Twilight of the Gods

Eunice stepped outside. Today, she was dressed in a pink overcoat and leather boots, a black handbag over her shoulder. Her chestnut, shoulder-length hair seemed to ripple with a soft sheen under the sunlight. Her outfit suited her remarkably well, perfectly balancing mature elegance with sweet, youthful charm. Furthermore, during their last meeting, she had worn black—a protective shield meant to maintain distance. It was easy to imagine that when that first blind date was arranged, she had harbored some resistance in her heart. This time, however, she had chosen softer colors, indicating a desire to draw closer to him and a genuine fondness for the time they spent together. Karen smiled slightly. He felt that applying this sort of professional analysis was rather unromantic. Though this blind date had been orchestrated by his grandfather, and judging by Madam Jenny's attitude, Eunice had likely received instructions from her family as well, Karen still wanted to make everything unfold as delightfully as possible. He owed that responsibility to her, and to himself. "Mr. Karen, you're here. Allow me to introduce you. This is my mother." "Standing together, you two look more like sisters." A line for flattering mothers-in-law that would have been thoroughly cliché in his past life still possessed a fair degree of freshness in this era. "Oh, ho ho ho..." Madam Jenny could not help laughing once more. "Mother, Mr. Karen is praising your youth." "Of course I understand that," Madam Jenny said, then cautioned them, "Be safe." "We will." Right after, Madam Jenny turned her gaze toward Karen, raising a finger to point at him. Realizing the gesture was somewhat improper, she drew back her finger and curled it into a fist. "You must bring Eunice back safely before dark." "Rest assured, Madam." Karen took the initiative to open the passenger door. "Thank you." Eunice sat inside. Karen got into the driver's seat and started the car. Just as they were about to drive out of Rhine Street, Karen remarked: "Oh, right. Mina wasn't feeling well, so she couldn't make it." "Oh..." Eunice covered her mouth, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. Strictly speaking, she should have been the one to ask about Mina first. Seeing Karen's amused look, she puffed her cheeks slightly and confessed quite candidly: "I knew Mina wouldn't come." "Yes, she's a sensible, obedient little sister." "And one of my finest students." They were both grown adults; some things went without saying. "By the way, I really loved the poetry collection you had Mina bring over to me, Mr. Karen. 'Stray birds of summer come to my window to sing and fly away. And yellow leaves of autumn, which have no songs, flutter and fall there with a sigh.' Such a beautiful image, Mr. Karen." Last time, Eunice had gifted Mina a family-crested wallet, so Karen had naturally returned the courtesy with a cat-shaped pendant attached to an exquisite notebook. Inside, Karen had copied down quite a few poems by Tagore. "Thank you, though a person's inner spirit doesn't always match who they are. Especially with poetry, which is often just a momentary daydream. Most of the time, I can hardly maintain that state of mind. "It's just like how this world has wind, clouds, rain, fog, and frost. Our lives are enriched by their presence, yet also made complicated by them, preventing us from ever staying truly pure." "You put that wonderfully, Mr. Karen." "You can call me Karen, and I'll call you Eunice." "Alright." "Mr. Karen... Karen, are you religious?" From Purr, Karen had learned that the Allen family did not have a specific religious tradition. They were quite democratic when it came to faith; children were free to choose their beliefs according to their own inclinations once they came of age. This differed sharply from the prevailing custom where an entire household adhered to a single faith. "I'm afraid I haven't found my faith yet," Karen said. "I think I'd rather walk a few more roads, see a bit more of the world, and let myself mature and settle down a little longer. "Once that time comes, I'll probably have the understanding needed to choose a faith that truly suits me." "Really? Just like me, Karen." "Is that so? Which church interests you most, then?" "Hmm? Why ask me that?" "I thought I might deepen my understanding of it." "Wait, isn't faith something you're supposed to seek out on your own, just as you said? Don't tell me your words just now didn't count?" "Ah, but I believe the god I am destined to believe in will, when he sees fit, send a beautiful angel down to earth to bestow upon me the torch of faith." Eunice lightly bit her lip, stifling a laugh. In his heart, Karen silently apologized to Mr. Hoffen, who had just been laid to rest this morning. After all, by the bedside, Karen had nearly argued the old man to death over the very topic of faith. Still, Grandpa Hoffen, newly buried, would surely understand. They arrived at the amusement park. Karen parked the car in the lot, and a parking attendant walked over. "Hello, sir. The parking fee must be paid in advance." Karen fished a one-hundred-lubi bill from his pocket and handed it over. Indeed, he had no small change on him. Moreover, when driving earlier, he had noticed Alfred had left a stack of money in the glove compartment, but there were no small bills there either. The attendant beamed instantly with overwhelming enthusiasm. "Thank you, sir. Here is your receipt, please keep it safe." Karen took the slip, looked at the attendant, and asked: "How much is the fee?" "Five lubi, sir." "Very well. Please give me my change." "..." The attendant froze. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, do you have any change? I don't think I can break this." "Sorry, I don't. But you can wait a moment; I'll go buy an ice cream cone over at that shop to break the bill." "I have change," Eunice offered, opening her purse and taking out a five-lubi bill. Karen naturally took it, handed it to the attendant, and smoothly pulled back the hundred-lubi bill from the attendant's hand. "Which flavor would you like?" Karen asked Eunice. "Strawberry." "Alright, wait here for a moment." Karen jogged over, bought a strawberry ice cream cone, and brought it back, handing it to Eunice. "Aren't you having any?" Eunice asked curiously. "It's too cold out. I'll pass." Eunice did not mind in the least, taking a small lick. "When I was little, in the dead of winter, I loved sitting by the fireplace eating ice cream cones while listening to my grandfather tell stories." "During the summer, my grandfather loved taking Mina and the others out to the muddy ponds in the suburbs to catch loaches." "I imagine that must have been wonderful fun." "It was." Imagining Diss catching loaches in the mud, Karen found the thought rather amusing as well. After buying their entry tickets, the two stepped into the amusement park. To Karen, the attractions were somewhat dull and uninspiring, lacking the thrilling rides he was familiar with from his past life. Still, the scenery was pleasant enough. Even in the depths of winter, it possessed a desolate, quiet beauty. Karen and Eunice strolled side by side along the pathway, neither in any rush to get on the rides. For a long stretch, neither of them spoke, simply enjoying the walk. Every now and then, Karen glanced at Eunice, and Eunice would occasionally look back at him. "What would you like to do?" Karen asked, taking the initiative. They had already traversed nearly half the park. "Anything is fine with me. What about you?" Eunice asked. Karen pointed ahead toward a building topped with a sculpted skull. "The haunted house. Want to give it a try?" "I scare easily, but I've actually always wanted to go through one." "Alright, then." The ticket seller was a young man in clown makeup, holding a giant inflatable mallet. "Five lubi per ticket, you two." "Is it scary inside?" Karen asked. "No, no, not at all! It really isn't frightening." As he handed the tickets to Karen, the seller gave him a conspiratorial wink—meaning, Rest assured, it'll definitely scare the lady into clinging tightly to you. At the entrance, an attendant wearing a ghoul mask took their tickets and gestured for them to enter. Karen and Eunice walked into the haunted house. It began with a long, narrow tunnel—a classic haunted house trope, with costumed "ghouls" popping out at intervals to shout and startle visitors. Karen remained completely unfazed. He was not putting on a brave front; having recently witnessed far too many dead men rising from their graves, his tolerance threshold had naturally risen. To Karen's mild surprise, Eunice seemed quite composed as well. She even reached out with curiosity to touch a wooden monster mask that poked out at them. Still, it was evident this was her first time in a haunted house, and she looked upon the props and decorations with genuine intrigue. Thus, through the entire first half, the two walked through as if on a casual museum tour. Up ahead, a narrow wooden bridge hung with red lanterns stretched across the path, accompanied by intermittent blasts of air from the sides. Looking closely, one could see soft mats placed beneath the bridge, which was barely elevated at all. Paired with the eerie atmosphere, however, the effect was quite convincing. Karen walked in front and naturally reached back with a hand. Without hesitation, Eunice placed her hand in his, and the two crossed together. Halfway across, the air current abruptly surged into a powerful gust, like an industrial blower in a factory workshop howling straight at them... In fact, Karen could already hear the whirring of the massive fan blades. The gust left Eunice struggling to keep her footing. Karen smoothly wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her. The moment his arm was around her, the blower's intensity suddenly dropped. Karen suspected the clown ticket seller was hiding in some corner, peeping at them. Not bad; this level of attentive service rivaled that of the Inmerlais family. The second half of the haunted house featured far more religious motifs, depicting various forms of divine retribution and torture. At this point, Eunice seemed to suddenly realize she ought to act frightened, and so she became frightened. She let out soft gasps from time to time, and Karen's arm remained gently around her waist to offer her reassurance. At last, the two emerged back into the open light. Eunice smoothed her hair, and Karen naturally drew back his arm. The ticket seller, still holding his inflatable mallet, walked over with a grin. "Would you two like to buy a souvenir to take home?" With that, he opened the box before him, revealing an assortment of adorable skull accessories, crafted in a charming, cartoonish style. Karen picked out two cute skull keychains. "Fifty lubi, thank you." Karen handed over the money. It was well-deserved tip money for the effort. "Karen, weren't you scared at all?" Eunice asked curiously. "Terrified," Karen answered. "Then why couldn't I tell?" "I was just forcing myself to hold it together, haha." "Haha." If the place had been designed around the Bridge of Helplessness, the Hall of Yama, or Ox-Head and Horse-Face tossing sinners into boiling cauldrons, he might have felt a prickle of genuine dread. But toward the religious horror tropes of this world, he had not yet developed any cultural resonance. Ahead stood a park snack stand specializing in boiled skewers, reminiscent of oden in Karen's eyes. Each taking a paper cup, they loaded them up, paid, and sat down on a nearby bench. "There's a cinema nearby. Shall we catch a movie afterward?" Karen asked. "Sure, I'll leave it up to you." After finishing their snacks, Karen and Eunice left the amusement park. They drove for about ten minutes before reaching the cinema. Karen let Eunice choose the film, and she picked a comedy that was about to start. Armed with popcorn and orange juice, Karen and Eunice went inside. There were plenty of empty seats, so they sat wherever they liked. The movie began shortly—a romantic comedy. Aside from Karen and Eunice, the few other patrons in the hall were also young couples. Karen had a piece of popcorn. It tasted quite good. Then, quite naturally, he picked up a kernel and brought it to Eunice's lips. Without the slightest hesitation, she opened her mouth and ate it. Karen withdrew his hand, suddenly recalling Ron's crude description of the simple pleasures of eating popcorn at the movies. Indulging in that kind of crude pleasure, however, would only ruin the pleasant atmosphere between them. When the movie ended, Karen and Eunice strolled out together. Their next stop was a restaurant Karen had selected nearby. It specialized in local Rojia cuisine, boasting a lovely ambiance beside a river. After they were seated, the waiter offered the menu to Eunice first. She passed it directly to Karen. "You order." Karen selected several dishes and handed the menu back to the waiter. Once the waiter stepped away, Karen whispered: "To be honest, the food here is rather mediocre." Eunice whispered back in kind: "Actually, I really wanted to try that... boiled fish with pickled greens you made last time." *Pity that's your ancestor's favorite dish.* The food arrived promptly, and the two chatted amiably as they ate. Karen kept the conversation consistently comfortable and engaging, never letting an awkward silence settle in. By the time they finished dinner, the sky had grown dark. Karen drove Eunice back to Rhine Street and pulled up outside her home. Karen stepped out first, but before he could open the passenger door for her, Eunice stepped out on her own. Then, quite naturally, the two opened their arms slightly and shared a gentle embrace. "I had a wonderful time today. Thank you, Karen." "I enjoyed it very much as well." It had been calm and quiet—no drama, no mishaps, no intense passion or emotional turmoil. For much of the day, they had both been quite gentle and reserved. Yet that was what ordinary life was supposed to be, wasn't it? They parted naturally, Eunice offering a soft smile. "Being with you always feels so comfortable." "The same goes for me." "I'll head inside then. Mother must be waiting for me." "I suspect Madam Jenny is watching us from the living room window right now." "Ah?" Karen opened his arms again and gave Eunice another gentle hug. "Karen, I suddenly feel so nervous." Karen echoed her words once more. "Me too." *If you were hugging that cat, you'd probably be far more nervous.* They parted again. Eunice pushed open the garden gate and stepped inside the house. "Hugging each other, were you?" Madam Jenny teased from the sofa with a chuckle. "Mother, why didn't you turn on the lights?" "I was worried my shadow against the sheer curtains would let you see me and ruin your embrace. "So, how did it go, my good daughter, after a whole day out on a date? "I wager that lad is exceptionally skilled at charming girls. He must have had you completely enraptured with his sweet words." Eunice shook her head. "I don't think so. I found him very steady and witty. Being around him feels a bit like being around Father. "So, Mother, don't hold prejudices against him. Even though he truly is very handsome." Hearing this, Madam Jenny let out a deep sigh, resting her hand against her forehead. "Mother, are you feeling unwell?" Eunice stepped forward with concern. "No. It's just that back when I finished dating your father, I described him to your grandmother in the exact same words: steady, witty, with the presence of a father. "Only later did I realize that men like your father are the true masters of the game." "Still, Mother, you and Father always seemed very happy together." "That much is true. Well, that's fine. It seems you have a good impression of your match. I was already trying to find a way to write back and decline your grandfather's arrangement, even if it meant facing his stern glare once we returned to Wien." "So our family and his are old family friends?" "Yes, starting back with a great-great-great-great-aunt of yours. "Ever since her time, our family has remained in contact with theirs. "Back then, your father came from Wien to visit their household in Rojia, met me here in the city, and then took me back with him to Wien." "So his family was essentially the matchmaker for you and Father?" "Daughter, I think on your next date, you might try asking him if he'd be willing to follow you back to Wien, just as I followed your father. Your grandfather seems to have that intention." "I think he has a very strong sense of self. He probably wouldn't agree." Eunice headed toward the washroom. Madam Jenny lit a cigarette, exhaled a plume of smoke, and chuckled softly. "If he weren't willing, why would he take the initiative to ask you out in the first place?" ... Having seen Eunice home, Karen was preparing to return to his own house. Just as he got into his car, a Cayman pulled up beside him. "Karen?" "Mr. Piaget." "Were you looking for me?" Piaget asked with a smile. "Yes, but you weren't home just now, so I was about to head back." "Well, I'm back now." ... Karen entered Piaget's home once more. "Are you hungry? Shall I call 'Linda' to prepare dinner?" "I'm not hungry. I came over after eating, so don't bother." After all, cross-dressing was quite exhausting. "Alright, wait a moment. I'll brew some coffee; it'll be ready soon." "Do you know how to brew it?" Karen asked. Piaget chuckled. "I know what you mean. I can brew it. Don't worry, it'll be quick." "Alright." Piaget walked into the kitchen. Karen spotted an easel in the living room, with brushes and a palette lying on the floor. The canvas on the easel was draped in a white cloth. Seeing this, Karen could not help recalling the religious paintings he had seen on the second floor of Piaget's house last time, as well as their startlingly coincidental chronological order. *Perhaps I'd better not look at this one.* Piaget walked out carrying the coffee. Seeing Karen standing before the easel, he said: "This is 'Linda's' latest work. Here, have a look." Before Karen could decline, Piaget pulled off the white cloth, fully unveiling the painting. One could tell that the surrounding background was still unfinished, but the central imagery was nearly complete. The painting depicted a soaring tower. Atop the tower stood a man dressed in a sumptuous white robe adorned with numerous gemstones. In one hand, the man held an object resembling a crown; in the other, he grasped a scepter. His hair was wild and disheveled as he looked toward the sky, mouth agape, seemingly shouting something at the heavens. "This is..." Piaget explained, "I was also curious about what 'Linda' was painting, so I've been looking up reference materials these past few days. In fact, the reason I wasn't home earlier was that I spent the whole afternoon at the city library. "And then, I found it. "The man in the painting is the final Pope of the Church of Light, known as the Mad Pope. "He once stood atop the high tower of the Temple of Light and shouted a single sentence: "'I do not believe there is truly a God of Light in this world.' "In the eyes of religious historians, that act of his tolled the final death knell for the Church of Light." Piaget handed a cup of coffee to Karen and continued: "And so, I gave this painting a title: "'Twilight of the Gods.'"