乱律真典 THE DISSONANT VERSES

作者：Ian St. Martin

一：禁忌之神谕“愚人们！”

I: Herald of the Forbidden God“Fools!”

一声怒吼如同鞭子一般抽进了美乐蒂的耳朵。声音从神庙墙外传来，打破了她习以为常的沉静冥思。

The word struck Melodie’s ear like a lash, echoing from beyond the temple’s walls and jarring her from the familiar calm of her meditations.

祈塔琴上翻飞的手指停了下来，一双温和的淡褐色眼眸忽闪着睁开，倒映出隐修室内的石砌拱顶。美乐蒂放下乐器，姿态恭谨——这俗世间的器物令她得以与神圣的嘈刺隔空恳谈，随后站起身，向大门走去，走向令人烦躁的声音来源。

Her fingers ceased their dance along the strings of her praytar, her eyes of warm hazel flickering open to take in the arched stonework of the temple’s inner sanctum. Setting down the instrument with all the reverence due to the worldly object that enabled her communion with blessed Cacophoni, Melodie rose and made for the entrance, and the source of the disquieting voice.

她掀起脸上用包漆的拨片缀成的纱帘，旋即被焚香的烟气和正午的阳光夺去了视觉。一瞬过后，壮丽的城市在她眼前铺展开来。神选之人将岩石、钢铁和玻璃扭合在一起，显得粗野却又和谐。半空中悬浮着宏伟的巨石阵，传导并增强大律统的鸣响——那是这个世界的心跳声。

She lifted the veil of lacquered plectrums she wore over her face, before whorls of incense and the midday light of the suns stole her sight for a moment. The city sprawled out before her, stone and iron and glass wrought into brutal harmony by the chosen of the gods. Grand monoliths hung in the sky, carrying and strengthening the tolling of the Temporonomicon, the rhythmic heartbeat of the world.

万物调谐——除了那个正在怒叫的声音。美乐蒂站在神庙台阶顶端，俯视着正在叫喊的人。

All was in tune—save for that single, angry voice whose owner Melodie now beheld from the top of the temple steps.

这名年轻男子颀长身材，皮肤白皙，几条简单的白金色发辫闲搭在肩头。他一脸赤诚，眼神因狂信而有如烈火。周围的人群仿佛是忌讳他染了什么恶疾，纷纷像潮水一样退开，只留下衣衫褴褛的他兀立着。

He was young, slender of build and fair of skin, with gentle locks of platinum blond that tumbled down to his shoulders. His face was ardent, eyes burning with the fervor of belief. Alone he stood, swathed in rags, the crowds ebbing back from him as though he were diseased.

“你们被引上了歧途。”年轻男子不顾身边人群的重重怒目，继续说道：“罪魁祸首就是那些独自占有了真理的人。”

“You have been led astray,” the young man continued, appealing to the wall of scowls surrounding him, “deceived by those who claim sole possession of the truth.”

美乐蒂瞥了一眼整肃者——那些身形魁硕的战士是神庙的守卫，他们身披晶亮的铜甲，与所守护的雕像一样岿然不动。

Melodie glanced at the Rectifiers—those tall, hulking warriors clad in plate of gleaming brass who served as the temple’s guardians, as still as the statues they protected.

为什么他们没有出手阻止？

Why were they not stopping this?

年轻人抬手示意广场——一眼就能看到粗犷又抽象的噪神体的群像占据了最显眼的位置。“嘶恸。嘈刺。叵宁。”他继续说道：“三位神祇毋庸置疑，理应受人敬拜，但奉三神之名的信仰却建基于谎言。而这些卫道士——”

The young man gestured to the main courtyard, and the brutal and abstract depictions of the Noisome Host that dominated it. “Stentorus, Cacophoni, Perpetuum,” he said. “The gods are true, and worthy of worship, but the faith raised up in their name is built upon lies. And their champions?”

他愤然弹起一根手指，戳向三神身边的几座几乎同样伟岸的石碑，以花岗岩和金斑点点的大理石所造，雄浑沉稳、威压逼人。他们是被诸神选中的领主，手握统治众生的权柄。

He stabbed a finger in accusation at the only slightly lesser monuments standing with the gods in the silent majesty of granite and gold-flecked marble, the warlords that they had chosen to rule over all.

五杀者。

Pentakill.

他啐了一口：“你们的汗水被用以洗濯他们的宝座，你们的鲜血被用以满足他们的饥渴。你们不过是他们任意指使的奴隶，以自己的血肉竭力滋养他们腐朽、陈旧的躯壳！”

“By your sweat did they render their thrones,” he spat. “By your blood do they quench their thirst. You are nothing but slaves to them, your toil the mortar that keeps their stale, unchanging act from collapsing!”

这番大逆不道的发言钻进了美乐蒂的脑海，令她不禁一缩。她摇摇头想要甩掉那些念头，可字字句句仿佛生出倒刺钩入了她的神髓。但她不会逃回神庙寻求净化——人群中不出意外爆发的詈骂给予了她力量。

Melodie flinched at the sheer heresy of it, the words burrowing into her thoughts. She shook her head to free herself of them, but they held fast to her with painful barbs. Yet she would not flee back to the sanctuary of the temple, instead gaining strength from the inevitable rebuke that came from the crowd.

“胡说八道！”

“Liar!”“你亵渎神明！”“Blasphemer!”“该受教典诅咒！”

“May the scriptures curse you!”

男子不由得苦笑：“教典？五杀者蒙蔽天下，让你们误以为圣籍已是全书，以为没有书页曾被撕去，并以恐惧之名掩盖，以为宇宙之中的一切大能，唯有噪神体可以定夺分配。我再说一遍：你们所知，全是谎言！”

The man laughed bitterly. “Scriptures? Pentakill would have you believe that the holy books are complete, that no pages have been torn from them and hidden in fear, that all power in the universe is meted out by the Noisome Host alone. I say again, you are being lied to!”

骚动开始扩散，人们带着震惊或是怀疑窃窃私语起来。

Disquiet rippled through the assembled masses, murmurs of shock and doubt.

“还有更多真相，你们却无权知晓。”他语气带上了一层悲悯，但辞令之中激烈不减：“你们一昧相信，是诸神的旨意在指引你们的前路……然而，朋友们，还有一种——”

“There is more than you have been allowed to know,” he went on, his tone growing softer in sympathy yet somehow stronger in projection. “You believe it is the will of the gods that lays your paths out before you... but friends, there is another—”

“到此为止，佛耶戈！”

“That’s enough, Viego!”

美乐蒂转过头，只听见一串金线缝制的长袍拖过石板的沙沙声渐近。净化使齐尔马斯特从清寂的神庙深处步出，穿过门槛，踱下台阶，尽显高阶祭司的庄严与持重。

Melodie turned, hearing the susurrus of a cloak of golden strings trailing against the flagstones. Qylmaster the Sanctifier emerged from the calm of the temple, crossing the threshold and striding down the steps with all the grandeur and assurance enjoyed by one of his rank.

“祭司，我正在想你什么时候才会滚上前来。”异端男子不易察觉地笑了。“你这垂死之光的傀儡。”

“I was wondering when you would scurry forth, priest,” the heretic smiled thinly. “Puppet of the dying light.”

“离开此地。”齐尔马斯特的话音冷静且克制，却不留任何抗辩的余地。“是否因为叵宁早已将你舍弃，才让你全然不觉自己口中流毒？切勿再多叨扰这些善人信者了。”

“Begone from this place,” said Qylmaster, his voice calm and measured but leaving no room for debate. “Have you fallen so far from the grace of Perpetuum that you are deaf to the poison that escapes your own lips? Trouble these innocents and true believers no longer.”

佛耶戈微微附身，却往地上一啐：“你别想再对我指手画脚了，老人家。你们所供奉的，那些惫懒虚弱的伪像，我决不会归顺，不会苟且于他们脚下。我只回应那真正的力量，值得追随敬拜的真神。我所称的，便是乱律真神！”

Viego leaned forward and spat upon the ground. “You no longer have any hold over me, old man. I do not bow and scrape at the feet of your weary idols. I answer to a truer power, one worthy of worship. I speak of the Dissonant One!”

净化使脸色一暗，陡然沉声：“滚。立刻。”

The Sanctifier’s expression dropped. His tone became a low rumble. “Leave. Now.”

佛耶戈挺身道：“若我拒绝呢？”

Viego straightened. “And if I refuse?”

齐尔马斯特扬起一只手，亮出一对系在拇指和食指上的小钹。“那就要将你除去了。”

Qylmaster lifted a hand, revealing small cymbals bound to his thumb and index finger. “Then you will be removed.”

净化使两指一扣，钹音清越，整肃者应声而动，齐齐上前。这些侍僧宣誓效忠嘶恸，身佩烤铁木大槌，脚步隆隆，有如鼓声滚奏。他们迅速地围住了佛耶戈，同时架起兵刃，摆出了进攻的架势。

The Sanctifier clashed his fingers together once, and in response to the chime the Rectifiers stepped forward as one. Sworn acolytes of Stentorus, they bore mauls of flame-hardened ironwood, and their bootfalls were a percussive staccato upon the earth. Swiftly they surrounded Viego, their weapons raised and poised to strike him down.

“你再三越矩，不可容忍。”齐尔马斯特说：“若不收敛谗舌，我便奉噪神体之名，将其拔除。”

“We will suffer no further apostasy,” said Qylmaster. “Still your forked tongue, or in the name of the Noisome Host I will have it torn from your mouth.”

然而佛耶戈报以冷笑：“何不叫上你敬爱的偶像，嗯？既然我在此口吐‘流毒’，五杀者又为何不加干预？”他又转向人群：“他们高坐在金塔玉堂之中，大啖你们的血汗结晶，渐渐臃肿腐朽。让他们来吧，只要他们亲口劝我离开，我便二话不说，乖乖滚蛋。”

But Viego only sneered. “Why not call forth your fair headliners, eh? Where are Pentakill to answer for the ‘poison’ I utter?” He turned again to the crowd. “High up in their gilded towers, fat and corrupt from your toil. Let them come here and tell me to leave, and I will depart without incident.”

当下全场寂静。佛耶戈侧耳凝神，眼光恰好与美乐蒂相接——虽然只有短短一瞬。

There was a moment of silence. Viego cocked his ear, and his eyes met with Melodie’s, though only briefly.

他得意地笑了：“他们没来。正如我所料。”

Then he smirked. “Nothing. I thought as much.”

美乐蒂把一切看在眼里，感到一阵战栗。她无法认同佛耶戈向众人散播的观点。质疑噪神体的力量，简直如同妄称双子太阳不会燃烧，或是苦涩之海不曾涨落。五杀者是世间最伟大的乐团，也是正义的神之拱卫。他们为何坐视不理，任其放肆？

Melodie watched, shaken by the scene unfolding before her. She could not countenance the worldview being foisted upon them all by Viego. To question the power of the Host was like stating that the twin suns did not blaze, or the bitter oceans did not rise and fall. Pentakill were the greatest band of all time, and rightful champions of the gods. Why were they allowing this to persist?

人群开始骚动起来。声量渐强，掺杂着怒叫，然后演化成了推搡与打斗。亲友相殴，故交见仇，佛耶戈的一番疯话唤起了人们心底的癫狂，将神庙广场变成了暴力与惊恐的海洋。

Agitation began to wind and twist through the crowd. Raised voices and angry words turned to shoves and strikes. Violence and uncertainty crept into the temple courtyard as friends turned on one another, incited by the intriguing madness of Viego’s ravings.

“肃静！”齐尔马斯特举起双臂高声呼叫。“各位兄弟姐妹，请冷静！非礼勿听，别让你们的内心被谎言玷污。”

“Silence!” Qylmaster cried, raising his arms. “Peace, my brothers and sisters! Close your ears and your hearts to these lies.”

他盯着佛耶戈，满眼怒火。

He glowered at Viego.

“孩子，你已经堕落太深。可我依然会为你即将遭受的责罚深感心痛。光荣的嘶恸之子们，听我命令，出手制邪！”

“You have fallen so very far, my child. It pains me to send you down deeper still. Honored sons of Stentorus, I loose thee!”

整肃者一齐顿足，发出三声刺耳的铜器锐响，随后将佛耶戈击倒。大槌纷纷高举，接连落下，反复多次。美乐蒂心有不忍，别过了脸。然而每一下锤打的声音都令她身子一抖。

The Rectifiers stamped in unison—three sharp, echoing crashes of brass—and beat Viego down. Their mauls rose and fell, again and again, and Melodie had to look away, flinching at the sound of each blow.

整肃者们拖着佛耶戈软瘫的身体开始游街。路人唾骂不绝，秽物横飞。一番羞辱过后，城门洞开，佛耶戈被扔出城外，有如一摊烂泥。

Viego’s limp form was seized, dragged through the streets and pelted with insults and scraps of garbage. At the end of this abusive parade, the city gates were flung wide, and he was thrown into a crumpled heap in the dust beyond them.

美乐蒂感觉到齐尔马斯特经过她身边时将手在她肩上一抚：“散了吧，孩子。虔信之人不宜在此久留。”

Melodie felt Qylmaster’s gentle touch upon her shoulder for a moment as he passed. “Come away, child. This has been no sight for the devout to behold.”

可她却动弹不得——恐惧将她钉在了原地，或许……不止是恐惧。当她看着佛耶戈在城外颤颤巍巍地支起身体时，一种从未有过的感受流进了她的骨髓。

Yet she could not move. Horror rooted her in place, and... something else. A new sensation crept up her spine, as she watched Viego roll shakily onto his knees outside the gates.

她动摇了。

Doubt.

“你们……无力阻挡……将至的……风暴……”他的嘴唇皮开肉绽，仍在艰难地蠕动：“你们所有的谎言……与碑石……都将被彻底荡平！你们的傲慢自大，也将……堕入尘泥……”

“You… cannot stop the... storm that is c-coming...” he choked from between split lips. “All your lies and... m-monuments will be swept away! Your... haughtiness laid low... in the ashes...”

城门逐渐合拢，佛耶戈愤然站直了身子。

As the gates drew closed, Viego rose defiantly to his feet.

“我乃，乱律之信徒！我会让你们见证！你们所有人都将见证！

“I am a disciple of Dissonance! I will show you! I will show you all!”

二：悔罪之疑惧在美乐蒂的生命中，音乐是一口给予她宁静的清泉。往复的乐段、错落的和弦，围成一处绿洲，足以消弭她所有的忧虑。虽然神庙广场上的那场骚动已经过去了好几天，但无论她怎么努力，始终无法将佛耶戈的话语从记忆中抹去。她拨弄着祈塔琴，任由自己的心情与思绪随着手指的动作渐渐飘远。

然而，疑虑仍在。

II: Doubts of the PenitentMusic was a wellspring of calm in Melodie’s life, the riffs and chords an oasis that made all other concerns fade. And yet, try as she might, she could not forget Viego’s words, even though days had passed since the incident outside the temple courtyard. She strummed her praytar, willing herself to let all but her heart, mind and fingers drift away.

美乐蒂指尖滑动，音律微变，不谐的音调令空气也随之一滞。她止住琴收拢心神，便听见金线长袍细碎的曳地声渐近——美乐蒂隔着面纱暗暗责骂自己。

Still, the doubt remained.

“你的演奏带着悲意，弦师。”

The tune Melodie was playing warped as her finger slipped, curdling the air with discord. She ceased, cursing softly behind her veil, as she heard the soft scrape of golden strings approaching.

美乐蒂抬起头望着净化使齐尔马斯特。他俯视着她，眼里满是关切。“当日之事，你仍有困扰么？”

“There is suffering in your play, Stringstress.”

美乐蒂垂眼道：“确有其事。”

Melodie looked up to see Sanctifier Qylmaster. He looked down, with concern in his eyes. “Do the other day’s events yet disturb you?”

齐尔马斯特不无理解地轻叹了一口气。“异端之说常人难见，”说着，他在她身旁坐了下来。“除非已是笃信邪说者。我们但有机会，都应尽己所能，予以怜悯支助。然而，彼等诳言无需聆听，更不必费心思量。”

Melodie averted her gaze. “I confess they do.”

“知易行难。”美乐蒂说完，险些为自己的直率一惊：“ 他的言语，在我心底种下的恐惧，即便是到了此刻也无法拔除。”

A soft sigh of understanding passed Qylmaster’s lips. “Heresy is seldom kind,” he said, seating himself beside her, “least of all to the heretics themselves. They are to be pitied, helped whenever possible, however we are able—but their delusions are not to be heeded, much less dwelled upon.”

净化使点了一下头，随后站起身来。

“Were it so simple,” said Melodie, almost shocked at her own candor. “His words rooted a dread in my heart. A dread that holds fast to me even now.”

“美乐蒂弦师，随我来吧。”

The Sanctifier nodded once, then rose to his feet.

“Walk with me, Stringstress Melodie.”She followed Qylmaster from the inner sanctum, ascending a spiral staircase through floor after floor of the temple, until they emerged from its tallest tower.

她跟着齐尔马斯特走向内殿，沿着一道旋梯层层而上，最后来到了神庙的塔尖。

Her breath caught in her throat. Never before had she stood at such a height, able to take in all of the city at once. The lesser temples and assorted screamatoria dotted the landscape, offering song and verse to the gods above with such fervour that they could be heard even in the wastelands beyond the city. And there, to the west, lay the Ashenpit, that grand arena erected at the site of Pentakill’s original, triumphant ascendance.

美乐蒂感到呼吸困难。她从没来过这么高的地方。城市风光尽收眼底，其间点缀着一些较小的神庙和各式各样的啸合场。颂歌环绕，唱诗不绝，热忱的信仰之声就连身处城外荒野的人也能听见。西边是烬坑。这座场馆所在的位置正是当年五杀者最初登上神坛的地方。

She felt as though she might reach up and touch the floating monoliths overhead, and let her eyes fall upon the holy Temporonomicon in all its glory. Nonetheless, Viego’s words remained with her. Did she even regard that edifice with the same awe any longer?

她的目光落在神圣的大律统上，不禁感概它的威严，同时也觉得自己一伸手就能碰到漂浮于头顶的巨石。然而，佛耶戈的话语仍在耳畔。面对这宏伟的建筑，美乐蒂已不能确定自己是否还抱有与之前无二的敬畏。

“Look, dear child,” said the Sanctifier, as though reading Melodie’s thoughts. “Look upon everything we have built together. All we have achieved. Tell me, was this done in the passage of a single day?”

“看呐，亲爱的孩子。”净化使似乎看穿了她的心思。“看我们共同建筑的一切。所成就的一切。回答我，此番伟业，可是一日之功？”

She frowned. “Of course not, holy one.”

她皱起了眉头：“当然不是，圣使。”

“A year, then?” he persisted. “Or even a lifetime?”

“那么，一年？”他紧追不放。“抑或凡人的一生？”

Melodie shook her head.

美乐蒂摇了摇头。

“Consider the first gatherings, those first primitive groups that offered up music and song, such as they could, to the gods. Do you not think they were afraid?”

“遥想当初，前人聚集，竭尽所能，颂唱演奏，祈祝神恩。难道你以为，他们不曾畏惧？”

“They must have been,” Melodie admitted.

“可想而知。”美乐蒂点头。

“Quite so. And yet they persevered, for they had the truth of their beliefs to sustain them. They triumphed over their fear, and for that victory the Noisome Host deemed us worthy of patronage. All that we have done since has been by their eternal grace.” His arm swept across the majesty of the city once more. “And behold! What wonders we have rendered!”

“确实如此。但他们供奉不懈，只因坚定的信仰予以支撑。他们克服了恐惧，因此我等才有幸能得噪神体垂青。恩典永继，盛世得佑。”他两臂平展，将眼前的壮阔城市拥入怀抱。“看啊！何等壮丽庄严！由我们所作！”

Melodie smiled. “It is beautiful, in its brutality.”

美乐蒂微笑道：“美景万千，粗犷不凡。”

“Rest easy then. For our path is righteous, as strong as steel. The words of that liar, that fool Viego, are nothing in comparison.”

“放宽心罢。我们行于正道，意坚如铁。那愚昧的佛耶戈，满口胡言，不值一提。”

“His words were cunning,” said Melodie. “They were so sincere. I feel ashamed for my doubt.”

“他言辞蛊惑。”美乐蒂说。“真伪难辨。我为心中疑惑而羞愧不已。”

“We must never doubt. Doubt is a doorway, one that only leads to ruin. A pox upon his name—we beat Viego and cast him out, and now I curse myself even for the kindness of that. Better to have gone further still.”

“置疑绝不可取。一旦心中生疑，便是歧路发端。我们训诫了佛耶戈——愿此名生疮——并将其驱逐，而如今我只怪自己还是过于心慈手软。惩治异端，我不应留情。”

The veil of plectrums jingled as Melodie gave a short bow. “I thank you for your wisdom, holy one.”

美乐蒂微鞠一躬，面前的拨片串叮铃作响：“圣使，您的智慧我感激不尽。”

“Come now,” Qylmaster gestured to the stairs leading back down to the temple. “I have heard you play, my child. The inspiration of Cacophoni has blessed you bountifully. You are strong not only in song but in mind, in will. You do not require my feeble words to stand against the challenges of this world.”

“不必。”齐尔马斯特指向旋梯。“方才我方才听了你的弹奏，孩子。嘈刺赐予你的灵感可谓慷慨。你手中乐声强劲，心灵与意志也同样强韧。即便没有我的微薄之词，你仍可迎接此间考验。”

“I am grateful for them all the same.”

“我依然心存感激。”

They descended, walking in contented silence, until they reached her simple alcove. Melodie suppressed a laugh.

两人走下旋梯，心中安然，口中无言。她回到自己简单的小室时，忍不住轻笑了一下。

“To think that there could be a lost chapter of the scriptures, another god—”

“居然说圣典有遗失的章节，还有其他神——”

“There will be no more talk of such things!” Qylmaster snapped, all his former warmth gone. Melodie sank to her knees, shocked into mortified silence, clutching her praytar for support.

“此事不必再提！”齐尔马斯特一声断喝，全然没有了先前的和煦。美乐蒂慌忙跪下，吓得大气都不敢出，只紧紧地抱着自己的祈塔琴。

A hush filled the sanctum. Veiled adepts, acolytes, and mystics shared glances and whispered words. They could not help but overhear the Sanctifier’s rebuke, their eyes like daggers piercing Melodie from every direction.

神庙内忽地静了一瞬。戴着面帘的祭司、侍从和秘使们面面相觑，窃窃私语。他们都听到了净化使的怒斥，眼神像刀子一样从四面八方投来。

“There is the Host, and nothing else.” Qylmaster towered over her. “Your doubts disrupt us all, throwing our faith from its divine cadence. Are you perhaps unworthy of the rank of Stringstress? Pray for mercy, Melodie. Pray that your thoughtless words will be forgiven.”

“神体之外，再无他物。”齐尔马斯特的身影笼罩了她。“你的疑虑，让众人烦恼，扰乱了我们的信仰。或许，你并不适合弦师的身份。祈求宽恕吧，美乐蒂。为你莽撞的言辞祈求宽宥。”

Melodie bowed her head, cursing herself for her levity. “In Cacophoni’s name.”

美乐蒂垂下了头，为自己的轻率而懊悔。“嘈刺在上。”

“You shall make penance with a dozen soli.” Qylmaster held out a slim crystal vial, which she accepted. “Contemplate the majesty of the Noisome Host, as you make your offering.”Melodie played, her fingers a blur over the strings. The vibrating metal stung after a while, yet relief washed over her. She finished the first solo in under an hour.

“你将独奏十二首，作为苦修。”齐尔马斯特摸出一个精致的水晶小瓶，交给美乐蒂。“供奉之际，且在噪神体之荣光中静思悔过罢。”

It was not until midway through the fourth that the calluses on her fingers opened.

Blood slicked the strings, running down to the bottom edge of the praytar’s fretboard, and she was careful to catch each crimson droplet in the vial. By the end of the twelfth solo, Melodie squeezed her shaking hands until it was filled.

美乐蒂演奏不歇，弦上手指化成一片虚影。过了一会儿，金属琴弦让她感到了刺痛，却反而带来了强烈的慰藉。第一支独奏不到一个小时便完成了。

She glanced down at her bloodied fingers, unable to force the beaten figure of Viego from her mind, as he had lain broken in the dust.

然而第四支还没过半，她指尖的茧就破了。

And where once doubt lingered, anger took its place—an anger unlike any she had felt before.

血滴下来，顺着琴弦流到了祈塔琴指板的底端。每一滴猩红的液体都被美乐蒂小心地收进水晶小瓶中。十二曲毕，美乐蒂握紧了颤抖的手，将血挤满了小瓶。

“Is your penance done?” asked the Sanctifier when she came to him. “And did it bring reason back to you, Stringstress?”

她低头看着血迹斑斑的手指，却始终无法从脑海中驱散佛耶戈躺在尘土间不成人形的颓败模样。

“I pray so,” Melodie answered through gritted teeth. “I know that man’s words were lies. For if they were true, none here would deny them, would they?”

心中的疑惑渐渐被愤怒所取代——一种她从未感受过的愤怒。

“I believed this matter was concluded,” Qylmaster growled. “Was I mistaken?”

“苦修完成了吗？”净化使看着她走近，出言探问。“是否令你重新寻回了理智，弦师？”

Melodie flinched. “No, Sanctifier, it’s just—”

“我正是如此祈祷的。”美乐蒂咬紧了牙关。“我心中明白，那人所说都是谎言。若非如此，这里便不会有人出言驳斥他了，是吗？”

“It seems penance was not sufficient to quiet your mind! Need I remove you from this temple until you have come to your senses? Perhaps so. Oh, child—you seemed destined to rise so high among us. To become a font of holy wisdom! To teach others the tenets of the faith!” Qylmaster shook his head. “Look upon yourself, now. Bear this shame as I bear my disappointment.”

“我以为，此事已然论定，”齐尔马斯特低吼道。“是我谬断了吗？”

Melodie cast her gaze around the temple, but found only judgement, coldness, some even stifled laughter at her plight. She knew there were those among them just like her, with questions and doubts. Yet they turned their backs, their denial an almost physical force pushing Melodie from the temple’s light.

美乐蒂瑟缩了一下。“不，净化使，只是——”

She had never felt more alone.

“似乎苦修已经不足以令你静心了！我是否应该将你逐出神庙，直到你心神清净为止？看来是了。孩子啊，你本可大有一番作为，远超我等之上。最终化作神圣智慧的箴言！将信条传授四方！”齐尔马斯特大摇其头。“可你看看现在的自己。好好记住这耻辱吧，正如我也将不忘这份失望。”

“You will take your leave now,” said Qylmaster. “Return when your faith has, and we will decide if you are worthy of any place among us.”Melodie paced the streets with no idea of where to go. Her vision blurred with tears, she collided with a street performer who was clumsily attempting to appease all three gods in unison, with a bizarre apparatus of instruments bound to himself. The man sprawled to the ground in a crash of cheap cymbals and the squeal of protesting catgut.

美乐蒂环顾神庙之内，目之所及只有他人的审视和冷眼，甚至还有人在低声嘲笑她的窘境。她敢说，这群人中也不乏和她类似的想法，也有疑虑和困惑。可他们却背弃了她，仿佛合力将她推出了神庙的庇荫。

Ripping the veil loose from her face, Melodie looked down upon it as the blood from her hands smeared the lacquer, before tossing it into the gutter.

此时此刻，她前所未有地感到孤独。

She was angry. Angry at herself, at the Sanctifier... and most of all at the idea that Viego’s lies might not have been lies at all.

“你该走了。”齐尔马斯特说。“待你重拾了信仰，我们再来决定你是否有资格回来。”

美乐蒂在街上恍惚地游荡，不知该去哪里。泪水模糊了她的双眼，让她不小心撞到了一个街头艺人。他浑身上下挂满了乐器，正在笨拙地同时向三位神明祷祝。美乐蒂一撞之下，他四仰八叉地摔在地上，廉价的镲片落地发出巨响，弦线也跟着呜咽哀叫。

美乐蒂扯下面帘，低头看了一眼被自己的血沾染的拨片，然后将面帘扔进了路边的水沟。

她很愤怒。既是为了自己，也是因为净化使……更有可能是因为，佛耶戈的话也许并非完全是谎言。

三：音律之飓乱美乐蒂在打扫神庙的台阶，节奏舒缓且平稳，尽其所能不去在意身上炽热的阳光。她的心思全在扫帚均匀的扫拨上。听着粗糙的刷毛梳过石面，她意识到即便是如此卑微的工作也能创造出音乐，心里一阵满足。

III: A Storm of DissonanceWith a soft, even rhythm, Melodie swept the temple steps, trying to ignore the heat of the suns beating down on her. She concentrated on the even swing of the broom, the rough bristles brushing against the stone, content that even in this humble task she was making music again.

她在城里游荡了几个礼拜，既没有打消原有的疑虑，也没能驱散那股在心中搏动的愤怒。但是，当原本所拥有的一切纷纷化作了烟尘，她只能抱紧那唯一所知能给予她平静的事物。

The weeks she had spent wandering the city had not dispelled her doubts, nor the newfound anger that surged in her heart. But when it felt like all else had turned to sand around her, she clung to what she knew would bring her peace.

便是音乐。

Music.

每一天，她与一众托钵僧和慕教者站在大门外，瞻仰整肃者们冷漠森然的面甲，看着午后的阳光打在铜面上一片锃亮。等到她终于获准再次进入神庙时，美乐蒂全身心地感激自身信仰所降下的仁慈，捱过了他们所要求的净化仪式，证明了自己拥有重新成为信徒的资格。

She had stood with the other mendicants and aspirants at the gate each day, staring up into the impassive visors of the Rectifiers, seeing the afternoon light reflected brilliantly in the brass. When at last she had been permitted entry once more, Melodie threw herself upon the mercy of the faith, enduring all of the purification they demanded to prove herself worthy to return to the fold.

然而，美乐蒂重归门墙之后，却开始了一些暗中的动作。她开始搜寻那被掩藏的物事存在的证明。圣典中失落的章节。禁忌的神祇。

However, back inside the temple walls she had begun to work in secret moments and hidden acts, searching for what she was now convinced was being hidden from them all. Lost chapters of the holy scriptures. Forbidden gods.

她笃定决心，要寻根究底了。

She was determined to find answers.

一切进展正合她的期望。净化使齐尔马斯特对她百般审问折磨后，最终网开一面，还是接纳了她重返信徒行列——虽然在他的关切或是友善之下，只是一种面对乞儿的怜悯罢了。美乐蒂曾有着大好前景，将来她会被选为行路人——为五杀者照管乐器的神圣仆从——可再也没有如此机会了。她曾经身着华服，一双纤手引出噪神体的圣乐，如今她粗袍敝屣，拘幽于神庙内穿梭洒扫，还要替别人的祈塔琴上弦。

It played out just as she had hoped it would. Interrogated and scourged by Sanctifier Qylmaster, he had at last relented and Melodie was welcomed back into the ranks of the faithful, though with all the warmth shown to a beggar, beneath notice or friendship. The promising future she had once had, even the potential to one day become an anointed Roadwalker—the blessed servants who tended the sacred instruments of Pentakill—was gone forever. Where once she was adorned in finery, her fingers a conduit for the holy music of the Noisome Host, now she wore plain robes, confined to shuffling in the shadows as she cleaned the temple, and restrung the praytars of others.

没有人在意美乐蒂。不过即便是在内殿中经过，那种熟悉感也能让她感到安慰……这样正好，让她更容易实现自己真正的目的。

Melodie was invisible, but even the simple familiarity of the inner sanctum was a comfort... and in truth it was all the better to achieve the true purpose in her heart.

她擦去眉头的汗水，呼了口气。天气炎热，人也疲累，但双日很快就要落了。趁着夜里安静，她就有了机会搜寻失落的章节，只要确有——

Pausing to wipe the sweat from her brow, she sighed. It was hot, and she was exhausted, but the suns would begin to set before long, and she would have a chance in the quiet hours of the night to search for the lost chapters, if they even—

她突然站定了脚步。有什么东西刺痛了她的神经，一股寒意从耳边一直钻到心口。美乐蒂意识到令她惊讶的不是有什么动静——恰恰相反。

She stopped, suddenly. Something prickled her awareness, reaching her ears and filling her veins with ice. She realized it was not a sound that had startled her, but rather its absence.

很安静。太安静了。

It was silent. Utterly silent.

美乐蒂之前从未体会过彻底的寂静。难道说是命运在恶意地作弄她，让她成了聋子，也让她从此再也不能听见那将她与神相联的乐曲？她朝神庙的正门奔去——远处的大律统那宏伟庄严的节奏声会证明她的想法——她不禁瞪圆了眼睛。

Melodie had never heard true silence before. Had she been struck deaf by some cruel twist of fate, excommunicated from the songs that connected her to the divine? She ran to the temple’s front gate, looking up to set her thoughts in time with the holy immensity of the distant Temporonomicon, and her eyes went wide.

它停了。

It had stopped.

大律统……怎么停住了？

What could stop the Temporonomicon?

她还在惊疑不定时，阴影落在了她身上——不止她一人。

In the moment that she grappled with that impossibility, a shadow fell over her—but not just her.

阴影笼罩了一切。

It fell over everything.

恶毒的黑暗兀然涌现，吞没了一双太阳。整个世界被掀入了一团惨淡的暮光之中。魔能带着伤口般的深黑色疾掠而过，天空中爬满刺目的鲜红色闪电，搏动着、蜷伸着向地面飘落。

The world was plunged into a sickly twilight as the suns were swallowed by a bloom of writhing, malignant darkness. Magical energies the color of a deep bruise lanced through, and throbbing lightning of brightest red reached out to craze the sky, drifting down and coiling toward the earth.

与此同时，一个声音……或者说是一个恐怖的非声音，取代了原本大律统万古如一的轰鸣，转成一种毁灭般的呼啸。

And with it came... a sound, or a hideous un-sound, replacing the faithful beat of the Temporonomicon with the howling of ruin.

悬浮于城市上空的巨石阵也开始倾斜晃荡。没有了神圣的节律加持，两块巨石撞在了一起，然后看似无比缓慢实则飞快地坠落，如同流星撞破天穹一般。巨石落地掀起的汹涌震波将街道撕裂，黑暗能量聚成的龙卷汇入了刀割般的尘暴，还掺杂着尖利的碎片残骸，摩擦碰撞间发出更加刺耳的噪声。

The great monoliths hanging over the city began to tilt and sag. With no sacred rhythm to keep them in place, two of them collided, plummeting with titanic slowness to smash like meteors into the skyline. Violent shockwaves tore through the streets from the impacts, the dark energy storm joined by slashing gales of dust and jagged debris scraping and clashing, giving further voice to the din.

美乐蒂蜷身紧抱着一根石柱，看着惊慌的男男女女在街上四处逃窜。运气不错的人能找到勉强可以藏身的地方，但倒霉的却是更多。许多人被风暴吞没，而直到亲眼目睹了风暴的残虐之后，美乐蒂才意识到自己一直在尖叫。

Melodie recoiled, clutching onto a pillar for support as she watched men and women fleeing through the streets from the advancing horror. The fortunate found whatever shelter they could, but they were few. So many were caught up in the storm, and it was only after witnessing its effects on them that Melodie realized she was screaming.

它就像一头四处扑击的猛兽，大啖着猎物的血肉。风暴如蟒蛇般卷上人的四肢，冲破他们的牙关，发出任何自然造物都不可能发出的怪声——竟然仿佛带有某种旋律，只是近似于一种恐怖恸哭般的杂音。他们的脸庞因痛苦的嚎叫而扭曲，随后如若无骨般松垮滑落，脏腑从尖啸不断的口中被扯出，在上方张网拉开，形似一株株红树上的光滑枝条。

It surged like a predator, engulfing its prey. It wound along their limbs like a serpent, surging past their teeth to produce a sound no natural thing should be capable of producing. It was, impossibly, a kind of song—but one attuned to some terrible, keening dissonance. Their faces collapsed around choked cries of agony, falling away slack and boneless, and what was within them was drawn out from between their howling lips, carried to hang up over them like the slick branches of incarnadine trees.

这座诡异可怖的丛林横跨在半空中，跟随着杂音微微颤动，传唱着幕天席地的毁灭挽歌。新的声音不断融入，这歌声越来越响，越来越响，越来越响。

This new and hideous forest sprung up across the city, shivering with discord as it amplified the grand dirge of unmaking. It grew, louder, and louder, and louder, with each new voice it claimed.

美乐蒂喉咙发痛，止住了呼叫。她望着风暴的锋面卷进神庙——整肃者们已经在庭院里严阵以待。这些守卫们身体抽搐动摇，脚下虚浮，身上的铜甲如蜡一般融化流下，手中的铁木大槌也燃起了火焰。整肃者们踉跄着摔倒在地，地面已经是液化的金属与沸腾的秽物汇成的水潭，并且还在不断扩大。

Melodie’s throat went raw, cutting off her screams. She looked on as the stormfront rippled over the Rectifiers standing ready in the courtyard. The temple guardians twitched and thrashed, losing their sure footing as the brass of their armor ran like molten wax. The ironwood mauls in their fists caught fire. They stumbled, crashing to the ground in expanding pools of boiling foulness and liquid metal.

守卫们的尸身散发出滚滚烟尘，直冲上天，呛得美乐蒂不停地干呕。她的眼神被大路尽头的什么东西吸引了——硝烟恶霾尽头，一个身影双臂大张，正如征服者一般信步前来。

Melodie retched as whorls of smoke and steam coiled into the air from the obliterated guardians, drawing her gaze up to the grand thoroughfare. There, through the dust and gloom, she glimpsed a figure striding confidently through the city gates like a conqueror, with his arms spread wide.

“佛耶戈？”她叹了一声，不敢确定。

“Viego?” she breathed. She could not say for certain.

虽说来人正是本尊，但他却与之前衣衫褴褛的疯癫模样大相径庭。这个男人气度超凡，之前众人群情激愤时所留下的伤口现在已经丝毫不见痕迹。

If it was Viego, he did not look as he had before—a lunatic in rags. This man was transcendent, his flesh absent any wounds that may have been laid into it by the outrage of the masses.

难道说他从来都是对的？这便是他所信的“乱律者”的恩典？这便是他对伪信之人和无知之人所释出的怒火？美乐蒂急切地想要得到答案。

Had he been right all along? Were these the blessings of his “Dissonant One”? Was this his wrath for the falsehood and ignorance of the faithful? Melodie had to know.

“快进神庙！”美乐蒂刚迈出第一步，身后就传来了齐尔马斯特的呼喊。绝望的人群挤挤挨挨从她身边冲过，一心寻求庇护。

“Into the temple!” Qylmaster’s voice came from behind Melodie as she took her first step. Desperate citizens were barging and rushing past her, looking for sanctuary.

但是她却定在了原地。

But Melodie was rooted in place.

“他并非胡言，对么？”美乐蒂脱口而出。眼前的灭世景象让她震撼不已，一切伟大的成就正在化为乌有。她转头问净化使：“五杀者，此刻安在？”

“He wasn’t lying, was he,” she called out, still transfixed by the unfolding destruction, all their great works rendered to ruin. She turned to the Sanctifier. “Where is Pentakill?”

“孩子，过来！”他低吼道。“你已亲眼目睹了异端之邪恶！来我们身旁，求得安全！”

“Come away child!” he bellowed. “You see now the evils of this heresy! Get thee to safety with us!”

“眼前力量，唯有真神可御。”美乐蒂指着正在吞噬城市的狂乱场面说道。“而这并非噪神体之功。所以还有第四真神，是吗？”

“This is a power only the divine could bestow,” Melodie replied, pointing to the madness enveloping the city. “And this is not the work of the Noisome Host. There is another god, isn’t there?”

净化使眼神茫然了。“五杀者将至，”他低声念道，“信五杀者，必当得救。”

The Sanctifier stared blankly. “Pentakill will come,” he murmured. “They will come to protect their faithful followers.”

“可此时此刻，他们何在？”美乐蒂咆哮质问。她抬起头，看见神庙的钟塔坍为一地碎砾——塔顶本是一尊卡尔萨斯的金色雕像。“他们不会来了，你心里明白。”

“Then where are they...?” Melodie snarled. She looked up, seeing the temple’s campanile tower topped with a golden statue of Karthus now falling to rubble. “They aren’t coming. You know that.”

净化使向她伸出了手。“美乐蒂修女……”

The Sanctifier reached out to her. “Sister Melodie...”

他从未有一刻如同现在这般衰老、虚弱。

He had never looked older, or more feeble.

“从始至终，我们以谎言维生。”美乐蒂转过身，留给他一个背影。“我也一直身在虚妄之中。真相因凡人的恐惧，或是可悲的无知而被掩盖，但现在我看到了。”

“We’ve all been living a lie,” Melodie turned her back on him. “I have been living a lie. There are answers, ones I thought hidden away out of mortal fear, or petty ignorance, but now I know.”

她指向风暴。

She pointed to the storm.

“真相就在彼处。”

“The answer is out there.”

美乐蒂步下台阶，与狂乱奔突的人群背道而驰。佛耶戈就在这里，实践着他之前的诺言。他以暴力和灾难为这个世界睁开了双眼，再也无人胆敢否认乱律真神的存在。

Melodie descended the steps, moving against the surging current of men and women. Viego was out there, somewhere, doing precisely what he had promised he would do. He was opening the eyes of the world, through such violence and catastrophe that none could ever deny the reality of his patron, this Dissonant One.

大灾中，她似乎听见了一个词语、一个名字，微弱得几乎不可察觉。

Amid all the devastation, she felt she could almost hear a word, a name, all but imperceptible in the chaos.

“默啼……”

“Muuuutaaaarisssss...”

即便面前恐怖无伦，美乐蒂仍旧毅然走进了风暴的血盆大口。于她而言，获得启示在所不惜。如果代价是她自身的性命，那就拿去好了——无所知觉的生命，本就毫无意义。莫名的兴奋在她心中鼓动，冲走了一切疑虑与愤怒。新的道路已经出现，尽管黑暗又崎岖。

Despite its horror, Melodie pushed forward into the crimson maw of the storm. To her, revelation was worth any price. If that ended up being her own existence, then so be it—hers had been a life of ignorance, but no more. Somehow, impossibly, excitement welled up within her, washing away all doubt and anger as a new path appeared, dark and winding as it might be.

也许，佛耶戈将会为她指明方向。

And perhaps Viego would show her the way.