Chapter 22: The Birds

The golden pontoon bridge hung in the air, and a mysterious spell flowed from it, and a string of magnificent ripples was created at their feet, blooming behind them until it dissipated into nothingness.

Sovereign's eighteen-year-old life was not boring, it could even be said to be colorful, but he never imagined that one day he would be able to walk in the heavens and walk on the miracles that lead to legends as he does now. The pontoon was swayed slightly by the air gushing from the rift, and the charms printed on the transparent bridge deck were like notes dancing in the wind, breathing, beating, and singing a solemn syllable or two of the Holy Spirit.

In these syllables, two staggering figures walked across the rift, finally disappearing into the white fog.

A faint golden luster led the way, and the fog that permeated the surroundings was very strange, unlike the fog wall outside the Forest of Songs, there was no trace of coldness and mystery here, but rather an inexplicable comfort and warmth.

Sovereign was a little excited, and he couldn't wait to know what awaited him behind the fog.

As the fog faded, a fantastical sight unfolded before them as their feet retouched the grass-covered earth.

Strings of dark golden spells slowly rose from the ground and flew straight into the deep blue night sky. In the distance, a sparse forest stood, and through the cracks in the trees, you could see a soft light falling to the ground, emitting an intoxicating glow.

Sovereign and Dennis stared at everything in front of them in a daze, silently whispering the prayer of the Lord of Order, and walked towards the forest. The slowly rising spells were inadvertently shattered, and they swirled, turning into shimmering gold dust and floating in the air, and then, slowly returning to their original form.

Holy and magnificent, you can't accurately describe the blessings of the Lord God here in this magical land. You can only hold your breath and gaze at the faith in your heart, the unattainable and ethereal faith, and finally be able to leave an indelible shadow on the land in which you live, in your own life.

Walking through the sparse woods, they finally found the glimmering answer.

A tranquil lake is embraced by a forest in the middle, like an ancient jewel, embedded in the earth beneath your feet. The lake was overflowing, lying quietly, without a single fold of the reflection of the trees floating on the water, and the moonlight in the sky.

Standing by the lake, Essaoweran whispered, "This must be the last puzzle, right?" he deliberately lowered his voice, as if he did not want to disturb the silence here, "Who said that there would be no birds crossing the clear blue sky at night, and who said that the spring water could not flow gently in the reflection." ”

Dennis nodded. "That's right, it's supposed to be here. Then he casually pointed to the sky above him, "There are obviously no birds here, no clear blue sky...... his tone was a little thoughtful.

"Let's split up, it doesn't look like a big place. Sovereign looked around and continued, "There should be other clues waiting for us to discover. ”

"Okay," Dennis said, "stay safe, and shout if anything happens." ”

"Yes. So saying, Sovereign and Dennis walked out in opposite directions.

As Essaouiran had guessed, it was really small, and the sparse woods and the lake in the middle were all there was to it. The fog that surrounded the outside was like a wall, enveloping the place like a besieged city in the fog.

Soon, when Essaovilland and Dennis met again, they both saw a look of bewilderment in each other's eyes.

"It's too small here," Dennis muttered, glancing around, "I'm afraid it won't be much bigger than our Knight Academy." ”

"That's true," continued Soveland, "and there's a thick fog not far outside the woods, and I don't think there's any clue to be hidden in the fog, and if that's the case, I'm afraid we'll never find anything for the rest of our lives." ”

"Not only will you not find anything, but you may get lost in it, or even fall into a cliff with one foot in the air. Dennis said.

"There's really not too many secrets to hide here," Sovereign said, looking to the side, "it's the only one who can hide secrets......

"This lake?" Dennis followed Sawrain's gaze, "There are reflections here, but we have to go to the lake to find the springs, the birds, and even the blue sky?" he said with some confusion, "This is a bit unbelievable, isn't it?"

"Do you have a better choice?" Sovereign spread his hands, "and besides, have we encountered fewer unbelievable things?"

"Well, it's quite a lot, and it's enough for me to get enough. Dennis' answer was crisp.

Although they did not want to do anything to desecrate this sacred land, there was really no other choice at the moment. After solemnly reciting the prayer, the two of them took off their boots, tentatively waded through the water, and swam towards the center of the lake

The mirror-like surface of the water finally wrinkled into layers of waves, and the moonlight that was carried rippled seemed to come alive. Sovereign gently paddled his arms, and unexpectedly, the water was not cold, leaving only a soft touch on his skin. By the moonlight, he could even appreciate how clear the lake water was in front of him.

"You know, Dennis," said Soveland, "I even have a strange feeling of guilt as I swim in this lake, and perhaps we really shouldn't break the holiness here. ”

"Let's sigh when we really find the last clue here," Dennis said nonchalantly, not far behind Soveland, ready for the unexpected, "It's already down, it's too late to say anything, right?"

Sovereign glanced back at Dennis speechlessly. "The Lord God is above, can't you say something to comfort me?"

"What really makes me happy is that after swimming in the water, my leg injury is finally less painful. Dennis said with a smile in response.

"To tell you the truth, it really hurts you...... Sovereign sometimes wondered why Dennis, as Evelyn's younger brother, had such a big difference in personality, and how he hadn't noticed this before.

It didn't take long for them to swim to the middle of the lake. Glancing at each other very tacitly, the two of them took a deep breath together and dived. Ripples spread out, and as the figure disappeared from the surface of the lake, the lake returned to its serene appearance at first sight, as if the visitor who disturbed it had not appeared.

Time passed little by little, and as a puff of bubbles poured out and shattered on the surface of the water, two figures resurfaced. In this way, several back and forth, when the tired look slowly appeared on their faces, the last clue in the whole puzzle obviously showed a complicated side.

Sovereign wiped a handful of water droplets from his face, the long dive and float consumed a lot of his physical strength, coupled with the injury in his chest, the current situation made him a little unbearable. "Nothing, for the sake of the Lord God, I can even see the stones at the bottom of the lake by the moonlight. His expression was a little disappointed, "What about you?"

Dennis, who was not far away, shook his head. "I'm still pretty confident in my water," he swam in the direction of Essaouiran, "and the slightest strange thing won't escape my eyes." In fact, there is nothing but pebbles at the bottom of the lake. ”

"Hell, it's so simple here, outrageously simple. Sauveray reluctantly states a very shallow, but depressing fact, "The sparse woods, the clear lakes, on the surface, there is nothing to hide here, absolutely not." ”

"Do you know what to hide here?" said Dennis with a wry smile, "Hide the blue sky in the night, hide the birds in the sky, and even hide the spring water with the reflection?"

"I mean, it's definitely not going to be as simple as it seems, but we haven't found it yet. Sovereign said to himself with a frown.

The two men were silent and did not say anything more, as if the whole process had reached a dead end with no solution. At this moment, a deep, distant, and not even from this world sounded in the ears of the two people.

"Tick ......"

It begins and ends in silence, but it seems to leave a tremor in the depths of the soul.

Sovereign froze, and he and Dennis stared at each other as if they were frozen in the water. "Did you hear that?!" his voice trembled, as if he was not sure of his judgment.

"I heard it, and there was a voice. Dennis replied in the same affirmative.

Sovereign pressed Dennis's shoulder and made a silent gesture. In this way, they stopped all their movements and held their breath, as if all the success or failure of everything was gathered in this moment. In the anxious waiting, time seemed to slow down, and finally, after a long time, the ethereal voice sounded again.

"Tick ......"

"It's the sound of water!" shouted Sovereign excitedly, he was sure he couldn't be mistaken, "it's the sound of water droplets!"

"Yes, it's the sound of water droplets, but what the hell is coming from?" Dennis hurriedly looked around to find the source of the sound, "was there such a sound when you were at the lake?" he asked.

"No, absolutely not," said Soveland, shaking his head, "the lake is very quiet, and if there is any noise, we will not fail to hear it." ”

"That means it has to be in the lake to be heard," Dennis speculated, "and the problem is that we didn't hear it when we dived." ”

"It seems it must be on the surface of the lake, and," Essaoweran pointed to where they were, "in the middle of the lake." ”

"I'm afraid so, Lord God is above, this is too harsh," Dennis complained, "and then? How do we find the source of the sound? Honestly, do you have the illusion that the sound of water droplets is in your heart, and is not here at all?" ”

"That's right, the place where that voice sounded seemed to be in the heart, not in the ear. Sovereign said approvingly, the feeling was very strange, as if some strange power had suddenly poured into your inner world, "You look outside, I look inside the water, and we'll listen again." As long as the sound sounds, don't let go of any strange places. ”

"Okay. Dennis nodded.

This time, in order to hear the miraculous sound of water droplets, Sovelan buried his face shallow under the surface of the water, and looked at everything at the bottom of the lake by the moonlight.

Soon, the sound of water droplets sounded again, and the sound seemed to shake the water of the lake, and Soveland's originally clear vision trembled and blurred. Suddenly, he grabbed Dennis's arm, because, when his gaze was restored again, the bottom of the lake in his eyes turned into a clear blue sky, where a snow-white bird carrying the golden sunlight left a distant shadow.