"Let's have a drink. ”

Ian looked up, looked at the kettle handed over by Green, and shook his head silently. Green didn't take the kettle back, but sat down against Ian, and the two of them sat on the stone staircase in front of the gate, the narrow eaves above their heads obviously not enough to completely cover the falling rain, so that Ian was already half soaked. Green opened the kettle, and the rich aroma of wine curled out of the spout, but it quickly dissolved into the stuffy air.

"What are you thinking?" asked Green, "after all these years, I thought you had seen through life and death." ”

Ian lowered his head: "Originally, I thought so, too. ”

"And then?"

"It's as if you understand something, but you're still going to fall into it. Ian whispered, "I never thought Dennis would die, really. I thought that even if I were going to die, I should die with me, and after the last hunt failed, our tombstones would be side by side under the ruins of the imperial capital, which was our fate. ”

"What a tragic ending. Green pouted, "You never thought you'd survive the apocalypse?"

"I've thought about it, I've thought about what kind of ending I have. Ian's voice grew quieter, "I just didn't think he'd leave me first." ”

Ian can't forget the scene when he brought Dennis's body back to the Granger family. Scott Granger fainted on the spot, and Dennis's mother couldn't cry silently, holding Dennis's body and crying for a whole night, as if the sky had fallen. In fact, it is true, Dennis's death is like the fall of the sky for the Granger family, they lost their best heir ten years ago, and history repeats itself ten years later.

For two days, Ian had been staying here, and Dennis had lived in the house behind him for many years, and in front of the house was a neat lawn, which must have been carefully mowed. Dennis practiced his sword on this lawn for twenty years, hoping to one day surpass his brother.

Ian's mind was in a trance, and he seemed to see Dennis in the rain. The sword light flew, cutting through the rain and carving sharp sword marks in the air. But in the blink of an eye, there was nothing, there was only an empty lawn, and there was nothing on the lawn, and the footprints left by the people who once walked on it had long been erased by time.

Ian felt his heart ache, like a knife. He gently buried his head in his knees, not letting the tears spill out. As he looked down, the icy rain seeped down his neck and into his clothes.

"No matter how sad you are, he won't come back. ”

The icy rain suddenly disappeared, and a light voice rang in Ian's ears. Ian was stunned, slowly raised his head, and saw a familiar but vague face, which became clear little by little as the rain slipped down his face.

Messiah.

Ian's throat moved, trying to say something, but not knowing what to say. The Messiah looked at him condescendingly, the scene was familiar, and this was how she had taken herself from Black Rock City many years ago and changed her fate. At that moment, she stood against everyone and stretched out her hand to such a dirty, despicable little beggar as him. Her voice is ethereal and divine, and there is no thought of refusal.

"Will you go on this journey with me?"

......

"When Grandpa left, you told me that no matter how sad you are, the person who left will not come back. The Messiah sat down beside Ian and said softly. The two sat side by side on the rudimentary staircase, and when they lowered their heads slightly, they could smell each other. This intimate and familiar taste reminded Ian of his days in the snowy mountains. He had nothing but the Messiah, and the latter was the same.

"I know. Ian said softly, "It's just that I'm not reconciled, I've been trying to get stronger for so long, but the people around me are still gradually leaving me." Sometimes I'm tired, wondering if it would have been better if I had stayed in Blackrock. ”

"Also, if you-"

"No ifs, I don't regret meeting you. Ian turned his head and stared into Messiah's eyes, "Throughout, I have never regretted meeting you. ”

The Messiah's slightly dim eyes exuded a beautiful color, and she smiled slightly, as if the heavens and the earth were about to lose their color. But the smile didn't bring much joy to Ian, who understood that Messiah was running out of time and that he was helpless. He had been in the imperial capital for four or five days, and he had never dared to meet the Messiah, also because of fear and guilt.

"Ian, do you want to be a hunter or a hero?" asked the Messiah suddenly.

Ian was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"I've heard people say that the hunter's path is full of blood and adventure, as well as friendship and bonding. The Messiah said, "But heroes are different, on the way to becoming heroes, there is only boundless loneliness and loneliness, so there is only one hero from beginning to end." The only thing that supports the hero is the responsibility in his heart. ”

Ian didn't know how to respond to the Messiah.

"Actually, you can't be considered a mere hunter for a long time. The Messiah said softly, "You may not realize that you have been walking on a path called all along, so your experience, your suffering is much more than ordinary people. You gain a lot and you lose a lot of things, and that's something you have to go through along the way. But by the time you're done on this path, you'll be a real hero. ”

Hunter, hero?

Ian didn't understand what both meant, and he didn't understand why the Messiah was talking to him about it. But he could feel the expectation and the feelings in the Messiah's words.

The Messiah lowered his head, looked at his slightly bulging lower abdomen, and whispered, "If the child knew that his father was a hero, he would be proud." ”