Falling into the Abyss

Chapter 60: Atonement: Pales (IX)

What was the most painful feeling in the world?

Some said it was the sensation of your skin and flesh burning, some said it was childbirth, and some said it was being bitten by beasts. However, Ethan was afraid that it couldnt be more painful than what he was feeling at the moment. He felt as though sulfuric acid had been injected into his body, causing his blood vessels and nerves to dissolve one by one as muscles were stripped from his bones. The problem was that it was not just pain. There was also an intolerable itch, and he felt like he was being dissolved and cut into pieces. It was way more painful than receiving a thousand cuts.

However, he didnt experience all of the pain because Tanisiel once again helped him share part of the sensation. This was the first time that he heard shrill screams come from the priest. His beautiful face twisted and twitched because of the extreme pain, and his body tensed and curled up due to the violent contraction of his muscles. If you looked carefully, you could see some black lines similar to those on Ethans body quickly surfacing on his white skin, before disappearing quickly.

Ethan felt as though the back of his neck had been torn open, and something was pushing hard into his wound. The invisible power squeezed at him from all directions, crushing his bones and rendering him unable to breathe. The intertwined tentacles behind him were shrinking bit by bit and returning into his body. His voice was hoarse, his breathing rapid and irregular, and every muscle stretched taut until they almost ripped. The intense pain dazzled his mind until finally, he completely lost his consciousness.

He and the priest fainted at almost the same time.

After about ten minutes, Ethan was the first to wake up. His vision was a little hazy. He was surrounded by darkness, with only a tiny blue light ball flying around a dormant body not too far away.

Ethan looked down at his hands and didnt see the black lines on the back of his hands. His breathing was erratic as he quickly reached for the back of his neck.

He felt a bumpy scar, but those disgusting limbs were no longer there.

A whimper of ecstasy emerged from the back of his throat, and tears flowed down his dirty and thin, but no longer black, cheeks. He had never felt so happy. It was as though he had gained a new life.

He wiped away the tears with his hands and crawled to the nearby figure, the priest lying on the bloody ground. His golden hair was dyed black and covered half of his beautiful face. Ethan gently pushed his hair back, feeling guilty and moved. Tanisiel had saved him again and helped him bear such terrifying pain. No one in the world was as kind to him as he was.

He was his light, the only light in the dark.

He gently stroked the priests cheek before reaching out to shake the priests shoulder as he called out, Tanisiel? Tanisiel?

The priest let out a low groan and frowned slightly as though he was unhappy at being forced out of the darkness. His long golden eyelashes fluttered and opened slowly.

Ethan let out a sigh of relief. Are you okay?

Tanisiels body was aching, as though he had been put back together after being dismembered by a car. He rubbed his unmarred neck before sitting up as if he was unable to remember where he was. He looked around, and his eyes finally fell on Ethans face.

The injection He reached out and touched the back of Ethans neck, which was full of crisscrossing scars. It succeeded?

Ethan nodded vigorously, and suddenly hugged Tanisiel.

The priest was stunned. After a moment, he slowly raised an arm and hugged Ethan, noticing that he seemed to have lost a lot of weight. It appeared that the mutation consumed a lot of energy. Although it had eaten a lot of horned people, the energy it received was far from enough, especially in the last few days. The mutation had consumed even more energy when it wasnt eating anything but decaying corpses. The power of the God of Disorder was truly not something that a humans body could bear.

Ethan greedily breathed in Tanisiels scent of slightly bitter sandalwood. He clung tightly to the clothes on the other partys back, unwilling to let go. He was afraid that once he let go, he would find that everything was just a dream.

How did you find me? Didnt you say that you cant detect my exact location through the soul binding? Ethan closed his eyes and buried his head in the crevice of the priests neck.

I screwed up and dragged you into muddy waters. You snuck to Pales, right? He understood that in the Earth Union, all ambassadors were only granted passes to specific areas. It was obvious that Tanisiel would not have access to Pales.

Tanisiel shrugged uncaringly. Its not a big deal. If Im caught, the most they can do is to send me back to Eve.

But if that happens, Ill never see you again.

Tanisiel gently separated their bodies and looked down at Ethan with a slight smile. Since Ive decided on you, then I will find a way to come to you, no matter where you are. You cant escape from me.

Ethan gazed at Tanisiels charming eyes, and all kinds of emotions surged within him. He was almost tempted to say the words that would lead to his defeat.

However, he managed to control himself.

He slowly released the hand holding Tanisiels waist, before suddenly realizing how dirty he was. He used his arms to circle around his somewhat chilly upper body and asked, Whats next?

We elope.

Ah?

Samuel reported that you died with the others and were eaten by worms coming out of the ground. I dont see your collar either, so you can run away with me now, Tanisiel said, dropping a bombshell on Ethans forehead as he kissed him lightly. As long as you leave the Earth Union, you wont have to be a nonhuman.

Wont have to be a nonhuman.

Ethan knew that he should feel happy, but his mind was black.

Why did this feel like an illusion?

My aircraft is docked at the edge of the woods, so theres still a long way to go. We must be careful not to let the Earth Union find you. Tanisiel stood up and pulled Ethan up. Come on. Theres a lot more to do.

They left the stinky cave in a hurry, but the choking smell outside the cave was even worse than that in the cave. It could almost take shape as a visible vapor capable of knocking people over. Rotten and decomposing corpses were all over the place, and patches of white maggots squirmed within the flesh that was turning black.

Ethan looked at the scene, more disgusting and cruel than any scene from a horror movie, before bending over and throwing up.

He was responsible for such a scene.

If he was this terrifying, would it be better to just die?

Tanisiel stroked his back and suddenly tore a piece of cloth from his hem, tying it around Ethans eyes.

Dont think about anything else. Just hold your breath and follow me.

He took Ethans hand, and with the eye on his forehead half-open, he guided Ethan to block his sense of smell temporarily. Ethan stumbled along as he was led by the priest. Occasionally, he would step on some soft and sticky substance, but he didnt dare to imagine what it was. The blue lake and the huge red ancient tree appeared in his subconscious again, and the warm wind carried the soothing smell of sandalwood. He began to understand that this was the dreamland built for him by Tanisiel. He could hide there when his consciousness was suffering from unbearable pain, so that he could avoid completely falling into madness.

When Tanisiel removed the cloth from his eyes, a shallow stream appeared within Ethans sight. The stream came from the melting snow water in the mountains and contained light blue water that quickly flowed through the streambed paved with multicolored pebbles. Some luminescent fungi lined the banks, appearing as quiet and gentle as night lights. Ethan took off his dirty trousers and soaked his entire body in the cold water, rubbing off the mud and blood that had solidified on his body for many days. He tried not to think about what was being washed away by the stream. He just wanted to wash himself and what he had done away. He felt that if he could wash the filth away, he could start anew.

Ethan didnt have a change of clothes. He really didnt want to wear the dirty army trousers again, so he wore Tanisiels robe, wrapping it tightly around his naked body. Then, Tanisiel sprinkled a powder produced by the Eves on several pieces of wood and started a fire, indicating for him to dry his trousers which had just been washed in the stream. Tanisiel gave Ethan some compressed beef jerky he was carrying with him, and the two ate it quietly under the light of the fire.

When I was a child, I went camping with my classmates, where I tried putting marshmallows on a stick and roasting them over the fire. The marshmallows outer layer became scorched and crispy, but as soon as you bit down on it, the taste of melted sugar filled your mouth. Its really a nostalgic taste. The fire darted in Ethans green eyes, causing him to appear rather enchanting.

Marshmallow? Tanisiel was at a loss. Obviously, he had no idea what that was.

Ethan had seldom seen him with this expression. He lowered his head and chuckled, explaining, Its a kind of traditional sweet from Earth. Normally, its white in color and cylindrical in shape. When you press down on it, it feels very soft and bouncy. Youve been on Earth for so long, havent you eaten it?

Tanisiel shook his head. There are only a few desserts in the Mars base. Ive eaten them all, but I havent eaten this marsh youre talking about.

Its called marshmallow. Ethan corrected his pronunciation solemnly and laughed, saying, Ill bake it for you when I have a chance.

Sure, if its not delicious, then Ill eat you. I doubt its better than your taste, especially when youre tied up.

Dont always say these perverted things! Ethan extended his leg and gave Tanisiel a kick in the knee.

During the night, Ethan lay by the fire tightly wrapped in Tanisiels robe and curled up into a ball. The cold air on Pales made him shiver until a warm embrace came from behind him.

The two bodies stuck closely together, and it was no longer cold.

Pales had three moons. One was surprisingly large, one was like the moon seen from Earth, while the other was too small, just like a relatively large star. The three planetary bodies stood far apart from each other in the dazzling starry night sky. Ethan looked at them and asked, How long will I last?

After a while, Tanisiel replied, I dont know. You mutated successfully. Even if we used three times the dosage of the God of Orders eggs solution, Im afraid that it cant keep the mutation stable forever.

If one day I cant revert to normal, do you have a way to kill me?

Maybe

If I really lose my mind, just like last time Ethan turned over and faced Tanisiel. As though he had made out his mind, he said, Kill me.

Tanisiel frowned. He neither agreed nor refused him, and reached for him.

They slept for about four hours. Then, they took advantage of how early it was to bury the traces of the campfire and continue on their way. However, when they finally came to the clearing on the edge of the woods where Tanisiels aircraft was moored, they found several horned people standing near the aircraft, looking around.

With a low curse, Tanisiel turned around with Ethan and tried to slip away. However, he quickly sensed that horned people were approaching them from every direction.

Obviously, the horned people were very familiar with this forest. Not even a slight change could escape their slender eyes. They had been able to travel safely previously because the horned people waited for them to enter this encirclement.

Seeing that there was no way out, Tanisiel could only summon his ten-thousand function sphere and allow it to change into a sceptre, before standing upright. He wore a dignified and sacred expressionthe expression he was best at wearing when he was acting as a priest.

Ethan felt calm to the point it neared numbness. In his heart, he didnt want to see the race that he had massacred.

A tall female Alpha horned person stared at them with a suspicious expression, a gun in her hand. Why did an Eve come to Pales?

Im Tanisiel, a white priest from the Red Moon Temple of Eve. I came here because Ive heard of the Great Wise Man the horned people worship, and I wanted to learn more about him, Tanisiel replied tactfully.

Eves are rarely seen on this planet. The female Alpha seemed to be very curious about Tanisiel. She tilted her head slightly as she looked at him carefully. After a moment, she turned her gaze to Ethan and asked, What about him? Your servant?

Before Tanisiel could answer, Ethan frowned and nodded.

Why would your servant wear your clothes? the female horned person asked suspiciously.

He fell into the swamp, and his clothes were dirty, so I lent him mine. Is there a problem? Tanisiel gave her a kind smile, and his beautiful countenance dazzled the female Alpha horned person. Im sorry, it has not been peaceful in this forest recently. We need to be very careful not to irritate the Great Wise Man anymore. Ethan thought he saw a flash of fear pass through her eyes, which made him suspect that they might have gone to the area where the bloody sacrifice had taken place.

The female horned person hesitated slightly before saying, I have to take you back and let the chief decide what to do with you.

Thus, the two people carelessly fell into the hands of horned people again. Fortunately, Tanisiel was obviously an Eve. Otherwise, they would have been arrested and sent to be sacrificed again. It seemed that the horned people were not very hostile to the priest, but they were much more hostile to Ethan. For example, the man behind him often poked his back with his gun and signaled for him to move faster with unnecessary force.

Then, they saw the village where the horned people were hiding in the mountains.

It was a rebel stronghold, a refuge for the fugitives, located in a valley between two mountains. Under the shade of thousands of blue trees, many unique oval houses were either built on the ground or suspended among the branches of the tall trees. The horned people liked to integrate their homes with the surrounding environment. If someone flew above them with an aircraft, it would be difficult to find the buildings covered by different plants.

Maybe that was why the Earth Unions army had not been able to find the rebels strongholds.

It was evident that these horned people rebels were funded by the Ophiuchus Alliance. Their armor and weapons were clearly not made locally and were too unorthodox compared to the surrounding environment. Ethan even saw some mountainous and armored vehicles, the type with actual wheels, and some aircrafts used to transport goods.

Ethan followed Tanisiel and was escorted by these horned people rebels across the wide paths. Many young horned people looked at them with big, curious eyes. Some were weaving things by their doors, some rushed out from corners while carrying hunting tools, and others cast curious or disgusted looks at them from time to time. It seemed that despite the continuous war, at least the people here were still leading regular lives.

All of a sudden, Ethans heart skipped a beat.

He saw a person.

A person he thought he would never see again.

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