287 Light and Shadow (2/2)
He was in the heart of Avalon’s Shadow so how could he be looking down on the real Avalon? If he was not looking at an illusion then…where was he right now? In the Shadow? Or…
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Under the same night sky, the clock shop was filled with light ticks. Hermes had finished his late night snack and rested on the sofa. He had loosened his belt and his impressive belly bulged.
He had a vintage floor mirror before him. Resting his double chin on his hands, he gazed at the scene in the mirror. In it, demons and barren sites flashed past. Finally, the image stopped on an overlooking angle. Demons surge in the dark city. A white tower rose to the sky with a strange aura.
”Avalon’s Shadow?” Bai Xi, passing by, stopped before him and knocked against the mirror curiously. ”You can see another world with this?”
”Sorry, no.” Hermes shrugged. ”But Avalon’s Shadow isn’t in another world. At most it’s just a difference of ‘here’ and ‘there’.”
”What does that mean?”
”Would you believe me if I said that we’re in Avalon’s Shadow right now? Okay, you won’t, but that’s the truth.” Hermes smiled his trademark evil smile. ”Everyone knows that when King Arthur failed, his Sword in the Stone split apart. He lost control of his scepter ‘Kingdom Come.’ It dragged broken pieces of Avalon deep into the sea of aether and buried everything, creating Avalon’s Shadow. But a shadow must be behind light. So how far is the shadow from the city?”
Hermes raised his hand. The light passed through his arm and left the shadow of his hand on the wall. The shadow changed as he moved his hand, causing Bai Xi to shudder.
”The answer is that it’s right here.” Hermes studied his shadow. He pressed his hand onto the shadow and the two became one. ”It’s funny, isn’t it? In Avalon, hundreds of thousands live, die, breathe, eat, sleep, mate…but nobody has realized that they’re only a step away from the deep abyss.”
Hermes glanced at Bai Xi cheerfully. ”You live in the same city as demons. You brush past each other and live in the same houses. You interact every day but neither knows. For example, right now, there’s a spider mother above your head.”
Bai Xi’s expression darkened and she smacked Hermes with the dictionary in her hands. ”How would a clean freak like you let demons into your house? Do you think I’m a three-year-old kid?”
”Ha, as expected of my student!” Hermes reached out and caught the dictionary with a chubby hand as he laughed loudly.
”Explain clearly if you’re going to talk about it,” Bai Xi said coldly. ”Don’t beat around the bush.”
”I’m getting there, be patient.” Hermes shook his head and sighed. Drawing in the air with a finger, he stated, ”The three kings of ancient times called their place the material world. The place of the Originator was the aether world. There were nine levels of the aether sea between the worlds.
”However, there isn’t such a large distance between the material and aether world…Rather, it overlapped long ago. The nine levels of the aether sea have connected the two.
”The saints used their scepters to create music theories and used the formless territory as a high tower that reached into both worlds. They wanted to create unbelievable miracles and hoped they could enter the Originator one day.
”King Arthur was not an exception. In reality, Avalon was the foundation he created for his scepter Kingdom Come. Everything was done to increase his strength to the max. Thus, he practically became a demi-god. When he died, the piece of heaven that had descended onto earth fell apart as well and sank into the aether sea with him. It entered eternal sleep in the darkness.
”At first, the demons hiding in the shadow would have the chance to cross the door and appear here whenever fog shrouded Avalon. But as Avalon’s Shadow sank deeper and deeper into the aether sea, they became further away from ‘here.’ In the end, only the Blood Path connected them. For centuries, only the royal family would use their blood to open this path for some unspeakable secrets.
”Unfortunately, some people have been meddling recently…this demonic world that had sunk into darkness is awakening again.”
Hermes paused and his face twitched. ”In the end, you have to blame that troublesome guy. The Ye family had almost died out in the east and they still wouldn’t rest in the West. It’s been thousands of years and none of them have been normal! Including that cousin of yours.”
Bai Xi fell silent. She stared at the world in the mirror. Her slowly-maturing face was heavy and unreadable. However, Hermes arched an eyebrow.
”Are you worried for him? Don’t be. Why don’t you worry that your Yunlou daddy has finally decided to snatch you back to keep his cause alive? His life is sturdier than yours.”
Hermes huffed in annoyance. ”Ye Lanzhou had used all his tricks to hide many good things. Unfortunately, he didn’t know his son would be so stubborn. He looks colder and more realistic than anyone else but he’s actually so naïve.”
As he spoke, he grew gleeful and sighed, ”I’m really excited. I wonder how interesting Ye Qingxuan’s expression will be when he finally realizes that he’s always been purposely overlooked because of his naivety.”