Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

Even among the many descendants of the gods, Harandu Khan is a rare existence. In the era of Harandu Khan, the only one who could fight against the Whip of the Earth was Luke Sargus, the King of the Calendar. These two kings were the only two kings of Terra at that time. No one dared to call himself a king in front of these two people. In the era of the gods, they were superior to the gods.

Perhaps Noah rarely displays this kind of power, but Noah has to admit that the reason why he is so good at shadow spells, in addition to the fact that his friend Viviana is also very good at this, is probably because her blood is naturally good at shadows, or in other words, has a natural control over things under the shadows.

Few people can truly remember the horror of Harandu Khan now, but he seems to have become a symbol.

Even the Nightmare Khan's ancient crusade across the land has become almost legendary. Despite its profound impact - geographical, political, social, cultural...

These are all still clearly visible, but the people who actually lived through that war have been forgotten.

Are there fields stained with blood and houses engulfed in flames along the expedition?

Are there screams strong enough to pierce through a person and a stench strong enough to drown a person?

No one cares. People have almost lost the concept of how terrifying Nightmare Khan is. Out of admiration for the strong, people have even begun to worship this terrifying king.

Behold, the great Nightmare Khan sets out on a journey that will change the land forever!

But Noya remembered... whenever she came into contact with things related to nightmares, her blood would tell her, her blood would remember, her blood would boil, and her dreams would be haunted by pastoral songs.

The pastoral song and the scimitar seemed to have never left, never left her blood.

——While the Pegasus of golden bloodline used bricks and stones to enclose the vast wilderness into fields and courtyards, another branch of the Kuranta bloodline had been galloping on the ancient grassland called "Ancestor's Gaze" for a long time and was no longer satisfied with the vastness of the grassland.

Back then, her grandfather had used a story to tell her how dangerous her bloodline was. He said: To become a knight of Kirilet, the first thing you must do is restrain yourself. Restrain your power and don't be consumed by the past.

Restraint, even the descendants of Nightmare Khan have to take the initiative to restrain the influence of their own bloodline. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why Nightmare rarely appears in the world after Nightmare Khan.

Too many nightmares were devoured by their own bloodlines, attracted by the pastoral songs in their hearts, and embarked on their own [Heavenly Path]. Only a few people could resist the call of their own bloodlines... Noah was one of them.

Using reason to restrain blood, unicorns are one of the purest creatures in the world. Perhaps it is because Noya's other blood is unicorn, the miracle beast calms the nightmare blood, and Noya has hardly been affected by the blood. Unlike her distant relative Tora, her nightmare blood is almost dormant and rarely shows any intention of showing up. But now, Noya may feel for the first time... her blood is calling her.

Embark on a journey to heaven...

The shadow was telling himself.

Go and participate in that glorious war...the eternal battle with the King of Kings!

Spreading the span of life across the plains with one's feet is an ancient tradition of the Kuranta tribes of the East, originating from the Kuranta gods who call themselves "Nightmare." Members of the Nightmare tribe can live for decades and still be considered children. It's not time that sheds their immaturity, but a solitary journey—a rite of passage known as the "Heavenly Path." Conquest and fear are etched in the Nightmare's blood. They yearn to ravage everything. This madness even reached Noa from the shadow, turning her eyes blood red.

However, Noya soon realized the danger and proactively summoned the gray matter. As the gray matter condensed from her fingertips, Noya's nearly usurped sanity returned to her body. The next moment, she immediately spoke. "Close the door! Quick!"

At this time, Ermengarde also realized the seriousness of the problem. He immediately shrank the portal until it disappeared. After the door was closed, the shadow began to calm down, and the feeling of boiling blood also dissipated. Seeing her shadow slowly dissipate, Noah breathed a sigh of relief. In just such a short while, her clothes were soaked with sweat. Fortunately, everything was still in time. Just seeing the door open, her blood was awakened... Then what would happen after she entered the subspace?

Noah unconsciously began to feel scared...

It turned out that he hadn't controlled the Nightmare Blood, but that the Nightmare Blood had never found a target worthy of conquest...

Noah never expected that the other half of his bloodline would be such a terrifying thing.

Noah felt that she had underestimated the influence of her bloodline, or rather, she had always thought that she could control her bloodline, until now, she was not sure.

The name of Nightmare Khan is a very terrifying name for many descendants of the Gods, because it was this Nightmare Khan who completely ended the era of the Gods Dynasty. The Hippogriffs, Pegasus, and even the civil war of Drake in later generations who were driven off the throne by him also laid the groundwork for Aslan to take over Victoria hundreds of years later. It can even be roughly summarized as Nightmare Khan completely ended the era of the Gods.

Although he himself is of the bloodline of the gods...

Nightmare Khan has received mixed reviews in history, but only one thing is recognized: Harandu Khan's expedition reshaped the face of human civilization.

Nightmare Khan single-handedly rewrote the history of Terra. If there had been no Nightmare Khan, perhaps Terra would still be ruled by the gods and people, and would not have developed so many technologies and techniques, because the gods and people, through the power of bloodline, would not allow other races to change their own destiny through knowledge, and naturally, the colorful countries and systems of today would not have been born. In any case, Nightmare Khan is still a highlight in history...but his bloodline has brought too much trouble to his descendants.

"Are you okay, Miss Noah?" Ermengarde on the side looked at Noah with some worry. The person was obviously in an unwell state. The aura emitted by Noah just now was no exaggeration to say that it was a ferocious beast that would choose its prey, especially the shadow that appeared behind her. Ermengarde had no doubt that if Noah had not woken up herself, the shadow would have attacked her directly, and she would probably not be able to resist.

Ermengarde didn't consider herself a weak person, but she was very clear that at this distance, as a warlock, she seemed to have no chance of resistance.

The oppressive feeling that the shadow brought to her was no less than the pressure that Lao Deng brought to her after she was discovered slacking off. However, Lao Deng would not really kill her, but this shadow was not necessarily the case. Judging from Noah's reaction, the shadow was not completely under her control. It could only be said that she seemed to have saved her life.

Even now, she still has some lingering fears...

"It's okay... I'll just take it easy." Noah was still gasping for breath. The scene just now was so horrifying, especially when she turned her head. She felt as if she was really being stared at by the Khan. She even felt that her shadow had come alive. It was no longer her own shadow, but the embodiment of the Khan's consciousness.

But is this possible?

The Khan had long since vanished... into the hot earth of the burning wind.

That was thousands of years ago. The Khan shouldn't still be alive...even as a shadow...

-

Viviana wandered the corridor. She felt that Noah might have a bad impression of Leitania after what happened at the concert hall, which would make it more difficult for her to invite her out in the future. So she couldn't give away the opera tickets she had originally prepared. But since she had already bought them...she couldn't let them go to waste...

Viviana was troubled, but she had unknowingly arrived here... At the end of this corridor was Noya's room. Speaking of which, there was a little lich living in her house. Noya said she had been kicked out and needed to find a place to live first, and then she asked her to give her a room. How could Viviana refuse Noya's request? So, just like that, she gave her the room next to Noya.

But this time, when she walked through the door, her ears moved slightly, as if she heard something...

She stopped unconsciously. Did she seem to hear Noah's voice in the room just now?

“…Hu…ha…”

What was that? A wheezing sound? Why did it sound so much like Noah's? Viviana couldn't walk any further. She stopped silently, tiptoed to the door, and quietly put her ear to it.

"...Ms. Noah...why are you all wet?"

"?"

"...It's okay... Go on... I... I just..."

"How can this be? Look, I just did a little bit... and you became like this."

"Don't worry about me... I can control myself, just continue..."

"Eh... is this really okay?"

What happened inside! !?

Viviana's face flushed red. She thought she had misheard, but the more she listened, the more she felt something was wrong. Although the door was well soundproofed and she couldn't hear clearly, there must be something wrong with the conversation between the two people! Why was Miss Noah breathing like this in Miss Ermengarde's room? Although Viviana knew that she had no right to control Miss Noah's private life, after all, she was just one of Miss Noah's friends, she still felt a pang of pain... She didn't want to think that way, but Miss Noah went to Miss Ermengarde's room... She couldn't go to exercise, right?

When she thought of this, Viviana had the urge to kick the door in...but she restrained herself.

"...Ms. Noah, your face is so red...why don't you want to take a shower first?"

"That's fine, I can't wear my clothes like this anyway..."

Noah was covered in sweat, her outer clothes were soaked, not to mention the condition inside. She was fine just now, but after her blood cooled down and her body temperature dropped, she felt a little cold, and her clothes were sticky and not very comfortable. Each room arranged by Viviana had an independent bathtub, so taking a bath first was indeed the best idea, but she guessed that she would have to ask Miss Ermengarde to help get the clothes.

Ermengarde had no idea that Viviana was eavesdropping outside the door. After sending Noah into the bathroom, she thought about getting some clothes first. However, when she opened the door, it seemed to hit something. Ermengarde was stunned and popped her head out randomly. She saw Viviana standing awkwardly in front of her door with a slightly red forehead. She opened her mouth, blushing, not knowing what to say.

"...Ms. Viviana, why are you here?"

“…passing by…?”

"...Oh." Ermengarde blinked and nodded doubtfully, "Did you hear anything just now?"

Ermengarde thought that the noise of him opening the subspace had attracted Viviana, so he asked. However, how could Viviana honestly answer that she was eavesdropping? She just coughed twice and shook her head.

"I didn't hear anything, well, nothing."

"...That's good..." Ermengarde breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. Um... do you know where Miss Noya's room is? I need to get some clothes."

"...Ah...Oh...that...just follow me." Viviana was a little dazed. After Ermengarde had said these words for a long time, she finally woke up as if from a dream. She suppressed the uneasiness in her heart and said with a smile, "...It's at the end of the corridor. I'll take you there."

Viviana clenched the opera ticket in her hand, with unknown emotions surging in her heart, and even her walking posture became a little strange.

She felt a little aggrieved, but what right did she have to say anything?

Miss Noa... has the freedom to make her own choice... but why Ermengarde?

Viviana stole a glance at Ermengarde. Actually, Miss Ermengarde was also very beautiful... but she had originally thought that her only opponent should be the Brilliant Knight Margaret Linguang. Why did Ermengarde suddenly appear...

Hey... Miss Noah... What on earth do you want me to do...

Chapter 36 Marigolds

"Vivianna."

"Excuse me, I need to take this painting."

"Mom is gone. I'll have everything removed from this room."

"In the days ahead, no one will be able to take care of you. I'm really worried."

"Someone will be here to take you out of here soon."

"Good boy, don't cry. When you get out there, you'll meet lots of new friends. Even if mommy and daddy are gone, there will still be people who love you."

“You’ll also see marigolds firsthand.”

"Please check for me to see if they are blooming as brilliantly as in the painting."

Viviana once again recalled her father's words. He had always been kind to her. Although he wouldn't allow her to leave the attic, he would do his best to satisfy her needs. After her mother's death, the man known as the Elector seemed constantly exhausted. It was a weariness that came from within, a weariness that stemmed from his soul. He seemed to have lost all reason to move forward, but he couldn't choose to fall, because... Viviana was still there.

The man often came to see Viviana at night. He would carry a lamp, ask everyone to leave, and walk slowly up to the attic. Viviana knew because she would stay up a little later every night, waiting for the wooden stairs to creak, waiting for the man to climb the stairs, then quietly open the door with his key and carefully enter the room. Viviana would sit up in advance and pretend to be reading a book of poetry.

He came to Viviana, sometimes without saying a word, just looking at her, as if looking for the similarity of her to her mother - this man who could almost own everything in this country except the throne, could only get some satisfaction here.

This silent man protected Viviana in his own way, until the silence gradually turned into anxiety, and then... Viviana heard the above words.

Good boy, don't cry.

Viviana didn't know if she was a good girl, but she knew that she couldn't stay here anymore and couldn't see this man again.

She wanted to be willful and be a bad girl, but she didn't even know how to be willful.

She set her sights on the pot of withered marigolds in the room. Shi Tongling's skies rarely cleared, and it was cold and damp up in the tower. Her father had tried many times, but no matter what sorcerer he hired, he had no way of keeping them alive in the pots in the room.

But in Trilin Termé… it’s everywhere.

"On those sunny afternoons, Frieda's friends would hold poetry readings in this alley... By the way, that includes your father and mother." Perhaps noticing Viviana's trance, Cora beside her started talking about her parents. Ms. Cora was almost like a foster mother to Viviana. After her mother passed away, the person who came to the attic most often to accompany her was Ms. Cora. ​​Before leaving for Casimir, it was Ms. Cora who saw him off all the way, which was also natural... After succeeding the Elector, Ms. Cora also became his deputy. It can be said that Ms. Cora is the person Viviana trusts the most.

"Father and mother? They are here too?" Viviana asked, perking up a little. The alley they were in was called Marigold Alley. It also had a formal name [Karl Schmidt Street], a street named after a great musician. This was what made Leitania different from others.

Mr. Carl Schmidt once wrote several famous songs inspired by marigolds in sunlight. Since then, the alley has become a holy place in the hearts of art lovers.

And anecdotes like this don't even rank high in Trilin Terme, because the soil for art is everywhere here.

"Didn't they tell you? Your parents met in this city." Korra asked in surprise, perhaps not expecting Viviana's parents to have even mentioned such a thing to her. "At that time, your father wasn't yet the heir to the Electorate. He came to Enward from Shitongling. When he wasn't working, he often attended various young people's gatherings in Marigold Alley."

"...Rally..." Viviana imagined the scene. That man had once been young... No, that was only natural. It was just that in Viviana's memory, he always seemed tired, occasionally revealing the helplessness of a middle-aged man. In front of his daughter, he never displayed the authority of an elector, nor did he exhibit the unruly demeanor of a noble son. "And then?"

"Then—one day, at a poetry gathering hosted by Mrs. Seaman, a young girl from a commoner family mustered up the courage to recite a short poem she had written." Korra smiled, as if reminiscing about a past scene, and pointed in a direction. "About this direction, there used to be a manor over there that often hosted banquets for both nobles and commoners. Whenever you had the time, you could go there and enjoy the beautiful spring atmosphere."

"That's... Mother?" Viviana asked curiously, "She never told me she had such an experience before. In my memory, she always had a frown on her face..."

"Lucinda Droste was a gentle, shy, and kind girl with a pair of soft, sparkling eyes. Gazing at her was like... being by a lake on a breezy summer day." Cora spoke highly of Viviana's mother. Rather, she seemed to have always liked her. When she mentioned her to Viviana, her words were filled with praise. "Just like you, Viviana, she left you the best things, including the brightness in her eyes."

"And then... Father and Mother... got together?"

"It was love at first sight. I almost missed the audience with His Majesty," Korra said with a smile. "A young nobleman and a beautiful commoner lady. It's like something out of a picture book, isn't it?"

"If Brent hadn't shielded him, he would have become part of the sculpture in front of the Witch King's Tower by the time the Hochberg family's army arrived at Enward."

"...The Majesty at that time was that..." Viviana suddenly realized this. Beneath this wonderful encounter, there was also such a background. Her father was really...

"It's hard to imagine, isn't it?" Kora nodded. "But in some ways, that era was indeed as glorious and brilliant as depicted in the painting before you."

Cora did not avoid the topic. On the contrary, she was probably the only person who dared to talk about the Age of the Witch King before Viviana came here, or rather, she did not seem to care about expressing her thoughts in front of Viviana.

The parents fell in love with each other at first sight, and then made the mistakes that young people would make. It was from that chance encounter that Viviana was conceived.

Viviana was not sure whether her father and mother at that time really loved each other so much that they had no scruples, and whether they thought about the impact their impulse would have on her when they got together.

No... My father was not yet a candidate for the Electorate at that time. He was just an idle nobleman and could have stayed with my mother.

But things are unpredictable... Mr. Ernst, my father's elder brother suddenly fell seriously ill, and even the best doctors could not prevent the slipping of his life... So, my father was suddenly entrusted with the task of becoming the new candidate for the electoral prince.

Fate plays a huge joke on two people in love.

If possible, my father would definitely prefer to be a poet. A poet and a painter, what a wonderful pair. The attic is filled with my father's collection of poems. He loves these poems so much, but he has to lock away this love. Perhaps because of this, he also placed Viviana here, because those poems and Viviana are what he loves as a poet.

But the Elector is different...

"Back then...why didn't father bring mother back?"

Viviana couldn't help but ask, but Korra fell into silence at this time. After a long time, she spoke.

"Viviana, your father loved your mother deeply, and your mother loved your father too. They were each other's soul mates... but, perhaps because he loved her so much, your father didn't want to force your mother to leave this brilliant alley. She was Mrs. Seaman's apprentice at the time. If she had stayed with this lady, she could have become a famous painter. Of course, your father didn't know you existed at the time." Cora explained, "He didn't want to deceive Lucinda, your mother. He was no longer the carefree youngest son of the Hochberg family. His future life belonged to Shi Tongling and the Hochberg family, but not to himself."

Cora shook her head. "The earls in the territory must have already prepared a dozen marriage candidates for him. They will fight tooth and nail. Even if Lucinda is willing to go with your father, your father will not give her a promise. If the struggle fails, Lucinda will most likely be trapped in the tower as a maid for the rest of her life."

It was the time when the twin queens raised the banner of rebellion and assassinated the Witch King. The political situation changed and everything changed. People thought that the death of the Witch King would bring a new chapter to Letania. The only tall tower overlooking Letania fell, but their story of being manipulated by fate did not stop there.

At least we all know now that the name of destiny is not "Witch King".

"I hope that kind and gentle people can have a happy ending." Korra sighed. "How I wish your father had stayed... not become his elector, but stayed in this alley. You would have had the best childhood and a perfect ending. But unfortunately... there are no ifs."

The car has arrived.

Lucinda did not come.