With these words of Shade, he finally found the key point. The unknowable, unheard, and invisible god behind the dark curtain high above finally spoke.
Of course, although Shade uses the word "speaking" to describe it, the sound actually comes from all directions:
"not enough."
If it weren't for the wrong tone, he might even have some doubts about whether the god he saw at this time was his "old acquaintance" from the sixth era.
Of course, Shade did not express his rather blasphemous thoughts.
Since the God of Night did not refuse directly, it meant that the matter could continue to be discussed. He gently squeezed Fiona's hand behind him, indicating to her that this was good news. At the same time, he also felt that Fiona was relying on her.
He felt that his own strength was too great, and he had to use strength to fight against it so as not to be pushed forward directly:
"I wonder what mortals still need, what can I offer you?"
"Decor my palace."
God gave the answer.
Shade obviously felt that the girl behind him became more nervous. After all, they had not thought of this possibility from the beginning. But for Shade, who had "seen" the answer from the future, what this meant was quite clear to him:
"I wonder if we would be honored to decorate your palace with those midnight stories?"
Shade asked, and got the answer after a moment:
"Can."
A smile appeared on Shade's face, and he turned around and grabbed Fiona's shoulders:
"It's no problem. I knew it would work. Next, I need your help."
"What can I do?"
The red dragon girl asked nervously in a low voice. Her face was illuminated by the cat-shaped golden light on Shade's chest, and there was a bewildered expression on her beautiful cheeks.
"When you woke up from your deep sleep, you gained new skills because of my ritual. Don't you remember? In addition to the power of time, you also have the ability to paint in the night."
Shade said, looking at her beautiful big red-gold eyes:
"I am here to present a story to the great one. And you will depict the story as a picture and engrave it on the palace of God. Fiona, is that okay?"
"no problem!"
The young witch said that although she was still worried, she believed in Shade:
"I have studied painting, and I have painted portraits of Miss Feliana and Teacher Olanold before. What is this story about?"
"There are no thrilling adventures, nor touching partings of life and death. This is a story about a princess and a prince, their encounter and pursuit, this is a story about midnight and blessings."
Fiona nodded heavily:
"I understand, then do I want to draw this story directly in front of my eyes?"
She and Shade were talking in whispers, as if they were afraid of disturbing the gods at high places. But just as Fiona finished speaking, there was a noise from the four walls of the silent Night Palace.
After a while, six huge gray stone slabs flew from behind the two people, and then semi-circled them at equal intervals.
The ancient stone slab, filled with miraculous elements, originally had carvings left by an ancient sculptor from an unknown era. However, as the stone slab fell to the ground, the surface of the stone slab returned to smoothness.
This slate is not an ordinary stone. No paintbrush or paint can directly leave marks on it. Only Fiona's ability to paint directly in the night can add new features to the god's palace in the mortal world.
pictures.
After everything was ready, Shade was ready to tell the story from his hometown. At this time, Fiona, who was standing in front of the huge stone slab, thought of the past around the bonfire in the dead valley for some reason.
Although when Shade was telling the story, she slept in the ice coffin the whole time, and did not wake up with a kiss until the end of the story. But later she also listened to Miss Olan Nord and Samuel from the Zarath Society.
Miss, I mentioned what happened there countless times.
"But this time, I am the only witness."
The red dragon girl whispered to herself in her heart.
Facing the gods, Shade tried his best to imagine himself as a bard bringing stories to the monarch, and he said:
"This story takes place in a long unknown corner of time, in a distant country that no one knows about. The girl seems to have been blessed by the gods. She has a beautiful face and a kind heart, but she also has a vicious stepmother.
With two evil-hearted sisters, the women who were jealous of her face arranged for her to do the heaviest work, and she was surrounded by dust and soot all day long, so she was called 'Cinderella'. Our story is also
From this moment on."
Shade's deep voice told the beginning of the story. Fiona turned her back to the high platform and danced her fingers beside Shade.
The paint, which shimmered like starlight, was left on the first stone slab from her fingers.
Shade deliberately paused, waiting for Fiona to complete the first picture, and the colorful paints painted a bright house, with a maid-like girl wearing a headscarf, an apron, and smeared dust on her face.
On the left side of the fireplace, a man was sweeping with a broom, while three other women in gorgeous dresses and high heels were talking about something on the right side of the fireplace.
The picture Fiona drew was in line with the living background of the current era of the Fifth Epoch in which she lived. However, the girl as the protagonist had a dragon tail hidden in her skirt, which was a little different from what Shade thought.
"If Cinderella is really half-dragon, why does she need a prince?"
Shade thought in his mind and continued the story:
"The prince of the kingdom has come of age. He is going to hold a ball and invite beautiful girls from all over the country to choose his wife."
Shade turned his back to Fiona behind him, and faced the gods behind the curtain of the high platform. The gods' gaze was always on him, and he was worried about what impact the cat on his chest would have, but at least from now on, that
The cat was sleeping soundly.
"Cinderella's stepmother and sisters also received the invitation, and they happily prepared for the night's ball. Cinderella, who wanted to attend the ball, was assigned a heavy workload and could only stay at home alone and grieve. The night began,
The castle on the hillside is brightly lit, and beautiful girls from all over the country are preparing to show their elegance and beauty. Cinderella is cleaning her home alone, looking at the night and missing her deceased mother."
Fiona quickly painted behind Shade.
This time the picture is divided into two parts, the left and right parts, which are contrasted and distinguished through color.
The background on the right is a deep night, and there is not even a moon, but the castle located high up completely illuminates the picture on the right. Even the figures and carriages walking towards the castle also have an unusually bright light; on the left
The back view of the side picture shows a slightly bright interior, but with Cinderella in drab clothes as the center, gray and white occupy the core position of the left side of the picture, making the bright picture look extremely dark.
The god of the night said nothing, while the witch behind him was painting seriously. Shade squinted slightly and recalled all the details of the story. This was actually not difficult. After all, almost every Saturday in 1854, he would
Discuss this topic with Dorothy and Lesia.
"She grieved alone, grieved her fate, grieved her life. That night, the moonlight was just right, and the light of the silver moon illuminated Cinderella's face from the small kitchen window. She heard the nightingale singing softly,
She heard the night wind blowing the treetops. So she went outside to relax. While sobbing, she praised the night tonight, and then she faced the silver moon and prayed to the night. The night responded to the sad girl, in that thick
In the thick night, the old woman holding a magic wand is waiting for Cinderella's arrival."
Fiona had never heard of this story, so she hesitated whether she should include this scene. But seeing that Shade didn't pause, she knew that the story was still going on.
She was also very curious about the continuation of the story and was happy to be able to listen to the story in peace.
"'Why are you weeping?' - said the old woman."
Shade pinched his throat to speak in different tones.
"'I also want to go to the prince's ball' - Cinderella looked up at the castle on the hillside."
"'Don't cry, don't be sad, I will help you' - said the old woman."
Shade described the content of the story, but in order to highlight the theme related to night, he added another sentence:
"'Why do you want to help me, why do you want to help this poor girl like me?'"
"'Because you praised the moonlight tonight, I promise to help you, my girl. This is the promise given to you by the night. Look, what is it?' - the old woman said, found a pumpkin, and
A big mouse and four little mice. As she gently shook the magic wand in her hand, in Cinderella's surprised expression, the pumpkin turned into a carriage, the big mouse turned into a chubby coachman, and the little mice turned into four horses.
A bay-red horse."
Fiona behind Shade seemed to marvel in a low voice, while Shade continued:
"'Oh, one more thing.' The old woman said again, and she pointed her wand at Cinderella, and the rags turned into a dark blue evening dress as deep as the night, and patched shoes that did not fit her feet.
, turned into a glass slipper shining like a star.”
Shade paused and signaled Fiona to start painting:
"'But you have to remember one thing' - the old woman said - 'the gift the night gives you can only last until midnight, so you must leave the ball in the castle before midnight'."
Fiona quickly drew the third painting. This painting was not divided into two parts, but was based on the small castle on the hillside in the upper right corner. In the courtyard of the small house, there were a pumpkin carriage, a fat coachman and a mouse horse respectively.
Next to Cinderella in ragged clothes, the old woman holding a magic wand was smiling kindly.
The picture frozen in the night is obviously still, but it seems to be able to move in the next moment. This is the original book of the original "Cinderella" story, but it is a pity that Shade still can't get it this time.
"Is this going to be a happy story?"
When Fiona finished the painting, she asked Shade softly.