Chapter 29 Chapter 28

Tristan knew Dylan was tired.He could hear her exhaustion in her heavy steps and labored breathing.Her fatigue could be felt in the sluggish swing of her arms and the way she pulled him with every step.He knew this very well, and he didn't feel good about it himself.But if they were trapped on the mountain when night fell, the demons would not be merciful. Dylan seemed completely unafraid of them—perhaps because she thought Tristan would protect her from these demons—but she was playing with her life.The demons were pissed off now, she didn't feel it, but he knew it.This annoyance not only because they never caught her as she crossed the moor, but because she turned around and turned back.After she came back, she defeated them again and again, and she did it alone, without the protection of the ferryman.They were determined to make her pay for her arrogance.

Tristan remembered what he had said to comfort her before—never lose her, never let the devil catch her.He'd been very confident about it before, and now he wasn't so sure.Thanks to Dylan, the whole game has changed now, and so has he, and he doesn't know what the new rules are for this brand new battle.Although he had some clues now, he still couldn't alleviate his worries. He paused briefly after reaching the summit, allowing Dylan to catch up and catch his breath. If Dylan had his way, if they had risked the long trek back to the train, it wouldn't be the tallest mountain they'd have to climb, but its height It was enough for Tristan to have a panoramic view of the mountain roads stretching in all directions.

The rest of the Ferrymen were walking slowly toward him with twinkling lights, down sloping hills and up winding valleys, as he had done before, urging the spirits they protected to safety. .It was strange that he hadn't paid much attention to them before, but now he felt like a pebble in the sea holding back the tide.All of his instincts told him to turn back and join them on their journey to the edge of the wasteland, but he was trying to suppress the thought. Night was falling, and if he did that, Dylan's death would be near. "Hurry up," he urged Dylan, before starting to walk further, "Hurry up, Dylan, the safe house is at the foot of the mountain."

"I know." She said calmly, her breathing still.Of course she knew, she had been here before.Tristan smiled wryly, and continued on his way, searching for a safe route down the gravel hill. Despite Tristan's apprehensions, they scurried down the hill, and entered the house before night fell and the demons surrounded Dylan, shutting out their frustrated cries.He let out a long sigh of relief, rested his head against the bent wooden door for a while, and then stood up to light the fire.Dylan stood by the window looking out, the fire was on, and he came up behind her and put his arm around her waist, but she didn't move.

"What are you looking at?" he whispered in her ear. "Nothing," she said softly, frowning, "but something is wrong, isn't it? They must be there. Can you see them?" "A demon?" "No," Dylan shook his head. "I'm talking about other souls, other ferrymen." Tristan was silent, and it took a long time before he said, "I can see them." Dylan nodded gloomily, pondering his words.She leaned her head on his shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye, she could just see his curled mouth. "It's getting late," she said.

"It's late," he said, holding her tightly, "but we're safe here now." His words didn't ease the sadness on Dylan's face. "Those demons can't get in, Dylan, you know that. We're perfectly safe now, I promise." "I know," she murmured. "Then what's wrong with you?" "How many souls are still out there now?" she asked, turning to face him.The light from the fire flickered in her eyes.Tristan watched her for a moment, then turned back to the window, his eyes sweeping across the distant fields. "There aren't many more," he said. "Many of them are already in safe houses."

Her gaze returned to the window, and she put out a hand to rest on the sill.There was another whistling sound outside, and Tristan couldn't help but want to move her arm away from the window, he didn't want the demons to think she was taunting and provoking them. "Can you help me see them too?" she asked suddenly, "like I used to see them when I was alone." "Why do you want to see them?" he asked. She shrugged, "I just want to see." This request seemed harmless, but Tristan was still a little apprehensive when he saw her strange way of frowning her forehead and pouting her lips.With a sigh, he pulled her closer to him, their temples touching.He concentrated on staring at the window, clearing his mind of the exterior vision of the wasteland, revealing the real hell below.Breathing quietly, Dylan knew his solution was working.

"I see them!" she screamed. "Just like before!" After a pause she asked again, "What are they doing?" Tristan's voice sounded cold, "Run for your life." They had been in the safe house only a few minutes before the fire was even lit, but at that moment the afternoon had faded into the twilight, the light melting into the darkness.Only three souls could be seen, appearing and disappearing, their ferryman urging them to sprint the last stretch, and they were also desperately weaving forward.Tristan pursed his lips, looking pained.They cannot all survive.

Suddenly, he walked away from Dylan. "No!" She turned to him and said, "No." "Tristan, let me see again!" "You'll regret it any more, Dylan. I promise you." Dylan turned pale.She pondered his words and swallowed, "Who's there?" she asked hoarsely. He pursed his lips tightly and refused to answer. She dashed up to him and asked again, "Who's there, Tristan?" He sighed, did not look at her reaction, and moved his gaze out of the window again.He could still clearly see the three souls who had fallen behind. "An old man, a woman, and..." His voice trailed off.

"Who else?" she pressed. "A toddler, a little girl." Dylan put her hands over her mouth and ran to the window, pressing her face against the pane. "Where is she now?" she asked. "Is she still out there? I want to see." Trace took the red wasteland with him. "Show me one more time. Tristan! Show me the Wasteland again!" He shook his head, and she saw Tristan's expression reflected in the window pane. "Tristan!" "No, Dylan." He folded his arms across his chest, determined. It was bad enough seeing it himself, and he didn't want Dylan to witness the horror.The woman has disappeared and has reached her destination safely.And the old man has been dragged down, and there are still two or three demons wandering around the scene where they committed the crime.Only the toddler was still there for some reason, but surely not for long.

"What happened?" she asked aloud, knocking on the window so hard that Tristan jumped.The window trembled from her knock, but it was still firm. "Let me see, Tristan! I want to know what happened." what happened?The child was surrounded by a large group of demons, and it was difficult for Tristan to see her clearly, only a rough outline could be made out, tightly huddled in her ferryman's arms.Tristan could still see her frightened expression, even from a long, long distance.She opened her mouth wide and screamed desperately, her eyes were narrowed with tears.Her terrified face was seared into Tristan's mind, another memory he'd never forget. "Tristan!" Dylan screamed, drawing his attention back to her. "What now?" "They're surrounded," he whispered. She bit her lip, looked desperate, and pressed her hand harder on the window pane, as if she could help them.Suddenly she turned and stared at him.Tristan raised both hands and took two steps back.He knew what she was going to say. "You have to help them!" He shook his head at her and said, "I can't." "why?" "I just can't go. Every ferryman is only responsible for the souls he guides, and has no right to manage other souls." Dylan glared at him incredulously, "But this is ridiculous." "That's the way it is." He, too, became agitated. She turned her back on him, and her harsh rebuke really hurt him.It's not his fault, and he didn't set the rules. "Are they still going a long way?" she asked calmly.Tristan looked out the window again, they were still there. "No," he told her, "but they can't go, there are too many devils." Too much.Dylan closed her eyes, her brow numb from the cold window pane.She recalled how it felt - how they tugged, scratched, bitten, penetrated her body, leaving nothing but cold and fear.Her eyes filled with tears at the thought of all that poor child was going through now.It's not fair, you can't stand by!But how could Tristan let her take risks? Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into her mind.Tristan said it wasn't far away, so they didn't need long, just a minute or so, maybe a few tens of seconds.All they had to do was distract the demons—she turned and started running for the door, her blood boiling, determination overpowering fear.Just distract the demons for a few seconds and they are saved.She can do it. "Dylan!" Tristan called out her name.She heard him move, felt his hand reaching out to stop her, his fingers brushing her back.But it was too late, she had already rushed out the door. She didn't know where she was going, or where the struggling soul was, so she could only grope along the front of the hut.Heavy footsteps sounded behind him, and it was Tristan who chased him out.She heard him calling her name with both panic and anger in his voice.But a moment later, her ears were filled with growls and hisses, drowning out all other sounds.The surrounding air was fluctuating violently, and Dylan felt as if he had sunk into icy water, and many goose bumps appeared on his arms immediately.She was still galloping though, and if the demons were focusing on her, it meant her strategy was working. Suddenly, something gripped her like a pincer, stronger than the pull of the devils she had experienced before, but warm at the same time.Dylan immediately realized who was pulling him, and heard Tristan's angry growl in a moment. "What the hell are you doing, Dylan?" She ignored it, scanning the dark moor in vain.He pulled her back as hard as he could, and she struggled desperately. "Are they still here? Can you still see them now?" "Dylan!" Tristan pulled her hard. After all, he was much stronger than Dylan, and finally pulled her back a step, while she continued to struggle desperately, "Dylan, stop!" The demons' voices were so tangled up with Tristan's that it was hard to tell them apart.Dylan only felt that he was being attacked from all sides.Her face was stinging, and a small strand of hair had been pulled from her scalp.Tristan's arms wrapped around her waist, making it hard for her to breathe.She staggered, one foot catching Tristan's leg in the tugging with Tristan, and she felt her body fall to the ground.The demons laughed harshly, and it was only then that Dylan realized that he was really taking a risk.She had risked her life and her chances with Tristan.How long has she been out?One minute?Maybe one minute or ten seconds?should be enough.Immediately she stopped struggling, and Tristan dragged herself toward the safe house, toward the bright light. Tristan slammed the door shut again.He leaned back against the door, gasping for breath, trying to suppress the fear that made his pulse beat wildly.Dylan stumbled into the middle of the room, and Tristan could feel her looking at him, but he kept staring straight ahead, trying to suppress his anger. "Are they safe?" she asked quietly. "What?" He turned his head and glared at her. "The kid and her ferryman, are they safe? I thought... I thought if it would distract the devil..." Tristan stared at her dumbfounded, "That's what you did just now? Sacrifice yourself for a stranger?" His voice suddenly became louder, and his voice became much higher, "Dylan!" Speechless, fell into silence. "Are they safe?" she asked again, speaking softly like a gentle reproach. "Yeah." The voice was squeezed out from between his teeth. A shy smile appeared on Dylan's mouth. Their survival was an affirmation to her, proving that her choice just now was correct.Seeing that she was still smiling, Tristan became even angrier, and gritted his teeth bitterly. "Don't do such a fool again!" he said commandingly. "They almost got you, you know?" Dylan lowered his head and said "I'm sorry" in a low voice with lingering fear in his heart. She was trembling all over now, and she was more afraid of his anger than she was out of her wits. "I just can't help but want to do something to help them. I can't bear to watch others being captured by those demons like this." Tears blurred her vision, seeing her pitiful appearance, Tristan's face gradually softened.