Several conversations in early spring

The sound of flapping wings interrupted Pareza's memory. He looked up and saw a dragon hovering and descending, with a graceful and vigorous soaring figure.Hermos began to transform in mid-air, and when he landed on the ground, his wings just turned into a pure white cloak.Pareza looked at Hermos, marveling at the beauty of the dragon in his heart.

"I'm here." Hermes walked up to him.

Pareza said nothing.The mortal just smiled, let go of the rein in his hand, and took a step forward.Pareza was as tall as Hermos, he naturally hooked the dragon's neck and pressed a kiss on the corner of the dragon's lips.Pareza paid attention to Hermos' expression, and the latter reluctantly pulled the corner of his mouth because of his gaze.Pareza saw a flutter in the dragon's eyelashes, reminding mortals of fragile butterfly wings.

Pareza couldn't help laughing.He knew he shouldn't laugh, that his laugh might irritate Hermos, but he couldn't help it.He knew it was in his interest for Hermes to misunderstand him like this, but he was still angry—in Hermes' heart, how far was love?

Pareza let go of the dragon.He looked away and looked at the mage who was setting up a magic circle in the distance.

The cold wind in early spring blew across the wilderness, and the sparse grass fell one by one, showing a bleak atmosphere.

"I discussed it with Al," Hermes said, "I have revised... your proposal."

"Yeah." Pareza was still looking into the distance.He didn't say anything unnecessary, and there was no expression on his face.Frankly, Hermes was disappointed by his reaction.

"Al will extend the duration of magic indefinitely, and I give you the power to stop it."

Pareza finally reacted.He slowly turned his head and looked at Hermos carefully.The dragon felt some unusual emotions flickering in the mortal's eyes, but he couldn't catch them, nor were they the ones he expected.

The dragon stretched out his hand and handed Pareza a palm-sized dragon scale. It had sharp edges and corners, and under the shimmering sky, it presented a silvery texture and layered textures, like a strange ore for people to collect.

Pareza took it, being careful not to cut his hand.

"When your blood drips on it, the magic that restrains me will fail. I will come to you, and this scale will tell me where you are." The dragon's voice lowered, sounding a little depressed, "then, Whatever the circumstances... I will take you. Never let you go again."

Pareza listened absently, paying more attention to the scale.When Hermes finished speaking, he suddenly raised his head, but not to meet the dragon's gaze - he looked at the dragon's face, ears, neck, and finally he saw the scar on the dragon's throat.It was a small but eye-catching scar to Paresa, very abrupt on the dragon's fair skin, like a drop of blood in the snow.

Hermes thought Pareza was going to say something.He waited and waited.But Mortal ended up saying nothing.Pareza turned around, found an empty water bag from the horse, put the scales in it, and hung it on his belt.After finishing all this, he continued to watch the shadow of the mage walking and stopping in the distance.

Hermes clenched his hands, let go, clenched again, let go, clenched again...

People tend to go to extremes when their hopes fail. They will resent others or themselves. All kinds of negative thoughts fill their hearts, and they think it is "objective".Hermes isn't human, and that's hardly ever the case with him.

So he didn't notice it when it happened, even though it was a real dragon, a demigod, whose age was almost as long as the history of man.

Darkness overwhelmed my heart.

Compromise is pointless.A voice tempted him, and it was his own.He doesn't love you, he won't love you, you can't get the affection you want, so why compromise?He heard a chuckle in his heart.favorite?No!What you want is love.All you want is love!Why bother to get a bland substitute when you can't get it?

take him away.

Take him now.

You've had enough, been dissatisfied since he enlisted.He risked his life for an honor that was not worth mentioning, and he had no regard for your suffering day and night for his safety.Why put up with all this?You are a dragon, and your retreat is for better entertainment. There is no mortal worthy of your sincere respect.Independence, freedom, respect, those are all bullshit.Even if a mortal treats another mortal, it will not really pay attention to these in actual actions.

take him away.

He will hate you.But so what?All he can do is hate.Blindfold his emotional eyes, gag his swearing mouth, lock his ankles, grab his wrists, make him tremble in your arms, hold him until death crushes him into nothingness.Destroy his reason, destroy his beliefs, destroy his personality, destroy everything about him.He will go mad, and he will be intoxicated.He will fall into a frenzy just like you.

Let him only you, let him only you!

Let you have only me.Hermes stared at Pareza.He had said something similar to Pareza, and he told Pareza afterwards that he would not do that.

The dragon slowly raised his hand and gently put it on the mortal's shoulder.If he uses his strength, he can hold mortals in his arms, then spread his wings and fly away.

Paresa turned his head suspiciously, and saw Long's burning golden pupils staring at him.Hermes had no expression on his face.Or maybe the dragon's eyes were too bright in the pre-dawn night, and Pareza couldn't make out his expression.

The mortal grasped the hand on his shoulder.It's as cold as ice.

If he removes his hand, Hermus said to himself, I will take him away.

To his regret, Pareza just grabbed his hand and made no further move.

"I swear," half of the mortal's face was illuminated by the red glow, and the other side was hidden by the dark night, "it won't be long, five years at the latest."

Hermes couldn't make out Pareza's expression.He couldn't be sure what kind of mood and purpose Pareza had when he said this.This unknown revives hope.It was this unknown, he remembered, that had driven him to the bizarre choice—he had let Pareza out of his grasp.Paresa might walk alone on a dangerous battlefield, might risk his life, die somewhere he didn't know, might bury this scale in an inconspicuous corner, and spend the rest of his life with someone he didn't know... …

But it's also possible that Paresa would pierce the skin with his scales, break the spell on him with blood, and open his arms when he came, allowing him to carry him away.

That's the beauty and horror of the unknown.

Dragon withdrew his hand.

"When we meet again," the dragon said to Pareza, "I will tell you my real name."

The general seemed surprised for a moment, but in the end all expressions were covered by a smile.

"it is good."

Hermes withdrew his gaze and walked towards the mage who had already done everything and stood motionless in the distance.

"To be honest, you impress me." When he walked up to the mage, the other party said to him.

"Al, before I regret it," Long walked into the center of the circle, "let's start."

"It has already begun." The mage's figure suddenly disappeared like smoke.

The rising sun in the distance has already nodded its head, and the golden-red light touched the magic circle under the dragon's feet, and the magic spell was lit up layer by layer.The dragon turned to look at Pareza, but the light rising from the magic circle blocked his vision.

The dragon closed his eyes, and the eyelids of the human form were too thin for light to penetrate easily.Hermes felt as if he was standing in the endless sunlight, and his eyes were full of warm red.This triggered the dragon's memory, and Hermus remembered the same colors he had seen.

At that time, he was leaning on the soft pillow, and the gorgeous morning glow was just outside the window.At that time, the mortal he loved was lying in his arms and hadn't woken up yet. The light dyed the mortal's skin orange, as warm as the kiss he gave to the dragon when he was drunk.The night before, Pareza had just confessed to the dragon as his lover.Long stayed up all night, guarding his treasure, thinking he had got what he wanted.

When the sun is fully up, the magic is over.The crimson light and the white dragon disappeared together, leaving only the howling wind in the open field.

The mage stood beside the general and smiled lowly.

"Fate will thank you," said Bermont. "Luck will favor you. You helped them figure out who they hated most."

"It's all due to you." Pareza said lightly.

"Your choice is the key." The mage paused, "But let me remind you, your ideals will not be favored by fate. Her old man hates whimsy the most."

"Tsk. Make fate unhappy?" Paresa raised his eyebrows, "It's just a death."

Bermont pouted.

"Hermos has just left, so you can't wait to torment yourself?"

"I am free. I saw him disappear with my own eyes, and I feel that I will no longer be affected by his existence." Pareza raised his hand and put it on his heart, "If I live, everything will be over; if I die, I can't see those eyes anymore, and I won't suffer from his pain." Pareza smiled, "His sorrow has nothing to do with me."

Bermont considered himself a scumbag, but when he heard Pareza's speech, he realized that he still had a conscience.

He chooses not to speak.

"When I begged Hermos to save Faltina, she overheard me," the general said again.

"Oh?"

"Guess what she said to me? 'Please don't ask anyone'—she hates Hermes."

"I didn't know that," Bermont recalled. "I thought they just didn't know each other well."

"I always knew Faltina hated him," Pareza said, "from the first time they met."

"Because the countess sees that her husband's friends covet her husband?"

Paresa laughed at the joke.Bermont knew more about his family than Hermes.This speculation is reasonable for a normal wife, but it becomes humorous when it comes to Faltina.

"Because she sees that Hermes treats her like dust."

"He is a demigod," said Bermont, "and hardly any mortal man is dust to him."

"That's what I was going to answer her—" Pareza looked down. "She asked me, 'Why does he despise me?'"

"'originally?'"

"I agree with her from the bottom of my heart," Pareza turned and mounted his horse. "Even if he is a demigod, even if he is a true god, 'Why does he despise me?'"

"You sound like a child." Bermont looked up at the general. "Young people die faster."

"Let me die," Paresa said, reciting poetry, "mortals live to die." He rode back to his camp, leaving the mage with hearty laughter.

(Finish)

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