Thales could barely stand while holding on to the fast rope, dripping with cold sweat.
No.
Ding.
Another heartbeat.
After trying to take away Barney's sword, the terrible sequelae struck him again, causing every breath and even every heartbeat of his heart to be accompanied by almost heartbreaking pain.
It gets more serious every time.
Like the ferryman's call, he was going to be crushed every inch from head to toe.
But that's no longer important.
He cannot fall.
At least not now.
Thales, who was dying, glanced at the nine scarred men with desperate eyes in front of him.
Former royal guard.
Ding.
After the next heartbeat, the nearly exhausted sin of the Hell River surged up again, filling his limbs and rushing toward his overburdened heart and body on the verge of collapse.
Strange yet familiar fluctuations hit, reappearing the scene of the Dragon Blood Night and the battle against the Fallen Star:
The Sin of Hell River began to consume a huge amount of energy, accelerating the regeneration and recovery of damaged tissues in his body.
Accompanied by infinitely amplified pain.
Thales began to tremble uncontrollably.
But what was different from before was that, listening to Sak'el's confession and Little Barney's sobs, listening to the bloody sound in Naki's throat and Nai's increasingly chaotic breathing, Thales suddenly found that he could not care about these things.
The pain that once caused him to die was gone.
Sak'el's words are vivid in my ears, as if they were a lifetime ago, but they are extremely clear.
"The royal guards each have his own master, and colleagues and comrades meet with swords..."
"Eleven times...siblings killed each other."
Ding.
In Thales's increasingly dim sight, the punishment knight stared blankly into the darkness.
"I can only watch everything happen, helpless and helpless..."
"sorry……"
Sak'el said empty-handedly.
"I can't do anything."
Thales subconsciously tightened his arm on the fast rope and closed his eyes.
The sin of the Hell River was still roaring in his body like a wild beast that had found its prey.
But at that moment, Thales seemed to have returned to that night in the abandoned house, lying helplessly on the dilapidated ground.
He heard Quaid laughing maniacally.
Kelit, Ned, Ensola, and the deceased beggars were floating in the air, looking at him expressionlessly.
Watching Quaid pass Thales, step by step towards the weak, helpless and trembling Kolya.
And he can only...
I can only watch everything... happen.
Nothing can be done.
Thales clenched his fists.
Nothing can be done?
No.
There seemed to be a voice whispering in his heart.
No.
Ding.
As if commanding his body, Thales tremblingly let go of the fast rope and stood up straight in pain.
That night, the noise and blood of Longxiao City flashed through his mind.
Nothing...to be done, not to be.
He suddenly understood.
What he learned from the teachings of Toros was not just the use of magic energy, or the "contacter" or "object" stage of a magician.
But something more important.
Thales opened his eyes suddenly.
"No."
The young man's voice sounded faintly, steadily and resolutely, attracting everyone's attention.
Quick Rope looked at him in surprise as the Star Prince, who relied on himself to stand firm just a second ago, was now taking steps forward step by step, covered in cold sweat.
"This has nothing to do with what we can or cannot do." Thales staggered over Barney's sword, picked up the extinguished torch from the ground, and swung it in the air to let it fully activate again.
Burn.
The light illuminated the dim storage room.
Sak'el looked at him blankly, little Barney was still lying on the ground sobbing silently.
Naji, who was hovering on the edge of death, had gradually lost his sight, and Naji's cough began to become small and silent.
"It's about whether we make the appropriate choices when that moment comes."
Thales took a deep breath and forced himself to block out the pain caused by the sequelae of magic energy or the sin of Hell River. He held the torch and walked step by step towards the dark pool of blood ahead.
"No matter what you are planning to do now, it is too late," Samir sneered, his tone filled with endless sadness and ridicule:
"This is the truth."
Thales shook his head and just continued to move forward.
The blood from Naki's neck stained the soles of his shoes.
Just like that night, he stepped into a pool of blood in the abandoned house.
Everyone focused their attention on the prince.
Thales gasped and stepped into a pool of blood.
The next second, the pain in his body suddenly increased!
The young man's feet slipped and he could no longer support his weak body, so he knelt down on one knee in front of Naki and Cannon.
"Tiles!"
Quick Rope exclaimed, but was stopped by the prince's decisively raised hand.
"For now, at least."
Thales took a breath, took a few steps closer to Naki, and met his almost dry eyes.
"There's one last thing we can do."
One last thing?
Kuaisheng was stunned for a moment.
"Naki, the 'idler' of the Guard Wing, right?"
Thales endured waves of severe pain and looked at the man who was losing his life in front of him.
With Cannon's support, Naki glanced at Thales aimlessly, and the blood on his neck continued to gush out between Cannon's trembling fingers.
Immediately, Naji looked away tremblingly, dodging and feeling weak, as if he did not dare to face the young man named Canxing in front of him.
"I see."
"I know what you did."
Naki trembled slightly.
The firelight illuminated Naji's face as he was about to leave:
Sallow, dry, with wrinkles of despair and pain.
Seeing the other person's neck bleeding that couldn't stop, Thales gritted his teeth and forced out a peaceful smile, trying his best to make his words sound calmer.
"You were involved in conspiracy and civil strife."
"In the chaotic era, you, you vacillated between the family and the royal power, and finally chose to deny the late king, loyal to another bright star, and chose... the future he represents."
"You have a blood debt that cannot be washed away, including your fellow guardsmen."
Naki, lying in Cannon's arms, began to tremble.
His already dark eyes glanced at Thales, filled with regret and pain.
Thales watched calmly, the sadness in his heart temporarily overshadowing the pain in his body.
"You paid the price for this: tortured by conscience, in guilt, unwillingness and resentment, wearing the brand of sin on your face, not seeing the light of day, struggling for half your life."
The young man sighed:
"It's such a waste of time."
Naki opened his mouth in pain, but could only make a gurgling sound of blood in his throat, and looked at Thales with increasingly desperate eyes.
The guards looked at the prince with different eyes, some were desperate, some were desolate, some were indifferent, or some were empty.
But Thales ignored them.
He just smelled the smell of blood and stared at Naki in the pool of blood, as if he was staring at the other person's remaining soul.
"But I also know," Thales forced out a weak smile:
"I know that when you refused to plead guilty and Dai Lao was imprisoned, it was not because of your own selfishness, but because you wanted to implement your choice and cover up the scandal of the Bright Star royal family."
"That may be a sad but respectable choice."
After the words fell, the expressions of the guards changed slightly. Cannon, who was holding Naki, even raised his head in surprise.
Naji's face covered with dirt struggled for a moment.
He looked back at Thales in disbelief, his fingers clenched together into a fist.
The next second, Thales sighed:
"But none of that matters anymore."
The young man looked at Naki seriously, his bruised and embarrassed face looked peaceful and indifferent in the firelight.
"Because after eighteen years, you escaped from prison in the next step. At the moment when freedom and relief were within reach, you finally chose to give up hypocrisy and luck, face the nightmare, face the pain, face the ugliness, and face yourself again.
."
Sacher, who listened silently, shook for a moment, and little Barney also calmed down.
Listening to Thales' words, Naki's breathing became chaotic as the bleeding intensified.
"Maybe what I say now is insignificant and long overdue..."
The weak Thales trembled and stretched out his left hand, gently touching the ugly sin mark on Naji's face.
The flesh and blood engraved with the letter "s" of the ancient empire.
His touch seemed to have some kind of magic power, making Naki gradually calm down.
Thales gritted his teeth gently.
"But at least, I want you to know."
"Even if the world doesn't know it, even if the kingdom refuses to admit it, even if it can never be clarified, at least I know it in my heart."
Thales took a deep breath and smiled:
"I don't think you're a bad person, Naki."
At that moment, Naji's pupils shrank suddenly!
The way he looked at the prince changed just like his expression.
"You are not a selfish, simply evil traitor."
The young man's voice was so soft that it could only vibrate the dust, but when it spread in the dungeon, it was extremely clear.
Reached into everyone's ears.
"On the contrary, you are an honorable person."
"You made your own choice, then bore the consequences without regrets and implemented your own principles."
Naki's breathing began to speed up, drowning out the sound of bleeding from his neck.
He looked at Thales, opened and closed his lips, and made intermittent grunts.
But his slightly excited words were buried in the surging blood.
Thales smiled.
"I know, Naki, I understand."
The prince gently pressed Naki's forehead, closing the distance between them.
Naki's mumbling continued, but became increasingly weak.
"So, at this moment, in the last breath of your life," Thales realized that his voice was trembling, even more than Naki's trembling when he was dying:
"Ty Naki."
Thales breathed in a daze, and the haggard face of Naki in front of him began to blur.
"In the name of the second prince Thales Canxing, the orthodox descendant of the Canxing family and the sole heir to the Nine-Star Crown."
The young man heard himself trembling:
"I forgive you."
At that moment, the dungeon was eerily quiet.
Everyone stared blankly at the young man who hugged the injured person and spoke softly.
"Forgive you for all the sins and mistakes you have had, may have, or do not have."
The prince's voice fell.
At this moment, it was as if nothing had happened, and the dungeon was as silent as ever.
But a few tenths of a second later, Naji's chest began to rise and fall violently, as if he was trying to get up!
"Woo"
Finally, Naji seemed to have been blocked for a long time by a dam that collapsed at the last moment.
His eyes had lost focus, but he still stretched out his weak left hand with great trembling, scratching in vain in the air.
His lips twisted and twitched, and he let out violent sobs and whimpers to Thales, as if he wanted to say endless words.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"
Naki's violent reaction caught Cannon off guard, who was holding his wound. He could only try his best to control the other person and prevent his helpless situation from getting worse again.
Thales put down the torch, ignoring the blood all over his body, tightly holding Naki's helpless hand, and leaned over to hug the dying person.
"No matter who you betray, who you are loyal to."
"No matter where your heart is, you should do whatever you want."
"No matter how you are doing now and then."
He pressed his cheek against Naki's forehead, letting the other person's struggle gradually calm down in his own voice:
"May you no longer be trapped by sin, conflicts, torture, and guilt."
"Escape from this."
Thales gasped, holding back the sourness in his nose:
"May your past disappear and your nightmares end."
"Rest in peace."
No one made a sound.
At that moment, the only sound in the dungeon was Naki's slowly recovering and weakening breathing.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
I don't know how long it took, but Naji's struggle finally calmed down.
Thales let out a breath, patted the frozen Cannon, and let go of Naki.
He lowered his head in confusion.
At some point, the person in his arms had closed his eyes.
Don't move any more.
he's gone.
Thales said to himself bitterly.
After eighteen years of torture...
gone.
But Thales immediately moved.
I saw endless crystals falling from Naji's lifeless face.
Tears surged, more than the blood flowing from his neck.
Thales felt sad.
"Thank you," Cannon, still holding the body of his comrade, sobbed:
"Thank you, Your Highness...Naki, he...Naki..."
Thales raised his head and looked at him blankly.
Naji's tearful cheeks twisted into an arc, as if he was suffering from severe pain.
But Thales knew.
That's not pain.
But Naki didn’t reveal it for eighteen whole years...
smile.
Thales paused in confusion for a moment, then staggered to his feet and raised the torch again.
Only then did he realize that at some point, everyone in the venue was staring at him intently, either surprised, excited, sad, or sad.
It seems that the young man is the protagonist of the stage at this moment.
Even Sak'el stared blankly at Thales, motionless.
Quick Rope remained silent, looking at Thales with an extra layer of meaning.
Thales took a deep breath, looked away from Naki, and stepped towards the other side.
I don't know if it was the sequelae of the magic that let him go, or the sin of the Hell River was finally repaired, but the pain in his body began to become numb, and it was not worth mentioning in his current state.
Thales took weak steps and approached Belletti who was holding Nai.
Nai coughed painfully, but when he looked at Thales, his eyes lit up with firelight and became brighter.
"Your Highness, we..." Looking at Naki who was no longer breathing, Belletti suppressed the emotions in her chest. As soon as she opened her mouth, Thales raised his right hand to stop her.
"Wait a minute." The young man shook his head.
Belletti immediately closed her lips without any objection.
As if this is his calling.
Perhaps affected by what happened just now, no one wanted to interrupt Thales' actions.
Like before, Thales knelt on one knee in front of Nai, watching the man who was still smiling at this moment coughing.
"As a logistics officer, I know very well that a massive amount of internal bleeding after a blunt blow will not heal." Nai smiled with difficulty, his face was pale and he was sweating. Belletti beside him couldn't bear to close his eyes.
Thales looked at him sadly.
"Sass Nye, Second Logistics Officer." The young man said seriously.
Nai subconsciously pushed Belletti, who was hugging him, and puffed out his chest.
Seems to want to be more decent.
Just listen to the prince speak softly:
"I don't know what you have experienced in the past eighteen years, but I know that what you have experienced is unfair."
Nai looked at the prince calmly, but his body gradually began to go numb due to the serious injury.
Thales suppressed the anger in his chest:
"For eighteen years, you have suffered injustice and pain, and have suffered consequences that are not commensurate with what you have done."
"I know that your grievances have nowhere to complain, your pain is beyond words, and the justice and innocence you deserve...may never come."
Listening to the prince's words, Nai's eyes gradually became blurred, filled with sadness.
But Thales held his hand.
Nye's palms were cold, as if blood had never flowed through them.
"But you, logistics officer."
"Do not worry."
Thales' tone fluctuated slightly:
"Because at least, at least I will remember your innocence and justice."
Nai's cold palms began to tremble.
"I will remember: There is such a person. No matter how much pain and injustice he has endured, no matter then or now, before or after his death, he has always believed in and cherished his teammates and brothers for ten years and has never wavered."
Nai's vision was blurry, but he tried his best to smile at the prince.
This made Thales quite gratified, and allowed him to feel a little relieved from his heavy heart after experiencing the death of Naki.
Thales took a deep breath and suppressed the sadness in his heart.
"Sass Nye."
Thales said, putting his forehead against Nai's forehead:
"May the Prison River have a smooth journey."
Thales said softly:
"May you rest in peace."
Nai's body was trembling slightly, even though he didn't have much life left.
The dungeon is still very quiet.
But right now.
"No, Your Highness..."
Thales let go of Nai and looked at Nai in surprise, who was bursting with tears but still spoke to refute.
"We swore an oath," I saw Nai trembling, looking at the empty ceiling with lifeless eyes, but with tears and laughter, she struggled to speak:
"As the emperor's guards, our souls... do not enter heaven or hell, but are forged in... the mighty empire."
soul?
Thales was slightly startled.
Amidst the tears that couldn't help falling, Nai's smile became even brighter.
Seeing this made Thales feel sad for a while.
"Just like the brothers we once were..."
Nai could no longer clearly see the scene in front of him, but he still used the little strength he had left to turn tremblingly in the direction of everyone.
"Royal Guard, Second Logistics Officer, Sass Nye."
Boom!
He struggled to hold up his right fist and punched it hard on his heart!
He didn't care at all about the heavy load and pain this action caused to him.
Thales looked at him in surprise, and suddenly found that the surrounding guards, whether it was Sak'el, Little Barney, Belletti or Samir, unconsciously puffed up their chests and grimaced.
Like the most solemn of occasions.
"Everyone!"
Nai opened his eyes only to show the darkness of his pupils, and said hoarsely.
"My sword is broken and my mission is over."
He seemed to be forcing his weak chest and lungs to breathe, and tried to squeeze out this sentence from his mouth, with clear words and decisive words.
Every word made the Guard members tremble.
Nai took a deep breath:
"I have fulfilled my duty, I have fulfilled my duty..."
Halfway through, Nai couldn't breathe anymore and took several breaths in a row.
But Nai recovered and quickly continued:
"I must..."
"I will rest on my side..."
Nai, who was dying, stopped talking and loosened his fist on his chest.
"No."
Nai shook his head.
He tremblingly touched Thales' embarrassed face.
Thales lowered his head slightly and put his cheek against the opponent's palm.
Nai touched the prince's face and took a deep look in the direction of Thales.
The next second, Nai smiled the palest and gentlest smile.
Just listen to him say firmly:
"I have rested on my side."
My sword is broken.
The mission is over.
I have done my duty to the best of my ability.
I have rested on my side.
The prisoners in the guard listened blankly to the last words, and were either moved or sighed.
Nai stared into the void, holding his breath as hard as he could, as if waiting for something.
Finally, with a rustling sound, the gray-faced little Barney seemed to wake up from a nightmare. He held his right arm in severe pain, pressed it on his chest, and leaned against the wall.
"Second Logistics Officer, Sass Nye."
"You have fulfilled your duties," Barney said hoarsely, suppressing the change in his voice.
"You will rest in peace on the emperor's side."
Finally, Thales saw that Nai's pale smile relaxed, as if he had let go of something.
Thales raised his head and saw all the members of the guard holding their chests at the same time, speaking in unison, either solemnly, sadly, or excitedly, telling the funeral eulogy of the royal guard:
"Only inheritance continues."
"Witness eternity."
The voice fell.
The next moment, Nai's palm that held the young man's face loosened.
It hung down suddenly and feebly, and was caught by Thales.
Thales lowered his head and saw that Nai's pair of pupils had completely lost their look.
he's gone.
Once again, Thales whispered to himself.
Belletti whimpered painfully in her throat, and Cannon sobbed softly.
Little Barney closed his eyes deeply and trembled:
"No. 38..."
He paused and glanced hesitantly at Naki's body opposite.
In the end, little Barney lowered his head and shook his head in despair.
"Thirty-nine."
Sak'el pressed his face into his hands again, his shoulders shaking.
After seeing off the two siblings, the guards were extremely quiet at this moment.
The silence lasted for a few seconds before Thales gently let go of Nai's body.
It's not over yet.
He dragged his weak body and said to himself.
not yet.
Thales turned his head and scanned the figures:
"Chief Penal Officer Luton Belletti."
"Second Flag Officer Colin Semel."
Belletti bit her lip.
Samir looked complicated.
The prince was seen shaking and standing up with a torch.
His figure appeared extremely clear in the firelight.
"I understand you, and I understand you."
Thales said in a hoarse voice:
"But I don't have the power or the status of my father. I can't excuse you, defend you, or intercede for you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Barney, who was completely despairing and silent.
"I also know that my father's character is still powerless even if I return to Yongxing City, and what he says is worthless or even meaningless."
Belletti looked heavy, and Samir shook his head and sneered.
"I cannot erase your mark, wash away your stigma, change your situation, or make up for your scars."
Thales took a deep breath:
"But at least, I can, and I can only speak to you as Thales Bright Star."
He lowered his head and said silently:
"sorry."
Belletti and Semir moved together.
"Like Nai, I know your grievances, I know your past, and I know your innocence."
Thales tried his best to sound calm and sincere:
"I also know your persistence."
"And I will remember it for the rest of my life."
"No matter what other people do."
At that moment, Belletti tried her best to force out a sad smile and shook her head, while Samir's eyes flickered and he looked at the prince with indescribable eyes.
"Like Nai, you have long been cleared of stigma in my heart."
Thales tried hard to get rid of the sorrow in his heart and raised the corner of his mouth:
"You are excellent royal guards."
"thank you all."
Belletti's voice stagnated and she was speechless: "Your Highness..."
Samir turned his head and plunged himself into darkness, his expression unclear.
Thales managed a smile and turned to the other three people again despite his weak body.
"Scout of the Vanguard Wing, Jonah Cannon."
"Guard of the Wing, Thor Bree."
"And you, the well-born Goody Tardin."
When his name was called, Cannon, who was holding Naki's body, shivered and did not dare to raise his head, while the huge Bree sobbed in pain.
Tardin even turned away in shame.
"You were involved in the conspiracy and chaos of that year, and even participated in it."
"You participated in the bloodshed that year, which led to the royal family's misfortune and the kingdom's catastrophe. Your sins will never be eliminated."
The mood of the three people became even more depressed.
Cannon buried his face in the arms of Naki's body and sobbed.
Bree knelt on the ground, her face dull.
Tardin bit his lip and seemed to be ready.
Thales looked at these three people, the emotions in his heart were extremely complicated and difficult to explain clearly.
But in the end, he took a deep breath and shook his head.
"but……"
I saw Thales showing a faint smile:
"I forgive you."
Deathly silence.
Belletti's eyes widened, and even Samir frowned.
The three people involved, whether Tardin, Bree or Cannon, were completely stunned at that moment.
"Your Highness..." Taldin said subconsciously.
Thales did not let him continue, but looked at the bodies of Naki and Nai and said quietly:
"Like Naji, you have made your own choices among many roads."
"Today, when things are right and people are different, it is no longer important to look back on the right and wrong of the past."
After Thales finished speaking, Taldin trembled slightly.
Just listen to the prince speak calmly and authentically without any resentment or contempt:
"More importantly, you have paid the price, whether it is the loss of brothers or sisters, the punishment of conscience, or the guilt and nightmare that will accompany you forever."
The three of them still looked at Thales in disbelief.
"And I've seen what kind of people you are."
"No matter what choice you made back then, today, you did not let Sak'el bear the guilt alone. Instead, you faced your past and stood up to admit it."
Many people looked at Sak'el, but the heavily injured punishment knight remained silent.
Thales sighed.
"And, today, you saved my life. Even if you know the truth differently from Barney, you know very well that this will not allow you to be pardoned."
Following his words, Thales felt that the pain in his body completely disappeared. He didn't know whether the time had come or the power of termination had taken effect.
Only weakness, confusion, and emptiness remain...
And an unprecedented sense of relief like letting go of a heavy burden.
Thales raised his head, tried his best to smile, and said in a hoarse voice:
"So, I forgive you."
"Forgive you all."
"I forgive you, I forgive you from the torture of the past, I forgive you from eternal guilt."
"May you be reborn at this moment."
This is……
my choice.
The voice in Thales's heart whispered.
Compared to power and status, this is...
Something that I should really cherish, care about, and hold on to.
It's my true anchor.
silence.
There was silence for several seconds, with only sparks and breathing intertwined.
Finally, Cannon among the three was the first to be unable to hold on any longer.
He held the pool of blood on the ground with his hands, fell to the ground and cried bitterly.
Cannon's reaction seemed to open something up. Immediately afterwards, Tardin fell to his knees, covering his face in pain and remorse:
"Your Highness...I...I..."
He burst into tears.
Bri's lips trembled, but no sound came out.
He just closed his eyes deeply, faced Thales' direction, and lowered his body and head to the lowest level.
Samir sighed.
Belletti put down Nye's body and stared at Thales closely.
Thales smiled at them.
"Sorry, I can only say these things in my own name. I am not the king after all."
"That's all I can do."
He added with disappointment.
Belletti shook her head and greeted the prince with her most grateful and restrained smile.
No.
You did... much more than that.
more than.
After speaking, Thales took a breath and looked at Barney on the other side.
Kuaisheng standing aside looked at all this blankly:
In the dark dungeon, two bodies lay peacefully on the ground.
Sak'el knelt on the ground in confusion, looking at Thales.
Little Barney leaned against the wall indifferently, motionless.
The other five miserable prisoners were either excited or sad, covering their heads and sobbing, or kneeling down and sighing.
Only the young man holding the torch stood among the crowd with a relieved smile.
His thin figure looked tall and strong against the firelight.
"What is he doing?" Samir stood aside and muttered to himself blankly.
Belletti heard him.
"did nothing."
The prison officer looked at Thales walking towards Little Barney and spoke softly, with bitterness and hope at the same time:
"He just... held up the torch."
Then.
Belletti looked at Thales from a distance and said silently in her heart:
Illuminating our darkness.
The next moment, Belletti could no longer control himself.
This tough and fierce warrior on the battlefield suddenly turned his head.