Shadow of the Beautiful World

At the end of St. Matthew's Church, Merlin leaned on a chair, listening to the old priest tell stories about the past.

He was originally just looking for peace of mind before the decisive battle.

But after arguing with Father Paul, Merlin gained something.

Of course, it's just a pure spiritual gain, and it doesn't have much substantive help for the war he is about to fight.

But Merlin decided to sit a little longer.

He felt that at this moment, there seemed to be no harm in chatting with a wise old man.

Some experience of life, some diversion of chitchat, some distraction of thoughts, always do a weary soul some good.

You've heard old guys like me talk a lot about Pearl Harbor.

Father Paul put his hands on his lap, and he said to Merlin:

Various stories...

Yes, I have.

At this moment, Merlin thought of Steve Rogers who was still missing.

When he was chatting with the captain, the young old man liked to tell stories about World War II.

And, old Stan likes to say that too, these veterans like to tell war stories.

Merlin smiled and said:

And it's a story told by some veterans from the first perspective.

Actually, it's all bragging...

The old priest Paul, who also experienced that era, waved his hand indifferently, and said:

What we are acting now is as if after hearing about Pearl Harbor at that time, we all jumped up at that moment, rolled up our sleeves, and angrily planned to settle accounts with the Axis powers.

But actually?

The priest shook his head, a memory flashed in his eyes, and he said softly:

Oh, in the words of today's young people, we're scared to pee, really.

Rumors are flying all over the sky. This country didn't even have a decent army at the time. We lay in bed with sheets covering our heads, thinking that the next second would be the end of the world.

People were just like you back then, Merlin.

The priest patted his heart and said:

At that time, I was just like you, full of fear of an uncertain future.

Well, it's actually different.

Merlin frowned and explained:

My situation, how should I put it... After all, it is related to the whole world, more than 7 billion people. If I choose the wrong one, you will all be finished...

But, well, it's the same.

Fear is fear, nothing different.

Merlin snapped his fingers, looked at the priest beside him, and said:

And then, how did you do it?

Then? Then we, who were in constant panic, heard President Roosevelt's speech on the radio.

The priest breathed a sigh of relief and said:

It was a speech to the nation, his voice strong and strong, like a gust of wind, it took our fear and turned it into a fighting zeal.

He helped us win that war, really, not the planes, tanks or warships... It was a leader who helped us win it.

Father Paul looked at Merlin, and the old man said seriously:

Whether you call it anger or power, you have to understand that after you overcome your fear, it will be used by you. The power that bursts from the heart is very powerful, and it can overturn the whole world for you. world.

The only way to conquer fear is to face it head on.

Um.

Merlin nodded and said:

A friend of mine always likes to say these words. He told me that power always comes after fear...

No no no!

Father Paul shook his head, he said to Merlin:

Strength is one thing, Merlin, but I'm not talking about strength, I'm talking about leadership.

I also pay attention to the superheroes that have sprung up like mushrooms over the years, but I don't like them.

The priest frowned and said to Merlin:

I think they're like a bunch of kids, like you just said, they care a lot about what other people think of them. Maybe I'm out of date, maybe my ideas are too old.

But Merlin, in my opinion, to be a hero, it's not enough to run fast or have great strength.

Father said:

You have to be able to be that light that dispels fear when darkness covers the world, like a lighthouse that lets people in the dark see the way forward...Have you heard of Captain America?

Whether you believe it or not...

The priest's question made Merlin laugh dumbly, and he said to the priest:

I know him very well.

Really?

The priest looked at Merlin in surprise, and said:

Well, it seems that I still underestimated you. In short, the reason why Captain America became a household hero in that era was not because of his strength...

No matter how strong he is, can he fight the whole nacui alone? He can't.

But people adore him crazily, because when everyone is afraid, he will be the first to rush into the battlefield. Courage, courage runs wildly behind him.

He's the light we need!

The priest smiled and said to Merlin:

You said that you always feel guilty, or in your terms, called sin. In my opinion, that may mean that you still have unfinished missions waiting for you to complete.

If you are really facing such a difficult choice, Merlin, then now is the time for you to become that beam of light...

Believe in yourself, you too can become light!

Well, that sentence sounds weird.

Merlin rubbed his forehead, he said to Father Paul:

The last question, you also saw the arrest warrant, right? Father, those people said that I was a bad guy. They said that I brutally killed a good man. I don't want to deceive you. I did kill him.

Merlin says:

But not because I'm cruel, but because he deserves to die!

Do you believe me?

I believe it.

The priest smiled gently, stood up, patted Merlin on the shoulder, and said:

Mr. Gideon has also donated money to the church. Although I haven't seen him, I have heard of some of his actions. He has a high position and authority, and everyone will say good things about him, but if I have to Choose someone between you and him to believe in...

Then I choose to believe you.

Father said:

Not just because you're friends, Merlin.

It's even more because I have seen you help those children in the orphanage countless times with my own eyes... Even if I just watched from a distance, the tenderness in your eyes can't deceive anyone.

A man who is so gentle with children cannot be a bad person...

As for what they say about you, I can answer you this way.

Father Paul coughed lightly, and he said to Merlin like a hymn:

We have to eat, we have to wear clothes, and we also have our own thoughts and worries.

Occasionally we lose our temper, or even do things that make ordinary people feel bad, and when they see that, they say, we're not heroes...

The priest smiled, and continued:

Let me quote a quote from Hegel...

There are no heroes in the eyes of slaves!

But that's not because heroes aren't heroes, just because slaves are slaves.

Crack, crack, crack

Merlin, who was sitting on the chair, reached out and patted his palms, as if applauding the priest.

He also stood up, patted his arms, and said to the priest:

When a soldier dies, the first thing flies find are his flaws and scars.

Their buzzing names are self-satisfied, and they think they are more heroes than dead warriors. Because they have no scars, no wounds, no stains and blood on their bodies.

Merlin whispered a poem that popped into his head.

It was as if he was responding to the priest's encouragement to him.

He said:

But the warriors are dead, and they don't come to wave them away anymore, so the flies sang more cheerfully, thinking that they are immortal sounds.

Indeed, no one has ever discovered the shortcomings of flies...

However, a fighter with flaws is still a fighter, and a perfect fly is just a fly after all... (ps1)

Merlin smiled, looked at the priest in front of him, and said:

Thank you, Paul.

When I stepped into this church, I was full of complaints, hatred and myths, but now I can finally step on the battlefield with peace of mind.

Oh, by the way, and one last thing.

Merlin seemed to have remembered something, he took off a string of delicate bracelets from his wrist, and handed them to the priest.

The latter took it in his hand and found that the bracelet was very delicate and peculiar.

It was a string of crystal-like chains with a cross made of red crystal in the bracelet.

Unlike the cross placed in the church, that thing looks like a miniature weapon.

This thing just looks like a work of art.

Merlin said to the priest:

This is something that a very important friend of mine has stored with me. I can't just take it to the battlefield, so I will store it with you. Please help me keep it safe.

Well, yes.

The priest put away the bracelet and said to Merlin:

I'll wait for you to come back and get it.

Perhaps you will be disappointed.

Merlin said frankly:

Maybe I'll never be able to come back, but it doesn't matter, someone will get it.

Merlin glanced at the front of the church. Sister Maggie, who was praying in front of the icon, had quietly left at some point.

Merlin shook his head, turned around, and walked towards the outside of the church gate.

Just after he took a few steps, Father Paul suddenly stopped him.

Merlin...

Um?

Merlin turned his head and looked at the priest in surprise.

The priest seemed to want to ask some questions, but his expression changed a few times when the words came to his lips, and finally he didn't ask.

He showed a smile and said to Merlin:

Wish you all the best, and I'll be praying for you in church.

Well, thanks.

Merlin took a few steps forward, then stopped again, then turned back to the priest and said:

I guess I guess what you want to ask, Father.

Pointing to the sky, he said:

Yes, they all exist, including the one you believe in...

And they probably won't be as bastards as the gods I met. They're not the same as those guys.

Maybe they'll be gentler and kinder to the world.

A sly smile appeared on Merlin's face, and he said to Father Paul:

Don't worry, he won't punish you for going to Josie's Bar every week to play pool and gamble with others...

If he had a semblance of sanity, he'd know that you're the best and greatest he's ever had in the world... Well, Shepherd, that's what you call yourselves, right?

Don't say these things in church!

The priest scolded with some dissatisfaction:

Although you have no faith, you should at least be humble...

Speaking of which, are you sure you don't need to be baptized? The Lord really exists, maybe...

No, Father.

Merlin stepped over the priest, looked at the icon in front of the church, and said:

I want to believe him, at this moment...

But unfortunately, he can't help.

After speaking, Merlin waved to the priest, and then took a step forward.

Under the gaze of the priest, Merlin's figure spun around in the distorted light, and disappeared the next moment.

This magical scene made the priest subconsciously cross himself on his chest.

He did realize Merlin's specialness a long time ago, but he never pointed it out. He actually didn't care who Merlin was or what kind of power he possessed.

As long as it can be confirmed that Merlin is a person with good intentions, that is enough.

Father Paul walked to the icon with the scriptures in his arms. He lowered his head, meditated on the scriptures, and began to pray.

After several minutes, the priest opened his eyes and ended his prayer with Amen. He took from his hand the red crystal cross that Merlin had left with him.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but under the light of the church, Father Paul always felt that there were some fine scratches on the surface of the crystal cross.

It's as if someone used a very clever technique to leave some special symbols on the surface of this artwork.

But the priest didn't pay attention to these details.

He put away the crystal crucifix, then returned to the icon, and began to pray again.

This time, he was praying for Merlin.

He still doesn't know what Merlin is going to do, but he can guess.

That should be very dangerous, something that 99% of the people in this world would not do.

Whenever a disaster occurs, someone's first thought is I should stand up.

well...

May this friend return safely.

ps1:

This poem was written by Mr. Lu Xun.

That's right, it's the Mr. Lu Xun who said if you don't know who said this sentence, then you can say it was me.

I have to say that using this sentence to describe some strange phenomena in today's society is really quite incisive.