The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 249: The slumbering giants

Chapter 249: The slumbering giants

White and blue flakes whirled to the ground. Snow covered the lands, the air, and the sky. Life seemed absent from existence in these lands. The lands were nothing more than tall, unending mountains, with peaks penetrating the sky. No one remembered these lands. Because no one ever managed to reach this place.

Darkness reigned in this place. The black sky hovered above whether it was day or night. So, when the dark receded and gold colored the sky, the tallest peak shuddered. Rather, the only creature living on these lands moved.

It was large. Large enough to take up half of the peak. The snow slid off its gigantic body, turning into an avalanche. The size and strength of the avalanche rumbled as if the sky had broken down. The mountains trembled due to the impact.

With the snow having fallen off, the body of the creature became visible. The creature seemed as if made from pure ice crystals. Its talons glistened dangerously, like ice blades. Its feathers shone with a radiance that seemed almost divine. It opened its eyes, revealing two massive eyes. The eyes shone like two diamonds. But the center of the eyes were abyss-like black circles.

The black centers moved up. The creature eyed the golden sky and released a keening cry. It closed its eyes and turned still again. But its cry traveled thousands of kilometers. The nearest settlement with thousands of humans and millions of beasts shattered like broken ice upon hearing the sound. All turned silent. Only the golden sky glowed above.

The destiny of an entire tribe and multiple herds ceased to exist.

...

People scuttled and hurried away. The storms came out of nowhere. Nothing strange about that. In these lands, people were used to it. The storms came and went out of nowhere. Nothing grew in these parts. At least, nothing that was easy to kill or grow.

They didn’t dare to lift their heads. The sky filled with black clouds seemed to slither and coil around itself. Flashes of bright lightning lit up the sky, revealing sharp claws and white eyes staring down. But no one looked up. No one dared to.

The people and beasts lived among the most resilient creatures to exist in the world. They didn’t burn or shred by the years of lightning raining from above. It was part of their lives. Towns and villages often turned into ashes after a storm.

The people of the village tried to enter the moleholes in time. These structures dug deep in the ground and were the only measure against the lightning. Years of struggles helped them come up with such a method to remain alive. But that was just part of their struggles. Actually, surviving the storm became the easiest part after so many years. The troubles came thereafter. With their crops and stock destroyed, their houses turned to ashes or rubles and their lands turned inhabitable.

The people, old and young, huddled inside the moleholes. With trepidation, they awaited the passage of the storms. The old looked aged. Their hope ebbed away during the wait. Some seemed relieved. They were perhaps the first the accept death. After all, after the storm, the young would need all the resources to survive.

The old and the weak would sacrifice themselves. Such were the ways of the world they lived. Escape was never an option. As far as the land and time reached, storms reigned.

Time passed. But the storms never struck. The rumblings ceased. They looked at each other. This was unheard of. Never had they seen or experienced such a thing. One brave soul, an old man near the end of his life, stumbled out of the molehole.

It took quite a toll on him to crawl out of the hole. He didn’t hear anything but at his age it was common. So he exited. He accepted being struck at any given time. He came out. There were no storms. The wind flowed, gentle and kind. He didn’t see any devastation. Was that also normal at his age? He looked up. The sky was colored gold. The sight was breathtaking. Luckily, the old man still took a breath. At his age, he couldn’t afford to miss many.

He hurried to call the others. They didn’t know but their Fates had changed.

...

People and beasts circled a tree. The humans sang. The beasts howled, purred, or growled. Despite their differences, they all seemed strangely in harmony with each other. The leaves on the tree rustled. The many, perhaps into the millions, branches swayed gently with their rhythm.

The tree wasn’t just any tree. It was revered. It was celebrated. It was the world tree. No one, living or dead, claimed to have reached its top. It overshadowed the lands, stretching from one end to the other, in all four directions.

Every human and beast living on this continent lived in its shadow. They ate the food it provided. They breathed the air it released. This was their home, food, source of life, and place of rest.

The creatures dancing paused amidst their steps. They didn’t hear or see anything. Except, that the tree stopped. It never occurred before. Suddenly, the leaves parted. Through the gaps, they saw a golden-colored sky. The tree seemed to be turning to face it. They didn’t understand why. They didn’t even know that the sky wasn’t gold usually. For the majority, it was the first they laid eyes on something else than leaves above them.

They didn’t know that the number of childbirths would triple or that the number of deaths would quadruple. The tree was the only one to see the change in Fate. Yet, it couldn’t do much about it. It stood rooted and muted. Like it had done since the creation of the world.

...

The fishermen screamed. They struggled to break through the giant waves. They struggled against the howling winds. They struggled against the giant creature attacking them. It came from the depths of the water.

No one respected the waters as much as these small fishermen. No one feared it like them. And no one fought against it, as much as they did. Yet, today they might lose the fight. The creature threw its massive tentacles against their small boats.

They struggled to survive so much that they didn’t notice the sky change. The creature attacking them seemed so absorbed in its hunt, that it didn’t sense the change in the sky. But in the depth of the waters, a giant silver eye opened. It glanced at the sky.

Its slits became even narrow at the sight above. It stared at it. Perhaps it realized that the time to prevent it had passed. It turned its gaze at the struggling fishermen. They were too small and too few. It turned its gaze toward the massive creature. Perfect size. The next moment the creature disappeared into the depths. The fishermen stared aghast at the water. They bowed. They shuddered. And then they rowed away.

As it swallowed the tentacled beast, it couldn’t help but lament the change in Fate that occurred.

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