The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 256: Backlash of Fate

Chapter 256: Backlash of Fate

The beam of golden light lost its target when the space pocket shattered.

It swayed. The golden color of the sky receded—no, they didn’t recede. As Hex observed the changes, he noticed the gold of the sky enter the beam of light. The beam strengthened further and, with a snap, locked onto something else.

With a start, Hex realized the beam’s eagerness to fuse with the threads around Althea. As soon as the beam moved away, he also sensed a collapse of Strings near the Queen. She aged at a rapid speed. The Queen lay in the snow, her life force diminishing. The King struggled to get on his side, grappling her hand. He wept. At that moment, he seemed nothing more than an ordinary old man in despair to Hex.

The transformation had reversed when the Frost Dragon sent a wisp of cold air into his mind. He had to move. Or so he kept telling himself. His body refused to obey. His joints felt disconnected and muscles torn. But he had to move. Either save Althea or take out the King. Even though the King seemed like skin over bones, the danger he posed couldn’t be neglected.

’He lost everything. With the Commander gone and the Duke injured, no one can stop him from wreaking havoc.’

It worried him. But there was little he could do – his body hurt and spasmed after the transformation reversed.

Yet, he pushed himself off the ground. He noticed the element circle he received from Wallen shine bright with silver light. It seemed the space pocked released a lot of spatial elements. Hex knew he should feel happy but he couldn’t rejoice. The other worries weighed on his mind.

The King was dangerous but Althea might be in danger. So, he took a step towards her. And another step. His muscles screamed. And blood trickled down from his mouth. Every breath felt like a thousand needles pricked into his chest.

He took another step. And then something, no someone, landed before him. The Frost Dragon lay in the snow. Hex sensed at once the weak life force in her. It was extremely weak. She glanced at him and then...in him.

The little dragon in his inner space growled. It wasn’t angry or scared. Hex sensed the pain in the growl.

With the small dragon in his inner space, he formed some sort of bond with the Frost Dragon Queen. He could feel the pain as if it belonged to him.

Memories of his childhood where he longed to have parents, to feel love, to be spoiled, resurfaced.

’I will look after her. Be assured.’

Overwhelmed by the emotions he vowed in his mind. The dragon’s pupils widened and then relaxed. No words were spoken but Hex knew she heard him. And she accepted his word for it.

She was too weak. She didn’t project her thoughts but she responded by snorting. The snort released a misty substance that flowed toward him. Or to be more precise, toward the back of his hand. The hand with the flickering element rune circles.

Similar to the inherited circle flickering with silver light, this broken circle flashed with soft blue-white light.

As the mist fused with the circle, the circle started to form a whole. At the same time, he sensed his understanding of ice and frost increase.

The snow in his inner space crystalized even more. It looked more pristine than before. The changes caused the small dragon in his inner space to purr. Her scales also seemed more polished and white.

’Once I consolidate everything and refine the plasma-like energies inside me, I will reach the Refined stage.’

Hex stared at the Frost Dragon before him. She ’paid’ more than she owed. And that was not even considering the benefits Hex reaped from rearing a genuine Frost Dragon inside him.

’Thank you.’

The words were simple, as he didn’t know how else to express his gratitude. But he meant them.

He watched as the last bit of life force disappeared from the Frost Dragon. Her last thought lingered in his mind.

Soar, my child.

...

"This can’t be happening!"

"No, impossible."

"We need to leave. Now!"

Rayos almost broke down when he witnessed the space shatter and his eldest brother disappear. Disbelief and fear filled him. They planned for years. Ever since his mother predicted the end of their reign, they prepared to change the Fate. They sacrificed everything. Ages of inheritance and legacy betted for a slim chance of continuation. Yet, they failed.

How? He couldn’t understand it. It had to be the damn dragon. But how did a dragon appear? He didn’t know. His intuition kicked in. They had to leave before the people below broke through the gate.

Rayos turned and stood face to face with Paula. With Paula’s face, to be correct. It hung on the tip of a sword. In the periphery of his vision, he noticed a body lying in a pool of blood. Almost by intuition, he nearly turned toward it. But he didn’t. He stared at the smiling lady with the sword in her hand.

"We indeed need to leave, my Prince."

The Star Sword stood a head shorter than Rayos but somehow his vision filled with her sweet smile. A smile that sent shivers down his spine.

"W–why?"

"For this," she replied, gesturing to the box in her other hand. Only now did Rayos turn his gaze toward the box. He recognized it of course. It was his box. Or it had been his.

"But you already have the inheritance of the Sage?" Rayos grappled with his broken thoughts. He failed to comprehend why the Paladin betrayed him.

"And thank you for that. I appreciate it. But this is for my client. One who offered better pay. So, if you will please follow me. I promised to deliver this tonight."

Rayos felt his heart sink but there was hope. At least, she didn’t kill him...yet.

...

Asoll felt his world spin. Before he knew it, he stood back in the Temple. Experiencing the turbulence of Space and Time left him nauseated. He vomited without bending over. He let the grime flow.

The ordeal he went through left him disoriented. He stood or lay. In any case, he remained still. With his eyes closed. It would take some time to recover from the aftereffects. He didn’t suffer any other injuries. At least, that was something to be happy about. But the Crown Prince didn’t feel happy.

His mind filled with the images he saw before the space shattered. The sight of his father’s weakened body and his mother’s agonized eyes flickered before his eyes. He clenched his fists. He hoped his father survived. He was the backbone of their family. They needed him more than ever.

And his mother...he wished but knew she wouldn’t survive. She had used the Frost Dragon’s breath to freeze the Strings of her Fate. With the failure of their plan and the Frost Dragon’s attack, she would lose her Strings. Even if there was a way to defend against all these, the backlash of tempering with Fate would destroy her.

If he was only stronger. He inherited his father’s talent and his mother’s gift. The first male to ever do so. It left him without an heir. But it didn’t matter. Or it wouldn’t have mattered if they managed to change their Fate. But they failed.

Suddenly, his shadow stirred. The rainbow-colored pupils opened wide in the darkness. A bad premonition filled his heart. Asoll opened his eyes.

He didn’t see anyone. At first. Then he saw the High Priest stand beside the monolith. He stood there. Without moving. Not even blinking.

The feeling of something bad waiting to happen intensified. He tried to use his Oracle abilities but failed. He hadn’t recovered enough. The backlash of Fate still lingered.

As he approached the corpse of the High Priest, he sensed a shift in the air behind. He turned and blocked the attack. But right then, a sword pierced through the corpse and into his chest.

Blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. Ignoring the pain, he looked over his shoulder. An old man clad in regal robes stepped from behind the corpse.

"You...!"

"Yes, it is I, my prince. Your loyal Chief of Court. Fate is changing my lord. So my allegiance should change too, right?"

A flurry of emotions went through Asoll. He gritted his teeth in anger, opened his eyes in shock, and sighed from weariness.

The other person pierced his chest and pulled his heart out. Asoll fell to the floor, dead.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.