The aircraft landed slowly in the midst of ice and snow, and finally landed in a hidden valley. The steam turbine was turned off, and a large amount of scorching water vapor formed a white wave like an ocean wave in an environment of minus 30 degrees, spreading all around. go.
The guard, who was wrapped in fur from head to toe with only one pair of eyes exposed, saluted the aircraft. In the steam, he could not see who was coming, but he could still recognize that it was an aircraft of the Holy See, and it should have flown from another stronghold.
This is one of the closest Holy See strongholds to Neverland. Most of the Holy See clergy will choose to land here, and then walk through the triple barrier and enter the range of Neverland. This is a necessary precaution made by the Holy See in order to prevent another attack from the demons after the Holy See evacuated the captured holy city. Nothing flying can pass through the gravitational barrier and enter the polar land of Neverland.
The hatch opened, the hot air in the cabin gushed out, collided with the cold air in the ice and snow, and formed a fog, a tall figure walked out of the cabin, a big black bird parked on his shoulder, he walked He walked down the steps steadily and returned the salute to the salute guard.
Standing guard here is really a very boring thing. Usually, the guard will talk to the clergy who pass by here, but when he sees the handsome face of the person who comes, he dismisses it. Thoughts of speaking. It would never be easier to pick out even a single word from Knight Commander Ning Zhou than to let the ice sculpture speak. Even the Pope, who had raised him since he was thirteen, rarely heard him speak at length.
The guard watched him walk into the underground checkpoint of the stronghold alone. Although his face was still expressionless, today's Lord Knight seems to be colder and more silent than before, even his noisy eagle bird bowed his head. language.
Although it is noon, it is in the polar night period of the year, and the sky is full of stars shrouded in the vast snowfield, as if a sea full of fluorescent plankton is buckled above the head, and everything you see is endless. The vast white land and the boundless sea of stars, the vast and vast universe.
If a poet is walking in this icy wasteland, the beautiful scenery in front of him will definitely inspire him, but unfortunately for those who live in Never Land, this long polar night is not only the pressure of survival, but also the spiritual The torture is especially true for those who trek through the snowfields.
Ning Zhou was wearing a white fur cloak and walked through the gravitational barrier. The gravity and chaotic magnetic field here were several times that of the outside world, making all electronic equipment useless. Every step he took was like carrying a mountain on his back. The passing order can slightly reduce the gravitational effect of the enchantment, but it still makes people sweaty and exhausted in the ice and snow.
After passing through the gravitational barrier, there is a layer of sacred barrier set against the power of demons. All demons disguised as human beings cannot pass through this barrier unless it encounters a catastrophe that occurred more than 20 years ago. Otherwise, even if the Demon King comes again, he will not be able to break through the barrier.
It took half a day to walk through the two barriers on foot. On the vast ice field, the compass had long since been unable to function, and the direction could only be determined by star buckets. The last barrier was ahead—the spiritual barrier. Walking in this heavy barrier, people will see pictures in countless memories, all desires are magnified here, and the distracting thoughts that you seek and desire that are contrary to beliefs will be presented here one by one. Either wash away the filth in the soul here, or lose yourself in desire.
For the staunch clergymen, this re-enchantment is almost non-existent, and the same is true for the former Ning Zhou.
Every time he passed by here, he would only see a thin phantom, and that trivial desire was easily washed away by faith and would not leave any traces in his heart, but this time, he stood in front of the enchantment and let the wind and snow flutter. It landed on his face, leaving traces of frost on his eyelashes, but he never entered the spiritual barrier.
The eagle got out of the pet bag and pecked at the tip of Ning Zhou's ear, as if urging him, Ning Zhou took a deep breath, and the hot air condensed into a white mist. He stepped forward, towards his soul.
The vast ice field, the boundless sea of stars, the wild wind howled and roared for him to retreat, but the traveler who trudged on the polar wilderness was walking forward step by step with the wind that could tear people's skin, the eagle on his shoulders. The bird has long been unable to bear the cold, and hid in the pet's luggage. He is the only one left on the ice field.
I don't know when, the roar of the wind has become distant, as if it is the song of a giant whale in the deep sea, so deep, so ethereal... The night sky above is lit up by the hands of gods, and layers of blue-green aurora appear here. On the vast wasteland, the shape of the waves danced.
"Ning Zhou..."
A sweet voice called his name, right behind him.
Ning Zhou didn't look back, he still walked forward, and every step had to use all the strength of his whole body to continue walking step by step.
The calling voice faded away and withered in the wind.
In the barren land under the aurora, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him. She was wearing a thin sacrificial dress, and walked towards him timidly and curiously, her brown eyes drooping slightly, looking up at him with a childlike innocence, but when she got serious, Yet so stoic and brave.
Close your eyes, don't look, don't think, just walk over, Ning Zhou told himself.
Phantom stretched out his hand and wanted to hold his sleeve, but her hand went straight through. She looked at her hand in astonishment, as if she suddenly realized something, and she burst into tears.
"Am I dead?" she asked sadly.
It was as if he had been hit hard on the chest, and the icy air inhaled into his lungs was painful, and he could no longer walk away without seeing it, so he stopped, even though he knew he shouldn't.
The moment his footsteps stopped, the ice and snow in front of him seemed to be covered with a haze, and he returned to the island of the dead in a trance. At that time, he held a bunch of lilies and went up the stairs to look for the tomb of an old friend, but inadvertently found it. her tombstone.
So many, so many tombstones.
Some died in the mission, and some died in the Twilight Land. The number of days she has lived is not even the number of times she has died.
The heartache and disbelief at that moment can no longer be described in words.
At the end of the sacrifice of the witch, she left three consecutive tombstones, not at the hands of the enemy, but at his hands.
For a time, his soul seemed to be separated from his body, floating in the air, looking at him "self".
It wasn't him, it was just a desire buried deep in his heart. It finally broke free from the shackles of rational reason, which seemed to have broken free from the shackles of the seal and descended into the world.
He watched "self" take out the ring in front of her tombstone, knelt down on one knee, and asked silently: Will you marry me
Tombstone would not respond, but he had seen her.
Walking lightly in the darkness of the depths of the underground palace, more irresistible than the temptation of the devil, she gently took "his" hand, raised her face shyly, closed her eyes, slightly opened lips and raised The corners of his mouth raised, tempting people to send a kiss.
"He" leaned down...
A voice suddenly passed through the depths of his consciousness, as low as a mosquito, but it woke him up like a thunder.
On the high bridge made of steel, he turned his head hastily, and saw the young man standing behind him, with the same brown eyes as "her" and the slightly drooping corners of his eyes, he looked at him in amazement: "You are a man. of?"
When he realized this, the vision began to shatter, and the girl waiting to be kissed opened her eyes and looked at him sadly. With a male appearance, he asked indifferently but pointed to his heart: "If you love my soul, why are you running away?"
At this moment, love has become a sin.
The aurora came to him through the half-collapsed illusion, and as soon as he looked up, he could see the polar night sky.
But bowing his head, he was still in the illusion, and he still didn't get rid of it.
There is an underground cave at the foot, and the bone dragon that made the two of them embarrassed has turned into a pile of white bones wrapped in frost. In the underground lake not far away, she fell into the water and tried her best to climb ashore.
There were gravel everywhere on the shore, cutting her hands so sharply, and dragging several brown bloodstains on the ground, frost had enveloped her body, and strands of ice had formed on her wet hair. She fell back into the lake again and again, and finally lost her strength.
Submerged in the ice water, she stared blankly at him on the shore. He looked at him, even if his heart was twisted, he didn't take another step, just said silently: Go back, go where you should go.
The girl immersed in the ice lake showed him a reluctant smile, closed her eyes, and sank into the bottom of the lake without a sound. As she sank, her appearance gradually overlapped with that of him as a man. , no longer indistinguishable, the moment he sank to the bottom of the lake, the floating surface of the lake froze into ice in an instant - along with his heart.
The illusions disintegrated layer by layer, and from the top of his head to his feet, he finally returned to the ice field.
The mighty aurora meanders into a beautiful shape, illuminating this dark ice field, the world as far as the eye can see is frost-white, and everything is frozen, whether it is shaking, admiration, guilt, all emotions are deeply immersed. Buried under the ice, quietly dormant.
Ning Zhou recalled their farewell at the steel bridge. He watched him turn around and walked towards the other end of the steel bridge. He kept watching him, watching him go further and further, until he walked out of his life... He didn't look back, so he finally turned around, walked in the direction he came from, and returned to his own world. Until the cheers of the crowd resounded in the middle of the steel bridge, he turned his head, he also turned his head, and the two people separated by the vast sea of people looked at each other again. For a split second, he thought he saw "she", but he knew that there was never that "she", only "he" - someone he couldn't love.
Happy couples hug and kiss, surrounded by the blessings of the world.
And the distance between them is farther than thousands of mountains and rivers...
Ning Zhou continued to walk forward. He walked all day and night for only an hour or two, and finally walked out of the spiritual barrier. His thirst, his longing, covered by this vast snow and ice, sank into the depths of his soul.
He knew that he still had not overcome it. Although it died down and disappeared into the darkness, it will make a comeback one day.
Merciful Lord, my Father, I prostrate at your feet and pray that you forgive my sins. He knelt on one knee on an iceberg and prayed in the direction of the Holy See.
Under the glacier are little sparks, hymns and spiritual music, and the magnificent Holy See is already in sight.
The long polar night is about to pass, and the light will finally come.
[The third copy: Castle Cry]