Embers of Embers

Chapter 406 Mask
Witnessed by the stars, the surging cold wind collected snow dust and gently scratched Lorenzo's cheek.
"Is Lawrence really dead?"
Lorenzo asked, and at the same time he was questioning himself.
Watson was silent for a long time, and she leaned back in her chair, not in a hurry to answer Lorenzo's words.
"It's been a long time since I came back here...I thought you wouldn't let me enter your [gap]." Watson said.
"Why do you think so?"
Lorenzo asked, almost all the secrets between him and Watson had been figured out since he got his memory back.
"Because you are very fragile in the [Gap]. If I kill you here, I can control everything about you. You must turn this place into the strongest fortress, Lorenzo." Watson warned him.
"You can't fall yet. The Scabbard Treaty is still in effect, and the golden age has not yet come."
"Scabbard Treaty".
Lorenzo murmured the word.
Sometimes he felt that he already knew everything, and sometimes he felt that Watson was still hiding something from him.
But these are not important now. At this moment, Watson continued.
"More than that, aren't you curious about where I went after we parted?"
"Curious, but can you tell?" Lorenzo asked.
Watson is similar to herself, but different at the same time. She also has the power named Gabriel, but she is far more powerful than Lorenzo. On that night of Holy Advent, she [sublimated] far more completely than Lorenzo. In this way, he completely abandoned his weak body and transformed into an invisible will.
She is a ghost, a ghost wandering in the world.
This time Watson didn't mean to tease him, but spoke seriously.
"After I left, I have been familiar with this power. I have eroded a lot of people and occupied many people's bodies. I have peeked into the deepest secrets in their minds. They have nothing to hide from my eyes."
Watson stretched out his hand and looked at his white and slender palm.
"I haven't observed myself for a long time. To be precise, I don't have any fixed form anymore. The way I pretend to be now is just the one I'm most familiar with."
While Watson was talking, her appearance was changing rapidly, with countless faces overlapping, and finally she became Watson's original appearance again.
"This is a... very strange feeling. Have you tried to corrupt others with the power Gabriel?"
Watson pinched her face. Although she had been in this form for a long time, the human part still made her feel uneasy and confused about all this.
Lorenzo nodded as he answered.
"I just eroded a person, invaded his [gap], defeated his will, and peeked into all his secrets."
"How does it feel?" said Watson.
"What do you mean?" Lorenzo didn't know what she was asking.
"It's just...some uncomfortable feeling, feeling like I'm turning into something else, something inhuman."
Watson talked about his troubles and confusion.
"Human beings cannot invade other people's thoughts. In fact, it seems that both of us have become some kind of inhuman monsters.
It's like you were a human yesterday, and today you have become a ferocious wild wolf. You still think you are a human, but you don't have the flexible limbs of humans, and you only have sharp and ferocious fangs. Try You are trying to communicate with humans, but they cannot understand your roar and are afraid of it. "
Watson paused in the middle of her speech, as if she was thinking about how to explain this to Lorenzo.
"You have become a monster, but you still maintain human thinking. The contradiction between the two troubles you..."
"Then do you think you are a human being, or a monster, Watson?"
After hearing this, Lorenzo's expression did not change much.
"I wish I was a human being, but everything that exists is always reminding myself that I have been [sublimated] and become some kind of higher being."
Watson's voice was flat, she no longer felt hungry, she no longer felt pain, she no longer even had a physical body.
Listening to Watson's confession, Lorenzo seemed to think of something, but he didn't say it out loud. There was also a little confusion and entanglement under his gray-blue eyes. Sometimes he didn't know what was right or wrong, just like The lost lamb.
"Have you encountered any residue?" Watson asked again.
“I’ve been tracking down information about [the border], but as we all know, information is blocked and progress is slow, very slow, and sometimes I need to use some means to get to the information I need.
I destroyed many people's [gaps], controlled their bodies, and peeked into their secrets. "
Watson looked a little troubled.
"This is the price of power, Lorenzo. The residue is accumulating more and more, and I can feel it affecting me little by little."
Countless broken souls and countless wills, they are intertwined and mixed together.
"It feels like a split personality."
Watson was a little helpless. This was the price of power. Just like the secret blood, the price of over-reliance on this forbidden power was to become the same vicious monster.
"I'm okay, I haven't accumulated much residue yet, but as long as I continue to chase like this, it will always accumulate."
Lorenzo knew the situation well and continued.
"Me too. In fact, sometimes I also have the illusion that I have changed..."
"changed?"
"As you said, although I think I am a human being, humans always have bad qualities that are difficult to change. My will may be strong, but there will always be moments when it becomes loose."
Lorenzo recalled the feeling of eroding others, the control that dominated everything, as if he were a walking god, the master of the world.
"I feel like I have become cold-blooded and cruel, that kind of extreme coldness.
I feel like I have become a shepherd. The humans in front of me are just lambs in my pasture. They are objects that I can control at will. I can use them to achieve my own goals, but sometimes I am attracted by the human part and the lamb. that part of the bondage.
It's like using human laws and morals to bind a god...or a monster. "
Power is both intoxicating and terrifying.
"This is a test, Watson, far beyond the test of secret blood. I can maintain myself in the erosion, but I am not sure whether I will be addicted to it."
Lorenzo thought for a while and said again.
"I hope I can hold on, I don't want to end up like that."
The cold wind gradually stopped, and the ice field in front of me gradually became clearer, filled with loneliness and cold. In such an empty world, there were only two people on the bench.
"So... what is the Silent One?"
Watson asked suddenly.
"I have been pursuing it for a long time... In fact, I encountered the Silent One before that."
"Where?" Lorenzo became anxious after hearing this.
Judging from the available information, Lorenzo's pursuit of the origin of the demon has fallen into an interesting situation.
He knew very well where the clues were, which were those strange beings called the Silent Ones, and the [Border] guarded by them, but Lorenzo couldn't find them... No, to be precise, Lorenzo didn't dare to look for them. , he knew very well that as long as he crossed the [border], those monsters would appear.
and then?
Can you beat them yourself?What will happen next?Another Advent night?
Lorenzo is very powerful, but sometimes he feels weak. He knows very well that the door to the truth is right in front of him, but he dare not risk everything on it.
"This is the information I want to tell you. Even if you don't call me, I will contact you after a while."
Watson spoke and recalled her previous actions. She returned to her hometown, where she witnessed everything that was extremely strange.
“The new pope.
The new pope was being hunted by the Silent One. At that time, I sneaked into the Temple of Stasis and happened to witness all this. The Silent One appeared out of thin air and tried to kill the new Pope, but ultimately failed. I didn’t understand why this happened at first. , now the clues are much clearer. "
Watson said and looked at Lorenzo with a serious look.
"What does the new pope know? He crossed the [border]. What's even more strange is that he is still alive and survived the attacks of the Silent Ones again and again."
"The new pope... who is he?"
Speaking of the new pope, Lorenzo couldn't help but think of the dead Shermans. He was pious all his life, but finally died angrily. He kept cursing the new pope, treating him as a heretical devil.
"Compared with who he is, the identity of the other guy is actually more interesting."
Watson continued.
"Back to the previous topic, whether Lawrence is really dead."
This incident was linked to Lawrence again, and Lorenzo listened carefully to Watson's every word.
"But rather than me explaining it all in words, it would be better for you to see it with your own eyes, Lorenzo."
Watson suddenly reached out his hand and pressed Lorenzo's head.
"It is true that we are changing, becoming a monster that we can't even explain, but at least, at least from the bottom of my heart, I still think I am a human being."
Lorenzo did not resist and allowed Watson to get closer to him. From the gaps between her fingers, Lorenzo could see her gradually chaotic colors.
"May we all die as human beings."
When he stopped speaking, the entire [Gap] came to a standstill, and the splashed snow dust solidified in the air. Each one reflected the starlight in the night sky, like a condensed gem.
The stagnation terminated, Lorenzo's [Gap] shattered, and a huge crack penetrated the world, engulfing the two on the bench.
The scenes in his field of vision were changing rapidly, until everything turned into deep darkness, and at the end of the darkness were little burning glimmers of light, one memory fragment after another, which was Watson's memory.
Lorenzo was pulled into Watson's [gap], and the next moment he was overwhelmed by the torrent of memories.
No longer describing it through words, Lorenzo seemed to have returned to that time, immersing himself in the battle that took place in the Stasis Temple.
Before he had time to think more, Lorenzo saw the dancing arc, the angel appearing out of thin air, and the new pope wielding a sword in front of the angel.
This is what has happened in the past. Lorenzo felt a strange call. He slowly turned his head and his eyes swept through the dark corners. The darkness was slowly creeping. Lorenzo could see that, That was Watson at the time.
But there are not only these people here, but also another guy.
Lorenzo saw him. The man was covered in blood and his expression was full of panic.
No, it's not him.
Lorenzo understood why Watson wanted him to see this with his own eyes. He could feel Watson's emotions at this moment and everything that happened here.
Under the skin in front of you, there is another soul hidden.
Another Gabriel's soul.
In these long years, people with the power of Gabriel can obtain the so-called eternal life, so where have they gone?Did they really exist?
Could they be here by such a coincidence?
if not...
"...You're not dead, right?"
Lorenzo stretched out his hand and roughly tore open the panicked face in front of him, like shattering a mask, and behind the flesh-and-blood mask was another mask covered in blood.
Lorenzo had seen the mask in the man's memory, the being called the Patriarch.
"Master Lawrence."
……
The pressure caused by the erosion and expansion did not last long. At a long moment, it suddenly collapsed, and the tension in the room finally relaxed.
Eve let out a long sigh. She didn't know exactly what Lorenzo was doing, but judging from his serious look, Lorenzo was not joking this time.
Kestrel finally let down his vigilance slightly. The continuous incidents were causing headaches, and his tense nerves relaxed. He not only felt tired and sleepy.
Thinking back carefully, life has changed so fast these days. A few days ago, he was fishing and chatting with the woman named Gloria. As a result, today the woman was lying in front of him covered in blood. And she is not an ordinary person, Gloria is just her disguise, she is Irene Adler.
Kestrel couldn't figure out whether she was an enemy or a friend, and he felt that the beautiful encounter a few days ago was like a trap, a beautiful lie.
For a moment, he felt angry that he had been teased.
But at this moment, a low groan of pain sounded, and the woman slowly sat up. Her movements were a little slow, probably because of the pain, and she took a breath of air.
Kestrel was stunned, but fortunately he had rich work experience and he reacted instantly. He raised his pistol and pointed it at the woman. Before he could speak, the woman spoke first.
"Mr. Moon?"
Erin asked.
The words came to his lips but he held them back again. Kestrel couldn't figure out how Eileen recognized him. He was obviously hiding in a dark corner.
Kestrel wanted to open his mouth to warn her, saying that she was already under control, and that she would be lenient if she confessed but not lenient.
But before Irene could stand up, she fell down again, rolled over, and knocked her head on the ground, her voice was so crisp.
Kestrel was stunned, and then howled like ghosts and wolves.
"Ship doctor!"
(End of this chapter)