After the meeting dispersed, night had already fallen deep.
Hong Lei went alone to Faer's study.
The lamplight was dim. Between the bookshelves lingered the mingled scent of aged parchment and burning incense.
Hong Lei stood at the doorway. He did not sit.
"Never thought it would come to this…"
He spoke softly, as if addressing Faer—
or perhaps himself.
"Back at the edge of the Black Sea,
I should have killed Hong Chen."
Faer did not answer at once.
He simply closed the book in his hands.
Hong Lei's voice dropped lower, growing colder.
"Do you know? The moment he burst out of the Black Sea, my blade was already raised."
"If not for the late king stopping me—"
"He would have died by my hand."
Faer was silent for a moment, then looked up at him.
"Then I understand even less."
"Why would a child appear in the Black Sea Forest?"
"That place is forbidden."
"A land even the orcs dare not set foot in."
"And yet he—
came out alive."
Hong Lei let out a cold laugh.
"I say he should have died."
"And you tell me he survived."
He turned away, his armor giving off a faint metallic sound under the lamplight.
"We are not speaking the same language."
After Hong Lei left, the light in the study wavered.
Faer remained where he stood, staring at the now-empty doorway.
He murmured to himself:
"The late king once said…
the instant he burst forth…
his pupils… were red…"
"My king… why did you spare his life back then?
Why…?"
At that same moment, Hong Chen and the Ten Attendants were resting by a campfire in the wilderness.
His azure robe stirred gently in the wind.
Reflected in the firelight, a chill flashed briefly through his eyes.
The Ten Attendants sat quietly in a circle.
No one spoke. Only the flames occasionally revealed faint expressions beneath their masks.
"The wind is strong tonight," Hong Chen said calmly, his voice low and steady, as though even the wind bent to his will.
One of the Ten nodded slightly, fingers tapping against the hilt of his sword.
"The Holy City ahead is already in chaos," another said in a low voice.
Hong Chen lifted his gaze toward the distant, flickering starlight.
"Chaos is only the surface," he said slowly.
"The real panic… has yet to begin."
Firelight danced within his pupils, like flames devouring the night sky.
One of the Ten raised his head, eyes shifting from the fire to Hong Chen.
"My lord," he asked softly,
"where do we go next?"
Hong Chen did not answer at once.
He watched the rolling clouds in the distance as the stars briefly vanished from sight.
After a moment, he spoke lightly:
"It's time…
to stir up the orcs."
The flames faltered for an instant.
Some among the Ten lifted their eyes.
Others tightened their grip on their weapons.
No one spoke.
Hong Chen continued, his tone unchanged:
"Let them grow uneasy."
"Uneasy enough to believe
that the fire in the Holy City
will soon reach their feet."
The fire reflected in his eyes, a cold glint flashing past—
like a move already chosen on a chessboard.
The Ten bowed their heads in unison.
The wind across the wilderness began to grow restless.
Hong Chen suddenly lowered his gaze.
The silence that fell over him felt strangely out of place.
He no longer looked into the distance, nor at the Ten.
He stared instead at the shifting embers within the fire, as though trying to confirm a long-forgotten outline.
Why… was I at the edge of the Black Sea?
The thought surfaced without warning.
Then came a deeper blank.
How did I enter it?
No memory answered.
Only a vague, piercing sensation slowly rose from the depths of his mind—
as if he had not walked in.
But had been thrown in.
The firelight trembled in his eyes.
A flame-like chill flickered and vanished.
Hong Chen slowly raised his head.
His expression returned to calm.
Yet that brief moment of emptiness
had already left a crack within him.
会议散去后,夜色已深.
洪雷独自来到法尔的书房.
灯火昏黄,书架间弥漫着陈旧纸张与焚香混杂的气味.
洪雷站在门口,没有坐下.
"真想不到..."
他低声开口,像是在对法尔说,又像是在对自己.
"当初在黑海边缘,就该杀了红辰."
法尔没有立刻回应,只是合上手中的书.
洪雷的声音压低,却更冷了几分.
"你知道吗?他从黑海里冲出来的那一刻,我的刀已经举起来了."
"若不是先王拦下"
"他早就死在我刀下."
法尔沉默片刻,抬眼看向他.
"那我就更不明白了."
"一个小孩,为什么会出现在黑海森林里?"
"那是禁区."
"连兽人都不敢踏入的地方."
"可他,却活着出来了."
洪雷冷笑了一声.
"我说他该死."
"你却跟我说他活着."
他转身,盔甲在灯下发出轻响.
"话不投机."
洪雷离开后,书房的灯光摇晃着,法尔仍站在原地,望着空荡的门口.
他低声自语:"先王说过...他...冲出来的那一刹那,眼瞳...是红色的...先王...你当初,为何要留下他一命...这是为何啊?"
这时的红辰和十待在荒野里的火堆前休息.
青色长袍随风微微摆动,他的眼眸在火光映照下,闪过一丝冷意.
十待静静围坐,每个人都保持着沉默,只有火焰偶尔映出他们面具下的神色.
"今晚风大."红辰淡淡开口,声音低沉而平静,仿佛连周围的风都被他牵制.
十待之一微微点头,手指轻扣剑柄.
"前方的圣城已经混乱了."另一人低声说道.
红辰抬眼,望向远方闪烁的星光.
"混乱只是表象."他缓缓说,"真正的恐慌,还没有开始."
火光在他眼瞳里闪动,像是吞噬夜空的火焰.
十待之中,有人抬起头,目光从火光中移向红辰.
"主上,"他低声问,"我们下一站,去哪?"
红辰没有立刻回答.
他望着远方翻滚的云层,星光在天际一闪而逝.
片刻后,他才淡淡开口:
"是时候...去搞搞兽人了."
火焰微微一窒.
十待中有人抬眼,有人轻轻握紧武器,却无人出声.
红辰继续道,语气依旧平静:
"让他们紧张一点."
"紧张到以为,圣城的火,很快就会烧到他们脚下."
火光映入他的眼瞳,那抹冷色一闪即逝,像是早已选好的棋路.
十待齐齐低首.
荒野的风,开始变得躁动.
红辰忽然垂下目光.
沉默,在他身上显得格外突兀.
他没有再看远方,也没有看十待,只是盯着火堆里翻动的炭火,像是在确认某个早已被遗忘的轮廓.
为何...我会在黑海边缘?
这个念头毫无征兆地浮现.
紧接着,是更深的空白.
我是如何进去的?
记忆没有回应.
只有一种模糊而刺痛的感觉,从意识深处慢慢浮起
仿佛那不是"走进去的".
而是被丢进去的.
火光在他眼中晃了一下,火焰般的冷色一闪即逝.
红辰缓缓抬头,神情恢复如常.
可那一瞬的空白,已在他心底留下裂痕.