Chapter Seven: Awakening and Conspiracy
The morning air in the countryside is truly intoxicating, and with the chirping of birds and insects, it's hard to feel bad.
It was even more unimaginable that such a peaceful morning was on the eve of war.
Peso stretched out his right arm as hard as he could, but it was still a bit difficult for him to move.
No wonder she is so proud of her medical skills.
"The blood vessels, muscles, and nerves are all 100% sutured, but it will take a few days to get used to moving as freely as before."
The Oni Princess's attention wasn't on his arm, but rather she was intently listening to something while lying on the ground.
Is war about to break out?
"Yes, the human army is stationed about 20 miles away as an advance force. The nearby civilians have been dispersed. This place is probably considered deserted because of yesterday's events, so the army hasn't come over." She cautiously judged based on the sounds she heard.
"And then what do you plan to do?" Peso asked hesitantly.
This was all orchestrated by King Noah, wasn't it? Even though he saved him, even though he... that doesn't mean he won't continue the slaughter...
"I will follow the king—and observe from the sidelines," the Ghost Princess replied succinctly.
The implication is that whatever Noah or the others did, the king has no right to it. Is that clear enough? Wouldn't that prevent the other king from making things difficult for him? At least, she doesn't want to see the king looking so wronged after doing something wrong again.
Moreover, this was the king's order.
...
Another dimension —
After hundreds of years of transformation, the people of this world have become so powerful that they are almost omnipotent... but there is still one place that people fear and dare not approach.
—The Forest of Gods' Tears.
Legend has it that when God created this second world, he was deeply conflicted, even confused and unable to see his own heart clearly. He cried for three days and three nights in this forest... Whether it's a legend or not, this place is indeed very eerie and terrifying. Just by passing by, you can hear the weeping that goes on day after day. And when you're still some distance from the forest, you'll find your shadow getting fainter and fainter...
Therefore... no one dares to come to this place... it's ominous... it will bring divine punishment...
Although there are exceptions, there was one twenty-two years ago, when two men, known as "Kings," were said to have shared the body and power of the creator god and were born to fight each other... They even defied the god's will and eloped into this forest in love... But in the end, despite their desperate struggle, they could not escape divine punishment...
Therefore, this place is also known as the "Forest of Divine Punishment".
At this moment, deep within the dark and eerie forest, the silhouettes of two women were revealed.
The colossal python, its jaws agape, lunged at the slender, graceful woman. The woman didn't even raise her eyes; she simply waved her sleeve. The python appeared to have submitted at her feet. Upon closer inspection, however, it was nothing more than a snakeskin.
Almost simultaneously, several man-eating vines dripping with slime entangled the petite figure still clutching the rag doll, and she slowly stroked them... In the blink of an eye, the vines withered and turned into the soil.
"Only you would choose such a awful place to meet!" Mo Yin stood there gracefully with her arms crossed. "Your clothes are all dirty."
“What does it matter if the clothes are dirty? Nobody’s going to appreciate them anyway,” Elsa mimicked her tone.
Mo Yin was taken aback; no one appreciated it… that was something the two of them had in common. This little girl was utterly unlikable when she wasn't trying to be cute.
"Hmph, we're not the same. My man is my husband, and he'll come back to me sooner or later. It's completely different from some people falling in love with their own brother... that kind of agonizing, endless incestuous love."
Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley still held its chin high with arrogance.
"Oh? Is that so? Isn't your husband having the most immoral love affair? Husband... it's all wishful thinking, isn't it?" Elsa sneered, not to be outdone. "Husband or brother, without love... you have nothing."
"You invited my greatest enemy here just to say this? Or are you trying to beg for mercy?" Having been hit where it hurt, Mo Yin didn't want to engage in any more pointless banter.
"Hey, we're not just enemies, are we?"
"Ha, you're not referring to that, are you... those two men shared the body and power of the god... while we shared the mind and consciousness of the god. So-called diviners—are merely using their own bodies at specific times to allow the god's consciousness to be released—we two share one heart!"
"Don't spell it out so clearly, I don't like that way of putting it. I don't want anyone to know that I'm a body without a heart."
"I dislike it even more, and I don't admit that I have no heart. At least I know how to love, right? So this is a secret between the two of us."
"Hey, why did you call me to this place filled with painful memories and talk to me about this? What do you want to do?" Mo Yin suddenly noticed that Elsa was acting strangely.
"I'd like to collaborate with you—" Elsa said calmly.
"Cooperation? Natural enemies can cooperate?"
"Natural enemies can't cooperate, but what if we're not natural enemies? What if we were just misunderstanding things from the beginning? Or what if—we were tricked by that wicked god? What should we do then?"
Elsa spoke each word with conviction, and even Mo Yin turned pale upon hearing it.
Mo Yin hesitated, not responding. Elsa wasn't in a hurry either, just waiting for her, because she would eventually do something... and this was indeed a question worth pondering.
Despite being diviners, with the soul of a god watching everything unfold within them... she still dared to utter such words. She was clearly doing it on purpose. What did this mean? It was undoubtedly a blatant declaration of war against the gods!
She suddenly remembered a scene that had happened here twenty-two years ago. No, actually, she had never forgotten it, she just had never dared to think about it... Back then, that man had also questioned God in the same way...
Mo Yin shuddered at the thought.
The Forest of Divine Punishment... is really not a good place... It seems there's some hidden meaning behind choosing to meet here.
But... judging from Elsa's confident demeanor, did she already know beforehand that I wouldn't refuse? This little girl is really hard to deal with!
"What do you want me to do?" Mo Yin's face did not show whether he agreed or not.
"I have a suggestion—let's play a game and gamble with our great God!"
"How do we gamble?" Mo Yin had a terrifying premonition, yet for some reason, he couldn't stop himself from doing so.
"Does asking this mean you're agreeing?"
She gave a dry laugh, neither denying it nor denying it.
Elsa understood immediately.
"In this gamble, you and I are both allies and enemies, as are the men we love. We are both obedient and rebellious towards my God. The struggle between this Second World and God, the question of who will live and who will die between Noah and Nobhasoras, the love and debt between the two of us and those two men... all will be settled in this gamble—and there is only one chance..."
...
On the grass, beneath the ancient trees, where the scent of earth faintly lingers—
Huan turned to her side and rested her head on Heng's shoulder. Her eyes were slightly closed, as if she were enjoying it.
"I'm sorry, I promised to go hiking with you, and now look what happened." Heng stroked his hair, his eyes full of affection.
Although it wasn't a big deal... he still felt resentful for not keeping his promise to Huan. And, more importantly, because of his negligence, Huan was injured and almost kidnapped...
"What does it matter? Isn't it fine as it is now?" Huan certainly didn't mind at all.
Bisochina was seriously injured, and her strength had not fully recovered. Although she couldn't climb the mountain, sitting near the village like this, watching the wisps of smoke rising from the fire where Bisochina was cooking, and thinking that she was right beside them, especially since... her body could still be relied upon... her Heng was still there, it was a very beautiful feeling.
Seeing that Heng remained silent with his eyebrows still slightly furrowed, he knew what Heng was thinking.
Huan adjusted his posture slightly, allowing him to get closer to Heng's face. Then, he reached out and solemnly cupped Heng's face in his hands—
"Heng, how should I put it? Although I know I'm deeply in love with you too, I think it might not be enough, perhaps not as much as the love you've given me. At least, I still don't understand those inexplicable things about past lives that you used to talk about… But there's something I need you to know: I'm not weak! Protecting me is one aspect of the love you've given me, but it's not your responsibility. As for me, I don't want to cause you trouble, I don't want to be a burden to you—that's one aspect of my love for you! So, you don't need to worry about what happened this time. It wasn't caused by your carelessness; the fault lies entirely with us!"
Yes! I am not weak!
I never thought of myself as a weak person before!
After being inexplicably drawn into all of this, he was momentarily lost... because he seemed more vulnerable than anyone else. But—
When he personally witnessed the tragedy caused by him, and saw the innocent people who died because of him, to be honest, he was so scared that his body wouldn't obey him... But, he used his body, which wouldn't obey him, to raise a knife and put it to his own neck!
It was then that he realized he was not weak, never had been! Because—no matter what, he would not bow down to fate!
Seeing how desperately Bisso and China fought for him, even at the cost of their own lives, he decided to stand up with dignity and, no matter how much he could do, live up to the expectations of these partners who defended his honor!
Seeing Heng not only tirelessly running around for him but also deeply blaming himself, he finally understood his own heart—he loved this person deeply, and seeing him sad was like a knife to his heart. No matter how short their acquaintance was, this bond between them was unbreakable. Therefore, he didn't want to be a burden to him, didn't want him to worry about him all the time, and desperately tried to be strong—this was his way of loving him!
Heng looked at him with surprise, his face serious.
Confirming...
To determine... whether these words truly came solely from the mouth of this human man named Tamaki.
He vaguely saw a radiance shining from him, a radiance that belonged to the man with the heart of a savior twenty-two years ago…
However, he clearly hadn't remembered anything yet.
But... it's the same person's soul... that kind of sacred soul... so even if it has nothing... it can still shine with such brilliant light.
...the manifestation of love...
……responsibility……
"Okay, I understand. Don't worry about me." He gently placed his hand over Huan's hand.
You're wrong. Protecting you is not only an expression of my love for you, but also a responsibility I must bear! Looking into those eyes that shine like stars, Heng told himself.
A violent tremor interrupted this tender moment!
She lost her balance and fell into his arms.
"Damn it! Has the war started ahead of schedule?" he muttered subconsciously, hugging himself tightly.
War?
War!
A jolt ran through the ring.
What does it mean to declare war?
I remember back in the Nobisola mountain resort... Peso seemed to have mentioned... that this was their original reason for coming to this country!
Oh no! I completely forgot!
War breaks out... in the oil fields...
Heng carried him and ran quickly toward their house to meet up!
Looking up at Heng's face, Huan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
Is the wheel of fortune about to turn faster?
...
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