血肉与石头 Flesh and Stone

“影不为光所容。”小女孩自顾自地絮叨着。

“A shadow fades before the light,” the girl repeated to herself.

这是一句咒语，当她感觉自己快要失控时，就靠这句话让自己平静下来。虽然她只有十三岁，但早已擅长用这种小把戏来减轻痛苦。可是，今天咒语却不太灵了。她必须找个地方一个人待着。

The words were a mantra, one she often used to put herself at ease when she felt herself losing control. Though she was only thirteen, she had become adept at using tricks like this to ease the symptoms of her affliction. But today she found the words to be little help. Today, the girl needed to be alone.

她死撑着不哭出来，尽量避开与他人的眼神交流，匆匆走向哨兵值守的城门。如果被人拦下，她有可能当场崩溃，然后交待出所有秘密。那倒也算是一了百了了，她心想。

She fought to hold in the tears, avoiding eye contact with passersby as she walked briskly toward the scrutinizing glare of the sentries at the city gates. If they stopped her, she felt she might break down and spill everything to them. At least then it would all be over, she thought.

好在根本没人察觉到她不对劲。她穿过拱门，来到城外的开阔处。

But they paid her little mind as she walked through the archway, to the open lands outside the city.

她远远地避开大路，走到了林木繁茂的山边，找了个角落。确认四周空无一人后，她终于忍不住从口袋中掏出手帕，捂住脸，低声抽泣起来。

Far off the main highway, the girl found a quiet nook in a wooded hillside. Once she was sure she wouldn’t be seen, she removed a clean handkerchief from her pocket, placed it to her face, and sobbed.

眼泪顺着她的面颊大颗大颗地流个不停。如果此时有人见到这个女孩，多半不会认出她是谁。大家都知道，她一向是个天真烂漫、开朗热情的孩子，总是笑眯眯地同大家打招呼：”早上好！”、”见到你真开心！”等等，她就像清晨的阳光，温暖明亮、无忧无虑。

The tears came fast and thick down her cheeks. If anyone had seen the girl like this, they probably would not recognize her. Everybody knew her as the fresh-faced optimist who cheerily bid them Good morning! and Nice to see you! everyday, regardless of circumstance.

可她的另一面──丑陋的、不容于德玛西亚的一面──却没有人知道。

The other side of her – this ugly and decidedly un-Demacian one – was a face the girl shared with nobody.

她用薄薄的亚麻布手帕抹去眼泪，心中安宁了许多。她试着回忆今天发生的那件事。那时她正与同学在教室上课，目光却渐渐投向窗外。老师正在教授战场策略，课程枯燥无味，远不及窗外那群紫红色的采蜜小虫来得有趣。小飞虫们飞舞着，一点也不整齐，但那乱哄哄、吵闹闹的状态却格外活泼美丽。她的目光追逐着小飞虫，陷入强烈而温暖的幸福感中。

As she stanched the flow of tears with her thin linen cloth, her mind began to settle. She finally dared to recall the events that had led to the tears. She had been in the lecture room with her classmates when her gaze began to wander to an open window. The flock of fuchsia nectarflies outside were far more interesting than the drab lesson in field tactics their instructor was offering. The flies danced, not in unison at all, but in a vivacious chaos that was strangely beautiful. She had taken in their movement, feeling herself warming to the core with an intense happiness.

她很熟悉这种温暖。很多时候它是温驯的，像床垫里柔软的羽毛一样填满她的心。但今天这温暖太过热烈，生气勃勃。她感觉到它在齿间燃烧，凶猛地像是要用一道虹彩引爆这世界。不同以往，今日的光芒简直呼之欲出。

The warmth was familiar to her. Most of the time it could be tamed, stuffed back inside her like feathers that had leaked from a mattress. But today the warmth was... hot, with a life of its own. She felt it burning, in her teeth, threatening to explode into the world with a fan of iridescent hues as it had only done in privacy before.

有一瞬间，她的指尖漏出了一丝白光。

For a brief moment, a thin trickle of white light leaked from her fingertips.

不！绝不能让人看见！她惊慌失措，想要压住那束光。

No! This is not for anyone to see! she thought, hoping to suppress the glow.

她第一次觉得，这一切是生命不可承受之重。她只有一次自保的机会，她得离开这里。于是她仓惶地站起来收拾东西。

For the first time in her life, it felt too big. The girl had only one chance to save herself. She needed to leave. She stood and gathered her belongings.

“卢西亚娜，”老师叫她，”你怎么……”

“Luxanna,” her instructor had said. “Are you-”

“影不为光所容，”她喃喃低语，来不及解释便冲出教室，”影不为光所容，影不为光所容......”

“A shadow fades before the light,” she had muttered, and ran from the room without explanation. “A shadow fades before the light. A shadow fades before the light.”

她在树林中擦干眼泪，平静下来。她继续前行，离城市越来越远。她静静地思考着这件事的后果。一个学生未经许可闯出教室的新闻一定会传遍整个王国。她会为她的叛逆付出怎样的代价呢？

As she finished drying her eyes in the calm of the woods, her feet carried her farther and farther from the city. She began to assess the cost of the incident. Word would spread quickly across the citadel that a student had stormed out of class without leave. What punishment would she receive for that insubordination?

不管是什么惩罚，总好过另一个选择。如果她留下，她就会彻底爆发，让整栋大楼充满至亮至纯的光芒。那样一来，每个人都会知道她染上了魔法。

Whatever was to come, it would be better than the alternative. If she’d stayed, she would have erupted, filling the entire building in the brightest, purest light. Then everyone would know she was afflicted with magic.

也就意味着，废魔使要来了。

That’s when the annullers would come.

她曾见过废魔使几次，他们手持奇怪的装备走在街上，四处搜查染上魔法的人。染魔者一旦暴露，将会被废魔使强行驱逐到王国外的贫民窟，永远不得重新踏入这片土地，这片拉克丝和她的家人无比熟悉的土地。

Once or twice, the girl had seen the annullers in the streets with their strange instruments, rooting out practitioners of magic. Once these afflicted people were found, they were forcibly relocated to slums outside the kingdom, never to take part in the grand society Lux’s family knew so well.

这就是最糟糕的结果了。她将为她的家族带来亵渎与耻辱。而她的哥哥……天哪，哥哥……她思考着盖伦的反应，害怕得发抖。她总是幻想可以住在世界上另外一个地方，在那里，拥有神秘天赋的人不仅不会遭到惩罚，反而能得到人们的敬畏，甚至光宗耀祖。但现实是她生活在德玛西亚，这里的人们深知魔法的可怕潜力，视其为洪水猛兽，避之唯恐不及。

That was the worst part, knowing her family would be shamed. And her brother... Oh, her brother. She shuddered to think what Garen would say. The girl often dreamed of living in a different part of the world, where people with arcane gifts were revered as heroes, and celebrated by their families. But the girl lived in Demacia, where people knew the destructive potential of magic, and treated it as such.

她胡思乱想，只觉得境况令人绝望。当她回过神来时，映入眼帘的是加里奥巨像。这座巨大的雕塑历史悠久，被军队视为战争的标志。当军人们外出打仗时，巨像会一同参战。禁魔石雕成的巨像拥有吸收魔法的体质，因此可以保护士兵免受大法师的攻击。当他吸收了足够多的魔法后，他甚至醒来过几次──看你相不相信传说了。他如一座大山一般矗立在战碑道的岔路口，此处与车水马龙的大路相隔甚远。

As she found her situation becoming increasingly hopeless, Lux realized she was standing within view of the Galio monument. The gargantuan statue had been made long ago as a battle standard for the military, accompanying them in their missions abroad. Sculpted from petricite, Galio possessed magic-absorbing properties that had saved many lives from archmage attacks. If one believed the legends, he had even come to life at times, when enough mystical power had seeped into his mortar. At the moment, he stood still as a mountain, straddling the Memorial Road, far from the traffic of the main highway.

拉克丝小心翼翼地靠近巨像。在她幼时的记忆里，这古老的巨人始终警惕而威严地俯视着一切。那种目光可以穿透她的皮肉，审视她的灵魂。

Lux cautiously approached the statue. Ever since she was a little girl, she had imagined the old titan keeping vigilant watch over all those who passed beneath him. It seemed to peer into her soul, judging her.

“这里容不下你。“巨人毫不留情地谴责道。

“You have no place here,” it would say accusingly.

尽管这声音是她臆想出来的，但她知道这是真话。无可否认，她就是个怪胎。她明亮的笑容与热情，一直与德玛西亚严肃自持的环境格格不入。

Though it only spoke in her imagination, the girl knew it spoke true. She was different. That was undeniable. Her constant smiles and exuberance stood out glaringly among Demacia’s trademark austerity.

接着就有了光。她在记事后便能感到这股光在她心脏里燃烧，跳动不息，想要喷发出来。年纪小时，光芒微弱，她尚且可以轻松地藏住它。现在，她越来越感到力不从心了。

Then there was the glow. Ever since she could remember, Lux felt it burning in her heart, longing to burst free. When she was small, the glow was weak, and she could easily conceal it. Now the power had become far too great to stay hidden.

负疚感沉甸甸地压在她心头。拉克丝抬头看着巨像。

Burdened with guilt, Lux lifted her eyes to the Colossus.

“不管了，说出来吧！”她大声喊着。

“Well, go on and say it!” she yelled.

这不象是拉克丝的作风。但这一整天实在太艰难了，她急需一个发泄的出口。她拼命地呼吸，感觉终于松了口气。但她马上就为刚刚的宣泄感到丢脸。”我都做了什么？对着一座雕像大喊大叫？”她一边震惊自己的行为，一边四处打量唯恐旁人看见。一年之中每逢特定的时节，这条路上会挤满慕名来此朝拜巨像的人。他们真诚地向这代表德玛西亚精神的标志石像致以崇高的敬意。不过现在，战碑道空无一人。

It was uncharacteristic of Lux, but the day had not been kind, and it soothed her soul to vent. She expelled sharp breaths of air in relief, then immediately felt embarrassment at the outburst. Did I really just yell at a statue? she marveled, and looked around to make sure nobody had seen. At certain times of the year, this road was flooded with travelers making their pilgrimages to the colossus, paying tribute to the symbol of Demacian resolve. But presently, the Memorial Road was empty.

就在拉克丝忙着打量四周时，她听到头顶传来一阵粗哑的喧闹声。她猛地抬头──声音是从巨像顶部传来的。虽然平常巨像皇冠上的鸟巢中时常有鸟儿扑腾的动静，但这次不是。这声音听起来像是有人在鹅卵石路上拖着沉重的陶罐，粗哑刺耳。

As Lux was searching for bystanders, she heard a gravelly racket in the air above her. She whipped her head up – it had come from the top of the colossus. It was common for birds to take flight from their nests in the statue’s crown, but this was no bird. It sounded like a heavy clay pot being dragged across cobblestones.

拉克丝凝神注视了很久，但巨像不再有其他动静。或许又是她臆测出的声响吧，今天发生的一切让她心神恍惚。即便如此，她还是盯住巨像不放，想看看有什么新动静。

Lux stared for a long while, but nothing stirred about the statue. Perhaps this was her mind again, working through the trauma of the day’s events. Even so, her eyes remained fixed on the colossus, daring whatever had moved to do so again.

没想到真的有──巨像的眼珠动了。巨大的石球转了转，看向了站在下方草地里的拉克丝。

And then it did: the eyes of the statue actually shifted. The large stone orbs physically swiveled in their sockets to find Lux in the grass below.

女孩面色苍白，她能感觉到巨像正在饶有趣味地打量她。这一次真的不再是她自己的想象了。拉克丝好不容易才挪动双腿，飞快地跑了起来，尽可能跑得离巨像远远的。

The girl’s face blanched for a moment. She could feel the enormous stone figure studying her. This time, it was definitely not in her imagination. Lux found her legs and ran, away from the statue, as fast and as far as she could.

深夜，拉克丝悄悄走进家族庄园的雪花石拱门。她今天走了很多路，一整天都在走，走遍了全城，为的就是在家人们入睡后再回家。但有个人还在等她。

Later that night, Lux entered the alabaster arch of her family’s city manor. She had walked many miles, all day long, all over the city, in the hope her parents would be asleep when she returned home. But one person was not.

她的母亲奥格莎坐在豪华门厅角落的沙发里，担忧而愤怒地注视着大门。

Her mother Augatha sat in on a sofa in the corner of the grand foyer, glowering at the door with burning expectation.

“你知道现在是什么时辰了吗？”她的语气十分不满。

“Do you know what hour it is?” she demanded.

拉克丝沉默着。她知道现在已经过了午夜，早就过了家族的就寝时间。

Lux did not respond. She knew it was past midnight, well beyond the hour when her family were typically asleep.

“学校打算开除你，”奥格莎说：”这烂摊子收拾起来可不轻松。”

“The school has chosen not to expel you,” said Augatha. “It was not an easy mess to fix.”

拉克丝真想不管不顾地大哭一场，但她已经哭了一整天，流不出泪来了。”他们差一点就发现了。”拉克丝对母亲说。

Lux wanted to break down crying, but she had done nothing but weep all day, and she simply had no more tears. “They almost saw it,” she said.

“我想也是。越来越糟了，是吗？”

“I figured. It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

“我该怎么办？”拉克丝忧心忡忡。

“What should I do?” said Lux, exhausted from worry.

“该怎么办就怎么办，”她的母亲回答，”现在你已经失控了，再这样下去，你肯定会伤到别人。”

“What we must,” her mother replied. “You’ve lost control of it. Eventually, someone will get hurt.”

拉克丝曾听说，战争中遭到法师攻击的人，死得十分惨烈。他们的身体四分五裂面目全非，灵魂也被生生撕成两半。她深深同情那些人，也了解正是她体内的这种力量造成了如此可怕的毁灭。她想要憎恶自己，但一整天连续不断的情绪波动让此刻的她变得麻木不仁。

Lux had heard of men dying in battle at the hands of sorcerers, bodies melted beyond recognition and souls torn in two. She felt wretched, knowing she harbored any power that might be used for such destruction. She wanted to hate herself, but found herself numbed by the constant torrent of emotions she’d experienced that day.

“我已经为你找了一位专家。”奥格莎说。

“I’ve enlisted the help of a professional,” said Augutha.

拉克丝感觉心脏被狠狠地攥住。只有一种专家能解决她染魔的难题。”废魔使？”她屏住呼吸问道。

Lux’s stomach turned. There was only one profession that dealt with her affliction. “An annuller?” she said, light of breath.

“他值得信赖，我该早些找他，”奥格莎说，”他很可靠，你可以相信他。”

“He’s a friend. Someone I should have called on a long time ago,” said Augatha. “You can trust him to be discreet.”

拉克丝点点头。羞耻感压在她心头。尽管她母亲向她保证，那位专家不会告诉任何人，但她的秘密依然被人窥见了。

Lux nodded. She knew the shame that was imminent. Even if the man told no one, as her mother assured her, he would still know.

况且那些治疗办法— —她甚至不愿去想。

And the cures — she didn’t want to think about those.

“他明早会过来给你治疗，”奥格莎上楼回房的同时说道，”这是我们的秘密。”

“He’s coming for your consultation in the morning,” said Augutha, as she walked up the stairs toward her bedroom. “This will be our secret.”

这些话根本安慰不了人。拉克丝甚至还未成年，她的一生就已经没了盼头。除了回到房间蒙头大睡，让黑暗掩盖她痛苦，她什么都不想做。但她知道黑夜带不走她的麻烦。光芒始终活跃在她身体中，不知何时便要冲破一切。明天一早，她就得接受废魔使恐怖的治疗。曾有传闻说，废魔的办法就是就着药水吞下禁魔石，伴随着让人生不如死的疼痛。诚然，她愿意摆脱魔法，但并不想经历这种折磨。

The words were no comfort. Lux was not even a woman yet, and already her life was over. She wanted nothing more than to retire upstairs to a deep slumber that would bury all her troubles in darkness, but she knew her particular troubles would not disappear with the night. The light would still grow inside her, threatening to erupt again at any moment. The annuller would arrive in the morning to perform some dreadful treatment. Lux had heard rumors, horrible rumors, of petricite ground and swallowed in potions, followed by bouts of excruciating pain. True, the girl wanted to be rid of the affliction, but no part of her wanted to experience that.

真的没有其他办法了吗？她苦苦思索着。

Isn’t there another way? she wondered.

当然有！

Of course!

灵感如光一般闪进她脑中。她怕得不行，却又充满希望。她不知道这办法是否奏效，但她明白她必须得试试看。

The idea leapt into her head like lightning. All at once she was filled with dread and hope, unsure if the plan she’d just thought up would work, but knowing it was something she had to try.

沉沉夜幕之下，拉克丝疯了一般跑起来，跑过雪花石拱门，跑过林荫大道，蹑手蹑脚地避开保镖和关口。她向着南方一路疾奔，找到了战碑道，又跑了很久，跑到了加里奥巨像的所在地。她的心脏在急速跳动，快要跳出胸口。

Under the deepening night, Lux frantically retraced her steps, back through the alabaster archway, down the boulevard, sneaking her way past the guards at the gates. To the south, she found the Memorial Road, and followed it for miles before coming to Galio’s resting spot. Her heart galloped in her chest.

“您好？”女孩颤抖着问，也不知自己究竟想不想要听到回答。

“Hello?” the girl asked shakily, unsure if she wanted an answer.

拉克丝靠近巨像的底座，四周静谧无声。她小心地把手放在冰凉的禁魔石上。不知道这东西味道如何，肯定很苦吧。她料想自己很快就会知道了，除非她的办法能行得通。

Lux approached the plinth where the colossus stood, all alone in the stillness of night. She cautiously placed her hand on the cold petricite foundation. Wonder what it tastes like. I bet it’s really bitter, she reckoned. She supposed she would find out soon enough, unless her plan worked.

“他们说你可以吸走魔法，”她说道，”求求你把我的魔法吸走吧。我想做个正常的德玛西亚人。”

“Well, they say you fix magic,” she said. “So fix me. I want to be Demacian.”

她抬头注视巨像。巨像宁静，肃穆，巍然不动，就像德玛西亚式的生活。今晚安静极了，就连蝙蝠的扑翅声都没有。她之前听到的──或者说她以为自己见到的──毕竟只是她的想象。她失望地拿开手，思考着其他办法。

She gazed up at the colossus. It was as inert and unwavering as the Demacian way of life. Not even the bats were fluttering about it tonight. What she had heard before — what she thought she saw — was something she had imagined after all, then. She removed her hand from the plinth, pondering where else she could turn.

“女小人儿，”一个浑厚的声音在头顶响起。

“Small girl person,” said a booming voice above.

拉克丝猛然抬起头，看见巨像微微低头凝视她。她心惊肉跳──他知道的，知道一切。而且他不打算治好你，他会把你像小虫一样踩扁。

Lux’s head shot upward to see the statue tilting its enormous head down. Her mind raced. He knows. And he’s not going to fix you. He’s going to squash you like a bug.

“你能……帮我挠挠脚吗？”巨像问。

“Can you... scratch my foot?” asked the colossus.

加里奥注视着小女孩从他身边跑开，非常疑惑。女孩晃着小小的脑袋，发出他不能理解的尖叫。虽然他已经观察她很多年了，但他从不知道她能跑这么快，叫那么大声。

Galio watched in wonder as the girl ran away from him, her tiny head shrieking words he could not understand. Though he’d observed her for years, he never knew she could move so quickly, and loudly.

女孩很小时，每年都与家人一起旅行。他们经过时偶然会驻足，加里奥便认识了小女孩。他入了迷一般，一直关注着她，目光追随着那个小小的身影忽近忽远。有时候玩着玩着，小女孩就会突然记起他正俯视着她，于是就会害羞地躲到母亲的裙摆后。当巨像休眠时，一切事景物看起来都扭曲失真了。在他眼里，世界模糊，人影颤动。

Ever since the girl was very small, Galio had seen her as she stopped by on yearly trips with her family. He would study her with fascination, straining to keep sight of her as she skipped in and out of his field of vision. Then, in the middle of play, she would suddenly remember him standing above her, and she would shy away behind her mother’s skirt. When the colossus was dormant, everything seemed to move with a hazy distortion. The world was dull, people were but flickers before his eyes.

但即使是那时，加里奥仍能感觉到女孩的独特。那是一种光晕，但又不仅是看得见的光晕。在她身边，时间仿佛静止下来。薄雾缓缓升起，奇妙的触感在他的石身里搅动。

But even then, Galio could feel something profoundly special in the girl. It was a glow, but not just a visual luminescence. Time slowed with her, and the haze lifted as something strange stirred within his stone form.

刚开始时很轻微。在女孩还是幼童时，她身上散发出的奇妙暖意会轻轻地挠动加里奥的脚趾。第二次见到她，加里奥感觉到光晕笼罩了他的整条腿。当女孩长到10岁，那种温暖愈发强烈，加里奥可以在一英里之外感受到暖意，并且在预感到她的到来时，感觉到阵阵晕眩。

It started small. When the girl was a toddler, Galio could feel her strange warmth tickling his toes. On her second visit, Galio could feel the glow tugging at his entire leg. By the time she was ten, the girl’s warmth was so strong Galio could feel her approaching from a mile away, and would grow giddy with anticipation of her visit.

现在又一次见到她，虽然并非寻常的日子。她的力量燃烧地如此猛烈，象是燎原的大火，让他冰冷的内脏充满了热度。她带给他生命！

Now, here she was again, even though it was not her normal visiting day. Her power burned so intensely it had spread like wildfire across his cold innards. She had brought him life!

如今加里奥苏醒了，他真真切切地看见了她的光辉，美得令人倾倒。她熠熠发亮，象是广阔银河里的万颗星辰，尽情闪耀，灼灼其华。

Now that Galio was awake, he saw her brilliance with stunning clarity. She shone like all the stars in the heavens.

但她又一次离开了。

And she was leaving again.

女孩每跑远一步，加里奥的生命便流失一分，渐渐地，他又将进入冰冷静穆的沉眠。如果他动不了，他永远没机会去了解这个女孩了。他必须跟上。

With every step the girl took, Galio felt his life evaporating, returning him to his cold, motionless state. If he went still, he would never know the girl. He had to follow.

他屹立的双腿迈下底座，发出隆隆的响声。他凭借巨大的步伐轻易地追上了女孩。女孩朝着笨拙移动的巨像转过身，一双眼睛大睁着。一束聚光由女孩的指尖射向加里奥的腿。那奇怪的感觉在他身体内部不断翻涌，他甚至以为自己会被这股能量引爆，变成无数碎石，遍布德玛西亚。

His towering legs rumbled from the plinth, easily catching up to the girl with their enormous gait. Her eyes shot wide as she whirled toward the lumbering colossus. A concentrated beam of light fired from the girl’s fingers into Galio’s leg. The strange feeling within him intensified until he thought he might explode, scattering bits of himself all over Demacia.

但加里奥没有爆炸。相反的，他觉得更加暖和，也更有生命力了。他弯下腰，温柔地把小女孩捧上手心。女孩双手捂住脸，像在躲避迫在眼前的威胁。

But Galio did not break. Instead, he grew even warmer, and more alive. He bent down and gently scooped up the girl in his hands. She covered her face, as if to shield herself from some imminent harm.

巨像开心地大笑起来，像个在泉水中嬉戏的孩子。

The colossus began to laugh, like a child playing in a fountain.

“可爱的金脑袋小人儿，”他低沉地说，”你真有趣，请别离开我。”

“Small golden-head person,” he bellowed. “You are funny. Please, do not leave.”

女孩慢慢地克服了恐惧，试探着开口：”我……我离不开……我被你抓着呢。”

The girl slowly overcame her trauma, and responded, “I... I can’t. You’re holding me.”

明白了自己的冒犯，加里奥小心地将她放回地面。

Realizing his offense, Galio carefully placed the girl back on the ground.

“我很抱歉，我，我不太常能见到女小人儿，我每次醒过来就是要砸东西，”他解释道，”你有什么东西要我砸吗，很大的东西？”

“I am sorry. I don’t often meet small girl people. I only wake up to smash things,” he explained. “Do you have things to smash? Large things?”

“没有。”女孩弱弱地说。

“No,” said the girl meekly.

“那就让我们找点东西来砸吧，”他走了几步，却发现女孩并没跟上。”你不来吗，女小人儿？”

“Then let us find something to smash.” He walked a few booming steps, then turned to find the girl was not following. “Are you not coming, girl person?”

“不，”担心惹恼巨像，她的声音抖得更厉害了，”我现在不想引人注目。”

“No,” she replied, even more shakily, unsure if the answer would upset the giant. “I’m sort of trying not to be noticed right now.”

“啊，抱歉，女小人儿。”

“Oh. Forgive me, girl person.”

“好吧，但我现在要走了，”拉克丝努力思考着还有什么话可说，”唔，见到你很高兴。”

“Well. I’m going to go now,” said Lux, in what she thought was a final parting word. “It was nice to meet you.”

加里奥跟在她身后。”你走的不是回城的路，你要去哪儿？”

Galio followed right behind her. “You are walking away from your city,” he observed. “Where are you going?”

“我也不知道，”她答道，”去我该去的地方。”

“I don’t know,” she responded. “Someplace I belong.”

巨像偏着头说：”你是德玛西亚人，你该回德玛西亚。”

The colossus tilted his head at her. “You are Demacian. You belong in Demacia.”

女孩第一次觉得她与这个巨人产生了共鸣。她觉得自己开始放松下来。

For the first time, the girl saw empathy in the giant, and she felt herself opening up.

“你不懂，你是王国的象征，而我只是……”她搜肠刮肚，想找个词形容自己，既能说明情况，又不会泄漏太多秘密。最终她说：”我就是个错误。”

“You wouldn’t understand. You’re a symbol of this kingdom. I’m just...” She searched for a word that would tell everything without telling too much. “I’m all wrong,” she said, at last.

“错误？你才不是。你给了我生命。”加里奥蹲下，看着她的眼睛沉声说。

“Wrong? You can’t be wrong. You give me life,” boomed Galio, lowering his huge boulder of a face to her level.

“这就是问题所在，”女孩说道，”你本来不能动的，可我让你动了。”

“That’s the problem,” said the girl. “You’re not supposed to be moving. The only reason you are moving is me.”

加里奥惊讶极了，他沉默了一会儿，突然醍醐灌顶。

Galio reacted in stunned silence for a moment, then erupted with joyful epiphany.

“你是法师！”他开心地大叫道。

“You’re a mage!” he thundered.

“嘘！别出声！”女孩恳求道，”人们会听见的。”

“Shhh! Please be quiet!” begged the girl. “People will hear you.”

“我会把法师碾碎，”他得意地宣告，但马上补充了一句：”但不包括你。你是我头一个喜欢的法师。”

“I crush mages!” he proclaimed. He then quickly added: “But not you. I like you. You are the first mage I’ve liked.”

卢西亚娜的愤怒取代了恐惧：”听着，尽管我明白这是个奇迹，但我更愿意一个人待着。而且人们马上就要发现你不见了。”

Luxanna’s fear began to fade, giving way to irritation. “Listen. Even though this is all wondrous and miraculous, I’d really prefer you leave me alone. Besides, people are going to notice you’re gone.”

“我不在乎，”加里奥坚持道，”就让他们发现去吧！”

“I do not care,” insisted Galio. “Let them notice!”

“不行！”拉克丝边说边本能地后退，”拜托了，回到你待的地方去吧。”

“Don’t!” said Lux, recoiling at the thought. “Please, just go back where you belong.”

加里奥没有回答，反而像是想起某些动人的回忆，慢慢笑了起来。”再发一次光好吗？那实在太美了！”他声音太大，拉克丝十分不安。

Galio stopped to reflect, then smiled as though he’d recalled something amusing. “Do that thing to me again. With your wonderful starlight!” he said, far too loudly for Lux’s comfort.

“嘘！别吼了！”她极力劝道，”你是说我的光魔法吗？”

“Shhh! Stop yelling!” she urged. “Are you referring to my affliction?”

“没错。”加里奥声音放轻了些。

“Yes,” said Galio, in a slightly quieter tone.

“对不起，但我不是经常能做到。而且我不该这么做。你走吧。”她坚持道。

“I’m sorry. I can’t always do it. And I shouldn’t do it. You have to go,” she insisted.

“我不能走。如果离开你，我又会休眠。等再醒来，你肯定已经走了，女小人儿。”

“I can’t go. If I leave you, I will sleep. And when I wake, you will be gone, small girl thing.”

拉克丝停住了。尽管她又累又生气，但她发现这个巨人的话神奇地给了她安慰。

Lux paused. Though she was mad from exhaustion, she found herself touched by the titan’s words.

“如果我再用一次光魔法，你可以保证离开吗？”她问道。

“If I can do it again, do you promise to go away?” she asked.

巨人想了一会，同意了这个要求。

The colossus thought for a moment, then accepted the proposal.

“好吧，”女孩说道，”我会试试看的。”

“Okay,” said the girl. “I’ll try.”

她挥动双手，然后甩向加里奥。令人遗憾的是，她的指尖连一个小火花都没有。她试了一次又一次，结果都是一样。

She screwed in her hands toward her body and thrust them forward toward Galio. To her disappointment, nothing but a tiny spark of light glinted from her fingers. She tried again, and again, getting less of a result each time.

“我肯定是累了。”她反应过来。

“I must be tired,” she realized.

“那就休息，”加里奥建议道，”你恢复精神之后再给我施魔法。”

“Rest,” suggested Galio. “Then when you are refreshed you can give me your magic.”

“唔……”拉克丝思考着这个提议。”我反正帮不你，也没地方可去，不如舒服躺下睡一觉。”

“Hmm,” thought Lux, mulling the suggestion. “I can’t get rid of you, and I have no place to go. Suppose I might as well bed down.”

她四处摸索，找了一块柔软的草地，然后躺了下来，将斗篷盖在身上。

She began feeling around the ground for a comfortable patch of grass. Once she’d found a suitable place, she lay down and wrapped her cloak snugly around herself.

“好了，我现在要睡觉了，”她打着呵欠说，”你也该睡了。”

“Well, I’m going to sleep now,” she said with a yawn. “You should too.”

“不，我已经睡得够多了。”加里奥答道。

“No. I sleep too much,” replied Galio.

“你就不能……怎么说，把自己冻起来，就一会儿吗？”

“Can you just... I don’t know, freeze yourself for a while, then?”

“我不是那样运作的。”巨人答道。

“I do not work that way,” said the colossus.

“那就安静不动，假装你没有活过来。”

“Then be still and pretend you’re not alive.”

“好的。我就站在这儿看着你睡，女小人儿。”加里奥说。

“Yes. I will just stand here and watch you rest, girl person,” said Galio.

“请别这样，”拉克丝坚持道，”你看着我我怎么睡得着？你就不能……转过身去吗？”

“Please don’t,” insisted Lux. “I can’t sleep with you staring at me. Can you... turn around?”

加里奥依了女孩的话，转过身背对她，面朝着德玛西亚中心遥远的灯光。灯光当然不如女孩的光有趣，但也差强人意。

Galio honored the girl’s wish, turning himself away from her, toward the distant lights of the Demacian capital. It was not as interesting as the girl, but it would suffice.

争取到一点点隐私之后，拉克丝闭上双眼迷迷糊糊地睡去。

Making do with the modicum of privacy, Lux closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

确认加里奥不会转回身后，她静悄悄地起身，趁着夜色逃得无影无踪。

Once she was certain Galio would not turn around, she quietly got up and crept away into the night.

卢西亚娜跑得很快，她知道要离巨人越远越好。如果不够远，她的魔法仍能赋予他力量，那他就会跟过来找到她。到了早晨，王国里的人会到处搜查夜里失踪的冕卫家族女孩。他们也将注意到跟在她身后的巨像，那她身染魔法的秘密就瞒不住了。

拉克丝双腿疼痛，但不顾一切地全速奔跑。她对周围的一切只有模糊的印象。沉沉夜色中，不容易认清周边的环境。她只知道绵云森林就在附近，红彤彤的树干幕天席地，在南边形成一道地平线。这是个躲避搜查的好地方，也能找到食物。她可以在两天内穿过树林，藏到维斯卡锡亚的某个木屋小村，那里的人们认不出她。虽然这不是最完美的办法，但无论如何，已是她目前能想到最好的主意了。

Luxanna walked quickly, knowing her first order of business was getting as far away as possible from the colossus. If she didn’t, her magic would still empower him, and he would surely come looking for her. By morning, every patrol in the kingdom would be searching for the missing Crownguard girl who had vanished in the night. They’d surely notice the walking national monument following her, and they’d know the girl must be the magical source that had awakened it.

拉克丝已经可以看见森林边缘了。树木高大无比，顶端好似金字塔尖。走到森林入口时，她停住脚步，想到决定放弃的一切，悲从中来。她会思念哥哥盖伦，思念心爱的马儿星火，甚至想念她的母亲。但她无路可选。

Lux’s aching legs quickened to a sprint. She had only a vague idea of her surroundings. It was difficult to find any landmarks at this black hour of night. All she knew for sure was the Cloudwoods were nearby - their thick, towering redbarks forming the skyline to the south. It would be an ideal place to hide from any search parties, and a good foraging ground for breakfast. She could cross the forest in two days time and find shelter in one of the Vaskasian timber villages, where people were unlikely to recognize her. It was not a brilliant plan, by any stretch, but it was the best she had.

“影不为光所容。”她努力让自己静下心来，接着慢慢走进墨绿幽深的森林。

Lux could see the beginnings of the forest coming into view, its trees progressing in height like a pyramid, with the largest in the center. As she crossed the threshold of the woods, she paused a moment to grieve what she was abandoning. She would miss her brother Garen, and her beloved steed Starfire, and even her mother, but this was the way it had to be.

A shadow fades before the light, she reassured herself, and then stepped into the blackness of the dense evergreen woods.

她走得很艰难，生着倒刺和树脂的藤蔓与枝丫十分恼人。她已经走了一个多小时，却好像毫无进展。她终于开始怀疑自己的计划了。她飢肠辘辘，乌云也遮住了明亮的月光，走出森林好似遥遥无期。夜间出没的动物在她周围发出沙沙声响和沉沉低吼，让她心慌意乱。

“就来一点点光吧，”她想，”一点点没关系的，我也可以找到路。”

After an hour of plowing her way through the barbed, resinous branches of the forest, Lux already found herself doubting her plan. Her stomach was growling, and any confidence she’d had in finding a clear path through the trees had vanished with the brightest moon behind the clouds. All around she could hear the snorts and rustles of nocturnal animals, and that made her nervous.

她开始施法，在双手间幻化出发着冷光的魔法球。过了一会儿，一束光线闪出她的指尖，周围的动物发出一阵骚动。但光芒来得快去得急，四周又陷入黑暗。拉克丝仔细检查着双手，之前稍一放松就要倾泻的魔法，现在怎么不听使唤了？

Just a little light, she thought. Surely just a little won’t hurt, way out here.

是巨像。她恍然大悟。一定是！

She began to conjure a luminescent orb between her hands. For a brief moment, a flicker of light danced on her fingertips, causing an audible ruckus in the creatures around her. But the light snuffed out as quickly as it came, returning all to blackness. Lux looked at the outlines of her hands, inspecting them for flaws. She wondered what could have hampered her from doing what had previously come so easily and unbidden.

她突然注意到林地中的窃窃私语。缓慢地、轻轻地向她靠近，伴随着不怀好意的脚步声。他们是——

It’s the colossus, she realized. It must be.

一只男人的手臂倏忽间扼住她的咽喉，让她动弹不得。她可以感觉到除此之外她身边还有另外两个男人。

She suddenly became aware of voices in the woodland murmur. Slow, purposeful footsteps, and whispers. They were-

“小姐，今夜要去哪儿啊？”其中一个男人戏谑道。

An arm shot around Lux’s throat and restrained her. She could sense the presence of at least two other men to her sides.

可拉克丝结结巴巴，说不出完整的话。男人的手臂又勒紧了一点。

“Where are you headed tonight, miss?” asked one of the men.

“你不是应该待在废魔的贫民窟吗？”男人说道。

Lux stammered, not quite formulating a response. The man restraining her tightened his grip.

“不……”拉克丝艰难地喘着气，男人的手臂牢牢地抵住她的下巴。”我……我不是……”

“You’re supposed to be in the annulment slums, yeah?” he said.

“小姐，我们可不是傻瓜，”另一个男人说道，”来，跟我们回去。”

“No...” Lux gasped, the man’s arm wedged firmly under her chin. “I’m not...”

男人试图用粗糙的绳索绑住她的双手，拉克丝奋力地挣扎着。她强逼着自己冷静，试图召唤魔法，但没能成功。她挣脱了一只手，结结实实地打了男人下巴一拳。在男人被打倒时，她听到地面传来树枝被碾压的嘎吱声。另外两个男人愤怒地扑上来。

“We aren’t fools, miss,” said the third man. “Come on, let’s take you back.”

“你这是找死，”其中一个男人阴沉沉地说，”你真的是在找死！”

Lux struggled to free her arms as the men tried to bind them with coarse rope. She concentrated, but still could not summon the magic that had apparently once been hers. She freed one hand, struck one of the men squarely in the jaw, and heard the twigs on the ground crunch as he fell. The two other men angrily descended on her.

男人重新绑住她的双手。他们把绳结系得死紧，勒得拉克丝双手生疼。正在这时，大地开始震动，雷鸣般的可怖声响渐渐逼近。声音越来越快、越来越大。男人害怕得停下了手，到处寻找声音的源头。

“You shouldn’t have done that,” said one of them with a scowl. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”

四周隆隆作响，仿佛地震来临，最终变为沉稳的、有节奏的巨大声响──象是巨人的脚步声。

The men began to tighten her bindings. They were making a point to pull the knots as tightly and painfully as possible, when the ground began to vibrate with dull thunderous beat. The men paused in dread, searching for the source of the noise, as it slowly increased in frequency and volume.

离他们不过咫尺之遥。

It rumbled like an earthquake, only broken up into steady rhythmic booms... like gigantic footsteps.

“那是什么？”男人声音颤抖，吓得一动不敢动。

And they were getting nearer.

大地震动得更厉害了，巨大的冲击把四周的大树撞成碎片，发出令人胆寒的爆裂声。不管是什么东西，它现在就在森林里，就在他们头顶。

“What is it?” asked one man, too frightened to move.

“这是……这是……”

The ground shook more, and its quaking was joined by the crackling of great trees being broken apart. Whatever it was, it was now in the forest and almost upon them.

他们抬头，看到了加里奥巨像。巨人踩倒了一片红皮树，大步地走过来。男人惊慌失措地逃跑，才跑了几步，便被巨人的石头手一把抓到半空中。加里奥用一只巨大的眼睛注视着在他紧握的手中挣扎发抖的小人。

“It’s... It’s...”

“是不是要打架？”巨人咧嘴笑着说，”冲我来吧！”

All looked up to see the monstrous Galio, striding toward them, a path of felled redbarks in his wake. The men ran, getting only a few steps through the trees before a giant petricite hand snatched them up high into the air. Galio glared with one enormous eye at the trembling wads of flesh held tight in his grip.

他张开手掌，将另一只手覆上去，马上就要碾碎男人。

“Is it time for fighting?” said the colossus with a grin. “I will engage you!”

“不！”一个细小的声音传出来，”快停下!”

He opened his clenched fist, and raised the other hand as if to smash the men between his palms.

加里奥低头看到地上的拉克丝，她正用被绑着的双手敲打着他的脚踝，阻止他的动作。

“No!” said a tiny voice. “Please stop!”

“这样不对！”她喊道。

The colossus found Lux on the ground below, beating on his ankles with her bound arms.

加里奥疑惑不解，但还是放下了男人。拉克丝听到他们飞快逃跑的声音，象是被猎人追杀的猎物。她挣脱了绳索，看向加里奥。

“It isn’t right!” she shouted.

“我转过身才发现你不见了，女小人儿，”加里奥说，”为什么要到森林来？”

Confused, Galio lowered the men to the ground and released them. Lux heard the quick patter of the men’s feet, sprinting away from her with the urgency of hunted elk. As she wriggled out of her bindings, she gazed up at the colossus.

“我……我也不知道。”卢西亚娜嗫嚅道。

“I turned around and you were gone, girl person,” he said. “Why are you in the trees?”

“I- I don’t know,” Luxanna managed.

加里奥斜倚着山坡，和金脑袋的女小孩儿一起看星星。没人说话，只是间或感叹几声——并非紧张不安，两人都因为彼此的陪伴，感到无比满足、安心。

“我通常不会清醒这么长时间的。”加里奥说。

Galio reclined on a hillside, gazing at the stars with the tiny yellow-headed girl he had befriended. Neither spoke, save for an occasional sigh - not the stressful gasps that Lux had previously known. These were the sounds of two beings that had found utter contentment in each other’s company.

“我也是。”女孩打着大大的呵欠。

“I do not usually awaken for this long,” said the colossus.

“没有战争时，人们都聚在一起做些什么？我们要聊聊天吗？”

“Me neither,” said the girl, with an enormous yawn.

“不了，这样很好。”女孩说道，”我现在…...感觉很宁静。”

“How do people spend time together without battle? Should we have a conversation?”

加里奥皱了皱眉。女孩好像不太一样了，似乎失去了什么。她不再像星星一般，闪耀着迷人的光华。

“No. This is nice,” said the girl. “I feel... calm.”

“为什么不高兴？是你治愈了我啊。”女孩说，”只要你这么陪着我，我就能做个正常人，就能回家了。”

A frown crossed Galio’s face. There was something different about the girl. Something missing. She no longer shone like the stars.

加里奥低着头，闷闷不乐。女孩的思绪却没有停下。

“Why are you sad? You’ve cured me,” said the girl. “As long as you’re near me, I can return home and be normal.”

“唔，我想也许我可以每天都到你身边来，然后你可以把我的魔法吸——”

Galio did not brighten or look up. The girl continued her thought.

“不行，”巨人终于看向她的眼睛。

“I mean, maybe I can just come visit you every day to keep my affliction away—”

“为什么？”

“No,” said the titan, finally locking eyes with her.

“女小人儿，你很特别。在你还不记事时，我就知道你的天赋了。我想靠近那种光芒。但现在，你瞧，我毁了你的天赋。”

“Why not?” she asked.

“但魔法能给你生命。”

“Young girl person, you are special. Since before you can remember, I have felt your gift. For so long, I wanted it near me. But now I see... I smash your gift.”

加里奥听了她的话，陷入了沉思。但没过多久，他下定了决心。

“But it gives you life.”

“生命对我是很珍贵，”他说，”但你的天赋却是你的一切，千万要珍惜。”

Galio pondered her words, but only for a moment. His mind was made up.

他俯身伸手，小心地把女孩捧上自己的肩膀。他们一同踏上回城的路，虽艰难缓慢，但已决心去直面一切。

“Life to me is very valuable,” he said. “But your gift is everything. Never lose it.”

He got to his feet and gingerly placed the girl on his shoulder. Together, they began to trudge back toward the city to face what awaited.

拉克丝回到家族庄园时，太阳刚刚跳出地平线。城墙之外，加里奥也回到了战碑道旁的底座上，重新变为静止不动的石像。让拉克丝自己去解决她的难题吧。

“影不为光所容。”她心中默念着，拉开了前门的门闩。

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon when Lux returned to her family manor. Outside the city walls, Galio was returning to stillness on his plinth beside the Memorial Road, leaving Lux to face her problems alone.

她走进房屋，看到母亲与一个秃顶的中年男子坐在客厅里，男子手上拿着奇异的药剂。

A shadow fades before the light, she thought, and she opened the latch to her front door.

“卢西亚娜，谢天谢地，你终于打算回家了。”奥格莎咬牙切齿道。

She entered the house to find her mother sitting in the parlor with a balding middle-aged man, who held a case of exotic medical tinctures in his lap.

拉克丝警惕地看向沙发上的男子。

“Luxanna, so glad you decided to return home,” said Augatha, through clenched teeth.

“这就是我跟你说过的那个人，”她母亲小声对她说，”他可以帮你……抹去污点。”

Lux looked warily at the man on the couch.

拉克丝感到一阵眩晕，好似灵魂脱离了肉身，在半空中俯视着一切。

“This is the man I was telling you about,” her mother whispered. “The one who’s going to fix your... problem.”

“您知道吗，母亲，”她颤抖着，用尽全力说出长久以来的心声，”我不想见这个人，请让他走吧。”

Lux felt light-headed, as if her spirit was leaving her body to watch what she was about to say.

废魔使像是受到了侮辱。他站起来把包背上，准备离开。

“You know what, mother?” she said, her voice trembling with words she’d been longing to say. “I don’t think I want to see this man. In fact, I’d like you to send him away.”

“请等等！”奥格莎恳求道。她把拉克丝拽到角落，恼怒地斥责道：”你是不是疯了？这个人来帮你可是冒了大风险的！这是你唯一可以继续保持德玛西亚身份的办法，难道你忘了你染——”

The annuller looked offended. He stood and slung his bag over his shoulder.

“我没有染魔！”拉克丝尖叫出声，”我美丽大方、光明坦荡，总有一天我会向世人证明！如果有人要找我麻烦，那我有一位大朋友很愿意和他们当面聊聊！”

“No, stay,” begged Augatha. She cornered Lux and began to speak with authority. “You do not know what you are saying. This man has risked everything to help you. It is the only way you’re ever going to be Demacian. Have you forgotten your afflic-”

她跑回楼上的房间，再也不理会母亲和那位废魔使。

“I am not afflicted!” Lux cried out. “I am beautiful and valuable, and one day I will prove it to this kingdom! And if anyone has a problem with me, I’ve got a very large friend they can talk to.”

拉克丝猛地扑进柔软的大床，长长地呼出一口气，感到心灵是如此轻松。这么多年来，她的内心总是不得安宁，现在却好似盛夏的池塘，安详平和。体内的光芒仍旧翻涌着，但她已经可以体会到光的起始。总有一天，她能将其运用自如。

She strode upstairs to her room, leaving her mother alone with the annuller.

半梦半醒间，她突然意识到自己的咒语一直以来都是错的。光芒再亮，也无法吞噬暗影啊！

As Lux flopped onto her bed, she expelled a deep, easy breath. For the first time in years, her mind was as still as a pond in summer. The light that had once exploded from her unbidden was still there, but she could feel its beginning and its end, and knew that one day she could master it.

“影随光辉。”听上去真好。她满意地想着。

As she drifted off to sleep, she realized her mantra had always been wrong. No light could ever kill shadows.

A shadow thrives beside the light, she thought. It had a nice ring to it.