Whispering Verse

While Shade took out the food and distributed it to everyone, he curiously asked the young witch whether she was also lost or came here with some purpose. The witch took the apple, tossed it between her left and right hands, and answered in a low tone:

"I have a very important friend who was lost on the road of travel. Clara and I were originally on the way to find her. We saw the light of fire here while camping at night, and then walked over. I know this place, so in advance I made some preparations, but I didn’t expect it... Anyway, I at least want to know the answer."

As for the knight and bard, the former listened to this information in surprise, but he accepted it quickly. The bard blinked in confusion, his head still unable to accept that this adventure was actually more exciting than imagined.

"So that's it... So, should we call that god?"

Shade asked again. Although there were grammatical errors in this sentence, the witch did not correct it. She took a bite of the apple and felt that the sweetness was awakening every part of her body:

"We lost travelers can only wait for the gods to look at us. Before you appeared, we were already waiting..."

She looked at her maid, who actually took out a pocket watch-shaped relic from the pocket of her black dress, opened the cover and took a look:

"Between one week and three years."

Although the time interval given is quite vague, it is surprising enough that in such a time-confused area, the relic can still give time. Shade could feel the strong traces of elements on that pocket watch. Although it was not as good as the level 0 [Time of Return], according to the evaluation method of the Sixth Era, it was at least a sage-level (level 2) relic. . What's more, this is a rare time relic. Even outsiders, after coming to this world, have never seen anything else except the special [Time Key] and [Return to Time] and [Life Countdown Pocket Watch]. Time relics.

"This place is weirder than I thought. Before you appeared, the consciousness of the four of us was close to stasis. Although we almost don't need to eat and drink here, I don't think even a demigod witch can last long. Stay. This place is devouring our spiritual power and souls. The lost ones will eventually die of painless numbness, and I don’t know if it is considered the last mercy.”

"Can we just wait?"

But Shade was not disappointed at all. He only had half an hour, and he didn't believe that the tree father asked him to come here to waste time.

The next moment Shade had this idea, there was a noise in the dilapidated single tent that seemed to be deserted. Shade had just arrived and didn't feel anything yet, but for the four people who had been sitting here for a long time, the fact that there was actually a person "hiding" beside him made them all feel frightened from the bottom of their hearts.

The five people stood up from the campfire together. Before the being in the tent tried to come out, the witch suddenly understood and reminded loudly:

"Don't look!"

After saying that, he pulled his maid behind him. The tall young maid shrank her head and closed her eyes. It was obviously not the first time she accepted such an order.

Compared to the witch's maid, the reactions of the knight and bard seemed a bit slow. But after all, the old knight had gone through a long battle and rigorous training. Although his reaction was a beat slow, he still stood there in time, lowered his head and closed his eyes. Only the bard was stunned for a moment driven by his curiosity. While subconsciously feeling that something was wrong, together with Shade, he saw with his own eyes the young man carrying a backpack and wearing traveling boots, leaving the shabby small tent. out.

The bonfire went out for a moment, then jumped back up. In this short half second, the strange traveler, covered in dust, had already arrived beside the bonfire.

Although Shade's eyes saw a humanoid figure with a figure similar to his own, in fact everyone here sensed an existence that could not be understood by human reason at this moment, a great existence that even made time and space more chaotic. has come to them.

Even though the old knight closed his eyes in time, he still groaned and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. The bard who didn't close his eyes with Shade fell to the ground with bleeding from his orifices. He groaned but failed to pass out. Instead, his body twitched and was unable to move. Because of his gorgeous clothes, he looked like a poisoned golden pheasant.

Although the witch lowered her head, she did not close her eyes. From the corner of her vision, she could see the silhouette of Shade's body. Naturally, she also saw the golden scars showing on the surface of his body, until the light spots like the last flames fell on her. Next to her, she realized that this man was looking up at the god.

"It's not the divine descent of the original body."

Shade thought in his mind, lowered his head and greeted the traveler respectfully:

"Hello, traveler's patron."

"Hello, traveler under the moon. Look, there are quite a few adventurers this time."

The traveler who walked out of the tent said with a kind smile, and the voice that shook the air was inexplicably convincing. She waved her hand, and the twitching bard who was lying on the ground stopped twitching, and stood up tremblingly while holding on to the ground. Shade felt that he was completely proficient in the somewhat unorthodox language he had just used to communicate.

"Lost travelers, the night is already deep, and it seems that no one has the intention to sleep yet? So, since we can meet in this unknown small camp during the journey and share the fire and warmth, then After the long adventure and travel, how about we sit around, calm down, and tell the story of the adventure together?”

Her voice was kind, but no one would really think that what was about to follow was just a story.

"Excuse me, after telling the story of the adventure, can we leave here?"

Shade asked, and the traveler with a backpack motioned for everyone to sit down and talk. But instead of sitting around the campfire, she sat in a circle on the small open space between the campfire and the tent. She even asked Shade to take out cushions from the tent for everyone.

It is worth mentioning that there was nothing in the tent except soft cushions.

The dispirited bard and the old knight sat together, the witch and the maid sat together, Shade and the god sat face to face, the god turned his back to the bonfire, and everyone formed a circle:

"This night is very long, but I believe that after the wonderful night stories, the sky will light up, and you will be able to say goodbye at dawn, and then go to where you want to go. Of course, these trips are definitely not meaningless, you Everyone will gain something.”

God looked at everyone with a smile:

"I will hide everything you want in that story. Whether it's missing friends and relatives, family members you haven't seen for a long time, or a figure outlined by the strokes of your heart's desire, you can find it."

When saying this, the god looked at the witch, maid, old knight and bard respectively. When looking at Shade, she paused slightly:

"As for you, traveler under the moon, you will also get what you want."

Shade nodded slightly in his mind, because he wasted some time just understanding the situation here, and his half-hour countdown was already only twenty minutes.

The witch who heard the words of the god became serious at this time. This is the purpose of her coming here.

“So, stories of travel and adventure ask us to share our own stories?”

Shade asked again. The traveler smiled and shook his head. From his somewhat worn backpack, he took out a stack of playing cards that Shade was quite familiar with:

"The stories shared are too boring. In such a long night, we need to do something more interesting. I will tell the story, and you are the characters in the story. Since it is a break between travels, there is no need to fight or travel long distances. Please calm down, use imagination and decision-making, and enjoy the imaginary journey. This kind of life game of cards seems to be very popular now? We use this to tell stories."

She placed the stack of cards on her right hand, then smiled and asked the five people present:

"Do you understand?"

"Yes."

Shade said.

"It's an honor to be a part of this story."

The witch said cautiously, while the maid behind her nodded respectfully.

The old knight covered his eyes and nodded in the same way. The bard, who had been restored to his spirit by the god, was panting heavily and wanted to speak but in the end he didn't have the courage, so he also nodded.

"Since it is a story of adventure and travel, it must have its own identity."

The god placed the stack of cards in the center of everyone, so Shade reached out and picked up the first one. Everyone else also took out a card and then showed the card.

The backs of these cards are the same as the "All Things Impermanence Card", and the front has the name, card face and card rules of the "Game of Life" that Shade once played. The card face of the old knight is "Old Horse", the bard is "Parrot", the young witch is "Unicorn", and the maid in black dress is "Loyal Dog".

They all looked at Shade, who also showed the cards in his hand. The jumping fire in the bonfire did not cast a shadow on the god who had his back to the bonfire, so the card pile in the center of the crowd and Shade were not affected by the shadow of the god. shrouded.

He placed the cards in his hand on the ground in front of him. The cards were blank.

"So, what's my role?"

Shade took the initiative to ask the god, and raised his eyes that were pierced by golden cracks, and happened to look at the god. Even though this was not the true form of the god, Shade still only lasted less than ten seconds before taking the initiative to look away, and the traveler's god said:

"As a traveler under the moon, your role is yourself."

The witch looked at Shade with some surprise. After realizing that Shade also glanced at her, she looked back alertly, as if she was worried about being coveted by this strange man, Shade. The maid in a black dress silently held her cards, the old knight looked like he still didn't understand the situation, and the bard who was gradually recovering from his serious injury was looking at everyone here.