The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 222: Reaching the core (2)

Chapter 222: Reaching the core (2)

The sight of Saint Elsa’s family emblem flustered Hex more than anything he learned so far in the Temple district.

Question after question rose in his mind as he stared at the worn-out dragon and the faded sword on the plaque. Even if his memories mistook the emblem for the one he saw in the dome in the central area, the pull he sensed from deep inside the mansion was real.

He sensed his Dragon Bear Soul act agitated, urging him to follow the pull. It even affected his state of mind. Hex nearly answered that call but just as his mind wavered, a loud buzz escaped from the monolith in his inner space. His heart thumped loudly, giving Hex a jolt.

’Calm down.’

Hex tapped his chest lightly and exhaled. The way his Soul acted made him wary of the core. He glanced at the glyph on the back of his hand.

’I always considered it a tool to control energy and the elements. It also provides me with some physical enhancements. This is the first time it acts on its own.’

Taking a deep breath, Hex stepped toward the mansion. There was still before dawn. He appeared as calm as he could, entering the mansion. He sensed the attention of guards and felt relieved when they stayed only for a second on him.

The first area he saw after entering was a large hall with two spiraling stairs. Seeing the gaps in the floor and the ceiling, Hex knew these stairs could lead him to the upper and lower floors.

’This place looks well-maintained like the infirmary but it’s empty.’

The unadorned walls and absence of furniture made Hex depressed. The lack of light worsened the feeling. And he was barely a few seconds inside.

’How the hell did Elena preserve her sanity? Even the dark chasms in the mountains felt livelier.’

Disguised as Elena, Hex hesitated. He didn’t know how she moved inside the building. She mentioned the King’s chamber was on the uppermost floor but didn’t expand on the other details.

’This might be the only chance to see the situation with the core up close. Tomorrow night, after the ceremony, I might not have another chance.’

Hex already made his mind up about the following night. No matter what happened, whether he achieved his targets or not, he would leave the Temple district. Pushing his luck against powerhouses might end his life prematurely.

’The world belongs to the living. Dreams and resolve lose meaning if I have to die for them.’

After being abandoned and living as a scavenger, Hex prioritized staying alive above everything. He wasn’t a coward. But he took risks he believed he could survive. Before entering the Temple district he knew things would be difficult but manageable. After surveying the Temple and the area around it, he saw the chances of success dwindle. The chances of exposure increased, so he adjusted his plans accordingly.

He checked his surroundings and sensed the guards’ position. As he suspected, the guards were stationed outside the mansion. The mansion felt empty but that was understandable. The King was a Transformed Knight, if not higher.

Hex stepped toward the left stairs. The lack of information on the path forward didn’t matter. He used the stirring in his Dragon Bear Soul as a compass.

’The pull is stronger on the left side. Toward the right, it starts to weaken. Also, the Dragon Bear Soul gets more agitated on the left stair.’

Hex kept his senses out as he stepped on the left stair. Careful not to make any noise, he stepped down. The feeling of something pulling him towards it increased with a wide margin with each step.

Seeing the stairs disappear on the floor of the lower level, Hex narrowed his eyes. He didn’t expect there to be more than one floor below the mansion.

’If I was the King, I wouldn’t stay in a mansion with hidden floors...unless I explored them all.’

As Hex continued his descent, he pondered about the dragon’s corpse below the mansion. A sense of wariness filled his heart. But he didn’t stop. He hoped to play a curious girl exploring the mansion out of boredom upon discovery.

He passed another floor when he sensed a significant drop in ambient temperature. The Dragon Bear Soul in his inner space roared uncontrollably. The noise didn’t escape his inner space but caused his mind to buzz.

’Sshh.’

The buzz caused dizziness. He shook his head to remain alert and shushed the Soul inwardly. It helped...a little bit.

The temperature continued to decline with each step. At some point his exhaled breath turned visible, turning white. A closer look revealed a thin layer of frost on the edges of the gap beneath him.

’This should be it.’

Hex lowered himself through the opening on the floor. As soon as his head lowered beneath the opening, the light in the space blinded him for a while.

He squinted till his eyes adjusted to the light. After days spent in the dark, it took a few seconds before he could look around.

The floor was similar to a large hall. It was bigger than the one at the entrance of the mansion. The walls and ceiling were empty. Hex looked at the source of the light.

In the middle of the hall shone a bright crystal, twinkling and pulsing with light waves. The crystal hovered in the air with no support around it. At a quick look, he estimated the crystal to be around half a meter tall and twenty centimeters at its widest diameter.

The crystal emitted bright but extremely cold light. A small flicker inside the crystal made it appear as if a very cold flame burnt inside it.

A giant lizard-like creature with white and blue scales lay on the floor. The head was easily bigger than two meters, leaving Hex guessing how big its actual body might have been when the dragon was alive.

But the thing that drew the most attention was the body of a female human floating above the crystal. The body looked peaceful. Hex’s enhanced hearing picked up the soft thumping of her heart against her chest.

’She is alive.’

Hex strained his neck to get a better look at her face. Gradually, he could make out her features. And those features seemed awfully familiar to him. In fact, those features were similar to the ones he stood disguised in.

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