Embers of Embers

Chapter 732 Reconciliation
The knocking on the door continued, like dense hail hitting the house, and the crackling sound spread, completely covering all corners.
The boy hid in Watson's arms and trembled. The old man kept his mysterious smile and didn't care about the noise at all, staring straight at the boy. Holmes remained silent. No one knew what he was thinking.
"Do we have any guests coming today?"
The boy asked in a low voice. They had no friends or relatives. The arrival of the old man was the only visitor these days, but now there was a stranger knocking on the door.
Disturbing uninvited guests.
Watson shook her head with a smile, as if she couldn't hear the voice, her expression remained the same as before, comforting the boy.
It seems that all the boy's demands will be rewarded in this cabin. This is his warm dreamland and his indestructible shelter.
The knocking on the door became more and more violent. The person who came sounded a little irritable and angry. He kept banging on the door, causing the whole hut to shake and the earth to shake.
The boy guessed that the visitor had the ability to tear the hut apart, but he seemed to maintain a certain principle, only waiting for the people in the hut to open the door, instead of him violently smashing the door open.
The call became clearer, like a chanting spell, lingering in the room, but the boy still couldn't hear clearly what the voice was saying. Several syllables were clear and powerful, but when they were connected together, they became incomprehensible. appearance.
"He... seems to be looking for you."
Suddenly, Holmes said abruptly, his face expressionless, as if he was wearing a false mask.
"what?"
The boy couldn't believe it, and then Watson said, "Well, it sounds like he's here to find you."
"No... how is it possible!"
The boy's voice became louder. He had no relatives, and his so-called friends were all here. It could be said that the boy's only connection with the world was gathered in this small house. As long as they stayed here, the boy would Completely separated from the world.
Yes, that's it. Everything the boy wants is in this small house. He has no reason to leave here at all. The bustling world has nothing to do with him. He just needs to stay here honestly.
He was thinking this, but there was a faint uneasiness deep in his heart, just as someone wanted to enter this hut. Deep in the boy's soul, he vaguely heard another tired voice, and he wanted to leave. This cabin.
[Open the door. 】
"Do not……"
The boy refused. He looked at the others in fear, but everyone seemed to feel nothing. It was as if reality had been dragged into a nightmare at a certain moment, and the boy himself was the only one awake.
"Do you want to open the door? Your friend may be impatient to wait."
Watson stood up, walked to the door, and asked the boy. There was still a smile on her face, but this smile, in the boy's eyes, was so terrifying at the moment.
For a moment, fear exploded in the boy's heart, and he roared loudly.
"Don't open the door!"
He got up from the bed, moved too much and knocked over the dining table, spilling vegetable soup all over his body, looking embarrassed.
"Don't open that door! Watson!"
Amidst the boy's roar, Watson did not act rashly, or rather, she had been obeying the boy's orders.
"If that's what you want."
Watson nodded, put down his raised hand, and stood aside. Everything was the same as before.
The boy gasped, feeling inexplicably glad in his heart that the door had not been opened and that this dark cabin had not been eroded by darkness.
But he realized something else.
What on earth are you afraid of?After opening the door, what will the uninvited guest bring?
The boy didn't want to continue thinking about it. He was a simple person, and thinking about these things was still a bit too complicated for him. He didn't want much, just to stay here forever, that's all.
There was a stinging pain in his arm. He looked at himself. The vegetable soup he threw spilled all over his body, making his arm red. The ground was a mess. Only then did he realize what he had just done.
"Hold... I'm sorry."
"Nothing, there's plenty more in the kitchen."
Holmes did not scold the boy, but walked to the kitchen with a smile. The hazy mist enveloped him again, and the boy heard the crisp sound of knives and forks.
Soon after, Watson cleared the ground, and Holmes served new delicacies, which smelled just like before.
Everyone was sitting at the dinner table, everyone was smiling. Only the boy looked around and noticed something vaguely abnormal.
Their life is barely maintained, and every ration is very precious. The boy thought that he would be hungry tonight, but he never thought that Holmes could still bring out meals, as if in this hut, the food is Endless, but he understands that reality will not be like this.
But... so what?
As long as I can continue to stay here, what do these abnormalities mean?The boy didn't care, threw away the troubles in his mind, and enjoyed this rare peace.
But at this moment, the old man who had been silent suddenly said.
"Child, are you sure you want to do this?"
The old man repeated his words, which annoyed the boy.
"Your friends are still waiting for you."
"Shut up! My friends are all here! That's good! I'm sure!"
The boy stood up and shouted at the old man. He held the knife and fork tightly as if he was going to slit the old man's throat with it.
The old man was not angry about this, but the smile on his face gradually dissipated. The withered wrinkles carried the breath of time. He was like a lion in his twilight years. Although he was twilight, he was still a lion, exuding a sense of solemnity. The boy froze in place.
"Child, childhood is short, you will eventually grow up."
The old man said quietly, his voice seemed to penetrate life and death, present and past.
"You need to get out of this room."
"No, all my friends are here. The outside world is meaningless to me and has no connection at all!"
The boy retorted.
He also knew the price of a new life, and he made a choice for it.
The old man laughed hoarsely and shook his head helplessly.
"Child, I hope you know that in your life, there will not only be beautiful things, but also cruelty and sadness. You will be accompanied by friends, but you will eventually say goodbye and be alone."
"Then let it last forever! I've got it!"
The boy resisted. He had realized the weirdness of the current situation, but like a deceived person who deceived himself, he was willing to believe it at this moment, even if it was an exquisite lie.
"Unfortunately, nothing in this world is eternal. Mountains and rivers will collapse, oceans of water will dry up, and even the blazing sun will eventually fade away."
The old man continued.
"No!"
The boy tried not to listen. He looked at Holmes and Watson. Obviously nothing happened, but there was a lingering fear lingering in his heart. "I will never lose my friends again." , they have not abandoned me, then I will not abandon them."
"But you have to try to accept reality eventually, don't you?"
At this time, Holmes also spoke. As if he knew something, his smile became complicated and he spoke softly to the boy.
"You know."
"I... what do I know?"
The boy muttered to himself in confusion, and at the same time, the voice coming from the bottom of his heart became louder and louder.
A feeling of nausea came to his heart, and the boy retched in pain, as if something was crawling out of his body, from the depths of darkness, from the depths of his soul.
"You know, you just don't want to admit it. The process of accepting reality is cruel and painful, but you have to return to reality after all, rather than sinking into this dream."
Holmes came over and reached out to the boy, trying to pull him up, but the boy shook his hand and opened his helping hand.
"no no……"
The boy kept repeating, his voice hoarse, like a beast at the end of its rope.
He could hear something collapsing, this beautiful world collapsing, and the boy didn't want this.
"You know, kid, don't be afraid, just try to accept it."
The old man stood up at this time. He came to the boy's side, squatted down, and gently stroked his back. He was like a kind elder, guiding him.
"Speak out, tell that story."
The boy's eyes were red, and fear gradually captured his heart completely, but at this moment another warm hand fell, and Watson came close to him, rubbing his face affectionately.
"Speak out, tell the truth."
"me……"
"It's difficult to make peace with yourself, but difficulties will eventually be overcome."
As the old man said, he took the boy's hand, and the rough skin scratched, causing a slight tingling pain.
The boy's eyes widened, and after breathing a little hurriedly, he huddled himself into a ball. It was as if the wind could easily blow him down in such a small ball.
After a moment of silence, he said.
"You are dead, you are all dead, I know it."
Along with the words, the boy heard something cracking inside his heart, and light seeped out from the darkness, stinging him so much that he couldn't open his eyes.
This is a fact that the boy does not want to admit. He knows all this, but he still stubbornly forgets it and treats it as if it does not exist. Everything is beautiful, no one will die, and everyone will live forever in this moment of eternity. .
But this is illusory after all. No one can stay immersed in pain. People always need to step out and move towards the future.
"It's hard at first, but you get over it and adapt, and you start a new life, new friends, a new world."
Holmes said, encouraging the boy.
"Your friend is waiting for you."
For a moment, the rapid knocking on the door disappeared, and the room became eerily quiet, leaving only the sound of the boy's breathing.
He stood up slowly and moved his steps. This seemed to take a lot of strength from him, and every step seemed extremely difficult.
He could hear whispers in his ears, and someone was asking him, could he really give up such a life?They doubted themselves and scolded themselves. They said that the boy should stay here according to his own wishes.
The boy wanted to give up several times, but when he finally saw the figure behind him, he continued to move forward until he held the doorknob tightly.
The man twisted with all his strength, as if pushing away a world.
"How slow, Lorenzo."
The illusory ghost stood in the dark world. She looked at the tired figure in front of her, with only numbness on her bad face.
"It's hard to make peace with yourself, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's hard."
Lorenzo sighed. He didn't dare to look back and see everything in the house. He was afraid that once he looked back, he would be completely trapped in it and never be able to get out.
"Is this the hallucination of the Unspeakable? It is terrible."
"Not entirely. The erosion is just stimulating the dark side in your heart. You can say it's an illusion, or you can say it's what you really want." Ghost replied.
"Do you really want it? So what I want in my heart is something like this?"
Lorenzo said to himself, and then laughed.
"I always thought I walked out of that night, but I ended up lingering in it?"
"Maybe, the nightmare has been following you, but I think you are free now."
The ghost said that she has been watching Lorenzo and feeling what he feels, so she may be the only person who can fully empathize with Lorenzo and know his joys and sorrows.
"so good……"
he sighed.
As long as he looks back, Lorenzo can get what he wants and sink into the almost eternal beauty. But once he steps forward and walks out of the hut, he will never come back here again. All that awaits him is endless regret.
But he still had to leave. They were right. He already had a new life. His new friends had not abandoned him. Lorenzo could not abandon those new friends and sink here.
In Old Dunling, in Cork Street, he still had many friends waiting for him, waiting for his triumphant return.
He felt very light, as if he had lost all his weight.
After many years, Lorenzo Holmes finally walked out of the shadow in his heart and left that burning night.
"Come on, Watson, we have a battle to fight."
Lorenzo said, but just as he was about to leave, there was a sound in the room.
"Are you leaving? 042."
Looking back, 047, 016, and Lorenzo Medici stood together. Everyone was smiling, just like relatives and friends coming to say goodbye at a funeral, but this funeral was not considered sad.
"Yeah, it's time to go."
Lorenzo answered, his voice very relaxed, as if this was just a walk, and he would come back here when he was tired. As for when, no one knew, not even him.
"So……"
047 wanted to say something, but after a moment of hesitation, he seemed to have made up his mind, smiled, and said to Lorenzo.
"Don't go gentle into that good night."
Lorenzo was stunned, his eyes trembling a little, but he quickly controlled his emotions and showed the same smile.
"Ah."
Turn around and walk into the long night.
(End of this chapter)