Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 139: Another Battle (1)

Chapter 139: Another Battle (1)

As Adrian slowly opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a soft bed, sunlight filtering through the curtains.

He looked around the room, but everything felt unfamiliar following his dream-like state. It was as if he had been abruptly transported from one reality to another.

In the dream, he was back on earth, living peacefully with his friends. Life was good, but suddenly, everything disappeared. All he saw was blood and a minotaur’s laughter chasing him into the darkness.

That’s when he woke up with a start, trying to piece everything together. Only then did he realise he had been dreaming all along.

’What the hell was that about?’

Blinking away the grogginess, Adrian tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through his body, forcing him right on his back. It was then he heard someone’s voice.

"Easy there, Adrian," came a gentle voice beside him.

Startled, Adrian turned his head to see A’Mila sitting in a chair beside the bed, looking at him with a smile. Her arm and most of her limbs were wrapped in bandages. She had a smile on her face, but even though she was smiling, Adrian noticed the concern in her gaze.

"Hey..." Adrian replied in his broken, groggy voice.

"How was your sleep, princess?" A’Mila teased him, waiting for the healers to arrive.

"Yeah, feels like I’ve been out for ages," he murmured with a weak smile.

"How are you feeling?" Akila asked, her arm touching his.

"Like I’ve been hit by a truck," Adrian replied, trying to sit up, but the pain shot through his body again. "No, more like I got to run through by a train... forget what I said; it sounds so wrong."

A’Mila looked at him, not knowing what he meant. She reached out to gently push him back down. Adrian managed a weak smile in return, but then, memories of his encounter with Ahuli flooded his mind.

All the blood and rage he saw in his dream suddenly made sense. It was his mind’s twisted way of reminding him of what he had turned into while fighting against Ahuli.

The more Adrian remembered what he had done, the more he couldn’t believe he was capable of something like that. As the memories returned, his heart also got faster and faster, as if it was trying to break out of his chest.

It was as if he was once again slipping into that state of absolute madness during the fight before everything went dark, and he blacked out.

Maybe A’Mila noticed his struggle, or perhaps it was just a coincidence. Her grip around Adrian’s hand got tighter, pulling him out of his thoughts and calming him.

"Ahuli..." he murmured, his brow furrowing in concern. "Did I...?"

"Yes, he’s dead. He died shortly after you passed out," A’Mila replied, rubbing his arm. "The blood loss and fractures we gave them were too much for him to be saved. Not like anyone was trying to save him, so there’s that."

Adrian nodded. He thought he would feel something when he got the confirmation, but there was nothing. If someone had informed him about the weather, he would have shown more emotions than he did then.

Something in him had changed. Adrian could feel it, and he didn’t know whether it was for the good or not. But for now, he had more significant concerns.

Adrian opened his mouth to ask about Vincent and Clara. After all, his revenge was incomplete without killing them. No, killing them would be too easy, almost an easy way out for them.

Instead of ending their pitiful existence, he would make an example out of them so no one ever thought about messing with him.

But before he could say anything, the door creaked open, and Akila entered the room with a couple of healers to check on him.

"Adrian!" Akila exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up his face. "It’s good to see you up and about."

"Up and about? I can barely sit," Adrian replied, and everyone chuckled.

The trio talked for a while as the healers did their checkups. As usual, there wasn’t much for them to do as the troll blood had been at work, healing Adrian one cell at a time.

Akila commented about Adrian’s healing, but he just laughed it off, once again hiding the truth about his powers.

***

Adrian had many more visitors within the next hour. It was as if everyone wanted to meet him, including Shu and Reena.

Adrian wasn’t in the mood to meet with unnecessary people, so he only invited the elves to meet, hoping they’d have some good news regarding Vincent and Clara.

However, their meeting didn’t go the way he had imagined. Upon entering the room, Shu and Reena immediately apologised to him on Vincent’s behalf for his part in the massacre of the heroes.

But Adrian saw right through their act. After all, he had been to enough balls in Nexaria to know how a noble thinks, despite their species.

"Let’s cut to the chase, shall we?" Adrian said, gazing out the window where the blood still marked the grass.

"O-Of course," Shu stuttered, taken aback by Adrian’s shift in the mood.

While the elves had expected Adrian’s cold demeanour, Shu had hoped Adrian would let go of the thoughts involving revenge.

As big of a moron as his cousin was, the Alfvanian royalty won’t let Adrian live peacefully if he harmed Vincent. He wanted to tell Adrian that, but it seemed he already knew why they were there... to change his mind about killing Vincent.

Obviously, Shu wasn’t stupid enough to blurt out his thoughts like that, not after what he had seen him do to Ahuli. But he didn’t expect Adrian to ask them to leave so coldly.

"As you might already know," Shu continued. "Vincent went missing in all the chaos that ensued following the fight-"

"And you want me to let him be... ’missing’, is that it?" Adrian interrupted him midsentence.

"Yes..."

"Can you tell me one thing?" Adrian said, changing the topic.

The couple looked at each other before nodding. But they had a feeling that things were about to go south.

"What will you do if someone hypothetically walks into Alfvania and kills everyone in sight and decorates your palace with their severed heads?

Will you allow the perpetrators to leave unharmed if someone asked you to?"

Shu sighed. He knew it wasn’t easy to persuade Adrian to let go of the matter, but he hadn’t expected him to shoot back at him.

"It’s not a matter of what we might have—" Reena interrupted, but Adrian raised his finger, looking at Shu as if saying he wanted him to speak, not anyone else.

"They’ll be dead the moment I get my hands on them," Shu replied honestly, knowing there was no point in arguing anymore.

"Then you already have my answer," Adrian said before turning away from them. "I have another question for you, and you might want to think about it for a while before replying."

Adrian continued, "It’s the same scenario, but instead of the perpetrators, what will you do to those who helped the said people escape?"

As Adrian’s words sank in, the elven couple’s eyes widened in shock. They exchanged a glance, realising that their secret had been uncovered.

They tried maintaining their composure, but fear and guilt were evident in their eyes as Adrian confronted them about their betrayal.

"W-What do you mean?"

Adrian pretended to be surprised by their question and said, "It’s a hypothetical question, just like the one before."

Minutes passed in silence, but the elves didn’t speak a word. It was then Adrian broke the silence.

"I would have gathered proof-" Adrian mumbled before laughing like a maniac. "Proof, haha, as if I’d need proof of someone’s wrongdoing to kill them!"

The elves gulped their saliva in fear as Adrian’s laugh got louder. They wanted to say something to salvage the situation, but Adrian stopped them.

"You better leave before I turn the hypothetical situation into reality," he warned them, suddenly getting serious. "Oh, and be sure to tell Vincent. It was fun knowing him. Also, tell your people to prepare a speech for his funeral."

"I hope you don’t make any choice that’ll make you regret later-"

"Don’t worry. I already regret saving you," Adrian scoffed, shaking his head as the elves left the room. "So much for having my back."

Adrian had expected Shu and Reena to try and protect Vincent, but watching them go through with it despite witnessing the result of their cousin’s betrayal told him a lot about their allegiance and character.

The heroes weren’t the only ones who died at the hands of Tulkas; the elven slaves did as well. If even that wasn’t enough for Shu to know what was right, then he wasn’t the kind of person Adrian wanted to associate with.

Shu wanted Vincent to face ’proper’ justice and wanted to capture his cousin and let the royal family decide his punishment. Adrian already knew why the elf was asking about it.

After all, their justice would be nothing more than a figurative slap on the wrist, especially after they had helped Vincent escape.

Adrian knew Shu and Reena were behind Vincent’s escape because the elves were supposed to ensure no one escaped.

He didn’t know what was more absurd: how Vincent and Clara managed to slip past the expert trackers among the elves or how Shu wanted him to believe it was a mistake.

That was why he asked them to leave instead of killing them. He was in no position to wage any more wars. But he wasn’t just going to let them go either. The time for his revenge would come, but first, he would have to get strong enough to take on an army... without passing out.

"Royalty saving royalty, why am I even surprised?" Adrian scoffed. "No matter who is on your side, Vincent. Our next meeting will mark the final Chapter of your life."