Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

The slowly emerging shadow may be the size of a fingernail, but in the eyes of these observers, it is exaggerated into the end of the world. For Theremon, seeing that little arc of darkness felt struck by some terrible force.He withdrew his hand, put it on his forehead, and turned away from the window.The gap in Dovim's top made him tremble from the bottom of his soul.Theremon who doubts everything... Theremon who ridicules everything... Theremon who analyzes other people's stupid behavior and has a strong will... God, I made a huge mistake! When Theremon turned, his eyes met Severa's.She watched him from across the room.Is there contempt in her eyes?Or sympathy?Theremon forced himself to meet her eyes and shook his head sadly, as if telling her with all the humility: I'm sorry I messed things up.sorry Sorry.

He seemed to think she smiled, maybe she had read him. Everyone started running around frantically, and with screams, the whole room was suddenly in chaos.Immediately afterwards, the chaos disappeared, and everyone got busy in a hurry and orderly... The astronomers quickly returned to their jobs.Some ran upstairs to observe the eclipse through telescopes; some walked to computers;At this critical moment, there is no time for emotions.After all, they are scientists, and they have to go about their work.Theremon, looking quite alone among them, looked around for Beanie, until at last he found him sitting at the keyboard, frantically solving some problem.Arthur was nowhere to be seen.

Schelling came to Theremon and said flatly: "The time of the first eclipse may have been 5 to 10 minutes ago. This is a little earlier than expected. Although we are very careful in our calculations, I guess it may not be that accurate. ’ he laughed and said, ‘Boy, you should get away from the window.’ "Why?" said Theremon, turning around and staring at Dovim again. "Arthur has lost his temper," said the psychologist in a low voice. "Because of the confusion caused by Fleming, he missed the time for the first meal. You are in a bad situation, stay where you are. If Arthur comes, He might throw you out the window."

Theremon nodded and sat down quickly.Sherin stared at him with wide-eyed surprise. "Damn it, friend! You're shaking." "Eh?" Serimon licked his dry lips and forced a smile, "I'm not feeling well, indeed." The psychologist's eyes hardened. "You're scared, aren't you?" "No," cried Theremon in a fit of rage, "give me a chance, will you? You know, Schelling, I want to believe all the eclipse nonsense, but I can't, frankly, I can't. To me it's like a fantasy woven of the most transparent wool. For Beanie's face, for Sephora's face...incredible, even for Arthur's face, I Want to believe these words. But I can't. I didn't believe it until this moment. Give me a chance to get used to this view, okay? You guys have a few months to get used to it, and I'm just starting to think this way. "

"I see what you mean," said Schelling thoughtfully. "Listen, do you have a family? . . . parents, wife and children?" Theremon shook his head. "No, I'm single. By the way, I have a sister, but she's 2,000 miles away, and I haven't even spoken to her on the phone in years." "So, what about yourself?" "What do you mean?" "You can go to the hideaway, there's still room for you, there's still time... I can give them a call and tell them you're on your way there, and they'll open the door for you..." "You think I'm freaked out, don't you?"

"It was you who said you were uncomfortable." "Maybe I'm uncomfortable, but I'm here to cover the whole thing, and that's what I do." A smile flitted across the psychologist's face. "I get it, professional vanity, right?" "You can say that," Theremon said wearily. "Besides, I have done a lot of bad things in the dark to sabotage Arthur's preparations. Have you forgotten? Do you really think I have the nerve to go to Go hide in the hideout I've been laughing at, Sherin?" "I don't see it that way."

"I don't know where there's still that nasty liquor hidden away, and if a lad must take a sip..." "Hush!" said Schelling, nudging Theremon hard with his elbow. "You hear that? Listen!" Theremon looked in the direction indicated by Schelling, and saw Fleming 66 standing in front of the window with a smug expression on his face.The believer was muttering something, his voice was very monotonous and did not change.Theremon felt goosebumps all over his body as if there were gnats crawling on his skin. "What is he talking about?" the reporter asked quietly. "Can you explain?"

"He's reading the fifth chapter of Revelation," Schelling replied, and then hurriedly, "Shut up and listen to him, will you?" The more the believers read, the more excited they became, and their voices suddenly became high. "Those days have come, when there is only Dovim Sun in the sky, it stays in the air longer than usual, and when it reaches the top of your head, it begins to shrink, and casts dim light on the surface of Kargash . "People gathered in squares, gathered on highways, arguing, amazed at what they saw, because a strange fear and sorrow overwhelmed everyone's hearts. They were restless, their speech was confused, their souls were Looking forward to the appearance of the stars.

"At noon, in the city of Treigon, Van der Rieter the Second appeared; and he said to the people of Frigo: O you sinners! You have despised justice, and now the hour of reckoning with you has come. The cave is Slowly engulfing Kalgesh, yes, engulfing it all. "The moment he spoke, the lips of the Black Hole were licking the edge of the Dovim, which was no longer visible from Kargesh. The Dovim was fading away, and the people laughed aloud, and great fear gripped them. "Then, the darkness of the cave covered Kargesh, and the land was so dark that you couldn't see your fingers; they could feel the breath of others on their faces, but they couldn't see each other."

"Then, out of the darkness, stars appeared, countless stars; their light was as dazzling as the lights of the gods gathered in the square, and as the stars came, there came the sound of wonderful and beautiful music, and even the trees on the trees Every leaf on the tree also sang along. "At that moment the soul of man left the body and flew to the stars, and the abandoned body became a beast, even a stupid beast, and ran about in the dark streets of every city in Kalgesh, uttering wild call. "Then, from the stars fell fire from heaven, carrying the will of the gods, and the city of Kargash was reduced to ashes wherever it went, and men and all that men had created were consumed.

"Then……" Fleming's tone changed subtly, and although his eyes didn't move, he seemed to notice two people watching him from the sidelines.But he didn't stop to rest, but changed his tone, and the connection between syllables became smoother. Theremon frowned in great surprise.These words sound familiar, but there are some elusive changes in the accent, and there are also subtle changes in the stressed syllables of the vowels... But Selimon just couldn't understand what Freeman was saying. "Perhaps Sephora understands him," said Schelling, "and he may speak a liturgical language, the language of the last Penitent Year, from which the Revelation was translated. " Theremon gave the psychologist a curious look. "You know a lot. What did he say?" "You think I can tell you? I did do some research lately, but, not much, I was just guessing what he was reading... Shouldn't he be locked up?" "That's it," said Theremon. "Does it matter what he does now? It's his happiest moment, let him enjoy it!" He moved his chair and brushed his hair back with his fingers. Reason, his hands are no longer trembling. "It's funny," he said, "that it's just starting and I'm not panicking." "yes?" "Why should I panic?" said Theremon, with an excited pleasure in his voice. "I don't see what I can do to stop what's about to happen, can I? Then I just want to deal with it and get through it in peace." After all this time. Do you think the stars really appear?" "No clue," Schelling said. "Maybe Beanie knows something." "And Arthur." "Don't pay attention to Arthur," said the psychologist, laughing. "He just walked across the room and gave you a look that could stab you to death." Theremon made a face. "Looks like I'll have to take back what I said when it's all over and admit my mistake to him. What do you think, Schelling? Go out the window and watch for safety?" "When the darkness is all..." "I don't mean darkness. I think I can handle darkness. I mean stars." "Stars?" repeated Schelling impatiently. "I told you I don't know what a star is." "I don't think it's as scary as the Apocalypse would have us believe. If those two students' experiments on the ceiling are any indication..." He held up both palms, as if to catch the answer, "Tell me, What do you think, Schelling? Don't stars and darkness have an influence on people?" Schelling shrugged and pointed to the floor in front of them.Dovim was over the headspace, and the scarlet sunlight poured through the square window onto the floor, moving a few feet toward the middle of the room, like a murderous trail of crime.Theremon gazed thoughtfully at the dim colors on the floor, then, squinting his eyes, looked at the sun again. The gap on the edge of the sun has gradually expanded, becoming a black spot covering one-third of the sun's disk.Theremon shuddered.Once when he was joking, he talked about the dragon in the sky with Biney. Now the dragon seems to have appeared and devoured 5 suns. At this moment, his enthusiasm has not diminished at all, and he is frantically eating the only remaining sun. Schelling said: "In Salo, there are about two million people who want to join the Flame immediately. Do a big revival, I bet...does the darkness affect people?We'll figure it out, right? " "It will definitely not affect. Why can the Flame School make the "Apocalypse" pass down cycle after cycle? How was it written in Kargash in the first place? There must be a way to prevent it. If everyone is crazy, who Will you write this book?" "It's likely that some secret believer hid in the hideaway and came out after it was over, like some of us did tonight," Schelling said. "That's not quite accurate. The Apocalypse claims to be an eyewitness account, which seems to suggest that they experienced madness firsthand...and survived it." "Well," said the psychologist, "there are three kinds of people who are relatively unaffected by the darkness and the stars. The first kind of people are the very few who don't see the stars at all... what we call the blind. And those Drunk people, they just passed out when the eclipse started and didn't wake up until the eclipse was over." "They weren't really eyewitnesses." "I think so. The second kind of people are children. To them the world is new, everything is strange to them, the darkness and not even the stars frighten them. Just two other mysterious phenomena in the dazzling world, do you understand?" Theremon nodded suspiciously. "I think I understand". "Finally, there are those simple-minded people who don't break down at all. The insensitive people are hardly affected by the outside world...they are the real insensitive people. I see them shrugging their shoulders at most and waiting for Onas' promotion." rise." "So the Apocalypse was written by these stupid fools?" asked Theremon, grinning. "It's hard to say. It could have been written by the sharp minds of the new cycle... but it should be based on the capricious memories of the children, mixed with the vague, staccato Narratives, yes, and maybe stories told by fools and all that was written." "These words had better be kept out of Fleming's ears." "Of course. The text of "Apocalypse" may have been completely revised over the years, and then passed down cycle after cycle. Arthur and his men hope to pass down the mystery of gravity in the same way. However, my basic The view is: This must be a bunch of distorted facts, even though it has a basis in fact. For example, think of the experiment that Fano and Yermott told us about digging holes in the ceiling... an experiment that didn't work out. " "so what?" "The reason why the experiment didn't work..." Schelling didn't continue, he stood up in surprise, "Ah, oh." "What's the matter?" Theremon asked. "Here comes Arthur, look at his face!" Theremon turned away.The old astronomer walked towards them like a character who stepped out of medieval myths and legends, full of deep hatred.His skin was pale, his eyes were burning with flames, and the features on his face were distorted and distorted by shock, making him look like a mask.He glared hard at Freemont, who was standing alone in the corner by the window, and then at Theremon. He told Schelling: "I was in front of the communication system for 15 minutes, talking to the hermitage, the security and the center of Salo." "anything else?" "The journalist will be satisfied with his work! I hear the whole city is in chaos. There are thugs, robbers, and the panic-stricken mob..." "How's it going in the Refuge?" Sherin asked impatiently. "Safe and well. According to the plan, they are locked in there until daybreak, until the first light of the sky can come out. They will be all right, but the city, Sherin ... you can't help ..." he said Words are very difficult. Theremon said: "Sir, if you will believe me, let me tell you how much I regret..." "There's no time for that now." Schelling interrupted Theremon impatiently, putting a hand on Arthur's arm. "How are you? Are you all right, Dr. Arthur?" "Does it matter?" Arthur leaned against the window, and seemed to be able to see the mob from here.He said in a low voice: "The moment the eclipse started, everyone outside thought that everything that followed was going to happen as we ... we, and the Flames, said. Then everyone started hysteria, and soon Let the fires blaze, and I suppose the Flemish thugs will show up. What shall we do, Schelling? Advice!" Schelling stared down at his toes in a daze.He tapped his chin lightly with his knuckles, and after a while, he raised his head and said bluntly, "What are you doing? What can you do? Lock the door and wait for a miracle." "What would happen if we told those people we'd kill Fleming if they rushed in?" "Would you?" Schelling asked. Arthur stared in surprise. "Why... I think..." "No," Schelling said, "you wouldn't do that." "But if we threaten..." "No, no, they're religious fanatics. They already know we have Flemish as hostage, and probably wish we'd killed him when they flooded into the Observatory. They're not worried, and you know I would never do such a thing anyway.” "of course not". "So, how much time until total solar eclipse?" "Less than an hour." "It's a matter of success and failure, we'll just have to try. It will take time for the Flames to get the mob together...these thugs will never be believers, I bet. The believers incited. Because the believers promised them that as long as they converted immediately, they could be saved, and other promises... It took longer for them to come here to make trouble. The observatory is a full 5 miles from the city..." Schelling looked out the window, and Theremon stood beside him, looking down the hillside.Below the mountain are patches of farmland, and in front of it are white suburban houses; as far as the eye can see, the buildings in the city can be seen faintly on the horizon... The city is disappearing in the fading red light of Dovim, and the whole land is surrounded by nightmares. A gloomy light enveloped it. Without looking back, Schelling said, "It'll be a while before they get here. Latch the door and get on with your work, I hope the total solar eclipse will come sooner. I wonder if the mob will rush to the observatory after the stars start to twinkle?" The believers can't control so much." At this time, Dovim was half bright and half dark, and a dividing line was moving the slightly concave part from the middle to the bright part.It looks like a huge lid, mercilessly closed to block the light of the world. Theremon froze, he stared blankly.The slight noise in the house behind him gradually disappeared, and then was annihilated. He only felt the deep silence in the field outside the house, and even the insects were too frightened to sing.Everything is gradually indistinguishable, as if It was stained a strange blood red. "Don't watch for too long." Schelling whispered in his ear. "You mean not to look at the sun for too long?" "Look at the city, look at the sky, I'm not worried about hurting your eyes, I'm worried about your brain, Therimon." "My mind is clear." "You keep it like this. How do you feel?" "Alas..." Theremon narrowed his eyes, his throat felt a little dry.He put his hand into the collar and touched it. It was too tight, too tight, and one hand started to jam his throat. Is this the feeling?He turned his neck back and forth, side to side, but still no improvement. "It might be a little hard to breathe." "Breathlessness is the first symptom of claustrophobia," Schelling said. "If you feel tightness in your chest, you'd better move away from the window." "I want to see what's going on." "Okay, okay, you can do whatever you want." Theremon opened his eyes wide and took two or three deep breaths. "You think I can't breathe?" Schelling said wearily, "I don't know anything, Theremon. Things keep changing, don't they? Hi, Beanie's here."