本章概述：

????????????先知經(jīng)受了一場風(fēng)暴。

????????????In which a farseer weathers a storm.

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正文：

我的世界正備受靈能亂象的煎熬。

“梅內(nèi)薩！”

“現(xiàn)在不行，瑞亞！”我一邊偏折開一系列靈能沖擊中剛剛到來的那一陣，一邊大喊出這句話。

風(fēng)暴已經(jīng)降臨。正如我所預(yù)知的那樣。符文石表明風(fēng)暴的鋒面會自平原地帶向內(nèi)移動以穿過Mon-Keigh的巢都，而我本以為我們做好了準(zhǔn)備。可符文石根本沒有提到與暴風(fēng)雨一同入場的還有一陣該死的亞空間風(fēng)暴！

我手下的兩個先知已經(jīng)死了，他們的心智被過載的靈能所沖毀，倒在了我的腳邊。剩下的四個先知在我的帶領(lǐng)下已經(jīng)豎起了一層靈能掩體作為遮擋，掩護(hù)我們的狂嚎女妖部隊以及被一同派來的兩個連的守護(hù)者們免于被正以靈能閃電的形式燒灼著巢都和周圍的群山的騷動給撕裂開來。

“梅內(nèi)薩！”

“啥？！”我猛地回頭，瞪向了面色慘白的瑞亞。

“我們撐不了多久了，”瑞亞氣喘吁吁?！盁o論有沒有掩體，我的狂嚎女妖和守護(hù)者的心智都不像你的先知們的那樣全副武裝！”

“那就撤回網(wǎng)道里！”我在風(fēng)暴中大吼道?！俺坊匮隗w里，我必須留在外面以確保大門不被這風(fēng)暴所摧毀！”

“這太瘋狂了，妹妹！”瑞亞咆哮道?！澳汶y道感覺不到它嗎！巨蛇正在逼近這座悲慘的世界??？”

“我清楚得很！”我從緊咬著的牙關(guān)間擠出這句話來，與此同時另一陣靈能沖擊猛地砸上了我們的掩體。

其中一個先知跌跌撞撞，但還能站住腳跟，不過十分勉強，隨著一縷鮮血從他的鼻腔和一只耳朵里流出，我不由得皺起眉頭。我的注意力可能會衰退，我的心智才是抵擋這陣風(fēng)暴的雷霆萬鈞之勢的堡壘，其他先知們僅僅只是支撐柱而已。

“讓我們放棄這個蠢差事吧！”瑞亞大喊道，我能感到沮喪從她的身上流淌出來?！拔覀儚膩砭筒粦?yīng)該來到這個破地方！”

“我們不能讓這件事情不為人所知！”我終于轉(zhuǎn)過身去，將一部分寶貴的注意力從手頭的任務(wù)上轉(zhuǎn)移到我的姐姐身上?！叭绻阆刖瓦@么夾著尾巴逃跑的話就去吧！無論你是否在我身邊我都會承受這場風(fēng)暴，并找到真相！”

我預(yù)計姐姐的回答會是一陣狂怒，瑞亞從來都沒能很好地把控住自己的脾氣，而她在戰(zhàn)士神殿里度過的時光只會凸顯這一點，如若不是加重了她的本性的話。我試著不去想這幾個晝夜以來所經(jīng)歷的夢境：夢境中我的姐姐臉上戴著戰(zhàn)爭面具。我知道她的確會迷失在這里，我能確定這一點。我的姐姐會在這個世界上踏出進(jìn)入主教的領(lǐng)域真正意義上的第一步，在這里她將永遠(yuǎn)地迷失在這條道途上。

也許她離開的話是最好的情況。

“求求你，梅娜，”瑞亞懇求道，兒時用的孩子氣的稱呼驚訝到了我。

“這個世界已經(jīng)被詛咒了……巨蛇已經(jīng)往這世界上投下了祂的陰影，如果祂發(fā)現(xiàn)了我們……”

“巨蛇并不形單影只，”在回到自己的任務(wù)上前我堅定地說?！斑€有另一股力量在與饑渴女士交戰(zhàn)，我很確信這點?！?/p>

“另一個靈魂？”瑞亞難以置信地說出這句話。

我?guī)缀鯚o法責(zé)備她，若非親眼所見我也不會相信?？墒?，我能感受到至高天中的沖突……我能感到這場戰(zhàn)斗被打響，不可思議的力量被像平凡的武器一樣拋來拋去。

我想，這就是天堂之戰(zhàn)的樣子嗎？

“有什么能跟巨蛇戰(zhàn)斗？”瑞亞的語氣中帶著一絲恐懼?？窈颗运齻冊趹?zhàn)斗中的狂怒而聞名，可這是一場我的姐姐甚至不敢期望參加的戰(zhàn)斗。我們能做到頂多就是期盼在天堂中打得不可開交的兩個災(zāi)厄沒有注意到我們。

“它的另一個同類?！蔽揖o張地回答。

不過，那并不是另一名黑暗神祇。這點我可以肯定。如果真是那樣的話，這個世界現(xiàn)在就該化作了惡魔叢生的廢土。不，這股力量在根本上與巨蛇相悖：巨蛇攜來混亂之處，這股力量就帶來像是停滯一樣的事物……最為極端的秩序。

另一陣靈能閃電的炸響讓我倍感不安，在先知們癱倒在地時其中一個人發(fā)出了一聲極度痛苦的輕聲啜泣。隨著掩體的重壓在我身上愈發(fā)沉重，我呻吟起來，有那么一會兒我搖搖晃晃，視線開始出現(xiàn)重影，而后又加上了一重，我在口中嘗到了血的味道。

“不！”我大喊道，將心神猛地砸向沖擊著我的亞空間風(fēng)暴奔涌的狂風(fēng)?！澳悴粫玫轿覀?！我拒絕你！”

我怒吼出對巨蛇的蔑視，拒絕讓哪怕多一個靈魂落入它的血盆大口。

“我乃阿蘇焉之子！”我狂吼著踏出一步，以靈能力量將掩體移回原位?！拔夷?strong>艾達(dá)靈族！吾等為長子！而你必不能得到我們！”

隨我的挑釁狂吼而來的是在近乎永不停息的沖擊中極為短暫的一陣平靜，而壓力的突然消失幾乎令人喜出望外。可緊跟著的事物在我的體內(nèi)播下了深重的恐懼。

無窮盡的注視中細(xì)微的一瞥降在了我的靈魂上，剎那間我失明了。

金色。

我看見了金色、金色、還是金色，而即便風(fēng)暴已然減弱，我還是能感到剩下的先知們在短暫轉(zhuǎn)向我們的意志的重壓下倒塌。它的注視無比短暫……幾乎算不上匆匆一瞥，幸好隨后它就消失了……

隨之而去的還有風(fēng)暴。

解脫涌進(jìn)了我的四肢，在我跪倒在地時從中帶走了我所有的力量。如果我的姐姐沒有滑過砂石沖到我的身邊，我可能已經(jīng)在摔倒時把頭砸在了山巖上。

“梅娜！”瑞亞抱著我喊出我的名字，可我?guī)缀鯖]有注意到她?！懊纺龋“l(fā)生了什么？！”

“金色，”我喃喃道，眨著眼試圖驅(qū)散一只雙眼燃燒、頭頂戴著火冠的閃閃發(fā)光的猛禽的殘影?！拔铱匆娏?strong>金色……在城市中……綠潮涌動的鐵石之城……一朵白金的花朵與淡紫色的帶刺花卉相互纏繞……永遠(yuǎn)地纏繞在了一起，這不能被允許……不能被容忍……不——不能——”

我語無倫次地吐出這些話語，幾乎無法記住自己在說什么，更不用說我的意思了，但我看見我的姐姐一邊點頭一邊輕柔地把我放躺在地上。

“帶她去休息，”瑞亞輕聲說，她的嗓音越來越小，仿佛本人飄到了很遠(yuǎn)的地方?！拔視业侥菐锥浠ā缓蟀阉鼈冞B根斬斷?！?/p>

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原文：

My world was a torment of psychic chaos.

“Menesa!”

“Not?now, Rhea!” I snarled the words out as I deflected the latest in a series of psychic onslaughts.

A storm had arrived, just as I had foreseen it. The runestones told of a weatherfront moving inwards from the plains to cross the?Mon-Keigh?Hive and I thought we were prepared for it. The runestones had?not?mentioned anything about a bloody warpstorm moving in along with the regular one!

Two of my Seers were dead, their minds blitzed to incognition by psychic overload, and laid at my feet. The four remaining Seers, led by myself, had erected a psychic veil to cover us, shielding our host of Banshees, along with the two companies of Guardians sent along with us and my harridan of a sister, from being torn apart by the psychic tumult that was currently scorching the Hive and the mountains surrounding it with psychic lightning.

“Menesa!”

“WHAT?!” I snapped glaring back at Rhea who looked pallid and drawn.

“We cannot hold much longer,” Rhea gasped. “Veil or no, my Banshees’ and the Guardians’ minds are not armoured as your Seers’ are!”

“Then fall back through the webway!” I shouted over the storm. “Retreat into cover, I have to remain out here to ensure the portal is not destroyed by this storm!”

“This is madness, sister!” Rhea roared. “Can you not feel It!? The Great Serpent looms over this wretched world!”

“I am?well aware!” I bit the words out through gritted teeth as another psychic blow hammers our veil.

One of the Seers stumbled but kept his feet, but only barely, and I winced as a trickle of bright blood ran from his nose and one of his ears. I could let my concentration falter, my mind was the bulwark against the thunderous force of this storm, the seers were merely the supporting struts.

“Let us abandon this fool’s errand!” Rhea shouted, and I could feel her frustration bleeding off of her. “We never should have come to this blighted world!”

“We cannot allow this matter to remain unknown!” I finally turned, bending a precious amount of my concentration away from my task to focus on my sister. “If you wish to flee with your tail tucked and your head bowed then go! I will weather this storm and find the truth with you by my side or not!”

The response I expected from sister was fury, Rhea had never had the strongest grip on her temper, and her time with the Shrine had only highlighted it, if not exacerbated her nature. I tried not to think of the dreams I’d had these past cycles; the dreams of my sister’s warmask being her face. I know it is true that she will lose herself here, of that I am certain. This world was where my sister would take her first true steps into the realm of the Exarch, where she would lose herself forever to the Path.

Perhaps it was best if she left.

“Please, Mena,” Rhea pleaded, surprising me with the childish name of our youth. “This world is cursed… the Serpent has cast Her shadow over this world and if She finds us…”

“The Serpent is not alone,” I said firmly before turning back to my task. “There is another power warring against She Who Thirsts, I’m certain of it.”

“Another soul?” Rhea spoke the words in patent disbelief.

I hardly blamed her. I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t been witness to it myself. I could feel the conflict in the Empyrean, though… I could feel the battle being waged, and the impossible power being thrown about like common weapons-fire.

Is this what the War in Heaven was like, I wonder?

“What could battle the Serpent?” Rhea spoke with an edge of fear in her voice. Banshees were known for their fury in battle, but this was not a fight my sister could even hope to participate in. The best any of us could do was hope that the two calamities battling it out in the Heavens did not notice us.

“Another of its ilk,” I replied tightly.

It was not one of the other Dark Gods, though. I’m certain of that. If that were the case, this world would be a daemon-infested wasteland by now. No, this power is opposed to the Serpent on a fundamental level; where It brings chaos, this force brings something like stagnation… order in the most terrible extreme.

Another crash of psychic lightning put me on my heels, and a quiet sob of agony escaped one of my remaining seers as they crumpled to the ground. I groaned as the weight of the veil fell even more heavily on me and for a moment I staggered, my vision doubled, then tripled, and I tasted blood in my mouth.

“NO!” I shouted and hammered my mind back against the torrential winds of the warpstorm that battered me. “You will not have us! I deny you!”

I howled my defiance against the Great Serpent, refusing to allow even one more soul to fall into its maw.

“I am?Asuryani!” I roared as I took a step forward, moving the veil back into position by main psychic force. “I am?AELDARI! WE ARE THE FIRSTBORN! AND YOU SHALL NOT HAVE US!”

With my defiant snarls came the briefest lull in the near-constant fusillades washing over me, and the sudden lack of pressure was almost a feeling of ecstasy in and of itself. What followed on its heels, though, was something that seeded a deep and terrible fear within me.

A mote of infinite regard fell upon my soul and briefly, I was?blinded.

Gold.

I saw gold and gold and gold, and even though the weight of the storm had abated I couldfeel my remaining seers collapsing under the weight of the mind that briefly turned to us. Its attention was minute… barely a passing glance, and then it was mercifully gone…?

And the storm with it.

Relief flooded my limbs, taking all strength from them as I fell to my knees. I might have dashed my skull against the mountain stones if my sister hadn’t lept to my side, skidding across the grit and rock to catch me as I toppled.

“Mena!” Rhea cried my name out as she cradled me but I was barely even aware of her. “Mena! What happened?!”

“Gold,” I mumbled, trying to blink away the afterimage of a burning, predatory avian regarding me with burning eyes and crown of fire upon its brow. “I saw?gold… in the city… the city of stone and metal where the green tide surges… a flower of white gold and a thorny bloom of pale lavender entwined… forever entwined, this cannot be allowed… cannot be permitted… c-cannot-”

The words tumbled out of me in an incoherent mess, I couldn't even keep track of what I was saying much less what I meant, but I saw my sister nod as she laid me down gently on the ground.

“Take her to rest,” Rhea said quietly, and her voice was fading as if she was drifting a great distance away. “We will find these flowers… and I will cut them at the root.”

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