Mysteries: Arcana Wars

This childish rebuttal even made Luna laugh.

“Heh, what makes you think that those scary fans in red robes are the good guys?

"Just because they give you food and teach you to read, does that make them good people?"

This strange and acute situation caused Rad's brain to overload, and his eyes drifted to the side uncomfortably.

Chaotic emotions flooded into his mind. Rad's young and simple mind could not understand what this feeling was, and it was even more difficult to find the core of the problem in this mess. He just felt uncomfortable and helpless in this environment.

But Rad could clearly feel that Luna and the exiles were different from their mentor.

He could easily tell that Sister Luna must have been a distinguished figure in Backlund, and must have lived a high-class life like in newspapers and novels. But Rad's vision could not support his specific imagination of what Luna's identity was.

This is what Rad realized when he saw Sister Luna. Although her clothes were tattered and stained, they were as soft as flowing water, which Rad had never seen before. Although her limbs were covered with scars, they were delicate and had not been damaged by physical labor. Such a glamorous person must be a big shot even in the dungeon.

If I saved her like this, would she take me to the ground and let me live a good life?

A simple selfishness gave Rad a boost to his compassion, and he finally took such a miserable stranger home.

But the more Rad spent time with Sister Luna, the more he felt an indescribable gap. He knew that Sister Luna was very kind to him, but when she was talking to Rad and teaching him to read, Rad could always feel a sense of oppression from Luna. This feeling always made Rad feel a little uncomfortable, as if there was a small trumpet in his heart, always reminding him of the gap between himself and Sister Luna.

She was so radiant that the rough cloth on the ground floor could not hide her noble temperament. I was worried that these shoddy cloth would wear out her skin. And I was covered in dust and blended with these dirty and old clothes. She was well-read. Maybe when she was my age, she had already read the entire library, but I was still trying to understand these enlightenment books. She had no worries about food and clothing, but I worked numbly in a black factory for a few energy bars.

This kind of trumpet does not need words. Luna's occasional uncontrollable disgust when biting the energy bar, her unconscious pity when Rad mispronounced a word, this difference in gestures, like some kind of slow poison, seeped into Rad's cotton-like heart little by little without him noticing.

Luna sat on the shabby bed and read incomprehensible poems to him, as if she was sitting on a high platform responding to his request for mercy.

But his most fundamental prayer will never be answered:

Rad suddenly realized one day that Luna would never take him to the ground.

What kind of emotion was this? Envy, admiration, blessing, gratitude? Or disappointment, jealousy, anger, inferiority? Rad still couldn't understand these complex and strong emotions. He just felt that they were like wood blocking his chest, but making the small flame grow higher and higher.

But the Exiles were different.

Their eyes fell on Rad, gentle but powerful. Their hands, big and small, stroked Rad's head, which was a real encouragement and praise. Each of their red robes was stained with the blood, sweat and sewage of the underground city. The black snow fell on their faces, never blinding their eyes, but becoming their deep dark circles, as a symbol of their long night.

The tutor is willing to tell Rad things that Sister Luna will not tell him; the tutor is willing to teach him things that Sister Luna will not teach him; even things that Sister Luna does not know, as long as Rad is willing to ask, the tutor will definitely teach him everything he knows.

He felt an unprecedented sense of identification and belonging from this group of red-robed people. Just like what his mentor taught him, they were all brothers and sisters born on the same land and should be the same. It was just that the distorted world created a gap between them. Those who were rejected by the city would eventually return to the original and ultimate in their own way and become equal beings.

When you put on this red robe, you become an equal member of this big family.

Rad didn't quite understand what his mentor said. He just felt a kind of hope among the exiles, which made him feel that the pain he had experienced and the expectations in his heart were meaningful. Maybe one day, he could really come to Backlund on the ground with the exiles and live an open and bright life.

But the moment he took the red robe, the clean cotton and linen fabric made Rad instinctively feel some discomfort and rejection.

After returning home, Rad found that the simple amulet Luna gave him had also broken. Although Rad didn't believe in any extraordinary power, he still felt a little sense of crisis. Perhaps it was the teachings of Sister Luna during this period that worked, such as staying away from items that make you feel uncomfortable and in danger, which may be some extraordinary items full of terrible power, and never accepting items sent by others casually. Rad still noticed this little emotion. Therefore, after getting the red robe that represented recognition, Rad did not put it on immediately, but treated it as a treasure and hid it in the cabinet.

Rad would not tell Luna about these delicate emotions. In front of her rich experience, his childish thoughts would certainly cause some contempt and be not worth mentioning. But the more he thought about it, the more he suppressed it, the more the nascent flame burned, and the more it ignited his dry throat, letting some fiery words jump out.

"Yes! I want those energy bars! I want to learn how to read!"

Chaotic words gushed out mixed with tears.

"Can't I just live a good life?"

Some kind of child-specific emotions broke out, which was something that all children of this age would experience, Luna thought. She walked forward, imitating her memory of her mother and grabbing Rad's shoulders, trying to persuade him, but her fluctuating emotions made her expression less kind and more terrifying.

"How can they lead you to a good life? They are all lying to you! They give you food and teach you knowledge, all so that you can work for them in the future, be a human bomb, and be cannon fodder on the battlefield!

“They seem willing to teach you knowledge and learning, but they are actually taking the opportunity to brainwash you and want you to work like a slave for them!

"It's okay. You're young and inexperienced. It's normal for you to be deceived by such sugar-coated bullets since you've been staying in Banyan Street. But from now on, you have to listen to me. We're in trouble. Only if you listen to me can we survive."

Rad's crying suddenly stopped.

"Are you going to take me to the surface?"

"No, we can't go to the ground. It's too dangerous." Luna said, "We have to go down. Only deep underground is safe."

"You won't take me to the ground!"

Rad screamed uncontrollably.

“Why? Why!

"Since you are unwilling to take me to the ground, why do you still want to pull me down?

"My life is obviously getting better, why are you trying to stop me from pursuing a better life?

"Your life is already so good, why don't you let me live a better life? Can't you give me a way out?

"Don't I deserve to live a good life like you!?"

This question did not require an answer, but Rad's questioning seemed to hurt Luna's pride and made her speak without thinking.

"That's our family's contribution to human society from generation to generation! How many sacrifices have we made over the years to expand the boundaries of human activities and explore the stars? The wealth and glory we enjoy are what we deserve! There will be rewards only if you pay! And the more rewards you get, the greater the responsibility you bear!

"What do you know? You don't know the dangers of the starry sky, nor do you know the horror of the starry sky. You only know how to eat tasteless energy bars underground and complain about why you can't receive satellite signals, but you don't know how many lives we sacrifice and how many billions of Ruen gold pounds we invest in the starry sky every year!"

She spoke louder and louder, more excitedly. Rather than answering Rad's questions, she was frantically trying to find excuses for herself, to cover up the guilty conscience that was floating like a balloon under her pitiful pride.

"If that's the case, then why are you here?!"

Rad retorted loudly, unconvinced.

"You are not a deserter!!"

Luna was stunned. These words shattered her pride and disguise, hitting the most cowardly and weak self deep in her heart. She was furious, but she felt that the other party was right. She was actually a coward who dared not face reality, a deserter who dared not accept her fate since she was a child. She wanted to make a final struggle, using the horror and danger of the starry sky to justify her escape, but at the same time she wanted to stand with Rad and scold herself for being shameless.

Looking at Luna's constantly changing expression, Rad seemed to understand something and suddenly calmed down.

"Sure enough, we are still people from two different worlds."

Luna stared at Rad, unable to speak. Finally, she just raised her hand and hit Rad's neck, using her strength and extraordinary tricks to knock Rad to the ground.

Whether it is to avoid exposing one's whereabouts or to gain back the favor during this period of time.

Today, Luna must take Rad away.