304 Before Dawn (1/2)

Not until the real riot was over did the city begin to be dazed and fearful. Emergency police officers rode horses on the streets to maintain basic order. There were even more troops running on the street under the clanging of metal armor. They were following the Queen's orders to catch traitors.

The silence of the uptown district was broken by the heavy footsteps. Lights dimly lit up in the dark, mixed with faint discontinuous cries and chaos. The sounds were quickly strangled as soon as they were born. So, it was still vaguely quiet.

All the manors and mansions involved with the parliament were surrounded. Soon a figure with a black wig was escorted into the carriage and sent to the nonexistent Fifth Department.

People who cooperated with the arrest could still keep their last bit of dignity while those who dared to rebel would be killed on the spot. Thus, all members of the parliament were uprooted in this suffocating darkness.

For a long time, the Fifth Department had been silently searching for clues and was ready for this day to come. These nonexistent figures suddenly appeared on the street like illusions and brought the prisoners into the nonexistent place. The prisoners disappeared from the world silently.

It could be expected that soon after the secret trial was over, countless corpses would be hung on the Traitor's Gate. They wound sway in the wind like chimes, paying the price for what they have done before.

The tower stood in the white palace, glowing with the only light at the top of Avalon. The light silently overlooked its own territory like a dragon's cold eyes. It watched the group of rebellious officials struggle against death.

”It's all over.” Gavin staggered out of the scarlet vortex. Leaning against the wall, he coughed violently. He looked up at the lights in the sky, his eyes flashing with resentment and gloom. Gritting his teeth, Gavin ran home.

He had to completely get rid of all the clues before the Fifth Department found out about his situation. Fortunately, he had sent all of his family to another location at the beginning, and arranged backup and escape plans for himself, just in case.

He only needed to trigger the prepared equipment and leave a little spark. Everything would go up in flames.

Suddenly, he knelt on the ground. He vomited out a large mouth of rancid blood and felt the power disappearing quickly in his body. This was the penalty from the god.

Hyakume, who had lost his incarnation, was very furious. As a priest, Gavin had lost all the providence. If he had not prepared precautions beforehand, he would have died like the scapegoats in those chambers.

Stooping, he threw up the deadly green poison. He took out a silver needle and stabbed it into his neck and head. This sealed up the evil in his body temporarily. Now, it was a race against the clock. He did not have much time now.

Gazing at the distant firelight in the tumult, he ground his teeth. He climbed over the walls and fell into the garden of an old house. The chamber contained Robin’s puppet, his correspondences, the password of his secrete lines, and the deployment that he arranged before. All of this must be destroyed. He must destroy as much as possible. Otherwise, he would spend the rest of his life being chased by the Royal Musician Division. What a pity… He had planned for so many years but lost everything overnight.

Gritting his teeth, he regained his composure from the rage and pushed the door. And then he froze.

”Father...”

He saw the man in the wheelchair in the hall. The old man still wore his respirator and his breathing sounded like water sloshing in his lungs. He was still here; he did not escape.

”Father, why haven’t you left yet?” Gavin looked at him in astonishment. He quickly went forward, reaching for the frail old man. ”It’s too late. Let me take you away...” But his hands stiffened in the air. After two steps, Gavin lost all his strength and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.

”Father...” He gaped at the old man before him.

On Gavin’s face, the tattoos hidden under his skin lit up one by one. As if he was born with them, they were wedged into his flesh and bone marrow. He could not get rid of them. They had been carved in his body at birth. Now, they locked his strength and he lost all his power to resist in a moment.

A cane jabbed his face angrily as if the old man wanted to smash his cheekbones in. He did not expect that the dying old man could have such great strength.

”How dare you call me Father?” The old man gasped. He climbed up from his wheelchair, raised his cane with shaking arms, and smashed it onto Gavin’s face again and again until his feeble strength was exhausted and Gavin's nose was broken completely.

”The Adrian family is done for!” He glared at Gavin as if looking at a bastard, a scourge that should not be left in the world. ”It’s all because of you, Gavin! Because of you! All our ancestors' names are tainted because of you!” Purple-blue veins bulged across his face. Staring at Gavin made him grind his teeth. ”Sure enough, a b*stard like you shouldn’t have been kept in this world…”

Gavin froze and gaped at the furious man. His lips trembled as if he wanted to explain something but did not know what to say.

In the end, footsteps sounded in the distance. Someone was leading the brigade here. A familiar voice shouted, ”He’s inside! Don't let him get away!” It was Banner.

”Wh-why?”

”Only by sacrificing you could the family be saved.” The old man looked coldly at this shameful son. ”You’d better go with them obediently and distance from the family, understand? Don't get the family involved.”

”But...didn’t...” Gavin looked at him blankly. But weren’t you the one who asked me to join the parliament? Father! You’re the one who asked me to join the parliament to get those big men's favor… It was…iIt was you who gave the name of Robin to me... It was you... It was you...

”I’ve clearly done it, Father.” Gavin closed his eyes, grinding his teeth and trying to hold in the tears. ”I’ve done much better than you’d wanted!”

In the approaching footsteps, Gavin roared. He drew out his dagger and gouged out the restrictions on his face. Scarlet blood spouted out and his pale cheekbones were revealed, full of cracks. He looked like a rotting corpses.

He growled with pain but he finally broke free from what had chained him down since birth. Flesh and blood came off, leaving behind pale bones as hideous as an angry demon.

Seeing Gavin climb up from the ground and go toward him, the old man froze. He trembled in the wheelchair and tried to retreat. ”You... You… What do you want to do? Gavin, I…”

”I don't want to do anything.” Gavin smiled. He reached out to caress his father’s sparse white hair and said gently, ”Father, all this time, it has always been Banner took care of you. It’s the first time we’re so close. You’re old and not in good health. You should just sit and rest.” As he said this, he gently pushed the dagger into the withered chest. The blade pressed against the heart and nailed into the back of the wheelchair as if it was part of it.

As the old man screamed. Gavin bent down and gazed at the old man's eyes with his grey eyes. ”As you wish, please put all the blame on me. As you said, the family will be saved if Gavin dies.” He kissed the old man on the forehead and laughed, turning his face into bloody pulp.

He took out Robin’s mask from his pocket and put it on his face. For the first time, there was no estrangement between the mask and the flesh, and it truly became his face. However, blood seeped out of the eye holes and fell down his cheeks. He just could not hold it back.

The Robin laughed with tears of blood, pushed the door to go out, and pounced on the fire that was going to burn him.

Hissing was heard in the darkness but it quickly fell silence. The roar stopped while the sound of the music finally dissipated as well. During this long night, the blood of countless people was doomed to be buried under the rotten soil with their enemies and bones, as well as despair and anger.

In the dark, the Blood Path quietly extended.

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