Chapter 16: The Path of Faith （信念之路）

　　The ethereal glow from the distant peak pulsed softly, a silent siren's call in the vast, star-dusted darkness. It promised warmth, order, and a cessation of the relentless fear that had been their constant companion. But it also whispered of unknown laws, of scrutiny, of an end to the fragile, self-determined freedom they had carved out for themselves.

　　远处山峰上那空灵的光芒柔和地脉动着，在繁星点点的广阔黑暗中，如同无声的塞壬之歌。它承诺着温暖、秩序，以及对他们如影随形的无尽恐惧的终结。但它也低语着未知的律法、严密的审视，以及他们为自己争取的那脆弱而自主的自由的终点。

　　Leon looked from the inviting light back to the abyssal blackness of the cliff face below them. The descent was a gamble with their lives. The worgs could still be waiting, a patient, invisible death in the night. He thought of Maeva's simple, unquestioning kindness. It had been a gift, given without expectation. Would the elves be the same? Iris was one of them, but he was not. He was an outsider, a human boy from a kingdom that had its own complicated history with the ancient races.

　　里昂的目光从诱人的光芒移回他们下方悬崖那深渊般的黑暗。下山是一场用生命做赌注的冒险。座狼可能仍在等待，是夜色中耐心而无形的死亡。他想起了梅娃那单纯、不带任何条件的善意。那是一份馈赠，不求回报。精灵们也会如此吗？艾莉丝是他们的族人，但他不是。他是个外来者，一个来自与古老种族有着复杂历史王国的人类男孩。

　　Iris stood beside him on the narrow ledge, her silhouette etched against the starlight. She was waiting for his decision. This was not her choice alone; their fates were bound together now.

　　He took a deep, shuddering breath of the cold, thin mountain air. "We go to the light," he said, his voice firmer than he felt. "It's... it's a better chance than the cliff."

　　艾莉丝站在他身边狭窄的岩架上，她的侧影映衬着星光。她在等待他的决定。这不再是她一个人的选择；他们的命运如今已捆绑在一起。

　　他深深吸了一口寒冷稀薄的山间空气，气息有些颤抖。“我们去有光的地方，”他说，声音比他自己感觉的要坚定。“这……这比爬下悬崖的机会更大。”

　　A complex emotion flickered across Iris's face—relief, trepidation, a hint of sorrow. She nodded slowly. "Then we must be swift and silent. The Sentinels' patience for intruders is short." She pointed to a barely visible path, a seam in the rocky terrain that seemed to lead in the general direction of the glow. It was not a trail made by feet, but a natural fracture line, dotted with stunted, wind-gnarled trees that offered scant cover.

　　艾莉丝脸上闪过一丝复杂的情绪——宽慰、忧虑，还有一丝悲伤。她缓缓点头。“那我们必须迅速而安静。哨兵对闯入者的耐心是有限的。”她指向一条几乎看不见的小径，那是岩石地貌中的一道裂缝，似乎通向发光的方向。那不是人走出来的路，而是一条天然的断裂线，点缀着矮小、被风吹得扭曲的树木，提供着稀少的掩护。

　　Their journey along the ridge was a nerve-wracking traverse. They clung to the shadows, moving from one patch of scrubby cover to the next. The moon rose, casting long, distorted shadows that played tricks on the eyes. Every rustle of a nocturnal creature, every sigh of the wind, made them freeze, hearts pounding. The glowing peak seemed to get no closer, a frustratingly distant beacon.

　　他们沿着山脊的旅程是一段令人神经紧张的跋涉。他们紧贴着阴影，从一簇灌木丛移动到下一簇。月亮升起，投下长长的、扭曲的影子，迷惑着视线。夜行生物的每一次窸窣声，风的每一声叹息，都让他们僵住，心跳加速。那发光山峰似乎一点也没有靠近，是一个令人沮丧的遥远信标。

　　After an hour of tense progress, the character of the forest began to change. The harsh pines gave way to older, more majestic trees with silver-barked trunks and leaves that seemed to shimmer with their own soft light. The air grew warmer, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance of night-blooming flowers. They were entering a place of ancient magic.

　　在紧张地行进了一个小时后，森林的特性开始改变。粗糙的松树被更古老、更雄伟的树木取代，这些树有着银白色的树干，叶子仿佛自身散发着柔光。空气变得温暖，带着夜间开花植物的淡淡甜香。他们正在进入一个充满古老魔法的地方。

　　Iris slowed her pace, her movements becoming even more fluid and silent, a homecoming of sorts. She held up a hand, signaling a halt. Ahead, through a screen of luminous leaves, they could see the source of the glow. It was not a fire, but a pool of water, perfectly circular and impossibly clear, radiating a soft, blue-white luminescence that illuminated the surrounding glade without seeming to cast any shadows. A Moonwell. Around it stood several tall, imposing figures, clad in the distinctive, ornate armor of the Sentinel archers. Their postures were alert, their long ears twitching at the slightest sound.

　　艾莉丝放慢了脚步，她的动作变得更加流畅和安静，仿佛某种归乡。她举起一只手，示意停下。前方，透过一层发光的树叶，他们看到了光源。那不是火，而是一池水，完美的圆形，异常清澈，散发着柔和的蓝白色光芒，照亮了周围的林间空地，却似乎没有投下任何阴影。一口月井。井边站着几个高大威严的身影，穿着哨兵弓箭手特有的华丽盔甲。她们姿态警觉，长长的耳朵对最细微的声音也会抽动。

　　They had found the Sentinels. And now, they were the intruders.

　　Iris took a deep breath and stepped out from the cover of the trees into the edge of the glowing light. She held her hands away from her body, palms open, in a universal gesture of peace. Leon followed, his heart in his throat, feeling more exposed than he ever had before.

　　他们找到了哨兵。而现在，他们成了闯入者。

　　艾莉丝深吸一口气，从树木的掩护中走出，踏入光芒的边缘。她双手远离身体，掌心摊开，做出一个通用的和平手势。里昂跟着，心提到了嗓子眼，感觉比以往任何时候都更暴露。

　　The reaction was instantaneous. Bows were drawn in a fluid, silent motion, a dozen arrowheads of polished silver gleaming in the magical light, all aimed directly at them. A voice, sharp and authoritative as a cracking whip, rang out in a language Leon did not understand, but whose meaning was unmistakable: Halt and identify yourselves.

　　反应是瞬间的。弓以流畅无声的动作拉开，十几个抛光的银质箭头在魔法光芒下闪烁，全都直指他们。一个声音，尖锐而权威，如同鞭子抽响，用一种里昂听不懂但意思明确的语言喊道：停下，报上身份。

　　Iris replied in the same flowing, melodic tongue, her voice calm and respectful. She gestured to herself, then to Leon. Leon could only stand frozen, praying that her words were enough, that the stories of elven mercy were true. The lead Sentinel, a woman with a stern, ageless face and eyes that held the cold light of the stars, listened impassively. Her gaze swept over Iris, taking in her pointed ears and alien features, then settled on Leon, lingering on his very human form with an unreadable expression.

　　艾莉丝用同样流畅、悦耳的语言回答，声音平静而恭敬。她指了指自己，然后指了指里昂。里昂只能僵立着，祈祷她的话足够，祈祷关于精灵仁慈的传说是真的。为首的哨兵，一位面容严厉、看不出年龄、眼中蕴含星辰冷光的女性，面无表情地听着。她的目光扫过艾莉丝，注意到她的尖耳朵和非人特征，然后落在里昂身上，用难以解读的表情凝视着他非常人类的外形。

　　The silence stretched, thick and heavy. The polished arrowheads did not waver. Leon felt the weight of centuries of history and suspicion pressing down on him. This was the moment of truth. The path of faith had led them here, to the edge of an enchanted glade, where their fate would be decided not by monsters of the wild, but by the judgment of an ancient and powerful people.

　　沉默持续着，沉重而浓厚。抛光的箭头纹丝不动。里昂感觉到数个世纪的历史和猜疑压在他身上。这是真相大白的时刻。信念之路将他们带到了这里，带到了这片魔法林间空地的边缘，他们的命运将不再由荒野的怪物，而是由一个古老而强大族群的审判来决定。