Eric ...... Eric ......"

Ed raised his voice unconsciously, but still couldn't seem to penetrate the fog that swirled around him.

He looked around with some uneasiness. The fog in the temple was much thicker than the last time he was here, and although it wasn't enough to completely obscure his vision, it made everything around him feel like a veil of lightness, and it felt a little unreal.

If it weren't for the lack of life in the mist, the scene in front of me would be almost beautiful, like a legendary illusion, a temple above the clouds...... Ed felt only a chill.

He was in a trance remembering a certain world he had walked through when he stepped into the otherworldly ring again and again. Ancient buildings crumbling to the ground, broken stone pillars as pale as dry bones, towers towering above the wilderness reaching to the sky, and only dead silence in the darkness...... A forgotten, abandoned world, like a temple in the mist.

Scott seems to have taken the fog that pervades the plains and has not yet dissipated as some kind of protection, but Ed has always wondered if Felicity's temple should not protect itself in such an isolated way. It was she who made the temple of the water god, once shrouded in fog and far away from people, stand in front of people in a more solemn and grandiose, but also more mundane and intimate way, and "hiding" would not be her choice.

But is there a better way for him?

“...... Eric!"

He swallowed a useless sigh back into his stomach, screamed again, and slowly walked down the hallway.

Before he could leave, he had to settle Eric. It's always not okay to keep him here alone, the last time we met. He was obviously already a little delirious, but brought him back to Christenburg...... Ed didn't know if he could still give enough trust to the young paladin who had given him a blow by surprise.

He has lost his Vala...... He absolutely couldn't accept losing Narya in the same way again. If she doesn't want to go with them...... Why on earth was she reluctant to walk with them?

A soft sound woke him up, and he subconsciously drew his short sword in his right hand. Paddled to his side - he had unconsciously walked into the backyard, the milky white fog swirling and hiding everything.

The dagger slammed into the armor, and the wind swept through the mist, revealing Eric's statue-like figure.

"Eric!"

Ed breathed a sigh of relief, but didn't put away his dagger - the paladin's expression was a little wrong.

He turned his head towards him, but it was as if he didn't see him at all, and his empty gaze pierced through his body. As if looking behind him...... Or an image from another world.

Ed glanced back uneasily, then reached out and shook it in front of Eric's eyes.

"Hey......" he asked softly, "what's wrong with you?...... What are you looking at?"

Eric's gaze lowered slightly. It finally landed on his face.

"Ed. He cried out dumbfounded, recognizing him.

"It's me. Ed replied softly, "Are you alright, Eric?"

“...... I saw her. Eric looked at him blankly. Sidestep the question. "She's here. ”

“...... She?" Ed repeated in confusion, a faint hint of hope suddenly in his heart, "...... Felicity?"

"I don't know......" replied Eric, whose haggard face surrounded by mist was as gray as a dead man, "I don't know her name...... No, I know, I've seen it, I've been told...... Helena ...... Herena Christus -- that's her name. Here she is. Ed...... She's here, she's there...... I'm not lying. I didn't lie to you...... Here she is. ”

Ed looked at him in surprise and shuddered involuntarily.

He looked back at the fog behind him again, and quickly calmed down after a moment of panic. He didn't like the fog, but he was sure that there was no danger here...... At least, there is no danger from the land of the dead.

The fog was cold but pure—a bit like the feeling of Icabard. That's probably why Scott thinks the fog was created by the priest.

There can be no ghosts here.

Ed remembered the name, of course. Helena Christus, one of the chosen Sages, has never been found, and the evidence of Sean Fletcher's guilt has not been found......

If he's not mistaken, she's dead...... At least Eric claimed that the last thing he saw was Helena's body that Sean had taken.

He thought it was probably some kind of hallucination - it proved that Eric really couldn't stay here any longer, and that he was clearly on the verge of collapse.

“...... I've got you something to eat, Eric. He lifted the basket in his hand, trying to distract the paladin, but Eric kept using that confusion and fear...... But it seemed to have a little bit of fascination and ecstasy, looking for something in the fog.

"She's here. He repeated in a low voice, suddenly moving without warning, and disappeared into the mist in the blink of an eye.

“...... Eric!" Ed chased after him a little angrily, suddenly realizing that the young paladin ...... Maybe it's the inexplicable love for the mysterious blonde woman who hasn't even said a word to him, like falling in love with an ethereal and beautiful dream.

With the sound of footsteps and familiarity with the temple, Ed miraculously did not lose it. He chased Eric through the fog, running through the small pond in the backyard, running through the deserted training ground, and running through the small quiet garden under the North Tower...... Ran all the way to the small pier by the lake.

After a burst of water, Eric's footsteps stopped. Ed squinted and walked over slowly, catching the faint reflection on the armor in the mist...... Then he stepped into the water.

He took a step back and watched as Eric stood motionless within his reach, his statue-like back flickering in the fog. He didn't know if Eric had seen something again, and he didn't dare to ask again. In front of him, the mist was blown by the breeze on the surface of the lake, and for a brief moment he seemed to see a little white shadow drifting by, like a woman's skirt dragging on the water...... That's just fog, of course.

What is more real is the sound of the lake still lapping against the shore endlessly, gentle and delicate like a whisper, which easily stirs up unspeakable sourness in his heart.

It was a place of farewell...... But he didn't get a chance to say goodbye to many.

Will those who die be buried properly on the island of the Holy Sepulchre?...... To be honest, he didn't think Icabird cared about that. As the nameless old priest on the island once said, "We are born out of nothingness and return to nothingness." Everything will be forgotten......"

But they should not be forgotten.

Not far away, there was a hollow, monotonous, and very regular crashing sound, which sounded again and again......

It suddenly occurred to Ed that it was the white boat by the docks, where Scott had taken him and Nalya on the island of the Holy Sepulchre for the last time. After that, no one came close to ......

His heart moved, and he couldn't help but look in the direction of the white boat. The last time Scott and Filly returned to the temple, they told him that they would never be able to get close to the island of the Holy Sepulchre, and he never tried again...... Maybe the ancient holy land won't reject him?

He spat on his unwarranted self-confidence...... Or hopefully, while involuntarily striding towards the white boat. He hesitated when he reached the side of the boat, and after a few moments gritted his teeth and dragged the boat back to Eric.

The sound of the water briefly attracted the attention of the young paladin. He looked down at the white boat, then at Ed, and suddenly took a sharp step back as if frightened, and almost slipped in the water.

"You can't go there!" he blurted out in a panic, his low voice with obvious fear.

"Why?" Ed asked him softly, "what's there?...... Have you been?"

Eric just kept shaking his head and didn't answer.

That only made Ed more curious.

He jumped onto the white boat and held out his hand to Eric.

"I'll have to go there and see what's left behind in Icabird. He said, "Do you want to come with me?"

Eric still shook his head desperately, but Ed noticed that Ikabrough's name didn't make any difference to him - it wasn't what he feared.

He stayed here alone for more than half a year...... What did he see? What did he know?

"I have to go. Ed made his tone firmer and more earnest," ...... Can't you come and help me?"

Eric stared at him in a daze, his eyes wavering in fear and guilt, and after a moment, he finally climbed onto the boat with his head down.

The knight in armor was much heavier than Ed. The boat tilted and began to spin slowly on the surface of the lake. Of course, there would be no more magic to send them to the island in the middle of the lake, and Eric wouldn't actually be of much help - he just didn't feel comfortable leaving him here.

Ed sighed silently, rebalanced the boat, removed a board, and tried to discern its direction, paddling towards the island of the Holy Sepulchre.

(To be continued.) )