Chapter 113: Light and Dark (Part 10)
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
As the world spun, my hand suddenly landed on the icy leather armrest of the wheelchair.
The quirky ancient trees swayed softly in the moonlight, their dry yellow leaves fluttering to the ground, and the damp stones were covered in moss. The wheels rolled over mud and dead leaves, with the distant sounds of birds and beasts chirping in my ears.
Behind me, the silver-haired little girl pushed the wheelchair with great effort, giggling, “Sister, it’s so nice to be out… being underground is just terrible…”
“Sister, look! The moon in Silgaya is so round too…”
“Sister…”
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
A dark figure approached, leaning over to stare at me.
“It’s time…”
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
In the blink of an eye, I was back in the dim room, staring at the familiar silver-haired little girl, her lips pursed in a sad frown, tears streaming down from her red-rimmed eyes.
“Sister, does it hurt…?” the little girl asked, her voice trembling as she choked back sobs. “Does it hurt…? I don’t have any donuts left… Boohoo… I’ll blow on it… Just a little blow, and it won’t hurt anymore…”
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
The scene before me changed rapidly. Buried fragments of memories surged like a tide, a lively and cheerful silver-haired little girl smiling in my recollections. She always seemed to be by my side, her voice sweet and crisp, dressed in a thin floral dress like a little dancing sprite.
“Sister, what’s your home like…? Is it really, really big…?”
“It’s all snowy… I can’t imagine. It never snows where I come from… My parents raise cows and sheep, a whole lot of them, on a big ranch…”
“Sister, do you like music…? I like it too… Let me sing for you!”
“Sister, when will those bad guys who mumble mantras let us go home…?”
“Sister, don’t be sad… When you’re sad, I can’t help but want to cry… But I don’t want to cry… I…”
“Sister, do you remember… You promised me, you said that once we got out, you’d take me to Winter City to see the snow and the moon of the Empire…”
“Peilo Sister…”
My head throbbed like it was being pricked by needles.
The shifting images and the childish voices around me began to spiral into chaos. The little girl in all those scenes started to lose her glow, her eyes igniting with a bl**d-red light.
“Sister… we’re going to d*e…”
“Sister…”
“It hurts so much…”
“You never come to find me… Why…?”
It felt like all the goodness I once knew was collapsing, or maybe it was an illusion all along. Countless fleeting visions began to blur, the air twisted, and the space crumbled. Uncountable, indistinguishable shadows swirled around me like ghosts, whispering, “Gaia… Rabishixemos… Gaia… Rabishixemos…” like some spine-chilling incantation. Suddenly, the chaotic illusions shattered like glass, and everything turned to dust.
“I’m so hungry…”
Suddenly, darkness enveloped me.
In the next moment, I saw the little girl curled up in the dark.
“Hoo— Hoo—”
I felt as if waking from a dream, gasping for air and wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. In the void, I stepped forward, reaching out my right arm to touch her frail back.
Without thinking, I murmured, “Iliush…”
I still couldn’t recall any coherent memory. Just seeing her ignited within me an overwhelming wave of sadness, hot tears sliding down from my eyes as my vision blurred.
“I’m… I’m coming…”
My throat felt dry.
The silver-haired little girl, only a few steps away, trembled as if startled by my voice.
She didn’t speak.
“I…”
I cautiously moved closer, reaching my right hand toward her back.
Suddenly, the little girl whipped her silver hair around and stared at me with her ruby-red eyes, her expression blank.
I jumped back in shock. My foot instinctively stepped back, and my hand retreated, the words I had intended to say stuck in my throat.
Noticing my reaction, the little girl paused for a moment.
Then, with a bit of mischief, she winked at me.
In an instant, her innocent, beautiful doll-like face twisted into a bizarre, wide grin.
“Hee hee.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“Guess what—”
Suddenly, a cry from Goat Cheese echoed out of nowhere, landing on the little girl’s shoulder.
“Sister, you’re here!”
She stood playfully before me, tilting her head back to look at me with the innocence of a neighbor saying hello after a long time, except her smile was even brighter.
“I’m so hungry~”
Something’s off…
“You…”
“Sister, you didn’t come to find me, did you?”
Definitely something’s off…
“Well, that’s because…”
“But don’t worry, I’m not angry~”
Her tone, her demeanor…
Just like it was with Abyss Mud…
“Ah… you…”
I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, my heart sinking deeper.
The little girl waved her hand, “Sister, I’m fine! I’m just… a little hungry… um… very hungry, really want to eat… I… ah.”
As she spoke, the little girl suddenly froze.
She murmured, “That voice in my head is talking again…” Her eyes lost their sparkle in an instant, but it was only for a moment. The little girl’s face contorted with pain as she screamed, clutching her head. Captain Gray on her shoulder startled and took to the air.
“No! Don’t!”
“My head hurts… Sister… my head really hurts! Why… Sister, I feel so strange… I really want to eat… but I eat every day… I… ah ah, ha ha ha—”
She was pulling at her hair while letting out a chilling laugh. It was like she had gone mad, startling me into raising my hands defensively, unsure of what to do, utterly confused.
“What’s wrong with you…?”
“What’s wrong with me…? I’m fine, right? I don’t know… I’m just really hungry… I’ve eaten them, eaten so many people… My head hurts… I really wanted to find you! But I want to eat even more… I’m fine, Sister, I’m fine…”
“Iliush…”
“…Why didn’t you come find me?!”
The little girl suddenly snapped, her youthful voice sounding like a scream, her eyes glaring at me.
“I can’t help it! I’ve eaten so many people… I always dream of them, it’s disgusting… Sister, I’m scared… but I just want to eat… I’m so scared—”
“Sister, what have we become…? I can’t control myself… What have they turned us into…?”
“Iliush…”
My voice cracked, my eyes stinging terribly.
She’s gone off the rails…
Her mind is a mess…
“Sister…”
The little girl slowly lifted her head, her pained face regaining tranquility as she stared at me intently. After a moment, she smiled.
“I want to d*e.”
A tear slid down her delicate cheek, landing on her upturned lips.
“But I’m too scared to d*e… Can you help me?”
“Sister, I know you care about me the most… k*ll me, okay?”
I stared at her tear-streaked smile, my lips trembling as if something was stuck in my throat, rendering me speechless.
“Please… Could you…? Sister, please… I’m so miserable, I’m so hungry… I want to eat… Please k*ll me… I can’t do it myself, I’m hiding here, I don’t want to eat them, but I really want to eat them… I can’t hold on much longer… Just let me d*e, Sister… Just let me d*e…”
I hurriedly shook my head, “No, I don’t want—”
“k*ll me!”
The little girl’s face suddenly turned fierce, her eyes glowing red. She reached out her pale little hand, tugging at my clothing, shaking me as she screamed, “k*ll me!”
“k*ll me, k*ll me, k*ll me, k*ll me… I’m not Iliush… I don’t know who I am… and you’re not Sister Peilo… Ha ha ha… k*ll me, k*ll me, k*ll me… Please…”
In an instant, her expression froze, staring at me as if in a daze. Then, she grinned again, this time with a chilling smile.
“Ah, speaking of which… there seem to be so many people outside.”
My heart dropped.
“What do you want to do…?”
“Sister, you’re still so kind… What if I eat all those people? What will happen to you?”
“… You can’t…”
“I’m a monster~ I’m not Iliush.” The little girl released her grip on my clothing, “You’re going to k*ll me, right?”
Boom, boom, boom…
The dark space began to tremble.
“Hee hee.”
The tears still stain her face, but she smiled sweetly, her eyes, sparkling like jewels, locked onto my face, as if to engrain it into the depths of her soul and memory.
“Wait! Iliush—”
I tried to grab her.
But in the next moment, her small figure had vanished from view.
“Ah!”
With nothing beneath me, I plunged downward, and suddenly opened my eyes again.
It seemed like I was back in the cave…
But the collapse hadn’t stopped; stones and dust fell from above, the thick stench of the Abyss filling the air. Ahead, through the darkness at the end of the cave, a pair of crimson lights gleamed vividly.
That’s…
“Iliush!”
She’s there!
Just as I was about to sprint toward her, the thick Dead Smoke drifted in, suddenly filling my vision.
“Ugh…”
The Dead Smoke didn’t harm me, but the fierce wind made me squint.
“Bah—”
Goat Cheese let out a cry from somewhere unknown.
In the next moment, the red glow surrounded by Dead Smoke suddenly shot upward, crashing into the cave ceiling with a deafening bang. The ground shook violently beneath me, throwing me off balance as I stumbled against the wall.
Once steady, I looked up. The distant ceiling had been smashed open, bright light pouring in, illuminating the room. The Dead Smoke blocking my path quickly dissipated, and the little girl’s tearful voice echoed in my ears.
“Come catch me…”
“Sister…”
…………
Dark clouds loomed over the city, unrest everywhere.
On the chaotic street, panting, Sophia stopped, looking up at her father, who beamed proudly at her.
“You did well. Father will ensure this message reaches the palace. Go find Miss Peilo, stay by her side, and see if there’s anything she needs help with. Helping her may be the turning point for our Jiaslin family…”
“Okay.”
Joy lit up Sophia’s face.
“Father, please be careful.”
“Mm.”
Before the resplendent royal palace.
The wide palace plaza was a bloodbath, severed limbs strewn everywhere. Amid the flames, the tall Winter Orchid crashed to the ground.
Pfft—
Rect pulled his blade from a soldier’s chest, splattering red fluid across his face.
“Captain, the enemy is retreating!”
“They realized Her Majesty the Queen is not here!”
Rect’s gaze flickered as he looked toward the northern edge of the city, then he ordered, “Sword of Kanli, stand by!”
“Follow me… let’s take down their commander!”
“Yes!”
Several figures dashed toward the entrance like a lightning bolt.
In the broad central street.
Among the army retreating from the royal palace, Old Leikmon squinted angrily at a few commanders beside him. The old duke, riding a Horned Horse, looked on with a knowing smile, his eyes glinting with inscrutable light.
A moment later, he quietly said to the person next to him, “Go tell the Iron Guard outside the city, the time isn’t right, the plan has changed, hold back… wait for my signal.”
“Understood…”
The person nodded and quietly departed.
Old Duke watched as Leikmon continued to rant, a sly smile curling his lips.
“I can’t afford the blame for attacking the church… I’ll explain to the Church later. As long as that Cardinal is still managing Ethanbel, there shouldn’t be any problems… Just sorry for you, Old Leikmon.”
“I don’t believe there’s anything that can withstand my forty-thousand army…”
On the southern city wall, smoke rose with shouts echoing.
The towering stone walls crumbled, the few remaining soldiers fought valiantly, arrows raining down like locusts. Their faces were full of despair, their voices long gone. The situation was beyond salvaging; the army outside surged in like a burst dam.
At the base of the southern gate, countless Iron Guards armed with siege hammers charged against the gates exclaiming, “Break the city—”
Boom!
Far in the army outside, a knight removed his helmet, revealing a face that resembled the old duke, but much younger.
“When we get into the city, don’t mind anything… whatever you see, if you can k*ll it, k*ll it; if you can grab it, grab it… this thousand-year-old royal city is already ours.”
“Shouldn’t we… save your father first?” someone asked.
The young man turned his head, his cold gaze piercing like a sword toward the questioning commander, expressionless.
He slowly drew his long sword.
“Lord Count Adrian—”
The commander, sensing something was off, seemed to seek mercy but never finished his words before the young man’s sword struck his throat. bl**d gushed forth as the figure fell from the beast’s back, struggling briefly before losing all life.
Silence fell over the surrounding area; no one dared to speak again.
The young man licked the bl**d from his blade and smiled.
“Father is getting old… trying to collude with heretics, truly deserving of d*ath…”
With that, he turned to his allies behind him, “My dear friends, wouldn’t you agree?”
Behind him stood three figures in black cloaks, shoulders squared, all seemingly silent.
Inside the St. Zayeli Cathedral.
Margaret let out a long breath.
She looked at the somewhat bashful Aili standing before her and nodded gently. Then, a nun hurried into the room and whispered something in her ear.
The expression of the Saint suddenly changed.
After a moment of thought, she stood up from beside the bed, “Where is Peilo?”
“At the Main Altar…” Aili replied meekly.
“Good.”
Margaret waved her hand, signaling the nuns to follow as she swiftly left the room.
“Perhaps… letting them meet early was a bad decision…” As she exited, her mutterings went unheard.
Click.
The door closed.
The room dimmed slightly.
Lying on the pristine big bed, Victoria’s complexion had improved a bit, and her thumb gently twitched on the bed’s edge.
…………
Outside the city, in the plains.
A rotund man wrapped in a golden-edged cloak walked unsteadily.
His large hood covered nearly all his face, except for a small part of his chin where a horrendous black scar festered, oozing and revealing hints of bone. The mouth area shrouded in shadows seemed to lack any lips, exposing his ghastly white teeth.
He lifted his head, gazing at the distant gleaming city, faint shouts of battle echoing from that direction.
The man tightened his cloak around him and continued his slow march toward the royal city.
“The opportunity has come…” he said.
“Let such grave sin end here, as I pledge with my life…”
Further away, several War Chariots galloped along the winding path.
Inside the middle carriage, a golden-haired man peeked out, half his head emerging.
“Ah! This is so boring, how much longer… I just want to hurry up and meet Little Black Charcoal!”
“I wonder if she misses me? I’m dying to see her… And what about Little Margaret? I hope she’s getting along with Little Black Charcoal! I’m so worried…”
Though he said this, his irresistibly handsome face didn’t show a hint of concern, instead, he smiled cheerfully.
The young man then turned back, casting his gaze into the carriage.
“Hey, say something… anything will do. Talking to myself is getting awkward.”
“What to say?”
A slightly lazy male voice replied from within the carriage.
“Ha… ah…” He seemed tired, yawning wide, “Angel, can you let me nap peacefully for a bit?”
The golden-haired man instantly shook his head, “No way. We’ll be there soon, perk up!”
“…Has anyone told you, you… you can be quite annoying?”
“No. Who dares insult the Pope?”
After this statement, the man inside the carriage fell silent for a moment.
When he spoke again, his voice sounded increasingly tired: “Angel, you’re being…”
“Do you miss Little Black Charcoal?”
“You’ve been with her for so long; didn’t anything happen? Come on, tell me.”
“…Who would tell you?”
“Eh?” The golden-haired man’s eyes widened, retracting his head sharply back into the carriage, “What do you mean by that…?”
The carriage curtains fell, and their conversation escaped through them.
“Nothing! Can you be normal? And even if something did happen, it’s none of your business.”
“I command you by my Pope’s authority, hurry and speak!”
“Angel… the way you are, strictly speaking, violates the doctrine.”
“Doctrine?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you kidding…?”
“That kind of stuff isn’t what I say goes?”
“……”
The War Chariot continued onward, heading towards the royal city.
