Stray

The girl smiled. Her laughter grew louder and more cheerful. She looked at Cahill like a child looking at a holiday gift package.

"Certainly!" she answered cheerfully and loudly, "but you know, you will die immediately - I am a businessman of credit, half of my knowledge as a deposit, and half of my knowledge until the contract. I Can heal as you, and of course repair your mother's irreversible damage - ah, even if she has one foot in the coffin, I can refresh her. I will see your king for you, and save the world for you. 'Hope'? What a cunning and greedy wish, and I love you, human."

She took off her shoes, jumped onto the bed with bare feet, and knelt down beside the young man on the soft mattress. The demon moved his palm away, and his eyeballs flew straight to the top of the lying down Cahill's chest.

"Honestly, it's a bit of a bad business," she whispered, "but I'm happy—so, I agree."

The eyeballs rushed down, but stopped just as they approached Cahill's chest.

She pulled the pendant off Cahill's neck with slight force. At the same time, the crimson eyeballs stretched out countless filaments of blood and flesh, which gradually buried in the youth's body.

The braided girl got closer, she lowered her head and pressed her forehead against the youth's forehead.

"Come, tell me." She said in a baby-sleeping tone, "What is the most regretful thing in your life, Mr. Hope? To be a therapist or to be on the battlefield? For this Cruel country allegiance or faith in a false god?"

Flesh filaments move faster and faster. Nemo touched the back of his neck, he knew how severe the pain was. But Cahill didn't move, he just lay quietly, as if he had lost all ability to cry.

Finally, he closed his eyes and opened his chapped lips slightly.

"I must walk in the world with kindness, and treat anyone who is injured or sick."

The smile on the corner of the girl's mouth became more and more obvious.

"No hypocrisy, no greed. No distinction between high and low wounds, and no temptation by the devil."

The eyeballs melted into viscous blood, and slowly injected into Cahill's body along the filaments of flesh and blood.

“…May there be no more pain in the world.”

And it was not the young man in the hospital bed who said the last sentence, but the younger Cahill Edwards. The visions all around became the night-time living room of the Edwards' house, brightly lit and polished floors, all new and vibrant.

Mrs. Edwards was arranging dinner utensils, while Cahill Edwards, a teenager, was hooking another teenager's neck.

"This **** is rude and rude," he muttered, summing up, "What sane person would make a deal with the devil, wouldn't he, Ed?"

Adrian Cross, who was a boy, has grown into a knight commander, he is silent, frowning slightly.

"Don't say that, your bar mitzvah isn't over yet."

"Okay, then...' Witnessed by my closest relatives and dear friends, please help me, help me. If I go astray and break my oath, please call me back' - OK Right? Why are you so serious?"

"I swear." Adrian nodded solemnly.

"It's done—starting today, I'm a true therapist!"

"...I shouldn't have asked him to be a witness," whispered the older Cahill, weak as a dead leaf in the wind. "He wouldn't compromise, he never compromised."

He sighed softly.

The cozy living room melts away. The crimson eyeballs have now completely integrated into Cahill's body, and the children's laughter outside the window is still loud.

Nemo, who had been silent for a long time, couldn't help but look at Adrian - the knight commander's face was still expressionless, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him. He moved his eyes to the direction of the door, and Nemo followed curiously, but there was nothing there.

"What a devout liar." The girl clapped her hands and jumped off the bed lightly. She straightened the hem of her skirt and lifted the fruit basket. The apples that had just been peeled were still on the side, and the flesh had turned a little rusty yellow. The demon shrugged, grabbed the apple and bit it in his mouth, while rubbing his shoes lazily on the floor, as if to leave.

The door was knocked open.

Another Adrian Cross rushed in. He looked healthier than the Adrian they knew, with a wheatish tint to his skin, and the holy symbol of the Raddite still well pinned to his chest.

The girl pouted, bent over to put on her shoes, and tapped the heels on the floor.

"Ed?" Cahill, lying on the bed, said slowly, "Didn't you just leave, did you forget—"

The golden shield suddenly opened. Countless sharp, spider-footed black limbs were kept out. Nemo sucked in a breath and moved out carefully. If the shield was even for a second at night, Adrian would definitely be a pile of meat at that time.

"Oops, I've been found." The two voices said at the same time, the tone and speed of speech were exactly the same, making the hair stand on end. "Is it because of that amulet? It's true that I wasn't careful enough. What is this? Didn't you lose your power? Let me see..."

The translucent limbs that filled the room dissipated instantly, and the girl tapped on the shield curiously. "Oh, quite a rare toy, from that bald guy—a wise choice." She smiled sweetly, the unpleasant harmony still echoing in the room. "What are you going to do now, Ed?"

The girl's voice stopped, and Cahill sat up at some point, with a smile in her voice: "Are you going to report me, my dear friend? You can go to On the street—you know I can't hunt you down—and pretend it didn't happen. We've known each other for over twenty years, you know me, and I don't wish too much."

Adrian didn't answer, a daze flashed across his face, and then he quickly returned to calm.

"Dara Lanene." His tone was certain.

"Well, good noon." The girl lifted her skirt and saluted with a smile. "What, do you need some personal time to cry, or make a deal? I'm curious what you've done, as far as I know, no creature loses its strength in a state like you - you see, your limbs are intact, and Not crazy."

Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"I can tell you his last words." The demon suggested earnestly, "Or I can help you with a little favor in the future, you need credit? Hey, tell me—"

Adrian in the illusion was silent for a long time. It was so long that Nemo suspected that Della Lenien's eyeballs would not be able to hold back and return to the abyss.

He finally spoke.

"Yes," he said, "if I have a chance to witness your failure... then by that time," he paused, "please stand behind me. This is mine. ask."

The illusion ended in an instant.

The sun turned into moonlight, and the red eyeballs in front of them were only faint shadows. The four stood in silence, Nemo clutching his blood-soaked robes. No one spoke. The grey parrot was not pulled into the illusion, it was blinking desperately at them, and the whole bird was desperately exuding an air of doubt.

"The deal is done, we'll meet again." Della Layne sounded pleasant, "Good night."

Finally, the wonderful sound gradually dissipated, and the demon returned to the abyss. Before them there was only the quiet night.

"Thank you, Mr. Wright." Adrian saluted slightly, "Accurately, thank you—Miss Savage, in terms of the escape method, you didn't have to wait. I."

Ann looked away.

"If we continue to act together, I will cause trouble for you. Please allow me to say goodbye... If there is a chance to meet again in the future, I will do my best to help as far as I can."

"Why, don't you report Nemo?"

"Ann!" Nemo stopped.

Adrian shook his head slightly. "To 'survive' is not a sin in itself," he replied succinctly. "He proved himself too, didn't he?"

"Sorry." The female warrior simply lowered her head, "...I apologize to you for my previous attitude. It was me who was biased."

"You don't need to apologize." Adrian sighed slightly, and inserted the sword in his hand with the scabbard into the ground, seemingly not intending to take it away. "Then, I..."

"Wait." Oliver, who had been silent for a while, suddenly spoke up. He took a few steps forward and drew the sword. "Mr. Cross, would you mind going with us?"

"I don't mind. But as I said, I'll bring you—"

"Nimo, Ann, how about you?"

Nemo shook his head quickly. An Ze sighed: "Of course not."

"Then I suggest that we act together. After all, Mr. Cross has no power, and it would be difficult to do if he was wanted by the Rudd. And Nemo and I also need teammates, we can cooperate... After all, Ann won't stay long."

Ann looked away again and snorted softly from her nose.

"We need a mentor," he concluded earnestly.

"Why don't you ask me, I don't agree-!" The screaming grey parrot was pressed against the tree trunk by Nemo.

"He can't become a black badge." An interjected, "Even if the mercenary guild is not a dog of the Rad Cult, it will not be too stiff with the Rad Cult, and Cross will definitely not be able to participate. Black Badge Test... But if the captain agrees, you can also register as a non-staff advisor. It's just that our risk rating will definitely go up."

"So do you agree, Ann?"

"What's wrong with you? I'm not the head of the regiment. Whoever signed the task is who." An clasped her arms, her eyes floating suspiciously.

Nimo let go of the grey parrot and patted Oliver on the shoulder deeply. "It's fine, Ollie. No, it's fine, Captain... You can't abandon your crew, Captain."

"Can you, Mr. Cross?" Oliver continued stiffly.

"You want me to teach you, don't you?" Adrian didn't leave, he turned around, and there was no relaxed look on his face. "I found out when I was in the sewers, you've been learning my moves."

"Yes," Oliver admitted.

"Why?" Adrian asked in a deep voice, "You don't seem to have any ambitions. Even if you don't have skills, your current strength should be enough to live."

He stared sharply at Oliver: "I'd love to be with you and help. But if that's what you want, I need a reason."

(m..=)