"Zoya, Zoya!"

The black crow circled several times before swooping down as if aiming at its prey, and its hoarse cries were tireless.

With silver hair hanging down behind him, the child-like body sat quietly on a pitch-black bench with a backrest, a wide off-white linen robe draped loosely over his body, covering all parts of his body.

The dark bench was swirled with thorny shadows, intertwined with green olive branches and a jumble of vines, tightly wrapping around the corners of the robe, and then extending some distance around the bench. These intertwined thorns, olive branches, and vines are not spread out in a haphazard manner, but they are harmoniously intertwined and fused with each other to form a vast cluster of occult symbols that dig deep into the ground at the very edge.

The crow looked down from above and could see the silver light surrounding Zoya's body, which from time to time spread out into flying threads that escaped along the thorns, olive branches, and vines.

Amon couldn't comprehend the full effect of the circle on the ground, some of the symbols he had never seen before, and he could only roughly tell that it was some kind of sacrificial ritual with the ability to "transmit".

Zoya stayed quietly in the middle of the circle, like a sacrifice placed on the altar, without sound, breath or movement, and on the inside of the frosted glass shell of her face were constantly flowing and rotating points of light, emitting a strange humming sound between the chaotic convergence and separation.

Zoya didn't respond to the call from the air. It wasn't until the raven rushed in front of him and slammed straight into his arms that Zoya lifted her stiff arms and lifted the fluffy blackbird up.

"Amon?" The murmur of the humming sound, almost louder than Zoya's words, made his voice sound like some kind of babbling.

If it was an ordinary person who heard this voice at this time, I am afraid that he would have suffered a mental impact long ago and entered a state of trance.

Of course, Amon will not be affected much, and the black crow turned over neatly and cocked his tail: "I'm finally here!" Adam said he was going to bring me here, but when he had an accident, he didn't help me at all—"

The raven's voice cut short as he stared at Zoya's exposed hands.

On Zoya's fingers, wrists, and forearms hidden by the robes, the skin had turned into a silver-white texture like snake scales, and layers of black symbols were wrapped around the outside, and when the black eyes stared, those black symbols were still wandering distortedly, like a layer of shadows that were constantly flowing on Zoya's body.

The crow watched this scene stunned, stood on Zoya's hand for a long time, then lowered his head and gently pecked at Zoya's fingertips: "Will it be painful?" ”

"No, I don't feel any pain in this body."

"Did someone hurt you?"

"No," Zoya paused, her voice gradually stabilizing, and the previously ethereal hum was gradually suppressed, "no one can hurt me. ”

The crow listened to these words, and it was clear that what Zoya said was true, but he felt that he couldn't believe a word - maybe this was the intuition of "deceiving the mentor", or it could be because of Zoya's situation at this time, no matter who evaluates it, this is by no means a normal state.

Amon didn't dare to fall to the chair full of twigs: "What Adam said is true?" Are you really in such a bad state that you need outside help to maintain your consciousness? ”

"I don't know......" Zoya seemed to be about to say something, but his voice grew lower and lower in the humming sound that became sharper.

"I'm trying to steal your thoughts too so I can know why, but there's only a buzz." There was a slight grievance in the crow's eyes, and he didn't feel that there was anything wrong with what he was doing, which was not a reasonable request.

"Hmm."

"I just wanted to help you."

"Nope."

The crow suddenly flew up, and once again hovered over Zoya's head, shouting in a hoarse voice, "Stingy! Idiot! Fool! No brains! Darn! Shit! Swindler! ”

The light under Zoya's mask froze for a moment, and he could feel a silhouette-like Amon flying overhead, but when the words came out of Zoya's head again, the humming sound became noticeably softened:

"Where did you learn these words? This doesn't fit your image. ”

The raven flew down again, this time perched on Zoya's shoulder, stepping on his silver hair: "Part Medici, part Christians or humans from the town. ”

"You're stealing the minds of the believers again."

The crow tilted his head, and there was sincerity in his dark eyes that was difficult to distinguish between true and false: "Since they are all my believers, isn't it a matter of course for me to let me know what they are thinking?" ”

After a few seconds of silence, the crow flapped its wings twice, as if trying to dispel some invisible sense of oppression: "Are you angry? ”

"I'm not going to be angry, I'm not going to be angry about this kind of thing." Zoya lifted a hand covered in double marks and pressed it against her translucent visor, "Thank you. ”

"I don't know what you're trying to say, that's not what I meant - not at all? Anger, disgust, hatred, annoyance, etc., are they completely absent? Amon asked in a rambling voice, deliberately provoking Zoya to react more.

Zoya moved her stiff arms and lifted the crow on her shoulder to her hands, following the movements of Dariberg, brushing her knuckles over the top of the blackbird's head and gently following it.

Amon gradually quieted down, and he could clearly feel that Zoya's fingers were visibly stiff when she moved, and his body seemed to be getting more and more difficult to move, and it was clear that the last time they met, Zoya's condition was more or less normal......

"Amon, what do you think it should be like to be angry?"

The crow closed its eyes and did not try to avoid Zoya's touch: "Even if you ask me, I can only say that it is a very complicated feeling, very unpleasant...... So I'll find a way to make the other person more angry, and then I'll be happy. ”

"It's weird." The hum in Zoya's voice grew stronger again, as if because he was at a loss.

Amon waved his crow wings twice in the air: "Do you want me to steal the feeling of anger and give it to you again?" Maybe you'll be able to feel it too. ”

"It's useless."

The crow raised his head: "How do you know if you don't try?" ”

Zoya stroked her fingers between the black feathers and paused, "As you can see, I can't bear more influence from the outside world now. ”

Amon was tempted to ask if Zoya had to stay here all the time, but he looked around and saw the symbols torn with tiny pieces of silver light, and felt that the question had been answered.

After such a long conversation, the "decryptor" had received enough information that Amon had never given up all the power to parse the neighborhood while talking nonsense.

And now, He has a confirmation of an answer.

"The function of this circle is not to help you stabilize your state." Amon said coldly, and the black crow used its wings to block Zoya's fingers that repeated the mechanical action.

After a moment of silence, Zoya whispered, "Yes." ”

"Why would Saslier do such a thing...... Is He trying to use you? Or do you want to hide something from my father? ”

The black crow jumped onto Zoya's hand, close to the rapidly swirling dots of light within the hood.

"I can't say."

Amon's tone became more and more indifferent: "Isn't it okay no matter what?" Don't you want to tell me that it's not okay to tell Adam? ”

The dots of light under Zoya's mask deposited into the depths, and even the humming sound gradually faded.

"He can't say it, it's not about whether Zoya is willing to tell us or not, it's the power of 'notarization'."

Adam's voice came from a distance, and he was standing outside the ritual circle, surrounded by a large, lush olive tree. There are five such trees, evenly spaced on the outside, like five pillars that demarcate the area.

The raven spread its wings again, delicately passing through the olive branch that almost wrapped around him, and the shadow of the raven, bound by the thorns, also opened and closed its claws at will, and then returned to Amun's body.

After easily passing through the vast nets of extraordinary power, the crow reverted to the form of a teenager of Adam's age, only slightly shorter.

"You know again?" Amun's usual smile was gone, and his thin cheeks became even more indifferent, "You always know better, don't you?" ”

Adam knew where Amon's grievances were coming from: "You see, it's not because I'm an elder brother, or because my father or Sasriel's favoritism. ”

"It's just that because of our different pathways, you know things and think differently," Amon pinched his monocle, "You told me. ”

"But you don't believe it."

Amon looked at Zoya, who was sitting on the bench, surrounded by shadows and olive branches, and curled the corners of his mouth: "Yes, I don't believe it. ”

Then He turned to Adam again: "Forgot to ask, what is the olive bracelet on your wrist?" ”

Adam just looked back at Amon quietly, his eyes clear and calm: "A promise of fate." ”

"So, you know what it's all for." This time Amon used the affirmation, and the smile on his face deepened.

Adam nodded: "This is to stabilize Zoya's state, and I will also take on some of his anchor, but correspondingly, someday in the future, the conditions of such an advance will inevitably require the return of the price." ”

"His current situation doesn't seem like a fair deal." Amon whispered, knowing that Zoya might be able to hear the conversation, but he didn't care.

Zoya can't do anything anymore anyway.

"But Zoya is safe here, and those who believe in the night have begun to seek Him." Adam said.

This reason was not enough to calm Amun's doubts, and he looked at Zoya, who was motionless: "Didn't he resist?" ”

"He'll be fine, let's go."

Amon withdrew his gaze and did not look at Adam again.

The robes curled, and the black crow flew towards the sky far from the olive trees, re-burrowing into the weak gap of the seal, and soon disappeared.