Song of Time – Dusk Awakening Verse

The red-and-white brick building of the orphanage seemed small from the bottom of the mountain.

The five-storey square main building is surrounded by a half circle around the flat house like a round pie. Because the people who live in it are all **** and playful children, only the upper and lower floors are built, covered with all white tiles, and a slight luster can be seen at night. . Several small orchard vegetable plots have been opened behind the building, and several livestock houses and sheds have been erected. Shallow water ditches run across them, just like rural farms.

In addition, the small woods of different heights in front of the building are also surrounded by guardrails. Most of the birds are feeding inside, and several clear and high calls can be heard from time to time. There is even a carpentry workshop built in a small corner on the east side of the forest. It is indescribably convenient to use local materials to repair furniture.

It seems to be self-sufficient for food, drink and housing, and it looks like a small manor sheltering from the world.

At this moment, Virut was sitting on the slightly narrow cotton sofa in the lobby of the main building, and his gaze swept across the childlike colored pen paintings hanging on the white wall, and fell on the group of children sitting or leaning in front of them. .

The atmosphere inside is a bit awkward. After the children moved the presents into the house and did not open them, they were still neatly piled up. They each looked for a place to shrink and stared at the strange man visiting at night, wondering what they were thinking about. The boy who looked like a child's head also sat silently on the stool closest to him, lowered his head and said nothing, as if the stranger in front of him did not exist.

Virut was surrounded by these bright eyes, but he could only hear the slight movement of the hands of the wall clock in his ears, and he felt a little at a loss. He suddenly realized that he didn't have much experience in dealing with children, especially in the face of such a large group of orphans who didn't know him at all, so that the aristocratic witty words he was good at were useless.

He thought for a long time and didn't know how to break the situation. At this moment, the whole hour rang, he hurriedly took the opportunity to smile and said, "It's really a coincidence that I came today. It's all this time. I don't know if it disturbed your rest."

"You don't need to mind." The boy replied slightly nonchalantly, "Everyone else has gone to bed. We have the turn of the vigil today. We will be able to sleep later."

"So... it's really hard work." He drily received his smile, and suddenly found a way to look at the pile of gifts, and asked the children softly, "Are you hungry? I happened to buy it on the road. I have some snacks, why don't you give it a try first to see how it tastes?"

He smiled and looked at the group of children, hoping to use this to invigorate the atmosphere, but he didn't want to wait for a moment or was quiet. The children looked at each other blankly, as if they didn't want to answer, which made him feel slightly confused.

"No need, sir...Thank you for your kindness." The boy's eyes showed a little guard again, and Virut changed his thoughts and cried out a misstep. He originally thought that today was a visiting friend, and he didn't say anything else, but he forgot that he was just an unidentified "uncle" who should be vigilant to these sensitive children...

Seeing that the atmosphere became more dignified, he could only find a way to remedy it, laughed a few times and patted his stomach apologized: "I came in a hurry and haven't eaten dinner, so I'll fill my stomach first, I'm really sorry..."

He quickly got up and unpacked several fried cakes and noodles that were still warm in the parcel. While eating slowly, he pretended to ask the boy about the names of the dishes, so as to let him know that these were common things in the harbor night market. The boy answered several times with him, and when he saw all kinds of snacks he knew well, his doubts gradually dropped. The children onlookers were brightened by the smell of food. The younger ones were already swallowing saliva, and the grunting hunger sounded from time to time, making the boy a little restless.

Seeing that the heat was enough, Virut immediately sent him to the steps, caressed his stomach and smiled bitterly: "Oh, I'm already full. I can't eat so many things. It's too wasteful... Otherwise, please help. Me!"

He finished talking and shook his head again with regret. Although the boy was young, he knew all about the polite tricks. Although he was a little embarrassed, he thanked him and asked everyone to come forward and share snacks.

Virut quietly unpacked a few packages of food and put them on the table, watching the little guys smiling and eating happily, and he was relieved. He took a mincemeat pie and handed it to the boy next to him, and asked softly: "You guys usually What time is dinner? Why everyone looks hungry."

"Usually I will be full. Mingqi's mother didn't rush back today, and Brother Saiqi is not there, so I can only eat a little bit." The boy didn't want him to feel that the living conditions in the orphanage were poor, so he quickly explained and watched him. Suddenly he acknowledged and thanked him, and took the dough and chewed.

Perhaps it was because of cannibalism that the boy no longer faced each other coldly. While eating, he whispered to Virut. He ate very slowly and carefully, and he said all the bits and pieces of ordinary life, but after the young earl deliberately inquired, he still found some clues from it, and he also understood the reason for this young boy's strong guard.

"That said, the weird man in black robe...have you seen it before?" Several speculations flashed in his mind for a moment, thinking that the most suspicious object should be the Mr.

Hearing his question, the boy was stunned. He consciously missed his mouth. He lowered his head and bit the ink bone fried fish balls. He vaguely said, "The man left soon...I don't remember..."

He wanted to block the topic, but Velut just caught something strange, how could he let go of his hand casually, and then smiled softly: "Oh...that's probably a nobleman who doesn't want to reveal his identity, and he is often near the port. I can see the man in the black robe... But then again, Saiqi, did he walk with the black robe? Or did he leave by himself?"

"...He left afterwards." The boy paused for a while before spitting out a few words, hanging his head and making no sound.

"That's it..." It seems that the key to finding out the companion's whereabouts lies in the identity of the man in black, Verut did not ask, half-closed his eyes and gently rubbed his thumb, immersed in this thought. When he came back to his senses, the children had already wiped out the food, and even the tabletops had been wiped clean. They were still smiling and standing in a row, seemingly waiting for the boy in front to give orders.

"Amy... take everyone to bed first, remember to brush their teeth." The boy whispered to the girl who looked at the girl who was a few years older than him, and made a brushing action with anxiety.

"Ok...Okay, Nord." The girl called Amy stammered and led the children slowly through the side door to the flat dormitory, giggling all the way.

Virut looked at their seemingly carefree backs, suddenly felt a little abnormal, and couldn't help but cast a questioning look at the boy. The young boy named Nord noticed his doubts, but did not explain anything. He sat back opposite him silently, stared at the painted wall in front of him for a long time, and then muttered softly: "You don't need to hide it. , I know your intentions."

Virut was shocked when he heard the words. He didn't know where he was exposed. He habitually tapped his fingers on the bottom of the table a few times, pretending to smile, and said: "Little brother, where do you say this? From..."

"Don't be embarrassed, although you don't know what kind of child you want to adopt... But since you were introduced by Brother Saiqi, I won't hide it from you. Now here...there are only them... …"

It turned out that he was treating me as an adopter... He sighed secretly, but when he thought of the meaning of his words, he suddenly felt like: "They...like that?"

"You can probably also see that they... are different from ordinary people." The boy hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell him clearly, "They... have been injured before, even if they look like they are in their teens, in fact They all look like two or three years old, and they don't even know what to say. In the future, they may be... and they won't get better...

Virut was shocked. Are these children... Although he knew the consequences of the divine power-induced experiment, he never expected that the children would have such sequelae after their memories were erased! This is almost a disability, what should they do in the future! ? Suddenly he felt a deep sense of guilt. He didn't know what to say, and after a long pause, he asked in a low voice: "How many children like this are in the courtyard now...?"

"There are forty-two..." The boy saw him look ugly, thinking he was complaining that he hadn't told the truth sooner, he got up and bowed, "I'm really sorry, let you run in vain."

"...These children... are none of them willing to adopt?"

"There have been good-hearted people who wanted to adopt, but..." Nord hesitated for a moment and told him truthfully, "Mingqi's mother doesn't want them to be taken away like this... She is still thinking of ways to see if Can't cure them...something..."

"That's it..." Virut replied in a low voice, and could not speak. He had never heard Secor mention it before, and seeing the other side seemingly disinclined, he always felt that the children were safe and sound. But at this moment, remembering the teacher's understatement, and comparing with the current situation of these children, he felt more at ease and felt guilty.

The boy watched him sternly without saying a word, did not dare to say much, bowed his head and sat with him quietly. Only the ticking of the wall clock was left in the hall until a series of rapid footsteps disrupted the calm, the crisp sound of leather shoes hitting the stone road suddenly stopped at the door, and a slightly hoarse female voice followed: "I'm sorry, It’s too late to come back today, let you wait a long time, may I ask if you are..."

"Mother Mingqi!" Nord immediately greeted him to take the bag from the lady, and then turned around to explain for the guests, "This uncle was introduced by Brother Saiqi."

Virut followed the sound, and there was a thin figure with a short gray shawl standing at the gate. She looks in her thirties. She wears a wide-brimmed brown straw hat and a simple dark blue dress. Although she is not decorated with jewelry, she looks decent. She applied a light make-up on her beige cheeks, to cover the wind and frost marks left by years of hard work, and with the smile, she looked like an ordinary gentle mother, but her amber eyes always Jingguangyiyi, hidden machine front.

"Good evening, Ms. Mingqi." He also hurriedly got up and took off his top hat, bending over to give a gentleman's gift, "It's really presumptuous to visit suddenly."

"No matter where, the children are still young, I'm afraid to neglect you..." Seeing him dressed as a businessman, the head of the wind and dust couldn't help but a little inexplicable flash in his eyes, smiled and reprimanded again after returning the gift. Boy, "Nord, how did I teach you, why didn't you even pour a glass of water for the guests?"

The boy looked back at the empty tabletop, finally showing a little bit of shyness that fits his age, put down the small bag and scratched his head, ran into the room and took two glasses of warm water, and then apologized to the guests after he brought it back.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm not thirsty either." Virut quickly smiled and relieved him.

"Go and rest, don’t forget to follow me into the city tomorrow." The lady said softly, and when the boy left, she closed the door of the side room. Then she turned her head and looked at the guest carefully, "You I haven't left yet so late, I wonder if there is something urgent?"

This ordinary question made Virut unable to answer for a while. Of course he came to find Saiker, but now that he has changed his face, if he doesn't identify himself, he really can't find any valid reason. In order not to reveal the flaw, he deliberately coughed a few times, took a sip of the water glass, and tried to find an excuse to perfuse it.

The lady didn't ask too much when she saw it, she first took off the shawl and hung it on the hanger beside the door, then took a bun from the bag, sat opposite him, and ate calmly with warm water.

Velut quickly searched for several reasons, but he didn’t think it was right. I was afraid that he could not hide it from the shrewd dean. He decided to tell the truth: "I... actually came to SECCO. Oh, who knows so unlucky, he just happened to be away."

"Are you looking for him in a hurry? If it's convenient, I can also convey it to him."

"Not really, it's just been a long time since I saw you, I want to come and gather with him..."

"That's it..." The lady looked at him with a smile, and then stared at him for a while, until she swallowed the last bite of bread, and then asked seriously, "You are Master Virut Krono?"

"Uh..." The Young Count was shocked again, her face was stiff and she didn't know how to answer, but the lady continued, "Sage, he rarely has friends with each other, and everyone who knows here is related to him. The closest person... I often hear your name from him..."

"Although we have never seen each other, I still know about your...little hobby, not to mention..." She turned to face Virut, with an unpredictable smile on her face, "here In this case, he will come to him, I am afraid it is only you..."

"This situation?" The Young Count seemed to hear something wrong with her, and no longer cared about covering up his identity, he asked directly, "What happened to him?"

"Someone came to him the night before...it's about this time." The lady took a sip of tea and stared at the eyes with false pupils, her voice getting lower and lower, "He went out by himself that night, and didn't Tell me where to go..."

"That person... do you know?" Virut thought of the black-robed weird guy the boy had just mentioned, and he thought to himself.

"Of course I know, you must be familiar with him..." The lady hooked her mouth in a mocking manner, "We are all used to calling him... a wild ghost."

"Wild ghost?" Velut guessed for a long time and didn't expect that it would be the strange guy with a ghost face. He still remembered that the teacher mentioned that the team members of the last mission had been dispatched to the field. go? He turned a few thoughts, and couldn't figure out why the wild ghost came here. He was about to ask, but the lady said in detail: "You also know that they never had a straight eye between them. This time, the wild ghost... As if to show off, it is said that he is very important to him now..."

"Ms. Mingqi..." Virut is completely uninterested in how the wild ghosts are mixed, just eager to know the whereabouts of his companions, and can't help but interrupt: "Please tell me bluntly, why did he go out? "

The female dean did not answer directly, she drank the tea without hurriedly, put the cup gently, and glanced at him obliquely: "Did you meet those kids just now?"

"...I saw it." Upon hearing her talk about this, Verut suddenly had some guesses about the whereabouts of his companion.

"What do you think?" The lady stared at his expression, seeming to care about the answer, but he deliberately avoided the other person's sight: "...Ms. Mingqi, please be honest."

Seeing that he didn’t want to answer, the female dean didn’t force her to answer. She sighed and said slowly: “You should know that there are two missing children among the children who came last time... The wild ghosts seem to know where they are going, and said something gloating. He also deliberately said in front of him that he would take good care of them... Although the child didn’t say anything, I knew he still couldn’t let go of these two children, so I guess Saiqi, he probably couldn’t stand this. Exciting, want to find someone."

"...Where can he find?" Although Velut knew that the two children were with the teacher now, he didn't know the exact location. How could he believe that Saiker could find clues.

"According to the wild ghost, the two children should still be near Moritini..." The lady suddenly turned her face and uttered such a sentence, which made him even more incredible.

"It's impossible. That area has now become the focus of all parties. Even if there are some clues left, there are so many eyes that can't be concealed..." He also sank his face, "You... heard the wild ghost with your own ears. Did you say that?"

"This is my home, I naturally have a way to hear anything I want to hear." The lady did not answer directly, she paused for a moment and sighed again, "Of course I know this is ridiculous, but..."

She didn't go on, but Virut understood immediately. That’s right, it’s utter nonsense to say such a stupid thing to myself, but if it’s the guy with the tendon to Saiker... he couldn’t help but sighed, changed his mind, and felt in his heart again. Doubt: What does the wild ghost mean by doing this... Is he really unclear, or deliberately lied?

He frowned and was immersed in speculation. He didn't speak for a long time, and the lady didn't urge him. He quietly waited until he recovered a little bit before slowing down and saying, "It was nothing at first, but you know the situation in Star City recently... …It’s very subtle. He hasn’t come back for two days, so I can’t help but worry… So, I also want to take this opportunity and ask you to help me find him.”

"I see..." Even if the lady doesn't say it, Velut will definitely find a way to find out about this, but now he is alone and wants to find out the truth, I'm afraid he will have to call some helpers. ...

When the lady saw him agree, a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth: "It's already late. If you don't dislike it, why not just rest here."

"This..." He subconsciously looked at the wall clock on the wall. It was already half past nine o'clock. Even if he returned to the port, he might not be able to get on the railcar. "Then... I will disturb you."

"Where is it..." The lady smiled and stood up and nodded at him, leading him up the stone ladder to the second floor, stopping outside a small room on the south side.

"The room is a bit rudimentary, but the bedding is all new and very clean." She took the key from her waist to open the door, pressed the small chandelier switch on the wall, and the room suddenly lit up with orange dim light. Virut looked into the room, except for a wooden bed, a small wooden wardrobe, and a set of wooden tables and chairs. All that was left was the small objects hanging on the wall, all kinds of carved wood.

"Here...this is where Saiqi lived when he was a child. He never allowed me to come in..." The lady chuckled and compared her hands to him. "The bathroom is at the end of the corridor. Please rest early. I will come back tomorrow." Call you."

"...Okay, I'm sorry to trouble you." Virut was looking at the wood carving on the wall in a daze, and hurriedly replied, and wanted to say something polite, but the lady smiled and brought the door to her, and left on her own.

He stayed alone in this room where he couldn't even hear the clocks moving, his eyes flashed over the rough but still vivid sculptures, and he felt mixed for a while. Did he do this when he was a kid... He stroked the fake beard that was still stuck to his lips, walked very slowly along the wall a few steps, and suddenly noticed that there was a palm-sized incomplete object on the floor in the corner.

He stepped forward and picked up the thing, brushed the dust on it, and took a closer look. He recognized that it was a half serpentine sculpture, except that the upper part of the head was missing, and only a little disk with overlapping scales was left. tail.

He looked at the half-snake statue that seemed to be cut by a knife, a little confused in his heart, but in the end, he fell into the deep silence around him.