They sat on a long bench, facing an expansive park. Two clear springs flowed from the private parts of two little boys carved in marble, one on the left and one on the right. The statues surrounded a fountain that shot three three-meter-high water columns into the air. Countless glistening water droplets floated down, and a faint rainbow could be seen among them.
The boy kept his head down, silent, wearing a troubled expression. 4 understood that this was not the best time to disturb him. The little guy was obviously troubled by something, and he probably knew a little about it.
"Let him think it over. I have plenty of time. If he's willing to tell me, I'll be a good listener."
He shifted his gaze to the square further ahead, where a lively scene unfolded. A large group of followers of the Hero King were conducting an ancient ritual, dressed in milk-white garments, with long robes and turbans that almost reached their shoulders, resembling the billowing white sails of a single-masted ship when viewed from a distance.
During this ritual, a brazier was placed in the center of the crowd, and everyone danced around the flames. They formed three concentric circles, and the ritual involved three movements. When standing, they would look up at the sky, hands raised with palms facing forward, much like the preparatory movements of a diver. When half-kneeling, the right knee touched the ground, head bowed, hands curved and drawn in front of the chest, palms facing upward, as if asking for something. The full-kneeling posture was similar to the half-kneeling one, with the only difference being one knee on the ground and the other with both knees on the ground.
After completing each set of movements, they would take a step forward in unison, then take a step back, repeating the next round of movements. They had to maintain consistent steps, rhythm, and even breathing.
"What's this?" the boy suddenly looked up, gazing at the crowd ahead.
"The Dance of the King," 4 said, rubbing his broad chin. "This is a tradition of the followers of the Hero King. They hold this ritual whenever the Hero King Festival is approaching." He glanced at the boy's weary black eyes. "Now, are you ready to tell me something?"
But Wu Fan did not comply with his wishes. All his attention was focused on the strange dance. Not only the followers, but soon the onlookers also began to move in sync with the followers' steps, creating an ocean of people, a very apt metaphor.
The onlookers encircled the followers, not forming a larger circle, but more like the random motion of water molecules in Brownian motion. Some were dispersed, while others were close to the followers. They did not perform the same movements as the followers, but rather a simplified version, all looking up at the sky with hands raised, sometimes gathering together, sometimes separating.
"Let's go and take a look."
Since the boy was unwilling to speak, 4 did not have the patience to continue waiting. He grabbed Wu Fan's hand, a warm large hand holding a slightly cold small hand, and they merged into the crowded crowd.
They crossed the crowd and saw a row of huge bronze statues, depicting the Hero King Reya Ye and his warriors.
Reya Ye held a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right, wearing a magnificent Roman-style armor. He stood on a large bronze rock at the forefront. Behind him were his 12 warriors, also gripping weapons—spears, longswords, hammers, and axes. Their fierce expressions reminded the boy of the ancient Spartans, the brave warriors who fought for freedom in ancient Greece, where bravery sometimes bordered on savagery. At the same time, a famous painting by the French artist Eugène Delacroix, "Liberty Leading the People," flashed through his mind.
"They really look like they're fighting for freedom," he couldn't help but comment.
4 sneered and shook his head, pointing behind the bronze statues. "Do you see those pillars?" Wu Fan followed his finger and saw 12 bronze pillars arranged in two rows. These pillars were about four to five meters high, entirely golden, seemingly untouched by time. However, upon closer inspection, one could see the original patterns on them, the overgrown wild grass around them, and even some mottled rust on the edges of the bronze pillars. The boy could tell that these pillars, like the men beside them, looked young but were far older than they appeared.
He couldn't help but step forward to observe, but 4 grabbed his hand to prevent him from entering the crowd.
"What's the meaning of this?" Wu Fan expressed his dissatisfaction with a furrowed brow.
"You don't have authorization, and besides, you're not a follower of the Hero King. This is forbidden behavior. Even the followers of the Hero King must apply for pilgrimage in advance. That place is sacred."
"Sacred? What a great word," he said. "Is it the same sacred place as I understand it?"
"Sacred, as the name suggests, is a place full of religious color and miracles, most suitable for pilgrimages for believers. For devout believers, it's not just a specific place or a special building; it's also their spiritual sanctuary." 4's tone carried a hint of intimidation. "Think about what would happen if you defiled someone's spiritual sanctuary."
Of course, he knew what would happen. In the human world, a sacred place should be a beautiful synonym, but because of conflicting religious beliefs, bloody wars often erupted in the peaceful harbor of people's hopes.
"Every time he reads such stories, a question pops into his mind: Are humans angels or demons? If they are demons, why do they harbor a longing for goodness deep within? But if they are angels, why do they entertain evil thoughts of destroying what they cannot have?
"Do these bronze statues remind you of anything?" 4's voice was more detestable than his smiling face.
"I don't know anything," replied the boy. The 12 zodiac signs, 12 heroes' warriors. Look, how simple. Don't think of me as a fool again.
But he underestimated 4's abilities. He forgot what he had said before, that one could sometimes analyze a person's thoughts through their micro-expressions.
"Of course, it's related to the warriors of the king and the 12 zodiac signs. Look at the patterns on the pillars."
He didn't argue. Since the other party already knew his thoughts, he found it hard to resist. As he stared at those patterns for a while, he suddenly felt a bit scared. "Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Those are masks. The bronze pillars are adorned with the masks of the 12 zodiac signs."
It is said that clues to finding the missing 12 masks are hidden here. 4's voice was soft, not in the boy's ears but in his mind. Today, Wu Fan had already endured too much, and he didn't want to add pressure to the boy.
"Shouldn't those masks be kept in a museum?"
"Have you seen them in a museum?"
"I have," he said, "There are other shaped masks inside with them."
"Oh, no, my child, those are all fakes. The real masks have long been lost."
"It is said that those masks possess magical powers. What kind of powers could they be?" The boy's eyes were full of curiosity.
"I'm not sure," 4 shook his head, "But have you seen that throne?"
"I thought it was a flame or a mountain."
In the middle of the bronze pillar, there was a smooth path paved with marble. At the end of the path was a bronze background, with a peculiar shape that could easily be mistaken for a flame or a mountain. It had horns, like a growing flame totem, and the bronze color made it look somewhat similar to a mountain totem.
"There are many secrets behind the throne. Do you want to take a look?"
"But you said earlier that non-disciples of the Hero King cannot approach it, right?"
"We don't need to approach it. The secret is behind the throne. Look, we just need to go around to the back of it. The place where that group of people is, that secret can be admired by everyone, because it's just a clue." Wu Fan felt a lightness in his body as 4 lifted him high and separated his legs, and he sat firmly on the broad shoulders of Amerind.
"Hey, put me down quickly," he shouted, grabbing his shiny black hair, "This will make me feel embarrassed." 4 didn't agree, he chuckled, like an elder teasing a younger one harmlessly. Perhaps he smelled the refreshing scent of jasmine, or knew that 4's actions were not malicious. He even felt a hint of warmth. In short, Wu Fan stopped making a fuss.
They walked to the other side of the park, where there were still many people. 4's words were right. The crowd gathered together, gazing at something. He suddenly understood the man's thoughtful intentions. Standing high allowed one to see far. Behind the throne were some ancient images that had nothing to do with the word "exquisite."
"Have you seen it? Tell me what you saw," 4 supported the boy's swaying body, one hand on his head, leaning forward, and the other hand on his forehead, squinting to see more clearly.
"I saw some murals."
"What kind of paintings?" 4 asked again.
"There are a total of twelve," the boy cleared his throat, "They seem to record two stories."
"What kind of stories?" 4's voice had a strange excitement, and the boy felt a bit puzzled. He seemed very happy.
"The left seven are the same story. In the first painting, there is a group of people riding horses out of the city. I'm not sure if those mounts are horses, but they look like it."
"Go on, the second one," 4 urged.
"They arrived at a mountain, and there seems to be a cave in the mountain. Wait, there seems to be a small sign on the mountain cave."
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure. It might not be a sign, maybe I saw it wrong." A strong thought suddenly appeared again, demanding the boy not to tell anyone. In the boy's eyes, the sign was a number 8, which also looked like another mathematical symbol: infinity. He didn't know that only he could see this symbol. In fact, to others, the mural only depicted a group of people and horses, a mountain cave, and nothing more.
"Is there more?" 4 didn't know that the boy had changed his mind. His tone became more urgent. The secret hidden here was of great significance to him. He appeared in this world to unravel this mystery.
"The third one seems to show them approaching a ruin, like an Aztec pyramid. It looks like a stepped structure, with a flat top, unlike the Egyptian pyramids."
"Go on."
"In the fourth picture, they leave the ruins and kneel before the moon above their heads. (The moon is blue, but he didn't tell 4.) In the fifth picture, they light a bonfire and dance around it. Their dance is somewhat like the dance of the king."
Wu Fan glanced at the crowd still performing the ceremony. This strange dance told him that it was not to worship the Hero King, as if it had another meaning. It was to worship some kind of higher mysterious existence, "the only" word flashed in his mind, and soon another word that made him even more uneasy followed: StarSoul.
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"The sixth," he took a deep breath and deliberately lowered his voice, "a pile of masks falls from the sky. There are masks of a dragon, a rat, and a tiger."
"The seventh, they meet snake people wearing masks, and a war breaks out."
"Go on," 4's voice became more and more abnormal, his heavy breathing was clearly audible, and Wu Fan suddenly remembered a past event. At a bus stop, a cosplayer holding an oiled paper umbrella stood next to him. A group of black monsters walked down the slope, and the strange black flames on their bodies set the rain in the sky on fire. Suddenly, the owner of the oiled paper umbrella let go of the umbrella, drew out a very long katana from behind, and with a light swing, the entire world was cut into pieces, and then all the light was swallowed by darkness. "Let me count, five things fell from the sky," he struggled, holding his head, "I can't take it anymore."
"Is there more, is there more?" 4 shook the boy's legs vigorously. The answer was right in front of him, right in front of him. After hundreds of years of waiting, all the waiting was for today.
"The eleventh, the person is now at the edge of a cliff, and the wind blows his cloak. Under the cloak is his weapon, a katana."
"I'm telling you, I really can't take it anymore," the stabbing sensation became stronger, and 4 kept shaking his legs. He gritted his teeth and continued.
"The last one, the last one is text." The stabbing sensation became more and more intense, and 4 kept shaking his legs. He bit his teeth and continued.
"What text is it? Can you read it?" 4's voice was full of madness, and his eyes glowed like a hungry wolf.
Blood kept flowing from his nostrils, falling to the ground, "patter, patter," awakening some dusty memories that didn't belong to him. There was a figure sitting on a huge rock, in front of the figure was a brilliant peach forest, and the breeze blew, rolling up the black long hair of the figure and the conspicuous blue ribbon tied to the hair.
"StarSoul descends from the sky, representing destruction and protection. The gears of fate rotate in reverse, and the world will bow at his feet. The spark of civilization will ignite again, and darkness and light will eventually meet. The sun will rise from the east, and the moon will appear from the clouds in the west. The sun and the moon are archenemies, and nothing can escape this catastrophe. The black rain will cleanse the filth, and the golden-red sun will turn the earth into purgatory. The devil will appear, and the battle of destiny will continue. The one who has nothing will awaken, fearless. The insects will sing in the decaying corpses, flowing with the blood of the supreme. His children will eventually awaken him. He is not his father, he is the future of destiny." The hoarse voice that didn't belong to him kept coming out of his mouth, and Wu Fan was like a wandering spirit, with cold tears in his eyes.
4 lifted him from his back and held the trembling boy, kissing his forehead. "Maybe we should go somewhere else for a walk." They were like two sharks breaking through the waves, parting the crowd and coming to a peculiar building.
On the day 4 died, he still hadn't told Wu Fan the truth. Behind the throne, there were actually only seven paintings, which recorded the story of the Hero King Reya Ye. The rest were some inscriptions that were as unreadable as those on the museum steles. The Alchemy Association believed that they were some long-lost alchemy, but only he, 4, and Raji Komo knew that it was not alchemy but an ancient and great prophecy. He was born for this prophecy, and his lifelong mission was to find the person who could interpret these prophetic inscriptions and follow him to the death.
"He has entered the chessboard." A short middle-aged man gently stroked the green gecko on his right hand. The gecko slowly crawled up his arm, and the little creature stuck out its tongue, rolled up a string of white pearls hanging on the man's arm, and then slowly swallowed it. "Little guy, don't be so greedy," he gently patted the gecko's head, and the gecko spat out the pearl again. "But everything is starting to get interesting, isn't it?" He stood where the boy and 4 had just been, and let out a sharp, strange laugh as if no one else was around.
The Reya Ye Theater was located on the eastern edge of Reya Ye Square. Its appearance was like a peculiar crown. Most crowns have a top edge with a series of vertical triangular bodies supporting uniformly sized round heads. They looked like dolls hanging naturally when there was no wind. The peculiarity of the Reya Ye Theater's crown was that it had no rounded corners, and of course, it was not inlaid with various precious gems on the crown surface. It was purely pointed, and when viewed from the front, the leftmost corner was not vertical, but bent downward like a big thumb. However, this palm not only had five fingers, but the surface coating of the building was also extremely special. The shaded areas not exposed to the sun were bluish-gray, while the areas touched by sunlight reflected a golden-red light. Therefore, it also had another name: the Sun King's Crown.
The Reya Ye Theater was no different from human world theaters. Large performances were shown here every day. With the Hero King Festival approaching, most of the current performances were closely related to the city's founder, the great Hero King.
There were no staff arrangements at the Reya Ye Theater, just like at the Reya Ye Museum. Of course, the so-called staff were lifelike virtual guides who would show the way for new visitors and explain some precautions, such as no playing with fire, no loud noise after entering the theater, and no interrupting the actors' performances.
4 may have once been an ignorant and curious baby, but after hundreds of years of baptism, he had long shed his initial astonishment, ignorance, and foolishness upon entering this place. The blood of the dinosaur people had flowed in his body for hundreds of years, and he had long forgotten his past identity. He was no longer a human, but a genuine dinosaur person. Over the years, he had lost count of how many times he had entered and exited the theater, so he was very familiar with it, stepping over one threshold after another from his memory and entering the spacious theater lobby.
In the center of the theater, today's performance was being staged. Two beams of light emanated from floating milky-white spheres, shining on the despondent actors in the middle of the stage. He placed the boy on a row of unoccupied chairs and helped Wu Fan sit up straight. The dim space was crowded with people, but all that could be heard amidst the dark crowd was their even breathing.
"This scene is called The King and His Twelve Warriors. Watch it carefully," he whispered to Wu Fan.
Before he could finish his sentence, a strong, old voice immediately rang out, like that of a reciter.
That night, they set off on tall horses.
The sound of hooves carried the weary.
The city gate closed behind them, symbolizing a baby crawling out of its mother's womb, and the last beam of light was the severed umbilical cord.
Wait for me, I will appear again, bringing hope and light to you, my subjects.
The actors lying on the prop wooden horse slowly raised their heads. One of them was wearing a maroon cloak, and a paper crown was on his head. He reached out his right arm towards the sky and recited:
Meis, leave the land that loves me, and seek the unseen future.
"Merines, the past has become the present, my people, the cloud of sorrow hovers over our heads.
Lady Tantan, the vile snakes crawl onto our bodies, aiming at our necks, hissing venom.
Nancy, we are a noble race, hailing from Nibiru, Eridu is our mother star.
Doranna, we are a noble people, dancing with the stars, faithful stars are our best servants.
Iheirdo, until that day, darkness descends, the void swallows the light, the endless tentacles reaching out from the darkness entwine our father, Anu's body.
Milandos, it claims to be a higher civilization, named Remlia, this time, it comes for destruction.
Imierna, the heavenly father escapes its clutches, we become homeless.
Enki and Zo, my brothers, tears of gold, fire as sustenance, countless nights, the stars fall into slumber, and the heavenly father slumbers too.
Kanana, we abandoned our brothers, left our homeland, wandering in the cosmos, floating like dust, passing through the center of the universe, arriving at the Milky Way.
Donvuslay, we settled there, on the azure planet, a primitive civilization, ignorant wild children, we made it our home, survived here.
Enlirkuzaka, everything goes awry, the primitive life of the Earth, the reptilian and aquatic races are our enemies.
Ivanar, the dirty blood awakens, our brothers, former brothers become our enemies.
Dolya, we fight together, with outsiders, against our brothers.
Lady Rees, Anu's miracle, we finally triumph, the journey home is distant.
Tanmon, the Golden Dynasty is established, a peaceful, prosperous, dreamlike era.
Eldonis, until the cursed blood, no one can remember, was it war or plague?
Yachinoma, countless brothers fight each other, countless tribesmen perish, the golden-red color hangs high in the sky, the sun roars in anger, destruction, destruction, everything will be destroyed in the end.
Pantaro, the ocean tears the earth apart, storms mixed with fierce winds, dark clouds shroud the sky, oh, Anu's miracle, is it punishment? No! It's a conspiracy of your enemies.
Aselorah, they cannot destroy you, for you are the proud blood of gold, your people, we come from the mighty center of the universe.
Toreya, your enemies cannot overcome you, one plan fails, another is born, they unite, invade your homeland, sow discord among all brothers and sisters.
Delnasar, Anu's miracle, invincible you succumb to internal strife, when brothers are no longer brothers, when wives drink the blood of husbands, when infants are beheaded by parents, when sisters part ways, Anu's miracle, it's all too late, too late.
Kurpatu, the flag of the dynasty falls in the golden light, the dark legend triumphs over the master of the sun, Anu's miracle, it's all too late, too late.
Suvina, we leave our beloved land once again, just to breathe, to breathe.
Tetilir, the noble past will eventually become a memory, and memory will become a legend, farewell to my homeland, my dear brothers, compatriots, do not let suffering and pain destroy us, we flow with Anu's blood.
Suhana, we will overcome all difficulties, unite, my people, raise torches in the darkness, as we once did, with eternal starlight, illuminate the dark universe.
The actor playing the king dismounts from the wooden horse, facing the audience, holding the reins tied around the horse's neck in his left hand, and raising his other arm towards the sky. Wu Fan first heard a crisp flute sound, followed by a clean lute melody, and the man opened his mouth. He was a baritone and began to sing a song.
Ahead is a mountain, the warriors advance with their weapons.
Ahead is the sea, the warriors raise their shields as sails.
Ahead, the crowd gathers, our enemies are about to attack.
The warriors fear nothing, charge! Charge!
We stand united, with a common enemy, striking fear into the hearts of the enemy.
Behind us is our city, our families reside there.
Behind us is home, the place that bore and raised us.
Behind us is our heart, we are the armor. If anyone dares to invade, we will make them fall.
The warriors stand united, the warriors overcome all obstacles, the stars bless us, courage and luck crown us.
We are invincible, we cannot be defeated, whoever dares to challenge us, we will make them fall.
(Other actors also dismount and support him, like stars surrounding the moon, they sing together)
Ahead is a mountain, the warriors advance with their weapons.
Ahead is the sea, the warriors raise their shields as sails.
...
As they finish the last line of the song, everyone mounts their horses again. The actor playing the king raises the wooden sword at his waist and shouts loudly: Charge, charge, charge. In an instant, the boy hears the neighing of a thousand horses, and the actor looks solemn, like a statue standing in the city.
What kind of person is Reya Ye? He suddenly feels curious, and quickly an inexplicable image rushes into his mind. It is still the girl, with her beautiful features, blonde hair, and blue eyes. Another person appears beside her, a boy of about seven or eight years old, with silver hair and gray eyes. They smile at him, revealing sweet dimples and white teeth. No, please don't, Wu Fan says in his heart, this feeling is like someone is sending an electric shock to his brain.
4 notices the boy's unease and chooses to stand by.
You will get used to it, no, you must get used to it, your destiny is extraordinary, and you will experience more pain. The road waiting for you is so rugged, what can I do for you? No, I am powerless, no one can do anything for you, only you can bear all of this alone.
The wine-red curtain falls, and the boy's pained and distorted face calms down. The image of the girl and the little boy's smiles disappear from his mind, and he breathes gently, sinking into a moment of silence. He doesn't dare to hope for 4, it's like a drowning person grabbing anything they can see floating on the water, even if it's just a trivial straw. He is not sure if he will reveal this strange incident to 4 when faced with his clear eyes, but that damn thought will pop into his mind, preventing him from speaking. "Shut up, I hate you," he says in his heart to the strange thought, but he dares not disobey it. He has a strange feeling that if he doesn't do as the thought says, something terrible will happen. When he looks up again, the curtain is pulled back once more. This time, the king and his warriors have disappeared, and the actors have changed from thirteen to two, two snake actors dressed in luxurious purple robes.
"They have left, father, hiss," the small snake man kneels down to the tall snake man, "We have organized a pursuit, hiss."
The tall father sighs lightly and casually twirls the green jade ring on his right middle finger. He looks at his son's broad back, walks up and lightly pats him, "Son, do you remember our emblem, do you remember why we are here? Hiss." He walks away with his back to the child, and the two form a silent picture.
"Father, how could I forget. Hiss," the child faces the audience, arms outstretched, slowly rises, and recites:
We are the Duke family, noble blood flows through our bodies, the great Blackwater River nurtures us, the black water snake is our symbol, the winged serpent is our totem, forward, never give up is our promise.
We are loyal to the royal family, loyalty is our byword, our brave and diligent ancestors cultivated a prosperous territory with their own hands in this cruel world.
They were brave but not brave enough, smart but not smart enough, this world is a reptilian paradise, and the dinosaur people stand at the top, the emperor drives us out, suppresses us, our brothers, the black water snake king we are loyal to, he heartlessly abandoned us, the Duke people began to wander, we are homeless, until we find fertile soil.
Wandering, wandering, the pitiful fate of the fugitive, we have reached the barren crocodile swamp, a group of hungry and poor creatures, we treat them as the ruthless emperor treats us.
Survival of the fittest is the rule of this world, and the first rule here is the dinosaur people. Resistance, resistance, fresh blood is awakening, but the words from the ancient sage echo in our ears, don't, don't, the fugitive is the coward's descendant, the brave have long been extinct.
Oh, fugitive, where is your future? Oh, fugitive, will you wander for life, the pitiful and ridiculous fate, will the Duke family really only become an inconspicuous bubble, vanishing in the river of time? When will we rise? Ancestors, wise ones, please show us the way.
The path is in the east, the father continues his son's words.
Our ancestors have long known our future, the wise ones have shown us the way, the path is in the east, there is hope.
It is a new world for another group of fugitives, we help them grow, there is hope, cold hope, the snake people will stroll by the fireplace, my slaves, they have warm hearts."