"You're not human." Carlil said.

He chose to use this as his opening statement, which, frankly, was not a good choice — in fact, it was a terrible choice.

But then, his tone was calm, as if he were stating a fact.

"Well, neither are you." The emperor replied.

He returned with equal calm.

"This means that we have started to communicate officially."

Carlil nodded calmly. "So, what's the matter that you have to break away from them to talk to me?"

"There are a lot of them." The Emperor said.

He did not deny the idea of 'branching'.

Then the giant took another step forward and stretched out his right hand.

The hand covered in gold armor hovered in mid-air, holding a steady posture. The relief of the double-headed eagle glittered on the armour, and the darkness could not hide such a brilliant demeanor.

In fact, darkness fears him.

Before he appeared, all the beasts of the wasteland had left. Their inferior intellect can't understand it, but their instincts do.

Leave, or die. Their instincts say.

"What does that mean?" Carlil asked slowly.

"A greeting, a necessary etiquette, or a covenant. It's all up to you to choose. ”

Carlil laughed.

"I don't think you gave me a choice – not to mention, we've already shook hands once."

"That time it was for salvation."

"But you didn't mention the price."

"The price doesn't matter right now."

"Really? I'd like to hear about it. ”

The giant of giants slowly lowered his noble head, his eyes shining with a golden light, and the laurel wreath shining on his forehead.

And Carlil was indifferent.

He was completely indifferent to the god-like countenance—or mask. There was even something churning at the bottom of those dark eyes.

“...... You want to know the truth," the emperor said slowly. "However, the truth may not be your favor."

Karil Lohals stared into his eyes, the golden glow not changing the darkness in the slightest.

Then, he stepped forward and took the hand that was too large for him.

"I have nothing to fear." He said.

-----------------

The world is spinning.

Reason is shredded and then reglued.

Memories that are too old come flooding back, and the countless darkness buried in them turns into choking dust. Their fingers were wrapped in bandages, their bodies were eviscerated, and a peculiar smell of herbs began to permeate Carlil's nasal passages.

He breathes.

Then breathe in again – deeply, breathe.

"Mummy?" He asked.

"Yes." A man in a white robe stepped barefoot on the floor tiles and answered Carlil's question.

The exhaustion on his face was the same as last time. He did not take the laurel wreath with him, nor did he put on the golden armor, but he stood there like a normal man.

"Egypt?" Carlil asked again.

"Yes."

"So, you were once a certain pharaoh?"

"Yes." The man said.

Carlil shook his head and strolled through the burning pyramid, his voice still calm: "The last time we met, you showed me a primitive tribe, and you said it was located on the border of Eurasia. ”

"That's true."

"So, you lived from a barbarian to the pharaoh of Egypt?"

"No, that's not all. I've had many identities, many names. ”

The man paused, his tired face in a trance. He seemed to notice something, and said, "...... You can call me Neos. ”

"I don't dare call you by your name—your armor says something, and if I'm not mistaken, you're an emperor."

"The Emperor." Neos corrected. "I've designed a lot of identities for myself and then played them. Normally, I wouldn't do that unless humanity is already in trouble. ”

Carlil chuckled, he turned around, leaned against the pharaoh's mausoleum and put his arm on it: "How many?" ”

"Countless."

"What about the kind?"

"God, man, madman, king, prophet...... Men, women, the elderly, children...... I've experienced all the life you ever know. ”

"Eternal life?" Carlil asked.

Neos didn't answer, he knew that Carlil had already gotten the answer—the ghost from the distant past was staring into his eyes, and he was not wearing a mask at this moment.

The man named Carlil Lohals was not blind, so he could see clearly.

"Eternal life." Carlil nodded. "What a cruel punishment. Is it innate, or is it punishment? ”

Neos smiled, the first time he had shown mood swings.

"I'm glad you could call it a punishment - but, I'm afraid humans don't have the ability to punish a person in this way."

"Maybe it's not you who are punished by humans." Carlil said calmly. "Maybe they're them."

"They can't do that...... Also, you seem to know me before we met. Are they telling you? ”

"Prometheus." Carlil slowly spat out an ancient name. "The god of gods, whose name means foresight, Titan, steals the sacred fire and brings fire to the earth and humanity......"

He narrowed his eyes, looked at the ordinary and tired person in front of him, and shook his head.

"What have you been through?" Carlil asked softly. "What has humanity experienced?"

"Disaster." Neos replied briefly, a deep imprint between his eyebrows. "A great catastrophe."

Carlil shook his head.

"What a riddle exchange...... And you seem to be enjoying it? ”

"Some things are destined to be buried, therefore, yes...... I am indeed happy to let you get the truth without coming into contact with the dust of history. ”

Carlil laughed again.

"Let's get down to business." He said briefly. "What's going on with my body?"

"It's about who you are." Neos responded to his question in a calmer tone, he was focused, his eyes telling it.

"Essence?"

"You and I are well aware that a ghost floating behind that curtain is unlikely to be human."

Neos said in a deep voice, voices colliding back and forth between the ancient walls. "And your body ...... I just brought it to life and made a little change. What really makes it change is who you are. ”

Carlil nodded noncommittally, "What is my nature, Mr. Neos?" ”

"I can't answer that." Neos said.

He's not refusing, he's just stating a fact. His eyes were so sad at this moment, as if they were sympathizing with the inquirer's future.

Carlil waited calmly.

As he said – he had nothing to fear.

"Words have power, and I have made a pact with it to bring your body back to life. If I open my mouth, your spirit will be transformed by the flesh – they are already intimately linked, Karil Lohals. You can't be that ghost anymore. ”

"I can't ask for it." Carlil said. "It wasn't a good experience."

Neos laughed again. "Are you disgusted by this feeling?"

"If I still think of myself as human, I can't like it."

"What about eternal life, then?"

Carlil smiled too, and there was some obvious disdain in his smile - Neos wasn't angry, he knew who the disdain was for.

"If this is a temptation, then your language communication skills are too terrible."

"Maybe, maybe it's really just a temptation, or maybe it's just a nonchalant question on my part - but that's not the point."

The completely dark eyes met a pair of tired, ancient eyes, and no one ran away, both trying to dig into each other's inner emotions and buried answers.

It's like two people holding the same sharp knife, trying to cut open the opposite heart and find out in the wrestling.

"It's all about ......" Neos slowly stood up, his form changing.

He grew tall, like a god, thunder and lightning surrounded him, flames surrendered at his feet, darkness faded in an instant, and trembling as dust in the air.

The scene inside the pyramid dissipated in an instant, turning into a meandering river in which they stood and stared at each other.

"What, Emperor?" Carlil asked calmly.

"It's up to you to sign this covenant."

The Emperor replied mercilessly and indifferently. "Tool No. 8 has made you his de facto father, so if I need his knife, I must get your consent."

Carlil didn't answer immediately, just silence. He stared at the merciless face, a hint of pity flashing in his dark eyes.

"First of all, he's a human being."

He said slowly. "Secondly, I will not lead any of his actions, at most I will only make suggestions. His future should be up to him. ”

"He's a genotype." The Emperor coldly declared. "It's one of the futures I'm shaking, so he has to play by some rules."

"The rules are up to him, Emperor."

"You can't really leave his future to his own choice, you know as well as I know what lies in the dark."

Carlil just smiled, "yes, so I don't think the Midnight Spirits—or Conrad Coetzes will lose to them." ”

He burst out laughing, full of disdain and coldness.

"Humble and twisted monsters don't even dare to see the light, they can't fool him."

“......”

Silent, the Emperor nodded.

"So," he said slowly. "Welcome, Karil Lohals."

"Not necessarily." Carlil said.

He stared at the god-like man, then shook his head slowly. "Your merciless mask is hurting yourself, you're bleeding, can't you see?"

"I know." The emperor said. "But I have to hurt myself to keep humanity alive."

"Sooner or later...... It will hurt others, the Emperor. Carlil whispered.