The Stonehearted Knight
Chapter 301: The changes within (2)

Chapter 301: The changes within (2)

The Dragon Bear Soul’s stubbornness and unwillingness to remain behind stemmed from its shared link with Hex.

Hex sensed its desire to improve. To be honest, Hex blamed himself for not realizing it sooner. As he grew in power, the help the Dragon Bear provided diminished.

At the Refined Stage, no one rivaled his strength and power. Not at the same stage. It wasn’t like he thought he was the strongest but he hadn’t encountered anyone who could rival his strength and power.

The Dragon Bear felt challenged by the sudden growth of the Dragon – a creature, which hatched just recently. It threw caution to the wind and absorbed all three streams entering the inner space: chaotic energy, Space elements, and Time elements.

Hex clenched his jaws so hard that blood seeped through them. But he suffered through. He could avoid the pain and risks by forcing the Dragon Bear to stop. Even if it resisted complying, it couldn’t overpower Hex’s Will. He, however, refrained from doing so.

The reason was simple. Just as he had been contemplating it, he met its gaze. At that moment he realized something. The Dragon Bear Soul would rather risk shattering in its attempt to improve than remain weak and obsolete. As someone who spent his life-risking everything to reach his goals, Hex could understand that sentiment like no other.

’You won’t be able to withstand the pressure for too long,’ he sent through their shared link. The Dragon Bear didn’t pay any heed to his words, not until he added another line. ’Neither will I if I am honest.’

He sensed the Soul stir. Having caught its attention, Hex laid out his plan.

’Instead of going at it alone, merge with me. In that fused form, we are stronger than either of us is on our own.’

The Dragon Bear seemed to agree as it rushed toward him. As soon as it got near, Hex willed the leftover dust to swirl around them as he fused with the Soul.

He never tried to fuse with the Soul inside the inner space before. It surprised him that it worked. It made the whole soul form, and who or what his soul was a bit complicated.

Whatever the mystery behind them, he wouldn’t discover them now. Not with the pain and the state he found himself in. So, he stopped pondering about those things.

As soon as he fused with the Soul, the pain lessened significantly. Well, after the pain of the transformation subdued. It shocked him that even inside the inner space, the pain his body went through remained as real as his transformations on the outside.

Having experienced syncing with his heart, Hex decided to follow it in this form too. Only, this time it differed. Instead of feeling the heart inside, he connected with the crystal at the center of the inner space.

Hex also made sure to only absorb the leftovers. He left the Time elements and chaotic energy for the Dragon and the Space element for the growth of his inner space.

There was more than enough to allow everything and everyone to make use of it. The Dragon and the space grew at a great speed. As did the Soul.

The pain, which had reduced at first, started to flare up though. It came at him like a river after the dam blocking its flow burst open.

His mind went almost blank. With the last shreds of his sanity, he continued to resist fainting. He knew if he lost control right now, the Dragon Bear Soul would be destroyed. Hex might survive but not be uninjured.

We are nearly out.

The Saint spoke directly into his mind. It would seem the Saint remained unaware of his heart and inner space or else he might have entered by now.

Knowing that they would exit the Crack any moment now, filled him with hope and urgency. Hope that if he held on for a bit, the suffering would end. And the urgency to finish the refinement.

Yes, the Soul tried to refine itself using a massive amount of energy and Time. A glance at the Soul revealed it only reached seventy percent of completion. It might not succeed in time.

’There is only one way to do so in time.’

His mind churned rapidly, trying its best to search for a solution. And it did find one. One Hex believed in. But also, the one he feared the most, given the circumstances.

Despite the risks, he decided in a fraction of a second.

Second Blessing – Burst

He focused on his heart to gather as much energy and elements from the surroundings. While gathering them, he focused them all on his heart. His plan was simple. Instead of releasing all of it outward, he would do so inward.

The greatest risk was the result of the Soul and Hex’s inner space. After all, to make the most out of it, he had to release it at the same time the pressure on his inner space was at the highest.

With the pressure at its peak, he would bombard the Soul with energy, forcing it to complete the refinement. He deliberately kept his mind from pondering about the consequences in case he failed. It suffices to say that the destruction of the Dragon Bear Soul would be the least of his worries.

He waited. He sensed the pressure increase. The Dragon had grown considerably by now, reaching a length of a hundred and fifty meters. It reached the adolescent stage.

Only seeing its massive length and wingspan, did Hex consider another point. The Dragon basically skipped its teenage period. That couldn’t be good for the Dragon’s mental health. If they behaved like Hex read humans did.

’Another problem left for the future me to solve. If I survive this.’

Hex knew such rapid growth would come with few drawbacks. Only, in the moment of urgency, he forgot to consider those.

The only good thing right now was that the massive growth spurt of the Dragon exerted another form of pressure on the inner space. Hex recognized that feeling. The feeling of being willing to break free and soar.

Hex made sure to suppress it for as long as he could. The pressure rose. And rose again. Until...it peaked.

’Now.’

Right now, the pressure became unbearable, Hex released everything he gathered and focused on his heart.

Boom!

The blast of energy and elements exploded. Hex braced himself for the impact. He still seemed to have underestimated it. The flood of energy and elements blasted him back, causing tread marks in the snow. Hex lowered his posture and bent his knees to withstand the pressure.

His Dragon Bear Soul burnt and seemed to corrode under the onslaught. Hex didn’t stop it though. This was part of the Refinement. He blanked a few times due to the pain. It hurt like hell. It was as if his Soul was being shredded into pieces and then joined back together.

Also, he had pressurized the energy and elements and released it when the inner space was at its limit. The sudden injection pushed the inner space to its extreme. Hex sensed the trembling as the pain of tears appearing inside his inner space pushed endurance to its limit.

His mind spun but he tried to maintain a sliver of sanity. He directed the Ice elements to the tears in an attempt to numb the pain and freeze the tears. To his surprise, it worked...for a few seconds. But those few seconds provided enough clarity. He hurried to shove more Ice elements into the tears to slow down the destruction.

While he busied himself with filling the tears, he heard a cry. Looking up, he noticed the Dragon watching his actions. She realized the predicament he was in. She spread her wings and roared, absorbing a huge amount of energy herself. The pressure was reduced at once.

On the other hand, he sensed through the shared link that the Soul completed its refinement too.

"Thank you."

He yelled at the Dragon above and ended the fusion. With a flash, the Dragon Bear Soul appeared before him.

It took a glance to notice the changes it underwent. The fur shone like a soft crystal and its size doubled. What’s more, Hex sensed through the link with it, that his own control over energy and the Ice element increased by leaps and bounds.

We are at the exit.

By the sound of it, they managed to complete everything in time. Despite the damage to his inner space and being mentally exhausted, Hex felt happy.

With a thought, he exited the inner space. Looking through his heartbeat, he saw the diffracted light end and a thin layer of blurry sky appeared. The next moment he sensed the mucous-like membrane being peeled off from him.

The blurry sky cleared up.

The Sky was blue, and the warm sun shone on his face. But what caught his attention was the massive, unending green mountain before him. Only it wasn’t a mountain. It was a tree. A tree that seemed to pierce through the sky and spread over the horizon. Nothing else existed, except the tree.