Chapter 1008
[The Son of the First Return: Lupercal Abraham]
Chapter 1008 [The Son of the First Return: Lupercal Abraham]
Xia Xiu stared ahead.
The "wall of the heart" stood tall, like a transparent yet unshakeable crystal wall, with a towering "spider" behind it resembling a skyscraper, crawling with shadows and an aura of indifference. The air was oppressively heavy, as if even breathing was being blocked.
He paused for a moment, then slowly raised the [Lever of Heaven] in his hand.
"...Then let's give it a try."
As he whispered, the [End Elements] within him began to surge. It wasn't the rush of blood, but a systemic rhythm, like invisible mechanical modules, spontaneously piecing together and responding layer by layer.
A mechanical prompt echoed in the void.
[Detected: [Celestial Lever] has manipulated the rule section: Supreme Divinity (God of All Machines) —]
[Leveraging: Stealing God's Authority]
[Divine Liberation Mode Detected]
[Authoritarian Domain Detected: The Key to the End—]
The next instant, the silver staff twisted in his hand, spiraling around.
A burst of light and flame suddenly erupted, and spiraling metal lines intertwined to form a double-pronged spear.
【——Heavenly Spiral (Mini Version)】
Because he lacked the Gospel Machine, he was unable to activate the Gospel Program to construct the complete [Heavenly Spiral Spear].
Even though it was only a "mini version," the solemn and sacred aura still made the space tremble slightly.
Xia Xiu held the double-helix spear firmly in his hand.
According to the theory of the Tactical Theology Department, the "Barrier of the Heart" is essentially a branch of the Ajiba Field.
All those who are crowned and bear the weight of miracles can project their power in the field of Ajiba.
As a "miracle wedge," the lever itself is one of the highest symbols of the Ajiba field, possessing the ability to directly intervene in and even "pry open" barriers.
Without any unnecessary movements, he simply raised his wrist slightly and then threw it out suddenly.
--call out!
The spiraling spear ripped through the air with a piercing shriek. The entire space trembled, as if even the heavens themselves were being pulled along by that all-pervading force.
The next instant, it crashed heavily onto the slalom field surrounding the boy.
boom!
The transparent barrier rippled with twisting waves, like water being struck by a boulder, yet as hard as crystal, emitting a high-pitched and low-pitched sound. Ripples and cracks intertwined, as if the world itself was being forcibly rewritten.
click-
The barrier could not hold on any longer. The twin spears, with the power to tear apart cause and effect, pierced through it and into the giant spider-like shadow behind it, which was as tall as a skyscraper.
“Ahhhh——————”
—A sudden wail arose.
It wasn't physical pain, but a agonizing cry of a torn spirit. The spider's voice was like the overlapping cries of countless children and the elderly, disordered and fragmented, shaking the very fabric of space.
Xia Xiu stared silently, his golden pupils unblinking.
When the barriers crumble, the boundaries between self and other are torn apart.
The root of life's suffering lies in the separation between the "individual" and the "other," and this separation is the symbol of a barrier. To preserve themselves, individuals erect barriers and resist the world. But once these barriers are breached by external forces, the individual is exposed to an infinite number of others—that fear, that naked powerlessness, is precisely what the boy is feeling at this moment.
The spider, in particular, is the embodiment of a barrier. It is enormous and indifferent, yet it tightly surrounds itself.
It is both "protection" and "cage," a true shadow in psychology—the most feared, least willing to admit, yet most real existence within an individual's heart.
At this moment, the spiral spear pierced not only the barrier and the monster, but also the boy's inner shadow.
At that wailing cry, Lupercal trembled, blood and tears streaming from his eyes. For the first time, he felt that beyond the walls, there existed a "patriarchal other," using force to dismantle his cage.
The spider's massive body convulsed violently as the spear pierced through it, letting out a final hiss.
Then, the enormous shadow twisted and contracted like smoke, turning into countless black threads that gradually wrapped around the boy's left eye.
Lupercal jerked his head back, his body trembling slightly.
He could feel the burning pain flowing from his eyes, yet an unprecedented clarity welled up in his heart.
—That high "barrier of the heart" has shattered.
For the first time, the surrounding air, the night, and the ruins no longer felt cold and isolating, but rather rushed straight towards him, carrying a heavy, complex, yet undeniably real weight. He could hear the distant howling wind, the subtle sound of dust falling, and even feel the temperature of every breath of air brushing against his skin.
The world, for the first time, rushed into his senses in its entirety.
He raised his eyes in a daze.
A blond youth stood not far away, holding a silver scepter, approaching from behind the light.
Lupercal knelt on the blood-red remains of the five-pointed star, his chest heaving violently.
His eyes can see things that others cannot.
Behind the man in front of him was a golden sun. Its intense light did not burn him, but instead made him feel a long-lost warmth.
That was the first time he had ever felt true "closeness".
It wasn't feigned concern, nor an empty smile, but an indescribable sense of familiarity, deeply ingrained in our blood.
The blond man stood silently, his gaze as cold as a sword, yet beneath that coldness lay a profound compassion. His golden eyes fell upon the boy, as if scrutinizing him, yet also accepting him.
Lupercal's heart skipped a beat.
Fear, bewilderment, dependence, and longing all intertwined, making his breathing rapid. Tears streamed down the bloodstains, but they were not tears of pain; rather, they were tears of an uncontrollable, instinctive release.
His lips trembled, and he finally murmured:
"Who…are you?"
The ruins remained silent under the cover of night.
Xia Xiu did not immediately respond to the boy's trembling question, but simply raised his hand and waved it. The double-helix spear embedded in the "Barrier of the Heart" in the distance trembled slightly, transformed into a golden stream of light, and returned to his hand, shrinking in his palm to become the silver [Lever of Heaven]. In his hand, that scepter was like the only fulcrum between heaven and earth, stable and cold.
He walked up to Lupercal, his golden eyes still fixed on the boy.
Then, he slowly extended his hand.
Lupercal stared blankly at the hand, a thousand-pound weight pressing on his chest. He was afraid, he was confused, he dared not touch that dazzling presence.
In the end, he still reached out his hand, trembling, and it was firmly grasped by that firm palm.
The force was very gentle, but enough to make him stand up.
Xia Xiu's voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable weight:
"What's your name?"
The boy's throat was dry, and he coughed up with difficulty:
“...Luppercar”.
Xia Xiu nodded, his gaze falling on him:
“Luppercar Abraham—from now on, that will be your full name.”
Lupercal looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with confusion and fear: "Wh...what?"
The master of the courtyard had a cold expression, but his tone was as steady as iron:
“My name is Hugh Abraham; from this moment on, you will bear my surname—you will be my child.”
Lupercal stood frozen in place, his mind filled with countless unfamiliar sounds.
His lips parted, but no sound came out. Fear, unease, and even a hint of bewildered anger mingled within him.
He didn't understand...why?
Why me of all people?
Why would someone like myself be given the other person's name?
He didn't yet understand words like "identity" or "belonging," but his instincts screamed: the blond man's words, like an iron law, dragged his existence out of the shadows of isolation, giving him a new name, a new sense of belonging.
But his mind was in complete chaos.
—That is the childlike struggle of awakening the "barrier of the heart".
After everything that happened tonight, deep inside Lupercal, the world was split in two.
Half is "good" and half is "bad".
Just like the worldview of an infant in the oral stage, his parents were both the ones who provided food and care, and the violent ones who beat and kicked him and forced him to read the book "The Secret of the Stars".
He both craved that dependence and was pushed into the abyss by that hurt.
Thus, he constructed the most primitive object division in his mind—everything in front of him was not the parents as a whole, but "good parents" and "bad parents," two opposing images tearing at his mind.
In fact, from the moment he was born until now, he has been struggling in the binary relationship of "parents as protectors/as sources of harm". This primal split has become the core of his identity and interpersonal relationship development obstacles.
Today, this division has been pushed to its extreme.
When Xia Xiu reached out and pulled him up, his hands were firm and strong, bringing a long-lost sense of security. He almost wanted to rush over and cling to that strength like a child clinging to its mother's embrace.
But at the same time, the other half of his mind was screaming: This is just another face!
Just like how a parent's initial care can instantly turn into harm.
Dependence means betrayal, and affection means tearing apart.
He feared that behind every act of gentleness lay sharp teeth.
Thus, fear and desire collided, scraping against his heart like a sharp blade, making him tremble uncontrollably.
This contradiction tore him apart to the point of almost screaming.
He opened his mouth, but the sound got stuck in his throat, like a baby whimpering when faced with breast milk, unsure whether to cry or laugh.
In the midst of all this struggle, he felt for the first time that the "barrier of the heart" was surging again—this thing was never a barrier to protect the world, but rather a crack to protect himself.
Xia Xiu stood quietly in place, his silver cane hanging at his side, his golden pupils fixed on the boy in front of him.
He had already seen Lupercal's contradiction—the struggle between a desire to depend on someone and an instinctive resistance, a split that was almost heart-wrenching.
That wasn't ordinary fear, but rather the manifestation of an inner mechanism.
—"The Barrier of the Heart".
It makes Lupercal show a dual face when facing others: wanting to reach out and grasp the warmth of redemption, but fearing the shadow behind that warmth in the next second.
This is a child's nature.
It is also the characteristic and unique mark of the first son Xia Xiu found—this is the source of his power.
Xia Xiu did not offer any words of comfort; he simply waited quietly.
Premature intervention will only disrupt a child's choices, while true growth must come from making decisions between oneself and fear.
As the night wind blew, in the shadows of the ruins, Lupercal's breathing quickened, and unfamiliar emotions surged in his eyes. He seemed to be standing on the edge of a cliff, about to fall at any moment.
Xia Xiu's figure was like a pillar standing under the sky, neither urging nor forcing, but simply watching him with silent pressure and profound compassion.
As the first truly successful perfect embryo, Lupercart exhibited unparalleled uniqueness.
Xia Xiu didn't know which of the four monarchs was the child's creation, so he had to treat the child with the utmost care, like a strict father.
Lupercal's eyes still held traces of bloodshot. He gazed silently at Xia Xiu, his lips trembling as he spoke in a low voice:
"My... parents, I killed them."
Xia Xiu gripped his silver cane, his gaze darkening, but he showed no surprise, simply replying calmly:
“Those are no longer your parents. Their outward appearances may still be there, but you should have realized long ago that their souls have died. You saw it all, yet you let them take whatever they wanted, until the very end.”
Lupercal's body trembled slightly, silence enveloping his thin shoulders. He gritted his teeth, seemingly resisting, yet also enduring.
Finally, he raised his head, his eyes filled with a kind of torn, yearning.
"Then...who is the real murderer?"
Xia Xiu looked at the child meaningfully, then said:
"The Fifth Church, a unique ideological entity, a virus parasitizing civilization."
Lupercal paused for a moment, a look of confusion and bewilderment flashing in his eyes, but he still nodded as if he understood.
He stared into Xia Xiu's golden eyes, his voice hoarse:
"Follow you, inherit your name, become your child... will that be enough to kill it?"
Xia Xiu's expression changed slightly; he had discovered a second characteristic in Lupercal.
First, Lupercal possessed a childlike pride and a thirst for recognition; at the same time, he was also quite cold and hard.
Xia Xiu only hoped that his coldness and hardness wouldn't reach the point of bloodlust—he didn't want his firstborn son to be tainted by the tyrannical habits of the Blood God.
So he gazed at the child for a long time, and what he saw was a spark that was still flickering, but had already begun to burn.
After a moment, he sighed softly:
"You can give it a try."
As he finished speaking, Lupercal lowered his head, as if finally freed from some invisible shackle. His breathing was even, but his voice trembled with emotion.
“I understand… Father.”
Then, the son who had returned home looked at his adoptive parents.
"I want to... bury them."
Xia Xiu gazed at him silently, his golden pupils reflecting the boy's figure. After a moment, he nodded, his voice low and steady:
Go ahead. I'll wait for you.
The moment he received permission, Lupercal's figure stiffened as if a heavy burden had been lifted, then he slowly took a step. His small figure, casting a long shadow, walked to the remains of the "parents."
Silent and speechless, he dug into the cold soil with his bare hands, dust filling his fingernails and causing his nails to crack, but he never stopped.
The movements were clumsy, yet they conveyed a stubborn devotion.
Xia Xiu stood with his hands behind his back, his silver cane trembling slightly in the wind. He did not disturb him, but simply watched quietly.
Just then, a phantom image of Amund appeared beside him.
"This child... has a particular characteristic in his temperament that is worth noting."
Xia Xiu tilted his head slightly, not interrupting, but simply listening.
Amund spoke slowly:
"He is attached to the past and unwilling to let go. Even though the shell of his parents has long become a parasite of the Fifth Truth, he still wants to dig a grave for it."
This is nostalgia.
From a human perspective, it prevents him from becoming completely cold and hardened, allowing him to maintain a certain foundation. But from a utilitarian perspective, this is both an advantage and a fatal flaw.
The phantom's eyes narrowed slightly, as if piercing through the night:
"His strengths lie in his ability to not easily betray allies or abandon others for personal gain. For the legion you are building in the future, such a person is a natural cohesive force, and soldiers will feel secure because of him. However, his weaknesses are equally obvious—he is too attached to emotions and the past, making him easily manipulated and controlled."
He paused for a moment, then said:
"In other words, he is not the kind of tool that can be easily ground into an iron body. His temperament will allow him to show extraordinary will at certain crucial moments, but will also reveal fatal flaws at other crucial moments."
(End of this chapter)