Lord of Mysteries: Yao Guang

"He cannot escape the darkness; he will be burned up like a branch by fire; its flowers will be blown away by the wind.

"He relies on hypocrisy and deceives himself; hypocrisy will be his retribution..."

The simple priest in white robe stood at the front of the church, his head bowed piously, holding a silver cross in his hand.

There were not many listeners in the empty church, just two people sitting on black cushioned benches on both sides of the aisle.

The one on the left is a young man in a black classical robe. His right leg is placed on his left leg. A very retro-style wizard hat covers his leg. The black soft spire sways back and forth as the young man spins and plays with it.

He relaxed his body and leaned back on the chair, with his usual smile on his lips. A few curled bangs rested on his broad forehead. His dark eyes did not focus on the priest, but looked down slightly. toward the ground.

His attention was obviously not on the story he was preaching. He was just looking at the ground in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.

Sitting on the bench on the right was a lady with light blond hair. She had her eyes closed tightly and her hands flat on her knees, as if she was sleeping.

"Zoya" is still wearing a nun's dress, but she no longer wears a headscarf. A layer of light gauze that was constantly flickering shrouded the back of her head. If you looked closer, you would find that it was a group of light spots that were constantly moving around, occasionally making a very subtle buzzing sound.

“Before the time comes, he will wither like a branch and will no longer be green.

“He will be like a vine, which sheds its unripe grapes, and like the flowers of the olive tree, which wither away as soon as they bloom…”*

A twelve-linked insect emerged from the edge of the seat and crawled up the pleated skirt, and then slowly wriggled its way onto "Zoya's" legs, close to her fingers.

However, before it reached its destination, it was already twisted by that hand, and then gently bounced away, falling in the direction of the black-haired young man.

Adam's story was interrupted, and He put down the cross in his hand: "I know you have something to ask her. Do you need me to leave some private time for you?"

Amon put the pointed hat on his head and put it on firmly: "Even if you have to ask, the main body should ask it yourself. I am just a clone, there is nothing to ask."

After saying this, He turned his head to the lady on the other side: "You, if I ask any questions, will you answer me?"

"Zoya" opened her gentle but empty eyes and looked back into the darkness: "You have to ask the question first before you can get the answer."

The clone narrowed his eyes and the smile on his face completely disappeared, looking very dissatisfied. He grabbed it casually, and the worm of time that had been separated instantly returned to his body: "After so many years, you have become even more disgusting than before."

"Did He really share all his memories with you?" "Zoya"'s smile was also gentle, but for Amon, the meaning of ridicule was more obvious.

The Amon clone gradually walked towards where "Zoya" was sitting, but glanced at Adam seemingly inadvertently, and then stopped with that warm smile.

Amon frowned and looked at "Zoya": "It's not memory, it's attitude. Why are things so deadlocked between you that the main body doesn't want to do it by itself?"

"Zoya" had to raise her head before she could continue to look at the young man: "Because I don't want to support him to become the Lord of Mysteries. Is this answer enough?"

The light around her gradually became brighter, almost condensing into a solid light curtain, showing a rather tough posture.

The attitude of the Amon clone softened instead. From the corner of his eye, he noticed that Adam was looking at the cross instead of the two of them. He simply sat next to "Zoya": "I know this is not the real reason."

After a moment of silence, "Zoya" answered softly, seemingly unwilling to break the solemn atmosphere in the church - even though she was the only one talking to Him here:

"The operator of fate is disgusted by fate, and he cannot accept a fate beyond his control. This is the irreconcilable contradiction between us, and it is destined to be like this."

The avatar turned the crystal-polished monocle in its right eye and looked at "Zoya" thoughtfully: "I don't think so. The reason is more complicated. But obviously, you will now too." Fraud'."

"If you think so." "Zoya" no longer looked at Amon, but like Adam, stared at the tall cross in front of her.

Amon also looked over, but his eyes fell more on Adam's back: "What about you? Are you going to help him?"

"Zoya" raised her hand and put her palm on her forehead, but her eyes were quite dazed, as if she was sleepwalking between half asleep and half awake: "Yes, for some other reasons... I need His help. "

Amon lowered his voice, but even if he lowered his volume, his words could still be heard clearly in the too-quiet church: "That paranoid plans to sacrifice himself."

Adam naturally heard it, and His back moved, but He did not turn his head.

But in "Zoya's" peaceful eyes, there was a dull doubt: "Paranoid?"

"It's a nickname given by others," Amon said calmly, "but it makes sense to some extent."

"Zoya" looked at Adam's back hesitantly: "Does it make sense..."

Amon's clone lowered his head, and He hid the smile on his face in the shadow under the brim of his hat: "He wants his father to be resurrected in him."

Then he noticed the confusion in "Zoya's" eyes. The confusion was so strange, as if he was looking at an ignorant child who had no consciousness and said he wanted to chase and capture the sun in the sky - "Zoya" didn't seem to understand at all. , what does Amon mean by what he said.

Amon snapped his fingers in front of "Zoya": "Wake up, stop sleepwalking, are you listening to me?"

"I am listening."

Amon raised his head again and stared at Adam's back as he bowed his head in prayer: "Because His way is rather special, He has always insisted that this is possible."

"Zoya" was silent for a long time. He seemed to have gradually figured out something, and his eyes finally returned to peace: "In fact, he has already..."

Adam's voice came, interrupting "Zoya": "That's it for today, your harmonization treatment will continue."

"Zoya" nodded slightly, then looked at him again with a look that Amon couldn't understand, and then closed her eyes again.

The clone was looking at "Zoya" thoughtfully. When he wanted to reach out to hold the monocle, his fingers paused and put them down before touching the lens.

"Then it's time for me to leave. There are still things to investigate. There seemed to be traces of the 'thief' demigod in Backlund."

After a pause, Amon's clone glanced at "Zoya": "It's not the 'Esther' you pretended to be, it's someone else. I very much suspect that you are conspiring with the night again, and even gave Pales Zoroa Some good luck to Sid.”

Although "Zoya" had her eyes closed, she had not yet fallen into a deep sleep: "I didn't."

"It's boring, even your words are beginning to be untrustworthy." Amon blinked, and before turning around and leaving, he took another look at Adam, who was standing at the front of the church.

Adam was looking at Him, his clear and pure eyes unchanged from the memory of many years ago.

"What about you? Don't you have anything to tell me?" Amon's clone suddenly asked.

Adam just smiled and shook his head, and then he watched the clone walk towards the door.

Amon changed the clothes he was wearing and changed into a robe-like black trench coat, black trousers and black leather shoes. The pointed hat gradually expanded and turned into a top hat.

What remains unchanged is the crystal lens in the right eye socket.

The church door closed behind Him, but Adam did not look away.

The flowing light spots around "Zoya" gradually stopped, flooded back to the top of her head, and retracted into her hair - it was already obvious who she was guarding against with her previous actions.

"Zoya" her lips moved slightly: "So, He has always..."

"Yes, He doesn't know."

On "Zoya's" indifferent face, a hint of confusion broke through the ice and emerged on the surface: "Why should you hide it from Him?"

Adam walked to "Zoya" and sat in the seat where Amon's clone had just sat: "No one knows."

"Zoya" was quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up again: "I'll go to the door and collect the letter. We shouldn't keep the child waiting for too long."

Adam's eyes did not waver, which made the soft surprise on his face look strange: "You used Fulgrim's dog as a messenger?"

Adam has always maintained his virtual personality. Since the "reconciliation treatment" has not been interrupted, his virtual personality still stays in the depths of the opponent's subconscious.

"Zoya" will not hide any thoughts from Him, so Adam can naturally know what "Zoya" is thinking now.

"It took the initiative. When I knew this, I was surprised."

"Zoya" said this, He opened his eyes, stood up from the bench, and walked towards the door of the church.

The heavy wooden door opened a gap. "Zoya" only took two steps and stopped outside the gap.

A black dragonfly flew past her ear, with an unnatural round spot like an albino on its right eye. Amidst the flapping of its wings, a subtle voice sounded from "Zoya"'s ear:

"I see."

"Zoya" ignored the dragonfly that flew away in an instant, but stood there and waited for a few more minutes.

A gap in the spiritual world was torn from the air, and the young Fulgen's Dog emerged from it. He hesitated for a moment before holding the letter in his mouth to "Zoya".

It looks much more reserved than before, and it doesn't even dare to approach the recipient.

"Zoya" stretched out her hand and gently stroked Fulgrim's Dog's head twice: "Thank you for always delivering messages for me."

The Dog of Fulgrim swung its tail twice and saw that "Zoya" had no intention of writing a reply. He just sat next to her for a moment, and then turned into a shadow and disappeared into the air.

"Zoya" looked at the neat letter in her hand and stepped into the door of the small church again without opening it.

Sitting back to her original position, "Zoya" placed the letter on the top of the exquisite wooden box.

"Don't you want to take a look?" Adam asked.

"He has no chance to return to his true form, right?"

What "Zoya" asked was about the previous clone - what he had already guessed.

Adam sighed softly: "Yes."

*Job 15:30-33