High Above

The rainbow-colored streamer flickered on the top of the Tantan Cliff, as if it occupied the entire sky.

Slowly recovering the ability to think, when the boy's eyelashes moved slightly and the halo of spiritual energy in his eyes brightened again, what he saw was Hilliard's face and the rainbow light filling the top of the cliff of sighing.

"what happened?"

Ian struggled to speak, but felt that his body was not as heavy as he imagined: "I remember... I won?"

"Um."

Sitting on the rock, the old knight nodded with a smile. He replied calmly, "You did win—but is it really worth it to ruin your body?"

"Hahaha, look at what you said, teacher."

Heaved a sigh of relief, Ian laughed. He tried to stand up straight, but found that the arm on his side was still very sore, and he had a feeling of numbness that he couldn't control his body after drinking, so he had to give up: "We are all still alive. Is it worth it?"

"A brat who is not afraid of death..."

Hilliard snorted, and said with a serious face: "Listen, Ian. I have removed most of the toxins in your body, but because of the impact of the thunder and the nuclear toxin of soma wine, your body will still be damaged. left extremely serious sequelae.”

"You will lose many senses in the physical body, including most of the sense of smell, taste, and the ability to perceive pain. This is almost irreversible. It can only be cured after you reshape the phase neural network in the future."

"Really?" Hearing these words, even Ian, who was still smiling just now, froze for a moment.

But soon, he continued to smile indifferently: "Although it's a pity, I'm really looking forward to it... There are still many flavors in this world that I don't know, and I haven't tried."

"We're saying goodbye for now, but the longer we wait, the more interesting it will be to taste later."

"...Everything is interesting, you kid, you are too optimistic."

He was stunned for a moment by his disciple's answer, and Hilliard laughed.

But he immediately turned serious: "I have cured these sequelae for you just now. At most, you will feel a little tasteless within a month or two."

The old knight said softly: "Look at your chest."

Ian bowed his head.

Immediately afterwards, he saw a wound on his chest that was slowly healing.

Relying on the young man's knowledge of the human body, he could judge that the wound had cut open his flesh and blood, and felt it carefully, it seemed that even the bone plates had been pried open and closed by ingenious techniques.

Inside the wound, there is a light golden mist shining.

"What's this?"

Blinking in surprise, Ian looked up at the old knight.

He wanted to ask Hilliard what kind of high-level secret medicine he had placed in his body. Would it be okay to eat this kind of thing by himself? He has no sense of taste, and it’s not a big deal if he can’t smell the fragrance. Teachers who make things look worse use them first.

But a flash of lightning pierced the dark night, making him stare blankly at the huge wound on his teacher's chest and abdomen.

That was a huge wound that could be called 'disemboweling'...

But the strange thing is that there are no internal organs in Hilliard's abdomen, only a group of gray-white substances like stones.

More than that.

From Hilliard's legs up to his chest, gray and white marks spread all the way.

Stripped of all color and magic, the old knight's body is gradually turning into the most ordinary rock...a lifeless stone.

"what happened?!"

Standing up - Ian seemed to break free from all the pain and restraints on his body in an instant, and stared at Hilliard who was smiling lightly in shock.

Then, he bent down at the fastest speed, wanting to touch the huge wound: "What happened... Teacher, are you... Could it be..."

Even with Ian's keenness and wisdom, he didn't figure out what was going on in the first place.

Or maybe not wanting to figure it out.

The young man touched those gray-white rock substances. They are stones, but they are not hard. It seems that they will be completely shattered and turned into dust with just a little force, so that Ian subconsciously withdraws his hand, not daring to touch any more.

He panicked completely.

"Calm down... Ian, calm down. Haha, you are actually much calmer and more sensible than me. That's probably the last thing I need to tell you."

Compared with Ian's panic, Hilliard stared at the gray and white marks that were still spreading on his body indifferently: "Even if you were not dead, you would lose your sense of touch, taste and smell due to excessive toxins. Excessive toxins make you The internal organs are failing, and the brain is also filled with various impurities, and it is very likely to become a fool whose thinking is frozen."

"A mind like yours shouldn't end up like this. I firmly believe that your wisdom can change the world."

"So, I gave you my core, and used my last source quality to expel most of the toxins for you."

"Why did you go back?"

Without any hesitation, Ian supported the teacher and leaned against the rock, and his tone resolutely did not allow any doubts: "My toxins have almost been removed."

"Tell me how to return it."

Hilliard stared at Ian with a strange look. He seemed to want to laugh, but his eyes penetrated Ian, as if staring at someone very far away.

"I'm dying."

The old knight's tone carried a kind of regret or relief, extremely contradictory and extremely complicated emotions, and the rocky gray-white traces had already crossed the abdomen and climbed towards the chest.

He said softly: "This is the ashes of the ice hell, the poison that will turn everything that sets the target into ashes - probably because my life is too hard, even it can only slowly turn me into a rock , causing me to linger on for a while.”

"My death is inevitable. If that's the case, let me save your life with my last sublimated organ."

Hilliard turned his head, looked at Ian, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, my student, this is equivalent to the fact that you have the fifth-level ancient dragon material from the very beginning! Back then, I was fighting against the army led by my king. It took dozens of mountains to collapse to get it done, you were lucky to pick one up for nothing, haha..."

Noticing that Ian didn't care about this at all, the young man just stared at himself blankly, and he said patiently: "Don't worry, Ian, I was going to die. Without Wiggs, I probably wouldn't survive this winter." ... at the latest, at the latest, next winter."

Gray-white traces have begun to spread to the entire chest, forming a spider web-like trace.

At this moment, Hilliard raised his hand and grabbed Ian's hand. The boy felt the teacher's astonishing strength: "After I die, send my body to the South China Sea...I will watch there...always watch."

Ian and Hilliard looked at each other, and the old knight said in a deep voice, "Promise me."

"Son, don't be sad."

"I promise you……"

Ian replied blankly: "But I still don't want you to die...how can I not be sad?"

"Teacher, I really want to cry, I know I should cry at this time, but I can't cry, I have no tears..."

The young man tightly held his teacher's hand. He didn't cry, but the psychic light in his eyes was shining.

He wanted to see the trajectory of the future, but there was only a piece of black ash on Hilliard's body.

All light is dimming, and the knight in the vision is dead.

He simply continues to exist in the dead body with a will detached from the material world.

This is a more desperate hesitation than despair. Ian can only endure, enduring this unspeakable grief: "Teacher, I can only feel a sense of silence and emptiness, a heavy feeling."

"I... I can't describe the emptiness..."

"Yes. That's what you are."

But Hilliard raised his hand and stroked the boy's head in relief: "You are a strange child, an abnormal child, a child different from other children, a child who is hesitant and curious."

"I...I thought of a person, he is the same person as you, a guy who can never be really happy unrestrainedly, nor can he be really sad and sad happily."

He smiled weakly, moved his eyes upwards, and stared at the dark sky.

Hilliard, who was already a little distracted, seemed to be communicating with Ian, and seemed to be communicating with a close friend in the distant past: "What can fill the void in your hearts? Even this world?"

"That's why... you want to go to the sky?"

Hilliard paused for a while, as if gathering strength.

Then, the old man said with a clear and consistent voice: "I am Hilliard Lexi, the thirty-ninth emperor of the Setar Empire, the knight of the pioneer Inaiga the Great."

"I am also the highest-level wanted criminal and traitor in the Setar Empire—I am the last legacy of the 'Black Tyrant'."

"Sorry, Ian, I will hand over your Majesty's legacy to you... It will bring you a large group of enemies, and they are the masters of the world, a party with a large number of people, and they occupy this land Everything, has all the resources, everybody is on the side of these guys."

"They are the kings of the earth, the envoys of the gods walking in the world, the generals with a large army, and the rulers of this world."

Lowering his head, the knight stared at Ian with his gray-brown eyes. The old man looked at his disciple's sad expression, then raised his hand and stroked the boy's face: "Why, aren't you afraid?"

Gray traces had spread to every part of the chest and abdomen, and even started to spread towards the neck and head.

"how come."

Taking a deep breath, Ian responded softly.

Already aware of the arrival of the moment, his tone became firm, like an eternal rock: "This is what I want to do, and they are the enemies I should destroy."

"Teacher—I came to this world to do these things."

Looking at Ian, Hilliard stared at that gaze.

bright eyes. familiar gaze. Steady gaze.

Just like the eyes of the king back then.

His eyes are dimming.

——Actually, I have never understood it, I really have never understood it.

The old man's sanity has begun to blur, and his complicated life is spinning before his eyes, turning into endless flying fragments.

He muttered to himself, and also asked from the heart: "Why, do you all want to go to the sky?"

so. In order to respond to a close friend, in order to respond to a teacher.

Those in memory, those in reality, they opened their mouths and answered seriously.

【Hilliard, we can't just stare at the land in front of us】

Among the shards of lights flying in front of him, one was shorter than him, but an enthusiastic figure was walking in front of him. He gestured and gestured, as if explaining his future plans: 【We can't be trapped in our land, we can't be trapped in In this cradle...]

The young man seemed to be talking about something, but at that time I actually didn't think so, the earth is just a cradle... the earth is everything! All wealth and glory are on the earth!

Everything that human beings have comes from the land, from farming and labor, instead of dreaming in vain and staring at the empty void!

But that figure didn't care about his refutation and reprimand, he just smiled and explained his point of view with a smile.

【Hilliard... The most important thing is that a civilization, a civilization that can go to the void, must be great. It can make everyone have enough to eat, and can make everyone have abundant wisdom and wealth—my friend, only when people are full and have nothing to do can they have leisure and desire for appreciation]

[In an unhappy country, no one will look up at the starry sky full of hope and expectation! 】

【In contrast, I just want to build that kind of country in order to realize my wish! 】

【and. "

It seems that someone is answering myself, as if someone is talking, the illusory shadow gradually overlaps with the reality, and the words echoing in the heart are gradually replaced by the real voice in the ear.

The men of yesteryear and the boys of today are overlapping.

They were silent for a while.

They are a little embarrassed.

They seemed a little embarrassed.

But in the end, they still spoke.

"Because I want to."

They said it calmly, just as they stated the truth that there is no need to repeat it a second time: "It's like a question longs for an answer, and a calculation longs for a result."

【Hilliard/Teacher, I just want to, for no reason. "

[I want to touch the stars with my own hands. "

So he went crazy and went to accompany that fool to chase the trajectory of the stars.

[Do you regret it? 】

In the infinitely flying fragments of time, there seemed to be a figure asking softly: [Just accompany me through a life of gaining nothing and achieving nothing, do you not regret it? 】

I regret it.

I regret not protecting that person.

so……

Ian heard his teacher whisper to himself: "I can't regret the second time."

He coughed, but what he coughed up was also gray, like mud.

Gray and white traces have spread to the neck.

But just after coughing, Hilliard opened his eyes wide. His eyes were extremely bright, as if being rekindled carbon fire.

"If possible, I really don't want to die. You haven't grown up yet, Ian, my disciple... How much I want to see you grow up, become the person you want to be, and then realize your dream."

"How I wish you could touch the stars."

He laughed smartly, and a silver gleam lit up in the old knight's eyes.

Then, he raised his clenched right hand and showed it in front of Ian's eyes: "Look, this is Inaiga's legacy, the last thing everyone is fighting for, enough to change the world, enough to transform the world, and the return of human beings to the starry sky." hope."

"This is...the greatest treasure in this world, the key that can open the Eternal Labyrinth.

——My disciple. "

This is a blessing and a curse. "

Get it, and you'll get hope. "

There will also be no peace forever. "

A silver, thin chip that didn't seem to exist in this world at all was sent to Ian by Hilliard.

The silver chip shines with endless runes, like a bright starry sky.

And in the vision of foreseeing, the bright, endless iridescent glory flows like a river and surges like a sea, but in the end they all converge into this small chip.

"As I wish, teacher."

Stretching out his hand, Ian took the silver chip with respect that couldn't be more solemn and cautious: "Whether it's a blessing or a curse... I accept it gladly."

And the next moment, it melted into Ian's body.

Watching this scene, the last light in Hilliard's eyes also dissipated.

He vaguely saw a thin figure that was gradually shattering. The knight smiled slightly.

... my king.

He also vaguely saw a white-haired child staring blankly at his face. He stared sadly and firmly promised.

...Ian.

... my ... stars.

Hilliard smiled and closed his eyes.

Gray-white traces of petrification spread to the whole body of the knight and teacher.

he left.

...

After a long, long time.

Just when the stars are gone and the moons are falling.

The white-haired boy stood up.

Holding the last legacy of his teacher, he walked down the cliff step by step.

The morning sun slowly rises from the edge of the sky, and the colorful rays of light dye the edge of the coastal clouds with brilliant colors, and the warm sea breeze blows from the depths of the ocean towards the other end of the earth.

On the wind-blown coast, the boy raised his head and looked up at the high sky in the distance.

The light falls.

The stars are shining on this land as they always have been, as they have been for billions of years.