Connie felt herself floating up and down in the darkness, with various scenes flashing through her mind, all warm moments spent with her son Raven.
But suddenly, these warm scenes shattered into countless pieces, leaving behind only one image.
The usually gentle Knight Raven revealed a ferocious and evil countenance, lifting his long sword high and swinging it down towards her mercilesslyâ
Lady Connie abruptly opened her eyes.
Her forehead was drenched in sweat, and she gasped for breath, struggling to calm down from the scene she had just experienced.
âWas it a dream?â whispered Lady Connie softly, but just then, a familiar voice reached her ears: âLady Connie, are you alright now?â
Lady Connie turned her head and saw Alex, dressed in a white priestâs robe, who had appeared beside her at some unknown time.
âAlex, how did youâŠâ Lady Connie began to ask, wanting to ask how he came to be in her house, but as she tried to sit up in bed, she suddenly made a horrifying discoveryâshe seemed to have lost the sensation in her left hand.
As if remembering something, she lifted her arm, now only half its length, and peered at the hollow where her left hand should be. A flood of memories rushed through her mind: the forest in the night and the two men who had chased after her!
âMy left hand, Raven⊠CamelotâŠâ Lady Connie murmured in a daze.
Alex: âLady Connie, can you tell me what happened? Your left hand⊠how did it come to be missing?â
Lady Connie hesitated, then turned back: âCould you help me sit up?â
Alex assisted Lady Connie to sit up in bed, and only then could she look around. She found she was not at home but in a cramped wooden cabin.
The air carried the musty scent of old wood.
âWhere is this place?â Lady Connie asked, somewhat bewildered. She remembered escaping to a cave last night, but after that, she had no memory of anything.
âThis should be a rangerâs cabin, but when I arrived, it had been abandoned for quite some time. Since you had lost a lot of blood and were in a very critical condition, I couldnât bring you back to town immediately and had to treat you here temporarily.â
âHow did you find me?â Lady Connie asked, her gaze filled with hesitation as she looked at Alex. After everything that had happened the previous night, she felt the entire world was filled with strangeness. Even though Alexâs smile was graceful and gentle, she couldnât lower her guard.
Alex spoke with an expression of pity: âLast night, I was reminiscing about some things I had discussed with Knight Raven and was feeling sorrowful. I wanted to talk with Lady Connie, but when I arrived, I found that you were not there.â
âI waited a long time and you didnât return, so I remembered what I told you during the day about Knight Ravenâs last wishes. I guessed that maybe you had gone off to the Holy City overnight. Thinking of the dangers of the night roads, I followed, and after some searching on the mountain, I found Lady Connie in a cave.â
Alex told a clumsy lie, but his tone was so sincere, with an elegiac cadence, like someone reading the Holy Scripture with compassion, leading oneâs thoughts unconsciously.
Furthermore, Lady Connie, having just suffered a huge ordeal, was in no state of mind to consider whether Alex was lying. As long as Alex gave any reason at all, she would rather naively believe him.
âI see⊠When you found me, did you seeâŠâ Lady Connie swallowed hard, her expression suddenly turning to one of terror.
âSee what?â
ââŠMy son Knight Raven, and Miss Camelot,â said Lady Connie, her voice shaking slightly with terror as she uttered these two names.
âDidnât Knight Raven already pass away? Oh, Iâm sorry, I donât mean to reopen old wounds, Iâm just a bit puzzled. And Miss Camelot, she was buried last year⊠Lady Connie, could you be seeing hallucinations?â Alex looked at Lady Connie with confusion in his eyes.
Lady Connie lowered her head, trembling: âI wish it were hallucinations, but my left hand is gone. It means those werenât illusions; they were real! They didnât die, they even tried to kill me! Even my Raven, heâs forgotten me, he tried to kill me⊠sob sob sob.â
âLady Connie, please calm down. You canât afford to be agitated right now. If the newly sewn stitches come undone, that would be bad,â Alex pretended to compromise: âAlright, I believe you.â
Looking at Alex through tear-filled eyes, Lady Connie stammered, âDo you really believe me?â
Alex sighed with a note of helplessness, comforting her as one would a child: âOf course I believe you, but as for the dead coming back to life, Iâm still a bit horrified. Can you tell me what happened last night? Your hand appears to have been chopped by a blade. Who did this?â
By this point, Lady Connie no longer cared whether Alex was just humoring her; she was eager to share her nightmarish ordeal from the previous day to relieve her psychological pressure.
âIt started yesterday afternoonâŠâ Lady Connie rambled on, recounting her departure from Gust Town and her journey towards the Holy City in its entirety.
Alex was already aware of the first half of the story, but he still managed his expressions carefully, showing surprise and sorrow at the appropriate moments.
It wasnât until Lady Connie reached the critical moment, when she was climbing over the mountain to the other sideâtouching the barrierâthat Alex perked up his ears.
âI clearly saw the road ahead, and even the dim outlines of trees, but suddenlyââ Mrs. Connie said with a strange look on her face, âI ran into a wall! There was supposed to be air where the wall appeared, and the road was gone!â
âAt that moment, I thought I might be confused and tried to walk around to the other side to check, but there was no road there either!â
âJust when I was puzzled, where the wall was, suddenly a human figure protruded, a person crawled out from the wall⊠When I saw his face clearly, I realized it was my son, Raven!â
âSeeing Raven alive before me, I was thrilled at first, but in the next second, I found that Raven had drawn his knightâs sword from his waist and was chopping down at me. I instinctively raised my hand to block, and as a result, my left hand justâŠâ Mrs. Connie swallowed hard, her face showing fright.
Mrs. Connie continued to talk about how she ran away and finally escaped⊠However, Alex already knew all about it, even more clearly than Mrs. Connie herself.
When Mrs. Connie finished, she looked at Alex with hopeful eyes, âDo you still believe me now?â
Alex nodded, âI believe you.â
Finally, Mrs. Connie smiled, but as she did, she started crying again, âItâs so good, someone still believes me, I havenât gone mad, those people really appeared.â
Alex stepped forward gently and embraced Mrs. Connie, âI believe you. Relax, the nightmare will end, and everything will be alright.â
Mrs. Connie let out a sigh of relief, leaning on Alexâs shoulder, she whispered, âThank you.â
Angel, hidden on the side, watched this scene of tender warmth, clicking his tongue in his heart: what would Mrs. Connieâs reaction be if she found out that everything had originated from Alex?
But, it would be very difficult for Mrs. Connie to discover, because Alex only subtly incited her with his words, and all the decisions were âpersonallyâ made by Mrs. Connie.
After a while, when Mrs. Connieâs emotions had calmed a bit, Alex finally let go of her and said, âAlthough I believe you, I still donât know why the dead have resuscitatedâŠâ
After attracting Mrs. Connieâs attention, Alex continued, âIf Knight Raven and Camelot have both come back to life, then could all those who died in the past also be resurrected?â
Mrs. Connie was a bit stunned, âI donât know, maybe they really could?â
âIf they could all come back to life, then there must be some hidden secret, and this secret might be hidden in the subterranean currents beneath Gust Town,â Alex said, as if he had remembered something, suddenly looking grave,
âDamn it! It looks like I canât take Mrs. Connie back to the town for now, youâve discovered the secret of âresurrectionâ! If someone has deliberately concealed this secret and has done so for many years, they absolutely wonât let you live to tell about it! Someone will definitely come after you.â
âThat despicable mastermind behind the scenes! What exactly does he want to do? Resurrecting the dead and controlling them to kill, such actions are of demons in the teachings of the Holy Scripture, unforgivable sins!â
âThese people will inevitably be punished by the Father God!â
Alex said to himself in a dramatic speech and then looked toward Mrs. Connie, who was still in shock, âWell, for the time being, Mrs. Connie, you stay here, and I will secretly investigate this matter back in town. As a preacher of Father Godâs teachings, I must find a way to drive this undercurrent out of Gust Town!â
Alexâs passionate words made Mrs. Connie somewhat uneasy: was she truly in danger?
But indeed as Alex had said, she had found out the secret of resurrection. Oftentimes, the more you know, the more dangerous it becomes, and Mrs. Connie understood this.
âAlex is reliable, maybe what he said is right, I canât show my face carelessly for now, or else⊠the consequences are unpredictable!â Mrs. Connie thought to herself.
Angel, listening from the side, marveled at how easily Alex had swayed Mrs. Connie with a few simple words; and he had even turned the secret of the cage into the secret of resurrection, making Mrs. Connie all the more convinced.
This guy, he truly was a born priest, at least in the art of deceiving people, he had mastered it to perfection.
âBut if I stay here alone, wonât it also be unsafe?â Mrs. Connie was a bit fearful of staying there by herself.
âI could stay here with you, but then, I wouldnât be able to go search for the truth,â Alex paused then continued, âMoreover, after hearing what you said earlier, I feel chills down my spine, even Ladyâs own son was brainwashed after being resurrected; I donât even know who to trust anymore, so I donât dare to let someone else secretly take care of you.â
âAlso, since youâre injured, you canât just move about.â Alexâs face showed compassion, âIâm sorry for the inconvenience, Lady, but rest assured, I will come here every day, bringing food and the latest intelligenceâŠâ
After hearing what Alex had said, Mrs. Connie realized this was the only way and nodded, âAlright then, Iâll wait for you.â
âIf⊠if one day I donât show up, it means that I might have beenâŠâ
Mrs. Connie eagerly said, âNo, that wonât happen, you must be careful! My matters can wait, but you need to watch out for your safety.â
Alex nodded solemnly and with a tragic air.
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