cross

On the day of the last game, the sky brightened exceptionally quickly.

In the early morning, Marta and I went downstairs early, and Neb and the magician were already waiting in the hall, and they were stepping into the final game together.

After arriving at Odiris Manor, I have done this many times before walking down the stairs and waiting for the game to start with the other three, which made people feel a subtle feeling in their hearts.Yes, as long as you can escape, it will be over.

Marta's eyes were firm and there was a hint of excitement: "Do you still remember what I said, Beth Fernley, when we go out, I will take you on my plane."

She punched me as if she was angry: "Come on!"

I opened my eyes, and what I saw was a ruin in cold colors. The familiar scene made me recognize which venue this was——

The Red Church, a place that is at odds with my aura.

I have been bled by clowns here, tortured by rebuilt spider cocoons, and even betrayed by my teammates... As a result, every time I encounter this venue, there is always a shadow in my heart.

It's even here that I lost my badge.

As I walked around this particular playground, I recalled how many times I'd gotten into the carnival chair just because I had accidentally lost my badge.

What would have happened if I hadn't hesitated to pick up the badge?

I paused, then smiled self-deprecatingly.Nothing -- nothing will change.I know very well in my heart that as long as I know Joseph's identity, as long as I still want to leave the manor, everything will still go in the established direction.

I stopped outside the church and looked at the window not far away.It is obviously a thing of the past, but with excellent memory, it is still clear in retrospect. I still remember that at that time, the badge fell off due to the window, and I stood stiffly by the window, and slowly turned around. Even his thoughts slowed down a beat.

At that time, Joseph stood at this angle, raised his eyes with that western knife, and his eyes fell on me without emotion, as if he had crossed the long river of time.

The dilapidated church has become completely new at some point.

The bright red carpet is spread all the way to the end, rows of neat seats are placed on both sides, and crimson brocade decorated with golden flowers is hung on the white walls, and lifelike marble stone carvings are dotted among them.

The cross facing the gate occupies the entire wall, overlooking the world quietly and solemnly.In front of the cross, the silver-haired nobleman stood quietly, with a faint expression on his overly delicate eyebrows and eyes. He stared at the huge cross with narrowed eyes, wondering what he was thinking.

My footsteps paused, and I walked in slowly.

The moment he heard footsteps, he looked up.The beautiful unreal face seemed to be shrouded in a layer of divine brilliance. With those jewel-like blue eyes staring at it, it seemed that the whole church was brightened.

There is a familiar Bible on the prayer table in front of the cross.

I immediately recalled the somewhat far-fetched excuse at the beginning - thank you.Jack laughed at me once, the reason was so abrupt, but what did I think at the time?

――There are many things the new regulators don’t understand, let alone me.

Isn't this a good time to remind him of my fiancée's existence?

… With the intention of making use of it, all the actions become impure, with too many things mixed in, and the real becomes fake.

...Is that false, true from the beginning?

I stood in front of the huge cross, folded my hands and prayed:

"Our priest in heaven, hallowed be your name, may your kingdom come... forgive us our sins, but save us from all evil, for the kingdom, the power, the glory are all yours... …Amen."

I am used to lying and pretending, and sometimes I can't even tell myself whether the traces that have appeared are real or self-deception.

"Most people in the world are believers of gods—even if most of the gods are high above and may not bless them, they still believe in it." Joseph stared at the huge cross and said slowly, "So, are you the same?"

"Yes."

"...This is a lie." Joseph put one hand on the "Bible" and paused for a while. He slowly walked down from the prayer table, staring at me quietly with his blue eyes, and said calmly: " Now, repent."

"Before Azrael."

Everything around seems to have changed a little unconsciously.

I stared at the Samael sculpture on the wall for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to ask something, but looking at the person in front of me, I finally turned it into a sentence:

"Then you will confess for me?"

Cool fingers caressed his face, Joseph looked at me quietly, and said softly and meaningfully: "Of course, I will always be with you."

He took my hand and walked towards the stone bench, we sat face to face, I took out the inverted cross necklace, but the person in front of me was not strange, I suddenly remembered, the day I found the oil painting, after he kissed When I was there, the necklace fell out.Perhaps at that time, he had already discovered it.

"When did you find out that I'm not hers?" I couldn't help asking.

"In the beginning."

Then why not expose me?

"The owner of the manor told you...?" I opened my mouth, and Joseph pressed my lips lightly, with a gentle voice: "Honey, don't change the subject."

My eyelashes trembled slightly, and I turned my head away from him with a bit of anger.

I have traveled many times, and the reason why I have always used the identity of Beth Fenli is because she has traces to follow, and I can't find out the wrong feet, which is a good cover.

The owner of the manor would know this secret, which surprised me enough.Over the years, no one has doubted me. In the eyes of everyone, I am Beth Finley Yeager.

...Even, even I myself have gotten used to it.

Everything about Lilith has become a memory, which can only be buried deep in her heart, cannot be brought up, cannot be searched for, as if it has become a dream that does not exist.

After a long time, sometimes I will be in a trance, and then wake up from the night... If I even forget about it, Lilith will really disappear.When my mother dies, I will remember her. If I die, who will remember me?

...Love is a kind of poison/drug, my mother is addicted to it, so I deeply know how it can be engraved in the bottom of a person's heart, leaving an indelible mark... Whether it is suffering together, or parting from life and death, the more If you can't get it, you will miss it more.

In order to complete my plan, I have done a lot.

I recruited survivors with the ability to save lives, became teammates with the air force and mercenaries, and got their strong protection.

I showed weakness to the magician and made him let down his guard against me after he thought he saw everything clearly. After I told him the information, he unknowingly stood in my camp.

I got the manor owner's attention, so I got the chance to know the whereabouts of that person.

I know the striker's admiration for me, but he's not my choice.

The immortal supervisor will remember me only if he falls in love with me, so that even if I die, as long as he still exists, I will not completely disappear in the world.

Joseph is indifferent and aloof, and doesn't take people seriously.What a romantic thing it is for a person to meet and fall in love with his long-lost fiancée after becoming a supervisor, and even become each other's first love.

...the more romantic, the more unforgettable.And pain is more unforgettable than happiness. Only when you have tasted sweetness first can you experience bitterness.The right to choose has always been in his hands, and I have been waiting, waiting for everything to come to an end, waiting for him to really fall in love with me...and then give him a hard blow.

No pictures were taken, no chases were made, and the number of cipher machines began to dwindle over time.

Joseph did not look.After the confession, they quietly snuggled together, fingers interlocked as they do on every date.

The girl leaned lightly on her shoulders, her ink-like black hair hung down like fine silk, she closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes swept over the tear mole at the corner of her eyes, like half-open poppies, with black hair slightly tucked away. petal.

He slowly clasped her fingers, carelessly picked up a strand of black hair, and held it.

Chasing and killing was not what he liked in the first place.Unlike other supervisors who enjoyed bloody pursuits and pranks, what Joseph himself was interested in was actually the unique way of playing in Odiris Manor.

He placed a kiss on the girl's forehead.

If a spider wants to catch its prey, it must first let the prey fall into its own trap.

If you want to collect the captured fruit, you can only walk out of the hiding place and approach it to give the prey the final blow.

Unfortunately, he's also a very patient hunter - but he's lucky, isn't he?

From the moment you tried to approach me, my love, you fell into my trap.

The owner of the manor asked him: "Speaking of which, you should have many opportunities, right?"

"It's clear that it can absorb the soul, but it doesn't do anything."

Joseph chuckled lightly.

"How can just the soul be enough?"

... Eager to get, eager to possess, even if she got the soul, how can she tolerate her gaze to look at others?

The most perfect and most satisfying thing is to imprison one's heart.

Who is the prey?Who is the hunter?

From beginning to end, the real prey is just the girl alone.

The power of time gathers little by little in a place that only Joseph can see.

The power of time shrouded in the girl became active, trying to take her away from this place, but the laws of Odiris Manor suppressed them.Looking at the past from Joseph's perspective, the scenery in the church began to distort and blur, and gradually returned to its dilapidated appearance.The power of time like countless light spots flew out from the wall, and the entire church was covered with dots.Joseph paused slightly, and took out the girl's badge. Unexpectedly, there was a remnant of the power of time on it.

Countless powers of time converged to form a strange channel, crossing the barriers of time and space, he could get the answer he wanted.

……

From 395 to 1500 A.D., Europe in the dark age of the Middle Ages launched a massive witch hunt. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, countless people were accused of heresy and executed during the entire three centuries.However, those who were executed were basically innocent women, and most of the real witches absconded.

At five o'clock in the morning, the small town that was supposed to enjoy the tranquility of the morning became uncharacteristically noisy. People gathered in the square, set up a tall fire, and pushed and tied a woman in the town to a cross.

The sheriff of the small town stood in front of the crowd and announced that the woman would be sentenced to death for the crime of using black magic and persecuting the lives of others. According to the rules, there should be an interrogation, but out of an inexplicable psychology, the sheriff subconsciously skipped this step.

That woman is so beautiful... She has long black hair and emerald eyes.The slender eyelashes covered the bottom of the eyelids, leaving a faint shadow, which contrasted with the somewhat pale skin, and the soft and beautiful facial features were somewhat haggard, making people feel unbearable at first glance.

The woman was wrapped in a large black robe, her skin was pale, her slender wrists were bound by thick ropes, like a black rose after being hit by a heavy rain, she looked so weak... It was hard to imagine how such a woman could be as accused To persecute other people's lives, but as long as they think that the other party is a damned cursed witch, even the admirers of the past have no mercy.

The magistrate only glanced at the woman on the high platform before looking away, he was bewitched by the witch, he turned his back to the surrounding townspeople and announced the start.

The old priest who had served God for many years in the church in the town died of a cold recently, and the new priest was still on his way. The sheriff decided to get rid of this witch who had been lurking in the town for many years.The torch was thrown into the oiled wood under the high platform, and the tongue of flame quickly climbed up, and instantly rolled up an astonishing temperature, and ignited a raging fire at an unreasonable speed, engulfing the woman on the stage.The woman didn't seem to notice it, and stood there quietly from the beginning to the end, as if accepting the arrival of death.

The atmosphere warmed up as the execution began, but the peace officer's mood began to become heavy. The screams that anyone would make when being roasted by the fire were actually nothing strange at this moment.The unease soon amplified with the patrol's report:

"Her daughter was not found. The little girl probably escaped."

"It's only been a few hours, it's just dawn, she can't run out of town and search from house to house." The sheriff frowned, and two witches were caught at once. I think he's incompetent.But trying to cover it up now won't help, the only way to do it is to catch that girl quickly and execute her together.

The person who was speaking here did not notice that the figure in the corner slowly retreated.

"there!"

"Catch her!"

The girl ran desperately on the street, but her physical strength limited her to run beyond an adult. Seeing the pursuers getting closer, Joseph saw that the power of time, which had just been infected on her body and was not yet stable, began to come alive. .

The first time Lilith traveled through, the time interval was only three days, and the sky changed extremely quickly, and it quickly changed from morning to dusk.

The surrounding scenery was also blurred for a moment, and the pursuers behind him disappeared. When it stabilized again, it was already a strange intersection.

The girl who stopped finally realized that something was wrong. The buildings around her were completely different from what she was familiar with. She stood blankly in the middle of the road, her small face gradually turning pale.

She stood there for a while, obviously frightened, and asked a passerby to ask a question, but what she learned was a place name she had never heard of, and the time was three days after what she knew... This kind of experience is like She was dreaming, but it would be nice if she was really dreaming. At least, she wouldn't have to grieve over her mother's death.

But soon another trouble came to her door. The girl was walking on the street in a daze. When she came to her senses, a few people who were in a hurry surrounded her at some point.

Human trafficking is not uncommon throughout Europe, especially children who look clean.The girl was born like her mother, and even though she hadn't grown up yet, she could still be seen as a beauty. These people of all ages who wandered in the slums and other dark corners had good eyesight and easily recognized that she was not a resident here.

A lost but good-looking little girl is simply the best target for human traffickers.

The girl turned around and ran into the alley in a panic—this was really not a good idea, but in less than a day, the girl has experienced too many things, and she was in danger soon after escaping from death. It's starting to become impossible to keep calm.

It seems that the habit of running around when startled has existed since this time, Joseph thought.

Seeing that the girl was about to be caught, Joseph followed, and before the dirty rats caught her, he appeared and knocked down the traffickers.

The girl looked at him in shock.

"who are you?"

The author has something to say: Your husband.