Chapter 23 Chapter 4

The lad walked into the restaurant with such confidence as if he came here for breakfast every day, but that was not the case. He walked directly towards a short, dark man sitting at the dining table, as if they had known each other for a long time, which was not the case either.He walked to the table and knelt down slowly.He didn't kneel down with a "plop", nor did he touch the ground with his forehead, but he knelt calmly and naturally, without losing his dignity, without humiliating himself. The waiter who passed by swallowed his saliva, then turned his face away. He is a person who has seen the world, and he has seen a lot of situations where gangsters are servile in front of the boss.But this young man is not like a young man, but that man is like a boss.

And things are not good.He felt this bad omen, and he knew that the situation would be more dangerous than the underworld.He doesn't know exactly what's going to happen, but he feels it, because he's an Other, though not yet aroused. However, after a while he completely forgot what he had just seen.Although there was still some uneasy feeling in his heart, exactly why he couldn't remember. "Stand up, Alisher," Gesar said softly, "stand up. We don't have this habit here." The lad got up, and sat down before the leader of the Night's Watch.He nodded and said:

"It's the same in our place, and I'm not used to doing it now, but my father asked me to kneel in front of you, Gesar. He's an old-fashioned man. If he was here, he would kneel too, but unfortunately he can't do it anymore .” "Do you know how he died?" "Yes, I saw, heard, and felt his pain." "Bring to me his pain, Alisher, son of Jeonna and a human woman." "Take what you ask for, Gesar, the slayer of evil, the one who stands on equal footing with nonexistent gods." They looked at each other, then Gesar nodded and said: "I know who the murderer is, and your father's revenge is just around the corner."

"This is what I should do." "No, you can't, you have no right. You entered Moscow illegally." "Absorb me into your patrol team, Gesar." The head of the night watch patrol shook his head. "I am the best in Samarkand, Gesar." The young man looked at him intently, "Don't laugh, I know, I will be the last here. Take me into the patrol team and let me be your Student's student, be a dog on a chain. I beseech you in the name of a father, take me into the patrol." "Your request is too much, Alisher. You are asking me to let you die."

"I have already died, Gesar. When my father died, I died with him. I laughed and walked away, while my father stayed and drew the dark forces away. I ran to the subway And his ashes are being trampled on. Gesar, I have the right to ask." Gesar nodded. "Well, that's it. You stay on my patrol, Alisher." The young man didn't show any expression on his face, he nodded and immediately pressed his palm on his chest. "Where are the things you brought, Alisher?" "Here I am, master." Gesar silently stretched his hand across the table. Alisher undid the bag on his belt and carefully took out a small rectangular coarse cloth bag.

"Accept it, Gesar, and release me from responsibility." Gesar pressed the young man's palm with his palm and closed his fingers together.After a while, when he took his hand away, there was nothing left in his hand. "Your mission is over, Alisher. Now let's rest. Let's eat, drink, sleep, and reminisce about your father. I'll tell you everything I remember." Alisher nodded.It was unclear whether he was satisfied with Gesar's words or just obeyed all his will. "We still have half an hour," Gesar said bluntly, "then the dark messengers will come here. They still found your trace. It's too late, but they still found it."

"Is there going to be a battle, master?" "I don't know." Gesar shrugged, "What's the difference? Zaburon is far away, and the others are not scary to me." "There's going to be a fight," Alisher said thoughtfully, looking around the dining room. "Get rid of all the guests," Gesar suggested, "Be gentle and don't make people feel annoying. I want to see your skills. Then we will rest and wait for our guests." Nearly eleven o'clock, everyone woke up. I was waiting for someone on the balcony, lying casually on the deck chair, stretching out my feet, and drinking a few tonic juices from the goblet from time to time.I feel good - a sweet pain only a masochist would love.When someone came out of the door, I gave a friendly wave and greeted by shooting a little rainbow in the air with my five fingers apart.The game is childlike, so everyone smiles.The yawning Yulia screamed at the sight of this greeting ceremony, and responded with a rainbow.We raced for two minutes, and then the two of us built a pretty big arc into the woods.Yulia said that she was going to look for the gold jar, and she came proudly under the arched rainbow of many colors.A hound ran obediently at her feet.

I wait. The first person I was waiting to enter was Lianna.She is cheerful and full of energy, and she is wearing a bathing suit.She felt a little embarrassed when she saw me, nodded hurriedly, and then ran towards the gate.It was a pleasure to watch her every move, she was slender, graceful and full of life.Now she is swimming in the cool water, playing alone for a while, and then coming back for breakfast when she has an appetite. Next came Ignat.He was wearing swimming shorts and rubber slippers. "Hello, Anton!" He greeted happily, walked over, dragged a recliner beside him, and sat down on it. "How's the mood?"

"Full of fighting spirit!" I said, raising my glass. "Good job." Ignat looked for the wine bottle with his eyes, but when he couldn't find it, he stretched his lips to the straw and took a sip from my wine glass regardless. "Too muted." "I drank enough yesterday." "That's right, take care of yourself," advised Ignat, "and we've been guzzling champagne all night last night and then brandy in the night. I'm still worried about a headache, but it's nothing, it'll be over in a minute gone." You can't blame him if you want to.

"Ignat, what did you want to be as a kid?" I asked. "Hygienist." "why?" "Oh, I was told that boys can't be nurses, and I wanted to treat people. So I decided to be a hygienist when I grow up." "Okay," I exclaimed, "then why not be a doctor?" "It's too much responsibility," admits Ignat self-critically, "and it's a long time to learn." "Have you ever been a hygienist?" "Yes, I've been in urgent care, I've been in psychiatry. The doctors love working with me."

"why?" "First of all, I'm charming," Ignat said, complimenting himself with his usual innocence. "I can communicate well with men and women, reassure them, and voluntarily go to the hospital for treatment. Second, I can see who is really sick and who is just a figment of the imagination. Sometimes Just talk to him softly and explain that he's fine and doesn't need any shots." "Medical science probably has a lot to lose." "Yeah," sighed Ignat, "but the boss convinced me that I could make a bigger difference in the Night's Watch. Is that so?" "maybe." "Boring," said Ignat thoughtfully. "Aren't you bored? I already want to get to work." "I seem to be too. Ignat, do you have any hobbies? It's just after work." "Why do you ask this?" asked the magician in surprise. "I just want to know. Is this a secret?" "What's the secret between us?" Ignat shrugged. "I'm collecting butterflies. I have the best collection in the world. They fill two rooms." "Not bad." I agreed. "Go and see anyway," suggested Ignat, "with Sveta, who says she likes butterflies too." I laughed for so long that it made him feel uncomfortable.Ignat stood up, smiled hesitantly, and said: "I'm leaving to help prepare breakfast." "I wish you success," I said reluctantly.But when our bright dandy came to the door, I couldn't hold back and called out to him: "Hey, the boss is worried about Sveta for nothing, isn't he?" Ignat held his chin in a graceful gesture, thought for a while and said: "You know, it's not without reason. She is really a little nervous and can't relax. You know, she is facing a great career, not like us." "Then have you tried your best?" "See what you ask!" said Ignat angrily. "Come along, seriously, I'd be very happy!" The gin got hot and the ice cubes in the bottom of the glass melted.There is a little bit of lipstick marks left on the straw.I shake my head and put down my glass. Gesar, you can't foresee everything. But in order to fight you—certainly not in a magical duel, which is ridiculous to think about—on the only possible field of words and actions, I should know exactly what you want, You should know your hole cards and what you are holding. Also, who is involved in this game. Gesar was the mastermind and the agitator.Olga is his love, a errant sorceress, advisor.Svetlana is a carefully bred performer.I was one of the tools to develop her.Ignat, Xiaohu, Semyon, and all other bright magicians can be ignored.They are also weapons, of a more secondary role.So I can't take them into account. What about the dark emissary? Of course they will participate, but not publicly.Both Zaburon and his assistants were worried that Svetlana would appear in our camp, but there was nothing they could do.If they were not playing tricks secretly, they were preparing for a devastating blow that would bring the patrol teams of both sides to the brink of war. What else? Inquisition? I tapped the arm of the recliner with my fingers a few times. Inquisition.The organization above the Patrol.It adjudicates disputed matters and punishes those who err on either side.It vigilantly collects data about each of us.However, its interference is very rare, and its strength is not in combat, so it has great concealment.Whenever the case of a powerful magician came to trial, the Inquisition would choose warriors from both patrols to aid it in its work. Anyway, the Inquisition was involved, and I knew the Boss, and he got at least two or three benefits out of it.The incident of Maxim the Savage Other that happened not long ago is an example. Maxim is now working in the Inquisition.The boss had trained Svetlana in this case, taught her lessons in self-control and conspiracy, and discovered a new Inquisition judge along the way. If only I knew what they were training Svetlana for! Now I walk in the dark.The most frightening thing - is that I am moving away from the light. I put my headphones on and closed my eyes. I am taking risks.I'm taking a big risk.The great witches go their own way, but even they don't risk going against their own kind.Lonely people cannot survive. A hand rests lightly on my shoulder. "Good morning, Sveta," I said and opened my eyes. She is wearing shorts and a bathing suit.Her hair was wet and well brushed.Presumably she took a shower.I'm a pig and didn't even think about it. "How are you feeling now after yesterday?" she asked curiously. "Normal. What about you?" "Nothing." She turned away. I wait."Sorrow" sounded in the earbuds. "What do you want from me?" said Sveta stiffly. "I'm a normal, healthy, young woman. I haven't had a man since winter. I understand, you've put in yourself the idea that It was Gesar who made us bond together, like mating horses, so you are stuck here." "I didn't want anything from you." "Then please forgive this unexpected situation!" "Did you feel the marks I left in the room? When you woke up?" "Yes." Svetlana reluctantly took out a pack of cigarettes from her narrow pocket and smoked. "I'm tired. Even though I only study and don't work, I still feel tired. So I came here to rest. " "Didn't you say it yourself, pretending to be happy..." "You are also happy to respond!" "Yes." I agreed. "Then you're down to drinking vodka and plotting." "What kind of conspiracy is there?" "Those who oppose Gesar are also against me by the way. Ridiculous! Even I can sense it! Don't think that you are some great magician..." She stopped abruptly, but it was too late. "I'm not a great wizard," I said, "I can only get to level three, maybe level two, and no more. We all have limits beyond which we can't go, even if we live a thousand years. " "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." Sveta said at a loss, and she put down her cigarette. "Don't talk nonsense, nothing can hurt me. Do you know why the Dark Ones form families so frequently, and we are willing to look for wives or husbands among humans? It is because of the Dark Ones' respect for unequal power and uninterrupted Competition is more peaceful." "People and others—this is the biggest inequality." "You can't say that. We are two different species from humans, and there is no comparison at all." "I want you to know," said Svetlana, taking a deep puff on her cigarette, "that I didn't intend to let it go that far. I've been waiting for you to come downstairs and see all this, and I want to make you jealous .” "I'm sorry, I didn't know I should be jealous." I sincerely confessed. "Afterwards, I became a little dizzy and couldn't stop." "I get it all, Sveta...it's normal." She looked at me in bewilderment and said: "Is it normal?" "Of course, it happens to everybody. The Patrol is a tight-knit family, and there's all sorts of things." "You're a beast," Sveta sighed, "you're still on our side!" "Sveta, are you here to reconcile with me?" I asked strangely, "I am reconciling with you, that's why I say it's normal, I don't care about anything. This is life, anything can happen .” She jumped up and stared at me for a moment with icy eyes.I flustered and kept blinking my eyes. "Idiot," Svetlana cursed suddenly, and went into the room. what do you want?Complain, blame, grieve? Either way, it doesn't matter anymore.What does Gesar want?What would happen if I stopped playing the role of Sveta's hapless lover?Will another person take the position?Or should she be left alone - alone to face her great destiny? Purpose, I need to understand Gesar's purpose. I jumped up from the couch and walked into the house.As soon as I entered the door, I saw Olga.She was alone in the living room, standing in front of a display case of swords, a long, sharp sword in her outstretched hand.She looked at it, no, that's how people look at an antique sword.Xiaohu also looked at her own sword with similar eyes. For her, this love for antique weapons is abstract.But for Olga - not so. When Gesar moved to Russia to live and work, for her, by the way, such swords should still be quite common... Eighty years ago, when Olga was stripped of all her rights, war was played differently. Once great magician.Great goals from the past.Eighty years. "You know, everything is exactly as I expected it to be," I said. Olga shivered and turned around. "We can't defeat the darkness by ourselves. We must enlighten human beings, turning them into kind, kind, hardworking, and intelligent people. Let every other, except Sveta, see more things. What is it? Such a purpose... After going around in circles for so long, this purpose was hidden in a pool of blood." "You still figured it out," Olga said, "you probably guessed it?" "It's a guess." "Fine. What's next?" "Olga, where did you get the trick?" "I just gave in, a small concession to the darkness. But we lost." "Are we? We're always going to be fine. We're good at adjusting, adapting, getting used to it, and then fighting on. Only humans lose." "Concession is inevitable." Olga lightly grasped the double-handled sword with one hand and waved it above her head, "Do I look like an idling helicopter?" "You're like a woman wielding a sword. Olga, can't we learn a lesson?" "We're learning, how else can we learn? This time it's different, Anton." "A new revolution?" "We didn't even want a revolution that time. Everything was supposed to pass bloodlessly, almost bloodlessly. You should understand: we won only through human beings, through their enlightenment, through their spiritual perfection .communism was a perfectly designed system, and it was only through my fault that it did not come to fruition." "Oh! If it's your fault, why haven't you been imprisoned in the Twilight Realm?" "That's because everything was approved. Every step was approved. Even that unfortunate concession, even it was approved." "And now are you going to try again to change humans?" "It's just a routine attempt." "Why—here?" I asked, "Why us again?" "Where are we?" "In Russia! How many more tries will it take?" "As much as you need." "Then why are you here with us again?" Olga sighed, gently put the sword into the sheath, and put it back in the display case. "Because, my dear boy, it is still possible to achieve certain goals in this land. Europe, North America—these countries have been fully civilized, and all possibilities have been tried. Some things are now falling. They Already sleepy, already dozing off. A well-built retiree in shorts and a camera on his back - this is how things go right now in the West. Should be tried on young people. Russia, Asia, Arabia The world—they are the starting point of today. Don't show me an angry face. I love my country more than you! I have shed more blood for my country than your blood flows in your veins. You must understand, Anton, the whole world is a battlefield. You know this no less than I do." "We are fighting darkness, not humans!" "Yes, to fight the darkness. But we will only win if we build an ideal society. It will be a society of love, kindness and justice. The job of the Night's Watch - after all, is not to catch perverted magic in the streets Masters and the licensing of vampires! All these little things take up precious time and energy, but they are secondary, like the warmth of an electric lamp. The primary purpose of a lamp should be to illuminate, not to warm. We The human world should be changed, not a small riot to extinguish the forces of darkness. This is the purpose. This is the path to victory!" "Olga, I understand that." "Excellent. Then you understand what people can't just say. We fought for thousands of years. And these days we are trying to reverse the course of history and create a new world." "Brave New World." "Don't be sarcastic, we've achieved something anyway, and through bloodshed, through suffering, the world has gradually become more humane. But it needs real, substantial change." "Was communism ever our ideal?" "It's not ours, but we support it. It's fascinating." "So what is it now?" "You'll see soon." Olga smiled, very friendly. "Anton, everything will be fine. Trust me." "I need to know the whole thing." "No, you don't need to. Don't worry, there will be no more planned revolutions, no more concentration camps, shootings and court trials. We will not repeat the old mistakes." "But new mistakes will be made." "Anton!" she raised her voice, "what on earth are you trying to do? We have a very good chance of winning! Our country will enjoy peace, tranquility and prosperity! We will lead mankind to defeat darkness. We have prepared twelve In 2019, Anton. Not only Gesar was planning the strategy, but all the top leaders were involved." "yes?" "Yes. Do you think all this was done without thinking?" I was very surprised. "Have you followed Svetlana for twelve years?" "Of course not! I mean carefully working out a new social model. Some parts of the plan have already been tested... the full details are not well understood by me. Since then, Gesar has been waiting The moment when the participants in the project come together in space and time." "Whom? Svetlana and the judge?" Her pupils constricted, and I knew I guessed it.Part of the guess. "Who else? What mission was given to me? What will you do?" "You'll know in due time." "Olga, interfering with human life with magic never yields good results." "You don't need to tell me about being angry with a book." Olga was really anxious, "Don't think that you are smarter than others. We don't plan to use magic. You can take a vacation with peace of mind." I nodded: "Okay. Now that you have clarified your point of view, I also express my disagreement." "Is this an official statement?" "No. It's a private opinion. As an individual I think I have a right to object." "Against whom? Gesar?" Olga's eyes widened, and the corners of her lips curled up, revealing a slight smile, "Anton!" I turned around and left. Yes, ridiculous. Yes, ridiculous. What is ridiculous is not only the messy actions carried out by Gesar and Olga, it is not only the repeated unsuccessful social experiments that are ridiculous, but also this new action that was premeditated and I was unfortunately involved. The top leadership is in favor of this fight. Light agrees. Why am I shaking all over?I have no right to do so, not at all.No chance, absolutely not.I could console myself with the wisdom of being "a grain of sand in a clock," but now I am more of a grain of sand in a stone mill. Saddest of all, I'm on the grindstone of being friendly and caring.No one is persecuting me, no one is fighting me, they are only trying to stop me from doing stupid things, because that will not do me any good now or in the future. But why does my chest hurt so much, the pain is unbearable? I stood on the balcony, clenching my fists helplessly and angrily, when a hand rested on my shoulder. "Perhaps you have figured out something, Anton?" I looked at Xie Miao and nodded. "Feel heavy?" "Yes." I admit. "Just remember one thing: you are not sand. No one is sand, let alone others." "How many years does it take to be able to guess other people's minds so accurately?" "About a hundred years, Anton." "In that case, aren't all of us like an open book in front of Gesar?" "certainly." "That means I should give up thinking," I said. "You should have learned that in the first place. Don't you know the riots in town?" "when?" "A quarter of an hour ago, but it's all over." "What happened?" "Somewhere from the east came a messenger looking for the boss. The dark messenger wanted to capture and kill him in front of the boss." Semyon sneered. "Isn't that a declaration of war on us?" "No, they thought they had the right to do so because the courier entered Moscow illegally." I look around.No one was in a hurry to leave.The car didn't start, and things weren't packed.Ignat and Ilya set the barbecue pot on fire again. "Don't we need to go back?" "No. The boss settled it himself. A small battle, no casualties. The courier was absorbed into our patrol, and the dark messenger had to leave with nothing. Only the restaurant suffered a little damage." "What restaurant?" "The restaurant where the boss meets the messenger," Semyon explained patiently. "We're allowed to go on leave anyway." I looked at the sky—hot, blue sky. "You know, I don't want to rest for some reason. I'm going back to Moscow. I don't think anyone will be offended." "of course not." Xie Miao took out his cigarette and smoked it, then said casually: "If I were in your position, I would want to know what the messengers have brought from the East. Perhaps this is your chance." I laughed bitterly. "Even the dark messenger failed to understand this, are you suggesting that I go to the safe?" "No matter what it is, the Dark Messenger couldn't take it away, and you don't have the right to take it away, or even touch it, of course, but if you just want to know what it is..." "Thank you, thank you very much." Xie Miao nodded and accepted my thanks unceremoniously. "Let's meet again in the Twilight Realm... Yes, you know I'm tired of vacation too. After lunch, I'll borrow Xiaohu's motorcycle to go to the city and take you with me?" "Ok." I am ashamed.Perhaps this kind of shame can only be fully experienced by others.Because we always know when someone caters to us, when someone offers us a gift we deserve but can't refuse. I can't stay here any longer, not at all.I don't want to see Svetlana, Olga, Ignat, or hear their arguments. As for my truth, it can only be kept to myself forever. "Can you drive a motorcycle?" I asked, changing the subject unnaturally. "I participated in the first Paris-Dakar motorcycle race. Come on, let's help our colleagues." I looked sadly at Ignat, who was chopping wood.He is a master with the axe.He paused after each strike, glancing around at those around him, flexing his biceps. He loves himself very much.Of course, he loves many other things in the world, but he puts himself first. "Let's go help," I agreed.With a wave of my hand, I gestured to throw a three-bladed knife across the twilight.The logs spread out and formed a neat pile of chopped wood.Ignat just picked up the ax to chop more firewood, lost his balance and almost fell to the ground.He shook his head blankly. Naturally, my blow left traces in the space.The Twilight Realm was humming and greedily absorbing energy. "Anton, what are you doing?" Ignat was a little hurt, "Why are you doing this? It's not a sports competition!" "It's efficient, though," I replied as I walked down the balcony. "Do you want to chop again?" "Come on, you..." Ignat bent down and picked up the firewood. "So we might as well just set fireballs on kebabs." I didn't think I was wrong, but I still started to help collect the wood.The logs were all split, and their cross-sections were a bright amber-yellow.I feel sorry that such a beautiful thing should be used as chopping wood. Then I looked into the house and saw Olga in the first-floor window. She watched my prank seriously, maybe too seriously. I waved at her.