157 The Thames Gate (2/2)
”Yeah?” The youth looked back.
Charles shook the crystal ball in his hands and stated, ”A mysterious power told me that today’s a bad day. Why don’t you change the date?”
”When did you start learning fortune telling like a witch?”
”I learned by myself.” Charles’s expression was serious.
”Senior, your research is never reliable and you spend your days trying to figure out how to blow up the school. I don’t really trust stuff that you learn by yourself.” Seeing Charles’s complicated expression, Ye Qingxuan could not help but laugh. ”Don’t worry. I’ll be back as soon as I get it done. If…I’m successful, I probably won’t have to go out at night anymore.”
Charles watched as the youth walked into the distance. He tossed the crystal ball away and got onto the couch, looking out the window. The starless night sky was pure black, like a slab of steel in the air.
But in Charles’s eyes, the clouds seemed to be on fire and shone with a vague redness. The red firelight shrouded the entire city. When it fell onto the ground, the entire world seemed to go up in flames. ”Did something happen?” He closed his eyes, no longer listening to the faint roars and wails in the wind. He murmured, ”…Even Avalon turned into this mess. F*ck.”
--
It was late at night. The entire sky was covered in black clouds. The moon and stars were hidden under the layer of charcoal. One could vaguely hear the crashing of ocean waves. The city built on the mountainside was submerged in darkness. The sharp shadow seemed to pierce into the clouds, reaching into the sky. It was sharp as a blade.
At the very bottom of the city, under the towering mountain, there were no longer any buildings. There was only the sound of the rising tide and the roaring of water. Under the opened black gate, murky water rushed into the ocean. The splashes smelled foul and fell onto the rusted gate. The mighty gate trembled and wailed.
This was the Thames Gate, where the Thames River flowed into the ocean. The complicated sewage system under Avalon grouped here. Everything hidden under the city would rush into the ocean here with the murky waters. The foul and decaying smell emanated.
Beside the flowing water was an old man, sitting on a weathered rock. He looked like a homeless man, killing time with boredom.
Beside him, Ghosthand stood in the mud. Cocking his head, he lit his pipe and inhaled before letting out a cloud of smoke.
All that could be heard in the silence was the unclear melody coming from the Shaman. It was distant and hoarse, like a traveler reminiscing on his hometown. And so the song was lonely.
In the long night, the clock at the top of the mountain suddenly rang midnight. The thunderous sound spread, resonating with the steel gate beside them. The gate began to tremble and countless wheels and gears began to turn. The first tunnel opened, then the second, and the third…The time for discharging had come. The current of the Thames River become frenzied. The crashing of waves came from the darkness behind the steel gate. As if a copper kettle was boiling, bubbles appeared and the foul smell surged in the wind.
Boom! A thunderous boom sounded in the towering city. Firelight appeared in the darkness of downtown. The fire appeared out of nowhere and burned without restraint, as if it was the only light in the dark world.
The light illuminated the din of the fighting and faint roars of anger. Dilapidated buildings wailed and collapsed in the fire. This was only the beginning.
Quickly, the second, third, fourth…balls of fire lit up continuously throughout the vast downtown district. It was the angry thugs setting fire everywhere.
The sea wind brought with it hoarse roars and the clanging of weapons. The serenity was instantly shattered. Illuminated by the firelight, commotion and chaos spread at an incredible speed. Countless buildings were set aflame. No matter if they were low huts, old buildings or the luxurious Ganlu City, all were lit on fire.
The thugs carried their weapons onto the streets in groups, smashing their enemies’ territory, stealing loot and finally setting everything on fire. The fighting that had always been behind the scenes now broke through the darkness and unfolded in every corner of downtown.
The burning light illuminated the dark city. The sharp city now looked like a fiery blade, piercing into the sky. Behind the towering city walls, the nearby midtown and high-up uptown seemed to still be asleep. They opened an eye coldly, gazing as the beggars killed each other.
The Shaman’s white hair was illuminated by the firelight. ”Haven’t seen such a commotion in years, huh?” he murmured, raising his eyes. ”The parliament’s defense is scary. It’s like they want to burn the entire city.”
”They want to fight to the death.” Ghosthand furrowed his brows. ”Otherwise, their power in downtown will be wiped out by us. This time, they won’t quit until you die.”
”Then let them come. My head is here.” The Shaman laughed loudly and produced a metal flask from his pocket. He unscrewed the lid and drank the cold wine. The wine entered his throat like a blazing sword, almost burning his soul.
”Ghosthand, where are my knights?”
”In the flames.”
”Are they fighting?”
”Yes.”
”Are they dying?”
”Yes.”
”They’re dying because of me.” The Shaman emptied the wine in the flagon and tossed it into the murky waters. ”Let me watch as they die.” He reached out and took the heavy wooden drum from Ghosthand. He caressed the taut skin.
The old drum was covered with scorch marks and cracks. One could vaguely see the design on it, but it was unclear. It had aged along with its owner.
The Shaman sat cross-legged on the rock with the wooden drum in his arms. Like a warlock from the Dark World, he stared into the blazing fire and began beating the drum.
The drum beats were distant and blurry, like faint heartbeats from the underworld.
The old man seemed to be submerged in the drunkenness. He beat the drum and, feeling the unsteady rhythm, he sang hoarsely, ”In the turmoil, in the brightness, in the breathing that moves all! Sink—drown—faint—go toward the carefree world!”
Boom! The flow of murky water surged! The Thames Gate shuddered and the water built up behind it followed the riverbed and rushed into the ocean. The darkness hidden under Avalon was taken with it, forming ripples in the ocean as the foul smell burst from the gate. The gate was finally opened and water from nineteen tunnels joined together, tilting without restraint.
The burning smell of fire came with the water, as well as ashy remains. Something seemed to appear within the foul yellow water. Angry winds tore apart the black clouds. Cold moonlight fell from the sky, illuminating the faces and white bones in the water. Dozens? Hundreds? Or was it thousands?!
An endless stream of bones and remains flowed from the darkness, entering the ocean. It was a river of…corpses!
In the roaring waters, the broken bodies rolled, revealing white bones, decaying intestines and blind eyes. The bodies had come from all directions. They had been thrown down from every sewer, tossing and turning in the turbid waters, brewing in Avalon’s guts, until they finally rushed out from the Thames Gate!
The Thames River was a hardworking bone collector. It collected the skeletons and corpses of those that had died in the fighting and kept them like treasures. It enjoyed their hopeless eyes, sucked away their last bits of warmth, before tossing them to the side without any nostalgia.
On the bank of the impatient waters, the Shaman looked down on the pairs of dull eyes as he sang the funeral song. ”We will all die and we shall never part again. Forever, forever, for eternity, we will never wake, never fear…”
The broken voice melted into the darkness and spread in the foul remains of despair. It guided the angry souls into the dark world. The corpses floated into the ocean.