[BL] Guardians of Fate
Chapter 102 - 22: A Feeling Beyond Rationality [7]

Chapter 102: Chapter 22: A Feeling Beyond Rationality [7]

Leon was silent all the way back to the duchy. The carriage never stopped moving, and the outside world was completely unaware of the tension inside the ride.

The door to the driver’s seat was tightly closed, although Leon had no doubt that the driver could hear their conversation. But his father did not care, for his men were surprisingly loyal and minded their own business. They believed that the Duke had their best interests at heart and would do anything to protect them, so they rarely questioned his actions as long as they were safe and secure.

Leon couldn’t blame them for that. After all, who in their right mind would side with an Otherworlder?

Perhaps no one except those connected to them by fate.

Like him.

I don’t know what to do, Leon thought, crestfallen.

Soon enough, they arrived at Stormhaven.

They rode in tense silence with closed windows through the iron gates and then into the palace courtyard. When the servants saw them, they rushed to open the doors.

The Ducal Castle stood before them, an imposing structure surrounded by towering walls decorated with flags. It wasn’t as beautiful and magnificent as the White Castle, but it seemed more like an intimidating building that would be difficult to topple.

The Duke exited first, with Leon slowly following. Armored guards nodded respectfully and held out their spears, standing at attention as the two passed through the towering oak doors.

"Return to your quarters for now. I will call for you when you’re needed."

Leon bowed his head slightly and watched his father go, feeling a heaviness in his heart.

He was torn. After hearing what his father was planning, Leon knew that he couldn’t possibly go along with it and pretend to be calm and ignorant. Something inside him throbbed with pain at the thought of betraying his fellow Guardian even though he barely knew the man.

There was still no clear confirmation that the man was indeed an Otherworlder, but Leon couldn’t ignore the fact that it seemed quite likely.

So Chris Hanswell was a fake name, he thought as he quietly turned around and ascended the wide staircase. I should’ve known.

The instant I met that man’s eyes back at the banquet... I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I just felt that there was something about him. Something that compelled me to look at him closely.

Frankly, the memory of the banquet was a haze in Leon’s mind. He had come expecting to stay a few nights at the White Castle and spend some time with Evan and Elyana again, like old times. With Mathias too. He missed those three the most.

But he never got to spend much time with them. He did get to meet Elyana, who was as sweet and lively as ever. When he followed Evan and the man around town, Evan only asked him uncomfortable questions that he could not answer. They were about his own motivations and also about his father, and those were never easy questions to respond to.

Leon finally reached the residential wing on the third floor where his private chambers were located. He walked slowly through the corridor, barely noticing the servants who passed by and bowed respectfully to him.

Finally, he stood in front of the carved wooden doors leading to his room. Two guards were there, taking up positions on either side. They nodded in acknowledgement as he opened the doors and stepped inside.

The room was the same as he had left it this morning. It was a large room and modestly furnished, except for a few conspicuously expensive items, such as the king-sized bed, the wardrobe, and the wide shelves displaying shiny awards of his accomplishments.

Leon sighed and sank onto the bed, face down on the mattress.

Not even ten minutes in and he already felt like a prisoner in his own home.

The same feeling that he always had for the past twenty-four years of his life.

I need to sleep this off,

he thought, closing his eyes. He didn’t even have the energy to change out of his clothes. He felt so drained that it felt like sleep was literally clawing at him and pulling him down into an abyss. I don’t want to get involved. I just want to be left alone...

In seconds, Leon was fast asleep.

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* * *

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Leon didn’t dream often, but when he did, it was hazy, like a blurry photograph. A picture that moved in slow motion, but he could not see it very clearly.

His dreams were often ambiguous, and he never bothered to interpret or analyze them deeply in his mind. They were just dreams, he thought. They were not like nightmares where he could remember almost every single detail. He preferred monotonous dreams to nightmares any day.

But this dream was odd. So strange, in fact.

Because it started with him falling from the sky.

Just seconds after falling asleep, he felt something peculiar. His eyes were still closed, but he felt a sense of weightlessness in every inch of his body. It was as if he was suddenly put into this state right after falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes, his mind froze.

Clouds were all around him, swirling slowly, and yet his own body was falling rapidly, the biting wind stinging his face. His stomach sank as he realized what was happening, and his heart pounded against his ribs. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came.

Looking down, he could see the ground racing toward him. Crumbled buildings and cracked streets were covered in a slight shadow, with no signs of life below. A sense of dizziness overwhelmed his senses, followed by an intense fear for his life.

Desperately trying to slow his descent, he reached out and prepared to use his magic. Nothing came out, but the mark on his upper arm throbbed as if it had been burned.

The air roared past him as he flailed his arms in vain. Faceless voices seemed to echo around him, muffled and indistinct. A helpless panic set in, and tears welled up in his eyes.

I’m going to die! was his immediate thought.

But just before the streets ahead rushed up to meet him, everything dissolved into a blinding white light, and then... he felt nothing.

Nothing at all.

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