The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 253: Roar of despair (3)

Chapter 253: Roar of despair (3)

Tears. Blood. And pain.

These three filled his vision when the blurriness disappeared.

The moment Hex fused with his soul and roared, the voice in his head disappeared. His thought reappeared, albeit a bit slow. He understood he had been under control. He clenched his fist in anger but the sob following pained him.

He looked down. He saw her teary-eyed face, wincing in pain and with blood seeping from her throat. The marks resembled claw marks. Claws like his.

This couldn’t be happening. The memory of holding something soft and warm in his hand returned. Althea gasped for breath. The pain in this cold seemed to burn. Hex placed his hand – no his claw on top of the wound. There was very little nature element left but he didn’t care. He applied all of it to the wound. Hoping, wishing to heal whatever damage he inflicted upon the distressed girl.

With a sizzle, the wounds started to close. There weren’t enough words to express the relief Hex felt at that moment. He kept his hand – no claws on her. He kept forgetting it. But with some happiness back in him, he studied his...his claws.

The nails seemed more like talons. And his hands looked like paws but with less fur. They were broad and heavy. Come to think of it, he felt bigger and heavier.

He remembered fusing with his soul. Or was it the Dragon Bear? Hex didn’t know but he understood these changes occurred due to the fusion.

"Sever!"

Hex was too occupied but the ragged voice from behind sent shivers through his spine. He struggled but he watched horrified at how his claw went for Althea’s throat. His sharp claws glistened dangerously in the dark.

’No!’

His soul roared. A silent roar. But the roar still shook his mind. It pulled Hex out of his fear. At the last moment, he managed to pull his claws...albeit only a little. The sharp point slit cut a thin line in her skin.

She coughed. Hex met her gaze. She was in pain but there was something else in them...relief. It didn’t make sense. Anger, frustration, pain, and even hate, all those emotions would make more sense than seeing relief in her eyes. Worse, she seemed to have given up. She didn’t resist or move. She just lay there.

What happened? Why was she like this? Not long ago, she roared to fight. She thundered. But now she seemed done. With everything. Did the death of the two Hawks hurt her so much? It would make sense if it had been someone else. But Althea? Hex didn’t believe her to be so...fragile.

"Crush!"

That voice. Again. Hex gritted his teeth. Or were they now fangs? It didn’t matter. He felt his body willing to move. To throw itself on her. But Hex resisted. His feet tapped the ground. He jumped. Not by his own will. Fuck this. Althea was under him. He would land. And crush her. Fuck this.

She looked...relieved. She closed her eyes. A smile, a small one, blossomed on her lips.

Fuck this.

Even if she was done. He wasn’t. He never would accept such a thing.

Second Blessing – Punch.

It wasn’t a skill. No, but it did the job. Hex gathered the energy in his right paw and released it by punching down. The shockwave helped him steer away from Althea. He landed not far from her. He faced her. She stared at him and...shook her head. Her eyes implored it to let it go. To let her go.

Fuck it.

If she wished to die, she should fight him to death. He wouldn’t kill her. It wasn’t about feelings. It wasn’t about morals. It was about will.

Hex hated doing things against his will. Like the aged, bald man above. With blood all over his body. He stared at them with hatred and fury. The woman stared with worry and terror. And the boy, hidden in space, watched everything with pain. Pain and hope. A thread of golden light almost connected to him. It was a matter of time. And then everything would be over.

But it didn’t matter. Their feelings didn’t matter. Their objectives didn’t matter. Neither did Altheas. If they wished to do whatever it was they wished to do, do it by yourself. Not by using him. He wasn’t a tool. Even though he was created to be one. But he refused to be one.

"Roll!"

Roll yourself. He felt his body lift but he roared. With a thud, he landed back in place.

"Bloodthirst."

The surroundings started to blur. The smell of rusty iron filled the air. He felt parched. The trickle of blood not so far from his pulled him. It smelled nice. It would taste nice. He wanted to drink. He reached her. And he lowered his head. The intoxicated smell filled his nose, eyes, and mind. His lapped. Sweet...and warm. No, it couldn’t be warm.

Hex roared. His roar destroyed the desire to take her blood. His heart beat wildly in his chest. Blood, filled with energy, pumped through his body.

"Devour!"

Again. A desire. A lust, almost uncontrollable. But Hex didn’t relent this time. He roared. The black swirl fused with him. The monolith in his inner space started to buzz. He resisted with everything he had.

He didn’t know how long he could hold on. And even if he held on, what then? There was no help in sight. He wasn’t stronger. He still faced a couple far stronger than him. He managed to survive so far. Not because he was stronger or their equal. They were facing enormous restrictions, causing them to use only a fraction of their might at Hex.

Hex didn’t know. He felt despair. But his will didn’t break. He wouldn’t give up. The King’s most effective words were those directed at taking control over him. He could resist but not fight back. No human could continue against him. He controlled every desire one could muster.

So, how did he resist? He wasn’t human. That much he knew. But was that all? No, the roars helped. But where did those roars come from? They came from within him. From his soul. From the part that was the Dragon Bear.

He sensed its urge to fuse with him. Become one. To let it fight. A beast fought with instinct. No desire or thoughts. Pure instincts.

Hex watched the girl bleed. Hex saw the golden thread almost connect with the Crown Prince. Hex heard the King utter another command. He didn’t hear what it was though. He had already closed his eyes.

’We are one.’

Everything went blank.

No light. No smell. No senses.

Only a roar. A roar that shook the sky. A roar that caused the ground to tremble. A roar that caused the golden light to vibrate.

Hex risked everything when he roared in despair.

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