Overturned Tower

As he spoke, the hammer in his hand turned into a huge cauldron of medicine.With his left hand around, the two people whose backs were facing each other turned half a circle and turned into facing each other.

"That's how it should be, give me a kiss!"

Watching the bloody and bloody faces of the two colliding together—seeing his current appearance through each other's faces, Peter Pan gloated and smiled: "Say it quickly, who else betrayed me? What did you say?" , I will let you die quickly. Otherwise, I will stew you into soup with toads, centipedes, mud, dog poop and smelly shoe soles!"

As he spoke, the moon descended from the sky.The two of them were dropped into the dark green, stinking boiling soup pot.

The hot soup pot kept screaming, their bodies bouncing like skinned frogs.

But Michael gritted his teeth and didn't say a word.

John screamed and shouted: "Only us, only us!"

"Peter Pan doesn't believe it! You two are not the oldest children, why are you going to sue?"

Then Peter Pan turned around and threatened the children: "There must be someone else! Stand up and take your responsibilities!"

"Quickly confess him, or I will pick someone to stew with them!"

"It's gone, it's gone!"

The children cried out in fear.

"If not, it will be stewed—you!"

Peter Pan casually pointed at the half-grown boy with messy short black hair who looked timid and frightened, almost crying.

—It was Wendy.

Wendy subconsciously wanted to take a step forward, but was pulled back by the girl who was holding his wrist tightly.

"……do not go."

The girl whispered.

At that moment, Wendy recalled the past memory.

He remembered that when Michael and John were about to be arrested, they specifically said to themselves: "Remember, never, never stand up!

"Because we are already dead, it is useless for you to come out again. But as long as you live...as long as people live, there is hope!"

So even if Peter Pan pointed at her, Wendy remained motionless.It was as if all this had nothing to do with him.

"very good."

Peter Pan grimaced: "Peter Pan means what he says."

Then, he stretched out his hand and made a move—Wendy closed her eyes subconsciously.

But it wasn't him who flew away... but the girl beside him holding his wrist.

"Why do you keep holding Wendy's hand? Do you like him?"

Peter Pan's face was full of resentment: "Sure enough, you are the traitor, and you have unclean feelings—you, too, die together!"

No, I am—

Wendy subconsciously wanted to argue, so he took a step forward.

Wanting to sue or something really has nothing to do with Michael and John.

It was originally Wendy's plan... because he was smart enough to realize all the truth-if this continues, everyone will die in the end.Because Peter Pan only wants companions who are "forever kids" like him, but people grow up.But Wendy didn't dare to go to the executive department, his legs would tremble just thinking about it... That's why he called Michael, who had the best relationship with him, and John, who was the strongest.

If you want to let the traitor die, then let me die alone——

Wendy was hotheaded and wanted to rush over and tell everything.

"……do not go."

An empty voice sounded from the bottom of my heart.

At that moment, Wendy felt her wrist tighten—as if some hallucination was pulling her.

The girl pulled his hand so hard that it hurt his wrist.The pain remained in his arm, making him feel like someone was pulling his wrist and telling him "don't go" every moment.

At that moment, little Wendy felt a kind of shame... He was ashamed of his timidity.

A feeling of resentment and grievance came to his heart, and he seemed to be able to feel the hearts of everyone around him—as if everyone was condemning him.Whether they were looking at her or not, no matter what their expressions were, Wendy felt that they were speaking ill of themselves in their hearts.

But Wendy's rationality told him that what Michael said was right... As traitors, they would die no matter what.That being the case, it would be good to have one less death.

——However, because he did not admit it, innocent people died!

Wendy felt pain in her heart.

But the rationality in his heart told him: It was too late to stand up now, because Peter Pan had already said that he wanted to kill her, even if he admitted it at this time, it would only make Peter Pan more angry.She will still die because she has too good a relationship with herself, and the end result is the same.Then, only if I don't stand up at this time, can I save one more life-even if I just save my own life, I can still live one more life.And as long as he is still alive, he can help others continue to find ways to escape, because he has the experience of failing once...

This should obviously be correct.

If you are an adult, you should do the same.

But, but, why...

"—Why, you feel so much pain... right?"

After saying this, Peter Pan's expression suddenly changed completely.

His naive and extreme expression suddenly became complicated and calm.

Chapter 1 Let's go home

Following the voice of "Peter Pan".

The expressions on the faces of all the children around them became exactly the same as that of "Peter Pan" at the moment.

They became quiet in an instant, and all of them had faint smiles on their faces.Their faces became blurred, but when they looked around, they felt that there was no difference between them.

Unconsciously, Wendy suddenly found that she was not among the crowd.He was gently pushed from behind, and staggered out of the crowd.

Looking around, Wendy suddenly realized something he had forgotten——

Why are everyone's faces so blurry except Peter Pan?

Their faces were not blank, but as soon as Wendy looked away, the impression of their faces in his mind would disappear instantly.In any case, he couldn't remember a single face.

But now, when he suddenly woke up, he realized...

Everyone had the same face as Peter Pan on their faces.They all had the exact same expression as him, and said in unison with the same tone and different voices: "Because no matter what you experienced later, your heart will always stay on this day.

"If I hadn't been afraid at the beginning, I wouldn't have pulled Michael; if I felt that Michael was enough, I wouldn't have needed to pull John; if I'd stood up from the very beginning, I wouldn't have hurt that girl who doesn't even remember her name...

"However, you never stood up. Knowing that the two were dead, you chose to keep the fire and decided that you would never stand up; but your actions killed new innocent people. But if It's too late to stand up at this time, because then you will not only make Michael and John's sacrifice meaningless, but also make the girl's death meaningless as well.

"—a small, hard snowball that fell from the top of the snow mountain, and it started rolling."

After Peter Pan's voice fell, the world in front of him was once again drawn into a dark vortex.

But this time the vortex was so slow... that in Sheath's eyes, she could clearly see the past scenes.

It's like a photo, and it's like a very short video.

With trembling hands, he saw the news in the newspaper that Peter Pan became a well-known author of fairy tales;

He opened the book in the classroom, but saw that his name was smeared out with a bloody red pen and changed to "betrayer";

With his back to the roof, stepping on the high steps, he slowly agitated the black wings behind him and took a step back, falling back as fearlessly as he was in Neverland;

He was lying on the ambulance in a daze, the blood bag soaked by the red light filled his blurred vision and noisy voice;

Wearing a hospital gown, touching his strange face, staring at the strange self in the mirror, feeling nausea in his belly;

Showing a cheerful smile that made him feel sick, he made a new friend with a completely different identity, and with the intention of burning himself, he laughed and scolded the suicide "Neverland" with his new friend. traitor";

Pretending to be a good boy, he stood shyly in front of the elf directors, but felt that their eyes seemed to see through the truth, which made him feel a little uneasy;

After accepting the task of Babel Tower and guaranteeing it with the teacher, he silently considered how to use the young lady whom he had never met, while slowly kneading his face, carefully analyzing her information, trying to When we met for the first time, I showed an expression that pleased her...

"...stupid, half-assed, clown, bumbling bastard."

Through a wall, Sheath heard Alice mumbling.

That was her first impression of herself.

Obviously I have done my best - then this is the kindest face I can pretend, but it was pointed out by that young lady who has no experience in the world.He knew that it wasn't childish words, let alone innocent malice... There was undisguised disgust in her eyes, and her clear eyes seemed to see through her own essence at a glance.

...but, what went wrong?

So, the sheath let go of all the pretense, and told Alice everything she had experienced.

Those were supposed to be his immature students, but their positions are reversed now.The adult sheath knelt on the ground, seeking an answer from the young girl.Or seek her reprimand...or even death.

He wanted someone to stand up and say what he was doing was wrong and tell him what he did wrong.

He hopes to give up his torture so far, clear his guilt, and start again...

But she said...

"I know what you want... But, you are not wrong. No matter what price the savior paid, the saved person is not wrong."

After listening to everything, the girl like a saint, her eyes became compassionate and gentle: "If there is anything wrong, it's not your fault. It's Peter Pan's fault, it's the hype that hides the truth The fault of the marketing adults is the fault of those who bully you. You just didn't do your best.

"Because you don't have the power to change the tragedy when you are most likely to reverse everything. When things have developed to the point of no return, you can't do anything."

Like a radiant god, she proclaims the redemption of the sheath: "Therefore, you have never had any sin to atone for."

But at the same time, she also gave the sheath as punishment: "However, you must never forget those who died because of you. Your life does not belong to you, but to them who gave you life.

"You have to live a wonderful life to be worthy of their sacrifices; your life has to have more meaning to be worthy of those who lost their future because of you; you have to save more people and accomplish a higher cause...

"You have to die unashamed of your life—to make them proud of you."

The girl who was younger than herself spoke the same words as her mentor.

……So this is ah.

The words he had forgotten for a long time, the mood he held at that time was recalled again.

The reason to feel that you are not wrong, the reason to seek the power to change the world, the reason to seek your own "meaning in life", the reason to accomplish great things, the reason to die without being ashamed of yourself...

After so many years, the original text of this passage has long been forgotten by Sheath.It was processed repeatedly in his memory and turned into the shape he wanted.

However, the "determination", "love" and "hope" that Sheath initially obtained from this sentence have already taken root and blossomed.

At that moment, Sheath felt that her heart was as peaceful as a winter lake.

His life of abandoning everything to pursue "meaning" has already gone astray——

Sacrificing the present to preserve the "meaning" of the past, sacrificing the future in exchange for the "meaning" of the present.Everything he did was just an illusion.

……but why.

"Why, I will forget..."

For the first time, his voice was filled with remorse.

The boy's sheath began to age in an instant, gradually becoming old.He becomes youth, middle age, and wrinkled old age.

In the past, he thought that the best future in his life would be to grow old with Alice.

Until he was deceived.Abandoning the long-term leisurely life, he chose the momentary brilliance—and when he found out that after he gave up the person he loved the most, he still didn't get the "meaning" he had been obsessed with in his heart, he had already collapsed.

From then on, it was nothing but a madman's obsession.

The aging sheath made an indistinct voice, stretched out its hand and grasped the ground vigorously, with tears in its eyes.

Then, the tears finally fell.

"Why... I forgot such an important thing..."

He whimpered silently, weeping bitterly silently.From the depths of his throat, a miserable scream like a crushed bird was squeezed out.

"Alice, Alice ah ah ah ah—"

The pupils of the young Alice sitting opposite the old man also became darker.

Her dim yellow pupils looked out of the window, and all the wisdom of the world was contained in her eyes.

She seems to have seen through the past and the future, and also seems to have insight into all the truths and misfortunes in the world.

Of all things in the world, only love and hope are the most poisonous.

The girl turned her head and held out her hand.Gently stroking the old gray hair of the old man who was kneeling on the ground and crying until he almost died.

"When you compare the sword in your arms to your own god...you are going astray."

Russell said softly: "When your sword wins, you yourself will lose."