Chapter 16 Chapter fifteen

I hope Simkin has read my mind and gone to warn Joram.I know Simkin is capricious and eccentric, but I can only hope for him now.I don't think Merlin (whether it's a Y or an I in his name) can be counted on to rescue us right now. "Quick!" Alisa took my hand and retreated into the bushes. "It will be faster this way! Through the fields." We climbed over a low wall.Because of the relationship between the skirt and the cloak, Alisha had to use both hands to crawl over.She only hesitated for a moment before handing the Dark Sword to me. I immediately knew why Alisa felt that the Dark Sword was so heavy.This sword is quite heavy. It is made of iron, mixed with dark stones, and is suitable for swinging by a strong grown man.But its heavier pressure is on the heart, not the hands.In grasping it, I caught a glimpse of the spirit that gave birth to it - a dark vortex of fear and rage.

After many sufferings, Joram wrestled from the dark side of his soul, and did not allow himself to sink into that terrible vortex.He returned the first Darksword to the Darkstone from which it was forged.He unleashes magic into the universe.He destroyed a world, but countless lives were saved in Earth's massive war against Simharon.Even if Joram still couldn't walk in the light, at least he could feel the sunlight pouring down on his face when he looked up. The Dark Sword had nothing to do with his life. But in rage and fear, the Dark Sword was reforged. Alisa climbed over the wall, turned around, and stretched out her hands.I returned the Dark Sword to her, but I remembered the crimes of my father's generation described in the Bible.

We walked a long stretch of grass-covered hillside, looking in all directions carefully to avoid encountering those silver techs.But we didn't see those people again.I told myself in my mind that maybe they were close to their goal.We didn't save much time, the clouds obscured the stars and made it harder to find our way. We finally climbed to the hill I just ran down.Not far away, I vaguely saw white rocks representing the road.By this time I was out of breath.Alisa, who was struggling to move forward with the sword of darkness, also breathed harder.I looked desperately at the path, which sloped down and didn't look very steep or long.But even without the Dark Sword, I don't know how we're going to go on.

I turned to Alisa and saw the same despondency on her pale face as mine.Her shoulders and arms must have been so sore.The tip of the Dark Sword hit the rocky ground, making a metallic blunt sound. "We have to persevere," she said.The object of motivation is not me, but herself. I was about to offer to help her with the Darksword so she could rest when a violent explosion shook the ground, pulling the ground away from under my feet.The sound of the explosion echoed in the mountains, and it took a long time for it to subside. "What happened?" Alisa exclaimed. I do not know either.But strong winds were blowing through the valley, beating our bodies.The sound just now didn't sound like thunder, it was too sharp, and I didn't see lightning.I looked up towards the holy mountain, dreading to see flames and smoke erupting from the buildings.

Reason comforts my trembling heart.Technologists will never destroy the Holy Mountain if they don't find the Dark Sword. That bang caught our attention and gave us new strength.Alisa and I started on our way.But soon, we stopped again because of a strange sound.This time the sound was closer and more frightening—footsteps, coming not far behind us. Now there is no place to hide around us.We had no strength to run, and the heavy sword made it impossible for us to go very far. Alisa and I heard footsteps at the same time.We all turned around.But I'm in an illogical sense of relief right now, at least if the techies catch us now, I won't have to climb the damn mountain!

The man was like a black shadow under the cover of the trees, and I couldn't even see his face.But at least I got my heart back - that guy wasn't silver. "Lu Wen, Alisha, can you wait a minute?" A clear female voice called out. The woman finally came out from the shadows.As she approached us, she turned on the flashlight and pointed the beam at us. We blinked painfully in the glare, turning our faces away.She shifted the flashlight beam away and swept it around at her feet. "What do you want to do?" Alisa's voice was brave and powerful. "Why did you stop us?"

"Because," the woman replied, "you are not supposed to go home. You can't help there, and you're likely to do harm. It's the greatest luck that they don't have the Dark Sword now. Give up this Chances are pretty dumb." "Who are you?" Alisa asked coldly.Both of her hands clenched the cloth-bound hilt of her sword. The woman stood in front of us, shining the light of the flashlight on herself so we could see her clearly.Of all the weird things I've seen tonight, this woman is the weirdest and most illogical. She was wearing military civilian clothes and a green flight jacket over her upper body.Her hair was cut very short, almost like a man's crew cut.Her eyes were unusually large, her cheekbones were large, her chin protruded, and her mouth was large.She was over six feet tall and muscular.It's hard to guess her age, maybe ten years older than me.Nine small earrings shaped like the sun, moon and stars dangled back and forth on the pinna of her left ear.She also has a small ring on her nose and on her right eyebrow.She looked as if she had just walked out of a bar in Soho.

The woman pulled out a zippered bag and took something out of it.She shone a flashlight on it, an old leather case.She opened the leather case and took out an ID card from it.The flashlight was so bright that I couldn't see the ID card.And she removed the flashlight beam almost immediately, retracting the card.She must be an employee of some institution, at least I think that's what I read from that card, I don't know anything else at all. "It's okay, there's no way you've heard of the people I work for," she said. "We're a very low-key organization."

"I must go back." Alisa looked towards her home on the hill. "My parents and Father Saryon were there. They would be in danger without this sword." "With this sword, they will be in greater danger. There is nothing you can do, Alisa," said the woman calmly. "How do you know my name?" Alisa looked at the woman suspiciously. "And Reuven. You know his name too." "Our department has files on both of you. Don't be disturbed, we have files on everyone. My name is Sheila," the woman continued. The CIA, it could also be Interpol, the FBI, or the Queen's Secret Servant.some kind of government agency.It's weird, I've always had a deep disdain for the government.But as we stand in this darkness, it makes me feel good to know that some large and powerful organization is watching us from behind.

"Okay, we don't have time to care about these issues now." Sheila was still talking, "You should take your swords to a safe place." "Yes," Alisa said, "a safe place, that's with my father. I'm going home." She took up the Dark Sword.At least she wanted to pick it up, but the dark sword seemed heavier than before. Sheila looked at Alisa, perhaps to confirm whether Alisa was serious about doing this.Alisa's face was strong and resolute, beyond doubt.Sheila should understand her mind. "If you insist, then my flying car is not far away," she said, "I can take you there, and it will be faster."

Alisa showed interest in the suggestion.I don't think she'd want to move the Darksword another three feet, though she would, even if she'd get tired of it.She was desperate to get back to her parents, and I was desperate to get back to Father Saryon.I nod. "Very good." Alisa reluctantly responded. Sheila patted me on the shoulder approvingly and made me take two or three steps back up the hill.I have a feeling she did it on purpose, to show her strength, to put pressure on us.She turned around and ran toward the road with light steps.She used a flashlight to light her way. Alisa and I stood in the darkness where the faint morning light had already appeared.I was surprised to realize that it was almost dawn. "We can leave before she comes back," Alisa said. She is just stating a fact.Yes, we can leave.But we won't, we're all too tired.The sword was too heavy, and our fears and anxieties were too great.It didn't take long for the speeding car to appear, like a speck in the night. The speeding car passed the woods beside the road and came towards us silently.As it approaches, Sheila will fly the car down to the ground. "Come in." She turned and opened the rear door. We did as she was told.Once settled in the backseat of the car, Alisa placed the Dark Sword across our laps, holding onto it tightly so it wouldn't slip.Also holding that sword, I felt uncomfortable.Touching it made me feel uneasy and exhausted, like there was a leech lying on top of me, sucking my blood.I feel like it's really sucking something out of me, something I never knew I had.I want to get rid of this sword, but I can't throw it away, because I will lose Alisa's trust and respect for me.If she can afford this excruciating exposure, so can I.for her. Sheila sent the car up sharply, and we headed up the hill, swift and smooth as the wind.Alisa stared at the front window, desperate to see her home. We saw the garden, and then the house.Sheila turned off the engine of the flying car, and the flying car floated soundlessly over the garden wall near where I climbed out. I didn't know what to expect—whether tech men surrounded the house, or flames burst from the roof.And what I didn't expect was to see the house standing quietly in the dark, as peaceful as I left it. The speeding car slid forward slowly, passing the heavy white flowers with their heads down, and stopped not far from the back door of the house. "Nobody's coming yet!" cried Alisa, clasping my hand happily. "They're not coming! We're ahead of them! Open the door, Reuven!" My hand is on the button that opens the door. "They came," Sheila said. "They came and they went. It's over." "You're wrong!" Alisa yelled, "How do you know? You can't know... Luwen, open the door!" Alisa looked a little frantic.I press the button, the door opens, and Alisa jumps out, turning back to take the Dark Sword from me. "You should hide this sword in the car," Sheila said as she stepped out of the car. "It's safer here. You'll need it to negotiate in the future." "Negotiation..." Alisa repeated the word, licking her dry lips. I slide over the seat.Even with all my worries and fears, it was a relief to be free from the dark sword's loathsome touch.Alisa stared at Sheila suspiciously, clutching the hilt of her sword. "If I put it down, you will take it!" She tried hard to pick up the Dark Sword. Sheila shrugged. "I can take it anytime." She put her hands on her hips and smiled at us.Her smile looks very dangerous. "I don't think you two can stop me." Alisa and I looked at each other, reluctantly acknowledging the fact.We can't fight this person, though I don't see if she's armed or not. "But I don't want to," Sheila continued, slamming the door behind her.To my surprise, she threw me the car keys. "What do you want to do?" Alisa asked. "Well, that's kind of hard to explain," Sheila replied. She turned and walked across the garden, leaving us standing by the car with the keys.Now we can do whatever we want with the Dark Sword. I took out the digital board and tapped on it quickly. Technologists are probably waiting for us inside!Put the sword here. "Do you trust her?" Alisa asked me distressed. Maybe, I didn't answer in the affirmative.She has a point.She could have snatched the sword from the road if she wanted to, as easily as snatched candy from two babies. "I hope you're right," said Alisa heartily.She closed the car door and I locked it.The dark sword wrapped in cloth was placed on the back seat of the car. For me, I'm glad to be free of it.I gradually recovered from the feeling of weakness just now, and now I have more hope in my heart.Alisa also seemed relieved to be relieved of that burden.We hurried over to Sheila and caught up with her just as she was about to go through the back door I had come from. The hallway is dark and silent, maybe it's my overly tense nerves that made me imagine this.But there was a biting chill in the silence.This is not the blessed silence of a bedroom, this is the silence of an empty house.A thin layer of smoke hangs in the air.We walked to my room, the door was ajar.But I clearly remember that I did close the door when I left. Walking to the door, I looked inside and stood there dumbfounded. The bed was torn.It must have been done by a giant claw.There were deep rips all over the mattress and clumps of feathers scattered on the floor.My backpack was also torn open, and the clothes inside were scattered all over the room.My other bag — shaving supplies, combs, brushes — was also strewn about. "See!" Sheila said, "They're looking for the Dark Sword." Barely breathing, I ran quickly to Saryon's room.Alisa stood blankly in the hall, staring at the devastated scene with disbelief. The door to the master's room was wide open.His bed was also torn, and everything was thrown on the floor.Saryon's gone, and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Alisa yelled incoherently, and ran down the corridor to the living room.I followed her, the adrenaline rush starting to kick my tired legs fast again. Shaking her head sadly, Sheila followed us at a slower pace. We ran to the living room door.Alisa groaned, as if she had been hit hard, and her body fell limp.I hugged her in time, trying to support her body, but I could barely support myself with all my strength.The horrible sight in front of me made me feel sick for a while. The twilight of dawn filtered in through the windows and fell on a thin cloud of smoke that was quickly dissipating.I remembered the loud bang, and immediately felt that a bomb must have exploded here.The floor was littered with pieces of furniture that were still smoking, the curtains had been ripped from the windows, and the glass was all in pieces.In the kitchen, the dining table was overturned and the chairs were smashed. "Papa! Mama!" Alisa yelled, coughing through the smoke, dragging me toward a door opposite.That door leads to her parents' room. A figure in a black robe stepped out of the smoke.Alisa stopped in shock. "You won't find them," he said. "They've gone." "What did you do to them?" Alisa yelled. The man lifted the hood over his head.I recognized him as Mosiah.He folded his hands in front of him. "I didn't take them. I tried to stop the Technicians, but there were too many of them." He turned to me. "They took Father Saryon too, Reuven, I'm sorry." I can't respond, my hands hang limply at my sides.On the floor, near the edge of Mosiah's black robe, was a spot of blood.I was afraid that Alisa would see it, so I approached Mosiah and took the opportunity to cover the blood stain with a fragment of a chair.But maybe I did it too late, or maybe Alisa read my thoughts. "Are they all right?" Alisa asked Mosiah, "Are they hurt?" Mosiah hesitated for a moment before replying reluctantly: "Your father is injured." "Very...very serious?" Alisa stammered and asked. "I'm afraid so, but Father Saryon was with him. I'm sure your mother wasn't hurt." "You believe it! Don't you know?" cried Alisa.Her voice became hoarse, and then she started coughing again.The smoke irritated our throats and brought tears to our eyes.We were both coughing, but Mosiah seemed unaffected. "No, I'm not sure about your mother," he replied. "It was a mess. At least they didn't find what they wanted. They didn't find the Darksword. It was wise of you to take it. "Mosiah looked at me and Alisa.He narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice. "where is it?" "A safe place," Sheila replied.She stepped out of the shadows in the corridor. Mosiah raised his head sharply, "Who are you?" "Sheila," was all she said, as if that was all anyone needed to know.Then she walked into the living room, glanced around, and flashed her ID card again. Mosiah looked at the card seriously, his brows furrowed. "I've never heard of this organization. Are you affiliated with the CIA?" "Even if I was there, I can't tell you now." Sheila said, putting away the card. "I thought you Dukes were guarding Joram. What happened? Where did you fish?" Mosiah was furious.He tightened his lips. "We didn't expect them to attack Joram. Why would they do that, they are getting a chance to get what they want." "Well, but they knew they weren't going to get it." Sheila said, "Coffin Smither used to come, and he sat in this chair. Now, of course, the chair is only in pieces. This will let you Think of anything?" "Bugs! Of course." Mosiah's expression became severe. "We should have foreseen that possibility. Then they would know that Joram refused to give up that sword." He looked at Sheila suspiciously. "You know a lot about Dukes." "I also know a lot about you." Sheila didn't show any weakness, "But that doesn't mean I'm Duke Xisi." "Are you from the government?" "In theory, maybe. Let's be blunt, I can't reveal too much about my work, any more than you can reveal much about yours. You don't trust me, I accept that. But I'll correct you My mistake. I trust you. But I have seen your file." Sheila looked at Mosiah with interest. "You're much more beautiful than the picture in the file. What's going on here?" Mosiah was obviously puzzled by what Sheila said.I could tell, though, that he didn't like Sheila mentioning his file. "General Polis sent you," said Mosiah. "I know the general. A good guy." Sheila smiled. "What happened?" "Everything happened too fast, and I didn't have time to call for reinforcements." Mosiah's voice was as cold as ice, perhaps he did this to prevent his tone of defense from appearing. "I am alone, as we are used to, hiding in the teleportation corridor in order not to disturb Joram and his family, monitoring everything here." "Where are the other Dukes?" Sheila asked. "Maybe you are the only one in charge of guarding, but I know you are not alone on the holy mountain." Mosiah's face darkened.He didn't answer.I know the answer to that question very well, and I'm sure Alisa knows it too.It's just that she's coming to understand it all.The other dukes were looking for the Darksword, and they knew as well as the Technicians that Joram refused to hand it over.All these terrible powers, using their various mundane and mystical powers, are seeking the Dark Sword.And Alisa and I took it away from them without knowing it.I shivered.Maybe we were in some kind of danger, but I never realized the magnitude of the danger.They need Joram and the Darksword, and the rest of us are expendable. "So the other Dukes are on a scavenger hunt, leaving you on guard. What makes them think... wait! I get it." Sheila glanced at Alisa. "The Dark Sword has been moved. You feel it, but you don't know where it is now. Good. You're alone now, and the Technicians are here." "Yes, they're coming," said Mosiah, "and there's not much to say after that." He ignored Sheila and spoke only to Alisa.And that seemed to amuse Sheila. "I never thought I'd say that, but we have to thank that stupid Simkin for warning us." Alisa and I exchanged a look. "I knew it." She said to me in the smallest voice. "Joran couldn't sleep," continued Mosiah. "He went to the flock. He had just come back, and your mother was waiting for him, and they met and started talking. I left." He seemed to be responding to love. Lisa's accusing gaze. "I wasn't intruding on their personal affairs. Maybe, if I'd stayed..." He shrugged. "It won't make a difference," Sheila said quietly. "Probably not. I was in the living room when I heard Joram yell 'Sin'jin!' Ridiculous orange silk scarf, telling Joram that a swarm of silver saltshakers was coming at him or something. But I have to admit, that's the best description I've ever heard of Di Condale. "I guessed what was going on, and called the alarm to my brother. Joram rushed out of the room like a blaze. I was about to follow him when Di Candale came in. Then I made a mistake." mistake." Mosiah looked at us without blinking. "I thought... well, you understand. Joram left his room. Where would he go? To get the Dark Sword, of course, the weapon that would protect him and Gwendolin..." "Oh!" Alisa whispered.She hurriedly covered her mouth with her hands, “Oh, no!” "Don't blame yourself, Alisa," Sheila said quickly. "Your father can't do anything. They would have caught your father and the Dark Sword, and it would have been over. At least there is hope now." .” But Alisa was not comforted. Mosiah was still describing the situation at that time, as if he was also reviewing what mistakes he had made. "I knew he was looking for the Dark Sword! But he immediately came back empty-handed. What would I think then?" "You think he hid the Dark Sword on purpose, even refusing to use it for self-defense," Sheila said. "Yes!" said Mosiah, frustrated and exasperated. "I revealed myself to him. He recognized me and was not in the least surprised. We didn't have much time and I could hear Di Candale approaching. I asked him to give me the Dark Sword.' I would Take it away!' I promised him, 'I'll keep it safe!'" "How could you do that?" Sheila asked. "The ability of the Dark Sword to dispel magic will destroy the portal." "We designed a special sheath for it," said Mosiah. "Just put it in that sheath, and you'll be able to teleport it without difficulty. Of course, Joram refused, and he wouldn't give the sword to him." Us. I thought... I thought it was just his stubbornness, I didn't know he couldn't find the sword, I didn't know he knew or guessed who took it." Mosiah looked up at Alisa. "If he trusted me, if he told me the truth ... of course he wouldn't. Obviously, I was spying on him. "After that, there was not much to say. In a moment, three Di Candales burst into the bedroom. We heard more entering into other parts of the house. Then another entered, dragging I looked at Father Saryon. He was right." Mosiah glanced at me and smiled. "Father Saryon is a strong man, Reuven. The first thing he said when he saw us was, 'Don't give them the sword, Joram!' "Di Candale asked Joram for the Dark Sword, and Joram refused. They told Joram to give up the Dark Sword, or see his loved ones suffer. They have captured Gwendoline What could Joram do? Even if he wanted to, he couldn't give them the Dark Sword because it wasn't with him. "'Take me.' Joram tried to negotiate with them. 'Let my wife and Father Saryon go. I will tell you where the sword is hidden.' "I doubt they would agree to such a condition, after all, they have already got all the cards. But I didn't have a chance to know their decision, and at that moment, a teddy bear that was lying on the bed suddenly flew up and smashed To Di Candale who caught Gwen." "Good job, old Simkin," said Sheila, smiling. "Yes, good old Simkin." Mosiah replied coldly. "As you can imagine, Di Candale was stunned. The teddy bear hit the Technician on the forehead. The blow was not heavy, but the Technician was forced to take a step back. In bewilderment, she let go of Gwen The bear was still attacking Di Candale, smashing her face, beating her head, and finally pinching her nose and mouth, as if trying to suffocate her. At this moment, Gwende Lin disappeared." "Disappeared?" Alisa repeated in bewilderment. "What do you mean. Disappeared? Did my mother run away? What happened to her?" "I don't know," Mosiah said.He's still pissed at his inability to do anything. "If I knew, I'd tell you. She disappeared. One moment, Gwen was here, and the next moment, she was gone. I thought at first maybe our people took her into the portal , but subsequent investigations revealed that they were equally ignorant of her condition. "But Joram made the most terrible deduction. He thought it was Di Candale who took Gwen. He was mad with anger and fought Di Candale with his bare hands. And Di Candale lost his guard at this time , they did not expect to be attacked by a toy, nor did they expect a hostage to suddenly disappear. Joram knocked two di Candales to the ground. I killed the fourth." Mosiah smiled grimly. "You'll find a charred mark on the bedroom floor. But then, more di Candales arrived, and they subdued Joram . . . and took him away." "Take him down," Alisa said.She didn't notice that Mosiah looked away again. "What was the situation? Tell me. What did they do to my father?" "Tell her," Sheila said, "that she needs to understand what kind of enemy we're dealing with." Mosiah shrugged. "Okay. They hit Joram on the head and knocked him out. Then they stuck needles into his body. Maybe you've read about acupuncture in books, using needles Piercing specific parts of the body can produce block anesthesia. Di Candale has developed the opposite technique, each needle is charged, and this stimulation causes extreme pain and debilitation in the body. Fortunately The pain was only temporary, and would pass away with the removal of the needle. But until then, the man who had been stabbed could only struggle helplessly in excruciating pain. After making sure that Joram was completely subdued, they took him away. Father Saryon asked to be with him. Of course, they were happy to have another hostage." "And you ran away," Sheila said. "I can't do anything." Mosiah responded to her coldly. "If I am caught, they have no reason to let me continue to live. I believe that it is better to let me continue to fight them alive than to lose my life for no reason." Life is worth more." Alisa turned pale when she heard her father was tortured.But she still stood strong, with an unusually calm expression. "How is my mother?" she asked, her voice trembling weakly.She is trying to control her emotions. "I don't know," Mosiah admitted. "If I had to guess, I'd say Di Candale took her. But if that's the case..." He pondered for a while, then shrugged feebly. "I have no idea." "You know what?" Alisa turned to Sheila. "Me? How could I know?" Sheila obviously didn't understand why Alisa asked this. "I wasn't there. Though I wish I was." She looked rather grim. "Okay, so what should we do now?" Alisa was calm, very calm, so calm.Her hands were clenched together, her fingers were so tightly twisted that her knuckles were turning white. "Wait," said Mosiah. "Wait! Wait for what?" "We have to wait for them to contact us," Mosiah said. "Tell us where to take the Dark Sword," Sheila added. "Make an exchange. The Dark Sword for your father's life." "I will give them the Dark Sword," Alisa said. "No," said Mosiah, "you won't."