The confinement room is completely different from what they imagined.

Speaking of confinement, Oliver's mind unsurprisingly came to the cell in the Wither Castle, and he calmly stuffed this thought into the back of his mind. And Nemo's mind was full of the cobwebbed storage room at the Wright Orphanage - when he had a big accident before, old Patrick would always take them by the collar and throw them in, and they wouldn't come out until all the potatoes were peeled.

And the confinement room at Clements College was neither damp and dark, nor full of cobwebs and dust. It looks like a part of the library, square and square, and the ink bottles and quills on the round table in the center are neatly arranged. The new sheets of paper were piled up in piles, smooth and firm to the touch. The atmosphere here is very light, there should be few people coming, but there is not a single bit of dust on the table.

The layout here is very interesting, except that the wall at the entrance is full of portraits, and the other three walls are full of books. The wall facing the door protrudes inward, forming a perfect arc. They quickly figured out the purpose of this thing - as long as the brass lever next to it is pulled to the position engraved with a specific profession, the curved book wall will slowly rotate, displaying all the books related to this profession.

The remaining two book walls are a bit special. One side is pure black like charcoal powder, and the other side is clean white. There is only one name on the monotonous spine, followed by a line of small print.

Nimo happened to be leaning on the white side, he took the book, and immediately found that there was no paper between the book covers, but a liquid like mercury. He looked at it suspiciously for a while, and finally decided to open it.

The mercury-like liquid seemed to regain its gravity in an instant and slammed onto the smooth floor. A mist of flickering silver light rose into the air, and a "person" appeared in front of Nemo. His face was very clear, but it didn't reveal the slightest bit of life peculiar to living creatures. The silhouette of the man occasionally trembled, overflowing with a few traces of colored mist.

It is illusion.

The bearded man formed by the illusion was flushed red, the gorgeous clothes were bulged by the stomach, and the buttons seemed to be stretched out in the next second. His gaze passed through Nemo and cast into the void not far away, with a warm smile filling his face. Nemo looked the man up and down for a while, took a deep breath in the vision of the man, and when he looked like he was about to speak, Nemo snapped the book seal in his hand.

The illusion disappears instantly. The silver mist whizzed into the book cover and condensed into a quivering, metallic liquid again.

"Glory record." Oliver leaned over and read the words on the bronze medal not far away. "This is what it says - 'Listen to the teachings of successful people, and experience the joy of piety and justice. These memories and emotions are voluntarily disclosed by their masters. May the glory of Zeni live on.'"

He also took out a copy and opened it, this time a short old man with white hair and beard appeared. Unlike Nemo, Oliver gave the phantom time to speak - but there were no big surprises, and the old man was like a real professor, gently speaking about his understanding of life. Oliver shrugged and was about to close the book when the old man reached out and touched the back of his hand.

Oliver took a step back and shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Nemo was busy putting the white book in his hand back on the shelf, he turned his head hard.

"The memory fragment, the emotional kind." Oliver touched the goose bumps on his arm. "I know very well that it's not mine—like attaching to someone else to feel those things. I think it's for educational purposes." His tongue was a little knotted. "But it's really weird, do you want to try it?"

Nemo shook his head quickly, just his own memory fragment was enough for him, he didn't want to put some other people's memory into his head to experience.

"Generally speaking, it's all positive feelings." Oliver exhaled slowly, "As expected of Clement, this thing is indeed more useful than preaching."

"I guess that wall is negative." Nemo pointed to the black book, "Since there are positive cases, there must be negative ones."

"Confessions." Oliver squinted his neck and wisely didn't touch it. "Congratulations, you got it right."

After figuring out all the organs in the room, the two quickly lost interest in the confinement room.

"Let's finish what we have to write first." Nemo pulled a long roll of parchment and dipped the tip of his pen in ink. "Well, there's a couch there—it won't be too hard tonight."

The lightness on Oliver's face finally disappeared, he took down a stack of thick books from the curved wall with a frown, and moved it to his seat. By the time Oliver put the book down, Nemo had already written a long paragraph. And when he finished flipping through the book and was about to write, his lover had already written a whole piece of paper and was blowing wet ink with his mouth.

Oliver: "…"

He was about to open his mouth to make a joke, but his eyes were drawn again by the wall full of white books behind Nemo. I don't know if it was his hallucination, but a white book above the bookshelf kept flickering, switching quickly between black and white, even a little dazzling.

"What about that book?" Oliver pointed with his quill in the direction behind Nemo.

"Oh, that book." Nemo raised his head slightly and wrinkled his nose. "That should be in the confession record, maybe someone put it wrong."

"..." Oliver was stunned for a few seconds, "Did you see a black book?"

"Isn't it?" Nemo responded blankly.

Oliver pulled back the stool and decided to escape for a few minutes before reporting. He returned to the wall full of white books, ignored the ladder next to him, kicked the ground directly, and accurately fished out the strange book. Stepping to Nemo's side, Oliver supported the table top with one hand, turned the book over naturally with the other hand, and swept his gaze to the name on the spine of the book.

Then his body stiffened.

Seeing Oliver's strange reaction, Nemo ignored the report he just wrote and stuck his head over. In his eyes, there was nothing special about this black book. The spine was also embroidered with names and brief introductions with gold thread—until he could see the contents of those words.

"...I remember correctly, this is Godwin Lopez's father? Your..."

"Yes." Oliver squinted his eyes and tried his best to empty his mind, the book flashing in his hand finally stopped in white. After taking a deep breath, Oliver carefully opened the book cover.

The figure of a judge knight appeared in the air. Dark blond hair and green eyes very similar to Oliver's. There was no smile on Emmanuel's phantom face, and the whole person's temperament was cold and melancholy.

In fact, his eyebrows and eyes did look very much like the Flint they knew. But the completely different temperament almost covers up this resemblance, and it is funny that Oliver's temperament is closer to the phantom in front of him than Flint.

Flint Lopez — aka "Piper Ramon" as they knew it — was a little over-enthusiastic, more talkative than Oliver, and more scorching sharp . Oliver's temperament is much softer, and the person in front of him is the other extreme. Emmanuel looks like a blood-stained dagger.

The two stared silently at Emmanuel Lopez's apparition. Oliver's breathing was visibly quicker - the undead with the same blood was standing in front of him, and this was the first time he really realized the existence of this relative.

Father's younger brother.

The image of Emmanuel opens his mouth and spits out a dry sermon. The phantom's face still lacked the emotions that humans should have, and his voice was much lower than Flint's. Oliver pursed his lips and snapped the book, dispelling the phantom.

He thought for a moment, and handed the book to his lover: "Nimo, what you see is black, right, you try it."

Nemo didn't ask any further questions, just took the book and opened it neatly - his movements were so fast that he almost overturned the ink bottle on the side of his sleeve.

The figure appeared again. Emmanuel Lopez looked the same as before, Oliver scratched his head, and was about to study the book again when Emmanuel's phantom spoke.

This utterance is not a sermon.

"You are very strong." The phantom said gloomily, and like the previous phantom, his gaze penetrated the two people in front of him, and cast his eyes loosely into the void. "You saw through its disguise, didn't you?"

Oliver and Nemo looked at each other quickly.

"Instead of those useless words, I wish to use my memory to warn you - no matter who you are, young man in the confinement room. I hereby pray, please don't walk on and Same path as mine. If you're concerned about your strength, if you're moping in the world..."

"It's important to remember that some things are irreparable and once you start you can't go back. Allow me to tell you that."

The phantom stretched out its right hand and stayed in the air, a cold invitation gesture.

Oliver stared at the hand and wiped his face. He recalled for a moment what Elmer had told him about the Lopez brothers—and honestly, he wasn't clinging to the past. And at this moment, the past found him.

Nemo let out a small sigh, grabbed Oliver's wrist, and kissed his finger.

"Let's go together." Nemo whispered, "We made an appointment to find out about your father, and there may be clues here."

Oliver nodded silently, his fingers brushed the other's warm and soft lips, and then he and Nemo touched the right hand made of smoke and covered in armor.

They bet right that these memories are indeed related to Oliver's father. It would be better to say that 90% of those memories were about Flint Lopez. The pain that Emanuel infuses into the book is so real that Nemo's eyes are almost blackened by the agonizing pain. It was not sudden suffering, but long-lasting, suffocating depression.

Flint Lopez was a lucky man from a young age, loved by God. Even if he trips over a stone, he can find a bit of expensive crushed ore from the cracks in the stone. With this terrifying fortune, after losing his parents in the war, he and his younger brother successfully escaped from the war-torn village and survived in a small town near Clement.

He took all the pressure, and he was a young child, but he just pulled Emmanuel up. He was a warm, beloved, amazing brother.

Young Emmanuel worshipped such a brother purely. Alban prohibits child labor in principle, and he is too introverted to get a day labor that can subsidize the family with his articulate mouth like his brother.

So he had to work harder, absorbing all the knowledge around him like a sponge. Emmanuel sharpened a wooden sword himself and practiced day and night. The blood blisters burst and crusted over, and sweat seeped into them, causing pain like sandpaper friction, but he insisted—as long as he could get the idea of ​​the local bishop and get funding, his brother wouldn't continue to work so hard.

His efforts paid off, but he wasn't alone in being funded.

"Hey, Iman, we can go to school together!" Flint, who was still a teenager, screamed and turned around with his brother in his arms. "I didn't expect to meet such a generous nobleman, I tell you..."

His brother is a genius.

Despite being crushed by poverty, his brother laughed fearlessly. With little effort, Flint easily caught up with Emanuel's years of hard work in a matter of days.

A genius loved by fate.

I deeply love my brother, and this love has not become weak. But something else slipped in, sour and desperate—it was jealousy, thought fellow teen Emmanuel, jealous without a doubt. And the thought suffocated him.

His brother could have been a hero. If he had left the burden of himself, it is estimated that he would have been discovered by discerning nobles or priests earlier. And the self who was sacrificed like this was shamelessly jealous of the other party—

A deeper guilt followed, and he pressed them all to the bottom of his heart. He continued to practice hard day and night, daring not to stop, for fear that his strength would be left behind by his brother. His desperate efforts did pay off - Emmanuel's combat power was chasing Flint, but there was always a subtle gap that couldn't be bridged.

But he has no time to despair.

Emmanuel even felt a dark relief after the unexpected death of the bishop who funded him. Maybe he can get out of this desperate chase and become the one who supports his brother in turn. His sun-like brother was finally able to gain real freedom.

"You continue to read, I'll be a mercenary. Anyway, it's a matter of time." But Flint said so. "Iman, I'm not suitable to be... um, the guardian of where I am. I have confidence! Even if the noble master will take a part of the commission, the rest will be no problem for you to read!"

Flint is a person who likes to kill first and then play. When he said this, he had even completed the final withdrawal procedure.

"You must be a great person, Iman." His brother patted him on the shoulder, "You are much more responsible than me, I..."

Emmanuel did not listen to the latter words. The long chase was finally over, and he was a little dazed. The elder brother stopped, and he will continue to move forward. The jealousy that had been holding him down had dissipated a little, but the guilt was accumulating. He couldn't say anything but gave Flint a tight hug.

"You have to be careful." He forced a sentence out of his throat.

But Flint's fortune didn't end there.

The Tin Soldiers Mercenary Group developed at an abnormal speed, and the members included the strong of all races. Instead of stopping, his brother was like a phoenix rushing out of the cage, and the burning flame almost dyed the entire sky red.

Flint Lopez became a legend. Emmanuel successfully graduated and became the youngest judge knight in history.

The development looks perfect from the outside.

But that subtle feeling of jealousy and despair could not be eliminated. From time to time his brother would send letters full of joy, with rare stones or flowers. When he slaughtered an alien village, when he inserted a sword into a child's chest.

He shouldn't feel jealous, it was wrong, Emanuel kept repeating to himself.

At least he hopes for the happiness of his brother from the heart, he should not become a filth under that light. He has to be an upright man and take his responsibilities. If you can't get rid of even such an ugly thought...

Emmanuel Lopez hated those letters from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn't help smiling and enjoying the last light in his life. Maybe his world will continue to exist in such a paradoxical way until he finds the answer that will set him free.

So Emmanuel follows the "perfect" life trajectory, has an emotionless political marriage with the nobles, and has a planned powerful descendant. He pressed his love, obsession and dark thoughts into the deepest part of his soul, living like a codebook that would have walked.

But just as the young Knight Commander of Judgement was ready to accept reality, his sun went out - the Tin Soldier Mercenary regiment was almost wiped out in the abyss expedition.

At the same time, the prophecy that symbolized the end was born.

It's okay, Emanuel believed so at first. His brother will definitely come out of this misery and make a comeback. And the elder brother's wife is already pregnant, and the child is 80% inseparable from the prophecy.

It was Flint Lopez after all.

But this time Emanuel guessed wrong.

The wife of Flint Lopez died suddenly of a sudden illness, killing two people. His brother quietly retired, no longer sending letters to him, disappeared completely, and his life and death are unknown. Not long after that, rumors spread around Alban that the leader of the Tin Soldier mercenary regiment was "incapable of making a name for himself".

This time, the chase between brothers is finally over, in the way he least wants to see it. Something absolutely happened at the bottom of the abyss, and no matter what happened, it completely destroyed his brother.

Embracing cold hatred, Emmanuel Lopez fell into a long numbness, guilt ivy around his heart. Even in his wife's room, when he heard his son's first cry after he was born, he still couldn't squeeze out any warmth-related feelings from his heart.

Then he felt the power. Incredibly powerful, pure power.

He had a miracle, amazing power, and no physical defects. He was holding his son in his arms, and the baby was still stained with blood—

"My lord, my lord!" the therapist called anxiously, "You have to lend me a little strength, Madame is in a very bad situation. Lord Lopez—"

The content of the prophecy in his mind made Emmanuel's half-stretched hand stop in the air. His wife was gasping for breath and nearly lost consciousness. Her lips were horribly bluish-white, and her body twitched.

He may or may not be able to save her. but if…

Emanuel's hands trembled a little, and the guilt that had accumulated for several years finally erupted at this moment, tearing his soul in half.

The elder brother's child has died, and the elder brother loves his wife so much that he will never marry again. If this is...

As if there was another self whispering in his ear, the darkness almost drowned his vision. Emanuel looked down at the blood-stained baby in his arms, and suddenly gave a stiff smile.

Instead of reaching out, he turned his face to the therapist.

"My wife died suddenly after giving birth." The Knight Commander's eyes glowed with the golden color of a Charm Charm. "Only this child survived."

The woman on the bed twitched a few times at the end, but did not move. Emmanuel pressed a hand to the baby's forehead and lowered his gaze—

The prophecy begins to be fulfilled. In the frantic thoughts, he gently closed his eyes.

"Listen," he whispered to the baby. "You must destroy the Abyss, Godwin."

(m..=)