Pillar of Yita

”Continue?”

Hilveld tilted her head, her eyes like gemstones in the dimness.

Fang Hong raised his head to look ahead, nodding slowly but firmly.

”We’re almost at the end.”

He said, and then walked out the door.

Before them lay a dark, profound corridor, where all Phantom Realm illusions became mere phantoms, shadows all around like rising tendrils of black smoke.

And there stood a shadow right in front of them.

It was Hes.

The young girl’s hands were pressed to her chest, as if cradling something, her gaze piercing through him to a place in the darkness where nothing lay.

As if she were waiting for someone.

Seeing this scene, Fang Hong’s heart reached an understanding; he calmly took out the Heraldry—of course, it had now become the witness of a Sacrifice.

A shivering figure emerged from the shadows.

”Miss Hes, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but... if it discovers us, we’re all going to die.”

”Mr. Jeffrey, do you really want to walk this dark path to the end, even though you know—thirty years ago you betrayed your friends, and what did they give you for it? Thirty years later, are you still clinging on to all that?”

”But what hope is there?” Jeffrey sighed. ”You’re right, I did everything wrong thirty years ago, I killed everyone, what redemption could there be for someone like me? I can’t turn back, Hes, I’m beyond forgiveness, so all I can do is keep going, what choice do I have?”

”Turn back, Mr. Jeffrey,” the girl pleaded bitterly, ”a person can make a mistake momentarily, but he can’t keep making mistakes forever. One day, everyone will forgive you.”

”Forgiveness, such a luxurious word for me; who would forgive someone like that?”

”At least I forgive you, Mr. Jeffrey. I know you’re constantly living in regret over the past, but have you thought about whether you’ll also regret today’s decisions one day? Will you continue to assist it in its evil?”

”Mr. Jeffrey, leave some hope for yourself.”

”But...” The figure seemed extremely hesitant.

”Your friends will forgive you, Mr. Jeffrey. One day they’ll understand everything you’ve done today.”

”But I killed them, I killed Miss Misu, I killed Mr. Diket, I killed the boss; they can never forgive me. You don’t understand, Miss Hes.”

The figure began to weep quietly.

”It’s all my fault, I’ve messed everything up—though I never meant it to be like this, I just thought the boss and the others were going too far, but I didn’t think too much about it. I was just a detestable, petty gambler, but I never expected things to turn out like this.”

”You indeed are beyond foolish, Jeffrey.”

A somewhat hoarse voice came from behind Fang Hong out of the darkness.

Fang Hong and Hilveld both started slightly, turning back in surprise to see the silhouette of a tall man emerging from the misty haze.

It was the man with the mask, the employer of the Tabopolis Knight Order’s current mission, who had disappeared with Diket earlier but now appeared in this place.

He stood erect amid the swirling smoke, coldly observing the shadow.

The shadow faltered, looking up incredulously as his gaze passed right through Fang Hong and Hilveld to fixate on the man.

”Is that you, boss?”

The man snorted coldly, ”Yes, it’s me. Fortunately, I didn’t die because of you. Get out of here, Jeffrey; I forgive you. Do what you have to do.”

”So you’re not dead, boss, I...” The shadow asked in disbelief, ”Do you really forgive me?”

”If it were thirty years ago, and I got my hands on you, I’d want nothing more than to thrust my sword through you, traitor,” the man shook his head and spoke indifferently, ”but let it be, you fool. I’ve forgiven you too many times already; one more won’t make a difference. But you owe it not to me, but to everyone here, to everything. You know what you need to do, right?”

The shadow sobbed, trembling, ”I understand, boss.”

”Go then; you have no hope left, you’re going to Hell, Jeffrey,” the man replied, ”but before that, I assure you, some people will go there ahead of you.”

He looked up at the dark corridor and shook his head lightly, ”Thirty years, it’s time to put an end to this damned haunted place.”

Only then did the shadow turn back to Hes, ”Miss Hes, you’re right, I’ve made up my mind.”

”Thank you, Mr. Jeffrey. You’ve given all of us hope.”

The shadow shook his head, ”I’m just trying to make amends. I know, one day I’ll certainly go to Hell, and you don’t need to comfort me, Miss Hes. No one can redeem me, but I can redeem others. Maybe that’s the only reason I’m here—”

Hes then opened her palms, handing him what she held, ”But there’s always hope, Mr. Jeffrey, like a tiny flame in the dark, weak but still able to light up the heart.”

Jeffrey took the Mark without a word, and at the same time handed over something that Dragon’s Golden Eyes had given him—the Zealot’s Mark of Sacrifice to Hes, ”Take this, it was always yours, Hes, maybe one day you’ll have use for it. I’ll go see that woman right away, just hoping she won’t notice anything amiss.”