Gun of Ashes

Erin asked.

Lorenzo didn’t answer; he saw himself in Erin, the self who hunted demons.

”You’re trying to redeem yourself, but can that really be done?”

Lorenzo attempted to kill all the demons; no one told him whether this was right or wrong, or if it could achieve the future he desired, but he did it anyway, because he believed that by doing so, he could fulfill his wish.

It’s like a peculiar ritual, like drinking hot water to cure a cold; there’s no necessary connection, but many people believe that drinking hot water will make them better.

Erin was the same; she felt that if she could save Ivar, perhaps she could end this life akin to a living death, she could achieve so-called redemption. But would the result really be as she wished? Lorenzo didn’t know, no one knew.

”But if you don’t try, who will know what the answer is?”

This was Erin’s purpose, a pure yet somewhat laughable purpose.

”I want to save Ivar. I want to say goodbye to this damned life, and as for what comes after, who cares?”

Erin said candidly; it was a secret deeply buried in her heart, revealed at this not-so-bad moment to Lorenzo, who was somewhat connected to the clergy.

A woman of grave sins, and a...priest? who clearly wasn’t much less sinful than herself.

Erin smiled at the thought, it was a decent confession, rough though it was, but enough.

”I’m starting to get interested in that Ivar guy, someone who could make you find your way back, he must be quite interesting too,” Lorenzo said.

”Ivar? He’s nothing special, he’s just a small dog without any disabilities. Perhaps because I look so weak myself, he likes to bark to seem strong. He seldom trusts anyone, but he’s willing to follow behind me, even though it tires him,”

Erin said slowly.

”Then what about Hebdo? You still haven’t explained why you fear Hebdo so much, what exactly is the reason for this?”

Lorenzo pressed further at this point.

This time Erin did not dodge. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke slowly.

”As for Hebdo, it’s just a guess on my part... Would you trust my guess? I almost killed the Moon just now, I think you won’t trust me anymore.”

Thinking of this, Erin said somewhat sadly, she didn’t know what would happen next; now her life was entirely dependent on Lorenzo.

”Maybe you’ll even think everything just now was just my performance, trying to lower your guard, then at some point attack again, kill all of you.”

Just now still amiable, now the words turned sharp again.

Lorenzo drooped his head, thought for a moment, and asked.

”Then why didn’t you kill Red Falcon? Afraid of thoroughly offending me? Actually, if I hadn’t switched the bullet, with Winchester’s power, Red Falcon would be dead.

No, to be precise, even with the bullet switched, you could also have killed Red Falcon, after all, there are so many weapons placed in the violin case.”

”Then I want to ask you, do you intend to harm the Moon? You had already anticipated my potential action, and yet...”

Erin thought of something, her words stopped, her eyes slightly narrowed, reflecting Lorenzo’s enigmatic gaze.

”Yes, the question loops back, I gave you the chance to kill Red Falcon, why didn’t you do it?”

Lorenzo asked in a low voice.

”Or is it that Miss Erin Adler is a promiscuous person, who wants to pat everyone’s head she meets?”

Erin’s expression was rigid for a long time before it slowly relaxed, utterly defeated in front of Lorenzo.

”I’m beginning to hate you.”

”I thought everyone would like the bad guy,” Lorenzo was indifferent.

Erin’s gaze was a bit lost; she stretched out her hand as if to grasp something, but she had nothing, so she withdrew her hand somewhat despondently.

”Ivar is very smart, smart enough to deceive himself, while the Moon is just a fool, and the outcome of being too foolish is... he’s very pure.”

”Pure?”

”Yes, don’t you think it’s nice? He is different from us, he wears no mask, you can read his lousy heart directly from his lousy expressions.”

Pure? Or heartless? Lorenzo couldn’t make it out either, but he remembered the scene on the train when coming, actually everyone’s pressure was enormous, but only that neurotic Red Falcon kept clanging the triangle and grumbling about jumping off the train.

This... is also an advantage?

”He’s a clear and pure person; if there were more people like him, the world wouldn’t be so terrible, but you also know, people like him don’t live long; he has lived until now, maybe he’s genuinely lucky.”

”Is that so? Hope Red Falcon learns his lesson from you,” Lorenzo said.

”He won’t learn; if he truly learned his lesson, then he should have killed me straight away, instead of letting me live, that is what he should have done,” Erin replied.

The rising smoke gradually dissipated, along with the fading effects of the medication, Erin faintly felt the oncoming pain, which Lorenzo also noticed, he said.

”This stuff is addictive if used too much, so bear with it.”

He thought for a while, then said again.

”Erin, I can trust you, but it requires you to pay a price.”

”What price?”

Erin asked with some curiosity.

Lorenzo didn’t answer; he stood up, walked to Erin’s side, bent down, and leaned his face very close to her.

”Let me look into your heart, then I’ll know if your guess about Hebdo is true.”

The ash-blue eyes were very close, like mirrors; Erin saw herself in them, her own miserable self.

”Heart? Sure, but will you believe it?”

Erin obviously misunderstood Lorenzo’s meaning; she had opened her heart to many people, but each one was miserably deceived by her.

”I will; there, you have no reserves, no so-called masks to speak of.”

Lorenzo said, reaching out to hold Erin’s face, his fingers forcibly prying open her eyelids, making her look at himself, Erin felt a vague unease, then she saw.

In those eyes like deep seas, in the deepest darkness, there was a fire igniting, a pure white and pure flame, as if a blazing sun was hidden within.

”So beautiful...”

Erin, unsure if it was the stinging of her eyes or a genuine remorse, shed tears staring directly at that burning sun, and at this moment, Lorenzo felt it.

Countless emotions attacked his will, he saw the phantom of a woman, from child to adult, from innocence to wearing a mask.

Everything was laid out before his eyes, with nothing held back.

”No! Lorenzo! Stop it!”

Erin suddenly struggled, not clear about what Lorenzo was doing, yet she felt it, someone was peeling off layer after layer of masks, attempting to pry into the secrets she hid deepest in her heart.

But it was too late.

Erin’s struggle gradually ceased, everything returned to tranquility.

A refreshing sea breeze blew over, gently brushing Erin’s cheek, seemingly lost, she looked around and found herself aboard a fishing boat, and not far away was Lorenzo leaning on the railing, gazing at the beautiful sunset at the sea’s horizon.

”I remember this place...”

Erin’s hand gently stroked the cabin, the real sensation left her bewildered.

”Yes, it was here, the journey’s end with Ivar; after night completely fell, the Iron Law Bureau’s ships intercepted us...”

She looked at Lorenzo, Erin couldn’t understand why all this replayed before her eyes.

”Where is this?” Erin asked.

”The depth of the soul, you can call it the [Gap],”

Lorenzo didn’t turn around, his voice slowly transmitted over.

”So you saw everything?”

Erin asked again.

”Yes, I saw everything.”

Lorenzo said as he slowly turned around.

He didn’t destroy Erin’s will; thus, under this incomplete [Gap] invasion, the memories Lorenzo saw were also incomplete.

They were just refractions of one micro after another, yet even from these leftover corners, Lorenzo saw it all clearly.

The twilight light shone on Lorenzo’s face, Erin was lost in thought, emotions intertwined, Lorenzo expressionlessly looked at Erin, but tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

”I trust you now, Erin Adler.”