631: Chapter 97 Christo_1 631: Chapter 97 Christo_1 “Kyle, my brother.”, Christo, reclining in his sickbed, his voice weak, “Did you know that in the past hundred years, those of us who were there have always held a question in our hearts, a question that has troubled us for a long ti?”
Pannis lowered his eyelids, a faint smile on his face, yet he said not a word, answering Christo’s question with silence.
But Christo didn’t expect him to respond, and continued speaking himself, “In that final mont years ago, no one saw clearly what actually happened, those who survived only saw the final outco.
But the less we know about sothing, the more curious we beco, and when we had private etings back then, everyone wanted to know– what exactly had happened?
Everyone knew it was your biggest taboo, so nobody dared to ask you.
But we once guessed that your heart wavered at the last mont, and that’s why you didn’t get to Nellie first.
But Flare thought it couldn’t be that simple, that there must have been other things that happened.
Look, now that I’m lying on this sickbed, maybe I’ll die the next mont, would you be so cruel as to let leave this world with this unanswered question?
Can you fulfill this request and secretly tell what really happened?”
Pannis pursed his lips, gave a bitter laugh, then leaned over to whisper a few words in Christo’s pointed ear.
It took Christo a few seconds to process what he had just heard, after which he suddenly burst into hearty laughter, his weakness forgotten, “Oh, Kyle, so that was it, ha ha ha ha, I never would have guessed such an answer, no wonder, no wonder, no wonder you are full of regret.
It does indeed make for an unbearable sight, but today, I find it easier to understand how you felt back then.
In the face of the fear of death, there’s really nothing surprising about it.”
“So, I did her wrong.” Pannis sighed, “She must really hate .”
“I don’t think Nellie bore any grudges when she left.” Christo weakly shook his head, but said definitively, “Kyle, you will always be our leader in our hearts.
Back then, you were simply terrified by the face of death for the first ti, causing you to lose your mind.
Once you wake from that fear, you’ll revert to your original self, becoming the perfect Kyle we knew and no longer fear death.”
“But it was during my fear that the mistake was made.” Pannis responded grimly, “The mistake can’t be undone, no matter how much explanation, it’s too late.”
“But Nellie would understand.” Christo affird, “I don’t believe that Nellie, who loved you so much, would hate you for that.
Maybe she’d even be happy about it.
Besides, even if she was angry at you for a while, given ti, she would have forgiven you.”
“Like that ti in the Death Forest?” Pannis neither assented nor denied, just smiled and said, “I rember you scared Maya and Tiya dreadfully, didn’t you make them cry directly?”
“Ha ha ha, that’s the point.” The old goblin’s laughter weakened, yet his words were still full of joy, “I suddenly shouted, ‘Those spiders are right at your back!’ Ha ha ha, it scared them so badly they flew a great distance, I’ve never seen them fly so fast, the speed was almost like teleportation, ha ha ha.
But that too was thanks to your cooperation, without you guys agreeing to turn off the campfire and tell stories at night, I would never have had the chance to scare them.
Whenever I rember how they cried and flew around, it makes laugh so hard I can’t stand.”
“But you suffered too in the end.” Pannis was holding the old goblin’s withered hand, hunched closer to him so that he could hear him clearer, “I rember after that, they chased and beat you for over an hour, I still rember how pitiful you looked when you returned.”
“What’s there to fear, I think it was worth it.” Christo exclaid, “It’s no big deal to receive a beating if it ant being able to scare those two girls, ha ha, given another chance, I’d still want to scare them.”
“Then hurry and get better.” Pannis patted Christo’s hand gently and said, “Wait for you to recover, and I’ll accompany you to the Winged People Mountain Range.
I just visited there recently, it’s still as beautiful, the sky still as close, as if you just reach out and touch it.
The white clouds circulate around you, your breath would beco fog, a part of the white clouds.
The view there is still so open, standing at the top, you’ll see an endless forest, call out, and your voice would echo among the mountains.
Strive to recover, my brother, so that we can travel the paths we once took, traverse the Lost Forest, cross the White Feather Canyon, all the way up the Migratory Bird Nest Path, traverse the Shadow Mountains, and finally reach the summit of Light and Dark, the sacred land of the Winged People.
There, Maya and Tiya will prepare your favorite mountain lotus flower tea for you, and we can relive the joys of watching the sunrise huddled together.”
“How lovely the past was,” Christo lay on his bed, his blurry gaze seemingly penetrating the roof, seeing the clear blue skies and white clouds, the endless mountain range, the broad wings of pure black and pure white: “I really wish we could go on another adventure, I really want to see them again, pity, I suppose there is no chance for that to happen anymore.”
“Why not?” Pannis’s voice is even softer, as if afraid of waking up a dream: “As long as you get better, even if you can’t walk, I will carry you to the Winged People Mountain Range, when have I ever lied to you?”
“You are lying to right now, aren’t you?
You wouldn’t deceive a friend with lies in the past, would you?” Christo let out a weak sigh, whispering, “I know my situation very well, I’m about to die, I can already hear the footsteps of death approaching.”
Pannis fell silent, perhaps there were thousands of comforting words befitting for such a situation, but he couldn’t utter a single one, he could only silently grasp Christo’s hand.
He felt the coldness coming from it, a hand that was once young and strong, capable of turning countless undead to ash with a re flick of the fingers, but now it had aged, beco frail and struggled to even clasp.
“I knew this day would co.” Christo’s breathing was getting quicker: “For years, I’ve been waiting for this day.
I was both scared and looking forward to it.
Sotis, I thought it’d be nice to die sooner, so I wouldn’t have to endure the tornt of watching my body deteriorate day by day.
But now that the day has co and I realize I am so afraid of death.
Funny, isn’t it?
Soone like , who once charged into Death’s Gate with you, is so scared of death now.
But it’s not just the fear of death itself, it’s the nostalgia for this world, I just don’t want to die yet.”
Listening to Christo’s frantic gasps, Pannis felt a heavy weight on his chest, as if a giant stone was pressing down.
Unconsciously, he took several deep breaths to ease the bitterness in his heart: “Don’t be afraid, don’t worry, Nellie is already waiting for you on the other side.
One day, I will co to find you two, and we will et again in the afterlife.”
“But, I still want to live.” Christo suddenly reached out with his other hand to hold his throat, he gasped heavily, as though his breath would cease at any mont, even so he summoned all his strength to say: “I can feel my body decaying, bit by bit, my strength being drawn away little by little, my breath is getting weaker, my mind is blurring more and more, I know, I am about to die very soon, but I don’t want to die at all.
Please, save , Kyle, please, you can do anything, you never let a friend down.
Save , use your power to fend off death.
I believe you can do it, I’ve never asked you for a thing, except for this one, save , I don’t want to die, I want to see them again, please help , just like you used to.”
“Phew.” Pannis tipped his head back, his eyes rolling upwards and his teeth clenched.
He took several deep breaths, suppressing his almost overflowing grief.
Then he lowered his head to look into Christo’s eyes, his voice steady: “You really look terrible, young Kera, I can’t possibly do that, you should know.
If I could, I wouldn’t need you to tell to act.
You are not the person you used to be, the old you, you could face death with a big smile.
But now, when facing death, you are considering giving up, and in such an unsightly state, just like in the old days?”
“Yeah, this is really unsightly.” Christo let out a sigh that seed to co from deep within his soul.
The frenzy in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by the serenity he once had.
Like a person deprived of all strength, he collapsed onto the bed and muttered: “Three years, I’ve often simulated the scene of death coming, thinking I could leave this world gracefully and unaffected, but— death is too dreadful.”
“So, stop being afraid.” Pannis patted Christo’s hand, saying softly: “Since you can’t avoid it, face it with a smile and let the friends who love you be at ease.
Just think, maybe in the distant future, we might et up again in the afterlife.
Would you want the Winged sisters to mock you for your unsightly behavior then?”
“Exactly, I can’t give them a reason to ridicule .” Christo lay in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, muttering: “I wonder if they are doing okay now?” (To be continued.
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