Cold stone pressed against his spine. Wet with crimson. His crimson.冰冷的石头压在他的脊椎上.沾满深红色.他的深红色.
Renn tried to pull air into his lungs, but a shattered rib dug straight into the tissue. Black blood bubbled past his lips. The subterranean chamber smelled of ancient dust, ozone, and heavy copper. Heavy boots clicked against the obsidian floor, a rhythmic, unhurried sound echoing off the vaulted ceiling.雷恩试图将空气吸入肺部,但一根破碎的肋骨直接刺入了组织.黑色的血液从他的唇边涌出.地下密室里弥漫着远古尘埃,臭氧和浓铜的味道.沉重的靴子踩在黑曜石地板上发出咔嗒声,有节奏,不急不缓的声音在拱形天花板上回荡.
"You always trusted too easily, my friend.""你总是太容易相信别人了,我的朋友."
Arthur stood over him. Golden hair catching the weak torchlight. Pristine white armor—the exact armor Renn spent three months forging for Arthur's twentieth naming day. Now it wore Renn's blood across the chest plate.亚瑟站在他身边.金色的头发捕捉着微弱的火光.原始的白色盔甲——这正是雷恩花了三个月时间为亚瑟的第二十个命名日打造的盔甲.现在它的胸甲上沾满了雷恩的血.
Arthur held a jagged, glowing shard in his right gauntlet. It pulsed with a sick, pale luminescence. The God's Fragment. They bled for it. Fought through an army of cave-trolls in these ruins for it. Together. 亚瑟的右手套中握着一块锯齿状的发光碎片.它发出一种病态的,苍白的冷光.神之碎片.他们为此流血.为了得到它,在这些废墟中与洞穴巨魔军队进行了战斗.一起.
Or so Renn thought.至少雷恩是这么想的.
"Why." Renn pushed the word out. His throat was torn from the holy smite Arthur planted in his neck when his back was turned. The innate healing factor of his Silver Moon Wolf bloodline sputtered and failed, suppressed by the lingering divine magic burning in his veins. Silver fur along his forearms lay matted and charred to the skin."为什么."雷恩将这个词推了出去.当亚瑟转过身去时,他的喉咙被亚瑟插在他脖子上的神圣一击撕裂了.银月狼血脉的先天治愈因子被体内燃烧的残留神魔压制,溅射失效.他前臂上的银色皮毛缠结在一起,皮肤被烧焦.
"The Church of Pure Blood needs a catalyst." Arthur took a step back, out of the expanding pool of blood. He didn't want to stain his boots. "And the Kingdom of Vane needs an excuse to march on the Northern Wastes. A Silver Moon Clan young master, corrupted by abyssal relics, attempting to awaken a sealed Demon God. It writes itself, doesn't it?""纯血教会需要催化剂."亚瑟后退了一步,从不断扩大的血泊中出来.他不想弄脏他的靴子. "而万恩王国进军北荒,需要一个借口.银月族少主,被深渊遗迹腐化,试图唤醒被封印的魔神,这是自己写的,不是吗?"
Arthur nudged Renn's side with an armored toe. Bone snapped.亚瑟用装甲脚趾轻轻碰了碰雷恩的身侧.骨头折断了.
Renn didn't scream. His jaw locked tight. He just stared. Ten years of brotherhood. Sharing water skins in the scorched desert. Watching each other's backs during the beast tides. All a setup. All leading to this damp, forgotten altar beneath the earth.雷恩没有尖叫.他的下巴紧紧地锁着.他只是盯着看.十年兄弟情.在焦灼的沙漠中分享水袋.兽潮中互相注视着彼此的背影.都是一个设定.所有这些都通向这个潮湿,被遗忘的地下祭坛.
"You frame my people. You sign their death warrants.""你陷害了我的人民.你签署了他们的死刑令."
"I am purifying the continent." Arthur knelt. He pressed the glowing shard into a recessed groove in the center of the carved stone beneath Renn. Runes ignited. Concentric circles of dark purple flared to life, screaming with a trapped, metallic agony."我正在净化这片大陆."亚瑟跪下.他将发光的碎片压入雷恩下方雕刻石头中心的凹槽中.符文被点燃.深紫色的同心圆闪耀着生命力,带着一种被困的,金属般的痛苦尖叫着.
"This altar belongs to something very old, Renn. Something starving. It demands flesh. Strong, magical flesh. The blood of a wolf prince is the perfect offering. In exchange, the seal breaks, and the shard unlocks its true power for the Church.""这个祭坛属于某个非常古老的东西,雷恩.某个饥饿的东西.它需要肉.强大而神奇的肉.狼王子的血是完美的祭品.作为交换,封印被打破,碎片为教会释放了它的真正力量."
Arthur stood tall. He wiped a microscopic speck of ash from his shoulder. He didn't look down at Renn again.亚瑟站得笔直.他擦掉肩膀上的一小粒灰烬.他没有再低头看雷恩.
"May the Light forgive your tainted soul. Goodbye.""愿圣光宽恕你被污染的灵魂.再见."
The heavy iron door at the end of the hall slammed shut. The locking mechanism ground into place. 走廊尽头厚重的铁门砰地关上了.锁定机构磨入到位.
The echo died. The purple light grew blinding. The air turned thick, settling like mud in Renn's ruined lungs. 回声消失了.紫色的光芒越来越刺眼.空气变得粘稠,像泥土一样沉入雷恩受损的肺部.
A sound vibrated from beneath the stone slab. A low-frequency hum that rattled his teeth. Then, the whispering started. Thousands of voices scraping against the inside of his skull.一道声音从石板下方传来.低沉的嗡嗡声让他的牙齿格格作响.然后,窃窃私语开始了.成千上万的声音在他的头骨内部刮擦.
*Flesh. Warmth. Give.**肉.温暖.给.*
Black mist slithered out from the central rune. It didn't float. It crawled like a mass of centipedes. It touched Renn's left leg.黑色的雾气从中央的符文中滑落而出.它没有漂浮.它像一群蜈蚣一样爬行.它碰到了雷恩的左腿.
Skin blistered instantly. Muscle dissolved into gray ash. The pain went beyond physical agony; it was a white-hot needle driving straight into his soul. He bit down on his tongue. Hard. Copper flooded his mouth.皮肤瞬间起泡.肌肉溶解成灰色的灰烬.这种痛苦超出了肉体的痛苦.那是一根白热的针,直刺他的灵魂.他咬住舌头.难的.铜淹没了他的嘴.
The Demon God's remnant. Sealed here for thousands of years. It was eating him alive.魔神残余.这里被封印了数千年.它把他活生生地吃掉了.
It crept up his torso. Seeking his heart. Seeking the silver core of his wolf bloodline.它爬上了他的躯干.寻求他的心.寻找他狼族血脉的银核.
Renn's right hand twitched against the silver and star-iron chains pinning his wrists. They burned cold against his skin. He turned his head, his neck screaming in protest. 雷恩的右手在绑住他手腕的银星铁链上抽搐.它们冰冷地贴在他的皮肤上.他转过头,脖子发出抗议的尖叫声.
The God's Fragment sat in its groove inches from his face. Arthur used it as the key, but left it there. Waiting for the ritual to finish. Waiting for the god to consume the sacrifice and spit out the purified divine energy.上帝碎片位于距离他脸几英寸的凹槽中.亚瑟用它作为钥匙,但把它留在那里.等待仪式结束.等待神将祭品消耗殆尽,吐出净化的神力.
Not dying here. Not for him.不会死在这里.不适合他.
Renn coughed violently. A thick glob of his own silver-flecked blood flew from his lips and landed directly on the pulsing shard.雷恩剧烈咳嗽起来.他自己的一团银色斑点的浓血从他的嘴唇中飞出,直接落在了脉动的碎片上.
Silver blood met pale divine light.银色的血液遇到了苍白的神光.
A sharp mechanical hum sliced through the demonic whispers. It didn't come from the room. It came from inside his head.尖锐的机械嗡嗡声划破了恶魔的低语.声音不是从房间里传出来的.它来自他的头脑内部.
*Ding.**叮.*
[Host vitality dropping below 5%.][宿主生命力下降到5%以下.]
[Unknown energies detected. Divine Fragment. Abyssal Remnant Soul.][检测到未知能量.神圣碎片.深渊残魂.]
[Universal Synthesis System activated.][通用合成系统启动.]
Blue text overlaid his vision. Sharp, clean, entirely alien to the bloody ruin around him.蓝色的文字覆盖了他的视野.锐利,干净,与周围的血腥废墟完全不同.
[Target 1: Dying Silver Moon Wolf Bloodline (Host).][目标1:垂死的银月狼血脉（宿主）.]
[Target 2: Fragment of a Fallen God (Item).][目标2:堕落之神的碎片（物品）.]
[Target 3: Remnant Soul of the Devourer (Entity).][目标3:吞噬者残魂（实体）.]
[Synthesis requirements met. Begin process?][满足合成要求.开始处理吗?]
Renn's chest was laid bare. The black mist gnawed on his ribs. He could literally see his own heart struggling to beat through the torn tissue. 雷恩的胸口裸露着.黑雾啃噬着他的肋骨.他确实可以看到自己的心脏在撕裂的组织中挣扎着跳动.
He didn't know what a 'System' was. He didn't care. It offered a way out.他不知道'系统'是什么.他不在乎.它提供了一条出路.
"Do it," he wheezed."做吧,"他喘着气说.
[Initiating Synthesis.][开始合成.]
[Warning: High risk of host death. Overriding safety protocols due to critical status.][警告:宿主死亡风险较高.由于危急状态而忽略安全协议.]
A violent blue grid expanded from his pupils, clashing directly with the purple mist. 一道狂暴的蓝色网格从他的瞳孔中展开,与那紫色雾气直接碰撞在一起.
The God's Fragment shattered. Hundreds of pale light splinters shot directly into Renn's open chest. 神之碎片破碎.数百道苍白的光碎片直接射入雷恩敞开的胸口.
The black mist shrieked. The ancient, starving whisper turned into a screech of pure, unadulterated terror.黑雾尖叫起来.古老而饥饿的低语变成了纯粹,纯粹的恐怖的尖叫声.
*No! Mortal! What is this? Stop!**不!凡人!这是什么?停止!*
The altar reversed its flow. Instead of the mist consuming Renn, Renn's body became a black hole. The system forcibly dragged the abyssal remnant and the divine shards into his shattered core, grinding them together like mortar and pestle.祭坛逆转了它的流动.雾气并没有吞噬雷恩,而是雷恩的身体变成了一个黑洞.系统将深渊遗迹和神性碎片强行拖入他破碎的核心之中,如同研钵和杵一样碾磨在一起.
His body violently arched. The chains groaned.他的身体剧烈地拱起.锁链发出呻吟声.
Bone marrow boiled. His shattered ribs reformed. Not white anymore. Obsidian black, laced with glowing silver veins. 骨髓煮沸.他破碎的肋骨又恢复了.不再白了黑曜石般的黑色,点缀着闪闪发光的银色纹理.
Torn muscles knit together with audible snaps. Denser. Heavier. 撕裂的肌肉结合在一起,发出喀嚓声.更浓密.更重.
The silver fur on his arms grew back in seconds, but the tips were pitch black. The holy magic burns on his neck faded, replaced by dark, swirling tattoos that pulsed in time with his racing heartbeat.手臂上的银毛几秒钟就长了回来,但尖端却是漆黑一片.他脖子上的神圣魔法燃烧消失了,取而代之的是黑暗的,旋转的纹身,随着他急速的心跳而跳动.
[Synthesis complete.][合成完成.]
[Result: Nightfall Demon Wolf Bloodline (Mutated - Initial Stage).][结果:夜幕魔狼血脉（变异-初期）.]
[Acquired Talent: Devour.][获得天赋:吞噬.]
[Acquired Talent: Shadow Regeneration.][获得天赋:暗影再生.]
Renn opened his eyes. 雷恩睁开了眼睛.
The world snapped into terrifying clarity. He saw the microscopic dust motes hanging in the air. He smelled the exact metallic composition of his own dried blood. He heard the scurrying of blind cave rats three levels above him.世界突然变得无比清晰.他看到空气中悬浮着微小的尘埃微粒.他闻到了他自己干血的金属味道.他听到了比他高出三层楼的盲目洞鼠的奔跑声.
The heavy silver chains binding his wrists felt like brittle twigs.沉重的银链束缚着他的手腕,感觉就像是脆弱的树枝.
He flexed his fingers. The star-iron shattered. Metal shards pinged harmlessly against the stone walls.他活动了一下手指.星铁碎裂了.金属碎片撞击石墙,无害.
He stood up. The massive underground chamber felt incredibly small now.他站了起来.巨大的地下密室现在感觉非常小.
Naked, covered in dried blood and black ash, he ran a hand over his chest. Smooth. Hard as dragon scale beneath the skin. The fatal wound was gone. The altar beneath him crumbled into gray dust. The ancient demonic presence was utterly wiped out. Digested.他赤身裸体,浑身沾满干涸的血迹和黑色的灰烬,一只手抚过胸口.光滑的.皮下坚硬如龙鳞.致命伤已经消失了.他脚下的祭坛崩塌成了灰色的尘埃.远古恶魔的气息,被彻底消灭.消化了.
Arthur wanted a sacrifice. 亚瑟想要牺牲.
Renn turned toward the heavy iron door. He stepped forward. The stone floor cracked beneath his bare foot.雷恩转向沉重的铁门.他向前走去.石头地板在他的赤脚下裂开了.
He didn't roar. He didn't scream his vengeance to the dark ceiling. 他没有咆哮.他没有对着黑暗的天花板尖叫着报仇.
He just walked to the door, pulled his right fist back, and punched straight into the half-meter thick enchanted iron.他只是走到门口,将右拳收回,直接轰在了半米粗的魔铁上.
The metal buckled, tore, and exploded outward in a shower of shrapnel. 金属弯曲,撕裂,然后向外爆炸,产生一阵弹片.
Cold night air rushed in from the tunnel beyond, carrying the scent of pine trees and distant rain. 寒冷的夜风从远处的隧道里吹了进来,带着松树的气味和远处的雨声.
Renn stepped out over the ruined door. 雷恩跨过那扇毁坏的门走了出去.
"Arthur." The name tasted like ash on his tongue."亚瑟."这个名字在他舌头上尝起来就像灰烬.
The tunnel stretched upward, carved from raw limestone. Torchlight flickered weakly at the far end. Arthur left guards. Of course he did. He wouldn't leave loose ends.隧道向上延伸,由原始石灰岩凿成.火把的光芒在远端微弱地闪烁.亚瑟留下了守卫.他当然做到了.他不会留下任何悬而未决的事情.
Renn moved. He didn't run; he glided. His bare feet made absolutely no sound against the gravel. The Nightfall Demon Wolf bloodline made him one with the shadows. The darkness wasn't just an absence of light anymore; it was a physical cloak wrapping around his shoulders.雷恩动了.他没有跑;他没有跑.他滑翔着.他的赤脚踩在碎石上完全没有发出任何声音.夜魔狼血脉,让他与暗影合二为一.黑暗不再只是没有光;而是黑暗.这是一件披在他肩膀上的实体斗篷.
Two armored figures stood near the cavern exit. Members of the Church's Inquisition. Red cloaks over steel armor. They held heavy crossbows, murmuring to each other in low voices.两个全副武装的身影站在洞穴出口附近.教会宗教裁判所的成员.钢甲外披红色斗篷.他们手持重弩,低声议论着.
"Think the mutt is dead yet?" one asked, spitting a wad of chewing tobacco onto the dirt."你认为杂种狗已经死了吗?"有人问,一边把一团嚼烟吐到地上.
"Commander Arthur said the altar takes time to digest," the other replied, scratching his bearded chin. "Shame. The pelt of a Silver Moon royal fetches a high price in the capital.""亚瑟指挥官说祭坛需要时间来消化."另一个人挠着长满胡须的下巴回答道. "可惜了.银月王的毛皮在王都能卖很高的价格."
Renn stopped ten paces away. They couldn't see him. He stood perfectly still in the gloom.雷恩在十步外停了下来.他们看不到他.他一动不动地站在黑暗中.
He looked at his hands. His nails had elongated into wicked, black claws. They caught no torchlight. 他看着自己的双手.他的指甲已经伸长成邪恶的黑色爪子.他们没有抓住手电筒的光.
Let's see.让我们来看看.
He pushed off the ground.他从地上推了起来.
The speed was incomprehensible. The wind didn't even have time to howl. 速度快得令人难以理解.风连呼啸的时间都没有.
Before the bearded guard could blink, Renn was right in front of him. A hand clamped over the man's steel-plated mouth, crushing the visor inward. Metal bent like wet paper under his grip.胡子卫士还没来得及眨眼,雷恩就出现在了他的面前.一只手夹住了男人的钢板嘴巴,将面罩向内挤压.金属在他的抓握下像湿纸一样弯曲.
The second guard gasped, raising his crossbow.第二个守卫喘着气,举起了十字弓.
Renn didn't even look at him. He swept his other hand backward. The black claws sheared through the steel chest plate, through the ribs, and out the guard's back. Blood sprayed against the cave wall in a wide arc.雷恩甚至没有看他一眼.他另一只手向后一扫.黑色的爪子穿过钢铁胸甲,穿过肋骨,从守卫的后背穿出.鲜血呈一道宽阔的弧线喷洒在洞壁上.
The first guard struggled, eyes wide with terror above the crushed visor. He stared at the naked, ash-covered monster holding him. Those glowing silver eyes with vertical black slits.第一个守卫挣扎着,压碎的面罩上方的眼睛里充满了恐惧.他盯着抱着他的赤身裸体,满身灰烬的怪物.那双闪闪发光的银色眼睛带有垂直的黑色缝隙.
Renn twisted his wrist. A sharp crack echoed in the tunnel. The guard went limp.雷恩扭动手腕.尖锐的爆裂声在隧道内响起.守卫瘫软了.
He dropped the bodies. No empathy. No hesitation. The betrayal had burned away the naive young master of the wolf clan. Only the predator remained.他扔下了尸体.没有同理心.毫不犹豫.背叛,烧毁了天真的狼族少爷.只剩下掠食者了.
[Devour talent triggered.][吞噬天赋触发.]
A faint prompt appeared in his vision. Wisps of pale red energy seeped from the two corpses, flowing directly into Renn's skin. He felt a tiny fraction of his stamina replenish, the exhaustion of the synthesis fading slightly.视野中出现了微弱的提示.一缕缕淡红色的能量从两具尸体上渗出,直接流入雷恩的皮肤之中.他感觉自己的体力补充了一小部分,合成时的疲惫感也稍微消退了一些.
"Useful," he muttered. His voice was deeper now, carrying a rough, unnatural gravelly tone."有用."他嘀咕道.他的声音现在更低沉了,带有一种粗糙,不自然的沙哑声调.
He stripped the red cloak from the dead Inquisitor. It was too small, but it covered his waist and thighs. He wrapped it tight, knotting it like a makeshift kilt. He grabbed a heavy iron broadsword from the second guard's scabbard. It felt light. Too light. Like a child's wooden toy.他从死去的审判官身上剥下了红色斗篷.虽然太小了,但还是遮住了腰部和大腿.他把它裹紧,像一条临时苏格兰短裙一样打结.他从第二名守卫的剑鞘中抓起一把重铁大刀.感觉很轻.太轻了.就像孩子的木制玩具一样.
He walked out of the cave.他走出山洞.
The dense canopy of the Whispering Woods greeted him. The twin moons of Terraria hung high in the night sky. One pale white, one blood red. 低语森林茂密的树冠迎接他.泰拉瑞亚的双月高悬在夜空中.一种是淡白色,一种是血红色.
The night air was freezing, but Renn felt nothing. His new bloodline ran hot like a furnace beneath his skin. 夜晚的空气很冷,但雷恩却毫无感觉.他的新血统在他的皮肤下像熔炉一样炽热.
A low growl came from the thick brush to his right. 一阵低沉的咆哮从他右边浓密的灌木丛中传来.
Renn stopped. He smelled it before he saw it. Wet fur, rotting meat. A Shadow Panther. A Rank 1 magical beast, drawn by the smell of fresh blood from the cave.雷恩停了下来.他在看到之前就闻到了它的味道.湿漉漉的皮毛,腐烂的肉.一只暗影豹.一阶魔兽,被山洞里的新鲜血腥味所吸引.
The beast leaped from the darkness, jaws aimed straight for his throat.野兽从黑暗中跳了出来,下巴直抵着他的喉咙.
Renn sidestepped effortlessly. He swung the iron broadsword in a tight arc, slicing the panther clean in half mid-air. The beast hit the forest floor in two pieces. 雷恩毫不费力地闪开了.他铁刀挥出,划出一道紧密的弧线,将半空中的黑豹砍得干干净净.野兽撞在森林地面上,分成两截.
Renn looked at the blade. The cheap iron edge was heavily chipped from hitting the magical beast's dense spine. 雷恩看着刀刃.廉价的铁刃,撞击在魔兽茂密的脊椎上,被重重地削碎.
He glanced at the dead panther, then at the ruined sword. An idea formed in his mind.他看了一眼死去的黑豹,又看了一眼毁坏的剑.一个想法在他脑海中形成.
"System. Synthesize the sword and the panther's claws.""系统.合成剑和豹爪."
*Ding.**叮.*
[Target 1: Chipped Iron Broadsword.][目标1:碎铁大剑.]
[Target 2: Shadow Panther Claws.][目标2:暗影豹爪.]
[Synthesis requirements met. Begin process?][满足合成要求.开始处理吗?]
"Yes.""是的."
Blue light poured from his hands, enveloping the steel and the severed beast paws. The materials liquefied, twisting together in mid-air. The bone fused with the iron. The edge darkened, turning a dull, matte black.蓝色的光芒从他手中涌出,将钢铁和被斩断的兽爪包裹住.物质液化,在半空中扭曲在一起.骨头与铁融为一体.边缘变暗,变成暗哑的黑色.
[Synthesis complete.][合成完成.]
[Result: Night-Stalker Blade (Low-tier magic weapon).][结果:夜行者之刃（低阶法宝）.]
[Effect: Bleeding. Wounds inflicted by this weapon resist normal healing magic.][功效:止血.该武器造成的伤口可以抵抗正常的治疗魔法.]
Renn grasped the hilt. The balance was perfect now. The blade was wicked, slightly curved, and radiated a faint trace of dark magic. 雷恩抓住了剑柄.现在平衡已经很完美了.剑刃邪恶,微微弯曲,散发着淡淡的暗黑魔力.
He looked down at his left arm. The black tattoos swirled, shifting slightly across his skin. He had swallowed a god. A broken, dying god, but a god nonetheless. And he had a System that could literally rebuild the world from scraps.他低头看着自己的左臂.黑色纹身旋转着,在他的皮肤上轻微移动.他吞下了一个神.一个破碎的,垂死的神,但仍然是一个神.他拥有一个可以从废品中重建世界的系统.
Arthur and his Church of Pure Blood wanted a war. They wanted to cleanse the continent of non-humans. They wanted to build their golden empire on the ashes of the Silver Moon clan.亚瑟和他的纯血教会想要一场战争.他们想要清除这片大陆上的非人类.他们想在银月氏族的废墟上建立自己的黄金帝国.
Renn gripped the hilt of the new blade until the leather wrap groaned.雷恩紧紧握住新刀片的刀柄,直到皮革包裹发出呻吟声.
They wanted a monster. 他们想要一个怪物.
Now they had one.现在他们有了一个.
He stepped into the tree line, letting the darkness swallow him completely. He headed north.他踏入林线,让黑暗将他完全吞没.他向北走去.