Chapter 21 Chapter Twenty

Sheila frowned. "I'm afraid you were badly wounded, Marshal. Perhaps a blow to the head?" Mosiah put a hand on his forehead. "Yes, I was quite confused for a while, but I didn't want to tell you. I don't want to worry His Majesty." He folded his hands and bowed.There was only respect in his voice, no sarcasm anymore. Alisa had always looked withdrawn and arrogant. At this moment, she walked up to Mosiah and looked at him with warm eyes, "Are you okay, Law Enforcement Officer?" "Thank you, Your Majesty. I have recovered, but I am afraid there are still gaps in my memory, and I beg your pardon if there are any oddities in what I have said or done. I beseech you to answer all questions I have answer patiently."

How clever!I wonder.Now Mosiah can ask any question he wants, and it will only be dismissed as the reason he just bumped his head. "Of course, law enforcement officer." Alisa said kindly: "Now we are going to see Father Saryon. We are already late, and he will be worried. Sir, can you lead the way?" "Yes, Your Majesty." Sheila held the sword, glanced at the sun for direction, and then began to look for the forest path again.She found a road not far away. There were many cracked hoof prints on that road, which should be the footprints of some kind of beast.

"Centaur footprints," Mosiah warned, "isn't that dangerous?" "You said it yourself, they were out hunting," Sheila said. "We need to speed up. The road is quicker and easier than through the bushes, and besides, centaurs love to ambush weak lone travelers like Saryon. Father." "Indeed," Mosiah reluctantly agreed. "Your Excellency, if you are the forward, let me be the rear!" As Sheila walked past Mosiah, she stopped and looked him straight in the eye. "Are you sure you're okay, Marshall?" she asked.There was sincere concern and worry in her voice, and tenderness in her bright eyes.

"Yes, ma'am," said Mosiah in surprise, "thank you." Sheila smiled at him and patted his arm so eagerly that Mosiah flinched.Then she turned and walked cautiously forward, watching the movement on both sides of the road carefully.Alisa gathered up her long skirt and followed behind her. Mosiah stood for another moment, staring at Sheila in bewilderment.That kind of confusion does not come from the strange environment we are in, but the kind of confusion that any man will have when he encounters a woman who doesn't know why at any time and any place. He shook his head, then shrugged, motioning for me to move forward with him.

This path allowed two people to walk side by side, but judging by the footprints, the centaurs were marching in a single line. I signed to Mosiah, "Looks like you probably know what happened to us." "I'm sure you probably know too." Mosiah glanced at me. I feel the need to explain, "I once happened to meet...in another life," is the closest thing I can think of. "I also met Alisa and Sheila there. I didn't mention it before because I wasn't sure yet." "Tell me what you saw." I told him, and showed that I didn't see much, and it didn't necessarily help us. "It doesn't look like it makes any sense."

"It doesn't mean much now." Mosiah's face hardened. "We were sent to a different time. But why? How did we get here? Why do you remember that time, and I do, but Sheila and Alisa don't? How do we go back? " "Technologist?" I reminded him. "Maybe they did it. What was that... thing... that you attacked outside the walls? The thing in the white mask disguised as Gwendolin." "She belongs to the Kilanistik organization of technologists," Mosiah replied. "They are called interrogators. They can pretend to be someone else's face, shape, and voice in order to trick people into doing their bidding, just As in seducing Alisa—give our goods, our secrets. Their disguise allows them to infiltrate various organizations."

"How do you know she's not Gwendelyn? Can you see through her disguise?" "That kind of disguise is hard to see through. But that woman acted too much, she even used magic. We've been watching Joram, and I've never seen Gwen do anything with her life force, even if she's alone Not sometimes. Alicia noticed it too, and wondered, but she was too willing to believe it was her mother to think of doubting it. Besides, I saw how Joram was hurt, and I knew he was hurt. How heavy it must be." "Why did she give up her disguise?" "Maintaining that kind of illusion requires a lot of magical energy. It is impossible for her to maintain that energy while fighting me, so I will attack her."

"What if you're wrong?" I asked him. "But I'm not wrong. If I'm wrong, it's really Ge Wen, then I have a chance to save her." "Do you believe the Technician caught her?" "I would say yes, because they were able to create the illusion of being so real. But I would also say no, because Smither didn't mention that she was also a hostage." "Then what might have happened to her?" Mosiah shook his head.Maybe he didn't know, maybe he didn't want to tell me. I tried another question. "What's that stasis mine you're talking about?"

"If any of us stepped on it, it would trap us in a stasis field. Unless the Technician freed us, we couldn't do anything." I don't know whether to ask the next question because I'm afraid of his answer.In the end, I took the risk. "Is the environment we are in now real? Or is it just our hallucination? Maybe the technologists have taken control of our consciousness?" "If that's the case," Mosiah smiled slyly, "then maybe they shouldn't have allowed your consciousness to have such doubts. It may have been the work of the technologists, but I don't know why they sent us to another time Go. This is obviously the last thing they want to happen." He was silent for a while, and then whispered: "There should be former members of the time tribe there, and they are sages."

"Yes, but they were extinct during the Iron Wars," I pointed out to him. "No one has seen or heard of them since." "Indeed. In any case, we must keep an eye on our surroundings and find a solution to the mystery. Joram is dead." Mosiah thought for a moment, "If Joram died at the hands of the executioner, then Simharon would be changed." What did it look like? Could it be that Joram didn't destroy the Holy Well of Life and release magic power? I don't know..." He was lost in thought, a step or two behind, and indicated to me that he wanted to be alone for a while.I also started to think about these questions.At this moment, I noticed that Alisa was glancing at me out of the corner of her eye, with a smile on her mouth, as if inviting me to come to her.

My heart beats faster.I approached her, pointed at Sheila's silver armored back, and signaled Alisa to keep quiet.So Alisa spoke to me in sign language.I found it very interesting to discover that my sign language (which is almost pitifully primitive compared to spoken language) can convey our little secrets. "I apologize for the argument last night," Alisa said to me. "Will you forgive me, Reuven?" I was well aware of the quarrel she was talking about, even though I hadn't had any recollection of it a second ago.Like a word or an image can trigger the memory of a dream, and her words reminded me completely of last night, more real than any dream.It wasn't a dream, it happened—at least here, right now, it happened. Perhaps because of the life that flows through my veins, my alter ego—the one that belongs to Earth—is rapidly fading away from here. "There's nothing to forgive, honey," I told her in sign language. I look at her, the sun glinting in her black curls, reflecting the light from her crown and making the jewels in her fingers look crystal clear.And the shadow of the tree covered her again, covering up those rays of light, but not detracting from her own brilliance. I love her.My love for her flows from me to her as life flows from me to Mosiah. I fell in love with her when we were both kids and I will continue to love her no matter what happens until the day comes that I will give this love as a gift to Emin and rest in him forever in the blessing. Our past, our youth, our present, those images are still very confused, I remember her when she was born, I remember an undercurrent of fear that has been with me as a child.I remember the years of studying at the Holy Mountain, the holidays at home with my godsister.I remember when I left, she was still a headstrong child.When I went back, she had become a charming and energetic woman.But, who raised us?where do we liveI don't know any of these yet. "Your safety is my only concern," I sign. "You know, there can't be any other way," Alisa said. "As my father's heir, that's all I can do." She looked at me intently, waiting for my answer. "I get it," I said in sign language, "and I got it back then. I said those things just to annoy you. I succeeded. You lost your mind again because of me, just like you did." I say this hoping to make her laugh.I do feel somewhat sorry for that - as a child I used to play tricks on her until she lost her temper and hit me with her tiny fist.Although I always say that I am the victim, I don't quite believe it.Often the result of such mischief was that we were all ordered to bed without dinner. She wasn't happy about it, but the memories made her smile.She stretched out her hand impulsively, held my hand, and whispered: "Just like before, Lu Wen, I can rely on you, only you can sweep away the goblin dust for me, and let me see the ugliness of reality. You forced I see the ugliness and look further afield, to see hope. Admit it," a triumphant gleam in her eyes, "you will be disappointed in me if I refuse to come here." "I'll think you've finally made a sane decision in your life." I sign, trying to look stern. "I'm only disappointed if you don't allow me to come with you." "How could I leave you?" She looked at me with a teasing smile.At this time, she forgot to use sign language, but said directly: "Then I will listen to you complaining for several days, 'Alisa left me behind!'" She imitated the boy's voice, Said in a nasal voice. "Quiet!" Sheila turned. "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, but now—" "We're not having a picnic, Your Majesty." Somber Mosiah stood beside us. "You are right," murmured Alicia, blushing, "it will never happen again." "We're pretty close to the meeting point," Sheila said. "Lawrence?" The branches and leaves of the oak trees around us have been making various "squeaky" sounds, and I guess they are still providing information for Mosiah. "Father Saryon, who was alone in the clearing, had heard our footsteps and was beginning to feel uneasy. I suggested that we should allay his fears." "I'll go to the clearing first," Sheila said. "You and His Majesty stay here." "Oh, nonsense!" Alisa lost her patience. "We're going together. If it's a trap, we've already stepped in. Come on, Reuven." We walked into the clearing.Sure enough, there was only one elderly priest looking around nervously. Seeing us, he sighed softly, smiled and held out his hands towards us. "Children." There was genuine concern in Saryon's voice. My vision was blurred with tears.That's when I knew who it was who had raised Alisa and me, who had brought the two orphans into his home, his heart. No wonder I still had a son-to-father love for him in another life.This kind of love cannot be limited, even across the gap of time. Saryon looked at my red and white robe with pride and joy.The white robe indicates that I am a family catalyst saint, employed by a noble family.The red edging indicates that I am the Priest, a high rank in this day and age. He lowered his head to kiss the back of Alisa's hand, but Alisa had already wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed his cheek affectionately.He hugged Alisa, holding my hand tightly all the while.In the glade of Jessair Zoo, the family reunited happily. "It's been so long since you've been away from me." He looked at us lovingly. "When we were in Merilon, we thought the emperor would allow you to visit us." A fine wrinkle appeared on Alisa's forehead. "No, no, Emperor Jarod is right," Saryon sighed, "This is dangerous, very dangerous." "The teleportation corridor is safe." "Songli has already refused to guarantee this. Demon artist Manju has many allies in Simharon. I don't care about my danger, I care about you." At this time, his emotions were a little high, "I am willing to enter Reunited with your parents in my long sleep." He patted Alisa's hand, "but I can't let go of the burden on my shoulders. Not yet, not yet." I blinked, suppressing tears of joy.Now I can see Father Saryon better.But his appearance shocked me, he looked far older than his actual age.Gray hair, arched waist, as if the burden he said was firmly on him.His soul is still strong, but his body has inevitably weakened. Sheila and Mosiah have been standing on the edge of the clearing, allowing us to enjoy some private reunion time and make sure nothing is out of the ordinary.Now they came and bowed respectfully to Father Saryon.The priest greeted Mosiah happily, and mentioned that he had heard that Mosiah had become Queen Elisa's vassal.Mosiah folded his hands in front of him, silently and silently watching his surroundings. Father Saryon doesn't know Sheila.Alisa introduced Sheila to the priest as her knight and captain of the guard.Sheila was polite, but her piercing gaze indicated her uneasiness. "We should not stay here for too long, Your Majesty. With your permission, I suggest that we leave immediately." "Is it okay, Father Saryon?" Alisa just looked at Saryon worriedly.Like me, she noticed Saryon's age and worried about it. "You look very tired. You have come all this way? It must be very hard, right? Do you want to take a break?" "I can't rest until I finish the task." He stared at Alisa with inquiring and sincere eyes again. "But if you are even a little bit unsure, I will take this secret to my grave, daughter. Are you willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility? Have you seriously considered the danger you are about to face?" Alisa took Saryon's hand in both hands, "Yes, Father, dear Father, the only father I have ever known. Yes, I have considered the dangers, and they are clearly before my eyes." She As he spoke, he gave me another smile before turning back to look at Saryon. "I am ready to take on this responsibility. If the need arises, I will finish what my father started." "He'd be proud of you, Alisa," Saryon said softly, "very proud." "His Majesty--" "Okay, Sheila, let's go now. Father, you have to show us the way, only you know how to go." Saryon shook his head.I guess the path he had in mind wasn't one of those paths through the forest in the sun, but a path into the future forever shrouded in darkness. Alisa walked beside him and took his arm, which made him very happy.The path was not enough for the three of us to walk side by side, I was a step behind, Sheila and Mosiah walked behind me. "Perhaps my head injury hasn't brought my memory back quite yet," said Mosiah. "What do we have to fear here, other than those lunatics who will walk into the Great Jessair Zoo? You said it yourself. , those centaurs will not attack us." Sheila said in a contemptuous voice, "It will be their misfortune if they dare attack us. I am not afraid of centaurs, nor dark wanderers, nor giants, nor goblins." She paused, then whispered: " I wonder why you can't figure it out." "You're afraid of Duke Xis, just like me." "Yes, but you are different from them, Mosiah. If you think other paths are wrong, you will bravely walk your own path, so His Majesty will choose you, and you are the only law enforcement officer she can trust." "Are you afraid of what Dukes will do?" "Of course to snatch the Dark Sword." Sheila replied. "So we'll be here," said Mosiah thoughtfully. "'I'm ready to take responsibility,' is what the Queen said. Alisa is going to wield the Dark Sword. And Father Saryon knows it Where." "That's right, didn't His Majesty explain all this to you before leaving?" "Maybe His Majesty doesn't trust me as much as he trusts you." Mosiah said coldly. Sheila sighed, "Can't blame her for this. So many things happened. Emperor Jarod believed that Duke Xisi was under his control and would obey his orders. Of course, they would not show their feet in front of him, but -" "You don't trust them." "The Darksword is of great value, and it will give them unrivaled power, especially if they discover the secret to forging more Darkswords." "I don't see why they would want the Darksword. No one who relies on life force can use it, because the Darksword will drain their mana and make them weak." "You must have had a bad blow to the head," said Sheila. "Or a relapse of the wound you received in Lord Samuels' defeat. Either way, your brain must be out of your mind. Dukexis The living dead among them were able to wield the Dark Sword, and it was you who told me why they accepted them. It is now well known that Dukexis did not believe the Bishop's prophecies. Like many, they thought it was only the Emperor and Ra A political lie fabricated by Disovic to scare off the rebels." "My head still hurts." Mosiah really looked uncomfortable, "tell me about that prophecy." Sheila lowered her voice and said seriously: "The demon himself is forming an army to attack us. Demons armed with hell lights will fall from the sky and destroy all living things in Simharon." This prophecy blew me away.I turned and stared at Mosiah in horror. "Konifer!" I said in sign language. "What?" Sheila asked, "I don't understand what he's talking about?" "That's something we talked about before, it's not very important." Mosiah waved his hand, signaling me not to talk nonsense. "That prophecy... when will it come true?" "At this time tomorrow, the demons will attack. Bishop Radisovik is told: 'We shall be saved only if the sword of darkness is in the hands of the heir of Joram.'" "Who gave the bishop this message... this prophecy?" "A being of light," Sheila said in awe. "An angel sent by Emin." "I can understand the skepticism of my Duke Xis brothers," Mosiah said. "I have to admit, I have a hard time believing this myself." Sheila took a deep breath, as if to argue or scold Mosiah, but she let it out slowly. "This is not a time for us to have theological discussions. While I do worry about your soul and pray for you every night." These words obviously moved Mosiah quite a bit, and he didn't seem to know what to say.Sheila also fell silent, appearing preoccupied. I watched them, trying to listen to what they were saying, while keeping my eyes on the two in front of me.Mosiah was about to speak, but Sheila interrupted him. "I hope His Majesty has already discussed this matter with you!" Then Sheila said in a decisive tone: "But it's better to let you know. Remember, this matter must be kept secret. The emperor has sent a letter to Polly on Earth General S." Sheila paused, expecting to see Mosiah's shocked look.But Mosiah just took the message calmly. "What's the problem with that? After all, General Polis and Prince Jarod...I mean Emperor Jarod are friends." "Hush! Don't say such a thing out loud! Don't even think about it! If others find out that the emperor is involved with the enemy, the emperor's life will be in danger." "Enemy, I understand. Our enemy, General Polis, what does he think of the attack coming from the sky?" "The demons have come, though perhaps not in the form we imagined. Polis reported to the Emperor in detail the destruction of the alien outposts by the invading forces on Earth, and said they were advancing rapidly. He said that the Earth Army would do everything possible to Protect Simharun with all his might. But he concluded by saying that they were now only engaged in a losing battle, he feared, and warned us to be on the defensive." Mosiah and I exchanged another look.I sighed and turned around.It must be Conifer.I had hoped they would just stay in another time, but that hope was clearly dashed.They were coming, and even the time was right.We have less than forty-eight hours to stop them. The Dark Sword is in the hands of Joram's heir.The Dark Sword was in Joram's hand.How could a sword, no matter in whose hands it is, be able to resist that alien army?Even the most advanced and powerful killing weapons such as atomic bombs, photon missiles, and laser cannons are powerless against them. Suddenly, I felt so tired that I could only drag on.We are so helpless!So hopeless!We are like flying insects that land on a spider's web. All weak resistance is just a reminder to the spider that the prey has come to the door.I was thinking about sitting by these lovely oaks, drinking a bottle or two of good wine, and enjoying the joys of life at last, when a hand tapped me on the back. "Cheer up, Priest!" Sheila said, almost knocking me to the ground.Fortunately she held me up. "Joran's heir will get the Dark Sword soon, and everything will be fine." She strode past me—Alyssa was waving for us to pass.My mind was so full of gray thoughts that I didn't see her gesture at all. As I spoke with Mosiah, we came to a gentle slope descending.Oak groves became aspen groves, then willow groves.Early on I heard the sound of running water, and round a bend we saw a swift, narrow river.My memory tells me this is the River Hella, which runs right through the center of Jessair.Like the inhabitants of Jess-Air, the Hela River is gentle and calm when it enters the city, but wild and dangerous when it is in the great zoo. The sun lit up the river and the sun warmed my face.I looked into the sky and saw strands of white clouds covering the blue sky like a thin veil.The catkins from the poplars danced around me in a summer snow. The green river runs fast, and when it hits the rocks, white waves will appear; when it reaches the place covered by the tree canopy, it will turn dark green.Not far from us there was a huge willow tree, its trunk leaning against the river, its branches gracefully stretched in all directions, and its leaves brushing the water.Its exposed roots, thick and gnarled like boxers' fingers, anchored it firmly in the mud on the bank. "This is our destination." Father Saryon said pointing there. We walked along the bank to the willow tree.No one said a word.I don't know what other people think, but in my heart, I saw the river turn blood red, the big willow tree withered in the flames, and the blue sky was grayed by the smoke.But instead of feeling hopeless before, all I feel now is anger. We will fight for it all: the sun, the sky, the clouds, the willows.Maybe there is no hope, maybe no one will live to tell the story, but we must fight to the end. Father Saryon pointed somewhere downstream and said something.I couldn't hear his voice because of the noise of the river.I moved closer to him, walking over to Sheila and Alisa.Mosiah didn't join us right away.When I looked back for him, I saw him kneeling on the pavement, apparently talking to a large crow.All I could see was the arched back of the crow. Dukes often use ravens for their eyes and ears. "...not very far," Saryon was saying, "just around the turn. Be careful, the path along the river bank is very muddy and slippery." There is a certain drop between the forest path and the riverside path, and there is a small puddle at the turn.Saryon tried awkwardly to jump.I stopped him and suggested that I go down to that path first, and then meet the people behind. Sheila stayed at the highest point of the forest path, with her hand on the hilt of her sword, watching her surroundings.I gathered the hem of my robe and half hopped and half slid down to the river, and when I got my footing back, I turned around and held out my hand to Alisa.Without any hesitation, she jumped down lightly.Actually, she didn't need my help, but she jumped into my arms anyway. For a moment we hugged, she looked up into my eyes and I gazed into hers.she loves me!That's when I knew that she loved me as much as I loved her.My joy was like the sunbeams shining in ripples on the surface of water, but only a moment later it sank in a dark pool.My mood became desolate again. Our love will never work out.She's Merilon's Queen, and I'm her Family Catalyst Saint, and a dumb Catalyst Saint.She has a duty to her people, and I will assist her in fulfilling her duty, humble and loyal, but only humble and loyal.She is already engaged.I knew her future husband well, the son of Emperor Jarod, much younger than she.They are waiting for the boy to come of age.This marriage would strengthen the empire, linking the kingdoms of Merilon and Saraken together forever. Of course, the premise is that Conifer doesn't kill us. Alisa leaves my arms. "Help Father Saryon, Reuven." She said softly, walked a few steps away, turned around, and looked at the shining river.I looked at her and saw her reach up to her eyes.But she moved quickly, and never did it again. She has accepted her duty and resigned herself to her destiny.She is so brave, can I live up to her? I reached out to Father Saryon and helped him down safely to the river bank. "Twenty years ago I was deft," he says. "At least not like I am now. I could jump cleanly without any help. Of course, I was much younger then. ’ After he finished speaking, he looked at me without blinking, “How are you, Reuven?” "Yes, I'm fine." I said in sign language. His gaze turned from me to Alisa, whose back was still turned to us, with sadness and regret on his face.He knew about the two of us, he must have known. "I'm sorry, my son," he said, "I wish..." I can't know what he wants because he can't express it.He shook his head, walked towards Alisa, and patted Alisa's arm tenderly. Sheila leaped to my side, accompanied by a clatter of nails and a blow that shook the ground slightly.I reached out to grab her, but she blocked it. "Where's the law enforcement officer?" She turned and looked up, asking impatiently. Mosiah was still standing on the path above, his black cloak flapping ominously in the wind.The crow was still pacing back and forth beside him. "Father Saryon," he called, "where are you taking us?" Saryon looked up at him. "There's a cave at the bend in the river—" "No, Father," Mosiah said in a low and stern voice, "you must find another way. We cannot go near that cave. The crow warned me that there is a night dragon living in that cave." Sheila looked alert.Alisa's eyes widened and her face turned white.Father Saryon nodded calmly and smiled, "Yes, I know." "You know!" Mosiah jumped down from above, the black robe rolled around him.He stood before Father Saryon like a black poplar.The crow flapped its wings and landed on Mosiah's shoulder. "You know, but you still want to go that way?" "Do you realize what a risk we are taking?" Sheila said. "An army of warlocks is no match for the night dragon. What if it wakes up and attacks us?" "I know the danger," said Saryon, the old spirit flashing back into his face. "I took that risk twenty years ago. Remember, we have no choice now. I don't need the three of you reminding me." He looked at us, eyes narrowed. "If you want to get the Dark Sword, you must go there. Yelong is the guardian of the Dark Sword."