525 Loneliness

The noise came from a distance.

When the noise arrived, after spreading across several streets and corners, it became a tiny ripple. Everything was quiet.

Having experienced the chaos and turbulence of the attack by Hyakume, the city had just restored its stability and re-established order with a lot of effort. Everyone was busy rebuilding the city and restoring production and work.

Hardly anyone could be seen on such a desolate and silent alleyway, let alone in the antique store there.

In the afternoon, a light snow fell again. A thin layer of snow covered the blood, the dead, and those empty pupils like a shroud. People had just forgotten the catastrophe had ever happened and continued their own lives.

In the early evening, a rare guest came to the alleyway and the old antique store.

Someone pushed in, knocked on the counter, and waited patiently.

Behind the counter, Hermes was writing on the desk. He waved to the guest without looking. "Our shop is going to shut down for a while. If you want to buy something, please wait and come after this period."

The comer stood by the fireplace and smiled. Then, he took off his thermal hat and revealed his silver hair.

"I don't want to buy anything," he said. "I'm looking for someone."

He was an old man who took good care of himself, his silver hair combed behind his head tidily. His voice was slow and sturdy without anxiety.

Although he had walked all the way here, there was no snow on him nor water marking his black cloak.

"Oh, it's you."

Hermes was shocked at hearing the voice. He looked up, raised his eyebrows, and said with his usual mockery of a smile, "Mr. Bai Heng, your highness, long time no see."

"Long time no see, Hermes." Bai Heng nodded, and pointed to his wine rack. "Can you offer me a drink? I see a lot of good wine there."

"Enjoy yourself." Hermes shook his head: "You are worthy of them."

Hearing that, Bai Heng picked a bottle from the rack, wipe the dust off with his hands, and opened it skillfully. He poured a glass for himself, and placed another one in front of Hermes.

Hermes picked up the glass and glanced at him. "You came to the Sacred City quietly at this juncture. Aren't you afraid that the pope will guess your motivation, or the relationship between you and me?"

"For me, there is only one pope, and he's not in the Sacred City." Bai Heng took a sip and put the glass down. "Although it's not the right time now, I still have to deal with the things that have dragged on for too long. The dispute between you and Tung Wang Kung should be settled."

"Got it." Hermes nodded and suddenly asked, "Can I resist?"

"As you like." Bai Heng threw up his hands. "As you can see, although I belonged to the Bai Family, I have never been cultivated as a musician since I was born. So I am just a rhythm controller. Killing me would be easy."

"I am very glad to hear that, but why are there still two people standing outside the door?"

"Just in case," Bai Heng answered indifferently.

In the following silence, Hermes turned the pen between his fingertips to Bai Heng, with the tip aiming at his throat intentionally or unintentionally. After a long time, he put the pen down and sighed.

"Forget it, it's too troublesome." Hermes looked up and asked, "Are you in a hurry?"

Bai Heng thought for a moment and replied, "Although the schedule is tight, I still have two hours for this."

"Then await me for a while."

Hermes picked up the pen again, looked at the notebook on the desk and whispered, "It's almost done."

-

-

When Bai Xi came back from the intensive care unit of the Silence Governance, it was already after dusk.

The chorale musician told her that Ye Qingxuan was in good condition, the aether fluctuations tended to be stable, and he was going to revive someday in the near future, which made her feel much better.

The massive attack by Hyakume a few days ago was called the "Night of Forever Darkness." Under the wise leadership of the Imperial Palace, humans counterattacked very hard and finally defeated this evil god, which was a great triumph. As a result, the support rate of the new pope, Ludovic, increased rapidly.

When the event happened, Ye Qingxuan stepped out and not only repaired the enchantment of the Sacred City and prevented the Sacred City from being destroyed by demons, but also rendered aid to many of the city's people. Therefore, he was cleared of suspicion, and highly praised by the pope.

Even though the current situation was still uneasy, and the war between all the countries and the heaven catastrophes was not yet ended, Ye Qingxuan's name still spread throughout the whole world.

He was so well-known that only Gaius could be compared with his rise to power. So, it was just a matter of time before he took up an important position in the Sacred City.

Even in the ward, there were greetings from the important institutions of the Sacred City. The cardinal made a special visit. Even the King of Red made a secret visit while Ye Qingxuan was still in a coma, awarded him the "Sacred Medal" to prove his impeccable character, and left a Bai Xi robe for him.

The ecclesiastical robe of the Archbishop.

That was a hint.

If Ye Qingxuan was willing to take that on when he woke up, he would be the youngest bishop in the Order's history. There would be no problems at all for him to work for any factions or take a place in the key departments of the Sacred City. He would definitely have a great future and rise all the way.

Therefore, the chorale doctor in charge of treatment was too hospitable, coming in and checking on Ye Qingxuan every three minutes, which annoyed Bai Xi very much.

Bai Xi hadn't had a good rest for a long time, and she fell asleep in the carriage on the way home after Ye Qingxuan's physical condition had stabilized.

When the coachman woke her, she only remembered that she had a nightmare.

But she couldn't remember what happened in the nightmare.

It seemed that some terrible things happened in a place that she never noticed, and destroyed something that belonged to her quietly. When she looked back unintentionally, she saw a scene of devastation.

It was too late to do anything.

She stood in the alleyway with anxiety.

The snow fell on her body, melted into water droplets, and infiltrated through her collar as if the coldness had sunk into her bone marrow.

She shook her head and stopped thinking, speeding up to the door under the light. Through the door, she felt the temperature of the fireplace, so the panic in her heart was slightly calmed down.

The soft light seemed to free her from the gloom.

She pushed the door open and saw the blood.

The dripping blood flowed out through the door slot, down the steps, and into the snow.

In front of the fireplace behind the door, Hermes was sitting in a chair by the warm flames. He seemed to be asleep with his eyes downcast. The wine glass had fallen to the ground from his hand, and the wine had already dried up on the floor under the baking of the fire.

The scarlet blood dribbled out through the slit in his shirt, fell on his body and the ground, then ran in a stream towards the door.

Bai Xi was shocked.

"Hermes?"

She stepped on the sticky blood and moved forward, bending down and touching his cheek carefully. He lifted his heavy eyelids, but it seemed that he couldn't see things clearly, so he squinted his eyes to see the blurry girl in front of him.

"It's you, Bai Xi." He laughed. "You're back?"

"Hermes, you...you..."

"It's no big deal, I'm just dying."

Hermes looked at the blood on his chest, and shook his head tiredly. "In every sense, I'm a man of failure. I speak bad things and have offended a lot of people. I haven't done anything good. There are many reasons for me to die. Fortunately, the debt I owed was paid off..."

Bai Xi only felt that her consciousness was solidified.

A dark fault appeared in her consciousness, engulfing all her thoughts.

Is Hermes going to die?

Hermes and death were the two words that would never be linked.

This heartless, vicious bastard always looked at the world indifferently. Even when the world was about to be destroyed, he only guaranteed his own safety. Even if all humanity died, he would never even consider offering a hand.

For such a long time, the son of a bitch has been staying out of sight and watching others perform on the stage, and he just laughed and applauded.

As if he could do that for another several decades, or several hundred years...

But now, he was going to die.

Some sort of icy pain spread in Bai Xi's lungs, making her breathless.

"How can you die?"

Bai Xi looked at his blood and whispered blankly. Suddenly she felt an inexplicable anger, grabbed him, and shook him fiercely. "Why, why do you have to die now! Bastard! You get yourself up right now! Are you just kidding me again? Where is your blood pack?..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Under the torn-up clothes of Hermes was a broken heart.

She was shocked.

Hermes sighed and took her hand away, trying hard to cover his chest again.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to die," he whispered. "It's true this time, I didn't lie."

Looking down at the blood on her hands, Bai Xi couldn't help choking:

"There is some other way to save you, isn't there?"

Hermes smiled and shook his head.

"Don't even try to fool me! Don't you always have a way out? You must save yourself first!" Bai Xi raised her voice as if she was angry, but she couldn't help but cry, "You say something! Who, who should I ask for help! I do not know what to do!"

"You cry too lowly. I can't hear you. Make it louder." Hermes sighed. "It's good to have someone crying for me when I die. But there's only one little girl who has an ugly crying look. So forget it..."

"Hey, don't cry, Bai Xi, look up."

He reached out slowly, squeezed the girl's face, looked at her eyes with his shattered ones, and told her, "You are the only disciple of the great Hermes. You don't need to lower your head, no matter who died in front of you."

"But I... But what should I do afterwards?"

"It's your problem. I've taught you so much and I can't always help you with everything, right?" Hermes breathed hard and said with a hoarse voice, "Let me leave my last words for you while I still have some energy to talk."

He said, "After my death, you can get all the things that I have been hoarding for years. There is also a gift outside. I hope you will like it. However, remember to take it to Ye Qingxuan for me."

He looked at the red notebook on the table, its cover stained with blood. "The thing with Auschwitz. I owe him," he said. "I'll make up to him."

"Okay."

Bai Xi nodded hard.

Hermes smiled with a sense of relief, feeling delighted like a child, even when he was facing death. He just waved and beckoned Bai Xi to come closer.

Even closer.

She leaned on his shoulder, sitting beside him, and holding his hand.

In that way he calmed down, stopped smiling, and there was no longer pain in his eyes.

Just like a child who was going to sleep, he would no longer fear the monsters in the darkness, and rest deeply while someone was around.

"Bai Xi, have you ever had dreams?" he whispered, as if he was talking in his sleep.

"Yes, I have."

"It feels good to dream; just like that the soul is freed."

"Yes." Bai Xi nodded and resisted the urge to cry.

"I love people, Bai Xi," he said. "I like you guys... I like the way you lie and the tears when you are betrayed… very beautiful..."

"Bai Xi, I'm a little cold. Can you hug me?"

Bai Xi held him in her arms with all her strength, as if she could keep his breath there, and he wouldn't be gone.

"Bai Xi, it's so quiet." He took Bai Xi's hands, and asked humbly, "Could you please cry for me?"

Bai Xi nodded hard, chocking with sobs.

The tears fell on Hermes's face, diluting the blood like a pink makeup against his pale face.

His eyes were open, staring at the ceiling as if he was looking at the long-gone past and places far away.

So he whispered the names of some people, brokenly and fuzzily. It was like a long trip to pass his friends by, one after another.

In the end, the long journey on earth was ended.

He put down his luggage, relieved, and pushed the final door open.

He went home.

"Don't wear a sad face, Setton." He smiled and embraced the phantom in his memory. "Smile, I'm back."

"Welcome back, master."

Bai Xi touched his cheeks, and whispered softly as her tears fell. Feeling that the last heat had left her fingertips, she could no longer resist the sadness in her chest.

Farewell, master.

-

-

The snow drifted down from the sky.

Bai Heng sat on the steps, smoking silently. He heard a plaintive whine from the corner not far away. After a long time, he got up and walked over, pushing a handful of hay with his hand.

In the thin snow, the body of the female cat had become stiff already.

A live kitten cried, sucking on dried breast of the female cat. Bai Heng put out the cigarette, took the kitten into his arms, and returned to the steps.

"Jiu Ying, do you like cats?" He whispered, caressing the kitten's fluff carefully.

In the light, a shadow of a burly follower shook his head. "Never."

"It's normal." Bai Heng nodded. "You guys are always thinking about killing and fighting. You never feel lonely or weak. Only lonely people like cats. When they stay with cats, they feel that they are not alone. I liked cats too, when I was young."

Jiu Ying was silent for a long time and asked, "What about now?"

Bai Heng laughed, and handed the kitten to Jiu Ying without answering. "Take good care of it for me. I rarely come to the Sacred City, so this is the gift for my princess. It's isolated in the palace, I have to find a playmate for her."

Jiu Ying took it, and lowered his head.

In the silence, Bai Heng stood up and watched the drifting snow, whispering, "The girl that Hermes asked me to take care of, is her name Bai Xi?"

"Yes." Jiu Ying nodded.

"She's a good girl," Bai Heng said. "Yunlou Qingshu is such a crap that he's not worthy of her. You tell her that she will be my daughter from tomorrow on. After I die, she will be the sole successor of the Bai Family."

"What if she doesn't want to?"

"She will," Bai Heng said emotionlessly. "She may hate me or fear me. However, only by being with me will she have the opportunity to kill me, right? You have to be careful, cats scratch people."

Jiu Ying twitched his fingers, and was shocked to see that the struggling kitten had left scratches on his fingertips. His expression suddenly became awkward.

"Give it to me."

Bai Heng sighed, and took the kitten from his hands, gently and softly. He scratched its chin with his little finger, and the kitten stopped struggling, closed its eyes, and slept in his arms peacefully.

Jiu Ying went away.

Only Bai Heng stood in the silent snowfall, holding the kitten and looking into the distance in silence.

"It's just lonely," he whispered.