by Feng Yue
“Father…” He gaped at the old man before him.
On Gavin’s face, the tattoos hidden under his skin lit up one by one. As if he was born with them, they were wedged into his flesh and bone marrow. He could not get rid of them. They had been carved in his body at birth. Now, they locked his strength and he lost all his power to resist in a moment.
A cane jabbed his face angrily as if the old man wanted to smash his cheekbones in. He did not expect that the dying old man could have such great strength.
“How dare you call me Father?” The old man gasped. He climbed up from his wheelchair, raised his cane with shaking arms, and smashed it onto Gavin’s face again and again until his feeble strength was exhausted and Gavin’s nose was broken completely.
“The Adrian family is done for!” He glared at Gavin as if looking at a bastard, a scourge that should not be left in the world. “It’s all because of you, Gavin! Because of you! All our ancestors’ names are tainted because of you!” Purple-blue veins bulged across his face. Staring at Gavin made him grind his teeth. “Sure enough, a b*stard like you shouldn’t have been kept in this world…”
Gavin froze and gaped at the furious man. His lips trembled as if he wanted to explain something but did not know what to say.
In the end, footsteps sounded in the distance. Someone was leading the brigade here. A familiar voice shouted, “He’s inside! Don’t let him get away!” It was Banner.
“Wh-why?”
“Only by sacrificing you could the family be saved.” The old man looked coldly at this shameful son. “You’d better go with them obediently and distance from the family, understand? Don’t get the family involved.”
“But…didn’t…” Gavin looked at him blankly. But weren’t you the one who asked me to join the parliament? Father! You’re the one who asked me to join the parliament to get those big men’s favor… It was…iIt was you who gave the name of Robin to me… It was you… It was you…
“I’ve clearly done it, Father.” Gavin closed his eyes, grinding his teeth and trying to hold in the tears. “I’ve done much better than you’d wanted!”
In the approaching footsteps, Gavin roared. He drew out his dagger and gouged out the restrictions on his face. Scarlet blood spouted out and his pale cheekbones were revealed, full of cracks. He looked like a rotting corpses.
He growled with pain but he finally broke free from what had chained him down since birth. Flesh and blood came off, leaving behind pale bones as hideous as an angry demon.
Seeing Gavin climb up from the ground and go toward him, the old man froze. He trembled in the wheelchair and tried to retreat. “You… You… What do you want to do? Gavin, I…”
“I don’t want to do anything.” Gavin smiled. He reached out to caress his father’s sparse white hair and said gently, “Father, all this time, it has always been Banner took care of you. It’s the first time we’re so close. You’re old and not in good health. You should just sit and rest.” As he said this, he gently pushed the dagger into the withered chest. The blade pressed against the heart and nailed into the back of the wheelchair as if it was part of it.
As the old man screamed. Gavin bent down and gazed at the old man’s eyes with his grey eyes. “As you wish, please put all the blame on me. As you said, the family will be saved if Gavin dies.” He kissed the old man on the forehead and laughed, turning his face into bloody pulp.
He took out Robin’s mask from his pocket and put it on his face. For the first time, there was no estrangement between the mask and the flesh, and it truly became his face. However, blood seeped out of the eye holes and fell down his cheeks. He just could not hold it back.
The Robin laughed with tears of blood, pushed the door to go out, and pounced on the fire that was going to burn him.
Hissing was heard in the darkness but it quickly fell silence. The roar stopped while the sound of the music finally dissipated as well. During this long night, the blood of countless people was doomed to be buried under the rotten soil with their enemies and bones, as well as despair and anger.
In the dark, the Blood Path quietly extended.
-
When dawn was about to come, a broken wooden boat drove out of a hidden port and quietly left Avalon.
In the cabin, the wounded Robin leaned against the wall. He looked at his bloody hands and laughed softly. His laughter, full of emptiness and desolation, echoed in the cabin before finally dissipating in the gloom.
“How long are you going to wait?” the Robin asked, without looking behind. “Shouldn’t we end this now?”
“You’re right.” In the darkness behind him, that seemly sleeping teenager opened his eyes and looking at his back with compassion. “You discovered me long ago?”
“No, I don’t have the strength sense anymore.” The Robin lowered his eyes tiredly. “But I didn’t see you along the way, so I supposed you were waiting for me here.”
“I see.” Ye Qingxuan sighed and slowly rose. “Gavin, the eldest son of the Adrian family, present of the student council, the top student of the School of Royalty who entered the Royal Music Division after graduation, and even became the master’s deputy…”
“These things I know better than you. There’s no need to read my resume.”
“I just want to ask, with your ability, why did you choose to be a dark musician?”
“Yeah, why? I also want to know why.” The Robin laughed wryly. “If I had to say, it’s probably because of my family that had fallen for so long? Since the previous patriarch, the family was expelled from the top level of society. My father failed to resonate and was reduced to a man who would suffocate if there was no wheelchair and respirator. After all these years, all that remained of the Adrian family was the name. There’s nothing but the name.
“Do you understand? Mr. Holmes, all the education, all the things I ever heard in my entire life were related to making this family to rise again. I could sacrifice everything for this, even the destruction of Avalon, as long as the family of Adrian could return to its peak. Being a dark musician is just a small part of it.”
“Revive the family?” Ye Qingxuan scoffed. “Do your father and brother really care about you? Banner sees you as an eyesore. Didn’t your father betray you just now? You give everything for something that doesn’t love you and you don’t love either.”
“Love or not, is there a difference?” The Robin looked back at him with mockery, as if he was mocking Ye Qingxuan but also himself.
“As you can see, a family with nothing but a name, a father who uses me as a tool, a brother who hates me from the heart, these are the only things that I have in this world. I know they don’t love me. How can they love me? I’m their eternal disgrace.
“I’m just an illegitimate child—I was born a sinner. If they didn’t discover that I had musical talent, I would have been drowned in the gutter.
“I was raised by the maids, ate my younger brother’s leftovers, and wore clothes that I could touch only when go out. If I dirtied the clothes a little, I would get beaten. This is good enough for me, very good. At least I’m still alive, even if the cost is to be a slave for my entire life. What other options do I have?
“I was born with no choice and no way to run. Ye Qingxuan, this is my destiny!” The Robin looked at him, exposing his steel gray eyes dyed red by blood. Behind the mask, they looked dark and dead. “That’s why I’m…so jealous of you.”
In the silence, the youth closed his eyes sadly. “Actually, you needn’t have done so much wrong.”
The response to him was a cracked dagger. The dagger passed through the corner of Ye Qingxuan’s shirt, nailed into the cabin, and broke. The iron pieces broke in the hands of the Robin and embedded into his palms. Fresh blood flowed out and melted into the dry old blood. One could not tell old from new.
“Enough, Ye Qingxuan.” The Robin glared at him. “Don’t talk about those ridiculous ideals. Is it necessary to show mercy to a dying person?”
Ye Qingxuan stood still in silence.
“Come on! Ye Qingxuan, what are you waiting for?” The Robin roared as if he was mad, but his angry eyes seemed to be begging. “Enough! Stop pretending to show mercy like a friend!”
-
Ye Qingxuan was stunned by those eyes. After a long time, he revealed a bitter smile. “You’re right, how can the Vengeful Spirit and the Robin be friends?” He lowered his eyes and lifted up the cane. “Gavin, you broke my heart.”
Moonlight shone and poured into the Robin’s body. It rose like a flame and engulfed him. In the illusory flames, the Robin, stained with blood, closed his eyes and sank into the endless darkness.
All was silent.
-
When the boat returned to the dock, it had been already tightly blocked by the members of the Fifth Department.
The lone youth came out of the cabin, which was silent as a tomb behind him. He returned to the shore, going against the tide of soldiers who rushed into the boat. He seemed to be exhausted and sat wearily. Under the awed gazes, he took off his hat and threw it beside him along with his cane.
Someone gingerly stepped up and whispered, “Mr. Holmes, please…”
The youth did not seem to hear anything. After a long time, he looked up at the guy. There seemed to be a corpse buried in that pair of quiet and dark eyes. It was so terrifying that the guy dared not to meet his gaze. The comer bowed in awe.
“Got a cigarette?” the teenager asked.
“Eh?” The man froze but soon reacted. He looked back and soon, a pack of crumpled cigarettes was given to Ye Qingxuan.
Ye Qingxuan awkwardly tore open the package and put one in his mouth. The glow of the flame flashed. The teenager took a deep breath and exhaled the ashes of murder and darkness. He said hoarsely, “Go. Leave me alone.”
The other dared not to say anything and he gestured to his companion. A black bag was carefully removed from the cabin and placed on the wagon. The people of the Fifth Department quietly left. Ye Qingxuan was the only one left on the silent dock. Only the vaguely sound of tides accompanied him.
After some time, a faint light lit up behind him, between the sea and the end of the sky. The sun quietly leaped from the tide, glowing faintly.
The faint light illuminated the youth’s solitary figure.
The long night was over.
It was dawn.
305 Stein Chamber
The next day, the weather was fine in the afternoon. It was almost impossible to detect the chaos of last night.
For most people, last night was just a rare earthquake, causing tsunamis and chaos. It caused much shock as well, but after the shock faded, it became a story to talk about after dinner. People talked cheerfully about last night’s unlucky guys. They discussed the magical power that the musicians had shown when they were involved in infrastructure repair and rebuilding.
Only a few sensitive people felt something wrong, but they couldn’t tell what it was. Maybe it was the fact that there were more soldiers on the streets, the rangers seemed to be working harder, or maybe there were more musicians in robes standing at the gates. The mysterious unrest in the uptown district was too far away for them to know. It would take a long time before it was brought up again as a strange rumor.
“Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes! What a dragon! It flew in the sky.” In the tavern, a young man exaggerated his gestures and drew a burst of laughter.
“Don’t be silly. You probably saw things because you were scared out of your mind.”
“Dragon? There wasn’t even a dragon’s hair! “
Under the storm of boos, the young man sat down awkwardly and knocked on his brother’s head beside him. “Drink less, don’t get drunk.”
“I won’t get drunk.” His brother lowered his head with displeasure.
“Well, you can drink everywhere, but we’ll miss the boat if we don’t leave now.”
Being laughed at, the disgraced young man picked up his brother, paid the bill, and prepared to leave with his bag.
“He’s your brother? He’s cute.” The middle-aged bartender smiled and rubbed the little boy’s millet-colored hair. The child glared at the bartender discontentedly.
When the bartender came to again, he found that the brothers had already gone. He patted his head awkwardly, only to find that he could not remember how they had left. He could only remember the child’s eyes. They were pure gold like gems.
Somehow, the memory began to blur and fade quickly. Soon, he forgot that someone had come and returned to his busy yet peaceful routine.
At the city gate, the long line heading out of the city moved slowly forward.
At the front, the examiner looked at the two brothers before him. “Vladimir, Avjevich… Are you from the Caucasus? It’s thousands of miles away.”
“A true painter is one who’s willing to give his life to art, right?” The elder brother, known as Vladimir, smiled. His accent was not Caucasian at all. Instead, it was elegant and smooth, like the accent of Anglo’s upper class. “Anglo is just our first stop. We intend to travel to Burgundy, to Asgard by sea, and finally to the Sacred City.”
Faint light lit up in the musician’s eyes but dimmed when looked at the brothers. He nodded and stamped their passports. Smiling, he handed the passport to them. “Have you seen the murals of the Covet Opera? It’s a rare baroque mural. You’re still in the town so you can still go back to have a look.”
“I’ve been there already. What a pity. I didn’t know until I got here that it was destroyed by that fire few decades ago,” Vladimir lamented. “Anglo truly doesn’t care enough about the preservation of art. Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s alright.” The musician smiled, waved, and signaled to the knights behind him to let them go. “Have a good journey.”
“Thank you. I’ll definitely come back again if I get the chance.” Vladimir smiled, took his brother’s hand, and went out of the gate.
Behind him, there were some riders in ominous black clothing. They surrounded the crowd and patrolling with sharp eyes under their hoods.
Soon the distant passenger ship whistled and drove away from the port.
On the deck, the brothers from the Caucasian Federation gazed at the city as if they were unwilling to leave; the fading white city reflected in their eyes.
“What a pity. The members of the parliament are probably being hanged now. I feel a little uneasy about my lack of conscience seeing as I’m the only survivor.” In the serene sea breeze, ‘Vladimir’ sighed and waved. “Goodbye, gentlemen. I may not avenge you, but I’ll remember you. You’ll be recorded in my autobiography as an example of failure so that you’ll be remembered forever and your names would be left in history!”
No one responded.
He smiled, drew back his gaze, and looked down to his side. The young boy also looked up at him; his golden eyes were like amber. The pupil inside the amber was vertical, with the cruelty and gloom of a demon.
“Naberius, I’m hungry.”
“Be patient, there’s only a moment longer.” The dark musician named Naberius reached out and gently caressed the boy’s millet-colored hair as if caressing a rare treasure. “Poor little Mordred, let me take you to see the big goldfish, okay?”
-
That same afternoon, a dark carriage drove into the underground square and stopped before the gate of the Jianlan Underground Palace.
Ye Qingxuan stood in front of the huge dusty door, still dressed in the camouflage he wore in downtown. Behind him, Dominic’s figure seemed to melt into the darkness.
There seemed to be something wrong. Two minutes later, the princess in a white dress pushed the door and descended from the cart. She cleared her throat and lowered her head in greeting. “You must have waited a long time, Mr. Holmes”
“No, I just arrived,” Ye Qingxuan replied quietly. For some reason, the cold princess did not even look at him this time. Did he leave a bad impression? No, after all, he once hel
ped her remove the curse! She should at least be friendly. He did not expect any ‘respect’, but it should not be ‘coldness’ at least!
But thinking of how he had once experimented upon her Highness, Ye Qingxuan could not help but feel somewhat regretful. Fortunately, the feeling was not ‘hatred.’ Otherwise, he would be done for.
After a short silence, Mary coughed and walked ahead. “Come with me, please.” She passed over Ye Qingxuan and gave Dominic an old key. Taking a glance, Dominic nodded and turned to insert the key into the door. It opened with the sharp sound of friction.
Dominic did not lead the way as usual. Instead, he handed over a lantern and glanced at Ye Qingxuan. “What a lucky kid.”
In the distant darkness behind the door, the princess clad in white held the lantern and looked back at him. The dazed Ye Qingxuan snapped out of his thoughts and hurried over. The gate rumbled and closed behind them.
In the silence, he heard Mary’s footsteps ahead. The maiden lifted the lantern, illuminating the winding steps below. The spiral staircase seemed to extend endlessly.
Every time Ye Qingxuan entered a door, he saw something completely different and surprising every time. He looked around at the cracks in the wall as well as the broken ornaments. It felt like he was in an abandoned castle.
He took a deep breath but could not smell the dust and decay. There was no wind and no other smells. He could only smell the perfume that drifted in front of him.
Well, your taste is quite good, your Highness, Ye Qingxuan quietly praised in his mind.
Mary, walking ahead, seemed to be unaccustomed to such a long silence. She coughed lightly and said, “Mr. Holmes, you don’t seem surprised. Have you ever been to such a place?”
More than just ‘been to; I work here every day. I come here much more frequently than you do. But he could not say that aloud, of course, so Ye Qingxuan just nodded. “To tell the truth, I feel puzzled. Some small places feel different from the outside world. Some feel like black zones, but they are more stable.”