and then half-surrounded them at equal intervals.
The ancient stone slab filled with miraculous elements originally had inscriptions left by ancient engravers in an unknown era, but as the stone slab fell to the ground, its surface became smooth again.
This slate is not an ordinary stone. No brush or paint can leave a mark on it. Only Fiona, who can paint directly in the night, can add new pictures to the palace of the gods in the mortal world.
After everything was ready, Shade was ready to start telling the story from his hometown. At this time, Fiona, standing in front of the huge stone slab, somehow thought of the past around the bonfire in the dead valley.
Although she was sleeping in the ice coffin the whole time when Shade told the story, and was awakened by a kiss after the story was over, she later heard Miss Orlanod and Miss Samuel of Zalas Academy mention what happened there countless times.
"But this time, I'm the only witness."
The Red Dragon girl whispered to herself in her heart.
Facing the gods, Shade tried his best to imagine himself as a bard who brought stories to the monarch. He began to speak:
"This story happened in a corner of the long unknown time, in a distant country that no one knew about. The girl seemed to be blessed by the gods, with a beautiful face and a kind heart, but she also had a vicious stepmother and two bad sisters. The women who were jealous of her face arranged for her to do the heaviest work and be accompanied by dust and coal dust all day long. Therefore, she was called 'Cinderella'. Our story also starts from this moment."
Shad's deep voice told the beginning of the story, while Fiona turned her back to the platform and waved her fingers beside Shad.
Paint that sparkled like starlight left its mark on the first slate from her fingers.
Shad paused deliberately, waiting for Fiona to finish the first picture, and the colorful paints painted a bright house. A maid-like girl wearing a headscarf, an apron, and dust on her face was sweeping the left side of the fireplace with a broom; while three other women in gorgeous skirts and high heels were talking about something on the right side of the fireplace.
The picture drawn by Fiona fits the current life background of the Fifth Epoch she lives in. However, the girl who is the protagonist has a dragon's tail hidden in her skirt, which is a little different from what Shade expected.
"If Cinderella is really half-dragon, why would she need a prince?"
Xia De thought to himself and continued the story:
"The prince of the kingdom has come of age. He is going to hold a ball and invite beautiful girls from all over the country to choose his wife from among them."
Shade turned his back to Fiona and faced the god behind the curtain. The god's gaze was always on him, so he was worried that the cat on his chest would be affected, but at least from now on, the cat was sleeping soundly.
"Cinderella's stepmother and sisters also received invitations. They happily prepared for the ball at night. Cinderella wanted to attend the ball, but was assigned heavy work and had to stay at home alone and feel sad. At night, the castle on the hillside was brightly lit, and beautiful girls from all over the country were ready to show their elegance and beauty. Cinderella was cleaning the house alone, looking at the darkness and missing her deceased mother."
Fiona quickly painted behind Shad.
This time the picture is divided into two parts, left and right, and they are contrasted and distinguished through colors.
The background on the right is a deep night, without even a moon, but the castle located high up completely illuminates the right side of the picture, and even the figures and carriages walking towards the castle have an unusually bright glow; the back view of the left side of the picture is a slightly brighter interior, but with Cinderella, whose clothes are monotonously colored, as the center, the gray and white color occupies the core position of the left side of the picture, making the obviously bright picture appear unusually dim.
The god of the night said nothing, and the witch behind him was painting seriously. Shad narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling all the details of the story. This was not difficult, after all, he would discuss this topic with Dorothy and Leicia almost every Saturday in 1854.
"She was grieving alone, grieving her fate and her life. That night, the moonlight was perfect, and the glow of the silver moon illuminated Cinderella's face from the small kitchen window. She heard the nightingale singing and the night wind blowing through the treetops. So she went outside to relax. She sobbed and praised the night tonight, and then she prayed to the silver moon and the night. The night responded to the sad girl. In the thick night, the old woman holding the magic wand was waiting for Cinderella's arrival."
Fiona had never heard of this story, so she hesitated whether to include this scene in the painting. But when she saw that Shade did not pause, she knew that the story was still going on.
She was also very curious about the continuation of the story and was happy to be able to listen to the story at ease.
"'Why are you weeping'—said the old woman."
Shade pinched his throat to speak in a different tone.
"'I want to go to the prince's ball, too' - Cinderella looked up at the castle on the hillside."
“'Don't cry, don't be sad, I will help you'—said the old woman.”
Shade described the content of the story, but in order to highlight the theme of the night, he added a sentence:
"'Why do you want to help me? Why do you want to help a poor girl like me?'"
"'Because you praised the moon tonight, I promise to help you, my girl. This is the promise of the night to you. Look, what is it' - the old woman said, and found a pumpkin, a big mouse and four little mice. As she gently shook the magic wand in her hand, in Cinderella's astonishment, the pumpkin turned into a carriage, the big mouse turned into a fat coachman, and the little mice turned into four bay horses."
Fiona behind Shade seemed to exclaim in a low voice, and Shade continued:
"'Oh, one more thing,' the old woman said, and she pointed her magic wand at Cinderella, and her rags turned into a dark blue evening gown as deep as the night, and her patched shoes turned into crystal shoes that sparkled like stars."
Shade paused and signaled Fiona that she could start painting:
"'But you must remember one thing,' the old woman said, 'the gift that the night gives you can only last until midnight, so you must leave the ball in the castle before midnight.'"
Fiona quickly started to paint the third picture. This picture was not divided into two parts. Instead, the background was a small castle on the hillside in the upper right corner. In the courtyard of the small house, the pumpkin carriage, the fat coachman and the mouse horse were beside the ragged Cinderella, and the old woman holding the magic wand was smiling kindly.
The picture frozen in the night is still, yet it seems to be able to move in the next moment. This is the original text of the original "Cinderella" story, but unfortunately Shade still can't get it this time.
“Will this be a happy story?”
When Fiona finished the painting, she asked Xia De softly.