Your Eternal Promise

12

The next day...

Early the next morning, Black Crow got up as usual. At some point, Agape had left, but there still seemed to be residual warmth beside the bed where he had been.

Black Crow instinctively clung to this warmth, like grabbing a life-saving spider thread, like a boiling heart fire, gradually burning in his body.

We are the same people! He repeated this sentence repeatedly and folded his palms over his heart happily. We are the same person!

He cheered up happily. It is not difficult to imagine the excitement and ecstasy that would arise in the heart of a slave who lost his memory and an abandoned child who had suffered unimaginable torture when he suddenly heard those words last night. Bread and water are certainly indispensable things for human survival, but sometimes, the comfort of the soul will be more powerful than the power of food.

This morning, the two people who had known each other in the dark remained silent, tacitly not talking about what happened last night, and only revealed a hint of understanding in the occasional eye contact. Agape held Lily and fed her fruit puree, while Black Crow went out as usual to do what he wanted to do.

After breakfast, Agape looked at the door. The priest had baptism work today and gave him a day off. Now that he is free, there is room for implementation of what he has been thinking about.

He worried that Black Crow's disability and horrific disfigurement would bring him trouble. So, following the path of the black crow, Agape followed him from a distance, watching him talk to the children in the shadows, and take out the turbid sugar cubes from his arms - even such low-quality sugar, for a beggar, , children of thieves and prostitutes are also rare gifts. Agape looked at it carefully, wondering what his intention was.

After talking for a while, Black Crow straightened up, and several thin, dirty children disappeared back into the shadows of the alley. He limped toward the market. The bones of his right calf showed a weird twist. Because of this broken leg, he could not wear longer leather boots.

What is he going to do? Agape looked at his back. He knew very well that there were many ruffians and gangsters wandering on this road. People who considered themselves upright always kept away from it, but people like Black Crow——

"Hey! Look what I found!" Noisy voices rang out in the alley, and Agape's footsteps froze.

"Where did this stupid big guy come from... Damn it! Damn it... Come and see, look at this guy!"

The black crow stopped, his back was arched, and his arms were shaking slightly. Agape could not see his expression clearly from behind.

"Damn, what a bad luck! How many free pieces of shit did this son of a bitch get into to become like this!"

They thought that the black crow's terrible appearance was caused by the disease.

At this moment, Agape was also hesitating. Since the incident three years ago, he could no longer establish truly cordial connections with outsiders. He is afraid of men in their prime, even though he carries some of their characteristics, old people, women, children, and he only dares to stay in the same room with these people.

What should I say and do to bring him back and avoid the ridicule and humiliation of these people?

"Go away, damn sick man!"

"Get out of here! Get out of here and don't spread the disease to us!"

The gangster grabbed the mud on the ground and threw it at the black crow. Regardless of whether it was mixed with hard gravel, one piece hit the man on the head with great force, knocking him to his knees. Blood and water were mixed with the mud. As it flowed down, he didn't speak, he just lowered his head, clenched his hands, and continued walking in silence, trying to cross this short but long shortcut.