The Book of Hibernation

In fact, Winter Thistle never knew what Ryan's mother's name was.

She did say a name, but it must be false.She had various concerns, so she never said her real name.

When she was pregnant, she found a hut on the edge of the sea of ​​trees with a map and a letter, and knocked on Jin Ye's door. Jin Ye asked her name, she hesitated for a long time, and said that her name was Lilana.

Lilana is a common female name in southeastern countries, and it does not match the bloodlines shown in her appearance, so it is obviously a fake name.But Jin Ye didn't ask too much, you can call it whatever you say, it's just a title anyway.

Many years later, Jin Ye had already died of illness, and Lilana's body was getting weaker and weaker due to old diseases left behind by lack of medical care and medicine during childbirth.

Winter Thistle suggested that she go to a big city to find a doctor, but Lilana refused, because she has too much shadow in her heart, and she still doesn't want to go back to a big city where humans live.Even though Winter Thistle told her that this place was far away from where she came from and there was no danger, she stubbornly refused to believe it.

After the illness dragged on for a long time, Lilana became bedridden gradually.Dongji also thought about going to the doctor with her on his back, but he is relatively thin and weak. He can assist Lilana in daily life, but he cannot carry her on long journeys.

More importantly, Dong Ji couldn't take her to see a doctor while taking care of her very young son.

If a carriage was to be hired, Winter Thistle would at least have to leave the cottage and go to the nearest city.Then he had to keep the mother and son at home, and he was a little worried.

In fact, Winter Thistle has another way, which is to use magic to ask for help with the message rune.He knew how to cast spells, and he could find all the materials he needed, but the problem was... who was he going to send the summons to?

He didn't know anyone, he didn't have a single acquaintance in the outside world, and he didn't even have anyone he could turn to for help.

When Lilana was awake, she said to Winter Thistle: Don't worry about me, I know my body, even if you can get a doctor, I'm afraid the doctor can't help you.

She also said a lot of words of thanks, thanking Dongji for taking care of their mother and child and so on.

She held Winter Thistle's hand, turned sideways with difficulty, and kissed Winter Thistle's fingers.Tears fell on the back of Winter Thistle's hand, and a shudder ran down Winter Thistle's spine.

There are some thoughts that have been circling in Winter Thistle's mind since then, and he hasn't said it to anyone until now.

What Winter Thistle thought at that time was: I don't want you to die, no matter what.But it's not because I see you as family, it's because... I don't want to bear it all by myself.

Once Lilana died, the only family little Lion would have was Winter Thistle.

Winter Thistle looked at the human child.He is so young, naive, and fragile. He needs the care and protection of adults, food and drink, education, growth, and companionship... He needs a home, safety, and love.

Even though his mother is plagued with illnesses, Little Ryan's spiritual support is still his mother.Once Lilana dies, Winter Thistle will bear it all for her.

He was almost terrified - how can I protect such a small creature?How can I possibly give him everything he needs?

What Winter Thistle is afraid of is not superficial labor, not daily chores like washing and cooking.

These are nothing, when Jin Ye was alive, Dong Ji also took care of Jin Ye in this way, after all he was not only his mother's son, but also a researcher's apprentice, and the apprentices in those workshops also had to do these things.

After Lilana and Ryan came, Winter Thistle was used to living with them, and the three formed a somewhat strange and special family.

He is not afraid of taking care of children, not afraid of physical fatigue.

His greatest fear was that he might have to be that child's support.

He will be relied on and trusted, he can't make the other party sad, can't let the other party down...

This made Dongji panic, he couldn't bear such a big responsibility.

And he couldn't put those thoughts into words.

"You try not to die, because I don't want to be responsible for my half-brother"—how to say that?Who can I tell?

Winter Thistle knew it well: Even if he used euphemistic and gorgeous words to cover it up, it was useless, these words were still shameful and hurtful.

After many years, Lilana has passed away.

Dong Ji recalled the past, and was surprised that she actually took up that responsibility.

When little Ryan learned to read and write, and his body was healthy enough, Winter Thistle took him away from this secluded home and went to villages and towns where human beings inhabited.

Ryan needs to receive a normal education and live the life of an ordinary human in the future.Winter Ji has always wanted to leave the border of the Sea of ​​Trees and go to a more lively world to find opportunities for development.

Years passed like this, and until now, Dongji had already forgotten the original fear.

His memories are full of laughter with Ryan, and these images gradually replaced Lilana's heaviness before her death.

Suddenly, in today's dream, Dongji saw Lilana again.

In the dream, he returned to his boyhood. He was carrying a heavy book, looking for Jin Ye all over the room, and wanted to ask her a question about casting spells. But it was not Jin Ye, but Lilana.

Lilana was pale and thin, her face stained with tears.She took Winter Thistle's hand, kissed his fingers, and whispered in an almost pleading tone: I will leave Ryan to you... From now on, Ryan will only have you...

Winter Thistle suddenly remembered, no, more than ten years have passed, and Ryan has grown up.

So, he told Lilana like this: Don't worry, Ryan is now 19 years old and a Templar Knight.

Lilana rested her forehead on his fingers, panting heavily.Winter Thistle heard her whispering, so she moved closer to hear her clearly.

He heard her whispering: Your responsibility is over, isn't it, your responsibility is finally over.

In fact, she was right.But Winter Ji just felt a bit stinging for no reason.

He said with a little displeasure: "For me, it's not just about responsibility. You know...it's not my responsibility at all."

Then, Lilana said something that shocked him even more:

"Yes. That's right. This shouldn't be your responsibility. You should be as famous as your father, and you shouldn't live like this.

"You should drive us away after Jin Ye's death, starve us to death, freeze us to death, poison us to death, you shouldn't kill me, you shouldn't spend energy and money for us, and you shouldn't raise my son.

"That way, how free you should be! You can concentrate on your research, you can only think about yourself, you don't have to think about his health, you don't have to save money for him to go to the city to study, and you don't have to spend time with him during the tour... this Everything didn't have to happen.

"You shouldn't raise my son, you shouldn't raise my son..."

Winter Thistle backed away in horror, trying to pull her hand back, but Lilana's skinny fingers were tightly clutching him, and her face was pressed tightly against the back of his hand, and he could feel a cold breath of death.

"Even if he died back then, it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your responsibility. You took him as your responsibility and let him survive, but now you have become the greatest shame in his life.

"My son, a temple knight, a commanding knight, a holy robe knight, and even a knight leader, an excellent young man with unlimited potential, a life embraced by the day, a life illuminated by the light, and a life of advancing for justice lifetime……

"You have become his greatest shame, the greatest shame of his life..."

Winter Thistle trembled all over and struggled desperately, he could feel Lilana's fingers gradually losing their softness, turning from living hands into hard bones.

He apologized to her, and didn't care what he said, just apologized incoherently.

The apology finally turned into a terrified cry, but Lilana still refused to let go, and even dragged him towards her little by little...

Behind her, a shadow appeared dimly, the figure of a man.

Winter Thistle had never seen that person before, and he couldn't see it very clearly now, but he knew clearly that this was the mage Haman, and this was Haman, the father of him and Ryan.

Winter Thistle couldn't see Haman's face clearly, but he could see that he was wearing exquisite and expensive mage robes and holding a scepter in his hand that symbolized the highest achievement of a researcher.

Standing in the world of the dead, with piles of gold and jewels at his feet, Haman stretched out his hand in an invitation gesture, and he and Lilana clutched the winter thistle tightly.

Winter Thistle subconsciously called Ryan.When they traveled together before, Ryan was responsible for fighting when they encountered danger.

But Winter Thistle immediately realized that Ryan had already left, and she might never want to talk to him again.

Who else can save him?Winter thistle thought, and gold leaf.He called my mother to save me a few times, only to realize that calling her is the most useless thing. She has been dead for many years, and her body/body has decayed. I am afraid that even her soul is no longer in this world.

"Aldin..." Dong Ji suddenly remembered the name.

It was too late, he was about to be dragged into the darkness by Harman and Lilana.Aldin is in Harbor City, so it is impossible to rush to the border of the Sea of ​​Trees.

"Help me...get me out of here...please..."

At this time, a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.It was so strong that it hurt to grab him.

Lilana and Harman let him go as soon as he felt the hands.

Winter Thistle snapped her eyes open.

The first thing he saw was the smoky bed curtain, then Aldine's face.

Aldin frowned at him, talking to him softly.Winter Thistle didn't hear clearly for a while.

He has just struggled out of a nightmare, and his mind is still not very clear.

There is only a lantern outside the bed curtain, the light is soft and dim, and can only illuminate the range within a few steps, and the deeper part of the room is still dark.Winter Thistle's eyes couldn't help but glance over there, he always felt that Lina and Harman hadn't left yet, and were still waiting for him in the darkness.

"Are you awake?" Aldin continued to ask softly, brushing the hair and cold sweat off Winter Thistle's face.

Aldin found that Winter Thistle's hands were lying flat on his sides, his arms were stiff, and his fingers were tightly grasping the bed sheet, as if he was trapped and unable to move.So he stroked Winter Thistle's arms back and forth to help him relax, regain his senses, and slowly regain his true sense of touch.

After a while, Dongji's eyes gradually turned from panic to confusion, and her body was able to move.

Aldin helped Winter Thistle to sit up, let him lean on the soft pillow, and then lifted the gauze curtain to pour a glass of water on the low cabinet.

Winter Ji looked down at himself, the previous clothes were gone, now he was wearing a set of silk long robes, I don't know when he changed them.

Aldin handed over the water glass, and Dongji said thank you blankly, but just held it and didn't know how to drink it.He didn't take a few sips until Aldin reminded him.

After drinking the water, Winter Thistle finally regained consciousness.He looked at Aldin in surprise and didn't know what to say.

Aldin turned around and put the cup back on the low bedside cabinet. He was shirtless, and when his back was facing Winter Thistle, Winter Thistle saw the tattoo on his back for the first time, and saw the whole body of the python tattoo.

It is coiled around Aldin's body, and its size is almost equal to that of a real anaconda. Under the dim and flickering lights, it looks even more lifelike.

Aldin came back and sat beside Winter Thistle, stroked his hair, and asked softly, "Are there any discomforts?"

"I'm sorry... I had a nightmare." Winter Thistle said.

"It seems that you dreamed of something terrible, but it's okay, let alone a dream, even if the things in the dream are real, I will definitely protect you. Don't be afraid."

Winter Ji didn't know how to answer, but felt a sour warmth in her heart.

He gave a soft "hmm" and quietly observed the outside of the gauze curtain.

This was clearly not the guest room he had stayed in.At first he thought it was Aldin's room, but it didn't seem to be either.

He had been to Aldin's room, and it was furnished differently from here.This room is also large, but there are not too many sundries, not as messy as Aldin's room, and there are no weapons hanging on the wall.

Aldin knew what he was looking at, so he took the initiative to tell him: "This is your room. It is not a simple guest room, but a long-term residence prepared for you."

"my room?"

"Yes. It was already arranged. Today... No, after yesterday's dinner, I planned to show you. Didn't you go outside to relax, and then fell asleep because of drunkenness, so I directly I brought you here. Your personal belongings are still in the guest room, I didn’t touch them, and you can take them slowly in the future. The basic daily necessities here are all complete.”

Winter Thistle nodded.Then he realized that during his drowsiness, Aldin helped him loosen his hairband, changed his coat, and maybe even scrubbed him for a while... Apart from the above, Aldin had nothing to do with him matter.

Winter Ji is not a child who knows nothing, he still has this feeling and common sense.

If it was just a few days ago, Winter Thistle would definitely be extremely panicked.But now, he is a little grateful to Aldin for being here with him, otherwise he doesn't know when he will wake up from that nightmare.

Aldin lowered his head and found that the tips of the half-elf's ears were red again.

Aldean said: "You should drink more water. When you are drunk, you need to drink more water on purpose so that you don't have a headache tomorrow."

The winter thistle is indeed still thirsty.He has always had an awkward little habit: Whenever someone asks him if he needs some kind of care, he automatically wants to say "no".

This time, just as he was about to habitually refuse, the water glass was brought to his lips.