dedicated to violets

"Eat something casually in the morning. Shall I pour you a cup of tea?"

The morning light shines through the stained glass into the empty room, and the tall bookshelves on both sides of the desk have not woken up from sleep, standing silently.

Sitting on the narrow bed next to the bookshelf was a handsome young man, wearing a snow-white inner lining with the buttons unbuttoned, revealing a beautiful collarbone.The seaweed-like long black hair hangs behind him, which makes his cold and hard temperament a little bit milder.

Abel looked up at him calmly, and continued to stir the coffee in his hand.

Viri blinked, his mind gradually became clear, and he withdrew from the dream that was too real.

He stood up, bathed in the morning light, tall and thin, like a lonely tree.

"Thanks, I'll just have coffee," he said.

The two sat at the table and finished their simple breakfast in silence.After eating, Abel put the cup and saucer aside, picked up a thick book from the table, and handed it to Veri: "Neil, you have lost your memory, and you haven't done anything about revising the classics yet. .Read the books first to familiarize yourself with the books on the bookshelf as you browse."

Viri took the thick book, which was very solid, with beautiful cursive engraved on the hard cover.

He frowned, looking at the words on the cover in a daze.

"I forgot, you lost your memory, maybe you don't even know the words," Abel slapped his head and said angrily, "Forget it." He reached out to take the book back.

"I know." Willy clenched the spine of the book, lowered his eyes, and whispered, "I just lost the memory related to people and things."

Perhaps it was the knowledge related to magic that he remembered in his dream last night, and he came back with the knowledge, as well as his ability to read and write.

When he lost his memory, he was just a blank slate, remembering nothing.After a long dream at night, his brain became clearer and he was no longer muddled.

"Really?" Abel asked suspiciously.

Wei Li evaded the important point and said lightly: "However, I can only read, and I can't understand the deeper ones."

After a few words and perfunctory words, Viri plunged into the pile of books with the thick book in his arms, and stopped talking.Abel stroked the paper with his thumb, looked at Willy's back, and sighed silently.

He still has a lot of things to do, and he doesn't have time to spend in a daze.

Abel kneaded the space between his eyebrows, and took the cup and saucer to wash.

The sunlight passes through the gaps between the bookshelves, and the dust in the light is clearly visible.Viri scanned the book line by line to distinguish the contents of the book.Some bookshelves are piled with ancient sheepskin scrolls. After being placed for too long, some of them have begun to become brittle. If you use a little force, the sheepskin will be crushed into pieces.

He watched for a long time, and the light and shadow changed with the movement of the sun. Viri selected the target, and raised his hand to take down a thin book.

This book is very old, the cover is made of the most ordinary paper, and the corners of the book are damaged.It is more appropriate to call it a note than a book.

Viri didn't open it immediately, but sat down cross-legged on the spot.

He put the book on his lap, looked down at it, and rested his fingertips on the title page, hesitating whether to read the contents.

It was no accident that he took down this notebook. Somebody in the dark was urging him to find it as soon as possible and open it.It is hidden, hidden between two thick and large books, if you don't look for it deliberately, you can't find it at all.

Who wrote it?

The handwriting on the title page is neat and clean, and it can be seen that the owner of the note is serious and rigorous.After thinking twice, Viri opened the dilapidated notebook.

Turning to the first page, he saw a few lines of sentences.

——One day, the believers who have been imprisoned in this holy city since birth will wake up from their long dreams.

……

"There is still a baptism ceremony today, didn't you say yesterday that you are not interested?"

"If you don't look at it, I think I might regret it, so I'll trouble you."

"You don't need to be so polite," Abel said, "but we can only look at the outermost part of the temple, not close."

Willie: "I don't mind."

The baptism ceremony was held at the temple at the other end of the floating island. Usually, when encountering large-scale celebrations and sacrificial activities, this temple would be chosen.It is not far from the palace where the pope lives, and the straight-line distance is only a kilometer.

There were hundreds of babies participating in the baptism ceremony today, and the priests were too busy to touch the ground.

Before walking in, Viri heard noisy voices.Since waking up in the Holy City, it was the first time he saw such a crowd gathered.Before that, he even thought that there were only him and Abel in the Holy City.

"Abel."

Hearing the shout, Abel turned his head and responded, "Reynard?"

Leonard was a tall priest with a rough face, and he looked nondescript in the elegant white robes of priests.The first time Viri saw him, he was wary.This person is full of blood, and he should get along with many vicious people day and night.

"I haven't seen much of you lately," Leonard said. "Why haven't you been in jail all this time? John—"

He said, turning his gaze to Willie.

Leonard's expression obviously froze for a moment, his pupils suddenly dilated, and then returned to normal.

"Neil!" Leonard yelled in surprise, "When did you return to the holy city?" He stepped forward, pressed Veri's shoulder, and said strangely, "Why do I think you have grown taller?"

"I..." Willie didn't know what to say.

Abel said in a deep voice: "He lost his memory because of the battle, and he can't remember many things."

"So that's the case," Leonard said regretfully, "Have you forgotten even the basic magic?"

Willie said nothing.

"It doesn't seem to have changed," Leonard turned his head and joked with Abel, "I still don't like to talk to people."

Abel smiled: "Where do you go after the baptism ceremony?"

"Of course it's back to the prison. I'm changing shifts with someone today, and I should watch them confess at night."

"I'll go with you," Abel said, "and Neil."

Willie wondered: "I want to go too?"

"Of course, your twin brother is in jail to atone." Abel replied seriously, "Even if you have a bad relationship with him, you should go and have a look."

When the baptism ceremony began, the huge temple was full of people, and it was a vast expanse.Viri stood at the outermost edge, and could only see the high platform at the end and the colorful backs of heads under the platform.

There were hundreds of babies present, but none of them cried endlessly.

Relying on his superior eyesight, Viri glanced around and found that most of the babies were in pairs.

Baptism starts at noon and lasts until night.Viri only watched it for half an hour. The ceremony was long and boring. The priest presiding over the ceremony stroked the baby's forehead with his fingers dipped in "holy water" and recited awkward spells.

The ritual was repeated three or four times, and Viri quickly lost interest and slipped out through the gate without a sound.

"What?" Soon after, Abel came out and smiled, "Are you bored?"

Willie hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should be more blunt.

"I'm bored too." Abel took up the conversation thoughtfully.

The scenery outside the temple is very good, with green grass and green trees beside the stone road with deep roots and luxuriant leaves.It happened to be when the sun was at its peak in the afternoon, and the shade of the trees was covered with fine gold pieces. When the wind blew, these mottled gold pieces would shake slightly.Abel stared at the light and shadow cast by the branches and leaves, and murmured: "I was impatient to watch this since I was a child. Those babies don't know the meaning of this ceremony at all."

Viri turned his head, looked at this handsome and pleasing young priest, and couldn't understand why he expressed such emotion.

But there was one thing that made him very concerned——

"Why are baptized babies mostly twins?"

He thought so, so he asked.

Abel hesitated and said: "This... I don't quite understand, it seems that twins have always been the majority." He looked left and right, and after confirming that there was no one around, he suddenly moved to Willy's side and whispered in his ear: "It's true Your Majesty prefers twins."

More than half of the high-ranking bishops are now twins.It is difficult to say whether this phenomenon is due to the Pope's preference, or because there are too many twins in the church.Who is the cause and who is the effect can no longer be distinguished.

Abel said: "I heard that there is telepathy between twins. If one is injured and dying, the other can feel it. I don't know if it is true or not."

"Maybe it's true," Willie replied casually.

Abel raised the corners of his lips and laughed jokingly: "Why do you think so? Have you ever had such an experience?"

Wei Li was expressionless: "..." If he hasn't realized that Abel is teasing him by now, then he is too stupid.

"Sorry, it's just a joke." Abel made a begging gesture, "You are also twins, but you have never told me about telepathy, am I just curious?" He curled his lips and muttered He said: "I didn't expect you to lose your memory and still be so alert."

They sat under the shade of the trees, and the cool breeze blew, and the broken golden tree shadows reflected on the stone path kept swaying.

Viri was so comfortable that he couldn't help sighing. The holy city of the Holy See of Auger was indeed suitable for cultivation. He could feel the abundant magic elements in the air.No matter who it is, as long as they have a little magic talent, they can get twice the result with half the effort here.

After waiting for about 10 minutes, Leonard's figure finally appeared in the sight of the two of them.

"Why did you come out so early?" Leonard wondered, "I looked for you everywhere, but I couldn't find you."

Willy remained silent, but Abel said, "This baptism ceremony is held every year. I've been tired of watching it since I was a child."

Leonard touched the back of his head and said depressedly: "Really? I think it's very interesting."

"This is the difference between people." Abel shook his head and laughed, "Go to the prison quickly, I have something to deal with at night."

The prison is hidden under the floating island, and walking down the stairs is a corridor with no end in sight.The lighting was poor, and only the fuzzy outlines of the furnishings and the door could be seen.However, the corridor was not damp, and the priests guarding the prison were all dressed in black robes, almost blending into the dim environment.

Leonard took down the wall lamp, twisted the wick, and put it back.

A spark popped up.

"Leynard, why did you come back so early?" A black-robed priest walked out of the darkness. His face was very white, even pale. He didn't look like a living person, and even his expression was gloomy. of.

"Neil came back from the atrium, and I took him and Abel to see John."

"Neil?" The black-robed priest looked at Viri, "It's so rare that you would take the initiative to visit John." His eyes were cold and slippery, like a snake, making people feel uncomfortable all over.

Abel stepped forward, raised his hand in front of Viri, and confronted the black-robed priest. He said, "It has nothing to do with you."

"Could it have something to do with you?" The black-robed priest said in a strange way, "You protect him like an eyeball, but he has forgotten you."

Abel sneered, the atmosphere was tense, and the dull Leonard realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly separated the two of them, persuading them earnestly: "Everyone takes a step back, you two don't meet each other on weekdays, why do you meet each other every time?" They're all going to make a fuss."

"Huh," Abel didn't waste his time talking, he stared at Leonard, sighed inaudibly, and said softly, "What a fool."

The idiot cheerfully fooled the black-robed priest away, not noticing Abel's complicated emotions.

All of this was seen by Viri.

They turned several times along the corridor, and encountered several priests in black robes on the way.The two parties nodded their heads, and there was no more tit-for-tat confrontation just now.

The three of them finally stood in front of an iron gate, and a key appeared in Leonard's hand: "Both of you step back a little."

Leonard inserted the key into the lock, turned it three times, and then slapped the door forcefully.

Suddenly, there was a strong wind in the tunnel, and a red light flashed in front of Wei Li's eyes, like a swift sword.

"John." Leonard stepped into the door and said to the people in the room, "Look who came to see you this time?"

Willie and Abel entered the cell one after the other. The cell was not small. There was a bed, a desk, and a door inside the room, which should be the bathroom.

The strict iron fence divided the house into two parts. A short figure sat on the edge of the bed with his back to them, with a gloomy aura around him.The lighting in the room is only a lamp outside the iron fence, and John's shadow is reflected on the wall, dragging extremely long.

Viri frowned subconsciously, with disgust unconsciously in his eyes.

John didn't look back: "Get out."

His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like a broken bellows, and he couldn't stop panting when he opened his mouth.

Leonard said dissatisfied: "Your brother came to visit you specially, your attitude is too bad."

"Oh—" John laughed contemptuously.

Then he started coughing, coughing so hard that he nearly coughed his lungs out.

"Neil has died a long time ago," he said hoarsely, "Neil has died a long time ago—" he repeated over and over, laughing maniacally, dancing with hands and feet, looking like a lunatic.

Leonard shouted: "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"He seems to be getting more crazy recently," Abel kept calm, "Hasn't the boss let him go out yet?"

"Who knows?" Leonard shrugged. "The original words were that he would not be allowed to leave until he realized his mistake and repented sincerely. Looking at him like this, he might not be able to leave for the rest of his life."

He glanced at Willy regretfully, with an inexplicable taste.

The environment here is really oppressive, and Abel didn't want to stay longer. After standing for more than ten minutes, he asked to go out.

Before leaving, under the dim light, Willie finally saw John's face clearly.

With an ordinary face, there is no trace of goodness or flaw, and it is impossible to find it in the crowd.

But it was such a face, but it set off monstrous waves in his heart.

Suddenly there was a din of voices all around, merry cheers, mixed with whistles.

He heard himself say, "You are my best student."

Someone answered him: "You are also my most respected teacher."

Viri had a splitting headache, like a sharp knife was stirring his brain.

Broken scenes flashed before my eyes, the cross on the dome, the collapsed temple, the fireflies flying in the night, and a gradually dissipating figure——

He groaned in pain, and then he fainted from the pain, closed his eyes, and fell on his back.

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