In the palace at dusk, the corridors were deep and long, and the halls were spacious and empty. Murmurs of unknown origin echoed behind every door, as if countless invisible guests were gathered in this ancient and illusory palace, continuing their never-ending banquet while maliciously examining the visitors who stepped into the palace.
The sound of Rosetta Augustus's footsteps echoed in the empty corridor.
The ruler of the Typhon Empire walked along the corridor that he had walked countless times, as if he did not hear the strange murmurs around him. His figure cast shadows of different lengths under the narrow windows that shone through the light of dusk. Every shadow trembled slightly as if they were about to come alive, but they gradually calmed down under the emperor's disregard.
He came to the deepest room of the palace, to the place where the portraits of the Augustus family members were hung.
Expressionless faces were embedded in the dark frames, looking at Rosetta Augustus with cold and indifferent eyes. Some of the images in the frames came to life, whispering to the frame next to them, letting out muffled murmurs that did not sound like human voices.
Those who came to life in the frames were all members of the Augustus family in the last two hundred years, after the collapse of the old capital, the active Augustus family members who were born after the curse descended.
As for those who were active between seven hundred and two hundred years ago, they just quietly stayed in the frames, acting as cold portraits.
Rosetta was used to this.
Nightmares were the products of the curse, and at the same time, it was also the reflection of the cursed's mental world. It was based on the collapse of the old capital two hundred years ago. Before the collapse, the souls of the Augustus family members were free, and nightmares could only project soulless illusions. After the collapse, the Augustus family members were trapped in this dream world, and became the source of many strange things here, making this nightmare world even more strange and dangerous.
Rosetta glanced at the portraits that had come to life with a cold expression.
Those were his parents, ancestors, and the people closest to him when he was young. Some were the prototypes of the heroic stories that he had heard since he was young. But those were things that happened when they were still alive. Now, they were just a part of this strange dream palace, a part of this curse. For them, any expectations of kinship and humanity would only lead to a tragic end. This was the lesson that generations of the Augustus family members had learned at the cost of their lives.
However, as long as he maintained his rationality and restrained his greed, the shadows in his nightmares would have other uses.
Among the portraits that came to life, Rosetta's grandfather, the wise Emperor George Augustus, seemed to have noticed something. His pale and shriveled face turned, and his eyes fell on Rosetta Augustus. The low and strange murmur turned into a voice that humans could recognize. "Ah, look who's here … My dear grandson … Are you alright?"
Another portrait next to him also came to life and glanced at Rosetta. "He doesn't look well. Look at how tired he is. It's not that easy to rule an empire. Child, you should learn to adjust your state. Don't waste your life too early. "
The other portraits nearby immediately chimed in.
Rosetta ignored these buzzing conversations and just said indifferently, "This palace is appearing more and more frequently. What change does it indicate?"
"So cold …" the portraits said.
Rosetta just looked at them expressionlessly.
"What change do you want? Is it closer to us? " Emperor George Augustus laughed in a hoarse and low voice. "What a pity. Although we also wish for the day of family reunion to arrive as soon as possible, you have always refused. This nightmare … is still very far away from you."
"But something else is getting closer and closer to the real world you live in …" another portrait added.
"Something else? What is it? "Rosetta frowned." Is it another 'god's legacy'? "
"Then we don't know …" Marjorie Augustus, who was next to George Augustus, mumbled. "But it seems to be different from our situation … It's a kind of similarity in personality and authority, but it's just a similarity. Perhaps it is because of this' similarity 'that we are able to sense each other and activate the curse on you a little. "
Listening to these vague words and thinking about the corresponding clues in the real world, Rosetta frowned. At the same time, he also heard the voice of his father, Marjory Augustus, again. "All in all, you have to be careful. The real world you live in seems to be undergoing some changes. It may not be targeted at you, but its mere existence is enough to threaten you."
George Augustus also said, "We can't provide you with help in the real world from this' inside ', but we will try our best to expand our senses and look for clues. At the same time, we will try our best to look for clues in the historical dreams and illusions. Maybe … we can help you."
Rosetta looked up and looked at his father and grandfather, as well as the older Augustus. He watched them speak, offer advice, and watch them fall into a lively discussion and give him advice. But he just maintained a cold expression and took two steps back.
At the spot where he was originally standing, a layer of ink had unknowingly spread over the patterned stone tiles. Countless tentacle-like creeping objects with specks of starlight wriggled out from the ink, forming a connection with more shadows in the surrounding air. They danced as if they were trying to grab something.
"I won't trouble you to do more," Rosetta said coldly. "It's better to leave the dream to the dream."
The dark tentacles with specks of starlight instantly danced faster, as if they had fallen into a frenzy. The portraits that had been talking gently to Rosetta and enthusiastically providing help instantly glared at her. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their faces became ferocious. Their voices were filled with anger as they reprimanded her loudly, "Rosetta! Rosetta! Rosetta!"
"You damned bastard! We want to help you so much! "
"We are full of good intentions, but you are only suspicious. You are destined to be an inhumane and unjust tyrant, a fatuous king who has betrayed the teachings of his ancestors!"
"You will be spurned by your subjects. You will only bring degradation to this empire. Its road ahead is only destruction!"
"Come back, go back to your family, go back to your father and grandfather. Only we are your real family. Look at yourself clearly!"
The reprimands became louder and louder, gradually mixing together into a murmur and ear-piercing screech that humans could not understand. Rosetta Augustus just frowned and quickly retreated step by step. More and more tentacles appeared in the air around him, as if they were frantically trying to bind him to this place. However, those tentacles dissipated on their own before they could touch Rosetta, turning into a cloud of dust. It was as if the things in a dream could not hurt a living person in the real world. Rosetta Augustus frowned and quickly retreated step by step. More and more tentacles appeared in the surrounding air, as if they were frantically trying to bind him to this place.
But Rosetta himself knew that as long as he had the slightest hesitation, the slightest weakness and compromise, these tentacles would not be so "harmless."
He finally retreated to the door, to a place where the portraits could not reach.
"I believe that your help is sincere. But if you don't want me to reunite with your 'family,' that would be better."
With a mocking look on his face, he decisively left the room.
The door in the dream slammed shut, completely sealing the chaotic and crazy whispers in the room on the other side of the door.
Rosetta walked along the corridor and headed towards the outer area of the palace.
On the walls on both sides of the corridor, the hanging portraits came to life. The Augustus of two hundred years appeared on the portraits one by one. They cursed at Rosetta as he walked through the corridor, or made strange murmurs that made people feel dizzy and irritated. The light of dusk outside the window swayed uneasily, as if the entire palace had come to life and was full of anger.
But in the end, nothing could hurt Rosetta who firmly rejected this nightmare. The ruler of Typhon quickly left the most dangerous corridor, leaving the place where the portraits could see him.
In the relatively "normal" long hall, the low murmurs that were everywhere seemed much friendlier at this moment.
In the depths of the palace, a faint sigh came into Rosetta's ears. There was helplessness in the sigh.
That was the source of the curse, the sigh of the true master of the palace.
To Rosetta, the best response to the owner of the voice was — — don't respond to him.
The light of dusk from outside the palace shone into the long hall through the tall glass windows, casting a pale golden grille in the hall. Compared to the previous moment, the light was no longer swaying.
Rosetta exhaled softly, preparing to leave the hall and return to the outer area of the palace.
But suddenly, his footsteps stopped, his gaze fixed on a door at the side of the long hall. The handle of the door turned, and then it was slowly pushed open by a gap.
Rosetta's mind instantly tensed up.
In this palace, every door represented a different degree of danger, and those who took the initiative to open the door often had the most thorough malice.
But this was not necessarily the case. Sometimes the dreams of the members of the Augustus Family would be connected. At that time, the one who opened the door could be …
A figure in a complicated black palace dress, with soft black hair decorated with thin golden chains, pushed open the door and appeared in front of Rosetta Augustus.
The ruler of Typhon breathed a sigh of relief.
"Father?" When Mathilda saw the figure in the hall, she was obviously nervous for a moment, but after confirming that it was Rosetta's face, she breathed a sigh of relief. The family members who were still alive would not become the evil spirits in the palace. "You also … entered the dream?"
"It seems that I entered the dream at the same time as you." Rosetta relaxed a little, but he still looked majestic when facing his daughter. "It's already midnight here."
"I'm in the capital of Cecil, and I just fell asleep. There's still some time before midnight here," Mathilda said. "What did you do here? I just felt that the palace suddenly became … particularly restless. "
"I went to the deepest part of the palace to ask some questions," Rosetta said briefly. "They should be very angry now."
"… Are you in danger?"
"Of course, there's no safety here."
As soon as Rosetta's voice trailed off, a piercing scream suddenly came from the corridor leading to the deepest part of the palace. The scream seemed to stir people's minds, making them feel dizzy for a moment, and also silencing the whispers in the long hall for a short time.
But soon, the scream disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
"… It's your brother." After a few seconds of silence, Rosetta broke the silence. "He's the 'latest one' here. His voice can occasionally penetrate the barrier of the corridor and affect here."
Mathilda took a breath and could not help but whisper, "Brother …"
"He has left and become a part of this palace," Rosetta said solemnly. "Mathilda, always remember, remember the boundary between you and this palace. Even if your brother, your grandfather, your uncle, and your aunt are here, you have to remember that they have all left. They have become 'them.' They are the malicious spirits here, the dangerous existences who always want to drag you into the deepest part of the palace.
"Only by remembering these things at all times can you be safe, and at some point in the future, after I become a part of this palace, you will still be able to live safely."
Mathilda lowered her head. "… I will remember, father."
The expression on Rosetta's face eased a little. He nodded. "Since we meet here, tell me what you have seen and heard.
"What kind of place is Cecil in your eyes?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
