The pale light threatens everything, like the burning silver moon floating on the sea.
Incomparable majesty, such as the coming of the Holy Spirit, there is nothing under the gray robe, exuding pale nothingness. Reason and madness alternately flicker, but the contradiction is just right.
this……
How can it be?
Catalina forgot her words. Fear pierced her skin, but there was a trace of expectation that she was not even aware of...
"Are you Catalina from the Oakland family?" The voice that came out was low and hoarse, like metal blades rustling in the ice wind:
"The secret keeper has come to fulfill the agreement."
She knew that the Silver Knight's collection was absolutely extraordinary, but she never expected that she could contact such a transcendent existence.
At this moment, an invisible sense of oppression poured down on Catalina like a mountain.
Facing the unknown and transcendent existence, even a glimpse of it is enough to drive one crazy——
Catalina, who was well aware of this, couldn't help but lower her head and knelt down on one knee humbly, not daring to look at him.
She could feel the eyes scrutinizing her, but she didn't dare to look up. Even in my dream, I could feel a thin layer of sweat dripping from my forehead.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I am Catalina of the Oakland family, a descendant of Duke Brandon of the 'Aoki Shield', and a descendant of the 'Silver Knight' Sir Galt."
I saw Him approaching slowly, the air passing through the gaps in the robe, causing the smoky gray cloth to dance. She didn't even dare to guess what was shrouded under that robe.
"Before treatment, I must warn you, Catalina, everything is not without risks. If it fails, your birthstone will be shattered into pieces. Are you willing to take such a risk?"
The gray voice spoke softly.
Fragmented...
The invisible cold wind made Catalina shiver. In the realm of occultism, the shattering of a birthstone is almost indistinguishable from death.
It represents the fragmentation of the soul: Extraordinary people will lose their self-awareness, leaving only instinctive eating and metabolic behaviors, muddleheaded and stupid, no different from plants.
Katarina suddenly felt a strange fear:
She had never thought about this, or in other words, she had never really been prepared to face her fate.
Death is like something that could happen tomorrow but should never happen today.
She may forget the colors of dusk and dawn; forget the fragrance of iris; forget the taste of lemon cake and clear sky soda; forget the people who love her and her love; forget the past, present and future.
Day and night will no longer alternate, the church bells will no longer ring, the lonely seagulls circling the coastline will stay there forever, and she can no longer leave things to tomorrow...
It sounded scary, scarier than all the ghost stories Catalina had heard as a child combined.
Just thinking about this possibility makes the soul shudder.
But after a brief silence, she still raised her face:
"I am ready, Your Majesty."
"Okay then, offer your birthstone."
Katarina stretched out her hands and offered her Phosphophyllite. The burning black iron claw passed through her palm like a phantom, and the turquoise distorted crystal was instantly swallowed by the moon-white flame.
She felt a burning pain, empty but cold, as if a skinning knife was cutting open her soul inch by inch. What followed was a horrible, deathly suffocation...
Her consciousness suddenly fell into the deep sea, and her vision was broken into some colorful dots. Catalina felt that her vision became dim and she gradually fainted...
When the last trace of consciousness disappeared, an emerald green phantom flashed through my mind——
Full and pure, like a teardrop flowing to the sky.
…
It should be considered a success...right?
Under the gray burqa, Ed hesitated.
【》》》Downloading character data...》》》]
The moment he came into contact with Catalina's birthstone, the Keeper program downloaded Catalina's character data for him again. A new character card appeared in his palm with flames——
"Catalina Oakland"
In the card, the girl's bright chestnut waist-length wavy hair is soft and rich, braided into a bunch of buds and wrapped around the back of her head. She has emerald-like clear green eyes, with some light freckles dotting her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.
A malachite green, finely crafted jacket embellished with thin gold chains wraps around a cream long-sleeved shirt with lace accordion ruffles on the inside. A carved corset made of fine red leather is worn around the waist, and the carved boots are engraved with curly grass and arabesque patterns, making them look heroic yet elegant.
Another character card...?
At this moment, he no longer desperately needs a character card to maintain his life as he did when he was just resurrected. What's more, people from the Bureau of Divine Investigation already know that his personality crystal is tourmaline. If there are any changes, it may arouse more serious suspicions.
From this point of view, this card does not seem to mean much to him.
Ed was about to leave when he suddenly felt his breathing was stagnant...
In the distance, a silver figure stared at him like a ghost. His armor was as bright as the first snow, and his figure was as majestic as a silver ice peak. He stared at him but did not speak.
Subconscious incarnation? Ed could only pretend to be calm at the moment and did not dare to act rashly.
Time seems to stand still at this moment.
An unknown wind blows, and the maple leaves weep and complain...
The two looked at each other for a moment, and the silver-helmeted knight finally sheathed his sword and slowly turned around and left.
Its back is like a grain of mercury, disappearing in the blink of an eye among the red leaves falling like tears in the sky...
…
When Catalina woke up from her dream, the lazy sunshine in the early spring morning had penetrated through the morning fog, creating a blurry halo in the house.
Did I have another nightmare?
The light fell on her chestnut hair that curled around her cheeks, shining with a faint golden rhythm. She wiped the remaining sweat on her neck with the back of her hand. Perhaps that was the only proof that the nightmare had happened...
Knock, knock, knock, the door rang softly three times. The maid pushed the dining cart and parked it at the door, preparing to serve her after washing and eating.
Katarina sat up in response and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
Suddenly, the gorgeous tin dinner cover fell to the ground, making a noisy ping-pong noise, which completely drove away her tiredness.
She was stunned for a moment, then raised her head, only to see the maid looking at her with an incredible expression, as if she had witnessed some kind of miracle.
Wait, a miracle...?
What happened in the dream quickly replayed in my mind...the white flames, and the "secret keeper" wearing a gray robe.
She lowered her head and looked at her palm——
Calm, gentle, able to stretch and bend freely, no more uncontrollable shaking.
Tick tock, a hot tear fell on the palm of my hand, and was quickly dissolved by the dawn light.
There were hurried footsteps outside the corridor, and the old butler Lawn heard the noise and came over. He saw Catalina's teary eyes and looked at the maid with a serious expression...
"No, Grandpa Lawn, please listen to my explanation..."
Catalina stepped directly onto the carpet and stood up. At this point, Lawn was also dumbfounded and at a loss:
"Miss Catalina, you...this..."
He looked at the maid, who had almost the same look on her face, and obviously knew nothing about the situation.
"Yes, my crystal malignancy disappeared." She said calmly with a smile.
The nightmare that had plagued her for nine years was finally gone. She could feel the structure of the crystals in her brain—stable, orderly, and exuding vitality.
"Holy Spirit, by the grace of the Lord. This matter is of great importance. Please allow me to retire first and report to the Lord."
Lawn quickly regained his proper demeanor, but the smile on his face could no longer be hidden. He closed the door and left quickly.
"Let's take care of other things first, Lisa. I can just wash up and take care of it myself." Catalina ordered the maid as usual.
It wasn't until the other party closed the door and walked away in the corridor that she ran over on tiptoes, leaned her back against the door, and took a deep breath in disbelief.
Who is the secret keeper in the dream?
She closed her eyes, her mind filled with fantasies:
Is that pale white magical flame the "Eternal Flame" Mentilosa? No, he is an extremely arrogant elf magician who will never help humans easily.
Sardion of the Cardinal Isles? That one is more like a voodoo sorcerer than a mage. It's better not to be him.
"Flower Maker" Florin? No, that's a fictional character in a knight novel, and he doesn't wear a terrifying black iron crown on his head.
Wait a minute, gray shabby robe - "Founding Scholar" Johannitz van der Wijk? !
That all-rounder from four hundred years ago? !
Sword fighting, secret texts, alchemy, philosophy, art, everything is mastered, and each field has his rich and colorful touch——
Using geometric concepts, the swordsman's body structure is divided into four quadrants: high, low, left and right, and the four basic fencing postures of "rhino style", "plow style", "top style" and "fool's style" are formally established;
The general "alchemy" was broken down into three major schools: gemstone faceting, mechanics, and potion science, and left behind countless design ideas that transcended the times;
Research confirmed the cause of werewolves, leaving behind the immortal academic work "Full Moon and New Moon". The witch-hunting campaign that openly opposed the church sowed the seeds of the Enlightenment thought for later generations.
Only a genius like Master Van Der Wyck can solve the ultimate problem of "crystal malignancy", the mysterious academic world.
Yes, this ancient wise man must have glimpsed the door of eternal life and escaped from the world. Or perhaps crack the ultimate secret, overcome the physical barrier, and ascend into an invisible existence...
Is this why He calls himself “The Keeper of Secrets”? That black iron crown must be proof of some kind of coronation.
The solver of puzzles, the king of tatters...
She had already thought of two titles for the learned venerable person she had sworn to serve for the rest of her life.
If you think about it, it seems that every legendary knight will have some intersection with the great magician:
"Sunfire" Hal and "Eternal Flame" Mendilosa;
"Mad Knight" Diev and "Lialer" Killian;
"Silver Knight" Gelt and the Blood Queen, uh, well... the latter seems to be an original character in the novel.
And... Catalina and the "Keeper of Secrets"?
The thought of following this great all-powerful magician from now on made her excited and excited.
There is no doubt that this is the most beautiful adventure in her life...
Katarina finally couldn't hold back her smile and danced lightly without regard for her manners.
The touch between toes and the floor is gentle and light, and the air is as sweet as roses...
She couldn't help but turn around one more time——
The sunshine is soft and bright, like the silent cry of a new born person.
