The black sun hangs high

Chapter 392 Trust
Vera glanced at the hand on her shoulder, then sat down hesitantly.

At this moment, all the affairs, responsibilities, and identities she now carried seemed to disappear. She became once again the student who first stepped into the Merlinle classroom and sat quietly in her seat, waiting for the professor to begin his lecture.

This scenario had absolutely nothing to do with teaching, and Hugh was not a professor at all; he was even nominally Weilin's student.

Vera's reaction indicates that she was in a state of mixed embarrassment and nervousness.

She sat upright opposite Hugh, motionless, her hands resting quietly on her lap, her gaze fixed on Hugh's face. However, when Hugh turned his gaze towards her, her eyes fell back to the table, staring at the magic book she had lent Hugh.

This sight made Hugh laugh.

His laughter drew Virin's displeasure, and seeing that his beautiful eyebrows were about to turn into sharp blades again, Hugh said, "I'm thinking about how to begin some things... Hmm, how about we start with the city of Seren?"

"Ok?"

Veraine's eyebrows relaxed, and she looked intently at Hugh. Then she heard Hugh say, "Actually, I've always been puzzled by the prophecies made by the Black Sun Society... You know what? When I look back at those prophecies, I find that they are actually very accurate and not wrong at all."

Vera was somewhat puzzled: "Prophecy? Which part are you referring to?"

"The part about Seren and me."

Hugh looked around, then grabbed a cup, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and took a big gulp.

The taste is a bit bland, but it's enough to refresh and quench thirst.

Immediately afterward, that memory became clear in Hugh's mind, and he slowly read aloud: "War will be the precursor to the Black Sun, and the only child of the Abyss will be born in the sacrificial pit... Heh, I remember seeing this sentence when we were preparing to escape from Seren City."

Vera nodded gently: "Yes, I remember, it was at the Goblin Merchant Guild's mansion."

She paused slightly, then asked cautiously, "Are you trying to tell me that you are the prophesied 'only child of the abyss'?"

"That's not it."

Hugh shook his head: "Judging from all the signs, the so-called 'Son of the Abyss' refers to something else. However, its birth is directly related to me, and I do have some secrets related to it."

"Do you mean the magic and power you possess?"

Vera blinked, and a rare smile appeared on her face: "If it's these secrets, you don't have to tell me... The mad poet Aziv once vaguely mentioned in 'The Poem of the Night' that leaking and sharing these secrets could bring unnecessary disaster and attention."

"Yes, that's true, but what I want to tell you today is another secret."

At this point, Hugh leaned forward slightly, staring intently at Veraine, and then slowly said, "What would you think if I told you that I was never the real Hugh Ernst from the beginning?"

Upon hearing this, Wei Lin's eyebrows finally rose uncontrollably.

Confusion, surprise, vigilance...

A series of different colors flashed across Vera's face. For a moment, she almost reached out to touch her spellbook, but for some reason, she stopped herself and stood up, adding two more protective spells to the room that was already shrouded in the isolation ritual field.

After confirming that there were no oversights, she sat down again.

When do you mean 'at the beginning'?

"Of course, it started two days before our first meeting."

Hughes’ tone was very calm, as if he were talking about some trivial, insignificant things.

Perhaps because Hugh's tone was calm enough, or perhaps because she trusted the face in front of her enough, Vera did not question Hugh's words at all, but just looked at him quietly, her bright eyes urging Hugh to continue.

The Verine that Hugh knows has probably returned.

These eyes reminded Hughes of the first time she saw "Karlon's Touch" and "Running Rats," except that back then, her gaze held only surprise and curiosity, while now it was clearly mixed with something more unusual.

Under Virin's expectant gaze, Hugh said, "I'm not sure if the Black Sun Society made any arrangements on the real Hugh Ernst before my 'arrival,' but in any case, I was brought to this world like those creations that are summoned in a summoning ritual, and became the master of this body... This happened a few days before you and I met."

Vera looked at Hugh, as if trying to confirm the truth of his words.

Then she blinked and asked curiously, "Before you became 'Shug Ernst,' you were...?"

"He is also a human being, and an ordinary one at that, and even his name has some similarities to 'Shug Ernst'."

Hugh couldn't help but reminisce about the past, then chuckled self-deprecatingly: "As for my profession, from Vaan's perspective, I was probably just an ordinary clerk. I didn't usually write anything particularly serious..."

Upon hearing this, a subtle smile appeared on Vera's face: "It does suit this body very well."

"Thank you for the compliment, but my previous writings were not as popular as the works I originally created under this identity."

"So this explains the stylistic changes in your later works?"

Verin pondered for a moment, then said, "In Merlinle and many spellcasters who specialize in summoning rituals and magic believe that the essence of summoning magic is actually using magic power and rituals to connect with beings or creations existing in another world..."

"Although I've never heard of a case where another human soul is directly summoned before, if it was brought about by an ancient ritual outside the current magic system, then it all makes sense."

Vera breathed a soft sigh of relief, then she pressed on, "So, your powers... I mean, the creations you can summon, and the lost magic you possess, are all related to this?"

She thought for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, no wonder you were able to recover from the 'sludge' when we first escaped from Seren, instead of being 'infected' or devoured like the others."

As always, Vera's ability to learn was remarkable. She didn't rush to ask for details, but chose to continue listening.

So Hugh confessed truthfully: “I once suspected that the powerful being who brought me into this world had some ulterior motives, and I was also worried that He might influence my mind and order me to serve those ancient gods of the past or the black sun like the Black Sun Society… But later, when I was forced to go to the Black Sun Society’s gathering, He helped me and allowed me to successfully escape from the society’s encirclement.”

“I don’t think I need to talk too much about what happened after that, you basically already know…” Hearing this, Vera couldn’t help but raise her hand and point upwards: “So, the dome that should have existed above Watchtower City was also destroyed by Him? He… is on our side?”

"As far as I know, He still has many grievances against the current Vaan, but overall, He is even more disgusted with those ancient powers and that black sun."

After hearing these words, Wei Lin shut her mouth.

She didn't stay in the chair; instead, she stood up and began pacing anxiously back and forth in the room.

After walking back and forth nearly ten times, she finally stopped in front of Hugh: "These... should all be your own secrets. They are very important. If the Black Sun Society finds out..."

"Don't worry, they already knew."

Hugh smiled and shook his head: "It's just that they have some misunderstandings about this matter... They believe that Hugh Ernst's soul was replaced by those 'sludge' they summoned long ago, but some accidents happened in the process, which led me to stand on the opposite side of them."

Vera pursed her lips: "So that's why they've been relentlessly pursuing and issuing warrants for your arrest."

"Ha, maybe. It might also be related to me blinding their second-in-command."

Hugh made a casual joke, but Veraine didn't smile. She just rolled her eyes slightly and said in a somewhat reproachful tone, "Even if the Black Sun Society already knows about these things, you shouldn't have told me... It only adds extra risks!"

But this time, her student, who was usually "very obedient," gave a straightforward negative answer.

"No, in my opinion, this is very necessary."

Weilin was a little stunned. Just as she was struggling with her thoughts, she saw that Hugh had gotten up at some point and come to her.

Hugh was considerably taller than her, so when the distance between them closed, Violet inexplicably felt a sense of oppression, making her instinctively want to back away.

However, the hateful hand that had previously held her down reached out again and gently supported her shoulder, stopping her from retreating.

Then, that gentle and familiar voice entered Vera's ears.

"In this world called Vaan, among all my friends, comrades and allies, you are the first to truly hear these secrets... and perhaps for a very, very long time to come, you will be the only one who knows them."

Vera stood there stunned. Her mind, usually capable of handling numerous magical problems and complex plans, went blank for a moment, with only Hugh's words still lingering in her head.

"I have always firmly believed that only absolute trust can create stronger and more precious relationships and feelings."

"And now, Miss Veraine, you are the person I can trust most in this world."

"I hope it will be the same in the future."

……

Late at night, Hugh opened his eyes at his familiar "workstation".

Today, the Dream Sanctuary is exceptionally bright and clear. The lamps that usually emit only dim light seem to have been repaired, casting their light evenly all around.

Under the light, Hughes saw many cracks and defects that had been hidden in the darkness, making the shelter itself appear somewhat dilapidated.

He quickly got up and hurried to the other side.

After turning a corner, Hugh saw the familiar computer and a black figure "lying" in the computer's light.

He breathed a sigh of relief and then stepped forward.

However, as soon as Hughes reached Theseus's side, he heard him mutter in an extremely comical, exaggerated, and bizarre tone: "Eek... what an awkward pair of people. Luckily, neither of them is my chosen one, otherwise they would be 'ugly'!"

It even carried a bit of the dialect that Hugh was familiar with.

Hugh didn't want to discuss the past with this guy. He sat down in the chair next to Theseus and then looked carefully at the "God of a Thousand Faces".

It had become tattered and worn.

Like a tragic doll that had survived a hail of bullets, Theseus's body was covered with holes and wounds of all sizes, some of which even ran across half of his body, tearing apart his already less-than-respectable black tuxedo and the chaotic body beneath.

It is truly hard to imagine what Theseus went through during that period.

Hugh asked cautiously, "How exactly... did you become like this? Was it because of the Dark Abyss Court's 'Great Hunt'?"

"The Great Hunt? That kind of boring, recurring event doesn't bother me."

Although Theseus appeared somewhat weak, he seemed unconcerned about the various cuts and nicks on his body. As he spoke, he casually picked up a piece of clothing and tore at it a couple of times.

He slumped back in his chair, looking like a corporate slave who had just worked two all-nighters.

Then Hugh heard Theseus say, "Trying to directly attack the Dark Abyss is ultimately a bit too risky... I'm better suited to hiding in the back and playing dirty tricks than to stand in front and fight hand-to-hand. That's too brutal and almost goes against my own persona."

He started complaining haphazardly like that.

After rambling on for a few minutes, Theseus slightly raised his head, revealing a classic "drowsy" expression on his chaotic face: "Although I have completely broken away from the Abyss, its mark was imprinted on my very being from the moment I was born... The disruption of the Black Sun Society's ritual has completely exposed me to the gaze of the Abyss."

"This is terrible news... While I am not afraid of any great hunt, I cannot bypass my own origin and clash with the Dark Abyss itself."

“If that happens, it could strip me of my power at any moment and make me disappear completely.”

(End of this chapter)