◎Blue is emotional compassion, green is rational authority. ◎
"Ah—"
Dill was woken up by the scar on her arm. The overwhelming darkness confused her memory. Dill couldn't tell how long she had slept.
She groped around, and the wood was still feeling under her fingertips; she could clearly hear the chirping of insects and birds with her close ears. She looked through the hole with her eyes: a spider was pulling here and there among the intertwined branches with its slender black legs, and was diligently repairing the broken silk web. Apparently, the turmoil caused by the barrel had subsided, and the forest had once again returned to one piece. Yu Jing.
"Turnip?" The big white goose didn't respond, and Dill felt guilty and scared.
Maybe Turnip finally couldn't stand it anymore and chose to leave her. It is different from myself, and can fall into the embrace of the goddess and the forest at any time; only I can never endure loneliness and cannot find a place to belong.
The burning pain on her arm reminded Dill, and she subconsciously groped along her sleeve.
Perun doesn't know, Oya doesn't know, and the great witches don't know either. This is a secret that only the master and the apprentice know.
The frightened puppy bit its young owner severely before escaping. The canine's bite mark was deeply imprinted on the girl's wrist, as if the poison of reluctance and resentment was deeply injected into it. Even a few days later, the girl's wound was There was no improvement, and the blood seeping out from time to time stained the cuffs.
Amber thought it was an ominous scar, so she dipped the thorns of a rose into the magic potion and carved out weird thorn patterns around the scar. Little Dill cried in pain, but she didn't dare to shrink her hand. After all, if other witches found out, they would probably cut off her arm and throw it into the river bottom for "purification".
The witch's spell absorbed the tears, blood and potion and implanted it deeply into her skin. The bleeding stopped and the wound disappeared, replaced by...
Dill recovered from her memories. She subconsciously opened the cuff of her right hand and felt down along the slightly blue veins. A delicate rose tattoo opened on her fair skin. It bulged slightly when she felt it, which was particularly prickly.
Now Cinnamon's memory in his mind is only a ball of brown hair, only Amber's face, but every time he blinks it becomes extra clear, and even the scars are completely replaced by tattoos. There is no pain since touching, only Cooked over and over again.
What was once a mark of punishment is now a deeply ingrained part of the body.
"Dill, you are special."
The blonde woman kissed the bright red rose and sent her blessings and words of caution.
"The outside world is confusing, but as long as you find the direction, you will definitely complete your journey and finally return to me."
Dill touched the rose on her wrist, crushing the uneven lines on it, just like beautiful flowers always have thorns. She loved Amber so much, but sometimes she was afraid of her.
What would she think if she found herself missing? Dill tried to recall Amber's angry face, but she could only think of her rare display of vulnerability that day, and the heart-warming witch fire, the last meal they shared.
Dill pulled out the magic potion from his neck, leaving only a small mouthful of golden color. In the dark wooden barrel, a small drop of amber essence was tempered.
Please give me the courage in the dark to break the old witch's curse, my lady, my goddess.
She drank it all in one gulp.
Oya is right. With his alien appearance and criminal record, countless people have openly and secretly persuaded Amber to banish Dill. But Amber didn't give up, so how could her unsatisfied students give up?
Dill stretched her body and felt the warm blood flowing back to her limbs. She suddenly remembered something, made a face out of thin air, and stuck out her tongue. A small section glowed with fluorescence, like a firefly probe, opening up a small corner of darkness.
This time Dill saw clearly, a green plant sprouted from the bottom of the barrel, the breeze whispered, and a small crack opened under her feet, but before, she was only focused on the sealed top and did not notice the hint of the wind.
Dill took a deep breath, trying to savor the taste of courage from the witch fire just now, but the fluorescence on her tongue dimmed a bit, and a small cluster of flames was not enough to burn down the wooden cage.
The tattoo on her arm became even hotter. Whether it was anger towards her or encouragement to her, Dill had no time to think too much. No matter what, Amber was calling her and giving her courage.
The girl aimed at the gap and kicked hard -
When the darkness was broken by the first ray of light, all the nightmares disappeared, and the butterfly emerged from the cocoon. The cage that once imprisoned Dill was far more vulnerable than she imagined.
The dill fell into a dense green mass, and the grass blades slid coldly across her face. The sunlight was fluffy and light in the gaps, like a dream. The red fruits pushed the dill, making her taste the sweetness. The dewdrops - the taste of hope, Dill didn't care to admire the miracle, and immediately grasped a thick tree trunk.
An apple tree, she landed on an apple tree.
Who would have thought that leaving the dark wooden barrel would be a magnificent apple tree?
"Long live..."
For the first time, Dill sincerely praised the moon god.
The wooden barrel not far away was once full of fear, but now the sunlight reveals those fragmented nightmares. Oya threatens her with the darkness of night, but Amber tells her that the moon is also the light that cuts through the darkness. There is no absolute black, and there is no Absolute light.
"Be fearful, but still move forward bravely. Whenever the night falls, the moonlight will always be by your side. While you are searching for who you are, never forget that you are also a person favored by the Moon Goddess."
As loving as a mother, as majestic as a father, this is Amber, the woman who took her hand and walked into this world.
Dill picked off a large apple, and it was as red and shiny as a drunken girl's cheek. She took a bite, and it was sour and sweet like a plum, like the forest in midsummer, and like the night she and the girls toasted to celebrate.
She turned around to share with Turnip, but suddenly she felt a tremor under the tree. The uneasy sound brought Dill back to reality, and the branch under her butt broke with a sound -
Dill fell suddenly, and soon found that she was not too far from the ground, or perhaps a pair of arms caught her first.
"Wow." The man opened his mouth in surprise.
The traveler wanted a thirst-quenching fruit, and what fell from the sky was indeed a bright red apple...a half-bitten apple. At this time, the black-haired girl holding the apple widened her eyes, as if the other party had appeared out of thin air. people.
He opened his mouth for a long time before showing a polite smile. The silver jewelry on his body dazzled with a divine brilliance, and he sang the beautiful gospel softly along with his movements.
"Wow, this must be a wishing tree."
The man showed a bright and charming smile, as if he wanted to use his humor to resolve the panic on the girl's face:
Before falling down from the tree, Dill had thought about countless possibilities. Either the tree happened to grow on the edge of the cliff, or there was a man-eating swamp under the tree. Anyway, as Amber said, fate is just a dice in the hands of the gods. No matter how miserable it is, the chess pieces will still be able to breathe, otherwise the game will not be fun.
But obviously the goddess thinks this is not interesting enough——
His bright silver hands strongly picked up the young girl, as if holding a fragile object, and carefully checked her well-being before placing the girl firmly on the ground with great gentleness.
But Dill remembered clearly that at the moment she fell, the opponent's hand was first pressed on the hilt of the sword at his waist, which was decorated with two fist-sized sapphires and emeralds, making the hilt into a hammer. appearance.
Unfortunately, Dill happened to recognize that thing. Blue represents emotional compassion, green represents rational authority, and it is the hammer of judgment that symbolizes the Supreme God.
"I do miss Sano's cider, and... it would be nice if there was another roast goose."
As soon as he finished speaking, a big white goose flapped its wings and fell from the sky, its plump and attractive white butt facing the young knight.
"Quack!"
Turnip happily kissed the little witch, not guarding her back.