Chimaera's Conquest: The Legend Of The Devourer
Chapter 146: Harmony Trial (1)

Chapter 146: Harmony Trial (1)

"I see," Adrian murmured, his tone neutral. "So that’s what it was."

Sophia felt a knot form in her stomach when Adrian said those words. Deep within her, she had been hoping for some reaction, some indication that he remembered their shared past. But it seemed too early for that to happen.

"Is... is that all?" Sophia asked.

He only realised what was happening inside her head when he heard her strained voice. Unlike him, who viewed their conversation logically, Sophia, who remembered their love and interactions, would view it emotionally.

As such, being void of emotion as he was could hurt her feelings. Thinking so, Adrian quickly dropped his poker face and took on a more serious expression.

"Yeah, I think so. I need some time to process this," Adrian nodded, his gaze distant. "And.. Sophia, I know this isn’t what you had hoped for, but forcing myself to love you back when I don’t even remember you won’t be right for either of us... still, I’d like to apologise-"

"No, no, you don’t need to..." Sophia smiled wanly, trying to hide her pain. "I’m the one who should be sorry for dumping all this on you during such a critical time."

Adrain smiled, nodding. ’She took it better than I expected. Maybe she isn’t as frail as I thought.’

"Besides, it’s not like I’m going anywhere. We’ll have a lot of time to catch up later."

"Of course we will."

"Then... I’ll take my leave," Sophia mumbled and turned to leave, her footsteps echoing in the empty room.

Meanwhile, Adrian was lost in thought, his mind swirling with questions. Why would someone want to erase his memories of Sophia if that was all there was to it? What was it about their relationship that someone would go to such lengths to hide?

The more Adrian tried to solve his problems, the more entangled he got into them. It was the same with his quest to understand [Harmony]. After another day of questioning, the only answer he could get from the system was to ’wait’.

"Just a few more minutes to find out what all this waiting is for..." Adrian mumbled, glancing at the prompt before him.

[Time until the Harmony Trial begins: 57 minutes.]

Adrian tried asking everyone who’d listen about the Harmony trial. From the system to the entities, no one answered, not even Sloth. But she did tell him he’d have fun during the trial and didn’t want to spoil it by telling him more.

"Fun for them or me?" Adrian sighed, opting to find a sparing partner to spend the time.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to look for long as A’Mila was already at it. She was in the middle of practising with a spear, a weapon she took up after her fight with Ahuli.

Copying her, Adrian picked up another spear nearby and twirled it in his hand, walking towards her.

"Care for a spar?" he asked with a hint of mischief in his voice. "Seems like the others have been too scared to face me since the incident with Ahuli."

"Is that so?" A’Mila grinned and gestured for him to step forward with a flick of her fingers. "Beating you should relieve them of their fear."

"Just imagine what would happen if things go the other way?" Adrian chuckled, stepping into the imaginary fighting ring.

"We shall see."

The two warriors circled each other, their gazes locked. The news of their spar spread like wildfire, and soon, the others had gathered around them, drawn by the promise of a thrilling fight.

With a nod from A’Mila, the fight began. Adrian and A’Mila clashed with wooden spears. The sound of their clash echoed through the settlement as people started cheering.

Despite the weapon’s unfamiliarity, Adrian fought quite well with it thanks to his instinct, recent combat experience, and a bit of luck.

A’Mila, however, was no stranger to the spear. While she didn’t actively use it, she had trained with a spear when she was younger, just like everyone else in her tribe.

As the fight continued, Adrian found himself struggling to keep up with A’Mila’s skilful manoeuvres. His breath came in ragged gasps as he pushed himself to match her relentless pace, his muscles burning with exertion.

Meanwhile, A’Mila got faster with each attack that Adrian blocked or dodged.

"You’re quick to adapt," A’mila said between her attacks.

"People didn’t call me a quick shot for nothing... I meant a big shot! Not quickshot!"

At that instance, Adrian had fumbled more than mere words, and A’Mila took advantage of his little incident. With a swing, she hit Adrian’s wrist, sending his spear clattering to the ground.

Adrian tried to push her away and pick up the spear, but A’Mila was quicker and kicked the spear away before doing the same with Adrian.

Adrian landed on the ground with a thud. Before he could recover, A’Mila was upon him, her body pinning him to the ground with surprising strength. Their faces were mere inches apart as they panted, their eyes locked into one another.

"Is that all you got, ’pet’?"

"You’re good," Adrian admitted, his voice slightly breathless. "But not good enough."

With a sudden surge of strength, Adrian pushed against A’Mila’s hold, flipping them both over so that he was on top.

"Did you forget? This pet can bite as well." Adrian mumbled with a smirk.

"What a bad pet..." A’Mila chuckled. "Thankfully, I know how to handle pets who bite back."

"We’ll see," Adrian whispered and got into action.

With their positions reversed, he seized the opportunity to press his advantage, his hands moving with lightning speed as he attempted to pin A’Mila beneath him.

But A’Mila was quick to react, her strength matching his as she fought to break free. The two warriors grappled with each other like two fighting snakes.

Finally, A’Mila managed to kick him off herself. Adrian rolled back to his feet, only for her to put her spear at his throat.

"Looks like it’s my win, Adrian."

"A lucky win," Adrian rolled his eyes, accepting her hand to get up. "but still a win."

"Good fight," she said, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "But next time, maybe choose a weapon you’re more familiar with."

"How about a bow?" Adrian commented, but his attention went someplace else as the prompt appeared before him.

[The Harmony Trial will begin shortly. Please be prepared.]