The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 223: Plans in motion (1)

Chapter 223: Plans in motion (1)

High above in the sky, above the dark clouds, the outline of a large bird glided in the air. The Commander sat inside the figure he manifested out of his energy.

From his vantage point, the thick walls looked like lines drawn to divide the city into five parts. He looked at the ant-like humans busying around in the former market district. He moved his eyes a bit to the left and saw thick columns of dirt and smoke appear.

The groups tasked with scouting and cleaning the housing district progressed steadily. The wall dividing the housing district and the noble district was within reach.

Despite the distance, his hawk-like eyes surveyed the noble district. The vague outline of domes and mansions stood in the dark. The silhouettes of some creatures moved along the empty streets in the district.

Nex his gaze landed on the wall between the noble district and the Temple district. His eyes narrowed as he tried to peer through the darkness shrouding the area between this point and half of the Temple district.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t peer into the darkness over there. This was the case since the Witch performed her Sinful rituals. At first, he assumed the darkness was a consequence of the act against Heaven. Over time he started to have doubts about his theory though.

The hints were subtle and far too vague. Many cases were filed and put away as unsolved. No one bothered about the prisoners disappearing from guarded prisons. Villages and towns hit by plagues didn’t register the missing corpses. Missing crew members on ships hit by a Fog Storm chalked the disappearances to lores of the sea.

No one paid attention to the individual cases. Not even he, the Commander noticed a trend. But a few years ago, his friend, the baron wrote him a letter with numerous cases to investigate.

Even now, the Commander didn’t know how the baron discovered and connected all those traces. But over the many years he knew the baron, he stopped pondering about the man’s sources and intelligence. As far as he knew, no full-blooded human of his caliber ever existed in the mortal realm.

"If he was here, we wouldn’t need to be cautious like this. Whatever the King had planned would fail if he was present. Without him, I don’t know what hell I will face."

It was times like these he missed the baron. He still remembered the day they faced the Witch. Amid slaughter and sins, even his knees buckled. Only the baron stood firm. His sword tore the Sin clouds and his will destroyed the gloom that corroded everyone’s resolve.

The manifested bird continued to glide toward the Temple. Its speed remained in sync with the team moving on the ground, through the central area.

...

"What are you doing, Elena?"

Hex looked at Rosa coming down the stairs. She seemed surprised by Elena’s presence in the mansion at this late hour.

"I visited Mother’s grave on the way back, Miss Rosa," Hex replied, imitating Elena’s demeanor to the best of his memory.

He used the visit as a cover for two reasons. The first reason was he remembered Elena’s behavior when she discussed her mother. The second reason was to preemptively provide a cover for his visit to the Queen’s grave.

Despite lowering his gaze in apology, his senses remained on the Refined Knight. The excuse seemed to work. The stern Healer’s gaze softened. She sighed without a sound. Elena would have missed it but Hex didn’t.

"Go rest. You know His Majesty will meet you in the evening. Be presentable." She instructed without showing her soft side and left the hall.

Only when he sensed her leave the mansion, did he feel relieved. He looked around and slipped out of the mansion again. He sensed the attention of the guards but they averted their attention immediately.

Hex didn’t investigate the upper levels. Not only did he wish to avoid meeting the King, but he also needed time to process his discovery.

’She, whoever she might be, looks like Elena but it isn’t her. They share a lot of similarities but some features differ. The body inside looked more...mature?’

He studied the face of the woman above the crystal for some time before leaving the room. The Soul in his inner space was going berserk. It wished nothing more than to swallow the crystal but Hex refrained.

It wasn’t easy. The Dragon Bear Soul affected him a lot. His feet felt heavy on the way up as if his entire being wished to remain close to the crystal. But Hex’s willpower helped him remain lucid.

’If she is who I think she is, then the King would kill me on the spot. It wouldn’t matter that I am disguised as his daughter. I only don’t know why he is keeping her there. Also, why is Elena forced to remain in this forsaken piece of land, taking care of an empty grave?’

...

After Hex left the room below the ground, everything remained silent for a while. The female body hovered in space and the crystal shone with the same intensity.

But after some time, the cold flame burning inside the crystal started to flicker. It released a crisp sound. Although the sound was soft, in the large silent hall, it still echoed.

Such high affinity with frost. Is this my new Vessel?

The voice sounded like a sigh. A whisper no one heard. Receiving no reply, it calmed down and the sounds died out. The hall returned to silence once more.

...

What happened?

The Divine Lord noticed Elsa snap her head toward the room. The temperature of the room dropped tens of degrees. She stared out for a few seconds before regaining her calm.

"Nothing," she replied, standing up and stretching her body. "It seems the time to start moving arrived."

Ow?

The Divine Lord sat on the couch. He changed once more. He wasn’t a toddler anymore but a child above six or seven years. Although he could speak, he liked talking in people’s heads. It messed them up without them realizing it.

"Yeah," Elsa said, "I sensed my soul stir. It’s calling me toward itself."