Kiana, who became the center of attention, suddenly became a little nervous, especially in this artistic stage, where her old clothes formed a sharp contrast with these noble ladies who were dressed gorgeously. However, people looked at her with envy instead of rejection.
"fine."
"Then let's go."
"There are still many people who want you to draw pictures. Don't you want to draw a few more?" Kiana looked back at the people who were reluctant to leave and asked softly.
Su Jue shook his head, handed all the money he earned to Qiana, and walked with her towards the outer city. "The purpose of making money is just to survive. This is enough for us to live for a long time. There is no point in having more."
"Oh..." Kiana took the money and seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"what happened?"
"I...I want to say that I am very satisfied with the previous painting."
"Then take it. If you like it, I can draw a few more." Like a magic trick, Su Jue took out the drawing paper with Kiana on it from his body without even leaving any wrinkles.
Kiana looked at herself on the drawing paper and smiled a smile that she herself didn't even notice. "I thought you tore it off, since you said you were not satisfied."
"How could that be, after all..." Su Jue turned his head and looked at Kiana's face. Their eyes met and reflected each other.
In a trance, he completely forgot the fact that he was in an illusion, and his memory seemed to go back to the Sky City a few months ago, when he first met Kiana.
"After all, this is the only masterpiece I have ever drawn."
The fiery red sunset hung in the distance, outlining a blush on a girl's cheeks in the evening sky. The gentle light fell on Su Jue and Qiyana, bringing their shadows behind them together.
In this foreign country, in a world where even time is out of place, the two people walked away towards the sunset.
……
With sufficient daily necessities, life became much simpler. Although the enemy's pursuit continued, based on Kiana and Su Jue's abilities, such a life was more like a vacation than an escape.
As the Ruler of Domination, in the real world, Su Jue is not only an irreconcilable enemy of human civilization, but also a target that must be eliminated by Honkai after escaping the surveillance of Honkai. He is like a fugitive trapped on a broken bridge, who must run endlessly, and once he stops, he will fall into the abyss.
He didn't even have time to stop and breathe. In order not to miss a step, he could only calculate every step he was about to take like a cold machine.
The acquaintance with Kiana and the contact with Kindred could only be performed in a set form, just like a pre-written script.
He is his own puppet, and every movement is tied to invisible threads.
Su Jue is the original host of the Thousand Rulers, but he can save thousands of people from their sorrow but cannot save himself.
As the situation became more and more dangerous, the negative emotions in his heart continued to grow. The constant collision between his human instinct for his own feelings and his completely rational Herrscher thinking made him less and less like himself.
The same is true for Kiana. The time she spent with Su Jue during her wanderings was her warmest moment, and the brilliance of self-redemption and humanity shone in her heart.
But Su Jue's departure completely broke the balance, and she had to take on the responsibility of saving the world.
The erosion from the collapse and the strange feelings for Su Jue continued to torture her heart, making her more and more exhausted. The death of Su Jue was the last straw that broke the camel's back, making her no longer as cheerful as before, and she could only force herself to go on.
Just like this, the two tired people accidentally walked into the illusion together. Here, the passage of time seemed to be paused. Su Jue no longer had to worry about falling into the abyss at any time, and Kiana could also let go of all her burdens.
The two lonely souls came close to each other again, just like at the beginning.
Time is the best medicine to heal everything. As time passes in the illusion day by day, the inner wounds of the two people are healed little by little in the long and warm life, returning to their true appearance.
If the small house at the beginning was the anchor that Su Jue left in this world, then now, Kiana is his only reality in this world.
Every morning when he woke up, he no longer had to tell himself that he was in an illusion, and before going to bed every day, he no longer had to think about his next move after the illusion ended.
The Herrscher of Consciousness, Ji Zi, Li Sushang... These names were slowly put into the depths of his mind, and even the idea that Kiana was just an illusion was selectively forgotten by him.
Everything suddenly became very slow, so slow that Su Jue even wanted the illusion to last longer.
……
"Tomorrow is Christmas."
"Yeah, is there a gift you want?"
"No, just being with you is the best gift."
The voices of a young couple reached Su Jue's ears. At this time, he was sitting by the window of an old-style apartment building, flipping through a fashion magazine. There was a painting hanging on the wall of the room, which was the one Su Jue drew for Qiyana.
In order to avoid being found by the enemy, the two used fake identities to find this rented apartment building, but unfortunately there were only one room available.
Fortunately, there were extra beds, so the two of them didn't have to squeeze into one bed.
Hearing the words of the couple downstairs, he paused and looked out the window. The square and the roadside outside the window had been decorated with Christmas decorations. The huge Christmas tree was hung with warm yellow light bulbs, emitting a warm light in the darkness.
"Has it been more than 10 days without me noticing?"
Muttering to himself in a low voice, a hint of regret appeared in Su Jue's eyes.
After Christmas, there will only be one week left until the first collapse. When the collapse comes, everything will be over.
Chapter 281 Christmas
As the first country to use Christmas trees, almost every household in Germany prepares a Christmas tree. When the breeze blows through Berlin in the early morning, the sound of jingling bells will wake him up.
He opened his eyes and the girl by the window came into his sight.
Perhaps she was expecting something, Kiana got up much earlier than Su Jue today. She sat quietly at the table by the window, supporting her head with one hand, looking out the window sideways.
The sun was not very bright today, and snowflakes fell from the light grey sky, drifting and landing on the glass window. The girl stretched out a finger, and her white fingertips gently fell on the glass window, as if she was telling her heart to the snowflakes.
Someone circled the number 25 on the calendar with a pen - today is Christmas.
For most Europeans, Christmas is the most anticipated holiday every year, because on this day people can put aside all their worries, spend time with their family and friends, and enjoy a rare holiday together.
However, as a native of Shenzhou, Su Jue did not have the habit of celebrating Christmas with others. In his previous life, he spent most of his time in the ward, and the only time he heard someone wish him a happy Christmas was when the nurse in the ward gave him an apple for free.
As the illusion drew to an end, the frequency of enemy searches became higher and higher. In order to avoid being hunted down, he and Kiana stayed in this safe house most of the time. If they went out at this time, they would be ambushed by the enemy.
So, even on Christmas, the excitement should belong to other people, and it is better for you to just stay quiet.
"Want to go out for a walk?" he asked.
"What?" Hearing Su Jue's voice, Kiana stopped her fingers on the glass window and turned around to ask.
"As a European girl, it would be a shame if I couldn't attend Christmas. Want to go out? Go to Christmas."
There was a faint glimmer in Kiana's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it. With a faint smile on her face, she shook her head gently, "No, I'm already very happy. Going out is too risky. If you are found by them, you will definitely be in danger."
It would be a lie to say that she doesn't want to participate in Christmas. Kiana also wants to experience the festive atmosphere of this era, but the purpose of celebrating a festival is not necessarily to have fun. The most important thing is who you celebrate it with.
Even if she couldn't go out, even if she did nothing, Kiana would be satisfied just to spend the day with Su Jue.
"Really."
"Yeah." Kiana looked down at the mini Christmas tree decoration on the table, her fingers gently fiddling with the bells on the small tree. Gradually, a scene emerged in her mind of herself and Su Jue standing on the tree and looking down at the tree.
No, this is enough, Kiana, don't be too greedy.
She said this to herself in her heart.
"Then let's go." A voice came from beside her. She didn't know when Su Jue had changed his clothes and walked to her side, extending his hand towards her.
Qiana raised her head and met Su Jue's eyes, revealing a puzzled expression and said: "Didn't I say I didn't want to go out?"
"Yeah, I know. But this time I'm going to Christmas and I want to invite you. So, will you join me?"
The boy's eyes were clear, as if there were stars twinkling in them. Kiana's breathing stopped for a moment, but she finally grabbed Su Jue's hand.
"it is good."
……
Berlin at Christmas is obviously much busier than at other times. The streets and alleys are filled with passers-by, who gather in groups of three or four and greet each other.
On this day, whether acquaintances or strangers, everyone will greet each other with a Merry Christmas.
The shops along the street have prepared Christmas gifts early. The colorful gift boxes are piled around the Christmas tree, making the children outside the windows drool.
Singers who usually perform on Christmas nights began to sing traditional Christmas folk songs, and painters painted reindeer and sleighs so that they looked lifelike.
In the square in the center of the city, there is a Christmas tree that is more than 20 meters high. Colorful lights flicker among the treetops, and under the tree there are wooden carved reindeers pulling traditional sleds.
Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky, dyeing the eaves of the buildings and the shoulders of passers-by pure white.
"A-choo." The cold snowflakes fell on the tip of Kiana's nose, causing her to sneeze. But she didn't care at all, and her sapphire-like eyes scanned the surrounding streets.
She was already 18 or 19 years old, but she was still like a child, curious about everything. Su Jue looked at the excited girl helplessly and reached out to help her brush off the snowflakes on her scarf.
Looking at Kiana with a smile on her face, Su Jue also smiled knowingly. Perhaps this is what she really looks like.
If Otto had not forcibly awakened the power of the sky, Kiana would not have to bear the sins of tens of millions of people. In that case, she might have been able to enjoy this beautiful youth like other girls.
If she wasn't Xinyan, and he wasn't Qianren, their fates might be completely different. If they met again one day, maybe Su Jue would really fall in love with him.
Unfortunately, there is no if, the two are destined to be enemies, and being able to be together like this only exists in dreams.
"What are you thinking about?" Just as Su Jue was thinking, Qiyana suddenly came in front of him. Su Jue was a little distracted and had no time to stop. The distance between them suddenly became very close.
Kiana blushed and quickly returned to Su Jue, not moving around. The atmosphere between the two suddenly became awkward. Although Kiana had helped Su Jue in a more intimate way when he was unconscious, that was in the context of saving someone. Now that Su Jue was conscious, it was only a slightly intimate move, but it made her heart beat fast.
Compared to the thin-skinned Kiana, Su Jue was obviously much calmer. He looked normal and there was no sign that his heartbeat had accelerated for a moment.
He stopped at a stall selling Christmas gifts and responded with a smile: "Just wondering what kind of gift you might like."
As soon as the owner of the gift stand saw the business coming, he immediately greeted them warmly: "Sir, do you want to choose a gift for your lover? Take a look here, you can find whatever you want."
Lover?
Su Jue was also startled by the words that came out of his boss' mouth. Do he and Kiana look like lovers now? In his self-perception, they should be just friends. After all, the relationship between the two is not close. Compared with lovers, he thinks they are more like companions.
He was about to deny it, but subconsciously looked at Kiana.
However, the girl did not seem to notice the boss's mistake in wording. She remained silent with a slight blush on her cheeks. When Su Jue looked at her, her eyes dodged a little. In order to prevent Su Jue from noticing anything unusual, she stretched out her fingers to pull the scarf up, covering half of her face.
For some unknown reason, Su Jue gave up pointing out the fact that they were not lovers.
"No need for gifts. I'm already very happy to be able to go out and play." Kiana tugged at the corner of Su Jue's clothes, her voice as soft as a mosquito's.
How could the shop owner let go of the business? He quickly said, "Well, that's not necessarily the case. Although the gift is small, it represents the thoughts between each other. Moreover, it is such a wonderful time. If you buy a gift, even if it has been 10 or 20 years, when you see it again, you will remember the beauty of today."
The snow fell heavier and the sky became darker.
If you don't enjoy Christmas now, it may be too late.
Su Jue interrupted the boss's chatter and picked up a snow globe from the stall.
Inside the spherical glass cover, snowflakes fell on the cabin. In front of the cabin door, a boy with short gray hair and a girl with white hair leaned against each other, as if time was frozen.
"It's so beautiful." Kiana held the snow globe in her palms, the pale yellow light shining in her eyes, and murmured.
She stood on tiptoe and turned around in the snow, like a winter princess blooming in the snow.
The hazy mist and the catkin-like snowflakes complement each other and are reflected in Su Jue's light gray eyes. Everything seems as beautiful as a dream.
Chapter 282 Trap
I don't know since when, the snow and wind started to get heavier and heavier.
"Let's go home." Kiana carefully placed the snow globe in the box, with a smile on her face, and returned to Su Jue.
"Ah."
Walking side by side on the long street, the two subconsciously forgot about the passers-by around them, and the whole city seemed to exist only for them.
Looking at the girl beside him, Su Jue's heartbeat quickened for some reason. Suddenly, a thought came to his mind: if he could stay here with her forever...
However, the moment this thought came to his mind, a strong pain suddenly surged in his mind, and he felt dazed, as if something was cut out of his mind.
Putting his hand against his forehead, Su Jue's eyes widened and he gasped heavily.
"what happened?"
The sudden pain made it almost difficult for him to breathe. He struggled to raise his head and looked at Kiana beside him. But the girl seemed to be completely unaware of his abnormality and walked quietly beside him.
The snow was getting heavier, and the drifting snowflakes gradually obscured Su Jue's vision, making it almost impossible for him to see Kiana. A thin mist enveloped everything, and all the scenes quickly faded like a black and white photo.
Slowly, the whole street was completely covered by fog, and the surrounding buildings and the girl beside him all disappeared from Su Jue's side. He seemed to be abandoned by the world, stranded alone in this space.
The headache became more and more intense, as if thousands of thoughts were constantly washing over his consciousness, making Su Jue's spirit extremely fragile.
It seemed as if there were thousands of voices whispering in his mind, making it extremely noisy. However, when Su Jue wanted to hear the specific content, all the voices disappeared in an instant.
He looked around. In the dense fog, dark shadows were wandering in strange postures. The weird sounds of puppets colliding echoed in his ears, making Su Jue even more confused.
"Su Jue?"
Suddenly, all the chaotic noises were paused, and Su Jue suddenly woke up like a drowning man floating to the surface. His vision became clear again, and Kiana was looking at him with a worried look on her face.
