crown of stars

Chapter 17

Nigel knew he was dreaming again.

The sun, the flowers, the sky graduating from the pale blue all around to the almost pure white of the dome.The long-lost light and heat made him dizzy. He had been underground for so long that he almost forgot what it was like to be in the sun.

The back rests against the solid tree trunk, and the rough trunk rubs against the skin.Nigel was in pain from being strangled by the rope. He tried to struggle, but he didn't expect that the rope was easily broken by him and fell to his feet.

The half-elf stood up, flexed his stiff wrist, looked around, and then took the first step cautiously.

The scene changed immediately.Nigel stepped back immediately, and the surroundings began to change like a lantern.Sometimes in a dark cellar, sometimes on an endless plain, each is different, but all have a strange sense of familiarity.Nigel recognized a few places he had passed while following the dealer, and others he hadn't seen at all.

The half-elf jumped around in the dream, looking forward to seeing more scenes.

Nigel stopped by a stream.

It flows down the cobblestone riverbed, leading to a deep dense forest, with thin mist, mysterious and alluring.

The half-elf shuddered.Even if he knew clearly that this was a dream, the magic power of the forest was so strong that after he awakened his psionic energy, he could more clearly sense the call of some existence to him.

Nigel tentatively walked along the creek, anxiously expecting the scene to change, but the forest remained unmoved, quiet as usual, corresponding to all the senses of the body, without confusion.

The half-elf stood outside the forest, reaching out to touch the scattered gray-white mist, feeling like a door was opening to him.

There was a man and a woman in the forest. Nigel stopped in time, and a branch under his feet made a loud clicking sound.The half-elf was startled, and hastily stepped lightly.

The strange thing is that the men and women who should have been alarmed didn't notice it, and they faced each other from a distance, indulging in each other's eyes.

As if they were just a pair of phantoms, existing in this forest.Maybe there really was such a pair of lovers once, and then they became the eternal memory of this land.

Time quickly turned to the evening, the sky was dim, and it was dyed with orange-red hues, mixed with marginal sky blue and lavender.The afterglow of the setting sun shone obliquely on the two of them through the treetops, lighting up the corners of their eyes and brows.

A strange atmosphere was brewing in the half-elf's heart, intertwined with bitterness and sweetness, and a long sadness that he couldn't describe.

That's not mine.Nigel was thinking, the strange feelings weighed heavily on his heart, and he was a little out of breath.

The half-elf sat on a tree root with leaves on his shoulders, quietly watching the play in the glade.

"Elway, are you really going..." The armored woman grabbed the young man's hand, her green eyes filled with tears.

"Andrea, if you don't stop it, things will be irreparable. Look, these trees." Nigel and the woman looked at the sky at the same time.

Shino's trunk was covered with a filthy green light, rotten and vigorous vitality flowed on every inch of the ground, the branches grew like crazy, and the protruding tumors oozed yellow-green pus.The half-elf hurriedly jumped up, and stepped on the pile of thick and soft fallen leaves, like stepping on rotting carrion.

"I understand." Andrea nodded, put away her tears, her eyes were firm, "If you want to go, I will go with you."

"No, you can't go." Elway shook his head, his black hair like a starry night fluctuated with his movements, "A pair of shining stars have risen between you and me, there is no need for you to go to the battlefield."

Andrea clenched her long sword tightly and bit her lip.

"Elway, I'll come to settle accounts with you when the time comes."

"If I can return in glory." Elway held Andrea's callused hand, took off the plain silver ring on her index finger, and put on the gold ring again, "If I return safely, I will take you back to my country and make you my queen. And our child is the best and strongest pair among the people of the stars."

"It's a pity that I can't give you a grand wedding right now. But on a moonless night, if you dance to the stars and say your marriage wishes, you will also be blessed by the Queen of Stars."

"You wait." The woman kissed the man on the cheek lightly, and ran into the woods without looking back.

Elway plucked the strings, and the bright tone flowed out.Andrea put on a bright blue dress, the golden belt shone brightly with her steps, and her long red hair was like a dancing flame.

The music is like the sea, like flowing lava.

Andrea whirled and danced.

The long blue dress is like an unfurled flag, and like a seabird flying on the top of the waves.The ivory white toes touched the grass, and the green grass turned into tentacles, twisting and twisting towards the dress.

Andrea jumped lightly, bathed in the starlight and danced to the sound of the piano, and her gorgeous soul bloomed in the dance.

The sky is blue, the shining stars gather in mid-air, and the Milky Way spans the sky.

The sound of the piano became louder and louder. After a loud crack, Elway dropped the lyre and joined Andrea's dance with singing as the string.Touching fingertips, smelling each other's breath, the hazy silver light enveloped the body, and the boundary between spirit and flesh gradually melted.

Even the stream was no longer noisy, and the half-elf watched with fascination.

Those waving shadows disappeared transparently under the bright light, the bodies of the lovers disappeared in his vision, the two stars revolved harmoniously with each other, and the scattered stardust illuminated the dim valley.

Nigel reached out, and the stardust extinguished at his fingertips.

The screen suddenly shattered and disappeared together with the deep valley.

"You're awake." The half-elf was in a trance for a while, staring blankly at the top of the tent.

Messiah was sitting in front of the tent, carelessly stirring the charcoal with a branch, half of his face was immersed in the dim red light of the fire, and a few strands of silver hair hung down, covering his face.The half-elf was still immersed in the aftertaste of the dream, his eyes were empty and helpless.

A cold hand covered his forehead, and the sudden low temperature made Nigel shiver uncontrollably.

"No fever."

"In your eyes, do I have a fever all the time?" Nigel couldn't help retorting, staring wide-eyed across the tent and Messiah.

"In my eyes, whether it's you or others, they are weak creatures."

Nigel turned over in the tent, not intending to continue arguing with the Messiah on this issue.Not only did the dream not let him have a good rest, but it consumed a little energy.

The half-elf made a small rustling sound in the tent, turned it over and over a few times, and breathed long again.

The visitor from another world changed his posture and remained motionless by the campfire.

On the cleaned floor, there was an eight-pointed star.

The thin light mist was drawn to the palm of the hand, barely gathering into a cloud of indistinct mist.Messiah tried to add magic power, and the silver mist dispersed and melted into the surrounding air.

Messiah was a little disappointed and looked away from the eight-pointed star.

"My lord." Mage Drow called softly, "My lord, please allow me to say goodbye to you."

He once considered following the Messiah to live on the surface, especially when he lost the favor of the Spider Queen and was about to wander underground without anyone to rely on.The Underdark is familiar and dangerous, while on the ground, except for the strong light, everything is unknown.

There is no doubt that the drow's nature prevailed, and they gave up their right to exist in the sun.

Messiah looked up at Mage Drow.

Behind the collapsed stone pillar, a group of drow carefully hid deeper into the darkness, their luggage neatly arranged on the wall lizard's back.The drows didn't dare to look directly at the Messiah, and only set their expectant eyes on Nafin.

Nafin waited nervously for the Messiah's final judgment.

Messiah fell silent.To be honest, he didn't want to just let go of these useful assistants, but it wasn't that he couldn't understand the mage's difficulties at all.

When the elves who first entered the ground disappeared completely, and their descendants were forced to make a living and swore to the Spider Goddess, the curse fell on the drow.The skin of the people under the stars has turned dark, their pure and kind hearts have been twisted into cruelty, and what comes out of their mouths is no longer poetry and music, but deadly fangs.

The darkness of the underground has deeply penetrated the body and mind of every drow, making it impossible for them to return to the ground normally.The mage struggled between going and not going, and finally gave up that tempting idea,

Messiah finally nodded.

Nafin walked away, leading the team quietly around the tent and disappearing at the end of a path.

Maybe life will be difficult in the future, and maybe he will be hunted down by the spider queen, but Nafin does not regret it.Once you make your own decision, you must stick to it.After having tasted freedom, no one wants to go back to the priestess.

Messiah stood up, looking across the darkness.

The tired traveler is still asleep, and a row of flashing fluorescent lanterns light up quietly, crossing the dripping cave, walking on the suspended stone bridge, and disappearing at the end of the unknown.

Everything in the world is nothing but countless encounters and separations.

The encounter between the drow and the Messiah is over, and Nafin will have his own destiny.Maybe in a certain year after that, the mature Messiah will visit the ground again and find that they have established a brand new drow city. Maybe not long after they parted, there will be a pile of dead bones in the ground.

At least at this moment, everything is still unknown.

Messiah suddenly had unspeakable emotions, which were different from a manic soul, but only faintly enveloped his heart, like a layer of mist that was difficult to disperse.

The half-elf slept until the end of the long night, and it seemed that there was a faint morning light shining through the tent in the dimness.

Nigel rolled over and sat up, leaning half out of the tent.

The fire had been extinguished, and warm food was still buried in the ashes.Everyone else at the ruined camp was busy packing up and loading up their cargo to start the day.All kinds of voices crowded into the ears, and the deserted ruins became lively because of these people.

Nigel tidied up hastily, grabbed his breakfast and devoured it.

Messiah took the camel beast, walked up to the half-elf and stretched out his hand to him, with a calm and distant expression.

"let's go."

"Ah."

The author has something to say:

The underground world is over, you can come to the surface.

The last card in the bottom, a good card... There are a lot of foreshadowings to be buried, and a lot of things to end.The most important thing is the toothache. When I bite, my mouth will be full of blood, hiss~

Beren and Lucien are my forever loves!Also a source of inspiration for me!

Thanks Moshe for throwing 1 mine

Zishu Qingyou threw a mine

Thank you little angel, hug and hold it high!